Dis Breast Cancer Survivors Part IV - GAGWTA

[luvmarypoppins]

Zelly - welcome. Best of luck in the marathon today. You go girl!

Linda - so sorry to hear about your mil. I am sure its hard on you and then worrying about your mom too. You have a lot to deal with too.

It was one of my sons players who broke his ankle and fibula too I think. Last year another kid broke his fibula and growth plate too.

Ds is doing a med/surg rotation I think and psych. The med/surg is at the hosp. where I was misdiagnosed so I told him to be on his toes. The director of nursings husband is a dr. there too. My dh knows him from volunteer work.

Ds3 is also thinking of applying for a summer externship or cna job at a hospital. They say its tough competition so we shall see.

Peg - Hope the PET scan went well. I had to have one of those too. That was before I knew what it was for! We were going to disney the day after. I set off the alarms at walmart and the airport the next day too.

Do you have a surgery date yet? Wishing you all the best. My prayers are with you.

Sha - Hi busy gal!

Dan - thanks for popping in. Sorry dh and I missed you at disney in Dec. we were there the week before I think.

Hoping to hear trip updates from Cheryl, Pats Mom and smiley soon.

Laurie - guess your dd is getting the ny rain instead of snow. I can live with it although I feel like we are in a winter rainforest somehow lately.

Well this week we had an interesting sleepover,. Not kids, but 2 King Cavalier spaniels. Ds2 asked the lovely Emily if we could have the dogs over night. They said I was chilled. I dont know if it was a ploy to get us to have a dog, but I saw they were a lot of work etc. I was partial to the chubby boy one.

Dh was really bugging me about getting a flu shot, so we shall see.

GAGWTA

 

[luvmarypoppins]

This thread sure is quiet.

Peg and PatsMom - thinking of you both

Nothing too new here. Went to the school meeting. Its hanging on but finances are a huge concern right now.

Went with ds3 to see Ds1 coach a game. They only lost by a few points, Exciting game until ds decided to have a coach fit and kicked a chair. So not good. Of course that resulted in a technical foul.

Dh will go on a trip to Calif. and the west coast end of the month.

I need to schedule my blood and sono stuff.

Looking forward to the mon. holiday. Glad dh has off.

Trying a new recipe tonight - martha stewarts apricot chicken. We shall see.

GAGWTA. Blessings to you all.

 

[Feralpeg]

I came home from the hospital today. The surgery was more extensive than expected. He had to remove the tissue to the chest wall and part of my muscle. He doesn't know if he got it all. He thinks so, but can't be sure, so I'm sure radiation is in my future.

I'm not in a great deal of pain unless I move. He he did a lot of stretching of skin to close the area, but did not have to do a graft. All in all, I'm just glad this part is over and I can move on.

Thank you all for your concern! It's great to have those who understand to talk with!

 

[ugadog99]

Peggy, I'm so sorry! Carrielee just told me about all this. You and Kendall are in my thoughts.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Wishing you a speedy recovery, Peggy.

 

[PatsMom]

Peggy, hoping for a speedy recovery for you!

I am healing slowly. The incision is infected and life many diabetics, I just don't heal well. Add metastatic cancer and the surgeon tells me I was practically doomed from day one. I am on an antibiotic and cleaning and dressing the wound daily. It will heal eventually but will take a while.

See the medical oncologist on Monday and hopefully will have some idea of the chemo routine. I am still planning on going the China with my mother on March 27 so they will have to work around that. Everytime I think of the trip, I am reminded of LMP's husband's trips. Definitely not pleasure trips for him. But I want to stand on the Great Wall of China. It is a bucket list item and I am taking those seriously these days.

Prayers for all. Cancer sucks!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Peggy - Glad to hear the surgery is over and that you did not need the skin graft. Sorry to hear about the pain issues. I hope you are resting, healing and keeping on top of the pain. Hope Kendall can give you a hand. I am sure she is. Take care of yourself. Blessings to you.

