Calling all TNs

Lookingforward66

Just want to wish Everyone....

Happy New Year. 

May we all be healthy & happy in the coming new year. 

Marsha

Stupidboob

I am so sorry to hear of Karen's passing.  

Stupidboob

After hearing of yet another loss, I was going to wait to post this but maybe it will help someone else.

As I have said my pet scan came back clear, and then today I had my mammogram and it is all clear too. 

  I have been having some major pain in my hip and back, and my hip has advanced arthritis in it, and degenerative disc disease in the back, but this is a new pain and so I will be going to have it checked out but I thought that if cancer had gone to the spine it would show up on the Pet Scan and when I told the oncologist she said well they don't really look at the spine but nothing was reported.   I was so dumbfounded that I could not even get myself together to find out what all the Pet Scan does show.  I will though but what are your thoughts on that.   Does it show? 

jenjenl

Someone sent this to me and is quite meaningful for me: 

I've
come to decide that the best way to help people is to help them find
comfort in the chaos and uncertainty of life. That fear of that chaos,
of that uncertainty, is essentially fear of life, and is the source of
so many problems. And that by embracing the chaos, learning to accept
the uncertainty, the not knowing, we can more easily take control of our
lives, and more easily make ourselves the people we want to be. 

Happy New Years ladies   Health, Happiness & Prosperity for 2014!

Kruise

stupidboob - yes the pet scan would show any areas of concern.

I had one after surgery and they found a spot on my neck and a spot on my upper back that they then told me was most probably metastasized bc. But they kept telling me there was no way of knowing for sure. Then the rad onc suggested an MRI also and thankfully I did that because that confirmed it as not bc but something called hemangeomas (like clusters of active blood vessels). 

So now I try not to worry when I get the neck pain and back pain. I figure it's just those little gems doing something like flaring up.

Stupidboob

thank you Kruise..............I am glad that yours did not end up being cancer.  
Happy New Year

adagio

JenJen - thanks for sharing that - accepting the chaos and uncertainty of life is an ongoing intention of mine. Thanks for the reminder!

Wishing everyone a healing time in 2014.

slv58

I'm so saddened about Karen. For some reason I kept missing this thread when checking active topics. Through the months I was always so impressed with her positive attitude, but more than that- her ease at accepting her situation and making other people feel that their situation or concerns were more important. She always had something comforting to say. She truly was selfless and generous in spirit. I pray she passed as peacefully as possible. I also wish her family knew how much she helped us all here and how grateful we all are for touching our lives. It's a sad day, another beautiful sister gone too early. 

Gwenie56

Slv58 ~ you wrote so well what I was feeling about Karen.  Thank you. gwen 

Nettie1964

 Since I'm new here,  would you mind telling me what Karen's  original dx  was and when.  It's hard news  to hear when one of us passes.

LRM216

Nettie, here are Karen's stats as she listed them on her posts:

Karen - DX 2003 IDC - LX, TAC X6 - rads 50.4 grays. DX. 12/10 TN - dbl mx , 5 rounds T/C. 10/12 Stage IV - PET/CT mets to chest and liver. 6 of Carbo/Gemar 12/12 CT lesion at L6 and lung nodule. 4/8 - Progression of liver tumors. Starting Xeloda

edited to add that Karen was originally diagnosed with estrogen positive cancer, which when it came back morphed into triple neg.

Fighter_34

Please add me to the list of prayers. 

I went to the BS on 12/31, and on the right side of my neck the DOC found a swollen lymph node, I later found another one under my left ear.  I had an ultrasound done that day, and I am scheduled to go back on Friday to have it biopsied.  Anyone else experienced this?  We just got a cat not too long along, and I am praying the little kitten gave me cat fever.

I have already gone there in my mind!! Tears. Worries. Not fair.  The waiting is the worse part, it is hard to keep it together and act normal for the kids.

Gwenie56

Fighter_34 ~ I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. 💕

hugs, gwen

DorMac

Fighter_34

Definitely sending hugs and prayers your way that this is due to kitty and nothing else. I know it's difficult but try to keep positive thoughts.Your sisters on this thread will be with you on Friday and every time you need us!

Sending positive vibes and many {{{HUGS}}}.

Doreen

Lookingforward66

Fighter_34

My prayers & hugs are with you!

Marsha

slv58

Fighter, sending lots of positive thoughts-we are with you holding your hand and giving strength through numbers! Prayers for fri. It's so unfair we have to worry every time something feels "off", isn't it enough going through everything we have already faced? All of us are STRONG women and only we can understand the inner strength we count on to get us through-I will pull from that "source" for you!

TifJ

Fighter- Sending prayers and good thoughts that it is kitty related or an infection of some sort. Will be thinking of you.

simplelife4real

Fighter, I'm pulling for you too.  Waiting for test results is sooo hard.

