Chemo Starting Sep 09

Thanks Patty.  I'm going to say "I'm Just Fine" until I get the results back.  Here we are waiting again.  Some days it is good to go to work and be so busy you don't have time to dwell   When is your MRI?  Hope you have a good day!

Hello SOSisters.... I did get an all clear, sort of.  I went for the mammo this am.  They took 6 more views magnified and I am now an A---- cup and boy did it smart.  However, the doctor's office called me at 5 and said that the radiologist said I had some post recovery changes but it was okay.  I will have to now start going every 6 months.  So I'm relieved and not relieved at the same time.  I hate this crap!  So after mammo picked up grandkids, 16 and 13 and went on our annual school shopping trip.  It was a lot easier when they were little!  But we had a good time and it took my mind off the mammo for a while.

Hope all of you are doing well and staying cool.  Take care and post when you can.  Thoughts and prayers are with you!

Jane

Great news Jane!   It is good that they will be keeping track every 6 months.

Patty

Hello gals

Oh Jane I am so sorry to hear of your scare. No matter how you look at it these are scary moments. So glad it seems ok now.

And congrats Barb on the new job!

sounds like you are doing pretty well Ronnie and I hope you continue to do so. has the burning started to ease? And are you doing daily arm and shoulder exercises to keep the movement there and help prevent lymph edema?



Life is still very busy for me, some of it nice stuff (last weekend I had my annual girls weekend with three long time friends - we were all undergraduates together in the early 80's- and we go away together every year. this time it was to Melbourne. had a great time. other busy making stuff is work of course, plus helping my elderly parents who are both I their 80's and in frail health, they need taking to appointments etc and as I live an hour away that takes time.Also I have a lot of appointments of my own at the moment too. never mind.



My son got a terrific job 2 weeks ago and we are all celebrating! he has been applying for positions since he finished his diploma (in music business) last year, and finding it hard going. Anyway he got offered a position with a major Australian music label in Sydney and is so excited. He and his girlfriend seem to be doing well. We are all much happier together now. Don't see a lot of them as they are both busy with work and study, but we keep in contact and I am so glad that all the dramas from last year have faded away.



Hope everyone is keeping cool, you have autumn just around the corner now!

Hello SOSisters.... hope this finds everyone doing well.  Rainy weekend here but it has cooled off into the high 80's and we are so thankful.

Neece - so glad you posted.  How was your weekend with the girls?  It's wonderful your son was able to get a job in a field he wanted and that he's excited.  I see people applying for jobs everyday, way over qualified but just needing an income.  

Patty - where are you?  Have you had your MRI and scan yet?  I had onc appt this week, told him about my mammo scare.  I have appt with radiology dr. for yearly checkup on Tues., he will have a copy of my mammo and it will be interesting to hear what he has to say.

BarbAnne - I'm excited for you and your new job.  Don't be nervous, you will be great!  Sorry DD had to have her wisdom teeth out, never a pleasant experience.  Did you ever do the Effxetor (sp) for hot flashes?  Onc gave me a rx, I have taken one for two nights.  I'm nauseated, jittery, sleepy and obviously not very happy with the side effects.  On the other hand I haven't had a major hot flash in 2 days.

Vickilynn - I'm so glad you were able to post!  Your camping adventure sounds wonderful.  I miss your posts, you are always so upbeat and descriptive!  Take care in the woods and be nice to the bears!

Take care.  Thoughts and prayers are with you.

Jane

Hey SOSisters... another day of dr. appts.  It's never ending.  Today was radiologist who didn't have the views from my mammo because the center hadn't sent them.  Anyway he's thinking scar tissue which is perfectly normal but do my 6 mo. mammo anyway.  And then it was off to the next doctor to set up my colonoscopy.  Oh joy.  I'm thinking my Sept. 3rd or so I should be through with doctors for the rest of the year!!!

Patty - glad your MRI is behind you.  I've had two.  The first one was horrible with all sorts of racket, the second complete with headphones and music I enjoyed.  However, being in the MRI machine and having a hot flash isn't a whole lot of fun!  

Everyone take care and post soon.  Thoughts and prayers are with you.

Jane

BarbAnne - so how is day two of the new job?  I so hope you are enjoying your first days and will find this job to be just what you were looking for.  DD over having her wisdom teeth pulled?

