Exchange City
Comments
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Actually.. it DOES look a lot like the " sock" you had in Vegas last year Deborah... hmmmmmmmmmm.....
I'm just sayin'...........................
(LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL)
Night all!
Have an AMAZING Sunday!
DH will be planting me... get this......................... 15 Day Lilly's..... I am SO excited to drink Tea... by the pool.... watching my OH SO HOT hubby.. planting these in 100 degree weather... sweating... lol lol lol.. I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooo lucky that he loves how I make things look here... ' cause he gets all the work...hehehehe.. I help most of the time though.. I LOVE LOVE LOVE gettin' dirty!! SMELLS LIKE SUMMER.............yum yum.
Love you girls!
Hang tight in your struggles..... and reach out for help,,, YOU CAN DO THIS!!!
We Had cancer... ok..... NOW... we have to deal with the after effects....ok.... do it with STYLE!
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5 weeks after bmx. Tonight I found a lump about 2 inches in from my armpit about 2 inches above my TE more or less on the chest wall. It has never been there before. It is on my non-cancerous side. Do I need to be freaked out? I had the hubby feel it and he could easily find it. I would say marble size. Is this common after a bmx sugery?0
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Deborah, that breast-penis thing is just awful - for the life of me I can't understand why it has to be so very large. Thanks for posting - so very bizarre and uncomfortable looking.
Hope4future - I haven't heard of such a thing happening, but I've heard of lots of other things happening after the MX and exchange surgeries. Don't freak out but do call your doctor. I think our bodies do some very strange things during the expansion process, and the doctor can explain to you what is going on.
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OMG what is that thing and why would anyone want to sleep with it??!! Yowza!
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On my rads side after I lost the implant there were a few hard bump things that appeared, they seem to have been some sort of muscle/bone thing. I just noticed them out of the blue one day. It was nothing in my case, but it is always worth mentioing it to the doctor.
It could also be a clogged lymph channel (not LD) I had one in my tummy, it had me so freaked out, it kept getting bigger, I started calling it my alien. After the doctor confirmed what it was I was able too break it up using a technique the PT showed me.
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Hi Big Apple, I noticed that many of the recent posts were from an earlier time zone, but you are same as me, and it is going on 3AM! NIght owls unite... Good to know that someone else is as "dys-regulated" as me in their sleep patterns. I still have a plan to clean the bedroom tonight and switch all my winter-summer stuff. I really want to come home to a neat room after surgery, and only have one more weekend. Good thing my DH can sleep through anything. You sound like you are on the mend??
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Hi Big Apple and Jershua- please add me to the no sleep zone in EST- it is too hard to sleep on my back for the entire night. What is that big phallic looking pillow's function?
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geneskirt- You read my mind!
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oh that picture just looks SOOOO wrong!!!!!! lol
Think my hubby would also laugh me right out the bedroom! Mind you....with all the junk i've in,on and around our bed at the moment,one more strange article wouldn't make much difference =D
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Laura, I missed your post about having LE and I'm sorry that you have to go thru that. You always have a positive outlook and offer support and humor for everyone here so I'm glad to see you back.
I have to say that I feel so comforted by this network of support because of all the wonderful women here. I am hoping that next year we have the finances so I can go to the 2011 reunion! I want to meet the faces behind the names and all the support and kindness. This year both DH and I lost our jobs and we are looking and the job market just sucks.
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Dear Night Owls:
My sleep is getting a little more normal now that I can sleep kind of flat, the sleeping sitting up and then with my knees elevated was a nightmare. I get through most of the day with no pain meds, but by the night time my abs are so sore tha I have to take something, When I see the Dr this week I am going to ask about something for sleep, the waking up in the middle of the night is annoying. I totally agree with getting the house in order before hand, it makes a very big difference.
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Bigapple09 - I know what you mean about sleep. I have been sleeping on my back since 1/12/10 and the sleep pattern is horrible! I don't remember what it was like to get a great nights rest! Amazing what this disease does~
Laura - praying for you, LE is so darn distressing so much we have to deal with!
The pic with the breast support was quite funny and disturbing to think this was a serious sale~
Anna
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I'll be laughing about the "Breast Support thing" all day!! If you ask me anything is worth a try if it helps us sleep better!!
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Hey Night Owls, I am one of you. Since recovering from my exchange I do "sleep" on my sides but I am tossing and turning a lot. Last night I read the last Steig Larsson book until 4:30 am, the night before I was mending my son's shorts at 1:00 am...
