Calling all TNs

OBXK

Welcome Moreenna, your feelings are true and they are yours. This is a difficult diagnosis. it's okay to be frightened and insecure.

Just follow yourvtrestmentbplan and try your best to move forward. Don't let this disease cast a long shadow. Move forward and enjoy your life. Please don't let fear, rob you of the joy of living. Practice living in the moment. Wishing you all the love, support and courage you need.

kathyrnn

Graceforme - welcome. Don't be afraid to ask anything. This is a place of love and support.



Now if you'll all excuse me, I need to go curl up in a ball and cry for awhile (Lory48 , thank you so much for the update, Inmate has been on my mind for several days)



Dearest Dawn, you are the bravest of warrior women I know. You won, because I know this disease never beat your soul. I thank you for all the kindness and humor you shared. I wish you peace and gentleness on your journey.

Love you

Kathy

DorMac

So very sorry to hear the news about Dawn (Inmate) - I am keeping her in my heart and in my prayers. I hope that she and her family find peace and comfort in their journey and know that all of her sisters on this site hold her gently in our arms. She is such a brave and caring person and has been a source of inspiration to us all.

With Love,

Doreen

Cocker_Spaniel

For our Dawn. She loved cats. xx

Morwenna

Thankyou Karen for your most gracious welcome, especially as I have read a few pages and know the place you yourself are in.



I'm so sorry to read that you have all just received bad news about your friend and sister Dawn. I've no wish to intrude on your grief, but look forward to getting to know you all over the coming months (or years even?)



In harmony,



Rose

Cocker_Spaniel

This is for NavyMom

NavyMom

Oh Cocker!  You brought tears to my eyes!  Thank you for that sweet post.  Navyson and his little family have been in to to visit this past week.  Been a bit(understatement) emotional for DH and me. Went to church on Sunday and the service was centered around being an American and patriotism....Cried there too.

Welcome to the newbies.  Glad you found a soft place to land here on the TN thread.  Hang on, because things move fast on this site!

Love and Hugs to all.

schatzi14

morwenna...welcome to a fellow (?) Canuck.

I too just recently found this thread...I  also had PE caused from the DD AC. I finished the third treatment but my MO said NO MORE and I went to 12 weekly Taxols with so SEs.

I injected myself daily with Fragmin for 6 months. The Hematology Oncologist was convinced the PE was a direct cause of the AC. It's been over a year since I finished with the shots and I have been fine, albeit still a little short of breath at times. Did you have a lung CT scan at the time?

Luah

Dawn - dearest warrior princess... you have been such an amazing inspiration on these boards (your avatar says it all) and a true friend. At this stage in your journey, I wish you and your family many gentle, peaceful, cherished moments, wrapped up by the love that you all so richly share.

And to Karen... your posts here are always so thoughtful, informed and heart-warming... how do you do it with all that you have been going through? I so admire your strength. Sending you warm hugs and good thoughts for whatever comes next. 

To Morwenna and other newbies, welcome! This is occasionally a difficult place to be... but also an invaluable source of ideas, knowledge, support and friendship.

gillyone

Lush -I can only "like" your post. As always you express the thoughts of many of us so eloquently. Special thoughts to Inmate and OBXK both facing difficult times.

TifJ

My heart is breaking for Inmate and her family. She has fought so bravely and with good spirit throughout. I hope she is comfortable and soaking up her family's love.

slowloris

Reading these threads is like a roller coaster ride, so many ups and downs. My heart breaks for Dawn. I hope she finds peace in knowing her legacy has helped so many others. I'v come to appreciate the honesty of the posts here.By no means do I give up hope, however it is important for us all to realize what could happen so we can prepare for the future, and hopefully that would inturn give us peace of mind.

I have been given some glimmer of hope by my MO this week. I'm on Xeloda, and so far it seems to be holding the tumors steady.We cant tell if there is any shrinkage, but there does not seem to be any growth. this done by palpation. So, she thinks I should stay on the meds for 6 more weeks, get a PET, and if good,have my tumors excised. She said there is a possibility of a cure, not necessarily probable, but possible.

So as I ride this "high", I have trepidation about getting too hopeful. How do the rest of you deal with the ups and downs? After dealing with the recurrence so soon after rads, when I thought I was having such a positive result, I find it really hard to let my hopes get too high... Don't want to go through that falll again.

I hope all of you had an enjoyable Independence Day. Fireworks going off like crazy in my neighborhood. My poor pup is hiding under the bed....

Titan

Cocker..that kitty looks just like one of mine...we adopted a kitten 2 weeks ago...named him Angus....he keeps us busy...nothing like having a kitten around....

