Veronica, I just started my last bottle of Anastrozole today as matter of fact. I will finish at the end of July. Some ladies have no issues at all and from the start I heard that if you exercise regularly you will have less side effects. I am a lap swimmer and I swim year round. I know when I am downstate visiting my Mom (usually three months out of the year) I don't get in any exercise and I can feel the difference. I have been hesitant to say much knowing that many people will be starting these drugs. I have had trouble with side effects but I have hung in there. Insomnia and GI issues were my big ones. It does affect your emotions but I think that is where the exercise helps to combat that. I know that some ladies are on the Aromatase Inhibitors ( which more than likley you will be on as well) have had their five years extended. My oncologist didn't think an extra two years benefit would out way the side effects I have had so I will be finishing in a few weeks. I am really anxious to see how I feel after that. I am currently dealing with reactive depression and my social worker in oncology that I have been seeing since April thinks I will be much better when I am off the AI (Anastrozole which is an aromatase inhibitor). There are several drugs in that category but I never chose to try any of them besides the Anastorzole. Some ladies have gone to Tamoxifen who did not tolerate the AI's very well. I have some church friends who could not continue with the drugs and they are doing just fine now several years out.

I know you have mentioned wanting to travel the country in an RV and be able to enjoy your photography. It sounds like you are an active person and I do think that will help. I would caution not to spend too much time on some of the threads devoted to these drugs because they can be real downers and possibly convince you of things you will not even experience. I was talking about this very issue with my social worker regarding reactions to the shingles vaccine I just had on Friday and we both agreed that people who tend to post about such issues are the ones who are having issues. The ones who don't have issues are out and about living their lives which is probably the majority.

I wish you all the best as you move forward in your decisions and your treatments. Take one step of this journey at a time. It is when we look too far ahead (true of anything in life) we can easily get overwhelmed. My MO wanted me to have several weeks of recovery from radiation before I started the AI but all oncologist don't do that. Let us know when your surgery will be so we can be praying for you. I pray now that God will give you peace and not let your mind get too ahead of where you are right now.

Love,

Nancy

Going tomorrow to check for the cause of numbness and burning in my left thigh. Probably not cancer related. Please pray they find the caise. Tks, Jean

Tks Nancy. It was diagnosed as hip bursitis and it is being treated,with 6 weeks of PT. I will then revisit the doctor for a reevaluation. Love, Jean

Jean, glad you have some answers to your hip pain. I pray that your PT will help make this pain manageable. Thankfully it was not more cancer.

Ade, what a beautiful shot. James has your eye for composition as well!! You will probably never see any sunrise pics from me. LOL That is because I am a night owl and I don't get up early any more. The shingles vaccine has been a few days of not feeling well. Actually yesterday was day 3 and I felt the worst then so it has been unpredictable. I have had nausea and fatigue for most of the time and some nerve pain which was a bit scary yesterday but today was much better. I even went out in almost 100 degrees heat index to take a few pics of this one photo I was hoping to get and the goldfinches did not show up like they had been so I stayed out much longer than I was expecting but got a variety of pics.

When my BIL was going for more disability it was quite a process and he even had a person coaching him before he had to appear before this panel. If Jame's situation would turn out like that I can see why he would want to wait if you are still spending a great amount of energy on fixing the house up to sell. However I can see why you would want to push for it now as well. Once agent orange was in the picture and his variety of illnesses which were all believed to be from that chemical his disability shot up to 100%. He gets a very nice tax free disability check every month. Just a heads up. If James gets anything from the VA save it. My BIL made the mistake of throwing something out which cost him dearly because he could have received a LOT of money retroactive but since he threw the document out he had no evidence.

The last document I need for the VA application has arrived at my sister's. Now she needs to send it to me and then I will go over the application with a fine tooth comb to be sure I haven't missed anything. I have to use a magnifying glass the print is so small. I can't help but think that is done on purpose! I have jury duty next week so it has been one thing after another so far.

How is the house shaping up? Doing this work in the heart of summer in TX cannot be easy. I pray everything will fall into place and the Lord will lead you to your next home.

Have a good night dear sisters.

Love,

Nancy

Occult Fecal Poop test results back....blood was detected.

Waiting to see what the next steps will be.

Leaving it to the Lord...it could just be hemorrhoids, benign polyps, colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, etc. I'm already having my 3-month PET on Monday. We'll see if that shows anything.

Prayers appreciated.

L

Thanks Joanne. The paper would probably not be amused. LOL

Lita, praying that your PET scan on Monday reveals that this blood in stool is nothing to do with cancer.

Chris, how are you doing?

Love,

Nancy

Nancy, congratulations on the 5-year mark--that is a great accomplishment.

I am ok--thanks for asking. I have been a little extra tired lately with no momentum and slight tummy issues, but nothing scary. I walked down to the bay to spend time with my DD and DGD as they played in the sand and water, and just got back. It is only a 5-minute walk for which I am thankful. Both that it is close and that I don't have to spend long if I'm not up to it. We all will return tonight to watch the fireworks. It is one of the best places in the city for that and it's free! We can see multiple firework shows from there: from the OB Pier, Sea World, and the San Diego Barge displays not to count all of the illegal fireworks the neighbors set off on the bay every year, so it is no wonder it is so popular. I have never seen it this crowded already. Past years it has taken over an hour for all the cars to get out of the few-block area so again, I am thankful we can just walk.

My DD is having major dental surgery on Tuesday and she isn't feeling too well with tooth pain. Saturday she has an all-night ER internship so she would appreciate prayers so that she fees well enough without taking medication. It is part of her EMT certification and can't be changed.

I am hugely patriotic and thankful for our independence and freedom. Blessings on our soldiers and country.

