dmx surgery living alone

December

Julie, It's amazing how cancer seems to come with the gift of wisdom - once you take control of it - win or lose. I'm not there yet, but with examples like you and the others, I will be off this emotional roller coaster soon. Funny thing - the big C didn't really bother me much until after I came home from the surgery (I was too busy studing, preparing, getting my house in order so to speak.)

I remember hearing one time "Don't sweat the small s*&t" well, I am determined to make cancer small s&*t - I think everyone here acknolwedges that there are so many in this world facing worse things.

Thanks for sharing your strength!

Sparkle2014

Vol4life - pain meds (vicodin/hydrocodone) did same for me - gave me pep and got me getting things done but couldnt sleep on them,,, where as heard Percocets - people get zoned out and sleepy,,, anyways yes all of this is A LOT - I TRY to remind myself that out of this, there are good things and as I approach my 1 year since hearing you have Breast Cancer 5/15/14 - i try to say these wonderful DRs saved my life,,, the Radiologist, mammo tech, ultrasound tech, nurses, my Breast Surgeon, my Plastic Surgeon, the nurses after the MX and the team I had - how freak'in LUCKY am I - I am so grateful for that part - so thankful yet still feel so fragile and emotional (PTSD) have to go through reconstruction (exchange to RT and lift to Left although part of me feels maybe I should have removed the Left breast too and now feel not going to be satisfied with the lift and would want two implants,,, my plan was never to remove the left but it is extremely dense and I feel lumps and just never know for sure if there is cancer undetected in it,,, ?

anyone who originally had one removed and then decided to remove the other - not that I want TE on left nor 3rd surgery,,, but it has crossed my mind vs just a lift,,, oh all the decisions and stress of the insurance and financial stuff in addition to the emotional and surgery - have to take it one day at a time and do best each moment and stay CALM,, but yes it is HARD,,

Wish more people who never had cancer or breast cancer would be able to fully understand - we need a movie like Still Alice for a Breast Cancer story,,, to get more awareness vs the rah rah rah you are a warrior stuff,, thanks for listening ladies,, thankful for this board,, good place to vent.

my Cousin's wife's Mother has Breast Cancer too - but treating all naturally - ?? she just left for Mexico to Hope for Cancer Institute - i am curious if anyone knows anyone who went there for treatment?

I feel she should at least get a MRI and biopsy and find out exactly what type, grade BC she has -- but that is her call.... i hope her treatment there is beneficial vs waste of lots $$$$$$, and kind of scary to go to Mexico and get medical care - who knows if you ever will make it through or back to USA! scary tactic in my own opinion,,, i wish her success though and prayers too.

thoughts welcome,,,

hope everyone is going to have a nice rest of the week,

December

Sparkle - I mentioned to someone just a bit ago how BC seems to come along with the added gift of wisdom and strength. We are all stronger than we know. And each experience is so very different. Thanks for your support, and be assured you have mine! I keep threatening to find sleep - but here I am!

Blessings, Prayers, & Laughter

grammakathy

vol4life - watch your drainage output.  When you do too much, the amount increases.  And when it increases, your totals go up so the drains won't be able to come out.  The drainage can indicate that you are moving those arms too much (lifting laundry and dishes and the other things you are doing!).  This healing is a temporary situation, and the gentler you are on yourself now, the easier your total recovery will be.  This is truly a time to sit there with your feet up.  Find a book to read, an old movie to watch, crossword puzzles or Sudoku puzzles to do.  I found my mind drifting and it was a healing time.  Normally I am busy all day so it was a change for me to sit around.  I did walk around our block twice daily to build up my stamina.  You are doing great but don't let it sneak up on you.  Hugs!

December

Gramma, why don't they tell you that! Yes, my drainage has gone up! I thought that was a GOOD thing - getting rid of the fluids faster! Went to PS this am - he wants me to keep wearing the binder after the BS told me yesterday that I didn't have to, and even at the hospital upon release, they told me I had a choice - I'm glad I decided then to bring the binder home and wear it every day - it's in the dryer now. I don't think that my BS and my PS communicate well - or even like each other - it's troublesome.

Thanks for the heads up!

grammakathy

It is a good thing to get the drainage out - but doing too much before you are ready makes those areas produce more fluid instead of healing.  It is best not to reach over your head - or even lift your arms.  I only moved my arms at the elbow.  My goal was to get those drainage tubes out as quickly as I could.  My first mastectomy (no reconstruction) took ten days.  For my second mastectomy and tissue expander placement (both sides), it was about the same.  For my exchange, it was only a week.  So take it easy on yourself!  My BS said that some people are "juicier" than others and produce more fluid and it takes longer.  But if your fluid output goes up instead of down, it is an indicator that you are doing too much. 

