Bottle o Tamoxifen
Comments
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hey... you weren't there b4!!!!!!!!! I think I will just graduate up to an Adult XXXX squeaky toy... yeah in my dreams ... and promise I won't change my atavar hehehehehe
Don't know any troops I'm afraid Rach .. good luck with your search ... good cause.
Ainm - hope your feeling better soon
Seems like we will be the only ones missing out on the party!!! Had an Irish boyfriend for years and visited Ireland (mainly Kildare) in 1989/90. Beautiful place, not so beautiful romance with him though!!!Leggy .. I am so totally trusting and naive (working on it) but Lisa-e is probably right about putting where you work on the forum.. bummer.
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Rachel - Yeah! that would be great! You might have to buy a money pit in Connecticut and get a flat tire in the snow.
Yes, we do need to have an east coast meet up.
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Oh Mary, I've been stressed too this week, and I only have Wolfie and Mom, to deal with at home. Hope you feel better soon. Are you coming to CA???? Get away.
CA ladies PM coming soon, but you'll have to keep a secret...It's Friday, and I'm off for now.
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nyah nyah nyah I have a secret too
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Kari - I went to a BC conference last week and had a small group meeting with the nutritionist. She said vitamins better from real food not supplements. Said natural soy is ok in moderation just not soy protein for ER+/PR+. Also, said 3 drinks/week, 5 - 7 fruits & veggies/day, 30 min exercise/day. Buzz foods to eat - walnuts, bulgar, and turmeric. When I asked my NP about getting Vit.D from 15 minutes of sun with no sunscreen, she said she is going over my Vit D results from my last blood test at my next appointment. She said they can't suggest going in the sun with no sunscreen that they have a way to tell you exactly how many mg's I would need to take in a supplement if I was deficient. I do walk everyday and get natural sun so I will be very surprised if I'm deficient now since I wasn't deficient prior to diagnosis.
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On soy- I read up on it and thought I could eat it, was really drinking a LOT of chocolate soy milk in the beginning of 2008 as part of my diet, also edamame, also tofu. June 2008 I got lump, freaked, went to get mammo or US I forget which, she deteminred i was a cyst and aspirated it. When i asked what caused it, she said soy.(years ago I had similar experience, but that was caffeine from too much decaf capuchino, so I stopped drinking coffee) I stopped soy completely. Six months later I had BC. So.... no soy for me thanks. Soy sauce yes, because its fermented, but I am thinking of giving that up too because I don't need the sodium holding any weight on me... and I forget it if was the same boob as I got BC, but will ask at mammo check up for sure. I read a LOT about soy, and now they are actually doing the studies... so until they know for sure, it's not so hard to give up soy and coffee- they just can't tell me not to eat chocolate. As long a its not chocolate, fine.
On Vit D, yes, good but ONLY if you have deficiency. i was about to take it but then read that you can have TOO MUCH Vit D and that is just as bad if not worse than not enough. Get your D3 level checked BEFORE you start taking Vit D... i am going to have mine checked soon, i figured during summer i was getting sun, but during winter... another story...
my .02.... disregard at will
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Patti and Kari, great information. I only take Vit D and calcium but am on a Natural's Yahoo group and WOW is there a lot of other natural minded things to take/do to ward off all sorts of things. I just can't change my life that drastically yet....too much of a shock. I have been eating better but it is hard with the littles since they hate everything good for you LOL. Also, I agree that excercise is our best medicine!
Mary, I am with you on all the aches and pains and wonder if it is something more serious. I think with time we won't worry as much but I do have my moments too in fact all day today I was worried there is something going on in my back because I am having little pains throughout the day. I know it is nothing but I can still freak myself out on a regular basis. Hope you were able to blow off some steam and start the night over.
Mary, you also asked about having chemo post BC......my onc told me that 20 years ago if I came in with my stats I would have had a lump or mast with no Rads or chemo.......He said the NCS protocol changed and everyone that had been diagnosed in the last year was called up and offered chemo if they wanted it. I couldn't believe it. My MIL was DX 20 years ago at 38 and had IBC and refused chemo and rads and she is NED and was a MAJOR smoker for the next 10 years. She finally quit 10 years ago but it was hard for her. Oh and she also FLATLY refused Tamoxifen. I don't get into it much with her but there are a lot like her that don't believe in trad medicine......I just felt like I couldn't take any risk of this disease getting me down the road. I have 3 little babies for crying out loud. I felt like I had no other choice. Would I be surprised if the treatment protocols change in the next 5 to 10 years? Absolutely not but I felt like I had to do what was best for me at the time. Sorry about the long rant.
