The Kvetch Thread

Will your chemo be long?

Was waiting for you to show up, Russ. Excellent care from hospital and Leslie, for sure. Take care of yourselves, chub. Kidding re chub.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I don't like hats. Can't find my earmuffs. So I wore a steenkin' hat. A jaunty beret (feh). It's 25 steenkin' degrees outside, and my head is sweating like crazy. Dripping. Now I gotta dry my hair.

Hey earmuffs. Get back where you belong.

While getting this chemo, it seems to take forever. The chemo (Bendamustine and Rituximab) cycle is receiving it every 3-4 weeks intervals in a 2-day infusions (these 2 diff ones...one on one day and one on the next), which will last for approx. 5-6 months...possibly longer .... depending on how my markers change. So far, this process feels tolerable so far as it has had almost no symptoms at ALL. I can't imagine I'll be so symptom-free after next month's chemo cycle.

[Edit:] Pls forgive level of detail and for those not interested in such detail, feel free to slide past this part:

Quite serious stuff this Rituximab and tolerate while slow infusing. They've implanted a chemo port on my chest about 3 weeks ago. This slow dosing over 3-6 hours...whereas the Bendamustine drip is done in 30 minutes timing.

My body, which had come to regard unhealthy carbs as revolting, salad, veggies and some proteins as manna from heaven and had given up asking for alcohol except upon the rarest of occasions, has, in the few days of the Christmas new year period, become confused. It still really wants the healthy stuff, but has developed yearnings for the sugary, floury, alcoholy bad stuff as well. It's not roaring for them, but its nose has emerged from its nest of dormancy, like a stirring field mouse, and is definitely twitching with interest when it comes across that which it had learned happily to eschew.

Grrrrrr.......

I am fooling with this too. I'm naturally recalcitrant.

It turns out beer is calming. As you may know, I don't like beer. I bought one to make tortillas, Brit recipe, odd for a person in new mexico, but I hate my market tortillas. Fluffbudgets. Tasted it, calming.

From my reading, lots of stuff is for antacids (which scare me) and other stuff online is that your stomach needs acid, that is how the stomach works.

Translation: Deb feels like pigging out. I like the fieldmouse imagery. I eat sugary and floury stuff. No alcohol, though.

Today the temperature was in the single digits. I was out of some essentials and had to go out.

I recently complained about hats. Hate 'em. Wore one today. It's seven degrees. Will my head sweat? You bet it will. I just finished drying it.

I'm trying to navigate slush and ice. Giving it everything I've got not to fall down. Aside from the possibility of sustaining an injury, I'd never be able to get up. I'd have to crawl to wherever I was going.

Isn't this enough? Well, isn't it? One would think that this would be enough. One would be wrong.

I've had dental and stomach difficulties lately. I can't eat much. The result of this is that I've lost weight. Ordinarily something to be welcomed. To be glad about. Get real. This is me. What's my kvetch? My steenkin' pants were falling down.

So my head is sweating. I'm slipping and sliding through the ice and slush. And my pants are working their way down. I'm trying to hold them up through my coat and sweater while navigating the slush and ice.

Enough is enough. Or as my grandma used to say, "Gunug is gunug."

**** essentials. I'm not going out again until Arbor Day.

Poor baby!

I can sympathize with the pants-falling-down problem. I've lost some weight around my mid-section lately. Still have several pair of perfectly good slacks which I can wear only if I cinch 'em real tight with a belt. The problem for men is compounded by the fact that we have no hips at all to speak of. Without a belt, those slacks would be down around my ankles with the first step I took.

I know I shouldn't smile or get a chuckle reading that post...hey, why'd the lights just flicker?

Um, yeah, back on topic. I related to some of your woes there. I dread stepping outside when there's snow and ice, not to mention the corners where all the dastardly snow gets shoved to. Surprised though that when a ravishing beauty such as yourself (and I can only presume you must be, since your writing here gives this impression) someone such as you should have gentleman old and young...and ladies too, swooping in to your rescue.

My sweating issues are on the main torso. Since my arms have withered to toothpicks they freeze rapidly, however my chest and belly... what's left of it, sweat constantly due to a medication and I break out in a rash.

Hey, the rash isn't all that bad. I took a marking pen and started connecting all the dots. Two sets actually. The ones which bleed and the ones which haven't yet.

Ugh. I see it's down to 10 degrees already, so another frozen morning arriving. Here too, there is a positive...although I have no idea what it might be.

