December 2009 Rads Group

Thanks! The boosts are causing blisters and the blisters are breaking open. But only 4 more boosts to go. The center I go to doesn't do anything special when you finish. They just say good bye. The play Braum's Lullaby every time a baby is born. I suggested they play "Celebration" when someone finishes Radiation. They liked that idea.

Thursday I have to get An ultra sound and an MRI on my liver to make sure the hemangioma is a hemangioma and not something more severe. I'm just tired of all these tests. Next month is surgery  on the thyroid.

I will survive and celebrate! 

Veggy, I'm sorry that your skin is giving your trouble. Many congratulations on being so close to the end of your rads treatments, though. Soon they will be just a memory. Best wishes for your liver MRI and your surgery. 

Jewly, I'm sorry to hear that you are still having pains from rads. I hope they clear up soon.

Renee, how exciting about your race. I'm glad you had a good time, and that your pains are all gone.

Me: I'm feeling great. I've been done with rads 6 weeks, and I can hardly tell that I ever had them. I'm doing stretches every day to prevent potential problems from scar tissue.

I had my 6-week checkup with my rad onc yesterday, and she said she was surprised at how good my skin looks. It is only *very* slightly darker than the skin on the other side (I can hardly see it), and because of my fair skin she had expected more difference. I won't need any more follow-up appointments for 6 months.

I'm still having an easy time with Tamoxifen. Life is good.

adrienne 

My surgery was December 1st. Except for the huge seroma, I healed okay. During radiation last week it felt like someone was slashing my underarm with a blade. The nurses said it was because the skin was breaking down. Now since I am doing the boosts, the under arm area and under the breast are no longer sore. I have full motion. The boosts on the scar had blistered and now is peeling off. That is a little painful. I am putting the burn cream on it.

I have two more boosts to go and I am all done!!!! Today I had an ultra sound on the liver. Maybe by Monday I'll have the results. I'll bug them tomorrow for any results.

Bonnie, that's crazy that you can't get onco appt....My surgeon imformed my on my last visit that he will be in my life at least for the next 3 years doing all of my mammos..I have my 6 mo follow-up on left breast only April 9....and I was informed by my Onco doc that I will have bloodwork and appt. about every 6 months...

I made an appt with a GYN thinking that I needed a female doc in the mix of this and thinking she would be able to stay on top of any changes in my breast...Well after waiting 45 minutes just to get in the examining room and then another 40 minutes waiting with in an ill-fitting humiliating gown...I had had enough and decided to get dressed and leave, of course that is when the doc finally comes in...To my amazement, in walks in the youngest looking doctor in her little work blues and so damn nice..She was a little set back when she saw that I was going to leave....But, I had had it and was in no mood to ask her questions that I had prepared for the visit......She apologized for taking so long and said she understood completely and had spent way to much time with an elderly patient listening about the woman's personal problems....I told her that to her benefit, that most docs don't stay and listen but that I was just not in the mood to stay....She coerced me to ask her some of my concerns which I had wanted her view on breast cancer being that her office was where somanywomen had found themselves after a shocking mammo dazed and confused....She was so honest with me and said that those patients were referred to a surgeon for about 3 years until they are released back to her that she was an OBGYN and would not have the knowledge of bc...So I asked, well who do we go to if we want a breast specialist to our lives (my surgeon being a general surgeon and my onco being a general onco)....She said that would only be a "Breast Cancer Surgeon" and there are none in our area and that her mother-in-law goes to a great female breast surgeon in a larger city about an hour away....

We discussed many things including diet and she told me that she only wished that most of her patients would take it upon themselves to change thier diets as I had done and we talked about the many environmental concerns that may be causing more  health problems....She spent about 30 minutes with me while I continued to dress and was standing by the door....I thanked her for her honesty and time....When I went to the counter to check out an pay, I was told that thier would be no charge.....I left feeling that I truly wished that I could find a bc doctor with her character.....

YEAH ME!!!!!

I finished rads today! It feels great! I made lollipops (white chocolate) for the chemo department and the rad department. The nurses have been so sweet. I am going to miss them. I'll see them in a month for a checkup to see how the skin is healing. 

The rads doctor wants me to go for an open MRI to check up on a spot on the liver. The cat scan and ultra sound showed the same questionable spot with no definate answer. I guess they want to make sure if it is cancer or not before I get the port taken out in two weeks. I'm not going to worry about it until Friday when I get the results back.

Yeah! Rads are over!!!!

I'm going to use the aquaphor onthe dry patches under my arm and breast and the silvidine (spelling?) on the bright red burnt patches. I still can't believe I am done. YEAH ME!

