2012 sisters

gonzard222

Christy wow, glad your that much closer to having your surgeries out of the way. My nurse told me I would be around 800cc before I get to have my exchange, but after yesteryday getting filled to 300 at this point, I am uncomfortable. How do you feel with 750? Are you able to rest at night? I have flexeril and lortab but I try not to take my pain meds...been trying to ween myself from them. 

I am from Coppell Texas, I just realized that I didnt have that listed.... just updated some more info. lol...

robin

Chrisrenee77

Robin you are right down the road from me. I work in denton and live in Pilot Point!

I was feeling great until i got the final 100ccs placed. It was a very uncomfortable sleep last night. I took a pain pill and it didnt touch it. But its feeling better now that im 24 hrs post fill. They definitely look great though, but anything is better than my flat chest.

Cindi74

Robin,

It sounds like you have had the doctors from hell.  I had a friend with a similiar experience with falopian tube cancer.  She stayed with him for months before changing.  She discovered that a different doctor could  make so much difference. 

It is important that you like and trust your doctors.  There are a lot of them out there who do an outstanding job, and a few losers.  I went to one doctor for a colonoscopy who was so terrible I thought I would rather die than go back.  Then I got another doctor and it was dark and daylight. A total different experience.

Breast cancer treatment isn't fun, but it is doable.  I had a lumpectomy.  My surgeon pointed out as I had previously read from research, life exectancy is the same, but recurrance is more likely--so someday, I may still have to do the mas.  My choice.

Now it's chemo, and later rads.  No fun, but I can do it.  You have a long life ahead of you.  You need the best of medical care.

Dear, this is terrible for you.  Research.  Find a doctor who treats you with compassion and respect.  Google reviews.  Hugs

gonzard222

Oh yep Christy, not far at all from ya! I don't know why I was thinking pilot point was near Tyler area...lol

Glad your feeling better today. I know what your saying, I am so self conscious about my chest right now, but now that I have some fluid in my expanders they are starting to take shape. So you have a month left!! So jealous but so glad for you!!

Are you sleeping in a recliner or your bed. I have slept in my bed about 4 nights which was not comfortable at all. I am back in the recliner...  

Chrisrenee77

I am sleeping in my bed. I have a body pillow that I prop the girls up on. It sort of helps with the weight on my chest. Yes i month and i cant wait. Who did you use for your mastectomy? Do you have a plastic surgeon lined up? If not i have a great one that you might want to check out. Let me know if you want his name and website.

We should meet up if you are up to it. Let me know christy

Tazzy

Juneau: happy anniversary for yesterday – not one you are likely to forget in a hurry.

Marian.. no snow here yet – least not at my level – I can see it on the mountain tops though… it will be here soon. Lots of rain so far.

Ramols – happy you checked in and are safe. Crap you have to deal with all that, but you and yours are safe, everything else is replaceable.

Websister – and you have to deal with your Mum whilst going through this.

Wanted to say hi and welcome Robin. Great bunch of women here as I am sure you have found out. Dont have TE's so cannot relate. How nice you and chrisrenee are down the road from each other.

So I had #20/28 rads this morning - dentist appt straight after - came home and slept well for 3 hours... that was after 10 hour sleep last night. And you can bet your bottom dollar I will be in bed by 9pm tonight for another 10 hours ??

hugs to all xxxx

gonzard222

Hi Cindi! Yeah I didnt like my doctor at all but he was highly reputable......later I realized he wrote his own biography...lol hindsight! My Plastic Surgeon and his staff are awesome! I love them!! My MO, I don't know yet what I think of her. I have only met with her once, she was very patient and knowledgable so I think I like her, but so was my BS at first. He was very patient too but oh well thats done with now. I have done alot of research....everyday...I am reading up and asking questions. I was going to go with lumpectomy at first but something kept telling me to go with mastectomy and after consulting with PS he was so positive and seemed to actually care as well as his staff. I look back and if I hadn't gone with BMX then I possibly would still have the DCIS. So that kinda comforts me when I ask if I did the right thing. You sound like you have done alot of research yourself! Good luck with your upcoming treatments as well. My thinking is if we are strong enough to talk about what goes on with us so personally, We are all very strong and we can endure this!! Hugs to you!!!! XOXOXO

gonzard222

Hi Tazzy!! Thanks for the welcome!! I have this to be a great place to ask questions, get support and just able to vent. So #20 of 28...Wow you are almost done with those!! Are you having to go everyday? I have found that I am always exhausted after any appt I have lately. You had a busy day for your body. I can see why you need the sleep!! 

