March 2009 Rads Group?

Nelia- that is the BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST NEWS!!!!!!!!    Oh thank G-d.  I haven't checked your blog lately, I will.  And it would be utterly amazing if your nurse actually was reading your blog.  What an incredibly caring and wonderful thing for her to do!  Definitely you must celebrate this.  I am celebrating up here- I actually started breathing easier for you last night b/c you let 2 days go by without calling, and surely surely they would have called you if there was a problem.  That kind of thing they actually move on.  But... until  you got the word... couldn't be sure.  I have heard of this kind of thing - its a rare scenario, but then so is your whole scene.

Your doc's beside manner leaves a lot to be desired, but overall, they are taking good care of you.  Thank G-d.

So happy for you!!!! THANK YOU FOR POSTING THE RESULTS!!!!!

{{{{Hugs}}}} 

Yes Rachel and I met and it was really like talking with an old friend . We had a great time and Rachel Rocks too.

Thank you, all of you!  I'm not a good dancer, but I was doing the happy dance here!  And breathing again is a nice thing!

 Mary, I agree with Rachel, pure lemons!!!!  But lemonade is good!  On the positive side, it is so great that they actually have these tests now and can at least help women prevent stuff from happening!  No one in my family ever had breast cancer -- I'm the first. I have two sisters, one who is going for a biopsy on the 17th as she just found a lump.  She's already been through stage 4 colon cancer, so I'm really praying that this is nothing.  She's been through way too much already!

Thanks again, everyone! 

Mary- I will PM you who that was

Oh I am definitely still swollen from RADS.  Definitamundo.  Without a bra I got the one up one down.  Got some weird wrinkly stuff on the side too, I think maybe its what stretch marks (from being fat) look like when the boob is up instead of down.Definitely can't even think about lying on my stomach, and even without a bra, when the boob is lying on my skin, it gets heated up and hurts and I get the rash again.  I HAVE to have something between the underboob and skin.  So it's either wear a bra or tuck something under there. Still sleeping like I did during RADs (not counting the really bad times).  Skin is darker, and the nipple has some dark brown stuff on it that doesn't wash off.  When I take off my bra, theres always the indentation from the underwire, and it sticks around for a while.  The boob kinda feels like its made of crepe paper, the nipple is super sensitive, but in a way the whole boob is sorta numb or lacking sensitivity.

I have just resigned myself to being one of the people who has symptoms for a long long time.  And I still have the picture in my head of Spock at the end of the movie when he's saved the ship (and the world, I forget) by going into the room with the radiation, saying goodbye to Kirk "I will always be your friend".... My poor boob, it's taken a lot of radiation.  Sadly or happily, there's no one else here to notice it when I am naked.  It looks OK in the bra during the day.

What I am thinking about is the first post-RADs mammo.  Mammos never hurt me before, but if they are going to squish this poor sore (large) boob, that's going to hurt like a sonovagun.  I am planning to eat some motrin and/or vicodin prior.  I want them to squish it, do whatever it takes to check it out properly, and I don't need to be in howling pain while they do....

Nelia, I am doing the happy dance for you too!  So happy for you!

Wasn't today a beautiful day?  The sun was shining, just some big old puffy clouds floating around, the birds singing.  A great day to be free of cancer!

We have to learn to appreciate anything and everything as each day is a gift!  And, we are all so lucky to have survived the beast!

Have a great day tomorrow ladies!  I'm having lunch with 2 of my girlfriends and then doing some serious shopping.  Need a new bathing suit and some shorts and tops.  Love shopping!

Jeanne

Great news nelia!!!!!!

Mary... that was me that gardened the same day of the oophera thingy.  Granted, they are raised garden beds.  I had it done on Friday and was back to normal by Monday.  A bit tender there for awhile....maybe a week.  I had a hysterectomy 3 years ago but I kept one of my ovaries so that I had hormones.  If I only knew.  Sorry about the BRACA results.  There is a great web site exclusively for BRACA 1 and 2.  Have you found it?

My DH's 4 sisters have tested positive for BRACA 2 so we will be getting him tested first prior to testing our daughters. 

Thank-you Renee, I am debating hyster vs ooph. I have 3 children and a busy life, I do not think I could be laid up for six weeks after complete hyster. Of course  was only out of the hosp. 3 days after my third child( I almost died w/toxemia) and I was shoveling snow(hubby in just flew back to mississippi w/ military) The next day I was moving 50lb boxes of stakes, b/c hot water heater went and I had to clear a path for plumber. As you can see I do not follow dr orders. I am use to doing what has to be done. How did I go from normal to italic? must have hit the wrong key. 

Have a great day!!!!!!

Like when I said "this is natural"  I meant to say "this is life"

I'll second the WOW!!!! That was great Renee. You have such a nice voice and the video looks very professional. I don't see anything to offend anyone - you were even careful to point out that a hair cutting party isn't for everyone. And you mentioned that some cut it short first - I did that because I didn't want to deal with my long hair post surgery.

It says that losing hair can be a traumatic part of treatment but you can get through it and get to a point where you aren't embarrassed about it.

It does leave me wanting to see you with the hair coming back, but perhaps that would undercut the message - the current ending is very good.

Hello Ladies I have been out of town for a while and STUFF!  But have a bit of a situation and I wanted to check in with all of you to see if anyone else has this situation.  I finished Radiation in the begining of May, with 2 of my boosts being cut short due - my incision was breaking down in a spot.  Mind you I have had problems with that area since shortly after my mastectomy in Jan, steri strips irritatated my oh so sensitve skin and ended up with a slight infection.   Well here it is July and lo and behold the same area has broken down and is now a gaping hole.  Surgeon said it may be the CANCER coming back, I said no my incision won't heal (lucky he couldn't read minds. (Seriously, do they think you hear a "may" or a "might") Well, after spending 2 days crying I finally got REALLY pissed off, I am all for them being careful with our health but that was an unnecessary scare!  So I took some antibiotics, and started using polysopin then switched to neosporin.  Low and behold it is starting to heal.  It has been a big hole since the end of April or the begining of May!  Has anyone had a problem with their incision breaking down?  Also, I still have Radiation dermitis, is anyone who finished in May still having skin redness etc.....?

BTW ReneeS your UTube is great! WOW, well done!  Pretty much the way I felt! 

Hey Ladies...I've been out of touch for awhile...just busy, busy.  Wow have I missed a lot!!  

Susie, I finished rads April 29/09, skin breakdown healed up by mid May, my skin is still slightly darker and still warm to the touch on the radiated side.  Roughly around the 2nd week of June I noticed that the are around my collar bone that received scatter radiation started to get really itchy and "bumpy".  I've been putting cream on to keep it moist - which doesn't seem to be helping very much.  It is still itchy, red and bumpy.  Some days I don't notice it at all and other days...man oh man...it drives me crazy.    I probably should call the rad oncologist..guess I am just tired of doctors in general.... 

Hi bluedasher - I have tried the cream and sometimes it works and sometimes not - go figure. However, I really try to use organic products whenever I possibly can.  I suspect that eventually this skin thing will settle down...one hopes.  :-))

Hello all, hope all had a good day. We have finally had some nice weather, no rain!!!! .

Makes me very happy.