Only sort of dead--best movie ever and I never tire of watching it.

Heidi: When I get a good chunk of time I am going to sit and watch the whole slide show-Thank you for sharing.  I say, just see the onc and still get the blood tests.  I also am constantly feeling myself up and then I have my DH do it to be sure, LOL. 

Ruth:  Good for you-we could all share your energy.

Mittymuffin:  I didn't recognize you!  You look fantastic.  BTW:  I would gladly give you my curls if I could

Titan- if you thought Gerard Butler was hot in that movie then you need to watch him in Phantom of the Opera.

Somebody give me an ice bath...

Hi Ladies!

MityMuffin, CONGRATS on the beautiful new hair! You look fabulous. Glad to hear energy is returning as well!

My surgery is Monday. I'm starting to get worked up (not necessarily about the surgery, but more about the results). But I'm repeating the mantra, "you get what you get".  Me worrying about isn't going to make me node negative, right? It is what it is.

Oh-and on the Princess Bride~ YAY love that movie so much!!! I may have to fire that up to watch this weekend!

Gill:
It's an 80's film (cult classic maybe?!) directed by Rob Reiner.

It had Robin Wright in it (she also played Jenny in Forest Gump)

Link here

mittymuffin - thanks for your positive post.  always nice to know how one is feeling after the chemo and rad.  Your hair looks great.  You must have had a lumpectomy since now you are having rads. I was feeling the same way as you, before the BC diagnosis, I used to feel really bad, like I was going limp, even had a neuropathy testing done. They couldn't find a single thing wrong with me, all my blood tests were perfectly in the normal range.  In retrospect, now I am thinking that cancer does feel in your body when you are closely atuned to it.  I was feeling it.  However, in my case, I did not have any positive lymph nodes, so am wondering why I was feeling it, if it had not reached my blood yet.  Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for your post.  I am almost there, my last chemo and then onto rads..... maybe ..... or maybe take them both out. I am double minded, scared to keep them.

MBJ - thanks so much for the PM, which I will try to follow through.  Yes, we do seem to have similar diagnosis.  I had the lumpectomy done with 3 cm clear margin and supposed to do rads once the chemo finishes. I am doing dose dense chemo AC and Taxol, the last one being on 12/28.  I am overwhelmed by what I read about my right breast.  They did a biopsy of one enhancement (on MRI), and found that I am "residual focul atypical ductal hyperplasia" remaining there.  My surgeon was something else, other women who have worked with her think she is crazy.  I was under the knife with her twice. Her surgery caused me an infection due to her negligence.  She never told me anything about my cancer, where it was, what she did.  My office visits with her included her telling me funny stories about stupid things.  She never took anything seriously.  I am not even sure if she took the right stuff out and gave to pathologist. Imagine my doubts and this is what I have to live with.  You see, I had this one tumor, then another DCIS close to it, and then some satelite nodules a little further away, etc. etc.  when I read my reports, I am not sure if she took all of those things out or not.  Not sure who to ask. I tried to ask my Medical Oncologist, and he has no answers. I think he only knows about drugs and chemo.  Well, I am thinking if I am going to consider taking my right breast out, then why should I leave the one with the cancer.  The tumor board recommends preserving both breasts, although I am regarded as high risk for the right breast.  I am writing a letter to another surgeon asking him if he could possibly remove the atypia out of my right breast, if that is possible, if insurance will approve.  I guess they don't recommend surgical intervention for that finding.  I find that once again, men are not taking care of women like they should be taken care of.  We are too many, and we have too many different body parts, why won't we, we are the mothers of the world, who give birth to them, right?  I had experienced this when I had fibroids. I had found out that the radiologist was too lazy to count how many fibroids I had, he would give a general description in the reports, whereas I wanted to know exactly how many did I have.  I see the same thing happening in the breast world. MBJ - how do you feel with your new breasts?  Would you say you feel much much better that you had this done, peace of mind?  does it feel like before.  Would you recommend a mastectomy for a woman like me who has so many issues and a doubtful mind.  Are you still loving your body the same way as before?  Please tell me how you feel.  Thanks so much for your help.  Oh by the way what does 0/2 nodes mean?  2 nodes positive? I think mine is IIA.  I will go to that website you mentioned in the PB to check out alternative things I can do.  I have also been feeling guilty lately, during chemo, drinking coffee with sugar, two times a day and not exercising.  Maybe my tumor is already growing. I hate this disease, it has taken everything from me, so far.  But I won't let it take anything more from me, no way.

Mommafluff61:  Welcome, sorry about what you are going through.  Most TN's have chemo, then rads, and your onc will probably discuss with you on Monday what type of chemotherapy she recommends you have.  What abbreviations are you asking about?                                                                                                                                                                                       

Lovelyface:  It is always a personal decision, but if I were you, I would ask either your oncologist or GP to give you a couple of referrals.   It is very important to have the best dr. for your care and to have someone you trust.  It sounds to me as if you do not trust this dr. and this can affect your outcome greatly.  Ask around, talk to everyone, PM Whippetmom for a referral in your area!

 If there is still cancer in the lumpectomy breast, for me, I have peace of mind with my MX.  I too had several things going on in my MX side and this was the only way to get rid of all of it.  My dr's did an amazing job.  It isn't perfect, because of how they have to re-attach the skin, but I didn't want to do radiation.  Imagine leaving something in the microwave for too long and it comes out like rubber--this is what radiation does to your breast and if you try and do recon later, you have less choices and much more difficulty.  My breasts actually look better then before--they are beautiful--it's just under the arm, when I raise my arm that you can tell there was work done.  I had some questionable activity in my right breast but after chemo I am hoping it's gone, and with diet and adding iodine to protect my other breast I am hoping I am doing everything to prevent it's return.  Still trying to get into excercise mode but I am experiencing some post surgery depression. 

