2005 ROCK-TOBER CHEMO GIRLS

ravdeb

you see?? I've gotten similar response.

maryanne...shoulda listened to YOU! I realize now that it's hard to diagnose...I'm angry that she didn't get the hint that nothing else was working and she didn't send me for a skin test. And the first doctor should have done that, as well.

Graycie..how did the mammo go??? Hope all is well and it didn't squish too hard.

Oh..and y'all need to congratulate me cuz one of my cats had kittens and I just found one squeeling among my flowers by the entrance to the house. Little tiny black one with a white tip on the tail. How cute! There are probably more..this is probably a spunky one that wanted to see the world first. Not sure when they were born...2 days ago is my guess as I haven't been around... we will have more I'm sure. We have kittens all the time around here as only female cats come here..it's a whore house.

ravdeb

sherryhaire

Gracie good luck on your Mammo
Ravdeb Thank goodness they found your problem!!!
As far as my name being in the paper it was unexpected and I wasn't told so I guess it was just a big surprise so see it in writing, I am proud to be a survivor

Graycie

I am glad to say everything went well with my mammogram. Results were just some scar tissue and still some bruising from radiation. I guess this will be my new baseline, I go back in 3 months.

Ravdeb, I am glad to hear they finally found out the cause of your itching. I am just surprised that they didn't go ahead and treat you in the beginning for scabies since one of your doctors mentioned it when you first started itching. When my son was little I took him to the dermatologist and he gave him a prescription for some type of cream right away just incase it was scabies. We were never sure but the cream worked so maybe it was scabies. Congratulations on your new little addition, AWWWW how cute it must be.
Graycie

marymelodi

Oh ravdeb, I have a black and white cat with a white tip on his tail. We call him "Tipper" (officially) but I call him "My sweet boy." He snuggles next to me on the bed and just after the lights go out he comes to me to get his head scratched before he settles in against my legs or back. He has been a major comfort to me through this long winter of cancer. How fun that you have kittens to cuddle and care for!

You've probably heard this before, but I just want to mention to you gals in the first half of your rads - - do alot of moisturizing now. I used a cream called Moisturel - it's in the stores - to which the pharmacy here in the hospital added lidocaine, so it gave me some numbing effect. BUT, even without the lidocaine, a good creamy moisturizer like Moisturel will make all the difference, I believe. Also, I wore a light white t-shirt next to my skin all the time, with my bra on top of that. It was not uncomfortable and as I began to get sore from the burn it really protected my chest, breast, and underarm from irritation by the bra. I never did have skin breakdown underneath, in the fold. I only now have skin peeling in my armpit and around my incisions from the lumpectomy, which is where the boosters entered my body. I've used alot of hydrocortizone cream for the itch. Oh, the nurses also gave me some square pads, sort of like menstrual pads, but I guess they must come from wound care supplies. I folded them along the edge of my bra, in the armpit and got alot protection there. If I had not been coming to work every day I probably would have gone bra-less alot of times. In the most painful times, at home I even went topless, just for the relief.

I didn't have a lot of reaction to the rads until week 4, approx. treatment #20 of 25 whole breast treatment. I thought I would get off easy, but from about #20 to the end, I had alot of discomfort. Yet, the skin held up well, I believe, because of the creams and protection of the t-shirt.

Hope those hints might help someone.

Take care,

TracySeattle

Graycie!!! YAY!!! Great news!

Ravdeb - Congratulations! LOL what a fun kind of whore house! I love kittens (and puppies for that matter).

Anonymous

marymelodi -
Thanks for the skin care advice. I love the t-shirt under the bra idea! I've been slathering Aquaphor on three x a day to hopefully prevent burns. Just today though, the Rad. Onc. told me that because I'm thin there isn't a lot of tissue to absorb the burns so I might get fairly bad ones. But hey, Forewarned is Forearmed. At this point what can't I deal with!

Graycie -
You survived another diag. test! Yahoo!

EVERYONE -
I created a post under MOVING BEYOND CANCER titled, "Cancer Stem Cell Research to Prevent Recurrence". I copied and pasted an article I read this week in TIME Mag. I am so encouraged and excited about this. You may want to check it out!

