Calling all TNs

Meece

Laurajane, so glad you have a compassionate docor.  That is nice that he is he thinking positive.  It sounds like he would tell you thr truth.

((((hugs))))

starling

Laurajane = I am so happy to see your post. Rest and heal. You doctor sounds like a wonderful compassionate man.You are in my daily prayers and your fight is our fight. Many ((((HUGS))))

LRM216

Laurajane:  Thinking of you, and so glad you're surgery went well and that you were able to post to let us know how you're doing.  You were certainly on all of our minds.  II wish you an easy recovery, and that a plan will be put together for you to beat down this beast.  Thank God for friends that are also doctors!  What a blessing he is.  Rest well.

Linda

MBJ

(((((Laurajane))))):  I am so happy that you are okay and that the surgery is behind you.  I am glad you have a proactive dr. who listens to you and got you into surgery immediately. I know that I felt so much better once the cancer was taken out.  I hope you have lots of help at home.  Rest up and don't try to do too much.  Thank you for letting us all know how you are doing.   Big, big, Hugs!!!

Surgar"  Wow, you are healthy!!!  You are an inspiration to all of us.  While in Spain it was almost beyond impossible to eat well and of course, here I am, with the flu again.  I blame it on all the sick people on our flight home.  Yuk!

retrievermom:  Shame on people who profit at the expense of those who have cancer!  That's appaling.  I hope his house gets egged this Halloween!  I only take supplements advised by my dr and also so that when I do eat poorly, I know that I am still getting my daily needs met.  There is so much crap out there!

hhfheidi:  Thank you for bringing the aliens into today.  It's gloomy and rainy out and I am sick and I needed a giggle.  Also, thank you for sharing your animal rescue pictures.  Amazing!

jwaterlilly:  Hafving been to Europe several times in the last few years and going to their science museum and learing about how harmful GMO foods are, I really am scared and appalled that this crap is allowed in this country.  I am also equally appalled by the greed and breakdown of our government over the last 30 years.  Guess I better make plans to leave the country LOL!  When you see how other people are affected by GMO's and you look at the high statistics of people getting sick, it all kind of makes sense to me to eliminate this stuff from my diet.  I am no angel, it isn't easy eating healthy when so much crap is easily and readily available.  I just try to do everything opposite of what I did leading up to cancer:  less stress, better food, more excercise but most important, putting my health first. 

NavyMom

So good to hear from you, Laurajane.   Rest well.

Navy

Sugar77

MBJ - yes, I guess it's healthy but I can say, I did the same things before cancer. I've always eaten healthy and I exercised the same and pretty much ate the same with before. The only exception is I've tried to cut back a bit on the meat, e.g., chicken in a wrap with chopped red pepper instead of just a chicken breast and I've eliminated my one cup of instant coffee I drank in the morning.  I've never drank soda in my life...I don't like the taste. I"ve been a water drinker my whole life  My DH says I'm a cheap date (..I make up for it shopping, though). Other than smoking in my '20s and taking the pill many years ago, I've lived pretty healthy so I think cancer is a crapshoot.  I had a lot of stress when my dad was sick and then my mom got sick after he died so I think that is what contributed to this. Now off to try the Marc Anthony cream you told me about on the hair thread.

Laurajane - so glad to hear you've had your surgery and looking forward to hearing from you again. Take care! 

Swanny

Laurajane:  So very glad to hear from you.  Take care.

MBJ

Sugar:  I thought I was very healthy until I started reading labels on things.  Now I am hiper aware.  I took BC Pills too and think that it's a contributor to BC.  I am not a fan of soda and quite coffee over a year ago.  My stress was at an all time high when I was diagnosed, too.  Not usre which came first the stress or the cancer.  Hope the Marc Anthony works for you.  I found that when my bangs got long enough, I had to blow dry, otherwise they went straight but sideways LOL.

Teka

Hi!

I had nausea and no taste during 5 months of chemo misery.   I couldn't even stand water with or without lemon.   I no longer drink and eat to just drink and eat but now only for the flavor.   I'll always have BC, and hopefully will continue to enjoy a flavorful life style.   

Teka

Hi! Again,

Apple cider and apple cider sugar donuts from local apple orchard.   What flavor.

