Calling all TNs
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BernieEllen.....Take care and good health. I will send you happy thoughts while you are away.0
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Inmate- I found myself picking the moss out of the bushes and trees while on an outside break from work yesterday. Funny you should correlate a mindless task to meditation. I did feel better afterwards! My boss popped our for a smoke break and seeing her, I quickly stood up and she looked at me, like what the hell were you doing? Uhhh, picking moss? Thanks!
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Ruth....that's so funny. Of course you were picking moss. What else would you be doing? Duh! The running joke with my sister is checking to see how much yard work I've gotten done for the neighbors. I'll admit it, I've done it. Hey, they never complain. Crazy or just a very good neighbor? Fine line, my friend, fine line!
So glad it helped a bit. Keep searching for those therapeutic mundane tasks and before you know it that week will have flown by.
I actually slept last night but woke up at 6:00 am. I have already walked the yard and picked a few things to do. This mania has just done wonders for my landscape. I wish I had the same verve for indoor work. I guess I am a tried and true outdoor person. Thankfully we don't get a lot of visitors so the pressure is off. Whew! I will try to make new curtains for my dining room. I picked this great bird fabric from Ikea. I am a bit ecclectic so they should go nicely with the painted flower and vine chandalier my friend gave me. Now to get the DH to hang it. There's a therapeutic task for ya! hehehe
Enjoy the day. Love to you!
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Inmate-I feel the same about gardening. Most people complain about weeding, but I love it. It's very relaxing. I wish I felt well enough to go out and do it. I'm hoping that since I finished Taxol on Thursday, I'll be up to it later this week. One of my best friends is coming over tomorrow to do some yard work for me. I hope I can help her, rather than just sit on the port and direct. Good luck with the curtains....I can't sew a stitch!
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Inmate - getting outdoors period is theraputic for me. A little sunshine makes me smile!
Hope everyone has a good day!
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Cocker, I only had a few responses and all were so different. I only saw one common thread in any of us. Stress actually was the one common denominator and I have read that some Drs believe that 85% of TNBC is caused by stress. So I continue on my Xanax at night to get restorative sleep, something I missed out on for years. Hope you are feeling well after all you have been thru. I am so thankful to Titan for starting this thread....altho' I don't post much, I read it daily. Thanks Titan
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Wren: I'm a bit confused about the flaxseed stuff. The ACS quote said that the beneficial lignans are NOT in flaxseed oil... presumably you have to eat flaxseed whole, or grind it? Is that right?
I do eat dietary sources of soy in moderation - mainly soy milk or tofu. As a TN, I'm not concerned about the estrogen effects... even so, the latest studies of soy actually indicate that it is slightly positive for BC patients, even ER+. Last week, there was also some research that it reduces symptoms of hot flashes - I don't know if it was the soy milk or genes or just luck, but I didn't suffer at all from hot flashes during menopause.
Ruth: Thinking of you, hang in there.
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Good morning Ladies. Hope you all slept well.
Inmate - no not crazy, just a kind and thoughtful neighbour. Believe it or not I get the same pleasure out of houswork. To me there is nothing as good as a clean home and I feel great when I finish it.
CharB22 - hope you are feeling better soon. Hang in there. Can you tell me how you did on your taxol. That is the next big problem coming up for me.
Wrenwood47 - I believe stress plays an enormous part in major illness. I have been on the same diet all of my years and its never changed so why cancer now, but just over a year ago my dughter went through a nasty break up with her husband and I was so worried about her. I was so stressed over what she was going through and now I have this. I think adrenalin is good for you sometimes but downright stress no. Guess there is just no way to prove it though one way or the other.
Titan - hope you enjoyed your time with your boy. Bet he liked all the food. A way to a boys heart .......... is through his mum.
Have a good day ladies. Keep smiling. Lots of hugs Annie
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Luah, sorry for the confusion. When preparing the Budwig Diet I do add fresh ground flaxseeds. So I get the Omega 3 benefits from the oil and the antioxidant benefits from the lignans. I do rx that anyone considering the Budwig Protocal to do their own research regarding Flaxseed/Oil and also check with their Dr. Apparently some Drs believe that diabetics should not use Flaxseed. The link to the ACS is:
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Ruth, I hope everything goes well and that you don't have cancer again. I'm going in for a brain and spine MRI on Monday (which is my 2 year cancerversary for my 2nd dx). It was the earliest they could get me in and get approvals from both insurances. I've had this strange pain in my leg for over a year in had a spine MRI, CT scan of my abdomen and bone scan last year. All came back clear. Hopefully my pain is just me getting old and no cancer! Good luck to you. Waiting is the worst part!
