Anyone In Phoenix, AZ Area?

Yep - thats who I saw......  Id love to hear your take if you want to share in a private message......

Hello Arizona Ladies, I'm glad to find some people from Arizona. BCO has given me so much information and I love to connect and hear about everyones experience. I am starting chemo on the 13th and will have my port put in next week. I'm nervous about the port but I'm sure I'll be fine. 

Lolalou, hope the other ladies will pipe in. There are a lot of great ladies on BCO. Chemo is truly a breeze. You go in they prep your port, alcohol swab, place the needle in they offer freeze spray. I do not use that stuff anymore and you just sit and wait till it is over with. I hope you are bringing someone with you. Also snacks they may have some, chew on ice chips or something really cold, bring a book, movie, computer, they may have a tv running but you really do not have a choice of what to watch. They offer warm blankets or you can bring your own that you are comfortable with. Some people just sleep and some are premedicated so that is why they are sleeping. So I do not know what they are going to do with you. We all understand being scared for it is the first time and an experience you have never been through, and have cancer just the sound of it is scary. It is not a death sentence. If you need anything just pipe in or send me a private message. What part of AZ do you live in? This is a great bunch of ladies to get to know. You're in our thoughts. 

omg!  i soooo wish i would've seen this thread a long time ago!  i don't know why but i feel closer to you all already!  i live in San Tan Valley, AZ....east side over by Queen Creek.   My onc is Dr. Polowy.....i love him but i read a note earlier in this thread that he's always 30-60 minutes behind and yes.....that is annoying....but i have felt very comfortable and safe with him as my onc so i suck it up.  

I'm looking for assistance from you ladies.....i hope you don't mind.   I recently went to Dr. Kalnoki-Kis for reconstructive surgery......she is a great woman......really like her but my bilateral TE failed and 4 weeks later i had to have them removed.   really bad infections on both sides.   i have had radiation and because that side healed soooo great......she felt i could get away with that sucessfully.   i did not.  so as much as i like her....she is limited in the procedures she does.   i had done a lot of research on the DIEP surgery but everyone always noted that going out of state to one of the best DIEP surgeons should be your only option.  i can't afford that so i've got an appt with Dr. Albert Andres this thursday.   I was also reading how Dr. Rebecca is wonderful at the MAYO clinic but i was told that the MAYO clinic will charge more than what your insurance pays and therefore you have to pay out of pocket.  not sure if this is true.   does anyone know?   

i would love to meet anyone interested on my side of the world.  it's soooo nice talking to people who know what i'm thinking and going thru emotionally.   i will tell you up front tho.....i will most likely have a ton of questions....even tho i've already been thru everything already.....

much love to you all!

Thx for the help!

ally

I have met Dr Rebecca at Mayo and she is great!  I wish I had met her before my recon but I was done and wanted a second opinion on a pain issue.   Mayo has always adjusted the billing based on what my insurance will pay versus what they bill.  They are more expensive across the board but they do have consolidated billing which is lovely.  My 20% is higher but I do like getting only one bill.    

Hi and welcome dnadebbs... i just sent you a PM

Karen

thank you julianna51!   your 2 cents is truly appreciated!      ps....you're not too far from me....i'm in san tan valley.   God bless!   ally

Isaiah 40:31

Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

Peace be with her family at this time......

Hi - I know this was posted before but I wanted to post it again as they are still in need of participants and they are actively trying to recruit in the Phoenix area.  I joined the study at the end of last year. Please consider joining the study.  If you have any questions I am happy to address them on this thread or PM.

UACC study works to improve breast cancer treatment by combining nutrition and medicine

University of Arizona Cancer Center researchers are continuing to seek participants for a study designed to determine if a compound found in broccoli can enhance the health-promoting effects of the breast cancer drug Tamoxifen in women at risk of developing breast cancer or those previously treated for early-stage breast cancer.

Since receiving a $3 million grant from the National Cancer Institute in 2011, UACC researcher Cynthia Thomson, PhD, RD, and her team have recruited about 50 women who are taking Tamoxifen for the DIME study. Enrollment will continue through December 2013 with a goal of 170 participants.

Tamoxifen is an accepted treatment for breast cancer. Dr. Thomson, a professor of Health Promotion Sciences in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona, notes that data from diet studies of people who have a higher intake of cruciferous vegetables – cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi and broccoli – suggest that intake may reduce the risk of certain cancers, including breast, colorectal, bladder and possibly prostate.

