Illinois ladies facing bc
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Loved the video, Susan. Reminds me to appreciate simple pleasures. Thanks for sharing.
Laura, is it possible to send the the flu over the net?. I got it and it was baaaadddd. I have heard that it is going around and it made a stop at my house! Feeling a bit better tonight. Just hoping now that DH doesn't get it.
Hugs to everyone in treatment. Thinking of you Carolyn. You better get home quick, sounds like you have some mail waiting for you!
Navy
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I am home! Yeah! ONC stopped in today with a clinicical trial that she thinks I'm perfect for. She also took the time to get on the phone with my sister and explain everything. Am very happy with the treatment I'm getting. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with the clinical trial - I don't think I have anything to lose.
Anyway good luck to all in treatment. Hope you are feeling well
Take care! Love,
Carolyn
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Hi all. I've finally decided to check in. I have been following along since I was diagnosed. I first felt a lump at about 6:00 in my left breast. gave it about a month to see if it was hormonal, although i hadn't had a period in about 8 mos. (so close to the magic year!) Went in and had a dx mammo Sept 28. saw surgeon oct 4th, core bx same day, mri oct 11 and lumpectomy oct 21st. Dx- IDC .9cm er/pr+ her- , stage 1 grade2 0/2nodes, oncotype 29. Started rads oct 9th, 13 down, 20 to go. onc said chemo not necessary, wouldn't warrent the s/e, but that if i changed my mind i could do it after rads. hoping i made the right decision on that. its so close to the high risk..... I'm 52yrs old with no family history of bc. doing ok with the rads, its just now starting to wipe me out a little. I'm a nurse, run our counties free medical clinic on my own. we have volunteer md's, np's and pa's that come in 3-4 times a month to see pts. otherwise i triage, advise, counsel, baby and get pts through till they can be seen. or send them to the local prompt care if necessary. luckily i can come and go as needed for tx. I'm married with 3 grown kids, and 7 wonderful granddarlings! Just wanted to say hi, and connect. I feel still so detatched from this whole process. just going through the motions i think. hasn't hit that i really have (had? i'm having trouble with that. do i have it? did I have it, now its out so I don't?) Feel like I really don't have room to complain- no chemo, so not really having a hard time. just some skin issues, and maybe a sore swollen breast. Maybe its just easier for me to take care of others, and minimise my own health issues. You know, then you don't have to really "deal" with it. I live in a little town about 38 miles north east of bloomington/normal. work in pontiac- get treatment in B/N. Probably enough rambling for now. Love to follow you all, and love the quotes you all have. such thought provokers. (sorry for the often missed capitalization- bad texting habit!!) Kim
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Hi Carolyn - So happy to see your post and that you are back home. That is great news that you are a good candidate for a trial. Hooray for options!!!
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iwurn88 - Welcome to our little group. Glad to hear that you are doing well. I finished rads at the very end of August and started Arimides the following day. Still trying to accept the readlity of BC.
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Zap, again, again! What a delightful clip. They are adorable. Thank you for sharing! I still have the one we bought my first born. Take it out every christmas. Even at my age, I jump each time the clown comes out....George is way cuter.
Kim, welcome and glad you finally decided to jump on in. I was glad to see you have had little issues with the rads as that will be my next step after chemo. And honey, every step of breast cancer, no matter what the dx is is still breast cancer, there is always room to complain. : ) I love nurses so come on back soon...Onward
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Carolyn -- so glad you are back at home!
Susan -- the video was completely adorable.
Kim -- welcome.
Up extra early this morning......very first chemo treatment is at 2pm today, so I have the jitters. Not looking forward to it, but ready to get started on this treatment step so I can move forward and put it behind me.
Don't know what the next few days will bring for me... so may not be online much.....everyone have a great New Years!
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LisaMomOfFour - I will be thinking of you today. Drink lots of water and just take it easy. My infusion days were no big deal - felt worst on days 5-8 after each treatment. Which chemo treatment are you taking?