Good going veggy, I think you are in last place in this group...so glad that's out of the way, now on to good MRI results on Friday....I have my 6mo mammo/us on April 9, I guess we just have to try to stay as positive as we can and hope for good results...I made an appt with a female Breast Cancer Surgeon since my GYN said that she does not follow my mammos and my surgeon and onco are men and general not specializing in Breast, I am hoping I can ask her all the questions that my other docs just seem to brush off...

Bonnie, I have been on Arimidex about 2 1/2 months and no noticible se's...I take citracal and bone supplements since it suppose to do a number on our bones....

Congrats Veggy! Wasn't Veggy the last of our group to finish rads? If so, this calls for a huge group hug! 

I went for an annual eye exam and saw a new eye doctor who was full of information about tamoxifen...  I had told him I refused tamox tx, and instead of the expected shocked look, I got a nod of understanding. He said he has seen some serious SE's regarding vision due to this drug. (Which was NOT among the SE's I had been told about - irreversible damage to the eyes that is reported as tying to see the world though a puddle.)  He also told me they are releasing more and more data that reveals the benefits are far less than originally reported - and that the five year protocol is too short to make any impact, and that most women have to take the drug for at least 10 years in order to see any advantage.   Which of course that increases the risks and SE's....

 Has anyone else heard this? 

Runswith

Yes i have and that is why i will refuse it. After i finish rads I will go back in to my onco and let her know what I have learned and see what she has to say and what alternatives she has to offer, however I will research  the alternative before I will be willing to take it. Also the loss of short term memory and of course other cancers.

I have found going into webMD has been an excellent source to learn about a drug. There is a place to click on that says people who shouldn't take the drug and also reviews from people who are on the drug. So you hear about real se's people are having. With Tomoxifen, under who shouldn't the very first word is cataracts which I have.

Flo

somanywomen- I was in your neck of the woods last week, visiting my folks. You are all such lucky ducks with that wonderful weather this time of year. I came back with some color on my skin. 

Best wishes with the lump. How frustrating!   

Flo, thanks for the heads up about WebMD. I don't think I've spent much time on that one. I'll have to check it out. 

Sending more healing thoughts to Veggy....

Yesterday I quit taking Tamoxifen. I have gained 6 lbs in one month and the PAIN. Very bad. In two days the difference is remarkable. I feel a lot better. My body is confused, but we'll get over that!

My plan is to follow the advice in the Anticancer book, keep my weight down, exercise, eat lots of vegetables, learn meditation (taking a class now), and fight cancer that way. 

It's so frustrating that the doctors refuse to discuss this stuff. Is it because they just don't keep up? We are all very motivated to research and read, but maybe they are not. 

I will check out WebMD - Thanks granma and somany, I am glad to read what you reported about tamoxifen. I'm afraid to tell people I quit because it seems crazy, but not really when you read reports about eye damage and the rest. 

Renee, glad you aren't having the problems I'm having. 

Bonnie

Renee.....are you sure you want to go through more surgery for boobies.....I am still in pain from lump and I think that if you are doing good with your healing then why go through more surgery, but that is me....I just want to take what I have and make the most of it....I try to get by on my personality (ha ha) I'm just not so sure that it would be worth it to get my boobies the same size for additional pain....I'm sorry, it's just me......

Renee...I think if it helps mentally, then it will help physically....My lumpectomy was only a small area underarm, so not so noticible except for scar and dent....Wow, can you imagine shopping for new wardrobe for 120 lbs....I have lost about 12 lbs being on this new anti-cancer diet, but my goal is about 135 lbs which is still 4 lbs away.......I even bought a pair of black skinny jeans......and feel great in them.....so you go girl!!!!!!!

MRI results are back... inconclusive. The same result as the CAT scan and ultasound. Now they want to do a Nuclear Medical red cell tag study. I declined. I only want them to keep an eye on it through a cat scan every 3 or 4 months. I talked to my family doctor because no one was calling and telling me the results. He called the center where they did the MRI and had the results faxed to him.He said not to worry its most likely a hemangioma and to have them watch it. The cancer center finally called about a half hour later and wants this study done. At this point I cannot tolerate any more tests and waiting for the results. I feel like I am going out of my mind. I don't think the Physician's Assistant appreciated my decision. He tried to scare me into doing it. I stood up for myself.

Veggy, that really sucks!!...They get us to do these tests and then they can't interpret them...Have you had a Pet scan?...What would a Nuclear Medical red cell tad study involve and show?...I too haven't heard of it before......I think hemangiomas are benign, so that is a good thing that your family doc thought that's what it might be, can you get a second opinion reading from another doctor that specializes in the liver I believe they are called a hepatologist.....

Once I had a head MRI because I felt dizzyness (My doc over reacted) anyway it came back as saying "possible aneurysm" well needless to say that for a year before a redo to compare, I was a basket case (I was scared to even sneeze) well the follow-up MRI could not even find it, so they really need to stop scaring the crap out of us before they know for sure.....best of luck.....