 |
12-06-2007, 11:04 AM
|
#1
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: RHODE ISLAND
(Ed getting me a latte on 2nd Cancerversary Cruise 2008)
'BELIEVE': To accept as true or real, To have faith in, To presume
ALWAYS BELIEVE
Posts: 3,000
|
~Holiday Gift Suggestions For Homebound 'Mighty Oak'???
HELP I am at a loss, I ususally never ask him what he wants for Christmas but I did this year and with no help from him (he said maybe his health which if I could of I would have bought him 2006!!). He has spent much time in the house lately and is going stir crazy, not to mention that he gets lonely without me bothering him like the weekends..LOL! You know the drill...home all day, nothing on ALL cable stations, too sick to leave the house, too fatigued to have a hobby. His fingers are not the same so he cannot even play his guitars, the keyboards, video games etc. His eyes will not allow him to read anything at this time, the newspaper is all he can handle. This man is a very sick little boy right now as he wages to win a war and I need to make comfortable while he trudges forward.
Any ideas of what I could get him?? He always gives such wonderful gifts to me. With another growth ring coming up (hehe) I wanted to make this holiday season special for him. We are working on time we did not expect to get and I think of that as a gift in itself. Only things missing are the gifts under the tree.
What did you want when you were homebound, fatigued and under the weather?? Something NOT cancer related. And Pink....he does not eat chocolate..LOL!!>>Believe
PS: I did not want to bother anyone with this but I am totally in the dark.
__________________
9/7/06Husband 50yrs=StageIV IBC/HER2+,BoneMets10/06TaxotereX10,'H'1X wk,Zometa,Tamoxifen4/12/07Last Tax5/18/07Pet=Rapid Cell Activity,No Organ Mets,Lytic Lesions,Degeneration,Some Bone Repair5/07ChemoFail6/01/07Pleural Thoracentisis=Effusions,NoMalignantCells6/19/07+7/2/07DFCI
6/25/07BrainMRI=BrainMets,Many<9mm7/10/07WBR/PelvisRad37.5Gx15&Nutritionist8/19/07T/X9/20/07BrainMRI=2<2mm10/6/07Pet=BoneProgression
10/24/07ChemoFail11/9/07A/Cx10,EndTam12/7/07Faslodex12/10/07Muga7512/13/07BlasticLesions1/7/08BrainMRI=Clear4/1/08Pet=BoneImprovement,
NoProgression,Stable4/7/08BrainPerfect5/16/08Last A/C8/26/08BrainMets=10(<9mm)9/10/08Gamma10/30/08Met=5mm12/19/08Gamma5mets5
12/22/08SpinalMets1/14/09SpinalRads2/17/09BrainMRI=NoNewMets4/20/09BoneScan5/14/09Ixempra6/1/09BrainMRI=NumerousMets6/24/09DFCIw/DrBurstein6/26/09Continue
Ixempra/Faslodex/Zometa~TM now lower7/17/09Stop Ixempra By Choice9/21/09HOSPICE10/16/09Earned His Deserved Wings And Halo=37 Month Fight w/Stage 4 IBC, Her2+++,My Hero!!
|
|
|
|
12-06-2007, 11:13 AM
|
#2
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Franklin, MA
Posts: 131
|
Does he already have an iPod? I got one for my first Christmas after being diagnosed and listen to it all the time. You can fill it with your own music CD's (after importing them into your "iTunes Library") or buy songs from iTunes.
__________________
Diagnosed 10-03-2005 (34 wks pregnant, 38 yrs old)
Lumpectomy Nov-2005. 10/18 Lymph Nodes impacted
Mets to liver, spine & femurs (thus being stage IV right from the get-go)
ER-, PR-, HER2+
Taxol/Herceptin/Zometa started Dec-2005. 11 cycles of Taxol.
Sept-2006: PET/CT scan of mets to liver, spine and femurs - Stable. Activity in R breast & mediastinum (not seen in prior scans).
Navelbine (3 wks on/1 wk off) as of Oct--2006 & continued Herceptin (every 3 wks) & Zometa (every 6 wks)
Jan-2007: PET/CT Scan - Stable. Continued Nav. through March-2007, then Herc./Zom. only after that.