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Laura so sorry to hear that you are having trouble with LE...I know you have all the strength, humor and attitude to deal with it but it still must be difficult to face another bump in the road...hope therapy is easy and successful
Now for that crazy booby buffer...all I can say is holy moly! I cannot add anything more to the funny comments already posted
Back sleepers....how do you do it!!!! When I came home from my BMX with drains I stayed on my back (almost 2 weeks with drains) but I started sleeping on my side almost immediately after my drains came out. I used to look forward to sleeping on my side to nudge my TE's away from my armpits
Even after my exchange I slept on my side within a few days. Hats off to those of you who stayed on your backs so long......I am amazed. I'm a little behind on posts so please accept my good wishes to anyone who has an exchange, nips, tats or any other procedure this week
Strength and healing,
Laura2
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Laura: Glad to see you are back on here and in good spirits.
BigApple: Trying to sleep while sitting up is a real challenge. I am on my back again but every time I get a fill, there I am sitting. I take melatonin but still, I toss and turn and make a shambles of the bed. Then I wake up exhausted. Have you heard of the non profit group Cleaning For A Reason? I believe they are nationwide and provide women undergoing cancer care to get 1 free cleaning a month for 4 months. You have to fill out a form on line and also fax a brief dr's note stating that you are under a dr's care for breast cancer and then they try and find a service close to you. I am still waiting to hear from them if anyone in my area is available. Feel better!
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So glad to hear about all of the other night crawlers... Left to my own inclinations (weekends, vacations) I've always been nocturnal, though I do have to get up bright and early on workdays. Have always gotten by with 5 or so hours of sleep, but since my BMX, I am all goofed up, and cannot seem to do it anymore. After a month or so I was able to return to side sleeping, if I pad myself all around ( and between
) with enough pillows. Big fluffy ones, little crescent shaped hand-made breast ca ones -- given in a special package from my oncologist), etc. As you said, m-star, my DH would hardly notice the addition of anything as I am fully barricaded. I have taken over at least 3/4 of our king size bed. He is hanging on for dear life over on his edge. Every time I need to turn, though, it is a big production of rearranging all of my nest, and I am awake. I think that part of the staying up all night has to do with the arranging of my alien body parts when I first get in bed. I can get comfortable, sort of, but, in the quiet of night, at the end of the day, it is a moment of psychic confrontation with the loss of my breasts, the fear of recurrence, the way my life is profoundly different because of those two things. I put it off as long as possible... like til 4 A.M.!!!!BTW, I agree....it would be SO fun to meet up one day!
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The odd thing about sleeping sitting up or in a semi upright position for me, is that I would wake up feeling like I was drowning and it would take a while to stop coughing and struggling for air. People I know who have apnea have described thier non-CPAP sleep like that, I i am thinking that when I sleep in that position my head must be dropping and my airway getting restricted in some way. I definitly have to talk to the Dr about it on Tuesday.
I am hopingto get the last two drains out Tuesday and then I'll be sleeping flat on my back and sides as the mood strikes.
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Laura, So sorry to hear about the LE. Best wishes to you for easy and successful treatment to head it off and keep it at bay in the future.
LMAO on the picture of the boob separator thingy!!! Can't believe someone actually manufactures that!! I was truly laughing out loud before bed when I saw it last night.
Speaking of lymphedema, I've been reading some of the LE threads in the "Lymphedema after Surgery" forum in the last few days and that, along with Laura here's coming down with it too, just reemphasized to me how much we must be vigilant about preventing LE. I really want to encourage anyone who hasn't already done so to educate yourself about preventative measures agst LE, and to use them whenever possible. A good summary of do's and don'ts is on this BCO page: http://www.breastcancer.org/lymphedema_avoid.html. No guarantee that these work absolutely, but some prevention is better than none. Just don't be fooled by hearing things like "you had an SNB so you're immune", because anyone with nodes removed, even one, is susceptible (just read the thread on the topic in LE forum...you'll change your mind).
Sorry if I'm being a downer - it's just my heartfelt wish that not another one of us gets this crappy complication, we've been through enough.
Take care all,
CS
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waldo- Sorry to hear both you and your DH are out of work. I was in the midst of job hunting when I got my DX so needless to say, that's been on hold, which probably doesn't matter as there aren't any jobs here in Phoenix, either!
Jerusa- LOL! I can picture your poor DH clinging to the edge of the bed! My poor DH- we have a queen size! I'm surprised he hasn't taken off for the guest room by now.