Medical apointment Friday at 9 a.m. it's scheduled to be frozen then too. Oh goody! Damned socks aren't keeping my hands nearly to warm enough. What genius thought 9 was a reasonable time to be poked and prodded? My blood will probably be frozen as well and the crazy woman will be slapping my hand until she thinks she can get a live vein. At least my left leg has improved.

As Noddy would say, Hold your dominion.

Hey Sturgis, get yourself a couple of potatoes, stick 'em in the microwave for 8 minutes before you head out the door and tuck them into your pockets. They make great hand warmers and you'll have something to nibble on while waiting in those long lines.

Hey Berta,

Do you have any of these ice grabber thingies that slip over your shoes and help keep you on your feet? If not, would you wear them if some were to find their way to you?

A delicious idea Butrflynet! Thanks, one can never have too many potatoes, a favorite of mine since day 1.

Here's my update: I hope Roberta all are who having health issues are doing better...much better.

Well, wish me luck. Round #2 of chemo (outpatient) is tomorrow and Friday. half a day at the hospital clinic. I've been feeling pretty well and hope this trend continues. My sister and I will drive up to VA an hour away.

Unfortunately, there's been a change of my support crew. Leslie and I broke up. I think it was an inevitability. Nothing bad an no nastiness or ill feelings. She was supportive to the end. We parted amiably (enough) but will not resume contact.

Keep plugging away one foot in front of the other. I'm hoping things go as well as before but I'm not expecting miracles. Luckily, I've only lost about 8 lbs over last 3 months and maybe about 2 lbs in the last month.

Fortunately, right now my dogs, Jelly Bean (black Toy Poodle) and Brady (white Border Collie) are being taken care of by Crista, the Dog Whisperer at her facility. Last time their stay was for 8 days. They came back amazingly chipper and with new good habits. This time I hope for only a
2 or 3-day stay.

My place seems empty without them under foot. Jellybean is a hugger and a follower. I felt like her cruise director. She took on the roll of nurse, sensing my illness. She did the same behavior for her departed owner, my older sister Bernie. Such a great apartment dog and what a bright spirit.

"That's 30."

Excelsior!

Andy, Thanks for the sympathy. Belts don't really work with pants with an elastic waist. Trust me. I know. I've tried. I have one pair of pants with belt loops. They're so big that I can get them up and down, on and off, without opening the zipper. And they're cotton. I needed something warmer. Did you forget about cold weather? I think that Hawaiian sun has melted your memory.

Sturgis, I'm not gonna argue about the ravishing beauty remark. (You guys who've met me can keep your steenkin' mouths shut. ) But getting help from strangers requires old and feeble, not ravishing. I have received help in the past, but not today. Fact is, I was kinda surprised. I gotta practice the feeble angle. Or maybe a more audible "oy."

I'm green with envy re your connect-the-dots rash. I don't have enough tsuris. Now I'm turning green. You've got a medical appointment at nine a.m. Sadists. They're all sadists. Wooly gloves don't keep your hands warm? I suppose you noticed that socks don't have fingers. How can you hold onto your pants if you don't have fingers? It's always something.

Butrflynet, I was wearing nonskid boots. I wouldn't wear just shoes in such conditions. Most of the sidewalks are clear. It's just the corners that present a challenge. How are those things on cement? Oh, wait. I'm not going out again until Arbor Day. The ice should be gone by then. (Actually I have an appointment next week with my asthma doc. I had to cancel it twice because I didn't have enough money for cab fare. I'm hoping I can get there this time. Not optimistic, though.) Although I'm grateful for the offer, please hang onto your dinero.

Ragman, Thanks for the update. Sorry to hear about you and Leslie. Also, I don't know whether this has anything to do with it or not, but cancer patients have major, major problems hanging onto friends. It's one of the reasons that Bellevue's cancer clinic started offering counseling.

I'm green with envy that you have two dogs. Between Sturgis's rash and your pets, I'm now approaching this color. Good luck with the chemo. My hoper will shift into high gear for you.

Your grandma was such a German!


I'll be in town tomorrow afternoon. Feel free to give me some errands to run.

Thomas, My grandma's family was from Lithuania. Is that in Germany? (I'm not good with geography.)

I thank you for your kind offer. You're a good kid. Although I'm out of Pepsi (how did I let this happen?), I'm otherwise ok for now. Danke. (Is that German?)

Lithuania had been kind of Germany (Teutonic knights) centuries ago.

Genug iz (is, es) genug is Yiddish.
Litvish or Lithuanian Yiddish, was spoken in the modern-day Baltic region as well as adjacent regions of Poland, Ukraine, and Russia.

Walter, I actually know that Lithuania is a separate country. I also know that gunug is Yiddish.

However, I didn't know about those knights. Thanks for the info.