June 2010 Mastectomy

I am here too!! In Stavanger until friday

Liz is running a thread called 'starting chemo in august ' something like that anyway, and she's finding it a bit draining......

I noticed a different thread yesterday ' I want my mojo back' all about the dreaded loss of libido etc on different treatments...... it is a great thread, lots of great gals on it, all putting in their two-penneth! I found it very useful but also immensely entertaining - and there's 94 pages!! ...... have a wee look

I know what you mean Getty, diffcult to imagine waiting and getting good news .....

Sounds like you are all doing great!!

LOL

Robin

yes Jilly,   four rounds and halfway done - yaaay!     

I'm still here also, not much going on. My "moving forward" is stalled due to skin issues (necrosis) with one of my breasts. It is very slow healing so no fills for me in the foreseeable future, and possibility of having to remove the implants if things don't heal. At times I start to get down about it but then move back into gratitude - my tumors were small and low grade, my nodes were clean, I am really very lucky. This is just a glitch and I swear, the universe's way of getting me to finally slow down! I see my breast surgeon (1month follow up) and PS tomorrow so I'll know more of where I stand then, whether I will be going back into the OR or not...

Otherwise getting back to active, walking daily most days (on treadmill, can't take the heat outside still), cooking, housework, miss those days of being "taken care of" but also appreciate getting some of my independence back. I've had some really quality time with my 14y.o. daughter and some great talks. We're also going to a beach house for a few days before school starts, since we really never got to take a vacation this summer. My DH & daughter are excited but not me - I can't swim and its too hot outside to do much else, but I'll sit inside and enjoy the view and maybe read a few good books....

As far as tx, I'm waiting on the results of the Oncotype DX to decide my next steps. The onco I saw said no chemo, but need to decide on tax/AI and I will also get a 2nd opinion once I get that report since this is my second bout with breast cancer.

I am here too.

With going back to work, can only get on the computer at night to check in. Trying to get caught up on 6 weeks of work, Ugh! 

Liz is busy running the August Chemo Thread. I keep popping over there to offer help as well. TCH was my treatment, so trying to offer help to ladies on that combo.

My hair is really growing back. I am so excited! Head covered, and now chest growing! Yea, what more can a girl ask for!  

 

Wow Getty, that's really soon! How exciting. Looks like you'll be the first on our June group.

I saw breast surgeon & PS today, ongoing skin problems w/rt breast so no fills :-(, no lifting on that side, I have to continue to take it easy...."No cooking, right, Doc?" I asked in front of my husband......Trying not to get down about this glitch, both docs say "Wait and See. Be patient." So that's my new mantra....

I'm celebrating my last day of being home alone..... WOO HOO!! Okay, that's over.

I go back to work on Monday. Physically I am ready for it, but mentally, I just don't wanna!!! I know that I have to - I need to work and our health insurance is through my employer. But I really, really like being home. My husband is an insurance agent and says that he just needs to make more money and then I can stay home. Pretty simple, huh? I've also had some hiccups with the disability payments. My state (CALIFORNIA) showed that I could go back to work on July 14 and the PS had to re-certify my disability through the 8th. His office sent the paperwork 2 weeks ago and they are "still processing it" according to the person I spoke with yesterday. It could be the end of next week before I have a check approved, and by that time, it will be almost a month with no income on my end. Thankfully, all the important bills are paid and my DH got paid on the 1st. My company has a supplemental plan which was quick to re-certify me and I should get something early next week. I had heard horror stories from employees about our state disability plan. The last thing anyone needs is to deal with these problems while they are disabled. I am thankful that this occurred at the tail end of the disability and not the beginning.

My PT is over now. I see the GS on the 16th for a follow up but don't go back to the PS until mid-November to discuss the exchange surgery.

GETTY: I am jealous that you get your exchange surgery so soon!! Good for you! And where are you sailing? We are going on a 7 day Mexico cruise the week after Thanksgiving, and it looks like the tissue expander gets to go as well, since the PS told me the exchange surgery would be in December.

Well, I am going to get myself together and do a little clothes shopping today. I went to the thrift store yesterday to find pants for my 8 year old and was not successful. I usually find really cute things there for my daughter and they have very little wear. Maybe I'll find something for myself as well. Oh, and I got my mastectomy bra but now I need some fake foob stuffing for the right side. I will have to use the sports bras until then.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Getty congratulations on having your exchange date- wow!  So excited fir you.  Have a wonderful trip, kick up your heals, celebrate your strength- and then relax

Renee I hope the whole mess with disability works out quickly so you don't have to think about it for too long.  Glad to hear you are planning a trip too and have something to look forward to.

Stcardsfan- Glad things seem to being going well with going back to work.  I love the excitement and energy of your last post hooray!!!! It is exciting to get some boobs back and hair.  So happy for you.

 Melissa It must be great to have all your friends around to help you out.  I am sure it has been a big help mentally and physically.  I hope you keep healing and gaining strength.  Glad you are doing so well:)

Well, I made it being on my own for the week.  By the end of the day Monday Iwsn't sure if I could do it I was so tired.  But I seem to have caught my second wind.  It felt great to do the shopping with my kids and make cookies and do normal things we used to always do.  My older son seemed like he was thrilled to have "our life back"  it's nice when he just walks up to me and hugs my leg and tells me he loves me for no reason.  We have plans to spend the day on a boat on the lake tomorrow with family and then go to a hot air balloon rally for a night glow and fire works.  The kids, and me, may sleep for two days straight by the time we are done!   But it should be fun.  

Sometimes I feel like I am in limbo, everyone amazed at how well I am doing.  I am surprised at how well I am feeling.  But there are moments where I still feel like I need a time out and can't believe that all of this has happened to me?  A good friend of mine was over the other day (she lost her mom to BC too) and we were talking and she commented on how full of crap we are.  How we never say things suck only how lucky we are.  We were talking about our Moms and I said, "I was so lucky that she was able to die at home and I could be there for her."  It is silly- what is so great about that?  After all she died, it was very traumatic for me and my father to  watch alone.  Yet I always say how lucky I am.  I think it is a way to push through and survive through that and now this.  I always say how lucky I am.....lucky I had cancer?  Ahhh well, that is my deep thought for the day.

And don't get me wrong, I am stil singing the lucky tune... it is way better than the poor me tune.  You can't even humm to that one :P 

Laurie:  Thanx for your comments.  I need to hear true feelings sometimes.  My mom has Alzheimer's and I'm supposed to be happy I have her But Is she happy?

I had mt first fill today and was told I look great But I was happy with my old boobs I never complained.I just want to say I don't want "new perky" ones.

jsmiley60:  I took Arimidex for a few months.  I was diagnosed with LCIS in 2007 and started on Tamoxifen because I was still getting my period.  After some memory loss in 2010 i started on Arimidex.  I didn't notice any difference until it stopped working.  My hot flashes came back along with my sensitivity to jewelery containing nickel.  I was diagnosed with DCIS in the other boob. Result BMX

 GOOD LUCK

Hello Ladies

Checking in after another week of work.  It's good to read about all the progress in your lives and to share in the sorrows.  Hopes for healing for all.

It was good to get back for the mental stimulation but I am not sleeping well (due to hot flashes) and by Thursday I am really tired. 

My PS wrote me a scrip for Ambien and I have been sitting on it for almost a week.  I finally took one last night--woke up 3 times for hot flashes but fell asleep instantly and that horrid anxiety feeling was gone! I slept so well, really felt rested.  I plan to take it again on Wednesday night if I continue to have trouble sleeping all week.

Today my hot flashes were much less--I only had two, one in the morning and one in the evening.  I usually have about 10-15 per day (no ovaries since 6/2/10).  I am hoping they are going away.

I decided not to go on Evista as was recommended by the oncologist.  He was sort of on the fence about me going on something.  I have struggled with the hot flashes and they are so interfering and debilitating.  I just cannot imaging taking something to make MORE come.   Am I crazy?  

I started exercising this week--doing some hiking, which is more fun than anything.  There is a trail up a mountain (it's really a foothill) near my house and I can watch the sunrise as I hike.  I tried a bit more--like some light weights (2 lbs) but I was so sore the next day.  I will just go hike or walk on the treadmill for now.  Maybe some swimming.  

almagetty That is wonderful.  I am a bit aprehensive about mine, which the PS said will be 6-8 weeks after my last fill.  I may just need one more.  He said next Friday he would make that decision.

jsmiley60 I am not on anything yet. My BS said I had to have my node results back before seeing an oncologist.  Mine were delayed for some reason, so I am just now being set up with one. 

speech529 I am seriously considering taking nothing also.  Not sure the side effects are worth the small decrease in the percentage of recurrence. I will give it some thought after I talk with the oncologist.

orchidgal My chest feels more like someone left a heavy bookbag on it. The pressure is constant here too   Just downright uncomfortable all the time !!!

Laurie08  I do understand.  Everyone tells me I look great !!  I feel like showing them my breast and saying. Yeah.. see  how great I look.   5 weeks out and I am doing good, but am still tired a lot too.

It's now 5 AM and I have been up since 3:30 AM.  Still not sleeping good   Hugs to all.

Hello my dearest June sisters!
I'M HERE TOO!

Lots have been going on up here in the, not too cold, north. First of all I want to thank you all for keep posting and sharing your day by day progress and personal battles. You really inspire me and surprise me so much! Way to go girls!

