Calling all TNs

Suze35

Babs - congrats on the big week! I know that must feel so good. I'm meeting with anesthesia and the PS on Thursday...one step closer...



I posted on the LE board about this, and apparently it can happen. Kira was very helpful and gave me some links, and anything that blocks lymph node function - which chemo can do via scarring and dead tissue - can cause the lymph vessels to back up. Based on what I'm feeling, the tightness stretching down the arm, a thin "cord" from my arm pit up my arm, and the fact that my nodes (hopefully) are scarred and necrotic, it sounds right.



Thankfully I see my doctor tomorrow, so I'll see if she agrees with my Internet MD, lol.

Babs37

Suze35- Thanks. I was curious about the whole cording thing so I too went on the LE post and I saw and read your post. Did not think that it could happen before surgery! Very interesting.....

Please let me know what your doctor says about this tomorrow.

HUGS.

Titan

I see the onc tomorrow..nervous as always...I dunno about the pains in breast and underarm..I have had them too..have had breast exams, mammos, the onc. sometimes hurts me when he is feeling up under my armpit..but nothing...I really think it is from surgery or the SNLB..who knows..maybe it is the freaking weather.

But I do feel your pain and anxiety..it's scary..and we can't just say its the weather..we need to know...

 I did  "Know your numbers" at my husband's place of employment for insurance in October..everything was absolutely perfect...I'm taking the info along tomorrow so when they take my BP and it is high I can show them that my BP is high because of white coat disease..

LRM216

Have an uneventful and low bp doctors visit tomorrow.  I go the 16th of March for my next "3 month" and I am beginning to get antsy.  No complaints to give her, but all along since after chemo my tumor markers have been 13 - 11 - and then 11 again.  Last visit in December they were 19!!!  Didn't see her last visit, but the PA instead, she had an emergency - and the PA kept telling me on the phone not to panic - it was absolutely fine.  Naturally, I am still freaked over it and will have them done again next visit but am afraid they are still up there or may even be higher.  I don't give a dang that they are still within normal -why the heck did they go up.  Arghhh - I hate this disease.

Anyway - wishing you clear sailing tomorrow. 

Linda

jenn3

I haven't posted in a while, but wanted to share my recent scare with my TN sisters.  I've posted in the past, but I am an auto-immune sufferer and do have chronic pain.  I don't talk much about it and most people, unless they're close to me don't realize how bad I suffer.  However, like my sister said once, how will you know if there is a recurrance with your existing chronic pain?  I told her I didn't know, but trusted the onc.  My onc and primary have been wonderful and have run tests everytime I've complained to help me with peace of mind.  I've had X-rays, CT Scans, bone scan, MRI's and lots of blood work.  All it's every shown was what was already there, some of it new, but related to my illness.

However, last week I went in for my regular check up and mentioned to the onc about some persistant pain thats been going on for months.  He felt like it wasn't much since I had so many test done just last Sept/Oct.  I then mentioned that I had severe pain when the tech during a PT session rubbed the ultra sound machine over one area.  He felt around and found the very painful area.  He again said he felt that it was related to my other illness, but wanted to do an x-ray.  Ugh!!! It came back with what appeared to be nodules all over the lung area that didn't seem to be there the last time they did x-rays.  I went in for a CT of my entire torso, chest, abdomen and pelvis Friday afternoon.  I should know something by Monday or Tuesday - my onc is pretty good with follow up.  I don't have answers yet, but wanted to share my worries and I just wanted to talk about it.  The only person that knows right now is my DH, I don't want to worry my children or anyone else until I know more.  If it comes back as just nodules from a cold or illness then there is nothing to worry about, but in the meantime it's hard to not say anything so..........I'm sharing with you.

Thanks for the ramble - talk to y'all later.

Sugar77

Jenn - I'm sending you good vibes that everything will be okay.  My fingers are crossed for it to be nothing.  

Anonymous

jenn- deep breaths. Keeping my fingers crossed.

