Dis Breast Cancer Survivors Part II -GAGWTA!

[laurabelle]

Still waiting to talk to the surgeon. Picked up my films and Rx for the MRI. Have MRI apt for Tues am.The idea was to bx the calcifications, but they can not be found on the mamo, so no bx could be done Grammy.

I'm glad they could schedule you soon. I guess the nagging question in my mind is if the calcifications were seen by the radiologist at the center where you had your mamm, and it looked suspicious enough to be set up for biopsy... then the radiologist at the hospital does not see them, someone's got to be wrong. I hope you get to talk this all over with your surgeon before the weekend.

 

[grammynelliebelle]

Laura, I see you are up early too!, Yep, something is not right. I am definitely going to talk with him I hope today. When I picked up my films yesterday I went through the packet and I think that the mamos the surgeon reviewed with me on first visit were not the current pictures! I believe they were the bi rad 3 films.(May) The current pictures (Nov) were on a computer disc that we did not look at (digital) (birad 4). The reason I think this is that the second radio staff put date stickers on the films that were not there when I dropped them off. I think what I am going to do is go for the MRI (tues)and then see what is suggested. I know the MRIs have a high incidence of false positives and do not id the calcifications. By then it will be Dec 19 or 20th. We are scheduled to leave for 10 weeks in the Orlando area on Jan 11 and could leave earlier if needed. We will be an hour from Tampa where the Moffit Cancer Center is located. I am going to call them today and see if they accept my insurance. If they do, I am going to see if I can get an appointment in the breastdx clinic and have all of this reviewed, retest if needed and go from there. If I stay here (NJ) it would be at least an hour to NYC or Philly to get "more expert" second opinion which at this point I feel I should get. Our house is already rented and I am far from impressed with what has been happening thus far here. I also think I would really not loose any more time than I would staying here. Wish me luck with the insurance issues. I hope they accept what i have. Grammy

 

[laurabelle]

Carol- I'm on Prednisone so you'll find me haunting the halls at all hours! I think you have an EXCELLENT plan in mind! I will be keeping all of your concerns in my prayers...

 

[snappy]

SEcond opinions are a good idea, no matter what. I am glad to see you have a good solid plan.

Good luck with the insurance dela. For what it is worth, I had a second opinion from another breast surgeon during my diagnosis period, and actually had 2 second opinions, make that a second and a third, for the reconstruction.

Insurance paid it all after I reached my deductible, and we just have Blue Cross, nothing special, but it is not an HMO.

Please keep us in the loop. Will you have internet access during your Orlando trip?

 

[grammynelliebelle]

Update: I spoke to two nurses from Moffits breast dx clinic and have an apt for jan 12. I will be bringing my films to them on Jan 5 and the radiologist need at least a week to review them. I will also need to bring MRI report and a disc or filsm. It appears the insurance will be OK but needs final checking. I also spoke to my surgeon this pm. He said he was waiting to call me until he had a block of uninterupted time. He clarified that the second radiologist did see the calcifications, but he felt that because they were so faint, he would have a problem placing the wire. He did not feel the proceedure would be successful. Something about displacement of the tissue in the mamo unit.
He said the MRI should give him more info about what is going on. If there are suspicious areas he would try the bx with ultrasound placement. He said he would have a better idea of the problem area using the MRI also as a tool. As for guided MRI bx, the technology is not there yet. Very limited availability and people with the skills. If there is nothing on the MRI he would suggest periodic interval MRI's. I did not say anything to him about the apt at Moffitt. I want to wait to see what the MRI shows. I do feel better about having a back up plan, and am inclined to keep the apt at Moffitt no matter what. Grammy

 

[snappy]

Update: I spoke to two nurses from Moffits breast dx clinic and have an apt for jan 12. I will be bringing my films to them on Jan 5 and the radiologist need at least a week to review them. I will also need to bring MRI report and a disc or filsm. It appears the insurance will be OK but needs final checking. I also spoke to my surgeon this pm. He said he was waiting to call me until he had a block of uninterupted time. He clarified that the second radiologist did see the calcifications, but he felt that because they were so faint, he would have a problem placing the wire. He did not feel the proceedure would be successful. Something about displacement of the tissue in the mamo unit.
He said the MRI should give him more info about what is going on. If there are suspicious areas he would try the bx with ultrasound placement. He said he would have a better idea of the problem area using the MRI also as a tool. As for guided MRI bx, the technology is not there yet. Very limited availability and people with the skills. If there is nothing on the MRI he would suggest periodic interval MRI's. I did not say anything to him about the apt at Moffitt. I want to wait to see what the MRI shows. I do feel better about having a back up plan, and am inclined to keep the apt at Moffitt no matter what. Grammy

At least you got a chance to speak to the surgeon today. You may be better off in more skilled hands. I would follow your course, do the MRI now in NJ, but keep the Moffitt appointment.

