Dis Breast Cancer Survivors Part IV - GAGWTA

[robinb]

Hi everyone! Just catching up with the last page .

Straightlover, welcome to the group that no one really wants to be a part of but can't be without. This is a wonderful and caring group .

Cherinva, it sounds like your DD has exactly what I had last year: a lumpectomy and radiation. I am following up with anastrozole instead of tamoxifen. I hope that this will just be a "bump in the road" for her.

Annrae: I'm so sorry to hear about your stroke {{hugs}}! I've heard that strokes present differently in women so we should all be aware of the signs.

Peg: I thought about getting tickets for the Villains thing too, but have not. The date is our anniversary so it would be a fun celebration. I have a studio at SSR reserved in case we want to go but I think we may just wait until our annual December trip.

Summer has finally arrived here in Wisconsin. My DD's school starts in September and ends in mid-June so she's on her second week of vacation. She's taking classes on film making for teens at the local Technical College and she *loves* it. We planned to send her away to camp before she tore her ACL and then that was cancelled. Speaking of which, she's 6 weeks post-op on her ACL repair and has been cleared for swimming with a pull buoy. So, I'm up at the crack of dawn so I can get her to the pool by 6:30 *yawn*. I realized I have not had a photo of her in my signature in quite a long time, so here she is a couple weeks ago when she was able to ditch her brace:

We also had a bit of a scare with our little Maltese mix Finn this week. I had to take him to the emergency vet at midnight on Saturday night since he was very lethargic and shivering. My DD took him to the lake for a swim and I think he came in contact with blue/green algae. The vet ran blood tests and couldn't find anything so I just went home with my dog 1.5 hours later and $200 poorer. *sigh* He was better the next day and got much better after I gave him a bath. I need to find out what the blue/green algae looks like so I can warn my DD about letting him in the water when it's around.

Also, when it rains $200 nibbles out of your budget ... it pours. My NEW Prius V's right rear tire had a gash in the sidewall and it will cost $200 to replace. It's an unusual tire and ONLY the dealer has it. It has been a rather expensive week. It's being replaced today because we need to drive to Chicago later this week to see my mother in the nursing home and take care of some of her financials in person.

I hope everyone is doing great!

 

[smiley_face2]

Robinb... beautiful daughter you have! I hear you about the nibbles out of the budget.... it is always something! and yes, it does seem to come all at the same time my sister did end up getting her surgery that night after all! she is doing well, anxious to find out the results.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

straitlover - sorry you have to deal with all of this, but sounds like you have a great plan in place. Wishing you all the best.

cherniva - your dd is blessed to have you there for her. I wish my mom was here for me when I went through everything, but dh had to do. Wishing your dd all the best.

Barbara- so sorry to hear about your stroke. I hope the memory issues get better. I am sure it can be frustrating at times. I go through that too with the ds, but they know the silver box means the refrig etc. One day at a time, Wishing you all the best.

robinb - C. has turned into a beautiful young lady for sure. Hope her knee continues to heal.

smiley - I hope your sis heals quckly and that the news will be the best it can be for her.

Cheryl - always thinking of you too

Tomm. I am going to decorate the room. Ds still wants to have the garage sale on sat but now they want to go to a picnic so I would be there the last hour by myself. I said sure, but I cant clean anything up. I am throwing out anything that does not sell mostly.

GAGWTA

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Hope everyone is enjoying the week end. Its beautiful here weatherwise.

Spent yest. doing the garage sale with ds3. Lots of wackos. One guy said, oh I am going to 25 garage sales this week end. I dont need anything. I just do this to socialize with the sellers. After all was said and done ds3 made $75. He said he never wants to do this again. This was his big idea to begin with.
Ds 2 made $30 selling his things.

Dh came home yest. home minus his luggage. It should be arriving soon.

I am enjoying peace and quiet. All the ds are gone for now. yay. A rare occasion here for sure.

Tomm. I am suppose to get the sonogram but ds forgot and scheduled some work hours so I hope it can work out.

GAGWTA

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Well I had the ultrasound/sono and they didnt ask me to stay for any additional pictures, so I am going to assume that everything looks good

 

[Dancind]

Maryann, that's good news!

Robin, your DD is adorable.

Annrae, that's very scary. Glad you are ok.

Straitlover, come here anytime. We don't know everything, but will share what we know and certainly share the Prayers and Pixie Dust.

