Best Of
Re: My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer
@mara51506 Hope your new supports are kind to your hands and help overall. Your new scrub brush sounds interesting hope it means less physical scrubbing is needed.
Our washer took a poop this weekend so I was able to have a new washer delivered within 24 hours! So far so good, I spent hours researching before the purchase. It seems like these new appliances definately don't last like they used to. fingers crossed. So far it seems to be doing a good job, second load underway!
Hi to all here, hope it's a quiet week and you're able to enjoy the holiday this week.
cookie54
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?
jh40
Re: My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer
Well, my post did a Harry Potter and apparated away so starting over again.
I slept well, will be doing laundry, dishes soaking in kitchen and bathroom sink. Got myself a scrubbing kit, thinking the short handle can do with scrubbing some dishes and long handle can scrub tub behind the washers. Also having a delivery of thinning shears for the wig. It does not not need a regular cut with scissors BUT needs a bit of thinning and texturizing. I can grow or shrink the bangs by moving up and down my head, change where a part would be as well. Not sure I will really bother to put a bunch of junk in it, see how long it will look decent. One thing I need to do, especially with no counter space is to wash dishes as they come along, even if it means waiting to eat. The mess of the dishes was causing me some stress. Hopefully the scrubber is a good buy. Not pricey.
Got leftovers of the beef, mexican rice, beans and cheese to eat up. Might make some of it into a quesadilla, still got tortillas to use up. If lazy, just take couple of spoonful, put in the pan, add cheese to top and bake it a bit. I also am going to soak some chia seeds to add into a meal, I do not use them every day but they are good every once in a while. Next month, skipping the skip the dishes fast food, save for when I need to buy something else or move it as part of the grocery order money.
I have also forgotten about doing things like budget boosting for stuff, need to do that sometimes when I am not tasking myself with other stuff. Making smaller chores list to be more realistic for myself. Todays big chore is to break down a large cardboard box and store out back.
I do hope everyone has a good day and in pockets for everyone. I have been noticing more carpal tunnel and trigger finger and thumb, decided to pick up some updated splints and finger splints as well, stretching fingers too. Nothing worse for me personally than to be bopping along and all of a sudden the index finger will just drop painfully. Figure can protect myself from that I think. Got the wrist protector already, got some silicone ones and bought some individual finger splints. Seems overkill but when worked on computer all the time, it was necessary. Everything comes tomorrow. I also stretch out the fingers as well as the arms.
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.
snm
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
Re: Finishing verzenio
Hi,
I’ve just joined and am reading lots of comments about Verzenio. I’m hoping someone may have experienced the same issue I am currently trying to work through with my oncologist.
I had partial mastectomy and axillary clearance (3/11) in May 2024, followed by chemo and radiotherapy along with Letrozole, vitamin D and calcium. As I was finishing chemo my oncologist suggested Verzenio which I’ve now been on for 12 months, starting at 150mg and being reduced to 100mg.
I requested my Estrogen levels be checked to make sure everything was going in the right direction. Sadly not - they were at 550 instead of 0. This led to a monthly Zolodex injection which has had a very minor impact to date. A CT scan showed no physical reason why estrogen levels weren’t dropping.
I’m hoping someone here may have experienced similar and have answers or suggestions for getting me levels down. Had gallbladder removed in 2021 and diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in June 2022. Not sure if either has an impact.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks for reading.
Re: My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer
Thanks for the kind thoughts, but I'm still on Kisquali, no drug change needed yet!
eleanora