Dis Breast Cancer Survivors - GAGWTA!

[MerryPoppins]

I said a prayer today for Laurajean. Hope the surgery went well. Look forward to hearing from you.

Debbie, bet you can't wait for your DD to get home!

Minnie, is everything okay with your DH? You take good care of yourself and check in when you can.

Pinnie, can you share your friend's first name? If you aren't comfortable sharing it here, send me a PM. I'd love to add her to my prayer list and I prefer to pray for people by name.

Ann, have a good rest day. You deserve it.

I need to get going. My mother is flying in tonight and the flight was delayed. She gets in at 11:30. It's going to be a late night.

 

[mickeymost]

Hello Everyone

It has been so crazy around here. I have to go back and read everyone's posts to catch up. I hope all are doing well.

I have some more good news! Bone scan came back neg. also. All the tests are done and none have show mets

I saw the rad onc on Wed and he wants me to do 25 more rad treatments before I move. I start tomorrow. I have to double up on 5 of the days, I don't have enough days left before the move. I'm just worried about getting ulcerative sores. He said it is possible and I would need skin grafting if it does happen. He tells me it's only a 5% chance. But I had a 1% chance of recurrance and look what happened! I a little nervous about radiating the same area twice, but I guess I'll see what happens. Now I'll be able to move and put it all behind me

Stay well

Kelly

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Great news, Kelly.

 

[Pinnie]

My best friend went to her surgeon yesterday to find out her treatment plan. Surgery will be on the agenda...a lumpectomy. He will remove a few lymph nodes and check them and decide once he sees things how many will go. He has prescribed radiation and chemo because of her family history. He feels that in 6 months, she should be over and done with this ordeal.

All in all, she is considering this a "blip on the screen of life". Her Dr. sad that they may do the surgery before our trip our east, OR it could wait until we get back. The surgeon was very confident that they caught her IDC in the very early stage as the tumor is about 8mm.

Thank you all for your kind thoughts. I am a Catholic and have a special affinity to St. Agatha, the patron saint of women with Breast Cancer and will continue to offer my prayers up for all of you on this board.

Blessings...

pinnie

 

[laurabelle]

Kelly-That's great news on the test results! Praying your rads go well. How did your skin do the first time around?

Pinnie-Praying for your friend...

 

[laurabelle]

MinnieM3- I hope your dh had a restful night...thinking of all of you and praying his test goes well today.

 

[Laurajean1014]

Hello everyone and thank you for all the prayers and kind thoughts.............

It worked! The surgery was a smashing hit. I was awake the entire time hearing everything. It was great. No grogginess afterwards.

My surgeon, Dr. Nic, was the best. He came in to tell me all the intricacies of the procedure and what to expect. He told me that I would not get the results for at least a week! Because the area is small and the cancer is so tiny that it will be difficult to find and detect as a specimen. (Those words were like angels speaking).

I feel great. A bit sore but that's it. Wow, I would not have thought I would feel this great.

It was because of you all wishing me luck, love and spiritual guidance. Thank you.

Disney Debbie: I guess we are hoping that it will not be more procedures, so for now, we are opting to not tell Greg. He is quite perceptive and at some point I will. You are right - he does need to know, but I'm going to wait a few more days, weeks.

My sister was wonderful. At the hospital, they give the patients and the visitors massages, so my sister had a few of those.

DH wanted to come, but I told him no. He's apologized lots, but I want strong people around me.

I am just so happy that this part is over. Thank you all again.

 

[Disney Debbie]

Glad to hear you're doing well and the surgery went well Laurajean.

Kelly - What a RELIEF! Congrats!

Pinnie - sounds like your friend has the right attitude.

I just stuck this in because I hadn't seen it before!!!

 

[Laurajean1014]

Debbie, Is your daughter home yet?

Here's one for you..........

 

[Disney Debbie]

She's in the air as we "speak"! Her boyfriend just called to let me know she was on all the same flight #'s and so I'm checking her flight status every 10 minutes!! LOL!

 

[MinnieM3]

Laurajean..so glad things went well. Whew! Hope you continue to improve!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Laura, glad everything went well.

 

[MinnieM3]

DH was transferred to a bigger hospital today for a heart cath. I'm waiting here for results, with DS6. DIS is helping me pass the time. I hate the waiting. Will post as soon as I know something.

 

[4myson]

DH was transferred to a bigger hospital today for a heart cath. I'm waiting here for results, with DS6. DIS is helping me pass the time. I hate the waiting. Will post as soon as I know something.

Prayers, and on way to you and your family.

 

[snappy]

Laurajean1014, so glad your surgery went so well. and the best part, it is OVER!!!!!

Pinnie, I did not know about St. Agatha. Thanks for this info. I guess I need to read up on her a bit. Your friend sounds like she has a great attitude. I am sure that frame of mind will help her.

MinnieM3, please update us on your husband when the test results are in.
I agree you should try and get some support. You are still and will be in the recovery mode for awhile.