 

[CherylDan]

Hi Ladies, just a quick hello! I'm doing a bit better these days, finally got my potassium levels straightened out. Yay! Still having issues with other levels, but overall things are better. I have had to go get excess fluid drained from my abdomen several times, usually about 6 liters at a time every week or two. I am tolerating the new chemo much better than the other stuff. Still can't walk without having something/somebody to hold on to.....my Balance seems to be non-existent! Not sure if/when I will be able to drive again. It doesn't really matter all that much, I can't get out of my house unassisted - too many steps. Still waiting for that grand baby - could be any time now!

LMP, glad your test went well!

Smiley, how is your sister doing?

I hope everyone is doing well, and you all have a fun and safe 4th July. GAGWTA!!

 

[smiley_face2]

Hi Ladies, just a quick hello! I'm doing a bit better these days, finally got my potassium levels straightened out. Yay! Still having issues with other levels, but overall things are better. I have had to go get excess fluid drained from my abdomen several times, usually about 6 liters at a time every week or two. I am tolerating the new chemo much better than the other stuff. Still can't walk without having something/somebody to hold on to.....my Balance seems to be non-existent! Not sure if/when I will be able to drive again. It doesn't really matter all that much, I can't get out of my house unassisted - too many steps. Still waiting for that grand baby - could be any time now!

LMP, glad your test went well!

Smiley, how is your sister doing?

I hope everyone is doing well, and you all have a fun and safe 4th July. GAGWTA!!

So glad to hear from you and that things are going better than before!! My sister has lost so much weight, it worries me. results due in a week or so. did some shopping for her today.
Dear daughter will be having baby number 3!! I hope this one is a girl although our grandson wants another brother! lol....
kitchen is nearly done!! new stove, a stainless electrolux induction top, convection over, with a warming drawer you can even heat things in, is so beautiful!! range hood is up too.... new counters will be here end of the week. Bathtub refinishing is done, just have to wait for it to cure. I sure do wish we could do our floors this year too I am greedy.....
LMP.... good news I am sure!
tomorrow is Canada Day.....our "4th of July".... it is really hot here right now, not sure I will head out to the parade, might hide out here with the air conditioner running!!
Happy Canada Day, and Happy Fourth of July to all!!!

 

[Feralpeg]

Hi, Ladies! Hope you are all having a good day!

I have a bit of a conundrum. My oncologist put me on Arimidex. He told me I'd be on it for the rest of my life. Unfortunately, it has a lot of negative side effects. First, it causes weight gain. I'm not happy about that, but I can deal with it. It also causes joint and muscle pain. Since beginning Arimidex, my shoulder joints have become very painful. My fingers feel like I have a lot of arthritis. My hip and knees are giving me problems, as well. Again, I am not crazy about this, but I could deal with it. Unfortunately, it has caused my blood pressure to go up a lot. Prior to beginning this medication, my blood pressure was always around 120/80. Since starting the Arimidex, it has steadily climbed. The past three times I've had it taken, it has been in the neighborhood of 150/100. This, to me, is a big problem.

I am torn as to what to do. My first inclination is to call the doctor and tell him I don't want to take the Arimidex any longer. But, I don't know if I am over reacting. I'm afraid he will just want to put me on blood pressure meds. I really don't want to keep adding more medications. I am already taking a bunch.

It took 30 years for the cancer to come back after my first diagnosis. It took two years once it first appeared through my skin before a doctor figured out what it was. In that time, it had spread to one lymph node. Thus, it seems to be rather slow growing. Obviously, I don't want the cancer to return, but I am 62. What are the chances it will prove to be a problem again in my lifetime? Do I want to take the chance? I know my quality of life would be a bit better if my joints didn't ache all the time.

I'm just not sure what to do. Thoughts?

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Cheryl - I am so glad to see you here. Great that you are feeling better. I am sure you cant wait for that precious little to get here for sure!

smiley - your kitchen sounds wonderful. Congrats on the new grandbaby. Thinking of your sis. I am sure the waiting is hard for her too.

Peg - Cant comment but I know you always have to look at the risks verses the benefits. Sometimes tough decisions.

I was at a meeting for 2 hours yesterday. I cant believe how long the minutes are going to be once I write them, sigh.

Anyone have anything they would like to share about coping with hot flashes???
I wont take any meds since I already deal with enough meds. I dont think they want me to anyway with my type of cancer. I was already asked by the endo and ob/gyn if I took anything and I said no and they said good. But it seems like I am on a tropical island every night lately Very annoying.

Suppose to rain here for 4th of July. Guess we will have to use the Foreman Grill in the kitchen again, sigh.

Sat. we are getting 2 roofing estimates. I am sure it will be a fortune!

Hope everyone has a great holiday week end.

