Best Of

Re: Planning surgery for November 2025? Join the waiting room for support.

Two days to go. Surgery on Monday. The panic has set in.

How have other folks made the last few days before surgery pass without going crazy? I'm spending some time playing video games, but although it's fun and distracting, it also amps up my nervous system and fight-or-flight mode, which seems counterproductive right now.

Any tips?

melissa_s

1

Re: Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?

Petite, my thoughts and prayers are for you and hubby.

Yesterday I volunteered at the school. I walked there and back. Tippy knew I needed to rest for the rest of the day so didn't ask for afternoon potty. I discovered that he had peed in the tub. 😘 I have a great assignment, two kids who would otherwise be in special education.

Finished the last chapter. I think.

Have also been repairing missals for church. They are limiting me to five a week, which is good because of my hands. It should have been embarrassing given how many have damaged spines. Only one will be retired, I think. There is a glitch in my OT, but I am doing my exercises faithfully. My insurance is dropping me, and it looks like I am going to have to switch to another medical service provider— and my left hand still has to be done. My hand surgeon is also a plastic surgeon, and his office is in the breast care department. I have had him for four surgeries.

i went to the podiatrist, and she ordered some new orthotics two weeks ago. They will not arrive for another four weeks. I bought some moleskin and put it under the joint for the little toe; to tip my foot a bit in the proper direction (I tend to roll my foot due to an old sprain). Not only was that joint painful, but my hip was hurting awfully. Hip is better, but I had better get walking more to keep it lubricated while I still have cartilage.

Sandy, please don't let your worrying and self-diagnoses (or Bob-diagnoses) go too far. You are not dying yet. Take it easy. Hopefully your house will arrive at the point that she won't demand as much money and worry. Grab yourself some pretty rocks and roll them around in your hands. Or a soft rubber ball. Or something like that. Even a back-massager for your favorite chair.

mcbaker

2

Re: skin sparing mastectomy without implant

I just made the decision to NOT have reconstruction on my one breast. So, I would like input from those of you who have opted not to have reconstruction and went with a prosthesis. What have you tried that you liked? I have read you can get a mold of your remaining breast made so the prosthetic is the same size. Anyone go this route??

Thanks!

gaildd7

1

Re: Planning surgery for November 2025? Join the waiting room for support.

Thanks @melisa_s for the detailed info! It's super helpful

baffled26

1

Re: Are you currently (or have you been) in a Clinical Trial?

@cblaurenceauthor My heart goes out to you. The news is hard to hear, but whatever happens with the treatment, the palliative care option is a good idea. Here in Switzerland we are encouraged to contact them as soon as a stage 4 diagnosis is made, even if the disease still has little impact on our general condition. This allows us to get to know each other, to define our objectives in order to be supported in the best possible way.

I fully agree with Curios' comments: surrounding oneself with calm and serenity is essential, and enjoying every blessed moment that sustains us.

I join others in sending you all my positive thoughts.

soldanella

3

Re: STEAM ROOM FOR ANGER

I know I have been more fortunate than many, My cancer was caught early and was small, Stage Ia estrogen and progesterone receptor positive, HER2 negative, node-negative, invasive ductal carcinoma of the left breast. I had a lumpectomy on Aug. 28th where there was no residual invasive disease and 4 nodes were negative. The only hiccup was a high Oncotype DX score returned at 33 but because of the small size of the tumor I decided to not have chemotherapy. The SEs and risks just didn't seem worth the slight decrease reoccurrence. Time will tell if that was the right call.

I had the last of my 20 radiation treatments today (16 whole breast/4 targeted partial breast). Please no one congratulate me or ask me how I am celebrating because if you do I will start to scream and that is why I writing this rant. My Radiation Onc, the nurses, the radiation therapist, my sister, etc all seem to want me to be jumping in the air and celebrating this "accomplishment." I don't get what there is to celebrate except the fact that I won't have to be someplace at the exact same time which is a positive but not anything to have a party about. I do not feel cured or a "survivor." I feel more like an alcoholic that even if they don't drink any longer still has to think about it every day. I just put 20 doses of poison in my body. Every day I am taking a pill, Anastrozole, which has long-term side effects that terrify me and they want me on it for 10 years. The numerous comments on forums like this one that talk about reoccurrences at 5/7/10 years, even after they did everything they were suppose to do and in doing that harmed their bodies, makes me wonder if it was all worth it. I don't consider myself a pessimist but a realist, I am not a survivor but at best a manager of the disease and the side effects for the moment.

I hope to just stay home alone for the rest if the month and avoid all in-person human contact and try to regain the ability to fake the "everything is great" mentality that it seems we are all suppose to portray so as to not scare anyone about our mental state. Sorry not to be perky and happy and ready to celebrate. I wish you all the best. Thanks for letting me vent.

july31

2

Re: How long have you been Stage IV?

@cskinner , thanks for the response. I got the results yesterday and there are no actionable mutations. Just one mutation that there’s nothing to do for. KMT2C is the mutation. My oncologist said that it’s not that common but doesn’t affect treatment choices. I’m continuing with Xeloda and Faslodex. My scans last week showed significant improvement. And no active cancer in my brain! Woo hoo!

aj

5

Re: Are you currently (or have you been) in a Clinical Trial?

Hi everyone!

It’s your favorite dumb*ss reporting from the hospital…

This time it’s all on me. When I freaked out and demanded full dose and didn’t listen to the guy with the medical degree, I wound up here with shortness of breath and general weakness. They wanted to keep me because of my rising bilirubin (now around 8) and I said I can’t do another hospital stay and considered going home against medical advice. (That’s the second time I was a dumb*ss.) Luckily I came to my senses.

Then they were discussing doing the stent procedure they wanted to do last visit. Put me on NPO after midnight. Then this morning biliary resident came in and told me they still needed to discuss so it wouldn’t be done today but they were leaning toward no. She said I’ll get back to you by noon. Didn’t hear back. Then the nurses said there were heparin orders and NPO again tonight. No official word but okay assumption it would be done in the morning. Shift change nurse said NPO was canceled so there would be no procedure tomorrow. I don’t know if it will be done Wednesday or not.

Third dumb*ass decision: My lungs were getting better yesterday but were worse by this afternoon. I self-diagnosed again and decided it was my new nebulizer meds since I started those Thursday and that’s when my lungs started to turn . But looking at my notes it was actually Tuesday they started acting up, so couldn’t have been the nebulizer.

Now my theory is Dr G was right and we should be doing a half dose of Talzenna. Imagine…the guy with medical degree knows more than i do!

So all of this nonsense could have been avoided if I didn’t make irrational, emotional, assumptions decisions, and freak out before I have all the facts. How much do you want to bet my situation isn’t as dire as I think it is? I’m going to feel like a real big dumb*ss at Dr G on Friday. And it’s not like I haven’t done this a dozen times…when will I learn and spare you all the dumb*ss stories?

(In my defense, I had two medical peeps tell me it was bad. )

Thanks for reading. I won’t update until I see Dr G. Actually I shouldn’t clog this thread and start my own “What Not To Do” conversation/group.

Hmm…

CBL

cblaurenceauthor

1