Dis Breast Cancer Survivors - GAGWTA!

[MNSusan]

Hugs to Suzanne

 

[MinnieM3]

Congrats Laura on your cancervsersary!!

Sorry your SIL is having such a horrible time at the time of year.

Had my pre-op stuff done after school today. My kids were full of well wishes for me! They are the sweetest things!

Saw my surgeon and got all marked up and heard all the gory details. La-de-da!

This time tomorrow I'll be resting comfortably I'm sure! Will be glad to have it all over. Will probably be able to get the drain out Monday or Tuesday. YAY!

So, this is stage 2 of my DIEP. They'll be "evening" the "'girls" out, doing some other reconstruction that I'm not sure I can list on DIS and taking my port out. It's about 2 to 3 hours of surgery.

Thanks for all of your tremendous support! It means soooo much for me to check in and see all the good wishes.

I'll check in as soon as I can. Probably Sunday or Monday.
GAGWTA!
Beth

 

[snappy]

Glad you are so close to being done with your DIEP, MinnieM3. You will be able to start the New Year in style.

Happy cancerversary, Laura!! You are an inspiration to us all!!

Christine, congrats on leaving the ordeal behind. Now for an all clear from the dermatologist. It just never ends. Good for you for having it checked though, better safe than sorry.

Had so much fun at our gingerbread house activity today. Almost half of the students had a parent there. Now if the exams would just hurry up and fly by. DD15 is driving me crazy, her honors chem exam is tomorrow. She wants me to decide which questions in her textbook to do, then she wants to explain it to me. ARGGHHH!! I never took chemistry in HS or college.
She left me in the dust last year with the biology that they teach as a college course. It was so hard it made me sick.

I have been shopping like mad. I have one more gift to get, DD15 wants a video ipod, I have been resisting it since she is a bit hard on stuff. It seems like a lot of $$ at this age. Several of her friends have either the video or the nano. I need to order tomorrow to get it for Christmas.

 

[NHAnn]

uuugghhh...just typed out a looong post and it disappeared into the black hole of lost posts ggrrr!! too tired to retype!

My appt went really well (he doesn't want to see me ever again )

Thinking of you tomorrow Beth.

GAGWTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[donnabres]

Pea and Me,

If not too late, please add me, and my BIL Bill, just had quardruple bypass yesterday. I also talked to a lady named Mary on the phone the other day where I work and she was going in for surgery as she has multiple brain tumors. I only talked to her for a couple of minutes, but told her that i would keep her in my prayers.

Amy, sorry about the rain out on Thurs. I know what you mean though, we were at DTD at that time. We went to The Christmas party Thurs. night, and it stopped raining right around 7 p.m. The night was beautiful after that, until my granddaughter was running to get hot chocolate and fell right on her face. Broke her tooth. Of course it was 2nd tooth, and will have to have it bonded. No nerve damage though.

I go to see my oncologist on Monday. He has me on a hormone pill to reduce the estrogen, to shrink the tumors in spine. This will be the 1st visit since I sarted this therapy. Getting a little nervous, each time I have gone, I don't get any good news. I am joining a support group locally next week. Looking forward to it.

Glad to be home though, trying to read through and catch up on what I've missed on this board.

Donna

 

[Pea-n-Me]

donabres, Bill, Suzanne and Mary added to the list.

Has anyone heard how Monique is doing? Monique, post when you can.

Also, Lessa, figuring you may not be around the Dis anymore, but you're still in our thoughts and prayers.

 

[laurabelle]

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

Christine- I'm so glad that is over (for the time being anyway) and I hope you new problem ends up being an easy one to fix.

MerryPoppins- How awful for Suzanne...I'm saying a prayer for her.

Beth- I hope all went well and you are healing and home soon.

Laurie- I know what you mean, I can't help my 7th grader with her homework anymore... pathetic huh!?! Don't worry, I have plenty of Christmas shopping left to do too!

Ann- Congrats on being released!!!

Donna- I hope you do find a local support group, it really helps. I'm sorry you're not getting more good news. That doesn't mean there's no room for hope sista. I have lots of stage IV sistas, fighting hard, and still here, some of them in spite of what their docs orginally said. Saying prayers for you, Bill and Suzanne...

I had my infusion yesterday and our Governor came in for a visit. It's a new facility in a university hospital (I go to the cancer center for infusions). Thankfully he didn't come over to me, but my nurse had her pic taken with him.
I saw my gyn/onc and have a surgery date for my ooph/hyst 1/10, two days before my dd's 12th birthday. I'll spend at least one night in the hospital, and I'll be fighting hard to get out for her birthday. I'm hoping it can be done as a LAVH, without any big incisions, she should be able to, but she said it's always a possibility that she'll have to do an abdominal surgery to be certain she gets everything. I think my estrogen is going beserk, Aunt Flo has been here for over a month now and not showing any signs of leaving!

