Hello everyone!

Iammags- congrats on no chemo for you...yahoo! Nancy-so sorry that you are going through a difficult time and may be facing chemo!

CreatedonPurpose- it has all been said. Please put yourself first and get treatment as soon as possible otherwise you will die. Reach out to all the supports available to you particularly the formal supports in the health care system who can give you lots of help.

Night all!

I cannot sit here without agreeing with 614 and others.

Created for goodness sakes don't let someone else do your thinking for you. Don't worry about work or finances or your marriage. None of that will matter if your health fails rapidly. Take care of yourself. Put yourself first. G-d doesn't want you to die. Neither do we.

Created all that I'd thought to say has been said, and far more eloquently. Do what you need to do, and I hope that's Western medicine! Alternative and holistic medicine has a place in all this, but I too believe that G-D gave us our intellects and our ability to manipulate our world in order to care for ourselves.

Created, I am so sorry you are in such a difficult position. I know it is very hard to deal with your situation at home, and I'm very glad you have found this forum. We are here to support you whenever you need it. Tell us all the obstacles you face and we'll try to help you through them with ideas and emotional support. We don't know all the details of your circumstances, so it's hard to advise what to do. But one thing is for sure - having to change your living arrangements or other aspects of your life is never easy, and it's ten times harder to do it now when you have the huge added stress of the cancer Dx. If you have the financial ability, I would look into getting an apartment or renting a room. Once you are out on your own, it will be much easier to think clearly and plan the steps you need to take. I think I heard somewhere that home health nurses are sometimes available to visit people who live alone if needed. If you don't have the means to move out, then perhaps there are some other arrangements the social worker could help you with. You will discover that there is a big network of people ready to help you. I was amazed when I got calls from nurses, social workers and others who were checking to see how I am doing and asking if I need any help! The medical community knows that cancer patients need extra support because of stress, depression and other issues. Don't despair! Start making a plan and please keep posting here!

614, you had a really tough go through all of this. You are a big inspiration to me! I know how frustrated you must feel about your weight gain, and I hope you can rearrange some things in your life to get back on track with that. Sometimes you just need to tweak your eating plan (or actually make an eating plan!) It is doubly hard to eat right when we are tired. I am always looking for snacks when I'm tired.

Heathet, nothing about our cancer is good, but it's nice that your skin is already expanded for implants! I am so hoping for the best outcome for you!

I had a great time hiking and taking photos of flowers Friday and Saturday. I will post a link to the photos soon! One more radiation boost tomorrow, then I'm done with that.

It has been awhile since I have posted. I am in agreement that we need to surround ourselves with positive people as there is not enough energy to fortify us against negativism.

My original treatment plan did not have chemo. However, my oncotype score was in the middle at 25. I was told the pathology dealt with appearance of tumor and oncotype dealt with behavior of tumor.

So I had two opinions from MOs. One highly pushed chemo but would leave decision to me. There was benefit to do chemo and I was the one to decide on the amount of benefit I was comfortable with. The second didn't give me a choice. In the end I did chemo and had some bumps in the road of treatment that I managed. Except after the 3rd of 4 treatments resulted in a burn at the injection site the MO discontinued chemo treatment. I was fine with that and felt that being in the middle, in a place where the decision was "right" either way, I figure I got 3/4 of treatment I may or may not have needed.

Don't know if my thinking makes any sense but it does to me. AND that is the bottom line. it's a personal decision.

Currently I have completed the chemo, radiation and have started anastrozole. My only problem is some fluid build-up in the underarm area from SNB which created one of my "bumps in the road" during chemo as it became infected. I see a PT who is working on massaging the area and I am suppose to get exercises and maybe a compression sleeve for air flights.

All that being said, there is a local group near me (Philadelphia) called "Unite for Her" which encourages breast cancer patients to explore complementary treatments. There are practitioners in massage, reiki, acupuncture, yoga and nutritionist who speak at the meeting and then you are given a passport to try these options. They are NOT meant to replace the medical treatments but to support the body in accepting the effects of some of the SE that may be experienced. I can say I explored acupuncture and had minimal neuropathy and reiki and massage were great for stress relief.

Good News!!! I have stopped wearing my wig. My hair is really short but my head is covered and it started to get warm here although now we are in a deep freeze...

Have follow up with MO this week which I expect will be smooth.

All of you are in my prayers as Warriors in the fight.

Blessings,

Grammy, nice to see you. Moondust those flowers are gorgeous. Lucky you!

Moondust - Did you go to Carrizo Plain yesterday? I was just wondering a couple days ago if it was already too hot for viewing wild flowers.