Rachel, preschool here is a little easier to get into outside of the city. I was lucky because I got my daughter in 2 years ago when she was 2 so once you get in you have priority for re-enrollment each year (including sibs) I love the school my kids are in but it costs a bit more and the drive is 30 minutes in the AM and 20 in the afternoon 5 days a week. Doing it for the kids but I still have my 21 month who has had to make every trip. She's a trooper though and once I get through my mast and TE surgery and 500 doctor appointments we can spend some quality time together
LOL our quality time is in the car and at my doctor appointments he he.Helena, congrats on your soon to be new nips! Getting this crap behind us all is awesome!
Leggy, just PM us all separately to tell us where you work LOL!
Ainm......may I ask is that your name? If it is a secret like Leggy's job location, just ignore my question. So sorry you are sick
I hope you have a speedy recovery!Admin question.........................uh I mean Rachel again somehow I did something on my computer where the BCO site fonts are HUGE.....I still can't figure out what I have done. I don't think it is a setting on BCO but my other sites are all fine.
Hope everyone has a great weekend.
Hugs to all,
Diane
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Rachel you are correct about the D. I have gals on my naturals group that take 50,000 IU's. I think they are crazy because they tout having our bodies being in perfect harmony.....UGH. I don't say anything to them but I do worry sometimes.
My level was checked before I started tamox and it was 37. I have been taking the 2 calcium supplements with Vit D (400) 2 times a day to see if my levels changed. I am going in Monday for bloodwork so I will let you know what my results are. My onc's want me over 30 but I would feel better being between 40-60 personally..........my girlfriend was a 9....she is only 40 but both her mom and grandmother had osteoporosis in fact she is half way there herself according to her dexa scan. She did get a prescription for a Vit D supplement to see if her levels can be raised some but they don't want her on it long term. Not sure what the rationale is behind that though. She and I are in the bisphosphante trial so good thing for her...I imagine she will be eligible for zometa infusion after our 3 year trial ends.
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All this info is just great guys. Seems I'm not the only one who isn't into all the supplements. Anything that doesn't come in a bottle or box has to be better for you I reckon. In Australia we have an abundance of good meat, fruit & veg - getting more expensive by the day mind you - getting take-away is so much cheaper these days... WTF!!!!
I know all the experts talk about hours of exercise, diet and my favourite moderation in alcohol but I wonder how many actually live that way. I know we have SFBC but until they prove it will keep us NED for the rest of our lives I am going to splurge every now and then. LOVE my exercise but also love a drink with the girls and my hubby, well anyone really
, McDonalds every now and then and a damn good laugh whenever I can. Wow, I also am a bit freaked out now about the D3 as mine was never tested I just take extra just in case.
I spoke with a friend today who is 10 years NED and she did chemo and then tamoxifen and then nothing. She is 53. Wouldn't that be nice ... nothing.
Anyway better go and supervise my DDs in the pool.. they just threw the dog in .... hehehhehe
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OK I fixed my FONT problem....press control and the + or - key. Yippee.
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Diane, on the TX decisions, I agree with you 1000% on all counts. We are almost the same DX, and DX'd on almost the same day. So I was like hey, wait, why was her TX so much different than mine? Oh, Oncotype 28. Mine is 17. My kid was 11 months old at the time, and I signed up to be a mom at 48, but he didn't sign up for a mom with BC- and of course I had no risk factors save for an early period. One motherf@#!(ing ONC was twisting my arm to do chemo before the test results were in, he said "Dont you want to be able to say you did everything you could?". That's not all he said, when I explained I am a single mom with an 11 month old he said "Oh but you have people, don't you". Peepul. You know, other peepul whose job it is to raise my son...and he said he had a 2 year old... I guess there are peepul caring for his child- but I like my kid and raise him myself. Oh.... bad to even think about that sonovabitch.
When I hear about people who refused treatments and survived I am so freaking jealous. Of course that's what I want to do. My BS told me after surgery there was an 85% chance they got it all. My Oncotype says I have an 89% chance of not having distant recurrence IF I take Tamox for 5 years. For that 4% I will take all the risks involved with Tamoxifen- that was hard to swallow- pun intended. Radiation was not only a piece of Sh*t in my life but also I specifically asked if it would be a problem to do surgery if I had to on the radiated tissue, adn my BS, who I like, said it would be "more difficult" but possible. I said more difficult for who, you or me. He said for him. HE LIED. I know that now. Nothing I can do about it.
