Illinois ladies facing bc
Comments
-
ADEY---Oh what a terrible scare---I'm certainly happy to hear a cyst, but scare is there, she's only 17.
lago---enjoy those boobs--Did they have a book--small, med, large and slutty---Well u made the right choice. LOL
-
Valerie-congrats on the last fill!
Adey-yikes, so glad it was nothing. and good for your daughter to bring it to your attention and not just pass it off. Enjoy camping hope you don't melt in the heat.
Lago-do you do underwire or no-wire. My PS said no wire, but others were told to use underwire to keep the foobs in place.
Off to Lollapalooza-sooo hot, but looking forward to some great music.
Have a great weekend!!
-
Spunky Yes I do wear a wire so what what you say around me
camillegal I was told "these match your body size" Like I said I'm still trying to learn how to dress them. I wanted to go a little bigger but my thoughts were a 34C. I'm sure to my "male" PS I am a C
-
Hello ladies!
I've had a rather crappy day. Met with the surgeon to get the release to go back to work and found out the in depth pathology on my lymph nodes revealed 2 that had cancer cells. So instead of going to back work on Monday, I get to go under the knife again. But at least they're putting the port in at the same time, so that's one less procedure I guess....
But once again, I get stuck at home with a stupid drain. I guess I should be happy it's just one, but really????
I also get to have radiation now! W00T! Go Me! (extreme heavy sarcasm....)
I don't know how you ladies have done this and not lost your minds, but at least my DH is perfect for me...
PS. lago - it is a really cute picture!
-
That stinks Heidi. Just wondering though I thought they weren't removing additional nodes for just a few for tumors under 5cm (T1 or T2) because it doesn't increase survival… assuming your doing radiation and chemo. I'm not sure about this though. Standard treatment may not have changed yet.
This is an old article but I'm sure more has come out about this at the San Antonio Conference: linky Might be worth questioning your BS about it.
-
Adey: So glad your daughter got a good report and she got in quickly.
Jackie: Still no rain here.
-
I'm so sorry Heidi but at least they found it and they have a plan! Hang in there!
-
Heidi -- count me too as sorry for this development. Do note though that your lymph nodes did what they are meant to do -- like this will be big consolation. But, you should have all the info now and you can come up with a very workable plan with your MO.
We just all have to do what it takes to get us back to NED and well.......and functioning like we always have. In order to make that happen we have to have this time out in life.....which I'm sure to a person here was un-timely and un-wanted, and provided a certain amt. of discouragement, anger, sadness and who knows what. We will be right here taking every step with you. We have all found that the mountain in front of us melts....one step at a time. It will for you too.
Hugs, Jackie
-
Another angel has her wings. She fought a courageous fight right to the end. It is with many tears and a sad heart that I say good-bye to my dear friend, Wendy McCammon, known on our thread as Wendy the Younger.
I'm golfing tomorrow in a Golf for the Cure benefit. Maybe, just maybe, these dollars will help in the search for the cure. It seems so ironic that we can send men to the moon but can't find the cure. Surely it has to be right around the corner.
-
DH and I went to Morris, Illinois today. Very small town. The trip back showed so many sad cornfields. I was studying the map and found BLOOMINGTON. I thought of Rita and Wendyty as they live there. I thought hard about them for awhile.
Tonight we hear that Wendy died. She was a doll! She had such strong faith. She inspired me to be strong and positive. She was ever so much younger than I am and yet she must just have been born with a sweet heart, a strong will and a generous soul.
-
So sad to get the news about Wendy, the Youger tonight. She fought quite a battle. For that reason, we must be thankful that she is in a better place.
HeidiK.... Hang in there. I feel like Lago though. Check out that link and make sure that you understand why your surgeon is doing this. Take some deep breaths and remember that you have a very supportive DH and all of us here to support you through chemo and rads. You can do this and not lose your mind! Promise.
Lago, great new avatar pic. I really need to change mine. It is from a year ago, just 9 months PFC. Not sure that I have much more hair now than I did then though. Decided to keep it short.
