Calling all TNs
Comments
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Allydp, thinking of you today, {{{hugs}}} hon, nothing but positive energy!
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I can't get in with my PCP until 3:15 today. The receptionist was like well if you get worse you can always go to the ER. That's what I'm trying to avoid, but oh well.
Anyway, Ally I did take some time from worrying/whining about me to pray for you today. In your pocket, holding your hand tight! (((((HUGS)))))!!!!!
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Sending good luck, prayers and hugs to allydp and luvmydobie, today. Let all your tests have good results!
arlene
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Ally, sending warm, loving thoughts to you.
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I can't thank you all enough for all of your kind words and support. I'm leaving in 5 minutes for my scan and after taking a valium, I'm feeling okay. I'm going to take another one before I get in the tube so maybe I'll actually doze a bit. I'll keep you posted, but again, thank you for being here for me.
Luvmydobies - we sound a lot alike. I was a worrier before cancer and now I'm really a worrier. You're in my prayers that you get some answers soon and it's nothing serious.
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In your pocket today Ally......
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Ally been thinking about you, said a prayer for you
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Thank you, Simple and Meadow. Scan was a breeze compared to the breast MRI where you basically hang upside down. They let me take a couple breaks which made all the difference. They said my doctors should have results Wednesday, so I'm going to start calling the offices around then. Thanks again, everyone. xo
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good luck Ally and lovemydobie. Keep us posted. Filling up your pockets
Ive become more of a worrier as well. Cant shake it sometimes. It tough. Some days good some days not so much. I get it
Ok so who wants to weigh in with meds for osteopenia and osteoporosis? just had bone density and all numbers have worsened from 1/11. Definitely in menopause now (not quite a year at diagnosis) which affects estrogen levels. Havent spoken to my PCP yet about it. Assume he will call soon. The tech gave me the results with a report card with comparisons from 1/11 to now and the numbers are very easy to see. 1 level is osteoporosis (R hip, t score -2.6, early, and all others -1.8 to -2.3). The report says that according to WHO t score of -2.5SD is considered osteoporosis (high fracture risk). THere is a wide variation of philosophies regarding treatment with meds, some docs treat with meds and some dont at this level. Have been taking 600mg of calcium dauily and when I remember, taking an extra at night, also 5000iu of vit D and my vit D level is great. also weight bearing exercises are important. eat yogurt, not much milk but try to get in lots of dark green veggies. Will see what PCP says.
Stay warm for those in the frozen tundra area of the country. HIgh of 7 degrees here today (upstate NY)
oh and yea, will be vacationing in las vegas 4/4/4/11. Just confirmed our time share exchange and there was a place available in vegas! WIll be going with husband and sister and brother in law. Staying at The polo tower suites. Who lives nearby?
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Ally, so glad he scan wasn't too bad!
My doctor ordered a pelvic and vaginal ultrasound but I have to wait for the radiology place to call and schedule it. She didn't do a pelvic exam but the one she did four weeks ago was normal. She did an abdominal exam and it wasn't pleasant but not just excruciating either. Urine came back clean too. She said the pain was a little high for ovarian pain but if a cyst is pushing on something it is a possibility. She said if this comes back not showing anything then a CT is the next step because an ultrasound won't show the intestines. But the ultrasounds are better at showing the female stuff. Ugh! My mind is all over the place from ovarian mets to colon!!! I'm scared out of my mind to be honest! She didn't seem worried but she knows how I am so she may have hidden her worry.
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Luvmydobies. I had a ruptured hemorrhagic ovarian cyst in November. Caused pain for a few days then scant vaginal bleeding. (and I am 57!) My doc did a 3 second uterine biopsy, was negative...and the cyst resolved on its own, had the follow up US last week, and it's shrinking. Maybe that's what you have going on?