Regardless, this is not an emergency where you can't wait for the second opinion. January 12 may seem far off, but in fact it is not.

BTW, did you get to have that glass of wine Wednesday night? I am having mine now and listening to Christmas CD's. Life is good.

We are having the calm before the storm. DS20 took his last final today (and is not returning my call tonight) and DD18 has her last one, the hard one, tomorrow.

When they get back home with all their "stuff" it will be a three ring circus.

Such is life.

 

[NHAnn]

yay for cruises!!

boo for postponed biopsies and vanishing calcifications


snappy, DH was commenting yesterday that you were getting snow and ice and I said "ssshhh, she'll send it here" and you did
LOTS of trouble here in central/southern NH since last night with ice, LOTS of folks without power and it's toooo cold for that! About 1/3 of the state I guess. We are fortunate here in Concord, we only lost ours at home for a couple of hours this morning, and at work today we were without for a couple the afternoon. My sister over on the coast though has had no power since midnight last night. They are playing Trivial Pursuit near the fireplace, it's down to 57 degrees in that area of the house, colder upstairs. Dripping water from the faucets to prevent freezing pipes tonight. She tried to go to work but they were closed, her DH ventured out for some supplies...she said it really looks like a bomb went off....trees,limbs and powerlines down everywhere,some are arcing and causing fires....they are saying some areas may take days to restore power. I'd invite her here but am a bit leery of her two crazy Airedales (destructo-dogs) We'll see what tomorrow brings and figure it out. They can get by for now with the fireplace (sleep down there in that room) and use their outdoor gas grill if they want a warm meal, unless this stretches for many days.. .

GAGWTA!

 

[laurabelle]

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

Ann (and Linda and anyone else in the NE area)- I was watching the evening news and saw the ice storm. Wow! We've had them here, but this one is amazing! They're always to strangely beautiful...but dangerous to venture out in. Trees were falling as they were interviewing people. I'm glad you have power Ann. The news said Mon. at the earliest for some people. I hope your sister doesn't wait long. Stay warm!

Laurie- I'm sure it will be crazy at your house when your two oldest kids get home...good crazy though, right?!? I bet you'll be cooking up a pot of something yummy for them!

Carol- I am finding myself nodding my head in agreement with everyhing you are writing. When I went through this, the surgeon was "90%" sure I didn't have BC, I guess based on my age alone, even though I had a mamm and ultrsound marked "Highly Suspicious for Malignancy". I did not like him, but he was aggressive enough to want to remove the entire mass via surgical biopsy now. I "knew" it was BC, so I agreed to let him do the surgery, even though I did not like the surgeon, I wanted the tumor out ASAP. After he told me I had BC, I promptly switched drs. Of course I wish I had gone to the big university cancer center from the beginning...but that's life. I'm glad you are taking matters into your own hands. No, you don't have to tell these dr.s anything about your plans for a 2nd opinion. I'm so glad it looks like your insurance will work out, that's a huge relief. BTW- I'm envious of your long winter in FL! Want to share your plans, besides the medical stuff?

I saw my GI doc yesterday. It was just a regular monthly appt. So far so good. If I fail this treatment, I think I will schedule an appt with the surgeon for a consult. It seems like the steroids help me more than the other meds, and we'll see if this holds true yet again as I taper, but I can't stay on them. When I talked to him about it, I told him I really never want to have this surgery, but I know it's probably stupid of me. He said with my history he does worry about the long term effects of some of the meds, and of course suppressing my immune system. But for now, it's working, it's Christmastime, life is good!

While I was at the hospital hubby was home and bought me roses and drew me a picture of our cruise. He is no artist, he hates playing Pictionary, so that makes it extra special. I feel like a schoolgirl getting a drawing from the boy who sits behind her in class.

