Is anyone else an atheist with BC besides me?
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Yup ... Allyson ... I agree about the "jealousy" issue re: testicular cancer and recurrence. Sucks for us.
You girls are ahead of me in treatment. Susan, I will probably slow down with the reading once chemo effects start to occur.
I haven't had my referral to the oncologist yet. I know who it is going to be, but I don't know if I'll like him or not. Also ... did any (all?) of you get second (and/or third) opinions regarding your chemo cocktails? I've read that you should ALWAYS get a second opinion ... even if you are totally comfortable with your medical team. My husband ... not so supportive of that if it means any travel. Of course, there are plenty of great doctors in my area (OKC). However, I grew up in Houston. When I first found out about "Tim" (The Tool Tumor, aka my cancer) I wanted to fly down to MD Anderson in Houston and have everything done there. (My family still lives in Houston and is very supportive of that.) On second thought, I realized that would be too hard on me, my kids, my husbands ... and those cats!
Anyway ... before I start chemo, I am thinking of getting that second opinion ... (Based on what I've read, it looks like TAC with tamoxifin and possibly herceptin ... would be standard therapy ...)
Love!
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I got a second opinion regarding my treatment and it did make a difference. The first onc we consulted with was not going to do rads following chemo and was unaware that this was the standard of care for women with multiple positive nodes. I ended up going with my second opinion onc at Dana Farber. For hormonal therapy I am on Femara and Lupron which may have some added benefit over Tamoxifin- this tx is currently being evaluted in a clinical trial which I was initially going to participate in but was disqualified due to my blood estrogen being too low to be deemed pre-menopausal- although I was still having regular periods. Anyhow- getting a second opinion- especially at a major cancer center- is in my opinion a good thing- has been for me.
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Sharon, I'm glad you asked that second opinion question (and Allyson, I'm glad you answered). The hospital I'm going to uses a "multidisciplinary team" approach, so I met with an oncologist as part of my initial "welcome to cancer" orientation. I liked him a whole lot, mainly because the approach he laid out was exactly what I wanted to hear (i.e., if my nodes are clear, I may be able to skip chemo, but we'd first send a tumor sample for the Oncotype Dx test). He also indicated that if I did need chemo, several different drug and dosage regimens would be available to me.
But I'm *still* leaning toward getting a second opinion. It's such a big decision, I want to make sure that I'm exploring all sides, and not just jumping at something that ratifies my pre-conceived notions.
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My second opinion was by email! For me the question was whether or not to do chemo. My onc & I were thinking chemo was probably a good idea because of the triple-negative curse. There were only 3 people in all of So.Cal. that she felt were competent enough to do it.
One of the doctors is part of a major cancer center at the same campus I work at. So I sent her email giving her a brief dx & told her about having to make a decision. Even though I gave the email a subject line of making an appointment, the answer she gave me by email was enough to confirm chemo was warranted.
I know they say you ALWAYS have to get a 2nd opinion, but the only reason I did was because I didn't want to put myself through the misery of chemo if there was a chance I could get away without it. Sometimes I think we make stuff too complicated, but then I was lucky enough to have an onc who specializes in bc at a hospital where I saw all three doctors (onc, radiation onc. surgeon) before anything happened. If I was going to an onc or surgeon who didn't specialize, that would be a different story.
Sharon - if I were er/pr + I wouldn't have done the chemo either. But where I stand, right now chemo is the only option.0 -
oh no! did you guys realized we just had an on topic conversation? Quick a cat story someone!
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To the rescue cat story: followup on my childhood cat,Mao, who loved wool. My friend has 2 cats. One of them loves fleece (including synthetic fleece). She'll search it out even if its several layers deep. But she doesn't beat Mao for figuring out fiber content.
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Chaco likes corn chex. Who knows why. But if he sees a bowl, he gets very picky - pawing through them to find the perfect one (no milk in them at that time)
And if you cat owners - have you tried bonita flakes as a treat? Even Joli who never likes treats or fish goes crazy over them. I get them at this "natural pet food" store (hey, this is california), but some of the big chains are starting to carry it too.0 -
Both my cats love vegetables (esp. cruciferous (sp?) vegetables, like cauliflower, brusselsprouts, etc.) and greens. I can leave fish or chicken out on the counter with no problem; salad greens left draining in a colander, though, are sure to be licked and pawed at.
(Maybe this is because they're indoor cats, and crave whatever it is cats are craving when they eat grass?)
Linda
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Isabella likes greens too (and is an indoor cat). I have bonito flakes in the cupboard- I'll have to see what she thinks of them.
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My "old man" Harry loves to eat mushrooms and asparagus. Will chew through the packaging to get to these "treats" ... then promptly throws them back up ... lovely.