“We have previously shown that women taking Tamoxifen who eat more vegetables may decrease cancer recurrence risk. This study will test the potential health-promoting effects using one isolated bioactive compound found in cruciferous vegetables, diindolylmethane (DIME), and compare it to a placebo intervention in favorably changing hormone levels and breast characteristics like breast density,” Dr. Thomson says.

Alison Stopeck, MD, a co-investigator in the study and the director of the Clinical Breast Cancer Program at the UA Cancer Center, sees this research as a unique opportunity to determine the potential of non-invasive imaging to be a reliable biomarker for breast cancer risk. Women in the study will complete periodic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedures for measuring breast characteristics.

Study participants will be asked to take the supplement or placebo for 18 months and complete periodic clinical evaluation visits. The supplement is a patented, absorption enhancing formulation of diindolylmethane known as BioResponse DIM® (also known under the tradenames Indolplex® or BR-Dim®) supplied by BioResponse, LLC, of Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the DIME study, call Julie West at (520) 321-7748. Read more about the study.

The DIME Study is supported by grant number CA149417 from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

Hello there ladies, 

I sure hope everyone is doing well. I have somethings coming up. I just need to settle on the dates. I have 4 months planned. I have missed our get togethers. I have had a rough few months but am doing so much better. Which is a great feeling. 

The thing I would like to do is have us all make journals. I have also a sheet to hand out on things you can write about or it makes a great gift and handmade by you. Is this something you would be interested in doing? I made these at a retreat. They are easy and I am a big scrapbooker so I have many of the materials. 

I have assorted papers, ribbons, embellishes, cutters, glues, etc. I have to get the composition book so that we can cover it. I was thinking of charging $6 for it. We would meet at KinAz (Karen) house since she is allergic to animals and not sure how this effects others. She lives in Chandler. Remember you can carpool. I can pick people up that are along the way if needed too. 

So please give me your feedback...Let me know if this is something you would attend. I am planning this in the month of May it would have to be on a Friday night or something on Saturday or Sunday which I know may interfer with your family time. 

Look forward to hearing from all of you.

Hi Burley (Kim)

It is never to late to join our group. We would love to have you. Some of the girls are done with chemo some are still going through chemo. There is always something going on. Our next get together we will be going downtown to do infused glass. We are all excited about it. It will be nice to meet  you. We are a bunch of fun and great ladies. Will be posting our next get together soon. 

Elizabeth

Burley yes there are women on the East side as well. I live in Glendale. Us ladies get together on this side too. I do not work so I am usually the easiest one to get together with. 

Hope you have had a nice memorial weekend

First I apologize to Burley/Kim and Lola/Dayna.... we are normally quite active but things have been far from normal.  Our organizer ebann/Elizabeth has entered hospice.  She is home surrounded by so much love from family and friends.  Her daughter just had her 2nd baby 3 days ago... it was quite a blessing for Elizabeth to hold that baby and to be clear headed at the time.  It is Elizabeths wish that we continue to meet and to welcome new sisters...If anyone is interested in helping plan events... please please let me know...We WILL do the annual Christmas Ornament Exchange at the Spaghetti Factory this year........ I will try to check in here more frequently but feel free to PM me... Hugs to all of you 

Karen

Ladies,

Elizabeth passed Sept 26th... She started this group, and many, many friendships came out of it...  Her husband Ron has created an open group on facebook for... All are welcome, just click join and you will be accepted immediately...

Tribute to Elizabeth Fugate   https://www.facebook.com/groups/EBAnn/?hc_location=stream

Here is the information for her Memorial Celebration

Elizabeth Fugate Memorial Service
  Saturday October 19 @ 11:00 A.M.
  Pure Heart Christian Fellowship...
  14240 No. 43rd Ave.
  Glendale, 85306

Hello Ladies, I am in the process of moving to the north Phoenix area, Anthem to be exact. I really hate to leave my doctors behind here but I am sure that you ladies can give me some good recommendations. Cooincidently, my ONC here has a BIL who is a urologist at JCL. He said that he would speak to him and get me some references for a new ONC and PCP so that is a start, but I really would appreaciate hearing from any of you who have "walked the walk" in the Phoenix area.

Would love to get together with any of you once we get settled. Looks like we should be there by mid-Novmenber. Good thing, because it is getting brrrrrrr.... here in IL.