CALLING ALL STAGE I SISTERS
Comments
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Can't complain about the weather even here in Minnesota. 45 degress with no snow? In January? Unheard of.
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Have any of my stage I sisters had a PET scan? My BS said he nevered ordered them for Stage I but would if I wanted it. What do you think?
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bgail84: Is that the same as a CT scan? I had one when they were trying to plan the rads I was going to have, until I changed my mind. It's a tube you go into like an MRI, so if you're claustrophobic, better take some anti anxiety meds to calm you down first. It's painless otherwise. You have to be very still, so another reason to take meds. Maybe you could take a nap while you're in there. Mine didn't last long because they were just scanning my breast.
Why expose yourself to excess radiation if you don't need it?
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"A short-lived radioactive tracer isotope is injected into the body" and after about an hour a scan is done. Cancer cells in the body will be shown by the tracer. I really think I would feel better having a PET and am thinking of asking my BS for one when I return to him in three months.0
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I had a circulating tumor cell blood test done that came out negative..zero cancer cells. Probably not as accurate as a Pet scan, but certainly less invasive. Doctor's don't do them routinely either for early stage patients, but my naturopath did it for me.
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bgail I had one before I started rads. My MO said he like to have a baseline for comparison in case anything came up later. He also said insurance might night want to pay for it because of early diag. but my insurance gave us no problem and it was approved. Pretty easy but you do have a somewhat restrictive diet a couple of days before but not anything bad. Just no sugar including sugar in salad dressings. I forget the other things but it was not bad.
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I had one right after my lumpectomy to rule out mets.
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I had a pet scan when i changed Drs.She threw the book at me.Its what I wanted..
good afternoon everyone....
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Who usually orders the PET scan? The MO or the BS. I would feel so so much better if I had one. Thanks for the idea.
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MY BS ordered it.I thought it was very important.
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My MO ordered one for me. I didn't know until after I had it that it wasn't normal for Stage 1. I'm glad I did....it helped me feel better that I didn't have any mets to begin with.
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Neither my MO or my BS have even said anything about a PET scan, but my Rad Onco is the one that keeps bringing it up. He tells me if I want one he will order it. However, he sees no immediate need for it since I have no symptoms. The flip side of that is I have high out pt. co-pays since I no longer have 2 insurances to assist with paying for testing and since he is the only one mentioning it I guess I'll wait for now. I've had lung CT with contrast and Abdominal CT with contrast and breast MRI's with contrast in the past 2yrs and those are clear so I guess we are good.
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Shelia: That's what I wish I could have done last night. I had my first vitamin infusion from my naturopath and it gave me so much energy I was a restless sleeper last night! I am going to have to get them in the morning so I can come home and clean house or something!
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Kaara - I need a vitamin infusion right now!!!! I'm SO tired! I am done with #13 rx. 22 to go.
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Good morning everyone have a great Friday!!!
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I was told pet scans cause to many false neg.. and at early stage .. probably would not show up that early...I am interested in the circulating tumor test though...Thnik I will ask
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bar630 - I was told same thing.
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I wanted to share this with you
STUDENT WHO OBTAINED ~0%~ ON AN EXAM
I would have given him 100% for amusing me.Q1. In which battle did Napoleon die?
* his last battle
Q2. Where was the Declaration of Independence signed?
* at the bottom of the page
Q3. River Ravi flows in which state?
* liquid
Q4. What is the main reason for divorce?
* marriage
Q5. What is the main reason for failure?
* exams
Q6. What can you never eat for breakfast?
* Lunch & dinner
Q7. What looks like half an apple?
* The other half
Q8. If you throw a red stone into the blue sea what it will become?
* It will simply become wet
Q9. How can a man go eight days without sleeping ?
* No problem, he sleeps at night.
Q10. How can you lift an elephant with one hand?
* You will never find an elephant that has only one hand..Q11. If you had three apples and four oranges in one hand and four apples
and three oranges in other hand, what would you have ?
* Very large hands
Q12. If it took eight men ten hours to build a wall, how long would it take
four men to build it?
* No time at all, the wall is already built.
Q13. How can u drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor without cracking it?
*Any way you want, concrete floors are very hard to crack.-
Remember - Keep Smiling It makes people wonder what you're up to.0 -
Sheila too funny!
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Sheila too funny.
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Loved it!
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- Sheila, thanks for the smiles.
I was told by my BS that she would not order a full body scan. when I asked her if I am not supposed to worry about that she said i wasn't supposed to worry. But I do worry over every abdominal ache and pain.
Good night, all!
Joan
0 - Sheila, thanks for the smiles.
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Begail,
I had one before I had radiation. My MO ordered it. Also he ordered the oncotype test, it came out at 12.(rated scale of recurrance of 1-100), so I did not have chemo. Did have contura balloon brachyhtherapy. Now am on Femara for the next 5 years.