MBJ

Jenn:  Sending you many good thoughts that all is okay!

Laurajane:  I still have pain where I had surgery and reconstruction and it will be a year in another month and a week since my first surgery.  It's worse when it's cold so I am hoping for an all clear for you!  So glad it's warming up a bit there.

LRM216

Jenn:

Wishing you good news from the onc.  I know how scared you must be, but nodules oftentimes turn out to be nothing related to our cancer.  I am certainly hoping this is the case for you.  Please keep us posted and stay as strong as possible.  It has to be even harder for you since you didn't want to unnecessarily alarm your loved ones.  I am so sorry you are going through this and hope you find out good results tomorrow.

Linda

NavyMom

Jenn, sending you hugs.  Praying for good news.  We will be here for you.

Navy

janda

Laurajane: Congratulation. When are you starting radiation? It`s a good feeling finishing chemo, isn`t it?

Jenn: Good luck with your scan, been thinking about you:-) Praying for you:-)

By the way, i have a question for you all:

I was wondering about all this pain and aches i have and feel all the time now after all treatment is over. I have been struggling with my breath one week now, i`m 4 week out from radiation. I guess and hope it is nothing, just feel a bit scared:-( Do you girls have some advice?

kelben

Jenn sending you positive thoughts and a big warm hug.

I was having SOB too and freaking.  It turned out to be residual chemo side-effects.  It isn't constant and if I take 2 or 3 big long deep breaths I'm ok.  If you are at all concerned check with your doc.

tnbcRuth

Jenn-my thoughts are with you and hoping for good news!  Let us know.  Hugs!!!!

Suze35

Thinking of you Jenn. We've had good luck here recently, so I know it will continue for you.

mitymuffin

Jenn, that must be so scary for you. My thoughts and hopes are with you. It must be very tough to deal with chronic pain on top of the BC.

Since finishing treatment, I've been having something like fibromyalgia. It happens whenever I use muscles I haven't been using, or lift something heavy. I don't get sore muscles, but that night and sometimes for days, I will have nerve pains, or connective tissue pain, shooting through my arms or shoulders. Aleve and Tylenol don't touch the pain and its enough to keep me awake at night. I do think it is gradually lessoning. And I'm still tired. I thought I would bounce back from treatment quickly, but so far its a slow road. I finished chemo in October, and radiation the end of December. How about the rest of you? Do you feel back to normal?

jenn3

Well...............it's not looking too good.  I have three areas of concern in my lungs, for which the onc wants to do biopsies this week.  I guess now is the time for prayers of strength.

Mitymuffing - I think the chemo really messes with us. I will say that it was almost a full year before I started to feel like "me" again and that was just this past December. 

AnaM

Hi Titan.....my case is in review by the hospital's tumor board to see what tx they consider best for me. I am sorry that we are going through this....as optimistic and positive as I have been all my life, right now I just cannot find the lighter side. I am an 11-year ovca Stage 3-B survivor with one recurrence (in blessed remission for almost 8 years now), so I know what chemo is like. And I am NOT looking forward to any of it. Thanks for welcoming me.

kelben

Jenn:  My thoughts are with you through this next phase and will be holding your cyber hand.

MonikaV

Jenn3 I will keep you lifted in prayer until you tell me you are okay. Hang in there .

minxie

my thoughts are with you, jenn - wishing for the best.

Ok folks, I'm going to ask something that'll probably sound really bad - but has anyone just stopped going to their oncologist, blown off the 3 month visits? I am supposed to see him again in February, and February is half over today and I still haven't called to make the appointment.

I won't bother you with the details of all my TX, but it's been rough, there's been a lot of unpleasant surprises along the way, some really crappy hospital experiences, and this summer it all hit me in the form of severe panic and anxiety and PTSD, which l at the time I and my onc thought might be brain mets, which precipitated a whole slew of tests and cranked up my anxiety to 11...

