MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish

staynsane

KJSUN- Not having been through your treatment regimen I can't offer helpful suggestions to alleviate some of your SEs. But your post touched me and made me just want to scream F*!K Cancer! I'm so sorry you are facing an uphill battle right now. Hugs and wishes for strength as you get through your treatments and beyond, again...

Eph- I was so happy for you when you got your new job, but ugh, working nights, especially at our age, is not good! Your circadian rhythm must be on a tilt-o-whirl! Hoping that you apparently have super powers to not be affected by it, or that you are able to transition to days soon.

Re aches and pains, just when I was thinking I was impervious to them, my shoulder has been acting up. I had surgery about six years ago for a torn rotator cuff. Except when he got in there, the surgeon said it wasn't torn. So he figured he might as well do some cleaning and cut out some scar tissue (never good when men try to multitask). Turns out I had frozen shoulder...1 1/2 years later, my shoulder seemed good as new. Fast forward to three months ago, I stained our deck and have had pain ever since. X-rays show mild arthritis, and I was instructed to do some at home pt. It seems to help alleviate the 'minor but always there' pain, but now I'm thinking that I may never be pain free again and that this might be my new normal. It's hell getting old! BC took my self perception down a notch, and now this! BC opened the door to tests (bone density, liver status, etc.) that show exactly how "normal" I am. Not that long ago doctors often commented on how healthy I was. I don't get that comment much anymore.

Tomboy

Me too, Sane woman. I had a job working at a big museum here, doing build-outs and hanging lighting, tons of painting, moving heavy objects, long days of sheer physical labor, and my boss, who was a woman 15 years younger than me, said she never met such a strong woman. It was something I was very proud of. And I had excellent balance, too, I was one of those people that would scamper right up and stand on the top of the ladder, even the 15 foot ones, and then I could reach and stand on one foot there, without thinking twice. No more. My balance is shot, I lean when i am standing! I turned forty-leven (thats what I told my boss) when I worked there, I took a six month break, what I thought was a break anyway, and was diagnosed when I was forty-twelve. In a few weeks, I will be fifty-six, and things are a little better, but I know I can never do that kind of work again. Before treatment, I knew the day would come when I would begin to phase out from that kind of work, but I never expected that it would happen, all at once.

MinusTwo

Adding a post for today. Two pages - 10 days. Ran errands before noon since our temps have been 101-104 recently. Found some lovely Garnacha wine (Grenache in French but this is from Spain). It iis prefect for this hot weather - very few tannins, not cured in oak, cherries & blackberries. I'm taking the recommendation I read to drink one glass of red wine every day very seriously. Isn't it interesting which scientific studies we determine we're going to follow. If I have to have permanent LE and neuropathy, I'm going to enjoy some wine!!

elimar86861

Glad those with Neulasta knowledge chimed in. Around the time my white cells started tanking was the time I said "enough chemo" cause I was near the end anyway, so I never got up-close-and-personal with the Neulasta myself.

Good call, glennie19. Magic Mouthwash! Yes, I had that but was already forgetting about it. Nystatin too. I had different mouth issues, but that stuff did help a bit so it is worth a try KJSUN. I hope you get some relief pronto.

Eph3_12

I

Eph3_12

don't really

Eph3_12

mind working nights.

Eph3_12

I can totally relate

Eph3_12

to the aches & pains

Eph3_12

though. My left shoulder will

Eph3_12

never be the same. Only 80 more!!!!

MinusTwo

Eph - way to go!!!

NativeMainer

Glennie--I've got a "well duh" thought in my head.The difference in arm measurements when someone has early, still treatable LE IS small.That's when you want to catch it and treat it, cuz it never gets smaller, but treatment can keep it where it is.What do they want to do, not treat LE until it's huge, constantly painful and interfering with everyday life?Glad you advocated for yourself.

Binnie was a huge help to me when I was going through rads and LE treatment.She is a wonder!

glennie19

That's how I felt, NativeMainer,,, "do you want to wait until my arm is really noticeable?"  And it was more my chest, but no one paid attention to that,, but I "won" on the arm,  for what it's worth.   And since my BS left unwanted excess skin, it makes it even harder to notice the truncal LE.  Which is the skin and which is the swelling?  Only my therapist knows for sure,,, HA!

