Dis Breast Cancer Survivors Part III - GAGWTA!

[minijeanie]

had tissue expanders put in april 6th and the pain in my breast area is quite bad. Anyone else who has had this procedure done remember how long it took to feel better? The burning in my arms have subsided a bit since the bilateral but iI was thinking I should be getting better by now..

Just hoping that this will get better...

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Fl Lisa - celebrating with you sista!!

Sha - I wuld love to see the meerkat pictures

minnijeanie - sorry I cant offer any advice, but sending you a . Sometimes the procedures meant to help us can hurt too. And this too shall pass..hang in there sista!

Please pray for Alyssa, if she still has a fever tomm. they are admitting her to the hospital. My heart breaks for her. Its been about a year since her transplant.

On another note, just heard from dh. He is doing well and will fly home starting tomm with 3 guys from work so that is good. Ds 22 actually set himself up 3 interviews for next week, none from what I gave him, this is from his job fair. One is so far away. Ds 20 had to cash in his change to get some gas money. He had $60, hmm I guess he is running out of money options, so he might just have to go get the dreaded part time job.

 

[snappy]

I hope you are able to get the computer cleaned up, Ann. I am glad you feel like I do about this thread and the value of it.

We sure have the ties that bind, with the original diagnosis, and the tough followups that we dread.

My friend from Germany has a lovely breafast to celebrate her anniversary. She was just in town but ran out of time so she is going to schedule it when she returns. I sure hope it is not during our May trip!

Glad your treatment is over, Lisa! Way to go!!

Minijeanie, I had the tram flap so I can't help. My mom had the tissue expanders and she did take pain pills and muscle relaxers for awhile. She is very small up top so maybe that makes a difference? Have you had a fill yet? I would call the plastic surgeon and inquire. Be prepared for the lovely question about your pain level on the spectrum from 0 to 10.

Is it keeping you from sleeping? If so, I wuld ask for higher pain med level. You need your rest.

Have fun Sha! I hope you snag a window seat at Sanaa. I love the way the animals are fed close up. It is amazing to have a leisurely meal and see them up so close.

Maryann, I hope your son takes getting a job to heart soon.

Safe trip for your DH!

 

[CherylDan]

Long lost sista checking in.....

for all those who have finished treatment, or a portion of it,

for all those still dealing with it.

to all!

Been busy planning a trip to the Smokies for this summer. Rented a cabin that is pet friendly, yep, taking the puppy and doggy with us. Just DH & I and our pack. LOL. Does that make us offically old people now, traveling with our pets?

My baby turned 21 a couple weeks ago ....celebrated by DD25 taking her to LasVegas for the weekend. They got to see Garth's show and had a great time. Anyway, with DD25 and her DH living in Boston, they don't really get much time together, so I was glad they got to spend some sister time, but sure do wish I was there too!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! GAGWTA!!!

 

[wdw4us2]

minijeanie - I had my tissue expanders put in the same time they did my mastectomies. I never had any burning in my arms. They felt uncomfortable and I couldn't sleep on my side for months after the surgeries. The main thing I remember about that time is that the seat belt in the car bothered me a lot when I was driving. I hope you feel better soon!

KJ - I understand about your wanting it to rain. We have endured drought conditions here several times in the past few years. It can be scary.

Sha - Have a great time at the Mouse House!

LMP - Glad to hear your husband will be home soon. I feel your pain regarding your kids and jobs. DD has already applied for 10 jobs and she won't even be back from school until next weekend. I pray she lands something.

CherylDan - Your vacation plans sound great!

Well, my euphoria of yesterday was short lived. DH called me at 6:00 pm last night to tell me someone had stolen our truck out of the parking lot where he works. I can't believe some people. Everyone we know is stunned because it's the oldest of all the vehicles we own - a '93 Chevy Stepside Ext. Cab Silverado pick-up. I am very anal about our vehicles and it was in really good shape for its age. DS15 is devestated because it was going to be his in June when he gets his license, just like it was DD's when she started driving. DD is also upset - she said all of her memories of family travel are associated with that truck. We've had it longer than we've had DS! I don't hold any hope of getting it back. I'm relatively certain it's been chopped and they'll find the carcass somewhere. The kicker is that I let our insurance agent talk me into dropping the collision/comprehensive coverage a year ago. He said it didn't make sense to have it for a vehicle that old. So now, we get nothing from the insurance company.

 

[Sha]

Okay... I really need to get ready to go or I will be late for a meet up. Closed down JRs last night and LOL'd a LOT!!! Posted a bunch of random comments on my FB page from this morning. I got back to the room just before 3am!!! Dinner at Sanaa was nice. Would try it again I think. My camera is a little fuzzy when focusing last night. I am hoping its battery related.

Definitely need to come back and get a nap today!

 

[snappy]

Glad to hear from you Cheryl.

