Starting chemo January 2009?

Hi Jewels!  I am very pleased to report my complex cyst on left ovary is no longer there!  I have a cyst on my right ovary but it's just a regular cyst that women get and they come and go throughout life, so it's nothing.  I am very excited, because this was a big worry for me.  Now I can enjoy the weekend and my daughters 5th birthday party is today.   My other mastectomy and tissue expander surgery is in 11 days, on the 23rd, woohoo!  Have a great weekend Jewels.

Good for you JillyG, that is wonderful

Hello Ladies: Finally getting on to the computer so I can post.  I  read all your updates on my phone. Good news I get updates regularly - bad news I can't reply from my phone and I always put off getting onto the computer.  On summer vacation now and it feels good to feel good.  I will be glad when I get past the point when I am doing something (like my husband's yearly concert at a local park) and I remember how sick I was last year and couldn't go.  At the end of the school year this year I got all emotional about the fact that last year at this time I was not even sure I would be going back to work this year and I had three great classes this year which I would have missed.

Wonder when those kind of thoughts stop and I stop feeling like I am living on borrowed time....

Great to hear you got good news JillyG.  I am so happy to hear how well you are all doing.

I am putting off seeing the PS which I need to do but really really don't know if I am ready for another surgery.  Feeling so good I hate to intentionally ruin it.  Does anyone know how long insurance will still cover recon after diagnose and treatment?

On the up side I am feeling really good.  Son just graduated today from 8th grade.  He is my last of four going off to High School next year.  Wow! How time flies. Grandbaby is growing like a weed and her Mom just got word that she was accepted into nursing school so life is treating us all well.

Bless you all dear sisters.  Am so proud to be a January Jewel.

I was just dreaming about this last night.  Tried to get someone to understand when I said I don't know if I'll be here next year, I never know.  Obviously its been on my mind a bit too.  

Lady Jane, I don't think there is any time period you have to comply with for recon.  I've known women to do it a few years down the road.  Whether our options for different types of recon change (like the PS no longer want to do a free flap) I dont know but would imagine may be an issue, but insurance paying for it isn't an issue from what I've heard

Dealing with a little vertigo today.  Not bad enough to keep me from driving three minutes to the train station but enough to make me feel slight queasy on and off during the day and to interfer with concentration.  I had serous vertigo a few years back, Positional Vertigo.  Nothing serious but had me out of commission for a few days.  Had a litte recourance during Chemo due likely to dehydration.  This is likely also related to dehydration or maybe the Tamoxophin, but of course that darn pessimistic voice in my head has to whisper Brain mets at me.  I am embrassing her with love, since she can only be who she is, but I am not giving weight to her opinion. 

HI Jewels:

Yeah cystless JillyG!!!   Great news!   any genetic testing results yet?

So are my calculation right?  Renrel and JillyG are having surgeries ont he the 23rd?   Good healing vibes going your way !!

ladyjane: you and your grandbaby look great -- what a difference a year makes.  

rsben70 :  good news?? please??

I had my three month check with med onc... CXR and labs normal..  All is good... wish this two inches of seroma and scar tissue was gone -- feels creepy in there.   Have a feeling my bs will want to excise it --- not sure I want to monkey around with radiated tissue.  Don't see her til Sept when I do MRI and mammo.    I plan to not think much about it -- except for those insidious thoughts about mortality that creep into my brain from time to time.

Relay for Life went great.   Less emotional for me this year.  Hardest part was seeing the families of those who lost someone this year.  And seeing the names on all the paper bag luminaries -- esp those who were in the chemo treatment rooms with me...and are now gone.  As we were preparing to leave, one of my team members said -- "Same time next year, gang!!"  It was a "mortal moment" for me -- I said, "God, I hope so".  Kinda brought us home to why we were all there -- Fighting Back against this miserable beast.   

Stay strong Jewels !!

Hello  Ladies:  JillyG since it is Friday I assume your surgery is done and over with.  Hope all went well and you are on the road to recovery.  The story about your daughter wanting to keep the fake boobies gave me a chuckle.  That is why I love working with that age group you never know what they are gonna say.

Rsben:  Any word on your biopsy yet.  I have been thinking of you and keeping you in my prayers.

Hope you are feeling better Renrel.   It is crazy how our mind  worksisn't it.  I was so sure I did not have cancer when I found my lump..was really like oh it's probably nothing - not too worried, etc.  Really had that it wouldn't happen to me attitude. I was shocked when they said it was cancer. Now I worry that every ache and pain might be a reoccurrence or new cancer.  

kt57  Thanks for the compliment.  I think we both look pretty good in that picture.  A year does make a world of difference.  Whenever I work out or even just go for a walk through my neighborhood I remember how hard that was not so long ago.  Never been more appreciative of my good health until I did not have it for a while.

Keep smiling.

Patti

I spent 5 hours overseeing tie dying at our annual village festival/block party event.  Last year I think I managed to staff the bounce house for an hour.  What a difference a year makes! 

Plutz - you have a strange defination of "not much going on." LOL

 Today was a nice day.  Celebrated my husband as much as possible.  Let him sleep late, helped DS make a card. We all went out to breakfast.  Then, at DS suggestion, played mini-golf (Dads got in free which made it an even better suggestion), took DH to home depo to get his present but he decided to wait till he needs the tool and keep looking for it on craigs list.  At home he decided to do some work on a bench he is making for me around our front tree (a huge oak, we could not touch hands around it).  I ran out in search of gaspacho for a cool dinner.  Had to go to 3-4 stores till I found some.  Then at home we set DS up with a movie and mac and cheese and retired upstairs with some wine for a little pre-dinner entertainment.  DS is now in the bath and I need to get him moving along.  Tomorrow is his last day of kindergarden, just a half day.  Boy did this year go by in a flash.  

Tomorrow I get my nipples.  Wish me luck, meaning that they come out looking good and natural and that my nerves are still weak enough that it does not hurt. 

Jilly and Renrel--Sending good thoughts your ways for great results with the surgeries!

Plutz--know what you mean about student drivers!! My 15.6 girl now wants to drive me all over. I'm supposed to reduce stress, right!! Well, most of the time she's fine but I'm on the edge of my seat. She likes to talk talk talk while driving (says it's the only time I HAVE to listen to her). I guess they're used to multi-tasking.

My surgeon agreed that I should have an MRI. It's scheduled for next week. The order said 2 breasts. I only have one but they said they look at the underlying tissue. I wasn't nervous from my mammo last year, but am nervous for this, as it was the MRI that found all the multi-focal issues as well as lymph nodes. I also see my ob-gyn nurse pract next week finally for a pelvic exam.

It's summer break! I'm taking a 3-day seminar this week on sustainability and schooling. I'm a big school gardens fan, but just didn't have the energy this year to get one going with my new Kinders--hope I'll be more up for it next year! I'm starting to feel like I can maybe make plans. That maybe I'll be ok for awhile. As we all've been mentioning, it's so hard!

Easy peeze.  Just the local for numbing. Felt a little of the tattooing at the end when she was going over her work a bit, but I didn't even take an advil after it was all over.  I was just really worn out, maybe the not eating for 12 hours and laying flat on a table for over an hour.  I get a twing now and then but it is really not noticable.  I get to take the bandages off on tuesday and get a good look.  I got a glance before the bandaged me, but the angle did not allow much of a view.  Look good as far as I could tell. 

 Apparently there are about 70 different method for making nipples, which means none of them are great or everyone would be doing the same few methods.  

got my tissue expander surgery and proph mast on right side.  I am doing pretty good and resting at home.  Hubby is waiting on me hand and foot which is great!  He is at kindergarten orientation with my daughter right now, first time I've been alone, think I'll have a nap.  I am so uncomfortable and have a pretty bad heat rash all over my body, but all in all, it's been okay.  My doc is going on vacation so my first fill and followup appt will be July 15th.  Seeing the family doc today to get my drain out (YAY!) and she'll have a look at the rash.  The drain is xactly how I remember it, just plain annoying!  Hope everyone is doing well.  Talk to you soon,

So my check up with the oncologist will be next month and it will be a new one.  I think my former oncologist is retiring. It will be strange and I am nervous about it. 

Good to see the JJs checking in.