MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish
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Thanks for the condolences mac. Yes, it is sad, George is no longer eligible to fall for my feminine wiles, if he as ever in reach of them. The one is probably REALLY sad is Marlegal. I love George, but not as much as she does.
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Good morning all.wambles: thanks for the well wishes for my HX. That's tomorrow,, and I can't believe it is FINALLY here. The MRI is loud,,, I've had several of them,,, but they should give you ear plugs and usually there is music piped too. Last time I went, the music was broken so I only had the ear plugs. Can you call in advance and ask them about if they supply ear plugs? If not, you could bring your own, but no metal ones!! I generally meditate thru them, do chanting in my head, not out loud cuz you can't talk unless the tech is talking to you, making sure you are OK. Once I actually fell asleep during one! Must have been really tired that day!
I have my own derm. too. Having lived most of my life in FL and having had some bad sunburns in my youth. Had a basal cell on my leg at age 37. Checkups since then. I have 2 ugly looking ones that need looking at now,,, but my appt is not until Nov. It takes forever to get to see the derm. down here. They are always so busy.
George is married???? ***sob*****
I used to hang out at the beauty parlor in my youth while my Mom got her hair done, and read all those celebrity mags of the day. Photoplay, etc. I remember the headlines when Paul McCartney got married.
**Last Beatle married! Millions of hearts broken*** Photo of Paul and LInda. It's weird the things you remember!
congrats on the new Outback. One of my neighbors has one and it's very nice.
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Jbokland--WooHoo!
OK, I just did some
searching, the study I was remembering was reported in the Journal of the
American Medical Association (JAMA) and was done at the University of
California, San Diego.The quick
summary:“We followed women
for an average of 7.3 years and found no evidence that the adoption of a diet
very high in vegetables, fruit and fiber and low in fat was more effective in
preventing breast cancer recurrence or death than the nationally recommended '5-A-Day'
fruit and vegetable diet among women with previously treated, early stage
breast cancer.”— Ellen Gold, UC
Davis professorFrom
<http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/welcome/features/20070815_cancer_diet/>The study, "Influence of a Diet Very High in Vegetables,
Fruit, and Fiber and Low in Fat on Prognosis Following Treatment for Breast
Cancer," JAMA 2007; 298(3):289-298, is available at http://jama.ama-assn.org/.From
<http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/welcome/features/20070815_cancer_diet/>Justamy--Yeah for
good newes!Ilytib--what you are
describing is called Truncal Lymphedema.It's lymphedema that does not involved the arm, but involves the breast,
chest, upper back.There is a lymphatic
massage process that the LE (Lymphedema) therapist can teach you.I got truncal LE after radiation, when I had
the mastectomy(due to rads damage and
pain) the truncal LE meant I had to have a drain in place for almost 3 months.
There are LE threads here in BCU that are very active and have the most up to
date info, which I don’t have--most of the fluid collected in my breast so most
of the problem went away after the mastectomy healed, but it was a very long
process. The very best thing you can do right now is get in with the LE
specialist ASAP.And kathec is
right--Binney is an LE expert, and helped me a lot!.And you haven't posted in the
"wrong" place, we're just sharing where there is more specific info
here on the boards!It can be confusing
to find your way around here in the beginning.Wambles--no need to
apologize for rambling and no reason to be shy.You get more comfortable posting as time goes by.And we all know how overwhelming this is in
the beginning.Not everyone can tolerate
the side effects of any of the medications we have available to us.You do the best you can with the info you
have at themoment when you make
treatment decisions.I did the
zolodex/arimidex thing for 4 years.Hard, but doable.I couldn't get
anyone to take out my ovaries, so I envy you there!Do you have any arthritis anywhere?Arthritis, recent bone injuries and
infections show up as hot spots on bone scans as well as cancer.My chronic sinus infections showed up on a
bone scan, totally unrelated to bc.The
MRI will be a bit more specific.Hang
in there and keep coming back as you need to.Good job, El!
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Hi.
Native - As far as I'm aware I don't have any arthritis, though of course, who knows? My oncologist did say the spot on my hip could be bursitis. I had never heard of this before but I'll take it over cancer any day!!!
W xx
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Wambles,
I have had many breast MRIs. They always give me headphones which help to muffle the noise. I did get music piped in a couple of times but actually found it annoying because it was low volume and very tinny sounding. Like Glennie, I meditate through mine and am very drowsy when I come out! I was worried about the claustrophobia but it was not a problem at all because the machine was open at both ends. I had visions of some tube where my head was close to the wall (I'm tall!) and it wasn't that way at all. I even had an MRI guided biopsy. They had someone there to just hold my hand and rub my back. It was actually kind of weird for me, but I can understand how some people would be comforted by it.
Glennie, I had a drive-by BSO & hysterectomy also. One incision in my belly button where the camera went in, two more tiny ones lower down on my abdomen and out about six inches from the midline where the instruments went in, and one more about 1.5 inches long and a little lower than the hairline where they took everything out. Good luck!
