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  • Cocker_Spaniel
    Cocker_Spaniel Member Posts: 1,204
    edited January 2016

    Mike wonderful news. Yep God is looking down on you both. 2016 is going to be a great year for you and Kathy. And all of us come to that. xx


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  • SA8PG
    SA8PG Member Posts: 371
    edited January 2016

    So very happy for you Mike. The best news!!!! Giving thanks to God. Continued prayers for your family.

    Hugs

    G

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  • Cocker_Spaniel
    Cocker_Spaniel Member Posts: 1,204
    edited January 2016

    Shopgal2 will be in your pocket today and hope all goes well. xx


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  • Shopgal2
    Shopgal2 Member Posts: 649
    edited January 2016

    thanks so much cocker. I thought I felt something extra in my pocket. All went well with the sim. I got my 3 tattoos and will be using the active breathing machine to expand my lungs and prevent damage to my heart during rads. It was a little weird to breathe into a tube and hold my breath for 20 seconds intervals. My sim team said I did great. I even joked with the one male tech in the control room that he and I had the same hair cut. I took off my beanie and flashed him my 3 1/2 week hair growth. He made me laugh when he rubbed his bald head and said he'd show me how to be smooth with a razor. I smiled and said been there done that $100,000 cut courtesy of my mo. I go back next Tuesday for port films and start rads next Wednesday.

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  • Cocker_Spaniel
    Cocker_Spaniel Member Posts: 1,204
    edited January 2016

    Shopgal2 so glad all went well. Yep the tattoo's, I wanted "I love my old feller but it wasn't an option lol). Now on to the next stage which is far easier than chemo. Just remember to shove a thick layer of cream on at night but shower before your treatment. Will still be in your pocket along with all our other ladies.

    Shari I planted sweet peas all the way along my garage wall on trellis but just behind all my roses. The perfume is to die for but they have grown so big and tall that I have roses growing out of the sweet peas. Might have to change things at the end of summer. How is your garden coming on. Does your weather prevent you doing too much in winter.

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  • Allydp
    Allydp Member Posts: 520
    edited January 2016

    Cocker - you are so, so very sweet for thinking of me and the well wishes for our baby journey! xo

    Debra - congratulations!! So great to hear from you!

    Happy New Year to this wonderful group of warriors and SURVIVORS!!!

    So my onc personally called me on NYE to tell me that she doesn't see anything on my CT. She's still going to have radiology compare it to my last one though, but due to the holidays that might take some time. If they see the 2mm nodule, and it's new, she'll order a follow up scan in 4 months just to be safe. She also said if she scanned her entire staff, 8/10 people would have 2mm nodules in their lungs. She seemed annoyed they even mentioned it and caused me the worry. She thinks it's acid reflux and wants me to try Zantac every day for 2 weeks. If I'm still having pain at that point she'll send me for a GI workup. I had a horrible bout of sharp chest pains yesterday out of no where. Actually took an aspirin just in case lol. Also took 3 Tums and a Zantac and in 20 minutes the pain was gone! With as severe as that pain was, I have to think something would have shown up on the CT if it was cancer. And the fact that it came and went suddenly (during a meal), and was relieved with antacid, gives me so much peace of mind. Never in a million did I think acid reflux was so painful!

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  • anotherNYCGirl
    anotherNYCGirl Member Posts: 1,033
    edited January 2016

    ALLY!! I am so sorry that you felt such discomfort but i am SO HAPPY to read your update!!! Keep feeling BETTER and BETTER!!

    Lots and lots of hugs and smiles for you!!


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  • slv58
    slv58 Member Posts: 1,216
    edited January 2016

    Alicia, yea for acid reflux! How nice of your MO to call you and set your mind to ease. Happy dance with Zantac in hand!

    Cocker we are in winter mode now with only about 3" of snow- so no gardening for me! I did go for a nice 40 minute walk this morning, it felt nice to breath the crisp air! I was looking for animal tracks and saw rabbit and deer tracks. Your sweet peas sound beautiful! I'm going to plant some next spring, I've always loved them. I bet they would make a beautiful picture climbing up a trellis, maybe you can treat us 'northerners' with one?

