Class of 2010

GP...keep swimming....you are not drowing...you are swimming, swimming....right?  This TOO will pass.  Apparently liver lesions and the like are not uncommon.  I've seen this so many times on these boards.  Keep swimming....and soon you will be on the cruise...swimming in their beautiful heated pool...

How are all the pink peeps doing?  Haven't heard much lately.  I know I'm finished my rads tomorrow...yahoo...and I'm "crispy critters" right now.

Hi Katie...I will ask the radiologist tomorrow when I have my last treatment.  I've not heard of this before but I know that as soon as my skin started to break they immediately put me on "flamozine"...it's a cream that is an antibiotic as well.  It is quite soothing.

Here is what really helps me:  saline compressess.  Mix some salt in boiled wated and dissolve and put in fridge for a bit.  When cold, get a clean wash cloth and make cold compressess for your breast.  Leave on for a minute then wring it out in the water and put on again.  Do this about 4 or 5 times.  Then put more cream on and close up.  Good idea to put a gauze thing over your breast so all of your cream doesn't get absorbed into the cotton bra you are wearing.  Repeat as often as you can through out the day.  When you think of it...put more cream on, under the pad...all day as often as you can.  The doctor told me there is no way anyone can apply "too much" cream.  It will get itchy...don't scratch.  If you get flamazine, usually it's only twice a day and you don't mix the flamazine with your other cream you are using.  Basically, pretend you are a turkey and you have to keep basting yourself....for about one month.

Keep Swimming....Gobble Gobble.

Just back from the rad onc.  She doesn't know what my "nipple zits" are but we should watch them.  She's never seen such a thing...  she also said they aren't caused by rads.  Yea, right!!!!  I always get nipple zits!  WTF??  Anyway, sorry, just a little vent.  If they get worse she will start me on antibiotics.  She did assure me that she wouldn't stop rads.  That was my panic as I want to be done!!  12 to go.  

Katie 

Thanks for the help, Linda.  It is really not that bad, just annoying to hear that it is not radiation that is causing it...  doesn't everyone have zits on their nipples?  I hear about that a lot in the lunchroom hahahahah

Katie 

Katie - It sounds like you are having the same issue on your boobs that I am having on my stomach.  What they are telling me is that the body is spitting out the stiches.  I hope mine is almost done, seems that 9 weeks out my body would be done, but went to the doctor today and two other areas were spitting them out and they form a little puss pocket around them as they are spitting them out.

Might not be the same thing, but thought I would share.

Congrats Irish!  Do you have to do tamoxifen now? I am done Friday and since it is Mother's Day and my birthday Tuesday I expect a big celebration this weekend.

WooooHoooo IRISH

Celebrate well!  Bubbly must be ordered!!  I am so thrilled when we here the good news of our class members! 

  Hope your boobie feels better too!  It's probably heaving a sigh of releif knowing it doesn't have to go back in that machine!

CONGRATS!!

Congrats to all of you wonderful women who are done with their treatment, what a wonderful accomplishment!  

etk02038 - Happy early Birthday!  I hope you have a wonderful day!

I started my dose dense AC treatment today.  All went well, no SE's to speak about yet!  Nuelasta shot tomorrow, I am hoping that goes well too.  My Onc told me that exercising will make the affects fo the Nuelasta less so I hoping walking every morning will help.

Have a great night.

Irish...have a wonderful time.  thanks for the tip on the flight socks...I am off to Vegas with my son in Sept (there is an annual convention there for people with Stills disease...I think I told you about the crazy auto-immune disease my poor son has)....anyway, the socks will help avoid clots.  I understand drinking lots of water and getting up and walking about will help as well.  Naturally, if you drink lots of water you'll be getting up to go to the bathroom a lot.  LOL.

I guess the possibility of clots is one of those not so good aspects of taking tamoxifen.  Oh well...I like the other side effect...living.

 I am peeling like crazy today...no matter how much cream I use.  All around the nipple area.  I guess this is normal.  What a sight.  And I am trying so HARD not to pick or peel it!!!  Pray for me my pink peeps....I'm a person who LOVES to pick.

Hi Mari-12...and welcome to the club you thought you'd never be a member of!

There are lots of things before you right now and certainly more questions than answers. I hope I can help you a little.  First of all, try to relax. 

One of the key things in your journey is your pathology report from your surgery.  This is going to be the corner stone for what decisions are made in your case.  It tells a story. You will soon find that even if we have similar cancers, our treatment plans are all unique to our own situation/story.  You will learn on this site how to understand your pathology report.  There are lots of threads about this topic and I encourage you to read as much as you can. 

The best way you can make a good decision is to be informed and so when you talk to your oncologist you can feel like you've got some control over what is going to happen.  Get copies of all your reports and don't be afraid to ask questions.  The hardest part is going to be the waiting part...wait for this test...wait for that test....wait for this scan...wait for the results...wait for rads to start...wait for rads to end...etc etc.  It seems like yesterday I was diagnosed but now I'm finished.  Amazing really as I started this journey in November and had all the same questions you have. You've made me remember how overwhelmed I felt at first and how much I relied on this sight to help me understand what was going on.  Trust me...it really helps.

