Dis Breast Cancer Survivors Part II -GAGWTA!

[laurabelle]

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

nae nae! Looking forward to getting to know you!

pat fan- I'm glad for you that it's over with. Hopefully you'll get the results soon. Keep us posted.

Ann- Sorry you had a fender bender. I'm still nervous when a tractor trailer is turning next to me after my fender bender a couple of years ago. We plan on getting rid of our mini van when our oldest dd is learning to drive next year. It's nice for some things, but not practical for a new driver.

Melissa- I'm glad things went so well for John!

Linda- That's great news about your neg. BRCA! Especially good news to pass on to your dd!

Elizabeth- I really enjoyed your TR and your hubby's terrific photos. I hope your mom does well on Tax. Yes, summer did fly!

My kids started school on Mon. (7th & 10th) I was really missing them Mon. Thankfully we have some fun things to look forward to...one month to go 'til our WDW trip! I am getting details worked out to have my friend from Daytona Beach come stay with me after my family flies home, and work in a visit with Laurie and her hubby.

 

[annrae]

I just saw on the internet where they have posted warnings in Louisiana and I wanted you to know I was thinking of you and your family. Hopefully this will
blow itself out somewhere in the Gulf before it reaches any land. We are leaving on Saturday to go to Orlando and expect to board the Magic on Monday morning for a 5 day cruise to the Bahamas!!!! My thoughts and prayers are with all of you who are in the path of this storm -- there will always be another cruise for us to go on.

Take care Laurie. Hugs, Barbara

 

[snappy]

Thanks, Barbara. I hope you have a wonderful cruise and can avoid the hurricane.

Crazy here, trying to get home and work situated in case this storm is a direct hit. We expect evacuations from New Orleans, either Friday or Saturday. Trying to get DD and DS up from New Orleans Friday right after school, if they have class that day.

Gustav does not look good for New Orleans, or for us for that matter if it goes up the mouth of the Mississippi. Our house is VERY close to the levee.

Mom is scheduled for a stereotactic core needle biopsy on Wednesday if the hospital isn't washed away and if they have electricity. We were hoping she could have it this week but the stereotactic machine is down. Cripes.

Bought as much water and non-perishables as I could today. Tomorrow is get cash and fill up the tank day. All hotels in Shreveport to the west and Hammond to the east booked up yesterday.

We will have the usual suspects staying with us this time again. I cleaned both DS20 and DD18's bedrooms completely for our visitors' sake. Gosh they were dusty and yucky. I really relaxed about them keeping their rooms clean lately and I paid dearly for it.

I just need to get the two college students up here with as much as their stuff they can pile in the car. DD18's dorm is on the first floor which flooded during Katrina.

I guess you plan for the worst and get pleasantly surprised, hopefully.
The ones I feel sorry for are the parents who dropped their kids off at Tulane on Saturday and headed back home on Monday. They must be sweating bullets.
We have done this dance before and will again, God willing.

Say an extra prayer for us tonight. Thank you, sistas!!

 

[MerryPoppins]

Thinking good thoughts that the storm isn't as bad as suspected. I've got my fingers crossed.

 

[lookingforward]

Thanks, Barbara. I hope you have a wonderful cruise and can avoid the hurricane.

Crazy here, trying to get home and work situated in case this storm is a direct hit. We expect evacuations from New Orleans, either Friday or Saturday. Trying to get DD and DS up from New Orleans Friday right after school, if they have class that day.

Gustav does not look good for New Orleans, or for us for that matter if it goes up the mouth of the Mississippi. Our house is VERY close to the levee.

Mom is scheduled for a stereotactic core needle biopsy on Wednesday if the hospital isn't washed away and if they have electricity. We were hoping she could have it this week but the stereotactic machine is down. Cripes.

Bought as much water and non-perishables as I could today. Tomorrow is get cash and fill up the tank day. All hotels in Shreveport to the west and Hammond to the east booked up yesterday.

We will have the usual suspects staying with us this time again. I cleaned both DS20 and DD18's bedrooms completely for our visitors' sake. Gosh they were dusty and yucky. I really relaxed about them keeping their rooms clean lately and I paid dearly for it.

