Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!

JerseyRenee01

brightsocks:

Glad yours is done & over! Hope each day is better for you! Rest up!!! Thinking of you!

LovestoFly:

Glad you are feeling better after your 1st treatment. You are in my thoughts! We are all strong! You got this!!

614:

Thank you so much! I am getting very nervous!

LovemyViszla:

Wishing you best of luck on the start of your treatments!

MLP3:

Best of luck on your 2nd opinion! You have to make the choice best for you & who you are comfortable with. I ended up choosing my 2nd opinion.

Jclc83:

What awesome news to start off 2016!! Congratulations!!!

Melclarity:

Thank you for being my ROCK all the way from Australia! I sincerely need it!

Sorry if I missed anyone! Tried to catch up!

Melclarity

Loves to fly . That's good news you'll do fine. Hydrated is super important and yes I remember peeing thinking the same thing lol , get the chemo meds out that way, my nurse says chemo doesn't work that way, it doesn't flush out its cumulative. damn! It's usually 3rd day it hits, you're going to be more than fine. So good to hear you're off to a great start.

MLP3

Great news on your scans LovestoFly👊🏻

LovesToFly

so Melclarity, going to feel worse tomorrow? Dammit!

HappyHammer

LTFly- days 3-5 were harder to me...so it might be good to have some foods and hydration on hand that you think you could tolerate if feeling ill and tired. I had to sleep a lot even though I would try to walk the neighborhood...it was really tiring!

LovesToFly

it's too cold to walk today, but I did turn on some music and dance a bit while I was folding the laundry. It was only about 12 minutes, but it was something and felt good! I will definitely prepare for a few worse days ahead. Plan to pick up some more Gatorade and gingerale today.

Thing that sucks is I am gluten intolerant, of course there are gluten-free crackers, but I have never found one that is a really as comforting as plain old saltines! IGenerally go with salted rice crackers, they are OK, but not as good!

HappyHammer

LTFly- Gatorade sounds good as does the ginger ale...I dank some of that watered down after chemo...also, crushed ice was my best friend. Got it at a local deli and kept a bag of it in the freezer...downside to it was I was COLD a lot even though it was summer. I also drank a lot of hot tea to stay hydrated. Was trying to stay away from sugar. So sorry about the gluten issue...:( that is really limiting!

LovesToFly

Yes, and juice and Gatorade etc. is hard. Because I do try to limit sugar, but I also try to avoid sweeteners, and all that stuff has one of the two! But I guess at my worst times, when it's hard to get things down, whatever can keep me hydrated is good. I was going to order some vegan shakeologies, but damn that stuff is $155 before taxes and shipping, for 30 packets. I may still do it, but I will wait and see if I think I'm going to need it.

HappyHammer

LTFly- Yes, I avaid artificial sweeteners at all costs and usually just do everything unsweet, black or plain. However, the rough days was more like- whatever works! And, the shakes ARE expensive but I just decided it was something I could stomach, had a lot of protein and I wasn't eating much else so wasn't spending money on much other food. You might check around and see if there is a "coach" in your area who would bring by or send you a few samples to see if you like it. If you don't have anyone there..a friend here does it and I could ask her for a few vegan samples if she has some. I have some but they aren't vegan or would offer them to you.

LovesToFly

thanks Happyhammer. One of my friends, I use that term loosely because we only know each other on Facebook, is a coach so I reached out to her first hoping she would offer me samples. But she just gave me the link to buy them through her Trying to put out feelers and see if there are any other coaches in my circle that may be able to give me samples.

brithael

Just got back from the doctor. My fever did not come all the way back, just to 99.9F. Since my oncologist was actually at the airport when I spoke to her last night, I emailed my nurse practitioner at 4 a.m. asking what she wanted me to do. She called me this a.m.. and said to come in for labs, and they would check me out.

Glad I did. Wbc was way down, and my neutrophils didn't even register on the auto check. She said they probably would on the manual, but she emailed my MO with the lab findings resulting in my getting a Neupogen injection today, another tomorrow, and maybe a third on Monday. They could have done Neulasta, but it would have changed my infusion dates, and we did not want that to happen. Now I'll probably need to get the Neulasta after the next infusion. Oh well, you never know what these things will do to you, until they do them.

I am so grateful for today's technology that allowed my to email my nurse, her email my MO, and get everything taken care of so I don't wind up the the ER.

Molly50

(((Brit))) Way to take care of yourself!

Melclarity

Loves to Fly - HappyHammer is right! Hydration is the key, thing is I was so unwell I couldnt eat barely and couldnt drink either, thats why by 2nd infusion I was put in hospital for 3 days on a drip, made the world of difference. The other thing is I couldnt tolerate alot of drinks, Damn!!! so gatorade or a hydralyte is the way to go if you struggle. Having said that you could be absolutely fine!!! Youre on it!!! You expect the worse and so it may not even be. I sooo wish I could have remained active but from the get go I was behind the 8 ball, and I was so disappointed, so I realised this is how I was going to be and just did what I could. So many fly through with little affect honestly! I think youre going to manage!

