May 2010 Chemo

OMG - I have missed you all!  I am pulling together to my Naturopath appt (yay) and will post when I get home.  I took a short break from BC related things during the holidays.   LOVE seeing everyones pics.  Jersey, SOOOO happy for YOU!   Will check in later.  Love to each of you - have a great day!   ~daiva

thanks for the well wishes...Such a relief off my mind...Went to orthopedic yesterday and he said I did not need MRI of hip that it was not bone mets but degenerative bone...He wants me to have hip replacement on LEFT side now.  Had right side done in 2009.  The dumb taxol accelerated the joint pain in hip, feet and back.  I will not have surgery this year. I am so done with it all. He gave me 2 shots of cortizone and a script for anit inflamatories. I am going to wing it out this year and maybe in 2012 get it done. It is a 4-6 week recovery which is actually a walk in the park compared to the masc. and chemo...ha ha

Leanna: if you think you can make at visit to NJ in June (cuz your in PA) let me know. Date not cast in stone. Whereabouts are you in Pennsy?

xray:  what is naturapath appointment?

Sacphoto: love the pics... so cute...are you still on a cloud with the engagement?

Jersey - No... don't schedule around me... we'll be in PA for about a week, but we already have a bunch of things we want to get done in that week... Thomas the Train ride, Hershey Park, the Train Museum, Dutch Wonderland, Zoo America... and hopefully some time to visit an Amish market.  My oldest son insists that we have to spend 2 days at Hershey Park (for the chocolate!!).  LOL.  So, I have been very productive this week.... you all may remember we had a contractor who was suppose to come out and do some work for us... included in what he was doing was replacing 3 ceiling fans and 7 light fixtures... well, he still has not been out, so this week I started doing it myself, and have hung one of the light fixtures and 3 ceiling fans (yep, by myself!). 

Oh, and one of my friends wrote an essay about me being one of the most energized people she knew in 2010, and we are finalists... it's cool - you get a gift certificate to xperience now, which has all kinds of things to do from sailing to NASCAR rides to hot air balloons.. pretty cool.  I'll probably post the link later this month when voting opens. 

Paxton - I hear you about more surgery... me too... but I am sooo looking forward to having this damn TE out. 

Jenn - my youngest still gets croup.  (they are suppose to grow out of it, but maybe because he's still small)... he jsut had it a couple of weeks ago, but it was not so bad we had to take him to the doctor... we just spent a few nights making trips outside when he flared.  How many rads are you getting?  I'm glad its physically going well, but it really does sounds exhausting!  I can't imagine how you are doing that!! 

Patricia - I am sooo happy you are finished!!     HOOT!!!

Magda, I'm not lively at all in the last 4 days. I officially have the flu and bronchitis (just got back from the ER). They gave me a breathing treatment so I can breathe now without wheezing, and I got 2 Albuterol inhalers, a z-pack and Tamiflu. Hopefully I'll be able to sleep tonight. Last few nights I've been coughing so bad all my torso was hurting real bad (from the LD flap recon) and also I was wheezing so loud I was keeping myself awake!

Good Monday  morning girlfriends!  I just reread everyone's post again and am loving the hair talk.  Day, I was laughing about your comment about no cutting device ever touching your hair.  You go girl!  I hope you slept better and are on the mend.  Healing thoughts your way!  Denise, mine looks pretty much like yours, except it looks like I'm growing a mohawk because it seems longer along the midline of my head.   It's so fun watching it grow in!

Leanna~ how neat...an essay about you!  Post the link when it's up - you'll have my vote.

Paxton ~ I wouldn't rush the recon if it's not sitting well with you.  You could always go for a PS consult just in case you'll change your mind.  I don't blame you for a minute wanting to wait til Gage is a bit older.

Beth and Ditah ~ it never hurts to double check with BS re; the pain.  Mine is great at responding when I shoot them an email.

