The totally off-topic thread

[JohnK]

A couple more Xanax and a good lay down

A couple more Xanax and the world will be a happy place.

 

[medhead]

A couple more Xanax and the world will be a happy place.

SWMBO has been experimenting with XANAX to use when flying, due to her fear. She's immune to it. It requires much more than a couple to give about 15 minutes of slightly tipsy.

 

[shellthom]

Further update on my mum - she found out yesterday (and told me today) that she needs to have further surgery to remove a heap of lymph nodes. She is really upset by that. She said she is happy to be without her oversized coughs and has been joking since the operation that she's lost at least 6 kilo with it but she is actually quite distraught over the lymph nodes.
There is a wait list on the surgery rooms so she is also unhappy that they have told her already and they are not able to schedule an operation at this time anyway. We were meant to be going to Cairns on the 29th of May for 5 days as a family (Christmas gift to my Dad, my parents, my sister and I and our parters were going for a family holiday - because we don't really do family stuff) and she told me to can it all today. I have asked her to actually speak with her doctors about it, because if she can go I think she should go. She wants me to ask the airline and hotel people if we can delay it (JQ price beat), even if they agreed I don't see there being a better period, especially if she has to go through chemo. Obviously I have no experience though, so maybe in a few months there will be a time when she is fine to go…
My sister went to China yesterday morning for 4 weeks. My mum was crying about that today, not because my sister is away but because my mum and sister both always think the plane will crash. I told my mum we would have known already if it did, but thats of little comfort really.

 

[JohnK]

SWMBO has been experimenting with XANAX to use when flying, due to her fear. She's immune to it. It requires much more than a couple to give about 15 minutes of slightly tipsy.

Yes that is not good.

I am claustrophic. I used to take 5mg Valium before every flight but that was slow to work so doctor recommended Xanax. I used to take 1mg and after a few months reduced it to 0.5mg which seems to do the trick. It make me relax and forget about most fears of being in an enclosed cabin.

I guess that makes me lucky as I get to enjoy one of my favourite hobbies. I can just imagine how others feel.

 

[serfty]

Hi Shellthom - I posted a month ago on this and it would be good if you can convince her to go:

...

Not every story has the same outcome, but a positive approach goes a long way to a positive life.

 

[QF WP]

Blood tests are not an issue either. Years ago when I was on a particular medication I had to have a blood test every month.
Working with carcinogens meant that I had to have regular blood tests (plus other tests) and now I have to have a blood test every 4 months. It's just something that I have to do that takes ~ an hour of my time.
I even ask if they want to take a bit extra which gives the clinician a laugh

Ah now blood tests and IV's - here I have a pathological fear . Well founded too - not often one wakes up in the middle of an operation.

 

[QF WP]

Shellthom, I agree wholeheartedly with Serfty. Having a PMA is imperative. Surely if they can't schedule surgery before your planned holiday you can all go - it may be just the panacea you mothers needs (laughter, time with family etc).

Not knowing the pathology of the double mastectomy, my limited medical knowledge makes me think that they they are being cautious with reason by suggesting the lymphadenectomy - this is done to see if the cancer has spread (metasticised) - because once in the lymph nodes, it could quickly spread to major organs.

That was my biggest concern after my malignant melanoma re-excision and I dodged a bullet when my pathology noted the margins were clear (as they were in the original excision). In your mothers case, sounds like the margins may not have been clear or indeterminable.

I question whether they can do a sentinel (lymph) node biopsy first - but perhaps the pathology has taken that out as an option.

Of course, there are risks with lymphadenectomy, as with any surgery.

My best wishes for you and your family, especially your mum and dad. Confronting times for them. Thinking of you...

 

[medhead]

A couple of years ago I was involved with reviewing a protocol for lymph node removal due to breast cancer. I never checked but my impression was that there are many, many lymph nodes. Certainly I didn't get the impression that have some removed would be as bad as having adult teeth removed.

Anyway, it doesn't sound like there is any chance of this being scheduled before 29 May. Best to go on holiday while still healthy, IMO. (Also my feeling after dad going through this stuff)

 

[Pushka]

Hey Shellthom, i have a very close family member who had major cancer surgery over 35 years ago. At the age of 23. And even though multiple lymph nodes were removed in the second of his surgeries (the first one was to remove the primary malignancy), just three of them were affected (and they removed a great number of them) but that Sentinel lymph node that QF WP spoke of, was clear so they adopted a wait and see approach. No further disease after that! Well, touch wood. even after all this time the dread never goes away.

It seems standard practice to check the lymph nodes and that in itself does not mean it is any worse than previously thought. It is just what happens.

I think at the moment your mum is feeling overwhelmed by it all. She probably just wants to curl up in a ball in bed. Give her a couple of days to adapt to the additional surgery and ask her again to go on holiday.

 

[JohnK]

but if I did I would choose option 4

I should hsave added that I ran the itineraries past my fiance and her preference is for 1 and 2 with 3 and 4 silly choices. :shock: Something about wanting to spend more time with me and seeing me earlier and if I was tired to relax in CNX.