June-2007: PET/CT Scan - activity in mediastinum. Back on Navelbine as of July-2007.
Scanned Quarterly since Oct-2007 - a few small scares, but otherwise stable due to continuing weekly Navelbine, Herceptin and Quarterly Zometa.
|
|
|
|
|
12-06-2007, 11:20 AM
|
#3
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Canada
Posts: 2,193
|
hmmm
Am I getting a reputation? Someone warned me that this
would happen if I didn't stop talking about chocolate all the
time.
I actually lost my taste for chocolate when I was on chemo.
It was devestating....but thankfully it came back.
I was in the middle of chemo during the Christmas of 2005. The
gifts that I enjoyed the most were magazines ( I couldn't handle
reading a book), and new blankets and throws. I was always wrapped
up in something cozy. I can't think of a "big" gift for Ed because I
don't know him very well.
As a joke, some friends of mine got together and they each wrapped
up a box of Saltine crackers for me. I think I opened about six of
them on Christmas morning. I remember enjoying my "stocking" - lots
of little things - socks, lip gloss, scratch tickets (lottery). Sorry I can't
think of anything else. I'll post again if I think of more. Too bad about
the chocolate............ Attachment 184
__________________
PinkGirl
Dx Aug/05 at age 51
2cm. Stage 2A, Grade 3
ER+/PR-
Her2 +++
Sept 7/05 Mastectomy
4 FAC, 4 Taxol, no radiation
1 year of Herceptin
Tamoxifen for approx. 4 months,
Arimidex for 5 years
Prophylactic mastectomy June 22/09
" I yam what I yam." - Popeye
My Photo Album
Last edited by PinkGirl; 03-29-2008 at 07:32 AM..
|
|
|
|
|
12-06-2007, 11:29 AM
|
#4
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 215
|
Gift
If the " Mighty Oak cannot read at this time, how about a talking book. Just a thought, Hugs, Jeanette
|
|
|
|
|
12-06-2007, 11:48 AM
|
#5
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Misty woods of WA State
Posts: 4,128
|
couple of ideas
Large print books or Reader's Digest.
Does your local library carry these?
Also, what about a very good quality magnifying glass with a light? My grandparents had one for each and it made their lives so much richer to be able to read or see things better. (I snagged one of those when I was helping mom clean out their house and find it handy!)
How about some very comfortable shoes he can wear instead of slippers all the time. Merrill is a good brand for something like that and they can be ordered on line. If the size is not right, easy to exchange. I got my hubby's from Altrec.com.
Hope this will help.
__________________
"When I hear music, I fear no danger. I am invulnerable. I see no foe. I am related to the earliest times, and to the latest." H.D. Thoreau
Live in the moment.
MY STORY SO FAR ~~~~
Found suspicious lump 9/2000
Lumpectomy, then node dissection and port placement
Stage IIB, 8 pos nodes of 18, Grade 3, ER & PR -
Adriamycin 12 weekly, taxotere 4 rounds
36 rads - very little burning
3 mos after rads liver full of tumors, Stage IV Jan 2002, one spot on sternum
Weekly Taxol, Navelbine, Herceptin for 27 rounds to NED!
2003 & 2004 no active disease - 3 weekly Herceptin + Zometa
Jan 2005 two mets to brain - Gamma Knife on Jan 18
All clear until treated cerebellum spot showing activity on Jan 2006 brain MRI & brain PET
Brain surgery on Feb 9, 2006 - no cancer, 100% radiation necrosis - tumor was still dying
Continue as NED while on Herceptin & quarterly Zometa
Fall-2006 - off Zometa - watching one small brain spot (scar?)
2007 - spot/scar in brain stable - finished anticoagulation therapy for clot along my port-a-catheter - 3 angioplasties to unblock vena cava
2008 - Brain and body still NED! Port removed and scans in Dec.
Dec 2008 - stop Herceptin - Vaccine Trial at U of W begun in Oct. of 2011
STILL NED everywhere in Feb 2014 - on wing & prayer
7/14 - Started twice yearly Zometa for my bones
Jan. 2015 checkup still shows NED
2015 Neuropathy in feet - otherwise all OK - still NED.
Same news for 2016 and all of 2017.