I just need to get the two college students up here with as much as their stuff they can pile in the car. DD18's dorm is on the first floor which flooded during Katrina.

I guess you plan for the worst and get pleasantly surprised, hopefully.
The ones I feel sorry for are the parents who dropped their kids off at Tulane on Saturday and headed back home on Monday. They must be sweating bullets.
We have done this dance before and will again, God willing.

Say an extra prayer for us tonight. Thank you, sistas!!

You are in my prayers! I can't believe there is another storm out there. We here in south Florida had a little bit of what you went through (but just a little) and I know it must be so draining to have to prepare again. I HATE hurricanes. Be safe and hopefully it will break down a bit and not be so bad.

Patfan...you were in my thoughts. Hope you get great news soon!

 

[lookingforward]

Has anyone had the CA 15-3 tumor marker test? Got my blood results and the oncologist said they were great. HOWEVER, I am nervous because my CA 15-3 result was a 7. She said anything under 31 is NORMAL. But still, wouldnt a 0 be better than a 7? Anyone? All liver and enzymes, etc were great.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Laurie, stay safe.

Linda, I did see that you got your Pacifica, what color is yours?? I am wishing I got the one that has the back up sensor or back up camera.

Magnesium (greenish-grey). Mine has the sensors, thankfully - it is hard to see out the back. I am really loving it, what a nice ride compared to my bumpy Jeep, LOL. I'm trying to keep it clean for a while...

Maureen, I don't know exactly but mine are never zero either, always just "within normal limits".

GAGWTA

 

[snappy]

Thanks ladies!

Hard to sleep with stuff swirling in my brain about things I need to do. Got all the sheets and stuff cleaned and back on the bed yesterday.

WE are ready for company.

Anybody want to come down for a hurrican party? I'll cover the beer.

On a cool note, yesterday I booked a Kitchen Conversations event at the Food and wine festival. While we are there, the chef from Commanders Palace in New Orleans is doing one. This is the restaurant we also pick for family celebrations, where my going away party from work was held, many happy occasions. We are looking forward to it big time. We have not been to it in a while, considered making a reservation this past weekend but I was glad we did not since move in day was much more challenging than I anticipated. We ended up at a more casual neighborhood place.

We will be eatting well at least for a few days as I have lots of seafood and steaks in the freezer and guest are bringing their seafood too.

I told y'all you needed to come down for a huricane party. Definitely doing my crawfish ettouffee and my shrimp and goat cheese cappellini. I bought all the other ingredients night before last just in case.

I like that Gustav has dropped in intensity but they are saying it will regain its strength over the gulf. I don't wish it on anyone else but New Orleans is still so vulnerable, the levee system is not much better and it is still below sea level. They can't seem to figure out how to change that.:confused

Is everyone's kids in school now?

Sorry about your bump, Ann. Although I have had my Accord since Dec 31, I am trying to take care of it too, Linda. It has been driven alot lately. I had never thought about the blind spots in those vehicles. I absolutely hate backing out when I am next to those big SUV'S with tinted windows. Parking where you can go forward is not always feasible, but I invariable try to park next to a curb so I can at least see one way to back out. Sometimes it means I have to park pretty far, but walking is good.

 

[laurabelle]

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

Thanks ladies!


WE are ready for company.



I told y'all you needed to come down for a huricane party. Definitely doing my crawfish ettouffee and my shrimp and goat cheese cappellini.

Laurie no wonder everyone is making reservations to stay with you! Hopefully this becomes simply a fun family get together and nothing more! The girls and I included you in our morning prayers today...

 

[laurabelle]

Has anyone had the CA 15-3 tumor marker test? Got my blood results and the oncologist said they were great. HOWEVER, I am nervous because my CA 15-3 result was a 7. She said anything under 31 is NORMAL. But still, wouldnt a 0 be better than a 7? Anyone? All liver and enzymes, etc were great.

