Calling all TNs

mitymuffin

Suze,  So glad you had a warm and loving Christmas, and finished it with Krispy Kremes. Great that your cough is going away. 

I'm wishing us all health, strength and joy in the New Year.

mccrimmon324

Suze, so glad you had a great vacation/Christmas.  I happen to be addicted to the krispy kreme coffee, thankfully we don't have any around or I would have one every day. 

I've started taking 1 Bayer asprin in the morning with the rest of my vitamins, should I increase and take another in the evening? 

Who knows if asprin or any of these vitamins will work but as long as it can't hurt, I'm willing to try. 

Debke33

I am also having the same problem choosing between xeloda from one doctor and IV chemo from another.  Is there anyone who is currently taking xeloda?  If so, have there been any improvement with their cancer.  Thanks!!!

TifJ

Thanks Michelle- I will print out your link so i can read it to Monaghan when he calls. I asked him if low blood sugar was a problem, why are women taking it? He just said let him look into it. This is the first time I have doubted him. I hope he comes back with a decent response!

Suze- so glad you enjoyed your trip! I used to live 1 block away from a Krispy Kreme when my husband and I first married- then moved about a mile away and now we are 40 miles away from the nearest one! Oh how I miss them!!

kathyrnn

Hi Ladies, I hope you all had wonderful holidays and welcome to the Newbies.



Heidi, your cat looks like Cujo's cousin in that picture, lol.



Someone asked about how the Metformin was thought to work? I read the studies, some of which made my eyes glaze over, because they were so technical. I did find one article that explained there thoughts in simple terms. Cancer cells are faster growing than normal cells. They think Metformin effects mitochondrial cells (mitochondria produce energy). Since cancer cells grow rapidly, they need a lot of energy. They felt that Metformin's effect on the mitochondria, helped prevent the cancer cells from getting the energy they needed to grow.

bak94

Well crap. Im off to the hospital. Went in for seroma to be drained and the culure came back from a draining g a few days ago and I have a staph infection. They certainly content mess around.

bak94

Don't not content. Typing on my phone!

KSteve

So sorry, bak94.  That sucks!  Good luck and I hope you heal quickly!

Kathy

LuvRVing

That's a bummer, Bak94.  I hope they spring you loose very quickly!

Lovelyface

Kathyrnn

Thanks for sharing the infor on how in simple terms, the article talks about how the metformin works on cancer cells.  That explanation helps me understand a lot better.  Honestly, I don't think that I will ever understand during my lifetime, how this cancer thing happens, and it will always always remain a mystery, but I sure wouldn't like to hear from experts that it has anything to do with sugar consumption.  I love sweets and I try my best to be reasonable, but I have seen many others who consume so much more than I, yet they don't get cancer.  I know it is something else which causes it, something, which I didn't do, and am not responsible.

LRM216

TifJ-

Yup - Bayer baby aspirin.  But you only want to take one 81mg. per day and make sure you are not allergic to aspirin.

riley702

The low-dose aspirin also helps with the metabolic syndrome (it makes you more susceptible to heart problems, which may be linked to an inflammatory process, so the aspirin can nip the inflammatory process in the bud).

Saw my primary doc this evening and showed her the study from PubMed about Metformin having a protective action against BC occurrence or recurrence as well as treating the metabolic syndrome. She wrote me a script for the Metformin, but asked me to run it past my onc (I see him next week) before I fill it. I also told her I wanted a few months vacation from my Aromasin due to the SEs and she thought that was reasonable. I'll discuss it with the onc, too, but I've made my mind up to stop the Aromasin for 3 months to work on correcting the metabolic syndrome (plus my joints HURT, esp. my hands and fingers). We'll revisit the Aromasin issue in March.

gillyone

Bak - I had a staph infection in my bad boob about a year after surgery. Very painful and had major antibiotics including daily shots in the butt. However it cleared up and all is fine. So sorry you are going through this.

OBXK

Bak - speedy recovery wishes.

Riley- thanks for the aspirin heads up. I stopped my AI and felt 90 percent better, in 3 days!



Wishing everyone all they need, in the New Year.

bak94

I think my malfunctioning drain let bad bugs in! At first they thought my port was infected also and I would need it out, now they think it is ok. Hope I get to go home tomorrow. Don't want to start the new year in the hospital! Thank you for all the good wishes. I actually feel pretty good, just tired and bored.

OBXK

Bak - do you have Netflix? It keeps me company in the hospital.

Reality

Bak- so sorry you are in the hospital. I hope you go home today. Thinking of you - here's a big hug. I had a staph infection years ago, following my hyster - I went to the ER the day before admission for staph, showed them the read streak that suddenly appeared above my incision site, and they sent me home. The ER nurse told me that I just needed to give recovery time. I was in the ER again the next day - my incision had burst open - The same nurse asked me why I was back - I pulled back the covers and she said "oh", as she looked at my open incision - at least the people in the ER believed me then! The good news is that the antibiotics worked very quickly. 

