Best Of
Re: Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
Happy Anniversary Carole!
It is cold here today at only 57°, It should climb a little but I doubt it will get past the 60s. I plan on staying in!
One of my good friends passed on Thursday. He had been battling multiple myeloma and was just starting his second chemo round when he threw a blood clot on the fourth, and then went into sepsis. It was so quick... Our financial advisor passed on Tuesday after being diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer on Monday. So many good friends that are not even on this site. My DH is going in for an MRI and biopsy of his prostate next month. I appreciate your prayers.
Re: Advice for someone about to have breast surgery
I had a double mastectomy, one month ago from today. I would say that the first week of recovery was the toughest, but it wasn't awful. I didn't require pain medication, only Tylenol or Advil as needed. The reconstruction/tissue expanders were placed in the same surgery, so that was an adjustment. If I turned a certain way, I felt a pull on the inside, which again, was not awful. The left side had lymph nodes removed, so swelling was a bit more on this side. That took a couple of weeks to feel a bit more normal.
I have one of those specialty pillows that I received as a gift. I really love it as it allowed me to sleep on my side a little after two weeks. I found it uncomfortable to sleep on my back, so I liked the change. I also ordered this velcro belt for my drainage tubes. I had three drains and the safety pins to the bra made me a bit nervous. This was a simple thing that had velcro straps and it allowed me to move it higher or lower on my body for comfort. It was about $13.00 on Amazon. I also ordered three sports/compression bras on Amazon, which cost $30.00 for all three. Best thing I could have done, as they are soft and have a zipper front. Button down shirts for a couple of weeks if possible and then oversized t-shirts work great.
I'm healing very well and have started filling the spacers at the plastic surgeon. This was not uncomfortable and it will be done the day before chemo when I begin that very soon. I walk a lot and stay active throughout my day. I did have an arm restriction to not lift my arms above my head or lift more than 10 pounds. I feel that things are progressing well.
Re: Are you having surgery in June 2025? Let's gather here to support one another!
Hi. I had a lumpectomy and sentinel node dissection on 6/4. I was feeling better every day and started back working remotely and now i'm exhausted and feel like i'm getting a cold. I am worried I didn't give myself enough time. I am waiting on pathology results and oncotype, and am a little nervous about that.
kc28
Re: How long have you been Stage IV?
I’ve been Stage Four de novo for almost nine years. Hr+ Her2 low with Mets to the liver. Still on Ibrance, changed from Letrozole to Exemestane just recently to see if it could help some of my joint issues. Usually just read the boards but haven’t responded in awhile. 🩷Kate from Alabama
Re: Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
Happy anniversary Carole. I hope you all enjoy your dinner.
I think I wasted a good portion of the day. A gf called and I was on the phone for an hour or more. It was the gf who had uterine cancer, her chemo is done and she’s on to rads. She’s a talker on a good day, but add in brain fog and we were jumping all over the place.
Another gf called, she’s had a Polish neighbor who has lived there 30 years. He was picked up by ICE on his way to work. Crazy morning.
We’re going to a Red Sox game tomorrow on a bus trip with another couple. It should be fun. My only concern is my foot. Fear of it getting stepped on, and of the bus dropping us off far away - I’ve never been to Fenway, but anticipate a lot of walking
I can’t remember if I’ve already said - a gf’s younger sister died. She had cervical cancer and had just finished her 5th chemo treatment days before. All seemed to be going good, then the obit said died suddenly. Now her wake is Tuesday; another gf’s cousin wake is Monday. I’m sending out more sympathy cards than bday cards. Sad state, but I guess I’m at that stage of life.
Everyone sounds like we’re doing ok. Enjoy the weekend!
cindyny
Re: ER-, PR-, Her2+ Roll call
Hello ladies!
I had my appointment with the oncologist yesterday. Everything was fine — the tumor marker remains low and stable, and the doctor said my bloodwork is perfect; she even printed it out for me to take home 🤩 I no longer have any nutritional deficiencies, everything looks great. My heart is still strong. It’s always such a relief.
My next appointment is in 3 months, which is when I’ll finish Herceptin. After that appointment, I’ll start having check-ups every 2 months for a while; as I understood it, that’s because the risk of recurrence is higher once I stop taking Herceptin. I hope everything keeps going well for all of us!
As for my hair, the doctor did say it’s indeed growing very slowly, and I do have areas with low density (on the crown of my head). However, she wants to wait another 3 months to see whether this is still my body recovering from the toxicity or if it’s actually a real problem. According to my oncologist, I can’t really compare myself to most people, because I had AC chemo plus dose-dense docetaxel (which you call Taxotere), and that’s the most aggressive regimen there is for hair and eyebrows. Based on the usual pattern, at this point (8 months post-chemo — already??) I should have more than 3 inches of growth, but I have about 1, and it’s thin. So we’ll wait and see.
@grammie2 I’m sure the fluid retention will improve now that you’ve finished Phesgo, but we need to be patient because the body can take quite a while to get back to normal. Little by little you’ll start seeing improvements! As for minoxidil, my oncologist says it doesn’t work miracles either and that it’s a bit too harsh for now. Basically, she wants me to wait a bit longer. But of course, we always want to solve problems as quickly as possible. I’ve also read conflicting things about minoxidil — some people say it really works, and others say they don’t see much improvement. If I were you, I’d also wait a bit longer to let your body detox.
Re: Zoom Meet-up for Those With MBC: Place to keep chatting
@kbl Im so sorry about that my dear. What youre going thru cant be easy and I continue to pray you get painless days and nights in as much as is possible. Youre a shining light on how to manage the MBC journey. Big hugs
Re: Zoom Meet-up for Those With MBC: Place to keep chatting
@Rosebessie Thank you, Rose. I tried upping a dosage of a medication for the second time, and it throws me over the top of nonfunctional. I didn’t take it today. It will take a few days. Sadly, it does help with my breathing, but I just can’t do it.
Hope you’re doing well.
kbl
Re: I say YES. YOU say NO....Numero Tre! Enjoy!
Trump did this. Elon Musk did this. Republicans did this.
A part of me didn't want to have to put this in here and experience the pain over again, but then on the off chance some of the right people would see it.