Luah

Laura jane:  Thanks so much for posting and letting us know how you're doing.  Rest up and recover well... and try and do the gentle stretching exercises I hope they gave you.  Really makes a difference.  I'm so glad you doctor is positive on your behalf.  That's the way to move forward! 

(Fwiw, I have a 44 yo friend who had a 9 cm tumour and 21/21 nodes positive.  It's been two years since her surgery and she is doing really well.) 

laurajane

Luah- That is exactly what I love to hear. I hope to proove my prognosis wrong. They said with 3-4 positve I could expect a few months the 14 out of 20 threw me for a loop. I get to have a pet scan a week from tuesday. Hope you all have a great week-end.

Love you all! 

cc4npg

Laurajane:  I ditto what Jwatrlily said.  So glad to hear from you!  My church message was about healing today and as I went up to be annointed, I prayed for you.  Right now, just concentrate on resting and healing from the surgery.  Try not to let your mind go anywhere but being focused on healing.

Lynn18

Laurajane:  I am glad to hear your surgery was not so bad and hope you heal quickly.  I have been thinking about you. It is good to hear from you.

Mitymuffin and Workmother:  Congrats on finishing your chemo!

Luah: Good advice and I hope your imaging goes well; they are probably being extra cautious, which is a good thing.

Hheidi:  Thanks for posting pictures of your "kids", they are so cute.

TiffanyF4

Laurajane - so good to here from you! I said a prayer for you today {{HUGS}}

gillyone

Laurajane - I am shocked that a doctor would say just a few months left because of some positive nodes. There are MANY people around who were node positive and doing really well.

mitymuffin

Juanita, Re: D3.  I live in Mississippi and have taken supplemental Calcium and D3 for years and years, and I'm an "outdoors exercise" girl (though I do wear sunscreen.) My Oncologist tested my D3 level and I am well below normal. He has prescribed 50,000 units D3 weekly.

Please let us know any information on Triple Negative that your Oncologist comes up with from the meeting in Chicago.  

RE; Diet, I have been on a low-fat diet for about 30 years, and a low-fat vegetarian for about the last 10 years, but I'm sticking with the low-fat and will be even more serious about it. 

Laurajane, so glad to hear from you. How are you feeling?

jenn3

laurajane - so glad to hear from you (((hugs))) you're in my thoughts and prayers.

Anonymous

LJ- so glad to hear from you! Also glad to see that you are adapting to your circumstances and focusing on the potential for a positive outcome. If you look around in here you will find many woman with multiple positive nodes that are holding their own against this disease. You can be one of them.

To all-On another note, I am going to stick my neck out just a bit and remind all of us that everyone handles a diagnosis and "recovery" from BC differently. Having received a few PMs from time to time from different individuals I know that it can be somewhat intimidating to read all the pro-active stuff people choose to do in their individual attempts to keep the BC beast at bay.

It is only natural to want to seize control over such a life-changing event in whatever manner each of us sees fit. I know I did. However, with time and perspective, I began to see things a bit differently and I no longer put as much thought into supplements, diet, exercise, etc. as I did initially. Perhaps it was/is my ability to control my fear of recurrence.

Or perhaps it is my increasing belief that cancer is a crap shoot. None of us did anything wrong in our lives that caused us to get breast cancer. Fate perhaps (do you believe in fate?), or just d*mn rotten bad luck. 

Here's my point: there is no right or wrong way to handle post treatment BC. If taking supplements, etc. gives you peace and reassurance then by all means do it. If simply resuming your pre BC existence to the best of your ability is where your comfort level is then do it. 

Sometimes it's a matter of finances. Supplements, organic food, holistic treatments, etc. can be costly and therefore unaffordable to many. Some struggle with medical bills, leaving little left over for the purchase of anything else beyond medically necessary. 

It discomforts me to think that there may be woman on these boards who experience greater stress as a result of feeling that they are not taking enough "preventative" measures to protect themselves from a future recurrance.

The sad reality is that there are no guarantees with this disease. Period. So, each of us needs to find our comfort level and develop our own coping strategies. Personally, I feel I have experienced both approaches; the "OMG what can I take/do to insure I never have to go through this sh*t again"--- to the "f*ck it, I want my life back" method.