Sloan, I couldn't get the link to work. Maybe I have no talent tonight I rarely snack at night - mostly because it can make my acid reflux act up. In fact, I rarely snack. But if I'm hungry for something like brownies or chex mix and make it - I graze continuously until I eat it all or have had enough to satisfy that craving. My weight is good. I think stress activated my BC.

Have a good evening.

HUGS!

Just when I thought I was well on the road to recovery, I'm having a new set of symptoms. This may sound odd, but I'm hoping it turns out to be an infected seroma, as that sounds much less serious than some of the other possibilities. I know some of you have experienced infected seromas, and I'm hoping you might have some words of advice.My apologies in advance for this lengthy post.

On March 10, I had a diagnostic mammogram and saw my BS as part of my regularly scheduled follow-up. All seemed to be going well with the post-op breast -- my seroma appeared to be shrinking and my BS said it's normal for the surgical site to be tender and painful even this long after surgery (over 7 months).

But over the following days, the whole breast became painful, which I put down to being smooshed during the mammogram. Other symptoms also developed, including: swelling and pink to reddish flushing of the skin; a rash covering a small area of the breast; a change in the texture of skin; skin that feels hot to the touch; pain in my armpit and just below my collarbone; and, for one night only, an inverted nipple (a first for me). I took Extra-Strength Tylenol for the pain and swelling and used cortisone cream on the rash. The rash went away, came back, went away again, and hasn't been back. The other symptoms are more persistent. They get better for a day or so, then return in full force.

I had previously scheduled follow-up appointments with my RO and MO this past Thursday (3/31). I saw the RO first. The nurse measured my arms and noted that both were the same size and didn't display any visible swelling, unlike my breast and axilla. She also noted that my blood pressure was low (110/60). After examining me and asking questions, my RO prescribed Keflex for a week. He told me that if the symptoms didn't respond by then, I should call him or my BS. When I saw the MO, she seemed even more concerned and made me promise to follow up if the symptoms didn't respond to the antibiotic.

I've been taking the medicine since Thursday night and I'm not seeing improvement. I know I should be patient and give it time, but it's hard not to worry. If there's something else I should be doing (ice packs? warm compresses?) or not doing, I'd appreciate hearing about it.

Peggy, the BRCA and other breast cancer genes are primarily in Ashkenazi Jews. The Conversos and their descendants were Sephardic, of differently evolved ethnicity while sharing a common religion (albeit with some different ritual and dietary customs). One of the reasons genetic disorders such as BRCA 1/2 , Tay-Sachs or Gaucher’s diseases appear more often among Ashkenazim is because from the late Middle Ages through the 19th century, the Jews of the Diaspora in central & northern Europe were largely restricted to living within what was called the “Pale of Settlement” in what is now much of northeastern and east-central Europe (largely the former Iron Curtain countries with a central core in Russia, Lithuania, Belarus, Poland, Romania & Hungary). Even those settlements in other northern European countries that survived until the Nazi era were extremely insular, with intermarriage being nearly unheard of (and punishable by total excommunication, with their families going into mourning for them). But Sephardim were mostly Iberian, Italian, and Greek Jews in Europe as well as the subset “Mizrahi” (Sephardic Jews native to the Middle East and north Africa--who never were part of any Diaspora other than the Babylonian and Egyptian exiles of Biblical times). Sephardim were far more widespread and also more integrated into the societies of the countries in which they lived--and so intermarriage, while still not the norm, was much more common. (The first Jews in the British New World colonies were Sephardic--the Ashkenazim didn’t arrive until German Jews began migrating here in the 1840s and Pale of Settlement Jews from the late 1880s until WW I).

Everyone- thanks for the encouragement and your kind words. I'm feeling less anxiety about what lies ahead. Regardless of how DH responds, I WILL move forward. I have 2 children getting married this summer and myfirst grandchild on the way. I've got a lotta life to live

Thanks for the reply, Moondust. I'm considering whether to call my BS tomorrow. My MO's approach is very focused on the drugs. If something is related to radiation or surgery, she'll bounce it to the RO or BS.

Sloan- also very interested in the link on fasting but can't get it to work.

Created- so, so happy to hear that you will be moving forward and yes it sounds like you have an awful lot to live for!

Take care everyone!

Thanks, 614. I'm going to try to get some rest tonight and hope things look and feel better tomorrow.

welcome tbalding. I cannot answer your questions as I had a lumpectomy as planned, no complications, but I'm sure the other ladies will!!

I made a chemo makeup vide today! Ignore my chemo-brain confused narration: http://youtu.be/v0M4y9rYLto