Class of 2009 - Sisters in the same time frame
Comments
-
Oh the cancer excitement.... I too would love my boring life BACK !
Michele ~ never feel guilty for feeling good. You are one of the lucky ones and here to cheer the rest of us on !!!!
Jburke ~ geez... Do I need a bracelet for both arms? LOL Had lymph nodes on both sides take out as well as both boobies. I'll just take my chances. For my infusions they use the non-cancerous side.
Enjoy your snow coming girls. We are to get heavy rain and winds. UGH. I over did it cleaning today. Now I feel like crap. BUT ~ the house is CLEAN!!!!
Have a good night all !
0 -
Juanelle - WOW!!! One more chemo treatment how exciting!!! woo hoo doing the happy dance for you
It's the first time I have smiled in days!!! Wish you lived closer and we would have a party.Michele - Glad you are feeling so great!!! And getting snow to boot.. that is awesome!!! I love snow!! We had a little here in the good old south on Saturday morning. LOL... about a 1/2 inch all melted by noon. hahaha!!! I'm soooo jealous.
Jen - I never thought about getting a medical alert bracelet to wear? Ummm... makes you think? If any of us were ever unconscious and couldn't speak for ourselves and DH's or children weren't with us the medical attendants wouldn't know not to check our B/P's or to not do a needle stick in the affected side. Something to consider. I really hope you are doing o.k. and continue to have no side effects from the Tamox.
Pam - I hope the test for your lung comes back o.k. as well as the ones for the moles you had removed. Sending positive vibes and prayers your way.
Alicia - I'm still praying for your DH... and hoping that you continue to do well with your treatments and feel well. How many do you have left? Sorry you are going to get the heavy wind and rains... We are getting them here tonight and I hate it.
Hugs to all and have a great night!!
Renee
0 -
Alicia, A clean house is a wonderful thing. That is until someone comes along and messes it up...Oh thanks for letting me be the cheerleader...can I have a cute costume...it would go with my wig..my DH would likee likee.
0 -
Michele - I have a lot of my daughters cheerleading uniforms that she wore the last 4 yrs from highschool. I can send you one if you want... they are purple and gold, purple and white, and red and white. I'm sure they would go great with your PINK wig. LOL!!!!
Renee
0 -
Hooray!!! My doctor called this evening with my PET scan results and all is good. I had worked myself into a funk worrying about something showing up. So now I am officially putting breast cancer behind me! I am through worrying about every little ache or pain, finished with scans and tests, over the anxiety that accompanies every doctor visit. I am a certified healthy person!
I wonder how long this new attitude will last?
But honestly, I do feel better, healthier, saner!
Wishing everyone the little bit of peace I am feeling tonight.
pam
0 -
Pam, WAHOOOO.. that is great news. I am so happy for you. I can hardly wait until it is my turn...just think we will all have a day like this some day soon. You should celebrate..
Renee, the purple one sounds cute...ship that baby.
Michele
0 -
Geez Pam what a relief! We sure can whip ourselves up into a really good frothy frenzy, eh? So, now that your new name is NED, what are you going to do with all the time that was spent fighting cancer?
0 -
PAM ~ THAT is just great news. I am sooo happy and relieved for you. WOO hoo.
Renee... funny about the cheerleader uniform.
Michele... I agree purple and pink are a winning combination!
0 -
Pam, that is fantastic news! Do go and celebrate!
You have been such a wonderful poster on these boards - I always like reading your posts (just because you're officially NED doesn't let you completely off the hook, ya know!
)0 -
Pam, you are right I would do it, but it certainly would blow the wind out of my sails. My biggest se is fatigue, I have no stamina. I am still working, but I get to take off a week after the tx. I couldn't make it if I had to go to work that week. I have to rest between layers of makeup. I put my head down on the vanity and just sit there for several minutes. Then I start again. I can't do anything in a hurry, it all has to be at a turtle's pace. But this too will pass and next week I will be my old self again.
michele, you would look tooo cute in the cheerleading uniform. I also have some, they are purple also. I am still working, I could take disability, but decided to wait and see if I could make it through chemo. They are really being good about the days that I am missing. I may have to make some of them up, but they are not tracking them, so that is a good sign that they don't expect me to really make them up.