Signing off with thoughts of courageous Wendy and her family. -
Was just thinking about our WendyTY tonight. So very sad to hear that she has passed. Wishing strength and peace to her family.
I hate this effing disease. -
I don't remember Wendy--but it's still so sad for her family and friends.
HEIDI-read Lago's thingy---whatever u do will be the right thing, but I'm sorry u have to go thru anything. This sh*t never seems to back down.
-
Haven't been on in a bit. It's been a busy time for work and health. I work for a smallish company (only 50 people) and we RIFd 10 (yes, 20% of the staff) in two heartrending days last week. As I'm responsible for HR, all my time my first full week back was spent discussing options of are we sure, if this then what, who and how many, paperwork, paperwork, paperwork, and lots and lots of attorney calls. A tough decision, but I have to agree with the CEO, the right one. We're dumping nearly all of the compensation savings into field sales people and trade shows. We're still looking for 1-2 more field sales staff. We much prefer health care provider-trained folks who want to be in sales and who can travel a fair bit, giving demos and doing installs. We sell health care simulation manikins and station trainers primarily to EMTs, community colleges, nursing schools, and simulation labs. You don't have to be in Illinois; one of our openings is in the mountain states another opening likely to occur soon (poor performance) is the upper midwest. We do not require the field rep be located in his/her territory. Bright, engaging, outgoing, high energy, compentency in your technical area are the prime deciders. We can teach what you need to know about the manikins' performance statistics. If you or someone you know fits the descriptors, PM me and I'll pass the info on to the Sales VP. Thanks for letting me post a want ad. Maybe it can ease financial stress on some of you or yours.
Health-wise also busy. Received clearance from BS and PS. Revisit the BS in 6 months. Revisit the PS after chemo for tweaking and nipple discussion. Had my port put in Wednesday. Not too bad. I refused the happy meds (especially - and never again - Versed) and just had lots of lidocaine. They must have asked 12 times are you sure? Yeah, it takes hours even for Fentanel (sp?) to leach out of my system and I had too much to do. I got to see the xrays showing the placement of the catheter into the vein. Pretty cool. I also got to see the many, many, staples the PS used. I'm trying to figure out what he was using them for. It wasn't for closing the "elephant hang" excision. Too high up. I've decided to ask for the operative reports from the surgery. It's my body and I have a right to know what happened to it.
My youngest rear-ended an SUV with our old Ford Taurus. Everyone is ok, we think even the Taurus, which slid under the SUV and so the hood is a mess. DH commutes from Dallas and so I was the only one around who is old enough to get the rental, which I picked up after the port install.
Bought a wig from Naturally Yours after getting the rental. Thanks for the recommendations, all. Very nice people who don't have to just empathize, like most of you, they made the footprints I'm following. We found a wig that is amazingly close to my hair, especially on days when I actually try to make it look nice. A tiny bit more grey, but the underlying color is perfect. She said you can come back in about 16 days, we'll shave and do the final fitting then. In a masterful (for me) decision I said, take it now. This was the first strictly emotional decision I've been able to make about this ** cancer. All the other decisions were clinical. I'm sitting in the chair bawling and she's reassuring me I don't have to do it now. I was finally able to get enough control to explain that I was "happy crying". I got to choose when I would lose my hair and not let the chemo choose. So off came my fairly short hair and it looks cute in a punk rock wannabe way. I know it won't look as nice when the stubble comes out, but I won't have to stare at hair in the shower drain and mourn one more loss.
Thursday was chemo 1. The nurses at Rush Oak Park are marvelous. I know because for that first visit I was there from 9-4. They warned me it would be long the first time. Between the oral meds and the IV meds I felt like I was 3 drinks under the whole time. I rather stupidly brought my laptop to work on some budgeting stuff. Right. I worked on it, but lets just say not at warp speed. Next time, I'll plan to do something in Word rather than Excel. No reactions, went well. Note to self: bring more to drink.
