Dis Breast Cancer Survivors Part IV - GAGWTA

[Dan Murphy]

I just wanted to stop by, ladies, on this first day of breast cancer awareness month. Maybe some day we won't have to have an awareness month for breast cancer, it may be gone some day. THAT would be fabulous!!

Keep up the fight, ladies. You are such a wonderful bunch or loving, caring, helping individuals.

I was saddened to read of Cheryl's passing. My condolences, Elmo. 's

 

[snappy]

Hi Dan, so nice for you to stop by and recognize this day. I had a doctor's visit today which brought me to women's hospital where the majority of breast surgeries are done here in Baton Rouge. There were a lot of staff dressed in pink today!

Elmo, glad your trip was so good. Thanks for keeping us updated about your dad's recovery and your fun trips.

 

[Feralpeg]

Thanks, Dan!

 

[snappy]

Finally have a minute to post about my mom's recent fall. Last Thursday, mom tripped on some uneven stepping stones when she was on her way back to her unit at her retirement community.

Luckily another resident witnessed the fall from the enclosed porch at her cottage and she alerted the staff. They called an ambulance and me and I met them at the hospital.

Luckily although she broke her wrist badly, gashed her chin which needed 3 stitches, and had numerous scrapes and bruises, she escaped anything worse. "THE" wrist orthopedic surgeon was on call and as soon as they had the results of the cat scans of her brain and neck and the X-ray of her wrist, he put in a titanium plate and screws.

She was released the next day but assessed by the hospital based PT and OT as needing 24/7 care.

Also, a spine specialist decided she needed this huge cumbersome cervical brace. Needless to say she was frustrated and combative.

We have had daily home health PT and OT. Miraculously her range of motion was measured by the OT as 90% yesterday. The therapists are recommending she is past needing 24/7 attention. Just in time as my sister and I are pretty wiped out. My sister lives with constant nerve pain, so she truly needs a break, I am just tired, and struggling with balancing all the appointments and staying with Kim with my work schedule.

We are hoping to get daily visits by an aide started soon. I am fortunate that the retirement community is ten minutes from our house and my office, so I can pop in several times daily.

In just got blindsided by this, just 12 hours from getting back from my little NYC getaway. Glad I went, it may be a while before any other trips.

I know we are lucky she was spared a head injury or another spinal fracture or a broken hip. She is motivated to recover, doing the wrist PT and eating well. She is an independent sort.

GAGWTA

 

[Elmo9607]

Dear Emily, ( one of my grand daughters name is Emily ) I am so sorry you are going through this. I had a big cry reading your post, and am sending you a big virtual mom hug!!! I lost my mom in my mid 30's and that was and has been hard. Our grand daughters lost their daddy (our son) when they were 1, 3,5, and 7 years old and that has been one of the very hardest things, it is just not right to lose a parent so young! My daughters and I text several times a day, and one thing that has kept me fighting so hard, it that I don't want to bring any more pain to them or our grand children. I know your mom was like that, didn't want to bring you pain. hubby and I are planning our next trip down the california coast and to disneyland, and i feel so sad to not have your mom here to plan and plot with, and I am really sad she never had a chance to post any pictures or much detail about the trip her and your dad just went on. On a previous trip, they stayed at an inn on moonstone beach in cambria, based on my recommendation, and she loved it so! going to sleep listening to the waves crash on the beach. I know that when we visit there again, I will feel her spirit there. our youngest daughter got together with her about to be fiance (he is going to propose and she doesn't know yet, but we do! ) about the same time that her brother (our son) was killed. He has been amazing!! and we are so grateful to have him in our lives! Thankyou for coming back to post here, you don't realise how very much it is appreciated!! We all really miss Cheryl here I am glad your dad is doing so well, and so glad he has lot's of help! take care

I just saw this post! I don't visit here that much anymore so I had a lot to go through, lol. Mom took a lot of photos on her last trip...she and my dad discovered how to take selfies, lol. They are mostly on her phone and I'm not sure I'd be able to get them . But they were beautiful as always and as usual there were some of her posing with the frozen drinks she loved so much! If I'm able to find some in my messages I'll try to post them for you all

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Oh, my, snappy. Combative? Titanium plate and screws? Wow! I am dealing with some falls in my Mom, too, but none that bad, thankfully. (Just a broken nose so far!) She has finally started using a walker a little bit. Stubborn gals.