You've asked a number of questions but one thing I'm going to say is try not to get ahead of yourself...one step at a time.  Don't assume the worse...only expect the best.

Personally, I did not have to take chemo, but I am now on tomoxifen and had 30 radiation treatments as well as the lumpectomy and node surgery.  The reason there was no need for chemo for me is because my particular cancer was slow growing, like a slug (and clean margins and no lymph involvement). 

Sluggish cancers don't do that well with chemo...a more techinical word for slow growing cancers (you will see this in your pathology report) is "well differentiated".  So, I was lucky enough to have the well differentiated type of cancer.  Do not panic if your cancer isn't "well differentiated"...as chemo is excellent for zapping cancer...as is radiation.  

Other important factors you are going to want to know is this:  What feeds your cancer?  Is it estrogen or progesterone positive?  (ER+ and PR+)  ER and PR positive indicates your cancer is 'fed' by estrogen.  That is why drugs such as tamoxifen and Arimdex are prescribed.  They block estrogen...and so the cancer is "starved". (You say you are going to take arimidex so my guess is that they already know your cancer is ER+).  

Let me encourage you by saying to you that you will find lots of support here and also lots of good information.  Try to read as much as you can...visit different threads....read read read...it really helps.  Try to keep your humour up as sometimes a good laugh is as good as a good cry.

Welcome, pink peep!  Gentle supportive hug coming at you right now....remember....you are not alone my friend  ((((((((((((((((((Mari-12)))))))))))))))))))

Hi Mari-12.  The bra you wear is very important.  Make sure you are wearing mostly cotton and nothing with under wires.  Personally I went to a place here in Victoria which specializes in mastectomy supplies.  A special front closing bra with special built in pockets on the side, to hold small ice bags was a real God send.  I found that ice packs (do NOT use ice gel) became my best friend and really helped in the healing process.  Small arm exercises really helped as well.  I'm sure you know already about keeping a very small cushion under your arm...especially while you are sleeping?

Don't worry about the "poorly differentiated" thing.  There is a treatment plan for everything and from what you are saying, it seems like you've caught it very early and your surgeon is right on top of things.

You can start now to block estrogen by omitting from your diet anything that is estrogen based.  The cancer nutritionist advises against anything with soy protein for sure.  There are lots of other things as well...but again, information is what you need.

I'm going to guess you might be recommended for chemo.  While nobody likes to take it...everyone likes the fact that it is one of the best weapons against cancers like ours.  My guess is that if you didn't take it...you'd wonder if you should have and will feel always anxious about it.  Even I still wonder if I should have...and had to have a very serious talk with my oncologist about it who carefully explained (and the reading I've done certainly backs him up) that slow, well differentiated (stage 1) small cancers (grade 1) with no lymph involvement and clean margins do not require or respond (well) to chemo.  Now I am not anxious about it.

The hair grow back before you know it...and is often very curly.  I understand the curls don't last that long but it is sort of fun if you're not used to curly hair.  I'm also reading posts from sisters who are having fun with wigs/caps and even painting their heads!  We truly are amazing women, aren't we?

Happy Mother's Day to all the pink peeps out there....you are AWESOME!

Retrievermom: No I didn't go to the Derby this year. We usually watch it from home, too. But I was a little extra excited this year as I found out that my brother's wife's family had a horse in the Derby this year. It was the filly Devil May Care and while she obviously didn't finish in the money, she did come in like 10th or 11th. In a field of 20, that's not too bad I guess! It does add to the excitement though, when you personally know a horse running.

 So glad to see everyone moving along in their respective treatments and doing (relatively speaking) well.

My chemos are finished and I start on the radiation adventure on Monday. I'm just happy to have a few days in a row that I can go out, go shopping, visit friends, what have you, and not feel like a wuss.

Oh, I did get into Lexington yesterday with my sister and went to an opening for William Shatner's wife's nature art. My sister and I got to actually meet William Shatner and he spent about 10 minutes just chatting with us talking about his wife, his horses, etc. It was a blast. I ALMOST felt normal! 

But enough about me, Jeannie, hope you are doing well and hate to hear about your setbacks. But also hope your cruise went well and you got to put cancer on the shelf for a good long rest!

PS: Tip on reducing the fatty liver -- it takes about 4 or 5 days, so obviously don't do this on vacation or a cruise, but get some protein shake powder (I get the Strawberry flavor from Unjury in the single serving packs) and make some banana smoothies with it -- ice and a dash of any flavor crystal light only. Drink those for breakfast for about a week, and for lunch and dinner eat a high protein to carb ratio (with minimal oils and butter, subbing olive oil if you have to have it). Snack on sugar-free jellos and puddings and sugar-free pops.

It's the carbs that help add fat to the liver, so try to reduce or eliminate them as much as possible for a week and increase your protein intake.

I did that prior to some abdominal surgery last year and it worked great.