Friday was an experiment. I kept my trainer appointment. Didn't work as hard as usual (calories used were only 90% of average) but it was ok. Danny's mom came off her chemo about three months ago and so he's pretty sensitive to what's going on. So, packed with a tube of saltines, lots of Rainier cherries (yum yum), and lunch, I went to work with my new wig. My boss was in my office every single hour (are you ok? are you sure you're ok?). He truly was concerned. He has a friend who is now NED from lymphatic cancer and knows how some can react to chemo. Some people complimented me on my new hair cut (I had let my real hair go lately, knowing it was going to go) and some people complimented me on the wig. Go figure. I essentially never stopped eating the whole day: a cracker, water, cherries, cracker, water, with a compazine for variety. I felt rather like I had a bit too much to drink the night before: a little fuzzy, a little woozy, but ok. I got some good work done at half-warp speed. I found that satisfactory.
Made it through the evening alright, too. DH gave me the Neulasta shot (he's a doc and has a great touch with a hypo). That, folks, is where I drew a line in quick-set cement, not sand. I'll lose my breasts, I'll lose my hair, I'll lose my dignity, but if there is some way for me to avoid giving myself a shot, I'll find it. If his Friday night home plane is canceled (this goes through until winter), I have two friends who are nurses who have repeatedly asked if they can help. Well, yes, you can: give me the bloody shot. Hardly hurt at all, easier than a flu shot. No soreness at the injection site. We'll see if I get the bone pain. Here's the finger cross that the "crash day" isn't as bad as I've been warned.
Sorry this is so long. I just had a lot to say to people I like. Enjoy your weekends! I'm going to give weeding a try. The gardens look like jungles.
-
Adey, that had to be a very hard thing to go through. So glad it was only a cyst. How did your dd handle it? I've had the same fibroadenoma since 17, almost 40 years now. I wasn't particularly bothered by it until my grandmother died of bc. It was never biopsied, even with bc, though zapped with rads. Same breast, but not in the same quadrant as the bc. I hope both of you get the support and answers you need from the drs. Surely she needs no more than her usual check up schedule.
So sorry to hear about Wendy the Younger. My thoughts go out to her family and those of you who knew her on these boards.
-
Hi everyone,
I have not posted in quite a while, and so am extremely behind as to what is going on with everyone. I have only read the last page or so of posts, but hope to be getting on more regularly and start catching up. I was very sad to hear about WendyTY. I hate cancer.
Adey, so glad to hear that your daughter's lump was just a cyst. My daughters are only 4 and 6, but when they become teens, I will make sure they are educated about breast health and self-exams.
Lago, cute new pic!
HeidiK - Hugs! I will be thinking about you today.
Joan, hope you are recovering well from your back surgery.
Lynn27, Wow, you have had so much going on. I hope that you are finding time to rest and take care of yourself, too! Don't push yourself too much. My boss actually made me leave work early a few times (and covertly directed people not to schedule meetings with me after 2:00) when I was in chemo. Hugs.
I have been very busy as well. I finished up rads on July 9. I am all healed up now, but it was a pretty ugly, blistery mess the last 2 weeks of rads, and for about a week after. I found rads to be in some ways more difficult emotionally than chemo. Chemo was more draining physically, but rads was grueling for me emotionally. Having to show up every day, taking a chunk of time out of my day, feeling like I was part of some crazy science experiment as the big rads machine moved around me whirring and humming . . . I am glad it is over. I am now about 3 months PFC. I have about 3/4 of an inch of hair, but am still wearing my wig for now, as the short hair I have has no hope of being styled to look decent yet. I have started Tamoxifen, and haven't had too much in the way of side effects other than the night sweats. I had those during chemo, then they stopped, now back again, though not as bad as before. I also have developed a mild case of Lymphedema this summer. Have a sleeve and a glove. Annoying, but not the worst thing I have dealt with. Have appt with PS at end of August to figure out reconstruction plan. Work has been very busy. In some ways, I like being busy, because the day goes by so quickly, then after work, there are often kids activities. So, I am usually exhausted by the end of the day. Now we are gearing up for back to school and fall sports. Summer has gone by too fast! I do feel like I could use a few days to just relax, but I am not sure when that can possibly be.