 

[smiley_face2]

Oh Snappy! yes it is good you had a break before all of this!! I hope she recovers quickly and gains her independence again asap!
Dan that is so nice of you to send your good wishes here!
results from cat scan on my lower spine show the changes I knew were there, so it's off to the specialist and an mri then we will talk about surgery. our daughter in laws mom went through this last year, and had surgery and is doing so well now! she gave me the name of her dr so I will see if I can see the same person. Next weekend is Canadian thanksgiving, and we are off to a memorial for my step mother in law. we will be staying over night and stopping in to see our daughter in law and the grand daughters on the way home. It's going to be a really hard weekend. The joy of seeing them is always tempered by having to leave them, and also by having to see them with someone other than their father being a dad to them. and of course it is another family holiday that emphasizes that he is truly gone.

 

[snappy]

Janet, thinking of you with the cat scan and the upcoming weekend.

Yes, Linda, mom was combative about the spinal brace. She did not want it when it was ordered, even less so when she saw it. It's horrendous. In the hospital the pain and the drugs were driving this, she wore it some when she got home but it really is impossible. She complained mightily to the wrist surgeon when we saw him Tuesday to get the lightweight wrist splint, so he gave her dispensation. The cervical fracture they saw in the cat scan is likely the same one from 4 years ago, and since she has absolutely no back pain right now the wrist surgeon said, even though he is not a spinal specialist she can choose not to wear the spinal brace if she wants. We see the spinal guy on Oct 14th, I imagine he will order an MRI.

She had her first night solo last night and I got a good report this morning. She has gone to eat in the "dining room" with my sister or me now several times since Tuesday and this morning she called me back to tell me she was going to a concert downstairs in her building presented by the LSU music department.

There are some distinct advantages to having moved her into a retirement community 6 weeks ago, even though she is in an independent living unit. If need be she can be moved into an assistive living unit for no extra cost other than an extra meal a day. That is why we did the lifecare option anyway. We have 1 more week of home based OT and PT then outpatient specialist wrist PT. We arranged for an aide 3 times a week for bathing and dressing. We may also start with a private duty nurse for a few hours a day just to ease her in to that scenario to prepare for the future.

She is still happy with her living arrangement so we are trying to bring services to her, even if it costs a bit, we are still ahead I think if she is happier this way.

Thanks for the encouragement.

 

[minkydog]

Hi, y'all,
I just wanted to touch base with everyone. I've been kind of quiet for the last several weeks since my diagnosis in July. It' been a whirlwind, first with the lumpectomy, then re-excision to get clear margins, then various complications including a rip-roaring infection in the breast. I am just now getting back to work after 6 weeks!

That said, everything went sideways last week. I saw an oncologist last Monday (my birthday, too!) He was rather laid back and not very concerned. After looking over my medical records, labs, and gene mutations, he recommended a very conservative approach. He all but patted me on the head and bade me not to worry my pretty little mind about it. I have researched my breast cancer thoroughly (luminal B) and I was expecting an aggressive treatment path. I came away disconcerted and unsettled, to say the least.

After a restless night's sleep,and talking it over with my very upset husband, I had a second opinion last Thurs. The new oncologist looked over all my medical records, et al, and took a thorough family medical history (which includes 19 cases of cancer in my 1st & 2nd degree relatives!) She has recommended an aggressive treatment plan, much more in line with what I had expected: chemo, followed by bilateral mastectomies, plus possible ovary removal and possible radiation. Strangely, DH & I both came away from the appointment feeling satisfied, as though our fears had been validated and heard, and that the treatment plan was appropriate.

So this week I am trying to catch up on work and home visits, go to the dentist, get a port placed next week, go for a wig fitting (gonna lose all my hair sometime 1st-2nd week of Nov), and lay in supplies of meals and healthy snacks for chemo week (Oct 20.) It will be here before I know it. Nobody wants to go through chemo, but it beats dying from breast cancer!

 

[leebee]

Hi, y'all,
I just wanted to touch base with everyone. I've been kind of quiet for the last several weeks since my diagnosis in July. It' been a whirlwind, first with the lumpectomy, then re-excision to get clear margins, then various complications including a rip-roaring infection in the breast. I am just now getting back to work after 6 weeks!

That said, everything went sideways last week. I saw an oncologist last Monday (my birthday, too!) He was rather laid back and not very concerned. After looking over my medical records, labs, and gene mutations, he recommended a very conservative approach. He all but patted me on the head and bade me not to worry my pretty little mind about it. I have researched my breast cancer thoroughly (luminal B) and I was expecting an aggressive treatment path. I came away disconcerted and unsettled, to say the least.

After a restless night's sleep,and talking it over with my very upset husband, I had a second opinion last Thurs. The new oncologist looked over all my medical records, et al, and took a thorough family medical history (which includes 19 cases of cancer in my 1st & 2nd degree relatives!) She has recommended an aggressive treatment plan, much more in line with what I had expected: chemo, followed by bilateral mastectomies, plus possible ovary removal and possible radiation. Strangely, DH & I both came away from the appointment feeling satisfied, as though our fears had been validated and heard, and that the treatment plan was appropriate.