 

[grammynelliebelle]

GAGWTA! Another good morning. I hope things are improving for you all who are in the New England Area. Its pretty early in the season to have to be dealing with all that stuff. Ladies, thanks for your encouragement in holding my course.I will honestly say that some of my will has come from reading through you posts and seeing what all of you have gone through. I can see that you have to be your own advocate, and that you need the support of others. There has been tremendous courage shared here.
Snappy- yes I had my wine, but unfortunately it put me right to sleep the other night.(only to wake up very early!) Reading about your college age kids sure brought back memories for me! Yes I know about that three ring circus when they return home. I think the worst was reminding them that yes, we know they stay out late when they are on campus, they are home now and we want them in at a reasonable time so we can get some sleep! We got through it and they all ended up graduating (more or less on time!) and two of our girls became teachers (which they found hard to believe) and one is an attorney. Now they are moms and between them we have 7 grandkids who are our heart! When they all get together it really is a three ring circus. We are very blessed.
Laura- glad your GI apt went well. It is wonderful that you are planning your cruise. I dont think there is anything quite like it, especially DCL. Are you checking out the Cruise boards on the Dis? that is how I planned for our cruise. So much information and helpful folks. We have been twice and loved it both each time. We never had the upscale cabins but found the inside and lower level cabins to be better than just fine. In fact the lower levels are even better if anyone is concerned about being seasick. The rooms are set up so nicely for families, with the bunk beds and the queen. It was many years before DH would even consider a cruise because he has a tendency to get motion sick. But he has never had a problem. As far as our winter plans, again we are very blessed. DH does not like the winter, and we were fortunate enough to find a house at a good price this year.I so glad he convinced me to early retire (at 60) as we are coming up to two years of being able to kick back, enjoy the kids and each other. It is different of course than being on "vacation". We do things budget so we limit our eating out and shop at the Walmart or Target. But even a cold day (or cold snap) in Kissimmee beats a Feb day up here. We enjoy our annual passes and it is great to go to the parks for short periods without worrying about seeing everything.I generally have our lunch in a little cooler and we might enjoy a mickey bar for desert. We also have good friends who have a house in Celebration and are there for the winter. We have found a church in Celebration and hope to become more involved in that community this year. In the fall we were there for a few weeks and got involved with the WDW sports enthusaist volunteer program. If all goes well I hope we will be helping out at the marathon. I also want to look into volunteering at the Give the kids the world facility in Kissimmee where families and kids with cancer are treated to an Orlando vacation. I have to get more info about them, but I met a volunteer at WDW sports who does that and said it was well worthwhile. At one time I looked into part time seasonal employment opps at WDW, but it really didn't look like it would work out. They required a lot on oncall time with no guarantee of work. From what I read now they are not hiring at all. I dont think we would move to Florida full time. The summers up here are lovely and we would miss the kids too much. Hopefully, each family will come at different times and stay a week or so over the winter. We did that last year and it was great!
Long, long post! I do enjoy my computer. I dont think we will have internet access anymore at the clubhouse where we will be, but I have found the local library in Celebration to be a good place to bring my computer and get online. So, I'll be in touch, but not at 5 or 6AM!
Hope everyone stays warm and dry and enjoys the weekend and getting ready for the Holidays. Thanks again for the support. Carol (Grammynelliebelle)

 

[snappy]

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

Ann (and Linda and anyone else in the NE area)- I was watching the evening news and saw the ice storm. Wow! We've had them here, but this one is amazing! They're always to strangely beautiful...but dangerous to venture out in. Trees were falling as they were interviewing people. I'm glad you have power Ann. The news said Mon. at the earliest for some people. I hope your sister doesn't wait long. Stay warm!

Laurie- I'm sure it will be crazy at your house when your two oldest kids get home...good crazy though, right?!? I bet you'll be cooking up a pot of something yummy for them!

Carol- I am finding myself nodding my head in agreement with everyhing you are writing. When I went through this, the surgeon was "90%" sure I didn't have BC, I guess based on my age alone, even though I had a mamm and ultrsound marked "Highly Suspicious for Malignancy". I did not like him, but he was aggressive enough to want to remove the entire mass via surgical biopsy now. I "knew" it was BC, so I agreed to let him do the surgery, even though I did not like the surgeon, I wanted the tumor out ASAP. After he told me I had BC, I promptly switched drs. Of course I wish I had gone to the big university cancer center from the beginning...but that's life. I'm glad you are taking matters into your own hands. No, you don't have to tell these dr.s anything about your plans for a 2nd opinion. I'm so glad it looks like your insurance will work out, that's a huge relief. BTW- I'm envious of your long winter in FL! Want to share your plans, besides the medical stuff?

