natural girls

fairy49

I have found being off my supplements due to surgery very interesting, without the DIM I have been having major hot flashes, I realize now that I had never had a hot flash, but the last few days Oh my goodness!!!! its been awful! Last night I felt like my hair was sweating! ugh, it was horrid! I have been taking my muti, but thats been it, PS says I can start back next week, not a moment too soon!

L

ox

PS73

This rads info had me very freaked out.  I called my ro.  They said for BC and lumpectomy it's surgery, chemo, two weeks recovery and then rads.  Unless you are over fifty and qualify for the balloon rads, then this is the procedure.  Im not certain what the quals are for balloon rads but I believe this is where they radiate during surgery.  The head of the oncology dept, who goes to all of the symposiums and reads everything, endorses this.  I know this is th alternative section and the info I stated above is 'protocol' but that info freaked me the f** out and Im sure other ladies who are reading the above felt the same way.  In New Zealand there is a shortage of radiologists, I believe that this report was in conjunction with that more than what the relative time span should be for radiation post surgery.  As stated above, its w/o adjuvant therapy.  Just saying.

Calypso

Sorry, just catching up, but about kelp:  if you're worried about contaminated supplements, try the actual stuff, yep the stuff that grows in the sea!  You can buy lots of it at Asian foodstores.  Look for "mekabu" in a Japanese foodstore - it's dried kelp root - sprinkle it on some brown rice, nice flavor!  Lots of iodine.  

seaotter

cleomoon - About the dim and vision problems: my eyesight changed dramatically when I was on Tamoxifen but since I have been on dim I have not seen (pun intended!) a difference. I do know when I first started on dim I took 4 a day and started feeling yuckie so I backed it down. Dim acts like tam so I think you should start out slowly and build up.

I miss anom . When will she be back????? I know she is on vacation but she could have taken a lap top and keep in touch, lol.

Patty

vivre

PS-the balloon rads is called a mamosite. At first, I was told I was a prime candidate. They put this balloon thingy in the breast and blast the rads right there. The good part is that rads only is done for a few days. The bad is that you have to have this balloon hanging on you for the whole time and cannot shower or bathe. Yuck! In the end, I was told that I could not do a mammosite because a scan showed that I had a space between my skin and surgery site and the mammosite could not be inserted deeply enough that the concentrated radiation would end up causing skin burns that would be permanent. And I thought this was bad news at the time! I started rads about 6 weeks after surgery, because my docs wanted things to heal first. As I said, I wish I had researched it more. I did not even come to these boards until I was past treatments and looking for alternatives to arimidex. At least I finally started to question them when my own subconscious was telling me to.  I am so envious of those of you who are asking all these questions sooner. I wish I had done that.

As for anom, I sure hope she comes back too. She gets so tired of all the crap she gets because she wants to keep her business private. I don't blame her for that. People can be really burned, I know I have too, by online harassment. I just hope you all chime in and let her know how much she has helped you, as I have. I am not sure where I would be if she and a few others, who have since split, did not give me the info when I was new here. I keep telling myself that I need to move on too. I am so healthy now, and I really hate talking about cancer, but I know there are always newbies who are hungry for information, just as I was. I hope that those of you who are newer here, will continue to pass it on to the newbies, even as the rest of us leave. I hope that anom will feel better after her vacation, but if she does not come back, others are going to need to step it up.

Springtime

Mom and Vivre, just saying, I love this too! Inner wolf!!

"I went ahead with rads, but like I said, since I really like my docs, I was just a good little lamb. Now my inner wolf has taken over and I am in charge." 

What happened to Anom?  

cleomoon

Thanks Sea and Vivre for your input on the vision thing. I am only taking 1 capsule of DIM 100 mg, so it is a low dose. Maybe I will go off it for a while and see what happens.Very interesting about Tamoxifen and vision. I could just have major eye trouble from spending so much time staring at the computer screen.

fairy49

Just wanted to let you all know that the nips look really amazing, I am so thrilled!! I have to say I broke down a little when I saw them, actually I sobbed like a baby.