MBJ

Just stopping by to let you know that I read all of your posts daily and you are always in my thoughts even though I am not posting much. A very Happy New Year to all of you and good health to all of us in 2012.  Hugs!!!

Mary

christina1961

Bak, I'm sorry you are going through a staph infection - hope you get over it quickly. My drain site following uni MX also got mildly infected.  I was put on sulfa drugs and it cleared up quickly.

ksmatthews

wishing all my TNS a Happy New Year full of blessings and good health.  

Suze35

Happy New Year every one! May 2012 bring us all renewed health and happiness, and maybe a few miracles thrown in.



Bak - take care of yourself, I hope that infection clears soon!



Had my treatment yesterday and some good news - my tumor markers dropped 30%, and when my MO sent me to possibly have some fluid drained from my bloated abdomen, there wasn't any there. So I don't have ascites, yay! The bloating is likely a combo of steroids (down to 0.5/day) and chemo. My MO thinks my body is just struggling to switch back to steroid production and could take a bit - which sucks for my comfort, but is better than ascites!



Have a SAFE night my friends .

laurajane

Hope everyone enjoyed their holidays. I've been so crazy busy working extra hard on gifts and trying to make this holiday extra extra special for my kids and loved ones. Yes, any psychiatrist could say I went beyond crazy this year. Just another way of saying I went overboard. LOL. I worked on a special pairing for both my daughter and son. They loved them. Actually haven't quite finished my daughters yet.

I haven't started my treatment yet. Came to the sad conclusion that my onc. She had recommended I start the cetuximab which she said would be an out of pocket expense of about $4000.00 a week. Turned out the first dose would be $14,000.00 and subsequent weekly doses would be $10,800.00. I took Navymoms and mitymuffins advise and contacted the drug co. and after paying for my first dose they are 98 percent sure they will cover the rest. However after researching the drug out the wahoo and finding no substantiating evidence that this drug will do anything for me on it's own and needs to be combined with other chemo I let my onc know what my research findings were. This led to a week and a half of unreturned phone calls and unanswered emails. Long story shorter my onc was not only wrong about the cost but thank god, I researched it and found out it would not have helped me anyway. I will be starting the mix of cetuximab /Cisplatin on Tuesday. I'm still working on coming up with the moola for this week but glad the rest will be covered. I contacted a researcher Dr. Vikas Sukhatme,from Harvard (Globalcures.org) and spoke with him at length. He thinks there is a good chance this will work for me. He also strongly urged my onc to prescribe the metformin. My onc doesn't believe sugar feeds cancer but how he explained it to me made so much sense. Take a look at our petscans. They shoot us up with glucose (sugar) and it lights up our cancer. Duh! When I told my onc that I had spoke with my researcher and that he and his wife actually called me from their home at 9:00 at night. She was amazed and for once actually listened to me. She agreed about the chemo combo but never apologized for not doing the research herself. She then really shocked me by saying she is on this board that encompasses oncs from all over the country and she would send out an email to ask their advise on my situation. I was floored and deeply hurt that she hadn't done this. I've come to realize that she wants to think that she is the best and doesn't want to admit that she doesn't know it all and I believe she is too embarrassed to ask for advise. Sloan Kettering gives this woman a million dollars a year for her to do her research. I just think it's really sad. I'm pressuring her to follow up with her offer to email the board. We shall see. This Dr. Sukhatme wants to have all information from every onc, alternative care etc. To be available to everyone who has cancer. I hope it works for all of us some day.

I'm really frightened to start this chemo cocktail but I really don't see what choice I have. The SE's sound very scary. My cancer has spread so fast and my pain is barely helped with all of the morphine. My edema is worse than ever and whenever I take a deep breath I have a horrible pain right below my rib. Wah, wah, wah! I'll quit complaining I'm here today which is a miracle and I'll keep fighting.

I've got major catching up to do on the posts. I've gone back about 8 pages and I've got a lot more to do. Lovelyface- inmate and others that was so intensly sweet of all of you to write such sweet posts. Thank you.

Leeann- how were your test results. Fingers crossed.

LRM- I read your post from12-10 and my heart goes out to you. I hope the new year brings a smile to your face and sunshine in your heart.

Suze- I hope the Halavan continues working for you.

Katheryn- yahoo! On the neg. Lymph nodes and clean margins. Cleaning is a great way to celebrate.

Bac- I hope you kick that staph infection quickly. That is so scary.

Bernie- I'm still laughing at your post. I just loved it.

Heidi- I'm laughing, smiling and may have wet my pants a couple of times at your posts.