PatsMom - Sorry you are dealing with the wound infection, been there and done that too. I had to have dh do it at first because I couldnt see down that deep etc. I did it myself when it was less invasive. I think he did 300 bandage changes and packings for me. I think I had the antibiotic too for about a month. Yes, sometimes it takes a long time. I just didnt want to hear the word wound vac machine.

Your plan for China sounds wonderful. Its a whole different world there for sure. I think if you went you should take food, lots of medication, and a mask or air filter etc. I have seen dh and the ds pictures from the Great Wall. It is really amazing. Are you taking a tour? My dh booked the boys on some tours when he had to do his work there etc.

I hope your visit goes well on mon. and that the treatment plan goes well. Wishing you all the best. Thoughts and prayers for you

Linda - I saw your nursing post on the other thread. Ds is calling about externships for the summer. One hosp. where he did his one clinical is not having it, (it was on a list as having it) another hospital his friend said dont go there, its a terrible place etc. So we shall see. Maybe he can just be some type of aide for the summer. He still has lifeguarding as a backup to make money etc, but I told him he needs some type of patient care experience and the sooner the better to put on a resume etc

GAGWTA

 

[Pea-n-Me]

lmp, it would be great if he could get a job as an aide in a hospital. That might give him the best chance of being hired if he does a great job.

 

[Feralpeg]

PatsMom, thinking and praying for your recovery. Hope everthing is good to go for your trip. How amazing is the idea of standing on the Great Wall of China? Go for it!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

i, too, love the thought of you standing on the Great Wall of China, PatsMom. I know I've been MIA lately, but I hadn't realized your cancer had metastasized. If you mentioned it before I must have missed it. I'm sorry.

 

[smiley_face2]

Patsmom and Peg, add my prayers for your recoveries to the others being sent.
Have to put together a memorial for the newspaper for monday, coming up on the anniversary of dear son's death. Had a very vivid dream about him last night, we were talking about things he had not done before his death and he was telling me it was ok. then we had a family portrait taken with his sisters and he was embarased that he was the center of the picture and all the attention. We were all so overwhemingly happy to have him back for a visit. tomorrow is the birthday party for his 2 youngest girls. It was the last family dinner we had only 5 days before his death so this is a very hard thing to do.

 

[Dancind]

Smiley, what a nice gift that dream was. I think sometimes there are influences, you know. Used to have dreams like that about my Mom.

Patsmom and Peggy, sorry to hear things are rough. The healing process is no fun, I had the same issues with infections etc. Seems like it will never pass, but it does eventually.

My first annual check up is less than 3 months away. So far things seem well with me. Cannot figure out why everything I eat is upsetting my stomach, guess I will be taking another look at my supplements.

 

[snappy]

Patsmom, sorry to hear about your wound infection. I hope you heal as fast as possible and that you get some answers on your treatment regimen on Monday.

What a trip you and you mother have planned! I am truly impressed. Don't you have a wdw trip planned too?

Smilie, I got goosebumps reading about your dream. How did you feel when you woke up? I hope the party today was not too hard on you. How is your DH holding up? It seems you are a rock, not sure how you do, I am really not sure.

Peg, you surgery sounds like it was grueling. I am glad no graft was needed and I hope the pain subsides soon. When will you find out about the radiation? Will you have to wait until your incision heals?

Dancind, it sounds like you you are making progress. The first checkup can freak you out with the anticipation. Be sure and check in with us so we can give you support.

LMP, how was the apricot chicken? Man, that sounds good.

I too am planning a trip-to NY at the end of February. Our entire immediate family will go up for a long weekend, my good friend Cindy and her SO, and will meet our DD22 and her BF and my brother. It has been difficult trying to figure out the arrangements due to work and school, and it will be a brief trip. DD22 sounds like she needs a distraction from her job and something to look forward to.

