2012 sisters

Hi Juneau, good to hear from you.   If your MIL is concerned about the state of your house, tell her you are more than happy to have her clean as you  have just had major surgery and are still recovering.   Why do we, as women, have to be superwomen?  Be easy on yourself and heal and give yourself time.   Our DH's are also very capable.  

Lostinmo: Yay you have a date and can now move forward on this.

DianaP:  Isn't camping just the best fun?  Happy it cooled down for you a bit.  That is hot  .    Good luck on the surgery tomorrow. Sending you positive healing thoughts.    That is so very sweet of your DH - they do try eh?

Websister.. how bloody frustrating and annoying for you.  Happy to hear that you are having your drains removed finally.     Funny, how its having the drains that are giving me the most anxiety about my surgery?!

Wishing everyone else a good evening and to those that need it some sleep.

Just wanted to send hugs to all. I've been racing around like a lunatic trying to prepare my world before surgery and make sure everything for the kids stays as normal as possible. Thankfully - we found someone who promises to be a super duper nanny - and a great support system for me. Guess it was meant to be for the nanny thing to fall apart. Anyway - off to take my hibiclens shower, pop a xanax and pretend to sleep. 8 am arrival time tomorrow. I said it before and I'll say it again... game on cancer, I'm coming to get you! I'll shoot out a note once I'm settled back at home. Sending you all good, healing thoughts.

ramols-Good luck tomorrow, will be thinking of you and see you on the other side soon!

websister-That's really rude and not a very nice thing for her to do, I think she's just avoiding you cause the doctor is on vacation and didn't want to tell you that until it was absolutely necessary. That sucks that you have to arrange yourself to get the drains out.

Tazzy-Don't you worry about the drains, it was nothing and most of us really get annoy by it than anything else. Mine came out after 6 days and I didn't feel it at all when my BS took it out. It was done in less than 30 seconds.

Sorry I missed a couple of days of posts and I'll try catch up and reply tomorrow.

Ramols.... I won't wish you luck. With an ass kicking attitude like yours, you'll do well.



Xanax helps. :-)



I'm just on the other side on surgery now, 2 weeks, but I remember that as the longest, scariest, LONELIEST night of my life... But I realize now, and soon after, that i was never alone.



1,000s have walked before us; and unfortunate many more will follow.



So no matter how scared you are as you head in there at 8am tomorrow..... We are all there with you. See you on the other side.

Hi everyone, I'm pretty new here but just wanted to say how inspirational all your posts are. I was just diagnosed with IDC and am facing a mastectomy, so reading about everyone's experiences has been really helpful. I'm wondering if someone can point me to a good thread for questions and info about MX? Thanks.

Good morning everyone, had a very unexpectedly emotional day yesterday, went to the doctor's appt in a fairly good mood but left feeling agitated and emotional the rest of the night.  Well anyway, had my appointment with my MO, looks like I will be starting my Chemo treatments in about two weeks. Tazzy you had asked what my treatments would consist of: (Adriamycin, Cytoxan and Taxol) and then Tamoxifan for 5 years.  They did also order the CT and Bone Scans. The MO also discussed the option of me participating in a clinical trial to get my Oncotype score and if low I could be randomly selected to/ potentially not doing chemo and just doing Rads and Tamoxifan but I am declining that. Standard care for the Cancer Center that I attend with 3 positive nodes is Chemo and Rads so I will just follow that route. 

Had one of my two drains removed and even that feels much better. That one didn't hurt, it was the shorter tube of the two drains so let's see how the other one goes; hopefully the same I've got a few more days before that one is ready to come out. 

Thoughts and prayers with you today Ramols! Congrats on finding your Nanny just in time !

Websister: What a frustrating experience to just get the drains out! Sorry to hear that, hoping that all goes well from here on out, now that you've gotten your appt.

 Have a great day everyone!

Jaz, you are doing the same chemo i did.  Glad the drains are coming out.  Good luck with everything!

Thanks all for the words of encouragement regarding the drains.   I know deep down they are nothing but an aggravation and inconvenience, and I think I am focusing on them rather than having to focus on the mx.

Ramols - thinking of you and wishing you good healing.   Happy you have found the perfect nanny.  Yes, everything happens for a reason.

Welcome Susi - sorry you are here but you'll find all the comfort and support from these ladies that you need. 

Cindy: thanks for the tip on the painkillers - I will remember that.  I am not intending to be a hero

Jazlaumir:  Only difference in the chemo protocol between you and me is you will be on taxol and I was on taxotere.   Did they tell you that you'd pee red/pink/orange for the first couple of days with A/C?   I used to call it the red devil (think others did too).  Drink plenty of fluids the days before the day of and the day after.  You'll be fine.  Just listen to your body, rest and sleep if you need to.  If you have other questions, just ask.  Happy the drain removal went without a hitch.

Websister:  So happy you got the drains removed - really no one should go through what you went through to have them removed - what a relief now.   I'd be happy to hear about what books you took out and if you found them useful.  There is also a library resource at the Cancer Agency I go to.

So I had my appt with my Trial Drug Nurse and MO.  They are very very happy with how I responded to chemo - well how the tumour responded.   It has shrunk considerably.  I go on Friday to have the trial drug administered and then every 12 weeks after that.   I spoke with the Nurse Navigator and she said that I have to wait for the hospital to call me to schedule my pre-op scans and mx.   Will be sometime
during the week after August 5.   That's my news, so in the meantime I am going to enjoy not going back to the BGC this Friday - I should hopefully have a few good weeks before surgery.

