Calling all TNs

Tifj - wow...that's early. I attended a marketing confererence today in downtown Toronto (I live/work in the suburbs) so I caught the commuter train at 7:00 a.m. and I thought that was early.  I'm absolutely zonked.  I couldn't do the commuter thing daily that's for sure.

Tifd - was wondering if you got the job you went for.  Hope you get it.

Titan - another person going through this crap, your co worker. Will it ever stop. I believe estrogen positive is good.  I wish I had been this when I was diagnosed. I might be wrong but I just think there are more doors open to this kind of cancer.

Maccrimmon - I'm so glad you enjoyed the pampering.  I think we could all do with some of that to perk us up.

Bak94 - Really glad your rads are going well.  Half way through, way to go.

Laurajane - Wishing you wonderful news from your bone scan. When I have had scans they all seem to have that deadpan face and won't say anything, mean bastards.  I'm praying for an all clear for you.

HeidiToo - the Sounds of Spring were wonderful.  I'm clinging onto the thought of spring at the moment and hopefully a better summer in NZ that what we had this year but its coming up winter and is getting very cold.  

On the home front.  My port went in good with no probs.  Not even really sore.  On the down side my hair has all come out.  It wasn't very wonderful,  very short, wavy with a nice golden colour but I liked it as it was mine so I will probably come back grey now, not sure I am ready for that yet even at 65.  Second chemo tomorrow, so here we go again. The train just never stops it seems.

LJ, MBJ, Susan and Becca - praying you all had a good day today.  Sending heaps of warm fuzzies and lots of smiles.  xxooxx. Annie          

Bak, very happy to hear from you and hear good stuff.

LJ - Good Luck on the bone scan, can't wait to hear good news.

Titan - Sorry to hear about your co-worker, you will probably have to go through this experience with her.  But I am glad she has you, to support her.

Ladies, either I am super crazy or this menopause or chemopause is hitting me big time.  Just now, yes, just now, I realized that I did not ask my Onc. about metformin at my last Friday's appointment.  Can you believe this?  Honestly, I think it is our chemistry or that I get too nervous, there is a lot to cover in one short appointment.  This was my 3 month appointment.  I can always make another appointment anytime I want, but honestly, I don't like going there too much.  Right now, I can't think what or when I will go back to ask him for Metformin.  I need to write things down next time.

Ok my onc agreed to let me do metformin, but today when I saw my BS he was kinda not so happy about it.  Truthfully I love my BS and really trust him more.  Now I am confused about what to do.  He said it could have some serious side effects.  I looked on internet and liver and kidney damage is 2 of them!!!

What to do???? 

Hi Babs

I suggest don't freak out as it probably is benign.  I went through the same exact experience very recently.  They saw an enhancement on a bilat. MRI, and I had to get a biopsy, which turned out to be benign. You have a dense spot on your other breast, I have flat epethelial atypia in the other breast (which are pre pre pre pre cancer).  But this time with the biopsy, my surgeon called to say that they didn't even find any atypia in the tissue sample.  I also have been told in a prior ultrasound that I have fatty liver (not spots though), but in the petscan there was no uptake, thank God.  I am glad they are checking you out so thoroughly but I have a feeling these are all benign. It seems like we both were diagnosed around the same time in 2010.

Babs, I hope time passes quickly for you so you don't have to worry very long! Hoping you get great news, which you probaby will, they are just extra cautious with us, but I know that does not make the waiting any easier.

I woke up late this morning, would have had to run out the door with out showering to make it to rads in time, plus it was snowing. Decided to call and ask for a later appointment, which they gave me. Went back to sleep, woke up again and it was a beautiful day, sunny, but cold! Went to my appointment, came home and as I was getting my keys out to open the door I hear my dogs just howling like mad! It was too funny. They were overly excited! The goaties were jumping around like it was spring time and the chickens were chatting loudly. I guess all the animals are very happy it is sunny! Plus I have flowers that came back, I think they are prim roses?! All different colors. 

Babs,

According to this website, a fatty liver can cause pain:

http://www.liverfailuresymptoms.com/reducing-fatty-liver-pain.html

Strangely enough, it also goes on to say that high levels of insulin can lead to fatty liver.  It recommends a low glycemic diet (after mentioning all the foods I like best as the culprits in a high glycemic diet! )

I wonder how much all this chemo does to our livers.  I had what I thought might be liver pain during the last of this clinical trial but the pain has moved around and is much better, gone at times.  I have mentioned it to my oncologist but I am waiting to see if it goes away completely in the next few weeks. I never want to ignore something, but also don't want to have too many scans (I've already had 2 CT scans.) I hope all goes well and since metformin is known to cause GI upset, I'm hoping it is something simple like gas pains.  It very well could be that as I have had those in the upper right quandrant before.