HappyHammer

Britheal...so glad you were able to get this handled! JMHO but, I think that dang Taxotere is the devil- we need her but she is a bad girl and does all manner of bad things while kicking the cancer- and, I am thinking you may need Neulasta every time....please push for it if you have to once you get all of this time behind you. (I had it the day after every infusion and numbers, while sometimes low, stayed up high enough not to cause any probs even though I have had anemia in the past- Flinging healing mercies your way!

HappyHammer

LovestoFly- MelCalrity is right....think you will get through this without too many SE's but am so glad you are ready for whatever comes at you!

Having a plan and a "stash" of possible things to use is 1/2 the battle. If you DO have SE's....you are ready and will deal as best you can.

Hang in there...we are right here with you- well...we are MILES away but are with you in all the right ways! Take good care.

LoveMyVizsla

Do you ever wonder what happens to all of the chemicals that we are putting into the water system?

marijen

hmmm all the pee and poop! maybe that's the cause. You know the solution is in the problem.. all those prescription drugs we take, into the water and ground. All the nuclear waste and pesticides. So many chemicals that were not manufactured 50 years ago. The environment seems to unhealthy to me.

LovesToFly

thanks guys I'm feeling pretty good so far, considering. I started getting queasy again around 7 PM, so I took the pill right away, and I feel good now

Happy hammer I am having the Neulasta, did you get the bone pain? If so, when did it start? I was told to take Claritin this morning, and every day for a week. I have done so

PontiacPeggy

LTF, I find it amazing how often Claritin works for bone pain. Gals taking Arimidex find it can help, too. What's in this antihistamine that is so magical? Just weird.

HUGS!

LovesToFly

just ate half a pack of skinny pop cheddar popcorn. Guess I'm feeling better.

LovesToFly

I don't know how it works, but I hope it does. I actually got the generic one, I hope that's OK, it has the same active ingredient. When I did a Google search, it's that it was the active ingredient that made the difference. It was on sale at my drugstore for about $15 less than the regular one (normally it is only about three dollars less).

Brutersmom

My guess would be that there is a connection between the bone pain and the histamine response of our bodies. I get a lot of swelling when I get a minor injury. The allergist said my body has a histamine over reaction. I suspect that the bone pain is similar in nature. If it works take it. It can be a little drying but very few side effects.

PontiacPeggy

LTF, I think most of us take generic whatever rather than brand name. Where brand name sometimes helps is Arimidex - especially if you are reacting to the fillers. I think we all use the brand name when we are referring to generics most of the time - easier to remember. So don't give it a thought. If generics work for you, then you have more $$ in your pocket

HUGS!

PontiacPeggy

Brutersmom, that makes sense. Claritin seems to be pretty easy to take.

HUGS!

Trainwreck54

For me learning to sleep in a bra was a real pain! I didn't ordinarily even wear one until my 1st surgery. I did find that an old T-shirt UNDER the bra made it feel less scratchy so I could sleep.

614

Dear MLP3:

Good luck with all of your appt's.

Dear LMV:

I'm glad that everything went well with the port.  Good luck next week with chemo.

Dear Brithael:

I hope that you feel much better.

Dear LTF:

I'm glad that you are doing well and I hope that you continue to do so.

Dear Melclarity:

I'm glad that your dad came through and helped you.  That is wonderful.  It is difficult that your mom is gone.  I'm sorry for that. 

My mom helped me tremendously throughout everything.  I am so fortunate to have my mom.  She is the absolute best.  I am extremely lucky.  My brother was also there for me.  He came to my house from Colorado to watch my son.  I went to Texas by myself for my radiation tx.  I could never have done it without my mom and brother.  My boyfriend lives 1/2 hour away from me.  I have a 2 and 1/2 hour commute to/from work every day in addition to working approximately 10 hours per day, so I don't see my boyfriend as often as I would like.  He is suffering from autoimmune issues so he is having a rough time now.  I am a single parent so I have a lot on my plate.  Your boyfriend is amazing.  It is phenomenal that he shaved his head.  You deserve to have someone wonderful in your life.  Of course, he is very lucky to have you because you are 20 something and gorgeous!!  lol   I am glad that you are starting to feel better.

Good health and feel well to everyone else if I did not mention you by name.  (Sorry)

614

Dear Brutersmom:

Thanks for the Claritin tip.

Dear Trainwreck:

I like the idea of a soft t-shirt under the bra.  It is so uncomfortable to sleep in a bra.  I had a hard time with it too.  It was also hard for me to sleep on my back.

Good luck.

Reader425

Hi all, I had my lumpectomy a year ago November. Around Thanksgiving my lumpy breast developed some redness. After MO and BS examined me in December they felt it was radiation recall and/ or lymphedema. I had a lymphedema evaluation today by a PT who specializes in it (Finally) and she found....no redness and little indication of lymphedema. SO relieved! So I have one more appt. Just to go over my stretches, etc.

I read this board more than I post but appreciate the different comments that remind me to ask things or just to feel supported. Thank you all!

614

Dear Reader:

Good luck.

LovesToFly

you ladies were not kidding about day three. I woke up shaking and queasy. Had a my coffee and breakfast and my regular medication, half an hour later added the PRNanti nauseant. Still waiting to feel a more settled.