Welcome Morwenna..love that hame

And there you go again Gilly...calling Luah a Lush...lol

sweetpickle

I just finished treatment and right now I am NED which Im grateful for but it is always in the back of my mind that the stupid cancer could come back. I am trying to focus on telling myself that it wont and that works part of the time. Then I read about someone like our lovely Inmate and my heart breaks and I get scared for her, myself and all of us really. The roller coaster has always been my most hated ride, now I know why.

kathyrnn

Welcome Morwenna. Don't ever feel like you're intruding. We're not happy that you have to join this sisterhood, but we're glad you found us. This is a place to come for both the good and the bad days. This is where we can talk openly with people who are on the same journey and understand.

To all the Newbies, please don't ever be shy to jump into the conversation. *mixes martini's for everyone*

gillyone

Luah, so sorry for the stupid autocorrect. Titan, stop laughing at me:)

Cocker_Spaniel

NavyMom you are never far from my thoughts. I'm proud of your boy too for doing what he can for his country but most of all for trying to make it a safe place for his mum and dad and his little family.  May god bless him and keep his loving guiding hand on him always.

Morwenna you will never intrude.  You are most welcome to join all the fabulous ladies on here and if you have any worries, fears or just feel like a cry we are all here for you and you are right we WILL spend 'years' getting to know you.   

Slowloris we all have our downs  but we come on here and the girls help us up again and support us through it. We have so many 'if' times but they will pass until the next time.   I also believe laughter is the key, not at people but with people except I too giggled at Gilly's "Lush" just as she will.

Titan where have you been, I've been missing you.  There is only one thing better than having a kitty (and its not a little shit) it's having two kitty's.  They will keep each other company and be really good pals.  Their antics make me laugh so much, they are just so much fun with what they both get up to. Love his name, Angus,  very posh.

Sweetpickle talk to Karen, OBXK,  she was the one who put me on the straight and narrow (though sometimes I fall off) about the thought of "what if it comes back".     

Hi Dormac

Hi Linda.  Hope you both are doing well.

Kathy how is that tree doing now in the middle of your roof!!   You have the martini I'll have a smoke.  I don't think I will ever give it up now.  Got no determination at the moment.

Hugs and prayers sent to Inmate tonight and I hope she is free of pain and with her loving family.

Have a peaceful and happy night Ladies. Lie in tomorrow yay but not for long got lots to catch up on.  xx

Cocker_Spaniel

I forgot to say Chloe has been a really good girl lately. Do you think it's because I threatend her with the dogs home or just because I shut all the doors, put everything up before I go to work and give her a bone thats bigger than her to chew on. Me thinks it might be the latter.  

natL12

Goldie - After I finished chemo and radiation, I developed a sound of rushing fluid in one ear whenever I changed the position of my head. Had my hearing tested (my PCP ordered that test), and sure enough, there was hearing loss.  Over time, the sound sensation diminished and, at the last hearing test, that ear was back to normal.  SEs do come (I had most of them during chemo) but they eventually fade.

My MO used to declare that some effects I was having were due to age or other issues.  (My legs swelling, for example) And I didn't bother to argue with him, but almost all of them have subsided, and I look forward to seeing him for a checkup in August and saying, "SEE! I'm still old, but these effects you said were due to age are gone. They WERE chemo related." 

He's a nice person, and always presents a positive attitude to me, but my PCP mentioned that the MO's report to him was that my prognosis was "fair".  I try not to worry about that. But I do.

Karen, I send hugs and good thoughts your way for the decisions you have made and the times ahead. 

Nat 

kathyrnn

*Hides behind Annie...with a Martini AND a cigarette...stifling giggles at Gilly*. Yes Annie, I still have a hole through my roof. (Hence the Martini). Gotta get my care decided and in place before I tackle that battle. Actually right now I'm on the train heading to Sloan in NYC.



*paces anxiously waiting for Karen's results*

HHCats

Hi All - I'm new here, too.  I've been lurking though.  I am American-Canadian (living in Ontario).  43, soon-to-be 44, married with three kids (identical twin girls who are 6 and a boy who is 9).   I was diagnosed on October 2 last year.  I am Stage IIa [3cm tumour; node negative], Grade 3.  Since then, I've had a successful lumpectomy, chemo (4 dose dense rounds of AC and then 4 rounds of T) which wasn't too hard on me - although now I think I have some post-chemo aftereffects like stiff joints in the AM, and then almost 12 weeks ago I had a bilateral mastectomy with DIEP flap reconstruction.  I've done very well post-surgery and am happy with my results.  I'm back to my typical routine and working out again.  

To try to get my mind off of this horrible disease, I have poured myself into healthy lifestyle changes.  I try to eat at least 5 servings of fruit and veggies a day, take supplements, and exercise.  I have also started to get my house back in order and I spend a lot of time with my kids and husband.  Oh and I have an 18 year-old cat who has been my constant companion during this entire ordeal.  

