Canadians in British Columbia

Hello!

Has anyone else heard that Dr Klimo is coming out of retirement?  He was my original MO and then when he retired I was "taken over" by his protege Dr Sasha Smiljanic.  Good dr too but not the same as Dr Klimo.

I've heard from 2 different sources that he is setting up shop again on the North Shore for "consulting".  Just wondering if anyone else heard anything?

I'm really looking forward to my surgery scheduled for Thursday Feb 27.  For me it signifies the end of reconstruction and the tummy tuck is a little present for myself too!

But it feels like something is conspiring against me.  Here's what's been happening with me....

I saw my GP 2 weeks ago for an allergist referral and asked him to examine my breast.

For a while now I've been having some trouble with my breast (natural side) tenderness and under arm soreness and arm numbness.

He told me it seemed like normal breast tissue and he couldn't really feel anything different.  

Well after a week it still hadn't gone away so a week ago Tuesday I left a message at the MO office to see if it could be a side effect of the AI I'm on and see about getting myself examined in case it wasn't. 

At the same time I called my GP and actually spoke to someone and got an appt for the next day - Wed.

While at the GP's office (on Wed) the MO's office called and left a message offering me a next day appt but I was already getting further testing through GP.  Chest xray and breast U/S so I turned down the MO appt (was with MO's partner anyway not the MO himself).

After seeing the GP - he thinks it might be a pinched nerve in my neck/shoulder area - I went and had my regular bloodwork done.  Mostly to see if blood could be drawn or if it was affected by the pinched nerve too.

It was fine - bloodwork was normal except for calcium being a bit high.  

Tuesday this past week I went for chest xray and breast u/s (that GP ordered) and everything is fine.  I had a bit of a panic when the radiologist came in and followed up but all is good.  She tells me I should still be having mammograms (this contradicts what my MO told me) on this breast and now it's standard procedure (at that site) for the radiologist to check breasts before releasing the patient (esp with BC history).

Normally I wouldn't be running around like this but it's been bothering me for a while at this point and I've got surgery next week and hope to use that arm - my good arm - for the IV.  I was worried there might be a circulation problem that might hold up my surgery.

Everything seemed like it was sorting out - was going to follow up with GP about some PT for arm - but then I get a call yesterday from BC Cancer Agency asking me to book a PET scan.

This was out of the blue - had spoken to MO at last visit in Dec and he said to wait 1 year after radiation for repeat PET.  So that would make it summer for next PET.

PET scan lady told me it was MO who ordered the appt on Monday.  I don't see him again until March 12.   I didn't book the PET because I've got surgery on Feb 27 and having a PET scan right after surgery seems pointless to me.

Of course when I call the MO's office  to clarify it's closed.

I suspect that the MO got a copy of my bloodwork and then discovered that I haven't had a PET in almost a year so ordered the follow up scan.

I called GPs office and asked them to send MO copies of my recent chest xray and U/S.  I hope to hear back from his office on Monday and see MO on March 12 so I can discuss when is the right time after surgery to have a PET.

But I can't help but worry.  Why does something like this always happen on the weekend? 

Sorry about the long post.  I think it's just been a mix up but needed to vent, explain, and get talked off the ledge....

Thanks for reading if you've stuck with it this long!

Thanks Adagio for the reply!  I am taking each moment as it comes as you suggested and preparing to go ahead with my Thursday surgery.

What about this snow!!!!  Seriously I am not a snow person (even though I grew up in Ontario).  

I know it's pretty to look at when you're inside.  But I'm not leaving the house today and hope it melts soon!

MarieK. Sounds like a mixup, though I understand your concern, Hope it all turns out well, Will be in your pocket on the 27th

Hi everyone hope you are all doing well

Marie - in your pocket tomorrow!

Marie keep us posted and so glad the PET thing is worked out!

Marie - good luck tomorrow!  will be thinking of you.

HI there...I haven't posted in a while and it's been 1 year since my BC diagnosis.  I underwent Bilateral MX in April 2013 and just had my 4th and hopefully last reconstruction surgery on March 10th.  I wanted to get some advice from the great ladies here.  I was told that I had DCIS with isolated tumour cells, Grade 3, and it was not hormone receptive.  I was told by RO that the chances that it could come back is high in the next 5 years.  The RO and MO both decided no after treatment was necessary.  So since my surgery in April 2013 I wasn't given any radiation, chemo or hormone treatment.  They said to just follow up with my GP if I feel any 'symptoms'  I had no idea what to look for since I removed both breasts.  I fought hard to see if there was any treatment they could give me since "ITC" is considered controversial and I wanted to ensure nothing was left inside me.  Both RO and MO made me feel like I'm a worrywart for nothing and since this is my 2nd cancer (first was Stage 3 Hodgkins when was 24) I wanted to make sure I did all I could.  Initially, they wouldn't even send me for a CT scan or anything.  The best I could do is tell the MO that I wanted my follow up with FVCC which they agreed to and finally to a CT scan.

In the last couple of months, I've had a red rash on my original breast.  For a couple of weeks, I've had 'twinges' of pain in my hip/groin and frequent diarrhea, some abdominal and back pain.  I feel like I could be paranoid but feeling worried.  I don't really know what symptoms to look for if the cancer has come back.  Every time I see the MO, I feel like he's just appeasing me because he has to but not really listening. 

