Chemo June 2010

chey i sure hop you find better drs for your team. it is so important to have confidence in your docs. i would like to throw my BS back but hope she never has to operatte on me again. she did not do a very good job on my bmx but i'm stuck with my monked up chest as i do not want anymore surgeries.

mmmmmmmmmmm, lots and lots of chocolate!! hehe

hehehehe,i know thought about all you girls yesterday more then my own hubby,haha... ok well i went in and got my blood work,of coarse they did not have me scheduled! i was so mad again!!! after an hour and 15 minutes wait i got in, all blood work is in normal range, i waited for my cmet as well and that was fine too.. yea!! i have decided to see my gyn about my lump and he will send for tests if needed, i got a name from a BC friend for her ONC in S.F, i will call today to get in and have all paper worked transferred over. im feeling a bit better but am very worried about this lump..its on my mastectomy side a couple inches below my collar bone, it feels kinda soft, may fluid filled,maybe muscle,maybe tissue? hmmm i dont know!!! its about an inch...im so upset at that Solace Cancer..i cant believe them, so unacceptable... plus i hope the new ONC can see me cause my 3 month ck up was due Feb 1st it looks like it will be a 4 month ck up, do you think that matters much? have a great day my big sisters!!! i love you all..

Wow, its been 3 months out from my last chemo, (no rads for me) we have had a long haul, all of us, and we are all almost done!!! hehe, i NEVER thought this day would come, remember? lol im so very proud of us all!!!

love you bunches

Chey

Hi Ladies,

Jackie, I would have loved to see the look on your face when the onc handed you the requisition for a mammo,  "priceless"

Latte, congrats on finnishing rads.  My burns were bad but it was surprising how quickly they healed when rads stopped.  I hope your's heal quickly too.

Bon, Loved the pictures! It really brightened my day.

Tina, do you know the results of your ca125?

Chey, hang in there girl.  We are all pulling for you and understand your concerns.

Thanks for all the replies about mammo/us/mri issue.  I will talk with my Dr. and find out if they will do more.  The 3D ones sound so much better. I have finally started to feel better and the fatigue is much improved..  The Dr. said I could return to work on a part time basis for now.  I discussed it with hubby and we decided I should just quit.  It's time to do some of those things on the bucket list.  I have felt so sick for too long and now it is time to enjoy.  We are going to load up my van in late March and drive all the way to Galveston Island, sit on the sea wall, watch the waves, and eat fresh shrimp. JOAN, you should come with us, it might help you get over those nasty colds.  SHERRY, we will wave as we drive thru Okla on the trip south.

Love and Hugs, Mimi

Hey my friends, Good Morning!  I have spent the last few days in a dither, fighting with doctors and insurance people. I just hate this part of the whole bc mess. The stress is unbelievable. Looks like I have gotten some things straightened out and others are still up in the air. Just trying to keep looking forward and not backwards...and keeping a positive attitude amid this craziness. I am not preaching politics, just noting that we desperately need some type of insurance reform. Did you know that insurance companies have 30 days to notify docs that they are withdrawing coverage retroactively and they have a year to take back the money paid out? So even when they confirm your insurance with the docs and hospitals and give the A-OK for service, they can renege and take it all back? UGH...DMom...keep that soundproof room warmed up. I'm in need of a long, long primal scream.

Today is my birthday and I am getting ready to go for another Herceptin infusion. Hoping that they can confirm my insurance coverage by 9 so I can get on the road by 9:30 for the 45 minute drive. My horoscope for today says...You can make a difference this year. Your energy, enthusiasm and problem-solving skills will help you move into a leadership position. Your popularity will grow based on your contributions. Discipline and hard work will pay off. You can overcome anything you put your mind to right now, so stop procrastinating and start your journey down a path that can lead to a better future.

So my new mantra is I DESERVE BETTER!  Ladies, we all deserve better!  Onward and upward...and off to the oncology center. Herceptin is my birthday gift to myself.

Hugs to all...Bon

Bon ~ Happy Birthday!!!  I turned 50 this past Sunday and although usually this is one of the milestone birthdays, with black balloon, jokes about AARP etc...my kids and I just had a nice celebration spending the day together, attending a basketball game and going out to dinner~ it was perfect.  I had lots of notes wishing me a happy day, and a few subtle jokes about 'aging', but I have to say I was touched by the way people knew that I was just happy to turn 50 at all!!!

I am at a point right now where I have absolutely no idea where to start with my  medical bills....I have absolutely NO extra resources.  I have (or thought I had) good medical coverage, but now I'm just overwhelmed with all the bills....where do I start?

FYI for those of you with dense breast tissue. I had a clear mammogram 6 months before i found a lump. It did show up when i got a new mammogram. I am not sure if it was not there or if they jsut did not get a good picture of it . So i think today it is important to do more than a mammogram. I have advised my sister to get an MRI every other screening.