Try not to be nervous, 7 is a great number. The test is unreliable, but my onc does them. Hopkins does not last I checked. From what my nurse told me, the numbers can change for a variety of reasons, and you can have different numbers on the same day even! I stopped asking for my results a long time ago, but the last one I recall was much higher than 7 and I'm fine.
http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/testing/blood.jsp

 

[laurabelle]

One more sobering fact about Breast Cancer tumor markers...when elevated markers are indicating mets., it does not change the outcome, ie. finding it "early", before you would present with physical symptoms does NOT provide a better survival rate.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

One more sobering fact about Breast Cancer tumor markers...when elevated markers are indicating mets., it does not change the outcome, ie. finding it "early", before you would present with physical symptoms does NOT provide a better survival rate.

Exactly, Laura. Which is why many don't do routine testing. This is, though, "newer" thinking, and there are still a lot of docs still doing what they've always done. It makes it a little confusing and anxiety provoking in survivors who hear others are having them done and think they're missing out, etc. My new onc doesn't do routine testing but my old one did, so I have to decide what I want to do as we move forward. Normal anything is good for my mind, so maybe that little reassurance of normal results is good, but then again it's not completely reliable (ie you could have a false negative), and then you always have the threat of abnormal results (which could be false positive), then what?

Oy.

 

[lookingforward]

Oy Vey!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Oy Vey!

Could you tell I just woke up?

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

GAGWTA!

I hope all of you in the path of the storm are staying safe!!

Mom had her last A/C today. She gets a little break, then Taxol starts 9/18. She sounded good when I talked to her today.

Laura - Glad you enjoyed the trip report! Now I can look forward to one from you!

 

[NHAnn]

Was hoping we'd hear from pat fan today!

snappy-I hope you have a wonderful party minus the hurricane!!

Linda- I'm jealous - I LOVE the magnesium color, it's always been my favorite....mine alas is "butane blue" which is a light silvery blue. I need 4 new tires before winter, am having sticker shock at the tire prices for this vehicle after buying them for DD's much smaller Mazda 626 earlier this year!

Wishing you all a happy Labor Day weekend!

 

[Sha]

I hope that Laurie and anyone else in Gustav's path will be safe!!!

Been trying to get in study mode for my boards, and I just can seem to do it.

Hugs and prayers to you all

 

[pat fan]

Hi everyone!
Well, good news, I think. It's not cancer...it's an interductal pappiloma. I'm sure I spelled that wrong but that's what it is. They are almost never cancerous but because some do change and turn into cancer, they are always removed, so I guess I'm going to get it removed. The cells were abnormal, so I don't l know if that's how they tell what it was or that it still could be on the verge of turning. I don't know, it wasn't really clear......

Anyone have any experience with these? I really didn't ask a lot of questions, guess i was just digesting it, and now I have a bunch . I guess I need to call the surgeon next week. My doc recommended me looking at some websites, she said I'm her first patient with this, so I guess that's something Thank you all for your tips and concern....it really helped. Even though it's not cancer, I'm still nervous about the whole lumpectomy (correct term?) but I'm sure it will be fine. Just hope I'm not too lopsided (one of my ?'s for the surgeon)!

 

[NHAnn]

yay, patfan, that's good news!
I found this on breastcancer.org, which sounds reassurring:
QUESTION: I am 40. After my mammogram in May, I was told I had more calcification and needed a biopsy. The biopsy revealed intraductal papillomas and sclerosing adenomas in the left breast. My maternal grandmother had breast cancer. What are the odds of developing breast cancer in a case like this?

ANSWER: Your biopsy results do not put you at high risk for breast cancer. There is only a small chance of possible trouble down the road from those types of breast changes. It's important to do regular breast self-examination and get annual mammography and breast examination by your doctor or nurse practitioner. And if there were a change that was of such concern, your close follow-up will most likely mean that it's going to be found early when breast cancers are most curable...........

That site also has some good info on lumpectomies....I think it's great that once you heal from the lumpectomy (which for most is a day surgery, quick recovery!) you're done girl, except for regular checkups/followups, which is a plus because if anything DID develop later, related or not, early detection is key!!

GAGWTA!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

pat fan - Yay for good results! I hope the surgeon is able to answer all of your questions before you go in for the procedure!

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Laurie - Hoping that Gustav misses you guys!!