TRIPLE POSITIVE GROUP

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  • geewhiz
    geewhiz Member Posts: 1,439
    edited February 2012

    Kitchenella...thank you!! i for one, will take all the help, prayers and good wishes, even if its as a bystander : ) Enjoy your time today!!

    Dancetrancer, what a wonderful feeling for you!! Did you just feel your whole body sigh with relief?! I hate scans. The stress leading up to them makes me quake in my boots. During my last one they piped in country Christmas music. aAaaAAAAAACKKKK!!!!!!

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  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited February 2012

    kitchenella - have a wonderful visit with your DD, and thanks for any and all prayers.

    dance - awesome scan news!  I am doing the post-treatment PET on Thurs. before surgery on Fri.  All the scans (with the exception of the pre-surg MRI) have shown that surgical inflammation accross the chest - this will be the first one that is a ways out from any surgery.

    geewhiz - the country Christmas music effect probably would have shown up somewhere on the scan if it was me!

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  • dancetrancer
    dancetrancer Member Posts: 4,039
    edited February 2012

    Thanks everyone!   SpecialK, you make a good point - I am only 8 weeks post my last fat grafting, so that low-level inflammation may very well be due to post-surgery extended recovery vs. being related to the calc.  We'll see!  I'm actually not stressing about it too bad, which is amazing considering I normally would.  I'm learning a bit of how to just let be whatever will be.  Hope the new attitude lasts!

    Best wishes for your surgery Friday!!!  Getting final squishies, right?  You must be so psyched!  

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  • Moonflwr912
    Moonflwr912 Member Posts: 6,856
    edited February 2012

    Kitchenella,enjoy your DD visit! and thanks for the prayers!s

    ure can't hurt!

    Dance so happy for you.

    Geewhiz I am not that fond of country music either!

    Specialk will be thinking about and hope surgery goes fine.

    To everyone else today, much love

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  • laolson18
    laolson18 Member Posts: 69
    edited February 2012

    Thanks Kitchenella for the prayers.  Yes, it is scary for my Mom to be by herself while she goes thru treatment, if needed, but she has a very strong support group by her side and I will make every effort to get down there for her treatments.

    Question- my Mom goes to her normal Primary Care Physician every three months and gets blood work.  Can I assume that if the cancer was starting to spread, they would see it on some blood work? 

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  • lago
    lago Member Posts: 17,186
    edited February 2012
    Laolson stop thinking about the cancer spreading. You are going to drive yourself crazy. As far as blood tests, you moms PCP does specific tests to look for specific things. I don't think there is a blood test for breast cancer but if you do have mets sometimes tumor markers are done but they are not reliable.
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  • laolson18
    laolson18 Member Posts: 69
    edited February 2012

    I know Lago, easier said than done.  If my Dad did not die from Lung Cancer, then I would probably be much more calmer about the whole situation.  It is bringing back bad memories, that I was just starting to get over.  I will be in a much better place once we know the surgery is in place.

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  • lago
    lago Member Posts: 17,186
    edited February 2012

    I understand. But remember cancer is many different diseases. Even breast cancer is many different diseases. Breast cancer is much much more treatable than lung cancer. When you meet with the oncologist s/he will explain this if you ask. I'm not just saying this to calm you down.

    But I felt 300x better once I had my first treatment (which was surgery).

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  • Moonflwr912
    Moonflwr912 Member Posts: 6,856
    edited February 2012

    Laolson, just an idea, take 20 minutes of every day and think the worst thoughts, the worst thing that could happen, what you could do in that case. THEN, that's it, you did your worry for the day, and can now go on with your day, when your mind tries to worry, tell youself you did that already and let it go. See if that helps. (Ask me how I know this works?LOL)

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  • laolson18
    laolson18 Member Posts: 69
    edited February 2012

    Thanks Lago.  I appreciate it.

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  • dancetrancer
    dancetrancer Member Posts: 4,039
    edited February 2012

    Moonflower, I use that strategy, and it really helps.  

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  • rozem
    rozem Member Posts: 1,375
    edited February 2012

    hi all

    i wanted to get some info from you ladies on mastectomy and reconstruction options.  I am mtg with the plastic surgeon next week

    i did neo chemo, lump, now doing rads (I had to do rads even if i had a bmx b/c of LVI in my path report)

    can they do reconstruction at the same time either with implants or fat grafting? so you wake up and actually have boobs?

    why do some women get TE's and not immediate reconstruction?

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  • Moonflwr912
    Moonflwr912 Member Posts: 6,856
    edited February 2012

    Not really sure on the rads and reconstruction, but I thought you need time to heal first. As to TEs, if you need more tissue replaced, they can't put the biggest ones right away, they have to stretch the chest wall, which is where they place the TEs. The breast skin is not ready for th weight of the bigger ones, talk to your PS and you will get the info specific to you. There is also the reconstruction info on this site for more info. Good luck.

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  • lago
    lago Member Posts: 17,186
    edited February 2012

    Rozem some women (like me) have small breasts. Other women want to remain the same size or be bigger. When an MX or BMX is performed the BS removes some skin. In order to have enought skin to cover the implant TEs are put in place to stretch the skin. They are gradually filled with saline over weeks to do this. The PS will explain this to you as well as other options that don't require implants but use tissue/skin from other parts of your body.

