Pajiba

In my happy little world, McGosling will reunite, so I'm not even bothering with that rubbish about Noah and Dr. Sunkentits (tm Fug Girls). Also in my happy little world, Ben gets his left foot gnawed off by a cheetah.

PissBoy's on shirt duty for the basket. I'm trying to figure out how to procure a plushie Godtopus. Julie's looking pretty. Sarina is organizing.

PissBoy, do you think you can get together a Bus(ted) t-shirt for 'Bama? I'd be happy to purchase one for the basket :)

I'll see if I can think of some fun books for her to read!

Just finished going through chemo myself for boob cancer - recommendations? Unscented bath stuff, lip balm and mouth-moistening gum (chemo can cause mouth sores), heating pad (bone pain), groovy (but soft) hats (for cold bald head), electric massager (for pain, and for mood lifting =), ginger tea (for nausea), and OF COURSE some excellent DVDs for days when she doesn't want to get out of bed.

Good place to get a basket:

Healing Baskets

(PS: Only get her the dope if you know she already uses - I tried starting it to help me with nausea and only got a headache for my trouble...)

For the record, she has an amazon.com wishlist. I just found it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/228SKGGU1RDXS

Wow, how awesome is it that she has so many craft books in her wishlist? We'll keep Bama busy when she's stuck in bed :)

This shouldn't happen to anyone, please get better!
Just come and read Pajiba if you need a good laugh!

Treena's suggestions are gold, sez my survivor of a mother-in-law (though, thankfully, she didn't comment audibly on the "massager" part).

Of course, I'd have Taylor Kitsch deliver the basket on the hottest day of the year... but that's just me.

Take care of yourself, 'Bama!

Hey, thanks, Stacey! I couldn't find anything on stripper pole hygiene (and that shit needs to be investigated already) so I sought the next most useful information.

Tired of looking at my aging last post too.

Pink, that is precisely the correct attitude.

I think of of 'Bama's friends is collecting gift cards towards a gift that would be helpful. I don't know if it is a surprise and don't want to give it away--but I can find out if anyone is interested in contributing to that specific combination of gifts.

Jerce, that is why I was thinking about the Amazon.com wishlist. It will send items to her without divulging personal info in this, which yes, is a public forum.

My prayers are with Manda and her family too, especially the little Pink who is probably very confused about the whole thing. Your comments are among my favorites to read and I look forward to when your life allows you to frequent these parts again.

Jerce - good call on not posting Our Beloved's actual mailing address. One major advantage to the Amazon wishlist posted above, though, is that the goodies can be shipped directly to her, while we're never shown her postal details.

Oh Ms Pink, I am so sorry to here about your illness. I am an RN on a hematology/oncology unit (UAB hospital, Birmingham,Al), so your diagnosis hits home with me. I am glad to know you are going to a university-affiliated cancer center. They have the most up-to-date therapies and are more cutting-edge than the smaller, non-teaching hospitals. We refer to them as OSH's, or outside hospitals. I am wishing you all kinds of strength, hope and good fortune, for you and your family.

All the gift basket suggestions listed above sound great. Just let me suggest, do not send fresh flowers/plants or fresh fruits/vegetables due to lowered white blood cell count leading to decreased immunity. Although, the Pajiba-universe doesn't seem to be the fresh flower/potted plant kind of gift-givers. You guys are a lot more imaginative than that!

How about Godtopus or WBNS (pink?) pjs?
Is it possible to set up a gift basket like a wedding list, were you can sign up for stuff?

Thanks Sarina! He was harshing my Pajiba. You might try keeping him in an airtight container. Then he can't eat or get wet.

Barnes and Noble has a rocking cool stuffed octopus in the kids dept, fits perfectly on your head...
um, not that I'd know that personally or anything.

*grumbleinterwebsatemypostgrumble*

I'm on the Godtopus huggie-toy. Took me a lot of Google time but I done found what I'm looking for! I'll tag Skitt on the customization.

Ben, seriously, take it to another thread. We're here for 'Bama. Piss off.

