Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?

Wren44

Nanette, Good thing they got you right in. Sorry you'll need the surgery but it sounds like it was caught early. By all means rest and eat protein if you can. It's supposed to be good for healing.

Carole, Often mental symptoms are the first clue to a UTI in the elderly. I hope she's totally normally once the infection is gone.

Sandy, It seems to me that if all these shooters are haunting the same sites, someone could be keeping close tabs on them. I read part of the manifesto of the Calif shooter and it seemed totally deranged to me. It was truly a terrible time for an attack as were the Easter Sunday church bombings. Hit them when the most people will be there. I wonder if the parents share the same beliefs or are not paying any attention to what he's up to. I truly do not understand these people.

MCBaker

Nanette, I am so sorry that you have an infection. Mine may have been triggered by pressure on the chest with exercise equipment, and certainly wasn't accompanied with general body symptoms. Luckily, never a mention of expander removal with or without replacement. I don't know what no replacement until later would do.

Yes, they monitor hate sites vigorously. But can't convict people for participating, unless they have leadership creds, and tell their followers to go out and shoot people. I would suspect NSA knows how to crack personal message functions.

keywestfan

Tomorrow, April 30, I begin 16 day partial breast radiation to the tumor bed. At 85, I have been terrified of radiation, afraid of the burn, of the machine, of the rays which could injure, the Star Wars feeling of it. Today, I'm trying hard to see it as protective,as my friend who will kill lurking rogue cells, not as my enemy.. Still scared though. Will have to take a 0.25 Xanax before

Beaverntx

keywestfan, do take the zanax. Hope when you find it takes longer to undress and redress than to have the treatment it will become easier for you. Follow the skin care directions carefully, many of us came through without any major problems by doing so. Thinking of you tomorrow.

HikingLady

carolehalston UTI's often cause altered mental status; it's one way to diagnose them, actually. I'm Not A Doctor, but have been around a lot of older people with UTI's....cognition issues & disorientation & confusion certainly go along with UTI's and often that stuff resolves after infection is cured....

keywestfan

Hi Beaverntx,

You’ve helped me to feel so much better. Tomorrow iwill be longer- both the confirmation and the first rad. Hope the Xanax will hold me Will faithfully follow skin care directions. I believe they just say Aquafir though I also have Miaderm and Calendula. Hope it works and I can sometimes help someone the way you’ve helped me.

Wren44

Keywestfan, They take great care to make sure they're only radiating the tumor area and not anything else if possible. It's on your right, so no problem avoiding your heart.

We discovered today that our clothes dryer is not just complaining, it's actually dying. It would cost $100 to have someone come and look plus probably another $100 at least for parts. So we're just going to get a new one. Ours is pretty old; can't remember exactly. The washer is still working well so we're just going to get the dryer. They'll deliver it next Monday. I think I'll do laundry on Sunday in case there's a glitch somewhere with the delivery and installation.

A pair of robins has a nest underneath our deck. Really dumb place because it's only about 4 ft off the ground. They go into super panic mode when they see our cat and start dive bombing. Poor kitty goes out on a leash and he loves the back yard. They don't even like it when he's in the front yard, but aren't diving at him. I hope the babies fly before too long so we can have our deck and back yard for our use.

ChiSandy

Keywestfan, what helped calm me was focusing on that fake "skylight" on the ceiling of the radiation room. (I forget whether it was a faux-autumn-forest or stained-glass). But after awhile, it did seem almost comical to see the huge head of the linear accelerator slowly rise from below, like an inverted Kilroy popping up on the fence. It does take longer to wait, be called, undress and redress than to get the treatment. Had I known about Miaderm I'd have gotten some.

keywestfan

Chisandy, will check out the “fake” skylight today, but otherwise keep my eyes closed.. Don’t so much want to see Kilroy. A little worried now about partial rather than whole therapy but really just worried about everything, and not sleeping

IllinoisLady

A good conscience is to the soul what health is to the body; it preserves constant ease and serenity within us, and more than countervails all the calamities and afflictions which can befall us without.

Joseph Addison

IllinoisLady

Fingers crossed for today keywest. Our saying it generally goes a lot better than you think only brings minimal help. I hope though with a couple of 'sessions' under your belt that it will be a bit more tolerable than you are able to feel right now. I had 35 rad sessions so I learned to just take it in stride. I do sometimes worry since it was left side -- but on the other hand -- I finished those sessions in 2008. I'd just have to say I'm glad that I did them. Whatever helped me be here now and is hopefully contributing to my NED status is the thing,/s I needed to do -- even if scary or un-pleasant. Wishing you well forever.