I dealt with my BS for the first surgery and he was a real jerk.  But he is a good surgeon. I switched to another BS for my follow up appointments every six months though.  My PS is wonderful and an artist. I was glad to have her doing the next two surgeries. I had to make sure I asked questions though because she sees so many patients she didn't always remember to tell me everything.

Rest up! 

December

Yes Mam! You've made a believer out of me. Yes, I felt better mentally thinking I was being somewhat productive - but noticing the increase in drainage after your last post - well, I WANT THESE DRAINS OUT!

On another note, I noticed you take the hormone treatment, arimidex. I've been taken it for about 8 weeks. No side effects accept I've GAINED 15 pounds - didn't even notice until I stepped on the scales a couple of days ago! Now, the one thing I've been lucky most of my life about has been my weight, always thin to down right skinny - eat what I want. Stumbled across other people on this forum complaining that this drug causes weight gain. Have you found that to be true? Guess I'm wondering if it just causes an increased appatite and you just eat a lot more - or it somehow stores up the calories. At this rate - I'll be starring on that TV show "My 600 LB Life" at the end of my 5 year treatment.

I really hope you are well and happy!

Vol4Life (Go Vols!)

Jerilyn from TN (out of the cancer closet now that all in my family has been informed, whew!)

grammakathy

vol4life - yes I am well and happy! I was on Arimidex for 8 months and developed capilaritis - a sizable rash looking mark in three large sections on the back of my right leg. It's unsightly but doesn't itch. In fact I didn't even know it was there until I wore capris a year ago March. I stopped Arimidex last July 1st to see if it would clear up. It didn't! I suspect that the Arimidex was so efficient at removing the estrogen from my system that my capillaries suffered because they weren't being protected. I never understood that estrogen was playing such a large part in m body before it was being sucked out. My big problem with Arimidex was that I wasn't sleeping. I would fall asleep like normal and then wake up wide awake two hours later. Arghhhhhhh! After a three month break from Arimidex, my MO started me on Tamoxifen and I've had no side effects. But Tamoxifen only suspends the estrogen in my system so it can't feed stray cancer cells. Arimidex removes the estrogen and has better results. So I am giving up a little peace of mind to be able to sleep. I'm hoping that after 5 years I can try Arimidex again

December

Gramma, I love your outlook and your smile (I know I can't see it - but I can FEEL it) Do you ever wonder what it would be like to stop "fighting" the cancer? When I found the ILC tumor I was due a mammogram early. Upon dx, I was told it was a little bitty thing - like the size of a fingernail. With each image test it got bigger and bigger. Before BMx, they guessed less than 3 cc. So now I'v gone from itsy bitsy early stage to bigger and stage 2, grade 2

Three reasons why I choose BMx 1, to significantly reduce the chance of it showing up in the left side later and to avoid further scares and additional surgerys. 2) With a BMx - I was lead to believe I could avoid radiation and possibly chemo. 3) Vaniety, Both sides would more like sisters & I had a chance of keeping my nipples an skin - I just wanted to keep something.

Skipped pain meds and went to BS for Path report. I was hurting so bad but I just wanted to do this by myself. Glad I did. Doc hadn't read the results unil I was in the office (he's been covering for another doc and was way behind)....I could see it in his face that he was surprised and worried. 5cm, positive lymp node, stage 3 and a lot of stuff I couldn't absorb - mulit something. Tues he's having a conference with the rest of the care team. Will have out patient axillary surgery when the drains are removed or sooner or later? He suspects that now I'm looking at Radiation ...what's up with, I thought the BMx allowed avoidence of Rads, (will probably reverse what recon they have started first - most likely loose the nipples/skin), then chemo, Revisit recon options/ surgery - going to be a long year, according to doc. This time - I'm just going to go flat -I'm tired of cancer already and I don't really care about any vaniety anymore.

I think part of my problem is that I just don't have that "strong will to live". I'm not afraid of death. I've got I lot of folks in Heaven I'm anxious to meet again. I am afraid of not having "my house in order" before I die. I guess what I'm saying is, I'm not sure I want to fight this fight - You've heard, "pick your battles carefully". I think I just want to live long enough prepare for passing, and hopefully, pain free.

