MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish
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thanks Diana. I started taking it in the morning, and switched to dinner time because the hot flashes were waking me up. I thought dinner time would help me sleep thru better. I will push it to bedtime and see if that helps . Hope you're feeling better. You have been thru so much. Sending healing hugs
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Stellamaris- it might take a couple of weeks to adjust. I hope it helps. I've had some pain in my stomach where some of the cancer is but other then that I am doing ok. I struggle with the mental and emotional aspect of it all though. We are leaving tomorrow for Pennsylvania for our anniversary. Maybe a change of routine will be good. So tired of being house bound.
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Stella, I will be 63 in May and 2 1/2 years post BMX, 2 years since EX and 2 years on Letrozole. I took Arimidex for a month or so, but had horrible side effects of painful joints and muscles. Changed to Aromasin for a couple of months and it was worse! finally got on Letrozole and it is a winner! The muscle aches and joint pain are not a problem with this one. I take it in the AM and have no problems with fatigue. The only side effect that I have is dryness everywhere. But that is an easy one to remedy. I use lots of lotions, oils and personal lubricant and can get by very well. Everyone of us is so different. What works for one person will not work for another. We just have to try and find what is best for us.
I am going to retire in 2 years. I enjoy my job and have a great office with very supportive people. Not to mention a dh of 41 years that is the best of the best.
Hugs to all and hopefully we can all get through this as best we can.
Robin
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Stella...I'm in the same boat as you, probably working until 67......
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I had planned on working until 67, but Mr. Cancer had other plans for me. I can't sit or stand for very long because of extensive spinal mets and five compression fractures in my vertebrae and four fractures in my rib cage.
I miss my coworkers. It was a family environment and I worked there for 21 years. I still meet some of the gang for lunch from time to time.
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Lita57...lunch sounds terrific great, that you still keep in touch, and yes the best part of the job is friendships.
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Welcome, robinblessed54! You are so right that the real key is getting the treatments tailored to fit the individual. Sure is not one size fits all.
Sounds like switching up the dosage time can make a difference with the Letrozole. Let us know, stellamaris.
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Happiest of Valentine's Day to all you Mid-Age Lovelies!
From: elimar XOXOXO
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Thanks E! My only Valentine received. Such is life on Single Awareness Day + Taco Tuesday!
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thank you all for your support. Diana, have a wonderful getaway! Eph - never under estimate the value of a monarchy lol. Sometimes the democracy can be quite challenging.
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Thank you ! My oncologist quit oncology and moved away. He was pretty aggressive treatment wise.
Last year my tumor marker went from a 21 to 24. I asked her about it and she waved me off literally, saying don't you worry about that number, I'll tell you when to worry.
This year my number is forty five. I confess I am worried now. Again with the hand wave she says forget about that number., any number of things can cause this number to rise. At your age I wouldn't worry until you numbers are in the seventies. I am kind of mad at myself for not asking her to have some tests run, or come back in a month and see if it goes down.
I live in the country so doctors are few and far between. She is supposed to be the best in the area, She is going to fix me up with her plastic surgeon who Will make the rounds here in may. One breast Is deformed and like a brick, I would like to see him on the off chance a surgery will be paid for because I have already had that done but not correctly.
Would this concern you. Would you seek a second opinion ? If when I do that her office will have to send my records to new doctorand I probably loose my place in line to see the surgeon.
It is a pretty big jump, yes ? A surgeon down here told me my breast cancer was scar tissue and not to worry about it. I thankfully got a second opinion on that so I don't have a lot of trust.
Opinion ?
I will read all you sent me
Thank you
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Redcoke6, You have not filled out your initial diagnosis or any other info. in your "Profile" section, so it is a little hard to put what you say into the correct context. Also, you did not mention WHICH tumor marker so my answer will have to be very general...
From the little I know about tumor markers, I will say that having the numbers go from 21 to 24 is not really a cause for concern, since both numbers are within a normal range for the most common BC tumor markers. (If you ask for your own copy of the test results, the range is usually right on there.) Your latest number, 45, is a bit elevated out of the normal ranges (and can be slightly higher for other reasons besides cancer); BUT if you are saying that you only get the markers tested once each year, why not ask to be retested in a few months rather than wait for another whole year? It seems like you had that idea yourself, and I think it is a good one.
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Elimar,
Thank you for the good advice. I'm sorry my post was too vague. I'll fill out the info I did notice a place for that.
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Stella-trust me the monarchy is just fine. I dont think my house or me would survive democracy! But it would be nice to have a court jester come around once every 5 yrs or so
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Eph3, love your idea of a court jester on a five year rotation. I'm married, but I married later than most in my mid 30's. The adjustment to sharing the castle was interesting. We do get used to ruling our queen-dom, and merging kingdoms is difficult. I can't imagine what doing it at my age now (61) would be like. I'm not sure I could adjust again at this age. Guess I'll have to keep the devil I know.
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Kk, I married late, too. It was HARD. I had a spell of depression after I married in my 30s. Like I couldn't just come and go as I wished any more. Those "come and go, do as you please" instincts become deeply ingrained. It's hard to have to answer to someone when you just want to go hang out with your friends as you used to do.
Don't have those issues any more with Stage 4 cancer, sorry to say. Just me...only a few friends want to get together. They mostly just want to pretend it's not there.
Sigh.....