I've definitely become a "night crawler" too. I have fibro so I toss and turn, anyway, but now it's really bad. I've taken a dozen different sleep aids in as many years but I build up a tolerance for them after awhile so now I'm cold turkey. Thank god for this site. It gives me something to do at 3:00 a.m. :-D Maybe we should have a special chat room called "Night Crawlers!"
cs7777- You're not being a downer. I was one of those patients whose BS told them because I had SNB I didn't need to worry about LE. If I hadn't heard about it on here I would never have started taking precautions. LE scares me worse than BC and MX.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend!
Kate
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Kate, I love that idea! Night crawlers should indeed have a place to chat. My time to get up is around 2 a.m. and then go back to try again @ 3:30 a.m. I then go back to the bed, slap the pillows around ok fluff them out like my foobs should be doing in the weeks ahead LOL! The forum was running so slow early this morning I was frustrated, I was amazed to see the number of people on at that time of the morning! I am not alone! WOOT! Anna
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No need to be scared Kate :-) , just educated and acting on our own behalf, and then we will have done all we could and have no recriminations for ourselves even if LE occurs. Sort of like with all our BC treatments to prevent recurrances.
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cs777, Thank you..you are so right. I also had my BS and PS scoff at my concerns about LE. I had one SNB, one node removed, in Dec with my lumpectomy and then another SNB on the OTHER side, two nodes removed cuz they both lit up, during my prophylactic( sort-of) BMX in March. I was told that I did not need to take any LE precautions. Now, reading up lately, thanks to these boards, I see that I do... I had mentioned the other day that I'd just been to a lab for pre-op blood work and it was all I could do to get the tech to follow reasonable cleanliness precautions (not touch everything in the room, after putting on her gloves, not toss the ETOH wipe onto the place she puts filled blood tubes - mine and everyone else's- and then try to use it again on me after the draw). BTW, I am a FIEND about this. I was so vigilant about hospital-acquired infection that my sister told me after my surgery that when she tried to lean over and kiss me in recovery, I held up my hand in "stop" mode and said "Did you PURELL yet?" I wasn't even awake!! So anyway, I cannot imagine getting a regular lab tech or office nurse to do things like draw blood from my foot, or take my BP in my leg. Many techs would have no experience with this and most offices do not even have the proper BP cuffs for this. How then, to get the proper care?????
BTW, just read your post on other thread regarding bras. I am TOTALLY with you!!!
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OK, so I haven't been on this thread in months and the first thing I'm brought to is that pic Deborah showed on page 488 here. Then Wendy's comment, then geneskirt's comment -unbelievable and thanks for the laughter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've been away -- I love EC and it has done me good and I hope to give back as I can - but for a while there I could not keep up. I fell into a mild depression following my exchange and surgery for thyroid cancer and I needed to bring the external stimulus in my life waaaaaaaaay down. I am now just coming out of it - following another cancer scare involving the skin at my foob and chest wall at 5:00 (just found out Thursday I'm clean). Hurrah! I feel grateful and have some renewed energy.
I'd like to be a source for women who are going through what I've been through, but I cannot assure I can be a constant part of this thread. Does anyone know if BC has a list of women willing to share with newbies? I'd like to be a one on one resource somehow.......
Love and guts,
Geena
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Geena ~ So glad to hear the positive news!!! I offered to volunteer my experience to whoever my my Onc and PS thought would benefit from it. They have referred me to a couple of people for one on one and it has been very rewarding.
It took 30 minutes to make the new Ca King bed and I can't wait ~ it is bad to go to bed before 8pm???
Colleen
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Wow I just caught up and finished LMAO from page 488 Deborah I cant believe the pic. My DH would laugh me out of the house hehehehe.
I think I will leave it at that.
Rebecca
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wabiwoman- I don't know if you were thinking online mentoring or face to face but the American Cancer Society has a program called Reach to Recovery where volunteers are matched with a person in your area that is currently going through the same type or treatment of cancer that you did. Your job as volunteer is to call or visit whoever you're assigned to.
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All I can say is... THANK YOU LADIES !!!!!!!!!!!!!! I start PT in the morning. I am NOT happy about this... but.... and without the help of anti-depressants... I am dealing....
GEENA... Hi sweety..... I am sorry to hear about your struggles!! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR How are those implants holding up? Let me know...K?
Have a Happy Week sisters........ giggle when you can !
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Kate - I was job-hunting when I got my diagnosis too. Sure puts a damper on that doesn't, it? I felt for a long time like I couldn't even apply for anything because I didn't know what my future held and didn't want to start a job only to have to take time off for chemo or surgery or whatever fun thing was next. Really I was kidding myself - it doesn't matter because there are no jobs anyway!
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tory- I guess we are all in the same boat! Sometimes BC seems like a full time job but the pay really sucks!
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