JellicleCat

Hi Ladies,
Just wanted to check-in. Had my first round yesterday, first was the Bright Red stuff, then Cytoxan, then another in a syringe. Although I didn't have my Port yet, the IV was not as bad as I anticipated.

I decided to eat right after chemo, i was STARVING. It didn't sit so well, but some compazine cleared that right up. Slept most of the afternoon and all night (which is a first in a couple of weeks). Today I'm hanging in there, a little nausea, but I'm back at work and pushing through.

I will be looking forward to meeting my pillow when I get home - - but all in all this hasn't been anything like what I was anxiously worrying over.

Strength & Love to Everyone!
Michelle

Hi Ladies,
Thank you for the welcomes :-)
Kidsmom, great news and a wonderful post to read as my mind wanders into the worry mode.

Shoot I need a notepad with everybody's names... The peppermint idea I heard from a friend at work who's been b/c free for 3 yrs...

I survived these weeks Kidney Scan, Heart Scan and 2 root canals. They found a cyst on my kidney...and I feel so lucky that it wasn't something else. My heart is in fantastic shape to start chemo with, so maybe I'll have the same luck and be just fine from all of this...

My mom is taking me to the ocean this weekend, and I should be packing rather than posting! We live near Mt. Rainier, and the ocean is about 2 hours from here, I don't know why we don't go more often.

Pointer on the long posts ***ALWAYS COPY THE ENTIRE POST TO YOUR CLIPBOARD*** Then if it loses it, you can go back and paste the post back in and try again :-)

Strength & Love . . . Have a Restful Weekend!
Michelle

Right mastectomy and back to work in 1 1/2 weeks... Of course my surgeon didn't know, but it is a desk job, no lifting...

Take it slow - - your body will tell you when it's ready to return to work.
Strength & Love, Michelle

Ahhhh so many questions in your mind when the surgery is coming up. It's strange that I finally have something to share that's meaningful! Just a couple of weeks ago I felt so lost and confused in all of the information.

So here goes (for what it's worth)....

The "blue dye test" -
Usually done in the radiology dept. They do 4 injections (usually) one at the 12, 3, 6 & 9 o'clock around the nipple. This dye is so the doctor knows "WHAT" to take out during the mastectomy, as well as highlighting the Nodes that are 1) feeding the tumor, and 2) testing surrounding nodes to ensure the cancer has not spread.

The "mastectomy" -
The surgery was a walk in the park - - I went to sleep and woke-up lop-sided. I have a high-tolerance for pain, so I was up and walking the same day, but refused to go home... Whenever I tried to move my right side to prop me up or even pull up my pants, there was muscle pain - - - To me it felt like I had lifted weights VERY heavily the day before (and I'm not the type to work-out).

The Number of Drains depends on where your body decides to accumulate fluid... If you are fast healer and your insides only show one place, then you get 1 drain. If your armpit is not so happy that the doctor is messing around up there, then you get a 2nd one there. I only had 1 side done, and my armpit was horribly swollen - - so I had 2 drains.

I was grateful when those were removed a week later - - - but I think they took them out to early. The next week, the built-up fluid found it's way to the incision and the surgeon had to drain it again, which was not fun. At anyrate... Eat well, ask for Xanax (It Really Does Help), and when you wake-up people bring you presents.

Take care,
Michelle
<font> Let peace be your mind, love be your heart... and you too may shine like the sun... <!--color--></font>

I received the "pre-test" instructions for the PET test today. I dispise being limited in activity by doctors...

The good news, I don't have to drink anything. The glucose is radio-active and injected IV... I do however get to practice my new sugar-less diet the day before and drink 24 ounces of water THE MORNING OF the test.
I'm sorry but my bladder won't make it from here to there without bursting, even if I go before I leave! lol

I'll keep my ears open if she orders a CT scan... No Pina Colada requests from me... Wonder if they have Margarita flavor?

Love & Strength,
Michelle

With all of the tests I'm REALLY confused...
Do I HAVE to drink some yucky stuff for:

1) MRI with Contract (brain)
or
2) PET scan
?????
I didn't do well way back in pregnancy with the gluclose things they made you drink - - puked it up everywhere! I certainly do NOT want to do that again...

Thanks Ladies! Strength & Love, Michelle

Lisa,
Thank you for posting these links, i'm two weeks (almost) past rb mast, and my arm is soooooooo stiff.
I knew there was 'something' I could do to get it to work the way it used to :-)
Yolanda! Great question.
Strength & Love,
Michelle

Hi All,
I'm still wondering if sugar replacements, like SPLENDA are o.k.? It's great for baking with, and sometimes your stuff comes out even sweeter than when cooking with Sugar.

Some of our soft-drinks have Splenda in it, and I may hate diet soda right now, but looks like I have to make a change.... Isn't there an in between????
Anybody know?

Dear Lini,
Thank you for your thoughts. I like the idea of science learning... and I do agree with the guys you shared with.
Since he's a boy, he will never be scarred for life from all of this!

You made me giggle about your 24 yr. old. I'm sure my 19 yr old daughter will probably want to know something about how a reconstruction feels when we get to that point.

Strength & Love,
Michelle

Thanks Twink,
I'm still confused though... it's a lot of "if this, than that" stuff....
And now I have a printed pathology report with all kinds of medical-ease on it (and I know some nursing!)... Still so confused!

Any idea where I can research the following:
"Overall pathologic stagins of this tumor is pT2, pN0 (i-)(sn), pMX"
Love to All,
Michelle