The Chemosabe March Cruise

Miss S - hopefully no news is good news.  Prayers for a great report!

Patti - Yea!  So glad your report came back B9 and that you are feeling fairly well.  Now - don't go overdoing! 

Today is the day I would normally feel extremely blech after tx, but so far - I am feeling fine!  Hopefully this every week tx will work out for the best!

Has anyone heard from Angel lately? 

HI Ladies,

Just checking in...spending most of my time now on the rads group and the triple negative group...miss all of you though...what do you think of this new format?  I had a bit of a hard time figuringhtings out...but now it seems ok.

Finshed up rads last week and now have developed a lovely thing called radiation mastitis...2 weeks of Keflex should clear it up but I am so ready to feel 'normal' again...whatever that is!!

Love,

Holly

Oops forgot to mention.  I've been swamped the past 3 weeks clearing out my collection of Dept. 56 Snow Village and Christmas in the City collection.  Did about $8,000 in sales on Ebay and have been working day and night boxing, packing and shipping.  I'm about 80% done and looking forward to the last week. That's why I havn't been around much.

Angel

Angel, good news about yr ebay sales! the money, not the work, lol.

sorry to hear about the water retention. my left foot still swells from time to time, makes wearing sneakers a bit dicey.

i've lost 6 lbs tho! have been working out about 4x/week. my goal is 6x/week, but baby steps. progress, not perfection.

i check this thread, and i also post on the Aug and Sept rads threads (i started late Aug), and some of the tripneg threads.

Lisa, thanks for the advice. i really don't enjoy exercising, so any excuse to stay at the 4x/week is fabulous!

here's my current conundrum. since i'm a tripneg, it's all about the nutrition and exercise. which eating healthy is fine w/me. but if i do have a regular Coke, or a piece of cake, then i think, "Is this going to cause a recurrence?"

Hi you guys,

I just noticed the avatars are back! And Angel, you look like a movie star!! Gorgeous.



I'm stressed because I'm going for my first check up on Wednesday. I don't know what tests will be ordered, but I'll let you all know once I know.



You know, Terri, I don't know how much exercise is enough! I've been doing 40 minutes, 4 times a week and combined with my Kinders at school, I'm bagged! Plus, I'm trying to stay on my WW program and watch what I eat. I may have a glass of wine once a month (I'd rather eat my calories than drink'em!), but are we always going to be second guessing ourselves? I keep asking the Lord to give me peace, because I think worrying about things causes more stress and who knows what stress does?! Maybe I'll eat some chocolate.

Christine

Christine - good luck with your first check up on Wednesday. My onc. only ordered basic CBC with diff. and liver function. Then he said he didn't need to see me for six months! I said I thought it was every three months for the first year and he replied that guidelines are 3-6 mo. and since I was node neg. and will be having a bilat. mastectomy, as long as I am feeling well - six it is. Oh well. I'll be interested to hear how different your experience is.

Holly - no, it is not going to be all your fault if a recurrence happens. Don't even think that way! I agree with Christime, that kind of stress is far worse for us than any ice cream!

Just like w/ Terri with her occasional soda or piece of cake - that doesn't undo weeks of good food decisions. I believe that a balanced, healthy diet of moderation, heavy on the fresh veggies and whole grains and lower in fats is what has generally been shown to be helpful for triple negs. And it's no guarantee! It's just a couple of studies based on self-reported consumption (which is notoriously unreliable) which seems to point to the conclusion that it may be helpful for triple negs. to make these changes. But it would be helpful for all adults to make these changes to have longer lives, right?!?

I'm a triple negative, too. But I ate well (no red meat, no fried food, no fast food,  hormone-free dairy, free-range chix, wild-caught fish, organic fruits and veggies, lots of whole grains - alla dat stuff) for years before my diagnosis. In my case, genetics won out (BRCA-1). But I'm still in the habit of eating that way - I'm not suddenly going to get a craving for Krispy Kreme. I do eat dark chocolate now and then. I do have wine maybe once or twice a week, but I have a healthy liver so see no reason not to enjoy it and reap its benefits.

