2012 sisters
Comments
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Just had a look in my two main books, Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book and the Canadian cacner one, The Intelligent Patient Guide to Breast Cancer. Most of you probably have Susan Love's. She talks specifically about soya and flax seed and if anything they could be helpful. She does suggest paying it safe and staying away from soy supplements. Cottontail I am with you on the garbanzos - I love them in anything and we make a lot of hummus around here too having lived in the Middle East for 18 years. Hey Cottontail, just curious about your lumph node dissection. Was there some evidence prior to surgery to lead them to do that rather than SNB? Also hope that your drain possible infection gets sorted out sooner than later!
And to all of you, when I ordered Susan Love's book from my local book store I also ordered "Cancer Made me a Shallower Person," a graphic memoir and I read a few cartoons of hers daily for awesome humour that many would consider dark but I love it - reality! Sad that she did die from her BC but she has left us a great legacy, us and her husband and son. I may too become shallower!
Another sunny day in Vancouver!
Marian -
Ramols - thinking of you, hope the evening goes better for you this time. 2 down!
Jpmomof3 - thinking of you also on your first day of rads, ok to be emotional, it was my second chemo that I almost lost it when I went in to the BGC
Cottontail - hope you will soon have antibiotics and painkillers doing their job to make you feel better
Juneaubug - Hang in there, I'm there with you, hope it continues to be a good day for you
June - do you have an update on the lymph edema/?cellulitis?
2fried - glad you are making lemonade with those 'lemons'
Hi to everyone else, hope this is a good day for you
I am finding the nausea is still hitting in the evening post second chemo, maybe it's because I'm tired and trying to push through it? Who knows? Anyway, things to do today that I have been procrastinating, deadlines nearing - no more putting off
Take care all -
Marianelizabeth: Just last week I bought a huge container of hummus from Costco, and have been eating away. Oops! But I love hummus! But I love life more, so I will give it up. I also love bean salads made with lots of different beans, and it is a good source of plant protein instead of red meat that I am trying to cut down on. Will have to find out if those are safe to eat. Does anybody know about that? Fortunately I hate tofu. Had scallops last night. Are those safe? LOL. This is crazy.
Juneaubugg: You are definitely better. I know it, because you are giving good advice and recommendations to others. Way to go!
Ramols: You have the right attitude about losing your hair. On the inside you feel sad and panicked, but you put on a brave face, and behave your way to calmth and 'normalcy'. (((((Hugs))))) for this next stage in your travels!
Ellendou: I guess you are doing rads in Edmonton? Your friends/family there will rally, and keep you entertained. My rads were about 3 hours away from home, so I also had to stay there during the week. They scheduled me late on Monday afternoons so I could still have the morning at home, and early on Friday mornings so I could get in my car and be home for lunch. Once you get the rads going, it goes by fast. Best wishes to you!
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Jpmomof3, I think some fast car therapy is in order for you now! The rads itself are not bad - at least it does not hurt while you are lying there, but it is just the very thought that you need it, why you need it, and what collateral damage there will be to your body that is so darn hard to process! I went in there so reluctantly . . . but one gets used to everything. I went to sleep on that table more than once towards the end, if you can believe that.
Websister, good vibes to you too in your struggles with the SE's. I kept saying to myself this will pass, this will pass, this will pass. Hope you have a good day!
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Interesting on the BRCA testing... guess I will wait and see what they do here.
All of those in the BGC - here wishing you minimal SE's and just KCA !!
Cottontail... happy to hear you are getting onto your docs office. Let us know how you get on.
Marian - please never say ‘I only had a lumpectomy'. You had cancer, you are fighting your own battle with it - we are all here because of BC - fucking disease. Loved Susan Love's breast book. I will look for the other one you mention.
Hi Donna - if I haven't welcomed you before - you've found a great bunch of ladies. We laugh together, cry, yell, rant... it really is our safe haven where anything goes and not judged. And if I have welcomed you, blaming chemo brain.
Jpmom... thinking of you today as you start the next part - and last - part of this journey. Wishing you minimal SE's. Your first paragraph about ripping out their long hair made me LOL !!
Ellendou - ((hugs)). I am so fortunate that I am only 20 minutes away from the Cancer Centre here so can still come home. Being away must only add to the anxiety. Hope you take your laptop so you can still chat with us all.
Ramols: Great idea having a buzz party. I have tried with all this crap to somehow find peace with it... its going to happen and yes I have had my tantrums... but when I can direct all my pissed off thoughts towards beating this disease.
Juneau... glad you are having a better day today... hoping it lasts for you. But still look forward to your rants - they make us all feel better
Hi websister !
Thinking of you all as always and heres to another day of kicking cancer into touch !
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Morning all.
That's so interesting about the BRAC test. Mine was a blood draw.