I am doing everything I possibly can as best as I can to keep this beast at bay.  But it is hard when your mind sneaks up on you and you hear "what if?"  At my lowest moment in this, my DH gave me a stern lecture where he told me I had to "fight" and fight with everything I had.  But sometimes it feels like I'm just doing nothing.  I mean really can healthy eating, exercise, supplements and prayer keep me alive?  

I sound crazy don't I?

Sorry for the rambling.

Robin

sweetpickle

Hi Robin,



No you dont sound crazy, congrats on being on the other side! I too have identical twin boys that are twelve, so fun being a twin mom! Glad you found this board, I know it has been a life saver for me. Im just four weeks postDIEP and look forward to being where you are at.

HHCats

Heather - thanks!  Twins are wild, aren't they?  My two pretty much cause a sensation wherever we go.  Their poor brother.  

Hang in there on the DIEP recovery.  It takes time but after I reached 6 weeks, I started working out again.  Slowly and gently.  Some days are easier than others.  The chemo and the surgery really can take it out of you.  Today I finally did 35 minutes on the elliptical trainer.  

I've been NED since November 8, 2012.  They did a bone scan and abdomenal CT scan on me right after my lumpectomy.  Both scans were clear.  I need to focus on that fact and that I have a great life and stop worrying about this crazy diagnosis!  

Thanks for the post!

Robin

sweetpickle

Robin- I hear ya and I need to do the same. :-)

Lovelyface

Oh Dearest Dawn, I wish I could talk to you just one last time or read your post, oh dear, I am so sad, tears .  You moved me with your strength and courage.  I loved your pics so much that I saved it on my computer to remind me how to have courage, how to deal with stuff.  What a beautiful woman you are, inside out.  I will pray that you have some beautiful, peaceful days before you transition to your real home, which we will all do some day, some will go earlier, others will go later.  At least there will be no more pain and struggle.  Love you always!

Morwenna

Oh my goodness. Thankyou all for your warm welcomes. Reading and crying now. I've felt fine all day, so thanks for that! *takes a swig of Martini*



Today I've mostly sat with my feet up, watching the men's semifinals at Wimbledon. "Go Murray!!!" It's good, I can be British or Canadian at will now! We came over in 2005, and became citizens 3 years ago. Now I get to sing "Oh Canada" when other New Canadians get their citizenship!



My feet have appreciated being up anyway. I spent yesterday at the hospital with an infection in my arm, which is a poo, and my ankles were so swollen from not being able elevate them all day!On antibiotics now, so I'm sure I'll feel better in a day or two.



Feeling sad today also, for Irish singer Bernie Nolan who has just succumbed to BC. Awful as it is, I'm thinking that the death of a celebrity will do more to raise the public profile of metastatic BC than any amount of "awareness days".



I had a happy afternoon meeting my son's new gecko, "Ike" ... A girl apparently, so its pronounced "Ika", and playing with the crickets we have to feed her with. Seems to me the crickets are more fuss to keep alive than the lizard!!



Anyway, cracking thunderstorm underway just now, must go check all the windows are closed!! Oh yes, its the first day of the Stampede, so thunderstorms are traditional!



Have a peaceful weekend, ladies,



Rose xxx

LRM216

Hi Annie:  I think Bryanna is holding up through all this college mayhem stuff much better than I am!  I tooooooooo old for all this.  Did it all 25 years ago and my husband was still alive so he took on much of the finances, getting her settled, etc.  To be doing it all at 66 and working full time is sometimes exhausting.  Money, money everytime I turn around, but it's all for a great cause.  She's certainly worth it all and then some.  Hope all is well with you (and Chloe) and I too agree with you regarding Titan's kitty - she really does need two.  I have always found (and in fact have two myself right now) that two cats were always easier than just having one.  Be well, and I shall touch base again as soon as I can come up for air!

Love, 

Linda

Titan

Oh..I have 2 cats...my girl cat died at 13 years old in April...her name was Carmella...we have a 5 year old male named Eddy...he came to us the summer I was going through chemo...I always felt he was sent to me for a reason...we adopted Angus 2 weeks ago...

Robin....you are doing all you can.....so go with that and let's hope for the best...we are all a little crazy here so you fit in here very well...

Luah...ah..know the college stuff well...right now we are dealing with the loans..yikes...atrocious how much a college education costs...and trying to find a job afterward........and good luck with that

InspiredbyDolce

We have 2 cats, and for us, it appears to be Double Trouble! LOL

Cocker_Spaniel

I have just met Karen, OBXK, by skype.  She is is one switched on lady, so much fun.    I felt very boring up against her. 

Linda you are a rock.  I don't know how you do it.  I have a nearly sixteen year old granddaughter and at times she drives me insane.  I am hoping she will grow up one day, finally. 

Titan next time I get a cat (my old tabby probably won't last too many more years) I am going to get you to name it because you pick such neat names.

Inspired yep double the trouble but double the fun.  I just love to see them tumbling over each other.