I will post pics later tonight (if I can figure it out!), I am at work now trying to catch up yikes!! Thank you all so much for your support!

L

ox

deni63

Congrats Fairy! That must feel great.

I hope Anom comes back. I thought she was just on vacation. I didn't realize she may not come back at all. I have only been here for a few months but have found information that I learned from people like Anom, Viv, Fairy, Spring and others so invaluable. You guys have kept me coming back. I hope no one ever leaves!

Calypso

Me too, Deni!  Looking forward to Fairy's nip pics.

deni63

Interesting article by Ralph Moss regarding the recent backpeddling the ACS did after its medical officer came out against mammogram screening for early detection...

http://www.cancerdecisions.com/content/view/283/2/lang,english/

Mandy1313

Fairy--so glad that the nips look great.

Anon--please come back. We miss you!

  Like Anon,  I have had some harrasment on this site so I tend to say anything that I think could have any contraversy at all in private messages.  

vivre

Dear Aussie Sisters-I just read a statement by your prime minister. It was incredible to hear a world leader speak, without fearing he has to be politically correct, and with pride for his country. I just have one question for you all: Can you help me find a house? I am ready to get out of here!

Mom_of_boys

Ladies... please do NOT quit posting.  I'm learning soooo very much. 

Luna5

I'm still not clear on phytoestrogens.  Should we ER+ PR+ women eat them?  If chick peas are phytoestrogens, is hummus good for me or should I avoid it?  Thank you to whoever knows the answer!  I must be having a major brain cramp because I am getting all my info all jumbled up.

fairy49

Hi Ladies! Shish what a long day! I managed to take a few photos of the nips before the batteries ran out on the camera! So I posted on the picture forum, foobies look a little beat up as they were bandaged quite tightly for 5 days, but they will give you a good idea! I will post more next week when they have healed a little more!!

Luna! I am so not sure about the phytoestrogens, there are so many schools of thought on if they are good or bad......I really am confused, I personally think they are ok, but thats just me.

L

ox

asschercut

Vivre: I know what you mean, just this morning l was thinking of moving to Santorini. Then l figured l might go visit Andrea Bocelli in Tuscany. Nice thoughts but l love my country, and l won't be ever leaving the land Down Under in the near future. My brother is a worldly gent, and says that San Francisco is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Yeah, it's pretty lay back on this massive Island paradise, we call OZ. Did you know that the lead singer of Midnight Oil is our Australian Government Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts? Too cool!

Which country do you live in Vivre? Hmm...leaving family, friends, your work, and perhaps your beloved country, is a very big thing to consider. Maybe you just need a holiday love? We are an isolated mob down under, and a proud one at that. ‘Tis absolutely beautiful here - Tasmania is gorgeous, Surfers Paradise is the bomb, the Islands up North around Queensland are breathtaking. When celebrities come from abroad, they always comment on our friendliness, and lay back attitude. You can walk down Chappell St for example and see a famous face totally in their comfort zone, without anyone harassing them for an autograph. I remember one time Bruce Willis was walking down Acland St with about a dozen bodyguards, and people thought WTF? Get over yourself mate...people aren't at all pretentious here. He's figured it out as have many others, and they feel totally comfortable with taking a stroll downtown, or certain tourist spots without feeling phobic. It is a very layback totally at ease country. Everyone says G'day, it's the climate, and maybe being so detached from the rest of the world that keeps us so grounded, l believe. Blue skies and happy days. If you can't put a smile on your face and say G'day...we pretty much kick sand in your face ‘till you learn how to chill the Aussie way.