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zap - love the video, beautiful little girls and what fun
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Carolyn: Clinical trial! So exciting!!! I assume some kind of new chemo concoction. As you know chemo loves to eradicate triple negative cancer. This is great news.
Kim: Welcome to the IL gals. I've been here since July. This is an awesome group. Sorry you had to join us. So glad you decided to share. Please know we are here for you. BTW I say I had cancer. The did surgery right, unless they find something else I consider it out of me. The chemo or in your case rads (radiation) is just a little extra insurance. And don't think you had it easy. I may be going through chemo but I'm not doing rads. We all have our battles to fight with this disease.
LisaMomOfFour: I remember how nervous I was for my first chemo. It really was a piece of cake. Now that I've been through 5tx seems I'm more nervous when my DH gives me my Neulasta shot ;-) As long as you've taken all your premeds and are drinking lots of fluids chances are you will be fine. They infuse you slowly the first time just to make sure you don't get any reactions. Yes they watch you very closely the first round. Good luck today.
---------------------------------------BTW I did ice my fingers this last round with a bag of frozen peas. So far they actually feel better. I didn't realize that the reason why I felt so bad last week was mostly because of my fingers. I will be bringing more peas to my last round! Today is shopping and cooking day if I can handle it. So far the Nuelasta isn't too bad. Gotta love the Aleve for that. I did manage to make a big batch of my chili yesterday. Today I hope to get some sweet & sour cabbage soup and more cookies (for a friend) made. I'm afraid my taste buds will start to change on Friday and I won't be able to make the soup… or at least know that there is enough sour salt or sugar in it ;-)
Hope everyone enjoys the warm up. Yes a little messy but I'm looking forward to getting rid of some snow. Those of you with basements be ware of flooding.
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Char -- Thanks for the nice thoughts! I'm doing four rounds of A/C, followed by four rounds of Taxol, every two weeks. I'm hoping to continue to work through treatment, we'll see how that goes! My infusions will be on Thursdays, and I'll work from home Friday and Monday and hope for the best the following Tuesday.
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Your greatest gift to others is to be happy and to radiate your happiness to the entire world.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie0 -
Good morning today as it goes up to about 58 degrees here. Getting scary.
Carolyn -- great news and great attitude. I too hope you get your trial and that you end up helping yourself and many, many others for having done it. You go.
Lisa.......the first chemo is quite daunting --- something we have not done before and your looking everywhere for the bogey-men only to find they must have stayed home. I was terrified, but anxious to begin so I could get done with it. You'll get it all down pat and soon wonder why the first one made you so nervous. Many soothing thoughts for you today.
Big welcome to you Kim. We have a few nurses here already so you are in good company. Denial, dis-belief, I think we all wore those hats for awhile. No one here had a cancer diagnosis in their life script. You may surprise yourself at some point and just break down in tears.....I think many of us did that -- no big rhyme or reason -- anything/something just erases that denial and you feel the vulnerability and give in.....that is not a bad thing. It helps you move on into acceptance. I am wishing you well and hope you will come and see us again soon.
Hi to everyone else and hoping you see lots of melting snow today.
Hugs, Jackie
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Good morning.. I think I have some bad news to report..
I'm having a reaction to Herceptin.. which is the drug that I have my mind set on keeping me alive for many years... Three weeks ago as the infustion was ending I started kind of choking.. like I couldn't breath.. it felt like a lump in my chest when I got home.. I was eating something so thought I choked on it.. thought nothing of it until yesterday.. happened again.. I still have a slight cough.. Lago, I saw your post about the possible side-effects being lung problems, shortness of breath, choking.. but it says it would happen within 24 hrs of first infustion.. I'm coming up on a YEAR!! I'm freaking that it's causing damage to my lungs!! I will wait until my scan in 3 weeks and then talk to my Onc at my appointment that I have the same day. I can't stop Herceptin, so not sure what it means.. I can deal with the one day cough.. but WHAT IF it really is slow lung damage..
scared..Today going to cardiologist with Gab.. more worries.. Wish me luck..
