Illinois ladies facing bc
Comments
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Congrats, Susan! My diagnosis was in November and we have done well. I've had lots of anxiety over the years and have lost lots of good friends to this. However, we are indeed still here! I think of you often and was so glad to see your post. Life is good!
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Hi- I have not posted here since I started chemo, although I have run into Sandy at the support group meeting at Evanston Hospital a few times. I finished chemo on 9/19. The first session was the worse. I started chemo 6 days after I had a huge anal polyp removed by the surgeon who did my lumpectomy, and the day I started chemo, I mentioned to the MO that I had a really sore butt. He sent me back to the surgeon to get it checked out, and I found out that I had a fungal infection, and so I was treating that when I developed a 100.2 temp., and so the first week, I did not feel that great. The second week I felt much better, but the beginning of the third week, I came down with a bad cold. The day I was the sickest, five days before I was supposed to have my second round of chemo, I called and left a message for the MO. A nurse called me up a few hours later, and told me to not cancel my chemo appointment. Dr. Merkel would examine me on Monday, and check my blood work, and decide if it was okay for me to do chemo that day. I ended up having chemo that day, and the second round of chemo went much better. He apparently fine tuned my chemo. When I saw him right before I had my 4th and final session, he said he thought handled chemo really well, and he looked at my finger nails and they looked fairly good. Since then my, and some of my nails have developed white spots on the bottom of all my nails, and some of my nails have turned dark red on the rest of my nail. Sunday I threw up four times, and Tuesday morning I developed severe diarrhea at 3:00 am. I had a few loose stools today, but nothing like I had yesterday.
In my surgical pathology report, my her2 was + in one sample, and negative in another, and so Dr. Merkel sent off another sample to an outside lab. The outside lab never sent him back the results, and so when I asked him about it last week, he called the lab up, and they got back to him, and the test was negative, and so that means that I do not have to do herceptin treatments, and I get to have my port removed in a few weeks. I also have to make an appointment with the RO so I can start radiation. Hopefully radiation will go better than the chemo did. I see Dr. Merkel again in two months, when I assume he will put me on some hormonal medicine. At first I did not care for Dr. Merkel, but it just takes a while for him to warm up to you, and I like him a lot better now. I just hope I don't gain any more weight when he puts me on tamoxifen or what ever. I am sure I will have to go on one of the bone meds. too since I already have osteopenia, but I usually tolerate drugs well, and so will probably just do fine with one of the oral meds. It was only the chemo meds that I had major problems with.
Dx 5/13/16, IDC, lumpectomy. R breast, 5/27/16, lump 2.3 cm, stage 2, no node involvement, ER+, PR+, HER2-. Completed 4 rounds of T/C chemo. Will start radiation next month.
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Hi- I mentioned this at the last support group meeting at Evanston Hospital. There is a choir called Sing to Live, that is comprised of breast cancer survivors that rehearses in both Oak Park and Glenview. They rehearse in Glenview on Tuesday evenings, and in Oak Park on Thursday evenings. They are putting on a concert next month. If you are a breast cancer you get into the concert for free. They are performing at the Glenview Community Church, 1000 Elm Street, Glenview, IL , on Saturday October 22 at 7:30 pm, and they are repeating the concert on Sunday October 23, at 4:00 pm, at the Pilgrim Congregational Church at 460 Lake Street in Oak Park, Illinois. They are accepting new singers. They perform twice a year. I would consider joining the group, but another group that I have sung with for 29 years also rehearses on Tuesday evening, and Oak Park is too far for me. I checked their website, and their dues are $50 per concert sung, and you are required to buy an outfit, for which they charge $100-$125, and all the women are required to wear pink scarves at all their concerts. The group I sing with is doing five concerts this season, and charges $90 annually for dues. We just bought new outfits two years ago, and they cost us $65.
The woman that started Sing to Live ten years ago, is trying to take this nationally. I thought some Chicago area people here would at least be interested in attending their concert next month. I will probably attend the Glenview one, since I can get in for free. They are doing movie and tv theme songs, which is not my favorite type of music, but hey it is free.
Dx 5/13/16. lumpectomy 5/27/15, R breast, IDC, lump 2.3 cm, no node involvement, ER+, PR+, HER2-. Completed 4our eounds of T/C chemo. Will start radiation soon.
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Thanks, peaches. I’ll try to make one of the concerts. I doubt I’d audition, though, because starting Sat. I’m pretty busy with the Bar Show (formerly “Christmas Spirits,” Chi. Bar Assn’s annual satirical musical revue—dating back to 1922—which runs Dec. 1-4 at the Merle Reskin Theater across from the Hilton & Towers & next to the Blackstone. I can get discounted orchestra tix for $40 through Fri.—price goes up to $50 thereafter, all proceeds to Chi. Bar Charities). Our choral rehearsals are down in the Loop on Tuesday nights (except erev Yom Kippur) and our staging rehearsals all day Saturdays. Not sure what my part will be this year, as I had to skip last year due to recovery from surgery and then radiation treatments, so seniority-wise I might be back to square one. Last week in Oct. I will be at the FARM folk music conference in Iowa City, and also an opening act for Anne Hills at The Mill. And I have a Christmas show down in Park Forest (Edgar’s Place) Dec. 17. My temple band & choir are also sorta breathing down my neck—haven’t played or sung with them since I got busy performing professionally and then having my "Family Medical Adventures.” I hear you about Oak Park being a bit too far a schlep for rehearsals.
