MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish

barbe1958

Eph, my first diagnosis in early January was a diagnosed as a "sweat gland" and it ended up being cancer! That's AFTER the biopsy came back benign. Then when they biopsied the lump and it was cancer, they went back and did the first biopsy and said, oops, this is cancer, too! Please put your foot down and at least get a biopsy!!! I am not trying to scare you (maybe I am!) but I don't trust lumps showing up for no good reason. Mine is a very rare Papillary Carcinoma so I kind of cut them some slack on the first biopsy, but am still glad I insisted it come out.

The best lump is a lump in a jar.

elimar86861

So glad to hear it's just a little bit o' trouble and nothing more serious, Eph!

Loral, I like your new profile pic saying. I think; therefore I am. I think I will be happy; therefore I WILL be happy. Power of the mind!

Loral

Thanks!!!

elimar86861

I passed my CT with flying colors!!!

CT bottom line (Literally, the line at the bottom): Stable exam. No new foci suspicious for metastasis.

But there is always weirdness, regardless. So, one line said I had a stable lesion on my liver that could represent a hemangioma. So, if it is stable that means it was there on my last scan except I don't recall anything specific being mentioned, and this is the first I am seeing of the word hemangioma. (Well, I asked for SPECIFIC comment this time. Looks like I got them!) Up to 3 other minute lesions were seen that no one seems worried about--and I am not either.

Have you all been in suspense over how FAT my liver would be this year? Well, I won't say it was my one month trial at the gym, but my liver appears to have slimmed down: "No definite hepatic steatosis is noted on today's exam." What's my liver's fat-fighting secret, you wonder? Don't know...could it be liver Pilates, or could it finally have rebounded from the chemo poison?

All my other organs were in their right places and were the right sizes and appear to be behaving themselves. Personally, I think they deserve some kind of reward for their good behavior but won't that just spoil them? They are already so entitled!

Yes, I got report of thyroid US also. Nodules stable, bilateral, benign; and (due to my request for item specifics this year) it appears that there are four different nodules. I have that hunch that my parathyroids might be involved and now can follow up on that at my leisure.

I am now officially downgraded on both BC and CRC, where the screenings will pretty much be those of a non-cancer-y person from here on. Yes, anything could happen, but the stats look pretty good for me at this point.

It's been a long time coming too, so please join me in a happy dance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

barbe1958

elimar!!! I am dancing inside for you. My body is too sore to dance outside!

MinusTwo

Elimar - FANTASTIC news. Congrats!!! Now you can take your time to research the small stuff. Strange about things appearing that weren't mentioned last time - but I've had the same experience. Scan before last I had "ground glass opacity" in a lung. Now it's "resolved", which means gone, but no body can tell me where it came from or what it was. Oh well, we rejoice w/you at the good news.

Eph3_12

Here's me dancing just before heading to work for my Friday night. Next 3 days off, YAY.

NativeMainer

LIKE!

Loral

Congrats Elimar....

elimar86861

Thanks, sister-Middies! I appreciate your sharing in my good news.

My family was quite happy and my husband took me out to dinner to celebrate. I also called my surgeon to thank him (for the hundredth time) for saving my life. I guess I really should thank my RO and my MO as well (but I am still wary of the aftereffects from those treatments.)

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I was reading more about parathyroid disease and several times came across statements about there being a link between that and breast, colon, and prostate cancers. Since I did not have a lot of the risk factors to begin with, is it not strange that I got two of those cancers (and if I had a prostate, it might have been three?) So, with that and my blood calcium creeping over the border of the normal range, you can see why I can't help being inquisitive about my parathyroids. IF I find out that I do have parathyroid disease, I will report back, because of the supposed link. Otherwise, I'm not going to go on about it further.

PMR53

Elimar- I am so happy for you! Peace of mind!! We all need this! I can't dance yet, I just had surgery. Lol. 

Patty

sheila888

We love love love good news..

So happy for you Elimar....

PNY

Elimar:; Great news!!!

Tomboy

Elimar, Good Fortune! Great news! Like you, I have also been checking into, for the last couple of years, the parathyroid gland stuff. 'Cause intolerance to heat and cold, and also aching bones, fatigue, and exqusite sensitivity to pain. Actually, I have been feeling quite a large lump on the left side of my neck, in the front midline. And now, a few days ago, there is a lump in the hollow of my throat, matching the diffuse and painful lump atop my sternum. I have been telling all my doctors as I see them, and none have been concerned, until I talked to my Onc's nurse. SHE moved my appointment up by two weeks.

