August 2014 Surgery

Angelfaith, Great to hear from you!   glad you hear your strength is returning, but sorry you're not "there" yet.     Thanksgiving time sounds good!   

Ally, Good thing you didn't do that icky prep for nothing!   As for the menopause, I guess you're already being careful about getting enough Calcium and Vitamin D (and weight bearing exercise once your body lets you) to keep your bones as healthy as possibile?    

Couture, Your getaway sounds luscious!    My Italian husband used to love Country music, and we went to a few country bars in our "courting" days in America.    I'll admit I had to google what a "solo cup" is, though!    Guess that's because I never went to a keg party.     I saw some pictures on internet of Acadia National Park just a few months ago-- Looks like a beautiful place!   

I guess  the biopsies part of the experimental program you talked about?   I wish you strength and courage in making and accepting whatever choice you end up going for.   

ml,  Uff- So now you've got a probable infection, too.   I'm glad the fever is down now, and you're catching it and treating it quickly!  Are you taking a probiotic (or eating something that contains them) in this period that you're taking the antibiotics?    It would be a very good idea (separated from antibiotic by a few hours).    Clindamycin can sometimes be a very nasty antibiotic to have to take, although most people are able to handle it OK.     I hope it won't give you problems.     Seems strange taking about antibiotic side effects when you're about to do Chemo (!), but some people  really do get issues with it.           Hope this all clears up very quickly and you get back to feeling fine so you can start Chemo soon, going into it strong and feeling fine.    

Bobo - prayers for you today.

Ganz - prayers for you as well.  You are certainly NOT a number and I think sometimes clinicians including physicians lose sight of that.  Who knows if they have ever been in our shoes or had a family member in our shoes, but there should be a class of some sort that is lead by cancer patients or survivors, kind of like a day in the life.  There could be role playing, explanations of what October really feels like, what it feels like to wait, stuff like that that they don't teach in school. 

Mil - how are you doing?

Couture and Allydp - thinking of you both.

Inmeretoo - How are you?

Sunshine - How are you?

Angelfaith - Hang in there.  You are almost ready for your exchange surgery.

OMG Violetkali, you're the tops!!!    That's diving feet first into life!!    Are you still in the middle of Chemo??

Ganz, Ganz, Yes, the doctors do owe you a serious control and non-conflicting answers!    When do you see the MO??   As for the ovarian cancer worries-- stop.     Change that "until" to an unless.     You KNOW that all those symptoms are totally non-specific (and yes, that is what makes ovarian cancer so scary-- but YOU are going to have no doubts about that one because your ovaries are going to get checked very soon in the most definitive way possible. )    OK, I'll admit, you're scaring me, too, and I think you've got all the right to be nervous and worried, but don't stress yourself sicker with it.   If you really think the gynonc might have been telling you that she suspects  you have an ovarian cancer then call her now and ask for clarification.     Better to know what she meant than not know and wonder if.    (I know-- You're not having a lot of luck communcating with doctors lately, but these are all big worries and you shouldn't be left to just stress and wonder)     Did she do a TrV ultrasound that looked at your ovaries?     If so, did you get a written report of the results?   

I just got back from my first meeting with the Radiation Oncologist!    (I got called notifying me of the appointment yesterday-- Typical Italian advance notice!)     Did the CAT scan and tattoos and signed consent forms--- Next appointment is in a week to check coordinates.   If all is right, they will do my first radiotherapy session right then, same day.     Moving forwards feels good.   

Hello sisters,

I'm so sorry I have been Mia lately. I have been feeling wonderful, back to my old self and my two little ones dont let me rest. 

I am going back into surgery on Tues to fix my failed left diep flap, I chose the latt dorssi flap (sp?) with implants. I can't wait to have two boobies and a cleavage again. Not looking forward to this recovery, my diep one never really hurt and now that my right flap has healed it looks great. I'm loving the tummy tuck as well. I was back to my old self at a month, so I'm hoping this one will be even easier since I only have two weeks off then hubby goes back to work and I'm all alone with the babies. As much as I love them, I'm not looking forward to that. I still have an 9 month old who needs to be carried. Might have to hire someone to help.

Any takers???? :-)

I haven't had a chance to read up on everyone, looks like that will take days, lol

I love you all my fighters and survivors! 

I'll let you know how it goes, hopefully no leeches on this boob, like my last. 