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Hey ladies how would you like this when you go for treatment. We could change the bags according to your preference. Annie
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CS - that is great! I wish my center had those!
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Ooh, I like it, Cocker_Spaniel! I'd have them hang me a Tanqueray & Tonic, or some Baileys, depending on my mood.
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Oh, a Tanquery and Tonic sounds perfect!
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And I even have some in the house. Guess who is going to be bad? LOL
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Good one, Cocker. Made me laugh. I'll pick the white wine!
Wren, I, too believe that stess has an impact on cancer. I am not talking the everyday stuff like working or getting kids to sports, music lessons and trying to get dinner on the table. The stess I am talking about is the life changing stuff. Death of a close family member, discovery of infidelity, loss of a job, loss of your home......that kind of stuff. During my first appointmnet with my Onc, she told me that stess is a very BAD thing. And said that whatever it was that happened to me within the last 3 years to get it fixed or get rid of it. My "trauma" was in July of 2007 and I was dx May 2009. Interesting.
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I also believe my BC was from stress. Mine started in 05, led to depression as well. Now, I definetly try not to stress over the little stuff. Hubby is being a royal *&%$! right now but I think for first time, just not going to deal with it. He'll come around, it's all part of his OCD, I'm just gonna dust off my xanax for the next few weeks.
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Wrenwood47 thanks for posting. I have a lower WBC now than in October. It is 3.1 and some other stuff is off on my immune system although my tumor marker are 13.5 and 2 so that is good I guess.I am going to order from amazon and see what happens. After 6 months on 2000 units of D3 I only went from 25 to 29. Makes me a little worried. Actually had a really terrible day, got caught in self pity and FEAR...lousy but I stopped myself from crying by digging in the garden-boy it makes a difference.
Char B - congrats on finishing chemo! Wonderful.
Inmate-I'm glad to hear your're doiing OK. Hope the Halaven continuse to do you well. I go to yoga and find that it is like meditation but gardening is a different kind of spiritual like putting my world in order.
Ruth - Sorry you're going through such a horrible time. Hoping you get benign results and relief from your pain.
Cocker ..you are great..love your posts. Love the pic, time for a drink.
Kitty cat I do truly hope it is just nothing and you feel better soon.
I too feel stress has a big impact on things.... in the months before I was diagnosed I would say to my husband I feel like I am going to die and it scares me. He didn't know what I was talking about but I had a terrible sense of dread and he had been out of work almost 2 years and we had to make some big decisions. I felt that I just couldn't take the stress. So glad that it was caught on my mammogram.
Bernie...yes, there are times we need to take a break....do what is right for you.
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Stress can affect so many things, and there have been tons of studies showing how bad it is for your health and body. I have been trying to get into meditation to help with stress, I feel kind of silly doing it sometimes, though I am going to keep trying it! Yoga and even walking or listening to music can help too (at least it does for me!)
Here's to a stress free evening!
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I love the infusion bags. I will take a skinny margarita in a bag. LOL!!!
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Inmate..you wear me out reading your posts..you are one busy lady...type A personality...me too!..sometimes..after going all day..I still get bored and wonder what else to do..being on here is my down time...I actually sit for a couple of minutes...
Cocker..now,.that is the type of chemo that everyone would want..it would certainly make the chemo center the party center instead..love it. remember to take that milk thistle ladies...!
Stress...oh yes,,,I wonder about that also...I try to keep my stress levels down but I wonder sometimes if doing this is making me a less emotional person..almost a cold person...things happen and I just shut it out...I have found that going jogging releases alot of this stress...sometimes I feel like I'm bursting out of my skin and jogging helps me calm down...
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TItan, I think there has to be a happy medium between reducing stress and dealing with situations. I think there is nothing wrong with feeling and getting involved in things, just not to the point where it affects your health. Great that you found jogging! Wish I was a jogger! I think exercise in general reduces stress. I need to keep reminding myself that and get on it!