So this week I am trying to catch up on work and home visits, go to the dentist, get a port placed next week, go for a wig fitting (gonna lose all my hair sometime 1st-2nd week of Nov), and lay in supplies of meals and healthy snacks for chemo week (Oct 20.) It will be here before I know it. Nobody wants to go through chemo, but it beats dying from breast cancer!

Hi minkydog. I've been wondering about how you were doing. It's sad to read your update but I'm glad to see you're attacking everything head-on and doing what needs to be done. As you said, nobody wants to go thru chemo, but it beats dying from breast cancer. Actually, your post on the "oldest thing in your house" thread- about your silver dollars- prompted me to search you out. Remember... you "can do things you never thought were possible." Hang in there, and know we are all thinking of you.

 

[smiley_face2]

Hi, y'all,
I just wanted to touch base with everyone. I've been kind of quiet for the last several weeks since my diagnosis in July. It' been a whirlwind, first with the lumpectomy, then re-excision to get clear margins, then various complications including a rip-roaring infection in the breast. I am just now getting back to work after 6 weeks!

That said, everything went sideways last week. I saw an oncologist last Monday (my birthday, too!) He was rather laid back and not very concerned. After looking over my medical records, labs, and gene mutations, he recommended a very conservative approach. He all but patted me on the head and bade me not to worry my pretty little mind about it. I have researched my breast cancer thoroughly (luminal B) and I was expecting an aggressive treatment path. I came away disconcerted and unsettled, to say the least.

After a restless night's sleep,and talking it over with my very upset husband, I had a second opinion last Thurs. The new oncologist looked over all my medical records, et al, and took a thorough family medical history (which includes 19 cases of cancer in my 1st & 2nd degree relatives!) She has recommended an aggressive treatment plan, much more in line with what I had expected: chemo, followed by bilateral mastectomies, plus possible ovary removal and possible radiation. Strangely, DH & I both came away from the appointment feeling satisfied, as though our fears had been validated and heard, and that the treatment plan was appropriate.

So this week I am trying to catch up on work and home visits, go to the dentist, get a port placed next week, go for a wig fitting (gonna lose all my hair sometime 1st-2nd week of Nov), and lay in supplies of meals and healthy snacks for chemo week (Oct 20.) It will be here before I know it. Nobody wants to go through chemo, but it beats dying from breast cancer!

Best of luck with everything! I said about my first oncologist, I am alive in spite of him not because of him my current onc is awesome. I am guessing you will just have local freezing for your port? if so, take something ahead of time to keep you calm. I found it to be quite intense, not painful, but scarey and uncomfortable, and wished I had been warned better so I could have prepared. And yes, all the stuff we have to go through is better than the alternative!

 

[minkydog]

Best of luck with everything! I said about my first oncologist, I am alive in spite of him not because of him my current onc is awesome. I am guessing you will just have local freezing for your port? if so, take something ahead of time to keep you calm. I found it to be quite intense, not painful, but scarey and uncomfortable, and wished I had been warned better so I could have prepared. And yes, all the stuff we have to go through is better than the alternative!

I'm not sure exactly what they're going to do with the port, but I'll be seeing the interventional radiologist on Friday. I will be sure to address sedation with him then. I had a PICC line placed about 2 years ago and I got really woozy and nauseous with that. Weird for me, because I don't usually react that way. The older I get, the more anxiety I seem to have with medical stuff (or maybe it's that the older I get, the more serious medical stuff I have to endure!)

Hi minkydog. I've been wondering about how you were doing. It's sad to read your update but I'm glad to see you're attacking everything head-on and doing what needs to be done. As you said, nobody wants to go thru chemo, but it beats dying from breast cancer. Actually, your post on the "oldest thing in your house" thread- about your silver dollars- prompted me to search you out. Remember... you "can do things you never thought were possible." Hang in there, and know we are all thinking of you.

Thanks, leebee. I needed to be reminded about that. I think I'll dig those silver dollars out of hiding and put them in my pocket, or at least give them a rubbing before I leave for chemo. I know I have the determination to get through this; I just need to remember that I've done hard things before.

 

[leebee]

I'm not sure exactly what they're going to do with the port, but I'll be seeing the interventional radiologist on Friday. I will be sure to address sedation with him then. I had a PICC line placed about 2 years ago and I got really woozy and nauseous with that. Weird for me, because I don't usually react that way. The older I get, the more anxiety I seem to have with medical stuff (or maybe it's that the older I get, the more serious medical stuff I have to endure!)



