MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish
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Never thought I'd live long enough to see a bedazzled chemo head. Glad I did!!!
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FBN ~ So glad you are doing better. You are blessed to have such a wonderful medical team. You go girl!
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Footballnut--so glad
you are feeling better!Barsco--Hooray for
Stable Boy staying on!0 -
I live in Orlando too, I'll be on the look out for the bedazzled chemo head!
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homemom! Keep your eye out for Fox35. They are doing an article on my head art. I started a creating designs and started my own business.
Www.Sassyhead.com.
I'm working on designs for children too. Something good after this hellish year!
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I don't think I've participated in this thread before but I wanted to chime in to encourage those who are having a colonoscopy soon (or considering one). Like Elimar said in an earlier post, colonoscopies can truly save lives. When I was 30, I had one rather severe episode of bleeding with a bowel movement. My PCP took it seriously and sent me on to a surgeon for a flexible sigmoidoscopy (checks only the lower third of the colon as well as the rectum) which found a polyp. The next step was a full colonoscopy with a gastroenterologist to remove the polyp and check the rest of the colon. All polyps are sent to pathology even though the GI dr was sure it was benign. Turns out it was a 1.5cm villous adenoma with severe dysplasia throughout - well on its way to developing into an invasive cancer. By removing the polyp (and going back in a few weeks later to check the colon wall for any additional cells) I was truly cured. I actually look forward to my colonoscopies! I know that sounds weird, and I hate the prep, but it's such a great test in that it finds potential problems and gets rid of them - or if you get an all clear, you can trust that you're ok. Please don't delay if you're due!
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thank you Lekker. That is just what i needed, a very compelling reason to proceed. it has been delayed for the end of the month, but now i am looking forward to the alien probe. i am so glad you are ok, and they caught the problem in time.
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Kathec - thanks for your kind words. I'm glad I could help. Do you know what prep you'll be using? Some doctors stick with older preps that are harder to get down. I agree with the apple juice tip that was posted earlier - used as a chaser, the sweetness of the juice quickly neutralizes the salty taste of most preps. The other tips I have are...
Eat lightly for a day or two BEFORE your prep day as well. This should make the elimination a bit easier.
Make sure the prep drink is cold! Much easier to get down for most people.
Use a straw to chug the prep. It helps bypass the taste buds in the front of the mouth.
Don't use crystal light or other flavoring unless you don't want to drink it ever again (it will forever remind you of the prep!).
Hot chicken broth (I like Swanson organic or their natural goodness brand) breaks up the monotony of all the cold clear liquids. It's also soothing if your stomach feels crampy from the prep.
If you normally drink coffee or tea or other caffeinated beverages, make sure to have some on prep day too (just skip the milk/cream). The last thing you want at that point is a caffeine withdrawal headache.
Jello kind of gives the sensation of eating so have some on hand in case you need to chew anything. Just no red or purple.
I like to book a massage or other pampering on prep day - it helps pass the time and I don't mind being hungry as much.
Get the first appointment of the day! Get it over with, eat some breakfast and have a good long nap (I love the drugs they give!).
Feel great that you are facing your fears and taking care of yourself!
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Welcome, lekker! There are two reasons we sometimes digress into all things colonoscopy. One, because it is an age-related subject for this thread. In some cases, it could be linked with BC but we don't have a full genetic picture currently. Two, because I got a Dx for CRC after having BC and did the whole gamut of treatment for that in 2013 so, unfortunately, I have more than a passing acquaintance with it. You were darn lucky to have addressed (and at such a young age!) before it became invasive. Mine remained symptomless until it became invasive, so I ended up having surgical resection.
BTW, my CRC was missed on colonoscopy, which is why I must repeat ad nauseum: Getting an all-clear on a c-scope exam is great, but if you get any weird and/or bloody symptoms before your next scheduled screening, do not let a false sense of security keep you from getting checked out a.s.a.p.
p.s. Agree with all tips by lekker. When I had an older prep (gave off mothball vapors on swallowing) I actually held my nose to swallow it down, then a sip of water (or the juice) afterward to rinse it down before unclamping my nose. Sounds kooky but it worked.
jbok, Why not some bedazzled head-sass? Work it!
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Elimar - I'm sorry to hear that your cancer was missed during your scope. I should've modified my comments about it being a great - but NOT - perfect test. You are absolutely right that certain symptoms should never be ignored. I was very lucky that the polyp bled that one time and I was even luckier that my dr didn't send me away (as many subsequent doctors have admitted they would've done after hearing my story). I've been tested for pretty much every known genetic cancer syndrome and I've been negative for all. My pre-teen daughters will have to start screening colonoscopies at age 20 (!!!) and my older one already had her first scope at age 7 because she was having some bleeding - thankfully all was well. I'm up to scopes every three years now - how often do you have to go in?
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Yes, the bleeding was lucky. Some people don't get that. Often the symptom of blood shows up after a full blown invasive cancer is present, unfortunately. I will PM a little more of the follow-up to you.
p.s. The miss rate is like 5%.
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Jumpin jack christmas, elimar! haysoos! i am so sorry to that you had that! & no symptoms what so ever? How quick after that colonoscopy did they do the one that found it? i hate to think about how chained i am to my body now. it used to just purr along nicely, now its makin mistakes. i am glad you are good to go. i am following all your guy's good advice, and i think i am getting suprep. thanks for everything! where in the world else would i find such frank discussions about such important things?
