INSOMNIACS place to talk in the wee hours

Hey Freygea! Nah, don't worry.... and don't be anxious.... We've been there and done that.... Don't you just hate, when you think your "team" doesn't have time for you?

Write down your questions, and then as he answers, (assuming he does) then write down the answers.... Tell him you are just afraid, and you want him to help you get over your fears! Tell him also that he is a big dink if he doesn't help you.... THEN see what he says......

Have you had surgery yet? I know some women have chemo before their surgery.... Melatonin? Or a bottle of wine before bed? Whatever it takes.

Jazzy.... He was born a man.... that is no mistake.... God doesn't make mistakes.... He can maybe fool himself, but he still has the genes of a man.... Sure! Let HIM march right into a car-repair shop with his bustier on.... and those hairy legs.... He just needs a cigarette holder, with a lighted cigarette, and painted long nails, and I DARE him to wear high-heels... and ask for a mechanic to service his 58' Volkswagon.

Those guys can spot a fake within a mile!

Frey- although not all doctors are open to questions (my BS was the worst during my time of treatment, but we do a lot better now in the follow up world), my experience with oncologists is that they are pretty good about listening to you as you are asking questions. Chevy is right that is good to say "I am afraid, overwhelmed, need to understand what to expect, trying to prepare" so he can address your concerns.

Some of the things I really needed to know up front was what to expect during treatment. My doctors told me up front they expected me to just need surgery and rads as my bc was early and small. If there was node involvement, I might need chemo; but I did not. They will present a plan to you based on the pathology of your tumor, but as they go along and get more data around your case, the plan may change. So be ready for that too.

It sounds like you know for sure you will have chemo and surgery. The chemo and surgery threads are great places to ask women what kinds of questions to ask. They can probably share with you "this is what I wished I had known before I started" and also "knowing this helped me the most." You can actually create your own threads too and put questions out and ask people to respond. It is a great way to get info from the community here. The women who go through treatment here and those have gone through it previously will be a great source of info for you.

One thing I recommend is to make your bedroom super comfortable. I made sure had what I needed nearby vs. having to get up for things. I had my cell phone, a laptop, and always had meds and drinks nearby on my nightstand. You will be spending a lot of time there during your treatment process so make sure you have it set up to be good for you.

This is a scary time being newly diagnosed and not knowing what to expect yet. But know all of us here have gone through it (some ladies are in treatment on this thread too) and we try to help one another, including the newbees. You will get through this.

Chevy / duct tape on dh knee. Too funny

Blondie - yea fl trip is on. Did you say you were driving ? Wow how long will that take ? I can't imagine riding in a car that long. Oh my

Spookie - I agree so much trash on tv I could do without it

Rosevalley - re : no cancer meds. To each their own right ? You've been at this stage IV thing longer than me.

SAS - very good news. Congrats !!!!!

Jazzy - did I miss the full moon yoga pic ?

Loveroflife - luv pics. Plums look de- o-luscious

Hello and hugs to all

I am feeling better today and the temp is getting in the low 80 s today. Not sure what me snd ds's will do but def looking for something to entertain them at home.

Hootie hoo

Patty- I forgot to get a picture of the yoga circle and tried of the moon coming up, but my phone camera would not do it justice. Maybe tonight from home with the good camera and telefoto lens!

Glad you are feeling better today. Hope you enjoy your time with the kiddos!

FreaFrea.... Okay, if you don't know what these gals are talking about, neither do I.... I know a moon, and a circle, but as far as yoga.... no. If I got DOWN there, I could NOT get up without help.... Ha! Jazzy gave you such good advice! Think of yourself first.... You might just blaze through this whole ordeal.... but you might have days that make you want to just go for a drive in your car, and get the biggest hamburger you can find...... And then scream in your pillow.

And she is right.... they may pretend they know what is wrong with you, but not until after the surgery, and then the final path report, will they know your next course of treatment. I just had a lumpectomy.... because at my age they didn't know what else to DO with me.... Ha! They implanted the MammoSite device in the place they took out the tumor.... It was a GREAT way to get the radiation, but not ALL women can have it that way... it depends on how large, and WHERE it is.... But you might ask anyway.... they'll think you are nuts.... but ask just in case.

So as you can tell, we are here day and night....

Peppermint! This time I put aloe in a spray bottle, and sprayed his knee..... I ain't gonna chop up my little new plant for his knee..... Then he will now use a large band-aid.... You would think he had a compound fracture of his knee! Did EYE holler that much when I broke my FEMUR? No!

