Anyone In Phoenix, AZ Area?

jjjsjames

Meekone, Thanks for the info.  I would love to go to Mayo, but they are not contracted with Blue Cross Blue Shield.  I'll check out Ironwood though.  I have since learned that it is to my benifit to pay the $55 for each chemo since the plan is only 4 of those and 4 nulasta injections, so 8 office visits/co-pays.  Otherwise the cost before insurance is $9,000 each chemo and if my $2,500 deductible and $3,000 out of pocket wasn't satisfied, I'd get to pay that up to my $5,500 max (not including co-pays).  Anyway, I'm now thinking looking for radiation treatment that is in a facility. Thanks again.

Anonymous

Hi Sherri,

I have gone to Dr Kuske at http://www.arizona-breast-cancer-specialists.com/   He is extremely caring.  Not sure if I have to do rads yet, they say I'm on the fence.  I would go there without hesitation though.  I also have blue cross/blue shield.  Not sure what it is considered but maybe worth a call. 

Sara

Patty252555140415

Hello, Anyone in the Bullhead, Kingman area? I am looking to relocate there and trying to find Drs and hospitals? Thanks Patty

Iwillwinthisbattle

Hi everyone! I'm in the far east valley and would love to meet with you all! When is the next scheduled meeting? Anyway it could held farther south??

jjjsjames

Sara,  My radiation onc is with the ABCS and I like her.  It's just that I'll owe $55 for each treatment (30) and was trying to get around that.  I haven't found a medical Onc that I like, so I'm going to see one in Tucson. 

ebann

Iwillwhenthisbattle: we can plan a get together in that direction sometime. Everyone has been coming on my side cause I have been healing from hip/leg surgery. What are your crossroads. I have the next 3 months already planned. You can probably also meet with someone and carpool with someone. i am not sure where eveyone is as far as the east, west, north, or south. Not very good with that. I am sorry it just  gets me all confused.

We are getting our nails done in two weeks.

Then a tea party in October in Chandler, Sedona trip in November, and a Ornament Exchange at Joy's home in Tempe.

We have done things in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Glendale, Gilbert, Chandler, Tempe, as well. Sometimes things are planned far out and some in the middle of Phoenix.

I hope you find this helpful. I will be more than happy to plan something out where you are at. Like I said we carpool too.

Meekone

JJJ

I know what you mean, gotta save a penny where ever we can find it.  Good luck with everything.

Meek

julianna51

jjjsjames - I found that out too about radiation.  $60 every single visit.   It seems so so wrong to me.   With Cigna, my insuance, they would have to be a Cigna Preferred which I was unable to find any RO within 25 miles of Chandler that fit into that catagory.   I try to feel a little better by looking at what I would have to pay if I didn't have insurance....    I hope you have much better luck!

julianna51

sarasowise - I spoke with Dr. Kuske also,  he is phenomenal.  I would have gone with him but he suggested I go to their new office down in Gilbert which has the latest and greatest in radiation technology and he spoke very highly of my RO, Dr. Tannehill.   I am very happy with my choice but I would have been equally happy with Dr. Kuske.

Anonymous

julianna- i seem to be in the "gray" area for radiation although every new path report seems to put me closer.  I think i am starting chemo in a week or so, PET, echo, blood work all this week and then it begins.  I am also meeting with naturopath to work in combo with traditional treatments.  I am really curious how the radiation works with TE?  I would love any input on that. thanks, 

Sara  

julianna51

Sara - I really fought the radidation because of my TEs.  I had nothing but horror stories about how many problems people had.  I even started a thread for postive stories - and I heard from several people that have had great success and/or at least great attitudes about it.    That said, my RO designed my treatment with my TEs and reconstruction in mind.   Hopefully minimizing any SEs that my complicate my reconstruction process.   Because I had DCIS, my RO believes that I didn't need the full major treatment for my whole breast but more focus on where my DCIS was.   I've still had full breast radiation but less than what I might have and this week I'll start boosts to the area of where the DCIS was.   I of course don't know the extent of internal scaring or other SEs that I might have but I feel very good about the process.   I expect the reconstruction to go very well.