Ramols, I appreciate your comments and you and your son's teacher are so right. Actually today, the "it is what it is" seems pretty dang good considering. Your honey mask may even be in order. It's so unlike me to even get upset over something that's purely "physical" but I think I was just overwhelmed by how anticlimatic it all seemed after dealing with this BC stuff for almost a year. Unfortunately, my emotions just caught up with me. Some of you are so deep in the middle of nasty treatments and difficult decisions,that my whining was petty. But like Tazzy said you ladies "get it" and know that it wasn't so much the actual results as it was the major toll all this BC stuff takes on our overall emotions. But my good news is that after a few good nights of sleep without those awful TE's and a couple days of reliving those braless days, I am very appreciative and looking at my exchange in a whole new light.(My husband is a doll like you said. We've been married over 30 years and I have always trusted him 100% so I have chosen to trust what he said about them being "just perfect for my body" Lol) Besides, I will never lose sight of what my poor mom went through in the 60's and how she had no reconstruction options what-so-ever.
Scorchy you have every right to be mad. I'm glad you have decided to look into other doctors. The stakes are high as you said but even if they were not so high, patients deserve to walk out of the doctors office feeling like the doctor gives a damn. I changed BS's after going to the same one twice a year for atleast 8 years. I realized with my diagnosis just how callused and methodical she seemed to have gotten over the years. My new one is incredibly compassionate about her patients, will personally call you back and works with the PS,MO, RO as a team so as not to have the patient worrying about setting up appts etc.That's how it should be for all of us. You do deserve much more and like you said, it shouldn't have to be so hard.
Jpmom That description of the boob attached by the painful cord cracked me up! So true-I remember it well! I hope the radiation experience turns out to be no more than an excuse to reward yourself by test driving fast cars. My neighbor went every day on her lunch hour from work and said she had no issues what so ever-in and out in 10 minutes. Prayers that it will be the same for you and you too Ellendou.
Cottontail I hope you get some relief and meds soon.
Juneaubugg glad you're having a better day-keep those tears at bay!
Marianelizabeth Dang thanks for giving me an out for being shallow the last couple of days. I was feeling a little guilty but now that you said there is a whole book on it I feel alot better.LOL
Websister I was trying to think of what to change the twinpeaks (TE's) to in my signature line and you hit the nail on the head sizewise and all! Thanks for a much needed big laugh.
Thinking of you all and hoping you can find some happy in your day.
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Ok. My nurse had me come in straight away this morning. She cleaned my drain site and put bacitracin on it, and gave me several prep kits so I can do it myself at home. She also gave me scripts for an oral antibiotic and more Percocet. She said I'm the first patient she's had whose drain site got an infection. (Which kinda made me feel like I suck, though I know she didn't mean it that way.)
She said it could take 48 hours for the antibiotic to kick in. I see her again Friday morning. If there is no improvement by then I'll have to get IV antibiotics.
She left my drain in for now, but if the infection starts to clear and my fluid output continues to reduce, she will pull it Friday.
Sigh. This is so frustrating! -
liefie, No No, tofu and hummus are good things, all that she says to stay away from are SUPPLEMENTS! But I would suggest you make your own hummus as the Costco one (which does taste great) has a lot of things you don't necessarily want to eat in it. I just got my husband to start soaking some chick peas now and will make soup and hummus. If you want a recipe just let me know!
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Cottontail, so glad you got in and have meds to fight back. Seems like we all have detours on this path. Hopefully you will soon feel better and from what many have said freedom when that drain goes!
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liefie - yes my Rads at in Edmonton, I am going to be staying at the Sorrentino's Compassion House. Will be nice to be with another group of women going through the same thing, I live in a small community so have basically have been on my own. I also hope to get in on a Look Good Feel Good session.
I have a DS and DDIL that lives in a community outside of Edmonton, but just hated to bother them to drive me in every day (as I don't drive in the city). With having to have Rads in both breasts they tell me it could take about 30-45 minutes each time and you know how us women are --- just hate to put somebody out. My Hubby works away from home so I may just stay there for the 5 weeks, not much point in coming home, if he is off he can come in there to see me.\
Trying to pack for 5 weeks is the pits.
Good Luck with yours and keep us posted.
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Marianelizabeth, give us that hummus recipe, please?
Ellendou, a Look good, Feel better session is just what you need. You will meet other ladies there, and maybe you guys can visit a little. You do have something huge in common, right? Go for it, and enjoy! Then there is the West Edm. Mall when you need some retail therapy. Five weeks' rads is what I had too. It seems long in the beginning, but like everything else good or bad in life, this too shall pass. (((Hugs!)))
