MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish

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  • reesie
    reesie Member Posts: 2,078
    edited May 2012

    Marple, I got my chemo thru a port. I think that's the preferred method with adjuvant chemo. I don't know what they do if nodes are removed bilaterally but I thinmost BMX's don't have node removal on the non cancer side.



    Of course I could be talking out the side of my mouth since I had no nodes removed with my BMX (although I did have the supraclavicular and axilla nodes radiated on my cancer side - no more blood draws, bp, etc on that side for me).

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  • Meece
    Meece Member Posts: 19,483
    edited May 2012

    I had a segmental MX and 16 nodes removed.  i wasn't given the option of a port and as a result of the chemo and all the blood draws associated, I have very poor veins left in the one arm they can use.  I didn't even know what a port was!  I made it through anyway, but speaking as someone who went through it without the port, I would request it know what I knwo now.  I have heard how uncomfortable the ports are and how you look forward to their removal, but the alternative is not so bright either.

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  • Dianarose
    Dianarose Member Posts: 2,407
    edited May 2012

    Binney4- I have been seeing an LE therapist since my lx and have continued to see her since my bmx. She is great. She took all of my arm measurements too. I had a lot of cording under the bmx arm where the nodes were removed and now 5 weeks later I am at 90% full range and only one cord left to deal with. I also had cording on my side by my ribs. I had been having a lot of pain there and thought cording was just under the arm. She really worked it and you could hear them pop back into place. It feels so much better now. I would be a mess without her.

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  • Paula66
    Paula66 Member Posts: 1,728
    edited May 2012

    When I had my BMX, cancer was on the left and they took 3 nodes.  The BS was concerned that about the right even though it was the non cancer side. I only had one removed.  He had told me nothing done at all on the left side even with 3 removed.  The right was safer then the left because it was only 1 removed.  I choose to go ahead and do a port just to be on the safe side.  It also made it easier when I got put in the hospital for nutrapena.  They just put the antibotic thru the port so I could just sleeep right thru it.  All the vein blowing kinda freaked me out. 

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  • Momine
    Momine Member Posts: 7,859
    edited May 2012

    With the chemo I had after the BMX, they used my left arm, where they had only removed the sentinel node. However, the chemo itself can do a number on your veins and lymph vessels, due to stress, inflammation etc.

    All through chemo and rads, I wore a sleeve and gauntlet on the affected arm. I had a brief scare with some swelling on the "good" side as well, in the armpit, but it resolved once the inflammation from the chemo lifted. I also saw my PT weekly for lymph drainage and as simple TLC.

    I am now 5 months PFC and 3 months past the rads and am able to go without the compression sleeve a lot of the time.

    I would highly recommend PT and also doing the stretches every single day. It also helps, in my experience, to get some light exercise every day. When it was very sunny and I was doing chemo, I would get up at 7 and take a walk in the park, where it was shady, with a big hat on for 40 minutes to an hour.  

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  • Meece
    Meece Member Posts: 19,483
    edited May 2012

    I cannot tell you how many veins have been blown.  I got to a point that I would only let one particular nurse start my IV.  Everyone thinks THEY wil be the one who can get it in.  My last MRI it took four people to get a line in.  Well three because you can't really count the tech who backed off and said she would not even make an attempt at it.

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  • cmbear
    cmbear Member Posts: 1,086
    edited May 2012

    My"good" arm is trashed due to my many years of donating blood. My last MRI was a nightmare. Dare say I miss my port!

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  • elimar86861
    elimar86861 Member Posts: 7,416
    edited May 2012

    These port stories are good, and importantly let others know that it is to be welcomed and not feared if you are getting one.  My mom took chemo weekly for 6 mos. without a port.  She must have had good nurses with pediatric sized needles, because she had those little veins and I never heard her complain (not about the IV's anyway.)  However, when she did get her port, she liked the convenience of that, and no more bruising on the arm.  She had her port in for a year and she was thin enough that I could distinctly see the whole shape of it thru the skin (weird!) but it never hurt her.  She said it itched sometimes.

    Dianarose,  Think of what an assest you are becoming to BCO...you are going thru'so much and will have so many answers for others. (Oh yay, right?)  Wink

    I have to give a last minute haircut today, otherwise the mortarboard won't even stay on my son's head.  He could care less, but I want him to have nice, photo op hair for tomorrow.  My older son is graduating with a B.A. in Philosophy, Magna Cum Laude, with Honors.  Brageddy, brag, brag.  He has been turned down by four graduate schools and is jobless.  Important to keep it real.

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  • NativeMainer
    NativeMainer Member Posts: 10,462
    edited May 2012

    Congrats to the Grad!  And welcome to the world of working. 