Thank you for any insight and advice.

Hey ladies, it's been awhile since I've been on the boards… I'm too far behind in the Canadian Connection to get caught up there, but I think I can manage the west coast thread.

MarieK - So glad to hear the surgery went well. Cleavage, no less! How are you doing in your recovery now?

Ossa - Nice to hear you have a surgical plan in place that fits your schedule nicely. I'm also getting tired of having lopsided boobs and can't wait to swap this TE with a squishier implant. 

Marian - You inspire me soooo much. I hope we can meet up when you're back so I can see pics first hand of your trekking experience. 

Allyp71 - Do you have a good rapport with your GP? Perhaps he/she can be the one you discuss these concerns with. I know I've started to drift away from my MO and find myself spending more time with my GP, even for cancer-related concerns. But I have a really good relationship with my GP, so that makes a huge difference.

grateful - nice to see your avatar. i really miss our time in mindfulness meditation. 

I hope everyone is doing well and getting to enjoy this beautiful spring weather that has come our way. I'm scheduled for my 2nd stage of recon on April 22nd. Soooo looking forward to this! Any tips to offer, Marian or others? I hope it doesn't hurt as much or take as long to recover as it did for the 1st stage. And the best news for me of late is that my bf got hired as the mechanic for the sea2sky gondola in squamish. No more 10-hr commute to the kootenays for a cuddle! I'm flying to the koots tomorrow to drive his car to the coast while he Uhauls his belongings. And the icing on the cake is that our kids (my 7.5 year old daughter and his just turned 10-year old son) love one another and are like best friends. You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear them laughing and playing together. I finally have the posse that I've always dreamed of.

Everyone - What do you think of trying to get together in June?

Sneaky I just read the British Columbia posts and I miss you all. Yes to a June meet-up.

I am copy/pasting what I put on the Canadian thread. Then off to bed after this 10 day trek! I am so tired but so happy.

Just read all your posts and welcome to you new sisters! I just got back from our trek to Annapurna Camp today and am enjoying a 5 star hotel tonight~~hot bath was first up then ice cold beer. I know that we can't all be trekking in Nepal post BC but I can't say enough about exercise~~it is so important. I have actually forgotten about BC for hours and I think days at a time. Yesterday I tripped on some slate rocks on the downhill path we were on~~I was with my daughter's best friend when we heard a mule train thundering down above us. I ended up falling spread-eagled and honestly did do the fall the best I could. Kath was horrified but all I said was grab my poles so we could get off the trail as the mules thundered by~~close call. I got a couple of scratches but Kath and I are still laughing about my first comment which was whether I had damaged my implants. I do have a tiny bruise under the nipple of my augment side but nothing else. It has also been so good to get away from appts. and just have the chance to appreciate life. Some of the comments above relate to that. We are living with BC~~I love that! Still no signs of LE so I feel blessed yet again with hiking at high altitude. The photo is of me just below Annapurna Base Camp and if you look closely you can see some low buildings above me. So, at age 65 I am again in the mountains of Nepal that I so love and I brought with me an eclectic group of 17, aged 28 to 66. I was not the oldest, my sister-in-law's partner from NZ was! Tomorrow we head by bus to Chitwan National Park for 3 days to ride elephants, watch for tigers, birds and rhinos and relax after a challenging trek. Life is good!

Marian - congratulations on a successful trek - it sounds amazing !! Hope you had a soft landing for your fall. I  had 2 bad falls within 5 weeks of each other and now 12 weeks later, I still have terrible pain in my arm and my rotater cuff is damaged so I can hardly use my arm at all. I would not wish this pain on anyone!!

Enjoy your time in th National Park!!

ductchgirl I am hoping for June too!

Three years today since my life changed forever.. I hate BC, Good thing is I met all you ladies.

Buttercupp. I had to wait six weeks for my biopsy (also at Royal Columbian) Got results about a week later.. Sending you good vibes the biopsy will come back benign

Buttercup - I first had an ultrasound which suggested benign cysts, but at my request they squeezed in an ultrasound later that day and that was a game changer. In hindsight, everyone in the room (except me) knew that I had cancer just looking at that mammogram. I mean they told me it had all the characteristics of cancer but what I was looking at was all new to me so I was still thinking that I was just as likely to not have cancer. The same office scheduled me in for a biopsy the following week and it took something crazy like 3-4 weeks for me to get the results because of people's vacations. The wait was the most excruciating, especially because I had since delved deep into the literature on mammograms and everything I read corroborated that I indeed had cancer. I even had my GP's locum call me in for an appointment after the biopsy (GP was on holidays). I, of course, thought she was going to give me the results, but noooooo, she just wanted to sit me down and tell me that it looks like I have cancer based on the mammogram but that we won't know until the biopsy results come in. What 'effin good did that appointment do for me!?! Fingers crossed for you that it's benign. I think it's a good sign that they're not in a rush… for me it was clearly evident to the docs and technicians in the room that I had cancer before any biopsy was performed.

Everyone - What weekends are good for a June get together?

Any time but the fourth week for me

Done....last chemo today....soooo happy , get my neolasta shot tomorrow ...then recovery from it all. Then to get ready for the next part  , radiation consultation on April 22 for the next of this adventure..

Did a happy dance today ! Still cannot believe the chemo part is done.

Hugs , great music and happy dances to all !