Random Comments/Stream of Consciousness Thread

[Ben Staad]

I forgot to say we bought our wedding rings last weekend

Cool. Enjoy the moments.

[different_seasons]

Daughters motorcycle accident. She went flying through the air at about 40 mph and was miraculously uninjured. I was following on my bike.



My father bought this bike new in 1974 and I had been fixing it up. Just got insurance on it 2 hours before.










She flew all the way down this bank.



She had on all the safety gear and had taken the class. She panicked on a corner.

Kids. *Le sigh*

[Brice]

Glad to hear she's okay.

[jhanic]

She's very lucky. Great that there were no injuries.

John

[Ari_Racing]

Glad to hear she's okay.

[herbertwest]

I forgot to say we bought our wedding rings last weekend

Congratulations !

@different_seasons Glad to hear that she's fine in the end!

Culzean is my neck-of-the-woods. They used to have a great collection of tropical plants in the gardens.
(Some drive from Culzean to Stonehenge!)

Culzean is a great relaxing place, and i love going back there every 6 months or so. Loved the bonfire we did on the beach for New Years eve
Long drive, but we were 3 drivers so that helps a lot! 4000 during those 2 weeks!

[Randall Flagg]

I have actually done many of these:
http://www.brobible.com/gear/article...ns|moreon|link

[Patrick]

Congrats, Tom, on another step forward.

HW, sounds like a great trip.

She's very lucky. Great that there were no injuries.

John

Aaron, yes, this.

[Merlin1958]

Where the hell is "Bad Penny"?????

[jhanic]

Where the hell is "Bad Penny"?????

I've been wondering the same thing.

John

[Merlin1958]

Where the hell is "Bad Penny"?????

I've been wondering the same thing.

John

Right? He's back from Calli, isn't he? Weird!!!

[Merlin1958]

FWIW I like the new "Home Page" layout. Looking forward to the 2013 Donation Wall when it arrives!!! Jerome is kinda awesome and I'm sure we sometime forget that!!! What a Site!!!

[ChristineB]

She's very lucky. Great that there were no injuries.

John

Ditto, the right gear makes a big difference.

[TwistedNadine]

Im not a big fan of spreading drama, and most of you know I like my privacy, but this past week has been one of the worst Ive ever had. Im going to use the forum to bitch a little, cry a little, scream a little. Im not looking for advice, not looking for sympathy, just need to vent frustrations and relieve pent up emotions that have been building up this past 11 days.

On May 28th a close friend was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer. Its also in her lymph nodes. She’s 47 years old. She smoked about 4 cigarettes a day for a period of about 6 years. 5 years ago she quit smoking all together. Ive known her for over 18 years. She doesn’t eat junk food (in fact the past 8 years or so she’s been buying and preparing Organic), doesn’t drink and has never done any drugs except a little pot when she was a teenager. She has never had any serious health issues. But she has a malignant tumor the size of a grapefruit in her lung and the cancer is in most of her lymph nodes.

Simultaneously my sister has a tumor growing on her face which she has been trying to get diagnosed without an invasive biopsy (apparently invasive biopsies can actually “seed” and spread cancer cells).

My friend considers me more level headed and supportive (not as dramatic or emotional I guess) as her family and other friends so Ive spent every day this past week with her – from early morning to late nights - trying to be supportive, researching alternative treatments, helping her put her finances in order and taking over her client base. In other words preparing. I don’t cry in front of her. She gets depressed and I do my best to lighten the mood, get her to focus on turning things over, choosing a treatment and putting her attention on healing. But every night after she leaves I hide from my kids and cry because I can feign optimism when Im with her but ultimately I know how it will end.

When my friend went to Mexico to tour their cancer facility, I spent that day with my sister while she got her PET scan. My sister’s scan was inconclusive. The tumor on her face is apparently not a cyst nor an abscess but without the biopsy they cannot determine if its cancerous. I joke that she has a Siamese twin growing out of her cheek. I tell her she’ll get rich and famous from all the publicity. It makes her smile. After the scan I fed her a huge seafood dinner then went home and cried.

Ive been through this before. Lost some very special close loved ones over the years – since I was 39 in fact when my best friend of the same age died from chemo complications. I feel like everyone dies around me. Im trying to maintain composure. Be optimistic. Fight the fight with them. But Ill be honest here and say that I do not know ONE survivor. NOT ONE. Yet I know well over two dozen who have died.

I wont get into details of the research we’ve done. No point. Theres lots of options (conventional radiation and chemo, Vitamin K in Mexico, Hydrogen peroxide in Hungry, hybrid methods in Germany including alternative chemo heat therapy, special teas and raw food diets offered by an Asian doctor, another hybrid long term treatment in Florida, seems the list is endless) but not one of them are even close to 70% success rate. In fact most of less than 50%. For stage 3 the percentages drop to less than 20%. Pretty fucking hard to be optimistic when faced with those percentages.

I also find it ironic that those I know who have died from either the disease or the complications were NOT heavy smokers – in fact most never smoked a day in their lives – were not drinkers, didnt take drugs and didn’t have a history of either, Not junk food junkies, and all but a few were under age 50. Maybe ironic is not the right word. My point is that its all bullshit. Seems to me theres no common denominator as to who gets it and who doesn’t. Theres a few members out there who are doctors and maybe they’ll disagree with me. Im just speaking from my small sphere of experience. Im not saying smoking, drinking, eating poorly doesnt cause cancer Im just saying that just because you don’t smoke, don’t drink and do eat right doesn’t make you immune.

I know that’s pretty fucking depressing but Im writing this because I am depressed and instead of being depressed with my friend who is dying from cancer, or my sister who may have cancer, Im going to be depressed with you guys. Sorry.

Today my friend is in Florida consulting with the doctor out there who offers a hybrid long term treatment. On Monday my sister has an appointment with another doctor to see if he’ll remove the tumor from her face and biopsy after removal instead of before.

And since today is the first day Ive had without one of them by my side Im going to try to escape by drinking copious amounts of wine, smoke a shit ton of cigarettes and hopefully get lost completely within the pages of Joyland.

[Randall Flagg]

I have you, your sister, and your friend in my pocket.

[jhanic]

TN, I have you and yours in my prayers. You have my utmost sympathy.

John

[bdwyer19]

Keeping you, your sister, and your friend in my prayers Nadine. Obviously it's a tough situation to be in, but you sound like you're just the person that they need right now.

[Merlin1958]

Keeping you, your sister, and your friend in my prayers Nadine. Obviously it's a tough situation to be in, but you sound like you're just the person that they need right now.

Well said!!!


Best wishes to you and yours!!!

[Cook]

Nadine,
I'm so sorry for the sadness in your life right now.
Keeping you in my thoughts,
Richard

[The Library Policeman]

TN, my thoughts are also with you and yours at this time. God bless.

[tippy4]

TN....

[Patrick]

TN, your post really hit home with me. Last May (a year ago), my non-smoking, non-drinking mom was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer - something that does not run in our family. Until now, I guess. Anyway, it has been one hell of a past 13 months. This is one of the key reasons I quit that job in Southern California to take one back up north.

Nadine, I am so sorry that your sister and friend are going through these hardships. They are both very fortunate to have you in their lives helping to be strong for them. It is difficult and you are doing a great job for them both. You can always come here and vent, unload, commiserate - whatever you need. We're here for you. Wishing only the best for all three of you.

[herbertwest]

Sorry to hear all of that Nadine...

[biomieg]

I'm sending positive vibes your way, TN!

[Ari_Racing]

Sending all the positive wishes to you, TN. Hope you get good news very soon.