If this post seems a bit cryptic, I apologize. It is not my intention to single any one person out. In fact, I am hoping to have the opposite effect: that every woman reading this sees a little bit of themselves in it. And, most importantly, that every woman here is at peace with their choice(s). There is no right or wrong way to handle BC. There's just *our* way.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled program:

 

Claire82

I actually like reading about all you do to beat the beast. If something interests me, I look into it more and run it by my docs. As long as it doesn't hurt - why not try it? I'd do an indian rain dance if someone said it might keep cancer away - lol

Anonymous

Headed out to dance now... but it's awfully sunny here today...

Claire82

lol

swiftbird

heidi, always a voice of reason. and occasional silliness. I like and appreciate both 

Titan

I agree with Claire about reading about things to prevent reocurrence; however, I don't go crazy about it...exercise..yes..didn't do alot of that before..now I'm a walker/runner and love it..it just makes me feel good..and well..healthy...I feel if my body can take it without keeling over then I must be doing ok...I now crave fruits and veggies, green tea etc.., some supplements.. after diagnosis I carried around a bag of spinach and just ate it plain...don't do that anymore but when I have a salad I make sure it has spinach in it rather than plain ol' iceberg lettuce which has no nutritional value at all.

Agree with you Heidi..you have to do what is right for you...and try to keep yourself educated on things...talk to your oncs...and do that Indian dance if you need too! 

LJ..you need to do some cruising around bco and talk to women with positive nodes...there are alot...!  That's BS that they told you 3-4 months..that just isn't true! 

Sugar77

Heidi - doing what's right for each person is definately the way to go. I agree with you.

I'm pretty much doing what I did before bc (exercise and eating pretty healthy). As I said above, I follow more of an "everything in moderation" approach and have cut back a bit on the meat. Oh, the bell on the oven just went off. My apple crisp is ready....(lol - a little sugar for Sugar on Sunday's won't kill me).

Luah

Laurajane: 3-4 positive lymph nodes and a few months to live??? Wtf?  There are lots of women who are around to prove that wrong!  I hope your onc comes up with a good treatment plan.  For now, rest awhile and spoil yourself!

hhfheidi:  I totally agree with you and I'm glad you wrote it down so reasonably. 

NavyMom

Laurajane.....I'm 3 out of 17 nodes positive and Triple negative.  My onc said she expects me to be around a long, long time!   Dx May2009  Yep, still here

Hang in there, girl.      And the PET scan is a piece of cake.  Waiting for the results however, suck.

Navy

kad22

LJ - so glad to hear from you! Rest up and take care! You will be around for a long time if all of our prayers and thoughts count for somthing!! ;-) (((HUGS)))

Question to those who have had reconstruction surgery with silicone implants - has anyone had this and where do I go for more info.? Do you really need to have surgery every 7 to 11 yrs after each surger to replace them? My surgery is in December and am now trying to get some info. on the matter! Thanks!

 Kelli

monisch

Hi Ladies,

Did anyone have bad mouth sores, especially lips ( inside ) and lips swollen like lifeboats ??

My throat hurts, cant swallow properly..drinking and eating are an act.  I still keep taking my pain killers aevery 6 hours for the leg pain.. but right now I think my mouth is the worst..  What did you do for the mouth pain ??  eat ? drink ?  I am using a pink liquid that i have to put i my mouth 4x per day for the mouth sores..but I dont think its working.  Anyother suggestions ??  Since Ive had the Taxotere  i've been doing nothing but crying... mix of frustration, sadness, and pain.  Im an absolute basket case.  I have 2 more Taxotere sittings  that I am now dreading because of the pain that follows 2 days later.  Any help yal could give me as far as eating and drinking during taxotere treatments, would be greatly appreciated.

have a great week ladies!!!

starling

Hi Monisch - I had mouth sores too. What I do, starting with the day of chemo, is mix 1 tsp salt and 2 tsp baking soda in cup of warm water and swish it in my mouth at least 4 times a day DO NOT swallow it. I also had the pink stuff, my onc nurse calls it magic mouthwash. That I use after eating. I rinse with water first (or brush if I can) then swish and swallow it. That way I get it on my throat and I think it helps my tummy too. But check with your Dr if you can do that. Also I keep chapstick or vaseline on my lips.If I follow this religiously  I am pretty clear of sores. They do suck real bad so I hope you can get rid of them. Don't eat spicy food either that can irritate. I got bad leg pain too, just took tylenole for that. And the crying jags...OMG...I get them all them time. I am taking Taxol, but sounds like we are having similar issues!   ((hugs)) Barbara