I had AC #3 on New Year's Eve.  So far, so good.  I gave myself my Neulasta shot last night.  One more infusion to go, and I'll be onto surgery and radiation.  The AC has shrunk my tumor dramatically.  I can barely feel it now.  I'm hoping for a pCR at sugery.  I just got my BRCA results on New Years Eve too.  I'm negative.  If I had been positive, I would have gone with a BMX and my ovaries out.  Since I'm negative, but my MO and surgeon tell me a MX will not increase my chances of survival.  I'm going to trust them and go with a lumpectomy.  It's a little scary being triple negative and only getting a lumpectomy, but I drive a long distance to get treatment from experts.  I figure I will listen to them.

mags20487

fighter---we are all here for you! 

simple---woo hoo for negative brca!

Mags

Cocker_Spaniel

Oh Fighter you have always been on my list of prayers.  We automatically go to that 'dark place' when we find a bump or something unusual comes up but little kittens sometimes scratch your skin without you realizing it. Extra prayers are coming your way with big huge hugs that this is nothing.   

jenjenl

fighter - anytime I get a cold my nodes flare up in my neck (about 4 of them) for weeks to months after.  any chance you've been sick.  did the dr think it was cancer or just taking precautions.  

WE will get you through whatever this is. 

Nettie1964

thanks LRM216  for the info. 

 She obviously fought long and hard

candi07

fighter_34 I'm praying as well. I know its hard, but try not to worry too much.

LRM216

Hang in there, Fighter, we are all sending you strength and lots of loving hands to hold onto.  As everyone else that has posted before me, add me to the list of those hoping and praying this will be nothing.

Babs37

Oh fighter, I'm so sorry you are going through this. Hoping it will be nothing. Deep breaths... (((hugs)))

Fighter_34

Thanks Ladies! I am just a nervous wreck.  No one has said the C word yet!, but I have already gone their. 

I have been having little aches and pains all day, and generally not feeling like myself.

TifJ

Fighter, I'm going to think it is the beginning of the flu or something. I refuse to go "there"!

bak94

Fighter-The waiting is so difficult. Hopefully those little nodes will just disappear before they are able to biopsy them! Could very well be the start of the flu:( which typically most would not be happy about but something we jump for joy about!

I did post on facebook that my mri came back clear, so some of you already know:). After a long torturous wait my doc finally called me and said, well, I have good news and I have bad news. I blurted out is it cancer? He replied no. Arthritis and pinched nerves, actually on both the left and right side, but my left side is what hurts. I was so relieved it was not cancer. But I am still in terrible pain. Going for a cortisone shot in a couple of weeks. They told me no ibuprofen for 7 days before. I swear I don't think I can go without any pain reliever! It just hurts so fricken bad and I am frustrated. Oh well, so happy it is not cancer as far as they know.

I am also very saddened by the loss of Karen. The story of her shopping for shoes reminds me of my best friend that died from leukemia. Before she was going in to the hospital for her bone marrow transplant we went shopping. She found these beautiful Steve Madden boots. She was trying them on and having a hard time getting them on. I said, those do not seem very practical, too hard to get on. Well, she bought them and wore them out of the store. She was so happy to have those boots! She wore them to the hospital. unfortunately she did not make it out of the hospital. I am so glad she didn't listen to me.

Stupidboob-I thought pet scans were supposed to be a very sensitive test and would show most things. Of course we worry and your doctor's statement certainly didn't help! I too have been having horrible back pain since the end of treatment. Maybe all this crap we have been through has weakened our bodies. I often wonder if this is as good as it is going to get, I certainly hope not. Being in pain is frustrating, I just can't seem to move on. I hope you find some relief. Do they give you pain meds? Mine won't give me anything. I wonder if anything would really help.

bak94

Oh, Cocker- when I came home the other day my cat was sitting in Romi's lap (the dog in my avatar photo). It was the sweetest thing I have ever seen! They kept gazing into each other's eyes and Romi gave her a sweet little lick on her face, and she loved it! They truly love each other! I will have to post a picture, if I can figure out how.

Gwenie56

I don't understand how all the experts in the field of BC have such different ideas on how to treat TN. I know there are stages and lymph node involvement and such but even so I've seen ladies on here with node involvement and not have the treatment that others have with no node involvement. It is so confusing especially when you want to do all you can to prevent it from coming back! 

I feel like I learn more on here to ask my MO about and why we did what we did and what are we going to do in the future. The fog is clearing and I think I am fortunate to have had the treatment and not have too many lingering side effects.  I read what some of you are going thru and my heart breaks. 

My radiologist worked for years at MD Anderson in Houston and now works at TX Oncology where I was treated. His wife had TNBC just one year ahead of me so he had done a lot of research before he did radiation on her. He told me he treated her agressively and was called into my case to do the same. I didn't have lymph node involvement under my arms (had sentinel node biopsy) but did have a suspicious one in my chest wall. Turned out that after biopsy it was benign BUT still had radiation. 

Oh well, just throwing those thoughts out there. 

Thanks for the friendship and love on here.  gwenie