Calling all TNs

I've been missing all of you wonderful ladies. Great catching up on your posts. Thanks for all of the well wishes, prayers and everything else sent my way. I'll take it all with open arms being that I believe that it has all been sent with good intentions. Thank-you. Thank-you. Thank-you.

HHFHeidi- I cried tears of happiness reading your post.

Lynn and Monika- I'm sending positive thoughts your way and hoping your surgery goes as smoothly as mine has.

I have been feeling really good. I had one drain removed last Thursday. I developed a seroma starting yesterday and it hurts like heck. I'm hoping to go in tomorrow and see what they can do. The shock of discovering after surgery that I had 14 out of 20(I thought it was 13) lymph positive and a bigger tumor than when I was diagnosed in May through me for a loop. Especially after all of the chemo AC and Taxol. I'm still having the SE from the Taxol, I went through. I have been working like crazy. Odd that my phone is ringing of the hook for landscape design work and "I'm saying bring it on". I completed 4 designs this week and met with 2 more clients today. No one has questioned me for wearing long sleeves and a glove on my left hand.I am staying as busy as I can almost like I'm on speed. I crash daily and take at least a 2 hour nap. I feel like there isn't enough time to get everything acomplished that I dream of. I am having my basement refinished which is something I have promised my son for the last 3 years so he can have a bedroom down there. I do have two long time friends (Since I was 14) that have reentered my life which has been wonderful. We hadn't really talked in about 3 years because we were all so busy. They both shaved there heads and it has been so much fun having them in my life again, true friends never really go away.  Not much time to procrastinate now. I'm smoking again which is crazy I know. I asked my surgeon if I quit smoking entirely would I live longer and he said "If you enjoy it do what ever you want to now to enjoy life to it's fullest" remember he only gave me about 3-4 months if I have surgery. That is my prognosis with everyone as far up as the BCspecialist up in Indy. I am going to proove them wrong. How can I feel this good right now and be dead in such a short time. I don't think so.  So I have been trying to do just that. Somethings in life don't seem fair but the game plan for me is in debate. My current onc wants me to have radiation then more chemo although she won't be able to see me for 3 weeks. LOL. I wish everyones life was as important as mine. Ha! Ha! My personal doc (Sweet Bill) has been on top of it. He has me scheduled for a petscan this Tuesday. I guess in my sweet dreams I am hoping that my cancer has not spread throughout as aggressivly as predicted by all of these people. I'll find out this week. His hopes are to get me in on one of these clinical trials up in Indy for Carbo or cisplatinin combined with another drug and parpinhibitors. I'm hoping I meet their doggone criteria. He tried to get me in on that same clinical trial last May. It's such political BS. Why isn't it available to all of us that want it. If I can't get in to one of these my Onc can put me on straight carbo platinin but the prognosis isn't that great for me if that's the case. In general life is great. I am loving it more than I ever dreamed I could. I can't believe I ever wasted tears on my loss of hair, nails and or breast. I'm going to beat this! Love to all of you.

Laurajane - so glad to hear from you. Your post was so uplifting!

Titan - I'm planning to keep my hair short as well.  In fact, I'm going to a long overdue cut next Saturday. 

Laurajane:  Nice to hear from you.  You sound so busy I hope you are not overdoing it...give your body a chance to heal, okay?  Seromas can be a real pain.  As for positive nodes and prognoses, you should have a look at this other thread:  http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/96/topic/743001?page=1#idx_30

Oh no...Oh Hell No!

Hi! laurajane,

Please smoke one for this former smoker.      Good Luck Tuesday and with getting into a clinical trial.

Laurajane - keep up the positive attitude girl.  Like Teka said smoke one for me to:)  I know staying busy keeps your mind off things but you really do need to heal also.  You dont need complications from the surgery.  You need to heal up good and fight this thing:)  HUGE HUGS(((((())))))))

Thanks Titan.  I'm 55 and found a lump in July 2010 where I had a stereotactic biopsy  1 year earlier (09).  09 biopsy revealed a papilloma.  August 12 2010 biopsy revealed 2.5 cm grade 3 tumor 95% IDC 5% DCIS.  8/24/10 I was diagnosed triple negative.  Had lumpectomy Sept. 1 and started A/C 4 rounds on Sept. 30,2010 to be followed by 4 rounds of Taxol.  Then  30 rounds of rads 3 weeks after chemo ends.  Mammograms didn't reveal anything including DCIS. My mom also has  bc DCIS with nodal involvement.  Her MX site burst open and took 6 months to heal and she still sees our onc every 2 months.  She's 77 and one tough lady.  She could not tolerate tamoxifen so  we watch her very closely. Just found a change in my other breast where a cyst is.  Though it's smaller, it feels a lot like my IDC tumor felt.  It feels so good to tell this stuff to people that understand what I'm talking about.  Best of luck  and prayers to all of you.  By the way, at 32 I had a total abdominal hysterectomy BSO.  I thought that was supposed to keep BC away.  I may just be very unlucky.  Anyway, we are all here now and that's a good thing.

Hello Everyone.  Been kind of quiet lately.  Doing fine - went and saw my Radiologist for the first time last Monday.  I go back this Thursday for my "markings".  I should start the first week of November but don't know for sure yet.  She said I will have 25 - 28 sessions.  I am looking forward to starting (so that I can finish).  Anyone have an issues when having radiation?  I hear getting tired is the worst side effect and that people's skin react differently.  Some people blister, some don't.  What have your experiences been? 

Saw 2 movies this weekend.  RED - which was much better than I thought it would be and The Social Network.  Both were good.    Take care ALL.

Hey everyone.  Thanks for ALL the warm welcomes, comments, and advice!

pamdo-I'll be happy to be your occult buddy.  I read your story with great interest/concern.  I'm glad the chemo got the nodes in your neck. 

In answer to your question, I am also glad that I had a uni-mx; it's easy to say that though because they did find the small tumor, which my BS referred to as stealth.  It's a good feeling to have it out as it was obviously aggressive.  My BS also said that having the mx was a sound decision.  (BTW, my radiology onc. had tried to convince me to forgo the surgery.  He said he could sterilize the area, avoid disfigurement, and the outcome would be the same.)  I will be seeing my med. onc. this Friday and ask her about followup-CT/PET and keep you posted.

Laurajane-I'm glad to hear about your good recovery from surgery and positivity.  I chuckled when I read that you put on your compression sleeve and went to work!  What a gal!!  (I got a scolding after I went to a LIVESTRONG exercise class shortly after my surgery.  They said I needed at least 3 weeks to heal.) 

Eileen-I read what you wrote about those down feelings.  Has anyone taken anti-anxiety/anti-depression meds. after chemo?  

Take care and happy Tuesday! 

Hi ladies - just curious...did any of you see the Discovery Channel show about TN? I saw it advertised but forgot to watch it. 

Sugar and Colleen:  Thanks for programming info on TN.  I didn't know anything about it.  I will watch/record for sure!

Kad22: Please tell me more about the BC retreat.  I would be interested in going to one if it were in my area.

Have a good night everyone.

Navy

Thanks Luah, just watched it!

Luah:  Thanks for the link!  Watched it this morning with my tea.

MonikaV & Lynne:  Just checking to see how you are both doing.  Hope you are getting lots of rest and are in very little pain.  Gentle hugs!