I totally don't want to do anything but the surgery, and even though the odds were damn good for me not doing a thing after surgery, I figured I was already on the wrong side of the same percentage - only 12% of women ever get BC, so if I ended up on the wrong side of a similar percentage for distant recurrence, if I hadn't tried everything possible to stop it, especially after I tested out of chemo, I'd be letting down this little baby, this sweet kid, and all he's got in the world is me.
So yeah, I fried my boob and I'll eat SERMs, I'll give up caffeine and soy, its all easy compared to leaving that kid alone. I can't even think about it now without crying. Yay for all the women who played the odds and won, yay for them who went the "natural" route and lived to tell the tale, but don't even f*cking try to tell me to try it that way. You gals on this thread have made me see that it can be done- with grace, charm, beauty, safety and humor. If I start melting in public and embarrass my poor kid, at least I am in good company with you. If I can't sleep, I will come here and pester you.
Diane- on the nursery school thing... many thanks for the sympathy, its similar here, if I get him in for the 2s, then he's in for the duration... at least for these early years. I plan to put him in public school for first grade, maybe kindergarten too. This is just such a totally freaking cool school, I have to try to get him in there. And my gal pal in PA has 3 sons. Two are Irish twins, born 11 months apart in January. Every school wanted them in the same class year, but that would be tough on the older kid for sure, and meanwhile the youngest had other needs... so she endned up schlepping them to 3 separate schools every morning and the same every evening.Something like 3-4 hours of travel time for her every day. Reminds me of Forrest Gump... what his mom did for him.
Oh and Mary- on the part where you were going to press a close friend or relative with Prostate Cancer to do one thing or another... before you do.... read up on prostate cancer. It's not like BC. Something like (I dont have a link handy, this is from recollection, so its not quite right but generally right on the big points) half the men are going to get prostate cancer, and half of those could live their whole lives with it and never have a problem. No way to tell which ones. The treatments for it are equally crappy, in that half the time they don't work, and meanwhile half the time they make it so they can't pee and/or have sex. And the exam makes a mammogram look like a day at the beach. Reading up on Prostate Cancer makes a gal feel much better about Breast Cancer and our screening and our DXs and our TXs and our recurrence rates and our SEs.
HA HA HA admin question... hey I am on an old Mac, and I can't use ANY fonts here so... anyway, tell me what OS (Windows XP, Windows Vista etc) you are using and what browser (internet explorer, firefox etc). I will do my best!
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Helena, on my naturals site that has been around since 2001 I looked up excercise and I rarely see anyone tout its great benefits. But ask what shampoos have no chemicals and how we should be going to the bathroom......can those girls TALK. They are a fun bunch. Seriously the last 3 days all they are talking about is squatting LOL.
Get back out at the pool lifeguard/babysitter
My hubby had it easy tonight. My 21 month old went to bed at 515.....I can't believe it. My neighbor had my other 2 until 8 and when they came home they got jammies on and jumped into bed. How hard was that? I could have stayed another hour at the CABI party....clothes. Never heard of it until tonight. Of course I bought 4 things I didn't need 
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Rachel we are crossposting tonight LOL I fixed the font problem. I use Windows Vista. I do however have an issue with how the BCO boards show up. I probably can't explain it correctly but each line has only 10 words or so making posts look SO long when they are really only a few lines long. My office computer downstairs doesn't have this problem.
One more note about my MIL. She had her cancer in her nodes and had ALL of them removed and a lumpectomy. Didn't even have a mast. Damn we better be that blessed!
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OK ladies, just email me for any of your computer needs....I figured out my other BCO problem....that I am sure I created myself staying up too late posting and clicking the wrong keys in the dark LOL. I wish I would have figured this out 2 months ago! Just click Page if you have IE...lots of things to change the look of the site.
I am seriously going to go to bed now....................
Night all
Diane
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Diane- on the D- your natural friends are screwing up. There is a study, for real, the results are U shaped, lemme see if I can find... if they are really into the natural thing they should respect that the natural way is just as serious, just as powerful.
There's some on Susan Love's site but I cant give a link, put Vitamin D in the search box and look at the article:
Vitamin
Can It Prevent Cancer?March 12, 2009
excerpts:
usan says: This finding might support the idea that vitamin D may protect against breast cancer. It’s also possible that the women who were spending time outside were exercising, or gardening, or walking. (Why else would they be outside for 30 minutes a day?) And we know that exercise has been found to reduce breast cancer risk.