Anyway, I hope to get back on the board more frequently. I think of you all every day. -
Lemondrop sucks about the LE but hopefully it will stay mild like me. I got used to the sleeve. Since my hand/fingers don't seem to swell I don't wear the glove. I have them just in case and probably will wear them on the plane as preventative. I have a goofy tan line though on my left since I do wear my sleeve daily. Thanks for dropping by. Don't forget if you can join our team for the ACS strides against breast cancer walk. PM for info.
-
Good Morning Ladies....My heart goes out to Wendy the younger and her family. She struggled and fought hard with this disease and her uplifting spirit will always be remembered. My thoughts and prayers go out to her family. She is up there with all the other ladies from our board. God bless all of you. Rita thank you for letting us know. She was a good friend to all of us here. We will miss her.
To all the new/old girls here we are having a Lunch Bunch get together on Friday 8/10 at Maggiano's in Schaumburg at 12:00. PM me if you would like to join us as I need to make reservations. Good food, good friends and lots of laughter is what we do best !!. Hope you can join us before the summer is over and we are in school mode again.
Hope you all have a wonderful Saturday and enjoy this hot weather!! Stay cool and hydrated.
Remember to be healthy...be happy and enjoy life.
Blackjack
-
I was just thinking about wendyTY the other day and hoping she was doing ok. :-/ I'm so sad to see this and will keep her family in my prayers.
Adey.....OMG.... Thank god it was only a cyst!!!! How terrifying that must have been!!! I'm so glad it was only a cyst!
Lemon... Yay for being DONE with tx... But the LE sucks! This heat probably doesn't help either!
Heidi....your surgeries sound just like mine were, I had a BMX in June last year (left side cancer, right one just because) and than had an axilliary dissection almost a month later and ended up needing chemo and a port.... I was SO against my port at first, and very angry about it (I think because when I chose the BMX it was because I had clean nodes and didn't need chemo?) but.... I'm so glad I ended up with one....
Lynn....It sounds like tx #1 went ok for you.... Glad you are feeling ok.... Just always remember its ok to rest if you feel like you need to. Chemo can really suck the life out of you from time to time.
Happy Saturday ladies.... It's gonna be a hot one! -
WendyTY - Was such an inspiration. Throughout the journey, her faith and hope was incredible. Her beautiful smile and her soft spoken voice will never be forgotten.
-
I haven't put a quote in today.....I read about Wendy and just wasn't sure it was appropriate. Was just such a short time ago that she announced all of her options had run out and Hospice was what was next for her. In the next breath she was expressing concern not for herself ( so strong was her faith ) but that her family be able to keep up their strength.
I had plans for the morning I was unable to cancel, but probably just as well for it did keep my mind occupied the better part of today. I am sad that this beautiful spirit is not directly among us anymore and yet glad that she is free of the earthly bonds of pain and disease. She was special and we were all fortunate that we were able to spend these last few years with her. Love and prayers to her family. The blessings of a beautiful person never end, even though it may take some time to find the joy once again.
Healing hugs,
Jackie
-
Wow I missed the sad news about Wendy. I'm always speechless when this happens to one of our gals. This just isn't fair.
-
Amen, Jackie! We are all in a better place because Wendyty was among us.
Susan
-
HEIDI--
My story was like yours. I had a sentinel node biopsy with my second biopsy (didn't get clean margins the first time). At the time, the frozen section showed the node was clean, but full pathology report showed cancer in the node. My surgeon scheduled me for axillary dissection and port insertion. I visited two MOs before the scheduled surgery and chose the second one (at a different facility from my surgeon). The MO I picked told me that axillary dissection was no longer the standard of care. She also told me that for my particular situation, chemo was optional. I took a few days to think about chemo and I cancelled the surgery, because I didn't want to decide on chemo only because I already had a port!