Sounds like a great mountain retreat!!

Lisa, I am so sorry about the your truck being stolen. We had a vehicle stolen in New Orleans back in 1990. We had just bought a new car and had to buy another within 6 weeks, had a 2 year old and a brand new baby. It was found but had to be totaled. It was about 6 or more years old and in pristine condition, never forget it, it was a green Olds '88. We used it to drive to Charlotte where my parents lived at the tme before we caught the flying bug.
DH loved that car. I believe we got $4000 grand after much bickering with the insurance (we still carried physical damage insurance). Tthe car we replaced it with did not hold up.

Lots of storms today, the big track meet is iffy. DD14 has a huge cold anyway and can't go.

 

[snappy]

Okay... I really need to get ready to go or I will be late for a meet up. Closed down JRs last night and LOL'd a LOT!!! Posted a bunch of random comments on my FB page from this morning. I got back to the room just before 3am!!! Dinner at Sanaa was nice. Would try it again I think. My camera is a little fuzzy when focusing last night. I am hoping its battery related.

Definitely need to come back and get a nap today!

Glad you had so much fun, Sha! I know you love you some Jelly Rolls. I love that whole boardwalk area! I'll see it again in a few weeks.

Have a great day!

Hope you get the battery back up full force. Your pictures are so great! where else are you gonna eat? did you get a window table at Sanaa?

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

GAGWTA, Ladies! Happy Weekend!

I had my last radiation treatment this morning. I'm doing the happy dance!

That's wonderful! Congrats!!
Holy cow! I am sorry about your truck! I think I would be ready to strangle the insurance guy.

Ann,

Cheryl, enjoy your trip with your DH and your pups!

Sha, sounds like a lovely evening!

Maryann, safe travels to your DH!

 

[Sha]

didnt get a table view and not much in pictures today. Think I may go without my camera tonight as it is nice to not carry it. Also didnt get a window view at dinner, but could see out and saw the zebras running around. Didnt see the Meerkats. I must have gone past them and not realized it.

Taking a nap. Got a little sunburned too.

 

[CherylDan]

Lisa, sorry about the truck. Gotta wonder, WTH is wrong with people.

Sha, sounds like fun!

Been raining off and on here too, hopefully it will stay dry for a few hours now...we've got a ton of yard work to do. Stuff is just a mess, things that should have been tended to last Fall weren't, and oh boy is it ever showing up now!

GAGWTA!!

 

[KJ Luvs Pluto]

Cheryl - Hope you have a great trip.

Lisa - Isn't it amazing what people will do. I'm so sorry to hear about the truck being stolen right out of the parking lot where your DH works - that's crazy.

Sha - Enjoy your trip.

Snappy - take care during the storms.

MaryAnn - Glad to hear your husband is on his way home. Hope he has a safe trip. Hope your DS gets a job.

minijeanie - I have a tissue expander in place. It was put in during my mastectomy procedure in October and is still there awaiting exchange. It is still uncomfortable for several reasons. One is that the expanders are hard so that they expand the muscle to make the pocket for the implant. And for some of us they (maybe for all) overinflate the expanders for a variety of reasons. I just finished radiation so the area is swollen and the muscle has shrunk some so that creates some pain as well. It's not unbearable and I haven't had to take any medicine for it, either RX or OTC. It's just that it feels like there's a rock in my chest and a lump in my armpit. That feeling is supposed to go away after the exchange I only had fills of 50 cc's at a time because they didn't have to fill it very much to match the other side since I'm a bit on the small side . So the fills were not painful.

GAGWTA.

 

[wdw4us2]

Cheryl -

minijeanie - I have a tissue expander in place. It was put in during my mastectomy procedure in October and is still there awaiting exchange. It is still uncomfortable for several reasons. One is that the expanders are hard so that they expand the muscle to make the pocket for the implant. And for some of us they (maybe for all) overinflate the expanders for a variety of reasons. I just finished radiation so the area is swollen and the muscle has shrunk some so that creates some pain as well. It's not unbearable and I haven't had to take any medicine for it, either RX or OTC. It's just that it feels like there's a rock in my chest and a lump in my armpit. That feeling is supposed to go away after the exchange I only had fills of 50 cc's at a time because they didn't have to fill it very much to match the other side since I'm a bit on the small side . So the fills were not painful.

GAGWTA.

I stopped by the plastic surgeon's office after my rads yesterday. I don't know if you remember, but he had to drain half the fluid from my right expander because it was going to interfere with the rads. Anyway, he told me I have to wait 4-6 weeks before he can begin expanding on that side. Mine are really not that uncomfortable unless I am exerting pressure directly on them. They sometimes feel uncomfortable when I'm lifting weights, but not when I'm swimming.

 

[KJ Luvs Pluto]

They sometimes feel uncomfortable when I'm lifting weights.