Count me in on the B&N basket. We're holding our thumbs and crossing our fingers for you 'Bama! Makes it kinda hard to type, but you're worth it...

this may be tacky, but having just had another surgery myself, it is a thought foremost in my mind:

what about a cash collection also? mr. and little pink will need cash when they don't have time to hit the ATM, and there's also that damned co-pay/deductable to deal with.

also, the dry mouth syndrome, there's a pleasant, minty product called BIOTENE, i believe they make several products, to help with medically dry mouth. it lasts a little longer than normal mouth rinses and stuff. and i find sugar free stuff works better as long as it isn't sweet n low. it depends on 'bama's preference.

i don't know you well, ms. pink, but you've got another friend here-- and don't you know, bunnies are magical!!

Ms. Pink~ I've been trying to think of something sage and uplifting but what does one say at a time like this? Please accept my very heartfelt "Get well soon". I'm sure the positive energy from your many well-wishers will aid you in your recovery.

I also never know what to say.

I'm very sorry it happened, I hope you get better and I hope you know you can ask us for help/stuff you need.

Also, I don't know her spiritual feelings, but I'm a church admin assistant ('till Monday) and I can put her on the prayer list if it would be comforting. Lots of people like it and think it helps. It's a first name only thing.

This is the suck. I know I read a hell of a lot more than I comment, but I kinda feel attached to a lot of the posters here, in that invisible-nerd-who-eavesdrops-on-the-poplar-kids-in-Hughes-wannabe-teen-movies way, and AlabamaPink has made me nose a diet coke more than once. If you read this, AP, I hope you're back to healthy pretty quick. And that you stop reading about here so I can suggest stuff for your gift basket.

Quit peeking! You were supposed to stop reading after the last line.

Doesn't AlabamaPink have a lengthy list of guilty pleasure TV shows? DVDs seem in order -- bad television can make hospital and stuck-in-bed time a lot easier to take.

Also, ginger cookies and candy, maybe? Tastes yummy and it's good for nausea.

Unfortunately THIS is currently sold out (and would require a pretty damn big basket, anyway): http://www.squishable.com/pc/squish_octopus_15/Big_Animals/Big+Squishable+Octopus

AP- I wish you and your family all the best.

ok, so you know how there is a Pajiba (Bus)ted Tour 08? I say this is the Pajiba (Get)Wellness Tour 08!

(oh, and as I informed Sarina, I am going to try my darndest to cross-stitch a kick-ass Godtopus! no promises it will be god, but it will be heartfelt. I know from experience hospitals suck and you guys are doing a great thing, glad to be a part of it!)

Much love all!
Semi-poster, Mostly-lurker Bethy

As a blood cancer survivor there are a few things I'm going to note that will be of utmost importance so pay attention:

Absolutely no NO flowers or fruit, NO FOOD. Chances are they will be banned from her hospital room. When you have blood cancer the chemo treatments are designed to supress the hell out of your immune system which means even the tiniest amount of microbes present on fresh things, or teensy weensy bits of foreign bacteria that is ingested could kill you. Sepsis from seemingly innocuous infections take out a lot of us. I don't mean to be morbid, but this is all info the family will be receiving and you guys won't. Forewarned is forearmed.

If she goes in for transplant (or even sometimes for inpatient chemo) absolutely NOTHING that cannot be sanitized. That means nothing made of fabric, including stuffed animals or things like pajamas. More than likely any PJs or clothes from home would have to be steam cleaned and sealed in a plastic bag before being allowed in her room, and anything from parts unknown would be summarily chucked.

Universal remotes are the number one requested item because hospital remotes suck.

Anything that takes up time like games, movies, maybe not books--there could be a sanitation issue there. iTunes "gifts" like music that she can play from a lappy in her room if she has a lappy.

Lipton ice tea bags. This sounds weird, and I know this, but she will be getting mouth sores, more than likely. One of the very few things outside a prescription that has been found to help a mouth sores anecdotely by the community is 1)drinking lipton ice tea regularly or 2)heating up a moist ice tea bag and placing it directly on the sore. I don't know how or why it works, but it actually does. I know this seems to go against my treatise on no food, but it is boil/heated in the microwave first, so it should be "safe."

