Dis Breast Cancer Survivors Part IV - GAGWTA

[love2disney]

I would have no issue if the first surgeon had told me look u have a lot of fatty tissueand looks likeneedle did not go in deep enough, Instead in a one minute phone call he said thereaults are inconclusive and the only way out is to take the lump out. Iwent to the path lab to get the slides coz my second opinion doctor wamts it and i spoke to thetech. She also said that this was not the lump tissue. I need a doc who is straight with me and takes some time to explain the decision. This surgeon is very experienced.i do not know what happened but i am shaky about him as of now. Lets hope i love the surgeon i ammeeting Monday

 

[luvmarypoppins]

MerMom - I am sure you are glad the surgery is behind you and wishing you all the best with the reconstruction and recovery. Its good you like your surgeon.
Sorry you had to postpone your trip. But it gives you something to look forward to again. (I had to wait almost a whole year to get back to Disney, 7 operations later).

hulagirl - I have a different cancer, so cant comment all that much. I dont know if another poster Annrae (barbara lives in your area), so she might be more familiar with hospitals, doctors etc. I live on Long Island and I am blessed to go to the Univ. Hosp. close to me. My other option would be Sloan Kettering if need be in the future. Wishing your mom all the best. I am sure its frustrating that someone cant give her the information she wants or returns calls etc. I found out to get to know the receptionists the best etc. They are the gatekeepers to the drs. etc. I hope your mom gets the info she needs to make the best decision.

love2disney - sorry you are going through so much too. I had to have a couple biopsies before my actual dx and I have thy ca and had to be awake, so mine was a little different. I know its so hard when you are so young and so much is going through your mind. Just take it one day at a time or it can get overwhelming. My faith brings me alot of comfort. I hope you like the new dr. on Monday. Hang in there.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Laurie - love the picture of your dd and Peter Pan

Sha - a little meet up with R. sounds wonderful. Enjoy your time together.

Linda - thought of you as my dh and the ds are going camera shopping for their adventure this week end.

Well my neck is hurting me alot in the back of the surgical/tumor side. I was crying last night. I told dh sometimes it feels like someone whacked me in the neck with a baseball bat. Dont know what it is as I dont feel any lymph nodes popping out. and I dont know if I feel like going back to the surgeon. I already have the eye surgeon to deal with in the near future.

Our washer is fixed. Yeah! I did a little thread about the repairman. He was strange and also used the bathroom. Sorry, that just creeps me out.

Guess this week end will be spent getting everything they need for the trip. They leave next Friday.

I wrote a preliminary plan for our May disney trip, now I need to make the adrs and I guess book the airfare. Doesnt seem like the prices will budge much more down, its $210 round trip plus the fees.

GAGWTA. Have a great week end everyone

 

[Sha]

oh it WILL be wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!! So need some of his *therapy* (I almost quit my job this week.)

we are meeting half way this time (first time) and I think we will do more often. Will see how the drive is.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Lisa - how are you feeling sista? Thinking of you. Hang in there!

PatsMom - saw your chemo post on the other board, good ideas to share

Candy - hope you are doing well sista

Cheryl - know you have your ct scan coming up. Wishing you all the best.

Laurie - did you read the mardi gras post on the cb board. That touched my heart about that little girl and her story that her mom shared.

So sunny here today. Never realized it, but someone said no snow equals the lakes and reservoirs are so low We have underground aquifers here, so I guess we are ok for now, but if it gets too dry we risk the woodland fires.

Ds20- heard from one nursing school. Again, so confusing. He is calling on Monday. In the packet it says welcome, you have a 7500 scholarship, but you have to complete the something program before you get accepted into the nursing program. We looked it up, its 3 religion classes and some communications class. Then there is a hand written note from some girl telling him he will be a great addition to the nursing program, so the million dollar question is - is he in or not?