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Lita, are you still married? Hard to tell from your post. And, of course, I can't remember anything from previous posts. It is sad some of our friends drift away after our dx. Can't handle it or it scares them like it's catching!
Without energy it is hard to reach out to others.
I, too, am in a monarchy. My husband (who by then we had divorced, but was of course part of our lives for the kids) died from throat cancer when he was 45. The kids were 14 & 12. It was all I could do to keep my shit together for them. I was running my own business (Thank God, from my house), caring for aging parents and had teenagers. I think the anger and desperation fueled my fire, so to speak, and I made it through. Now I am 64 (how the heck did that happen?) I had a chance to get remarried right after the kid's father died, but the timing wasn't right. It's all in the timing!
Now I think about match.com or some such, think how it would be nice to have a partner, friend to do things with, hang out, go traveling with, then I think of sharing my space, time, and (OMG) bathroom with someone else and I say No way. Ha ha!
When I went off to the Lyme specialist this week, my DD (who give me a ride) gave me a cut little mason jar with flowers for a late Valentine's present. I brought them home on the ferry boat. Since I am not driving I have to go up to the passenger seating area. I plop down in the nearest seat with a table, so most of the people walking on board have to walk by me. I got so many comments about those flowers. Probably started some rumors, on this small island we don't got much else to do in February.
I am not sure if this is the right place to share about my Lyme stuff, but it is what is affected me the most right now. I am changing up all my meds. Going over to liquids. Trying to get them into my bloodstream faster and to pass the blood/brain barrier, I guess. I am going to do an injectable antibiotic now, too. I had to give my stomach a break. we'll see if I get some more energy and my brain wakes back up. It's is so experimental. I mean, like BC not one protocol fits everyone. We have to keep tweaking and see what works.
I am still waiting on some new genetic testing my MO ordered. I will see him in March. He is working with me through the Lyme stuff. I can't be the only one to have both dxes. It is such a controversial subject, this Lyme treatment.
Anyway, I have not found a community anywhere, that is like this one. I am so grateful for the compassion and genuine caring I find here.
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macatacmv, yes, I am still married. It will be 27 years in June.
Lyme disease is really bad, from what I hear. VERY hard to get it under control. Lots of folks get mis-diagnosed, or the Dr thinks it's all in your head. So sorry to hear you have to deal with that on top of cancer.
Keep us posted on how your TX goes. People out here in ca have gotten Lyme disease now, too, so it's spreading everywhere, sadly.
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I married at 39, for the 1st and only time. Not to say there weren't court jesters along the way, but the desire to adopt was strong and for whatever reason, in 1993/94, I felt I had to be married rather than adopt as a single. Little did I know, I would be adopting single as the "king" totally flaked once a kid was in the picture. At 3, she asked me what did we need Daddy for. Slow learner tho. It wasn't until 2004 when the "king" got caught on what was supposed to a fishing weekend with the buds, at a local watering hole, with a kitchen wench. He was booted out and the Queen and her princess have lived relatively happy ever after. There hasn't been a jester in all that time, and honestly, I don't know what I'd do with one if he showed up, so I do life as Queen and damn the rest!
Lyme's disease. When I worked for the Social Security Attorney, we had 2 different cases of Lyme's. We won benefits for both gals, but it went all the way to hearing and I think one even went to appeal on the Admin Judge's ruling. But it was such a victory!
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Yes, this is a very much misunderstood "disease". MA did rule that insurance now has to pay for our treatments, but getting a dx is long hard row to hoe. I've been though years of being told it was in my head, that I "might be a little depressed", I should see a psychiatrist.
My poor MO and BS, just thought I was a real cry baby.
Anyway, on the way to better health now, just gotta feel worse before I feel better. We can all relate.
Yay, that you were on the winning side, eph.
I have a "new" MO now. He's a real sweetheart from jolly ol' England. He's very open to helping me get well again.
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Well it's a miracle 💕 I have made it to another birthday. Didn't think I would make it to this day a few months ago. Thank you God! Will be low key as DH is sick with a bad cold. Praying I don't get it
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Happy Birthday, Dianarose! We're glad you're here. Low key is just fine and I hope you have another baker in the family (so you get a nice cake that you didn't have to bake yourself.) Don't share your cake fork with germy husband, but do get a rain check from him for some belated celebrating when he is feeling better. After last year, I am wishing a healthy, stress-free, and chocolatey year for you.
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Diana...my DH had a bad cold 2 wks ago. If you have cotton gloves, PUT THEM ON. They do help. They keep the germs off your actual skin and they are a reminder NOT to touch your nose, eyes, etc. Of course, wash your hands frequently too.
Dr. Lita signing off
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D, loaves & fishes that cake. I want some please. And Happy Birthday!
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(the talking cupcake just really got me chuckling this am!)
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Thanks for all the birthday wishes 💕. It was a low key day at home as DH has a terrible cold.
My first bottle of Ibrance will arrive tomorrow. Very nervous about the side effects yet at the same time glad to get a new treatment started
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Good Luck with the new treatment, Diana
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happy belated birthday Diana. Always in my thoughts. You are a true warrior woman
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been staring at the new topper for a few minutes now. Not sure what to take from it.
We have inner birds just squawking to get out?
Our lives cause us to bellow to the sky?
It's probably some famous painting (by some one also famous) That I just cannot recall from my art major classes , oh too many years to count ago. (not to mention that I have no memory at all anymore)
It has me intriguied, Eli!
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