In an article published in The Breast Journal in May 2008, researchers reported that an analysis of cancer incidence, mortality, and prevalence in 107 countries found that women who lived in countries that were farthest from the equator (and thus had less exposure to UVB light) had a higher breast cancer risk, even after taking into account diet, alcohol intake, smoking, weight, and fertility. The investigators had previously found that women living in the countries that were located farthest from the equator also were at higher risk for kidney, ovarian, and endometrial cancer
...And remember: More is not always better. The maximum recommended dose of vitamin D is 2,000 units a day. Too much vitamin D can cause nausea, vomiting, constipation, and weakness. It can also cause heart rhythm abnormalities and kidney problems. Bottom-line: We currently do not know whether the vitamin D we get through sun exposure has a different impact on our health than the vitamin D we get in supplements. And we can’t assume that randomized controlled trials will find that vitamin D helps reduce cancer risk. Let’s not forget that we just saw the results of a study that showed that regular multi-vitamin use does not appear to reduce women’s risk of cancer or other diseases—and how many of us were taking multivitamins just for that reason?
So, take a hike, walk, run, bike, garden, or just sit and enjoy the great outdoors whenever possible. And for those of you in the frigid East Coast, there always is the Caribbean!Oh right, like we on the East Coast needed more poop from those in the sunny climes... but that's not the article I wanted...
Oh here we go:
http://www.cancer.org/aspx/blog/Comments.aspx?id=222
Good to read the whole article but here's excerpts about what I was saying:
Vitamin D And Breast Cancer Redux: Caution AheadPosted on 6/1/2008 12:54 PM by Dr. Len LichtenfeldA couple of weeks ago, I wrote a blog about vitamin D deficiency and its impact on breast cancer recurrence. The information was based on an abstract that had been released in advance of the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting, currently underway in Chicago
....As vitamin D levels in the blood at the time of diagnosis increased, there was a fall-off in deaths, again probably due to fewer deaths from breast cancer.
But then there was the unexpected finding that as vitamin D levels increased, death rates increased as well. That should not have happened from breast cancer, since the data was clear that higher levels of vitamin D were associated with better prognosis. So something else was leading to more deaths than expected. (For the scientists among you, this is what we call a “U” shaped mortality curve—increased deaths at the upper and lower limits of the measured variable, with a low level in the middle.)What Dr. Goodwin reported was that there essentially was a “sweet spot” for blood levels of vitamin D that maximized its benefit with respect to breast cancer, while minimizing harm. But the data also suggests that increased levels of vitamin D were in fact potentially harmful....
...So what are the lessons?
First, what we see in print in an abstract is frequently never the whole story, and we don’t have the “final word” until a study is actually published in a peer review journal. Even then, research studies are always subject to further discussion and scrutiny. In this situation, the abstract said the benefits of higher vitamin D levels were limited to women with ER positive cancers. In the presentation yesterday, we heard that women with both ER positive and ER negative breast cancers who had higher levels of vitamin D in their blood had better prognoses. Second, there may be harm with having too much vitamin D in the blood. This is very much a preliminary observation, and clearly needs more study to help us understand if this is a consistent, real finding. As I have noted before, we must always approach new ideas with caution. We need to do the appropriate research to demonstrate both the benefits and the risks of vitamin D before we make recommendations for millions of people. Only then can we have the confidence that the recommendations we are making are backed by the strongest and best scientific studies, and won’t result in more harm than good." This isn't the article I found before, where it said the actual level that they saw as the cut off before its too much of a good thing, but you get the idea.0 -
Rachel that is wonderful thank you. I have looked at my D3 and I take 3 drops per day (1 drop = 333.3IU) so I am OK. I will however start taking it every other day now that I am outside so much in the sun. Us Aussies have the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world - something to be proud of hey. Big hugs to you wonderful lady.
Diane you made me laugh with your admin stuff and isn't typical the kids are angels when they are with their dads or babysitter!!!!!! Have a good sleep.
DH is home now so am out to go grocery shopping Whoopee (on my own ...whooppeee)
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Helena--good luck and congrats on the new nips! exciting...
Rachel--you made me teary about "the kid". You are a great mommy and making hard decisions where drs can only talk about percentages and numbers *of other people*. (*=italics but I don't know how to do them here) I had to remind myself of that at the beginning when making treatment decisions--all they know is what they have collected from large groups of people--which granted, is very helpful and I'm not knocking it but each individual can react differently so they (we) don't really know what works. We do the best we can-- try to keep a smile on our faces and get out of bed every day! Hhmph.
I really need to go to bed--eyes are closing...
I am very excited about the Nov 8th thing--and wish we could have everyone come! Maybe we could set up a Skype (sp??) so we can see everyone real time!