Laura

ake

hi ladies,

ok, so if i don't post too much in the next couple of weeks, it's not because i don't love you...it's because my boards are coming up. they're officially on may 17th...so nervous. i've been a stress case all week, but my husband isn't taking me seriously...he finally admitted that he loves that i'm stressed about something other than cancer i guess that's a good thing although i would like it better if i wasn't stressed at all!!!

anyone having any weird side effects from tamoxifen? i'm not really, except for the hot flashes, but i wonder if my high anxiety with this exam is related to the tamoxifen...like it's making me more tense than usual or something.

so excited for you all that are in rads...isn't it great to be in the final stage of treatment?

love,
amy

Graycie

Laura, I will definitely check out your other post. I hope you don't get burned from the radiation. You look like you tan easily. I do too and all I got was a really tan boob. Aquaphor works pretty good. I used it near the end when I started peeling.

Amy, Once again, best of luck with your boards. May 17th is a good day, it was my mother's birthday so I will consider it a lucky day for you.....
Graycie

sherryhaire

Laura have you seen the post on Moving beyond cancer thread "Oprah looking for Breast cancer survivors"!! Maybe our October girls will get some notice!!

ravdeb

Anybody see Terynsmom lately???
Just wondered. did she say she was going away? I don't remember. Just know that she's been under some stess with her ex. Hope she's okay.

thanks for the advice on the rads stuff. They told me to use corn flour and also aloe vera and that's it. They reminded me of this after my first treatment. A friend of mine doing it there said the same thing and she's on #20+. hmmmmmmmmmm...I forgot to ask that great skin doc who figured out my scabies. You are right, Graycie..they should have just given me the cream for it to begin with, but they didn't. They should have tested me at the beginning but they didn't do THAT either. oh well.

What really bothers me about this is that I got so angry about it and I can't shake it and I suddenly feel very mean. I'm not usually a mean person but now I feel mean. So, when I was waiting for my MRI, there was a woman there screaming her head off because they didn't take her little girl in for the test right away and they had to wait. It was so obvious how much she was hurting but even her husband couldn't calm her down. and I so understood this woman and know that that mean streak can come out when things get frustrating.

oh well...

I'm climbing Mt. Everest today :-) Already saw some deer while waiting for maryanne to get her toes fixed up. Come and join us..great fun!
ravdeb

debbie444

You have to laugh - where else could you find a group of women congratulating a friend that she has been diagnosed with scabies!!!

Well i had a hospital day yesterday.
First i saw my dear oncologist. He poked , prodded, felt my neck and said "lovely dear - come back in August" I will be having 12monthly mammos and 3 monthly visits to see him.
In the afternoon i went to see the consultant about my ovaries, only she wasnt there and i got a frightened registrar. Her first words were " i wish youd seen the consultant - i dont know what to tell you" Great start! She was supposed to be telling me about op to remove them or injections to kill them off. All she seemed to want to tell me was that i was very young to be considering it ( no real choice there love!) and i was at a heightened risk of brittle bones and osteoperosis ( thanks for vote of confidence!) She wouldnt help us choose and kept asking if we wanted to come and see someone else! Think i was her first cancer patient - i know they have to start somewhere but i wish they werent practising on me!. Was in a bit of a pickle last night as i didnt feel any further on but ok now, i am waiting for either a surgery date ( about 2 months) or a call from the consultant to see me.We shall see.
It is bank holiday weekend over here , my son is going to cub scout camp and we are planning on doing all the 'stuff!' that has been waiting to be done around the house.
Hope you all have a good weekend
Debbie

TracySeattle

Hi all! Happy Friday!

Debbie, I am sorry that your appointment was not what you thought it would be. That has to be discouraging.

Isn't it great that Ravdeb has Scabies? Much better than bc! (((hugs))) Ravdeb, hope the itching is getting better now.

Laura - I emailed to the Oprah show telling them about bc.org and all of us, how we have become close sisters even tho we live all over the world and have never met each other.... Maybe they will pick us! Maybe more of us should send them a note!

Amy - GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BOARDS!!!! I am so glad that you are able to move on and concentrate on something else! We are all pulling for you!

Tomorrow is my "I'M FINISHED WITH TREATMENT" party at our favorite local pub. I am expecting 36 friends to come celebrate wtih me! I wish all of you could be there too!

Have a good weekend, all!

ravdeb

wow..cool...Tracy! Have a fun party!! I'll be there in spirit!!!

Amy..hope you aren't tooo anxious about the boards. Boy will WE all be happy when they are over. You're making me nervous!!!

