Calling all TNs

((((Inmate))))) sending healing vibes your way.  I love that every day is a special occasion! That is the way to do it!

Thank you and warm wishes to all who are doing a run/walk. I have 3 different runners wearing my name on their shirts in Canada- 2 in Vancouver and the other in Mississauga. I find it rather surreal that someone is running for MY cure. I get misty or just downright weepy when I think about it.

Wishing courage and strength to all the women here, and some extra hugs for Inmate. I haven't been on this board very long, but I noticed right away how you shine extra brightly.

Hi all, had a busy week and am finally getting caught up. Mom came home Friday night.



Mags - ((HUG)) not hyper metabolic is good!



Born - congrats on good genetic results. Want to tell you that I did gradual increases on the Metformin and had horrible GI symptoms for about 6 weeks, but they did go away.



Melissa - glad to hear that treatment went better than you expected.



Tazzy - wishes for you to fly right through!



Painting - yeah on the good test results.



The5Owens - Go Girl Go!!!!



OBXK - hope your results come back perfect.



Kareybeth - prayers sent.



Titan, Born and Dormac - thank you for walking/running for our sisters and brothers.



Inmate - so good to hear from you. You wear anything and buy anything that makes you feel happy!



Luv - crossing my fingers for 10/5, and thanks for the tumor markers info, needed it.



Cocker - I did sneak off to the casino twice while Mom was in the hospital. Kicked my ass, because I have to pretend I hadn't been up for 24 hrs plus and hide the sleep deprevation!



Titan - thanks for some comments you made because they especially pertained to my current situation. I went for my appt with my MO Friday, to meet with a NP I had never met before. (I'm with you Titan, I believe I have a right to be pre informed about changes like that. ) She was very sweet, but I also looked for the big wheel trike she must have rode in on!! It was clear from several things that she had no familiarity with my record. ( "when are you scheduled for your follow up mammogram?". "ummm, I had it 3 months ago")

One of the things I wanted to discuss with my MO, was the fatigue and unexplained weight loss. (thanks Titan - these were the exact symptoms I had when I was first diagnosed. Dropped 30 pounds in about 2 mo). She told me she didn't feel these were indicative signs of the cancer returning. She did decide to order tumor markers. (this is where I worked very hard to not bust out laughing. I asked my MO about following tumor markers in the beginning, and was told that they were not reliable and not "their standard of care"). The NP didn't feel my symptoms warranted follow up scans. She also suggested checking my Vit D levels, and I had to tell her that DF had never bothered mentioning them, and did nothing when I told them I had a low pre-diagnosis level, and that my PCP had also taken care of the problem and was monitoring them.

I'm sure I now have another care provider that hates me , lol. I told her my primary has already ordered the scans, but we were just waiting to see what DF would do.

For right now, I've decided not to knee jerk. I'll wait and see what the tumor markers show and wait and see if the weight loss continues. (haven't lost anymore the last two weeks, but I've been eating like a PIG!!!! No one should be able to eat 3 Dove bars a day and not gain weight!!!!!)

My girlfriend suggested it may be time to find a new MO, but I think I'm OK because I have a proactive PCP who will make sure I get what I need.

Here I am at today's CIBC Run for the Cure in Mississauga. In the box where participants put who they are running for, I wrote: "The Triple Negative Angels: Suze, Jenn, LauraJane, Mary, Blonde Lawyer, etc."   

sugar...I really wish there was a LIKE button here cuz i really like your post!  I am sure you made them proud

Maggie

Great job, Sugar.  I was thinking of Jenn just today.  Her favorite team, the Saints were playing my favorite team, the Packers.  Just felt so sad.  I hate cancer soooo much. 

Thanks to all who are walking and running this month.  I have decided to participate in a Zumbathon later this month. The money raised is going to Komen.  I would rather it all go to research, but that is out of my control.   I really believe in this day and age with all the technology, anybody over the age of 14 knows that breast cancer exists.  Enough of the awareness.....we need to find treatments that work, especially to help our stage IV sisters. 

Hugs to all.

Inmate: Lovely to hear from you. Wish I was there in person to give you a gentle hug. Be kind to yourself, hon. 

Sugar: Awesome that you ran for our shining TN angels. Even the sun shone for them.   

Dawn, Sending you lots of hugs and positive thoughts.  I'm picturing a kind of concrete chaise lounge kind of chair? It does sound like a great place to sit outside and watch the kitties.  I'm glad your husband is very supportive.

Sugar, thanks for participating and doing it for our angels. I miss them all, and felt closest to Suze as I corresponded with her several times. She found the eribulin study for me and sent it to me in a message.