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I think you misunderstood. Not lung problems but congestive heart failure which is a heart issue that is usually resolved when stopping herceptin or very easily managed with drugs. It feels like a lung problem but actually it's actually not. I don't remember reading anything about lung damage and Herceptin.
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Carolyn - So glad you're home. Be well...hugs to you!
Welcome Kim...the girls here are great. Some of them meet for lunch/dinner in your neck of the woods. Maybe you can join them sometime. Best wishes to you with your treatments. It's amazing that you're able to work through it all.
MAK - I am so sorry you're having this problem. Damn!... is there a Herceptin thread you can post on? If there's ANYTHING I can do...please don't hesitate to ask. Hang in there...
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posted on the Herceptin and Stage IV threads.. I would be more concerned if the cough at the end of each breath continued, but it gets better after 2 days, and I'm able to do my stepper.. so I don't think it's heart issues.. They do list lung problems as a side effect on some sites.. (I'm googling..).. I will call my Onc if it doesn't get better by tomorrow.. otherwise, I will wait 'til my appt..
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I know when I told Nurse Unratched about tightness in my chest from chemo on Tuesday she said to me " if you are walking from you home (Fullerton Ave) to Chicago Ave I don't think you have anything to worry about" ;-) Yes that is about a 2.5 mile walk at a fast pace.
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MAK - I am so sorry that you are dealing with this c**p. Thinking of you.
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Makmak, I do not want to simplify everything, but could the choking be connected to the cold you have right now? It seems you have a great deal on your mind right now and stress can aggravate anything and everything. I was very short of breath while on chemo (not your chemo) and called the onc (our guy) because I was afraid of being so breathless. They told me it was "normal" to feel breathless while on chemo and to walk slower!!!! You are going through a hard time and I wish I oculd help.
Welcome Kim. Your jobs sounds fascinating to me. I bet you could write a book.
Carolyn, glad you are home. "There is no place like home'! Okay I had to slip "Wicked" in there somehow. The musical was wonderful and we had so much fun. We had awful seats...I guess that is what happens when you buy the cheapest seats. If I kept my head in one position and the two people in front of me kept theirs perfectly straight, I could see nicely. It brought out the best in our little balcony area.
Best wishes for those going into chemo. I had no idea what to expect and found it to be a challenge that was not as dreadful as one might think.If I fast-forwarded my whole life, I would find that it would be one of the events featured, but not as big as others events in my life. Have a good day.
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Wicked means something very different to us New Englanders. This picture was posted by a friend back home during the last storm. Only in New England:
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lago -- I love that picture!
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back from the Dr.. Gabs passed her EKG just fine.. Dr said he's not worried about her murmur... she'll outgrow it.. many kids have it.. WOO HOO.. one less thing to worry about!! Hopefully my breathing will be back to normal by tomorrow night too!!
Dr just called.. told me he is not concerned that it's my lungs or heart, but will give me a pre-med next infustion..
still OK as long as it's nothing major to worry about!!
Caroly, good to hear from you. You sound very upbeat!! GO for the Trial!! Just like you said, you have nothign to lose and it always has great potential to help!! Good luck and keep us all posted!! We all care and are following your treatments!!Marina
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Marina - That's great news! And so glad your doc doesn't seem overly concerned about your probs. Whew! Now you can have a nice New Year's weekend. Treat yourself to an organic glass - or two - of Champagne! Cheers!
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Okay, Marina, I just exhaled...all good news!
On a "lighter" note, are you city girls going to Lincoln Park Zoo Lights? The whole fam is trekking down there on Sunday after glog and appetizers at my DD place in Lakeview. We go every year and I just love it! The ape house is open and you can see the big ape family-tribes snuggling in the darkness. Jackie, you would be awed by these animals and the affection they show at night.
Take care and stay cozy!
Susan
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Susan - My mom is going to Lincoln Park tomorrow night. If you see my Mom, say hi! Be warm.
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Susan I practically live across the street from the Zoo. Technically I'm across the street from the nature museum. I haven't been in a couple of years though. Hope the weather cooperates.