    Shop gal, ask your RO if you can use emu oil. Most allow it but some don't because of possible antioxidants but there were a lot of us on the 'summer 2013 rads' thread that used it with amazing results. My techs wanted to know what I was using because my skin held up so well with just a few tiny blisters during the boosts. I also used a 'frog tog' cooling towel which I got on Amazon and placed it on my chest after RX but I went during the heat of summer. 

    Mike that is great news!! Yahoo- thanks for the update!

    Hope everyone is well and happy 😃

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  • Ag23
    Ag23 Member Posts: 37
    edited January 2016

    LillieRose, Lookforward66, Cocker_Spaniel, and everyone else who responded. Thank you. I need all the encouragement. I've been hanging in there mentally/emotionally through this and have been somewhat successful keeping a positive outlook, but the news that the chemo hasn't been all that successful just really has me down. I know it makes a huge difference when you're PCR before surgery in terms of prognosis. I have two young kids that I need to be around for - for many, many years to come!

    If you all know of or hear of any other examples of long term survival when PCR wasn't achieved, I'm all ears. I love hearing those stories:o) That's what I hang on to during these tough times. This is such a great support community - thank you to all of you that take the time to reach out!

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  • Curlyq1974
    Curlyq1974 Member Posts: 144
    edited January 2016

    ALLY!!!! YIPPEE!!!! Doing a happy dance for heartburn!!! I will take heartburn any day over the alternative!!!

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  • Shopgal2
    Shopgal2 Member Posts: 649
    edited January 2016

    Ag23 I love hearing the long term survivor stories too. It keeps this newbie positive.

    Slv58 I will ask about emu oil when I go for port films next Tuesday. I start rads next wed. I am participating in a clinical trial for a calorie reduction during rads. My ro heads the study and said that in patients where there was a 25% calorie reduction there were less toxic effects of rads and less skin breakdown. Plus it will help me develop healthier eating habits going forward. I truly never looked at portion size or calorie counts that much before bc. But when I couldn't eat on chemo I quickly learned what healthier foods made me feel better. I have lost all but 1 lb of my chemo weight (damn steroids) and am at my pre dx weight. Now onto the other lbs I need to lose.

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  • Curlyq1974
    Curlyq1974 Member Posts: 144
    edited January 2016

    Shopgal2 so interesting about the calorie reduction because I was yelled at for losing weight during rads. How quickly things change...

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  • shorfi
    shorfi Member Posts: 791
    edited January 2016

    Slv58...Cocker...Ally...Mike...I think about you often. I am still battling the spinal stenosis and seriously thinking about having surgery. I need to meet with the neurologist to get his opinion. My pain doc has me on Lyrica which should help with the nerve pain in my thigh and leg. But I can deal with this...better than the other alternative.

    Wish you ladies nothing but the best and continued good health as we all try to move beyond breast cancer

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  • MicheleS
    MicheleS Member Posts: 937
    edited January 2016

    Hi everyone-- I wanted to chime in on the lumps and bumps near post-surgical sites. I was skimming so I can't remember who was asking about them but wanted to say that those things can be crazy-making!!!! yes, yes, YES you should all follow up on everything new you feel. However, surgery and recon (hell-- lumpectomy or mastectomy!!) can and does result in scarring. As you heal and the scar "matures" it will feel different from time to time. The *outside* scar is just the tip of the iceberg. There are all sorts of layers of suture, mesh, implants, etc inside.... All of which gets its own opportunity to scar. I've had several over the years and each time I freak the hell out. :P However, further investigation always goes back to 1. scar tissue, 2. implant breaking through the alloderm, or 3. mild LE. I've had ultrasounds and MRIs many times (too numerous to count!!) to investigate *irregularities* on that side.... even had a bone scan to look at a rib that was palpable under the damn implant. ;)

    My advice-- feel free to freak out. Then, breathe deeply, get it investigated, and know that it is most likely an annoyance and not a recurrence.