Speaking of learning how to chill, l am saddened to hear that there's nasty harassing going on in here. For shame! We are all going through the same traumatic, experience, and trying to share our knowledge, and not spend hours chewing off our partner's, family's and friends ears. That is why these forums are important. I know myself that for the last four months l have spent most of my time researching and talking to my hubby, and parents about cancer. Once they ask how l am...l chatter for hours. Now as supportive as everyone has been, they simply cannot feel the extent of what l am going through, because they are not physically experiencing it. So what do l/we do...well we find comforting places like this with others who understand our pain and confusion, and share our stories, and in the mean time relieve our loved ones a wee bit, of our endless blather about our theories and findings. I known l have ABSOLUTELY EXHAUSTED the subject of cancer with my family, and l would like to talk about more pleasant things from time to time.

Statistics, research, and theories are going to vary from hospital to hospital, country to country. It's great that we can come into forums such as this and share our familiar experiences, and research, BEARING IN MIND that we all have our own point of view and ways of handling situations - and in knowing that, we must learn to coexist without squabbling, and losing valued, respected members and their endless hours of research that could benefit patients in here and indeed around the world.

Have a really great day girls...x

I'm off to check out Fairies new nips. How exciting...xoxo

Victoria

Luna5

Where is the picture forum?

deni63

I searched this site and can't find pix of Fairy. Where do we find them, Fairy? We need to see the nips! (now that is a phrase I never thought would come out of my mouth!!!)

RunswithScissors

deni63,

I read that article you posted - I can't explain the mixed feelings it gave me. I am SO glad that someone is speaking out about this. I know that other countries had actually accused the policy of recommending mammo at 40  as criminal. (Their word).  I'll be glad when they finally admit the mistake and stop it. 

On the other hand, it's just another gouge out of my trust in modern medical science,  which is, frankly, almost nil anyway.  Last night, as I read the other articles on the site, I was shattered -

the study about the ineffectiveness of taxol has me in a stupor this morning - (I am scheduled for 3 more infusions - and now it looks like this was/is all for nothing?!) 

I am scheduled for rads in Dec. The revelations about how doctors underestimated cardiac damage of BOTH left and right breast radiation, even with  our "state of the art" techniques, didn't really suprise me - I  suspected as much.  But seeing it confirmed really pulled the rug out from under me.  I cried and cried last night not knowing what to do. Why submit to these treatments that you can't trust?  Worse, why suffer the economic and physicals burdens when they keep revealing how unscientific their science is????

How can we help but  wonder what the next study will show - lung damage far worse than understood? systemic damage that was completely unsuspected?  

Blahhhh! 

deni63

Pill - I am so sorry that you are struggling right now. It is all so painful emotionally, isn't it? Amazing how the ACS itself is unable to make a clear statement. Too much pressure from $$ sources I am sure.

The great thing about the internet is that we can go out and research and learn so much more than we ever could in the past when we had to solely depend on our doctors to give us the right advise. I have learned that doctors just don't know everything, even though many, unfortunately too many, display an attitude as if they did and don't enjoy being questioned. I think it is so important to read through and research as much as you can so that you can in the end come to a decision that FEELS right to you. It is such a personal decision. Isn't it great to have this site available to us? To share experiences and gain knowledge with our sisters is just so incredibly invalueable.

vivre

Victoria-You are right, I do need a trip. The problem with heading down under is that it is 24 hours in a plane! I have a hard time getting DH on a plane to AZ and that is only 3 hours! He is not a happy traveler, though he is happy once he gets there. My son went backpacking in your beautiful country last year. He had a wonderful time, and he said the people were wonderful. The only thing that worries me is snakes. I hear you have the most poisonous ones in the world. I can't even look at a snake photo. I almost stepped on a little garter snake last week while walking through the forest preserve and I freaked! Our snakes are only dangerous to mice, but they still get to me. As for city life: Well I live near one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Chicago. Yes, people are always surprised that it is beautiful. But I am a country girl at heart. My biggest beef where I live is that it is run by the most crooked politicians in the US. Al Capone may be long gone but his legacy is alive and well in chicago. They do not shoot you anymore if you do not pay the boss, but you do not get any jobs. The only good thing is that most of the crooks followed Obama to DC. Hopefully, they will all retire to Hawaii in 3 years, and we can get this country working again. As for San Fran-It is a beautiful city, but way to liberal for this midwest gal. I guess you get my drift. It is the politics that is making me crazy. I guess I could always go to Texas.