Hugs to you as well!!! XOXOXO

Cindi74

Sorry gonzard.

My chemo brain didn't register that you had already had the mas, and with multiple sites, that was certainly the best choice. 

I'm not at all sure my oncologist and radiology oncologist thought I did the right thing, but I loved the breast surgeon and she got clean margins.  So far I like and trust my doctors.  The surgeon and oncologist were recommended by my young GP whom I have had for about three years.  They were who she said she would go to. 

The rads doctor is quite young, and I am not quite sure how I got him, but I am going to give him a chance since he graduated from the Univ. of Virginia medical school and did internship and residency at good hospitals.

Good luck and hugs.

Tazzy

Yes almost done.   I was dx'd beginning of January 2012 and never ever thought I would actually get an end date... but November 14 is it... PARTY time - as long as I can stay awake long enough    Yes, rads are every day.  I am lucky that I live only 20-30 minutes from the cancer centre - not sure how I'd deal with a longer drive, but I guess we deal with what we have to eh? 

websister

Tazzy - congratulations on 20/28 - almost there and your body is demanding the rest it needs to make this work for you. I also had a nap this afternoon and will also be in bed by 9 . I will be celebrating with you on November 14th, it has been a long year for you and you have been such an encouragement for me on these boards



Juneaubug - thinking of you for tomorrow, hope all goes well. Your prep story made me laugh, been there, done that but not in a power outage.



2fried - good to hear from you and glad that you will be trading in the lemons for melons



Ramols - it was so good to hear from you this a.m., glad all are OK, hope life gets back to some semblance of normal for you soon



Robin - welcome. Your mammogram story seemed very familiar to me, difficult time and difficult decisions. I don't think it's that unusual to have IDC and DCIS in the same breast at the same time, as you can see from my signature I had a large area of DCIS as well as IDC, they knew of mine prior to surgery as they biopsied the 'cyst' and that is why they went the mastectomy route for me. I hope your MO does turn out to be a good one and I wish you all the best in your decisions in the future.



Re: dealing with my Mom right now also, just glad that so far the people at the lodge and at the hospital working with her have been very understanding and accommodating.



My 2 1/2 year old grandson called me tonight to tell me about his Halloween, he was pretty excited. He told me that every house let him pick out his own candy and that he was careful to only take one. It's conversations like that that keep me smiling.



Take care

teeballmom

It's been so long since I have been on the boards. I was so freaked out about my bone scan this past Monday for the minor bone pains I have been having that I felt so numb about everything. It felt like last April all over again during my initial diagnosis. Moments of uncontrollable crying, etc.... Luckily everything came back normal. YAY!!! I text messaged one of the parents at our boys' school when I got the results while getting Taxol #9 on Weds and when I dropped off our boys yesterday morning at school I got so many congratulations and hugs that I was really overwhelmed. This parent got my text during the Halloween party at the school and blurted it out to everyone. I didn't realize how many people have been worried about me and my test. I honestly have to say that I am grateful to have these parents and teachers around me. Well, enough about me.



So glad to hear that our sisters on the East Coast are checking in. Still praying for all of you.



Welcome Robin. I also had DCIS and IDC in the same breast. My BS had originally wanted only to do lumpectomy but told him I wanted a mast instead. Glad I did since I barely had clean margins since my breasts were small but the tumor was big.



Well I am going to try and get back to sleep. One of our hard wired smoke alarms with a battery backup keeps chirping (and of course we don't have the right size battery on hand) and it is driving me nuts.



Take care everyone!

juneaubugg

Ok ladies.... I survived the night by hunkering down in the bathroom with a ton of candles for heat and a book. I was up almost all night. My circles under my eyes have circles! This no power thing a d the cold is EXHAUSTING ME. Concerned anout what shape i'll be in my monday to start my new job. I was hoping id have this week to be well rested. (People plan and God laughs, right?!)



Going in for my colonoscopy soon. (Websister; not sure how I survived either. I got collectively worse, but somehow we muddle through).



Robin, welcome. It's a long road. I will pray you have a low Oncotype and don't need to deal with chemo as well. Re: the TEs, they discomfort lessens as you get further away from the last fill. I can sleep on my side finally. My last fill was in August. I get my exchange 11/29. I had to get chemo in between. My Oncotype was 22 so it was just to decrease my chance of recurrence. My margins were clear as well as my nodes.