Good morning! I hope everyone had a joyful and blessed 4th. Praying that everyone is feeling well and peaceful. Following this thread has been such a testimony to faith and friendship. Thanks forgetting me tag along!

Nancy- I wanted to tell you my grandson made the Asheville Youth Symphony Orchestra! We are so proud of him!! He was surely blessed natural talent. No one in our family has any musical talent. 😆

Have a beautiful and blessed day. May your faith be bigger than any storms that come your way!

Numbers 6:24- "The Lord bless you and keep you."

Have a good weekend dear sisters. As some of you wait for important scans and others wait for decisions to be made in going forward with your treatments and as others are just holding on trying to keep anchored in the storms of life this banner though not from the Bible is a fitting one because I think we have all experienced this. Of course we know that our real strength comes from the Lord. He created all of us to need Him. Reach out today and He will give you that unimaginable strength to endure the hottest of waters.

Love,

Nancy

Oh Ade, I am so sorry to hear about James. I am praying now that he will be okay. Please keep a careful eye on him. I had a friend fall on the cement not too long ago and had a brain bleed with emergency surgery so don't take any chances as I am sure you are not.

Thanks for the nice comment on my Killdeer. I didn't even know that is what they were until last year when I took my first pic of one and had to look it up.

I got a possible job offer in the mail today. An insurance man from way out of town must have seen my Great Blue Heron pic in his paper as they show all of the finalists in the whole circulation area. He sent me a handwritten note and said we quite often need photographers from this office. He said I know this may not be your line of work but.....................LOL He was very complimentary of my photo which took the sting out of not winning the prize. I was considered a June winner but the the top winner was a pic of a Northern Flicker in flight with all it's glorious wings spread. Hard to beat that one.

Ade, I know what you mean about the fireworks. Cammie was inside my Lazy Boy one day last week because of my neighbors. She was freaked out for the whole evening so I was not sure how she would react to the real holiday and next days afterwards. My social worker told me she gave her dogs some meds a few weeks ago and it has really helped her dog. She must also have alot of anxiety. My pheremone plug ins still help Cammie. Not sure if you saw my post quite some time ago that I found out they do have those plug ins for dogs too. My SW also said that in dogs once they are scared their cortisol levels remain high for several hours. I know.......... UGH!

Let us know how James is doing?

Chris, I know this is the LOOOOOOOOONG training session your daughter has tonight. Praying her tooth will not cause her any problems.

Love,

Nancy

Hi everyone,

Nancy Lita good to see you on the board, I believe Ade was on when I last checked in. Sometimes the good parts about being 5 years post cancer Grade 1A without mets gets us so busy and as I carry our insurance and have changed jobs twice since last July it has been busy.

1. Praying for you all including scans and Lita hoping your hemmocult was just positive from a hemorrhoid and not anything, praying for you!

2. Nancy thanks for spearheading this message board. I too finished my AI this past March. Hoped to lose incredible pounds from stopping it but so far only 8 lbs since January lol.

3. Love everyones pictures. stay well!

Cindy Blevins

Even though I have read this scripture many, many times as I read it again today it is a good reminder that we don't have all the answers to our whys and we won't have all those answers in this life on earth because we only are seeing incomplete pictures in this life. A good analogy would be to think of the worst blurry picture you have ever taken and that would be a good depiction of what we see on this earth. Our tack sharp focus of our reality will only happen when we are with Jesus in our eternal home. That knowledge doesn't take away the pain, disappointment and heartache we feel on this earth but it does give us hope that it will not always be this way. We can trust in the Creator of all things while we are only passing through this life on earth to our greater home to come.

Love,

Nancy

1 Corinthians 13:12 New International Version (NIV)

12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

Chris, how did your daughter do with her surgery? Hopefully that will take care of her initial pain.

Regarding adjusting to retirement I remember my Mom who was a stay at home mom and having the luxury of lots of quiet time............and then my Dad retired!!! I know it was an adjustment for both of them but what was really a surprise is that my Dad's love for the Cubs baseball team rubbed off on my Mom and they would watch the games together in his retirement. Even after my Dad died my Mom continued to follow the Cubs for quite a few years. So you may have some pleasant surprises in this new chapter.

Have a good day dear sisters.

Love,

Nancy

Hi Chris,

I hope your daughter made it though the surgery okay esp. after not feeling well yesterday.

I haven't watched the Gilmore Girl's but I get the idea. I am sure you will both find a happy medium as you move forward.

Your babies are so cute. Your condo looks like a dream vacation to me. I can see why you love it.

Cammie goes to the vet tomorrow and will have to be sedated. I hate having to do that but it is the only way anything can be done to her now. She is long haired and I can't even come close with a brush or comb so she has some mats that need to be shaved off. Also I think one of the reasons she does #2 on the floor is because of all the hair. I am hoping it will help. She seems fine now but tomorrow will be a long morning. I missed the vet's call and they said if I was up at 6 she could have a little food. When I made the apt they said no food after midnight and her apt isn't until 11. She will already drive me crazy in the wee hours of the morning when she sees her food bowl is gone. I think I am the one that needs sedation. LOL

Praying DD will be just fine and hopefully will be able to tolerate more pain meds.

Love,

Nancy

Ade, I am so sorry to hear about James. I will keep him and you in my prayers for this scary situation. I can't imagine being still for that long!

Nancy, my DD did fine except she is like me and needs double anesthesia and the dentist hit a nerve with the shot which hurt. She even ate a little homemade tortilla soup tonight (without the tortillas) and only dribbled a little! She should begin coming out of the Novocain soon. I understand about Cammie and will pray tomorrow's visit goes fine.

I remember you other ladies in my prayers daily but don't usually say anything specific.

May God bless us all with peace and sleep tonight.

Blessings, Chris