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I could have written that last paragraph, Titan. In the 7 yrs before my dx, my Dad died of lung cancer, my nephew was killed in a car wreck just before his 24th birthday (leaving behind a pregnant widow), and there were a couple of nasty divorces. Also, work was getting less pleasant after we were bought out - twice. I have also had chronic insomnia my entire adult life. So, I was stressed, too.
ETA: Some months after Dad died, I had a coworker tell me that everyone was astonished about how well I'd handled it. I told her that I couldn't remember much about the past few months and that I hadn't even begun to deal with it. I'm not sure even now whether I have or not, or if I'm just sublimating; pushing those feelings back down until I can deal with them. Ditto with BC. I still feel emotionally detached sometimes. PTSD?
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Oh, yes, I believe stress had a lot to do with this! Last year, my mother's health declined physically and mentally, and I was able to get her into a very good Alzheimer's home. A few months after that my company closed, and I was out of a job at 61 years old, and I spent the summer teaching myself computer programs and applying for jobs. I did get hired in October, but had to learn so much and adjust, and it was extremely stressful (but I do have good health insurance now). In March I was diagnosed. How do you get your stress levels down when you're stressed about being stressed?
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KIm..if I can jog anyone can..seriously...you just have to start out slow and work your way up...I go to 5K's now and see women in their 60's with runner bodies and I'm so envious...I think my legs are getting huge but my dh says that it is muscle not flab..I dunno about that...I must have some big muscles..lol
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"How do you get your stress levels down when you're stressed about being stressed?"
Excellent question, Maureen. That's why I hate all the platitudes about how I just need to think positively, etc. First of all, it's easier said than done. Secondly, I think it also at least implies that I'm somehow responsible for getting cancer in the first place with my "negative" thinking. Grr.
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Riley, everyone keeps telling me to think positive, as though I can turn on a switch. On Friday, when I told my onc. how I'm having trouble sleeping and eating because of worry, she said, "well, stop worrying!" Added to the worry about having TN (with a positive node to boot), is the worry that I won't be strong enough for chemo, which I start on May 9. My onc finally caved and prescribed Lexipro for anxiety but, when I got home and looked up the dose she gave me, it's so mild it's practically a placebo.
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MB1024 - I'm on 10mg of Lexipro x 1 day - works wonderfully. Take it, it will help. Also, ask for xanax or something for anxiety attacks, middle of the night worries. Things that creep into your head that refuse to go away. It really takes the edge off, I find now I only need to take one before a drs appt. Never been good going to the drs and now it's so much worse. Have to admit, I'm a little annoyed at your onc at the moment.
I also find I'm a little detached at the moment but this is how I look at it. I've spent my life taking care of my mother, when she passede I was immediately thrown into the roll of caretaker for my aging grandparents. My grandmother had advanced alheimerez's and both my mother and I are the only child. Everything was / is left of my shoulders and then I was diagnosed with Cancer. My husband once said to me years ago, "your such a good person, everyone always comes to you for advice and with their problems" Well, I hate to sound selfish, but I'm gonna be. Right now, Its all about me. I need to work out how to deal with my stress, my diet, my exercise, my happiness. Eventually I'll get to a happy medium but until then, I have to worry about myself. Sorry if that sounds horrible
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Heather, i don't think it is awful. You have to make yourself your #1 priority!
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Wow, all this talk of stress and cancer has me really thinking. Heather, I too am an only child. I lost my mom in 2010 after she spent a month in the hospital after suffering a few heart attacks. At that same time I had to leave my job after a computer security breach I was accused of.. (left my logon info unsecured). I am now medicaly retired. Then my stepson got himself in a huge legal mess. I discovered the tumor July of 2011 and waited to go to the doctor. I put everyone else first, my yougest was getting married, DH was having knee replacement.. so I waited till Oct. STRESS STRESS.. yep
It's me first now, always! I will not put ANYTHING or anyone in front of me.
Annie, I swear you could be the identical twin of a friend of mine!! You guys look so alike it's freaky! When I first saw your avatar, I thought it was her!
Inmate, I love to garden to relieve my stress. Planting flowers, and creating beauty! I will add that my energy levels are not as great as yours, (could you spare a few viles). DH now creates from my guidance.
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