Hugs to everyone else. (Teeball... YAY!!!!)

halfcan

Morning ladies, please anyone gone through Neupogen 7 day shots? I had my last one yesterday evening (first round) and no SE's till maybe this morning. My back spine hurts from the base of my skull all the way to my hips. It feels like it's throbing. I don't know if I slept wrong or having an SE from the shots? Does this sound familiar to any of you gals? Thanks :-)

Tazzy

halfcan: Although I had a different chemo protocol - I did have 3 shots of neupogen after each taxotere infusion.    I had those pains you describe - I phoned my Oncs office, and this is how the nurse described it.   She said our WBC's had been diminished and sleeping because of chemo and the neupogen suddenly wakes it up and goes into overdrive and production, hence the bone pain.   As always halfcan, we are all different so call your cancer centre/MO's office just to  make sure. 

I have read on these boards that Claritin takes this pain away.  I took T3's.  Again ask your MO.

Let us know how you get on. 

halfcan

Thanks Tazzy for the insight and quick reply.  I did just got the call back from the nurse help line and he totally confirmed what you said.   When I described how I felt from base of skull to hips and even to my chest that it feels like it is pulsing he had little doubt it was an SE.  Not sure I liked the idea that it will probably hang on for 2-3 days and wreck my weekend.  I just started feeling better yesterday finally after getting #2 last week.  He also said that some of us get effects after the first injection or two while, like me, it was at the end and now my bone marrow is going ballistic.  Anyway took my temp and a tylenol so we will see how it goes.  Hope all you ladies have a great weekend! 

_Ann_

teeballmom, a big YAY! for your bone scan results.

juneaubugg, so sorry you're stuck in the cold.  Brrr!  Pile on the warm clothes and blankets.  Any chance your job will also be postponed due to power outages?

Robin, welcome.  Most IDC starts out as DCIS so it's common to have both.  Once you see an MO, ask about your concerns.  They may order additional tests such as blood test for tumor markers, bone scans, PET and CT scans.  Breast surgeons typically only order breast MRI.  I had all these scans done by my MO, but then I had cancer in my lymph nodes already, and that may have been a factor in deciding to do additional scans.  Unfortunately there's no test that can find individual cancer cells.  The imaging tests can only see cancer that is large enough to form tumors.  But it's still reassuring if they come back negative.

Chrisrenee77

Tballmom- congrats on your good results! Now you can breathe.

juneau- good luck with you colonoscopy.

I called my Onc today because I've been having lots of lower extremity pain as well as ankle pain off and on for the past several months. The nurse says well I don't want to alarm you but you may have a blood clot, (me not so worried about that) and the dr may want to do a doppler study on you. She calls me back, yeah not a blood clot, but wouldn't you know it's one of those damn SE's. She said if I'm still having them in a couple of weeks to let her know and the Onc will switch me to a different medication with less SE's. We will see. So in the mean time I'm to start taking glucosomine and doing stretching excercises. Great, lets add one more pill to the pill box.

Hope everyone is having a good day.

christy

_Ann_

Hi again.  I've had an odd thought lately and wondered if anyone has started to feel the same.  Cancer is starting to seem almost normal to me.  I mean, when I was first diagnosed, it was total freak-out.  I never thought I'd have any major health problem at my age, much less cancer.  Much less stage III cancer!  I kept waking up every morning, feeling like I was waking out of a dream into a nightmare (life with cancer).

Well it's getting close to 5 months that I've known, and it just doesn't seem like a big deal any more.  I'm just oh yeah, cancer.  Lots of people have it.  Cells mutate and go nuts.  It happens.  Treatment is hard and not guaranteed to work, that's the reality.  I've tried to figure my odds of getting metastatic disease and I can't really find those stats, but I figure it's pretty high.  So I think oh well that would suck, more treatment and shorter life expectancy.  But the first time I contemplated the possibility of that eventuality, my plan was to commit suicide at once!  Now that seems utterly ridiculous.

I wonder if I'm only feeling relatively blase about it because my QOL has been pretty good lately.  Most days I feel pretty good and functional.  On the bad days it is a whole different story!

Is anyone else feeling, well, relatively OK about the whole thing?

MrsCich

Ann, I can't say Im ok with it but I have fully accepted it and on most days I feel pretty normal. I forget that I don't have hair sometimes and my appts and new lifestyle has become my new normal. I don't always like it, I mean hell, so much has changed with my body, lifestyle and routines, but like I said I've accepted it.

marianelizabeth

halfcan, I was up most of the night (damn steroids) but I did finally file all my cancer paperwork. I was reading through one of my MO dictations and she had answered my question about Claritin. I probaby posted it already but she wanted me to try a cycle without the Claritin (UofVermont study) and also mentioned in her dictation that there is evidence that taking the Neupogen every other day starting 24-36 hour post chemo may mitigate the S/E. I met Anamerty from Richmond at LGFB yesterday and she said she had been on the daily and after 3 days the pain was so bad she wanted to quit. Her MO changed it to every other day and she is way better.