Hello SOSisters....been working, working and working.  Weather is better, not quite so hot.  School starting this week and grandkids are excited - not

BarbAnne - whenever I have a new associate I get concerned if they aren't asking a dozen questions.  I'm sure you will be proficient in no time at all!  Sorry your DD had such a bad time with the wisdom teeth.  Thank goodness that's a once only procedure!  Good for you on the walking.  I wish I could say the samething.

VickiLynn - I can see we are all going to look forward to Thursdays.  Glad you are still enjoying the camp.  I'm sorry about Medocino, know you were looking forward to going there.  There must be another plan for you and Don in October.  We miss you and your wonderful posts.  Think about you all the time!

Patty - my colonoscopy is next Friday. I figure might as well get it done, then all these darn doctors can leave me alone!  Do you realize we are on the countdown for Vegas?  We are going to have to be very descriptive in all our stories we are going to share with our sisters!  I'm ready to go!

Take care everyone.  Thoughts and prayers are with you!  Ronnie Kay where are you?

Jane

Busy...Busy :-)

We felt the earthquake here to Jane, during a  division meeting.It was weird

 How effected will you be by Irene?? Hope you are safe and sound

The one issue I seem to have at work is all my questions?? No one seems to have answers...hmm so we learn as we go, a little stressful, who am I kidding? I am freakin' out a bit...BUT I had a good week and I am determined to have a great weekend.

Hope all the sisters are OK!

Hi Gals!  Been a few weeks but I think I've caught up on what's up!  We were in e wash and then my old school called and asked to help them out in counseling with new student enrollment (going on my third week!).

JANE: First & most important..you look beautiful..and professional!! I started reading where I'd left off the end of July and saw there was concern over your mammo...the tears started down my face, my legs went numb...Patty summed it up that there couldn't be recurrence two times in one family. Praise God that that they brought you back in for more views and that they'll be keeping a close eye on you!  At my onc appt on the 4th she said aside from the calcifications (which were dcis) I did have another tumor, which was also removed during biopsy. It was 4mm (remember <6) so along with no further chemo, no more herceptin (even tho it was +).  She said it used to be no treatment under 1 cm...now it's down to 6mm.  The lowdown was that I formed so much scar tissue from surgery & the brachytherapy catheters that the chemo & herc couldn't penetrate that area..henceforth, a random cell grew   They don't know if I would've had less scar tissue with standard radiation but it turns out that because I had brachy my skin is very vibrant (plastic's verbage) so it's good for reconstruction.  After all my tests came back great (I think we can use that word, Barb!), she doesn't need to see me for a year. How weird is that...a "get outta jail free" card after a recurrence!  No boobs makes a big difference.  So...it's sounding like as a general rule...scar tissue sucks!! 

Since you didn't mention Irene, Jane, I'm hoping it's blowing around you!  When I heard NC in the news, I worried about you!  What an insane year of weather...and having been in on a number of earthquakes here & in Calif, I can totally understand your queasiess on your first one!  Our first Calif one, we were at Spaghetti Factory with a huge iron chandelier above us. Our kids were instantly under the table and Tom and I were yelling at them to get out from under the table but in the first week of school, they'd already had training and pulled us under too!  Stay safe!

BarbAnne:  I'm so happy you're in the new job...wish you could've had a smoother transition but you were a good mom & it sounds like DD needed you...badly!  Poor darling, getting sick like that with her mouth in stitches...ouch!  After 2 years of retirement (hardly!), I interviewed yesterday for a job at the school district. I need a little adult interaction added to my library, park, storytime activities with the grandkids!  It's a part time position & I love the people in the office but if I don't get it, I'll continue to sub so there's not much pressure.  Good luck with the learning curve...you'll be marvelous and they'll wonder how the job got done without you!!!

OMG Patty: laughed so hard that you feel guilty at Nordstrom with your darling son wearing Penney's and Target!  I remember my girls wearing Nordstrom when I was wearing Penney's....only because they knew HOW to dress and were always so put together!  The difference between girls and boys! Happy for another successful show!  Am going with a young teacher friend for her dress shopping tomorrow and can hardly wait!   I'm sad thinking of missing a reunion with you & Jane...and sad thinking that all the weight I was going to lose before our "town, family reunion" is still hanging onto this body.  Got lots of exercise doing yardwork at our home in e wash but nothing as exciting (or dangerous!) as climbing rooftops...YOU GO GIRL!!! 