Bon and Janny - happy birthday! As we say in Israel, may you live to 120!!

Happy Birthday Ladies - Bon - going for my herceptin tomorrow...hang in there - we can do it! I never thought I would look forward to the big 60, but things have changed and I will be happy to put that 6 in front of my age next month....

Janny 50 was a good year - enjoy it!

Liz 

Hey, gals. Thanks for the Birthday wishes. Got a 'card' from friends sent through the American Cancer Society's more birthdays program. So here is a link to little Justin Bieber singing "Happy Birthday''.  Cute kid...could be my grandson!  Here is the link in case you want to hear his rendition. Hey, Janny...Happy 50th!  50 sounds mighty good after bc, doesn't it?

http://morebirthdays.com/email/view/35700/60c34e8c

Hey Gin,  the RA testing results aren't all back yet.  They ordered some additional ones because my liver enzymes were elevated a bit.  Of course that is probably from all the painkillers I took after the PS got done over inflating me!   My poor liver was working hard to kick all those drugs out.    But the RA specialist doesn't see me until Mid March again.  He told me "no news is good news" and as long as I am doing ok on the Celebrex not to worry.  So far the 2 a day Celebrex is making my world functionable.  Right now I am fighting a cold and it is zapping my energy.  I am good otherwise.  Thanks for checking on me.

hello my big loving sisters, well i got on the phone yesterday and made an appt with my gyn, he will see me tomorrow (friday 845) to ck out my lump, i made phone calls to san francisco cancer center, they were so wonderful, i gave all info over the phone, medical records and my history, they told me to have everything faxed over, i said i was worried cause i shoulda been seen for my 3 month ck up on feb 1.... well a 7 pm last nite i got a call back frome Jessica who took more info and reassured me that it is ok that i have not been seen for my 3 month, i mean, someone took the time to call me back within 6 hours, unheard of for my  ONC office to do something like that!!! any way, she said not to worry as long as im seen with in 6 months, she got me in march 2, im so relieved to be away from Solace Cancer, i pray nothing is wrong with this lump but will know tomorrow, im staying positive!!!

 ok well my sis went in for her first mammo, and they found something, we all know what she did for me through all this, im so worried for her!!! prolly nothing since its her first mammo, and they just wanna be safe, yes? im thinking it will be fine and they wanna double ck cause they have no previous mammos to look at... wow!!! can u believe, after how much of a watch dog she was over me. not just a watch dog but a junk yard watch dog!!! you all know this, i love her so much and i am willing to admit im a lil scared for her.. her mind is so much stronger then mine is!!!! thats is a good thing, im the kitten and she is the lioness of our small family... god for bid!! but  i will be there every second for my sis!!!  does it ever end??? she said she did not want to get cked till she was sure i was doing good, then we will concentrate her she said,  lets all pray for such a wonderful sister she is to me!!! thank you, its only her and i left in our family, she has a wonderful  husband who is a sheriff deputy, k 9 cop for years... i will let you know tomorrow first thing how my appt goes, Cindy goes in next Thursday to get second mammo on the right side... love you all bunches

bon.i met a newbie and gave her your words, its our motto i said! " you dont have to be brave, you just have to show up!!! she could not thank me enough for my words!!!

ladies i guess i have learned so much and am so proud to help our new sisters out there!!!

 love you all chey

Wow, Chey--sounds like things worked out well for you!!  So proud of you for making the change to a different center--they sound wonderful.  Can't wait to hear that lump is nothing serious--I will be checking in waiting!!!!

It is very common to get a call back for more pictures, especially since it is her first one--like you said, they don't have anything to compare it too.  They probably know your history and are being extra cautious with her.  She sounds like a WONDERFUL sister!  I am the baby of our family and my older sister is like my second mother, and also my best friend.  What a blessing sisters can be!  You 2 are so beautiful!

JFV--I am soooo glad I took the time off.  Some days I feel guilty, but then days like today, when I'm really tired, I know that I wouldn't be able to be on my feet all day!  And my onc said standing outside for an hour in the cold with my nueropathy wasn't a good idea--so I guess I really don't need to feel guilty until it warms up   Thanks for the comment about the video on my blog.  Apparently that was supposed to be on some local cable channel in the St. Paul area.

I went to KCMO Sat.--Mon. to visit my dd and we had a great time!  I was not able to go with to move her down there because I was too sick from chemo, so it really felt good to be able to go down now.  It just felt freeing somehow--like I'm finally able to be "me" again, if that makes any sense.

I have my ct scan and MUGA on Monday!  So far no anxiety--hope that lasts!

edited to say-- sorry I guess I already wrote about KC!  It's been a busy week and I'm really tired!