I saw my GI doc yesterday. It was just a regular monthly appt. So far so good. If I fail this treatment, I think I will schedule an appt with the surgeon for a consult. It seems like the steroids help me more than the other meds, and we'll see if this holds true yet again as I taper, but I can't stay on them. When I talked to him about it, I told him I really never want to have this surgery, but I know it's probably stupid of me. He said with my history he does worry about the long term effects of some of the meds, and of course suppressing my immune system. But for now, it's working, it's Christmastime, life is good!

While I was at the hospital hubby was home and bought me roses and drew me a picture of our cruise. He is no artist, he hates playing Pictionary, so that makes it extra special. I feel like a schoolgirl getting a drawing from the boy who sits behind her in class.

Oh my, flowers and a drawing. Now that is romantic. DH is going to hear about this one when he gets back from walking the terrorist (aka our puppy).

 

[snappy]

Great post, Grammy.

Loved hearing about your winter plans. We have rented houses four times, once for 3 weeks in May/June. It was wonderful.

That was before I went back to work after a 9 year hiatus and before the economy went into the toilet.

I have beeen having a dream (recurring) about working at WDw in an ADA/financial position (kind of what I do now).

Not very creative, I guess, but mostly what I do in the dream is help people of all ages who have a disability obtain more enjoyment during their WDW trip by getting the hardware/software they need due to the disability.

It makes me feel good in my dream.. This is very wierd.

DD13 is off taking the ACT this morning in the Duke Identification thing. She was very intimidated by the math, especially the trig and advanced math which she has never been exposed to.

She got stressed last night, but that was after school, followed by soccer practice, followed by watching a high school soccer game/ breast cancer fundraiser, followed by a late dinner at a Mexican restaurant.

NOT good test prep in my book, especially after wearing herself out in the snow on Thursday. Two of her snow men are intact but looking forlorn out there in the midst of grass and weeds.

 

[laurabelle]

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

Today is my 10th Cancerversary!!!!
I'm not looking back. I'm looking ahead. Planning on being an old lady!
Wow! I am so blessed to still be here!

 

[lookingforward]

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

Today is my 10th Cancerversary!!!!
I'm not looking back. I'm looking ahead. Planning on being an old lady!
Wow! I am so blessed to still be here!

YAHOO!
Ten years! WOW!
How do you calculate, from the day of diagnosis or the day of surgery? My one year could have been 11/13(diagnosis) or 12/5(surgery). Let me know! I am HAPPY for you!

 

[grammynelliebelle]

Laura,
What a wonderful celebration! We all celebrate with you! Grammy

 

[grammynelliebelle]

Snappy, I love your dream. Remember "a dream is a wish your heart makes" and "a dream that you wish can come true!" Perhaps your dream is something yet to come. Grammy

 

[grammynelliebelle]

Laura, I forgot to mention, as someone who is well on her way to being an old lady, I can tell you it is something to aspire to! You go girl! Grammy

 

[laurabelle]

Thanks ladies! I'm just going about my day. My oldest dd called to say she forgot her gym uniform, so I have to run it to school later. It's divide and conquer night. Kids have basketball game and winter concert, so I am going to my youngest dd's concert. Life is good!

Maureen- I go by the date I officially got my diagnosis. I read somewhere that if the news you have cancer doesn't kill you, you're a survivor!

Carol- Getting older rocks!

 

[laurabelle]

Happy 1st Cancerversary Maureen!!!

 

[snappy]

I count from the date of my biopsy.

Laura, hey you only have to wait until age 55 to get the senior discount at my favorite discount store at Ross!!

The good news: I now qualify (but you have to be there on Tuesday I think).

The bad news: one of the clerks gave the discount to me automatically (no Id required ) some 3 or 4 years ago. I did not realize I even got pixie dust that day until I got home and looked at the receipt.

Laura, congrats!! You are an inspiration to us all.

More good news, Tulane lets the students leave as much of their stuff as sthey want in the dorm. DD18 was not going to even bring home her dirty sheets. Sshheeesh!

I did inform her she was washing her own clothes from now on.

I am trying to encourage independence. I plan on doing the same with DS20 when he gets back home.

 

[MerryPoppins]

Happy Cancerversary Maureen!

Happy Cancerversary Laura!

I count from the date of my biopsy.

Me too. I like to remember and celebrate the day the cancer was gone and not the day I got the news. But that's just me. I say keep track of whichever one brings the biggest smile.

It's cold here. The wind is so strong with this current cold snap. I'm so glad that I've only got a couple more gifts to buy. I don't want to be out in this much. The wind chill is zero and this is the warmest part of the day. Brrrr.