MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish
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Hi Ladies , back from Vegas and refreshed now back to reality and life as I know it .. lol .. appointment with plastic surgeon march 6th and appt with breast surgeon March 7th then i hope to have my surgery date for my PBMX wiIth immediate recon ..missed u all and will inform you as this goes on .. thank u again for such a wonderful bunch of ladies and a great group to be a part of ...
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I am bonafide! Went for my evaluation today with a licensed LE therapist. I have truncal LE, she knew it the second I took my shirt off. Of course she did a very thorough exam and also took a ton of measurements. No doubt at all. I feel so relieved. My RO is just ridiculous to have me ignore this. I begin treatment next week twice a week for three weeks. Then she will see how I am doing after learning the self massage techniques she will train me to do.
I KNEW it! Thanks barbe for making me pursue this, you really did help!
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Dianerose - I love the way you think!!
Personally I would love to return my BC - no refund or raincheck necessary...
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Janis, I am SO glad you are being taken care of now!!!!! Phew!! My mission in life is over now...ehheehhehehe
lisamarie, I LOVE Vegas, we're hoping to go in May...
Sherry, if you get clammy at night, the towel wicks away the dampness and helps keep you dry. Also, being cotton, a towel is much cooler to lie on. Your sheets might be percale. Very silky to lie on, but because percale is part polyester, they are hotter to lie on.
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I was reading magazine today and saw an article tha mentions "wicking pajamas" I think they were called cool-jams.
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Wow, I had to read four pages, and that's a lot of info!!
Janis, soooo glad you finally got to a real LE therapist. I was on that bandwagon for you too! I didn't develop LE till 2 1/2 yrs post treatment, so I know it can happen any time - for the rest of your life. Mine is controlled with a sleeve/gauntlet that I wear every day, and will for the rest of my life. Ah....bc...the gift that keeps on giving!
To newcomers, welcome with all the platitudes that we'd rather not have you, but soooo glad you found us. You know what I mean.
Night sweats - I got a nightgown from a catalogue that dealt with camping stuff .. it's a moisture wicking material and honest to God, it works. Not that I don't still get night sweats, but once I throw off the covers, it takes way less time for me to get cool again, and the nightgown never holds the moisture. That catalogue doesn't carry them anymore, but there are lots of online sites that do. I'd recommend them!
NativeMainer...I love your posts for your honesty. I agree that once we're done rads, RO's are basically useless at best.
Again about night sweats, I'm lucky that I'm still physically able to be working full time, but the night sweats were killing me with lack of sleep. Finally it dawned on me ... go to bed earlier! I hate missing lots of good tv shows, but I started going to bed about an hour earlier to make up for the 4 or 5 times I'd be up either to pee or to throw off covers and wait for the meltdown to be over. For me, it worked out okay that overall I'd still get my 6 or 7 hours of sleep by the time the alarm went off, so I wasn't slogging through the day anymore falling asleep on my feet!
Love and hugs buddies.
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Way to go Janis and Barbe! Hope you get the right care now for your LE. Next time you see that RO be sure to stick you tounge out at him and say "I told you so"!
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By sleeping on a towel I can sleep right through the worst of my flashes. I tend to sweat VERY heavy off my head, so the towel is imperative on my pillow. I use a single blanket to cover myself so that I can stick my legs out no matter where my legs are. My DH bundles up under all the winter blankets and duvets. I cuddle under my single blanket and use my own body heat to keep warm. I've been doing this since my Fibromyalgia got truly horrendous, about 10 years now. My own blanket and my own little thermo controlled environment on the bed. Cotton blanket in the summer and fuzzy one in the winter. The fuzzy one is SO light and airy it's hard to believe it can keep me warm, but it does. With Fibro, I sometimes can't stand the weight of a duvet on my body, that's how bad I got. A bed sheet used to sometimes put me out of my mind with pain. Fibro is my worst enemy - not breast cancer.