Question for those who've had surgery:  I asked the Nurse Navigator about the medical camisoles you can get for the drains.  She advised that I get old t-shirts, cut out the arms and attach the drains to that... what did you all do?

Hope everyone is managing to have an enjoyable day with minimal SE's.

Welcome, Susiell



Tazzy - re: camisole for postop - I didn't purchase one, did use T-shirts and pinned drains to them, it worked well for me. For showering I had read that a cotton belt or pantyhose tied around the waist worked to pin the drains to so they didn't hang and pull. I used the pantyhose and prior to getting out of the shower squeezed out the excess water, then dried and put the t-shirt back on, re-pinning drains to it again, hung pantyhose to dry over shower.



Everyone who replied to my rant - thanks for the support, loved the visual of the blue raspberry slurpees . I really do like the surgeon, he comes well recommended and he has always been very compassionate and personable with me. I choose to believe that this was his secretary acting on her own and I will talk to him about it when he returns.



Appreciate you all

ramols-Thinking of you and hope that you're doing OK from your surgery. You asked on your July 7 post about my concerns with chemo and I'm now getting around to actually going through all the posts and answering. I'm really concerned about putting all these chemicals in my body, due to my diagnosis my doctor told me that chemo is optional for me and I have to decide what I want to do. I do not require radiation since 0/2 nodes tested negetive on my SNB. 

I've been doing a lot of research about chemo and also natural therapy. I don't want to sound like an alternative nut here but I've been reading that a proper diet can help with reoccurence. My doctor told me that the only reason he wants me to consider chemo is because I'm 35, I understand where he's coming from, as a younger woman with breast cancer, I have a longer life expectancy and with that comes a greater % of reoccurence, but there's no data for young women like us. All the statistics with chemo are based on old data collected years ago from women who's 50 and older. 

I believe and from what I've learned through my research, we all have cancer cells in our body through out our life time and it takes some environmental trigger (like chemicals we used and foods we eat) to have these cells mutate and form tumors (since family history only account for about 10% of breast cancer). I believe that our body can heal us and its up to our immune system to kill them, I believe in surgery and neo adjuvant chemo (this way you could actual see if the chemo is working). But its hard to wrap my head around chemo in my situation (I'm not talking about anybody else and I'm certaining not advising anyone not to do chemo), now that I've done NSBMX and they found nothing else and no nodes invovled at stage 1, grade 2 with 1.5cm tumor, the chemo is to kill whatever cells flowing around. I believe that by consuming cancer fighting food and supplements can actually do the same thing to the cells left flowing around. 

People reading this must be saying I'm crazy for thinking that diet and excerise alone can help me prevent reoccurence but consider this, chemo is not 100% either and the risks by far outweight the benefits for ME right now. I would much rather be eating veg, juicing and supplements that has no harm to my body than injecting myself with so much toxic chemicals to try to get rid of what ever cancer cells left in my body (if there's any left-we don't know and there's no tests for that). I'm not saying any of this to offend anyone, especially not any of my 2012 sisters. Just want you to understand where I'm coming from with my situation. If my diagonsis was different I would consider chemo but I'll have to consider all the risks that comes with it like secondary cancer that I might get from doing chemo. 

I would like your input ladies!  

Tazzy: I ordered my camisole through the hospital , the tag says its made by Gentle Touch, I think the website is "gentlet.com" if u want I look . It has a pocket for a "foob" two pockets on each side for the drains and two "foobs" that you can adjust to size .



Congrats on the success of your Chemo!

Hope you are doing OK Ramols - thinking of you and sending you ((((hugs))))).   Trust you are sleeping soundly.

Susie... try searching for Mastectomy Questions or something like that in the
search box - maybe that will give you something on the board.  I will also be looking for MX threads as my surgery creeps closer.  I'll let you know if I find anything too.

Jazlaumir: ask away - I am sure between jpmom and myself we can help you - least let you know our experiences.   Make sure you take ALL the anti-nausea medications they prescribe.  Even if you don't feel nauseous, take them.   Someone told me about the pink pee... and I was grateful.

Soyaandpepper - you do what is right for you - regardless of what ANYONE thinks - it has to be your decision that you are happy with and can live with.   It is your right to say no.  Whatever you decide to do the 2012 sisters will be by your side.   I've seen
a thread on this site Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment - Natural Girls.  Not sure if you've been there, but you may find some help on there.  

MaddyMac - my Nurse Navigator said today that they will likely only be in for a week or so.   She also runs a workshop for ladies in postops which gives us all this information.  I know I am focusing on these bloody drains rather than losing a boob. 
Question, why do you have tops half a size too small?   Sorry, no advice on PET scans.   Hope you enjoyed your green tea and all star
game.

Juneau, hoping you are hanging in there.

Thanks for all the advice on the camis for postop, I will look into it all.    And all your encouraging words about the drains - appreciated.   Its only 4 weeks or so away so I know I have to get my butt into gear about this.

Hope you are all managing to enjoy your evenings.  Take care.

websister:  I'm glad your drain debacle turned out for the best and they are now GONE!  Your frustration resonated with me.  Although I haven't gotten to that point so early in my dx/tx, I know myself, so I also know that a frustrating event will occur down the line at some point.  I'll keep your original post and your resolution post in mind when that happens to reassure myself that a solution can and will be found, whatever it might be!  I'm very happy for you that you made it over this particular bump in the road.

Morning lovely ladies. thanks for your well wishes. Surgery went well. Sitting up in a chair after they made me get up and wash up. I won't sugar coat it - this procedure hurts like a bitch. But you all inspired me to go in fighting and here I am - cancer out. Woohoo. Hope you are all feeling well.

Ramols - wish you a speedy recovery!