Photos?

[Tracer]

Hi everyone. I thought that perhaps it would be nice if we could learn a little more about the people on this board who are all struggling with cancer. After all, we all DO have lives that involve more than doctor appointments!

I'll be brave and go first:

I have a recently married son (to a very nice girl!) and a charming daughter (I can say that, I'm the mom!) and have a fat, co-dependent, diabetic cat. I've been a single mom ever since they were small kids. I run my own graphic design business that has paid the bills handily for quite a few years. I love to garden, read, travel and do the Sunday NY Times crossword puzzle.

This ugly mug shot is a passport photo, taken about a year ago when I applied for (and received) an Irish passport. (Never know when I might need it).

Oh? The cancer? I'm done with chemo, and now it's just a waiting game -- hoping it doesn't come back.



Edited to say that obviously I'm stupid when attempting to post a photo.

[Longhorn]

1. About your photo:

You need to join a free online photo-sharing service. I use www.photobucket.com. Once you upload the photo, you get the url that you post here.

I've been married 32 years to a remodeling contractor. I'm an adjunct math professor at community college. We have four grown children who are 24 to 29. Our 26-year-old twin daughters have each been married a year (they got married two months apart.) They live nearby and work for my husband. Our oldest daughter lives in Denver with a wonderful young man whose mother is a breast cancer survivor -- even though I've never met her, she's been a wonderful support for me and her son for our daughter. Our son is a sergeant in the Marines and currently training in Virginia but headed back to California in a couple of weeks. He re-enlisted last fall and we've been fortunate that he has been in Japan for most of his career. However, with his new job in intelligence, he is likely to end up in Iraq eventually. :( We live outside of Austin with five dogs.

I begin my second round of chemo on Thursday. I get cisplatin and topotecan on Thursday over several hours, then topotecan again on Friday and Saturday for about 90 minutes. My sessions are three weeks apart. The good news is that the cancer is no longer showing up on the chest x-ray, my cervix now looks normal, and the tumor in my uterus has shrunk. I had 12 radiation treatments before I started chemo. I know that metastatic cancer is rarely cured but the fact that it is responding to the radiation and the first chemo drug means that I hopefully have more time and more options when/if it returns.

I was told I probably wouldn't lose my hair but it may get thinner. Well, it's definitely coming out but the thinning isn't noticeable yet. I'm planning to get it cut next week but I may have to go wig shopping instead. :)

I guess we'll all be waiting the rest of our lives, huh? Good luck! :hi:

[Tracer]

2. Thanks for the photo!

And for the bio! It's good to put a face to the name (and a great set of pups you've got there).

I have a Photobucket account. I copied the URL and pasted it in my message (actually, twice) and got the same result each time. Now I'm stumped.

[Longhorn]

3. Which url did you copy?

It's the second one that says "direct link." If that's what you did, then I don't know why it wouldn't work. :shrug:

[Tracer]

4. I didn't use the direct link.

That previous attempt was only the second time I'd ever tried it --- and so --- was unfamiliar with the procedure.

Here I am (I think).



Edited to add: Gawd! That's a huge picture! And I thought I had made it realllllly small!

[Forkboy]

5. I have cancer but I can't really say it's been a struggle...

...especially compared to what you and others here, and my own mother, have gone through. Mine is more of a nuisance, and quite often only about 3 or 4 on my list of serious concerns. But then again, I don't take much of anything about myself seriously, so I was determined to not take this that seriously either. It is what it is. Being bipolar has caused far more stress and strife in my life than the cancer will end up doing.

Mine is just thyroid cancer that had spread to my lymph nodes. A little over a year ago they took the thyroid out, along with 21 lymph nodes in my neck (the scar is amazingly thin for 120 odd stitches...my surgeon was fantastic, and funny as hell to boot). The healing was the worst part of the whole thing so far, as my neck is always sore now, and because they had to cut a nerve I no longer have any feeling on the top of my left shoulder, but that's not painful, just...odd. Did radiation last summer, but no chemo, and I have more radiation to go in a couple weeks...and then that may be it. All in all not the worst thing that's happened in my life.

About me: I'm 40, sadly divorced (my ex is a DUer named Angel, and she was/is one), no kids of my own (hers are both grown), one big ass cat named Frisco, who survived a coyote attack, making him a bigger survivor than me. Note the bend in his nose from where the bone split lengthwise down the roof of his mouth. He's tougher than I'll ever be, and a lot cuter too.


I'm a total music junkie, approaching 1000 cds (on top of decades of records and tapes stored away), a complete Godzilla geek (have all 28 movies...don't get me started!), and a flaming Liberal who has been into politics since my first protest rally, a No Nukes protest in '82. And depending on one's point of view I'm either a smartass or a dumbass, and I can live with either assessment. :)


Here I am a few months ago, in a particularly non-happy mood (December kicks my ass every year).

[Tracer]

6. Hi Forkboy...

... I agree with you about the "struggle" part. It really irritates me when it's referred to as such.

A doctor (not my oncologist) recently asked me about my "struggle" with cancer. I told him that -- to me -- it was more of a "chore". Something is broken and needs to get fixed. If possible. It's not the first thing on my mind either.

Thanks for responding.

[OzarkDem]

7. Glad you're doing well, Forkboy

Here's hoping you're finished with your treatment soon!

[Forkboy]

8. Thank you.

I honestly appreciate the good wishes.

[OzarkDem]

9. Sorry I haven't checked in here lately

to see how everyone is doing. I'll be celebrating 9 years since my last chemo treatment soon.

You will be in my prayers. Be strong.

[Forkboy]

10. 9 years? That's awesome.

I know we have our differences here, but I'm truly glad to hear this news. I'm totally lucky that my treatment hasn't been that bad. My mother did chemo and it was rough for her, and you as well I imagine. I'm glad you're going to be celebrating soon! :hug:

[noiretextatique]

11. same here, forkboy

who pissed in your conrflakes? :evilgrin: even though you look kinda pissed, i still see the kindness in your eyes. O8)
cancer for me has not been a "struggle": it is just another thing in life to deal with. and like you, compared to other people, my cancer episode didn't cause me much grief, at least physically.
cute kitty!

[Forkboy]

12. Someone else PMed me and said the same thing about my eyes.

But that other pic is photoshopped. Here's what my eyes really look like.




:)

:hug:

[noiretextatique]

13. ooooooo

you're sooooooo scary :scared: :rofl:

[Auntie Bush]

14. Hi Forkboy!

Nice to meet you! I enjoy reading all your posts and agree with them.

I'm really laughing now...I thought you were early 20 something! Thought you posted that someplace long time ago. Wow was I mistaken. Nice to know you're a grown up! Be seeing ya and hope you neck is feeling better. :hi:

By any chance were you typing at GD-P when that picture was taken? lol
You look pissed off at something.

[Forkboy]

15. Somewhere someone has a pic of me actually smiling.

I think it's in a vault somewhere.

I can see why you'd think I was younger. I do my best not to act my age. That would be no fun. :)

Thanks for the good wishes. :hug: