Dis Breast Cancer Survivors - GAGWTA!

[snappy]

sillyme, I thought it was bone, lung and brain. Never heard anything about an asociation between breast and colon.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I remember Ann had mentioned this previously. I didn't get to join in at the time but I did like reading it now. Here it is if anyone else wants to read it. There were some good points raised, and again the theme about the benefits of healthy eating and exercise. Never hurts to hear it I guess. Silly Me, toward the end I think there is an answer to your question - as snappy said but with liver included.

http://www.breastcancer.org/cmty_trans_2005_11.html

 

[denisem]

GAGWTA!

Denise, I've been pondering your question about chemo and I don't have much to offer since I don't know all that much about DCIS and chemo in that situation. I can say that I, personally, am of the mindset that I'll fight the fight with whatever arsenal of weapons they offer me, but as we discussed not too long ago here, chemo is not for everyone and may not always be necessary in every situation. You have to weigh the benefits with the risks.

Can you post why your oncologist is recommending this if the cancer was non-invasive and everything else looked good?

I spoke to the oncologist again today. He indicated that current studies are showing that there are lower rates of reoccurrence among "younger" women who underwent 8 rounds of chemo vs. those who did not. In essence, an addtional arsenal of weapons as you mentioned. He was speaking in terms of younger women with children, etc. (Guess I'm amused to think I'm considered "younger" at 52 - I have to keep reminding myself Ocala is a predominently retirement age community!) I'd pretty much decided to pass on the chemo, but was leaving an open mind for others' experiences.

Anyhow, y'all that are going to WDW have given me the Disney bug! May have to take a day trip next week after my staples are out (they're still a bit owwy and ITCHY!)

Have a good weekend everyone!

Denise

 

[SillyMe]

sillyme, I thought it was bone, lung and brain. Never heard anything about an asociation between breast and colon.

Thanks. My mom called me this morning and informed me that she's been having stomach problems and had an appt today with a specialist. She just called me and they think it's from her antibiotics for her sinus infection. False alarm. She had me worried.

 

[snappy]

Glad it turned out to be a false alarm. But i can relate to the worry, big time.

 

[NHAnn]

GAGWTA!
I spoke to the oncologist again today. He indicated that current studies are showing that there are lower rates of reoccurrence among "younger" women who underwent 8 rounds of chemo vs. those who did not. In essence, an addtional arsenal of weapons as you mentioned. He was speaking in terms of younger women with children, etc. (Guess I'm amused to think I'm considered "younger" at 52 - I have to keep reminding myself Ocala is a predominently retirement age community!) I'd pretty much decided to pass on the chemo, but was leaving an open mind for others' experiences.

Interesting! I'm 48, with a large area of DCIS...but chemo was never even mentioned as an option . I've never seen it mentioned in reading on sites like breastcancer.org....'technically' if it's DCIS it's not able to spread through lymph or vascular systems or into the breast tissue....
sigh.....ah well... things are always changing and hopefully improving all the time in the collective battle .....


on an unrelated topic, may I ask you all for yoru prayers on this matter? thanks....Sarah and Philip Gehring

 

