Best Of
Re: My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer
@shanagirl Happy to see you and that you got some much needed relief from spine pain. Ugh sorry that your dealing with jaw issue now, always something! Fingers crossed and prayers up that it's something that can be easily rectified . Hugs.
@mara51506 Glad your apartment is nice and cool being a sweaty mess while doing housework is certainly not pleasant. Hope you're having a productive day cooking and getting wash done. I'm currently making meatballs which I like to have in the freezer when it's pasta night here. Becomes such an easy meal when short on time or don't feel like cooking.
@mkestrel Absolutely beautiful pictures you're surrounded by beauty!
In everyone's pockets this week for appointments and everyday struggles.
cookie54
Re: "Tamoxifen Road" - Support and Encouragement
I’ve been on Tamoxifen for nearly 8 years. At 48, I was diagnosed with early-onset osteoporosis and recently suffered a compression fracture in my spine. Throughout my treatment, bone health was never once discussed and now it seems clear that Tamoxifen played a role. I’m struggling to understand why there are still no clinical guidelines around bone health for premenopausal women on Tamoxifen. Years ago, I even asked for a DEXA scan, but my oncologist dismissed it.
At this point, I’m seriously considering stopping Tamoxifen. It feels like the risks are starting to outweigh the benefits. :(
Re: So...whats for dinner?
The 4th of July happened here in the campground. We had the potluck before the rain poured down and the wind blew. The next day those who were interested participated in a corn holes contest. And now, always a good part of a holiday in MN, the weekenders went home to resume their lives and we full-timers are here with a peaceful campground. This summer there are four retired couples living in campers. The owners have a beautiful house and their grown daughter lives in her own nice quarters in a building that was supposed to be available to the occupants of the campground but became a guest cottage for the owners.
Dinner last night was roasted chicken thighs and fresh green beans from the farmers market cooked with tiny potatoes.
My two sisters both have husbands in the hospital, one with heart issues and the other with blood clots. I'm very concerned for the four of them.
With the passage of the BBB and the tragic flash flooding in Texas and family illnesses, this hasn't been the most joyful 4th holiday.
Re: I’m on hospice - anyone else?
I was never a snack food eater so chips and that kind of thing never held any appeal, even before bc.
Chicagoan,
I hate to burst your bubble but hospice is not about making you feel “normal “ so that you can indulge in whatever you want until you pass away. It’s main goal is to make you as comfortable as possible, within the limitations of your disease, rather than dealing with the side effects of treatment, which become increasingly unpleasant for most. It’s definitely about eating whatever you want but as your disease progresses many find it difficult to digest and process foods in the same way we used to. I look at it as a gentle option for speeding up the inevitable as peacefully as possible. My extreme reaction to a modified dose of chemo convinced me that continuing tx was not how I wanted to spend my remaining time. I’m ok with not “fighting”, i.e. continuing tx, until the end. I didn’t choose my disease but I can choose how the end goes.
Re: Triple Negative Stage IV
Thanks ladies , appreciate the well wishes for her. I hate that you both have to deal with pesky skin mets but so glad you have each other to lean on. Hugs to you both💕
cookie54
Re: Triple Negative Stage IV
@rlschaller May I borrow that line, "This is my life, and it's okay." That covers a lot of ground.
My skin mets don't seem to be improving all that much. They are also a bit sore sometimes. I've had three cycles of Trodelvy now. I don't know if it's too soon to judge its effectiveness. I'm seeing my MO this Thursday so we'll discuss. She has taken pictures of the mets for comparison's sake. The things that we have to subject ourselves to …
Would that your skin mets would stop, and leave off the 'going'! Are they painful at this point?
Nice that there were new gals to meet on the 2nd. I hope to attend the next one.
Your Broadway show and dinner plans sound like fun! Any big names in the cast?
@cookie54 The low-folate approach would be difficult for those who like their leafy greens. I heard about it while on capecitabine but didn't try it. Hope that it continues to work for you. Pick your poison indeed.
I'm sending you and your family good wishes in dealing with your MIL's troubles.
Have a good week all.
scgal08
Re: Not Diagnosed and Waiting for Test Results? Start Here
I had breast biopsies in my late teens, huge barbaric incisions and a lot of pain. This was back in the 80s. Benign fibroadenomas.
