Starting chemo January 2009?

Jilly: Any news?  Please let us know what's happening?

Celebrated my one year anniversay on Nov. 17th.  Looking back over the journey of the past year, I am amazed at how one year can be so awful and so good at the same time.  As BC tried to beat me down and defeat me God kept putting things and people in my life to keep me going.  For example getting double pnemonuia and spending 8 days in the hospital put me out of work and free to fly to Texas just as my first granddaughter was born. My enablity to perform day to day chores at home showed me how much love my family and friends have for me as they all came to my rescue.  Whenever I was having a particularly bad day someone would be put in my life to boost me up.  I could go on and on but I am sure you have all got your stories too.  I will never be the same person I was before BC.  I have changed physically, emotionally and spiritually. Most of the physical changes I could live without as I still suffer from a lot of joint pain from the Fermara and still recovering from last surgery due to the infection, but the emotional and spiritually changes almost outweight the physical.

Thanksgiving coming up and this was our last week at school until after the holiday so we have done a lot of "counting our blessings" and I have been brought to tears a couple of  times just thinking of how I was suppported through this past year.  How grateful I am to be alive and well again.  I have no recollection of the holidays last year!  Dx was on Nov.17th, surgery on Dec. 6th and I think I was in shock or something because the holidays are a blur.  I am looking forward to them this year.  My sister, who was my greatest support (the onco nurse) is coming for Thanksgiving.  She lives in New Hampshire and she made several trips to see me while I was going through treatment so I am very excited about her coming to see me well again, hairing growing back, etc.  Would really like to do something to show her how grateful I am for all she did for me.  Any ideas?

My 2nd granddaughter (my son's daughter) was born on Nov. 16th.  The day before my one year anniversary.  They are in Hawaii so I have not been able to hold her but did get to see her on Skypes.  She is beautiful of course.  What a year!

Hope all of you are enjoying good health and lots of energy these days which is keeping you all busy busy busy. I get an email everytime someone makes a post so I have been following the posts even though I do not get on to post myself too often.  Do think of you all often.

Patti

Jilly worrying about you.  Please post soon.

Ladyjane- Congrats on yet another grandchild!

 I spent the weekend in NY and NJ with family which was wonderful  Drove down to NY Friday. Had dinner with my BIL's family.  Then drove to my parents house to sleep.  We call drove out to NJ on Saturday for my niece's 5th b-day.  While in NY we took possession of a table my mother has been saving from my Grandmother's home for me for about 7 year. I finally got a car big enough to transport it. The party at my sisters house was alot of fun.  Lots of kids, lots of food, lots of noice, lots of wine.  My sister recently informed me that she had implants put in last year but was afraid to tell me given she did it for consmetic and emotional reasons and I did it for very different reasons.  We had fun peaking down each others shirts.  She thinks mine look better.  Apparently I always had the best boobs in the family and never realized it.  They were just there, not to big, not too small, just right, but nothing that would draw any attention, which was fine.  Anyway we stayed till 10ish. Then drove to my other sisters house for the night.  Today I got to visit with her and she took me to see her new store.  DH and my BIL took the kids to the park.  DH ran into a pole playing tag with DS and  had to go to the ER for stitchs in his eyebrow.  I had to drive home to MA since he could not wear his contacts.  I was not happy about that since my cold has gotten worse and I lost my voice and was looking forward to napping on the way home.  But I managed.  It helped that DS slept the whole way (4hr or so) and woke up as we were about a minute from the house announcing that it was a very quick trip. LOL.  But now DH is going to have a heck of a time getting him to sleep.  With out a voice I am leaving it up to him.  

Tomorrow I have another follow up with PS.  I expect to get released to strech my arm again.  I can't wait to be able to sleep without a bra.  I work in the afternoon and Tuesday is my first full day at work since the second surgery.  Then I will be off Wednsday and Thursday and back on Friday.  Assuming I get my voice back and con conduct a hearing.

Hi Jewels!  Well, the doc called yesterday and said there is a 5mm area of very dense tissue and they couldn't really tell if it was a mass or just dense tissue so that's why I got another ultrasound after the mammo-retake.  She said it's all fine.....phew....a load off my mind.  She said they were just being extra careful and feeling around and then U/S it and stuff to make sure as it was a very dense area showing up. 

I see my plastic surgeon for the 1st time on Thursday so discuss reconstruction.....I feel so excited, I can hardly wait!

I'll have to catch up on the posts over the last week or so, haven't had a chance to read them yet, hope everyone is doing well!

Jilly--GREAT news!! What a relief.

Well, headed down I-5 in a couple hours with turkey and "code blue" potatoes in hand. Finally caught a kinder cold. Crud, and I hoped that all those mushroom supplements were helping me keep my immune system supercharged. Oh well. Coffee and advil surely help. But I feel I'm back to my old ways, which I've been trying to clean up.

Happy Thanksgiving, lovely Jewels!

k

JillyG - Thank goodness it was nothing and thank goodness that they take everything that might be anything seriously with us now.  Anything that is anything should be caught and dealt with quickly.  But It causes an ironic mix of anxiety and security. 

 Not much to report here.  Saw my PS yesterday morning and she likes her work, even took a picture. I am going to see her next week to get a lump removed from my scalp. It bugs me whenever I try to wear a bike helmet.  Then in the afternoon I saw an associate of my primary since my cough has turned into a sinis infection and larengitis.  It took the larengitis to get my attention since I could not conduct a hearing without my voice and mothering is pretty darn hard as well.  