I have been happy with my weight loss on the Ideal Protein diet. I packed up a lot of clothes today that are too large. It felt good. I guess I am lighter than I was since before I hit 50. I am feeling better and not feeling deprived. My diet coach is going to help phase off for a few days so I can eat some carbs in the am during the trip and eat more whole protein, rather than the Ideal protein packets and stabilize by weight. When the trip is over, I will back on phase 1 of the diet to lose whatever is left. I am trying to get my BMI in the acceptable range and hopefully avoid cholesterol medicine. It is worth a shot. I am eating so many veggies you would not believe it. Hard to keep them "in stock" but they are essential on this diet. It is also nice that you get to have 8 oz of meat or seafood a day. I guess we are lucky down here, so easy to get good shrimp. I have made them every way I can think of short of frying (not allowed). I also have found some of the protein products that really appeal to me so I am sticking with them. My variety is coming from the veggies, red, yellow and orange bell pepper, mushrooms, alfalfa sprouts, cucumber, and zucchini.
Zucchini is my new best friend I never realized some veggies were so high in carbs. I will happy to be able to have my artichokes again.

Take care Peg and Patsmom, and keep us posted on your recovery!

 

[CherylDan]

Peg and PatsMom, sending out good thoughts to you both for speedy recoveries.

Laurie, congrats on your success with your diet.

Smiley, sorry you are facing such a difficult time. how was the party? Are your projects at home all finished?

We had a great time in Vegas, although it was fairly cold, down in the 30s at night. Wasn't really expecting that! Days were cool but sunny. We did a lot of walking around to the various resorts, and a lot of eating! A little bit of slots. Our room at the Venetian was awesome - love that resort! I was shocked at how many young kids we saw.....just not a very kid friendly place IMHO.

I have yet another CT scan coming up on Friday......yuck, I just can't hardly stand the thought of drinking the barium again. Hopefully the scan will again show no change with the mets, but I know that's unlikely.

GAGWTA!!

 

[PatsMom]

Laurie, I just got back from one Disney trip. Went 10 days after surgery. Probably not my smartest move but it was my grandson's first trip so I didn't want to cancel. He's really my step-grandson but I think of him as blood. And realistically, since my daughter is only 21, he may be the only grandchild I get to see. I am going again in May and in November. My husband likes to plan way ahead!

Saw my oncologist today. He is wanting to do aggressive chemo and wanted to start this week. But can't because my wound needs more healing before we can start. In the meantime he wants me to get a CT scan of the chest to see what is there. MRI of the head is negative for metastasis to the brain which is good.

The bad news is that Exeter Hospital is changing oncologists. They will be contracting with Mass General and bringing in new people next week. I had planned to go to Exeter for Chemo because I really like the oncologist. Transportation was going to be a pain. So I am now looking into changing to an oncologist in Dover NH where transportation would be much simpler. My best friend and her sister, both breast cancer survivors, were very happy with this doctor. And since chemo will continue off and on for however long I live, I do want it to be as convenient as possible.

Going to work on making that happen tomorrow. I guess that is the good thing about having to delay the start. I also beat down my inner self that is always saying "don't cause problems or make a fuss". I just kept repeating that if I had caused a fuss a long time ago about the pain I was in, this might have been caught a lot sooner!

I do need to go for a mammogram though. He thinks it is possible that this originated as breast cancer, although it would be unusual to get to the belly and pelvis with no node involvement in the axillary area. But worth checking out since I am due anyhow!

 

[fortwildernessishome]

Laurie, I just got back from one Disney trip. Went 10 days after surgery. Probably not my smartest move but it was my grandson's first trip so I didn't want to cancel. He's really my step-grandson but I think of him as blood. And realistically, since my daughter is only 21, he may be the only grandchild I get to see. I am going again in May and in November. My husband likes to plan way ahead!

Saw my oncologist today. He is wanting to do aggressive chemo and wanted to start this week. But can't because my wound needs more healing before we can start. In the meantime he wants me to get a CT scan of the chest to see what is there. MRI of the head is negative for metastasis to the brain which is good.

