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Share your story: Your reflections about Mother's Day
Illinois ladies facing bc
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Rita: My daughter did good in the chemo room. She was suprised at how long it took. My surgeon was Dr. Raines.
I will be going to therapy on the 26th. I guess Bromenn
only has one person who does this. The swelling in my hand
has gone down but my arm still hurts when touched.
I am going to come over and see your cubbie cart. We can go cruising....:)
Hope everyone has a great weekend...
Ginny0 -
Rita...I am feeling pretty good today. I just have to remember to take it easy and not go running around. Which is very hard for me to do...
Ginny0 -
Hi everyone. Hope everyone is doing well today.
The good news for me was that I got all of my drains out today. Unfortunately, the left drain must been stitched in right by a nerve, and pulling it out damaged the nerve, because when he pulled it out the pain was outrageous and it didn't go away. I'm still in terrible pain and feeling nauseous. I wasn't taking any pain meds before, but I'm going to have to start. The other two drains came out just fine.
My bad news is that 4 out of the 17 nodes were positive for cancer. With one node being almost completely taken over by the cancer tumor. Since I have already had chemo, this was not the news we were hoping for. If the dose dense chemo didn't knock it out, that means very aggressive. I'm triple negative, so there are no more pills or treatment to do at this time except rads.
Sure wish I didn't have to think about this so much!0 -
(((HUGS)))) JanClare......I am so sorry to hear about the node involvement. However, think POSITIVE! Those nodes have been removed. They will radiate that area. The chemo has been killing any cancer cells that have escaped the node area, and soon you'll be through the radiation and the sun will shine a little brighter for you. There are many women who have had lymph node involvement that have been cancer free for many years. You will be one of them, too.
Hang in there. Thinking of you ......
Rita0 -
JanClare -
Gosh...I wish the news was better. But Rita's right, please try to remain positive. I distinctly remember back when we found out my SN was positive. We were devastated. But things will be okay, radiation does wonders, you have great Drs, a great support group, and we're all here for you, too. I had an unclean margin at the chest wall and I believe that chemo killed it off. It took a while for me to believe that. Hang in there neighbor.
rita -
You and your golf cart...it's a beautiful thing. LOL You are very funny - I can visualize you struttin' along the golf course in a style all your own! I love your energy.
...I design gift items. Frames, t-shirts, plaques...for weddings, new babies, birthdays, etc. I really can't complain because I work from home and I am self employed. I had the luxury of taking a year off during chemo and rads (we don't have kids, so being without my income hurt, but it wasn't a huge problem).
Ginny -
Hang in there...the most important thing to remember about Lymphedema is to stay one step ahead of it! Take care.
EVERYONE -
From pubs to clovers - have a great weekend. This weekend we're working on getting our race car's new engine in and running - then I'll be able to hit the road and try to find some races! LOL OMG - Be well, neighbors!0 -
Good Morning Everyone: Started celebrating St. Patty's Day yesterday. So I have a wee bit of a headache this morning. Husband is an entertainer, and today is his big day. Lots of partying again. I realized, Im getting way too old to do the Irish Jig, Italian style - but I tried.
Rita: I used to exercise to Richard Simmons tape all the time. So I guess Im outdated too. Then one day - it just disappeared. I know my husband had something to do with that. He hated Richard Simmons. I still miss that tape.
Jan: Im sorry you had such a hard day. My onc told me that 4 or less nodes is still early stage! So it seems to me, that your nodes did what they are supposed to do! Contain those nasty cancer cells. I have a friend who was diagnosed 5 years ago. 26 out of 26 nodes were positive. She is doing great now and still NED. Who took out your drains? Surgeon or PS? Im just wondering what they are saying about all of this. Im hoping that the pain goes away soon. Im sending you hugs.
Laura: Hope you have fun this week-end.
To all my Illinois sisters:
But watch out if you find a pot of gold.
Have a great day.
Nicki0 -
hello ladies,just thought id drop in to say hi.I havent been here in a while.Sometimes there just isnt much to say but i can never get enough reading lol.Ill be back for sure though
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Hi there Rooni...so glad to see that you're back. How are things going in the little "town?" I will be coming to town one of these days to visit my elderly aunt. Don't know when until I get my official radiation schedule set up, though. Would you like to meet for a cup of coffee or a sandwich? We could always run into P-Town if there's no place in town to do this anymore. If so, PM me with contact details.