I've been reading every now and then and wanted to reply to many and each one of your posts but for some reason I was holding myself. My bad. Seriously, nothing against anyone, just felt very pleased to get to know you all were getting better, going back to work, dealing with a back to normal and so on. Kinda what I'm being going thru the past weeks.

Mum and sister stayed for about three weeks at our place in July, was very nice to have them over and even tho there were little confrontations, we had a good time and their help around the house was priceless! Their visit also was eye opening for both, ain't easy to see me recovering from surgery but also dealing with the everyday pregnancy symptoms.

Slowly I'm becoming more "friends" with the prosthesis. Is not being easy but I have managed to find ways to sport it better and to secure it properly on the bras I wear, using tank tops over and then a regular t shirt/ shirt/dress. If you could see the pictures! I'm so happy when friends who know about my mastectomy comment I look great and that no one could tell I just have one boob.

My last appointment with surgeon was around 19th of July, almost a month ago. She said she was really happy with the results from the surgery and mention the type of discomfort I could expect from now and on related to the surgery, such as: little pinch on the armpit every now and then, the skin around the scar might tend to get harder, the movility of my arm should be back to 100% in the next weeks/months. All in all was a very nice last chat with her, she's been very supportive and her teams of nurses at the Ulleval Hospital in Oslo have been just the bestest! So her advice apart from all this surgery related thing was to completely stop crying the boob and to focus on my pregnancy from now and on.

Appointment with the onco came around the same dates, again I've been lucky enough and will be treated by a master on his field. This doctor has years of experience and has certainly seen cases like mine before. The date of our appointment I arrived with a notebook filled with questions about the chemo type of meds, about tamoxifen effects, about this and that. He was very nice and understood our worries and was super kind answering each one of my questions (which many of them came after reading some of your posts and other threads here).

So pregnancy will be interrupted after week 32-33 and after three weeks to let the body heal from the c-section, start the chemo treatment. The type of treatment will be FEC and will last for about 4-5 months (the hair loss scares me a lot! but it's gonna be winter here so maybe I will be wearing hats all time and hubby already said he will shave head too so we all three will be bald together) and then we will start the hormonal one. Tamoxifen it is ... any advice here?! Onco reassured me that is gonna be fine, there's side effects but all is fine also that there are good chances for me to stop the treatment after only 2 years.... will see when time comes for that.

Reconstruction seems so far from here, won't think about it until next year around this time of the year... so for now teh fake boobs are gonna be my friends.

My pregnancy is going really well, with 17 weeks now (almost 5 months) the changes in my body are quite obvious now! Belly is showing more, my appetite is similar or worst than a truck driver, the so called "honeymoon" of the second trimester finally appeared in my life and with it a big boost of energy. Yay for no more three hours naps! Still on a sick leave and will be like this until I finish my chemo treatment, so no back to work for me.

NExt week we'll have our appointment with the midwife and the obstetrician to figure out a plan to help baby be ready for c section on week 33. We might also get the chance to know the little Frenchican gender: girl? boy? and if bay thinks is not yet time to know, all fine. I'll get more ultrasound later on and hopefully later we'll find out.

So yeah, lots been going on this way, same as with you my girls. But I keep smiling so much everyday when I see my growing belly, when my lovely husband helps me to massage my scar (that some days feels very hard) and when I get to be spoiled by him and his yummy food. When we get to be out and about for little walks or weekend trips.

Life is here for me to enjoy and yes there's times I cry and a lot, because the war is not over. We've won some battles but there's still some more coming soon... but just to think about the little angel I've been blessed with, makes all worth it.

Many many good vibes for you all, hope you have a nice start of the week. I'll try to be posting more often.

My heart for you all! And let's keep fighting... one day at a time we are doing it right.

Joy & baby 17 weeks

Joystars - thanks for checking in. Glad to hear all is moving along good with the baby!

stcardsfan- how about asking them- "so you would feel comfortable with your hair this length?"  If they say yes- say can't wait to see your new do then

I'll keep thinking though.....

renee- too bad we don't live closer to each other.  I have three sets of foam inserts that came with my mastectomy bra's that I could give you.  Where I had the BMX I didn't use them, plus the fills have me to a b cup now.  Glad your boss seems like a nice person and is letting you go at your own pace.  I take a nap almost everyday myself when my kids take one, I am exhausted by that time of the day.  Good for you for not pushing yourself!  Also, if you want to PM me your address I would happily mail the inserts to you

Laurie - LOL.

I like your comeback statement. I may use that one.

Had Herceptin # 11 out of 18 today. Yea!

Fill # 3 on Monday.

We have a quarterly update at work tomorrow. I will be there with my hat on. Aside from people on my floor, most at work haven't seen me yet (we are on 7 floors of a 30 floor building). Should be interesting. Wonder how many will look at my chest?