Best Of
Re: how about drinking?
Good day friends:
It's Thankgiving week and I am off again from work (whoo hoo) and at the tail end of a cold that still feels like it's kicking my butt. I am heading out to do some errands then will head the pool and also hit the steam room there which will help with the last of it. I was super busy this weekend with to dos and friends over yesterday for some wine and tapas (and I do have a wine recommendation for those of you who are interested). I have a full day tomorrow with some apts, lunch with a friend, some yoga and more. I have to settle down on Wed and do some food prep for my friendsgiving on Wed.
Wishing everyone a good holiday this week who is celebrating. For those who may be in treatment at this time, I was going through cancer treatment around this time 13 years ago and in many ways, it still feels like yesterday. Try to keep your holidays as simple as you can and enjoy what you can.
Blessings for good health, good times and good food this week to all the sisters here.
Re: Capecitabine
@bigred62 , Welcome to the forum! I’ve been on Xeloda for a year and a half. It’s working really well for me. It’s ok to take it with food. You’re just supposed to take it within a half hour after eating. My pharmacist didn’t know anything about the folate thing and said that there are no dietary restrictions. I did stop taking my multivitamin because it has lots of folic acid in it. Hand foot has been somewhat of a problem and I can’t really hike anymore without getting blisters. But I can do city walks and go to exercise classes with lots of aerobics in it. I went to a good running shoe store and they fitted me with cushy shoes and compression socks. That helped immensely. I use voltaren, aquaphor, and urea cream on my hands and feet. For me that needs to be done regularly. I do get some digestive issues and try to eat foods that are not too spicy or vinegary. I take Pepcid every morning and that helps a lot. I drink wine occasionally but too much affects my stomach. I would say to try the pickleball, just be sure to have good shoes and socks. There’s a thread for those on Xeloda if you want more info.
Re: Seroma
I too have a seroma on my surgery side (bilateral mastectomy) and some fluid build up in my armpit and just below it. I'm 7 weeks post surgery. Mine is not painful and isn't bothering me too much really but I'd like to hear how to keep it from getting any worse if anyone has advice?
I'm told they sometimes take ages to reabsorb and that some don't and instead calcify and can then be removed.
What experiences have others had with this?
Re: ER-, PR-, Her2+ Roll call
Hi @snm I don’t have implants but I am glad to know it appears to be muscular. No one quite understands the anxiety that comes with this road we've been on. I am due on December for my second follow up since completing treatment and the unknown is a little anxiety inducing. I read the vaccine study, very encouraging.
Re: STEAM ROOM FOR ANGER
I had one gave a book who they must not have either read or know enough about and it was from someone who actually DIED from this. Real motivating when you are trying to fight your cancer. Threw it away when realized what it was about.
Re: Looking for others with low risk, less than 2cm, IDC stage 1 grade 1HR+ HER2- on endocrine therapy
Hello.
I am 40 years old. I was diagnosed with breast cancer on the right side, retroareolar IDC, moderately differentiated, ER 100% PR 1% min 10%. I was diagnosed on November 10th. Since then I feel like I can’t breathe. I’m reading all kinds of things, and I’m afraid of taking hormone therapy. Seven years ago I had surgery for endometriosis and had to take hormones for 3 months, and I felt very bad. Ever since I found out about the diagnosis, my whole body hurts, probably because of stress. My thoughts are racing and I feel almost like I’m constantly in a state of panic.
My experience with oncology was quite negative. I wanted to find out as much as possible and learn about alternative options regarding the whole treatment, and they didn’t offer me any opportunity for discussion at all — neither the surgeon nor the radiologist. I still don’t have a medical oncologist assigned. I read your stories and it’s terrible for me to see that some of you had a recurrence. The doctors keep telling me not to complicate things because I have the most favorable type of cancer, and that I should just follow the proposed treatment and that it’s 99%, but unfortunately I see that it’s not so simple.
They also determined that I will have surgery, radiation, and 5 years of hormone therapy with Tamoxifen.
I’m also worried about blood clots and pulmonary embolism from hormone therapy. In general, I’m not a fan of pills and I really don’t like taking them. For two years I’ve wanted another child; I know it’s a bit late for me, but I still want one. Now this happened, and the surgeon told me that if I’m thinking about that, I’ll be “feeding” the cancer and that it’s very irresponsible on my part.
Maybe I’m writing everything a bit incoherently, but that’s how my thoughts are at the moment, and every day I’m barely holding myself together. How did you accept this at the beginning and learn to live with the fear? How do you manage to stop thinking about it and continue living? What about social life, food, three glasses of wine when you celebrate, an occasional cigarette? It feels like I can’t even imagine my old life anymore…
Did you all have a breast MRI? I went for a self-paid mammogram where nothing was detected, and then for an ultrasound where they found it. But they didn’t do a breast MRI for me, nor did they even mention it, even though my right breast is denser (category C) and the tumor was harder to detect. (8 mm in size). Should I request it?
Re: ER-, PR-, Her2+ Roll call
Update- so I think I have sprained my pectoralis muscle on left side. I have submuscular implants. Has anyone had this before and if so how long did it take to heal?
My breast MRI and chest CT were normal - thank goodness! No signs of cancer or capsular contracture to explain the discomfort.
Re: BRCA1+: what's in your surveillance/ survivorship plan?
Hi @kks_11, we're just bumping your thread in case others who are BRCA1+ and in surveillance missed it earlier. Your question is an important one, and we hope more members who’ve been through similar planning can chime in with what their teams are doing. We're thinking of you and hope you get more responses soon.
The Mods