GAGWTA

 

[Dancind]

Peg, my tumor was 99% Estrogen positive. Didn't have to do chemo, but my oncologist was very insistent that I take an AI. I already had autoimmune conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, and I figured the AI would turn me into a crippled old lady very quickly.

I don't take it. I do everything I can to improve my chances, diet, Vitamin D, managing my blood sugar and inflammation as best I can. I asked to have my Estradiol checked and it was 3ml. They try to get it under 10ml with the meds, so I figure the meds would do more harm than good. I went for quality of life, over two years now.

The Oncologist was not happy, told me I had something like 70% chance of recurrence etc. I don't go see her anymore.

Ask to have your Estradiol checked (my internist checks it for me). That's the bad one. If it's already low, you can make the decision from there. I'm about the same age as you, 61. The doctors go for the better odds, but sometimes they aren't that much better.

 

[CherylDan]

Smiley, your kitchen sounds wonderful! I hope you have pictures coming soon. Congratulations on that new grandbaby!

Peg, I took arimidex for a few years before my mets came back, but didn't experience the problems you are. I don't think you are overreacting at all, but I do think you should talk it over with your oncologist before making any decisions. Having said that, my motto these days is quality over quantity, but I'm already dealing with mets. In the end, you just need to do what is best for you.

I hope everybody had a great 4th of July! We spent the last three days traveling back and forth to Chicago, about a two hour drive each way. Why would we do that, you ask? The BEST reason ever...........















Zoe Elizabeth, 7 lbs 11 oz, 21 inches, and totally gorgeous! Our SIL is Chinese, and our DD is a blue eyed-blond swede/German. They sure did make a pretty baby, if this very proud grandma says so herself! LOL! I can't begin to tell you how strange it is to be called grandma! Everytime some body would say it, I was looking for my mom! Anyway, no problems whatsoever, mom and baby are doing great......and I had the best 4th of July ever!!

GAGWTA!!!!

 

[Straitlover]

Just checking in. No more info yet. I was hoping the BS would have my MyRisk results back Wednesday since I go see the MO on Monday, but no go.

I did have an insurance scare when I received a denial letter for my MRI. A few days later, the claim was processed, so what the heck??? I do have to pay $1,009, but $700 of that is my deductible. Can't wait to see what my portion of the MyRisk genetic testing will be since they billed for over $4K.

CherylDan, what a cute baby! Congrats!

luvmarypoppins, good luck on the roofing estimates. I've been in my house 17 years (bought new), so I know that's coming up for me in the not too distant future. Not looking forward to that.

GAGWTA!

 

[smiley_face2]

Smiley, your kitchen sounds wonderful! I hope you have pictures coming soon. Congratulations on that new grandbaby!

Peg, I took arimidex for a few years before my mets came back, but didn't experience the problems you are. I don't think you are overreacting at all, but I do think you should talk it over with your oncologist before making any decisions. Having said that, my motto these days is quality over quantity, but I'm already dealing with mets. In the end, you just need to do what is best for you.

I hope everybody had a great 4th of July! We spent the last three days traveling back and forth to Chicago, about a two hour drive each way. Why would we do that, you ask? The BEST reason ever..........

Zoe Elizabeth, 7 lbs 11 oz, 21 inches, and totally gorgeous! Our SIL is Chinese, and our DD is a blue eyed-blond swede/German. They sure did make a pretty baby, if this very proud grandma says so herself! LOL! I can't begin to tell you how strange it is to be called grandma! Everytime some body would say it, I was looking for my mom! Anyway, no problems whatsoever, mom and baby are doing great......and I had the best 4th of July ever!!

GAGWTA!!!!

Such a beautiful baby!! so happy for you Cheryl, it is so wonderful to have a baby to hold even part time!

New counters will be here next week, but here is a picture of my new range and range hood, love them!! and my new shelf, the counters will be wood like on the island. He got the crown molding up in the dining room, the wainscoting is all done, bathroom is finally done, except I am getting new shower curtains, these ones are too heavy. and found a beautiful summer quilt with an ocean theme for our room. next room is the living room.... removing the carpet and exposing the 100 year old wood floors! got some wainscotting up in there too, and some new cabinets in the bar area. I don't know what we were thinking when we covered up the wood floors..

 

[Dancind]

Is that really a blue toilet? Very nice!

Cheryl, that baby looks like a doll, so perfect!

 

[smiley_face2]

Is that really a blue toilet? Very nice!

Cheryl, that baby looks like a doll, so perfect!

yes! lol....hubby and I nearly had a fight over it..... I wanted plain old white. I have gotten my way with everything else so I let him have it.