Jenn~ 5 hr. trip would wear anyone one out -  you go daily, right? (to Saskatoon).  The countdown is on - yippee!  Nails lifting?  Doesn't sound good - I dodged that one.  I only got white stripes across each nail - weird.  Hurray for the emu oil!  Btw, loved your skype idea!

Denise ~ congrats on Andria's news.  Do you like her fiancee?  I agree with you about the wig, I just don't feel like myself with it.  You look great!

Patricia~ I hope you have a fabulous time with your sister.  It's probably SO good that  you've been walking as much as you have.  Please pace yourself while there.  I'll be thinking of you and waiting to hear all about it.  There are lots of interesting spas and acupuncture places and such, maybe you can recharge mid trip.   Safe travels....

Jen~ Tahoe!   Lucky you!  Hair trimmed already?  Yay!  I can't wait to be sitting in my hairdresser's chair and getting a trim.  I always loved getting my hair done!  You are looking fabulous!

Laura ~ how's it going being back to work?  I am still so fatigued that I can't imagine.  Are you full time?

Jersey ~ my heart is still happy about your no mets news!!!!!!!  How was NYC?  Did you use the rooftop pool?  I'm going to see Jersey Boys in a few weeks in Baltimore - from what I hear, everybody likes it.

Magda~ dear Magda, don't be hard on yourself.  Perhaps it's Tamoxifen related, but I think we're at a different part of this journey and it's hitting us what we've been through.  Make sure you try to incorporate things you love to do in your days, things that make you happy internally.  If you keep feeling down, maybe talk to your dr. about options.  Right before my official BC break during the holidays, I thought I was depressed.  I'm feeling better now, but I think these transition periods are tougher than we realize.  I'm praying for you today.  (HUGS) 

I'm scheduled for the ooph Fri.  Tomorrow I am going for another consult re: recon - it's such a big sx (DIEP) that I need to be 100% sure about who will be performing it.   My sister is going to Puerta Vallarta in Mexico exactly a week after my ooph and has offered to buy me a ticket if I want to go with her.  Has anyone had an ooph?  Do you think that's too soon to travel?  My wbc was out of normal range when i had my blood work done (too low).  I'm not sure if it's a good idea.  Any thoughts?   Oh yea, my tumor markers and PET/CT scan were all normal.  I didn't believe it til I saw the reports with my own eyes.  The PET was a follow up because of something they were concerned about the first time I had it.  My onc wanted to double check about my hip pain as well.  All clear!  WOOHOO!   It was a relief!   I also saw a Naturopathic Dr. last week - WOW - so much neat info.  We're doing some testing - will keep you posted.  One thing she did tell me, was to drink 6-10 cups of organic green tea daily.  That's a bit much for me, so I use 2 teabags at once in a large mug and make it strong.   Google green tea benefits - you'll see why.   Sorry for the long long post.  Hugs to all of you, my dear May Warrior friends.  ~ Daiva 

Ain't that the truth!!!!

wow Daiva:  you said it all so elequently.

my overnight nyc trip was fantastic. the rooftop pool was unbelievable. It was my first trip in water(other than the shower) since diagnosis. I swam in the snow in the pool and watched the empire state building. If I can ever figure out how to send pictures, I will post them. I even went in the pool without my wig. Big move for me... The place was magnificent. Beds were oversized and much comfortable. The play was fantastic.. Very upbeat which is exactly what I need now.

My house is half filled with kids toys and the other half looks like a hospital ward. I have given up tyring to keep it neat. It is impossible. My son goes back to school this weekend so we just went to Costco to purchase some supplies.  I don't want to give him up yet but at least I know I will get to see him every month.

have great day ladies

Hi girls,

Jersey, I'm glad you've had such a good time in New York. And don't be too nervous about not tidying up your house, chaos just cannot be beaten, that's a natural state of the world :-).

Leanna, I know you're angry, but try not to mull over the things that might have been. My History teacher used to say that History doesn't know the word "if". When I find myself asking why this has happened to me and if I could have prevented it (like if I'd had my checkup earlier) I try to tell myself that 've gone through this for a reason. When I pray, I pray to be able to learn something from this experience. I know it sounds like it's easier said than done, but then I've read it somewhere that bad things happen to us so that we learn how to discern the good ones. Sending a big hug your way!