Hope you’re turning a corner and able to “climb out of the weeds” with chemo and its side effects. Are you going to have your radiation at Evanston too? Dr. Shaikh is a sweetheart, as warm as Merkel is standoffish.
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The less I take the difficulties of my life as personal affront,
and the more I use them as an opportunity to learn and grow...
the easier I sleep at night.
- Mary Anne Radmacher0 -
peaches, sure glad you are through your chemo w/o too many se's. Of course, who needed those when you had a number of other non-related issues at the same time. Good for you -- always great to be DONE with one of the major parts of overall tx. Hopefully you will have a fairly easy time with rads. In general, most people find them somewhat boring. A huge amt. of preparation to lay on a table daily for 5 to 7 mins. and then off you go to whatever. To be sure there can be some issues but most are not difficult. Using lots of lotion ( whatever is recommended ) and making sure how to handle that --- some needs to be washed off before the rads are applied and some I think does not.
I think if memory serves, I found mild exercise kept me from getting the over-tired/completely exhausted and must sleep issue. Happened once and feels strange but only in that you just have to lay down and sleep. You hopefully will sail right through.
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You need to come into each treatment with completely clean skin. Nothing should be applied to it w/in 4 hrs. leading up to your appointment, unless you wash it off before you set out for the hospital.
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I believe that the first test of a truly great person is his or her humility. I do not mean by humility, doubt of his or her own powers.But really great people have a curious feeling that the greatness is not in them, but through them. And they see something divine in every other person.
John Ruskin0 -
Integrity is telling myself the truth.
And honesty is telling the truth to other people.
Spencer Johnson0 -
Hi Zap. Congratulations on 10 years!
Jackie, just letting you know I do read your posts. Been rather busy with work.
Love you gals
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One of the sanest, surest, and most generous joys of life
comes from being happy over the good fortune of others.
Archibald Rutledge0 -
Lago -- good to hear. I write a few words now and then while my biggest joy still remains to find a good quote which hopefully gives a good perspective and helps someone face their day. Especially so if yesterday wasn't such a good one. I still hope by reading them others know that someone cares about your day. We are all going to have "those" kind now and then --- I just want people to know they are not alone when they do.
Susan ( Zap ) you are now, and I'm definitely borrowing from another cancer site, what these ladies lovingly call a 'double' dish'. The first five yrs. of course being able to say your a dish. The second five making ten yrs. a double dish. I hope they don't mind.
You may be wondering what dish stands for-- it stands for damn I'm still here. This is an idea I think that may have flitted across everyone's mind at diagnosis time -- no matter what your pathology is later on, hearing those words for the first time engenders a thousand thoughts and many of them are quite negative ones --- so dish is a great word for the delight of being able to move past what was a negative and find joy, happiness and the ability to be grateful for the treasure of being able to be NED and appreciating each day. No one ever knows for sure how many days we may have but hopefully we treasure each one as the gift that it is sitting on the dish in front of us. May good fortune smile on all of you, all of the time.
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Hmm. DISH - damn I'm still here. Have to write it to remember it. I like it in capitals because it seems less fragile than "dish". Just DISH it out, I can handle it. Bit weird, right? In a funky mood with the craziness of work and trying to decide whether or not to continue AIs beyond 5 years. Are we a DISH five years after treatment or upon removal of the tumor? I'm either a DISH or a .9 DISH.
Stopping the funky now.
Congrats Zap!
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Hey peaches, so glad to hear that you're done with that chemo and are getting ready to tackle the rads. Other than the inconvenience of showing up every day, I didn't have too much trouble with rads. Jackie is right! Nice long walks helped me to fight the fatigue at the end. I hope that you do as well as I did with them. That cream is fantastic and I used plenty of it! Hugs to you as you finish this journey.
I love the DISH connotation! I'd never heard that before but it sums it up perfectly!
I have a whole day today to myself...no appointments, bowling, golf, or other outside activities. Hmm...this seldom happens so what should I do today? Heaven knows I have plenty of work around here I could tackle!
I hope everyone had a good weekend and is off to a good start on your week!
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I used to think it was great to disregard happiness, to press on to a high goal, careless, disdainful of it.But now I see that there is nothing so great as to be capable of happiness, to pluck it out of each moment, and, whatever happens, to find that one can ride as gay and buoyant on the angry, menacing, tumultuous waves of life as on those that glide and glitter under a clear sky; that it is not defeat and wretchedness which come out of the storms of adversity, but strength and calmness. - Anne Gilchrist
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You are a child of the universe, "fearfully and wonderfully made."
In the history of creation, there has never been anyone like you.
Accept this reality about yourself—that you are a special, unique
human being who has a place on this earth that no one else can fill. Acknowledge yourself as a glorious expression of your loving Creator.