Oprah...now wouldn't THAT be an adventure..

Debbie..boy..what an appointment that turned out to be, huh? Sorry about that...Enjoy the weekend, though!

And for any of you who would like to join in the fun of scabies, I'll come by and rub elbows with you if you'd like!

Have a good weekend everybody..
ravdeb

sherryhaire

So glad to see this site back on I missed you all over the weekend!! Hope everyone is ok

debbie444

Gosh - that felt like having my right arm cut off! Hadnt quite realised how dependant i was on you all!
Debbie

ake

ok, i can't be the only one...i'm having massive itching in my left, non-cancerous, reconstructed boob. it's like the itching is coming from the inside. can't get it to go away...i literally took a benadryl. i research it online and it's definitely "phantom itching". like when someone can still feel movement after having something amputated. that's all fine and dandy, but how do i make it go away?

ravdeb

Oh Amy..that sounds awful..especially since I'm just now getting over all my itching. I can so feel for you..and itching in a place that doesn't even exist. That is too weird. I can't help you out...just really feel for you! Have you called your doctor or surgeon about this?

I missed this board over the weekend. I am now sure that I'm addicted to it!!!!

I had my 5th rads treatment. Moving right along on that...

Be well everybody!

ravdeb

Anonymous

I am really worried about Terynsmom! I looked back - she hasn't posted since April 22. I hope she's okay.
Has anyone heard from her?
Laura

Anonymous

Hello everyone!! Here I am!!

I went on vacation in the motorhome to a campground in Newport Beach. We had a great time. We left on Wednesday so I was not on vacation the whole time.

I was pretty depressed before that. Still am. The stress with the ex is making me sick. In addition to that, my onc called and I will not be able to take the Herceptin again! I have been off treatment since April 10 and at least til the end of May.

The doctor said she is concerned about my heart. My last MUGA showed no improvement and even went down a bit even though I had been off chemo for a while. Now, I am scared I will drop dead from heart failure instead of a long cancer death.

This is just terrible. I feel I had such a crappy little life with so much that went wrong and my joy is my daughter and now will I even get to enjoy her????

Anyway, hope that all of you with the itchies are getting better. Wish me well for the next court date -- Wednesday. Take care, Kelly

maryannecb

No boards for three days...yup I am addicted too I missed it.

Kelly, that sucks about your MUGA, I sure hope it improves. It must scare you not to be on Her and also wondering if your heart will be a problem in the future. Sorry , you have to worry about that on top of your other troubles.

Ravdeb, had a great climb on Friday but didn't get to the top until today!

Debbie hope you get to talk to your regular doctor. It is so much more comforting to see someone you trust.

Laura my rads people said I was less likely to get burned because I am small...13/25 and still no real troubles. You are right Amy I feel I am on the final leg of this treatment journey and can't wait to only see medical people every few months. Although I still have to get Herceptin until next Jan , so far that is not difficult.

My Mom has gone back to her home. She moved in for the last seven months as my husband was out of the country. They changed the guard on the weekend. Mom was great but a bit of a fretter so it is good to have my ever so calm husband back.

I also started back to work today. It felt good and like I had hardly been gone. They had welcome back posters and celebrated with cake. So nice.

Fists up!

Anonymous

Kelly -
I hope everything works out for you. Hang in there!

maryanne -
13/25 no burns - that's great! I hope that continues. I'm 11/28 - nothing yet either.

Tracy -
I also e-mailed Oprah about us. My fingers are crossed!

Amy -
Yikes! I hope the itching subsides soon. As if you need this during boards! Hang in there.

Everyone -
Hi there.

Laura

TracySeattle

I missed all of you! Glad the boards are back!

MaryAnne glad your first day at work went well...

Kelly - glad you had a little vacation, but sorry about the Herceptin and the fact that you have to go to court again. I will be thinking about you on Wed.

Hope you all had a good Monday and it feels good to be back here with all of you!

ravdeb

Hey Girls..
Teynsmom...so glad to see you back..was looking for you! Glad you had a bit of a break. I really feel for you and will be thinking good thoughts and sending positive vibes your way tomorrow...wednesday!!