Vickie
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Sheila - Loved it. How funny!
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SHeila, good one! Needed that smile.
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Hi! I am new on here and hope to find some others to talk to. When I first was diagnosed, I asked for prayer from my friends from church. They responded by "hooking me up" with others that had much worse diagnoses than I did. I appreciated it, but once I found out my cancer grade, no lymph node involvement, etc., I felt GUILTY. I felt like (and still do) that me worrying about my cancer is like someone with a skinned knee whining to the guy with the broken leg. Anyway, I do have a question....I asked my onco what he thought my chances of recurrence were. He said that they were too small to calculate based on the type, size, etc. of my cancer. He suggested that I take Aromasin, but the side effects scared me. Naturally, there are all kinds of posts...horrific side effects...no side effects. The onco said he would not twist my arm to take it as he could not really determine if it would be of any help to me at all. I don't WANT to take it, but am I being less than responsible for not doing ALL I can to prevent a recurrence? If I have less than a 1% chance of it coming back, is it worth it to do the hormone therapy? I am in the midst of radiation treatment. And I am mad!! I am mad that I got cancer in the first place (I NEVER worried about it but had got my mammo's regularly). I am mad that I feel guilty because I am lucky. I am also mad that guilt is causing me to consider taking a med that I don't really think I need. Anyone's thoughts on my randomness? Thanks!
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Welcome, Stemanita. Don't feel guilty that your diagnosis doesn't seem as "serious" as others'! It's still a CANCER diagnosis and you have the right to be scared and worried! I have pretty much the same stats as you do, and I'm grateful that my numbers turned out the way they did. I have several friends and acquaintances who are sisters in this club...some with situations similar to mine, some much more serious. And they are ALL happy for me and in no way try to make me feel guilty. I think you'll find the same thing....we are all in this together and are ready to help and support our sisters no matter how "serious" or "easy" our diagnosis may be....it's still CANCER!
Regarding your treatment, just get all the facts you can about your chances of recurrence with or without certain treatments, then do what your heart/brain tells you. It's YOUR body, and your decision. I don't know how old you are, but with myself (age 65, widow, no kids) I'm going to try to avoid chemo at all costs. I do know that I'll be going on Tamoxifen once I'm done with radiology, but I don't have my oncotype score yet so I don't know if chemo is on the agenda yet.....I hope not. If I were younger and had a family, my choice may be different.
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stemanita: Welcome to the site. You will find comfort and support here from women who have a similar diagnosis to yours. Also a wonderful place to become educated about bc.
Cancer is cancer! Some of us are more fortunate in that ours was caught at an earlier stage and the prognosis is better; however, that said, it is no less scary or frustrating to have to go through the dx, surgery, treatment and worry that it will return in a more aggressive form.
Your treatment largely depends on your age stage and grade of bc. Yours is low grade with no node involvement, so you have a wide range of treatment options. I assume that you are post menopausal because you are being offered aromasin therapy. It is the more powerful of the two recommended therapies...the other is tamoxifen, which doesn't have such an impact on bones and heart. Do your research on both, but there is a study that I read on this site that says that post menopausal women with very early stage bc might do better on tamoxifen for several years, and then switch to aromasin for the remainder. I'm 71 and I decided to go that route with my treatment, because, like you, I didn't like the SE's reported by those taking aromasin.
For the record, I opted out of rads because I couldn't get the type I was interested in, a five day version of partial breast external beam which radiates only the surgical site. I have made dramatic changes in my diet and am taking loads of supplements to boost my immune system so that it can fight any recurrence. I"m being monitored by an integrative physician who is also giving me weekly vitamin and antioxidant infusions. Frequent follow up exams will be important and necessary.
I wish you all the best with your ongoing treatment. Once you decide which therapy you want, there are threads you can join with women who are also on that therapy and you can get advice on how to best handle any SE's. Actually, I have found that some tolerate the hormones very well and have few if any SE's, so don't assume you will automatically have them.
Sending you prayers and positive energy! Stay in touch!
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Welcome Staminia to the Stage 1 Sisters - You will find lots of support, information and comfort here. Like the others have said - CANCER IS CANCER not matter what the stage, grade or node involvement was so don't feel the lest bit guilty. I also went through a period of thinking the same way you did. Bounced from guilt to anger and back again. Once I found this website, I realized that we are all in the same boat not matter what stage our cancer was found.
I hope it is safe to assume that you are postmenopausal since you are being offered Aromasin. Our diagnosis are very similar and I am also postmenopausal. I tried both Arimidex and Femara and had way too many stomach issues. I have been on Tamoxifen for 13 months now and have very little side effects. Unlike the AIs, Tamoixifen is not so hard on the bones and joints. Only you can make the decision to take hormonal therapy or not. It is a very personal one. Wishing you the best of luck. Stay in touch with us.
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