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Thanx Allie - hugs. Sleep tight.
Rachel - had to read back and see what made Allie teary. Must have posted at the same time. I have turned off the email notification as I was going nutso with it. It totally SUX that SFBC can interfere with our lives especially when there are children "kids" involved. My Onc didn't do the "don't you want to be here for your kids thing" but did the "if you were my wife" thing. Didn't cut it with me either. I wanted hard and fast facts about ME, MY FBC and my SFBC tumor statistics. No - none to be had as far as benefits of chemo. So we all do the oncotype - halleluja. I don't deserve to die from this stupid crap and my DD's certainly don't deserve to lose their mum, doesn't mean that I am going to walk in blindly to treatments but it does mean that I will do the research and pop any damn pill that I believe is going to keep me around. Its extremely tough for single mums, especially with little ones. Boy, can't even contemplate how you guys do it. All those peepul I guess!! JERK. I have said it b4 and probably will say it again, that kid of yours is going to be so damn proud of you. love ya
Well, I guess it is just me now and Vivygirl if she ever visits again (gidday). No period for 2 weeks and I feel fantastic - thank you tamoxifen.
nite everyone
big hugs
Helena
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I feel better this morning. I still have a headache and a face ache, my allergies and sinuses are bothering me.
Rachel, I will contact someone w/ our family readiness group and see if my DH unit has anyone deployed in Afganistan.
I told my sister that I was planning a trip to NoCal, she said to fly into Sacramento, as it is usually cheaper and easier for her to get to. Now I just have to coordinate it with a three day weekend at work and add a personal day. I would go and leave DH with the kids. I was on the phone last night w/my sister and my aunt and dh would not even get the kids to bed. My aunt in Cali broke her toe and hurt her knee on the other leg.
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Kari - good info from the conference. My friend is an organic vegan (if it's not green and pesticide free, then she's not eating it) and she has given me a lot of info on cruciferous vegetables. But the one thing I eat every day (and it sucks) are broccoli sprouts. About 15 years ago John Hopkins announced that broccoli sprouts were found to be highly effective in reducing the incidence, multiplicity, and rate of development of tumors. According to the research, broccoli sprouts have 20-50 times the amount of a compound which has been shown to improve the liver's ability to detoxify carcinogens and other toxic compounds (one ounce of broccoli sprouts has the same cancer fighting protection as 1.5 lbs of cooked broccoli). Hopkins recommends 1 ounce a day to reduce breast cancer risk. Last year studies confirmed that they also reduced the risk of stomach cancer. And recently, a government sponsored study started recruiting participants to validate Hopkins findings, which means the theory is entering main stream. I'm not going to lie, broccoli sprouts are not tasty (unless doused in dressing or lemon), but one ounce a day is a tiny amount. Hopkins also grows and sells broccoli sprouts - 4 ounces per pack, so a package has 4 servings. The two Whole Foods that I shop at sell out on the weekends, so I usually just leave the office mid-week to pick up a couple of packages. Some links below. I also invested in a vitamix, which basically liquidates vegetables into a green juice, but keeps the fiber (whereas a juicer will keep the juice, but remove the fiber). So, once a day I throw a handful of kale, broccoli sprouts, spinach and a lot of lemon juice and water into the vitamix, mix it and then gulp it (as fast as possible). It makes getting my daily vegetable quotient easy.
Re: no one is really sure why exercise reduces breast cancer, but from what I have read it's linked to reduced body weight. Estrogen etc., is stored in body fat, less body fat equals less estrogen. Good link below.
Rachael, I was thinking of buying an elliptical, but opted for a spin bike. It's really compact and I ride in 30 minutes a day/5 days a week. Having it in my home makes it unavoidably convenient. Also, regarding pre-school in Manhattan - a couple of years ago it was widely reported in hearings and the media that a former telecom analyst (former b/c he was subsequently banned from the industry) from a major international investment bank was desperate to get his kids into the 92nd street Y for pre-school. So, a million dollar donation was pledged to the 92nd street Y (on the analyst's behalf) and the analyst allegedly ‘adjusted" his investment rating on a company in exchange for the CEO of that company also helping his kids get into the Y. Of course, this was all memorialized in an email, which Elliot Spitzer (then NY Attorney General) eventually read . . . crazy stuff, only in New York.
Best, J.
http://envirocancer.cornell.edu/FactSheet/General/fs10.estrogen.cfm
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I have heard about the broccoli sprouts thing....can't we just eat broccoli? I need to look into that. My girlfriend was treated at Hopkins and that was one of the first things they told her to do.....