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Luvmydobies, did your Dr. do bloodwork? When I was having so many bouts of diverticulitis, I told my Dr. that I didn't want to have a CT scan everytime my side hurt...I had way too many flare-ups to have a scan every time. He said ok and started checking my white blood count to see it it showed that I had an infection. Along with the pain, it let him know that I probably had an infection (diverticulitis), and he would go ahead and start the antibiotics immediately.
Your Dr. must be pretty sure that it's not diverticulitis or they wouldn't have you wait that long. They always treated mine almost as an emergency. Even in the ER, I was told if I didn't feel the pain getting better right away, not to hesitate to get back in there asap...they always warned me that it's nothing to mess around with.
This sounds crazy, and everyone is different, but my pain seemed to be worse with any kind of "jarring" motion; walking, hitting speed bumps in my car, etc. Have you noticed anything like that? Also, one thing they usually ask is if you have pain with bowel movements. It's kinda like you can feel stuff moving past the infected spot. I'm just trying to think of anything to help you either rule diverticulitis in or out. I'm an anxious person too and I can imagine this is driving you crazy having to wait even longer to find out what's going on!
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I'm wondering if it is a cyst. I had something similar in December but started vomiting so went to the ER. They did some blood work and said white count was just slightly elevated so they thought it was a virus. Then a few days later I had spotting/period. They said stress can raise white counts so who knows for sure.
She didn't do blood work because I'm not having any bleeding, BM's are normal, no fever or feeling ill. Also my colonoscopy a year ago didn't show any pockets of Diverticula. My blood work was perfectly normal a few weeks ago. It sometimes get worse with movement. I talked to my friend who gets it and she said it didn't sound like diverticulitis. She said she gets bad quick and not better but progressively worse. I'm not worse so far. You're making me a bit nervous though!
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My son is a Dr. and I asked him why my side would hurt sometimes and then get better on it's own. As I said before, I was having problems for many years before I was diagnosed (my sister is now having the same problems).He said sometimes your body fights it off, just like any other infection. I think that's what was going on with me until the infections started getting so bad that I couldn't fight them off any more. I don't know if it had anything to do with it, but it seemed like my infections got worse after I had c diff. I guess I had a pretty bad case. First rounds of antibiotics didn't work and ended up on vancomycin.
Anyway, I'm not trying to convince you that you have diverticulitis, just trying to help. Hopefully it's a cyst. Also, I have a friend who has symtoms something like yours and they told her she had colitis. So many things to choose from! Hope you find an answer soon.
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I appreciate your help Jarris. I think there was a lack of urgency to test for diverticulitis due to a clean colonoscopy last year but I will definitely keep a very close eye out. I sometimes got the stitch pains at night before the scope, and also had off and on blood in the stool which is why the scope was done. They did biopsies and all were negative. So he said it was IBS and some internal hemorrhoids and a fissure thanks to CDiff!! Then he did an upper endoscopy and said I had mild gastritis. I'm actually going to call my GI nurse tomorrow and consult with her. If my GI doc thinks I need a CT I'll see if he will order one stat! I had C Diff three times and did Flagyl the first time and Vanco the other times. The last time I had to be on a Vanco taper and pulse dose for well over eight weeks. It was during chemo and the C Diff was much worse than chemo!! That's why I'm terrified of antibiotics but will take them if I must. Also I am on a CDiff forum and a lot of folks say the same thing about it being harder to get over infections now. The fear of CDiff never goes away either. Thanks again for all the info! I'm still just hoping for a cyst though!
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Thankfully, I only had to deal with c diff once and that was bad enough! It's a pretty scary thing to go thru. It never entered my mind that it could have been a problem during chemo...I'm glad I was unaware, I probably would have been terrifed the whole time (well, more terrified than I already was).
I've taken antibiotics since and luckily haven't had any more problems. I think anyone who has had c diff always has it in the back of their mind. One thing I always do when I take an antibiotic now is take something called Florastor. It is a probiotic that is a yeast and isn't killed by the antibiotics. It is mentioned by the World Health Organization as being helpful with recurrent c diff. If you haven't heard of it, thought you might want research it.
