MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish
Comments
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Chacha, sounds like a fun trip. Reno is having a Brews & Blues weekend today & tomorrow. I was surely wishing I had enough money to warrant a trip, but alas, I still haven't won the lottery YET. DD & I along with our new dog (who is actually HER dog...I kinda like not being the center of attention in the dog's life!) are doing a day trip tomorrow to the Southern Oregon coast! CAN NOT wait!
Yes, I remember Zories; when I lived in Waikiki in 82-85 we called flipflops, flipflop or Zories. I would revert to thongs occasionally because that's what they were when I was little. How do those kinda changes happen?
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For what it's worth - thongs are what you wear on your feet.....just sayin'
Barsco - I am glad I am not the only one who has days where she really, really does not want to go to work. Sometimes, I think I am just burnt out and have been for quite a while.
Diana - I am so glad that the 2nd opinion will be paid for. It sounds like you deserve a break (or about a hundred breaks). Wasn't that whole "You deserve a break today" a McDonald's thing years ago? Now I will have that little ditty going through my head.
Doing well tonight. Had my DM here for a couple of nights so that we could take care of her. Very, very stormy here in the North Woods this week. I am sitting on our porch with a glass of wine and sending warm, loving thoughts to all of you.
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AndreaLodah--I can see where rads would have a definable benefit in your situation, worth the risks. At least you know the risks, which is more info than I had. I will be praying you have easy, successful treatment.
Elimar--sometimes I wonder, too, if I should be taking some off the bill when I am managing most of my care myself! Good for you for getting info out of the tech.
Dianarose--don't blame you for not trusting the pathologist, sounds like he screwed up big time. Don't hesitate to ask for a third read, so that you have 2 reliable readings to look at, and throw out the first one altogether.
Hooray! Her2 negative is a better thing! You may want to contact your insurance company and tell them about the screw up, they may decide not to pay, or to take back what they paid for the work, and you have a good reason for not paying for it yourself.
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I need some imput. For about 3 days it has really hurt/burned when I stop peeing. Yesterday my low back really hurt. My back isn't as bad today, but the peeing thing hasn't gone away. My daughter insisted I go to the ER, so I did after work. I saw a PA. I must have a nack for idiots. He asked if I had ever had an UTI. I think every woman has at some point. He said well I won't bother to test you, we will just treat you for one. I told him NO, I don't want an antibiotic if I don't need one. Test came back negative. He said maybe you have kidney stones. I told him I was 2 weeks post surgery and asked if it could have to do with that. He said, gee I don't know. He said sometimes a yeast infection can do that so lets treat you for that. REally, like I wouldn't know if I had a yeast infection or not. Told my son we were leaving. I will call my primary on Monday. My daughter is so pissed. She said how the HELL did he know if you were in kidney failure or something. Either the medical profession has gone to hell quick or I just have the worst luck. Has anyone had anything similar???
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Dianarose - seems to be that you are getting more than your fair share of medically challenged individuals lately. Could it be a kidney infection do you think? Of course it is best to call your primary on Monday.
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Dianarose--My poor dear, you are having the worst luck with the medical profession. It was logical to test for a UTI, that's what I was thinking, but if it came back negative, then more investigation is indicated. Did you by any chance get a copy of the urine test results? Did the PA do any blood work? A kidney infection will show up on the CBC, but not necessarily on the urine test. Did he set you up for any x-rays or scans to look for kidney stones? And the answer to your question is yes, the pain can be related to the surgery, but the burning pee is not. That means either an infection or concentrated urine (what color is your pee?) or a chemical irritant in the pee (that can come from medication, dehydration, certain foods). Are you running a temperature? If you are there is an infection somewhere, and it could be in the surgical area, things there can cause pain that radiates to the lower back and kidney area. But, you don't want antibiotics if that isn't the issue. There could be some muscle spasms from the combination of surgery and the work you are doing on the bakery, but again that doesn't explain the burning pee. Absolutely talk to your primary on Monday. Someone needs to pay attention this and figure this out. Please keep us up to date! Some info for future reference, if a PA or NP is working in an ER there has to be a doctor available for the things that a PA or NP can't handle, and you can have the doctor called in at your request. The ED can't deny you that, although some will try 'cause it costs more to have the doctor come in.
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Diana, I am with the others. I would think kidney infection. Having had my share of them the lower back pain is what made me think that. So sorry that you are getting the medical help you are. It is crazy!