ChiSandy

Though ipsilateral (same breast) recurrence (not necessarily metastasis) risk is very slightly higher with APBR than with full-length whole-breast, overall survival is exactly the same in women 65+, per last Dec.'s San Antonio Breast Cancer Summit.

nanette7fl

Keywestfan I hope you did well in your 1st radiation session and feel better about having it.

Wren having robins near by is good luck...poor kitty isn't feeling too lucky though poor thing.

I saw the PS again this morning and I have to be at outpatient surgery at 530 am!! omg the suns not even up then sigh. My visiting nurse came today and I have another infection on the right incision line so she took the tape off and cleaned it up good and placed a call to PS as to what she saw. Neither the PS or his nurse ever looked at the right only the left since that was the side leaking actively yesterday morning. I signed papers in the office this morning for PS to either remove and replace the TE's or just to take them out. I reminded him that I will have radiation coming up soon and it will only slow the healing process down. He said he might just take them both and we can reinsert them after radiation is done. I wish now we all had talked about the possibility of cancer being present in my lymph nodes then but no one can see into the future, and just left the darned things out. Oh well water under the bridge. I still have to call the VA and cancel my yearly physical on Friday because I just don't see me having the gumption to get up and go there for 45 minutes sort of fresh from surgery.

I hope you all have a wonderful sunshiny day where ever you are and feel blessed. It's SPRING and renewal is in the air!!!

((HUGS)) to you all. See you in a few days.

keywestfan

Illinois Lady, I was shakily in the waiting room, DH beside me, when I read your post. It did go so much better than my terrified imaginings. I had X-Rays, the Confirmation, and the first radiation so it was about 40 minutes,kept my eyes closed, and was not very anxious. I had been worried about partial breast vs. whole breast and when you wrote you had 33 in 2008, I thought maybe the partial was a mistake. RO, so responsive, assured me there was no compromise to my treatment- they would radiate a large margin around the tumor bed . It was all fine today, technicians very nice, said miaderm in am, acquaphor at night.. Thank you for writing just when I needed help.

IllinoisLady

Just a note here. I will be looking for weather reports in the morning. I listened to weather alerts all afternoon on my radio. Sounded like the negative things, wind, thunderstorm and lg. hail would not reach us too well though it sure sounded like it would get fairly close. We got a sm. bit of wind, but not any higher than a lot of our slightly windy days. Minimal rain -- maybe 10 minutes or so. Then after awhile the dark clouds drifted off and the sky was much lighter. No more rain. So, I'm now hoping that the south of us ( toward Marion VA ) was okay. Indicators were that a lot of the storm would go there. Fingers crossed.

IllinoisLady

Keywest -- I had two tumors in the same breast. The first one was a slow growing lazy papillary one. I was going to have a very light go of things but during my lumpectomy the surgeon -- wonderful Dr. Marsha Ryan -- discovered a second tumor not previously discovered in mammo's or US studies. It turned out to be bigger and a much more aggressive growth pattern. So -- rather than a lumpectomy with a couple ( she said maybe three ) rad txs. I ended up with 6 mos. of chemo ( Adriamycin and Cytoxan once every three weeks for a total of four txs. ) and then ( Taxotere once three wks. for a total of 4 txs ) and after that the 35 rds. of rads.

All to say that your Oncology team knows what will work for you. You have the final say, but if you needed more that would have been the recommendation. It sounds to me like you are in capable hands. We can make choices but then have to stand back and let the professionals take over. Hugs on getting through today all right. May tomorrow be easier.

keywestfan

Thank you again, Illinois Lady for reassuring me So many bumps in the road. Mine has been acting somewhat more aggressively than it is expected to for my age,but the RO says the Partial Hypofractionated Radiation will do the trick. I sort of continue to. think that it was because of my extreme anxiety that he didn’t insist on whole breast but technician said he would have been very definite if he thought that would be best..

MCBaker

I would say VERY aggressive for your age, seeing your staging and what they are putting you through. Prayers.

carolehalston

My mother was back to being herself yesterday and was discharged from the hospital during the afternoon.  The nursing home is adjacent to the hospital so a short trip back to her private room.  

I went by the dr.'s office to get a new blood work order and solved the mystery of the missing paper.  The order was sent directly to the Outpatient Clinic last year.  I had forgotten.

