The Grim Reaper took another swipe at me !!

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Frenchie's Wife
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Joined: Sat May 04, 2013 1:01 pm
Location: Alberta, Canada

Re: The Grim Reaper took another swipe at me !!

Postby Frenchie's Wife » Tue May 01, 2018 11:14 am

Thanks CRguy for adding these pictures for me, that is much appreciated :)

From top to bottom: Ayers Rock (Uluru), Sidney Opera House where the sail are changed to green for St Patrick Day, and the Opera House just before,
the last two pictures were taken in the Blue Mountains just south of Sidney.

Ayers Rock is in the Northern Territories and I took a3 excursion there which was amazing. We did a base walk around Uluru that is 9km (just over 5 miles). I have to
say I walked my BUTT off there haha.

It's been almost 10 months since Ron's passing and some days, not often, it is still so raw, butt I try not to linger there to long as that is not what he would have wanted me to do. I feel that he has helped and guided me along with my trip and my job. I heart does not feel as heavy as it use to as thing more about what we had that what we could have had.

It was hard when on Facebook the other day they brought up a memory of a picture I had posted of flowers Ron had given me on our anniversary. It would have been 18 years
together :( That was a bump in the road to moving forward right.

Well folks have a wonderful day, off to work I go :)
Caregiver to DH 59 yr, male, Stage IV at Dx
Dx Sept 2009
Liver,bladder mets, 5 surgeries
Lots of chemo
Inoperable lung mets nov 2013
Stopped all treatments in February 2014 due to QOL issues
I am in God's hands now !!
Feb 2015 - too many new mets to count !
At peace July 9, 2017

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CRguy
Posts: 10473
Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2008 6:00 pm

Re: The Grim Reaper took another swipe at me !!

Postby CRguy » Wed May 02, 2018 1:52 am

:mrgreen:
glad I could help

CHEERS
CR
Caregiver x 4
Stage IV A rectal cancer/lung met
17 Year survivor
my life is an ongoing totally randomized UNcontrolled experiment with N=1 !
Review of my Journey so far

stu
Posts: 1613
Joined: Sat Aug 17, 2013 5:46 pm

Re: The Grim Reaper took another swipe at me !!

Postby stu » Wed May 02, 2018 2:30 am

Fantastic photos . Thanks for giving us all an update . Frenchie sure added to our lives here but I suspect he would want us all to enjoy all the gifts life has to offer . That was his style and I am so glad you got to experience that trip and you are finding your feet .
Take special care,
Stu
supporter to my mum who lives a great life despite a difficult diagnosis
stage4 2009 significant spread to liver
2010 colon /liver resection
chemo following recurrence
73% of liver removed
enjoying life treatment free
2016 lung resection
Oct 2017 nice clear scan . Two lung nodules disappeared
Oct 2018. Another clear scan .

bitchslapped
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Location: PNW/USA

Re: The Grim Reaper took another swipe at me !!

Postby bitchslapped » Sat Jun 16, 2018 12:48 pm

Frenchie's Wife wrote:I heart does not feel as heavy as it use to as thing more about what we had that what we could have had.


I like that statement, Diane, b/c not only is it a positive, it seems to me it falls in line w/Ron's view/assessment (though he may not have voiced it) in making his decision on how he wanted to live & what was right for him.

Those are some beautiful pics from your trip! Good therapy to get away, reunite w/your friend I would hope.

Congrats on your new job @ Costco. How is that going?

Nice to see you check in.
Best Wishes
BS
DSS,35YO,unresect mCRC DX 7/'14,lvr,LN,peri,rib
FOLFOX+Avstn 4 Rnds d/c 10/'14
Stent 9/'14
FOLFIRI+Avstn 10/'14
Gone From My Sight 2/20/15
Me:garden variety polyps + precancerous polyp, diverticulitis
Carergver x2 DH,DM dbl occupancy,'03-'10
DH dx 47YO mCRC,'04-'07, lvr, billiary tree fried x HAI
DM dx CC 85YO,CC,CHF,stroke,dementia,aphasia

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Frenchie's Wife
Posts: 959
Joined: Sat May 04, 2013 1:01 pm
Location: Alberta, Canada

Re: The Grim Reaper took another swipe at me !!