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Thanks 3littlebirds! Yeah, I'm supposed to have 4 or 5 incisions! Will count afterwards!!Bowel prep time. 1st bottle of Mag Citrate down the hatch. YUCK!!!
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macatacmv - Yes - you guessed correctly...a Chugg is a Chihuahua/Pug mix! She was not quite full size in that picture...we rescued her and she was a little skinny there. She's still pretty small, though...probably between 18-20 pounds now. Her legs are super skinny and she is fast as can be. She is about the same height as my beagle, although she holds her head higher than he does since he is old so that puts her just above him. She is super affectionate and loves to cuddle, but she also likes to get into trouble. We call under our bed her "lair" and she will snatch things and run under it. She knows I can't reach her under there so I have to trick her to get her out. Usually giving Spencer (the beagle) attention will cause her to come running because she is super jealous. I feel a little bad using him as bait, but it's better than hurting myself trying to reach under the bed after her.
Congrats again on the Subaru Outback! Those are nice. Our daughter has an Impreza and when we got that for her I told my husband I liked the Outback and could see getting one for us when the van goes.
glennie - Glad you like Dixie's picture!! Your pooch is very cute, too...very nice markings. What is his/her name? Good luck with the Mag Citrate. Blech! I hate that stuff! Are we all invited to your house to watch your manservant iron??
NativeMainer - glad you found those links - I'm going to check them out now
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Ava is her name. She is a real sweetie. The Mag citrate is so gross. I'm ready to hurl. I can't get the taste out of my mouth either. Chicken broth tastes weird now.
Yes, you may come and watch my manservant iron!
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glennie - Ava does look sweet - and happy! Thanks...I'll bring the popcorn and lots of shirts to keep him busy!
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Glennie my thoughts and well wishes are with you today for an uneventful and speedy recovery.
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Thank you! I'm home. Everything went well. Kind of sore but just popped some meds so should be easing off soon.
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Hello, just found this thread. I am right in the middle age wise and just freshly divorced and living on my own when I was diagnosed in February. My rap sheet is below. Looks like a dog lover thread also and I am all over that. Kids are graduating college. My job is supportive and can't fire me, but since I miss work intermittently, I am juggling bills. One daughter is going to college close and that is nice. The other two are not close and that sucks.
I didn't read through past threads, just figured I would jump in. Great to meet you all.
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Glad to hear you are home and well Glennie!
Welcome missingmercury! It does look like a dog lover thread doesn't it?
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Hope you heal well and super fast Glennie xx
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welcome missingmercury! Glad you found us. The middies are a great group of supportive, encouraging women - no matter what the circumstance or what the hour.
glennie - glad to hear all went well. Keep those meds handy. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
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thanks for all the well-wishes, everyone! I'm hanging in with help from friends and neighbors bringing food and walking the dog. Keeping on schedule with pain meds and drinking lots!
Welcome missingmercury! Join our dog-loving party over here!
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glennie - so glad you are hanging in there and have friends to help! Enjoy the help and take care!
missingmercury - I just joined this thread recently, too and love all the dog avatars, too!
Anyone have suggestions on the best way to keep a good attitude at work despite a lot of negativity? I really want to keep my life in perspective and not let work affect my thoughts and moods so much, but I'm having a hard time. I want to not care about it so much and I want to be able to let it go and not let it bother me when other people don't do what they should or are very negative, but I can't seem to control that knee jerk reaction of being irritated. I try to be positive, keep to myself and tune the rest out, but then it's hard to stay that way. It seems like every time I try to be sociable so I don't feel like a complete loner, the next thing I know I'm being negative, too because pretty much if someone is speaking there, they are saying something negative. I mean really....this is a part-time job, why oh why do I let it drive me crazy? I wish I didn't have to work, but we need the income. I'd look for something else, but I actually really like the work I do there and they are really accommodating with my hours. I believe I would have a really hard time finding that someplace else. Argh.
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I got my dog Oreo a few weeks before diagnosed. I don't know what I would have done if I came home to an empty apartment instead of her to hug. She's an older dog that needed a home.
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Mel147--keeping a positive attitude in a negative workplace is a hard job. Can you put together a list of positive topic or comments you can use when someone is talking negatively? A negative attitude is so contagious and so hard to protect yourself from. The knee jerk irritation reaction is hard to stop, I try to recognize it, acknowledge it, and then move on to something else, preferably something positive.
missingmercury--I wouldn't have gotten through the whole bc thing without the dogs I had at the time, and love coming home to the enthusiastic welcome my Silly Sadie always has for me!
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Mel: a negative work place is so hard to deal with. As NativeMainer said,,, try to just acknowlege it, and then move on to a more positive topic. It's a hard thing to fight. I had that with my last job too. Some people just like to dwell in the negative and it's hard to get them to see the bright side.0 -
NativeMainer and glennie - thanks for the pep talk! Your advice is good! I did better today...went in determined to see the bright side of things and focus on the positive. I did play my music, which seems to help. I also made sure to thank some co-workers who helped out with a few things and complimented the one co-worker on something she did that was really good. I think if I can focus on some of the things that are being done well there then it will be good for me and everyone else.