This healthy self-love will form the foundation of a joyful and
satisfying life. Then, as you love and accept yourself, your inner
light will shine outward to bless and heal your fellow human beings.
Douglas Bloch0 -
Love it Jackie. I'm already into my 2nd dish! The survivor buffet. May it never end for all of us.
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No doubt we would all agree with the sentiment:"There's more
to life than things."Yet much of our lives seem to be spent in
the acquisition, maintenance, and disposal of material goods.
Certainly we cannot enjoy the basics of food, shelter, and clothing
without a concern for things.The truly important things of life,
however, are those which cannot be encountered by the physical
senses, purchased with money, or placed on a shelf.When we
take a look at what we value most in life, we generally find family,
friends, health, peace, contentment, laughter, helping others,
and communion with God foremost on our list of priorities.
Unattributed0 -
Be more concerned with your character than your
reputation, because your character is what you really are,
while your reputation is merely what others think you are.
John Wooden0 -
We can cultivate an inner solitude and silence that sets us free
from loneliness and fear. Loneliness is inner emptiness.Solitude
is inner fulfillment.Solitude is not first a place but a state of mind
and heart.There is a solitude of heart that can be maintained at
all times.Crowds or the lack of them have little to do with this inward
attentiveness.It is quite possible to be a desert hermit and never
experience solitude.But if we possess inward solitude we will not fear
being alone, for we know that we are not alone.Neither do we fear
being with others, for they do not control us.In the midst of noise
and confusion we are settled into a deep inner silence.
Teresa of Avila0 -
The unthankful heart... discovers no mercies;
but let the thankful heart sweep through the day
and, as the magnet finds the iron,
so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!
- Henry Ward Beecher0 -
The present moment is never intolerable. It is always what
is coming in five minutes or five days that makes people
despair.The Law of Life is to live in the present, and this
applies to both time and place.Keep your attention to the
present moment, and in the place where your body is now.
Emmet Fox0 -
Many people do not know that they can strengthen or diminish
the life around them. The way we live day to day simply may not
reflect back to us our power to influence life or the web of relationships
that connects us.Life responds to us anyway.We all have the power
to affect others.We may affect those we know and those we do not even
know at all. . . . Without our knowing, we may influence
the lives of others in very simple ways.0 -
Flexibility is a goal worth the striving. It eases our relations with others, and it stretches our realm of awareness.Letting go of rigid adherence to what our perceptions were yesterday assures us of heightened understanding of life's variables and lessons.Being torn between two decisions, feeling ambivalent about them, need not create consternation, though it often does. . . . Our contradictory responses, which we may express to others or to ourselves, keep us on our toes, lend an element of excitement to our lives, and push us to think creatively about our perceptions.Growth and change are guaranteed. -unattributed
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Humility accompanies every experience wherein we let ourselves fully listen to others, to learn from them, to be changed by their words, their presence.Each opportunity we take to be fully present to other people, totally with them in mind and spirit, will bless us while it blesses them.Offering and receiving the gift of genuine attention is basic to the emotional growth of every human being. -unattributed
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Well, I haven't popped in for a long time, as I am swamped with other things. Today I saw my Oncologist for my check up and I had four body parts on my bitch list. While waiting I found a funny picture in the Good Housekeeping and when He came in, I said I hope yo udon't think this is me today----He laughed, listened, and then said, your not a grumpy survivor, your drug has made you toxic----so I get a four week break, and then he said we will do it every other day to try and get me to the five year mark. He said that over time, we get diminishing returns and we will be ok because I was such a low grade, early detection case.
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Love the Grumpy Survivor pic! I’m still grateful that my last mammos were clear, my AI SEs have been mild & manageable and my LE isn’t yet requiring constant compression. If I seem grumpy, it’s just me.
Slept in today and missed morning service at temple. Solved the "am I 'sick' for purposes of dispensation from Yom Kippur fasting?" conundrum (i.e., is AI therapy "treatment," or would I have to be recovering from surgery, undergoing chemo or rads, or suffering terrible SEs or mets?) by deciding that I would eat & drink for sustenance & health. I need my one cup of black coffee to keep my asthmatic lungs open, and avoiding water is ill-advised for all but the most hardy of the healthy. As to solid food, I decided to eat only enough protein to keep my blood sugar steady, my strength up, and my body continuing to heal itself—and not for enjoyment. So I had an egg. That should hold me till sunset. Had planned to go to afternoon/memorial/concluding service, but it's about to storm (awoke to the sound of thunder) and I don't relish having to walk home in that (or wait in the rain for the parking shuttle). My sinuses and my sore LE arm have been confirming the plunging barometer even though the rain has yet to start.
GO CUBS!!!
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You have choice.You can select joy over despair. You can
select happiness over tears. You can select action over apathy. You can select growth over stagnation.You can select you. And you can select life.And it's time that people tell you you're not at the mercy of forces greater than yourself.You are, indeed, the greatest force for you.
Leo Buscaglia0 -
Love this quote, Jackie, because it is SO true!
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If I were to prescribe one process in the training of people which is fundamental to success in any direction, it would be thorough ongoing training in the habit of accurate observation. It is a habit which every one of us should be seeking evermore to perfect.
Eugene G. Grace0