Nicki...I think I can see why you hubby hates Richard Simmons. His voice is rather distinctive, to say the least, but I still like the dance videos. I have two of the relics!!! You really might be able to find another copy on ebay if you look. Then again, it, too, might just disappear! :-)
How you doing Ginny? You haven't been on in a few days and I was wondering about you. Sometimes those days 5 and 6 can get us down, just when we least expect it. Hope that you're back to work today on this rainy, dreary Monday.
Laura, do you actually race? Believe it or not, back in the dark ages I actually ran "Powder Puff" stock car derbies. I also raced drag cars in Byron, Illinois. We lived near the home of Arnie, the Farmer, Beswick, a pretty successful driver, and all the kids idolized him.
I ran into him at a car show last year and was crushed. He didn't even remember me.........can't imagine that since this was only about 40+ years ago and I was just one of the idolizing teen fans in the county.
Hope everyone has a good day despite the doom and gloom weather. We need your graphics, Nicki to perk us up!!!!
Rita0 -
Hello everyone,
Just dropping in to say hello. The hair is falling out like crazy today. Day 20 from 1st chemo treatment. I think I need to bite the bullet and shave my head tonight. It's raining and ugly here in Champaign today but the weekend was sunny and fairly warm. I'm feeling good so no complaints. I hope the best for all of you today!
Wendy0 -
Wendy -
So glad you're feeling good. The hair...I cringe when I think back to that... Have a great day.
Rita -
...derbies, that's so funny...yes, we do race. Sometimes even in Byron...the 1/4 mile track! When we go, I'll let you know - maybe you can stop by!
Hope you're feeling okay.
EVERYONE -
Have a nice day. It's so warm out! I love it. We survived another winter!0 -
Wendy,you have such a positive attitude. I'd be bawling my eyes out about the hair. Fortunately mine has only thinned and with the proper hair products, I can still make it look fairly full, but I think I worried about the hair loss more than anything so my hugs go out to you.....even though you appear to be handling it much better than I ever would have done.
Laura, if you ever race anywhere near my area, let me know. I'd love to come cheer you on.
The sun is finally peeking through the clouds here and motivating me to do something productive so I think I'll track down some lunch and get busy!
Have a great day everybody!!!!
Rita0 -
rita -
We go to Joliet (route 66), Byron and Union Grove, WI. Do you know of others?
Nicki -
A day without your graphics is like a day without sunshine! LOL
Hope everyone's doing well.0 -
Good Evening All: Well, Im coming down with a cold! Dang it anyways. Sore throat, headache. Ran out and bought some Zicam so I hope it works.
Wendy: When I felt a tingle, I went and got my head buzzed. Then I shaved the rest off. One year later, I cant remember what I looked like when I was bald. And when I was bald, I couldnt remember what I looked like with hair. Just sending you lots of hugs.
Im off to bed. See if I cant beat this thing down. Hi to everyone else. Dont get too close to your computer cause this is me!
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Soooooo much better now...we have Nicki graphics...
Hope you're feeling better soon...sneeze, sneeze, sneeze...0 -
Good morning everybody. It's still dark here so it's too soon to give the official daily weather report for the region (bet you miss that!!!) but thought I'd share my neighbor's view of the rain and the gloom. I have a young neighbor gal who has had a mysterious illness that has not yet been diagnosed. She has slurred speech, uneven gait, can't walk without a walker, and muscle weakness. After dealing with this for a year, she still has a very positive attitude. While driving her to therapy yesterday I complained about the rain and gloom. She replied with, "Oh, I thanked God today for it. I said, thank you God for the rain today. It's going to turn the grass green and make the flowers grow, and I so love flowers." Then I got a lecture on positive thinking!!!! LOL
Nicki,glad to see your graphics again. Take care of that cold.
Laura,of your three race locations, we are closer now to Joliet. I've never been to that one but Joliet is only about an hour and ten minutes from here and I really might consider driving up as it always gives me a reason to hit the riverboat there later. :-)
Wendy....hang in there and keep posting. We're all here for you.
Well, today is our last bowling day. We stop bowling early because most of us golf also and get spring fever and need to head for the golf course once the good weather hits town. I need to get my camera out and take some pictures of my Cubs buggy to show you! I wish I was as technology oriented as Nicki and Laura. It takes me forever to remember how to get the photos loaded onto the computer each time. Maybe if I did it more often................yah!
Well ladies, have a good day.