Boo (liitle black one) has spent the whole day napping on a chair in my bedroom.
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Just checking in to say hello and report on yesterday's mastectomy. The good part is, it's over, and I'm in minimal discomfort (like I did too many push-ups); surgery was around 2:30, I woke up in the recovery room around 6:00, I think, and I was walking around my room (albeit stiffly) last night. They let me go home right after breakfast this morning. (My departure was delayed slightly by a fire alarm on my floor, caused by a staff member who "warmed" a cookie in the microwave just a bit too long.)
The bummer part is, my sentinel node was positive, so they did a full axillary dissection. I thought I had a shot at avoiding chemo, but it looks like it's definitely going to be part of my future. A month ago, that prospect would have sent me into a deep funk, but now, it's something I can live with; just another thing to get through. (As I know most of you have or are getting through it.)
Naptime and assorted half-read magazines are calling me, so I'm going to keep this short.
Linda
(I'll update my signature when I get the final pathology report)
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Linda - Welcome home! Hope you have a painless and speedy recovery from your surgery. Sounds like naptime is the thing to do!!! Hope you had lots of zzzzzzzzzzzzs.
Madalyn-you are definitely right about Siamese and wool !! I had NO idea. Thank you so much for the tip! Where do cats get these ideas?
PROTOCOL FOR CATS WITH PICA OR INAPPROPRIATE INGESTION CONDITIONS, INCLUDING WOOL SUCKING http://www.kingstownecatclinic.com/Wool Sucking.htm0 -
Linda - sorry for the bad news- but it's good that you got the operation out of the way. About chemo: some of us suffer less than others - don't get too down till you see which side of the suffering line you fall on.
Leaf: it wasn't meant to be funny, but the first line on that page my eyes saw was "set expectations for your cat." I stopped reading at that point. Expectations? Yeah. Go in the box and if you have to throw up don't do it on my quilt or on me!
susan0 -
Linda-
Glad the surgery is over and done with and that you are feeling pretty well. Sorry about the node- not the kind of news one likes to wake up to- been there- obviously...But it is amazing what one gets used to- good we're wired like this. Have a restful weekend and keep in touch. Allyson
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Hey Madalyn, knock knock back at you! It's rainy and very dreary here too, but tomorrow's the equinox, so somethings gotta shift soon. I'm hanging in, hope you all are too.
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Hi, all! Rainy and dreary pretty much sums it up. I'd usually expect to see a few early bulbs blooming at this point, but not this year. Bleah.
On a more cheerful note - I had a follow-up visit with my surgeon today, and got my drain yanked. What a relief that was . . . the only good thing I have to say about my drain is that it gave me something to complain about. Otherwise, I've been feeling ridiculously good post-surgery. We also reviewed my final pathology report, which showed the only positive node to be the one they identified from frozen section during the procedure. (They took 14 in total.) So, that's a huge relief. My IDC is smaller than they thought (yay), but they did find an additional focus of malignancy (boo), albeit a small one. Oddly, the two areas add up to roughly the same size as the original estimate of my tumor (.6 cm + .5 cm vs. 1.2 cm).
I have absolutely no idea what all this adds up to for staging purposes, or for my chemo options, but I guess I'll find out next week when I sit down with the oncologist.
Now, back to the hard work of keeping the cats away from the flowers that people have sent me . . .
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Found your thread, wow there are a bunch of you out there. I am an atheist. Sometimes I feel embarrassed about it... I was raised in France where most people don't beleive in God. Here it feels like everybody goes to church and pray, even the young and cool. And the movie stars too! How weird, back in Europe only the old ladies goes to church... Anyway, just thought I would put in my 2 cents. Good for you...
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PS. also a cat lover by the way, but my cat got eaten last summer by a coyote... She had a good life though, she lived to be 14... It is the wild west out here in CO.
Lewing, great news.0 -
Gee. I guess not all of us can live in Paradise. Went to lunch today at a restaurant that has outdoor seating looking out at the ocean. The temperature was perfect and the skies clear.
I'm sorry some of you live in climate-impaired places.
larousse: there are more of us who don't go to church than you think. Some of us weren't raised religiously, some were. But here we have each other and can tell anyone who starts talking about prayer to go to some other thread. I think it's only happened twice.
susan
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Hey-
I did not run to god when I was diagnosed. i found strength in nature, animals, and the people around me. I'm lucky to have an awesome spouse, alot of outlets for anger, and a job that I really love. Plus, I had low grade cancer, and am a stubborn son of a bitch that isn't afraid of anyone or anything. Look to the people and thinkgs you love for strenth. There is incredible beauty all around you that has nothing to do with god.
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Madalyn: Yeah, I thought it was pretty anal too. I don't have a cat though, so I'm a novice in Beginning Cat Psychology.