Hard candies. Again, an iffy proposition, depending on what she's allowed to eat, but a lot of times when chemo is administered you can taste it in your mouth as it goes into the vein. Heparin, too--nasty stuff. I kept a supply of hard candies just in case. Note for family: if this becomes a persistent problem, ask them to slow the drip/push, sometimes that helps.

A central line. This is not something we can give her in a gift basket, but if anyone of the family is reading this, and she isn't in danger of bleeding to death during surgery, get a central line put in. I got a port-a-cath (port) and it saved my sanity. Essentially, a resevoir is placed under the skin with a cath running to the aeorta. The meds are then pumped directly into this either by tubing outside the body (Hickman) or by "accessing" the port that's completely under the skin with a needle. It's significantly less painful a stick than having your veins accessed all the time, and you don't run the risk of blowing veins all the damn time. It's well worth the investment.

That's all I can think of for now, but I'm willing to answer any and all questions.

Oh wait!! Start checking out the LLS website now. They have programs in place to help pay for prescriptions and other things, and the faster you get in, the better.

Best wishes.

"...heating up a moist ice tea bag and placing it directly on the sore. I don't know how or why it works, but it actually does."

It's because tea is a natural astringent that tightens up the sore tissue. It also works fairly well on minor cuts to stem blood flow, and even on wrinkled skin. Women of a certain age have been using tea bags to smooth out crow's feet for years.

Not familiar with AlabamaPink but good luck anyway. I've lost my brother-in-law to pancreatic cancer and my mom to lung cancer in the last two years so I know what her loved ones are going through.

How about a shitload of Netflix gift subscriptions and some FABULOUS wigs and/or hats? (I'm thinking an AlabamaPink wig, i.e. platinum blonde with pink streaks or the other way around, bobbed, would be perfecto.)

Miss Amanda,

I wish for you:
A speedy and full recovery.
More good days than bad.
A little something extra (lagniappe) when you need strength.
And a new pair of perfectly fitting 'jama bottoms!

Well done, Sally. My aunt passed from ovarian cancer a few years back and my dad battled bladder cancer (and won, motherfuckers) but I remember all to well the shitty hospital stays. Comfort, comfort, comfort. I'm going to pump dad for ideas tomorrow. I remember the mouth sores and the bone pain.

Can I just say that my warm fuzzy feelings that I've harbored for the people of this site have doubled after this thread today?* Tripled. Gravoopled. My feelings are so fuzzy it's as if I shaved a thousand baby bunnies and used their fur to create the comfiest sweatpants ever.

*Excluding of course the cheeta-lusting inchworm-dicked thunderdouche whom I refuse to mention by name.

With our powers combined...we can reverse cancer itself!!!

Or at least make things extremely comfortable for those suffering under its icy grip.

I've had three relatives die on me, one from complications from breast cancer treatment. She was over 80, though. This is nothing. You'll be back on your feet in no time, and be around to scold us once again about our behavior and regale us with Lil Pink's antics.

And Sally's right on with her very useful and pertinent advice...from what I can remember, I think. I think we should pack the gift basket with Pajiba's Get Well Remedy Picks...classic, modern, and timeless movies and shows that we all can send to her.

*Excluding of course the cheeta-lusting inchworm-dicked thunderdouche whom I refuse to mention by name.

Is it /B>? It's Ben, isn't it?

Who else, my dear Shadows? I assume all of my beloved Pajiboys are hung like Paul Bunyan :)

And inchworms around the world, I'm sorry if I offended you. I'm sure your ladyworms view you as being hung like earthworms at least.

Hahaha...Goonie love...

Longtime lurker coming out to say - my prayers are definitely with you and your family, Alabamapink. We're all pulling for you!

Does this call for a goat and/or zombie (zombie goats?) sacrifice at dawn to appease the godtopus? We can make that happen.

Best of luck Ms Pink, hope we hear from you soon as to how the chemo is working out. Also, what's with all the books about making buttons? :D

Oh, and by the way: if Manda gets an oncologist who's an asshole, I say we send the Murdertank after him. There are some good ones but a lot of them minored in Douchetology.

