My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer

Happy Birthday Mae and Kittykat! Those cupcakes/macaroon look so yummy!

Hope you all have a great weekend

Maybe the best thing is to let the person concerned define themself as a "survivor" if they want.

About a month after I was diagnosed with Stage 4, a woman who has had breast cancer and whose mother and sister also died of it defined me as a "survivor." At first it pissed me off-she said everyone who is living with breast cancer after diagnosis is a survivor. I knew she was trying to be kind and encouraging. She was someone I barely knew who reached out to me and has consistently checked in with me - now we get together for lunch twice a year to celebrate our birthdays. I almost felt like she forced herself on me but I'm grateful. Many people in my life seem to forget that I have cancer or are too uncomfortable to ask about it but she always checks in with me every few months to see how I'm doing.

I now embrace the term. Yes-I will probably die from breast cancer if something else doesn't get me first but I am a survivor. I have survived several years with this disease and I claim the title!!! I can understand those of you who reject it.

When survivor comes with encouragement, I bite my tongue. I don't prefer the term but don't want to discourage someone who is trying to help.

In both Emac and Golden's pockets this week.

Rosie, so good to hear from you! I'm glad you're home and in your own comfy bed! How are you feeling?

Tanya,

Wow. That is very cool. Especially seeing a baby one. Not something we see every day, huh? I hope you are feeling well, my friend.

Yes, the cupcake business around the world will be getting a spike in orders thanks to Mae. I think you should get royalties, Mae :

Slow lazy Sunday. I made chicken breasts in the crockpot, and I must say they were not very good. I always thought that everything from a crockpot was good….well, it ain’t true. Oh well, move on to try to think of something for tomorrow night. That’s what I hate most…trying to decide what to have. Ugh!

We have been married 43.5 years, dated for 7 yrs before. Got married 1week b4 hubs started medical school. Seems like yesterday…….and life was so much simpler back then. But I look at all our conveniences now and know we wouldn’t give them up. And medicine has come such a long long way. Remember all the Lamaze babies? Now everyone gets an epidural -lol! But the medicine when I was first dx at age 34, thankfully is not the same medicine that is helping me today. waiting for my tests to show up,on Mychart from todays scans

tangandchris, papillomas are a common cause of bloody nipple discharge so it might turn out to be nothing but it definitely should be followed up with a mammogram & possibly other imaging.

I hope she will get her follow up tests soon.

Happy belated birthday Mae and KittyKat!

Tanya - Yes, I have no problem with pain meds and Wellbutrin. I take Norco 5/325 when I need it and also tylenol/ibuprofen.

MRI tonight but I cancelled the biopsy. My employer is a healthcare system and the biopsy was scheduled at a different hospital in a different system. Because of insurance it was going to be over $2k to have it done there so I let my MOs office know I needed to have it done within my employer's system. I hate the insurance game. I got hit with several large medical bills and my mortgage this week so I just couldn't do it. So that is bumped out a few weeks probably but I appreciate the pocket duty. Can you imagine if we could hold an actual pot luck?! Oh my word!

hello Ladies~ I'm a bit behind and in a funk. Waiting for bloodwork and scan. I hate feeling this way. And I can't escape it. I had my therapy and it's helping. But it's hard.
move been thinking of you all and have some belated birthdays to wish. Mae, kitty. Hope your days were special.
goldens. Loving those dogs. tanya hello friend.

So my scans came back and there are some questionable things:

Bone scan picked up possible Mets to right shoulder but that was where I had the major infection right after thanksgiving. Hoping it just picked up continued inflammation.

CT showed a problem with a new lesion in my right hip, referring to possible fracture when weight bearing
I see the MO tomorrow so there will likely be MRIs scheduled. Also my blood work came back showing some type of anemia - more to discuss.

And on top of everything else the CT showed collapse of the inferior vena cava (carries blood from the torso and lower body to right side of heart) in upper and mid abdomen. This will require further work up. I refuse to panic until after my MO appointment when I know what’s what. Cancer sucks, which we all know.

Goldens-those do sound concerning but I agree-no need to panic until you talk to your MO. Sometimes something in my report sounds so frightening and then it turns out to be nothing. Hope that will be the case for you.

Runor-Hope you feel better soon. That almost sounds like shingles. Rest up.

Sondra-I am a little jealous-how dreamy to see Liam Neeson up close like that!

Goldens, I hope everything turns out to be minor. I’m thinking of you and hope your MO can put your mind at ease. Damn cancer.

Runor, I’m so sorry you’re so sick. I do not know anything about your questions, but I want you to know I’m sending hugs and hope that you feel better soon. That sounds scary.

Goldens- Pocket duty for you tomorrow. Post when you know something. I will be watching for your post. Hugs.

runor- I have not had Covid yet,, one of the rare ones I guess. But, like Chicagoan said, sounds like shingles.