Any Northern Virginia ladies on this discussion board?

Monique

Any Northern Virginia ladies on this discussion board?

Monique

Hello - I was just wondering if there were any ladies in the Northern Virginia area here.  Thought it would be nice to connect and help each other out through this journey.

My name is Monique and I live in the Fairfax area.  I just had uni mast. on July 7th with immed reconstruction with an expander.  I don't know my path results yet, but I will get them on Tuesday.  I only know that my biopsy reports (I had two) should both IDC and ILC.

I'm so glad to have found this site and all the wealth of knowledge, support, love, etc. on it from everyone!  I will be using it as much as I need to and hope other's do the same.  We are all in this together

emilyjuanita

Hi Monique-

I live in Arlington.  I was diagnosed in May, had mastectomy on June 18 and start chemo on July 24.  Would love to talk more...

Emily 

NatsFan

How about someone from across the Potomac in Montgomery County?  Hopefully that will count as ee're all in the DC area.  I'm a little ahead of you ladies - dx in December, bilat in January, 6xTAC chemo March-June, and now recovering from that and preparing for reconstruction, probably in Fall. 

And Monique, I agree 100% about this site.  I found it shortly after dx, and it has meant the world to me.   

lastminuteD

I'm in Falls Church, near Tysons Cornerl!!!

I'm way ahead of all of you ladies but I do live close by!

Dawn

Monique

Hello  Emily, NatsFan and Dawn--- Thanks for responding

I got most of the path results today - I have an appt with my surgeon in the morning and I should know everything then.  For some reason the ER,PR and HER2 results were not included in the fax that my Onc. got so I still need them to have a final look at everything.  To tell you the truth I am still confused, but will sleep on in tonight and see after I talk to the surgeon tomorrow if things become clearer to me.  What I do know is that I have ILC, tumor size was 3.5 cm and only 1 out of 11 nodes was positive.  This all seems to become more overwhelming as time goes on - so much information to process with limited medical knowledge.

Anyway it looks like Emily and I have the opportunity to gain some first hand insight from NatsFan and Dawn.  I myself will have a million questions but for tonight I am exhausted and need to go to bed.  I had a long day!

I hope everyone is feeling good today and am looking forward to chatting with you all.

Monique

emilyjuanita

Monique-

I hear you on the information overload.  I went into surgery thinking my tumor was 2 cm and that I could be treated with hormone therapy afterward.  The pathology report showed a bigger tumor (3.5 cm) and vascular invasion... which meant chemo.  I start my first session tomorrow.

NatsFan-

Where did you have your surgery done?  My doctor is Katherine Alley and I had my surgery done at Suburban Hospital.  My plastic surgeon, Kathy Huang, is also in Bethesda. I really like her.

Emily 

oldlady

I am in FFXCO. I had my surgery at Bethesda Naval a couple of days ago.

lastminuteD

Monique - what happened at the surgeons?  What's next?

Emily - how did your first treatment go yesterday?  what are you getting?

oldlady - hope your surgery went well and that you are recovering quickly.  What's next for you?

Right now I am waiting for a tumo marker blood test to come back (appt on Tuesday).  If my markers are up, I'm in for more tests to see if my cancer has metastisized and if they are normal, I'll be waiting six months and then have another ct scan to see if there are changes.  The waiting and wondering is the hardest part in all of this journey.

Please do ask anything that pops into your head!  This site is awesome and no matter what you are wondering about, someone knows the answer.

Dawn

emilyjuanita

Dawn-

You've been through a lot!  Did you have a mastectomy with your first diagnosis? What kind of chemo/radiation did you do?

Was your recurrance in the same breast?

 I had my first treatment of DD AC-T yesterday.  Prior to that, I had a mastectomy on the left side.  When the path report came back as grade 3, I felt so nervous.  I asked my surgeon if I should go back and have the other breast removed.   She said to wait. I have a family history, but haven't gotten the genetic test yet.  Just seems like I have a ticking time bomb on my chest!

Emily 

NatsFan

So good to hear from all the local ladies! 

Emily - I went to Hopkins for my surgery, but did my chemo in Greenbelt (it's near my hubby's work so he could drop me off and at least get a few hours of work in during my tx).  How are you doing on Day 2 after your first treatment?  I found that the absolutely most important thing for me was to get a good night's sleep during chemo.  I felt the crappiest on the days when I had a bad night's sleep.  The first tx is the worst I think because you don't know what to expect or how your body will react.  Once you know what s/es you are likely to get, you can prepare ahead of time for the next one. I'm a Grade 3 as well, so I know how you feel.  But the fact you have no nodal involvement is great!