The bad news is that Exeter Hospital is changing oncologists. They will be contracting with Mass General and bringing in new people next week. I had planned to go to Exeter for Chemo because I really like the oncologist. Transportation was going to be a pain. So I am now looking into changing to an oncologist in Dover NH where transportation would be much simpler. My best friend and her sister, both breast cancer survivors, were very happy with this doctor. And since chemo will continue off and on for however long I live, I do want it to be as convenient as possible.

Going to work on making that happen tomorrow. I guess that is the good thing about having to delay the start. I also beat down my inner self that is always saying "don't cause problems or make a fuss". I just kept repeating that if I had caused a fuss a long time ago about the pain I was in, this might have been caught a lot sooner!

I do need to go for a mammogram though. He thinks it is possible that this originated as breast cancer, although it would be unusual to get to the belly and pelvis with no node involvement in the axillary area. But worth checking out since I am due anyhow!

Patsmom,

Just had to reach out to my fellow NH resident to say how sorry I am that you are going though this. I hope that you find an oncologist that you like. It must be tough to be changing oncologists now.

I know you are too far away, but figured that I would throw this out. I have ovarian and uterine cancer and got my chemo at NH Oncology in Hooksett. I REALLY, REALLY like the doctors that I have met there. I have two oncologists, one is out of the Lahey Clinic in Burlington Ma. And I have Dr. Weckstein in Hooksett.

Sending good thoughts your way

 

[Feralpeg]

I saw the surgeon today. The good news is that I am healing well and feeling less sore each day. The bad news is that the lymph nodes and margins came back positive. I will need both radiation and chemo.

He will be putting in a port on February 8. I will be seeing the medical oncologist, but treatment will not begin for about a month. I need to heal first.

Anyone who has any recommendations on how to make the radiation and chemo easier, your input would be appreciated. I must admit that I am actually more concerned about that process than the actual idea of the cancer.

I still do not know where, if any place, it has spread. I won't know that until I meet with the oncologist and have the PET scan. Here's hoping it hasn't goine far.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Sorry to hear that, Peggy. I had two nodes positive and went through the chemo and radiation process. (And am doing fine.) There is a book called "Just Get Me Through This!" that I found helpful. There are probably a lot more resources now, too, that have appeared since I went through it. Check the ACS site, and breastcancer.org for resources as well. Be careful about what you read clinically, it's terrifying and may not apply to your case anyway. We're here for you. PS if you have questions, ask away. There are lots of us here who've gone through it.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Does anyone have any experience using vit. E and primrose oil to help with pain management? Mine is residual pain after a fairly minor (but deep) breast surgery.

I just started taking them yesterday. I'm hopeful. I'd rather take those than to continue to take Advil and Tylenol.

Anyway, I'll check back later.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Good morning sistas Greetings from the world of no heat and freezing my butt off, oh that would be my house! We are number 5 IF the plumber gets to us today he said.

Pats mom - how did you onc visit go? I hope you have a good treatment plan in place and that you are healing.

Peggy - sorry things turned out differently. I hope you also have a good plan in place soon. Hope you are healing.

Cheryl - glad you enjoyed your trip. I hear you about drinking the stuff for the ct scan. I didnt even get a choice. I think it was berry something. I heard they have like 15 flavors. I dont know if that was a joke or not. Wishing you all the best

Fortwilderness - sorry you are going through so much too. It was nice of you to share that info with Pats Mom.

Ocean Annie - no info to share but I hope your recovery goes well and that you able to find some relief from the pain.

smilie - I think that dream was a real godwink from your ds. I hope the party went as well as could be.

Sha - sending you a shout out. Hope you are doing well.

Well I am here shivering. If I dont get a cold or flu from this it will be a miracle. Dh went and bought 3 space heaters at the home depot and he got the last ones this morning at 8 am. At least we can put them in the bedrooms at night. The living room is a cathedral ceiling so the heater is running but useless I think. I am glad this happened before dh left on mon.

GAGWTA. Blessings to you all