Great news, Kelly about the scans.

I am going to my endicrinologist/internist Monday. My blood pressure is not as high was it was back in May but still high, 140/90, even with doubled ace inhibitor meds. I think my thyroid may be impacting it. Maybe my thyroid meds aren't working as well? I have had this darn thyroid nodule since 1991, it has not grown or changed. But I think I am going to investigate having it removed. After having BC, I guess I want to be more proactive rather than "watching it", especially if it could be impacting my BP. Also, they will be able to do a real biopsy on the nudule instead of just a needle aspiration.
When I told my husband my concerns Wed. night, he seemed alarmed, he wants me to see his doc before I make any decisions. His doc is not an endicrinologist, he's a internist, I just don't think this is his area of expertise. I may seek out another endicrinologist for a second opinion.

I am not craving more surgery, but I am no longer going to be resistent like I used to be when my doc talked about getting on the thyroid med. I think I have realized my limitations, I can't cure myself of it, nor the hypertension.

 

[NHAnn]

Wow Laurajean, you sound great...I'm glad it went well! You said your DH ended up wanting to go, so now if I were you I'd "milk it" a bit at home even though you're feeling good. Just let him wait on you a little After all, it was surgery. DO take your DDis or DH with you to get the results, it's always wise to have another set of ears, no matter what the outcome at that stage! Continued good wishes to you!


MinnieM3 and prayers as you wait ...

Pinnie, I didn't know that about St Agatha either!

Kelly, great news on your tests, and here's to successful radiation with minimal skin irritation!!

I am enjoying my nice sunny sick day before I go for rad #22 this afternoon!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Beth, I work in cardiology in the type of large teaching hospital that patients get transferred "to" to have their procedures. It is one of our specialties, we do thousands of procedures per year and I take care of the patients afterward, then work with them to help them learn how to prevent future occurances by lowering their risk factors (yup, I often do some serious butt kicking) Again, if I can help with anything at all you know where to find me.

snappy, have they looked at your kidney function? There are chemicals related to the kidneys that impact blood pressure in a big way. If double doses of an ace inhibitor didn't touch your BP then they would have to look at other causes like the thyroid or kidney. A good cardiologist should be able to get to the bottom of it by running different tests and referring you to appropriate specialists. They are the specialists in hypertension and will guide you in getting this controlled most efficiently (it may not be your thyroid that's causing the problem). The heart, over time, in order to pump harder against the resistance of the high blood pressure (which is like a kinked garden hose that the heart has to pump against each and every time it beats), can enlarge to compensate. You want to stop that before it happens. This is been going on for some time, hasn't it? I'll say the same to you too - if I can be of any help in providing information, helping you find resources or being a sounding board you know where to find me.

 

[snappy]

Thanks, Pea-n-Me. I think the BP problem was noticed either late last year or early this year, although I did get some high readings after my BC diagnosis last year (we all just attributed it to the stress at the time I think).
The ace inhibitor once the strength was doubled did bring my BP down to 140/90, so I was surprised when it was higher today.

Thanks for the idea to go to a cardiologist. I'll be talking to my doc on Monday and get a referral. I'll also ask him about the kidney function.

My Dad had BP that did not respond to meds very well, but he was bit older before he really had trouble. The BP did affect his kidneys though (or vice versa). It actually was congestive heart disease that he succumbed to at 70 and 1/2. That was a very unpleasant way to go. I am wondering if I have inherited a predisposition to uncontrolled BP.

I'll let y'all know what I find out from my doc visit Monday am.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I am wondering if I have inherited a predisposition to uncontrolled BP.

Things like that can run in families so it is worthwhile to have one good doctor sort things through and get a good action plan in place. Congestive heart failure is in fact (most times) an enlarged heart that no longer pumps efficiently. My guess would be that your father's CHF was influenced by his longstanding hypertension. The heart grows incredibly big sometimes when it's working overtime (that bottom # of your BP is during the "resting" phase of the pumping, so if it's high then your heart is never resting; 90 is too high). There are other causes of CHF but that's a big one. So let's get that BP of your under control once and for all. You should also be following a low salt diet if you aren't already.

P.S. Sorry about your Dad. My father died at age 66 of a heart attack almost 20 years ago, while I was in college for nursing. I wish I knew then what I know now so I could have helped him.

 

[Miss Mickey Mania]

MinnieM3 - hope all goes ok for your DH. You are right, the waiting is the worst.

Laurajean - you sound very bright and bubbly, well on here anyway even if you don't quite feel like that! I'm glad it went good for you.

My mum had a scary time a couple of nights ago with a very bad nosebleed. It's not a side effect she has ever had before from her chemo or Neupogen but it freaked her out. It lasted for an hour, at around 2am.

She's ok now and in fact celebrated her birthday yesterday. We were all supposed to be in WDW for that, but of course the plans changed . I told her, next birthday for sure!

Louise