Monique - you're in the worst part right now - still getting basic results and making decisions on what to do.  Once you have a "game plan" in place, you'll feel a lot more relieved.  Don't worry about your lack of medical knowledge now - believe me, you'll pick up a lot of medical knowledge in a hurry.  This site is one great place to start.   

oldlady - let us know how you're doing when you feel up to it.  

lastminute - sending good positive thoughts your way for those tumor marker test results.

And maybe the Nats will win another game someday.  It's been a tough year to be a baseball fan!

Lay02

Hi Ladies,

I am new to this site. I live in DC and was diagnosed with LCIS with atypical hyperplasia. On Monday, I have an appointment with a BS at Georgetown hospital in order to discuss my situation and schedule an appointment for an excision. So far, I do not have more information than what I read in the path report. But I am doing a lot of research and thanks to all of you on this site. You have been great.

Monique

Hi everyone

Lay02 - glad you found us for support.  I have only been on here a little bit over a month now and it has helped me in many ways already.

Emily - how are you feeling after your first chemo treatment?  I hope you aren't having a rough time and are able to enjoy the nice weather we are having right now.  Keep us informed.

Dawn - my surgeon didn't have the results for the Her2 yet either?  He didn't seem too concerned about it?  I had a ct scan yesterday and I will have a bone scan on Tuesday, after which I will meet with the onc again and hopefully find out when I start chemo (not that I'm looking forward to it).  I'm not sure what a Tumo marker blood test is ----------but I am praying for good results for you   It looks like you have been through your share of things already.

NatsFan - What chemo did you have? and how did you handle the treatments?  Any other basic advice beside the good nights sleep?

oldlady - I hope you are feeling ok this soon after your surgery.  Stay in touch as you feel up to it.

Good night ladies -

Emily2008

Hi all, I live in Sterling, close to Dulles airport.  Who knew there were so many of us in this area? 

I'm having a uni mast with immed recon August 4, and will be starting chemo a few weeks after.  I'll be following your posts for hints/suggestions as D-day approaches for me.

-Emily (for simplicity sake, since we already have and Emily, just refer to me as "Em") 

NatsFan

Lay - welcome.  This board is a great place for info and community.  I don't know anyone in the "real world" who was going through this now, so it's been wonderful to find a whole community of people who know exactly what I'm going through.

Monique - I had 6 TAC tx 3 weeks apart.  I had a port installed the day before my first tx, and it was a godsend.  Since I had AND on my right side, they could only use my left for veins which were getting pretty beat up by that time, so the port saved me a lot of futile needle sticks on my left arm.  Hydrating before, during and after tx really helps too - I'd start downing tons of water the day before my treatment.  My onc gave me excellent drugs to control nausea (Emend is a true miracle drug) but I still didn't have much of an appetite for the week or so after each treatment, and all I could eat were small bland meals of stuff like white rice, soda crackers, and noodles.   Ginger ale was essential to me.  I got constipation, so I also started on Colace the day before treatment.  Once you find out what symptoms you have after your first tx, you'll be able to start preparing a few days before the treatment to minimize symptoms.  Finally, let others help you.  They really want to do something, so let them.  My dh was wonderful through this, but friends also helped out by cooking, running errands, etc.  For me, the fatigue was cumulative - after the first few treatments, I usually bounced back after a week or 10 days, but by #5 I felt tired all the time.  The good news is that 6 weeks out, I'm beginning to feel like my old self again (except for that baldness thing!).  I'd highly recommend that you check on some of the monthly chemo threads in the Chemotherapy section - pick one from the past (I was in the March 2008) group and read along. They provide a week by week account of women in chemo and all their various reactions, and the tips and tricks we all passed along to each other as we went through our tx.  