Oh well, on top of all that, when I walked all the way back to the back of the parking lot, (choking my tears back, out of breath, and hurting like hades) there was a note under my windshield:

If you can't park better than this!!! Stay off the F&^%$*! Road!, A**H***

I just got in my car and cried like a baby - and remined myself that the mystery writer had no way of knowing what was going on in my life and how hurtful that note would be - like the straw on the camel's back- And it jut popped into my head, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." And then it occured to me...it goes both ways.....I have no way of knowing what that mystery writer was going through - probably a very nice person acting completely out of character - maybe struggling with issues greater than my own.

(BTW - I was parked between the lines....)

Thanks for your kindness, your friendship.

Prayers, Blessings, Hugs & Laughter for us all

Vol4Life

Jerilyn/Tennessee

grammakathy

Oh Jerilyn - you have been hit with a hard punch.  It is overwhelming to absorb all this at once.  I wish your daughter had been with you when you received this news.  Keep in mind that you can always give this cancer everything you want - knock it hard with everything the pros can hit it with - and see if it is too much for you.  You can step back if it gets to be too much.  I hate to see you give up without trying.

Like you, I am not afraid of dying.  But there are some things I would like to do first.  Cancer was a wake up call for me.  Of course we all know that we aren't going to live forever.  But I wasn't ready to hear I could have little cancer bugs circulating through my system.  Suddenly my time on earth became really numbered in years on one or two hands.  So I have my list of things I want to accomplish and I am doing it.  And spending time with my grandkids to make a difference in their lives.  What do you want to accomplish while you are still here?  There has to be a number of things.

When people are jerks to me, I react like you do.  If I don't know them, I suspect something has gone really wrong in their day and I kill them with kindness.  Now if I do know them, I avoid them so they can't hurt me again.  I build up a barrier between us.  I think you were hit with such a whammy this morning that it was all too much for you.  Again, please take someone with you to your appointments, just as a second pair of ears.  And did you get a copy of your pathology report?  It is good to look at it later with clearer eyes.  At each appointment I added to my cancer vocabulary and understood things later that I couldn't absorb the first time I heard it.  Once the shock recedes, you can move forward.

Unlike you, I had added pounds to my frame through the years.  I never was successful at dieting and I wouldn't commit to going to a gym for exercise for the rest of my life.  In December, 2013 I met with the medical oncologist for the first time.  I had had a partial hysterectomy in my 40's, a mastectomy for my cancer side, never smoked or taken hormone supplements.  My surgeon had told my husband and me that I was cured because he had taken out the cancer.  Then the MO explained that they really won't know if there are circulating cancer cells in my body that escaped.  I needed to take a pill to stop the estrogen from feeding them.  And any extra weight that I carried was a great place where estrogen is stored.  Whoa!  What a wake up call.  I went home, started the Arimidex and decided to lose the extra weight.  I was motivated.  For Christmas, I asked for a pedometer and started walking around the block three to four times a day.  I cut out all desserts and sweets and cut back somewhat on what I was eating.  By the next September I had lost the fifty extra pounds I had added since my pregnancies in my 20's.  I still have another 10 pounds I would like to lose and I'll try for that this summer, but I feel good.  I feel I have done everything I can to reduce anything that could contribute to the growth of breast cancer.  And I can live with whatever happens.

So you are in charge of what you do from now on.  There is nothing wrong with giving up and letting the cancer ruin the rest of your life.  Or you can try fighting it and see if the battle is worse than the disease.  It is up to you and you will find a lot of support on this board.  You might post in the section that relates to exactly what your cancer is (such as ILC and/or stage III) and you will have support from those fighting exactly the same battle.  We are all here to help you!

I hope our friendship will continue through both our challenges. Hugs to you!

Jackbirdie

Jerilyn- indeed a tough punch you just took. On top of that the note on your car. Your attitude of forgiveness and understanding is a light. I support whatever you decide to do, but no decisions right now. Talk to your family. Get a second appt with MO if you feel you missed some important information. Lots of people live years, and not necessarily suffering, with this dx. You can too. But you are in charge.