Alicia, a clean house and you had to do it yourself. My cleaning lady comes today. She does the laundry and vacuums and dusts. That is a big help. I just don't think I could make it right now without her.
Renee, we would all party if we lived closer. Its too bad that we are scattered all over the world, but it does make for a diverse group.
PAM, woooohoooo, what a relief. You have been certified healthy. I know you are so relieved. I am relieved for you. Now you can relax and have a peaceful, restful and joyful Christmas with lots to be thankful for. I am so happy for you.
I too would like my carefree cancer free life back. I wonder how long it is after we get through treatments, that we can finally relax and say, "I am cancer free". Will it be right after tx is finished or years down the road. Or will we always be waiting for the shoe to fall? I think with me, I will be in the group to say right after the tx is finished. I don't want to think that for every little ache and pain I get, I will rush to the doctor and worry that it is cancer. But only time will tell.
Sending Hugs to everyone.
Juannelle
0 -
Pam~ What wonderful news for you! I am so very happy for you that you are FINALLY able to move on with your life and don't have to think about BC or anything else anymore! What a blessing!
I went to see the dermatologist this morning, he took a small sample of a freckle from my lower left leg. Didn't hurt at all, and he is not worried about it being anything, so neither am I
I also saw my med onc this morning. While he was examining me, he and I both noticed how tender my left side was and he was kind of concerned about it. Have any of you ever heard of getting lyphodema in your breast? That is what he is concerned about. No follow up on it for now, just need to keep an eye on things. I go back to see him in February, after my mam in January. He told me to take a bunch of Motrin before that appointment, because it will hurt~!Take care everyone,
Hugs
Jen
0 -
Bra seekers....I found something new, and comfy. It's called the barely there crop top by BALI, I got it at Kohl's for 14$
It's not the best on support but it feels good on incisions and the like and it's stretchy with a little gather. Really good for sleeping.
I just got my TLC/ACS radiation patient tank in the mail...will get back to you on how it works.
0 -
I miss Kohls.......It was my favorite store to shop in when we lived in CO.
0 -
I use to love to shop at Kohls all the time, but I seldom go there any more. They have opened a store called Belks in Waco and I do most of my shopping there. They are on the same line as Dillards or Macys. I can just about buy anything I need there and sometime a little more. I probably don't need 1/2 of what I buy, but I do like to shop.
0 -
Dear 1L that's what they want you to do in departmental stores, ie buy what you don't need :-)
0 -
yes that is it, buy what you want, whether you need it or not. I think that is what I do. Of course, like most I am overweight, so I don't pants, but I buy lots of shirts. You should see my closet, I can barely get into it. I need to get rid of about half, but things are still good and I may need them again. HAHA Like that will happen.
0 -
Belks used to be big in Florida, then almost disappeared, now is making a comeback. It's a nice store. There is just a lot of shopping competition in Florida. Huge sales going on here now. I have not even started my Christmas shopping! Usually I am done in July but have been so distracted by all this doctor stuff. Gotta get busy!
Juanelle, you live near Waco? I was there years ago... like 1990 maybe. Just drove along the downtown streets, ate breakfast in a little local diner place. Bet it has grown! Things, places are so far apart in Texas. Very different.
pam
0 -
Pam, the downtown area of Waco has not grown much, but Waco it self has grown. The small towns have all grown into Waco, so there are lots of people there. Yes, we do have to drive long ways to get anywhere, the small town we live in has just about 1800 people and we have grown also in the last ten years, but if you need certain things, you still need to go to the big city, Waco. We try to buy locally as much as possible and since gas as gone up so much, I think we do pretty good. We have a really nice Brookshires here and one other hometown grocery store, so there is competition. I just bought new appliances for my kitchen and bought them from a store in town and I think they gave me just as good a deal as Lowes. We live in the country, about 4 miles out of town and it is so quiet here, I can't imagine living anywhere else. We don't have close neighbors and a street off the main road, so we don't hear the traffic.
0 -
And I bet you have a great view of the night sky! Some folks in the big cities never see the stars. Can you imagine? We are pretty good as long as you can blot out the street light across the street. So glad your work is being so understanding. You give so much to your job.. nice for them to reciprocate.
pam
0 -
Pam - I'm so glad you got great news from your PET scan and now you are NED!!! Go celebrate and have a great Christmas.