I'm 64 now and have recently qualified for Medicaid (going to college again full time to finish a degree so not working). In the process of catching up with screenings I hadn't been able to afford before getting insurance again, a mammogram flagged 2 lumps and they did stereotactic core needle biopsies.
It was so painful! It hurt while they did the biopsies but the real pain started later on the way home and continued for a week.
It makes me SO angry how these painful procedures are often not done with adequate pain control. It's cruel to do that to a fellow human being when medications and numbing injections exist to help with it.
Alternating ibuprofen and tylenol helped some, but really not enough. I am so tired of suffering needlessly. I complained but the doctor on staff there that does them just told me to take 800 mg ibuprofen. After about a week the pain let up enough so I could function. I have very dense breasts and I have read that makes everything hurt more when procedures are done (plus I'm a redhead - my dentist has to give me 2 or 3 shots each time to get me numb).
Pathology was suspicious so I now have to have lumpectomy on both breasts. I'm going in next week for the radioactive seed placement 4 days before the surgery and I am dreading it so much. I really hope it isn't as painful as the needle biopsies. They did 4 on each side so hoping that since it's only one wound instead of 8 it wont hurt as much. I've read some people saying it didn't hurt and some saying it was excruciating so not sure what to expect.
As far as the lumpectomies go, I am not as afraid about that part because my surgeon I was referred to said its not going to be like it was when I had them in the 80s due to the seed localization and she will be able to do a much smaller incision and be way more precise, plus she assured me she is giving me a prescription pain medication for after so that was a relief. I wish she was doing all the procedures for me but the staff docs at the hospital do the seed placement and the stereotactic ones.
Thanks for listening to me vent a bit and I would love any advice for those who have had seed placement. They did say on the paper they gave me they would numb it, but the numbing didn't really help me with the stereotactic biopsies much. I'm wondering if I should mention that and ask for more numbing or ask them to wait for it to take effect. I was so shocked when he went right in after the shot and didnt wait at all.
glowing
Re: I’m on hospice - anyone else?
kbl-No chips? That doesn't sound fair. Hospice should be all about eating chips and maybe dip followed by ice cream! After I was diagnosed and under treatment, finally getting my bearing, I ate so many chips! I bought big bags of Ruffles, etc. All those years of watching my weight, eating and for what? But I did gain a lot of weight so now chips are a rare treat. I had a small bag on Fourth of July.
Re: My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer
@illimae I am glad you are safe from the heavy flooding. Very sad indeed for the lives lost.
@mkestrel Those are lovely pictures.
@cookie54 Thank you. I think my insecurity was poking its' ugly head telling me no one would be interested in hearing about laundry chores or recipes.
I woke up late but slept very well, close to 9 hours. Nothing much on the agenda. I did book the Paratransit for Herceptin on Wednesday which is good. We are stinking hot as we should be.
Planning to redo some laundry and the skorts I am using as PJ bottoms and need to wash up my new yoga capris to wear under my new flowy shirts I got recently. My butt looks impossibly huge in the skorts but that does not matter at home. I have also decided to not be silly and use the wee washers instead of the larger ones, not efficient. Better to use as a dish soaker if my sink is full.
Thinking of making a pizza with ramen packet. Would heat up the ramen and put in a sprayed pan, add butter to bottom of the pan along with some garlic. I would spread out the ramen and add cheese, some garlic and sour cream to bind the ramen, thinking of making a full pan. Add some bean spread to the top as well. Heat up at 425 and check every few minutes, possibly serve with some salad. I will see. Last meal of the day will be two eggs and a meat pie. Heat in the microwave, take out and chop in with some cheese, put in pan lined in garlic spread, put on high for around a minute and turn off burner and cover with lid. Just brings in more flavour that way. I will post what I have and if the ramen acting as a pizza crust is good.
Edit, the ramen "pizza" did taste good. Put the precooked ramen in the pan, added some beans pulverized to liquid in a spice grinder. Added shredded cheese and combined all. 425 for 12 minutes. It was not crunchy BUT with the bit of beef seasoning, cheese, garlic spread added before heating and adding beef seasoning from ramen package with bit of salt and sour cream seasoning and white cheddar seasoning as well. All told, it was really good. In future if I want to make pizza, stick with either a shredded cheese baked up or on a tortilla. While this was good, not crispy except the bits of cheese that met the pan.
I hope everyone has a good day and in pockets for anyone who needs me.