Grammakathy, you also have been a big inspiration to me. I have read many of your posts, and haven't been chiming in because I've got bronchitis + chemo and just don't have much energy. But I wanted to let you know and say thank you. I have always struggled with my weight. I am wondering when the big "motivation" is going to hit. Right now I'm just treading water.

grammakathy

Katy and Jerilyn - We really need to tread water when we are healing.  It is not the time to worry about weight gain.  My walking was something I pushed myself to do because I was sitting the rest of the day.  I wanted to prevent blood clots and keep things moving.  I honestly felt like I was floating for a good four weeks after my Mx, and then didn't feel like myself until the six week mark.  There were plenty of times I was discouraged but it helped to keep moving.  And it is so important to have someone with us when we go to the big appointments.  I feel so badly for Jeri and picture you sitting in your car crying.  It is too much to absorb.  We are told things after the mastectomy (and before) that end up not being true when more information is available, and that is heartbreaking.  We want to squash this breast cancer out of our lives and move on.  But it takes patience and time.  And it is hard.  All three of my surgeries took a full year to complete, and I didn't have radiation or chemo.  That is a chunk out of our lives when we feel we have been given notice of a finite end to our life.  But that is what is encouraging about this board.  It brings us together to help each other.  We learn more here than we learn from our doctors.  And we learn others are dealing well and having good times in their lives.

Katy, thank you for your kind words.  I speak from my heart and hope to give back a tenth of what I have received here.  Most times I am just an anonymous reader but it all has helped.  Hugs to both of you.

December

GrammaKathy, (Warning - this ended up being more chatty and boring than intended! Don't feel like you need to read every word...LOL...I think it was for my own benefit!)

I read your thoughtful post earlier - but honestly I'm just getting the strenght, for lack of a better word, to write back. Mainly - because I'm just plain out of words. I'm better, tho, really I am, because of you and the rest of the sisters here. I'm finding that people drain my energy, the "healthy" ones. I know they mean well. Maybe I learned better how to live with cancer victims because my best friend had stage 3, 15 years ago. We learned to laugh at the things that just make you want to cry. We never say, "we'll, things can't possibly get any worse"...That's a gaurenteed JINX!

Yesterday I finally posted on FB about my cancer - I have only told a vew soles sine 2/9 - but now that I've told my parents, I felt like it was easier to just go public rather than it just being a rumor, a topic of conversation in a small town where I grew up. I have been getting all those FaceBook PMs already..."Are you okay? Diane said you were having some tests at the hospital." So, This is what I wrote:

I'm coming out of the closet!

Okay - this is a weird thing to be putting on FB -

So, I'm coming out of the closet, the cancer closet. I wasn't ready to go public, so to speak, but with 2015 communication, that's hard to not to do.

ILC Breast Cancer, BMx surgery was 5/6/2015. Don't know much else at this time. Probably a long year of rads, chemo, reconstruction, and various other treatments, depending on the direction I choose. There are so MANY options. And a major inconvenice!

The only thing I would like to emphasis is, Lady's, PLEASE, do your self exams at least monthly. Mammograms every year. And make sure your daughters, sisters, and friends do as well. I'm glad I did. But there is one kind of breast cancer, ILC, that is extremely hard to detect in mammograms and other imaging tests (ultra sounds, MRIs and the such) I discovered my own tumor - and was due a mammogram anyway. The doctor did not feel the tumor until I said "right here...this does't feel right". Mainly because I KNEW something was not right, the medical staff put me through a battery of image testing ...finally, the biopsy showed cancer. Skipping a big chunk of the story that would likely bore you anyway, what was suppose to be an itsy bitsy tumor turned out to be a 5cm monster! Good thing I opted for the BMx (double mastectomy surgery) instead of just cutting out what was suppose to be a little ole tumor. Still looking at more treatment later this year. I'll not be giving a day by day update - but I am posting this to WARN women about ILC - I've probably had it for years, un-noticed. And had it not been for my own self exam - I wouldn't have gotten treatment for who knows how many more years - ILC hides from mammograms - and it doesn't feel like a lump&...iI'm coming out of the closet!

Okay - this is a weird thing to be putting on FB - but after my last post about the parking note at the hospital, a lot of dear friends and family have been sending me PMs wondering why I was having tests at the hospital. (I figured that would happen, right AFTER I hit the post button.)

So, I'm coming out of the closet, the cancer closet. I wasn't ready to go public, so to speak, but with 2015 communication, that's hard to do.

ILC Breast Cancer, BMx surgery was 5/6/2015. Don't know much else at this time. Probably a long year of rads, chemo, reconstruction, and various other treatments, depending on the direction I choose. There are so MANY options. And a major inconvenice!

