AndreaM4567

Thank you ladies. You are making me feel better.

I am not afraid of pain or hotflashes. That is not my fear. It is the hormonal thing that scares me. I just feel like there is no going back. I mean once they take everything, that's it. If I feel crappy, there are no choices for me until I get past it all which can be up to 10 years.
Yes, I was ER+ and PR+ plus BRCA2+. What a doozy huh?
I just need to know I am not going to become crazy. I am absolutely terrified of this whole thing.

Thank you very much :)

I had a bilat. mast. and DIEP at the same time. It was well worth the 13.5 surgery.

Make sure you look at the Surgery board. It is an 8 week recovery so plan on being down for some time. I am not sure I would have opted to have 2 surgeries. I wanted to get everything done and over with at once.

I have seen one post in here about time. I want to make sure everyone has a time line for needing these items because I was expecting to be up around within 6 weeks. It was honestly 8 weeks before I could move with a little bit of ease. So the shopping ahead and making meals ahead is an excellent idea. Make sure you have about 8 weeks worth of everything.

Also, Mom and I started a new company based on my problems with drain management.

Please check out: http://www.thewallaby.com

I finished my chemo treatment about 6 weeks ago. I am just now starting to get the bills in from my treatments and surgeries. So I called Cancer Care and they told me they can only help with co-pays for current care. They kept repeating they could not help me since I was done with my treatment. Well, my treatment facility billed the insurance first and never asked for money up front. Whatever the insurance does not pay, I have to. So I was trying to explain that to her and she just kept "I'm sorry Mam, we cannot help you".

So I called Komen. They gave me two phone numbers to call. Same story. It was for co-pays only.

I am a stay at home mother of a 1 year old, a 2 year old, and a special needs 15 year old. My husband travels 120 miles per day to work so we can eat and have good insurance. We have wonderful insurance thankfully. However they still considered some of the items I had done "experimental". My out of pocket is also more than we can afford.
We are by no means below the poverty line but we are also just squeaking by. We are upside down on our house so we can't take equity out. I would hate to lose our home and everything else because I can't afford to have Cancer.

Anyone know of any help?

I just got done with 4 cycles of T/C.

I am still very emotional. It is an emotional thing to go through. Let yourself cry.

My side effects were "Chemo Brain" I can't get words out, can't remember anything, can't get thoughts put together. It slowly goes away but I still cannot remember what happened during the weeks of chemo.

Yes, I was hungry all the time. Reece's seemed to be the one thing I could not get enough of. I ate as much as I wanted and as often as I wanted. Please do not be concerned about your weight right now unless you are losing a lot. That would be something to report to your Dr. for sure. This is the one time they encourage eating :)

I too had the Neulasta and with that came extreme bone pain that lasted about a week each time. Tylenol every 4 hours helped. But I could not lapse at all, I had to take it 4 hours on the nose or the pain would come back.

Diarrhea-especially for those with underlying IBS-D, look out for you IBS-D sufferers! Please make sure you get Lomotil AND Cholestyramine. You will need both, no question! And plan on not going anywhere for that week.

Chemo rashes, yup but tolerable. Just a bit itchy nothing too bad. Totally manageable for me. I had a bad rash when I was pregnant and I fell in love with Gold Bond for itch. Keep it in your purse and around your house. It takes the itch right out. Great stuff!

Hang in there. It is a slow process. I had 2 prior C-sections (one 8 months before my DIEP in fact) and I was not told that they may be a source of complications. So I would not worry about that.

My surgery was April 1 and I am still healing in places.

Be patient, it will all be happy again soon :)

I had a recliner and wished for a hospital bed. That may make a difference if she is able to move herself to a more comfortable position via the bed. The recliners were too ridgid for me.

Also, Percoset would have never done it for me. I came home with Diluadid and Morphine. You may want to ask for something stronger than Percoset? Just a thought.

Ice packs, wet wash clothes, ice chips, head rubs, foot rubs, pillows, and just being there to empathize/sympathize. I would have done anything just to have someone sit with me.

Bless your heart!

I know this is an embarrassing subject but I am suffering terribly. My IBS-D was totally controlled until my first chemo and for the last week I can't leave my bedroom.

I am at my wits end.

A PM would be great if you don't want to discuss this out in the open :)

Thanks!

Even with the hardness on one side, I would do it again. I did not choose the other surgeries because I never wanted to think about my breasts again. With implants, it takes the expanders, then the replacement and the chance they may have to replaced later in life. I just wanted to get it done and over with.

I would still recommend it to anyone. Just make sure you read the Surgery Board for things to get beforehand. It will make life so much easier!