    Just my 2 cents. ;)

    Hope everyone is doing well. xxoo

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  • Cocker_Spaniel
    Cocker_Spaniel Member Posts: 1,204
    edited January 2016

    Ally my old feller and myself suffer with reflux but in a different way. He has a sliding hiatus hernia (proven by gastroscopy) and has pain in his chest and takes Omeprazole and I have heartburn and take Losec. Alan's causes bad pain whereas mine causes discomfort of burning in the throat. The one thing that does cause his pain is that when he starts eating, meat seems to be the culprit, so I always tell him to eat something else off his plate first and not to eat meat first as it can get stuck, not only that I'm sure he doesn't chew it enough before he swallows it. He's always in a hurry and doesn't wait for his food to cool a little before eating so it's always too hot to eat but he does it every time whereas I am a slow eater and I chew it very well. Also I take my Losec at least half hour, sometimes an hour, at the same time thereabouts every day before my meal and don't have any problems and he takes his when he gets the pain (duh) which does resolve in about 20 minutes. I can't eat spicy or very hot food whereas he eats it and relies on his Omeprazole to fix the problem which it does. Perhaps you could try taking your Zantax every day at the same time, at least ½ hour before dinner, taking small mouthfuls of your meal first and chewing it really well before swallowing. I never suffered with heartburn before chemo so lets blame that. Also coughing can cause reflux as the cough reflex forces food up into the oesophagus and therefore causes heartburn. Other than that you could have a condition called H.pylori which you can be tested for. It's not cancer and can be treated with triple therapy (three antacids). It's worth giving it a try but your right antacids wouldn't resolve the pain of cancer but it would resolve acid reflux. Hope this helps.

    Curly I also was told not to lose weight before rads as it can cause the measurements for radiation to become different. Needless to say I was so nervous as I didn't know what to expect that I lost weight anyway. So I suppose some good came of it lol.

    Shorfi. Happy New Year to you. Spinal stenosis is another thing my old feller has. He had so many falls in his younger life (was always tripping over something, we used to say he had two left feet. Plus he had a bad car accident) that he fractured some vertebrae which cause narrowing and squeezing of the spinal cord and nerves. So he knows what you are going through with weakness and pain in your legs.

    Shari it gets very cold here in the winter but we only have snow on the mountains. Must be lovely to take a walk in it.

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  • ALHusband
    ALHusband Member Posts: 344
    edited January 2016

    Ally so glad to read your update! I have Barrett's Esophagus which is caused by endless reflux/heartburn over the years. That said, I now take 40mg of Omeprazole every morning. It's kind of expensive if purchased over the counter, but if your doc prescribes it it's covered by insurance. Since I've been taking it...I NEVER have reflux/heartburn...EVER.

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  • Meadow
    Meadow Member Posts: 2,007
    edited January 2016

    Al Happy so happy for the lil wife's good news.

    Ally, so happy for your peace of mind.

    Hello to all

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  • Mamiya
    Mamiya Member Posts: 432
    edited January 2016

    I'm all for blaming some reflux on chemo. I've had it for years but not as bad as I have had lately. I take omeperazole in the morning and at night and that does help but the thing that seems to be key for me is never eating within three hours of going to bed/lying down. If I do I will fall asleep and then a couple of hours later it's like someone just flung open a door and the acid comes up and I sit up in a panic! Scary, a person could aspirate that stuff I think! I supplement with gaviscon when I know it's going to be bad. I am looking forward to being done with chemo so that perhaps this aspect will improve...

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  • Mamiya
    Mamiya Member Posts: 432
    edited January 2016

    Question: where do you get emu oil? I won't be doing rads for a couple of months but I'd like to be prepared...

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  • kal52
    kal52 Member Posts: 26
    edited January 2016

    Hi, I am new to this thread. In fact don't really post much at all, just read and leave really, getting support and information through others people's questions. I have a question now though for which I have no idea which thread to post on, so I hope you can help me here. I had surgery in early August, a fairly extensive lumpectomy for 1.5cm IDC and 2.5cm of DCIS. I then had to return for further excision of the DCIS area because it was found to have lobulized and they needed larger margins. So, overall a big hole. Over the past couple of months, while I was on chemo, I have developed what I thought was extensive internal scar tissue in the surgical hole and is separate to the scar tissue I can feel under the surgical skin scar. It is now visible, that is. if lying down or standing with my arm up it looks like an egg under my skin. My medical oncologist confirmed she thinks it is scar tissue, my radiation oncologist thinks it is lymphedema. This is my second trip through the realm of BC but, although I got scar tissue last time, it was nothing like this. I could always feel the scar tissue under my surgical scar and still can feel the hole left after the lumpectomy. My question is, has anyone else had scar tissue that protrudes like this, or lymphedema that is firm like scar tissue? If so, how did you treat it, or did it just go slowly away over time (if it went away)? The radiation oncologist said lumpy lymphedema is quite common even without any other sign of it. Massage seems to have no effect, but I may be doing it incorrectly. I start radiation next week.