Rita0 -
Rita:
But wait a minute. Its chemo brain. Its not April. Its still March.
Its been darker here in the morning since the time changed, but today, I heard pretty Spring birds singing their songs.
As far as this cold. Its goofy. I still have a sore throat and my head feels clogged. I take a Darvocet and the symptoms go away. Whats up with this? Anyways, Ive got yellow junk coming from my nose, but I dont feel that sick. Hope this is one that will go away quickly. Im taking Zicam every 3 hours, hoping to cut the length and symptoms.
Hope you all have a great day.
Gotta get ready for work.
Nicki0 -
Yep, Nicki's back and I LOVE IT!!!! Have a good day!
Rita0 -
Hi Girls!
Just popping to say HEY...hope you're all doing well.
Sure was warm today. Unfortunately, I had my nose to this screen working all day! Oh well...I can't complain...atleast I can work in pj's! LOL But, we're having our basement finished - MAN IS IT LOUD! I can hardly hear myself think! Nail guns, compressors! Calgon please... Drywall was delivered today - what a sight - there was a huge (70ft) crane in my driveway lifting the drywall to the back of the house. My little guy, Buddy, is petrified of all the noise, so I had to console him ALL DAY LONG! LOL
Hope JanClare's doing okay...
Nicki -
Hope your cold is starting to clear up!
Be well girls, remember...us Illinois gals are tough!0 -
Hey all, I hope everyone is doing well today. I'm doing okay, though my right armpit, upper arm, and chest are very swollen and painful. Makes it hard to do anything. I don't think it's lymphedema, as my forearm and hand are not swollen, I think it's just swelling from the surgery, but it's not getting any better. I see the doctor on Friday, but I'm not sure what more can be done. I just hope that the swelling goes away soon.
Wendy, bummer about the hair, but glad to know that you are feeling well. I ended up shaving my head too soon and waited 2 weeks more before my hair fell out.
Rita- how'd you get to keep your hair? Mine was gone, gone gone with chemo. Funny thing- my eyebrows and eyelashes didn't start falling out until after I stopped chemo. The last of my eyebrows actually fell out in the hospital last week.
Nicki- love the graphics, they make me smile. Hope your cold is better.
Laura- thanks for thinking of me. It's been a struggle this last week.0 -
Hi ladies!!!
JanClare...good to hear that you are doing well except for your arm. Hopefully it is just in the healing process from surgery and will improve with time. My underarm was very sore, swollen, and tender after my surgery and they only took 4 of my nodes, so I can imagine that yours would be lots more tender and irritated. Maybe Laura or others who have had mastect. can shed more light on the issue. It is so good to hear from you.
As for my hair, I had CMF chemo which is different from AC. Since heart problems plague the women in my family, they wanted to keep me away from AC if possible. With CMF, some do lose their hair, but the majority have lots of thinning, which may or may not require a wig. I've been lucky. I keep telling myself that when I have a down week and it's part of what keeps me going. I am so glad that you're recovering well! Keep hanging in there.
I'm off on another busy day. I handle everything better when I'm busy!!! Hope everybody's week is going well. Anybody got any special plans for the weekend????
Catch you later.
Rita0 -
HI ladies I'm down here in Joliet il. I am stage 2, node.neg., grade 3, triple neg. My question: I'm doing the sandwich thing 4 chemo. rads. than my last 2 chemo. will my hair start to grow back during rads. just to be lost again for the last 2 chemo.?
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Hi Moonsong...and welcome to the Illinois site. You're just a little over an hour from me. Sorry you had to make this BC journey, but so glad you found us.
I, too, am doing the sandwich thing. I have four chemos, rads, and then two more chemos. Are you doing AC chemo? I'm doing CMF so as you've probably read, my hair is just thinning so I'm not sure what your hair will do. I wouldn't think that it would grow too terribly much in the month and a half that you're off the first chemo during the rads program, but wouldn't be surprised if you are doing AC that the new growth would once again disappear. Maybe one of the gals who did AC can tell you a little more about this.
Have you started your chemo and if so, have you already lost your hair?
As a consolation (if there really can be a consolation), my oncologist told me that the "sandwich program" is better for our bodies than the continuous program because it allows our bodies to heal and regroup before being hit again. Supposedly, we should have less side affects with our last two treatments. Let's hope that is accurate information!!!
When you get a little time, tell us a little more about yourself. How old are you? Any kids? Are you trying to juggle home and work while going through this? Where are you having your treatments.....etc....