I'm so glad you wrote this. I asked my surgeon last week if I could lift weights (I'm getting so weak from not doing anything except walking) and she said she didn't know. Our concern is regarding lymphadema. But it's good to know that you are lifting. Do you have any problems with lymphadema? I really need to get stronger. I carried a 10 gallon pail of water to the garden the other day and thought I was going to pull every muscle in my upper body, and I used to carry two of them easily.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

KJ, my mom has terrible problems with lymphedema. Hers is partly because they took out so many nodes, and partly because she likes to defy me. I told her it was serious and that she needed to address it. Nope. So I finally called the oncologist myself and made HIM address it. He sent her for treatment but it was only partly helpful. She has a compression sleeve she is supposed to wear, but I promise you she doesn't wear it.

 

[minijeanie]

thanks everyone for your advice on the tissue expanders.
I am going to accupuncturist(sp) tomorrow to see if she can help.
After reading mucho info on my triple negative cancer I see I must have chemo. I have read that accupuncture really helps the whole side effect thing and you need to start a month ahead of time.

I will let you all know next week how I made out.
Heck..maybe she can help with the pain as well.

my last drain came out friday which means I can finally shower tomorrow
YEAH

will finally feel human again

have great rest of your weekend
here in NJ looks like rain

 

[wdw4us2]

I'm so glad you wrote this. I asked my surgeon last week if I could lift weights (I'm getting so weak from not doing anything except walking) and she said she didn't know. Our concern is regarding lymphadema. But it's good to know that you are lifting. Do you have any problems with lymphadema? I really need to get stronger. I carried a 10 gallon pail of water to the garden the other day and thought I was going to pull every muscle in my upper body, and I used to carry two of them easily.

KJ - The radiologist is sending me to someone in two weeks to check for lymphadema. He says he doesn't think I will have a problem with it, but he has all of his patients checked for it after the completion of radiation.

About the weights - I asked all my doctor's about lifting weights after my stitches were out from the mastectomies. I had to wait about a month after that, but have been doing them continuously all through my treatment. The only time I had a problem was during the week after each chemo, I just wasn't strong enough. My DD18 was a member of her high school weight lifting team and she set up a program for me consisting of eight exercises. I use ten pound weights for them. It definitely helped me during the radiation and when I started swimming again.

 

[KJ Luvs Pluto]

Lisa - thank you so much for that info. I'm so happy to hear that. I will start out with light weights since I'm so weak right now and then slowly increase the weight. I'm not in any hurry to get my strength back, I just want to do so. I also don't want to injure anything. I just want to do the "normal" lifting exercises.

Jacksgirl - thanks for the info regarding your mom. I have heard that if lymphadema becomes a problem, it's best to do what one can to alleviate the symptoms right away. I wish your mom the best with her issues. Maybe someday you can get her to listen to you

miniejeanie - if you have any questions or concerns about chemo, just ask away. Many of us have been through it and will be happy to help in any way that we can.

 

[snappy]

Just making sure you know some of the things to do to try to avoid lymphedema if possible:

Don't wear tight sleeves on the affected arm.
Don't wear a heavy shoulder purse on the affected side.
Don't carry heavy groceries bags with the affected side hanging at your side.
Don't wear tight jewelry on the affected hand.
Try and avoid burns, cuts, bug bites on the affected arm. Wear sunscreen and bug spray. Wear gloves when gardening. If you get a thorn, cut, bug bite, or burn, treat with topical antibiotics. If it appears to be getting infected, call the doctor asap.

My doc said to do exercises whenever you think of it by putting the affected arm over your head and clench and unclench your fingers. I guess gravity helps to move the lymphatic fluid down the arm.

Down in this area we are cautioned to be careful when peeling boiled crabs and crawfish. The little buggers tend to have sharp claws and sometimes other appendages.

I am careful with above but not obsessed. You have to live. The real message is to use good judgment and watch for an infection.

Even with all these precautions, lymphedema can occur, even many years after the surgery.

I am sorry if all of this is known by everyone here. I was given a nice little booklet at the hospital and I saw a lymphedema specialist after surgery. She measured both sides and I had very slight swelling on the affected side, not noticable at all.

I have not had a problem in six years, even while flying at least 8 or 9 times in the interim. I had a lot of nodes taken out, since my cancer was multicentric- in more than one quadrant, the surgeon wanted to do a full dissection rather than the sentinel nodes surgery where dye is used to determine where the fluid drains and one or only a couple of nodes are removed.

 

[KJ Luvs Pluto]

Snappy - Thank you so much for that information. It was very helpful and informative. My one doctor's nurse said I needed to be very careful regarding lymphadema, but that was really all that was ever said so now I'm trying to find out what I should/should not do and what signs to watch out for. So you gave me a lot of good information. Those are all things that I change and be diligent about.

Sorry if this is "old news" for others. It was for me. Thanks again.