 I still drink coffee ( yay my dr ok's me to have one cup a day!!) but I weaned myself off of sugar years ago (at least in coffee).  If you must add sugar to anything, use lots of cinammon to counter it's high glycimic affects to help keep your body in balance.  Sugar feeds cancer--oxygen kills it--hence excercise is great sugar is not so great.  Get yourself a Rebecca Katz cookbook as she has recommendations for low sugar solutions for desserts.  Also, I would try to use dairy products that aren't treated with Rbst (I think this is what it's called) if organic is too expensive.  My Vons store now carries a large amount of affordable organics so I eat organic only chicken and Trader Joe's grass fed organic beef as an occasional treat and I have greatly increased my vegis.  Another suggestion with sugar is that it has less deadly effects if you eat a little right after a healthy meal as it also lowers the glycimic effect.  Drinking lots of water with lemon juice in it helps cleanse the lymph glands and a supplement called Milk Thistle will help clear the liver from chemo side effects.  You can go on this board and research supplements and most of the good ones are on here.  Wobenzyme is good for inflamation and since the medical community is now saying most diseases start with inflamation in the body, I recommend taking this.  I take 5 tablets 3 x daily with 1 tablet 3 x of 1000 mg Vit C.

thanks, Lynn!

I think I have a pretty good outlook on this whole cancer thing. At first I couldn't bear the thought of losing my hair, but now I will do anything to make sure that all my cancer is zapped!

I was trying to figure out BMX, MX, BS, PS, TE...BC=Breast Cancer? If I see any others, I'll just ask.

 I was at a Cancer Resource Center and the person I spoke with told me not to look on the internet...I'd still be sore if I hadn't and I wouldn't have found this wonderful place! 

 I couldn't figure out why I was so sore by the incision where they took the lymph nodes. I found the answer on the internet...the surgeon uses spreaders to hold open the incision and this can pull muscles and do some damage to nerves in that area...my new best friend is an ice pack! The soreness is slowly going away.

just rambling...

Mommafluff:
There's a link to the abbreviations on this site, but the ones you are looking at

BMX = bilateral mastectomy

MX = mastectomy

BS / PS = breast surgeon / plastic surgeon

TE = tissue expanders

Full list

mommafluff61:  That's great that you have a good outlook.  You're stage 1, which is very good.  It is hard to lose your hair, but it grows back quickly, mine did.  One of my nurses told me not to look at the internet, but that's the first thing I did.

cc4npg:  Great job with the abbreviations.  Sorry you had to be in the hospital.  How are you feeling?  How is the tachycardia?  I have had that for years off and on, and I take beta blockers to control it. It can be pretty scary.

Honestly I feel like crap.  Saw onc today and white count is 13.5 so she's not worried.  She's going to lower my dose of chemo and give neulasta the day after.  Funny thing, I didn't have a fever while I was there.  I left and went to another appointment, started feeling like my fever was coming back, and it did... 101 with ear thermometer.  I don't like ear thermometers.  When I got home, I took it orally and it was 100.  I have no clue where this fever is coming from.  I mentioned to the onc that my upper left back was hurting some when I take a deep breath and when I do a half turn from the waist up.  Because I can duplicate the pain with twisting, I lean more toward a musculoskeletal thing... maybe costocondritis... but I'm no doc.  I believe if it were something internal to do with lungs only, it wouldn't hurt when I move my shoulder back.  But I don't feel good.  I haven't finished shopping and supposed to bake with my girls this weekend... haven't gotten supplies.  You guys just keep me in your thoughts and prayers, as I do you, that everything will somehow come together before Christmas.  My son has yet to see Santa.  He's 3.  Oh, and joy upon joy... my hair is coming out by handfulls!  Guess I've been naughty this year.. LOL.. just kidding.  My fiance' and I are taking the comical approach to that.  It's gonna happen anyway so might as well laugh.  He can't wait for me to have a skullet!  And today he said at least when I'm bald we can really cleanse the pores on the scalp.  He referred to me doing henna for the last 2 years or so, and how he feels it must be clogging things.  Henna is a plant, looks like you're putting mud on your hair, and hard to get out.

Hello everyone.  So I'm flip flopping one last time.. met with the surgeon again today and she is recommending neoadjuvant so that's what we're doing.  I have an appointment on 12/29 to get the port in,meanwhile need to get a heart test that sounds like muggle(?) - see the onc again and go to chemo school.. hoping to start near the 1st of the year. 

So now I'm going to try to get my diet and exercise under control and established before chemo starts in hopes of keeping at it as much as possible thru treatment. Unfortunately I am obese and have struggled with it my entire adult life. I'm an ex-jock - really want to be that strong athletic woman again and hoping if there is any silver lining to this whole mess its that I finally get the motivation to find that jock in me again.

mommafluff that is some speedy service!  I was expecting something like that at first but it sure has not gone that way. 

MBJ I might be picking your brain- and anyone else that doesn't mind - on nutrition and supplements etc.

where should I go to get an explanation of the path report...any good websites that you've used?

mommafluff - most TNS get chemo but not all get rads unless its not DCIS. welcome to our wonderful thread!