BS didn't even want to give me a RX for a sleeve (before all this started) for flying, when I wanted to be proactive about prevention.  *I only took 6 nodes*   Yeah, whatever.

Tomboy

I am still so mad at my fucking bs, that bitch. Really, she was. I don't have her anymore, but she refused to let me see leist, until my arm was over 2cms too big in a couple of places. I would bend my arm at the elbow, and show her the back of my forearms. On the regular one, you could see my bony ole self, sharp elbows and everything. The affected arm, the bones were buried in fluid filled flesh. Not a pretty sight, and my arm will never be smaller than that again. Yeah, if the mods don't like me cursing her, I am sorry, but really that's how strongly I hate her. I don't hate easily, either.

Tomboy

Eph! Cracked me up! I think I will call you a mischeiveous ELPH!!!

Eph3_12

Thank you, thank you very muuch! (My nod to Elvis. Anniversary of his death is this weekend I believe.)

Eph3_12

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj0Rz-uP4Mk

wonder what the gals in "Orange is the New Black" would think of him?

Eph3_12

HUBBA HUBBA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBmAPYkPeYU

MinusTwo

Oh yes, I can see why my Mother & her friends were horrified about the sexy moves. Couldn't see it then tho.

KJSUN

Thank you glennie19, MinusTwo, and NativeMainer, I appreciate your feedback. It really helps to talk to women that have gone through it. Sometimes even the staff at the doctor's office make it feel like they are just blowing you off.

glennie19, I know, salt water right?!! She didn't even look at my throat.

I did call the MO's office and left a message for the nurse or whoever. They called me back and are going call Magic Mouthwash in for me. I think I may have the flu.

Momine

Tomboy, grrrrrr, that is horrible. I was so lucky that a friend had warned me about that and had urged me to be proactive. I also have bony arms and at first the doctors were telling me it was fine. Then one of them circled each bicep with her fingers (to roughly measure) and realized I was right. It was hard to see, but I could feel it.

KJSUN, probiotics help against both thrush and intestinal issues. I took massive amounts all through chemo (with my onc's blessing).

NativeMainer

Glennie--"only took 6 nodes"?What about women like me who got truncal LE and only ONE node was taken?BS obviously is oblivious to the realities of LE.

Tomboy--I'd feel the same way.Actually, I do feel the same way about the idiot Rad Onc I had.I had a mastectomy to get rid of a breast rotting away from radiation necrosis due to over-radiation."I probably should have taken into account all the radiation you were exposed to from the mammograms you've been getting for the last 20 years."Yah think?

KJ--glad the MO took action.Feel batter soon!

glennie19

Oh yeah, NativeMainer,,,, that is what he said:  *you are slim and I only took 6 nodes*  Exact words.   Yes, I realize that my risk factors may be lower due to those facts,, but it doesn't mean I won't get it. Grrrrrrr.   And of course,, you can get it with the removal of only one node.  I know someone who developed it in her leg after a bad bicycle accident and broken ankle. NO nodes removed!!   Grrrrrr.

 

KJSUN:  so glad you are getting the Magic Mouthwash.  Be sure and ask the pharmacist what your exact ingredients are. There are many recipes for MM.  (I'm a pharmacist in real life)  Want to be sure you have a numbing agent like lidocaine in there for your mouth sores.  Do you have any white patches or spots on your throat?  Do you think you could have thrush? If so, I hope they put nystatin in it for that part. Also MYCELEX troches are an antifungal (RX) that you can suck on for thrush. Another idea to ask for if you might have thrush. Will not help with pain per se, just get the thrush under control.  And Momine has good point about probiotics. Ask about taking them, like Culturelle. (doctors know that name)  Keep us posted.

 

Doctors not recognizing LE,,,,  GRRRRRRRRRRRR

Tomboy

Right?!?!!?

Eph3_12

http://nationaldaycalendar.com/?s=august+13&submit...

Today is National Left-Handers Day and National Filet Mignon Day. Somebody want to help a sister out with the filet???

Loral

Bon Appétit

Tomboy

All right!!! I am left handed! Thanks, I didn't know that, Elph!

glennie19

It's also National Middle Child Day!!  And I'm a middle!!  Pass the cake and ice cream!

Tomboy

I am a middle too! YaY for us, Glennie!