Hi Olivia and welcome. Sorry you have to be here. Michele-so funny, schools tend to be a little uptight sometimes. I hope they enjoyed your green head.  Happy St. Patty's day.

Happy St Patty's to all,

Michele- loved your story and what a great laugh! I love your picture. You have such a wonderful smile.

My husband is doing much better. He is still getting the IV antibiotics but not continued drip. May come home tomorrow. His white blood count is coming down and his strength is coming back. Oh thank you God and medicine! He will continued out-patient.Thank you all again for your good wishes.

I am down to four more radiation treatments. I really had no side effects except for red itchy rash and pink/red booby.

Where has Linda been? I hope you are ok.

A special blessing to you Irish47-Cora on this day and dublin4. Today here was cool and we had a soft rain. I wore my green raincoat I bought in Adare. A perfect attire for the day. Terry and I will make up for the celebrating we love to do on this day.

Here is to the luck of the Irish and may it be upon us all. 

hugs to you all from; 

GP Jeannie

Hi pink peeps!  I've been away visiting my son (he has Adult Onset Stills Disease) and is not well at all.  I did a lot of cooking/shopping...mom stuff.  He appreciated it very much.  He's lost a lot of weight and is in constant pain.  I hate complaining about things when I see what he endures every day.  I know there are a few of us at this site who have children with special needs...it is humbling as they rarely complain.  Oh my.

Now, for my complaints:  I will not be doing the twice a day radiation...but rather once a day to the whole breast...25 regular treatments and 5 boosts.  Not sure the difference between a regular shot and a boost shot...but I'm going to rely on our GP to tell me...LOL.   I start next Monday morning.  I also will have to see the Dr once a week (radiation dr).

No other complaints other than that actually.  I guess that wasn't so bad.

Michele....you are amazing.  I love what you did with the excellent teaching opportunity St Particks Day provided you (and all of us) with!  Yahoo.  You ROCK!

GP...so sorry to hear about your dear husband...and so happy that he is well on the way to recovery.  What a very bizzare kettle of fish that you somehow have landed in....first you....then your mom....then your husband....for crying out loud!!  What is going on?  Well, they say things happen in threes (who in the heck are "they" anyway....a haggle of people running around with lab coats and clip boards and pocket protectors?  I've never been able to figure that one out personally) so let's hope that your bizzare luck of events has run it's course and you are back on track now.  Phew.

Welcome, Olivia...and anyone else new that I've forgotten!  You've found a good place to vent and learn about what the heck is going on with your body.  It really helps to compare treatments and to find out why certain things are important and other things less so.  It takes the mystery out of the equasion somewhat.  When we can de-mystify a thing it is less scary, right?

By the way...did you all read about the new treatment for breast tumors?  Amazing study shows that freezing them (while they re in the body) kills them....who knew?  I'm sure a lot more is going to come out soon about this...but I was so intrigued I cut the article out.  Anyone else hear about 'cryotherapy' for treating invasive breast tumors rather than surgery??  Dr Peter Littrup is apparently the lead on this initiative.  I'm thinking that it might be a real break through for breast cancer that has travelled to areas such as the brain? 

 Boy...talk about "brain freeze"...LOL

Fellow pink pals -- it's been a while since I posted but I have been through my first chemo treatment (#1 of 4 TC) and continue doing quite well all things considered. I had five physical therapy/massage sessions to help eliminate fluid build up and aid my lumpectomy/sentinel node surgery recovery. I am continuing to work daily and have not had too much trouble with the SEs yet. One week post treatment #1 and still holding my hair. I did have some muscle/joint pain due to the neulasta shot but nothing a Tylenol couldn't relieve. I was even able to go for a light run the other day. 

Love the hairdos!  

Hi GP.  Arimidex is one of the hormonal treatments isn't it?  I'm already taking tamoxifen but am curious why the oncologist made that decision rather than arimidex.  So far I've not had any real side effects from the tamoxifen.  I have to admit, I feel a bit blue today but I think it's because of my son and his situation.  So so sad. 

Very happy to hear that your husband is on the mend and is home where he belongs.  Yahoo...

By the way...my breasts have been a little itchy underneath...not sure why.  Haven't started my radiation yet...but they are already itchy.  I admit I like to scratch them because it feels so good...as they itch underneath, right where a wire would be if I were wearing a bra that had wire underlifts (which I'm not).  But it does feel good to scratch right there.  Hope I'm not causing any problems.

OK...over and out pink peeps.

Hi Katie...yes, I as well thought that tamoxifen was for pre-men and the other drugs (I think there are about 3 of them) are for post-men.  Perhaps I look quite young to the oncologist?  LOL.  I believe he asked me about menopause and I said that I've been through it, although hard to tell due to having a hysterectomy at a young age.  Perhaps that is why he did it...because I don't have a uterus?  For sure, this is going to be one major question I will ask him when we meet on the 13th of April.