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Marlegal....ah sweets, I knew you were in my pocket on this one! I had so much support here it made a huge difference in my decision making. I do not have LE in my arm, so just need to wear compression bras for now. A great friend I made here sent me two! I cannot afford them and I was so worried. She no longer needs them and I got them last week. I took one with me to the appointment yesterday on a hunch. She pronounced them fit as a fiddle! What a wonderful thing for her to do and spared me a lot of worry. That is what is so wonderful about this place....the love and support and the help of others. I have met some amazing ladies here. Hearts the size of Texas! I am so very blessed.
I am having night sweats too. I wear an old cotton V-neck T-shirt and plain cotton capris. I do my fair share of blanket flinging throughout the night but nothing too bad. I keep and extra T-shirt on my nightstand for those real bad nights. Some nights idon't get a lot of sleep but I am unemployed so not on a strict schedule. Glad you are able to get better sleep just going to bed earlier.
Wishing everyone an abundance of love, and healing ahead for all.
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janis, Great! Now you can begin to do something about the LE trouble. That RO was so useless, but you know we've got the good advice here, tell it like it is, and aren't afraid to hound you into getting the proper treatment if needed. Barbe knows here truncal LE. Also, there is a chance that, as some new lymph channels form (during the first year out) your LE may resolve permanently, and I do think that the manual drainage that you can do now can only help that to happen.
barbe, my fibro doesn't add to my hot flash problem, but I am definitely on the one blanket program. I could never stand for my (cold) feet to be hanging out before; now I'll have the feet out and maybe a whole leg. That is if I haven't throw the covers off for the 20 min. cooldown that we all seem to do.
I don't have the night sweating that much, now that I just use one blanket. Maybe that is due to the Effexor I'm on. It certaily has dried out my eyes and mouth, so maybe it dried up my sweat also.
My nose is drier too; I notice that in Winter. While we have the fragrances at the top, I have to say that my sense of smell is much more acute in recent years. I don't know if it's the drugs I have to take, the drier nose, or just another menopausal thing, but I am really getting an aversion to strong odors. Foods, stinky shoes, or even lovely colognes can offend me now. I can't even walk down the laundry detergent aisle in the store anymore. Pee-uuw!
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Elimar - funny you mention the scent sensitivity. Previously I was only hypersensitive if I had a bad cold or something but now I have it all the time. May be a great perfume or tasty meal but drives me batty!
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odie, You didn't have chemo either, like me. I know chemo can alter the senses, but what is our excuse?
chemo ladies, Sense of smell: Stronger or less noticeable during chemo? What about after?
My mom had the effect where (like taste) everything smelled "different" and while not actually giving the "pee-uuw" to everything, the good smells were not as appealing. The bad smells were still bad.
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Elimar~the sense of smell thingy you describe is exactly what I've experienced over the past few years. Plus it seems to affect my eyes. Makes them sting. I thought it was just me. Lol, I guess I am less unique than I thought.
Edit for typo.
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Elimar, during my second FEC, I started smelling burned rubber and it stayed with me for the remainder of the FEC treatments. Very weird. During taxotere it was more subtle, but my sense of smell and taste was definitely messed up.
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Sharon50, The dryness can make them itch and sting. I use artificial tears eye drops now.
Momine, Burnt rubber! Pee-uuw! Why is it never hot fudge sauce?
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Elimar~thanks for the suggestion but I've got the market cornered on eye drops. I go through them like crazy. Anything that can be moisturized, I've got moisturizer for it.
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sharon50, Humidifier?0
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My fibro doesn't affect my night sweats...I don't think...
...but I had a hysterectomy about 10 years ago and I blame that still. I SWEAR by the towels ladies!! I've been saying that on this board for over 3 years and still have women thanking for the tip!! 0 -
Eli my scense of smell during chemo was a nightmare. Grocery shopping was always the worst. I never noticed the cleaning solution that they use until I did chemo. I had to cover my mouth and nose the whole time I shopped or I would gag to the point of loosing my lunch. I know I was a sight but I didn't care. It was that or see me loose my lunch. My sissy had the same issue with the smell of bleach when she did chemo. She still after 10+ yrs and she still can't stand it. She says it brings up to many memories.
Janis Im so happy that you are finally getting some answers. Sucks to have LE, but atleast now your getting the proper care that you need.
