Hi ladies,

I was participating in an intense business training series of exercises and am finally able to have a bit of a respite.

I have developed a chronic pain from my sternum to armpit over a large area of my chest where my 2012 MX and saline implant foob was installed. I cannot for the life of me recall injuring myself. The soreness feels like it's below the implant and seems more bone specific than any muscle issues.

1. Does a foob change over time that it can mechanically cause pain to sternum & ribs? It doesn't feel like it's become "un-moored".

2. How long should I wait to have this be checked so I don't feel like an idiot with this general pain area? It's like the entire upper quadrant of my chest.

3. If it persists, and I do seek medical evaluation, do I see my GP first? Go back to my PS? I no longer have to see my oncologist (who recently retired from patient practice but still does research)?

Thanks.

NativeMainer - I guess you're right about whether or not to negotiate. I'll just wing it as I go. This is a huge task like you said, but I hope I never have to do it again. One and done! And I'm looking forward to everything finally being where it belongs.

heartnsoul7 - I don't know if you take any meds on a regular basis, but I take Lyrica for nerve pain. I have Fibro and autoimmune and a mast cell disease so I can have a flare from any of them, but the Lyrica does help. I take Plaquenil for my autoimmune. Since my surgery I have been taking Tramadol for the pain. I can't take narcotics, makes me sick, but the Tramadol works really well. I just adjust the dosage based on my pain level.

This is my second time with BC, so I am familiar with chemo and I also felt pretty well during it. It is good for your skin too! Lol I will start new chemo sometime later this month. I don't know how this one will go, the tumor was different this time so it should be a different cocktail, but I'm not worried. I just hope they don't have to put a port back in.

Good for you, opening your own store! I don't think I would have the stamina for something like that, but you never know. My main focus right now is trying to lose weight if I want to have reconstruction. I noticed your son lives in Seattle. I was born and raised there, miss it every day.

elimar - I do have neuropathy in my hands. I feel like there is a mild electric current going through them with numbness and pain in the tips. As far as the restless leg goes, Yes! I have had that on and off since I was a teenager and isn't it terrible?!! I get it most often when I am in the car and of course you can't move around. It is so hard to explain it to someone that doesn't have it, just like with BC. I did see it on a list of autoimmune diseases so I guess I have had one since my teens.

I am 5 weeks post surgery, BMX, so I still don't feel great but am getting stronger every day! One day at a time, right? Tired now. I think I will go lay down. Hope to talk to you all again.

hey, I have the real achy kind of FM also. Never really feel "good" I wake up with my thighs and hands and feet just throbbing. I use voltaren gel for pain so I can fall asleep if I need to.

Then right before I left for a week vacay, I decided I had to get a strap cut for a purse handle and managed to lean too hard over a counter while pulling the strap cutter along the hide and bruised my bottom rib really badly. I have been in agony for 2 weeks. The gel comes in real handy for that! But really, leaning over a counter?

I just got my bone density report and it was downhill some more. My PCP wants me to start on Fosamax. I am unsure, I am way too sensitive to any medications. So the box is still sitting on my counter and will probably remain there for a while.

I had a uterine biopsy yesterday. I guess it is mandatory if you mention spotting and cramping and tamoxifen. So lucky me, they sprang that on me at my GYN appt. I have an appt for an ultra sound next week. It's always something, isn't it?

Some good news, I got sprung from seeing my RO anymore. She is cutting back her hours and instead of me breaking in a new doc, I just had to promise to still see my MO and BS.

heart, good luck with your store. I have run my own business for 35 years and I so want to just be able to let it go. It's good that you have a time limit and a set inventory.

deb, I always start with my PCP and move on up the chain from there. She always tells me she wants to treat the whole of me, so to let her know whats happening. I also have not had implants. But it's always better to err on the side of caution.

lol, I love it. It really is basically the same maneuver.

Now, I had the fun vacuum (laying face down on the table with said body part hanging thru a hole) biopsy while the techs worked underneath.

But I've had core needle biopsies done during fun dermatology appts.

I am so sorry, I have 3 huge grapefruits in a bowl in my kitchen right now. I squeezed 8 of them for juice the other day, which I shared. As soon as they are gone, I will try not to have anymore.... my friend who just moved to palm springs found a tree and no one eats them.... and there are more coming today.... crap

So sad that such a good food causes such bad drug effects.Almost makes eating healthy bad for you!

And I LOVE grapefuit!

Does Diet Affect Cancer Recurrence?

Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Previously published on Intelihealth.com

Results of The Women's Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL) trial consisting of 3,088 women concluded that
eating more fruits, vegetables and fiber while eating less fat did not reduce a woman's risk of breast
cancer recurrence or death. (emphasis added by NM)

* * *

The researchers found that the women who were eating approximately 8 to 10 servings of fruits and
vegetables a day had the same risk of their breast cancer returning and dying from breast cancer as
the women who were eating approximately 5 servings a day. While this suggests that eating more
than 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day may not affect breast cancer survival, it definitely should
not be interpreted as meaning that fruits and vegetables do not play a key role in preventing chronic
diseases, such as heart disease and cancer. (emphasis added by NM)

Source: http://www.brighamandwomens.org/Patients_Visitors/...

Diet and Breast Cancer Prognosis: Making Sense of the WHEL and WINS Trials

Printed in Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2009 Feb; 21(1): 86–91. Current Opinions in Obstetrics and Gynecology

Abstract

Purpose of Review

To clarify the role of dietary pattern on prognosis in breast cancer survivors.

Recent Findings

Observational trials show mixed results that do not strongly support an independent role for dietary pattern in prognosis. WINS and WHEL are two large randomized controlled trials that address this question. The Interventions from both studies achieved significant reductions in energy from fat and the WHEL Study achieved large increases in vegetables, fruit, and fiber. WINS examined postmenopausal women only and reported a not-quite-significant improved prognosis for women in the intervention group, with the benefit focused on ipsilateral localized recurrences but little improvement in the most important distal recurrences. This review considers only WHEL postmenopausal women to aid a direct comparison with WINS. The WHEL Study reported a convincing lack of association between diet and prognosis. However, a secondary analysis suggests that the dietary intervention reduced distal recurrences among the sub-group without hot flashes at baseline.

Summary

There is no convincing evidence that changing dietary pattern following breast cancer diagnosis will improve prognosis for most women with early stage breast cancer. However, it would appear to be important for some sub-groups. Further investigation of mechanisms for such selective action is needed. (emphasis added by NM)

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC263696...

Both studies, in the small print, indicate that dietary changes MAY help women with ER negative/PR negative bc decrease the risk of recurrence, which essentially disproves the base theory that decreasing fat intake and losing wgt decreases the metabolic syndrome effects supported by estrogen is a big player in the rate of recurrence of bc.

Welfare receipents should be drug tested. While they are collecting benefits, that is their job. If I can be randomly drug tested at my job, they should be also subject to that same invasion.

Oh my goodness Glennie. Guess I'd better start rambling on here more often.

Native - LOL!! Thanks.

loooks like we will hit a thousand posts easily enough.

Good job, NM!   LOL!!

Ramble on, MinusTwo!

Yes, we can do it!

NM, you would have to post just 400 one word posts to get to our goal.

I have one of my med bottles that always tells me not to eat grapefruit or drink the juice (which seems to be overkill) Haven't had one in years. But I grew up in FL and we had citrus trees in the yard. They were organic (way back then) weren't pretty to look at but awful good to eat!!!