Anyone from Montreal, Qc?

Thanks Marie!

I am too early to say but there definitely is not much feeling right now.  Hoping it will improve somewhat but not overly optimistic.

Take care.

YO: Hope your fill went well today and good luck with chemo tomorrow. I'll be thinking about you.

Had my 1 week post op app. today but he did not remove the drains. He wants to wait until I drain out only 30 ml for 2 days. So I am stuck with them for a couple more days, hoping they will be gone Monday or Tuesday. I have been feeling more pain since yesterday - my presc. for Naprocet (anti-inflammatory) finished yesterday and I am feeling it. How long were you taking drugs for ? I hate presc. drugs but feeling pain is not fun either. Maybe that is why I have been feeling a little blue lately. I should be excited to have the LCIS gone and move on but I am feeling a little down about the loss ! I guess having had a lumpectomy first I felt like the cancer had been gone for a while but in reality the LCIS was there through out my whole breast just waiting .... I am usually a very strong person, and very positive but I seem to have hit a bit of a roadblock. Anyway I am sure I will feel better soon - likely as soon as I feel less pain and tightness !!

Take care

Marie

Hi Terri and everyone,

I have not posted in awhile and took a break over the holidays. I hope 2010 brings everyone plenty of health and happiness. I have had several Dr. appointments these past weeks and I struggled with my decision regarding treatment.  Even with my past history of Hodgkins disease  and the fact that I already had radiation all my doctors are of the same opinion that a  BMX for my specific situation is very drastic. I trust Dr. Lambert's  opinion as she is an excellent oncologist. I know the decision is mine in the end .  I am not willing to do the usual external radiation due to my previous radiation and the possible nerve damage to my brachial plexus which is very painful.  Even though the risk is minimal I am not willing to take that chance.  So because of my specific early stage and the very small IDC in just one area Dr. Lambert recommended that I see another specialist at the General that specializes in local radiation Brachy Therapy. Only the area affected is treated internally and this apparantly is just as effective in  my specific situation.  There are only 10 treatments over 6 days (no treatment on weekends )  I did additional tests to ensure that I am good candidate and after  much thought I decided on this treatment for me.  I  pray that I made the right decision. Because of my history I will never have peace of mind and even with a BMX I will still need to be monitored closely so I hope that this and my Arimidex will solve the problem and I will never have to face this again.  I met with the doctors again yesterday and initially I thought I did not have to be put to sleep but I may have to because not all anesthesiologists will agree to do only a nerve block which also has its risks. OMG what a day yestereday I had to have an MRI (never had one before )  so they could determine the precision of the catheters. I suffer from panic attacks so being in a confined space was a nightmare.  So basically on Wednesday they insert about 11 or 12 catheters  .. surgery is about 1/2 an hour and then once I have recovered I will have to have another MRI (another panic attach )  to make sure everything is in the exact place  and then in the afternoon I will have 1 treatment .  The treatment is very quick.  The first day is apparantly the worst and then the following 4 day will be 2 treatments one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. And on the last day I will only have 1 treatment and then they remove the catheters which is very quick.  They are just pulled out apprarantly . According to my nurse Josee  ( she is the nicest person ) I will be fine to go back to work in between treatments.   Thank God it's winter and I could wear some baggy tops to hide my bandaged boob.  I do not know what to expect from this treatment and In Montreal they only started doing this type of treatment since 2001 so I am so so petrified. Apparantly excellent results were achieved but I am still so afraid.  

Sorry for the long post and  my spelling mistakes .. I am typing so fast ..... Besides all this medical stuff I am so so busy at work and have to even come in tomorrow.  I guess it's a blessing cuz I am not always focused on this BC stuff. 

I think all us Montreal ladies should plan a get together some time in the spring and have one bit celebration!  

Good luck  and hugs to everyone.

I will keep you posted next week.

Sylvia

Sylvia, I glad to hear that you've made your decision and are going ahead with the radiation. I know how worried you were and I'm happy that you're comfortable with what your Dr's are telling you to do. The type of radiation you are going to have is much more "targeted" and that at least alleviates the concerns you have about being radiated for the second time. Ten treatments will be over before you know it and then you can get back to some normalcy in your life. I know they've only been doing this type of radiation for nine years but we have great Dr's in this city and you're in excellent hands. With the unfortunate rise in breast cancer, they must have performed this procedure on many women so I don't think you have anything to worry about. I feel for you when you say that you are claustraphobic - having an MRI must be a nightmare! But at least you'll be followed very closely from now on and that should give you some sense of security.  I wish you the best of luck next week and I'll be thinking of you on Wednesday. If you need me for ANYTHING please don't hesitate to ask.

Kerkle: I didn't have any drains with my exchange. He did some pocket work but I guess not enough to warrant drains. I have heard of some women on the EC forum who've had drains after their exchange..did you ask over there what their opinion was? You said you were having your exchange, fat grafting and a hysterectomy all at the same time? Boy, you sure are one tough lady...lol Hats off to you for getting all this finished as quickly as possible! You should PM Deborah "Whippetmom" on the EC thread and ask her about fat grafting. She's had it done 2x. The first time her body re-absorbed about 50% of the fat that was grafted. I'm not sure if where they take the fat from has any impact on whether or not it will be re-absorbed.