Had a little bit of voice today and went to work but only wrote.  Canceled the two hearing I had scheduled.  Tomorrow I shop for food and cook, after attending a havest festive at DS school - each grade sings a song on stage to the rest of the school.  Thanksgiving is at a friends house near by.  Friday I go to work but no hearings and I am not sure I have enough writing left to keep me busy.  

I found blue potatoes today next to the red.  Never seen them before, they're blue when you cut through them too. Renrel, already promised general mills tops to someone else or would send them to you.

 Found this to be a very very emotional Thanksgiving to me.  A year ago I had a lump growing rapidly and knew it had to be cancer.  This year, I'm recovering from chemo and my family is together and healthy.  AND DS has a second interview in a few weeks.  Stood in line in the grocery store today and realized how lucky I was to know I could buy food for tomorrow.  I am so very very thankful this year and think its the best Thanksgiving I've had since the one when DH and I were home caring for our newborn DS.  

Thinking of all of you January Jewels today and I'll think of you tomorrow.  I sincerely hope everyone has a good day and I'm there in spirit for all of you.

Hi Jewels! Haven't blogged in awhile. I'm glad everything is going well with all of you, Had my 3 month checkup with onc. last week. Went very well. Blood work is fine. All my meds have been working without much side effects. The ony thing I'm concerned about right now is I have been getting dizzy spells. Had my blood pressure checked and it was fine. Does menopause cause this? I'm still geting PT for my shoulder. Its still not right after 3 months. Has anyone else had PT that long after surgery? Anyway, all of you have a great Thanksgiving and we do have alot to be thankful for. God Bless All of you.

Hey Jewels... I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving... I did personally... very grateful to be here...... my family all came to my house... but on a sad note... Tuesday my 72 year old mom had a breast biopsy and it came back Positive... I am still reeling over this news.. it is the same breast she had cancer in 20 years ago.  I can't believe it and it's so unfair....that at her age... she has to deal with this AGAIN.  She has a sit down with the surgeon on Tuesday to discuss her options.  I just hope chemo is not in her future because seriously I do not know how she would get through that.  I HATE BREAST CANCER.  Now the poor woman after seeing me go through the BLM and chemo... she is facing all this for herself... I am sick about it. 

Holtbolt---I am so sorry.  BC SUX big time!  I HATE BC .  I feel sick about it too.

Holtbolt, I am so sorry to hear your mom has to deal with this AGAIN!  She beat it the first time, I know she will beat it again, she must be a tough cookie to have gotten through this once before.  It's just not fair.  I hate cancer.  Go away cancer, nobody likes you!

Thank you Jewels for your thoughts and prayers...

Mom had her sit-down today.  She has ILC (invasive lobular carcinoma).  Since this isn't MY type of cancer.. I find myself reading about it.  Long story short, she has to have a mastectomy.  Surgeon thinks it might be Stage 1 and doesn't see chemo in the picture... but of course no definite answers until all the pathology reports are in.. that whole game.  They took so many lymph nodes on that side 20 years ago that he worries there will be none left to take and test....but he will look.....Encouraging her with those preliminary findings of course... I am sickened to think she has to go through this again at 72.  Breast cancer sucks.  One year ago tomorrow I had a bilateral mastectomy and my mom finds out today she has to have a mastectomy... . Both of us have had TWO bouts of breast cancer..... ridiculous..... A cure MUST be found!

Ever wonder how much money our government spent on committee who recommended the new "guidelines" ???   Wish they would have put that into research for a cure....

I am officially done with doctors until February -- 2+ months!! Yippee!!  completed my cancer screening for the year - pap was normal and the first colonoscopy was normal.   They gave me demerol prior to the colonoscopy -- my new saying is "every day should start with demerol" -- what a blissful haze!   Wished I'd had that through chemo --- though i'd prob have different problems now.

Holtbolt, I hope your mom's survival matches Jess' moms....

holtbolt

sorry to hear about your mom-but ILC grows very slowly, so that is a good thing.... I think I have heard it said that it is better to get a new primary ???? Of course, "better" is a relative term.... she is lucky to have you to support her..... It does not seem fair that you both have had to do this twice.....

thoughts with you

On my way to Cincinnati tomorrow.. mom's mastectomy is Monday morning...  she is kinda losing it.... questioning EVERYTHING... very nervous about the surgery....

momand2kids... thanks... I hope you're right.. and ILC is slow growing and once she has the mastectomy, nothing else will be involved (she had IDC the first time).  I can't believe both her and I have now had bc twice... I have twin sisters and I'm very afraid for them at this point.... my BRCA test came back negative but that doesn't mean mom's won't.  I will push for her to get the test.. but the truth is... (I've been told)... there probably are many other genes that cause bc but they know of only 2 to test for at this point.... so..... who knows....

Anyway.... this is not how we wanted to spend the holidays.. but by Christmas I think mom will be in better shape than she thinks she will.... we just need to get this done and move forward.. as you all know... the waiting and anticipating is the WORST......

Thanks again for your thoughts/prayers! 

Cindy

P.S.  Renrel....My DH just had his first colonoscopy 2 weeks ago and it was the funniest thing ever... they put him totally out and as he was waking up... he looked at me in a glaze and said he thought someone molested him while he was under.. then he drifted back off to never never land.  LOL If you know my DH... this was SO him... and I was in tears laughing....

hotbolt, my heart goes out to you and your mother.  I hope all goes well.