Alas, my geographical location makes me pretty useless at the moment... I really fucking hate being on the wrong side of the pond right now.

I will however be exploring Manda's wishlist, purchasing things therefrom and also posting a little something extra across the Atlantic along with all the psychic good vibes and well wishes.

Much like Eek The Cat, I'm here to help!

(Does anyone else remember that cartoon? That was a great cartoon.)

Other ideas I came up with, unscented lotion (her sense of smell will/might alter, and things that once smell great might drive her batty)

Flavored teas--they were awesome for me. Your sense of taste alters, too, so about the only thing I wanted to drink was Peppermint Tea. Who knows what 'Pink might take to, so send a variety.

Also, for the family, another good spot of advice--if she has time before starting treatment, and she is not severely neutropenic, or low on platelets (thrombocytopenia) get her to a dentist for a thorough cleaning, and have any dental work done that might need to be done in the next year or however long she'll be in treatment. Cancer treatment can cause serious dry mouth which will destroy your teeth. There are even special mouthwashes that you can get for "cancer mouth" that don't contain alcohol--and that's important. I don't remember why. During transplant they probably will supply her with a "toothbrush" thats not much more than a sponge on a stick--you don't want to run the risk of abrading your gums, causing them to bleed, and getting an infection from the mouth germs.

So you can imagine what a state her teeth might be in after this (especially if she gets an uncontrollable sweet tooth like I did--that was awful). And dental work during treatment is not recommended for all the gum bleeding infection reasons I mentioned.

Aw 'Bama, you're so awesome even the Spambot loves you!

Seriously, I am totally going to unleash to zombie hordes to have them fuck Leukemia up. What? You don't think I can? Well, screw you.

I like the PayPal idea. What do the overlords think?

re snail mail address, for the next month.
If you know the hospital and the room number, than perhaps that is good enough. Obviously it works well for in house services. Not sure whether hospitals deal with mail though.

'Pink, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Keep your chin up, you are strong enough to make it through this!

I work at MD Anderson in Houston, so if I can be a resource of any kind.. please let me know.

Mr. Pink said yesterday that he will be pow-wowing with insurance people today, and will find out if they're going to need help. If that is the case, some kind of something or other (not sure yet if it will be PayPal or otherwise) will be set up for donations.

Late because I couldn't think of anything great to say, but then I realized just letting someone know that they are in your thoughts is sometimes enough, so. Thinking of you and your family AlabamaPink and knowing that you will beat this.

And that the spambot comment was awesome. Spambots are so versatile!

I'm also ridiculously late to the conversation. Manda, I am so sorry to hear about your diagnosis. Stay strong, I know you'll get through this with the support of your family and friends. I almost feel like I could break into a cheer right now - "Fight, fight, fight!"

I'm 100% in for whatever you guys want to do for Manda - just let me know. If we're doing a giant basket and you need money, just tell me how much. If we're doing individual gifts & well-wishes, just tell me where to send 'em.

And if we're loading up the MurderTank to go out there and fuck us up some leukemia, I'll pack my flamethrower.

Alabamapink,

I live my life based around stories, reading them, listening to them, and telling them, so, since I hope you'll have a good chance to read through all the wonderful messages everyone in this community has posted here and, I'm sure, all over your blog and personal e-mail, I thought I'd write a story to you.

A while back, I stumbled onto Pajiba through an advertisement on some or another blog I was checking. I was immediately taken in, mostly by the super happy fun movie reviews, especially because I don't watch that many movies, and reading the reviews gave me enough back story to participate in witty banter about the latest flick at cocktail parties. But none of the reviews really caught my eye or motivated me to actually see one of the films being critiqued until I read the review of "The Descent" (which I still have bookmarked on my work computer). I love scaring myself, the review said it was scary, there was a chick covered in blood in the photo, I was sold. I took my now defunct boyfriend (breaking up totally sucks) to the theater and very literally almost scared the shit out of myself watching the thing. Needless to say I absolutely loved it, so here comes the story.