Is the Metformin worth the side effects?  My onc wrote me a script ,but I am nervous about taking it.  She keeps telling me it is normally NOT for BC patients...Idk???

Babs, I have had a few very weird sensations in my liver but just a few times over the years. They were not pain, but something there was actually jumping, very strange.  I was told I had a fatty liver way before the cancer diagnosis, therefore, in my case chemo did not cause it, maybe a high fat diet did.  My doc. told me that a high percentage of Americans have fatty liver, it is very common.  Maybe your pain is caused by a side effect of metformin.  Since they specifically state that metformin's side effect is liver and kidney damage, we all need to be careful of the risks versus benefits.

Christina - I also don't want to have too many scans and try very hard to figure things out and heal them myself, either by discontinuing the drug or changing my diet.  But when you have to have the tests, there is nothing we can do, right?

All this talk about Metformin. I don't know. I think I am going to let well enough alone. Don't want to tax my liver any more than necessary. An absence of SEs doesn't necessarily mean it isn't having an impact on your liver, not to mention the possibility of GI upset. Sorry, I know I am being a poopy-head, peeing on the parade and all.

I have not really posted on this site before, but I could sure use someone to talk with tonight. I am almost a year out of chemo (March 10th was last treatment), and finished radiation in May. When I first started radiation I had upper and mid back pains which I attributed to laying on that god-awful table. Even though the Rad said it was very unlikely to have a recurrence during radiation, I had a bone scan which came back clear. The pains went away for awhile, but recurred in January. I had an MRI, and the Dr. said no recurrence, but that I had some (and he later said severe) arthritis in my back. I have never had arthritis anywhere in my body. Every time this pain comes I am paralyzed with fear of recurrence. I should also mention that I travel for work, and am constantly lugging a suitcase and computer case around, so this could well be the case for the back pain. That and being on a plane every week and in a different hotel/type of bed every week. My Onc. is the super realistic straightforward glass half empty person. For example, she said she typically doesn't do blood screens on three month follow-up visit because "if it turns out positive it's then terminal and knowing earlier won't affect the survival time." So I am scared of knowing and equally scared of not knowing. Have any of you been there? I am so not ready to face the idea of recurrence or mets, because on my up days I want to believe I have beat this. I find that I can't move forward, and can't stop thinking about the what ifs, but at the same time if it is bad I am not ready to handle it. I can't really talk to family or friends or especially kids, because they want to believe it's all behind me - and I kind of want them to keep thinking this. Thank you for listening. It's hard being alone in a hotel room 3,000 miles from home without anyone to talk to, when I can't turn off my brain from going to dark places

Aimee - I'm sorry you have such worry, and are away from home and your comforts. I think some stage IV ladies are going to disagree with your onco. I know it's hard not to borrow trouble, a week ago I was scouring the boards for bone met info! Had a bone scan - it came back clean.

Maybe a gentle stretching routine in the morning, hot bath at night will help relax your muscles?

Wishing you peaceful sleep, that restores your body. Karen

Aimee,

I look forward to hopefully hearing from some further along in this journey than us, as I was just diagnosed 2/11 and you just a few months before me.  All I can say is that you are not alone in your thinking - I understand so well the fear of not knowing and the fear of knowing.  I am a basket case when scans come along.

I believe chemo might aggravate tendencies toward arthritis.  I hobble around like an ancient person when I first get up.  Once I get moving around I'm ok, but I still feel much stiffer than before cancer.  Some people here have told me it is from chemo and can take a year or more to go away.

Almost 30 years ago, I quit drinking.  I was told to live one day at a time.  I was also told that no one could live more than one day at a time even though we try by "projecting" into the future all the time.  It was good advice and it helped me through some really tough times.  I've started to use this tool again with some success with this fear of recurrence.  All I can do is live this one day, hour by hour, the best I know how to do. Anyway, I hope this helps - and believe me, I don't profess to have the answers to totally conquering these fears, but going back to some of these simple practices that helped me so many years ago has helped me once again.  Hope you stay in touch with us on this site!

AimeeMac,  Welcome. I understand and have shared your fears.  I had back pains for three months before I could face a bone scan because I was so scared of the results.The bone scan showed only arthritis.

If your scan showed arthritis in January, the arthritis is not going to go away.  This is one of those "horse or zebra" questions. You hear the clip clop coming down the path, and you are thinking zebra when logically its likely to be a horse. Our fears can grow very large. You know you have arthritis. 

Like Christina said, live a day at a time, and enjoy that sunrise. Post again when you feel like it, or have questions or fears.  

Yup - what mity said - only she said it better than I ever could.