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Re the garbanzo beans- I think it is confusing because they " contain fairly high levels of a phytoestrogen called biochanin A. The good news is that this substance is a selective agonist for the beta form of the estrogen receptor, which is thought to control the growth effects of the alpha form of the estrogen receptor. The bad news is that biochanin A can increase the deactivation of some therapeutic drugs like tamoxifen."
I will be taking arimidex, not sure if studied with garbanzo beans, but, will avoid garbanzo beans ( which I miss) due to the drug deactivation issue until further information is known.
As I said, I think all the food studies are confusing and very hard to know what the bottom line is.
Flax seed studies apparently have not shown an effect on cancer one way or the other per my friend, but, have high levels of lignans which are hormonally active. I ate flax seeds in cereal and yogurt for years. Have cancer now, am avoiding them until more is known. -
Hummus! I have to admit that since I have been making it for so long (and our kids make it all the time too) that I just toss approximate amounts in the food processor but will try to give you some guidelines. You can use a blender too but I find it easier to get it out of the processor. Usually I soak and cook the chick peas (garbanzo beans) but if I am lazy I use a 19 ounce can, well rinsed and drained. All of us seem to want to do the best we can for ourselves, me included so am doing a lot more beans from scratch.
19 oz. can chick peas or 1 1/2 cups soaked and cooked, 1-2 garlic cloves, crushed or chopped (I toss them whole into the food processor first and they chop up fine), 3-4 tbsp. fresh lemon juice, 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp. tahini, 2 tbsp. olive oil, 1/2 tsp. cumin powder and salt to taste.
After you have processed the garlic, add everything else and process until creamy. Add a bit of water if it is too thick.
Use whole wheat pita for dipping and even better, fresh veggies! Experiment with amounts of the ingredients too.
Marian -
For those post lumpectomy, when did you start doing arm exercies, i.e., lifting arm etc.? I did not really ask my surgeon that on Froday and though I put a call into my nurse navigator, nothing back yet.
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OMG, I love hummus so much! If I'm feeling lazy I buy Tribe or Trader Joe's brand already made, but homemade hummus is SO good, plus fast, easy, and inexpensive! It's easy to customize, too, so it tastes exactly the way you like it.
Your recipe looks good, Marian! I haven't tried it with cumin, I might add that next time I make some.
I like mine with a lot of lemon and garlic, so I use more of those. I've seen a thread around here somewhere that was anti-sesame, so if anyone's trying to avoid sesame, you can just leave the tahini out.
I like hummus as a sandwich spread, too. Whole grain bread, hummus, sliced tomato, red onion, and leaf lettuce (would be good with feta if you eat cheese), yum!
I make a fake tuna salad with chickpeas, too. I just mash cooked chickpeas with a fork or potato masher, then mix with mayo and whatever I used to mix into tuna salad. (Mine is mayo, diced onion, diced dill pickle, and a squirt of plain yellow mustard.) Also good on a sandwich or wrap, on crackers, or (sometimes) straight out of the bowl on a fork, hahaha!
Re: arm exercises: I saw a physical therapist one week post-op, and she told me I could start my arm exercises then. She said I had no limit on movement or weight at that time. Her only caution was that if I did something and it hurt, to slow down and back off some. Your doctor might have their own guidelines, though. -
Hi there, I just favorited this thread. Lots of good posts here. Up til now I've been hanging out in the July 2012 chemo thread. I'm just about to finish my AC treatments, then on to Taxol which will go through December, then 4 weeks off, surgery, 4 weeks off, 6-7 weeks radiation then 10 years of hormone therapy. I'm getting everything there is except Herceptin! (Actually I won't even put that possibility to rest until my FISH is re-done. I had my initial pathology results re-checked, but they missed the FISH.)
So if all goes as planned I'll finish my active treatment right around the time I turn 50 next April. And that's not counting the possibility of reconstruction, which I was advised to delay until after radiation. It's going to be a long haul, and at the end, I get a 50-60% chance of 10 year survival. That's the part that's really hard to swallow. Could be worse, but man, those odds are pretty scary to me.
I was fortunate to find my job had good disabilty insurance so I'm staying home now. Worked half time through diagnosis, the initial battery of tests, and the first two chemo rounds, then I was done with that struggle.
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Thanks for the hummus recipe, Marianelizabeth. I will certainly try it, probably like Cottontail with a little more lemon juice and garlic which I love. It must be chemo brain that made me misinterpret your initial post about the hummus. Wonder for how long I can still use that excuse?
Ann, welcome here! You still have a long way to go, it seems? The ladies here are amazing, and will be there for you no matter whether you want to whine, rant, cry or just talk. About survival: Somebody else said that if you can post and read here, your survival rate is 100%. It is so true. Don't get hung up on those scary stats. Forget about them. You are alive here and now, just enjoy it to the fullest, and let tomorrow take care of itself.
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Liefie - love your posts! Like the 100% survival rate if you can post and read here. It is a lifeline.