I hope that you don't have the radiation after the chemo and any other treatment you must have.  Not because I believe radiation is so bad but just because who needs one more thing to deal with?   Hey, I see you are in Tempe.   What part of Tempe are you in?

ebann

How is everyone doing? I have chemo tomorrow hoping all in normal. See the Dr. next Wednesday. Looking forward to getting a scan to see if the chemo is working. I know crazy to look forward to a scan. I am usually like no way. But this is different. You just want to know so you can either continue this chemo or start a new one. I have a life to live.

Sara: I have a great naturopath. My onc recommended him and they work very close with one another. When I have  questions I email him and he is so nice to email me back. I believe in both treatments. I hope that you have great success with this. I look forward to meeting you next Sunday.

Meekone: I have been thinking about you!

Vegas girls here we come!

Ladies let me know how treatment is coming along. Your in my daily thoughts.

o2bhealthy

Vegas count down 2 weeks 2 days...Have fun!!!

jjjsjames

Why does everything to do with Breast Cancer have to be so frustrating?  My surgery was three weeks ago and I'm realizing that the place under my arm where the lymph nodes were removed is getting tighter and now I think there is a little cording, that I've read about.  I decided I would call my surgeon's office to see about a referral for PT.  When I got to the scheduling department of Scottsdale Shea Hospital's Virginia Piper Cancer Treatment Center, they said the first available appointment would be in mid November!  I looked all over the Internet and couldn't find another place near me, so I called the Surgeon's office back and they gave me the name of a place called

CORAL Center for Oncological Rehabilitation and Lymphedema.  They scheduled me for the 27th of this month and their therapist is LANA certified.  This is like swimming in mud, every little thing is a challenge and then a setback and I've only just begun.  Anyway, I thought it might help someone in our area to know there is another place for therapy.

Anonymous

Sherri,

You said it perfectly, it is just like swimming in mud!!!!  I start chemo on Monday TAC x6.  So wierd!  

Anonymous

thanks Elizabeth,

I look so forward to meeting and sharing with you and others as well  

swiftbird

Hey ladies, who's going to Vegas? It turns out that I will be in Vegas (for a wedding on saturday), but am hoping to attend friday night get togethers, and would like to connect up with AZ homies LOL.  

 jjjsjames, getting lymphedema treatment is tough and getting it paid for tougher.  I have good insurance but doesn't cover lymphedema massages.  hrmph. I'm in DC now (back and forth between Phx and DC), found someone who was not very good (I dropped him and now looking for someone else.  This is a weird subset of PT. 

burley

Hi ladies!  Would you mind if I joined?  I live in Queen Creek, but literally across the road from Gilbert.  I had no idea there was a group of ladies in the Valley-I'm excited :-)  I was looking for Michelle (Hi Michelle!) and found you guys.  Yay!

cooka

Hi everyone, glad to see there is a Phoenix group. Hope it is okay if I join in? I see many of you are in the east valley but I actually live in downtown Phoenix...

Anyway, good luck Sarasowise on Monday, I had my first infusion friday and was able to still go to yoga today. Wondering if anyone else on this thread is into yoga?  

Swiftbird my partner and I still have a house in DC, we don't get back there as often as I'd like though...I see we also share the triple negative handle:)

o2bhealthy

Hi Kim!!! I am glad you found us!  This is a terrific group of women!   I got your PM and sent one back at ya!!

o2bhealthy

Ebann - have you guys decided on a dated in October yet??? My DD has ONE weekend off  from soccer that month & I was hoping that the weekends would match up so I could plan a trip down again...

swiftbird

cooka - nice that you feel good enough to yoga.  Where are you being treated? What chemo are you on? I did all my diagnosis, chemo, surgery and rads at Mayo Scottsdale. Chemo first - carbo and taxotere; lumpectomy; then rads.  I still go back to Mayo for check ups (got one in 10 days - scanaxiety setting in  I worked through my entire chemo - was fortunate with moderate SEs... just worked from home on bad days.  

