MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish

the generic name is diclofenac , i believe its prescription here in the us,its also an nsaid  , so do the med check for interactions!    thats my psa for today. have a good day everybody

Jo, I'm positive your doctor will give you Ativan to relax you before your MRI. I've had my docs do that every time I've had one, for neck, back and breasts. This last time, for the breast MRI, they gave me a choice of a pill I could take at home, or they could give me an IV there. I chose the pill. Either way, I think you have to have someone drive you home if you take the Ativan.

But it definitely calmed me. The other thing I do is ask them to tell me how long each scan will take and to let me know when they're down to 3 minutes, 2 minutes, or whatever, so I have some sense of time and can tell myself, "only 2 more minutes and this one will be through." When I know I'm down to 3 minutes, I play a game with myself and try to count the seconds to see whether I get to the finish line before or after they do. The next time I try to count moe quickly or slowly. It's all mind games to get me through this.  Sometimes I see how quickly I can do the alphabet backwards, too. Anything to pass the time without moving a muscle or thinking about what you're going through! 

I have been using the same Voltaren cream on my Arthritic feet and back of my neck.Put it on a night for a good nights sleep. 

barbe - SO glad you found something that works for you. Thanks for sharing

Hi jo - NO you are absolutely not whining! You are right - enough of this crap. I decided I was not going to deal with it today with the scheduled skin-check, so I took the chicken way out and left a message on the docs answering machine, early this a.m. when I knew noone would be there! It is icy and snowy here in the Adirondacks - I am comfy and warm in my little cabin with all my pets and do not have to bare my breast for anyone today!

Paula - I have to totally agree with you.  There are those that don't understand and that can be frustrating.  At least here, you can come to whine and vent and feel a sense of relief when you are done. Besides, you come up with some fabulous "eye candy"  LOL!

  Elimar, just stopped in to see what the mystery pic was.....I am always curious as I am so bad at guessing them and want to find out what they were.   I also LOVE that pic....that was my cool Grandma's era....the one who lived in Mich and had the dress shop where I revisited in Dec. I have a black velvet dress of hers in my Dad's attic....had a little rimestone strap on it.  Mama was a pack rat.  Love that look and it reminds me of the Sex in the City gang( + one)  in another era.  Hope everyone gets good test results.  Oddly enough MRI's put me to sleep. 

Well I know it's not me Joni. I don't even guess anymore because I'm never even close

I guessed frozen lake.  That was the closest I've come to a right answer.  Congrats Eph!

Hi everyone!  I have company, my cherished niece Renee is here from Colorado.  She is 18 and such a doll.  She got a tattoo for me after my BC was diagnosed......pink ribbon with the words "Indomitable Will" written on it.  That is my girl!  Anyway she is leaving tomorrow and I know i will have a blubber fest all the way home from the airport.  We have had so much fun cooking and watching silly movies and just being goofy!  I had two sons so being around a girl is so fun.

Sherry...my neck is always a nightmare, so sore.  I recently had the MRI on my lower spine which found the herniated disc, but wish he had done an MRI on my neck.  I had a couple of bad tosses off of horses several years ago and maybe that contributes.  I was having PT on my neck but can't say it helped.  i do take muscle relaxers and Advil.  Try freezing plain old bottles of water, they are the perfect shape for lying under the back of your head.  Wrap in a towel and ice for 20 minutes at a tinme.  Also you can try alternating with a heating pad.  I hope you find some relief.  I sure understand!

I have a question...or two.  I finished rads early October.  My BC breast is swollen, not a lot but noticeable and definitely worse in the past month.  It is also painful now.  Where the tumor was removed is very puffy and where the nodes were taken also puffy, kind of puckered.  It is worse than it was a couple months ago.  I do have my regular 6 month follow up with my BS January 24th.  It just concerns me because it is interfering with my PT for my back.  I cannot lie on my stomach, it is just too painful.  I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this this far out of rads.  The fact that it just now is getting painful bothers me.  Sometimes the pain wakes me up at night.  Grrrrr..............

I have not been able to keep up but think of all of you daily.  You ladies are my inspiration and never forget how much I cherish you and count on your support.

Better days ahead for all, my wish.  Hugs always!

Sherry, that is WONDERFUL that you are getting pain relief!!! Janis, so sorry that you are gaining pain. Get thee to a PT!!! Have them check for LE. I have mild truncal LE and get some of the issues that you are describing.

Janis, it's good that you'll be seen soon for the breast pain, and I hope it's all good news and an easy fix. I just wanted to say that breast lymphedema (called truncal lymphedema) is often quite painful. The pain can be hard to describe, it's resistant to OTC pain meds (or even prescription pain meds for that matter), and it can tend to move around and be hard to pin down exactly. Here's information about truncal lymphedema if you'd like to know more about it:
http://www.stepup-speakout.org/breast_chest_trunckal_lymphedema.htm

New swelling can also signal a brewing infection, so do keep a close eye on it for warmth to the touch, redness, fever, flu-like symptoms, itching, or increased pain, and head for help right away.

Truncal lymphedema is treated by a well-trained lymphedema therapist with gentle lymph massage, special exercises, and compression (often just from a sports bra or Spanx-type cami). Treatment reduces the swelling (and teaches you how to keep it that way), and that in turn clears up the pain and lowers the infection risk.

Gentle hugs,
Binney

What a strange couple of weeks I've had. Had exchange surgery Dec. 16th (hate them btw), and then Dec. 22nd I picked up my almost 3 year old granddaughter from her mother's (who is living with a new bf) to find her struggling to breathe. Rushed her to the hospital where it turned out she was having a major asthma attack and was near death. If God hadn't put into motion everything exactly the way He did, my dear GB would have died that night. The ER doc said she would have been dead in the morning. I get chills just thinking about how close we came to losing her. She was in the PICU for 5 days and spent Christmas in the hospital.

Her mother told the docs at the hospital that her pediatrician told her it wasn't necessary to keep the baby on daily medication for her asthma, when in fact, SHE stopped giving her the medicine. I found this out when I took the baby to her doctor's appt a few days after she was released from the hospital. The ER docs have DCF involved.

I spent Dec. 22nd until the 25th in the hospital, almost full time including overnight. I won't even go into the "mother" situation.

But on the bright side, never gave my foobs any thought until the crisis was over.

Hope all of you had a nice Christmas, or at least as nice as our circumstances allow these days.

Denise

Denise - Thank goodness your granddaughter is doing ok. Breaks my heart to hear of the poor little thing being so sick and at Christmas no less. I hope this results in positive changes in her world and the new foobs grow on you... (hugs)