Postby Frenchie's Wife » Fri Aug 17, 2018 12:13 am

Hello everyone,

Just me checking in and up with everyone.

Life is moving along here. I completed a bucket list item for Ron and I last month by going for a hot air balloon ride. I have to say there were a number of signs that
I saw, that for me, told me that Ron was there with me on that ride. It was totally awesome. There were 4 women who found out about this being something Ron and
I were suppose to do together and they helped make it more special for me.

I am off next Wednesday to Montreal to visit my step daughter and grand daughter for a week. I am so excited to be going. After 3 months at Costco's food court I truly
need this break. I am finding that working in the food court is not for me. It is the worst job I have ever had and that my friends is say a lot. I am getting stress headaches from it. For getting min wage, the heavy work load, the feeling of unappreciation from other staff outside of the food court, lack of staff, of the list is endless. Anyway once I am back from Montreal, I will look for another part time job to compliment this one as this one give me part time benefits at least.

Anyway, that is my story for now. Hope your journeys are all going well, my love and prayers to all of you!

Diane
Caregiver to DH 59 yr, male, Stage IV at Dx
Dx Sept 2009
Liver,bladder mets, 5 surgeries
Lots of chemo
Inoperable lung mets nov 2013
Stopped all treatments in February 2014 due to QOL issues
I am in God's hands now !!
Feb 2015 - too many new mets to count !
At peace July 9, 2017

martd
Posts: 128
Joined: Tue Nov 21, 2017 3:48 pm
Location: Phoenix, Az

Re: The Grim Reaper took another swipe at me !!

Postby martd » Fri Aug 17, 2018 8:57 am

Congrats on the balloon ride, sounds like it was a good time. A few weeks back I binged read this entire thread. Big mistake while recovering from liver surgery! Ron had me laughing so hard I had to take a break to ease the pain!! He sounds like a very special person, would have loved to have a few beers with him
49 y/o male dx 11/2017 crc
Stage 4 with 17 liver Mets, cea 490
RAS, BRAF WT Tp53 LOF
12 rounds folfox , avastin
5/18 cea 2.8 liver resection and pve
7/18 part 2 liver resection, remove right side of liver
Surgical site mrsa infection, wound vac
8/18 cea .9 cCR, rectal tumor is gone
Rectal surgery postponed, watch and wait
10/18 clear scan CEA .7
01/19 clear scan CEA .9
04/19 clear scan CEA .9
07/19 clear scan CEA 1.0

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Frenchie's Wife
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Location: Alberta, Canada

Re: The Grim Reaper took another swipe at me !!

Postby Frenchie's Wife » Fri Aug 17, 2018 11:14 am

martd wrote:I binged read this entire thread.


Oh my!!

You read this entire thread, even I have never done that lol. He had nothing but time on his hands so he spent a lot of time on here and made a lot of friends
while doing it.

He was a good man, with a great attitude about his cancer and I believe that attitude (also the fact that he liked to smoke pot regularly) was what helped him get
through this for almost 8 years. The last six months were not the best but at least it was only 6 months.

I am truly grateful that he found this site so it could help him with his questions and he could help others as well. I just pop in every now and then when I feel nostalgic
and feel this is a place where I can also connect with him through all of you :)
Caregiver to DH 59 yr, male, Stage IV at Dx
Dx Sept 2009
Liver,bladder mets, 5 surgeries
Lots of chemo
Inoperable lung mets nov 2013
Stopped all treatments in February 2014 due to QOL issues
I am in God's hands now !!
Feb 2015 - too many new mets to count !
At peace July 9, 2017

bitchslapped
Posts: 1538
Joined: Tue Sep 09, 2014 3:23 pm
Location: PNW/USA

Re: The Grim Reaper took another swipe at me !!