Best thing that happened to me today was going to my good friend's wedding on a small island on the lakeshore. It was a great time, casual, with nice people and very relaxed.  Her pit bull with a big bow was part of the ceremony (he is also a certified therapy dog and her favorite dog).  The trees here are just starting to change and the temperature this afternoon was around 65-70.

Sugar you look beautiful. Thank you for running for all of our angels.

OBXK - any results yet.  Thinking of you.

Kathy - bout time you showed up.  Glad you had a good time at the casino and glad your mum is home.    

Mags - no hypermetabolic is really good news.

I went to my oncologist appointment today and she examined me and everything was ok but then I expected that having only just finished treatment. Its later on that I worry about.  No scans for me as she doesn't think they are good to have if you don't have any issues. She did say my diagnosis is on the better side of 50% so I spose that something.     Got an appointment to see my breast surgeon on the 16th when we will discuss the port but I have decided to leave it in for a while just in case. Just not confident to have it removed yet.  I hope all these negative feelings will go away soon because they are making me feel depressed.  Also thinking of going back to work once I have seen the BS as its very quiet here without the old fellar.

Have a good day ladies.  Lots of hugs.  Annie     

Annie,

The end of treatment was really scary for me, too.  I went through a few months where it was hard to focus at work due to fears and thoughts about recurrence. I had even considered an antidepressant.  I was given the 50% recurrence risk figure, too, due to the fact that I still had tumor and positive nodes following the first chemo. Even though I am on tamoxifen for the little bit of ER receptors, one of the triple negative specialists had said it probably won't make much difference (the other two oncs disagree) - but at any rate, I finished my last chemo in February following rads.  I have finally started feeling better this last month.  As you start to feel physically better, and the effects of rads and chemo start to leave you, it should help all around.  I think working helps me cope, even though I complain about it! Sending you lots of love!

Luv, I love your new photo!  I'm glad you are feeling so well with the chemo and I'm hoping for great results on your scan.

Christina - thanks!  That picture made me think how much I look like my mother...

I think it's the hair that got my attention.  Mine was much straighter until I hit menopause.  Then slowly but surely I got some curl.  And now after chemo, I've got her hair.  This picture is her high school grad picture.  I wish I had her eyebrows!

Kathyrnn - I just wanted to say that during this horrible experience that we go through, no one should have an uncaring or unreliable MO of any of the doctors that are taking care of you.  You deserve the most attentive MO/doctors, who doesn't make any mistakes, crosses all your T's and dots all your I's.  I agree with your girlfriend, change your MO.  I did change in the midst of chemo, and was extremely happy with my decision.

Maybe Titan is right that your metabolism is returning to normal, which it really does.  I finally feel like my old person (except for thinning hair), after a very long time.  Even though you have  a great PCP, MO's think differently than PCP's, at least mine did.  Also, my MO knew everything about me 100%.  I used to write long notes to the nurse at the Oncology office, and it reached my MO. 

Does anyone else do this?  If you want to explain something and feel that you are unable to remember everything in front of the MO, then write down a nice long note, no matter how long, and fax to the office.  I think what they did was they would read the note and still bill my insurance treating that as an office visit.  You can suggest this to your Oncology office that you would like this option of communicating witht hem.  This way they know all the details, as I had so many thousands of issues during and after treatments.  The nurse once remarked "I love your thorough notes". And then at the end of the day she used to call me and address all the issues, calling for medications directly to the pharmacy, etc.

Hope everyone has a great day today, October 1st.

Ladies on my way home from my first chemo AC treatment....so far so good! I'm a little woozy from the pre meds and I have a touch of a headache. But overall easier than I thought! I will keep everyone posted in my coming days!!

I too have to say that triple negative develops quickly.I had a routine mri last Aug/followed by an ultrasound 6 months later feb14th this year.They saw an area they needed to check,as they were always finding something in my mri's to the point I'd joke and say "see you for my ultrasound". what they saw this time was in the 8 oclock position, it was deamed to be another cyst. Went for my routine mammo at cancer clinic July 23rd. after mammo my oncol does a physical, she found a lump 1.8cm was what she estimated. She went to look at mammo and showed nothing SAME DAY!!this lump appeared in the 7 oclock.not the same one they saw in Feb..Drs are a bit troubled. The medical oncol says it wasn't the same one and that it haddened showed up on mri etc it took the core biopsy to see. So 5 months it developed. My surgeon says he saw some stuff on path report he feel better not seeing but he thinks it may have been the cyst seen in Feb. anyway I don't know.wonder what the dr saw that he wasn't impressed with but now I am so overwelmed I don't know if I can hear anything more.Its been a month since my bilatbx and chemo starts in 2 weeks