Dh and I discussed it with him and he agrees. He is not wasting anytime there doing these classes not even knowing if he is getting in. I fear this will be the case with the 2 other religious colleges he applied to. So glad he applied to like 6 schools, so its just praying and waiting and seeing right now I guess.

GAGWTA.

 

[PatsMom]

Hello ladies! Once again I've been absent for a while. Things just seem so hectic lately. I'm working a lot of hours and trying to get ahead. I am going to Europe in April (assuming I get a clean check up on the 8th of March and just have to do my three rounds of maintenance treatments). Seems like having cancer just puts your whole life on hold sometimes. Everything depends on the next checkup, the next treatment, etc. After France I am back to work for only a week and it is time for our May trip to Disney. First trip we'll have with our daughter in a while so we are looking forward to it. She is finishing up her semester abroad in Dijon France - that's the reason for our trip there.

LMP - is your neck feeling any better? Even if you don't want to, you might have to deal with the surgeon. It doesn't sound like a good thing to be happening. I know how frustrating it is to make the rounds of doctor's but sometimes you just got to do it.

Hope everyone is doing well and hanging in there. For the new ladies I've noticed - keep the faith! The treatments and diagnosis tools are getting better all the time.

GAGWTA

 

[luvmarypoppins]

PatsMom - when are you going to WDW in May? Dh and I will be there May 17 and leaving the 23rd.

 

[Sha]

Began collecting memories this weekend with R. Will be going back to get at least 4 to signify other ties to R and I being together. 1 for him and how we met, 1 for us getting back together, my first trip to him, RFTC. If I add another 2 it is him calling me sunshine every morning and 1 for NYE together. Im actually unsure about the NYE one. The sunshine is one I am going to get.

We enjoyed and explored a little in Ft Walton Beach. Got a Pandora charm of a dolphin for the ones we saw swimming when we stopped for lunch and shopping... and some adult beverages. I couldve gotten a giraffe too LOL

It wasnt weather to go out to the beach area but we will another time. I did stop there on the way home and took a couple pictures. I think that we will enjoy some other trips there.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

love2disney - hope your visit went well with the new dr. this morning. Keep us updated.

Sha - I love the memory bracelet. Love how R. calls you

Linda - saw your compromise thread. I compromised with dh and the ds on the new camera they got yesterday. I told them I really hated the red color, but they said thats all it came in. Its some Nikon one that has a gps and even is waterproof with 16 megapixels etc. I am camera clueless. I hope the pictures are good. I want to take it to Disney. It was $$$. They said its some new model out. So we now have a red camera. Hmm my favorite color is blue.

Well dh has informed me that after he gets back from New Zealand then I think in less than 3 weeks he is heading off to Washington and California for about a week.

I will definetly need a disney vacation by May. And if dh is going to that conference then, I will have him check me in as the reservation is in his name and then he can go fly to New Orleans.

GAGWTA.

 

[wdw4us2]

Sorry I have been away for awhile. A lot has been going on.

Brief synopsis - I had a CT scan yesterday. As a result, the radiologist is going to start treatment again on Thursday to try and shrink the mass I have near my diaphragm. As of now, I have 14 treatments scheduled. Also on Thursday, I am having a stent put in my left kidney due to something also showed up on the CT scan. I have chemo on Friday and am on a different drug now - Oxaliplatin. I will have that every two weeks.

Don't know how I'm going to endure all of this at once since I have been feeling so weak and winded recently. Just praying that I have the strength to make it through this latest bump in the road. I will probably not be on the board much for at least two weeks. I'll try to update you when I feel up to it.

 

[Sha]

Sorry I have been away for awhile. A lot has been going on.

Brief synopsis - I had a CT scan yesterday. As a result, the radiologist is going to start treatment again on Thursday to try and shrink the mass I have near my diaphragm. As of now, I have 14 treatments scheduled. Also on Thursday, I am having a stent put in my left kidney due to something also showed up on the CT scan. I have chemo on Friday and am on a different drug now - Oxaliplatin. I will have that every two weeks.

