March 2011 Rads

sandymess

Well, I survived!   I had to have 4 magnified mammo's and an ultrasound. They said that ultrasounds aren't all that great at picking up solid masses, better for liquid filled cyst-like masses. This is a spot near my port-a-cath scar and it's up against the chest wall. I was going to push for results today, but by the time they finished with everything, I just wanted to get the heck out of there! I'll see my onc tomorrow, so the wait isn't too long. I'm going to have a glass of wine (or 2) tonight and relax.

Thank you so much for your well-wishes, everyone.GirlFriday, we're only 1.5 hours away from each other? 

And marjie, I hear you on not wanting that boob touched. It really wasn't much worse than having it done on a non-radiated, cancer-free boob. I can think of a whole lot of things I'd rather do, though. lol

marjie

Sandymess - I am SO with you on the wine!!!!  That will be my focus!  I'm glad you said you didn't find much difference, that makes me feel better.

sandymess

It's a cyst!! My PCP just called to let me know. Whoo-Hooooo!!! Can you tell I'm just a little relieved? lol  Thank you all again for the wonderful support. You are all fabulous!! And now I am off to have a glass of wine!

marjie - Did you have your mammo yet?

marjie

Sandymess - YOU MUST FEEL SOOOOOOO RELIEVED!!!!  I am so happy for you.  I had my mammogram and it really wasn't that bad.  The tech was a little worried about pulling on my port which to be honest I hadn't even thought about it...yikes!  Anyway, nobody got kicked.

cmbear

Yeah Sandymess!! WOOT---WOOT!! happy dance!! I will join join you in a cyber toast!!

GirlFriday

sandymess: That is so awesome.  I was thinking about you all day yesterday! My beau and I had a long conversation about this "stuff".  It's a little odd to me, how strongly and how quickly my feelings for you and many on these boards have developed.  I feel protective and ready to battle at a moments notice to defend you all against any hint of BC recurrence.  We share so much on here, it really feels that what happens to you, happens to me.  I stood in the ocean with cmblastic, and went with you and marjie to your mammos.   I am so thrilled that they called last night with good results.  I went to meditation last night and put you all in the healing circle.  I'm in New Gloucester, and I thought you were in Augusta?  It would probably be less than 1.5 hours to get to your appointment, but I left in a little wiggle room for GPS "recalculations"

GirlFriday

Hey all New Englanders...There's a new FB group...NEW ENGLAND BREAST CANCER SISTERS IN HOPE...If you're a facebooker, it might be something you want to join

sandymess

GirlFriday -- I am in Madison, which is a bit north of Waterville. I went to rads in Augusta though. It would be great to get together sometime. I feel the same about everyone on this thread. You are all my sisters in the fight. I get such a good feeling when I hear that you put us all in the healing circle.

I'm going to check out that FB group. Also, if anyone is interested in 'friending me', I am sandy crompton messier on FB. 

GirlFriday

Sandymess:  I'll look you up...I'm Marcy Stevens on FB...Portland,ME area.

msjag

YEAH Sandymess!! Just got back from Maine, and I was thinking of you, so glad to hear it was a cyst.  Yeah Marjie for surviving the mammo!

GirlFriday, I am on facebook and would love to join that group, thanks for the information!!

Hope everyone is doing well, sleeping well, having some peaceful, calm days.  Only you sista's could understand that!

thegood5

Haven't been on here for a few days...so weird to start reading things, like what Sandymess was going thru, and my heart literally starts pounding, just reading faster and faster til I get to the recent post that it's just a cyst!  woohoo!  I had a mudslide to celebrate instead of a glass of vino.  Doing a little celebrating myself...had my 3rd liver MRI yesterday...longest 4 hours just waiting for the results....still NED!  It didn't help that I just got my period again after 8 months...that sucked.  Those hormones are freakin' raging after all that time...SOB!  Anyway, glad to hear that everyone's tests, mammo's..."groping sessions" haha, are going well for everyone.  We certainly are fighters, aren't we?  I go tomorrow again to the Lymphadema Therapist to loosen up all those nerve bundles that the damn rads screwed up...it's like a good all around therapy session, get a massage,and laugh my butt of with the very sarcastic therapist.  One nice thing about all of this, you get to meet a lot of great people.  Wishing I lived up north...sounds like a great FB page...I'm north, but only PA.  Still, I'm a FB-er, so if you want to add to your friends list, I'm April Huhn Good.  Thanks for being such great supporters...couldn't get thru all of this without all of you!

msjag

Thegood5  HOORAY for NED!!  that's terrific!!!  So wonderful to hear everyone's great news.

GirlFriday

thegood5: That's awesome!  We NED!  Eventually I'm going to make it back to central PA...We'll have to hook up and eat some Tastey Cakes, Middlesworth BBQ chips, and a few mudslides to wash it all down!

cmbear

Thegood5--Big happy dance for great scan results!!!! Sorry to hear about the monthly return, definitely a PIA, hope it is a sign of a return to normalcy.Mine's been gone since last August, can't say I miss it!!! And hormones, woah, hot,cold, back and forth. I think I'm over that!!