And you guys, Sheri called! And our oldest GRANDSON is now behaving, and sounds great, and is TALKING to them, and things have straightened out! I prayed every night for something good to happen with them.... I am so happy! I told you he is not taking Adderal anymore... but stopped all at once..... And that really threw him out of whack.... Anyway, things are coming together.... I just hope it stays this way..... Sounded so good to hear my Daughter laugh on the phone! Prayers DO get answered.... you just have to be patient.......

Chevy. - u so right. Guys are so wimpy when they are sick or hurt. Like he couldn't spray his own knee , right ? Oh well better take care of it for him you certainly don't want it not to heal. You might have to give him a little bell to call you as needed. Lol.

Loveriflife - ok. Has no one gave you a nick name yet ? Chevy ? Whew that's long to type. Love your house chore boredom solution. How old are your girls ? My boys are 10 and 13. My 13 year old is def on hormone overload. Don't have much exp with boys but seems like a girl on her period to me. Lol.

No, her name is "Loverly"..... I've been calling her that for years..... And "Loveriflife" isn't hardly even close.... Hah! It sounds like you have a lithp..I mean a lisp! Or a mouthful of marbles....

See FreyFrey? We just gotta have fun here.... even if it doesn't make sense.....Some of these gals really have problems with one thing or another.... Going through all kinds of treatment.... and are feeling just awful...... but all I can do is maybe make them maybe smile.... We'll take care of you too!

http://www.mammosite.com/physicians/radiation-therapy/view-a-demonstration.cfm

lol - now that's much shorter. Yea

Chevy - glad to hear your gs is doing so much better. Sweet

No.... she has to call you Loverly, because I do... And I am the Senior one around here.... Hah! Just kidding! Peppermint can call you anything she wants.... as long as it's Loverly....

Theresa just called me.... She will be 91 tomorrow! I can't believe it! She is the sharpest tack in the box.... And she just cracks me up! It is storming here, and she said she was scared, and what should she do.... I told her to crawl under the bed and take her Rosary beads... She just laughed! She is going to lunch tomorrow with her Granddaughter and her GGsons! She has handled Eddie's passing so well.... and with Grace....

Whenever she is alarmed, she says "Oh chit!".... And I just laugh! I think she does it just to hear me laugh at her..... I have to go get her and take her to lunch next week.... I'm just so afraid she will fall, because she is nearly blind... she uses a walker, but ..... maybe I should just take her something fun, and we'll have a picnic in her room? I used to do that with my Grandma......

Like this?

http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/radiation/types/internal/multi_cath

Chevy- yes, that is exactly right what you posted.

It did not really hurt that much, a bit sore with the tubes in and with sleeping. Some of them got really irritated, but never infected. There was little scarring after, but I have a few little white round dots where some of them were more irritated and thus, resulted in some minor scarring. Two plus years later, if you saw my girls, you would not have any idea what they have been through. This type of thing has been a very common treatment for men for years for prostate cancer, and now they are doing it more for women.

I am large breasted, so I had fifty of those tubes in the boob. I was pretty numbed up when they put the tubes in (they sort of slide them in, which was pretty amazing to me) and then cap them off. The RO did the placement. Then they do the modeling for the treatment, you go rest over the weekend, and go back Mon-Fri, morning and afternoon for your treatments. You can actually drive and are fine during treatment, it is only during the procedure day and with the meds you cannot drive.

During treatment, they hook you up twice a day to the rads machine and they do a model around your tumor bed and 2 inches around to be sure they get all the "stray cells." More rads around the tumor bed, less outside. They had a guy there that did the modeling and would show me the 3D image of my boob and the area and they explained everything about the treatment so I knew exactly what as happening. Very cutting edge stuff. The treatments were around 20 min each. Some days, 20 minutes felt like 20 days.....

I had a friend come out to help me during the procedure and stayed through the first day of treatment. They brought her into the room in the afternoon when I had to go back after the cath tubes went in and to show us how to clean around the tubes twice a day to minimize infection. When I exposed my breast with the tubes, my friend turned white and thought she was going to pass out! But she got with the program after her initial reaction and was there to help and hung out with me over the weekend. All I can say is that is a TRUE FRIEND.

My BS asked later on if I was glad I chose the internal rads recommendation in the end, and the answer was yes. For women who have very early small tumors, no node involvement, etc., this is what may be offered more with time. The cancer docs all say with the advancements in early detection, small tumors, etc., this is a way to treat the cancer without over treating women with some of the other things available.

So that is my radiation treatment story!