Juanelle - It's been a long time since I did Chemo but I do remember being very tired and not feeling like I was able to put one foot in front of the other and having to sit at home because I felt terrible and all my friends were going out on dates or up town to the movies or just to hang out. It really stinks!!! But just one more and you're done... you can do it!!! You have done so well so far. :=) I'm jealous you have a housekeeper that comes. I want one but it's not in my budget. HaHa!!
I heard from my Rads Onc office today and thought I was going to get to start radiation tomorrow, however, about 10 mins after I hung up the phone I got another call that the machine was broken. It had been hit by the terrible storms we had last night and 2 of circuit breakers are shot. They hope it is fixed by tomorrow but they will have to call me after 10:30 in the morn to let me know if they can start me tomorrow. The original verdict was if I couldn't come tomorrow at 11 then I couldn't start till Monday. I also found out I will have a daily appt time of 7:45 a.m. That stinks since I am not a morning person!!! I was hoping for a late evening. :=( It has been one thing after another with this radiation thing makes me wonder if I'm suppose to get it. LOL! Some kind of strange karma...
Renee
0 -
Renee, sorry about the delays for rads. I know you want to finish this and get on with it. That is certainly what I want to do. I go to the doctor in the morning and will report on how fatigued I am. It has not ever been this bad. I can barely walk through the house without a rest. But I will make it, I know I will.
Juannelle
0 -
Thanks for the good wishes, Renee. The one thing I learned about radiation therapy is... be flexible! The machine going down is a common problem and it throws everything off. The equipment is super sensitive and has to be maintained at a constant temperature. Some patients take longer than expected... one day it was me
My hospital ran a very tight schedule and one little problem had hours long repercussions. The therapists worked long days and were always great so it was hard to complain. Also, your time should not be set in stone. Keep telling them you want a late appt. People finish up and time slots become available. But keep in mind, the later your appointment the more delays affect you.Hang in there. You will get through it.
pam
0 -
Pam and Juanelle thanks for the good thoughts! My RADs therapy is not at the hospital. There is a seperate center set up for it called Lifefirst. It is just for the patients receiving radiation therapy and the radiation oncologist. They currently only have 32 patients... that's alot, but not as many as it could be, but nevertheless, a lot to treat in one day. I think I would pull my hair out. LOL! I do understand it just becomes very frustrating at times. And I have become somewhat discouraged. Hopefully that will improve once I start my treatments and the countdown begins and there is and end in sight.
I posted this question on the other board, but really got no response, but maybe some of you ladies that have already had radiation can help me. Did you wear any deodorant at all "Tom's of Maine", "Crystal", etc (the all natural deodorants without aluminums) on the underarm side you were receiving radiation treatment on?
My RADS onc told me he didn't care what I wore on the untreated side. LOL... he didn't want me wearing any deodorant with aluminums under the arm that was being irradiated. It makes no sense to me since my underarm is not being irradiated. I was node negative, but this is what he said. He actually told me not to wear any deodorant under that arm and to only use plain cornstarch but I did buy the Tom's of Maine Calendula deodorant to use under that arm which is why I am asking the question. I am going to continue wearing Secret on the other side. Can't stand the idea of stinking through therapy or work all day. Lotions and perfumes won't cut it.
Renee
0 -
Dear Renee,
The onco is right. No aluminum in or around the radiation target. The radiation beams do criss cross a bit on the axilla even when the axilla is not the target.
0 -
If we have chemo and surgery...WHY do we have to follow it up with radiation? It's the only thing I'm really concerned with at this point. If they get clear margins during the lumpectomy, shouldn't that be enough?
0 -
Great question. Clear margins mean that there are not more than xx cancer cells per million cells in the margins. There are still chances of stray cells in the breast area. And based on historical statistics, they know that there are certain number of cells in that area for certain number of patients. Chemo may wipe these cancer cells off provided (a) that chemo is effective for the particular cancer cells (b) the blood and lymph system in the operated area was "normal" and chemo reaches everywhere. Since neither of these 2 is known for sure, radiation is given to ensure highest rate of local non-recurrence.
