Illinois ladies facing bc
Comments
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Rene - I just sent her an email asking
"I received the MRI order sheet and noticed that it is only for the left breast. Would it not make sense to do both? With ILC am I not at higher risk of developing it in the other breast as well?" and her answer is "We keep the standard schedule for the opposite breast. No MRI needed.". By standard she means mammograms. So what do I do next?
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Rene it's the taxotere. What happens is your fingernails start to hurt then they lift from your fingers (also can happen with toenails). You need to watch an be sure they don't become infected especially with the toes. Not everyone gets this but I guess I had to since I didn't get any nausea or thrush… you know the SE that they actually have drugs to treat. :-)0
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Hello everyone. It took me awhile to catch up. This thread is a hoppin place! I am feeling better now that the flu bug has left my house.
Welcome to Kim. You picked the right place to come for support and information.
Marina: My son had a murmur, too. It took 10 years to close. It never gave him a bit of trouble. But it was a pain in the but to make him take the antibiotics for evry dental visit. I hope whatever is bothering your chest/throat resolves itself.
Lago: You know how I get a bang when you use the word "WICKED" Gotta achuckle out of the highway sign.
Yahoo for Carolyn!! So glad to see you post and so glad that youare out of the hospital!!
Lisa: Thinking of you tonight and hoping that you did just fine. I remember my first TX....Just kept thinking, get on with it already!!!!
Rene23: Thanks for the Link to the San Antonio conference. I have been on the look for it but couldn't find it until I saw your post.
Hello to all that I didn't mention but thinking of you all everyday. (even tho I don't post often!)
Happy New Year too
Navy
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Quick drive by to check in. This is a really happening thread and it has taken me a while to read through and catch up. I'm enjoying being back in Seattle visiting our daughter and family. Our granddaughter will be 7 years old this weekend and she still screams like Susan's granddaughter in that video. That video is so precious. Thanks for sharing.
Carolyn... so glad that you are out of the hospital and hoping that you get into that trial. That would be awesome.
Welcome, Kim. Great group of ladies here. And Lisa... hope that chemo went okay today. I am sure that you are glad to get that first one done. I remember that I did not have alot of reaction to the first one and hope that you do not either.
Lago... how are you doing after your recent treatment? Almost done! I think that Mandy has her last one coming up soon.(((Hugs to all of you in treatment)))).
I have two follow-up appts next week with RADOnc and ONC so that will be interesting. Then, a follow-up with breast surgeon the following week. Lots of doc appts again! Arrrgh!
Happy New Year to everyone!
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Char - I certainly don't want to try and contradict your physician, but I can only share my experience. There was never any question of my MRIs being anything but bilateral. It sounds like your physician has a different protocol, and I think it's certainly worth you asking for a more detailed explanation to at least make you comfortable with their recommendation.
As BJ pointed out, it's hard to imagine how they would even do unilateral imaging since the contrast is given I.V. and enhances in both breasts. I can't imagine that they'd "waste" the images that can be obtained in the contralateral breast and only look at one side. Apparently, they can, but I am just a little boggled by the concept.
This may be one of those issues where the recommended treatment isn't black and white and different physicians follow different protocols. Maybe it's along the lines of lumpectomy vs. mastectomy. There are statistics, but there are also mental factors unique to every patient that have to be considered.
Personally, I think you need to understand and be comfortable with the reasoning behind anything that is a part of your personal treatment plan. Your doc may be able to very reasonably explain why she feels a unilateral scan is sufficient, especially if you convey to her that you still have some concerns.
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Thanks Rene. I did exchange emails with her and she promished to speak to the hear of imaging at Northwestern on Monday as well as a couple of radialogists. Claims that this is the standard protocol but she will support me completely. More to come.
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OK it's December 31st, 6:20AM and I just saw lightening and heard thunder. Am I in Austraila or something? Guess we have a quick break from winter ;-) Oh how I wish it were here to stay.
Joan thanks for asking. So far the SE are typical. I think yesterday and today are my bad days… and yesterday I went shopping with m y DH then wrapped some gifts then off to Greek Islands to dinner with my DH, SL & BL. Granted I pushed. I feel stronger today. Yesterday was the Nuelasta issues.
My fingers still hurt some but they are so much better than a week ago! I flipped the toothpaste cap without even thinking about it. I really was in a lot of pain last week. Hope it doesn't get as bad this time & the icing worked. The tips don't seem as swollen either. And of course I've put on 6 lbs since Tuesday. Hate this bloat but only 1 more after this! Yay!
