The Grim Reaper took another swipe at me !!

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BrownBagger
Posts: 7954
Joined: Fri Jul 24, 2009 2:56 pm
Location: Central NYS

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

Postby BrownBagger » Sat May 09, 2015 8:13 pm

Awesome, Frenchie. The camping gods are looking out for you. I believe in luck, but that doesn't mean some strings are being pulled somewhere--by something--to favor us from time to time. Gotta believe in equilibrium and balance in all things, so all our suffering may not be for naught. Hope not, anyway.
Eric, 58
Dx: 3/09, Stage 4 RC
Recurrences: (ongoing, lung, bronchial cavity, ribs)
Major Ops: 6/ RFA: 3 /bronchoscopies: 8
Pelvic radiation: 5 wks. Bronchial radiation—brachytheray: 3 treatments
Chemo Rounds (career):136
Current Chemo Cocktail: Xeloda & Erbitux & Irinotecan biweekly
Current Cocktail; On the Wagon (mostly)
Bicycle miles post-dx 10,477
Motto: Live your life like it's going to be a long one, because it just might, and then you'll be glad you did.

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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 » Sun May 10, 2015 9:15 am

Mrs Frenchie is aware that I have this
seasonal site. She is very pleased actually.
She is much less worried about
me now.
Especially with Jay coming down as well.

I am about 2 hours away from a big
hospital and 1 hour away from a smaller one
for most any other needs I may have.
up here,
I would say that is pretty darn good.
It is only 1/2 hour by chopper in a real
Emergency. They can land right in
the park.
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 » Sun May 10, 2015 9:50 am

Frenchie, all I can say is good job! Really glad things have fallen into place to formulate a good plan such as this. Always better when the family is on board & yes, sometimes you have to push a little to do that. Maybe push isn't the right word; possibly a matter of getting one's thought process across so it makes sense & all can work together to make it happen. Two major opportunities have opened up w/your nephew, Jay, coming + finding a great camp site. Couldn't be happier for you. I'm visualizing those mountains right now!

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
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Joined: Sat May 04, 2013 1:01 pm
Location: Alberta, Canada

some new pix from Frenchie

Postby Frenchie's Wife » Sun May 10, 2015 10:39 am

Here are the latest photos uploaded.

Frenchie will need to give you the background info.
Cheers buddy - CRguy


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peanut_8
Posts: 2340
Joined: Sun May 25, 2014 1:31 pm

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

Postby peanut_8 » Sun May 10, 2015 11:08 am

Very nice!
female, diagnosed Jan 14, RC stage 2a, age 56
MSS
April 14, 28 chemo/rad with Xeloda
June 14 adjuvant Xeloda 6 rounds
currently NED

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

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

Postby canadiandaughter » Sun May 10, 2015 4:57 pm

I always get this eerie feeling when we go by the Frank Slide. I think about all of those people who were buried under that rock, it just gets me. Where is that waterfall Frenchie? Its beautiful!
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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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 » Sun May 10, 2015 9:56 pm

We have the technology, finally.

Those rocks lay on top of a flattened
town !!
In 1903, a huge part of the mountain
broke apart and flattened a third of the
town of Frank Slide. Many people were killed.
Many bodies still remain buried to this day.
Every now and then, road or maintenance
crews will uncover some of these old bones
and debris under some boulders and such.
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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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 » Sun May 10, 2015 10:17 pm

Everything you received yesterday and today
we're some of the more interesting things
I saw on my way to the new base camp.

There is so much to see and do for free.
Man and nature co-existing in these
rugged vallies deep in the mountains.

All of this is within 2 hours of my home !

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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

skypup
Posts: 2598
Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2012 12:12 pm

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

Postby skypup » Mon May 11, 2015 4:26 am

Frenchie, I am so happy for you that you have your campsite. It wasn't so long ago you were just hoping that you would get to see another summer, and here you are! I, too, am heading for the Rockies (Colorado-style) this summer. I just love my time in the mountains, just me and Sky. Neither of us can do the hard hiking we have always done, but there are plenty of easier paths we can enjoy.

Here is a photo of my super-huge trailer with Great Sand Dunes National Park in the background:

Image

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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 » Mon May 11, 2015 8:20 am

Shupup, we were going to build little ones
like that. We found them too hot
for our area. Our smallest was twice that
size. Pics on those soon. Pics in the garage.