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Dudettes, don't get too excited about the broccoli sprouts thing, here's the link from Hopkins:
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/press/1997/SEPT/970903.HTM
Let's not get ahead of ourselves determining why exercise fights cancer, they don't know, and the theory about it being the estrogen in fat makes no sense for skinny folks who benefit from exercise... like they don't know why Tamoxifen works against breast cancer either, they just don't know this stuff... but they know what works statistically. and it sure can't hurt to exercise.
Yep I read the same thing about the Jack Grubman of Citigroup who manipulated the market to get his kid into a school... Here's the SEC complaint:
http://www.sec.gov/litigation/complaints/comp18111b.htm
1. The Commission brings this action against defendant Jack Benjamin Grubman to redress his violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Exchange Act"), pertinent rules thereunder, and pertinent rules of NASD Inc. ("NASD") and the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. ("NYSE").2. In 1999, 2000, and 2001 (the "relevant period"), Grubman was a Managing Director and research analyst at Citigroup Global Markets Inc., then known as Salomon Smith Barney Inc. ("SSB"), covering the telecommunications ("telecom") sector.
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7. In November 1999, Grubman upgraded AT&T from a Neutral (3) -- his longtime rating on the stock -- to a Buy (1). SSB and Grubman did not disclose in the report that Grubman had a conflict of interest relating to his evaluation of AT&T. Prior to the upgrade, Sanford I. Weill, the co-CEO and Chairman of Citigroup (and a member of the AT&T board of directors), had asked Grubman to take a "fresh look" at AT&T, and Grubman had asked Weill for assistance in gaining admission for his children to the selective 92nd Street Y preschool in New York City at the same time Grubman was conducting his "fresh look" at the company. Subsequently, Grubman stated privately that he had upgraded AT&T to help his children get into the 92nd Street Y preschool. After Grubman upgraded AT&T and his children were admitted to the preschool, Weill arranged a pledge of $1 million payable in equal amounts over five years from Citigroup to the 92nd Street Y.
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C. Grubman Requested Weill's Assistance to Get His Children Accepted to the 92nd St. Y Preschool and AT&T Considered Issuing a Tracking Stock for Its Wireless Unit89. In September 1999, Grubman began his efforts to get his children admitted to the prestigious and competitive preschool at the 92nd Street Y in New York City.90. On October 20, 1999, the AT&T Board of Directors began discussing whether to issue a tracking stock for its wireless unit. That day, Weill attended an all-day meeting of the AT&T Board, at which AT&T's management presented a number of strategic alternatives, including issuing a tracking stock for AT&T's wireless business.91. On October 29, 1999, Weill and Grubman had a 14 minute telephone conversation during which they discussed the status of Grubman's "fresh look" at AT&T. In that conversation or one shortly thereafter, they also discussed Grubman's desire to send his children to the 92nd Street Y preschool.92. By November 2, AT&T had taken its first steps towards issuing a tracking stock for its wireless unit. That day, an investment banking firm advising AT&T on financial strategies met with AT&T's outside counsel to discuss a proxy statement for AT&T shareholder approval of the wireless tracking stock.93. On November 5, 1999, Grubman sent a memorandum to Weill entitled "AT&T and 92nd Street Y." In it, Grubman updated Weill on his progress in "taking a fresh look" at AT&T and outlined the future steps he would take to reexamine the company. He referred to his earlier meeting with AT&T's CEO and to his scheduled meetings in Denver with the head of AT&T's cable operations and in Basking Ridge with AT&T's network operations personnel. Grubman also sought Weill's assistance in getting his children admitted to the 92nd Street Y preschool. Noting the difficulty in getting into the school, Grubman stated that "there are no bounds for what you do for your children. . . . it comes down to `who you know.'" In the last paragraph of his memorandum, Grubman concluded: "Anyway, anything you could do Sandy would be greatly appreciated. As I mentioned, I will keep you posted on the progress with AT&T which I think is going well."