 

[NHAnn]

Good morning! I have 50 hours to pack and get ready for my trip!!


Donna...I'm glad you found a support group....my little post-dx group that I joined are still close...there are 4 of us...we met weekly with a facilitator at our local Br Care Ctr for 6 weeks but since then have been meeting every month or so on our own. We call ourselves the "Pink Clover"...pink for obvious reasons and the clover is for luck...we call each other the other "leafs" One of our members is a shopoholic and turned to her computer when her chemo sapped her strength....she presented us each with a beautiful pink topaz (Pink Clover) necklaces for Christmas last week...she found one on E-Bay and then contacted the seller , told her our story and she managed to find 3 more. One of the "great" things about cancer is the friends you find along the journey! I'm wishing you good news and a positive week next week!!

Laura....uuugghh...I do NOT miss my "aunt Flo's" visits AT ALL...a month-my goodness-well, at least this is the LAST visit for her!!

Beth...hope you are recoving swiftly

OK, wanted to share some of my "long post" from the other day that disappeared. I chuckled all the way back to work, and when I told DH on the phone....he laughed but didn't really "get" why I found it so amusing. I told you about my sort of "stuffy" reserved radiation onc. So at the appt, I'm sitting up on the exam table with the johnny on and we talk for a couple of seconds about how I'm feeling, and the study drug, etc. Then he says "OK, let's have look" and I slip the johnny off my shoulders as he steps back and says "raise and then lower your arms" ...and as I did so he SMILES broadly and says somethign to the effect of "Wow...it looks GREAT!!! If not for the very slight "tan line" above -which will fade, you wouldn't even know which one was treated!!" [my incision is onthe underside of the breast]"Yes, very,VERY nice!!" Fortunately it was as I was leaving that I got the fit of giggles about a "WOW!" sort of reaction under those circumstances to my bare chest... ...Dh didn't really understand what I found so funny...I said "Hey!! I'm 48 - age, gravity and now breast cancer have made their marks on me and I got a wide-eyed "WOW" from a male (especially such a serious one) when I dropped my top " Am I nuts or can any of you see why it made me laugh??

 

[Pea-n-Me]

LOL, Ann, that's a riot!! I definitely would have gotten a chuckle out of that myself. Sounds like he liked the "work" a little too much! You better get busy, girl, you have a lot to do before your trip! Have a safe journey and a wonderful time!! BTW, I agree with the sentiment about how many wonderful people you meet on this journey.

Laura, I observed that surgery when I was a student. I hope you can do it that way, and be home for your DDs birthday.

Beth, hope you're healing well and getting some rest. Hard this time of year, I know.

So I'm done with most of my shopping, and finished my cards last night (used a MNSSHP photo). Now just have to wrap. I pretty much stayed within budget this year, which was good, and for the most part stayed out of the malls. Not too bad after all.

Enjoy the weekend everyone!!

 

[donnabres]

NHAnn, what a story, I love it. On my last visit, my husband was in the room while the oncologist was examining my breasts. Good and bad one. I could tell how uncomfortable he was. When we got outside, he said that noone should be touching them but him. I really got a chuckle out of that one. I kept thinking of the breast MRI where I was lying there with my breasts hanging loose below me. That was on Halloween, how fitting.
I did get a couple of emails from Monique. She said she was feeling better, this was on the 8th. I'm sure that she is lurking around here somewhere.

My BIL is doing well with his surgery. Thankyou for your prayers. We all have our crosses to bear, whether it be cancer, or heart problems, or any other health problems.

Thankyou all for your kind words, will let you know how I make out at the Dr. on Monday. Hopefully it will be uneventful. Maybe on the way home from Boston I will be able to finish my Christmas shopping. Have just started it.

Well, better go check the oven. I always bake bread to give as presents to coworkers and friends, so that's today's project.

Donna

 

[NHAnn]

When we got outside, he said that no one should be touching them but him.

LOL....way back on this thread....must've been May or June I guess...at my first visit to this radiation onc...DH was there and I posted about how uncomfortable he was too, and when we left he said something about what he was thinking but not saying when the "other" side was touched..."HEY!! leave that one alone!!"

HUGS to all and GAGWTA!!!

 

[MerryPoppins]

Too funny about the protective husbands. And also the WOW!