Have a great weekend everyone and I second Sylvia's idea for us all to meet one day in the spring!

Terri

Kerkle: She's right about being put to sleep as little as possible. I wonder how long it takes for the anaesthetic to get out of our systems? Eleven months is a long time to have those darn TE's in. You'll be more than happy when the time comes for them to be removed. I think you should read Dr Lee's book on "What your Doctor may not tell you about breast cancer". It's an amazing book and gives very detailed information on  how your body needs progesterone and the healing effects of progesterone. Especially if you're going to have an estrogen patch. The progesterone will help balance your  hormones. You may want to look into that...just an idea. I'm using progesterone cream and I find I'm feeling better. I order it online from the US along with a bunch of supplements. I can get most of the supplements here but it's cheaper to get them online. I find the health food stores charge much more.With the progesterone cream my hot flashes have subsided to about 2X a day instead of the 15 or so I was having before. There's a forum on this site for progesterone you may want to join.....

Terri

Hi Girls;

I have been away for a month and am now back in Montreal. I am scheduled to have implant surgery with a lift to the unaffected side in Feb/March. I keep reading here about Dr.Karl Schwarz and was wondering if I should try to see him for a consult before my surgery with my PS Dr.Zelt. Any of you have implants without issue expanders? I had a lumpectomy followed by chemo/rads 3 years ago and am only now ready for reconstruction and to feel better about myself. Any suggestions/advise would be most appreciated.

Debbie

Thanks Kerkle.

Wow, my typing sucks!   Meant to say FEC100 x 4.

Take care ladies.

Hello Mtl Ladies !

Glad to read you are all doing pretty well. I am feeling a little better - less blue - and am slowly adapting to my new reality. As long as I take 2 advil every 4 hours I feel pretty good, the tightness in my chest is as not noticeable so I am thinking less about the whole thing. I just can't wait for a) have my drains taken out - hoping they are gone by mid to end of week which would put it at 2 weeks and b) that feeling like I am completely engorged ( those of you who breastfeed will know what I mean) - tightness - to go away. I am looking forward to having a normal life again - that does happen right ?????

Terri: I also have terrible hot flashes from chemo induced menopause - I have not had my period since my first day of chemo (august 6th) and the hot flashes started pretty much right away. Funny enough I found that taking Tamoxifen reduced the number and intensity of the hot flashes. I confirmed that because I stopped taking the tamoxifen on January 1st before my op. and the hot flashes have returned and become stronger since. I started back on tamox on sunday and will see if there is a diminished impact again. I however had terrible fatigue while taking tamox so am not looking forward to that SE coming back. I guess I have to give it time and see how things progress. Can you give me more info on progestorone cream - is that safe for us who are PR + also ?

YO: Hope you are not suffering from too many SE from your chemo last week !

Sylvia: Good luck wit your rads !

Kerkle: Good luck with your upcoming surgeries. Looking forward to hearing how good it feels to have those TE out. I have only had mine in 1 week and am already going nuts. I hope it gets better and I feel them less and am able to do more soon. I think you said you were able to exercise with them, do you thing I will be able to do Yoga as well ?

I agree it would be nice to all get together and meet at some point !

Marie

Marie:  Here is the link to the progesterone cream.

http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/79/topic/736306?page=1

The ladies on the progesterone forum are very knowledgeable and can help you with any questions you may have. Not that I don't want to advise you it's just that there are some who are far better informed than I am to answer your questions. 

I had my progesterone levels checked and I was WAY LOW and that's when I decided to start using it. It has made a difference in my sleep habits and as I mentioned has ut the hot flashes to almost none. I also read Dr Lee's book "What your Doctor may not tell you about breast cancer". It gives very detailed information on how your body needs progesterone and the healing effects of progesterone. Before you decide to take it, I recommend you read the book and decide for yourself if this would be something you could benefit from.

On another note, I hope that you're getting used to your TE's. It does get better, it just takes some time for your body to adjust. You'll be able to pretty much do anything soon although at the very end stages it was a pain to try and do my own pedicure. The TE's kept getting in the way and I couldn't change my polish!...lol

Sylvia, If you're around, the best of luck to you tomorrow. I'll be thinking of you and praying that all goes well. I'll give you a call sometime tomorrow....

Terri

Hello ladies,

 Thanks for all your good wishes.  Everything went very well yesterday with my surgery and I was even able to have 1 treatment.  They were able to insert the catheters with a nerve block and lots of drugs to partially knock me out.  I thought I was having 10 treatments but according to my Dr. 8 should be enough so I have 6 more to go and should be done by next Tuesday. Now that I know what to expect it's very doable and really not that bad. Thank God I feel good and I am able to come to the office in between treatments .  We spend so much time worrying about the unknown but we have to have faith that everything will work out for the best in the end. 