Don't know how I'm going to endure all of this at once since I have been feeling so weak and winded recently. Just praying that I have the strength to make it through this latest bump in the road. I will probably not be on the board much for at least two weeks. I'll try to update you when I feel up to it.

Thinking about you and will keep watch on FB. Just get the healing rest you need.

 

[snappy]

Sending you wishes for strength to be able to keep up with the rigorous treatment schedule.

You will continue to be on my mind.

 

[snappy]

DD16's new look

I am still doing a double take

She says she likes not having the weight of the hair. Another plus-she can do her hair in 5 minutes.

She is blessed with thick hair and lots of body. Those two qualities were a curse with the long hair as it would take forever even with a good flat iron.

Those same qualities are golden with short.

It is just such a drastic CHANGE fron the very long hair. I think she enjoyed surprising people at first, but listening to the comments has gotten old. Does bring out her baby blues though.

And somehow you just see her clothes more.

Interesting optical illusion.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Lisa, I said prayers for you tonight. You have been through so much.

I also wonder how love2disney made out today. We're thinking of you, love2!

Laurie, I love the look! She's beautiful! Loved the Disney pic as well!

lmp, red cameras are fun! I hope you get some great shots with it. I am really excited that spring training has begun!

Sha, I'm sorry work is so stressful.

PatsMom, enjoy planning your trip!

I am worried about my friend (who lost her son). She is in that really awful stage of shock and sadness. She at least is talking, though - a little bit.

DS is gearing up for baseball season. He's grown a lot in the last several months. DD is doing well also, we got to do some fun stuff last week when they were on vacation. The weather's been great all winter but we have a storm coming in tomorrow. I'm hunkering down, relieved I don't have to work!

GAGWTA

 

[SeaSpray]

Hi everyone:

I haven't posted here in probably a couple of years. I had posted during the time period that I was going for genetic counseling and testing to see if I had the BRCA gene mutation. (My sister, who had breast cancer, tested positive for it, so I then I got tested).

It turned out that I do not carry the gene mutation. However, my awesome, wonderful, beautiful niece, does have the mutation (she's 40 years old), and is having a double mastectomy tomorrow (Wed Feb 29).

Can I ask for some good thoughts for her as she goes through this? She is handling everything very well, (as well as she can), and since her mom (my sister) has gone through this already, at least she has someone with her who has been through it, although my niece will not have to deal with chemo or anything, except for the breast reconstruction surgery.

I hope that it's appropriate for me to post this here. I hope that I am not offending anyone because of the fact that my niece doesn't have cancer and is "only" having the mastectomies.

Before we were both tested, I prayed that if one of us had to test positive, that it be ME, and not her. Unfortunately, it turned out the opposite way.

ANyway, I'm sorry to ramble here. I'm in MA, she's in NJ, and I will be going down there in a couple of weeks to help her out. For the first couple of weeks she will be at my sister'shouse, and then when she goes home she has her DH and DD13 who is also a very big help.

Thanks everyone. Again, sorry for intruding if this isn't the right place for my post.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Of course it's ok to post, SeaSpray! Sending prayers and good thoughts and healing for your neice! She is smart...

BTW, for yourself, there is a new (let me see how I can explain this) gene segment that has been identified recently that wasn't identified during your last testing. They are testing for it now. I had mine done last fall (negative). But they're saying they're finding a few positives that have surprised them. You might want to look into it.

I hope everything goes well with your neice tomorrow.

 

[CherylDan]

Lisa, I'm so sorry that you are facing so much. Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers, and sending out tons of good wishes. Please keep us updated when you are feeling up to it.

Linda, I'm sure your friend knows that you are there for her - not sure what else, if anything, you can do.....what a terrible situation.

Snappy, your DD is adorable!

Sha, sounds like you had a great weekend!

