Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!

Yep, big earings... and then act like you are an artist or something. haha.

Reminds me of a story... A friend of mine said that when she was in 9th grade and shopping for a prom dress, her mom said to her, "Just get good shoes and you could go nude and no one will notice." I'm just sayin' you need big earings!

Bad news you guys: I didn't win PowerBall, so you're on your own to make it to CA for a visit.

Sloan, you got into The Broad? No line? Awesome and you DO look chic especially with the earrings you were wearing.

My Vit D went down to 10 before I was tested because of osteopenia, don't ask me why, I lived in a very sunny place for 30 years. Now it's up to 45 after 3 years of 4000 Units a day. So BS told me my cancer ER PR + started probably 20 years ago. I did stop going out in the sun specifically to get tan but still the sun was everywhere, I got skin cancer on my forehead to prove it. Who knows. : (

Alas, I did NOT win the Powerball. So I can't spring for a mass reunion

Thinking of our surgery sisters today. Clean margins and speedy recovery.

Back to decluttering for me. I read Marie Kondo's "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" and picked up the best hint ever: pick up and handle each item and if it doesn't "spark joy" then discard it. THAT is liberating.

HUGS!

Hope all goes well for our sisters today who are having surgery!

Peggy- what a great perspective on "stuff and things" as you go through them. I really like the keep them if they "spark joy" approach.

Shamisen, I keep a treatment journal including photos. I keep in a word processing file in a Breast Cancer folder along with the photos. All my tests are scanned (if I have them on paper only) and stored in folder on DropBox. There is so much going on that, for me, the only way to remember what had been done and how I felt was to write it down. Since I was caring 24/7 for my DH, the brain was overloaded and the memory not so hot.

HappyHammer, the "Spark Joy" maxim has made it so much easier to discard things I "feel" I should keep but don't need, use. Like old report cards, clothes, books. I now have guidance on what to keep and what not to. Since I'm moving I would like to cull the amount of things going with me down to what I really love and really need.

HUGS!

Brithael, for me, my breast cancer journey journal is more of a diary (although I also keep a diary and have done so for decades). It concentrates on what was going on with my BC and my life, since that influences how you feel too. Good idea to note what is going on with your chemo. Then you can say, this happened then and we did this and it worked (or didn't).

HUGS!

This thread moves so fast! I can't comment on it all, but I'm reading it!

I also love kondo's book. I find that attitude helps me with day to day decisions about stuff. Still have way too much though!

First day in a while that I don't have an appt or scan or iv!! Although I'm taking my son to check his shoulder from a skiing fall, so not a totally hospital-free day...

Speaking of my son, he's 17 and a bit stressed with all of this. But I came home to last night to a big bunch of pink tulips with pink sticky notes around the vase saying "I love you mom". So sweet!

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and well wishes for a clean MRI. No results yet.

Brit... I can't believe those are wigs! I like #3.

brightsocks- my us showed 6-7mm and MRI showed 1.8cm. We shall see after the lx!

Shamisen- I have a med journal that's so helpful! My friends bought it for me at the breast cancer gift shop at Dana farber. I think they sell it online too. It has pages for appointments, questions to ask, things to bring to the appt such as cd, etc... Even has a calendar and plastic sleeves with business card holder. And I write as the Drs are talking to me so I don't confuse myself afterwards. I also bought a file folder yesterday with several folders inside for all of the paperwork, surgery protocols, printed test results, etc...

I have a grade 3 IDC with undetermined size it seems... Does chemo go hand in hand with grade 3?

Sex.... It's been since early dec when I found this lump. I just can't seem to get in the mood... And my husband is so cute!! I have two more weekends until surgery that I'm going to spend quality time skiing with my family. But I'm thinking of grabbing a room at the 4 seasons in Boston next week and meeting my dh there after work. I'd rather scream(for joy) and cry far away from home and the kids lol!!😬

MLP - People with grade 3 cancers are often more likely to be offered chemo because the cells multiply rapidly, and chemo works best on quickly multiplying cells!

MLP - Are you worried about having chemo? For me, chemo lessened my worries because it was one more line of aggressive fighting. Think ahead of time about how you are going to approach the news of chemo or no chemo. Then take that deep breath, and exhale with renewed strength. Chemo is not defeat; it's protection if you need it.