I  know I am so thankful for BCO, having sistas that I can relate to and share with has been my lifeline this last year.You all listen and send hugs when I need them most. A true lifesaver.Thanks for your friendships. And I am on FB too, Claire Mckenzie Blastic. 

thegood5

Thanks cmblastic!   I was pretty ticked about "the return"...last time I had it was Nov., ON my 40th birthday, WHILE sleeping off my chemo cocktail...thought I would at least be done with that...would take the hot flashes over this anyday!  Wow...who would ever have thought that one would miss "chemopause"?!? 

Girlfriday~ it's a date...you know where to find me...haha!  What a small freaking world!.....let's not forget Turkey Hill ice cream....

sandymess

thegood5 -- SO, so happy for NED!!

I've got computer issues, so I won't be on till I get it all straightened out. Hope all goes well with everyone until I return!!

marjie

NED!!! Cysts instead of tumours!!!  We all need to run out and buy lottery tickets - what a fabulous week .  I am so happy for everyone.  I know that I am starting to drift away from the forums, actually I read alot but maybe don't post so much lately.

All are welcome to find me on FB.  My name is Marj Stoner.

cmbear

I love the transitioning to FB, does it mean we are trying to return to normalcy? Key words "trying  to"?  I'll still come here to talk my BC ups and downs with my BC ladies--FB just doesn't "get" that!!!

thegood5

I agree Claire!  It is so nice to see each other on FB and feel "normal".  I will definitly be on here tho too...what hapeens on BCO STAYS on BCO...some things I'm just not willing to share with the FB world...things I know that you wonderful girls would only understand on here!  Have a great weekend everyone...DH and I are off for a getaway overnight in the mountains of Virginia to be pampered at a B and B type place!

marjie

Good way to put it Claire!!  FB is for "normal" life, which may not always work for us LOL!

GirlFriday

I agree!  I don't share most of the personal things on FB, and I haven't really shared much about BC there.  Aside from most not understanding it, it's just odd to discuss such personal things for me.  But on here...I'm all about how my nipple looks!  Ha!  I had my 3 month follow up with the RO, and a genetics findings appt on Friday.  The RO encouraged me to go back to my normal lifting routine, and to not limit myself...she said my muscles will set the limit for me, and if I don't work the muscles regularly I'll lose the range of motion that I currently have.  I guess it will be a battle to fight the scar tissue that has and will form after the radiation broke the muscle down. OH an I've been using Vit E oil on my scar and skin since the radiation, and she says my scar looks great! The genetics onc said I am not a PTen mutations...duh...I had no clinical significance other than BC prior to 40....She said that means I am one of 4 situations...1.  An anomaly, and this is my one time freakish bout with BC....2.  The test was done incorrectly and I am PTen mutated....3.  I'm BRCA or another mutation....4.  I'm something that has yet to be "discovered"  ...All in all, it was very hard to not say WHATEVER.  I know she felt responsibility to give me an answer, but the only reason I pursued it was to help my three sisters.  I'll still be "watchful waiting" for the rest of my life, and I will be proactive with any healthcare choices in the future.  I'm two weeks away from 90 days on Tamoxifen, and my next appt with the MO...The RO encouraged me to have my thyroid levels checked...so I'm going to try to work that through my MO. 

cmbear

Where else can you talk about your nipples?? Seriously??  

girlfriday--so do I read you right that the genetics onc said your cancer is not genetic? Or that they just aren't sure? Mine wouldn't run the test because my sister (who has BC) got genetic testing and she is not BRAC1. I know with us it can't be an anomaly, my dad also has PC. Too many conincidinks!! My OTHER sister demands US with her mammo cuz she thinks she is next. . .her docs understand but tell her that insurance will not cover it unless she has a lump.--even tho she had a B9 one last year.  I see my MO on 3 weeks and my RO next month. Seems like forever from now. Want the all clear for lifting too--not that I haven't been. At work, I routinely lift boxes of books when no one is looking. I hate being helpless.

back to work tonight after a blissful weekend off. Already starting to get that knot in my stomach. Too bad I didn't buy the winning lotto ticket this weekend!! 

heavenschild

speaking of sonograms...  My surgeon has scheduled me Wednesday for Sonogram of the OTHER breast.  Just leave me alone already, will 'ya?  Said I had active breasts.  If I have such active breasts, why do they look like something out of the National Geographic magazine?  And if they are concerned, why didn't they do it when I was going through all the other medical hostilities?  I don't think of all these questions while I am in the room with the doctor. 