I am seeing a psychiatrist and a therapist now, am on anxiety meds, and am hanging in there mentally. But - I just can't deal with seeing the oncologist. He'll want to run tumor markers. I know I will work myself into a frenzy worrying about the results, and if they're bad, God knows what I'll do. I know I sound like such a wimp. I guess I am. 

Titan

Oh Minxie..you are not a wimp....you are just tired of all this medical crap and want to move on....certainly you should be getting closer to going to your onc every six months?  Why don't you ask?  I saw my onc today and he said see you in 3 months...soo I guess I'm not going to be turned loose either...I do hate the anxiety build up before each visit...when I was driving to the appt. I was imagining all kinds of things..that they would find "something" and I wouldn't be allowed to go back to work and worse things than that..

Oh Jen..we will all be there with you waiting to hear the results of your biopsy!  And hoping it will be good news for you...I have heard that we all have lung nodules ..breast cancer or not...I'm sure your onc is being careful with you.

Fighter_34

-No, I don't feel like normal, but I feel good about being out of treatment. Hey I have FEELING I went for my last fill and I felt the needle go in. OUCH! OUCH! But I made a big smile.

Sending up GOOD vibes those who are waiting on test results. We all know how waiting can be.

Thanks for the article Heidi! Everyone keeps saying TN is not as bad as it's made out be, but I am still guarded.

cmksocal

Suzy35 - I had cording from my SNB surgery that was done prior to starting chemo. I suffered through the cording from July to October when I finally insisted on seeing a LE therapist.  After a few massage treatments the cording went away. 

Colleen

beetle25

Jen:  My thoughts and prayers are with you as you go through this. 

(((hugs)))

Beetle

Anonymous

Yikes! Walk a horse in the woods a few hours and I get behind in here!

jenn- It's true that we all can have lung nodules that turn out to be nothing. I had one last August and had to have a rescan 6 weeks later. It was *very* nerve wracking, but I don't have to tell you that. A friend of mine who had lymphoma told me once to try not to stress out until you have the facts. Oddly enough, for some reason that statement got through to me, maybe because I knew what she had been through. So, I'm passing it on to you.

Minxie- I think we all think about stepping off the roller-coaster every now and then. Who wouldn't? It's a crappy ride. You are not a wimp; just another fighter weary of the war. You'll rebound in time because the survival instinct is strong and you have already "survived" a heck of a lot!

Knee surgery tomorrow...had to buy a frickin' *walker*! Figured crutches would be too hard on the SNB area. I don't want to flirt with lymphedema. Can you believe it? $140 for a d*mn walker that I'll use for a few days and then have no further use for. No wonder insurance rates are high---there was no option to rent one. What a waste!

tnbcRuth

Heidi, I have a raised potty I can 'send over' to make hitting the john easier   Its sitting in a corner in my bedroom, and looks ridiculous, sigh.  Used it when I had back surgery.  My ins. paid for it.  I'll donate it and write it off my taxes..  Be sure and donate your walker to VietNam Vets or your fav charity and write that bugger off!  Good luck with your surgery!  We've got lots of walking to do in DC

kelben

good luck tomorrow Heidi.... walkers are kinda humbling aren't they?  Especially when you are not 80.  Thank goodness you only need it for a couple of days.  You can save it for when you ARE 80.

LRM216

All the best tomorrow, Heidi.  Hope the knee surgery and recovery goes real easy on you.  Will be thinking of you.

Linda

dawn31337

Good luck Heidi.  My friend had a knee replacement a few years ago, and she said she should have done it much sooner!

jenn3

Awwww Heidi, sorry you had to buy a walker for just a few days.  After using it and you donate it to a good charity, it will become a tax write off.......... Wishing you luck with surgery - take care.

Minxie - don't miss your appt.  I know the anxiety is terrible, especially hard if you're suffering with PTSD.  Is it possible to talk to your onc's office to see if they can work out a last minute appointment so that you don't have to wait and worry too long before the appt?  (((hugs))) I'm sorry that you have such anxiety - BC sucks!!!

Thanks to all of you and I'll keep you posted.