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Good comprehensive answer, Native!
I'm glad you didn't go for the antibiotics straight away, Dianarose. Doling out the antibiotics like that is so old school. People don't want to take them on a "what if" basis these days. I went thru' the choice when I had irritation as a S/E from rads. It felt like infection, but I held off on the antibiotics til they tested me and no infection was present. Don't have any idea (other than what NM has covered) what could be happening with you. Good Luck getting some answers on Mon.
Chacha, You avatar is not big enough for my middle-aged eyes. What the heck is that?
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I'm with you, Eli~. I spent quite a bit of time trying to decipher her avatar. All I can say is that there is a hand holding something, so my guess is it is a picnic???
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Well, I must be the only woman ever to not have a UTI. I have no advice on that one.
I did finally have my appointment with my MO. He was covering for another doctor that was on vacation and had a patient that was receiving chemo have a seizure. Not so sure I had his undivided attention! I do really like him, though.
My oncotype number is 20. By itself it doesn't do much for me other than state the obvious, I'm in that gray area, again. There are other studies cited on the report. Since I am post menopause and node positive (2/17), it is a bit different for me. The MO summed it up by saying;
without any treatment I have a 12% chance of recurrence
with hormone therapy I have an 8% chance
with chemo I have a 9% chance
with HT and chemo it drops to 6-7% chance
His feeling is that the 1-2% change is not worth the SEs. My ER score is 9.2+, PR is 8.0+, HER2 is 8.5-. I believe there is more expertise on this thread than in many doctors offices. NM, does that all make sense to you?
We are in total agreement that there will be NO rads. Sounds like I'm a good candidate for a clinical trial on Tamoxifen/aromitase inhibitors. A CT will most likely come with a second opinion on the oncotype number.
I have an appointment with my PS on Tuesday. We can get those DIEP flap-boobs scheduled! It's only been a month, but I sure do miss having boobs.
My heart goes out to all of you that have endured so many different treatments. I'm feeling very fortunate to only have had a BMX, which is almost all healed 4 weeks post-surgery. Sorry I have made this all about ME.
I do appreciate your comments. Hope you are all having a blessed weekend! XOXO Julie
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jlbloom, My MO was similar in that he didn't recommend a therapy unless it could give about a 5% benefit. The HT gives you an added 4%. Your call. My feeling is that with a high ER/PR+ percentage, it would be worth it to try out Tamox. or an AI, just for some added protection. If you try it and the S/Es are minimal, than you have not sacrificed much. If it really interferes with your QOL to the point you can't stand it, you come off at that time. I guess I am all about trying it rather than a straight yes or no in advance. I do believe you are making use of all the info. and will choose best for yourself.
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Native - your answer about UTI/kidney infections is one I need to copy & paste. I seem to be contantly teetering on the edge of getting a UTI or something.
Diana - how is the pain doing now? Hope it's getting better on its own so you don't even have to mess with the doctor tomorrow.
Elimar - I hope you are feeling better today, too! Is your next chemo a week away? The main thing is to stay ahead of the chemo, i.e., you feel fine before your next infusion.
jlbloom - good job staying so informed about your choices! I did do chemo and had no positive nodes. It was the Grade 3 that tipped my onc into favoring chemo for me. We are all so different as are our cancers so we kind of have to blaze our own trail, I think.
I can't see the picture up there. Is it different than the one of us in our pj's awaiting trial?
Just watching this new cat I seem to have acquired sitting outside my french doors. He's trying to stay cool so I opened the screened porch for him and turned on the fan. I don't think he can come inside because the one time I let him get near my big old baby cat, Mac, he attacked him and freaked him out. I still want to give him a chance to come inside but no one else agrees with me. I must admit it's kind of nice to have an outdoor cat around here because we have TONS of snakes and mice/rats live in the woods so at least he can keep down those populations. He loves to be outside - he runs and climbs trees and chases sticks like a dog so I guess he's alright.
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Darn! I had nice mermaid picture up there (with a flipping tail!) but it disappeared twice now. I'll use another pretty one.
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lower back is in a lot of pain. Still hurts to pee. I have never had a kidney stone, but I remember my dad getting them and he would be in bed for days and it took a lot to keep him down. I will be calling my primary doc tomorrow. Once I turned 50 everything turned to shit.
Elimar-I don't take antibiotics unless I have to. They give me other issues. I hope you are feeling well enough to enjoy some of the summer weather.