[laurabelle]

~~~***GAGWTA sistas***~~~

Beth- It's good to hear from you! I'm sure you are busy getting ready for surgery and Christmas! I hope you're getting helpers lined up...
I still have residual chemobrain, certainly not the same as the foggy weirdness while going through it...but I still struggle with it. I'm forever grateful for post-it notes!

Linda- I'm sorry to hear about Didia...I said a prayer for her sista.

Laurie- wow...
I love Christmas music and I've been playing it constantly! Have you ladies heard the Barenaked Ladies/Sarah MacLaughlin song? It's very cool!
Anyway, I found a station that plays a nice variety of old and new stuff and the best part is NO COMMERCIALS!!! http://www.allchristmasradio.com/playing.php?buster=29055245372

cepmom- I think that probably because you had issues with the right side in the past, they can see something there and want to get good views of it. It's hard to get a good mamm of younger breasts because the tissue is denser. I'm sure they're just being cautious, which is a good thing, though I know it can cause you some anxiety in the process! It is a good idea to check on your past records to see if they still have them. It's easy to get lost in the shuffle. If something does look suspicious, or they really have trouble seeing it, you should ask to have an ultrasound and you could even ask for an MRI. HTH

SillyMe- I'm glad your mom is feeling better. I have GI problems since my cancer dx. I have immune system problems, they don't know what it's caused by. I am at higher risk for colon cancer now, among others, so I'd say in a round about way it could be related. Breast cancer does not usually metastisize to the colon though. If breast cancer moves to another organ, like the liver, it's still breast cancer, not liver cancer. In that area she would also need to be aware of ovarian cancer risk which can be related to bc.

Ann- How heartbreaking...she sounds like a remarkably strong woman for all she's been through...I'm praying sista.


I was supposed to have my next infusion yesterday, but my doc's office called earlier in the week to reschedule since his wife had their baby. I guess I'll let him take the week off for that! So I'll go after I come back from Disney. My girls were supposed to go for yearly check ups Thur. but I rescheduled that too. They don't get sick often anymore, only my oldest dd with allergy issues, and every time I take them to the ped. within a few days they're so sick! I don't need them to be sick for our trip. Plus with being immune suppressed, I told hubby I have to schedule it when he can take them, I'm not setting foot in that place!

 

[cepmom]

thanks again everyone for your words of comfort!

I spoke with a woman at the mamogram center yesterday afternoon and she fit me in on Wednesday the 7th for another mammo. She said that they needed another "up and down" view because they saw an area that appeared as a "clump" and they could not see behind it, possibly due to the paddle not compressing enough (??) or something like that. She said that if there was a tumor or something, they would have most likely seen it on the "side to side" view also, which they do not. The area in which she described they need to recheck is the area that I believe the lump is that was discovered in 2002, so I still wanted to be seen earlier than 3 weeks so she was able to fit me in next week.That's a relief.

I did make sure they had my ultrasound records on the right from 2002 and the ultrasound and needle biopsy records on the left from 2000 too. I am glad she took the time to reassure me on this ~ I'm sure she gets this quite often and hopefully doesn't think I'm a nutcase

thanks again everyone ~ you guys are the best

 

[Christine]

cepmom--well that sounds reassuring.

Let me ask you a question--when you went in for your mammogram, did you tell them ahead of time about the prior surgery? They always ask me to fill out a form before my mammogram and to indicate (on a drawing) where previous surgeries were performed. Then when I get into the mammagram, they attach little metal markers to the area where the incisions where. This draws the attention to the spots for the radiologist. I was just wondering if they did all that for you?

 

[cepmom]

Christine ~
I did tell them about the prior surgeries, but they did not ask for a specific area so they could mark it. The 2 ultrasounds I had were done there also, so they do have the records there.

 

[snappy]

thanks again everyone for your words of comfort!

I spoke with a woman at the mamogram center yesterday afternoon and she fit me in on Wednesday the 7th for another mammo. She said that they needed another "up and down" view because they saw an area that appeared as a "clump" and they could not see behind it, possibly due to the paddle not compressing enough (??) or something like that. She said that if there was a tumor or something, they would have most likely seen it on the "side to side" view also, which they do not. The area in which she described they need to recheck is the area that I believe the lump is that was discovered in 2002, so I still wanted to be seen earlier than 3 weeks so she was able to fit me in next week.That's a relief.

I did make sure they had my ultrasound records on the right from 2002 and the ultrasound and needle biopsy records on the left from 2000 too. I am glad she took the time to reassure me on this ~ I'm sure she gets this quite often and hopefully doesn't think I'm a nutcase

thanks again everyone ~ you guys are the best

All right, cepmom, good for you for being persistent!!

I'll be thinking of ya on the 7th!!!!

Please update us here on the DIS.

 

[suzadrew]

Cepmom, I'll think of you on the 7th. My biopsies are schedulled for the same day. 2 or 3 I can't remember. I still haven't told another soul outside of this board. I don't know why but I just can't bring myself to worry anyone. So maybe if it's ok I'll think of us there together two GAGWTA sisters!

OK that made me cry & I'm not sure why. I think I'm finally getting scared. I've tried to put it out of my mind over the last few weeks & since no one knows, except my new friends here, it's been suprisingly easy to pretend it wasn't real. I even went on a job interview Friday. That probably wasn't smart I should have waited a week but I just kept wanting to pretend nothing was wrong.

Will it hurt much? It's a ultrasound guided biopsy, for 2 or 3 lumps. That's all I know. They found 5 but I'm sure they said they were only testing some of them?!?

 

[Christine]

Will it hurt much? It's a ultrasound guided biopsy, for 2 or 3 lumps. That's all I know. They found 5 but I'm sure they said they were only testing some of them?!?

I have found that breast biopsies are one of the least painful things I have endured. Long ago, my first biopsies were done in the office--just the doc doing a quick insert with his needle. It was really a piece of cake.

Of course, my latest biopsies were surgical so I was "asleep" and the discomfort afterward is minimal.

 

[cepmom]

Suzanne ~ I will be thinking of you on the 7th too.

When I had the needle biopsy done (also ultrasound guided), it wasn't painful. They numbed the area with Lidocaine before they inserted the needle ~ the radiologist was great and added more Lidocaine if I needed it. I was only minimally sore afterwards for a few days and only a small amount of bruising. Just don't watch what they are doing....I thought it looked worse than it actually was.

I hear you about not wanting to tell anyone ! I only just told DH this morning that I had to go back for another test because he worries so much. I do urge you to please tell someone...the stress and worrying is too much for one person to bear alone.

 

[MinnieM3]

Suzanna and Cepmom,, I'll be sending positive thoughts your way on the 7th. Hope all goes well with as little discomfort as possible.

 

[NHAnn]

Suzanna and Cepmom,, I'll be sending positive thoughts your way on the 7th. Hope all goes well with as little discomfort as possible.

I'll be adding my thoughts and prayers as well!

GAGWTA!!!

 

[laurabelle]