Rockym

Hi Everyone - I'm here in Tempe.  I walked for 45min this morning and have been drinking water all morning.  Took my 8mg of Dexamethasone this morning and I'm off to chemo #1 tomorrow morning.  TCx4 was my compromise.  First doc wanted TACx6... I wanted nothing.  Micromets in the lymph nodes, 47 and an Oncotype score of 22 kinda sealed the deal.  I'm also with ABC rads.  Met Dr. Quiet a week after my dx and loved her.  Unfortunately, I won't see her again until the chemo portion is over.  Thought I was gonna get lucky with the 5 day rads, but now it looks like I'll be in the 6 week group.  Luckily Gilbert isn't that far from Tempe :-)

cooka

Swiftbird,

My onc is Dr. Paul at Good Sam. Had surgery at Piper and I opted for bmx, now I am doing taxotere/cytoxan x 4.  I did consult with Mayo for my second opinion though, but had better rapport with my BS. 

I retired from the Air Force a couple of years ago and I am a full-time student, so i am lucky I don't have to work...just study on my couch:) i hear ya about the scanxiety, i am not looking forward to that part of this trip! 

Rockym,

Good luck tomrrow! Just got back from my walk and it seems to make me feel a lot better...although yesterday my walk was home from the intersection where I abandoned my car after the transmission blew up:( grrrrrr. 

ebann

Hi Michelle, I hope we made the right choice in the time for October we decided on October 22nd. Is that good? I hope that you can make it! It would be good to see you again. You could stop out by my place and we could drive from that point to Karen's place. I would need to leave a little earlier cause I need to get over to Karen's to get things set up. Let me know if this works out for you and we can go from there.

RockyM, good to know that you are exercising. Walking is great! Oh the wonderful steroids. They are so much fun! They keep me going. Walking is one way of helping with all that energy you get from it. Sleeping is the trick. I wish you the best tomorrow. I am doing   TC as well. Taxotere/Carboplatin Did  TAC the first time around. Sorry you have to do Rads for 6 weeks. The hardest thing for me was doing it everyday. Other than that it was alright all things considered. I got some Jean's Cream for rads. You can order it from www.jeanscream.com or using aloe is also really good for it. I know the RO will probably have some suggestions for you as well. Tempe is closer to Gilbert.

LADIES KEEP US POSTED!!

julianna51

rockym - I'm doing my rads in Gilbert (ABC) with Dr. Tannehill.   Everyone is really wonderful there.   I'm on my last 4 boosts and will be done on Thursday.   It has flown by and hasn't been too bad at all....although a lot of fatigue beginning last week.

burley

Is it too late to jump into the September event?  It looks like you needed an RSVP earlier than this.  Let me know.  Would love to meet ladies around here!

Rockym

julianna51, I'm glad to hear you and some others like the ABC office.  Dr. Quiet said she would tell Dr. T about my situation and after much research, I felt they would be best for me.  I had sooooo hoped for a quick surgery, 5 day rad and then maybe hormone therapy.  Oh well.. sounds like after your rads you are done?  No ER+ so you get to skip Tamoxifen too?  Your pic has you looking very young.  I saw your name with 51on the end and figured for sure you weren't born in 1951 and you can't be 51 years old... I always have fun trying to figure out how old ladies are once they put a pic up :-).

julianna51

Rockym -  Awww, thank you.   I am actually 51 and rapidly headed for 52.   It was a good picture day. ;-)   So, yes, after rads I just have to wait to finish my reconstruction, probably about 6 months out or so.  No tamoxifen, nothing else.   Yay.   Good luck to you as you start chemo - I'll be sending positive thoughts your way.

ebann

Burley, your are more than welcome to come. It will be Sara's first time too! I asked Joy and all is good.