Now, excercise - cancer has taken that away from me. I have lost all of my chemo weight, but I am extremely deconditioned. I used to lift serious weight 4x/week (deadlift 220lbs. for reps, squat 190) and walk 2 mi. 6x/week. Now, most afternoons I need a nap.  I have chemo-induced neuropathy in my toes and my fingers which makes walking discouraging and lifting problematic. I still do my yoga with some regularity, so my flexibility has not been lost.

And I know, in my heart of hearts, that I must start somewhere with my strength training. It's what I love. But I remember (Lord forgive me) pitying the spandex set with their tiny pink dumbells as I loaded the big plates on my bar. Now I know I need to start over with those 5lb. dumbells and an empty bar. This is part of my new normal.

And I'd better go do some of that today, because two weeks from today I'll be in surgery and then I'll be starting all over again on physical restrictions for weeks and weeks.

Thanks you guys. for letting me rant and have a little pity-party/self-talk session here.

Lisa

Angel,

You look hot!! I'm sure you don't look like crap now, either!

Christine ;-)

Gosh, Lisa, they got you in and out fast for that mastectomy. I am sure it will take a while to adjust emotionally to all that it means to your mind and body. {{{hug}}}. Smart move getting the port in at the same time - only one anesthetic, only one healing. Yep, mine hurt like a bitzh too - fortunately, they come out much easier.

Here's to a Sept. of healing and gaining strength before you start back on the Chemosabe Cruise again. We'll be here to help make sure it's smooth sailing.

You are a strong, beautiful, and determined woman and you will see this battle through, you are just facing a few extra skirmishes between you and ultimate VICTORY!

Lisa

Hi Lisa,

I had 4 rounds of AC and so if I can give you any advice, I'd love to help. I agree with Nancy about drinking lots of water and flushing the C drug out of your system quickly. You'll have lovely orange pee for a few hours each time too! I didn't have a port and so they had to push the Adriamycin really slowly with lots of saline and then my skin didn't hurt. But, my veins are pretty much shot, so having a port will be much better for you.



I think having the reconstruction will help you alot. My friend went through her reconstruction surgery the week after I was dx last December and now, 8 months later, she looks fantastic! You've been through so much already - give yourself some time to heal inside and out.



I had my 3 month check up today and my onc doesn't want to see me for - TWO years! I was kinda shocked, but she just wants me to have my family doc monitor me every six months and have my yearly mammo. Then in June 2009 I'll have a bone density test and we'll decide if I should switch to an aromatase inhibitor. No blood tests. Nothing. After being so micro-managed for the past 6 months, I feel kinda like I'm working without a net! But, thanking the Lord for His goodness.



So, thank you ladies, for praying for me today. This Cruise has been such a blessing to me. And, even though I'm stepping into the next part of the journey, I'm still going to need you guys!

Christine

Christine,

I am so amazed that your onc is not going to follow you more closely.  Will your reg. doc do blood work to check tumor markers, etc?  Usually, people are seen every three months for the first year following treatment and then every six.  I don't want to be an alarmist, but I am just flabbergasted!  I want you to have the best of care!

Lisa,

As others have said, you have been through so much lately.  It takes time to fully accept all that is happening.  I had the same feelings as you, but we worked through them.  I will be honest, I had reconstruction (by a leading surgeon) and am not happy with the results.  I wish I had just stopped at the mastectomy.  I also know many women who had reconstruction and are thrilled with it.  I pray that you will too. 

Hi Jacque,

Yes, I'll be asking my family doc about the blood tests. I'm thinking that because I was Stage 1, they are not watching me quite as closely. I, though, will be all over it! My family doc is a good friend and neighbour - he even prayed with me and my husband the day I was diagnosed. He'll keep a close eye on me. I see him on Sept. 28.



Thanks for the advice - I know my gf, who was Stage 2, went in for a CT scan and bloodwork every 6 months. Maybe it's different here in Canada . . . I'll keep you posted.