    Thanks for your thoughts.

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  • Mamiya
    Mamiya Member Posts: 432
    edited January 2016

    Kal52, I don't have any experience to share (I have had no surgery yet) but I have seen that there is an extensive lymphedema thread, or you can start your own thread (just choose the forum you think best fits, then it will show up in new active topics and maybe people (not just TNs) will have some advice for you. Good luck, I hope you can find some solutions. Maybe start a new thread here: https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/64


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  • Cocker_Spaniel
    Cocker_Spaniel Member Posts: 1,204
    edited January 2016

    kal52 glad you stopped by and feel free to stay on this supporting thread. To me, your problem sounds like a seroma. This is common and if it gets too uncomfortable it can be aspirated (drained). It is a pocket of clear fluid which can occur frequently after breast surgery. It would pay to contact your surgeon and see what he advises as soon as you can. Hope this resolves for you.

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  • kal52
    kal52 Member Posts: 26
    edited January 2016

    Thanks Notdoneyet, I appreciate your advise. I have looked at the other threads but decided this one was not only very active but also very friendly, and there is a mixture of people with all types of experiences. If no-one can help me here, I will try another thread.

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  • kal52
    kal52 Member Posts: 26
    edited January 2016

    Hi Cocker_Spaniel, I had a very large seroma and had it drained weekly until about the time my chemo started. Up to 200mls at a time. My surgeon told me this lump, although it was much, much smaller then, was not the seroma so I haven't considered it since but, of cause, it could be. I will be seeing him again in 2 weeks so I will ask him again if he thinks it is the remains of the seroma or another one maybe. Thanks for the suggestion it would explain why massage has no effect. I had a CT for my radiation set-up last week and asked if they could tell me what it was (scar or lymphedema) but no they couldn't as it wasn't a diagnostic CT. You would think they could tell the difference though wouldn't you?

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  • Mamiya
    Mamiya Member Posts: 432
    edited January 2016

    kal52, absolutely, this is a great thread! But if you don't get the answers you need you may want a wider "audience" is all I meant!

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  • ALHusband
    ALHusband Member Posts: 344
    edited January 2016

    Notdoneyet...FROM AN EMU!!!!

    Sorry, it was just right there! Had to take the low hanging fruit!

    But seriously, Swanson has it.

    http://www.swansonvitamins.com/swanson-premium-pure-emu-oil-4-fl-oz-118-ml-liquid?catargetid=530002460000316731&CAPCID=108154374967&cadevice=c&gclid=CPr134f2l8oCFQVbfgodkhwKBQ

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  • Mamiya
    Mamiya Member Posts: 432
    edited January 2016

    Hardeharhar! Thanks for the link!!!

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  • Shopgal2
    Shopgal2 Member Posts: 649
    edited January 2016

    Anyone know if can you buy emu oil in a store, like whole foods?

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  • ALHusband
    ALHusband Member Posts: 344
    edited January 2016

    Shopgal they have it at Vitamin Shoppe

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  • Allydp
    Allydp Member Posts: 520
    edited January 2016

    Thanks again everyone! I greatly appreciate your support!

    AL and Cocker - thank you so much!!! When you both mentioned Omeprazole it jogged my memory...that was RX'ed to me during chemo. I don't remember why...maybe I was having heartburn at some point, although it was never like this. Went upstairs to my prescription stash and sure enough I have some. I took one this morning on top of the Zantac because I've been in such pain. Seems dinner triggers the attacks and I've been going to bed in misery. Hopefully the Omeprazole will help tonight. I'm going to call my onc next week if the pain continues and I'm sure she'll send me for the GI workup.

    Shorfi - so sorry you're still dealing with the back issues. Sending you hugs.

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