I'll be poking in later to wish everyone happy new year. So glad 2010 is almost over. Officially my suckiest year!
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OK here it is:
★ ✩ ★ ✩ ★ HAPPY NEW YEARS!!! ★ ✩ ★ ✩ ★
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I CHOOSE with Open Mind and Open Heart.
I renounce all assumptions and expectations.
I thoughtfully consider all possibilities.
I CHOOSE with courage, awareness, consciousness, and compassion toward all.
- jlh0 -
Good morning.......hard to believe in some ways that we are getting ready to hang up a new calendar. It did not go quite as fast as some years but I still wonder where did it all go. We are under tornado threat until this afternoon.....what a way to end the year. Incredible, unbelievable weather.
Don't want to get too smarmy here, but as always -- at least since 2007, this has been a wonderful year. I have spent every day of it with all of you while sharing parts of our lives together. The path was easier, brighter, had more laughter and tears were gentler. I had no idea back then when I first logged on that I'd still be here feeling appreciated, content and most of all understood. I hope that the coming year will see you living well, happy and in the best of heath. Happy New Year and God Bless you all.
Hugs, Jackie
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Good morning! When I fell asleep last night we had 7" of snow on the ground...woke up and POOF - it's all gone! The snow fairy must have visited.
Hope you all have a nice holiday weekend! Cheers!
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Good morning.. What a difference a day makes.. My chest feels better.. cough is almost gone.. The more I think about it, if pre-meds means steroids, I am going to suck it up and deal with one bad day every 3 weeks instead..
Our sump pump died yesterday.. somehow my DH realized it at 4 pm and replaced it before the rains and all the snow melting.. I can only imagine otherwise what a lovely day we would have had.. So, off for Sushi for lunch before starting to make some food for NY (well, my kids and DH will at least.. I get baby duty starting this afternoon)..
Happy New Year to everyone.. I'm with LAGO on this being my absolutely worst year every. Thank you all for holding my hand and supporting me through all the ups and downs.. Hoping for a good 2011!!
Marina
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Char, just some feedback on my own protocol. I have the very dense breasts and thus I have the bilateral mri annually and that has never faltered. The thought would be that they are both dense and the cancer was NOT discovered with a mammo and eventhe ultrasound had trouble with it. I am not sure if density is an uissue for you or not. My thought is if you are doing one, do both! Becaues of my experience, I have zero confidence in the mammogram and I am not even sure why I do it when I only have confidence in the mri.
Your quote today Jackie is one I wish to be reminded of daily during 2011. Yes, it has been a tough year for so many. For those in treatment, know that many of us "veterans" will never forget our days of chemo, surgery,radiation and most importantly....uncertainty and fear....they are now history and not at the forefront of out daily experience. This was in fact one of my best years....I retired....yet .got to go back to do some teaching.....spent so many good days with darling grandchildren....got to travel....had time to read and write.....and enjoyed excellent health. This will pass and you will feel great confidence soon. Love you all and Happy 2011!
Susan
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Char All I can say is themammo didn't find my 5.5cm tumor in my former dense A-small-B cup till it got to be 5.5cm! Also the other breast had a small amount of LCIS found by the MRI before surgery. LCIS typically doesn't show up on Mammos or US.
If you have dense breast tissue and a history they should be doing an MRI on both. I really hope it was just a mistake and you are supposed to do both.
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Lago and Zap - thank you. I too have very dense breasts, and very small (A cup if that). Have had mammos every year and nothing showed up. It is simply luck that I ended-up getting a second opinion on an ultra sound - which found the cancer. No, it is not a mistake on my onco's part. She is telling me that mammos are the "standard" protocol and no need for an MRI of the "good" side. She promised to talk to the head of imaging on Monday and that she will fully support me. So we will see. If not, I will be asking for referrals to a new onco.
A Healthy and Happy New Year to you All. I am ready to leave 2010 behind me.
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Char -- I'm in the same boat as some others, with very dense breasts. Nothing showed up on mammo, nothing showed up on ultrasound in Feb, but was clearly there in Sep at 2.5cm. I'm a B cup... the only reason I went back in was that the fatty benign lump on the very front of my breast felt "different", probably because something behind it started growing..... sort of lucky ..... my breast surgeon indicated that the tumor was so far back in my breast, he was surprised I found it -- of course it wasn't the actual tumor that I felt.