Anyway, I am doing chemo now but because I'm only doing 6 sessions, because I have good veins, and because my treatment facility is set up so they do the pre-chemo blood draws without an additional stick, I do not have a port. So I was sorry to cancel the day before the surgery, but it was the best decision for me. Taking the tumor out of my breast didn't spook me, but the idea of an axillary dissection did, so I was really glad to avoid it.
If you don't yet have a MO, you may want to delay additional surgery until you have an oncologist and a full plan for treatment. Then get a port or axillary dissection if they still make sense.
It's easy to accidentally get on a fast train when a quiet stroll might be a more appropriate way to travel through these decisions and procedures. Take the time you need and make whatever decisions make sense for you.
-
I was so sorry to hear about Wendy--being a fairly "newbie" on this board, I knew she was sick. My prayers go out to her family.
Lynn: Wishing you minimal S/E's this weekend. My crashes started around Saturday "noonish" with Sunday being my worst days. You are fortunately you have people to help inject your shot for you. I was fortunate that I could also work while undergoing tx--work from home part of the time, but at my own pace. I am (was) a 78 RPM person, and learned I need to adjust to what my body told me I was capable of doing. I have received 8/33 rads thus far and am doing well.
Blackjack: Sounds like a great get together. Make sure you take pics and post who everyone is!
Lemon: Congrats on being done. I wil finish rads on 9/10, an my son's wedding on 9/15. Hopefully, it won't bee oozing too much. It won't be a pretty sight in the wedding pics.
-
Thinking about Lynn, Heidi and especially WendyTY's family this morning. Lynn, I had the same "pattern" as kjliberty: Crash mid-Saturday, and not able to do much at all on Sunday during my chemo weeks. Hope your SEs are mild. Kjliberty, I hope you make it through with minimal blistering. Mine only got bad right at the end. Not everyone does. If you do, your RO will give you creams/pads to help you. So exciting that your son is getting married! Lago, PM'd you re the walk.
My agenda today: church, then school shoe and soccer shopping, and then maybe the pool with the kids. Wanted to go yesterday, but by the time we finished gymnastics classes and school supply shopping, a huge storm rolled in. Thinking of you all. -
Peace, Love, Health, Comfort, Joy, and the Light of Spirit -
all the rest is nothing.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie -
Morning....we had a lovely storm through the night and I am glad though I was awake for some of the louder parts. We have so needed this rain. Looks like we 'could' if fortunate get some more this morning. We will take what we can get.
Karen I soooo hope you will not get too much reaction from your later rad sessions. I think ( if ) we do it is often during the boosts which is the more intense part.....concentrated around surgery site. It is all such an individual thing. I got a bit more "well done" on the inside and for quite some time had a really dry skin patch around my incision. It is fine now, of course, but I wondered if I would ever get normal tissue back and with patience....when I quit my almost daily 'inspections' and just let Mother Nature take her course...one day there it was.
Still some ambivalent feelings going on today -- they will pass, but the gray sky is a good match right now. I wish you all a good Sunday.
Hugs, Jackie
-
I am saddened to hear of WendyTY's passing-she is now at peace. My prayers go out to her family at this difficult time.
HeidiK-I'm sorry you are going through a difficult time and hope things improve soon.
BJ-I can't think of another group I would rather spend my birthday with, but unfortunately I will be out of town on Friday for work
Have a great day everyone-looks like we're going to have a comfortable day. I was at Lollapalooza during the big storm yesterday-took cover at the Palmer House where some friends were staying. Looks lke today is going to be perfect!
-
To Wendy the Younger's family, we were blessed to have had her on our board. We are so very saddened by your loss. So very sorry for OUR loss as well.
To Adey, call me when you get back from camping. I will be gone Thursday - Sunday night.
To the Maggiano's group. Darn, I was the one who kept asking for a date and now I can t make it. I will be on a retreat. I will be at the next one.
Onward
Categories
- All Categories
- 679 Advocacy and Fund-Raising
- 289 Advocacy
- 68 I've Donated to Breastcancer.org in honor of....