GirlFriday

cmblastic: Basically what she said is that the test (if done correctly) did not identify me as a PTEN mutation or Cowden's syndrome.  Apparently this mutation can occur at any stage of the family tree, but can also be inherited.  There is no family hx as of yet, I'm solely responsible for bringing any cancer into the family tree!  The BRCA testing was not covered under my insurance, but after evaluation and meeting with the gen counselor I'm only at a 12% risk for a BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation.  Based on her 4 assumptions above...I think she believes that I do have a genetic predisposition she just doesn't know what it is.  So comforting.  The good news is regardless of findings it changes absolutely nothing about how aggressive I will be regarding my future health care. 

heavenschild:  I highly doubt your breasts look like something from Nat Geo, but I bet they feel that way after this constant assault.  I would say just roll with it.  Let the docs rule everything out.  For the rest of our lives we're probably all going to be experiencing this "overly cautious" testing by our docs.  Take it as the concern for your health that they are showing.  And I never think of questions during an appointment, nor do I seem to behave as sarcastic/jaded as I feel afterwards.  I go in armed with written questions, because sitting in front of the doc is akin to being a deer in headlights for me. Write down the questions you asked here, and ask them on Wednesday.  Don't let them be evasive! 

heavenschild

GirlFriday (and others):  sorry for the rant.  I am just getting to the point where I feel better and the thought of having to go through this all over again, well, it is really a kick in the behind.  Still *leaking* radiation with swollen pores (one of the symptoms) and swelling.  I guess they hit me really hard because they found two patches of BC.  This too will pass.  Hugs to all. 

msjag

Girl Friday and Claire, so agree with you about FB, never have even mentioned my BC, and my family has been asked not to either.  Could not imagine all the bodily function talks we have here on FB.

 I so understand the wanting the testing, had a cousin 25 years ago with what they called breast cancer, no specific kind identified, just removed the breast, and she threw up for weeks!  Thank goodness for Emend and other drugs these days!   I have three sisters, and a daughter (29) and I want to be genetically tested also.  Hasn't happeded so far, but I think I'm going in armed for my sept appointment because of many articles stating that TN may be a sign of brca positive, or some other mutation.  My daughter may not get tested until she's 40, soooo unaceptable!  I want her in there now! 

Seriously eating well and starting to exercise.  Had a few drinks this weekend though.  This alcohol thing has be puzzled.  I know a couple of alcoholics, some who have quit drinking, but others that are not well, and they have never had breast cancer, some alot older.  Not that I would wish it on anyone, and I know their liver cant be doing well, but the whole theory about alcohol adding to bc reoccurances  has me very puzzled!  

Hope everyone is doing well today. Happy Monday!

thegood5

msjag~I know exactly what you mean!  not that I would EVER wish this on anyone else, but here I am, 40 yrs. old with stage IV cancer (in remission...wootwoot!) with met to my liver...hardly drink, and have a mother who is an alcoholic and her liver should be drowning, and she is fine.  Go figure.  I look at this as a way to make me stronger.

cmbear

Girlfriday, thanks for the clarification. My genetic counselor told me I had less than 1% of some genetic mutation--even with a sister with BC. Go figure. Knowing the answer on genetics doesn't change for me how I treat this disease, but it would be nice to know if that's the source.

Heavenschild((((big hugs)))))) It is silly that they didn't scan both sides at the onset. Guess they just want to keep seeing your smiling face!! I too go into the docs with an armload of questions and then go blank till I get back to the car. Last time I even made a list and stupid chemo brain left it at home. Woops!!----in fact go in today to see my PCP to catch up on my thyroid levels. Hmmm what questions do I need to ask????? 

GirlFriday

cmblastic:  That's so odd...how do I have a 12% chance, if I don't have any family hx of cancer but you only have a 1% chance and your sister has BC...I think the genetic counseling is a totally contrived science.  After 3 meetings I can't say that I was impressed with the "genius" of the counselor and the genetic medical counselor.  I would think with TN and or HER2+ the docs would be all over testing for mutations. Why would they spend all of this time with me and my rare but low grade BC, but not be aggressive with a cancer that is a known traveler?

I think the alcohol research is really misleading and needs to be evaluated in new ways.  There's just too many types of alcohol to get a definitive end.  For instance if I do a shot I've ingested less sugar than a margarita...and we know cancer feeds on sugar...So am I more likely to get cancer again if I drink sweet drinks or just alcohol in general?  And how do they conduct these studies...it's not like you can sign people up to drink so much of a certain kind of alcohol on a weekly basis, and have a control group that never drinks.  Of course if they run this study in the tropics with all expenses paid, I'd be first in line!

cmbear

Hyoid guess is as good as mine. Maybe cause my sister and my cancers are so dissimilar. She was IDC-TN. I'm ILC H+++. personally I think there is some mutation possibly. Especially since my dad had prostrate cancer. But I agree, I don't think genetic science is there yet. It's as if brac-1 is the only test they care about. Maybe it's cause I didn't push it enough.

As for the drinking study, if it involves a cabana boy on the beach, I'm there too!