I'm betting an MRI back in February would have found the cancer even earlier. Your are right to keep on pushing for bilateral MRI monitoring.... may the force be with you!
Happy New Year everyone! So far so good on day 2 of my first chemo treatment. Managed to walk a couple of miles on the treadmill, and if I drink any more water, I"m going to be rushed to the hospital for water intoxication.....
Thanks to everyone for the support!
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Lisa - It sounds like we were both just plain lucky in how we found the BC. Happy to hear that your first chemo is behind you - may they all be easy.
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Just a drive by stop in to wish everyone a happy new year--- let's put 2010 to bed!
-julie b
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Hi ladies -
Just wanted to wish you all a happy new year. Yes - for some of you it has been the worst year ever. I do hope that next year brings joy to everyone!
Char - I had ILC too and it was not found on the mammo or US - only the MRI. Mine was 10cm by the time it was finally found! I, like Susan, get a mammo every year and an MRI of both breasts every year. I too do not trust the mammo at all and don't know why I get it. I guess we just like pain, huh?! Initially, my onc was going to just order mammos. I didn't argue with him because my surgeon wanted me to have MRI's and so I knew I could get the order from him. But, when the time came, my onc agreed with me that the MRI should be done. Good luck to you.
Marina - glad you have some peace of mind on your issues. Hopefully, next time things will go smoother.
Lisa - glad your first chemo went ok. I went on Thursdays too. I felt fine on Friday and then started to feel yucky on Saturday. Still felt bad on Monday, but I went to work and by Tuesday I was back to normal. Hope you have minimal se's.
Carolyn - glad you are home and I hope the trial works out for you. I was in a trial that was testing different dosing schedules. I had no issues with the trial and I even got my own nurse so I had some extra attention! Thinking of you.
Have a great night everyone!
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Happy New Year 's to ALL of my sister's in Pink!!!!! A new year and a new start. Thanks for being here as you are!!!
Grateful heart,
Donna
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"An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves." -- Bill Vaughan
Happy New Year Girls! Hugs to all!
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Happy New Year everyone!
Char-Similar situation for me. My cancer did not show up on mamo. I too have dense breasts. I get a mamo and an MRI every 6 months. I do remember that my first followup mamo my orders also said for one side only. I too questioned my dr who told me that since my other side was reconstructed and had an implant that it was not necessary. I however thought that we may see any abnormalities under the implant. She said only the one side was necessary to have the MRI. I didn't agree, but fortunately when I went to have the MRI actually done, the technician said that they would be doing both sides! I was relieved and after the MRI she even showed me how they can see that the implant is intact, etc.
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If the stars were mine, I'd give them all to you...
Happy New Year One and All!0 -
thanks for the you tubr clip Laura. It was fun to watch. Happy New Year everyone! Hopefully this year will be better for everyone!
Love to all
Carolyn
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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Recipe For A Wonderful New Year Author Unknown
Take twelve whole months.
Clean them thoroughly of all bitterness, hate, and jealousy.
Make them just as fresh and clean as possible.
Now cut each month into 28, 30 or 31 parts,
but don't make up the whole batch at once.
Prepare it one day at a time out of these ingredients:
Mix well into each day one part of faith,
one part of patience, one part of courage,
and one part of work.
Add to each day one part of hope,
faithfulness, generosity, and kindness.
Blend with one part prayer, one part meditation,
and one good deed.
Season the whole with a dash of good spirits,
a sprinkle of fun, a pinch of play,
and a cupful of good humor.
Pour all of this into a vessel of love.
Cook thoroughly over radiant joy,
garnish with a smile,
and serve with quietness, unselfishness,
and cheerfulness.
Enjoy!!!0 -
HAPPY NEW YEAR GIRLS....2011
I hope everyone had a wonderful evening ringing in the New Year with your family and friends. I spent my evening with some very close friends and partied until 3 am. It was so much fun. I can't remember the last time I got a little wild. Oh I know 3 yrs ago before this bc journey. So today I am drinking my java and taking my Advil and enjoying my new year.
I want to wish each and everyone of you a wonderful healthy and happy New Year. We have a new year to begin living our lives to the fullest, have fun and enjoy the ones we love.
Remember Illinois Ladies are tough so ...be healthy...be happy....enjoy. Have a wonderful day.
Hugs to all
BJ
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One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this: To rise above the little things. ~John Burroughs
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Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2011!
Laura - I loooved that video.
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Thanks Irene! Have a romantic, healthy, prosperous and fun-filled New Year!0