I heard that rads gives more se for those bigger breasted women. I'm in for a treat since I'm considered "well-endowed". I just get all the goodies, huh??? No big deal. I have #6 today...moving right along! The worst of it so far is that I'm exhausted from the drive there and back. That is getting on my nerves more than anything. I have a break tomorrow because it's a holiday here..Independence Day. Rads are earlier today so everybody can get home tonight to start partying!! My 22 year old daughter dances in a dance troupe and will be performing tonight. I'm looking forward to that as she was away from it last year because she spent last year in the States working and traveling. So it will be fun to watch her dance again. I love that.

Oprah...here we come!!! Maybe with both Laura and Tracy writing we will get in..maybe I'll write too!!

Be well everybody...must get my day started...you are all still snoozing and it's practically mid-morning here!!!

oh..maryanne...didn't check the mt everest thread...did others meet you at the top??? I was busy checking my new boots out :-) I'm having trouble navigating through the boards since they worked on them. Is it just me or are others not able to get into things anymore???

ravdeb

Graycie

Hi girls,
I am glad to see the board is up and running again. I felt like a fish out of water. I am going to have to get some of your e-mail addresses just incase that happens again. All I kept thinking was wonder if they never fix it and I would have no way of ever contacting any of you girls again..Scary thought....If anyone want's my e-mail address or visa vera PM me......

Kelly, I am glad to hear you had a little time for some rest and relaxation. Getting away was probably the best thing for you. I will say a little prayer that everything goes OK in court tomorrow.

Maryanne, Laura and Ravdeb, I am glad to hear you don't have any burns. Ravdeb, I am kind of busty myself and I only had one small burn under my breast, nothing major, it cleared up in a couple days. I hope you do as well......

Amy, I hope the itching stops soon..

It's a beautiful day here in NY. Finally nice weather, I am going out to enjoy! Everyone have a nice day.....

Graycie

ake

i'm trying not to freak, but i have this hardened area in my right breast...found it this morning...my gut is telling me that it's fat necrosis...which i have a lot of in my other breast, but since this is my right breast...the bad breast...i'm freaking out. i called and left a message for my onc. to see her today, but i'm waiting for a call back and who knows how long that takes. i can't tell if it's fat necrosis...just a hard area or an actual lump. it can't be a lump, right? i had a mastectomy! it would have to be the fastest growing cancer ever, right? right? don't need or want this stress right now...i'm trying so hard to keep it together with my exam, with work, with life, and this just shook me up all over again and it's not fair! am i freaking out over nothing?

Graycie

Amy, I hope this eases your mind a little bit. I also have this hard area in my bad breast. I just had a mammogram and sonogram(yearly visit) and everything was fine. I read that the thickening of tissue can happen from the radiation. Hopefully that is all it is....Your right, too soon to be anything. That's what I keep telling myself ...
Graycie

TracyNY

Try not to worry too much Amy, it doesn't change anything first of all, and cancer has dominated so much of all of our lives for so long, I think you should give it a rest and focus on your exams.

Wasn't it odd not having the board over the weekend? Even if I don't post, I read and keep up with what everyone is doing. I would miss it if it was gone.

Terynsmom, don't get me to scheming on that man who is aggravating you!! We Brooklyn girls know how to handle business!!

Anonymous

Amy -

Maybe it's scar tissue - not uncommon after a mast. I had some show up on my recent CT...although I am unclear how they differentiate scar tissue from something else. From what I've read, another tumor this soon, just after having all the chemo, rad., etc. is very unlikely. I soooooo understand your concern, fear, anxiety...I hate what the wretched cancer monster continues to do to us!
Take a deep breath - keep us posted - hang in there!
Laura

ake

so stressed out. i had a mammogram and a sonogram today. they all really think that it's just fat necrosis, but they're not sure and they're wondering why all of a sudden it popped up...maybe from radiation, who knows. my surgeon wants to be sure though, so i'm having a fine needle aspiration done tomorrow morning. that's to be "90% sure". to be 100% sure, she would have to take it out. i didn't know you could have a mastectomy and a lumpectomy, but i'm a medical marvel i guess. i know it's nothing, but to go through tests, waiting, etc. is sending me straight to the breaking point...i've been crying since this morning. my husband and i are 29...this is not the life for anyone...especially when you're 29! i need a break!

thanks for being there for me, ladies. it means a lot.

love,
amy

debbie444

Amy - thinking of you.
What you are going through is not something i would wish on anyone, let alone a friend.
Take Care sweetheart
Debbie