That website www.parathyroid.com is a great source of info. And the drs I go to all deny that there could be anything wrong cause T3 and T4 on chemistry are fine. But the site says that isn't important..... sheesh

elimar86861

I went to my MO and that went o.k., with the biggest shocker being that (having stayed away from Vit. D supplements for about 6 mos.) my Vit. D level was only 32. I had been staying away from it because of conflicting info. about D and high blood calcium. Got referral to endocrinologist like I had wanted.

Went to endocrinologist. I AM getting checked further for hyperparathyroidism (collecting 24 hrs. of urine today, so what better time to type a bit on BCO, in between catches.) Since I am due for my DEXA scan next month, he will complete his eval. of me then. I would like to point out that I was on the right track in thinking that I had too much PTH for the amt. of calcium in my blood. I was (allegedly) on the wrong track by reading parathyroid.com, as this endocrinologist openly scoffed at that site as being scammy. All I can say is that site got me to the endocrinologist in the first place, whereas none of my monitoring doctors did. That is true enough.

Anyway, if you read parathyroid.com yourself, best to take it all with the usual graininess, and use it as a tool to pose your own questions like I did. I like the old newsman's technique for veracity as my standard...three sources all in agreement and something is probably true. So whatever I (or anyone) might write...do your own homework!

I still have to get bloodwork at my MOs every six mos. for two more years. That all the specific monitoring for cancer I have to have now.

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Hope all Middies are well and/or dealing with it. Still wanting the best care for all. Good Luck to you!

elimar86861

I want to add one more thing...I had to call my new endocrinologist with a question about the urine collection and I received some mind blowing news. A nurse told me the blood test I had done yesterday showed my blood calcium as 10.3 (still borderline high) and my PTH (parathyroid hormone) as being over 100 (range being 25-75) with a notation of "may need surgery sooner rather than later." Feeling quite validated right now.

barbe1958

Holy crap, el!!! Nice quick response for sure. I've done the urine collection thing. I've had to use 2 big orange containers before! You'll be surprised how much it all weighs. You can see how fluid build-up can add to weight and why people can "lose 10 pounds in one week" with product A (probably a diuretic!).

Keep us posted, sweetie.

elimar86861

Well, I am just getting fascinated with all of this:

We have all read that Low Vit. D could be "linked" to Breast Cancer.

I have also read that parathyroid disease is "linked" to breast, prostate and colon cancer.

Now, I am seeing that there is an inverse relation with high calcium/high PTH--low Vit. D, and reading that your own body will lower Vit. D as a protective measure because it is sensing that your body has too much calcium and so turns off the Vit. D. (But this came from parathyroid.com, so how accurate I cannot tell.)

Well, that makes me think of so many women on BCO that have written that their Vit. D levels were abyssmally low. Did any of them have hyperparathyroidism and was it the body trying to protect itself? Does anyone even check that in the world of cancer? All these things are linked somehow, but all the docs seem to work at only their specialties. How do all the pieces fit together? A mind like mind is dying (perhaps literally) to know.

barbe1958

I'm like you! Always digging deeper. Drives those around me nuts.

Here's an interesting fact. I actually had half my thyroid removed before diagnosis and the other half afterwards? What does it all mean???

Tomboy

elimar, thanks for the heads up, and don't forget your catchers mitt! I wish we had a way to find info that we knew for sure was reputable. For me, the hardest part has been getting any of my docs to really listen. I am literally begging my docs, all of them, to give me a referral to the endoncrinologists. And my reasons. But yeah your bloods are wonky, elimar, mine are mostly good.

So, I did get a bone scan today, and my radiation onc, promised to call me with the results. Creeped out a little because he took several more what he called "close~ups", of my chest, pelvis, and shoulder? Head? I couldn't tell...

jnKinna

HI y'all! I am 60 y, two yrs ago unilateral MX. I agree humor has saved my butt .. Nebraskagrandma calling your scar a 'wink' is hilarious! LOVE it!

elimar86861

jnKinna, You must have opened this thread somewhere in the middle because you mention an older post from someone who (hopefully) is all healed and has moved on. But welcome, and I hope you are doing well at this point with no surprises in your follow-ups.

Tomboy, Yes, sometimes it's hard to tell which sites are reputable. I just read, read, read, looking for a concensus of opinion from various sources, but when you think of how many thought the world to be flat you can be sure even that is not a foolproof method. (Of course 50,000,000 Elvis fans STILL can't be wrong!)

Ha!

In addition, even in reputable journals, some of the studies seem to contradict or draw different conclusions from each other. Hardly surprising that our doctors do not give us all uniform answers Figuring out cancer is like having a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle, but being given 100,000 pieces (and then a few of the actual pieces you need are missing!)