Em - good luck on your upcoming surgery.  I'll be interested to hear how your reconstruciton goes.  I opted for delayed reconstruction after my bilat, so will be doing a DIEP in Fall.   

gk2bc0

Hi. I live in Arlington and began chemo in July. This is a recurrence for me. First dx was in 2005 had lumpectomy and radiation at Sibley. This time I had a mastectomy and immediate tram recon and taking TCH.  There is a support group that meets 1st and 3rd Tuesdays at Virginia Hospital Center 5:30 if you are interested.  Would be interested in connecting with more local members of the club. Sorry to meet this way!  Gail

oldlady

I am 4 days post-op lumpectomy plus 1 lymph node as of this Saturday night. I have not taken any pain meds since Thursday.  My bruising still looks disgusting but slightly better since my first viewing on Th. The lymph node incision is right under the bottom edge of my undergarment which is slightly irritating but do-able. Oh, and I was able to put on a polo shirt over my head today instead of a buttondown blouse!

My followup is on Wed so we will see if the pathology matches my original biopsy report.

For those in the greater DC area:

 ARC in Vienna, VA has a variety of different programs to include free wigs AND free makeover tips

The Wellness Center in Bethesda, MD has a variety of health, nutrition, exercise classes.

Monique

Em - Sending thoughts and prayers for your upcoming surgery.  It's amazing isn't it - how many of us there are around.  Hopefully we can be a good support for each other over this bump in our road.

gk2bc0 - Sorry to hear about your recurrence.  A support group sounds great to me!  Is Virginia Hospital Center the old Arlington Hospital?  Do you attend the group?

oldlady - Glad you are doing well.  Hope your path results are good news.  Let us know.  What is ARC that you are referring to in Vienna?  I know about an organization called Life with Cancer in Fairfax that has a lot of programs, classes, etc.,  but I had not heard of ARC in Vienna.

Monique

oldlady

Woops! I meant ACS-American Cancer Society, not ARC-American Red Cross.

In any case, there is a local office located at 124 Park Street SE, Vienna, Virginia

Phone: (703)938-5550

emilyjuanita

gk2bc0- You know, I never thought I'd be the support group type, but I spend so much time on these boards, I guess I can admit I DO appreciate support   I think I'll stop by the Virginia Hosp Center.  

Em- I had a uni-mastectomy with immediate reconstruction on June 18.  I also did a small implant on the unaffected side to "hoist" it up to match the other one.  The drains were the worst part.  Once those came out I felt much better.  Also, several pairs of comfy pajamas were key.

Emily 

Emily2008

Emily-you've now affirmed my need for more pj's!  I realized I only have one comfy button down pair, so I'm going out to buy another pair.

Speaking of support groups IRL, I'm planning to go to a meeting at Loudoun Hospital Center on Monday from 5:30 to 6:30.  Between this on-line resource, and a friend from church who went through this as well, I have felt vey supported. But, I like to take advantage of every resource possible, so I think I'll go to that meeting too.

Let me know how your group at VHC is, ladies.

-Em 

oldlady

I say we meet up at Maggiano's in Tyson's sometime. If only good pasta could keep away malignancies!

gk2bc0

Hi again.  Virginia Hospital Center (formerly Arlington Hospital) has an active support group that will meet this Tuesday. I intend to go. It's at 1701 George Mason Drive, in the old part of the hospital. There is a cancer resource center there and Kathy Dorner coordinates it. You can call her at 703-556-5555.  I met the group the day before I went to my first chemo treatment, and because my docs are in the doctors offices there, Kathy and another member came by to give me support.

I am scheduled to get a mediport tomorrow morning with my general surgeon doing the job at Sibley. I could have had that done with a local at interventional radiology, but I trust Richard Flax to make the smallest scar possible. The port creeps me out, but my first treatment was iv, and my entire vein in that arm is still inflamed. Of course with a wbc of .6 I am not healing quickly.  How many of you already a port?  The onco nurses say that patients LOVE their ports.

 When I finish TCH (taxotere, carboplatin and herceptin) and then the full course of herceptin I will have been through two cancer diagnoses, lumpectomy, radiation, years of tamoxifen,  then mastectomy, reconstruction, chemotherapy...just about all there is. So if anyone out there can benefit from my experience, I am happy to hold your hand!  I also work full time (i went back to work part time last week from my surgery on June2) and I have two sons living at home and heading to or back to college, another son living in Ballston, and a wonderful and devoted husband.  Thank goodness for our wonderful Arlington community!  the support we received has been overwhelming!  

 BTW, the ACS is doing a Look Good Feel Better program on August 4 Kathy Dorner has details, see number above. There are other locations besides VHC.  