Welcome Ann, I am looking at ending next August, minus any reconstruction I might decide on after treatment. We'll do it together.
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Thanks, Websister. You are an inspiration to me too. By the way, my son moved to Calgary in August. He just loves the city so far.
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Welcome Ann, you came to the right place!
Just back from AC round 2 and sitting at my desk to pretend to work until I decide it's time for a little snooze. When my hubby gets home from work we're gonna whip out the buzzer, let the boys join us - and buzz away. Been prepping my older guy for it and he seems totally unfazed. He's very excited about my suggestion that he and his little brother color a special head scarf for me. So I'll have to go find some supplies for that. Should make it all doable. Who needs hair anyway, right? -
Thanks for the welcome.
websister, I guess the Herceptin must make the active treatment take even longer. That's over a year for you!
Lifie, I love that 100% survival idea.
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Liefie - Calgary is a beautiful city, glad your son likes it here.
Ramols - yay, you are done! great attitude about the hair and good idea about the scarf creation; you are a great mom!
Ann - yes, Herceptin x one year, radiation in the new year after the initial six chemo that take me to mid-December - I'll have the last of those (all going well) one week before Christmas
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I know some you have already discovered these posts but for those who haven't and are looking into your diet, you may find them interesting:
Both discuss the subject of food and estrogen :
http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/86/topic/774306?page=1#idx_13
http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/86/topic/780579?page=1Interesting article on foods and BC from last October which seems to conflict with other info re: whats ok and whats not:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/expert.q.a/10/28/diet.breast.cancer.jampolis/
Recipes
http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/121/topic/789281?page=3#post_3202440
and an older soup recipe post
http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/86/topic/781196?page=1#idx_28
Last but not least is this organic food write up just another article that seems to say "it's all a crapshoot"
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marianelizabeth, I started one week out from surgery doing the range of motion and stretching exercises. I started running 4 weeks out from my second lumpectomy and lifting light weights. I am having a lot of pain and tightness in the arm from the axillary node dissection but they said it would have been way worse if i hadnt been stretching. start soon!
Welcome ann, your treatment course sounds exactly like mine. I am just about 5-6 months ahead of yours. Your cancer sounds similar too. Those statistics are scary but should only be a rough guidline. You are either going to survive or not. for each person it is 100 percent one way or the other. You just have to do everything you can to be one of the survivors. And until you are told otherwise you are in the survivor category. At least that is how i am thinking of it. It is very easy to get wrapped up in those statistics though. I know why they tell us but sometimes i wish they wouldn't. THey help us decide whether one treatment or another is worth the trouble. You are planning to throw everyting at it just like me so just know that this stuff really works and we will be on the winning side.
I just had my first radiation treatment and of course there is nothing to it. No worse than lying stil for a bunch of xrays. Its just the idea of it that i hate. I hate that i have to do it. I hate that 17% of my lung and part of my thyroid is involved in the radiation field. My doctor says that 17% is good but it sounds like a shit load of lung to me. Apparently i am "fortunate" that she can treat all my nodes including the inframammary ones. While I dont exactly consider myself fortunate these days I guess i am glad they can nuke everything and give me my best chances of beating this asshole cancer.
1 down 32 to go.
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Oh yes, Welcome Ann. You joined the right group-great group of ladies.
Jpmom Glad you got one down and only 32 to go. Is that the accelerated rt?
Ramols You are a great mom. If they are anything like my son was, your sons will probably remember coloring the scarves more than the reason why. For you, there will be better times ahead. Hang in there.
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No just doing standard RT. 33 treatment. I tink they are boosting certain areas at the same time.
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jpmomof3, thanks for the encouragement and I hope the radiation continues to be easy (physically at least). I haven't even started reading up on that yet. You'd think they could somehow shelter the thyroid from the rays, since it's above the highest lymph nodes isn't it?
2friedeggs, thanks for the welcome. Love your username!
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jpmom,
I consider it a calling to bitch for those unable to for whatever reason.
((Hugs))
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Jpmomof3, and the worst thing is that we have no choice. You just have to lie there while they fry you in order to prolong your life. Well, I guess 10 or 20 years from now we will be happy we did it? Certainly hope so. 32 left to go!
2friedeggs, thanks for the links to those food articles. I have read a lot already, and my opinion is that nobody can really say with 100% certainty what to eat and what not. It is just too confusing. So I will keep on doing what I was, which is way more plant-based foods and less red meat, eliminate sugar and animal fats, avoid simple carbs, and drink enough fluid. Moderation is the key, I think.
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Hah! i thought of calling it that too. I got lots of names for it.
They are radiating my supra clavicular nodes (the ones above the collar bone) and they go high for that. I had a lot of positive nodes so they are blasting all the major areas that breast ca metastasizes to.
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