Ex and I left the theater so that he could go tanning (oh, the gays and fake sun) up on the Upper West Side. For some reason, Ex was not very affected by the film, but I had a vicious case of the jumps, and every homeless guy that asked for change and every Korean woman closing down her nail salon was a potential enemy. I don't know if you've seen the film, but the "bad guys" are these super creeped out cave dwellers that try to eat your face in the pitch black. Totes awesome. But also scary as f*ck.

So cut to hours later, when Ex and I had settled down for a long evening's nap at his apartment. Since Ex was next to me, the usual post-horror movie nightmares didn't settle in as acutely, and I managed to get through a decent portion of the night asleep. I'm sure the multiple hits off our bong didn't hurt much either. At about 3 am, however, I was disturbed from my slumber. Something awoke me and I vaguely remember seeing a shadow slink across the room. The obvious answer to the problem at hand was that Ex needed to use the boys' room. But forget that, because my brain, still slightly doped, and still in a quasi-dream state, registered the shadow as a card-carrying member of the creepy face-eater club from the movie. Without actually checking to see if Ex was still in bed (because that would have been too logical), the immediate reaction was that it was up to me to save Ex and kill the creepy crawly. Now if you saw the movie, you know that the creatures were blind (and if you didn't... the creatures were blind), and they hunted based on sound. So I pulled a Jurassic Park and made no sudden movements. I reached out slowly and felt around on the nightstand. The only thing I could find was a lamp and a thin book: the lamp was my best bet as a weapon. I curled my fingers around the lamp and lay in wait for creepy face-eater to return from what I assumed was his meal of Ex's roommates. As an aside, at this point I was breathing like a race horse after sex, and my eyes were the size of half dollar coins. I'm just saying, I was ready.

The door opened and the shadow tiptoed back into the room. I reached down somewhere deep, found the inner strength, leapt up, hurling the lamp across the room at Ex where, upon impact, it exploded into many lamp parts (miraculously, not actually breaking), bellowed in my manly tough voice, "Watch out, [Ex], stay back!" and jumped into the closet where I grabbed the biggest thing I could see in the dark, a hiking boot, and turned ready to club the face-eater. Upon turning, I received an exasperated, "David, what the f*ck is wrong with you?!" and it dawned that face-eater was actually Ex and, whoa, I had really just taken it there. I tried to explain what had just went down as we put together the lamp, but oops, no, and we cuddled back up in bed, never to discuss the fact that I'm insane ever again.

So my point is this, after all of that. Were it not for that review, who knows if I ever would have seen the movie, and if I ever would have thrown a lamp at my ex-boyfriend. But I did, and I blame the review.

You're a VIP member of a community that gets people talking, and thinking, and apparently moving. So get to kicking some of your own ass, because reading reviews and reading comments won't be nearly as much fun without your always insightful and chuckle-inducing input.

Here is wishing you all the best on a speedy and (hopefully) painless recovery. I hope you enjoyed my story, and I'll send some massive happy thoughts running your way.

- David

Many good thoughts and wishes to a speedy recovery AlabamaPink!

To jump in the paypal thingy- they charge for credit card donations, so if we do go that route, try to donate through your checking account. Although if we got a PO Box address we could send checks / gift cards a little easier.

Can I recommend a Nintendo DS? Also, keep in mind some mother-daughter things they can do together in the hospital room- my toddler momma recommendation would be some of those Crayola no-mess marker sets and coloring pages.

Get well soon Ms. Pink.

For the Paypal suggestions - anyone with a Paypal account but no website to add a 'buy now' icon - you can set up email payments. I have an account and I've seen the notifications about it. Paypal user sends donator an email with a 'pay' link, which feeds back the Paypal account. I've heard of it, but never used it... but it's worth looking into.

I'll happily volunteer my account, if needed.

Hi Alabama Pink - from what I know of you through your blog entries and comments here, I can tell that you're strong enough to come through this. Good luck and many happy wishes!

I'm sorry to hear your news A. Pink, but, from what I can tell from the internets, you seem like the type to take this in stride and with a lot of determination. Wishing you, Mr. Pink, and Baby Pink all the best in the coming months.