Hi all-

welcome Newbies-

Linda- becareful of the scratching even before. Maybe put some corn starch, I think I read that. I am getting it now too. More sore than itching under breast.

Two more to go. I asked the tech why now I am having this redness and she explained it is accumulative, the radiation. She said that is why over the weekend you may get more redness than the day of or after. I must admit, aside from the drag of going every day, it has NOT been that bad for me. I am lucky for that I guess.

Linda- I am so sorry for your son's illness. That has to be so hard. It is so hard to see your loved ones suffer. This life is a tough road, with many joys and many heartaches.

Have a good night all and be well.

GP Jeannie here

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!

Mutts    -   SHPRING HAS SHPRUNG!  

Artsymom, hope you're on the mend.

sslepski,

Welcome!   You seem to be upbeat today, and enjoying BC research study at your hospital.   I take breast-cancer treatment one day at a time.

sslepski,

I could pass on that BC research study!   Teka is a spayed silver tabby maine coon kitten.   My baby.   Does your kitty help to keep you upbeat while going through breast-cancer treatment?

Hi Susan and welcome. BC is bad enough but when you mix other problems like BP I am sure it gets  more complicated. I have always suffered from anxiey and depression. The BC dx made it worse until I was done with all the waiting for results. Once I knew the plan I was much better. I am mood wise, pretty much back to where I was. I don't have to do chemo just radiation starting Tues and then Tamoxifen. I am worried about the Tamoxifen  causing issues with my mood. I try to exercise a lot to relieve stress and that seems to help the most. Good Luck to you.

Hi Michele....sorry to hear you are having a bad bones day...I hope when you wake up your pain has subsided somewhat.  I wish you strength and power as you move forward fighting the dragon.  Tomorrow I start my radiation.  I bought the nursing bra tonight, in honour of our GP.  I was going to get two of them but they were $22 so I just got the one.  

Did the green dye come out of your skin?  I had to chuckle about that...it was pretty funny.  I don't think your grandson's school will try to pull that one again.  LOL.  I've got 6 grandchildren and I would probably have done the same thing.  One of my grandaughters (she is now 7 yrs old) had an excess of estrogen and was growing breasts at age 2.  She stopped after about 6 months but was closely monitored.  She is now in a real growth spurt again and they are checking her hormone levels.  I'm concerned about her future, especially now that I've developed breast cancer.  Hope she is going to be ok.  My daughter is right on top of things and keeps a close eye...but still it makes you worry a bit.  Some things are just out of our hands, aren't they? 

Well, good night my pink peeps...sleep tight.  Tomorrow is another day for battle and we need our rest...

second chemo done.   had port put in on thurs.  chemo on the friday.   so far so good this time.   .. on the thurs finally the pathology i was waiting for.   they found some kind of nodule which  some big specialist doesn't know what it is.  could be benign  could be malignant  whatever it is is unusual or rare... the ductal cancer has a 5 cm clearance all the way around.  don't know exactly where this nodule is... seeing my surgeon on monday,,, they want me to see a radiologist.   there is no breast left so what the hell would they radiate... very depressed and despondent about everything.  thinking whether i could afford to go to the mayo clinic for a second opinion....being canadian i know it is a lot of money and i live on disability.      regarding the tamoxafin issue they do give it to post menapausal women.  i was on it.....at 60.  

Hi Laurie...welcome to our army.  I too was told my chances were the same with a lumpectomy as a masectomy.  I chose the lumpectomy as it seemed less invasive and as well, the placement of my tumour along with the size and grade of it seemed to suggest this was the best option for me.  I also have very large breasts and having to go without one would throw my back out for sure.  LOL.  You don't say how old you are...this could make a difference as well.  In the end, it really is up to you and you alone.  You have to ask yourself if you'd be ok without one or both of your breasts.  You have to have radiation when you have a lumpectomy...and that is a given.  If your tumour is in your left breast I think it is important to think about the long term effects of radiationon on your heart.  I know that today they try to avoid having the radiation touching the heart but sometimes it is impossible not to get some of it radiated.  Sounds like you have a great team working hard and fast to get you sorted out and on the road to recovery...Yay!!!!

 Hi Shopper...I've actually heard of some people getting radiation when they've had a masectomy.  I know this sounds strange but in some cases it seems to be warranted.  For sure I'd take a pen and paper to the the Dr's and find out why they want to radiate and as well, what is that lonely little nodule doing on it's own in the hinterland...just being a real bug.  Let's hope they can stamp it out quick.  Who knows?  Maybe that is why they want you to see the radiologist...to zap the nodule that way??? (Just a guess)