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  • prayrv
    prayrv Member Posts: 941
    edited May 2012

    Congrats Eli!

    My son graduated this past weekend and he's now joining the ranks of job searchers.  He had a double major (English and History) and a minor in Political Science, graduated Cum Laude with High Honors.  If he wasn't working on his 178 page thesis, jhe probably would have made the deadlines to apply to grad school. 

    I'm hoping that he finds something soon and not get frustrated if nothing comes his way.   He does tend to get a little moody when that happens.

    prayrv

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  • Sherryc
    Sherryc Member Posts: 5,938
    edited May 2012

    Congrats to all the Mom's whose kids are graduating.  Hope they are able to find jobs soon.

    I have a busy weekend planned.  Tomorrow morning I go for another fill and then off to see old friends for the weekend in the town we used to live in.  Have to work everyone in or someone gets their feelings hurt. Will eat good though because everyone wants us for lunch or dinner.

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  • Ossa
    Ossa Member Posts: 919
    edited May 2012

    SherryC

    Enjoy being spoiled this weekend

    Congrats to all who have kids graduating, big milestone

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  • madpeacock
    madpeacock Member Posts: 369
    edited May 2012

    WAY behind with family issues, so just wishing good thoughts and healing to those who need it. Glad to hear so many are doing well! 

    Congratulations to those with graduates. Mine is finishing 7th grade and going into her last year of middle school - ack! 

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  • elimar86861
    elimar86861 Member Posts: 7,416
    edited May 2012

    What, no posts yesterday?  Tell me no news is good news, no new B/C drama.

    Commencement nutshell:  I don't know if "one" really enjoys these things.  I don't even know if that is possible at a state school where "Pomp and Circumstance" has to be played at least six times during the entrance of the many students (and this was only the first of three commencement times that day.)   It does give one plenty of time to doze while waiting for the presentation of your own child's college, except one can't because one dressed for a very warm morning and inside the A/C was a nippy 15 degrees coolerand one was carrying cameras, so decided not to also carry a sweater.  That is one's own fault, isn't it?  One can always laugh the next day when one's son mentions that he was boiling in the grad gown for two hours.  Commencement address?  Great, but only if one really wanted to know that the speaker had the lowest LSAT ever to be accepted into a certain Law School.  What is that about?  That perhaps the grad will be lucky and squeak by somewhere, so counter to the parental message for the last four years?  Why not go more inspiring, or at least something entertaining, like Ellen Degeneres at Tulane?  Anyway, the band did a nice job on a jumpin' jazz standard, a few photos recorded the milestone event, and the celebratory lunch included homemade blueberry cobbler.  Overall, not too bad. 

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  • Ossa
    Ossa Member Posts: 919
    edited May 2012

    I had my first "haircut" yesterday.. It was very hard to do, but it was growing out of control (curly but straight out and up). Had the hairdresser shape my hair, hoping it will grow out nicer now.. Did not like seeing the little bits of hair on the cape.. been waiting so long for my hair to come back..

    Going to enjoy another day of gorgeous weather here..

     Feeling so much better only a bit of heaviness where my new foob is. Getting used to it though.. My new girls are much smaller then my old ones.. Did not realize the difference between a B and a D  .. Oh well they are perky ( can no longer tuck then in my waistbandWink)

    Enjoy your day everyone

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  • Paula66
    Paula66 Member Posts: 1,728
    edited May 2012

    Ossa my first haircut was a bit of a misty eye moment for me.  I was so ready to have the wild thing tamed.  I had held on to the chemo curls for so long.  I don't know really why I did, but I did.  For some strange reason it brought a flood of memories up for me.  Kinda weird how a haircut can do something like that. 

    I completely forgot that it was my turn for the MP so here it is girls.

    Congrats Eli on your sons graduation.  You have every right to be one proud mama!

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  • madpeacock
    madpeacock Member Posts: 369
    edited May 2012

    MP: marbles!

    Listening to everyone talk about chemo curls - my hair is super curly. If I had had chemo, wonder if it would have grown in straight? Hmmm.

    Too nice outside to be in so I'm going out to pot my tomatoes. Cool 

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  • marlegal
    marlegal Member Posts: 2,264
    edited May 2012

    I think peacock got it right with marbles!

    Eli, I am super envious of your cruise - I'd love to do that but it will have to be with someone other than hub. He's not a traveler. I've been so lucky that I've gone on a few trips with women I met through the chat room on BCO. He doesn't mind me travelling, but it ain't gonna be a joint venture! I've known many who did the Alaska cruise and everyone loved it. Glad you liked my perspective of the rear view mirror...I have to confess I didn't make that up, I read it somewhere talking about something else and it hit a cord with me.