Postby bitchslapped » Fri Aug 17, 2018 11:23 pm

Frenchie's Wife wrote:I just pop in every now and then when I feel nostalgic
and feel this is a place where I can also connect with him through all of you :)


Very sweet sentiment, Diane. We've lost some members that used to post on this thread & some people have moved on to other things. So not so many of us posting from the "old crowd". Frenchie was a good guy, one of a kind & sorely missed. We've got some fond memories of that guy, Frenchie. :D He spoke up if he wanted to, but a sense of humor goes a long way considering the circumstances of members here. And what a sense of humor he had! :lol:

Too bad the Costco job bites so badly. Lot of people go through that food court everyday! :shock: Hope you can find something else or just move out of the food court if something comes up.

Best Wishes
BS
DSS,35YO,unresect mCRC DX 7/'14,lvr,LN,peri,rib
FOLFOX+Avstn 4 Rnds d/c 10/'14
Stent 9/'14
FOLFIRI+Avstn 10/'14
Gone From My Sight 2/20/15
Me:garden variety polyps + precancerous polyp, diverticulitis
Carergver x2 DH,DM dbl occupancy,'03-'10
DH dx 47YO mCRC,'04-'07, lvr, billiary tree fried x HAI
DM dx CC 85YO,CC,CHF,stroke,dementia,aphasia

User avatar
Frenchie's Wife
Posts: 959
Joined: Sat May 04, 2013 1:01 pm
Location: Alberta, Canada

Re: The Grim Reaper took another swipe at me !!

Postby Frenchie's Wife » Sat Aug 18, 2018 9:31 pm

bitchslapped wrote:We've lost some members that used to post on this thread & some people have moved on to other things.


I guess I should go and check out the memorium page and see if there is anyone in there and I know from Ron's blog. He did have his favorites on here...lol

As for Costco, I have been trying to transfer for to other departments, but seniority wins out most times but I hope to find something in the near future that will
make me happy.
Caregiver to DH 59 yr, male, Stage IV at Dx
Dx Sept 2009
Liver,bladder mets, 5 surgeries
Lots of chemo
Inoperable lung mets nov 2013
Stopped all treatments in February 2014 due to QOL issues
I am in God's hands now !!
Feb 2015 - too many new mets to count !
At peace July 9, 2017

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CRguy
Posts: 10473
Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2008 6:00 pm

Re: The Grim Reaper took another swipe at me !!

Postby CRguy » Sun Aug 19, 2018 11:49 pm

Frenchie's Wife wrote:I am truly grateful that he found this site so it could help him with his questions and he could help others as well. I just pop in every now and then when I feel nostalgic and feel this is a place where I can also connect with him through all of you :)

AND please believe, we can also continue to connect with Ron and you, whenever you wish to check in.
.... gone BUTT never forgotten

WORD my friend .......
WORD !

CRguy
Caregiver x 4
Stage IV A rectal cancer/lung met
17 Year survivor
my life is an ongoing totally randomized UNcontrolled experiment with N=1 !
Review of my Journey so far

User avatar
Frenchie's Wife
Posts: 959
Joined: Sat May 04, 2013 1:01 pm
Location: Alberta, Canada

Re: The Grim Reaper took another swipe at me !!

Postby Frenchie's Wife » Wed Nov 07, 2018 8:08 pm

Hello everyone,

Hope you are all well.

I was just watching a program on TV that made me come here to talk about colon cancer. Seems this celebrity's husband was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. She stated her husband was mean and grumpy ( I get that). People would ask how her husband was doing and she though "how about "how she was doing - she is the care giver and it is not easy". I thought really you just got started...lol Then she continued on about how it was already affecting her marriage, he is sleeping downstairs and not in their marriage bed upstairs.

I remember talking to our palliative care doctor saying that cancer can affect a marriage even cause divorce. I guess I must have been a very strong woman to have stuck with Ron for 8 years, through a year of hell when he was on that damn steroid problem. I just thought it was because I loved the guy...lol


I am off to a new job next week, leaving Costco behind in the dust. The food court was getting to be to hard for this old girl (turning 62 at the end of the month). Going back to leasing agent at an apartment complex.