The only thing I would like to emphasis is, Lady's, PLEASE, do your self exams at least monthly. Mammograms every year. And make sure your daughters, sisters, and friends do as well. I'm glad I did. But there is one kind of breast cancer, ILC, that is extremely hard to detect in mammograms and other imaging tests (ultra sounds, MRIs and the such) I discovered my own tumor - and was due a mammogram anyway. The doctor did not &feel& the tumor until I said &right here...this does't feel right&. Mainly because I KNEW something was not right, the medical staff put me through a battery of image testing ...finally, the biopsy showed cancer. Skipping a big chunk of the story that would likely bore you anyway, what was suppose to be an itsy bitsy tumor turned out to be a 5cm monster! Good thing I opted for the BMx (double mastectomy surgery) instead of just cutting out what was suppose to be a little ole tumor. Still looking at more treatment later this year. I'll not be giving a day by day update - but I am posting this to WARN women about ILC - I've probably had it for years, un-noticed. And had it not been for my own self exam - I wouldn't have gotten treatment for who knows how many more years - ILC hides from mammograms - and it doesn't feel like a lump...it just feels - like something isn't the same. And, by the way, there is NO cancer in my family. Please feel free to share, or copy and paste, any of this post to anyone you suspect does not take their self exams seriously enough. It may save their lives. Blessings & Laughter

Gramma, I know it was a little thing - but I want women to know about ILC - it doesn't feel like what you are "trained" to look for in the typical self exam. The importance here is that if I hadn't insisted my doctor take a more serious look at my breast, who knows how many more years would it have been before a mammogram caught it. I know I preaching to the choir here, but it did make me feel good about myself.

As soon as I felt that strange swelling, thickening, not a lump, I read a bit before my mammogram appointment. One patient, I forget which website, was told to relax, that almost all cancers were caught on mammagrams before they could be felt in a self exam.

I really had a very false since of security. No cancer in my family. Mammagrams every year. Even if they found something...it had to have been caught early because I had just had a mammagram last year! I think maybe that some women don't do the self exams because they count on their yearly mammagrams....I think the cure for breast cancer movement is missing the mark on some awareness issues. Have you read WontDieofIgnorance (That is a user name for a successful writer out of CA I think, her story is interesting. She past in Feb.

Anyway - I'm just chattering away - but at least I'm not dwelling on myself so much, although it doesn't look like! My family is in town so I guess I need to get some sleep. I haven't seen them since the cancer. I may take a few minutes and read some of the boards here 1st....someone may need a few words of wisdom!

So much affection, admiriation

Blessings, Hugs, Hope, Laughter!

Vol4Life

(And still no spell-check!)

Juliecc

Jerilyn, I'm really sorry about your path report and that you have to do chemo. Big hugs. t's good you came out on facebook because you may find amazing support from people that you would least expect it from. I announced my breast cancer on FB a week or 2 after my BMX as well and have had a few soapbox posts in the past year hoping to educate the masses. I've also had friends tell me they went to get their overdue mammogram because of me. I know mammograms might not detect ILC or IBC but if I can get my friends to check themselves, get mammograms, and advocate for themselves, my soapbox posts are worth it. Hang in there.

grammakathy

Jeri - You have definitely had three rough months, with the news getting more challenging as you go along.  It is wonderful that you shared your news in such an informative way.  Most of us started out thinking breast cancer is one disease, and didn't understand that there were differing types until we were forced into learning the facts.  Your clear description of how you discovered your thickening and how it was found after you pushed your doctors to investigate will encourage others to do the same.  You have saved lives by opening up and sharing.

I have the most common IDC, hormone positive, HER negative cancer.  It was noted on my mammogram in 2011 but their concern at that time was my right breast which turned out to be a cyst.  The mammogram noted the spot on my left but dismissed it as not being cancerous.  So when I received the call back in 2012, I didn't expect anything to really be wrong.  And when they confirmed IDC in my left, I insisted that they recheck my right side (my BS was a real jerk - saying that if I wanted to be poked needlessly go right ahead but he wasn't worried about my right side).

Keep fighting and sharing with others!  You have the spirit to make a difference!

Kathy

December

kathy

"(my BS was a real jerk - saying that if I wanted to be poked needlessly go right ahead but he wasn't worried about my right side)."

Wow - I am really tired - but I can't believe that your ex BS said that! One thing I've learned is that...I'm not sure I trust doctors as much as I did before. I guess for most of my life I fiqured If you earned the degree you knew what you were doing...but I'm not so sure any more.

I'm looking forward to a peaceful, easy Sunday! How about you? !!!!