I'm excited to be going to an all day retreat tomorrow on the Enneagram. Has anyone heard of it? It describes 9 different personality types. I've taken a few different free tests online, but seem to keep coming up tied between two types so I will be curious to see what I learn about it tomorrow. Have a good night everyone!
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Mel,
I've done the test before for a grad level conflict resolution class. I discovered that I'm a different personality type at work than I am at home or socially. Maybe this is why you have two types? My answers to the questions would change based on whether the situation was a work setting or family setting.
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Oooh, prepare yourself for my opinion that may be not be P.C.:
Yesterday, the world seemed to be dipped in pink. I am forever grateful for the support, love and attention that this hideous disease gets in October. I am very pleased and proud to participate in so many events for my sisters and bring hope and assistance to others who have been effected by breast cancer.
BUT
I have to admit, it also makes me a bit uncomfortable. ...
There are SO many other cancers out there that do not get the massive support breast cancer does. I know people, younger women, with ovarian and lung cancer. Do they feel the 'world' is not behind their disease? That the world cares more about the breast cancer survivors? Are they not one of the 'cool kids'?Last night when I showered, I reached for my shampoo bottle and for the first time I noticed the large pink ribbon on the bottle's label. I read the fine print to see if the ribbon meant donations were being made to a breast cancer charity. Nope. Just a way to sell the product ( another rant in the making) , Then I realized I've never seen a product with a purple ribbon for pancreatic cancer, or a downtown draping itself in gold for childhood cancer.
Cancer is an equal opportunity disease.
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Mel: let us know how the retreat goes. Poppy has an interesting point, that you could be different at home than at work. Makes sense to me.jbok: with you. BC gets too much and other cancers not enough. Let's have some serious awareness out there for some of the others too. And stop pinking every freakin' product!
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jbok, I have run into that issue. I was diagnosed with crohns disease in the mid 2000's and had major surgery and a third of my large intestine removed. I am on the committee for the area walk every year. I have to beg at work for a little $200 donation, which is still appreciated, but the company automatically donates to BC every year and lets people do in work fundraisers. They would not even let me do a in work fundraiser as crohns was not one of their regular listed charities. It was frustrating. That is why ALS did the ice bucket thing. A way to fundraise since they were not really getting attention and funds otherwise. I do appreciate the benefits of research and donations to BC, but it points out how it could help other cancers and diseases.
There is my rant. lol
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has anyone had there reconstruction surgery yet? I think I'm looking at December for a bilateral with lat flap. I was told to expect to have drains for up to 3 weeks. Was is a similar recovery to the Bmx?
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PoppyK and Glennie - The retreat today was really good! Poppyk I think you are correct and I am different types depending on whether I am at home or work. It really was fascinating today...I realized I have a lot more to learn. The gentleman who gave the retreat stayed later with me and talking to me about it and read about the two types I was so close on to try to help pinpoint which one is the more dominant one. It's interesting because the two I was deciding between are two that the book says are very similar and I think he called them sister types or something like that. Funny part...one of the deciding factors between the two was the fact that I allow my house to be messy. He said the "perfectionist Type 1 would never stand for that." Ha, ha! I also think I figured out what type one of my co-workers is...perhaps that will make things easier at work if I can figure some of the people out.
missingmercury - Wow - that stinks that your work wouldn't let you do a fundraiser for crohns. I understand that places can't accommodate every charity, but I wonder how they decide who to allow.
jbok - I opted not to do reconstruction so I don't have any info for you but best wishes with your surgery in December!
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jbok - pop over to the Exchange thread. Great discussions & answers.
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Bokland, no recon here either, so I can't help I am afraid. I assume you are planning lat flap + silicone?
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Tuesday I saw my onc, who happily gave me the all-clear. Wednesday night, I woke up at 3AM, with a horrific pain in my right hip. After an hour of this, I got up to get some ibuprofen, and found that I could barely walk. In the morning, after a few hours of fitful sleep, I called one of my docs, who told me to get x-rays immediately. Well, after an anxiety-laden couple of hours at the hospital, the conclusion is that there is nothing wrong with my hip, except some arthritis and tiny calcifications (apparently a side effect of inflammation, in turn caused by the arthritis).
So I was talking to the doc a bit, she is my surgeon's assistant. We were talking about how the pain was probably muscular and caused by my terrible back somehow. I mentioned that it also didn't help that I am not allowed to sleep on my right side (the side where they took 22 lymph nodes). She looks confused. So I explain that she had given me this instruction after surgery. She then tells me that it was only supposed to be for a month. She never told me that and she never gave me the go-ahead to sleep on my right. I did ask my onc last year, if I could start sleeping on the right, and he also told me not to. So for 3 years, I have been sleeping badly in weird positions, scared of rolling on to my right side. I guess this also means that I no longer need to keep the right arm elevated at night?
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