 Wish me luck tomorrow!  maybe i'll meet some of you on Tuesday night.  Gail

emilyjuanita

Hi all-

Gail, I am going to try to make it to the meeting at VHC tomorrow.  I live close enough to walk.  I had a rough weekend with massive fatigue after my first AC treatment on Thursday.  Today is much better.  Hopefully tomorrow will be ok too.

I have a mediport and am glad I got one.  I have kind of bony collar bones, so it pokes through and looks a little weird, but I think it made the chemo treatment smoother.  Also, it was much easier to have blood drawn.  My "good" veins are on my left arm, which is where I had the mastectomy and lymph node removal, so they can no longer be used.

I also plan to go to the "look Good Feel Better" program on the 4th.  I need to go in to get my head shaved this week... kind of dreading it.  

Emily 

NatsFan

I had my port installed the day before my first TAC tx (3/3) and have had it since.  I had AND on my right side, so they can only use my left arm for needles, and the veins were getting harder and harder to use.  Also, adriamycian is nasty stuff if it gets out of the veins, and my onc highly recommended the port.  I never had any difficulties with them using it, and felt I was much better off than all that arm slapping to make veins pop and those bad sticks. They just stick the needle into the port once each tx, and they can do all blood draws, infusions, etc. without additional sticks.  No arm bruises or soreness, and my veins got a chance to heal.

I'm done with chemo and was ready to get it out.  But my ps said it's better to leave it in with my upcoming DEIP flap this fall - she said that if my veins get tough to use, they like having an easy backup they can use for IVs, etc.

Sometimes I feel it (my seatbelt cuts right across it) but most of the time I'm not even aware of it.  It looks a little weird having this quarter-sized thing under your skin, but it's worth it not to have all those needle sticks.

  

Monique

NatsFan -Thanks for all the information on the port issue.  I will be having one put in soon, and I am feeling less nervous about it now. 

Gail & Emily - I have a bone scan tomorrow, but if I still feel up to it and can get there, I am going to try and make the meeting at VHC. 

oldlady - Sounds like a good idea to me for us all to try and meet sometime.  We will have to work on planning something

Em - let us know how your support group meeting goes today

Dawn - positive thoughts for your results tomorrow - let us know

Lay - I know you have an appointment today at Georgetown - good luck

Monique

flyrzfan

Hi ladies ~ popping in to say hello. I tried to find local support groups in the beginning but found none. Nice to know there are so many so close with so much in common!

Natsfan ~ I live in Rockville as well...imagine that!

Lay02 ~ I am receiving my treatments at Georgetown also. My BS was Dr. Cocilovo - loved her! Regardless of who you have you are in good hands at Georgetown. I had my PS from there, my surgeries there and now my Onc and chemo there...I'm using Dr. Eng-Wong for an oncologist...she's awesome as well.

I was diagnosed in March ~ IDC...was set to do lite chemo when my oconodx score came back a 49 they put me on 4 rounds of DD AC with 12 weeks of Taxol/Herceptin etc...I am set to start the Taxol phase this week. Getting pretty set with it all but hoping it's about to get easier for a while.

Thanks for starting the tread...I'm going to mark it as a favorite so I can keep up with you all. Dawns the only one I've really seen before/spoken with.

Sorry for anyone I missed this time around, not much time to type right now but wanted to pop in and say hello...

oldlady

Did any of you all use the Inova Alexandria Cancer Center for either radiation or chemo? If so, what did you think?

Lay02

Thank you all for the nice welcome.

monique- Thank you for your best wishes.

flyrzfan- I went to see Dr. Willey today at Georgetown and am secheduled for Needle Localization Biopsy in early September. After reviewing my biopsy slides and films, she is confident about my situation. I have LCIS and atypical hyperplasia. But I have a problem and I need some help here from some where. In order for me to have the excision in September and the date is not set yet, I need someone to come with me or to pick me up from the hospital otherwise they won't do it. What type of a center should I call to help me in my request. Someone to help me that day or for a few hours. Thanks.

oldlady

Lay02: The Vienna office of ACS does help coordinate rides to and from treatments. I'm not sure about escort duty for biopsies.

danix5

Hey ladies,

I am in Stafford, not quite Northern Virginia but close!  I had bilateral in January 08, immediate recon have Mentor gel implants!  Had to postpone my fipples because of complications from hyster with oppher in May.  So now I do not get the toppings until at least January!

Flyrzfan,

hey girl I am so sorry I have not been on how are you?