And most of all, check in often. We are here for you.
Rita0 -
WooHoo......I found this thread again. I wondered where I saw it before, I knew I posted on an Illinois thread somewhere other than the get together forum but I didn't know where. It's saved to my Favorites now so I won't lose you ladies again LOL
Hope everyone is doing well. I just skimmed through the pages of this thread (there's 8 now), so I hope you don't mind that I generalize in asking how everyone is doing. I did see that Nicki is using 'gifs' so I figured I would to.
Gloomy/rainy day here where I am. It's not snow, so I'm okay with the rain.
Mary0 -
JanClare,
Just wanted to let you know that I had left mast on Feb 7 and my arm has remained swollen. Also whenever I do much activity, my shoulder, upper arm, and even my side will hurt. My doctor told me I have lymphedema and is sending me to get therapy, although I haven't been yet. She knew as soon as she looked at it.
I did have 31 lymph nodes removed.... don't know much about your situation. Just wanted to let you know you definitely need to get it checked and try to stay on top of it.
Sorry, I'm not from Illinois! Please don't flog me. I love the White Sox!!!
Good luck to all you wonderful Illinois ladies!
Miss S0 -
Quote:
Sorry, I'm not from Illinois! Please don't flog me. I love the White Sox!!!
Sorry Miss S but I'm gonna have to flog you, not because you're from Virginia and not from Illinois but because you said you Love the White Sox
To avoid all future floggings please remember it's:
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Welcome back kats! I wondered what had happened to you! I think most of us are slowly checking off the treatments and getting by....day by day. In my case, most of them are good, so I'm pretty lucky. We've missed you. Come back often.
Rita0 -
Good Evening Everyone: I was out and about all day in the rain. When I came home I looked at my crocus and those sprouts are about 2 inches now. Might see some blooms soon.
LauraGTO: This is the first time I noticed your new avatar. You look so pretty. This cold is hanging on, but I have been taking Zicam and I gotta tell you, this stuff works. It did go into my chest and I started taking an antibiotic today, but man - the symptoms are not that bad. So it has to be the Zicam or a mild cold!
Janclare: Same thing happened to me. My hair was gone "everywhere" but didnt lose my eyebrows and eye lashes until after chemo was done. Go figure! Hope the swelling isnt anything serious.
Noonsong: Hey its nice to meet ya. My son and 4 grandchildren live in Joliet!! I think the hair loss is gonna depend upon what kind of chemo your getting. My hair took along time to come back. So I dont think you will have too much hair growing during rads. My last chemo was in December 2005 and I finially went without a hat April 2006. It was short, but sorta cute being spiked.
Rita: Right when I think I know everything about breast cancer, I learn something new. I never heard of the sandwich thing! But it makes sense that it would be easier.
Mary: Its so good to see you again. DH is checking out pubs in this area. Maybe we can get together soon. I loved your Good Morning! This is is just for you.
I have had a busy day. Went to work, came home for a bit, and now Im off to a meeting. Got nominated to be on the Board of Directors meeting for group homes in DuPage County for the mentally ill. Meeting starts at 6PM - what in the world? Im usually in bed at 7pm! But I guess its good for me to be out and doing things other than thinking about bc all the time.
Hope you all have a great evening.
Oh and when it comes to baseball!
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JanClare -
This is an awful time for you...I know exactly how you're feeling. Trust me please...it will get better...just be patient. I had slight swelling - my surgeon said it was a...a...OMG - this happens all the time...when I really need my brain to cooperate...it doesn't! Sorry, I think it begins with an E - but it's nothing serious (if that's what it is). I used cold packs - I think it helped the swelling and it felt good. Hang in there....if there's anything I can do - just PM me. I want to read the rest of your blog. I don't think I've ever heard of not being able to find the primary tumor! But I need to read further...
Take it easy, don't push it...don't feel like you have to be super woman.
Take it e a s y...
Nicki -
Thanks for the compliment!
rita -
Hey there!
-------------------------------------
Everyone -
Hello - be well o!0 -
OMG -
My brain just came through for me...
JanClare -
Mine was an Edema...
Thank you brain!0 -
The nicest thing today at rads, they were giving away bouquets of yellow daffodils in green vases to all the patients! I think it is some ACS deal. I was so pleased, the flowers are so very cheerful.
I have only three more rads, the last should be on Monday. I will miss the staff, they have been terrific.0
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