    Here is a good site that explains all the different types of recon except for the one that uses fat transfer/brava system only: www.drmarga.com/breast-reconstruction-procedures.html

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  • Moonflwr912
    Moonflwr912 Member Posts: 6,856
    edited February 2012

    Lago do you have type all the links? Cause I know to can't cut and paste!

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  • rozem
    rozem Member Posts: 1,375
    edited February 2012

    moonflwr - yes i will have to heal after rads in order to do the surgery

    lago -thanks for the link

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  • nmoss1000
    nmoss1000 Member Posts: 357
    edited February 2012

    Hey ladies, just finished my last Herceptin!! No more ! Been catching up and traveling, looking onward to finally resting until next round of trips in April! What a feeling this is! Wondering how long until I can start losing the weight held on by H. Anyone know how long until it starts? I have been eating well and exercising regularly but can't seem to lose any weight. I put on 15 lbs total, I will take that any day as opposed to the alternative.best to you guys

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  • TonLee
    TonLee Member Posts: 2,626
    edited February 2012

    Roze,

    You may want to check into a skin sparing MX..that is what I had....they remove the nipple and scoop out the inside...then place TEs or implants right away...my PS used a little alloderm.

    Plus you won't have that big diag/horizontal line...once you get a nipple tattoo the small scar is completely covered.

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  • rozem
    rozem Member Posts: 1,375
    edited February 2012

    thanks tonlee

    what i find interesting is that all the canadian ladies i know who had msx and had to do rads have to do delayed reconstruction.  Not one of them had TE placed at the time because they had to do rads - but i see everyone here from the US who did a bmx with TE and then went on to do rads  -

    this option was never given to me - pisses me off frankly b/c now i have to wait until i heal from rads to do anything

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  • Omaz
    Omaz Member Posts: 5,497
    edited February 2012
    Whoo Hooo nmoss!!!  Way to go!
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  • dancetrancer
    dancetrancer Member Posts: 4,039
    edited February 2012
    nmoss, congrats on being done!!!!!!!!!!!! Laughing
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  • dancetrancer
    dancetrancer Member Posts: 4,039
    edited February 2012

    This article just came into my "inbox", so I thought I'd share:

    Estrogen Receptor (ER) mRNA and ER-Related Gene Expression in Breast Cancers That Are 1% to 10% ER-Positive by Immunohistochemistry

    TAKE-HOME MESSAGE
    Results of this large correlative study of ESR1 mRNA levels and gene expression profiles in patients with breast cancer suggest that the current approach of giving endocrine therapy when tumors have >1% ER staining is appropriate. 

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  • missy_111
    missy_111 Member Posts: 141
    edited February 2012

    Congrats nmoss!! 

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  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited February 2012

    nmoss - yay!!!

    rozem - if US ladies had TE's most of them had to be fully expanded prior to rads, which means expansion during chemo.  I you have rads first most plastic surgeons want extended healing time before trying a TE.  Also, it is important to know that some PS will insist on a flap surgery - will not try a typical expander to implant, and that with an expander sometimes there are skin integrity issues even with allowing extra time after rads.  It can be problematic unfortunately.

    kitchenella - thanks!  I am that combination of nervous and excited right now.  Had my pre-op today with my PS to review everything.  I have had the right expander for 16 months waiting for this - lost the left one for 7 months due to skin healing issues, had it put back in July and then expanded slowly, so it has been a long road!

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  • lago
    lago Member Posts: 17,186
    edited February 2012
    SpecialK Not true about the TEs being fully expanded. Yes most PS prefer because they get better results but some RO prefer they not be expanded because they get in the way. Some might even have some of the saline removed. I believe at my treatment center they don't want them fully expanded. I didn't need rads but I wasn't even expanded during chemo. My treatment center is treatment first then recon. I do know one of the other places here in Chicago that is an NCI center does do expansions during chemo… So I guess it all depends.
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  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited February 2012

    lago - I probably should have specified that this is what I have seen in the BS/PS/MO that I go to.  They are all NCI trained at Moffitt Cancer Center.  I made a generalized statement that I probably should not have - thanks for clarifying!

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  • Moonflwr912
    Moonflwr912 Member Posts: 6,856
    edited February 2012

    Nmoss, congrats.

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  • achpurple
    achpurple Member Posts: 290
    edited February 2012

    Yay nmoss!

     I can't wait to be done - I have one more.  Want to do something for my chemo nurses but can't decide what it will be - I had #16 yesterday so I have 3 weeks to figure out what I will do for them.

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  • ashla
    ashla Member Posts: 1,581
    edited February 2012

    Had my last TCH neo adjuvant chemo yesterday , Then on to either lumpectomy or BMX in afew weeks I guees. The MO wasn't in so I have to see him another time.

    Wanted to share something I saw in another forum. Wish I could attribute it to the original  poster but I have no idea where it was...

    What day is it,?" asked Pooh.
    "It's today," squeaked Piglet.
    "My favorite day," said Pooh." This is my favorite day also. It is my "present" 

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  • lago
    lago Member Posts: 17,186
    edited February 2012

    Awesome nmoss. Feels good to be done!



    I made cookies several times for my chemo nurses/onc/NP. I actually made some on the 7th for them, my BS and PS to celebrate another (mine) birthday. I think the gal in my BS's office thought I was on crack or something.

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