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Could you ladies share your follow-up routine with me, especially if you get MRIs? My BC did not show up on a mammo and was not palapable - even when we knew it was there. It was picked-up by an US and then confirmed with an MRI. So my onco agreed that we will do an MRI every six months. In Nov I had a diagnostic mammo (both breasts) and now I just received the MRI order sheet for an MRI in May. But she only ordered the MRI for the side that had the BC. Is that normal? What would be the reason for limiting to only that side?
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HI girls...Looks like there is a lot going on here today.
Char.. I get a Bil diagnosatic mammo ( April ) and MRI ( Oct.) very year and it includes both breast. I would ask why only one side. With a MRI they inject you so both breasts show up on the films. It may have to due with your insurance too. I would ask why.
Zap... How did you like Wicked? I loved it as I saw it 3 times. My dd is looking now at apts in the Lakeview area. She has very high standards when it comes to apts. I am sitting back and enjoying the ride. Oh to be young again lol Thanks for sharing the video. It was priceless. Do it again and again!!
lago...The Indian resturant in Schaumburg you mentioned is very good. I have eaten there...that was a good coupon deal. It was so nice of you to visit Carolyn at Rush. It makes me so happy to see how we are so supportive of each other. Thank you!!
Carolyn... glad you are home now and resting. Clinical trails are good so hoping it works for you. Be well and sending you a healing hug.
Jackie...it is so wonderful what you do for your furry friends. They give us so much unconditional love. Hugs to you do all you do!!
Rita... how was you Xmas with your grand kids? glad you enjoyed your surprise.
Laura... hope you are feeling better. Cold can be so nasty. Rest, rest and more rest. Hugs.
Marina....I agree with Zap as you do have so much on your plate that our bodies do weird things under stress. Your cold symptoms may have just settled in your chest area. Hot green tea and honey works for me. rest and be well soon. Glad to see the baby is fine. One less thing to worry about.
Lisa...thinking of you today as you have your chemo tx. rest and drink lots of fluids. Hugs to you.
Well I have to stop typing now as I joined Smerf's thumb club. I did a really stupid thing and totally grated my thumb while grating cheese today. So now I am stuck with a huge bandage on my right thumb. I did put a smily face on it. lol I now get out of doing dishes and house work for a while. lol
Off to rest my thumb. Have a wonderful fun filled evening.
Wishing everyone a Healthy and Happy 2011.
BJ
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Susan - Love the video of your granddaughters. It's impossible not to smile at the happy squeals! Glad you enjoyed Wicked, I love that show.
Marina - Happy to hear the baby's EKG was fine, and it sounds like your doc isn't too worried about your cough/choking being a s/e. Hopefully, it's just a flukey thing.
Kim - Welcome, and glad you decided to de-lurk.
Carolyn - I'm so hoping you'll get in that study. Does your doctor think it's pretty likely you'll qualify?
Lago - Which med exactly is causing your finger pain? I've read other women's posts about finger issues during treatment, but I never experienced anything like that.
Lisa - The first chemo is all kinds of scary, BUT, you will do just fine, I'm sure. As has been said already, they keep pretty close tabs on you and do all they can to make you comfortable. I actually slept through most of my chemos! Just keep reminding yourself that this is one to cross off the list. Soon you'll be through with all of them.
Char - My tumor was the same - no visualization on mammos, but lit up like a beacon on MRI. So I also alternated mammos and MRIs every 6 months for the past 5 years. My MRI's were always bilateral - even though I had a unilateral mastectomy and a lift with a small implant on the other side. I would ask your onc if ordering a unilateral MRI was simply a mistake. When they do the MRI, both breasts are imaged at the same time.
I was just reading THIS with the updates from the San Antonio conference. After reading the latest information on Zometa twice a year (which is what my plan was), I've decided to call my onc tomorrow and tell him I'm not going to do the second infusion. Once a year should be enough for treating my bone loss... I hope.
Happy New Year to everyone. If you're going out tomorrow, drive safe! We are going to enjoy a lavish home-cooked meal and watch movies by the fireplace. We're such party animals.
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