Xoxoxoxoxox 

[[[[[[[[[[[[[   Milaandra!!!   ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]         Those are protective, non-touching, highly cushioned soft hugs.     You stay silent all you want.   (or chat all you want about nonsense or fun stuff if you want distraction, or come to discuss and get support for the serious stuff going on if you like).    You KNOW that no matter what, you're always on our mind, and that to the extent that we can be (which admittedly isn't much) we're with you in your struggles as friends.    We care about you A LOT.

Ally--  Goodness, I said exercise "once your body lets you" !!!!!!!   What's "wrong" with you?      How about massive (and soon to be multiple!) surgery, chemotherapy and lots and lots of pain and enormous frightening worries?       And you've had enough to think about since cancer plopped down on you, without having to fixate on your diet!      I just mentioned it because, despite the upcoming surgeries and associated stresses, I really think you soon will be arriving to the light at the end of the tunnel.   (Yay!)     And you mentioned being concerned about an increase in menopause-associated symptoms after the surgery.     The Vitamin D and Calcium are important, though, with an early menopause, particularly with that extra particular bone worry that we all have.    (If that should happen, we need, at least, to start out with a healthy skeleton)      That's why often our docs keep track of our bone health, and prescribe supplements if necessary.     I was in (natural) total menopause by age 42, (which compared to yours isn't early at all, but my docs now are telling me that that was "premature"), and I really didn't pay attention at all to Vitamin D and not a lot to calcium intake.     Turns out that my vitamin D levels are pretty near to zero.     (I've got my first bone density exam to do in February-- we'll see... and we'll see what extra damage these AI drugs are going to do to me once they take away my last remaining estrogen dribble.   You, at least will still have that dribble, even though they're taking out your ovaries-- (unless the chemo you did affected also your adrenals and metabolism (??) )     Vitamin D comes from the sun, and technically 20 minutes a day of unprotected exposure of face and arms should do it if you live at a lattitude where the sun gets high in the sky all year round--- but I doubt that in the sunny southern state of Michigan (ha!) you'll get much vitamin D from sun during those long winters.     (I lived in Detroit for a year--- Brrrr!!!!!!!)    

Hey-- I'm NOT suggesting to you to take a high (the typical) dose Calcium supplement (unless your docs specifically order it)     If you overdo on Calcium supplements and your blood Ca++ levels go up, that will only confuse the picture and give you a big bone mets scare for nothing!   (not to mention being dangerous).    And you really don't want to get even a normal dose of calcium dumped into your system all at once--  that actually can put you more at risk of heart disease.  (and without estrogen, we need to worry about that, too, even if normally we wouldn't be be heart disease types)      But making sure that you do get the required amount of Calcium daily, preferably through diet, or otherwise through very low dosage supplements spread out through day, and also, one way or another, getting sufficient Vitamin D, can be important for those that spend a long time in menopause (And you're  going to have a very long healthy life from now on, so best not to let some crumbly bones ruin it!)    But think about that stuff when you can deal with it--   Now you've got another surgery to prepare for!!

Ganz    Here's hoping you get some tranquilizing results Monday evening.    As for the very disconcerting collar bone area bump, Why are docs always so darn precious with something as simple and inexpensive as an ultrasound?!      I mean maybe (but just maybe, and while this is really what I'm strongly hoping to hear, the docs should demonstrate it, and explain it, not just think it!!) maybe what both the BS and the NP meant is that for them (both of them) the swelling is due to a collection of fluid under the muscle, causing the muscle to push out.    And that the positioning of the fluid makes it absolutely clear  (to them, but again, if that's the case they should explain why) that it is fluid due to inflammation, not lymph, and maybe they should check to make sure that the fluid doesn't have anything funny about it that would indicate infection.     And since we need to have this all spelled out clearly, they should explain and show why they're sure that the inflammatory fluid, (if if that's what it is),  is a reaction to surgery  and not a reaction to something sinister that might be growing up in that area.    I mean they're doctors, we go to them for answers, not "reasurance"!      Remember Quiltlibrarian's wonderful surgeon that she went to when she found a "bump" near her underarm?     That doc really felt that it was nothing serious when she saw her, but because she knew that these things need to be demonstrated (if for nothing else than for OUR peace of mind!) she sent her immediately to the ultrasound doc, who checked it out carefully, told her that the bump was muscle, (in Quilty's case just normal muscle she wasn't used to seeing without a breast next to it) but did find a bit of fluid collected under the muscle too, causing some of the swelling, and took that out with a needle.     All of that didn't take the docs very long, and Quilty came home very relieved and knowing exactly what was up.     Why can't all the docs be like that?!?!         And I think that if that's what your lump does turn out to be, your BS should also show and explain to you clearly what enlarged supraclavicular and infraclavicular lymph nodes feel like and exactly where they would be located, so that you know how to differentiate that.         And they should also explain to you what a reoccurrence in the pectoral muscle would feel like, and how that is (if it is) totally different from the swelling you feel and see.       