Anyway, that is my vent, update, my moving on. Life is going ahead as it should. 16 months and it hurts less each day. I talk to Ron everyday as I have a small container of his ashes in the car with me, so he goes everywhere I go :)

Take care my friends,
Diane
Caregiver to DH 59 yr, male, Stage IV at Dx
Dx Sept 2009
Liver,bladder mets, 5 surgeries
Lots of chemo
Inoperable lung mets nov 2013
Stopped all treatments in February 2014 due to QOL issues
I am in God's hands now !!
Feb 2015 - too many new mets to count !
At peace July 9, 2017

Lee
Posts: 6207
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 4:09 pm

Re: The Grim Reaper took another swipe at me !!

Postby Lee » Wed Nov 07, 2018 10:21 pm

Hi Diane,

ALWAYS good to see your post. You are never far from my thoughts and prayers. We lost a good one here with Frenchie. I lost my dad when I was 12-13 yrs old, Vietnam war. My mother never really recovered. I feel your pain. I pray the upcoming holidays are good to you. One of my very good friends lost her husband a few months back. She already knows, that she is welcome at my house during the holidays season, butt knowing her kids, it already taken care of. MY job right now is to include here on weekend outings.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and Ron this holiday season.

All the best, and good luck with your new upcoming job!!

Lee
rectal cancer - April 2004
46 yrs old at diagnoses
stage III C - 6/13 lymph positive
radiation - 6 weeks
surgery - August 2004/hernia repair 2014
permanent colostomy
chemo - FOLFOX
NED - 16 years and counting!

bitchslapped
Posts: 1538
Joined: Tue Sep 09, 2014 3:23 pm
Location: PNW/USA

Re: The Grim Reaper took another swipe at me !!

Postby bitchslapped » Fri Nov 09, 2018 2:36 pm

Frenchie's Wife wrote:I talk to Ron everyday as I have a small container of his ashes in the car with me, so he goes everywhere I go


Frenchie did like to be "on the go" didn't he?! :lol:

Friend of mine was recently reading up on dexamethasone, thinking of asking DH's doc about putting him on it. Told her...Ummm, maybe not. Shared your displeasure while Ron was on that. Cancer is a family disease = tough all the way around for everyone, particularly the patient. It stretches us to dig deep; does not necessarily add to marital bliss, no. :) Adds new dimension to the word S-T-R-E-S-S.

Getting back into your wheelhouse must feel good. Good luck on your new position.

Still missing "our Frenchie", your Ron. Whatta guy, that Frenchie :D

Best Wishes
BS
DSS,35YO,unresect mCRC DX 7/'14,lvr,LN,peri,rib
FOLFOX+Avstn 4 Rnds d/c 10/'14
Stent 9/'14
FOLFIRI+Avstn 10/'14
Gone From My Sight 2/20/15
Me:garden variety polyps + precancerous polyp, diverticulitis
Carergver x2 DH,DM dbl occupancy,'03-'10
DH dx 47YO mCRC,'04-'07, lvr, billiary tree fried x HAI
DM dx CC 85YO,CC,CHF,stroke,dementia,aphasia

canadiandaughter
Posts: 676
Joined: Sun Aug 17, 2014 11:19 am

Re: The Grim Reaper took another swipe at me !!

Postby canadiandaughter » Sat Nov 10, 2018 5:48 pm

Glad to hear things are starting to look a bit better for you Diane! I hope the new job turns out to be a keeper.
DD to 81 year old father
dx 24/07/14 iv cc mets liver/lung
folifiri started 19/07/14
shrinkage of all mets
growth in the liver,started folfox/avastin 80% 13/01/16
reduced to 70% due to side effects 27/01/16
First scan on folfox shows shrinkage in lungs, but liver just stable
6 rounds of vectibix-fail. 3cm growth and new spots showing Waiting for panel recommendations
At peace January 8, 2017


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