MI Survivors

It was great seeing everyone.  I'm still surprised I made it home.  I think I drove on every expressway in the tri-county area on the way home.  Still not sure how I ended up on south 75. 

We need to get together again real soon.  We definitely didn't get enough time to talk. 

Sounds like there are problems posting photos, so here's a link to mine.  Maybe that'll work better.  Let me know if you have any problems.

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/563697509Licobs?vhost=good-times Take care,

Irene

Hi all. The company I work for is a large sponsor of the Relay For Life in Redford, MI. I purchased a luminaria for "my friends at Breastcancer.org". I'll be going back out there later tonight for the ceremony and to walk a few more laps.

[IMG]http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL15/729461/19802255/320469688.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL15/729461/19802255/320469692.jpg[/IMG]

I'm back to reading the forum again.  This grandmother of two thing is keeping me too busy.  I hope to come to your next get-together, God and OPEC willing. 

Ann

I'm back to reading the forum again.  This grandmother of two thing is keeping me too busy.  I hope to come to your next get-together, God and OPEC willing. 

Ann

Hello ladies,

My name is Wendy (Sunkistmi) and I just found this site.  It looks like the last post was 4 years ago so maybe I'm not the only one that didn't know it was here.  I was dx with DCIS right breast 2/06, had lump but dirty margins, mast w/DIEP recon in SC 4/06.  Recovery was fast, went to AK end of june for 5 weeks!  Now DCIS is back in left breast.  Met with PS yesterday and she will be meeting with the surgeon that did my DIEP Weds.  She trained with him after her collegue saw my surgery.  It is so great to now have a dr doing perferator flap recon here in MI.  I was dumbfounded to find out that with Karmanos, U of M and all the other cancer centers in MI that no one was doing perforater flap recon.  There is a good chance that I will be the first in MI to have the newest flap recon using the muscle from the interior thigh, since there is no muscle on the tummy.  The PS is leary of doing the GAP because of problems with my sciatic nerve.  They try to stay way away from it but I would rather not take any chances.

I live in Livonia, am 55 yrs. old, and have been married 34 years to a wonderful man who has been thru way too much for me, but he loves me.  I am so blessed.  Our only son is a junior majoring in trumpet performance at Western Mich. Unv. in Kalamazoo.  I also share our home with two girl kitties.  I have one sister, a colon cancer survivor and lost mom to bc and dad to pancreatic cancer.  His sister and mother both died of ovarian cancer.  We really know about cancer in this family.

I love to quilt and do most kinds of handwork and needlework.  I also love to garden and ride horses when my back can handle it.  We love to travel and are active in our church, including working with our Sr. High Youth (when we were younger) and leading mission trips to Alaska, Mexico, Jamaica and Mississippi.  We have been going to a bible camp in Alaska for the last 16 years working for 2-5 weeks at a time.  I have a good life. 

This surgery coming up will be the 22nd one I will have had since '71, including 2 knee replacements & thyroid cancer surgery.  I am REALLY tired of surgery.

It would be fun to get together as a group.  On one of the sites there is a group of quilters and I am trying to get together a fabric exchange that we could then put together into our own throws.  It would be a group memory for each of us that when we need a hug, we could wrap up in it.  I volunteered to act as the 'stackmaster' and send out the fabric squares but have not heard from anyone.

I feel very blessed to have found this site on the weekend.  I have not done much else but type on the site, but I was so upset to find out the cancer was back.  In hindsight, the cancer was most likely there in 4/06 when I had the last surgery.  I should have had a bi-mast but at the time didn't want to take off a "healthy" breast.  No crystal balls and it does no good to beat up on self (at least I keep reminding myself of that fact). 

Thank you to all of you, my sisters, and I hope to hear from my MI sisters soon.   

Wendy

Thanks Nancy,

Yes, I feel really stupid.  I looked at the bottom of the page and saw '68'.  I was so excited at finding a MI page that I had not gone to the end.  Oh well.