Christine

PS: Does anyone know how to find the cute icons on this new format?! :-)

Hi everyone....so good to hear how each one is doing.  I am in good shape except for these nasty mastitis which I guess is a common-enough last post-op complication from the lumpectomy.  The second round of antibiotics seem to be making a difference.  Just still so low on energy and stamina...but generally feeling great both physically and emotionally.

Hi Ladies...nice to see everyone again.  I've been so busy with normal life that it hard to keep up with this.  I don't like the new format here much but I guess I'll get use to it.  I'm off to Hell, Michigan this weekend to a car show.  What kind of car show you ask???..well a hearse show, what else would be in a town called Hell?  I have a hearse that I bought after my treatment.  I love Halloween and cars so it was a perfect fit.  There should be 40 supped up and even a ghost buster one there.  This spring mine will be painted with flames on it and a "in your face cancer" sign on the back.  It's sorta my way of saying HA..I made it cancer.  Hope you all have a great weekend!!!   Rosebud

Hello lovely BC sisters,

 Just as I thought I was coming to somewhat of an end to my cancer treatments (I was just fishing rads, had finished chemo, and had 9 more months of Herceptin), I got a bombshell dropped in my lap.

When I went to get my Herceptin, I was told by my onc that my LVEF had dropped from 67% in March to 36% in August. I was absolutely stunned. I had some of the warning signs, but all of them could be attributed to SE of my other treatments I had going on.

When you have that significant of a drop, you are taken off Herceptin for good (normally). I was very distraught to know I couldn't get my life-saving Herceptin infusions! After mourning over that for a while, I realized I might be in some serious trouble with my heart.

In the last two weeks, I have seen the cardiologist twice and had many tests run. On Thursday, I got more very surprising news. The cardiologist walked in the room and greeted me with, "You had a heart attack." HUH!?!

About three weeks ago I had what I thought was an asthma attack. It was pretty bad and lasted about 20 minutes, but then I seemed okay. At the time it was happening, a heart attack crossed my mind, but I wasn't having any pain in my chest or down my left arm, so I dismissed it. Wrong move! If I would have gone to the hospital immediately, I may have been able to have received meds that would have prevented permanent damage to my heart.

The doc said he believes that my cancer medicines somehow caused me to have a blood clot that caused the heart attack and resolved itself, because I have no blockages now. So now I am being treated for heart disease and for the 'overall weakening of the heart' caused by Adriamycin, Herceptin, and rads.  I need to call the Cardiologist back on Monday and ask him WHAT exactly my diagnosis is, so I can google myself to death learning about it.

My LVEF was 33% on my last test, but he said that was the same difference as 36% and he wasn't considering it a drop. I am now taking four medications and he said our goal is to get my EF back up to 45%. I, of course, am hoping to get it back up into a normal range, but realize that either score will only be kept there with medications.

 This entire trip has been such a roller coaster ride! I'm going to end this with the signs of a heart attack, so maybe someone else won't make the mistake I did by staying home!

---------------------------------------------------

It's vital that everyone learn the warning signs of a heart attack. These are:

Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back. The discomfort can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain.

Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach.

Shortness of breath. Often comes along with chest discomfort. But it also can occur before chest discomfort.

Other symptoms. May include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea, or light-headedness.

Delay Can Be Deadly

Most persons having a heart attack wait too long to seek medical help-and that can be a fatal mistake. Patient delay-rather than transport or hospital delay-is the biggest cause of not getting rapid care for heart attacks.

People often take a wait-and-see approach, delaying because they:

Do not understand the symptoms of a heart attack and think that what they are feeling is due to something else.

Are afraid or unwilling to admit that their symptoms could be serious.

Are embarrassed about "causing a scene," or going to the hospital and finding out it is a false alarm.

Do not understand the importance of getting to the hospital right away.

Some patients are more likely than others to delay. For instance, women, older persons, and minorities are more likely to delay getting help.

As a result, most heart attack victims wait 2 hours or more after their symptoms begin before they seek medical help. This delay can result in death or permanent heart damage-damage that can greatly reduce the ability to do everyday activities.

http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/haac_ram/haac1.ram

Miss S