I gave my puppies up today. It was the right thing to do and I feel good about it. But I'm still really sad. I cried when I turned them over to the puppy rescue lady. She did promise me that she'd stay in touch and tell me when they are adopted.

I didn't hear from Suzanne, so I'm assuming that she didn't get an earlier appointment. That means she goes in Monday for her tests. At this point she isn't telling anyone. She just called me. I'm praying for good news. She really doesn't need more stress in her life right now, but who does?

 

[laurabelle]

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

Too funny! My hubby seemed to notice more often when guys looked at "them" after my reconstruction. The funniest (to me) was the last time I had a revision. My new PS is a man and he's quite the perfectionist. Hubby was in the pre-op room where my PS was marking me up for the surgery...drawing and redrawing lines... I almost laughed out loud at the situation, my hubby watching (helplessly ) while another man...well you get the picture...

 

[Pea-n-Me]

GAGWTA!

Funny, guys. My surgeon is a woman so luckily I never ran into that problem.

Merry, you did a great thing for those puppies. I'm sure they're in good hands and will find nice homes. You'll keep in touch so you can be sure of it. We were at a party last night and DH tells the crowd, LOL, I called him at work the other day asking how far Oklahoma was. (Geography was never my strong suit ). They sure were cuties. One of the things I love about the Dis is how many pet lovers are here. Keep us updated, will you?

I'm gearing up to wrap presents today. It should be loads of fun - the kids are home and want to help. Enjoy the day everyone!

P.S. Tonight I go to see the man from Medugorje.

 

[suzadrew]

Just a quick hello. I hope the day frinds everone well and not too stressed with the holidays. I've been keeping up but I never seem to have time to post. I took an 8 week consulting job and it's very tiring.

I haven't had any news from my biopsy yet. I called again on Friday & they told me the doctor had my chart but wasn't in for the day. Don't know if that's good or bad but I'll call again tomorrow.

GAGWTA

 

[NHAnn]

GAGWTA
Good luck with your results suzadrew!

To all of you....
we leave for WDW tomorrow and are returnin late on the 27th. We're bringing DD's laptop but not sure how much I'll be on to post
...so tonight I want to say~

THANK YOU for being here for me, and please know that I count you all among the many blessings in my life!!
I wish you and yours much peace and joy this holiday season!!

 

[snappy]

GAGWTA
Good luck with your results suzadrew!

To all of you....
we leave for WDW tomorrow and are returnin late on the 27th. We're bringing DD's laptop but not sure how much I'll be on to post
...so tonight I want to say~

THANK YOU for being here for me, and please know that I count you all among the many blessings in my life!!
I wish you and yours much peace and joy this holiday season!!

Have a wonderful time Ann. Sending Christmas greetings to you as well.

 

[annrae]

I hope I am doing this properly. I, too, am a BC survivor. It has been over a year since the lumpectomy and radiation and I have had two clear mammograms since that time. Waiting was the worst part for me - the biopsy and then waiting for the results of the surgery. It's amazing how a person's life can be so changed in the course of a half second when the diagnosis if given over the telephone! I wish I'd known about this portion of the disboards - after reading your posts I can see that there is a great deal of support here! Thank you.

 

[laurabelle]

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

Ann- Disney is extra magical this time of year! Have a wonderful trip and Christmas...you deserve it!

Suzanne- That's not necessarily a bad thing, though I think we all play that game, analyzing every word to try to figure out what news we're going to get! Most docs have to be the ones to give you the news, so even though he may have already read it (or not yet) you won't know until he's there to tell you. Will he do it over the phone? My first surgeon wouldn't, but all my other docs since then have and I really appreciate having the time to sort through my thoughts and feelings and form questions before I have another appt. I hope you hear something today and it's good news...

annrae- Welcome! If you'd like, there are instructions on the first page of this thread on how to get the pink ribbon in your siggie. I'm glad you found us and hope to get to know you more.

I'm actually awake again after having fallen asleep earlier tonight. We went out to dinner at Macaroni Grill and I over did it! Not a good thing with my colitis, even though I'm in remission. I find eating tiny meals more often helps keep my tummy happy, and even though it didn't look like I ate too much (I have a ton of leftovers) I did. I'm really going to have to be careful for Christmas...
Going to (hopefully) finish gift shopping today!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

GAGWTA!

Welcome, annrae, and congratulations!

Laura, it must be hard to live with IBS. I've had to watch what I eat, too, what I think is my gallbladder is acting up again. I'm thinking about having it out, will talk to my doctors next month about it.

So I went to this 4 hour prayer service last night and I enjoyed it very much. PM me if you want more info.