Jerilyn

I_Spy

Jerilyn, your posts have helped me. I am 51 and I live alone, and I will be having PBMX in July. I already had a lumpectomy for DCIS, and now there is something suspicious that has to come out right next to where the DCIS was, so I'm done. Reading your posts really helped -- and I gasped when I saw what the note on your windshield said. If that person knew what he/she had done, they would be ashamed and mortified. You have also reaffirmed for me the reason I am doing this surgery -- I feel like there is more there we don't know about, and the pathologists will find it after the mastectomies. And I haven't come out on FB yet! Thanks for sharing your story; you got help from the ladies here (wow Gramma, words of wisdom!) , but I thought you'd like to know that you helped me as well.

December

Ispy! You don't know how desperate I was to hear those words! It is somehow healing for me to know that if nothing else, I've contributed something that makes life a tad bit easier for someone else! Trying to find a purpose for this "attack".

And I understand...I think all of us here understand. I too, read lots, and lots of posts in the beginning (when first dxed)...just trying to get some idea of what the next few weeks, months, years were going to be like for me ... (But you are not a newbie - almost living with your new reality for close to a year now!) I'm guessing that I will be a newbie at each new turn of this journey - searching out the wisdom of those have traveled this road before me. I would say some silly words like, oh you will be just fine - but you and Iand everyone here knows - there are no gaurentees! But we can keep our Spirits strong and alive! Of course I pray for all the best to come your way.

I will tell you that being mostly by myself this past 10 days has almost been a peace of cake! (Easy to say now...the first 5 are behind me) - But honestly I don't want to be around anyone anyway.

I had a mystery illness just after turning 50 - I remember the Dr. telling me after 50, it was "tuck & duck"! I didn't know how right on spot he was! I think we will all have our good and bad moments - But I remind myself - that's the way life is for everyone.......

"Coming Out on FB"...ug...I put that off as long as I could! I believe in prayer as much as the next person - maybe more - and it's always nice to be in someone's prayers - but I never could be one of those folks who posted "Prayers please....doctor just told me "fill in the blank" and of course 100 Likes and "Prayers" comments follow. Just not my style. But - it turned out okay. I was surprised at how few people knew about ILC (shouldn't have been surprised, I had never heard of it either) - so there were lots of comments about "thanks for sharing...good info to know" --- but only one person actually "shared" the post - And that is my whole goal - to have ILC women dxed a lot earlier! But if they rely on mammograms - they are in trouble- and they will be just like me..."How is that possible - I never missed a mammogram since I was 40! Now I'm stage 3!"

Please PM me if you ever need anything or are curious about anything I might have knowlege of. I'm an open book!

As for that nasty note, I agree with you - that person must have been going through their own personal hell to have gotten so angry and mean. You never know. But I'm saving the note, heck I might frame it! It's a good reminder for myself - like my Mom said, "Count to ten" first. I might start taking the note with me to my Dr. appts for those moments when I'd like to give my BS a BMx!

One or two things I found helpful after my surgery, coming home, that I had not seen posted before. My daughter brought me a shower chair so I could lean down and wash my hair under the bath foset without raising my arms above my shoulders. She also but a slip shower mat on the outside of my bath instead of a regular bath rug, so when I got out of the shower, the rug wouldn't slip under my feet while I'm drying off. I've never needed the "little pillow" everyone keeps talking about. But I have my auxillery surgery soon...may need it then. And because I live alone, I'm glad that I had a ton of veggies & fruit cut up, and plenty of easy stuff to fix that I like - yogurt, prepackaged micorwave rice in a bowl, cereal, - well, I could go on and on! I got all the clothing I was going to be wearing out of the cloest and drawers and folded/ stacked them on my couch for easy access. I rarely sit in the recliner like seems to be the preference for most, but sit/lay in bed propped up by @ 6 pillows. I think everyone finds their own way through this.

I've kept your attention for to long - I love to ramble!

Blessings, Prayers, Hugs, & Laughter!

Vol4Life (Go Vols!)

Jerilyn in Tennessee

I_Spy

Well I'm glad to know that you're making it through while living alone. I'm like you: sometimes I would rather just be by myself, but that can lead to trouble when you can't sit up in bed! So good to know it is manageable. I have a shower chair (oh goodness the year I've had...) and I wrote down "make meals ahead" on my list of things to do before my surgery right after I read your posting! I'm also getting a mastectomy surgery kit with shirt (that has pockets on the inside) and lanyard for the drains to attach to while I shower, from a website I found. Sigh. getting ready for surgery, here we go....

December

Looks like your good to go! I think 2016 will be OUR year!

So happy for you - not too much more waiting!

Vol4Life

I_Spy

Thank you Jeri!