MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish

Well, since it is Tuesday, I guess we have to give up on the MP. And the answer is.....a laundry basket!!

Thanks, Marlegal.

Jeannie, how are you doing on the cytoxan? I had the same expereience with food as Marlegal. I had cravings more than when I was pregnant?

Hi Amy, welcome!

DianaRose, what day do you start?

hugs

Hi- I start my CMF tomorrow. I am like Jeannie, very emotional today. I had a really bad day at work too. We have a new manager and she told the owner that I was looking tired so they cut me to 3 days a week. Of course I look tired. I work my butt off in a hot kitchen, it was a really busy holiday weekend, I have a house to maintain, a 13 yr old, an hour and 15 min. drive one way and I am due for my stupid period. The manager called in yesterday morning and said she was tired and didn't know when she would get there so I had to go up front and help the 2 girls wait on customers. I picked up her slack and instead of getting a thank you I got a slap in the face. When she has pissed off customers who come in for their cranberry orange scones in the morning or there fresh bread she can deal with it. Oh, and I take my recipes home with me everyday, so good luck to her. She looks rested though because she is never on time. Ok, enough of my complaining. I need to get my head on straight and focus on something else.

Hi Peoples, I'm 40-ish and a newbie here.



I'm freaking at the moment because playing phone tag with my surgeon re: MRI results. If they"re what she expects then it is off to surgery on Friday. It all happens so fast! And there's such a learning curve. . .



Maybe some day I could post her picture here as the MP, since she moves in mysterious ways her phone calls to return. :}

Welcome Maddymac - hang in there. I hope that MRI comes back with good results and no surgery required. Let us know how you make out. Waiting is the hard part, but you have found a great waiting room on this board. Lots of support, encouragement and sharing.

Dianarose - sorry that your manager is one who cannot see or appreciate the effort that you put into your job. I hope that everything works out for you. Best of luck today!

I know this is not cancer related but I am going to have some veins taken out of my left leg this afternoon. I am a little apprehensive as I do not know what to expect.  I took a zanax and they will give me an ativan if I want it...yep, I want it! They are calling it laser ablation. I did see a virtual one on you tube..lol.  I have to do it in both legs and it will take 4 visits. I sure hope this is ok today since I have to go back 3 more times. Thought if I told you about it, I might not feel so scared.

hugs

You are so right Jeannie....

Jeannie, I had a problem with constipation in the beginning of  CMF. I started to take a stool softener and then took it daily the entire time during treatment. also, my onc told me to eat something "wet" with every meal, especially canned fruit. It did the trick...good luck with that.

Thanks very much for the welcoming supportive messages ladies.



Dianarose, your manager needs to have some anonymous person moosh her in the face with whipped cream pie. Dreadful creature.



My surgeon finally called, and now I'm more confused than ever. She says it is completely up to me whether I want to try lumpectomy or go straight to mastectomy. I like a doc who empowers me as a patient, but I wish she was leaning strongly one way or the other. Both options have pros and cons. Aack. I'm supposed to decide by Friday.



Does anyone else in this group have Invasive Micropapillary Carcinoma? There is one dinky thread about it, but I'm pretty much alone over there.



Anyway, I'm now pouring myself an imaginary pino grigio, and setting off to read this thread backwards to get to know you guys a little better. Thanks again for the welcome.



-MM

Welcome maddymac.  I'm sorry we have to meet this way.  You have come across a very helpful group of gals.  I am IDC so I'm sorry I can't help you.

Must be eye doctor season. I have an appointment tomorrow. This will be my first exam since diagnosis too, so will be interesting to see what they say. Eye mets??? Never heard of that, but doesn't sound great....

Survived chemo #1. The worst part was the IV. She put it in my bone twice and when it started to swell up like a ball she had to take it out. She got someone else and the 3rd time was a charm. I took a Xanax first and was a bit looped, but it worked for me. I don't feel sick at all. ( knock on wood) I am actually quite hungry. She said the nausea meds would wear off in about 6 hours so we will see. If I feel the least bit sick I will pop a pill. She said if my hair was going to fall out it would start in about 2 weeks. I hope not.

Maddymac-welcome. You are among a great group of ladies here. This is round 2 for me so I would just go for the Mastectomy and be done with it. A lot of us here have had skin sparing and nipple sparing mastectomies and we are glad we did. It's  a personal choice though. I noticed you are grade 3. I personally would want it gone, but again it's your body and your decision.

I hope Elimar is having fun.

Thanks, Marlegal, I'm pretty good at deciding not to dwell on something! Works for me. I'm still feeling pretty well, so thanks.



Maddymac, I started with lumpectomy but the margins weren't clear. I had a month to grieve the loss of my breasts once I decided on a BMX. Once they were gone, I haven't missed them. One of them was sick and trying to kill me, so it helped to remember that. Decisions are the hardest thing! You'll figure out what's best for you and we'll support you here.

Diana, so glad you survived # 1. Rememebr to chew on ice chips during infusion...it helps with the SE's. My cancer center gives out ice pops!!

Jeannie, glad youare still feeling ok!

hugs

Hi, ladies! Glad to see everyone chatting away here as usual. Just popped in to say, "Hi." Wrapping up the school year: I will have a sophomore and a senior now. Very bizarre, as in my mind, I'm only about 25 years old...

Maddymac - I was "offered" all of the options to choose from myself: try lumpectomy, go ahead and have a mastectomy, or why not do a double? I'm in Texas, where more is always better. Saw a plastic surgeon for a consultation, and as they had a spot on the schedule for the end of that same week, they actually tried to railroad me into signing up for the BMX with immediate reconstruction. I wasn't ready for that, it turned out, so after having it on my calendar for 36 hours, I canceled it and did more research. (I determined it was "railroading" when, after I'd canceled it, the scheduling person at the PS's office called me back and pretended to be confirming the surgery. Then, when I pointed out that I'd canceled it, she started in with scare tactics. "Well, if you change your mind, it could be over a month before we could get you back on the calendar.") Have you looked at The Breast Book, by Dr. Susan Love? Detailed but good. If they're asking you to make these kinds of decisions, you need to learn as much as you can.

After much consideration (and MRI's that indicated that nothing else was apparently in there), I went with lumpectomy. My tumor was in a spot where even with a mastectomy or two I'd have had to undergo radiation - there weren't big margins to be had with a tumor tucked up high between skin and muscle. This was NOT mentioned by the plastic surgeon and might have impacted my success with tissue expanders/implants. Anyway - I am just about four years out from diagnosis. We got "okay" margins and radiation wasn't that bad. I've got a bit of a divot in my cleavage, but unless I point it out, no one really seems to notice. I'm 3 1/2 years into my Tamoxification and all seems well.

You need to make your own decision - and when it's right for you, you'll know because you'll FEEL it. I will say that you can always upgrade to more surgery, but you can't put anything back. I'm glad I was able to heal faster and get on with radiation, etc. 

Coleen

I had the opposite experience. My BS told me I was a "perfect" candidate for a lumpectomy since my tumor was so close to the surface. I had no thoughts of doing a MX or a BMX since in my mind they had done nothing wrong except grow a little problem. First strike. If I have a recurrence, and depending on where, we'll go with second strike. I just found out at my six month follow up with the radiation folks they told me my radiation margins were 0.02 mm. No, that is not a typo. At least they weren't surgical margins!