I really hope that when you go to see the MO (did the nurse give you an appointment (right away)? )  or perhaps to ER docs as the others are suggesting to you, that that doc acts more like a doc should!!!!!!     We're all thinking and concerned about you and wanting it to turn out to be something simple!!!!!    

Lipglossmommie --  Wonderful to read you say that you are feeling wonderful!!!!!!!!!     Wow, another flap!      THIS ONE WILL WORK!!!!!!!     AND NO LEACHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!        That surgery is coming up soon-- Wishing you an easy succesful surgery and fast recovery!!!!!!!!!!!

Two hours!    Are you dropping everything and running fast or can they give you another appointment?   These Europeans and their sense of advance notice!

Too funny that a few of you suggested going to the er to get a definitve answer/explanation about this swelling because I was just talking with coutoure housewife and I said the same thing to her ! I think Im going to do that either tonight or in the morning. This is night 3 with very little to no sleep over this.

I've got a date! No, he hasn't proposed yet! Hehe. I spoke with DFCI today and got the date for my next step- 20 ( yeah twenty!) biopsies. Ten in each breast to look for more atypical cells. Nov 7th! Soon! I'm glad that the next step is happening. If they come back positive- which in all likelyhood they will- I'll feel like that's a pro for the BMX column. Plus, if they do come back positive, then I get to try the experimental drug trial. Also a plus. That buys me a year- if I don't choose the BMX. 

Best case scenario- they come back negative and I get to " go on with my life" and try to actually believe that they got it all. Mamma and MRIs and close check ups. More time to try and have a baby. 

Thinking of you all and hoping you get not only sleep at night, but comfort as well. 

Xoxo

Just a quick post.  All went well today for chemo #1.  Everyone there was really nice. No hiccups.  Now I'm at home resting with the family.  Went ahead and took a Zofran just in case.  Other than feeling maybe queasy and like I need to take a nap, I am good.  Going for my neulasta shot tomorrow afternoon.  Next chemo is on 11/7, I think.

Good job Mandy!  You are doing so great.

Thanks for asking, Ally.  Right now I have fever of 101.3!  They say elevated temp normal, but not above 101.  Do NOT want infection!  Looking forward to hearing about your results, whenever you can have your procedure.. XXX

Bobo - prayers for no infection.

Couture - lots of decisions for you to make.  Praying you make the one that is best for you.  Imheretoo had some great questions to ask.

I had some nausea issues late last night until early morning along with acid reflux.  Decided to take Compazine and Zofran as prescribed until at least until tomorrow.  I really wanted to go Pink a Pumpkin today, but my husband and daughter said they would do it for me.  Aren't they great!?  I have my Neulasta shot at 2:20 and that will probably be the extent of my getting out today.  Just need to take it easy.  I have work on Monday and want to be able to go and get as many hours in as possible.  I have blood work on Friday of this week and next week and then the final week will be another chemo treatment.

I hope you all have a wonderful Fall weekend.

I reply to myself.  Imheretoo, I love when you make those incantations!  I am hoping it's stress too. X

Bobo - So sorry you are having issues to.  I have all of you girls on my prayer list.  Yes - my MO's office is open from noon - 3:00 on Saturday's which is really nice.  I have been snacking on oyster crackers and ginger ale.  Every time I drink water, I get heartburn.  My MO said as long as I was getting 48 ozs of fluids a day that he was okay with whatever.  His nurse said popsicles count.  lol  Small world.  I live in Virginia Beach.  Frederick is probably 3 - 4 hours away which isn't bad.  Federal benefits are really good.  Living in this area, we know several people on them.  That will help you tremendously.

Lipgloss - I am in the bag for you too on Tuesday!

Couture, you will be EXTRA jealous when you hear that DLLP and I have been married at least four times!  We have to get the ceremony in whatever state we are in!    But now I feel that's coming to an end.