- Test
- 322 Walks, Runs and Fundraising Events for Breastcancer.org
- 5.6K Community Connections
- 282 Middle Age 40-60(ish) Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 53 Australians and New Zealanders Affected by Breast Cancer
- 208 Black Women or Men With Breast Cancer
- 684 Canadians Affected by Breast Cancer
- 1.5K Caring for Someone with Breast cancer
- 455 Caring for Someone with Stage IV or Mets
- 260 High Risk of Recurrence or Second Breast Cancer
- 22 International, Non-English Speakers With Breast Cancer
- 16 Latinas/Hispanics With Breast Cancer
- 189 LGBTQA+ With Breast Cancer
- 152 May Their Memory Live On
- 85 Member Matchup & Virtual Support Meetups
- 375 Members by Location
- 291 Older Than 60 Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 177 Singles With Breast Cancer
- 869 Young With Breast Cancer
- 50.4K Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis
- 204 Breast Cancer with Another Diagnosis or Comorbidity
- 4K DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ)
- 79 DCIS plus HER2-positive Microinvasion
- 529 Genetic Testing
- 2.2K HER2+ (Positive) Breast Cancer
- 1.5K IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer)
- 3.4K IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)
- 1.5K ILC (Invasive Lobular Carcinoma)
- 999 Just Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastasis
- 652 LCIS (Lobular Carcinoma In Situ)
- 193 Less Common Types of Breast Cancer
- 252 Male Breast Cancer
- 86 Mixed Type Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned
- 189 Palliative Therapy/Hospice Care
- 488 Second or Third Breast Cancer
- 1.2K Stage I Breast Cancer
- 313 Stage II Breast Cancer
- 3.8K Stage III Breast Cancer
- 2.5K Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
- 13.1K Day-to-Day Matters
- 132 All things COVID-19 or coronavirus
- 87 BCO Free-Cycle: Give or Trade Items Related to Breast Cancer
- 5.9K Clinical Trials, Research News, Podcasts, and Study Results
- 86 Coping with Holidays, Special Days and Anniversaries
- 828 Employment, Insurance, and Other Financial Issues
- 101 Family and Family Planning Matters
- Family Issues for Those Who Have Breast Cancer
- 26 Furry friends
- 1.8K Humor and Games
- 1.6K Mental Health: Because Cancer Doesn't Just Affect Your Breasts
- 706 Recipe Swap for Healthy Living
- 704 Recommend Your Resources
- 171 Sex & Relationship Matters
- 9 The Political Corner
- 874 Working on Your Fitness
- 4.5K Moving On & Finding Inspiration After Breast Cancer
- 394 Bonded by Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Life After Breast Cancer
- 806 Prayers and Spiritual Support
- 285 Who or What Inspires You?
- 28.7K Not Diagnosed But Concerned
- 1K Benign Breast Conditions
- 2.3K High Risk for Breast Cancer
- 18K Not Diagnosed But Worried
- 7.4K Waiting for Test Results
- 603 Site News and Announcements
- 560 Comments, Suggestions, Feature Requests
- 39 Mod Announcements, Breastcancer.org News, Blog Entries, Podcasts
- 4 Survey, Interview and Participant Requests: Need your Help!
- 61.9K Tests, Treatments & Side Effects
- 586 Alternative Medicine
- 255 Bone Health and Bone Loss
- 11.4K Breast Reconstruction
- 7.9K Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 2.7K Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment
- 775 Diagnosed and Waiting for Test Results
- 7.8K Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 50 Immunotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 7.4K Just Diagnosed
- 1.4K Living Without Reconstruction After a Mastectomy
- 5.2K Lymphedema
- 3.6K Managing Side Effects of Breast Cancer and Its Treatment
- 591 Pain
- 3.9K Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 8.4K Surgery - Before, During, and After
- 109 Welcome to Breastcancer.org
- 98 Acknowledging and honoring our Community
- 11 Info & Resources for New Patients & Members From the Team