0 -
Renee,
Even though your nodes were negative, the tx area may still include the underarm. Ask the tech when you go in to show or mark out (they looooove their sharpie markers!) the area that is being treated. I can still actually see the area that was treated as the skin in still darker. I lost the hair under that arm also, even outside of the tx area. It is now coming back. I finished rads on Sept. 10. I used Crystal "spray" - it was a little messy as it dripped, but later on was very welcomed as the underarm area can become tender. I used it under both arms and I received my tx through the summer! I also used "glaxal base" (costco) moisturizer throughout tx and was told to make sure that if I used either product, that it must be applied at least 2 - 3 hours prior so it absorbs into the skin prior to tx. Good luck! I did not find Rads bad, except for the amount of time it takes out of your life! (Every day for 30 days and I live 1 hour away from treatment center!)
Mary Louise
0 -
Hi Renee,
I bought the Crystal roll-on at Walmart and thought it was useless. I showered twice a day and spread aloe under that arm as well as breast. I know this will sound silly BUT if I used any cream-lotion and did not wash it off prior to rads I swear I could smell a sweet burning odor at radiation! Aloe did not seem to do that. Just me
SheriV,
I THINK radiation gives a better statistical chance than chemo in no recurrence. I'll have to look that up.
Stay warm!
pam
0 -
SheriV,
This is an old article but I think it still reflects conventional opinion.
pam
Oct. 18, 2005 (Denver) — Nearly all breast cancer patients undergoing lumpectomy will benefit from receiving a course of radiation therapy after surgery, researchers report.
"Even in the subgroup of women with favorable, early-stage breast cancer, whole breast radiation therapy should be the standard of care," said Richard Poetter, MD, professor of radiation oncology at the University of Vienna in Austria, and lead investigator of the Austrian Breast and Colorectal Cancer Study Group 8A trial.
The study, presented here at the 47th annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiation and Oncology (ASTRO), enrolled 875 women who underwent breast-conserving surgery for stage T1 or T2 breast cancer; 826 were included in the intention-to-treat analysis.
After surgery, 410 of the women were randomized to receive whole breast radiation therapy with a boost to the tumor bed. All women also received hormone therapy with either tamoxifen or anastrozole.
Of the 14 women who suffered relapses during the next five years, 13 occurred among the women who did not receive radiation, Dr. Poetter reported. This corresponds to a 99.4% local relapse-free survival rate among the women who received radiation, and a 95.5% local relapse-free survival rate among women who did not receive radiation at five years (P = .0010).
A total of six subsequent cancers occurred in the radiation group — one local relapse and five distant metastases. Sixteen women who did not receive radiation had subsequent cancer — 13 had local relapses and four developed distant metastases. The difference between those figures also reached statistical significance at the P = .0267 level, he said.
However, there was no significant difference in overall survival or distant metastases rates among the two groups.
The women in the study had favorable risk factors: They were postmenopausal, their cancer was hormone-receptor positive, the tumors were graded T1 or T2 and were less than three centimeters in size, and there was no lymph node involvement.
Theodore Lawrence, MD, chairman of the department of radiation oncology at the University of Michigan School of Medicine in Ann Arbor and chairman of the board of ASTRO, said that he would expect the difference in relapse-free survival rates to get larger over time.
"We'd expect the separation [between the groups] to grow by about 1% a year, meaning that the benefits of radiation would be substantial as time goes by," he told Medscape.
Dr. Poetter said the researchers plan to follow the women in the study for at least 10 years.
ASTRO 47th Annual Meeting: Abstract 3. Presented Oct. 17, 2005.
Reviewed by Gary D. Vogin, MD
0 -
When I went for my consult with the Rad Onc, he said the statistics for recurrence were 17% lumpectomy alone, 13 % with mastectomy, and 12% with lumpectomy and radiation. So when lumpectomy and radiation are performed together then the odds are about the same as just a mastectomy. Now that I am also doing chemo, I am not sure what my chance of recurrence are, I guess I will wait until I see the Rad Onc again and see if he can tell me.
I went to Onc today and my WBC is down again, so I am home bound again. I was so discouraged, but this too will pass and I will get 5 Neupogen shots and my WBC will be up again. I also received an antibiotic, so I wont catch any nasty germs, so here I am, waiting it out again.
Only one more, only one more, only one more.
Juannelle
0