Thanks, leebee. I needed to be reminded about that. I think I'll dig those silver dollars out of hiding and put them in my pocket, or at least give them a rubbing before I leave for chemo. I know I have the determination to get through this; I just need to remember that I've done hard things before.

 

[smiley_face2]

I'm not sure exactly what they're going to do with the port, but I'll be seeing the interventional radiologist on Friday. I will be sure to address sedation with him then. I had a PICC line placed about 2 years ago and I got really woozy and nauseous with that. Weird for me, because I don't usually react that way. The older I get, the more anxiety I seem to have with medical stuff (or maybe it's that the older I get, the more serious medical stuff I have to endure!)

a porta cath is more invasive than a picc line so if that made you woozy maybe they will give you some proper sedation. I know if I ever have it done again, I will be sedated. He assured me to no end that having it removed would be nothing the same and not to worry. Well that was a little lie! It took ages!! the little room he did it in looked like a battle field after, blood everywhere! I don't know if maybe I was just unlucky with the process And yes I agree, the older I get the less tolerance I have for having things done, that will cause pain.

 

[Dancind]

Minky, are you ER positive? I was told that with a mastectomy, chemo wasn't needed even with type B. Wishing you strength for this, hope it all goes quickly for you.

And yes on the pain thing! The insertion of the tubes for brachytherapy was , to me, pure torture! And took over two hours! Definitely would recommend sedation for that, but I don't think they ever do it.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Janet - Happy Thanksgiving (a little late, sorry) Hope you had a good celebration.

Linda -that food looks amazing. I would go with the haddock.

Minky - sorry you had to deal with the infection. I hope the port placement is bearable

Dianna - hope you are healing post op too

Laurie - sorry to hear about your moms fall. That brace thing does sound cumbersome. My cousins ds is a phys therapist and the bosses wanted him to see about a brace for a patient that sounds like your moms. He says they get lots of $$ from medicare for it and he thought the patient didnt need it either. I am glad you had a good time in NY and seeing your db and dd.

Peg - how was the Rick Springfield concert. I am watching the Chew episodes from Epcot but dont know if they are live. I want to see Air Supply.My dh says -who is that, grr. He was not into music in high school to say the least, just call him Albert Einstein lol. Did you try any of the food? I have a few on my list to try.

Elmo - your trip sounds like it was busy but a lot of fun! I'm glad you are adventurous like your mom. Glad to hear that your dad will be going back to work.

Well I am doing the countdown - 6 days. I just ordered the town car for Florida and the wheelchair that I rent. We have to get a car service to the airport since our flight leaves at 6:20 am and the ds cant take us that early with their work schedules. But they will pick us up on the flight back. I will try to do the fastpass stuff but dh and I arent too much of ride people.

Te hematologist ordered some prescript. vitamin supplement but I have just found out they sent it to the wrong pharmacy,sigh.

This weekend we want to take our annual trip to the pumpkin patch and I just sawitwllbe57 degrees for the high yikes and brrr. I am glad we are going to Fl on tues.

GAGWTA. Thinking of you all.

 

[Feralpeg]

Snappy, So sorry to hear about your mom's fall. My sister broke her wrist about two months ago and had to have a plate put in. It was a stressful few weeks!

Minky, When I did my chemo, I found the only things I could really eat, through the first four infusions, was yogurt, eggs, cottage cheese and potato soup. I lost my sense of taste and the texture of everything else bothered me. If you have a problem eating go for the things with a softer texture.

When I had my port put in, they used the twilight sedation. It worked out well.

LMP, Unfortunately, I didn't get to see Rick. I was very disappointed. I have a big brace on my right foot. I have developed sinus tarsitis. I also have a lot of bone loss in that foot, so the doctor is trying the brace and cortisone shots. Worse case, I'll need surgery. I am really hoping that things improve, because I have big plans for time in the parks over the holidays! Hope Rick returns again next year!

 

[minkydog]

Had the port placement today. I took a half a Xanax at bedtime, followed by another this morning (with my doctor's blessings). When I got there I made sure to tell everyone involved that I needed maximum sedation. The last thing I remember saying is "I don't think this stuff is working." I wasn't knocked out cold, but I wasn't conversational at all. Here were are 10 hours later and the port & surrounding skin is completely numb. The small incision on my neck is sore, but not too bad.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I'm glad that went well for you, Minky.

 

[leebee]

Had the port placement today. I took a half a Xanax at bedtime, followed by another this morning (with my doctor's blessings). When I got there I made sure to tell everyone involved that I needed maximum sedation. The last thing I remember saying is "I don't think this stuff is working." I wasn't knocked out cold, but I wasn't conversational at all. Here were are 10 hours later and the port & surrounding skin is completely numb. The small incision on my neck is sore, but not too bad.

Hang in there!