My legs won't hold me up this morning.
The leg pain woke me up, so I am not too surprised that they won't work properly.

This is the annoying part. I have to
drag or pull them along and keep trying
to put a little waight on them.
Sooner or later that works and I can use
them again. Most times it takes a
couple of hours of coaxing. It does not
happen every day either. The last time
was 3 days ago.
Just another annoying thing to deal with.

The worst of my cancer seems to be
mostly on my left side. That is always
the side that bad things happen first.
My left hand and leg paralyze
without notice and can stay that way
for hours. Then everything goes back to
normal, sometimes for days . Thankfully,
it does not affect my driving much.

I know it will get worse as the clock
runs out on the effectiveness of
these Dex pills. I am a couple months
Into them now.

God willing, I can find a way to stay
on the road. I am not going back home
at anytime. I am not dying in the
house or the sunroom.


I also don't want anyone to see me in
the very late stages when your mouth
stays open all the time. I have a big
problem with that and have included
directives that nobody, not even family
members can see me once that happens.
That is not the way I want to be
remembered.

Skypup put it so well
on this post awhile back. She stated that I
was not insane but insanely sane !!
I'm going with that !


.
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

KWT
Posts: 3214
Joined: Thu Jul 11, 2013 7:22 pm

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

Postby KWT » Mon May 11, 2015 10:51 am

Whenever I see waterfalls I get the kayak itch. Those are some nice pics.

That's a sweet rig you have there, skup. Maybe you guys should come to Oregon and help me find Sasquatch :roll:

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 » Mon May 11, 2015 11:43 am

3rd pic down the trees are captured mirrored in the lake...pretty cool. That whole hand/leg thing sure is mysterious the way it comes & goes.
Frenchie, you must be a very detail-oriented person, as am I. Between DH, DM I cannot w/any certainty remember if their mouths were open or closed. That small detail wasn't important. Half the world's population are probably mouth breathers anyway! The memories of last moments fade. Lasting memories are of meaningful times/experiences shared...@ least in my experience.
Regardless, Plan A, B, C...is in motion!


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

skypup
Posts: 2598
Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2012 12:12 pm

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

Postby skypup » Mon May 11, 2015 12:32 pm

kennytwisted wrote:That's a sweet rig you have there, skup. Maybe you guys should come to Oregon and help me find Sasquatch :roll:

Thanks, Kenny. Sky LOVES her trailer -- she can't wait to get in in the evening! Just enough room for the two of us, but it's got a tempurpedic mattress. Silly in a way, but I love to be able to just jump in and sleep without set-up. Plus sleeping on the ground lost appeal after 50.
And I sure wish we could get to Oregon!

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MamaN
Posts: 666
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2014 2:34 am

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

Postby MamaN » Mon May 11, 2015 8:29 pm

Frenchie
Hello , those are great pictures... Making me want to pick up and go ! I want travel and see great places too . Someday
Dx@45 stage t3 n1b m unknown IIIB
Resected in 8/2010 rectosigmoid
5.5 tumor with 3 /26 lymph nodes
Lymph vascular invasion
Folfox sept 2010 to feb 2011
10 tx only stopped due to low wbc

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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 » Mon May 11, 2015 11:17 pm

Skypup,
Peanut and I are well suited for each other as well. He is fragile and does not venture far. He will follow me, but I have to keep looking back. He just stops when there is an obstacle that I didn't see. He may wimper a bit sometimes .

I feel so alive in the mountains too. We seem so
Insignificant compared to them. I don't ever want to leave.

I don't even need to smoke when I am up there. I get a natural high. I hardly bring any pot with me. I will save money on pot big time.
I will probably smoke about a quarter of what I do now. It will no doubt be a relief on my lungs.

I will bring the motorhome up after
the long May weekend coming up in 4 days.
The roads are packed that weekend.

I can't wait. I am going up again on Wednesday.
I want to see what the heck I just paid for. I hardly glanced at it, I just scooped it up in a hurry.

It is in a grove of trees. My TV reception will probably not come in. The shelter and shade the trees provide is a much better trade
off. I hope my phone reception works. I paid a bundle to be able to stay connected to permanent wifi. I am not going to be happy if I can't get cell service because of the foliage.

I will take more pics of the area.
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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