Dis Breast Cancer Survivors Part III - GAGWTA!

[luvmarypoppins]

Good morning ladies

Annie - welcome, I too would go and see the surgeon as the others have said. Wishing you all the best

Elizabeth - good to see you posting. I know my ds struggled with math and science too like Carter. Didnt help either that my one ds didnt even get along with his chemistry teacher. Just being a freshman in HS and a new school too I am sure is an adjustment in itself.

Candy - sorry you did not feel well. I am sure you will be sharing your driving stories with us too about your ds

Linda - did you decide about taking the ferry and how about your pool? I lost track of that one.

Sha - It would be so much fun to meet you too. You are so nice to your family and that picture sounds really neat

Cheryl - when is your dd done with the college program?How are you feeling?

Lisa - did you see the thread about the alligator by Splash Mountain? Got me

Pats mom - are you eating anytime at the resort?

Laurie - bet it was nice having all your kids with you for the holiday

Well my toe only had a red mark and no blister, yeah! The dinner turned out well and leftovers for tomm. so I dont have to cook. yeah. Ds is suppose to call the tow company today. We dont even know if the car is there. I am going to give him the police dept number just in case it is gone. Hopefuly this will be a quiet week. Next week is the crazy one. Stomach surgeon, oncologist, and then dh leaves for China on Friday.Now ds is talking about leasing the car intead of buying it. I told him I dont know how that works etc.

GTAGWTA.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Linda - did you decide about taking the ferry and how about your pool? I lost track of that one.

We still aren't completely decided on the ferry. Do you know if Cyclone on Coney Island is closed down? Everything I look at seems to indicate it is. If not, we were just going to drive home via Brooklyn. Last time we were there the kids were too small to get on and they've been itching to do it. The pool is being delivered today!

 

[OceanAnnie]

Well, I kicked myself in the butt. I told myself to stop being a baby. I gotta know. The only thing that is going to change is knowing vs not knowing. Whatever it is, it is, whether I know about it or not. Can't do anything about what you don't know.

They must be concerned. I have an appointment for tomorrow morning.

Can't seem to get anything done today. But I'm trying. Now I'm doing a lot of hoping and praying.

 

[PatsMom]

Annie, facing the fact you have any kind of cancer is so very hard. I am praying for you, along with the others. Once you know the situation, you can make a plan to treat it. But not knowing the true situation was the most stressful part of diagnosis for me. Once my cancer was staged and we agreed on a treatment plan, it was almost a relief. At least I knew my options. I don't have breast cancer, BTW. I have bladder cancer.

LMP - we are eating at the Captain's Grille on Sunday the 22d. I'll have to look at my husband's schedule to see what else he has booked. He and my daughter did all the meal planning and scheduling for this trip since I was doing treatments and felt crappy! We also generally breakfast at the Marketplace - we are not big breakfast eaters, just coffee and pastries so that works well for us. We are DVC and staying in the villas so I have a kitchenette but if they let me stay in the room and drink coffee, I get a slow start. My husband and daughter know they need to get me dressed and out the door quick so they withhold coffee until I am ready! It would be so great to meet up.

 

[snappy]

I am glad you made the appointment and that it is for tomorrow, you will feel better knowling.

I firmly believe that knowledge is power, but I am a head over heels info seeker.

The busier you are the better. The nervousness you feel is very nromal. Feel your feelings, don't deny it.

We will be here for you, also hopeing and praying.

Laurie

 

[snappy]

Maryann, glad your toe is not blistered. it takes so long for one to heal.

I hope that car is still there so you can finish that chapter.

We did have a wonderful day yesterday.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

MaryAnn, I hope your DS can get the car situation settled! Leasing is OK as long as you can stay within the rules. The mileage and the wear and tear are BIG factors. I think the standard lease includes 12K miles per year, you can pay extra up front to have more miles. BUT if you go over on the miles they SLAM you on the other end with a per-mile charge. I was never charged for excess wear & tear, but the rules there are also very specific - dings, scratches, interior rips/stains, etc. The dealerships are much more willing to overlook little dents and scratches if you are going into another lease or purchase. If you just turn the lease car back in I bet they are strict. Obviously the other downside is that the car is never paid for. At the end of the lease you roll to another lease or buy the car, usually for more than it is worth!

DS has never been much of a math and science guy. And now the school is facing HUUUUUGE budget cuts so I have a feeling he will be dealing with much larger class sizes next year, reduced tutoring hours, and not much choice in teachers if he doesn't understand the teaching style of the one he gets. The Theatre coordinator said the Chem teacher is very good at explaining things, so we will hope he gets to keep his job. We are slated to lose about 15 teachers. 7 have accepted a resignation incentive, but that wiped out half the English dept. They are going to have to do some adjusting (and lay off 7 more teachers) so I don't know what the end result will look like.

Annie, best of luck with the tests!!

Laurie, how are you? Everything going well in LA today?

Anybody going to be at WDW in June? We'll be there June 3-18 at AKV/Jambo.