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Oh, man, guitarGrl, that's just plain MEAN, to gloat about California sunshine like that!
It would have been even meaner if today hadn't suddenly turned sunny, with a suspicion of spring in the air (despite the piles of still-unmelted snow alongside the curb).
My NYC boyfriend, who's here for another week, has been complaining about the Detroit weather as well. He's accustomed to a lot more sunshine in Brooklyn, evidently. (Is that why cruise ships now dock in Red Hook??)
Larousse, glad you've joined the thread, though I admit - I'm horrified by your cat's end. Yuck! I'm glad we have very few coyotes in metro Detroit. I guess there are tradeoffs involved whereever one chooses to live - sunshine, mountains, ocean, absence of cat-eating predators . . . no one place has 'em all.
Linda
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Spring is showing herself in grey New England- saw crocuses in bloom as I pulled in to my office yesterday and the birds were singing like crazy this morning- wonderful! Linda and Susan- glad to hear you sounding like you are doing well. Larousse- awful coyote story- we've had that around here too- lots of neighbors have lost cats. We see the coyotes now and then- early am and dusk. Sometimes at night we hear the pack yipping and howling quite near to the house- eerie sounding. Isabella (avatar) has been an indoor cat from the start- doesn't seem to mind as it's the only life she's known.
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Allyson, my cat use to look like Isabella, she was a small little b&w girl. I do miss her but not her hair on all my black clothes. They are trying to get a law where I live to keep the cats indoor, because apparently there are too many birds killed by all the cats. Mine only ate grass-hopers. I loved when she would play jungle in the garden when I gardened, she would hide behind a plant and pounce on a bug.
Going to get tattooed for the rads today, then lunch to celebrate... starting to zapping on the 31st... yoohoo... I am more worried about the tamoxifen and all its lovely SE which I will be starting soon. So much contraversy with tamox.0 -
Hi, Madalyn! No, they don't allow pets in my building. If I ever get a place of my own, that will be on my list though!
Gosh, I think its too hard to figure out Cat Psychology. I think I might get an F.0 -
Happy Equinox Y'all! We are looking at getting 6 to 8 inches of snow here in Chicagoland tomorrow, so where is that Spring? I guess GuitarGirl is using it all up right now - hey, give us some!
I have a cat (Choco) who loves to wander the neighborhood and make new friends. He's been know to walk into stranger's homes and take naps on their beds, etc. Anyway, he's famous around here. One night I got a call from someone several blocks away. "I have your cat, Choco", he says. "Okay, I'll come and get him", I say. "Good, but he's a little upset", he says. "I just SAVED HIM FROM THE MOUTH OF A COYOTE". My little Choco has used up at least half of his 9 lives now, I figure.
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Hi there Dudess,
Atheist. no. Religious. no. Accepting of both. yes. I am OK with and relate a little with most beliefs, but as a BS nursing student and great love of science, I am putting my faith in my gut feelings and exceptional doctors. We all have to deal with this the best way we can. I love nature and believe the earth has a specific rotation. Things come and go. That's the way it is, but we can fight the way we go with our own minds and inner strengths. I like to call it the bitchy stubborn side of me...I'm proud of you for declaring yourself as a Breast Cancer Slayer. Where the badge proudly and stay strong in your gut feelings.
TannB
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Hi all ....
Went to get a pixie haircut today. I LOVE it!!! (Thank goodness ... because the hair will be coming out in a few weeks!)
Actually, I don't know FOR SURE that I will be losing my hair. I meet with the oncologist on April 9. Finally nailed down the her2/neu question ... (initially told borderline; FISH says negative). Good news, I suppose. I have been reading quite a bit, though, on whether chemo is that beneficial if you are her2/neu negative.... (see San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium Dec 2007 et al in this regard...)
I guess even a minute improvement in survival rates warrents chemo ... ?! Maybe ...
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Madalyn, looks like Murph can use a little kittypsychiatry...
Calypso, what a story. Outdoor cats do have more interesting lives.
CO, sunny, warm, windy, snow still on the ground, typical.
Tann, I am also accepting of religion if it isn't impose on me by way of politics or preaching. You are right, there are great doctors and meds, but science still needs to make some huge leaps in cancer treatment... Just some sad news in this community, way too often...0 -
Where have we all gone?????
OCS: (obligatory cat story) when they heard about me the American Cancer Society sent me this box with all kinds of info and a neck pillow. Well Joli discovered it first & I have this great picture (which I will post if I can find it) of her using it the way humans do - with just her head on it.
Of course then then Chaco found it (brown cat - the avatar), and being all boy, just plomped down on it. Last night they even fought over it. Do you think I can register as someone else to get another pillow?
susan
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