Speaking of Texas-Where are you Rosemary? We could use a little bit of that Texas charm.

As for different points of view: One thing I will never understand is the animosity on this board. If there is a topic that I do not agree with, I do not even bother to read it, much less comment. Yet there are tons of people against alternatives who love to start controversies with those of us who believe in them. As you said Pill, traditional treatments are not always the best answer and for some of us, they are scarier than any alternative. So why do people get so nasty when we try to discuss them? You are right, rads DO affect the heart and lungs, and cause lympedema. Wouldn't it be better to build up the immune system to knock out any "stray cells". The truth is, we all have cancer cells in our bodies everyday. That is why they will never say we are cured, because they have no idea how to find these cells. What I do not understand is the idea of killing good cells in the hopes of killing a few strays. We know that things like iodine, curcumin, vit c, an vit d, and castor oil can draw out and kill cancer cells, so why don't they just give us megadoses of this stuff? They are natural chemotherapies. We could be put in far infared saunas and have our body temps raised high enough to kill cancer cells? Why don't they do any of this? Because the medical field has to operate on scientific studies and the only major studies are funded by drug companies. Even when those studies have a small group of guinea pigs, such as the study of arimidix, as opposed to hundreds of women like the iodine study at breastcancerchoices, the cheaper alternative takes years and years to adopt, but the drug is out on the market in a year. It is just maddening! And you gals are so right about mammo's. Thermography can "see" a tumor just as well as a mammo, is painless and safe, yet women are still told to go get those mammos which exposes them to cancer causing radiation, and will burst cancers out of their nodes with all the squishing, causing it to spread.

Okay off my soap box for the day. Have a great day all, wherever you are.

Fairy-so glad you finally "nipping cancer in the bud". Full steam ahead from here on out!

Anom, I hope you are enjoying a day at the beach or something, get some time to mull over how many of us you have helped, and then get your butt back here. Not everyone will agree with us, but I say, it is their loss and just ignore the nasties.

Let-It-Be

Calyso: thanks for the tip re: kelp!

fairy49

Morning ladies! The nips are posted on the picture forum under "5 day old modified C Flap Nipples". 

L

ox

Luna5

I can't find the picture forum...where do I look?

Anonymous

Vivre, I totally agree with your statement... "One thing I will never understand is the animosity on this board. If there is a topic that I do not agree with, I do not even bother to read it, much less comment"

Everyone has to decide what treatment is right for them.  

It seems that some people feel that because they have the anonymity of the internet they can just be plain rude.  I notice this in emails and postings on this and other sites.  How sad because life is way to short for rudeness.  After all "you get more flies with honey than vinegar".

So march on, stand tall and live your life as best as you can!

 

fairy49

Luna! You have to PM TimTam from the members list and she will authorize you to access the picture forum.

L

ox

Springtime

Picture forum is not part of Bc.org. 

Please contact TimTam and she will take it from there. 

Fairy!! You look great girl!!! Just wait until next week! Woot!  

Yazmin

Pill, you wrote:

......On the other hand, it's just another gouge out of my trust in modern medical science,  which is, frankly, almost nil anyway.  Last night, as I read the other articles on the site, I was shattered

Frankly, I could not have said it any better......

Luna5

Thank you ....this is the first I have learned of pictures and actually the first time I have given serious thought to the fact that I need to have an opinion of what I want for nipples and areola.  I've been so absorbed in trying to figure out what to eat, drink, take, believe, etc, etc, and also having had infections and re-excisions and now starting all over on my prophy side...I hadn't even thought about even more decisions to make.  Oh Happy Day!  More Decisions and More Research!  Maybe on this I should try again to just be a nice docile head-nodder.  I do trust my PS, so if ever there was a time to trust and head-nod, this would be it.  Oh wait, probably not...head-nodding is not my strong suit.