 

[wdw4us2]

Lots of activity here lately.

Annie - I think it's good that you are seeing a doctor sooner rather than later. It's great for peace of mind, if nothing else. I pray that you receive good news.

MaryAnn - You sure seem to have your share of vehicle drama! I hope things work out for your DS acquiring another vehicle soon. I'm not so sure about the leasing option for the same reasons others have mentioned. My DS, 16, is already bugging us about what he will be driving to school next year since he will be able to buy a parking space as a Junior. Funny how we never heard much about this until after he started working in February. . .

Candy - Sorry to hear you're having so much bad weather. It has actually been raining off and on all day today here, but it's a good thing since we are getting close to drought conditions once again this year.

Laurie - You are do fortunate that your DD was able to get such a good scholarship for college. One of Meg's friends from high school also attends Tulane with a full scholarship for women's basketball. We are fortunate in that we purchased a four year university contract for both our kids through the Florida Prepaid Tuition program. Meg also qualified for 100% Bright Futures Scholarship as a result of her ACT score. Even with both of those it's not enough to cover everything even with the two jobs that Meg is working. The tuition keeps getting raised every year, too.

jacksgirl - Nice to see you on here again - we missed you

smiley - Happy to see that you took the extra week to rest up. I have been taking Emend during the first three days of chemo during both of my courses of chemo. I find that it really helps with alleviating the nausea. I hope it does for you, too.

We had a nice Easter. Meg came home and my older brother cooked and brought over dinner for us since I haven't had the energy to cook for the past few months. I had several visitors over the weekend, too, which was nice since I am basically homebound for the most part. I am afraid to go anywhere public because I am so afraid of catching something since my immune system is so compromised. I went for my labs this morning and did get a Prokrit shot since my HGB below 10. I am hopeful that I will now have a bit more energy for the rest of the week.

I am enjoying reading about everyone's trip plans. I have already decided that the moment I feel strong for a continuous week, I am heading up to the Mouse House!

 

[Candy30]

Annie- I am glad to see you made the appointment. The worst part is waiting....... I agree concur with the advice given to feel what you feel. You have come to a great group that are very supportive. I don't have Breast Cancer but my mother did. I have B Cell Lymphoma and they have welcomed me with open arms and are very supportive.

PNM- DS wants to be a vet for larger animals. He has always been a lover of animals. Zoo Teen for years at our public Zoo. So he is paying for school to be a Technician (like a nurse for animals) and has a internship set up when he graduates that may pay for the rest of his schooling for vet. He is doing well.

Lisa- That was so nice your family stepped in and cooked for you. I know it was nice to see Meg and have visits. I hope you continue to feel better.

Snappy- You are on it GIRL! I love it. So much support here.

Jacks- Make sure you do a trip report in June. Yours cracks me up all the time.

 

[Sha]

JSG I am suppose to be there the first weekend of June.... meeting up with a friend. I will be without mom that trip. I havent seen him in about 15 years.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

JSG I am suppose to be there the first weekend of June.... meeting up with a friend. I will be without mom that trip. I havent seen him in about 15 years.

Let me know what your schedule looks like!

We arrive Friday around noon. We were supposed to be meeting for dinner that night with a family from the UK that we met on an IllumiNations cruise in 2005. Sadly, the dad passed away from a brain tumor earlier this week so I am not sure if our friend and his mum will make the trip or not.

Friday night around 9 PM we have a big Gay Days group meeting for cocktails at AKL - the more the merrier! Saturday we'll be at MK all day, and Sunday we are drinking around the world (the LIGHTWEIGHT version!) starting at noon.

 

[Sha]

My friends family received very good news! The areas are unchanged and appear to be a nodule of scar tissue in one spot, granuloma (2mm) in the other and lymphnode didnt show up as anything on scan. You know that they are feeling VERY blessed and thankful for the news.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!! I can tell you that it meant a lot to my friend

 

[wdw4us2]

My friends family received very good news! The areas are unchanged and appear to be a nodule of scar tissue in one spot, granuloma (2mm) in the other and lymphnode didnt show up as anything on scan. You know that they are feeling VERY blessed and thankful for the news.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!! I can tell you that it meant a lot to my friend

Great news, Sha!

 

[OceanAnnie]

I saw the doctor this morning. I'm scheduled for surgery next Friday. He's going to remove the ducts and run tests on the tissues. I don't know if it's the manipulation, getting ready to start, or my mind playing tricks on me, but the area underneath hurts. I'm going with my mind playing tricks on me. He said it was a 5% chance of cancer, but I'm not going to breathe easy until it's over. I'll let you guys know the results.

He highly recommended I go on Tamoxifen given my family history. But he said let's get through this first phase first.

So, I've done everything I think I should. Right now I want a healthy dose of denial and chocolate.

I won't be around much, I don't think. But please know I do appreciate the prayers and well wishes.

You guys are a great group!

