The Hermit Club

See lauren u'r getting it all together and u'r DH is a great help.

Markat go to sleep.

Camille after you posted that I went straight to bed. I'm exhausted! The job went so good but my feet are throbbing! Super easy and it was nice to get out. We'll have to see how I feel by Thursday:)

Hi fellow hermits:

I am doing my internal radiation this week and all is well. I flew out to the location where I am having this done on New Years Day, had the catheters inserted last thursday, recovered from that, and then had some fun this weekend with my friend who was here to help. Today I started my internal rad therapy that goes through Friday. Back to being a hermit in my hotel room now that my friend has left, and I enjoy quiet time and rest when I am not at the center and also have space to work here too. 

I know many are struggling along the path here and hoping and praying you are having a good week or otherwise getting through this first full week of January!

Okay, here is how it is done.

Procedure for the catheters: They start with a CT scan and then work to lift your breast up off the muscle into this sort of "vice" like thing with holes all around it. The holes have coordinates and they use long needles to go through the breast through the coordinates on each side and then put the plastic tubing in. Does not hurt, you are numb, but of course, feels sort of weird. More CT scans. When they are done, there are 25 (in my case) plastic tubes facing out of both ends of your breast that they cap off. It is enough to make you pass out if you saw it. The tubes are what receives the radiation seeds.

Treatment: They put these wires in the catheters from the lower end and feed the seeds in to each catheter one tube at a time. The physician that does the actual model for treatment says the seeds stay in longer for the tumor bed, less time on the outskirts. It feels like each catheter only has things in there a minute or less, only takes 15-20 min. Twenty five catheters receive the seeds in and then they are withdrawn through the same wire hooked in to each to withdraw them. Basically it treats the area from the inside. The only thing you feel is a bit of movement as things move in and out. They take out the wires, clean you up, and you leave.

This is a bit more experimental than the beam surgery which is why you probably had not heard of it, but it has been used commonly for years with prostate and other cancers. The candidates for this are very early cases where breast conservation is desired, and there is no node involvement. 

Ask more questions!

Camillegal- my treatment is 5 days, 2X each day for an hour each time. Procedure is a one time thing, hooking up the radiation into the tubes is for the five days. The whole process for me is a 10-11 day deal that includes being out of town for this (the hardest part).

I will have to do the other side (DCIS) next month and will go through the entire thing all over again for the right side. But I am not thinking about that too much yet, just getting through trip number 1 and this first one for the area with invasive.

Much shorter timeframe to treat things, but usually only done for stage 0 or 1 with no node involvement. Despite the catheters that are more uncomfortable sometimes than others, much easier to get your head around than the longer rads treatment so many go through.

Hope everyone out there is hanging in there today!

Boy Jazzy that really sounds safer for u'r body--harder to do but better results. I hope it all goes well.

Markat love u'r 2nd day lice--eeuuu--doesn't sound very inviting--but u sound happy so it's all good. I'm glad u'r happy there, I knew u would be

Jane enjoy u'r quiet time for now--the last couple of weeks have been hectic so just relax. And don't look for a job til after u'r Dr.s app't.  So u have some time. Use it to  u'r advantage.I am so tired all the ime I don't know what's going on---It;s like my whole body and eyes are tired. LOL Even coffee isn't doing it lately--It's probably that infection that keeps on resurfacing--Oh well it'll get better.

Hope everone has a good day.

I knew u'd like it markat--tho u have to get used to it I'm sur---but just being around people that don't give u that look--u know what I mean and it's a hole new chapter for u. It's all good.

Ok Skittle u'r in for it---if that's why u'r not coming by more no, no, no it's different if u've been so busy u don't have time, but u're reasoning is all mixed up--why do u think we're here?  Complain, rant, vent whatever u want--anyway sometimes maybe we can help we know what it's like and sometimes u need reassuring from the group that doesn't have a clue, but we just keep chuggin' along.  Well I don't have a clue, why we feel this way. But there's lotsa of ickiness with this, it's not pleasant and I like when I hear women are don with all they need to do and feel well, but that doesn't seem to be to realistic to me so spill u'r guts out and please don't let that be a reason not to come on here. I'm always complaining--I never feel good--Oh wait remember about a month ago I had a really good day, I was so happy. But other than that I feel like shit most of the time. And I tell everyone. so just tell us  OK????

FL I'm glad u'r happier with u'r job--sounds good then Actually u found one pretty quickly and I'm glad u'r cathing on so well.

I've had echos, scans and nuclear, but in the last few yrs I've had so much diarrhea my electrolytes are always low, sometimes so low they call them critical and I'm in the hospital for a week at a time, so they think my heart might have some damage cuz potassium and magnesuim are always low and somehow that connects to ur heart. So that's why I'm so tired-no sooner t=do I pull them up they drop right back down again. Now next week I have the down the throat and up the ass tests at one time for the Dr. to take (he said) alot of biopsies This is the 3rd Dr. for diarrhea I've seen they can't find out why and I do tell them after a day or 2 I'm exhausted and I always get dehydrated even tho I drink loads of vitamin water too. And take all kinds of vitamins--so in the long run that's why I'm tired alot and today I had loads of stomach pain which is relatively new, but it's easing up now and then I get tired from the D and now the pain. So I call it lazy and I really don't mention much to my DD cuz she always wants me in the ER---and almost everytime I go to ER I get stuck in the hospital so I don't say to much Oh and I get a lot of infections so I'm on antibiotics alot, my immune system I think is shot. Now U glad u asked--U got pretty much of the whole story of my misery LOL Oh and I'm starting to throw up sometimes--Now I'm laughing cuz this could really continue--but enough is enough--I think if I weren't tired they'd think something else was wrong anyway. hahaha

Thanks Teka---but there is no Nobel Prize involved with this mystery diagnosis.

Good Morning ll--I hope u have good days ahead and whoever is working good for u.

OH get this today I have a 15 min app't ON THE PHONE for like a pre-op---they have all my infor from last week in the computer, but we go over everything. I hate (as u all know) being druged for being asleep--my last colonoscopy my breast surgeon did it and let me stay awake--he did it cuz he knew me and knew I could deal with it. Oh how I miss him, he did whatever I wanted--he loved me in his Dr. way.He would hug me all the time and hold my hand alot.But he did say I was the craziest patient he ever had. Good or bad I don't know. I'm sure I told u uys before my last operstion they couldn't get me out of it and when I finally woke up my whole family was there--and I wasked for my own anethisalogist, someone who's rep. was extremely good. I've always thought that whoever puts u out is the most important D. in tht room.What I understand is this is twilight so u'r not being deeply put out--so I hope that helps.. I've had these tests before but awake and this new Dr. was not believing me with no one has these awake--but my BS did them all the way I wanted. I was supposed to be put out for one of my biopsies cuz he said it was very uncomfortable and I pleaded with him not to so he didn't and I promised I wouldn't move and I didn't except for laughing with him and he was moving telling me to be quiet cuz he was laughing---see I'm rambling again--This was neer done ecause I was brave, it was done cuz I hate to o out. So no one thing I'm brave cuz I'm not.

Teka I believe that--when I had my last colon....I let out so much gas while he was working in there I was lauging and I told him I always wanted to do that to someone LOL

U crack me up. LOL