So all is well.  

Today is the first day of a two-day member/member women's golf tournament.  Looks like the weather will be cooperative.

Good luck to all those in treatment and dealing with challenges of healing.  I had to go back to surgery and have my left incision re-done to remove dead tissue.  There were some other healing issues, too, with the left nipple.  Ironic that the left side gave me problems when my cancer was in the right breast.  

IllinoisLady

Destiny is not a matter of chance,
It is a matter of choice.
It is not something to be waited for,
But rather something to be achieved.
- William Jennings Bryan

IllinoisLady

Warm but likely another rain day here. Well, since we had dried up ( barely ) I guess it is okay. At least it is not snow. Sounds like we are all doing all right. Glad to hear your Mom is back to normal Carole. Nice sighs coming your way.

Hope today is a good day for all.

Beaverntx

Carole, Good to hear your mother is doing better. Hope your weather holds for your golf tournament. It is overcast and misty here this morning with a prediction of 1 to 3 inches of rain by late Friday so outdoor activities are looking a bit iffy for the next few days.

Keywestfan, hang in there. Glad to hear your first, long, rad experience went well. My false skylight was a picture of a tree branch with pink flowers and I never did decide what kind of blossoms they were supposed to be!I

Yesterday I was "dismissed" from physical therapy for my hip. Have a series of exercises to do to keep up the improvement, now it is up to me to do them! Still not quite where I'd like to be so I do have some motivation.

Puffin2014

Carole, glad to hear your mother is better with the antibiotics. That happens often with a UTI in an older person.

I've been on a waiting list for over a year for my shingles vaccination (I had the old one, this is for the new improved one) and was so excited to finally get a call that the Fargo Cass Public Health had received some doses. I was on 2 lists, when I called CVS to tell them to take me off their list they said they had 800 people on their list. I was warned that my arm would be very sore and that I would be fatigued the next day. She was definitely right about the sore arm, I didn't get much sleep that night as I kept touching my arm on the blankets. No fatigue though, I've been out cleaning up flower beds and raking and bagging the pine needles under my evergreen in between rain showers. Night time temps still getting into the 30's, daytime 40's. I'm hoping we'll see 50 tomorrow, I'm going to drive around the county birding the marshes, ponds and lakes.

Wren44

I don't remember being tired either, but my arm was sore for a week.

Beaverntx

Puffin and Wren, glad you were able to get the latest shingle vaccine. I've had the first one, five years later had the shingles and now have been in a waiting list for over a year. Hope some is co.ing our way!

IllinoisLady

I've never gotten a shingles shot. My Dh had them a long time ago, but I never contracted the chicken pox even though I was in the same house with a sister who did have them -- so am hoping I will be fortunate and never have shingles which according to Dh is horrid to undergo. So long ago I don't even recall totally ( intense itching, pain, and blisters in a circle around his upper body/chest is what I recall -- and it took a long time for him to get over the bout. They certainly sound close to debilitating.

Glad there is something now that can be done. Good for all of you taking active measures.

Wren44

I have wondered if I should get an MMR shot because I only had mumps on one side (as an adult). I caught it from my daughter. I vividly remember measles and chicken pox.

nanette7fl

Hello all, my surgeries went well. Game plan changed as my visiting nurse found an infection in the incision on R breast. I saw my,PS before surgery and we decided to take out the temp expanders while he was going in to clean things up. He told me when radiation is completed to get back with him and he'd be happy to help me. He said too that he was going to liposuction my belly fat and put around my falsies 8) I like that idea.

Anyhow I felt pretty good and was home by 1130 am yesterday. I just don't seem to have much of an appetite lately but I'm at least eating small meals with my family. The pain woke me up a couple of hours ago so I took 2 pain pills (they're only 5 mg) and I'm ready to go back to bed.

Sometime today DH and I have to run to Radiarion Oncology so I can get fitted for my shell? And also to see where the lady RO is at in regards to planning my treatment. We have a funeral also this morning so we'll most like head to RO office when its over.

I hope you all are well

IllinoisLady

I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning.

- J.B. Priestley -

IllinoisLady

Just wanted to let everyone know that I'll be doing a little work -- from the 3rd. to the 14th. I don't think it will cause any issues and hopefully I'll get my quote on everyday so only doing a just in case note. In fact, it does turn out that I'll go to work twice more for shorter periods ( graduations to attend ) so it will be maybe for me something of a hit and miss month. I'll be back tomorrow morning though as usual.