Neece:  I am in physical therapy and was doing well, have great range of motion...but with each fill I get a little more tight chested and it feels so weird and restricting.  I'm doing my lymph massage and got reprimanded for using too much pressure.  The pt said to think of how you would massage a bunny with broken bones...which freaked me out...a horrible thing to imagine!!!!  Anyhoo...being the nosy noodle I am, you said you're having appts for yourself....whatever they may be, know you're in our prayers always and when you're ready to share...we're there.  Loving you lots!  Hooray for a job for your son!  Does that mean you get a raise? (I remember "helping" kids out after college, before jobs!).  It's funny that when you started talking about your reunion with your girlfriends I remembered you sharing that trip last year...totally like a family story!

Vickilynn:  I never went to summer camp...being the child of a wheat farmer there were very few camps, trees, or bodies of water anywhere near us, so thanks for sharing the fun!  You'll find another great place to park your rv before the winter months...or will you return to Arizona?  I hope you're feeling great in the fresh air!!!

My other mast and the diep flap reconstruction is 12/15...guess I'm going to be Christmas shopping early this year!  Can you believe it's the first open slot for a 12 hour surgery with the 3 surgeons I'm having.  They seem to think I have enough fat/tissue in my stomach to make 2 new boobs, large B, small C.  Is that a good thing or bad thing?  They also said not to be worried if there's a little skin in the underarm area (fat pocket) or upper hip area after surgery, that will be gone in the sculpturing...I didn't know whether to woohoo or be panicked!  Thinking of China and Kim...know they were having procedures in August!

Love, Love to all

Now who would massage a bunny with broken bones?  That is just too awful to think about.

And speaking of awful...got a call from the Onc today.  Seems that MRI machine picked up a 6mm suspicious spot in my "good" boob.    DAMN, DAMN, DAMN.    Might be nothin'.  Might be somethin'.  He's scheduling an ultra-sound and, if they can find it, a needle biopsy.   I'm clinging to the fact that MRI's have a 12% false positive rate for BC (compared to 5% for mammo).  My mammo in June was clean.

Ronnie -  12-hours of surgery!  You poor dear.  Good news on the tummy fat re-utilization, though.  Just last night I vowed that I was going to get rid of my "Femara induced" tummy roll or die doing it, but now with the above in limbo, maybe I'll keep it in case I need a couple of size B's.  My luck...what looks like a D on the tummy would end up an A on my chest!

Jane - We made it through our horrible 80-degree weekend heat wave and it is now back in the 70's.  Glad you didn't get washed away by the hurricane...I was thinking about you!

Patty

Ronnie I love the bunny story. Awful image actually but quie correct - vey light pressure is what is required for lymph. drainage. Glad you are keeping it up - don't be tempted to stop even if all looks OK - as flare ups can happen so quickly.

My appointments are for things like the pt for lymphedema treatment and measuring (levels have gone DOWN since 3 months ago, with me wearing compression garments on alternate days for that time YAY!!! Feels like a major victory.

I also have started a series of 7 appointments with different medical specialists who are assessing me for my third party injury claim from the car accident two years ago. The system here is that you make a claim for damages, then after a lot of time has passed, you have to get assessed by a whole bunch of Doctors. Great, just what I felt like doing after the whole bc experience.never mind, I am determined to see it through because basically I am still wearing the injuries (physical and especially psychological) caused by that car accident, which was not my fault.

Barb glad your new job is going well so far.

You guys in the US are sure experiencing mother nature at her craziest! I hope no one has had injuries or damages due to earthquakes and hurricanes.

Good Afternoon sisters!!

 I will post more later but had to say

 Patty is all clear, Patty is all clear ...will say it in my sleep.

Ugh that bunny thing just isn't right. ugh.

Patty is all clear!!!

Thanks for the all clear mantra, ladies.  I'm just sure it is nothing.  Made the ultrasound appt for September 20th.  That way, even if something does need to be done, it can't be scheduled before the TA TA's go to Las Vegas!

Poor Neece.   Glad to hear your lymphedema is getting better...but bummer on the other round of appointments.  I hope you get lots of compensation from the insurance company.

Earthquakes, floods, fires...stay safe everyone!

Patty