Wishing you a swift recovery. Keep us updated on how the surgery went. *hugs*

Thanks for the well wishes.   "One jump at a time" - this one is behind me.  They also carefully checked my bladder for anything suspicious.  The pathologist apparently handles ovaries of BC patients a bit more delicately and makes many more think slices to look at.  I have a distended belly and lots of gas in there.  I'm off for a snooze on my recliner.  Love to all of you!  Btw, my DIEP is scheduled early March - woohoo!

Daiva: sending hugs and prayers to you. One more hurdle to be over.  I so totally relate to everyone here who has bad emotional days. I think that while we were going through treatments we focused on that and how many we had left. Our goal was just to get through the treatments and survive. Now that we have done that we look back and say,...what the h....ll. This damn disease has taken a year of our life already. It has hurt us emotionally, physically and financially. Somehow it is hard to move on from that. I know I have a weak moment each day of my life and some days are better than others. I just hope that the good days start to out weigh the bad days and we can all just be happier... I pray for all of us to have happy days!

I also was misdiagnosed initially. My original mammo had shown a spot on my left breast as well as my right breast. When I went for additional images the radiologist said: Your right breast is fine...just fatty tissue ...your left breast is suspicious...but very very small..... I knew right then and there that I had a problem. I went to what was suppossedly a great breast surgeon. She concurred with the radiologist. I was scheduled for a lump. on left breast March 13th. Two days before my surgery my cousin begged me to go for a 2nd opinion. For whatever reason the day of my surgery I cancelled it.

I went for the 2nd opinion and this breast surgeon said "with your history of breast cancer in your family we really need to do a breast MRI of your right breast".  Low and behold.. MRI and  core biopsies later I had cancer in the right breast in 2 spots. One was multifocal and the other spot was stage 1. They could not save the right breast but how funny....could save the left breast.  I opted for the bilateral. This surgeon thought I had a 95% chance of  not having any nodes involved because the tumors were so small...But infact  I did. She was totally shocked..... I went back to radiologist and demanded to look at my previous mammos and I wrote the first surgeon a letter asking her not to dismiss high risk women again.. I hope my letter helps another woman.   okay that is my sad story...

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Daiva - so glad to hear you are through that journey!  Are you going on the trip with your sister?  I hope you are feeling up to it and do go! 

Denise - I agree; I wouldn't worry about what you can't provide...  I KNOW that just having you is the greatest gift of all... I know it's easy to get pissed about all that stuff too... we too are facing having to swith health coverage... bummer after fulfilling 2 years of catastrophic caps (mine run Oct - Sept), and when we switch; it will be another friggin cap... and a higher one at that!!  Ugh!  I know you are soaking all of this in... I know you are and good for you!!!!! 

Jersey - Wow, that is.... well, I don't even have words... unbelieveable comes to mind... but, it happened.  Sometimes, you have to wonder... would the radiologist reading the mammo be so careless if it were their wife, and he knew that her mother had BC??  I feel like they should have warned me that 'something' showed up, and I needed to be vigilant because it wasn't there before... know what I mean?  Ahhhhh, well.  Good for you for writing a letter.

Drim - Apt reno sounds exciting!!    I think your parents will keep the DVR too... we couldn't live without ours... and after my mom came to visit last year, she got one too!!  LOL.  Hope the reno goes smoothly and quickly and you can get back in quick!! 

I still have 2 more rads... just found out from my rad onc, that I am NOT getting boosts because I have TEs..... wish I had of known before that I was putting vanity before outcome...  isn't someone suppose to tell you this stuff before you make your decisions, so that you are actually making informed decisions???

Hi guys... here is the link for the contest I told you about last week.... the essay is compliments of my dear friend, Lori Pace!! 

http://www.lovefeelinghealthy.com/Vote.aspx

You can vote once per day, per email address; and it really is simple!  Thanks!!!!