January 2011 Rads

Thanks Omaz and Jo, I'm glad to almost be at the rad stage (end of Feb) but trying to absorb all that comes with it.  THanks goodness for all of you. My friends and family are calling me today (snow day in MA)  and saying..".last chemo tomorrow .and your done... hooray"... ALthough I appreciate the good wishes, only all of you can understand the emotions/thrills/fears that all comes with, especially if you are triple negative...but I'm staying positive and trying to keep all fears out of my head, not easy, but I'm trying!!

msjag - Don't think about rads right now - that will come later. Focus on what is going on now and get through it. There is so much to do with BC it can make our heads spin.  No one said we have to be positive or strong all the time.  We are all here to help each other through this journey.  Sounds like you could use a big hug today.

                                  

Well, I seem to be getting lymphedema on my treatment side.  My right arm is slightly swollen around the elbow and hurts down the inner part of the arm all the way to the wrist.  I saw the nurse this morning and she is going to talk to the doctor about referring me to LE specialist.  Bummer, I was hoping to avoid it.  Oh well.

lyndalynda - Guys like to fix things.  Hard to fix things with what we are going through so I think they feel a bit powerless.  Especially hard for them since they generally love us so much and want to help.

Omaz:  I thought I had LE too but I have been squeezing a small ball in my hand every day and the pain has subsided now.  Sometimes a vein down the middle of the inside of my arm to my wrist appears with knots in it but that too has dissipated.  Had it checked out by a vascular surgeon but they said at the time that it looked ok.  I'm still working the ball, even before my rads started (#3 today).

Lyndalynda: As for husbands who seem not to support you, I have a friend who is married to a British guy and he acts really unpleasant when she is sick.  My husband and I are expats (now American) but he seems to be pretty supportive and it does help but hang in there, when all this is over he may be able to relate his fears during your treatment.  We are here to support you:)

msjag:  Yes I have used melatonin to sleep but my primary was skeptical only because it was a supplement and I believe not regulated by the FDA.  I would take 1/2 a pill and it would knock me out but left me dehydrated in the morning but during this treatment I use 1/2 a benadryl and it works and leave me feeling uplifted the next day.

msjag I have used melatonian in the past and it works for me.

Lynda-I agree men want to fix things.  My husband is not good about thinking ahead of me so I am with raincity I have had to learn to tell him what my needs are.  As long as I do that he is very helpful and support.  I just wish he could read my mind, it would make it so much easier!!!  Do I need to come to Austin and take you for a drink?

Omaz:  I got it at the supermarket (Publix) it is called Quality Poof and fun squeeze ball and it was $2.29 I believe. made by Poof Slinky, Inc.  website is www.poof-slinky.com.  It's worth a try, my RO suggested it at my first meeting a month before rads.

sherry, omaz, raincity and lestwin-- thanks for listening!  unfortunately for me, my husband is one of those guys who want all the power (and feel they know everything, ugh!  And he DOES know more than me so that makes it tough!).  I am usually one of those easy-going people so we make it work, but when my health is the issue and my feelings are ignored or discounted, I have a problem!  Yes sherry, a drink sounds great!   The idea gave me a smile anyway   Thanks!

lestwin - I was having a similar prob with my arm for about a month after surgery, thought I had LE.  I think it turned out to be "cording" or AWS (Axillary Web Syndrome).  My symptoms were swelling, my vein down the center of my forearm disappeared, tenderness, tightness.  My cording was in my upper arm heading straight towards my underarm.  The vein kind of stuck out and had knots.  I went to a certified LE therapist 3 times and she gently massaged it, and also had me doing LE exercises daily.  Not sure which helped or if it would have resolved itself anyway, but I am glad to send you the exercises she gave me, so let me know.  Best of luck, sounds like it will be okay.

lyndalynda:  I would definitely like to have the exercises as I am doing everything I can to make this ugly episode in my life as easy as possible.  Reading this forum has been an eye-opener and such a help

Your husband sounds just like my twin sister's husband, knows it all (or pretends to) and yells at her all the time.  She was hospitalized 3 or 4 times last year for 4 months with septicemia and was not expected to live and some days (because she had 5 seizures) her speech is garbled and he mimics her!  A--H!

okay... I have to scan it in first.  will send later today!

lestwin - your sister's DH sounds really bad... mine is bad enough!

lyndalynda - regarding the fruits and sugars, I am a wellness nutritionist and used to council people on weight loss and eating healthier.  That was always a pitfall - when you tell people they should aim for 8 servings of fruits and veggies, often you get the veggie-haters eating 8 fruits in a day.  Just remember that sugar is sugar and your body will convert it and store it as fat if you have too much - even coming from fruit.  I always tell people 2 fruits and 6 veggies is a good split. I definitely understand the frustration though when you think it's a good thing and you're told it's not.  I always told my clients not to deny themselves certain foods but remember the three steps "balance, variety, moderation" with MODERATION being the biggest point (IMHO).  I know that these days I really struggle with "proper" eating and I am very short on my proteins lately.  Nobody is perfect.  I found and excellent book in the library at the cancer centre that I think I will purchase: Eating Well Through Cancer, Easy Recipes and Recommendations During & After Treatment by Holly Clegg and Gerald Miletello, MD.

Good luck and don't get discouraged!  This is a hard road for all of us sometimes.

msjag, I've got a sleep disorder related to my work shift, and I've tried melatonin at the suggestion of one of my docs and it's been helpful, but not as much as I'd like.  It's certainly worth a try; check with your doc about dosage, mine says the recommended dose on the label is actually too low to do much good for most people. Some people think the liquid is more effective, especially the kind that comes in an eyedropper to be taken under the tongue.

It's also supposed to be important for sleep disturbance that when you go to bed, lie down and shut your eyes; don't sit up, read, watch TV, or listen to the radio in bed, and keep your room as dark as possible.  I don't practice any of this, mind you!  I don't have a TV in my bedroom, but I've been reading in bed every night since I learned to read, and can't get to sleep without the radio on. I never had sleep issues before I got assigned to the shift I have now, though. I had great results with Ambien for about two weeks and then I had a freaky amnesia attack one morning after taking it, which put me off it. 

Sleep is really important to healing, so don't neglect it.  I'm already on leave from work even though I'm only on #7 of rads, mostly because I don't sleep well when I'm working my usual shift.  

I had lumpectomy and my RO attempted brachy therapy.  Unfortunately, he could not get the balloon to find properly in the lump cavity. Tried two balloons and it was pretty painful changing them out.  Had the tubes in for over a week before we gave up.  Hate having them in.  Ended up doing regular rads.  Rest assured your medical team is monitoring the amount of radiation you are exposed to from all the different tests - they will not let you get overexposed.

There is a thread for Mammosite treatment - that would be a good place for you to check out. 

nancep I also had lumpectomy with external beam rads.

me 4 - lumpectomy with external beam

One more to go, tomorrow is my last day!

20 degrees in Houston just seems wrong...