Nov of 2017 - had small skin cancer removed from my face. Will have Zometa end of Jan. 2018.
|
|
|
|
|
12-06-2007, 01:07 PM
|
#6
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 3,154
|
Does he enjoy old movies...my husband is a history buff, especially with the old black and white WW 1 and 11 movies....cowboy movies,
some Alfred Hitchcock classic thrillers....
__________________
Stage 1, Grade 1, 3/30/05
Lumpectomy 4/15/05 - 6MM IDC
Node Neg. (Sentinel node)
ER+ 90% / PR-, Her2+++ by FISH
Ki-67 40%
Arimidex 5/05
Radiation 32 trt, 5/30/05
Oncotype DX test 4/17/06, 31% high risk
TOPO 11 neg. 4/06
Stopped Arimidex 5/06
TCH 5/06, 6 treatments
Herceptin 5/06 - for 1 yr.
9/06 Completed chemo
Started Femara Sept. 2006
|
|
|
|
|
12-06-2007, 01:39 PM
|
#7
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: San Antonio, TX
Posts: 2,357
|
Is there something he has always wanted to learn about? I went nuts with old movies, history channel DVDs, and birds! Maybe you could "feed" a postponed hobby!
Do you have old pictures around the house that could do with some scrap booking in a fun way.
Has he ever written down his childhood?
Does he have a lap top?
Turn your "little girl mind" loose to explore some way out ideas for your guy! Maybe wrap yourself up! Your his bestest gift, you know!
You will think of just the right thing at just the right time!
ma
__________________
MA in TX.
Grateful for each and every day....
Diag. 12/05 at age 60
Stage II, Grade 3, 4.5 cm primary tumor
ER/PR- Her2 +3 strongly positive
Her2 by FISH 7.7 amplified
vascular invasion
Ki67 20% borderline
Jan - March '06 Taxotere/Adriamycin X 3 to try to shrink tumor - it grew
April '06 Rt Modified Radical Mas, 7 of 9 nodes positive
April - Aug. '06 Herceptin/Taxol/Carboplatin X 8 (dose dense)
Sept - Dec. '06 Navelbine/Herceptin x 8 (dose dense)
Radiation & Herceptin Jan. 22 - March 1, 2007
Finished Herceptin Dec. 10 '08! One extra year.
Port removed August, 2012.
8 1/2 years since diagnosis! 5 1/2 Years NED!
|
|
|
|
|
12-06-2007, 04:50 PM
|
#8
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Sheboygan, WI
Posts: 2,582
|
May sound sappy BUT...................
Hi Marie,
This may sound sappy BUT I think it's a wonderful gift idea. As a matter of fact I think it would be a great gift for each of you to do for each other. For that matter it would be a great gift for each of us to give our loved ones. It doesn't cost a cent. It will require some thinking and pulling things out of your heart. It will also require typing or writing.
My suggestion for you Marie is this................I suggest you write your "mighty oak" a letter telling him how much you love him...........telling him what you love about him.................writing about those "memories" and the things you find so special.
I know....I know.....it won't cure his boredom BUT I can't think of anything for that. Maybe puzzles - puzzle books - I just can't think of anything for that.
It's just something special. Something that will show your "mighty oak" (not that he doesn't already know what a wonderful wife he has and how much you love him) what a true "gift" he is to you.
Sorry for being a "sap!" I think it's a great idea. I'm giving that to my husband for Christmas and am also giving a letter from my heart to each of my son's and one to each of their wives.
Hope that helps.
Hugs Marie,
Mary Jo
__________________
"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
Dx. 6/24/05 age 45 Right Breast IDC ER/PR. Neg., - Her2+++ RB Mast. - 7/28/05 - 4 cm. tumor Margins clear - 1 microscopic cell 1 sent. node No Vasucular Invasion 4 DD A/C - 4 DD Taxol & Herceptin 1 full year of Herceptin received every 3 weeks 28 rads prophylactic Mast. 3/2/06
17 Years NED
<>< Romans 8:28
|
|
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 04:57 AM.
|
Linear Mode