Terri,  Glad to hear that everything is progressing very well with you . Thanks so much for calling me yestereday . It is always a pleasure to hear from you.

Yo.   The best of luck to you for your upcoming treatments.  Hang in there and it will be over before you know it. Just curious to know if you work in the downtown area?

Marie, Glad your surgery went well and you are starting to feel a bit better.

Kerkle, I just had a hysterectomy (for endometriosis ) last June before I knew about my BC. I was also petrified because at 50 I was still not in menopause and according to my blood tests all my hormone levels were still very normal which even the DR said was odd because of my age.  I was terrified of being drastically pushed into surgical menopause and I was expecting the worst , especially after reading some of the horror stories on some of the hysterectomy discussion boards.  I am so grateful that I did not have any major SE and my hot flashes are minimal and very tolerable. Everyone is very different. The pain post surgery was not an issue either and I was up and about 48 hous after the surgery. I did not even need any pain medication .  I was also at the Royal Vic and it is one of the best hospitals for gyno issues so you are in good hand.  Which Dr. is doing the hysterectomy? 

Take care ladies and I'm looking forward to meeting all of you!

Sylvia

Marie: I Had my surgery on June 30th and my first fill was the day he pulled out  the drains which was 2 weeks after surgery. I guess everyone is different. I know you're anxious to get this over and done with but believe me, going slower and being cautious is the way to go here. You don't want to fill too soon and risk having issues. Also, you don't want to fill too much each time either. An exchange date of June is not unrealistic. I had my surgery 6 months after my surgery. It also depends of course  how much your PS fills each time and how many cc's you want to expand to.

Hope all the other ladies are doing well....sending healing thoughts.

Terri

Sorry for the all the typos...rushing as I type!

Hi ladies,

Glad you are all doing pretty well it seems. Glad you are doing better too Marie. I also had fills when the drains were removed. I was told it helped heal the drain damage better. And yes, driving would have been easier if not for turning! But you will see, if you keep stretching the movement comes back quickly. Just be persistent.

Chemo is going OK. Next one Feb 4. SE's have been minimal fortunately. I had a bad first night but since then it has not been bad. I got some medication for the indigestion and that has helped a lot. This week I will have blood tests to check my WBC's and RBC's so that will be telling. I had fills last week and I am now pretty big, but more like The Thing than Pamela Anderson unfortunately. I guess I will be something else over the summer! I guess it is going to be a long year as I will have to wait after radiation too. Oh well.

I may have to check out the progesterone forum too. I have horrible hotflashes but mine are due to the Zoladex induced menopause. They really interfere with my sleeping lot.

Sylvie, you asked if I work downtown. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depends I guess, I don't work down town. I actually mostly work from home but do go to our office, which is in Laval, quite a bit. I also (usually) travel domestically about every other month. Obviously no travel for me for a while when I go back sometime next month.

Take care all!

Yo

Marie, I know that my left TE shifted and was heading for my armpit the larger I got. Someone on another forum said that I should have worn a sports bra to keep it in place. I'm not sure that would have helped. In any event, other than looking strange, all can be fixed when you have your exchange. If anything, I don't think I would have worn a bra, but maybe a sports type bra would be OK. I'd be careful not to have anything pressing against what  you think is your TE sticking out from your sides.  You probably don't want anything rubbing and possibly causing some irritation on the "inside". Having an infection would mean taking the TE out and starting all over again.

Kerkle, The exchange surgery is fairly easy. Nothing like the BMX surgery. All I can say really is make sure you know what you want at the end of all this. Discuss what size you want to be and get some info on  the exchange forum on sizing. If you have any issues like scaring or something make it clear that you want these fixed at your exchange. I have some scars on the outside of my boobs that I got from the TE fills near my underarms that are quite wide. I though he was going to fix this at exchange so I never put any Vit E oil on them to help them fade or heal. Well, he didn't fix this at my exchange. Had I known that, I would have done more to care for them when they were "fresh". Rubbing oil on them now seems pointless. Also, if your TE's shift towards your underarms make it clear that you want "cleavage". I've seen some pretty wide cleavage on the pic forum that only wearing a bra can fix.

Yo, glad chemo is not too bad so far and hoping it stays that way for you. Good luck with your blood tests. I' have an app't on Feb 4th also so maybe if you like, we can meet. I could maybe come visit while your having chemo. I have to go for blood tests around 10:00-10:30 and then my app't with Dr Panasci is at 2:30 so I have lots of time in btwn. I had to do it that way because they are testing so many things that it gives them more time to process the results before I see the Dr.

Sylvia, hope rads are going well - it'll be over before you know it !  Keep well.

Terri

Yo: Maybe I could meet you in the waiting area just outside where they take the blood (in front of the reception area- it'll be easier to spot you there than in the larger waiting area) at around 10:30? My Dr's app't is at 2:30  afterwards so we can talk a bit before you get called for your appointment. I'll keep a lookout for a blondish wig and red glasses. See you then!

Terri