I tried to tell her that flying and airports was my hobby to which she replied 'When we get married we can live near airport' so you see aircraft everyday. :shock: I think something was lost in translation. :mrgreen:

 

[shellthom]

Ok, so I think I mentioned in the first post that my mum isn't the best communicator at the moment. She had the sentinel lymph node test the day before the surgery. She was told that it is more painful than the surgery so was not looking forward to it. That is the result she has received back. All other results are back on the 13th but he "rushed" those results (maybe from what he could see when doing the surgery?). It is really difficult to understand what is happening because its not happening to me. Mum and Dad have built their own little fortress and god help thee who try to cross the moat, is basically the situation at the moment.
Tuesday my mum asked me to go and babysit her and told me to pack for weeks, yesterday I was trying to confirm when exactly (she had said friday and then saturday and then asked me just to look after the animals so I was getting confused). She went quiet and I got very little information out of her yesterday afternoon - I am guessing she got the news at that time - and my Dad has now taken off the extra 2 weeks between when he had already taken and their 4 week block of annual leave. So, she is not looking forward to the surgery and everyone was telling her how her arm movement would be restricted etc etc and its only the lymph node surgery she needs to worry about (to make her feel better about the first surgery - i think). I wasn't happy at the time of them telling her other peoples war stories but it happened.
I have emailed jetstar and asked if there would be any refunds if mum wanted to cancel, I didn't call because I also think she should come. Its the first family holiday since I was 8 or something. I tried to get my sister to come last year when I took my parents to Disneyworld but she hates America (without ever having been) and refused. Now she is planning to go to America (?!), it would have been nice to all be at Disney together as my parents always wanted to take us as kids but we were too poor for a camping holiday so they couldn't very well afford to take us on a plane.

I will talk to her about looking at the bright side and not getting caught in her own head. I made her laugh a few times while she was crying, but thats not enough to elevate her mood. They are going from their half built house, to the house they rent closer to their work today because she needs her animals. They do elevate her mood. But there are no nurses so she is doing the draining and stuff herself for the next few days :/

(sorry for the super long post).

 

[drron]

Shellthom we are thinking of you.Not a great place to be.
For your information the Breast cancer network has simple explanations of things such as the sentinel lymph node biopsy.probably best not to show your mother until you have read the info and decide whether she will cope with it.
https://www.bcna.org.au/news/about-bcna/advocacy/position-statements/sentinel-node-biopsy

As long as the surgery is scheduled before or after the trip She probably will be better for going.

 

[Pushka]

Shellthom, when I was studying at Flinders University I was tutored by this guy:
http://www.flinders.edu.au/people/neil.piller

He has done so much research into lymphoedema which is the condition your mother is concerned about. He is a great guy - maybe email him for additional support. His details are all in the link - Neil Piller. He's based in SA.

 

[shellthom]

thanks everyone, im on my way to dinner (ironically?) at hooters. anixety runs in the family and my mum was on prozac most of my childhood. So I will take some of your advice myself i think.
its nice to know that people can still fly regularly after having these surgeries as some websites made me think the world of travel would be over. not that my parents fly or travel much. i might insist they do in future.

 

[Pushka]

thanks everyone, im on my way to dinner (ironically?) at hooters. anixety runs in the family and my mum was on prozac most of my childhood. So I will take some of your advice myself i think.
its nice to know that people can still fly regularly after having these surgeries as some websites made me think the world of travel would be over. not that my parents fly or travel much. i might insist they do in future.

Probably 1 in 10 people on every plane has had some type of cancer. The world is not over for them. There's a lot more to play out yet. Hang in there and take it a day at a time at this stage. Jumping ahead is not helpful.

 

[amaroo]

What a great day to take the kids to movie world! Just over 5 hours we did 13 rides, 1 show and 2 street parades.

The things I do while SWMBO attends a two day Tax conference at Palazzo Versace

 

[JohnK]

I am losing the plot. OK, some on AFF may think I have already lost the plot.

I am travelling OOL-SYD-MEL today and I was going to leave work at ~1:30pm and try to get to OOL airport at ~4:30pm. Then I had problem with my tooth and I had to visit dentist today and I thought why get to OOL airport so early for a 7:05pm flight. So I left work at 2:00pm with a plan to be at OOL airport at ~5:30pm. So far so good.

Train was a little late and then waiting for the bus at Varsity Lakes and I thought all OK. Then at ~5:07pm I receive SMS that my flight VA540 has been delayed and will now depart at 6:56pm and arrive in SYD at 8:26pm. Immediately I thought "Oh no, not again". Something is not quite right though but it hasn't clicked yet.

I arrived at OOL airport a little late at ~5:50pm and notice the 7:05pm flight is on time but VA540 is delayed from 6:05pm -> 6:40pm. Hmmm.

I totally screwed up my flight times. That does not happen very often at all with my impeccable storage and retrieval system. Luckily the delay saved me otherwise I would have been a dead duck....

 

[blackcat20]

I may have kicked a dentist in the privates for trying to give me the gas mask instead of a needle. Admittedly I was 5....

 

[Flashback]

I may have kicked a dentist in the privates for trying to give me the gas mask instead of a needle. Admittedly I was 5....

Ging Gang Goolie......

 

[drross]

A couple more Xanax and the world will be a happy place.

or up there talking to Heath Ledger