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Alright, how bout Love's Fresh Lemon and " I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan, and never let you forget you're a man, cuz I'm a women..." Enjoli perfume.
I ordered a pillow that had been very comfy, and also helps to keep you cool from amazon Called the ISO-COOL. It got pretty good reviews and I have found it to be one of the most comfy pillows I've ever had. It's a bit pricey, about $39, but it is worth it!!!
I also bought a wicking tank top to sleep in and found it to be fairly effective. They make a fabric, outlast, which is supposed to be wicking and cooling, but the sheet sets are pretty expensive, so I've yet to try them...
Here's another strange old memory, does anyone remember the Pillsbury food sticks that they sold in the 60-70's that were like the type the astronaughts had?
Oh, don't get me going down nostalgia lane
Anyone have suggestions for ABD compression wear post TRAM surgery? I don't yet have the strength to shop for more than hour especially trying thing on.
Thanks for the Memories,
Carolyn
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Elimar - I have NO good excuse...lol .....
Used to be that the laundry & cleaning aisle in the grocery store just overwhelmed me it my allergies or something was bothering me but now it is just more noticeable all the time. Luckily I did not have chemo so I can't use that excuse.....
Janis - so glad you are getting the treatment you need for the LE now. Knew Barbe wouldn't steer you wrong...
Happy Saturday to all the ladies. Between the grocery shopping, errands and the laundry I am whipped. Ready to cuddle up with the laptop for some downtime......
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Sports jerseys are supposed to wick sweat away and some mattresses have that fabric on the top surface; but just think, as soon as you put a sheet on the bed, you've covered up the benefit of the wicking fabric. Do they think we're stupid????
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Barbe I use a towel on my pillow too. I get that hot wet head....annoying!
Eli I didn't have chemo so can't comment. I do have avery sensitive sense of smell though. Some cleaning products I cannot tolerate...like Pine Sol. I have problems with strong scents as I can get a headache so easily. I can't wear perfume as it has gotten worse as I get older. Strange huh?
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I may just have to try some of the wicking things.
Janis so glad you are finally getting treatment for your LE. I don't know why RO's don't want to admit some of this stuff.
I worked hard in my garden today. I can plant some onions and potatoes this week finish up preparing the other beds next weekend and then get everything planted. Got to get it done before my surgery at the end of march
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Janis check with your insurance to see if they will cover compression bras.
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Janis, my sense of smell has also gotten keener with age it seems. It was always keen though. If I am in a room with strong-smelling flowers, it can distract me to the point of not being able to follow a conversation. I also once smelled a pilot light that had gone out 6 floors below my apartment. The firemen (I called them) were flabbergasted and it took them an hour to find it. None of them could either measure it or smell it in my apartment, but I could.
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Momine, that's an amazing story about your sense of smell. They may need to star you in a TV show, one of those detective shows where you "sense" dangers that no one else does!
My sense of smell has been heightened, but I'm sure it's from chemo. I had to get rid of all my hand soaps because the smell lingering on my hands was too strong. I have to go in the bedroom and close the door when my husband is cooking HIS dinner (I'm usually eating something bland). I gag at the smell of bathroom odors. Cleaning products make me nauseous. The worst, by far, though, is walking through the men's department in any department store. Those cologne scents are terrible. I literally hold my breath.
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LOL, Wave, yes this "gift" can often seem like nothing of the sort. Motherhood, for example, was pretty much a 3-year gag fest for me
Till this day, even the smell of baby wipes makes me gag. When I met my husband, one of my first move was to ban his after shave. I could smell it on the phone if he had used the phone that day.0 -
Sherry - Don't get me started on the subject of ROs and what they will or will not admit - remember mine was such a moron. He would not even admit that my topical rash was due to rads - hell, it happened during rads. Okay! getting off the soapbox now.
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Momine...that is an amazing story! Wow. Good job on that. Mine is not that sensitive I don't think...but it is very keen. I cannot use scented hand soaps and eat or drink anything, the scent is far too overpowering. It mingles with food scents and ruins my appetite. Wait......I am going to have to go, I need to run out and get several bottles of the strongest scented hand soaps I can find! LOL!
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