ETA- I ate a whole solid chocolate bunny. It was good.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I was thinking about you last night, Annie. Thanks for the update. We're here to wait with you!

It's great you got in to see the surgeon so quickly! Let's hope you get good news. I like the odds.

Re: the tamoxifin. The only way I would consider that is in consultation with an oncologist. They are really the experts in adjuvant therapies. From time to time surgeons and medical doctors (oncologists) can have differing opinions on things.

My breast cancer was one of the 30% of BCs not fueled by hormones. In the BC world it's known as "triple negative". Had I gone on tamox it could have actually made my BC worse. I mean, I think that if you're high risk, it makes sense to take preventative measures, but I think they have to be the right ones for both you and for the disease. Since no two BC cases are ever alike, all decisions need to be made based on the individual and their unique circumstances, even if it's preventative.

I have a friend who's high risk who has MRIs yearly along with mamms and clinical exams (the same thing I have being a survivor - well, that's if BCBS decides to pay for the MRIs these days ). I've also seen people who elect to have prophylactic, ie preventative bilateral mastectomies. And then there's the option of tamox. But all of these should be discussed with both an oncologist and a surgeon and then together a decision made.

 

[Candy30]

Annie- Please keep us up to date!

Sha-Great news for your friend. That is awesome.

I hope everyone is getting stronger and feeling better!

 

[OceanAnnie]

I was thinking about you last night, Annie. Thanks for the update. We're here to wait with you!

It's great you got in to see the surgeon so quickly! Let's hope you get good news. I like the odds.

Re: the tamoxifin. The only way I would consider that is in consultation with an oncologist. They are really the experts in adjuvant therapies. From time to time surgeons and medical doctors (oncologists) can have differing opinions on things.

My breast cancer was one of the 30% of BCs not fueled by hormones. In the BC world it's known as "triple negative". Had I gone on tamox it could have actually made my BC worse. I mean, I think that if you're high risk, it makes sense to take preventative measures, but I think they have to be the right ones for both you and for the disease. Since no two BC cases are ever alike, all decisions need to be made based on the individual and their unique circumstances, even if it's preventative.

I have a friend who's high risk who has MRIs yearly along with mamms and clinical exams (the same thing I have being a survivor - well, that's if BCBS decides to pay for the MRIs these days ). I've also seen people who elect to have prophylactic, ie preventative bilateral mastectomies. And then there's the option of tamox. But all of these should be discussed with both an oncologist and a surgeon and then together a decision made.

The doctor is an oncology surgeon. Maybe he wears two hats? He ran part of the initial trials of tamoxifen on the east coast. He sat down and talked with me about it. But I'm not sure how much actually sank in. I need to get past next Friday first. Super nice fellow.

I did tell him I'm scared to go on it. It's something I'll need to think about.

Thank you for telling me about your experience. I wouldn't have known anything about that at all. I may have some questions for you later.

Annie- Please keep us up to date!

Sha-Great news for your friend. That is awesome.

I hope everyone is getting stronger and feeling better!

Thank you, I will.

I hope everyone is doing well too.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

The doctor is an oncology surgeon. Maybe he wears two hats? He ran part of the initial trials of tamoxifen on the east coast. He sat down and talked with me about it. But I'm not sure how much actually sank in. I need to get past next Friday first. Super nice fellow.

I did tell him I'm scared to go on it. It's something I'll need to think about.

Thank you for telling me about your experience. I wouldn't have known anything about that at all. I may have some questions for you later.

I'm speaking generally. I don't know about your surgeon, but you could always get a second opinion before making your final decision. I have some articles for you re tamox as preventative (I looked it up to see what's going on these days with it) but I don't want to overwhelm you with information. Maybe put them aside to read later? One thing at a time - let's get you through the surgery first!

http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/08/tamoxifen-breast-cancer-prevention-routinely.html

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/tamoxifen

http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20100420/tamoxifen-evista-preent-breast-cancer

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Wanted to tell you guys about two God Winks we experienced here last week.

First was with DH. He attended a class on the anniv of his brother's death, something he rarely has to do for work. There was a business in the movie they showed in class, and guess what the name of the business was? Yes, his brother's name - of all the names it could have been! And also it was the same name DH called him, not one of the two other names common for that name. (Like Davey, not Dave or David.) This is the same as the Piece of Cake guy, lmp!

I also had one. Last weekend was the 25th anniv of my father's passing. I was thinking about him all day. Around 10pm that night, I was at a party, and someone asked me a question that blew me away. They asked me if I had ever been to a city that my father at one time lived in, several states away (which they had no idea about). The reason she asked me this was because her husband was applying for a job there and they're thinking of moving there. But it is definitely a city I associate with my father and hadn't muttered its name in years. So it was a nice little GW that made me happy that day.

Pretty cool if your mind is open to these things.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Sha, I am glad there was good news for your friend!

Annie, I hope the surgery goes well! There is so much information it is hard to wrap your head around everything. Take your time and do some research once your head has cleared a bit.