The doctor that is doing the thigh replacement is Dr. Robert Allen out of SC and NOLA.  He was pretty much the originator of the perforator flap surgeries and trained many of the ones that are doing the DIEP, GAP flap surgeries out there.  I went to him in SC in 2006 when I had my mast.  He is absolutely wonderful!  When I returned home & had my stitches out, my surgeon out of Providence was so impressed she called a plastic surgeon she works with and suggested she check out Dr. Allen.  She did a fellowship with him and is now the only PS in MI doing the perforator flap surgery.  I saw her yesterday and really like her.  I hope it will all work out.  I see the breast surgeon tomorrow.  I will be happy to keep in touch. 

Well I really need to get off this laptop and get some things done.  I've been glued to this site and have really been uplifted.  So much of this disease is emotional and it plays havoc with you.  It seems like over the last week one moment I'm crying and the next I'm OK.  Go figure.  You'd think it would be old hat by now.  Have a great evening.

Wendy aka Sunkist

hiya Wendy   welcome to the thread..... I'm a quilter too.... a starting quilter and an active member of prayers and squares in my church

 I think we all can understnand the emotions that you're going through...as we all go through em daily....

God BLess.

Hi Sphyn and all:

I have not been on the post for a long time! I attended several of the lunches at the end of 2004 and beginning of 2005. Then, I became very busy writing my dissertation, whcih I finished March 2007.  I was wondering how everyone is doing, so I thought I would check in. So far, (knock on wood!), there is no re-occurrence. I was diagnosed in March 2004. 

Pam from Woodhaven 

Looking for my MI friends....................Did everyone flee the state and forget to take me????????????????????

Hope all are okay and just busy or having fun!

Neesie 

So very very sorry Bonnie and DH.  My MIL has been gone 9 month and we are still recoverying.   

I am around...still checking in with all.  Had an emergency scare...had the "see all docs (oncologist, radiologist, surgeon) and get tests in one day and schedule surgery one week later"...surgery was last Monday.  All is B9!!!  4.5 years out.  I guess I have a new surgeon...Dr. Ruark out of Beaumont...I like her.

Pam...welcome back and we hope to see you soon at a get together.  Speaking of which..maybe we should plan since it is always so hard to get all of us together.  What about a Sunday in August or September???  What about the idea of a pot luck at Hines/Kensington/elsewhere???

I am really enjoying summetime in MI...flowers are great and birds are singing!

Bonnie and dear Wing Man..... I add my support at this time of your deep loss. Know how many here are sending up prayers of support in your honor.

Take good care of each other.

xx00xx00xx00xx00xx00xx

Oh - this is new. I feel lost on this site!

First - Happy belated birthday Neesie! I'm here, don't worry! Looking forward to our next get-together.

Wings and Mr. Wings, So sorry to hear about your FIL.

Worried in Woodhaven - Pam, welcome back and good to hear you are healthy and moving on. Congratulations on your dissertation.

Chris - Yahoo on the good results but sorry you had to go through the tests and surgery.

My cable has been so erratic at home and work is crazy busy. I had cable yanked because I refused to pay for a defective box. $200.00 and they say it was "damaged". How the $#@$# do you damage the box? It sits on the shelf and you point the remote at it. That would be one deadly remote, shooting off damaging rays. So, being that Charter is the cable monopoly in my area and that they control my Vonage phone, internet connection and tv (which I could do without), I had to pay! It was blackmail! They re-connected it for about a week and now it is out again. So, nothing big happening with me and all I have is the little stuff to gripe about and that is fine with me.

I'd like to get-together sometime & Sunday in August works for me.

I read that Janice - Fitztwins is back in the roller coaster. My heart goes out to her. I haven't written her yet.

Geez, I've posted on two sites and came back and they aren't there!!!!  Maybe I've hit preview instead of submit????

 Welcome Toni...........you have come upon a great group of girls.  I'm sorry you had to join us but am glad that you found us.  We are from all over the State and periodically meet for lunch....hope when you're feeling better you will be able to join us!

Neesie 

Hi! I'm Laura from Clinton Township, MI I just found this thread  I was dx with IBC on July 19, 2004. Prior to my mastectomy I had 20 weeks of chemo and another 27 weeks of chemo followed by 7 weeks of radation therapy.

Hugs

Laura