LMP, how are the Disney plans coming? Did you get your ADRs made? I love making plans, especially for dining.....we are hoping to go again this year for the F&W, will have to wait and see.

PatsMom, hope your results are good, going to Europe sounds awesome! And Disney too......wow, you will really be on the go!

I've been keeping busy during my latest two months of "good" health, and still have a month to go before getting another CT scan at the end of March. If things are still good then, I think DH and I are going to look into going on an Alaska cruise in June.....I'm afraid to think too much about it now, seems like I'd be tempting fate or something - don't want to look ahead too much.

We do however have a trip planned in a few weeks to Las Vegas, at the Venetian......I'm really excited to be going. We aren't really in to gambling, but instead just looking for a relaxing time, and some good eats.

My DD called last night to let us know that her father-in-law died suddenly at home yesterday in Chicago. DD was in NYC for work and her DH (Jack) was at home in Boston, but his mom couldn't get ahold of Jack and called DD hysterical. DD couldn't get ahold of Jack either, and she just didn't know what to do. His mom ended up reaching him before DD did. Very sad situation.

Sorry I have been in lurker mode lately....I've been reading, just haven't been feeling very talkative I guess.

GAGWTA!

 

[snappy]

Linda, sorry your friend is still struggling. It sounds she might be moving forward a bit though. Lucky to have you there when she is ready to talk more.

Is it spring already? I know you love this season, I hope it is wonderful for your entire family. I know you will be a busy bee with practices and games.

Seaspray, glad you posted again. As Linda said, we are thrilled to have you hear. I appreciate how much you care about your niece.

Love your username by the way. I followed a great website when I struggled with the decision to go forward with reconstruction in in 2006. One of our good friends from this thread, Laura posted about it once, facingourrisk.org, where many individuals post who had the gene and either have that cancer diagnosis or are considering prophylactic surgery like your niece is having today. It is not an easy choice certainly, but as Linda posted, it is a very smart one. Also wise to be tested to know your status, in my opinion.

How very loving of you to go stay with her in a few weeks and help her. The first month after reconstruction you can't do very much at all. That is when she will need the most help, especially with double surgery. Is she having implant or flap surgery? Your comment about wishing it was you rather than her as far as carrying the gene really struck me. You are a very special person, and I am sure a treasure to both your sister and your niece. I hope she does feel today with the surgery. Keep us posted.

Cheryl, good to see your post. Glad you are enjoying a respite from testing/treatment. Enjoy your Vegas trip.

The Alaska cruise sounds wonderful too. Nice to have those plans in the pipeline to think about.

Still dealing with drama with my gambling brother. We had a lull for about two and a half weeks, but he is sending mom disturbing emails again and trying to reach mom by phone. It looks like we will work out paying for his daughter's schooling in Costa Rica as that is something mom can do without enabling the gambling by paying the tuition directly to the school. Mom really wants to help his children, but the rest of the contact with him is so difficult. It is to the point that my siblings and I agree that we do not feel brotherly feelings to him any more, just resentment about how his choices hurt mom and cause general chaos.

On the positive side I am really learning to use the new ichat really well on my computer as it is easier for me to type that on my little phone screen, and I seem to be in constant touch with my other siblings as thankfully all three of us are engaged with this issue although I am with mom the most due to location. I am also connected with the twelve step group for family members Gamanon, as mom has been for years.

The rest of us have always been close but helping mom with this has brought the other siblings together despite distance closer than ever. Strange how even difficult situations bring some blessings.

Thanks for listening to me continue to vent. Helps to unload.

GAGWTA!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Cheryl, how are you doing?

Laurie, so difficult to deal with someone like that in the family. But it sounds like you all are doing a good job.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Lisa - dear sista, I am so sorry you have to deal with all of this right now. I am sure it seems overwhelming. I so admire your strength. Its inspiring.

I wondered too how much could my body take with all the 7 operations and radiation, coma, wound infections etc.

Praying that the surgery would go well and that the new chemo will be tolerable.