~~~***GAGWTA sistas***~~~

Ann- I saw the news that they positively identified Sarah and Phillip's bodies.

suzadrew- I hope you ask someone to go with you to the biopsy. I think you'll find this burden easier to bear if you share it...I wish I could go with you. I had a core needle biopsy, and yes, I've had much more painful procedures than this, but I think a big part of it is the anxiety that goes along with it. It's stressful and tiring. It's ok to cry... I have done plenty of that!

cepmom- That sounds reassuring! Still a pain for you though...

It's supposed to snow here today...which normally I'd be jumping up and down about, but I have lots of running to do to get ready for our trip. Online shopping has been full of glitches this year. One item never showed up and another got cancelled, I guess they ran out. But the biggest pain was I got a huge chunk of spyware on my computer! Long story short, I had a bubble pop up that said my computer was infected and "Windows" said to click here to download a program to fix it. It took me to a page that looked like Verizon's security center, it had the emblem but did not actually say Verizon. It looked so legit, so I did it...wrong! It took hours to fix it, and I'm proud to say I did it! (I'm dumb enough to try it myself! ) So, word of warning, don't download SPYAXE, it's evil!!! I need to report it, for what it's worth...

hugs and prayers to all my sistas!

 

[suzadrew]

Oh I hate computer viruses! I got one once & had to get a new hard drive. My last back up had been over a month before. I was very cranky. I don't even know how I got it. I always think I'm so careful. They really are everywhere.

 

[Cruise04]

GAGWTA!!!! Hello everyone - I know, it's been a few weeks but they have been so incredibly busy. Can't wait for the new year as things will slow down - a bit

Great news Christine!!!!! Sorry for news some of you have been faced with - I continue to keep everyone in my prayers -

I have not heard anything in regard to my MRI yet. The doc was out last week and I have called to find out if they got my results yet. When I called last Monday and found out the doc was out they said that when the results came in they would have another surgeon look at them and call me. So I don't know if they just haven't gotten them or if they would prefer she call me. So we'll see what they say.

On the other front of this all I've been having some really bad headaches on the right side of my head, around my temple. This has been going on for about 8-10 weeks now. I got new classes and started wearing them more hoping that would help. No help. I went in and had a sinus infection, it cleared up some but no help for the headaches and pain. Got put on Allegra-D and has helped with the headache aspect but still have some weird pain. About 33 years ago I had surgery on my right eye moving it from an inward position to a normal position. About 16 years ago I started experiencing some movement of the muscles. That has been on and off but never for this length of time at once. So I don't know if that is associated with anything or if it's something else. So now I'm waiting for a referral to a neurologist. I feel I've been a walking medical exam over the last couple of months.

As soon as I hear any results or if there is news I'll let you all know.

Two more weeks for you Ann - I'm down to 18 more days. I'm starting to get excited. I think my dad is extra excited as he calls me daily now telling me he's ready to go!!!! ROFL

Take care everyone and anyone that is leaving soon for WDW - have a great time!

Chris

 

[NHAnn]

Wow...laurabelle...I admire your courage...(not only as a bc warrior ) ...but a COMPUTER techno=person!!!
Thank you for the thougths and prayers regarding the Gehring children. This has had me very teary the last few days...but glad the mom now has some closure....as she said, it's the fnal chapter in a really horrible book.

Chris...hope the headache thingie gets cleared up ASAP!
Can't believe...2 weeks from tonight I will will be settling in at the Dolphin!
Chris...what are your dates again? Maybe we should PM and see if our itineraries/paths might cross???

Suz and cepmom....thinking of you

I'm meeting the three ladies of my post dx support group for a little Christmas Christmas dinner tomorrow night.

GAGWTA!!!