    LE - glad for those who are being proactive before symptoms. I'm in the category of one who asked my docs about it a lot, because it seemed I saw brochures everywhere I turned and I didn't understand it. Unfortunately they would just look at my arm and say "no, you're okay" without ever giving preventative measures. I am firm believer that with the right care, LE can be avoided. I am still lucky because I caught mine early, being on the watch/scared all the time for it, so I'm able to treat with just a sleeve daily, nothing needed at nighttime. But I will wear that sleeve every day for the rest of my life, and I'd love to see others avoid that if possible. Please feel free to PM me with questions, or to find out some of the things you can do to try and prevent LE from taking hold in the first place.

    Graduations - what milestones for our children, and for us, 'cause let's face it - we got them there!!! So congrats to all of you who fall into that category this season.

    Love and hugs kids ... love and hugs.

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  • marlegal
    marlegal Member Posts: 2,264
    edited May 2012

    Just a note to add that LE cannot always be avoided, I didn't mean to make it sound like it could. But a certain percentage of cases can be avoided with good preventative measures.

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  • marlegal
    marlegal Member Posts: 2,264
    edited May 2012

    madpeacock, I was born with straight hair, I had straight hair my whole life, and went bald as a cueball on chemo. when it came back, it was ... yup ... straight! for maybe a month, there were a few hairs that thought about turning a little, but no one could have called it a curl!!! I will say that my hair is nicer looking and healthier than at any time in my life, and for about a year it was thicker, but never anything but straight :)

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  • elimar86861
    elimar86861 Member Posts: 7,416
    edited May 2012

    The picture looks like stretched marbles to me too, but I will guess glass vase just as a longshot.

    janis, where are you?  I wanted to know how your neck was feeling after the facet procedure?

    Seems like some of the regulars to Mid-Age haven't been seen since the recent format change.  It wasn't working right there for a few days, but some just don't care for the new format.  For this thread, now that the columns are so wide, it would take a ginormous pic to fill the space at the top.  I sized it up once and just didn't like that look.  Oh well, BCO isn't about how nice I can make the pictures look, so I'll get over it.  Hope everyone is finding their way around the categories and able to connect with everyone else. 

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  • Sherryc
    Sherryc Member Posts: 5,938
    edited May 2012

    I think the MP is a couple of suckers.

    Went out of town for the weekend to visit with lot's of old friends.  Hung out by te pool yesterday and got sunburned.  oh well not terribly bad and had lot's of fun.

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  • Dianarose
    Dianarose Member Posts: 2,407
    edited May 2012

    Looks like those big lolly pops that you get at the fair.

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  • Paula66
    Paula66 Member Posts: 1,728
    edited May 2012

    Well all madpeacock got it right of the bat.  I am a really bad guesser as well as a poster cause you all get it right off the start.  I will just have to sharpen my skills abit for the next time. 

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  • odie16
    odie16 Member Posts: 1,882
    edited May 2012

    haven't posted in a few days, been super busy with chores so I can go play with the girls next weekend. Tired & sore too since I also took advantage of nice weather to get out and put my garden in. Happy Monday everyone! Congrats to everyone whose children graduated. Take pride in knowing you got them there..

       

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  • LovesChristmas-Barb
    LovesChristmas-Barb Member Posts: 706
    edited May 2012

    My youngest graduated from high school today so I am officially finished homeschooling. I've been doing it for 18 years and now I feel like I'm retiring!

    I hope everyone has had a peaceful weekend...

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  • barsco1963
    barsco1963 Member Posts: 2,119
    edited May 2012

    LCBarb - 18 yrs of home schooling?! Wow - you are a saint in my books. I had a hard time just helping my son get some of his homework done. Not that I didn't want to help, but some of it was really hard. Congrats on your sons graduation - a milestone for both of you!

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  • barsco1963
    barsco1963 Member Posts: 2,119
    edited May 2012

    Eli - Adore the sock monkeys! They are so cute - especially the little baby in the corner!

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  • madpeacock
    madpeacock Member Posts: 369
    edited May 2012

    SOCK MONKEYS!!!!! My daughter has a sock giraffe - so cute.

    Wait, I got the MP right?? Been out and about all weekend and have not been around the computer much. I'll try to find something challenging for this weekend. 

    LCBarb - you homeschooled for 18 years? Good for you! I'm married to a teacher and have lots of teachers in my family (from elementary to college), but apparently the gene missed me. The only thing I have taught is aerobics. I haven't killed anybody so I guess I'm okay at that... 

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  • Sherryc
    Sherryc Member Posts: 5,938
    edited May 2012

    Congrats to all the graduate Mom's

    LCBarb wow 18 years that is quiet a commitment.  I admire you for that, and what a gift you gave your children.

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