Anyone in Portland, OR area?

I live in Portland and tomorrow is my 2 year cancerversary since dx.  Had left mx with TE, chemo, rads, implant (twice) and was on Arimidex for a year before the onc switched me to Femara recently because of SEs.  SEs from Femara are just as bad, but I'm dealing.  Also have second capsular contracture and trying to decide what to do about that.  My surgeries and most of my appointments have been at Legacy Good Sam.

Hope the rain goes away for the Race for the Cure tomorrow.  --bonnie

Chita -- my breast surgeon was Nathalie Johnson -- she's wonderful.  I have horrible hot flashes/sweats and can't keep my clothes or my hair dry half the time.  I take Effexor for the hot flashes, and can't imagine how it would be without that -- I'd be like a wet rag -- yuck...  No wonder sex is practically the LAST thing on my mind if I think about it at all.  My poor husband is very, very patient and understanding.

Bonnie - I bet it seems like it has been a LONG two years for you with all your additional, painful procedures.  It sucks that the AI's are giving you such bad hot flashes.  Having a year down is a big stride but not being able to go back to a at least somewhat normal life has got to be very difficult. 

Chita - I know what you mean by prickly and my forearms arms, chest and face are the first places to feel warm and weird but nothing overwhelming yet so I just keep my fingers crossed.  I'm still wearing my short sleeve tops to work and I keep hearing, aren't you cold?  Only my boss knows about my bc so I just let them think it is menopause.  I'm glad you ladies got a beautiful day for the race.  We went to The Barn for produce.  Too bad they aren't open on Sundays!  Oh well, we had a nice lunch and hit the grocery store.  We are entering everything we eat into "my plate" on the livestrong site so we bought pretty healthy.  I'm pretty sure I need to finish my Dave's Killer Bread Sin Dawg (don't try one if you haven't already) before I get too serious about my percentage of fat on the pie chart.  My fat number is red everyday.            

Devon Webster is amazing -- she did a lecture at Good Sam last year and it was totally inspiring.  My ex-son-in-law's wife is a nurse at the clinic on N.E. Broadway where Dr. Webster practices -- her name is Caitlin. 

Capsular contracture is common after the skin has been radiated -- it is basically when a capsule of scar tissue forms around the implant and it eventually squeezes/distorts the implant.  My current implant is uncomfortable, firm, flat on top and really ugly. The treatment plan going into surgery for Mx was that I would have chemo after surgery/placement of the tissue expander, but then one node was positive and radiation was added.  The first implant exchange was in April of '09 just before radiation and it developed contracture and was removed/ exchanged for a smaller implant in December.  Now the second one is contracted and I'm trying to decide whether to have it removed and wear a prosthetic or have a flap surgery. 

I took Arimidex for just over a year, but the side effects (mostly aches and pains) were terrible so Dr. Karamlou switched me to Femara in May of this year and also sent me to a rheumatologist who diagnosed osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease (this wasn't news to me, but it seemed to make the oncologist feel better).  Because I'm post menopausal, I will stay on the Femara for up to 5 years unless the side effects get too bad.  If that happens, he will switch me to Tamoxifen.

Weight gain is one of Femara's side effects that I really don't like.  I crave chocolate and sweets every single day and usually give into those cravings at least once a day.  My husband is a produce salesman -- wish I would get cravings for lettuce and tomatoes or even apples and peaches... LOL.  We actually eat pretty healthy, except for those little Dove dark chocolate pieces....