TRIPLE POSITIVE GROUP

TonLee...

I think I found an exercise that helps tone the abs. I saw people doing it @ the gym but I never asked them because they seemed very serious about their workout.

You lay on the bench with one dumbell...I used 15 lb to start.

Hold it with both hands and lift it vertically to your body up, over and behind your head.

You can feel your abs pulling.

It actually helps my aching back a bit too.

Does this work the abs or is it wishful thinking.?

Thx Lago...

Makes sense about ribcage and It really soothes my back pain. Too bad it isn't good for the abs as well!

I joined a gym in Florida and you could have swung from the chandeliers and no one would tell you anything just so long as you paid the fees! I just watched and tried a few new ones that looked interesting.

Hi guys,

Aaargh!  Ok the screening MRI I had showed an "area of enhancement."  They scheduled me for a follow up ultrasound.  The area and another area taht I noticed lit up in colors, meaning that there was blood supply going to the area.  Could be cancer, could be a fibroid adenoma, something like that.  I said, if I did have cancer the worst part would be that this would mean that the treatments weren't working.  They said, or, it could have been there all along and I guess not shown up on the prior MRI.  (Though it would also seem to show that they have managed to get big enough to show up/be discernable in the meantime.)  So I had a really fun afternoon getting needle biopsies of the two areas, then they put clips in, then they gave me a mammo, then they said they couldn't see one of the clips so it must not have "deployed," then they had to shoot another clip in, then they did another mammo, and now I get to wait until friday afternoon or monday morning to find out what the scoop is. 

I don't have a clue what they would do if it did show up as something.  I mean obviously at that point we say buh bye to right breast, but how could I do chemo when I just did it?  trying.not.to.freak.out.

Could be nothing but I'm nervous b/c on the MRI my tumor was 3.4 cm and it was 4.8 when they removed it, so it either grew at lightening speed or there was a missing 1.4 cm or so that didn't show up on the equipment, i.e. enough to in itself put me at stage I.  Also, I had a bit of discharge from my right nipple the last few years.  Ob-gyn noted it but nothing showed up on the mammo and US, though obviously in retrospect I did have cancer.  I noticed a little discharge a few weeks ago....  Also I feel like my right arm is inexplicably weak.  I'm not gaining weight on tamox, on the other hand I have been really avoiding sugar and such and that always makes me lose weight.  Worrisome.  My lymph nodes showed totally clear on the MRI and there isn't a pile of dense breast tissue surrounding those, so they shoudl be able to get a good read.

Sorry for the novel.  SpecialK, I know you are thinking "I told you so!"  Or something like that.

Gratitude, thank you for that.  I have fibrocystic breasts but they said it wasn't a cyst -- what is a fibroid adenoma?  Seeing it light up was a little unnerving.  It does still seem kind of unlikely -- even if the MRI missed the "area of concern" last time, it seems like it would have had to actually grow to be discernable, and that would mean despite the poison and the radiation and the herceptin.  The other lump didn't show up on the mri but I could feel it.  I don't remember noticing it before, so that would also mean it was new.  Anyway that's what I'm trying to tell myself until I have any news. 

Lago, why is it that YOU know that and none of my doctors could tell me that?  They're all, duh, yes there was a 1.4 cm discrepancy and we don't know why.

thx rosem.  I sure hope so!!!

cypher, I've just read through your post twice.  Didn't you recently have a PET Scan or some kind of scan within the last few months?

Also, is this area of enhancement close to the area of the original tumor?  Is it possible it could be scar tissue and/or fat necrosis?  Fat necrosis can mimic a tumor.  (I was so hoping my tumor was fat necrosis as I had been in a car accident years before and the airbag had deployed and left my chest very bruised).

Could it be a hematoma leftover from the lumpectomy?  I had a "blood product" after my initial biopsy that looked like a tail (?) on the ultrasound.  It showed up as a blood product on the MRI.  

Re: chemo - I always go back to Relda - whose tumor had turned into nothing more than scar tissue following chemotherapy.  You've had chemotherapy and radiation.  And Herceptin.  And possibly even Perjeta. 

I am hoping and praying it's something as innocuous as a fibroadenoma or fat necrosis.  

One more thing: 

Women with breast fat necrosis may experience fluid discharge from the nipple, and possibly breast pain. Sometimes there is discoloration, or dimpled skin on the surface of the breast.  http://breast-cancer.ca/miscellaneous-breast-lesions/fat-necrosis.htm

Cypher..wishing you peace during this waiting time.

I am heading to the hospital shortly for my surgery. Praying for clean margins and nodes.

Is there a good link to look at to read more about the chemo options for her2+. Want to read up a bit more so i keep up with the MO when we meet.

Elkatho
Best wishes to you today. My SNB and lumpectomy went smoothly. Didn't even need tylenol.



http://chemoregimen.com/Breast-Cancer-c-30-41.html

Hi, everyone. I'm new (triple positive). My surgery (lumpectomy) is scheduled for tomorrow. Wish me well.

elkatho and karen - good luck on your surgeries!

elkatho - here is the chemo breakdown from Genentech (the maker of Herceptin):

http://www.herceptin.com/breast/adjuvant

cypher - yikes!  Here is my thought - after all the treatment you have received it does not seem likely that it is more cancer, but all that treatment would have zero effect on a fibroadenoma, a cyst, a fatty lipoma, fat necrosis, scar tissue, etc. - so that stuff would show up.  I am going with that theory unless told otherwise.  I am so sorry that you have to be worried about this though!

Cypher- thinking of you hoping for good news.

Moon- Sorry of the passing of DFIL.

moon - sorry about your FIL - glad that it was peaceful though.  Condolences to your family.