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E. Grubman Upgraded AT&T and Subsequently Stated He Did So to Get His Children Into the 92nd St. Y Preschool96. Grubman announced on November 29, 1999 that he was upgrading AT&T from a 3 (Neutral) to a 1 (Buy) rating. The same day, Grubman sent an e-mail to the SSB publications department, with a copy to Research Management, stating:The AT&T Report must be edited and mailed out to the printers today so that it can be distributed in time to meet Sandy Weill's deadline (before the AT&T meeting).97. The next day, Grubman issued a 36-page Report setting forth his new rating and rationale. In his November 30 Report, Grubman wrote that his upgrade rested largely on two points: (1) the "real economics" of AT&T's cable strategy and (2) AT&T's ability to upgrade its cable technology to deliver a range of different services to consumers' homes. Grubman commented positively in his report about the widely-reported wireless tracking stock but denied upgrading because of the possible IPO.98. After issuing the report, Grubman told an analyst who reported to him and an institutional investor, in separate conversations, that he upgraded AT&T to help get his children into the 92nd St. Y preschool.99. Roughly a year after the upgrade, on January 13, 2001, in an e-mail to a friend, Grubman stated:You know everyone thinks I upgraded T [AT&T] to get lead for AWE [AT&T Wireless tracker]. Nope. I used Sandy to get my kids into 92nd St Y pre-school (which is harder than Harvard) and Sandy needed [the AT&T's CEO's] vote on our board to nuke [John] Reed in showdown. Once coast was clear for both of us (ie Sandy clear victor and my kids confirmed) I went back to my normal negative self on T. [AT&T's CEO] never knew that we both (Sandy and I) played him like a fiddle.100. The following day, Grubman e-mailed the same friend: "I always viewed T [AT&T] as a business deal between me and Sandy."F. After the AT&T Upgrade, Weill Helped Facilitate the Admission of Grubman's Children to the 92nd St. Y Preschool101. After Grubman issued his November 1999 report on AT&T, Weill helped gain admission for Grubman's children to the 92nd St. Y preschool. On or about December 17, 1999, Weill called a member of the 92nd St. Y board and told her he would be "very appreciative" if she would help Grubman, a "valued employee" at Citigroup. Weill did not explicitly offer a donation to the Y during this phone call. By indicating that he would be "very appreciative," he understood that he was implicitly offering such assistance.102. In March 2000, Grubman's children were admitted to the Y preschool. Subsequently, the board member called Weill, suggested a donation be made to the Y, and may have suggested the amount. Weill agreed. Weill was one of three corporate officers who approved charitable donations from Citigroup or the Citigroup Foundation. During a subsequent conversation with the president of the Citigroup Foundation, Weill indicated that the Foundation should make a $1 million donation to the Y and instructed the Foundation president to work with the Y to develop a suitable program with the donation. The program that was subsequently developed consisted of a series of ten events per year that had cultural, artistic, and educational aims.103. Weill, the president of the Foundation, and another Citigroup corporate officer approved the donation on July 24, 2000 and the first installment of the donation ($200,000) was sent to the Y in September 2000. (Because of certain tax considerations, and in light of benefits Citigroup employees received from the program supported by the donation, Citigroup, not Citigroup Foundation, made the donation to the Y. The $1 million donation was payable in equal amounts over five years.) The president of the Foundation understood the donation was a "thank you" for the admission of the Grubman children to the preschool at the 92nd St. Y.
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H. Grubman Downgraded AT&T108. On May 17, 2000, three weeks after the IPO, two months after his children were admitted to the 92nd St. Y preschool, and after AT&T announced disappointing earnings, Grubman issued a research report in which he compared AT&T with WorldCom. While Grubman did not change his Buy ratings on the two companies, he lowered his target price for AT&T from $75 to $65 per share and made a number of negative comments about AT&T.
Right, so yeah, I'm pretty damn nervous about getting my kid into nursery school... ya think?
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Oh and here's a video trailer of the movie that came out about getting your kid into nursery school in NYC... Nursery University:
http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/nurseryuniversity/
I think I will go take another Xanax now...
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Kari--Thanks for the summary. I remain interested in the Vit D research, since I have been horribly deficient for a couple of years now, even after taking D3 for over a year. Thanks, also Rachel, for your contribution. I appreciate your efforts toward our greater enlightenment!
I took a number of supplements after I was first diagnosed; now I take only a multi vit/min, D3, and calcium. I try to focus on eating a nutritionally sound diet and exercising more. I think it was Ainm who mentioned that she considered Tamox her quality of life pills: I tend to think of them as my quantity of life pills and I look for many other avenues to improved quality of life.
Mary--Rant away! Vent those problems! This is a great place for being heard, respected and supported. I have had to work harder on setting limits with others in order to care better for myself, and I have been able to do that even more successfully than in the past because I realized that others aren't likely to "come to their senses" and start wanting less from me. They usually just want more and more. One of the things I noticed when I was going through chemo: people would tell me to take good care of myself and say "no" when I needed, but they wanted me to say "no" to someone else and continue to be there for them!