JLBloom- they did my onco when they only new of 4 positive nodes. It came back as a 6 with a recurrence of an 8. I guess they were right about how effective the chemo was going to be.
Power keeps going out. We have just had a bad batch of powerfull thunder storms.
heartnsoul- I miss having a cat, but I hate litter boxes and where I live they drive too fast by the house to have an out door cat. Have you given this new cat a name?
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Eli - nothing wrong with the mermaid up there now. She looks cool as a cucumber but what is that thing on her left shoulder? Do we need another alien extraction?
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Diana - I hate to hear that your back is still hurting and hate that you've had to wait so long to get it looked at properly. Hopefully, they will take care of it tomorrow! Yeah, why does it seem everything goes downhill after 50? I don't think I was properly forewarned about that...
Funny you should ask about the cat's name. No, I don't have a name for him and I can't think of one! I feel guilty that we still call him "baby", haha!
Any suggestions for a name for a male cat? He's a cute, affectionate (to people) orange and white big cat.
Eli - I can see that mermaid now. My first thought was, "I always wanted to be a mermaid". Either that or Samantha on "Bewitched".
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Jlbloom--I agree with your doc. The 1-2% improvement in recurrence is probably not worth the risk of permanent damage from chemo. The risk of permanent damage is much higher than the potential benefit. Unless you would feel better having the chemo, in which case you should consider doing chemo anyway. Treatment decisions are not totally a numbers game, much of it is emotional. Good luck with getting the DIEP scheduled, the recover can be rocky for a few weeks, but the end result is SO worth it!
Heartnsoul76--feel free to copy, paste, post and share!
Dianarose--in the ER did they do a urinalysis or did they just do the test where they dip the stick in the pee and look at the colors? The second is a good screen tool but can be inaccurate. Let us know what your primary says, ok?
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Can't stress enough that our cancer treatment always has the choice component. A patient should never feel like they have been painted into a corner and that they have to do some particular thing. The doctors, who are eduated about the disease(*), and their assessments do carry a lot of weight as far as us making the choices, but ultimately we decide what we are willing to go through.
Example: Two weeks ago, I asked about leaving out the platinum drug for one round, to have a partial break from my chemo. The doctor swayed me to not take a break, so I played it his way. This week, I am insisting on a two week break from the platinum drug. I'll still take the 5-FU and that is bad enough, but MY BODY FEELS like I need a lighter load this round. I feel I might get back a little strength, enough to face the second half of this god-awful treatment. No one inhabits my body but me, and I'm listening closely to it.
Running off to chemo now...
(*) Please mark this day on your calendar as the day I gave the doctors actual credit for all they know and do. We can't know when we'll see this benevolence again.
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Dianarose: many times they cath you in surgery, which could have lead to problems you are having now. Beatmon
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jbloom I scored a 23 and did not do chemo. But I also had no nodes involved. I hate being in that grey area. With tamoxifen my recurrence rate is 14%. The reason I scored so high is that I am barely ER+ but positive all the same so best treatment is tamoxifen for me and my MO decided to go with the Zometa study and put me on that because of being premenopausal
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Ha ha Eli! The avatar IS really confusing. It's the web photo of the a rails and Ales ....a hand holding one of the micro brews. Can't change it til I get home when I have computer...doesn't work off the Ipad
We had a great time....but Colorado is having fires everywhere...so sad to see homes and businesses destroyed, and they still don't have much containment. Pray for the firemen and people of Colorado affected!
Wishing you all good days! (And good care!.....jeez Dianarose......you've had your share of incompetence! Eli gives wise counsel )0 -
Love the mermaid!
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My primary called me before I had a chance to call her. Can't get away with anything in a small town. Kidney stones seem to be what is ailing me. No infection, but traces of blood in the urine. I had to grit my teeth when I went pee this morning. No pain the last 2 times, so maybe I passed it. I have a strainer to pee through for a couple of days incase there are anymore, plus an antibiotic. Now that will bring on the yeast infection. I read that chemo can cause kidney stones. No one ever mentioned that when I signed up for their cocktails.
Eli- I am glad you insisted on a break. You can only take so much.
Native Mainer- did you get those powerful storms last night? One heck of a lightning show here.
Still waiting to hear from Boston. It's always hurry up and wait. Well, it gives me more time to stay in denial.