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Oh, I had the scope due to a postive fecal occult blood test, then doc missed the lesion I had. So, I then had non-occult blood symptoms, worsening over time, thought to be hemorrhoids. Wasted some time on that. False sense of security over scope done the YEAR before, so it was not until about 18 mos. after scope that I got Dx.
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Just when you thought it was BC, menopause, and the rest, now...
Heightened emotions? Ha! Do I really need a Super Moon for that?
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waaaaaaaaah!!!!!
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I don't need a moon to mess with my emotions. BC does that quite nicely.
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Kathec- I just thought I'd pop in and say that I had to really push to get a colonoscopy (at 55) and just had it a few weeks ago. The prep wasn't so bad for me the first day, but when I awoke at 3 am to start taking the second half, it really did make me gag. I made lime jello the first prep day and found it to be a delicious dinner (and a diversion from the prep liquid). I also bought apple juice, but only had one glass; who could keep drinking after a gallon of prep? Anyway, once given sedation, post procedure I didn't recall a thing and was pleased that my bum didn't hurt or anything. No evidence of alien invasion. The "all clear" was good to hear.
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i wonder why she (np) was pushing so hard for me to get one when i was first dxed at 52?? i eat almost no meat, got extreme amounts of exercise, etc. i cant help but think(and i have been told) that i ask too many questions, and so i was just thinking that they wanted to poke a hole in me so i would have to wear a colostomy bag... i know, a little bit paranoid, huh? but my old bs actually told me the last day i saw her, that i "got a medical education" at tx centers expense. well,no, not really, cause so few questions WERE answered there, i got most of my education and answers from women on bco.
i'm with you, schoolcounselor, i don't really need the moon for that either, but it's lovely to howl at.
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I had a friend ask me "so you're in remission?". My (quite offended) answer was "NO! I am cancer-free!".
I'm now a little haunted by that conversation. Although there is NED, am I officially in remission? Do I have to wait for the 5 year mark to make that claim? The professional community will never use the word cured.
Just wondering if anyone has had that conversation with their doc.
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jbokland, as far as I am concerned "remission" is the correct term.
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I haven't heard the term remission for breast cancer since I had it. I consider myself NED. Until they come up with a CURE then being NED is the best I can get. That's what all my scan reports say, "No evidence of metastatic disease". Even the "no evidence" part makes my skin crawl....
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I always have to qualify my "cancer-free" remark with "until they tell me otherwise." Which is another way of stating NED. I might have been surgically cured, plus/minus treatment, but there is no way to really know for certain at this point. (I am at the 5-year point, jbok, and for ER+ BC that is really not all it is cracked up to be as recurrences can and do come even further out.)
I have heard NED and remission used interchangeably and I think the journal article use remission commonly, but in my own usage I usually say "remission" for those with known metastatic disease, when there is no "progression." In other words, when there is shrinkage or at least stability, or if the person even goes to NED.
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Jbokland, I celebrated at the 5 year mark and did a happy dance at the 10 year mark and only months later had my second new primary. 2 years after mastectomy I am now dealing with my 3rd. When I saw the 2nd. MO last week for his opinion, he stated you are cured. Trying to be optimistic, it's not easy.
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bars, great news!!! We love stable boy!!!
fbn, glad you are feeling better! Keep letting your team "care" for you!
I'm with you eli, eating the whole grain "stuff". Sometimes I wish I could go back to that uncomplicated time of cheeto finger licking.
It's funny what people notice about us. I have people say how they like my short hair, or the color ( lighter) or my new glasses, or others will say how much weight I have lost. I just say thank you, I'm working on being healthy and it's a full time job!!!
I also say I'm living like I'm cancer free!!!
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hi all
It's Monday and I'm feeling more like myself albeit a few minor things. I'm losing my eyelashes and eyebrows are thinning out and my eyes feel "sticky". Tummy is much better and my tongue isn't burning so much anymore. The back of my neck still feels clammy off and on and I get the odd chills. Sometimes at night I'm on FIRE but not sweating
And I'm HUNGRY!
We had a BBQ on the weekend and I ate 2 Nathdns hotdogs with buns - they gotta be Nathan's!! - some pasta salad, chips and a piece of chocolate cake. I even drank 1 1/2 bottles of Pepsi. Felt great!!!
My friend gave me a book called "eat to beat cancer". I told her today that according to this book I'm already dead. Lol
I just can't buy into all of this stuff. Go vegan, live on rabbit food etc. I believe in moderation. If I can't eat my junk every now and then I'm not living!
A friend of mine took me on his motorcycle during our BBQ. It was awesome! It felt so great - until we got pulled over for speeding. Lol
Today I was on the treadmill for 40 minutes and did arm weights for 1/2 hour
A week wed in my 2nd to last round of chemo. I'm scared sh*tless! I'll see what my onc has to say regarding proposed changes to my treatment. I think that I'll be getting taxotere weekly for the remaining 6 weeks. A nurse told me that most women tolerate this much better.
For now I'm going to enjoy my week! 😊
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slow down there, girl!!
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FBN - so glad to hear you feel better.
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thank you! I never thought that the pain would end! I just dread next week!!!!
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I hear ya FBN. Just getting over my 4th and final A/C treatment. Two weeks I start Taxol and I'm told it is much nicer on the stomach etc. Things I didn't eat before I eat now - fried food - coke - mac/cheese. Just looking for the taste!
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