April 25 - Makes sense the oncotype test now, thanks! Our Oncologists use other factors to determine Chemo, major one being the grade. He told me being Grade 3 that was the Chemo factor.

Fanbrits - Sounds like Chemo first to shrink the tumor? then lumpectomy, all the best!

Loves to Fly - Gargling with salt water is enough yes few times a day, mouth sores normally come in towards 2nd week, they werent too bad I found though to be honest. Constipation was bad first few days for me and hydration. You are doing amazing!!!! I remember my Nurse said to me how you manage your first infusion, will pretty much dictate how you will handle the majority of it. So sounds like you'll be ok! I too have Lesbian friends LOL so wasn't offended at all, I totally concur with the short haircut point! LOL

Sloan - I laughed about your DH, Love it!!!

PontiacPeggy - You're certainly on a mission, sounds good! Must be the week of cleaning out the old?? I cleaned out my drawers, and interesting concept Peggy, I actually did a similar thing with my clothes!!! I feel like I'm coming into a new me, new life, so alot of the OLD clothes can go!

MLP3- I actually teared up over your Son! My Son is 16 and my baby, I have a daughter 18. It resonated for me, your son not handling it so well. My Son was 12 when I first got BC and I remember the night I tucked him in and we talked about it. My Mum had passed just 18 months prior, my marriage fell apart a year later, I moved with my kids to a new place sold our home and we were 6 months starting a new life...when I was diagnosed. My Sons eyes welled after everything that had happened and said 'Are you going to be ok???' Absolutely I said! This is why my RO stressed how important it was to keep communication open and honest with them. This time round he's been very withdrawn, at diagnosis July 2015, my chubby boy had become 6ft 1, and he held me in his arms and cried. After my Oncologist visit I picked him up, tried to remain together, but when he asked I burst..Chemo!!! he said youre going to lose your hair!! OMG I thought he was upset about that!!! NOOOO he teared up and said Mum, I'd sooner walk proud with you down the street and you bald than to lose you! Sorry for the big blurt!!! really sparked me MLP3, gosh super emotional now LOL. I love the idea for you and DH!!! I say do it!!! Sloan is right too, here Grade 3 is Chemo for that exact reason. Chemo absolutely is protection, prevention thats how I looked at it too! then my Oncologist said the hormone pill locks the door.

I've been wearing a MedicAlert bracelet since mid-Dec. Orig. a rope-chain one with LE warning on the ID plate (pink symbol) and added charms for ea. antibiotic allergy. But since it was unwieldy and silly looking, I switched to a Pandora-style one, red caduceus/star, with my Medic/Alert #, LE warning, and drug allergies engraved on the back of the single ID plate. LE doc thinks I should still wear the ugly pink wristband because EMTs "only notice the pink, " but I'll save it for when I go in for medical procedures. I carry my MedicAlert card in my wallet, with a duplicate in my neck wallet when traveling abroad.

Have a massive notebook with every piece of paper from the start of screening mammography, divided into pocketed sections. Uses the Levengrr Circa/Staples Arc system, so I can remove andtake the pertinent section with me to treatments. Stopped making diary entries after rads stopped (with a separate symptom log for rads), but will update it. Been more up to date on my CaringBridge site than on the diary or even my own website & social media pages (we have a consultant for the latter, and she throws in my own events as well as my band's).

sloan I felt like you about hearing I needed chemo, before I had my postop I was actually a little scared I wouldn't need chemo. Because as much as it sucks, it sucks for a reason. The client I told you all about, she had chemo to shrink her tumor before she had surgery. I saw the images of the tumor before and after chemo, it was truly amazing how much six rounds of chemo shrunk it! Seeing that made me pretty certain that if I ever had any kind of cancer, no matter what it was, I would want chemotherapy.

Going to share a picture with her, her family doesn't mind, they know I have pictures and show them to people. This was her high school graduation, just a couple months after she found out her cancer had returned and was not curable.

I remember once when I asked her how she was, she said " I deal with what I have to for the cancer and when I'm feeling well, I pretend I don't have it. It's the best way". I think those words to myself all the time, and I think they're really helping me.