 

[smiley_face2]

My sister has a very aggresive form of cancer that is usually found in the stomach not the bowell. It was right near her liver. they took out 24 lymph glands and 9 were positive. when she is healed up a bit more they will begin a very aggresive chemotherapy. she doesn't know what yet, and she is not the kind of person to ask what exact type of cancer, what stage...any of that!! same with her breast cancer, she never did find out exactly what type it was!! Very upsetting news. I wonder what in our past put us in this situation. For all 3 of us to have cancer just doesn't sound right. And this scares the heck out of me.

 

[CherylDan]

Smiley, I'm sorry to hear about your sister. Hopefully she will find success with her treatment plan.
Your house is looking sooo cute! I just love the beachy feel you have going. And that range hood is fabulous!

Straitlover, glad the mix up with your insurance was corrected. On top of everything else, the last thing we need to be worried about is insurance!

My DD sent me some more pictures of the baby today. I can hardly stand it! Not sure when we will get to see her again, but I bet it won't be too long!

GAGWTA!!

 

[Straitlover]

For all 3 of us to have cancer just doesn't sound right. And this scares the heck out of me.

Did you have genetic testing? I am the third sister to get bc, and my MO says that is very, very rare and there is definitely a hereditary thing going on. I am waiting on my results for my MyRisk genetic panel to come in before deicing to go w/ a uni or bilateral mx (think I've decided lumpectomy is out already). Depending on the results, the ovaries may have to go, too.

Sorry about your sister. Hope the chemo works!

 

[snappy]

Ah, Cheryl, I could not take my eyes off your dear granddaughter's face! What is it about babies' faces that entrances us so?

I don't know but Zoe Elizabeth had me entranced!

It is good to hear you are able to tolerate the chemo better, despite the excess fluids. Thanks for posting that news, and of course the photos, and hopefully more!

Smilie, you must be devastated about your sister's news. It hits too close to home, I am sure. That makes it all that much harder.

I am enjoying seeing all the progress in your house. The crown molding in I think what is your dining room looks so nice, I could not see the chair rail?

The kitchen too is amazing. What I really like is that your color scheme/theme is carried throughout your house. The new bedspread is perfect, both for your room, and to further link all of your house together. It really looks like it is coming together. Makes me long to do some work here, but it will have to wait. Right now we are focusing on the yard.

And congrats to your daughter and baby number #3. I hope you get that granddaughter this time!

Peg, I can't help much with your medication dilemma. I took Tamoxifen for 5 years but had no side effects other than abrupt menopause. I do value quality of life, but at the same time, I also wound consider prophylactic measures (surgery is what I was thinking) if they would increase my odds of avoiding or delaying disease. I wonder if there are other adjuvant therapies that could be substituted for the AI, or if there are other meds or therapies that could help you with the side effects the AI are creating. You have probably explored this, but you might need a heart to heart with your doctor soon.

Good news/bad news, the non-profit I work for did get a portion of the funding we asked for from the state, so our doors will remain open for the next year. Bad news is that it creates a lot more tracking and reporting work for me, and will likely force me to work more hours to stay on top of it. It will be additional income, which certainly is nice, but more hours means less time for other areas that need attention, which right now is mostly my mom.

We are still waiting for the results of her biopsy. My brother is in town for a few days, and we are talking now about looking at assisted living for her, more because of the confusion she has recently been exhibiting. There's been a bit of drama with my other brother during the last 2-3 weeks, and my mother is an emotional wreck. We are helping her but this troublesome brother calls over and over for money. She is sending $ to his children in Costa Rica but is again now trying to resist enabling him. The stress of my brother's neediness on top of her second spinal fracture earlier this year is all is making her vulnerable. She even was caught in a phishing scam yesterday that we luckily were alerted to right away, but there is a lot of stuff to take care of today.

As much as I am sad about DD18 moving out to go to college in about 5 weeks, I realize that my mom is going to need me more and more (we live a mile from her, one brother is in NYC and my sister is about 40 miles away).

I am glad she is close as that makes it easier on me but my sibs and I are realizing we are entering a new phase.

My DH told me a while back that mom is welcome to live with us but she is not a dog person and our remaining dog is shall we say high spirited. I guess we should consider finding another home for the dog, but I just can't face it. After just losing Snappy, Naj has taken on the role of the center of the family. Mom would want her own space anyway I think, but we do have plenty of room, and actually 3 empty bedrooms when DD18 moves out.

This will unfold how it does. The good thing is that mom has the means to do the assisted living route, so finances are not a deterrent.