Tomboy

I just came to look, and you know what? I ran into two of my doctors the next day in the halls, pain doc, and rad onc. Both promised to call me with the news. So, instead, what I get is a phone call from tx center, saying they want to add on a CT scan with barium contrast? Gulp.. that with no call backs, leads me to worry, you know. But they can't be too worried, the ct is not scheduled till the 23rd, right? they are probably just fuckin with my brain, right? Anyway, I go there today for lymphedema treat, and I will go to records to see if the doc signed off on the bone scan. And if they didn't. then I am going to wait to see WHO they delegate to tell me the news. They both promised me they would call.

Momine

Elimar, my cancer docs recently did check my thyroid function, including parathyroid, partly because my calcium often measures a bit high (still normal, but high normal) and partly because I am quite thin without really trying to be. All the numbers look good, so I guess i am just a skinny bitch

Loral

Eph3_12

Wish I was a skinnier bitch than the plump bitch I am now (altho I don't think I am too bad of a bitch, just a bitty bitchy!

Loral

heartnsoul76

Oh, I've been gone longer than I thought! Time goes by much too fast. But I caught up with everyone here. It was kind of like reading a mystery with everyone's symptoms and then I was able to find out a minute later without all the agonizing.

Barbe, I just said "Oh god" when I read about your progression. I'm SO sorry and hope you and Arimidex get along well. And then when I read your onc thinks you have all kinds of little cancers moving around in there I wanted to vomit. I hate this sh*t so much and I think the baby boomers are getting more than their fair share of it. And Sheila, I was shocked when I heard you had that bitch come back again! You would think after 10 years... the chances of that must be so minute. I'm sorry you've had to go through the whole nine yards. It's really hard on our bodies.

Eph, I'm glad they said the bumps are nothing to worry about. I hope you can just get all zen-like when you feel them and peacefully wait for the 6-month recheck. And I wish I had a job like yours. It sounds fun and interesting.

Barbe, they found a tumor on my adrenal gland when I was first diagnosed and I had to do watchful waiting for 18 months before they came to the conclusion that it was benign. Every 6 months I had to do the urine collection for 24-hours. So, it's nothing but lately I've been thinking I want it out of there. Elimar's parathyroid site led me to something about benign tumors on the adrenal gland and how they could mess up the good one in some way. Also, I'm afraid it's calling the cancer to it. "Come here! Come here, cancer! I'm waaaiiiiting!"

Elimar, I wish I could go back to the days when I was innocent of all this medical knowledge.

And reading everyone's posts I just thought of a job that should exist. Maybe a nurse practitioner or experienced RN (ladies?) could open a business where they look at all of your medical records and consider your symptoms and HELP you tie everything together and send you to the right specialists with medical recommendations for what they should look for. It would be a desk job where you didn't have to examine people, only gave out advice. We just need to come up with a title for it. It pays $200/hour, hahaha! Or so I have deemed...

Mac, I quit telling doctors I have fibromyalgia for that very reason - they always attributed my complaints to fibromyalgia. Now they just shrug their shoulders, so not much better.

Momine, I'm so sorry to hear about your husband. The way we find out about it is agonizing on its own. First one thing, then worse, then even worse. I'm sure you've been a source of comfort to him with all of your reluctant knowledge about cancer and I hope he is feeling okay.

A male friend of mine who's about 58 just found out he has stage IV colon cancer. He hurt his back and they did a CT scan and saw spots on his liver. The doctor said he thought it looked like they had metastasized from somewhere else and he said probably the colon. So test after test showed that he was right. He smokes about 2 packs of cigarettes a day but his lungs were fine(?).

Elimar - you are right about finding alternative ways to treat my back pain. I have a friend who has chronic back pain and has found all the best alternative doctors in town to treat it. So I have the names & numbers of her chiropractor, PT, acupuncturist and masseuse. I plan to start with the masseuse. And that was her recommendation. Wouldn't it be great to go see all of those once per week? I've sworn off of doctors for this year. But that's just a wish - I passive-aggressively missed my MO and PCP appointments in February because I'm so mad about their pain pill hysteria but I'll go soon, ugh. Bob Hope attributed his long life to his one indulgence - a daily massage.

Sorry this is SO long! I'll come back more often, for sure! I didn't even tell y'all my news. Nothing exciting like I won the lottery...

Oh, and my computer still wants to call Elimar, Elmira and Momine, Moline and now it wants to call Barbe, Babe, haha!

heartnsoul76

Oh and Eph, I wanted to say I also admire your dancing partner up there. Patrick Swayze, what a good guy and a hunk to boot! He loved his Mama. One of his last pictures was of him posing with his mother and his wife. I thought, how sweet and what a good wife she is, too.

barbe1958

I had a massage every WEEK for 5 1/2 years until I just couldn't afford it any longer. When I stopped I ended up on a cane and electric scooter!!! There's no point in Chiropractor without massage. It's muscles that pull the bones out of line so it makes sense. Enjoy hearnsoul!!!! We ALL deserve it.