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Ice cold lemonade, Hagen Dazs carmel cone ice cream, chilled watermelon, iced tea, Frozen Coke, Pineapple Whip, iced coffee, Orange Julius (any flavor,) Edy's pomegranate fruit bars, plain old ice water,...these are what I will be having because I took a break from my cold-sensitivity inducing chemo. And that's just today's list.
"Give me your cool, your cold, your frozen masses yearning to be freely enjoyed by me! The chilly excess of convenience stores. Send these, the heatless, ice-tossed to me, I lift my cup beside the 'frigerator door!"
Name THAT tune! I like to call it "The New Colostus," as you might notice a minor similarity to some 'nother 130 year old sonnet.
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Yippee ki yi yay! Enjoy the coldness of life E!
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Oh, Goatsy, if you look closely you will see that is just a bony mermaid shoulder in the shadows. Trust me, I know a bony shoulder when I see one.
Signed,
A bony Cancer Supermodel
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Very distressed, anxious, scared.....I met my MO for the first time today. My prognosis is good. HOWEVER - He told me that I will burn badly from the rads, probably get diabetes soon, probably had trouble getting pregnant, and he questioned the medications that my much beloved and trusted PCP for 22 years has been prescribing for me.
And - in front of my beautiful, 16-year daughter, mentioned that we might want to do genetics counseling. Now, I can handle all of this junk. The thought of my daughter getting bc and going through all of this reduces me to tears.
And Eli - That is what is on the Statue of Liberty.
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Cricketsandfrogs = I'm so sorry the MO visit was such a stressful visit. Maybe the first thing I need to do is give you and your daughter a ((((BIG HUG)))). The second thing I need to do is to say what a jerk he is. Third be sure there ARE other MOs out there and you wouldn't need much in my book to go find another one. Don't believe MO about rads. He does not know. Not even ROs get it right all the time. What did he base "bad burn" on?
Again about getting diabetes soon, what did he use for criteria?
If you love/trust your PCP, go with your gut. He after all has been treating you for 22 years.
I think I would let him have it with both barrels about dicussing genetics in front of your daughter. There is plenty of time to have done that at an appt. when she was not there. It is certainly not an emergent situation needing action today!!! I know it is upsetting to think about her getting this crappy (and wanted to use stronger term) disease but he probably has a point about getting genetics counseling. Can't really address that without prying into your family history which you undoubtedly discussed with him so he has some basis to go on. I only quibble with his method of addressing it. He may have a very valid reason for telling you that. And what the heck business is it of his if you DID have trouble getting pregnant? So did I but don't think it ever came up with my MO, at least he didn't ever ask. I think I did volunteer in the talk about what hormones, etc., I've taken in the past since I had to take 2 rounds of Clomid to get pregnant.
I hope since you've gotten home you've kicked your shoes off, had some cooling iced tea (or wine or Ativan or whole botle of wine). Native Mainer I hope gets on here later. I'm an RN but less current on many things that she is. I (and forgive me to being blunt) think you could do better than this clown. I'm speaking somewhat from my own situation. I turned down a MO that I thought was too far away since I was working when diagnosed. Turns out she is now in the same office (like sharing the same space) as my current MO. I think too awkward to change and though mine has the personality of a turnip he seems OK on his practice. But from hindsight I wish I had chosen the other. This is the time to change if you feel he's not the one for you. And if you don't go back I would call and tell them exactly why you're not. No great hope it will change MO's bedside manner but I would do it just for the satisfaction. OHH, I only go to my MO every 6 months so now would be willing to drive even further if that sways you any in your decision. A close by PCP is one thing, a MO not so much.
Here's to a better evening than day. My crystal ball says things though cloudy now will become clearer. It sounds like a cliche to say that we've all been there because we haven't been in your situation with your family and your needs. But it will get better. Sorry for the discourse.
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(Re: crickets...) Right on, luvmygoats!
And crickets, since your MO was getting into the fortune telling, did he suggest any Pick-3 numbers? Sheesh!
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Eli - enjoy all your cold drinks, ice cubie things, milkshakes.
Yes, I could use some Pick-3 numbers myself. You won't believe what the Texas lottery did. They had a new game I had not played. Allow myself a couple of quick picks on big drawings and a rare scratch off ticket. Anyway this new game had TOO MANY winners so they d'cd it. Can you believe that? Wish now I had played.
Yes, when I went way big on mermaid I see it is a shadowy shoulder. Hope you look as cute as she does in your aqua and gold combo!
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