Helena--Good luck on Monday! And know that you are not the only one who is left out of the east coast and west coast get togethers!
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Hi Ladies!
I am wondering if any of you can help provide me with your input. I had IDC Stage 2, 2cm tumor with 3 lumpecties to get clear margins 12/08, 35 Rad treatments Feb-Mar 09, May started Tamoxifen as tumor was ER+ & PR+, Oncotype score 5,(so no chemo)! I went for my new baseline digital mamo 8/25, then biopsy 8/27 Found DCIS in the other breast. 10/16 getting a bilateral with Litissimus Dorsi recon. I have been on Tamoxifen since May, I have develop severe heel pain (both feet, sore, achey legs from the knees down. It is so painful to walk when I get out of bed or if I sit to long. I told my Oncologist a week ago, He had blood tests done, 1- to see if I am metabolizing tamoxifen, I have not had hot flashes, still have reg periods and my new BC is high ER+ & high PR+. And he took me off tamoxifen now. As of this posting I do not know the result of the blood test to see if I was metabolising the tamoxifen. Wondering what next if I wasn't.
The other test showed I am Vitamin D defiecent, score was 20.9 - normal range is 30-80. So he put me on 50,000 of vitamin D once a week and 1500 mg of calcuim a day.
From what I am finding, low vitamin D is really bad and not sure what to make of all this.
Can anyone please try to help me understand?
Thank you! Izzy
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Izzy, oh man I am so sorry about the recurrence. Some good news though since now you have been tested for the D3 and will get it. Check out this great video from the head of BC at Sloan Kettering:
http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/92358.cfm
Explains a lot about what you are asking, I know it helped me
You might want to ask them about Zometa:
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/reprint/360/7/679.pdf
I don't know much about the reconstruction but I know its a big major deal after radiation. A lot of gals here go to a special facility in New Orleans for microsurgery.
About the heel pain, I also know nothing.
Just that its supposed to be that joint pain from Tamoxifen is supposed to mean a lower recurrence rate- I am sure that's a bit less than amusing to hear. And from my David Chan book Breast Cancer: Real Questions, Real Answers it'd seem that the DCIS in your other breast was probably there back at your original DX, but escaped detection, maybe it's possible that taking Tamoxifen stopped it from becoming IDC? Best angle I can look at it. And they think its a different cancer? Also guessing they took you off Tamoxifen because of the upcoming surgery?
FABULOUS Avatar!
Oh and J414- I think you are doing good with the spin bike, maybe its a better excercise? I can't do spin bikes- hats off to you and you thin thighs!
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i have been on tamox since aug 22. it was a huge decision. i was so scared. i dont want to know side fx and i want to think my way positive through it all. so far, no decrease in sex drive or dryness, no hot flashes, but i simply cannot sleep. ive had trouble with insomnia all my life tho and this very much emphasizes it. so pls dont worry or think it will happen to you too.
i thank god every time i swallow it that there is something to help us keep from growing more cells. a thank him also that the side effects are minimal. i still have 20 more pounds to lose and i will do it! it will be yet another factor in recurrence prevention. now if only i could sleep...
god bless u all
dawn
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wow Dawn, I think you speak for a lot of us- well you speak for me for sure!
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OK - Too many post to comment on individually - you are a wordy lot!! First though thanks to everyone for the good wishes - the cold is clearing up, still coughing a bit but now I have a second thing to blame for not sleeping well (tamox being the first).
Well we had about a week of lovely weather which has now turned to autumn (Fall) weather but that's not unusual in Ireland.
Diane: You asked about my forum name Ainm - it's not my actual name. The work AINM is the gaelic (irish) word for NAME. So 'Cad is ainm duit?' means 'What is your name?' As for my real name well unfortunately it is a state secret!!! Just joking - I'll PM you - Ireland is a tiny place compared to the US and other countries and alot of us BC people attend the same clinics etc and I don't want other Irish posters or lurkers to identify me because this is my sanctuary where I can be me!!!
Well, weekends almost over and as DD is starting back at Uni tomorrow - it's kinda like a new beginning for me - I spent the last semester of Uni in treatment!! At least DD and DS were successful and are advancing.
Hope the coming week is great for everyone.
XX
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Hello ladies, it is FOOTBALL Sunday. Let's see if the Lions will win or be the first team to go 0-32. Running joke w/ my family, as we are diehard fans, I was born and raised in Detroit.
Thanks for letting me rant!!!! I feel much better now. I do not remember if in my rant I mentioned that my friend who had BC and then had brain tumors now found out it is everywhere.
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