Hope- I tried both of those and although they didn't work for me I hope they work for you. The Halavan worked great for a short time for me but we are all different. I talked with a woman from the stage 4 thread and Halavan was working for her for over a year or more.

Mmizerak- this is the place to be. All of these lovely ladies have helped me in so many ways, with helpful advise, shoulders to cry on to laughing my petunias off when I needed it most. The gentle hugs are here for you too!

I know I've missed some of you but please know I'm thinking of you and wishing you all a wonderful new year!

mitymuffin

LauraJane,

Wow! What a post! You are wonderful to take your energy, even though you are hurting, to reach out and connect with all of us. I'm sending waves of love and good wishes your way.

How maddening and dissapointing that your Onc was so half-assed about researching your treatment. Do you feel like revealing her name? I think you are only stating facts and as a Sloan Kettering patient myself, I'd be interested in hearing. (but only if you feel like it.)

Wonderful about Dr Sukhatme! Let us know when you start the new treatment and I hope the SE's are not as bad as you fear.



Bak: wishing you speedy healing.

laurajane

My onc is out of Indianapolis. She works closely with SK. When I went to SK they consider her famous. I believed that she was a good onc I'm just saddened that it seems like her ego has gotten in the way of her performance as an onc. We all want our onc's to do ALL that they can for us but in reality we are all just one of many patients they will treat. I am happy that she is willing to go out side of the box as far as my treatment goes.it's great seeing your smiling face,

ksmatthews

Laurajane great post!  I truly hope your new cocktail works for you.  I am going to talk to my onc about the metformin and do more research on that.  I feel like sometimes we just have to take things into our own hands.

I hope the new year brings you good health! 

TifJ

Suze- so glad to hear some good news from you- I hope things continue on in that direction! I agree we need to some some miracles this year. My New Year's wish is to see both you and LJ posting on New Year's eve 2012, 2013, 2014 and so on!!

Laurajane- I am in awe of your spirit and perseverance. I pray the new cocktail works wonders for you.

 Bak- I had a staph infection in both my knees about 20 years ago- nasty bug, but it does get better. I so wish you didn't have to deal with another problem.

Wishing a Happy, Healthy New Year's to all!!

Anonymous

LJ- thanks for the update. You sound good and I hope your medical team continue to be forward thinking for you.

I am so tired right now. I had two puppies making a mommy sandwich out of me in bed last night. This bed thing is new for them... usually they are crated at night so the cats can lie on me dusk til dawn, but they have abandoned me for the wood-burning stove on the porch. Traitors.

Anyway, this afternoon I took one of my lesser used horses for a ride and he really tried my patience; he's too smart for his spots. Took me forever to trailer load him (he kept backing off before I could secure the butt bar--- he thought this was hilarious, btw) and then he played games at the mounting block and did a HUGE (and unexpected) rear when I got on. After that he only spooked about a dozen times at three toed horse eating snortyblogs before settling down.

The Rumrunner afterwards at Applebees went a long way towards appeasing me.

 Happy New Year!

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...... not gonna make it til Auld Lang  Syne.....

BernieEllen

New Year Resolutions for Pets
15. I will not eat other animals' poop.
14. I will not lick my human's face after eating animal poop.
13. I do not need to suddenly stand straight up when I'm lying under the coffee table.
12. My head does not belong in the refrigerator.
11. I will no longer be beholden to the sound of the can opener.
10. Cats: Circulate a petition that sleeping become a juried competition in major animal shows.
9. Come to understand that cats are from Venus; dogs are from Mars.
8. Take time from busy schedule to stop and smell the behinds.
7. Hamster: Don't let them figure out I'm just a rat on steroids, or they'll flush me!
6. Get a bite in on that freak who gives me that shot every year.
5. Grow opposable thumb; break into pantry; decide for MYSELF how much food is *too* much.
4. Cats: Use new living room sofa as scratching post.
3. January 1st: Kill the sock! Must kill the sock!
January 2nd - December 31: Re-live victory over the sock.
2. The garbage collector is NOT stealing our stuff.
AND the Number 1 New Year's Resolutions Made by Pets...
1. I will NOT chase the stick until I see it LEAVE THE IDIOT'S HAND

To kick start my New Year, I took an IQ test and the results were negative.

Anonymous

Bernie Ellen- thanks for the laughs! May I add... we will NOT open the gifts before Christmas?

I will show items 15 & 14 to my female Boston Terrier....

bak94

Too funny! I miss my doggies! I have been in the hospital 2 nights now, that is longer than when I had my bmx! I do not even feel sick but I was feeling run down. At least now I know why. Hope they let me out! We watched the fireworks over the Space Needle last night, it was kinda cool. One of the hallway windows in the hospital has a great view! So I can say I was downtown for New Years! Ha ha. I just won't mention it was in a hospital./