Ann just this past week I have been thinking much more positively though perhaps not blase. My stats for recurrence and/or death at ten years are not stellar but WTF, it is what it is and I am going for silver lining thoughts whenever I can!

I could not sleep last night up from 0215 to 1800 and just slept 3 hours (damn steroids post chemo) but I got a lot done including finally sorting and filing all my cancer paperwork and even read a bunch and it was not like it made me crazy as it might have right when I got it.

mrscich, I am with you on the hair and appts but I am kind of liking my little head though of course it is still the buzz with bits falling out. Mind you I have such a long way to go that maybe I know I should enjoy it when I am feeling pretty good.

Marian

Scorchy

MrsCich: As horrible as Sandy was to the area, I am actually thankful that the Gulf was spared a monster storm.  Gulfport/Biloxi don't need another direct hit of anything.

Juneau: Talk about adding insult to injury.  After all of the meds, chemicals, tests, and everything else cancer patients are exposed to, it's a wonder we're all not declared Superfund sites.  Hoping your buns warm up soon.

halfcan

Marian - those steroids are funny pills.  For the first round I did not experience any se's from them.  This time for round 2 was totally different.  My face got all puffy and red cheeks and chin plus I was blessed with indigestion for a few days that the nursing line told me to take Zantac.  I am hoping next time won't hold any new surprises.  So far though, the steroids have never cost me sleep!   

Strout68

Hi Positivity Rock,

I found out I had Cancer the day before Valentines day 2012 I was alone beacuse I thought it was nothing

Tazzy

halfcan:  gentle hugs to you... rest up lots.  When it feels bad just try and remember it passes.. it all passes.

teeballmom - doing the happy dance for clear scans. 

Ann - totally understand where you are coming from.   This has become our 'normal'.   Try not to look into stats... apart from scaring the crap out of yourself, they are stats.  Like SE's, we are all different, and we do not need to be part of them.   Focus on tx working and kicking cancer and all SE's into touch.   I am so happy you didn't act on your first thought - suicide.    I remember at the beginning I looked at all the stats for me - recurrence, tx working etc... and I thought to myself why am I bothering.  At the beginning I had a 95% chance of this turning into mets - well screw that.   I didn't look anymore.  My MO told me with chemo, surgery, radiation my odds went from 95 to 35%.   I have beat this once and can and will do again if I have to.  I am focusing on planning vacations for 2013 - especially the trip to Belize I had to cancel because of tx .   Hugs.

marianelizabeth: love looking for silver linings.   Believe it or not, I think we all have a lot to be thankful for.   Tx has come such a long way and we can and will KCA !

Sending you all gentle hugs, minimal SE's and weekends where silver linings are shining brightly.

marianelizabeth

halfcan, I should have known to take some Ativan last night while still on steroids. Yes the read "healthy looking" cheeks today! I am on Zantact twice a day for a week each cycle. So are you on daily or every other day Neopogen?

No diarrhea this time so am happy for that! But better knock on wood quickly!

Cindi74

Tassy,  Am going through almost the same treatment except Taxol.  My husband wants us to take the Capri trip we had planned for our 25th anniversery before bc  changed my life.  Now he wants us to go when I finish rads.  Let us know how long it takes you to recover enough for a three week, walk a bit, trip.

So glad you have finished the difficult treck.  Celebrate. Celebrate.   Hugs

Cindi74

Halfcan,  Try claridin every day for 8 days beginning day of neulasta or nepogen shots.  My Oncologist OKed.  Only about 25% get bone pain (according to one internet site) and the claridin works for some. Has worked for me.  (Once neulasta, and then 5 nepogen days a week later. No bone pain.  Hugs.  So sorry for your pain.  I understand it can make you miserable.

Tazzy

cindy:  I would agree with your DH and book the trip - it will be something to focus on other than bc blah, blah.   I am going back to England on November 21 - 7 days after rads - to see my family - I need hugs from them   My RO did say that was pretty ambitious of me as the effects of rads peak 2 weeks after they are finished, but did say it would be very therapeutic for us.  I'd give it a month after rads and see how you are then.   But go for it - its a wonderful trip.  You will regret it if you dont.

Cindi74

Tassy, have fun in England and let us know how the body responds.  Hugs