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Jarris it wasn't the chemo that actually gave me CDiff, although chemo can be a risk factor since it lowers the immune system. It was from antibiotics though in my case. The first case was right after my mastectomy. They gave me Clindamycin in the IV and sent me home with Cipro. The next was from Bactrim for possible cellulitis and the last case was a relapse. So if you ever need Clindamycin be aware that it is a high CDiff offender. I read that lots of folks got it from that one. I do take Florastor. I couldn't take it during chemo but I did the first time with CDiff before chemo and I truly believe it helped my recovery and I am a big believer in it. Thanks for all the info!
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Lisa maybe talk to your doctor about Aclasta or Zometa. I have mentioned this before on this site. It is an IV infusion done in the surgery, about 20 mins. There is a drug for osteoporosis that is called Fosamax (may be a different name in your country). Fosamax has to be taken in an upright position for half hour or it causes stomach problems but an Aclasta infusion will usually be given once a year and then you have another bone density scan to ascertain what/if any difference it has made to your osteoporosis. It is proving to offer great benefits for this condition.
Luvmydobies another food to be aware of, especially with diverticulitis, is pips, nuts, seeds, skins. Any fruit with pips in such as strawberries, blackberries, tomatoes etc. as the pips get caught in the small tear in the diverticulum ad causes a flare of diverticulitis. Once it is inflamed a low index diet is best to allow the flare to die down and then you introduce foods slowly again. Jarris is right about probiotics as they provide benefits to your digestive and gut system. They also promote your overall immune system and include B vitamins. I am a terrible worrier too and the more you know the more you worry. Anxiety can cause so many problems and make them so much worse than they need be. Perhaps some relaxation methods could help with worry. I think anything is worth a try.
Ally glad your scans went well and you wasn't tipped on your head!!. All waiting for great results now. In your pocket.
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I'm thinking of everyone going through tests and procedures. It seems to be a very stressful time for many but with our collective positive energy- we WILL prevail!
I'm trying to stay relaxed and positive as I wait so I know it can be hard. Luv I'm so happy you are getting things checked- think how nice it will be to not have to worry about this, sometimes that first step to inquiry is the hardest-at least for me.
Arlene thinking of you as you near surgery.
Ally, isn't that MRI fun? I think the worst part was the camera ridge between breasts! It left a mark for an hour. Uggg.
Who else hates all these procedures we go through?
Hugs to all
Shari
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Well I don't expect to get a call to schedule my ultrasound because of the dang snow in NC! They're telling people not to get out and lots of schools are closed, etc.!! Really getting scared because IF it is diverticulitis everything I've heard and read says to not let it go. My PCP didn't "think" it is that but it still scares me. My mind is all over the place because I've read bizarre things on here where people have similar pain and it turns out to be liver or lung mets. I need to quit reading more into it I guess but I can't stop myself sometimes. I keep telling myself if it were a perforation or ruptured bowel, appendix, etc, I would be worse. Kicking myself for not going to the ER. Anyway thanks everyone for the well wishes! XOXO!!!
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My dog's however are loving the snow. They stare out the window mesmerized at the snow flakes. When we let them out they act like children. Elf our youngest snatches the flakes out of the air. Hahaha! If you are bored, get a doberman. They're such goofballs and are very entertaining!!
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Thank you, Shari...I am running around today trying to get house in order, and of course a mani-pedi...guess I'll get pink...for the cause (ugh-do not like pink...lol) I am trying to keep the anxiety in check with 1/2 an ativan in evening. But I am getting so teary. Have not cried much through these past 8 weeks, but it is hitting me hard now. I hope they dope me up before I am wheeled into the OR. I am having a lot of trouble with the image of seeing my breast for the last time. Am trying to look at this black and blue (from the last BX) breast and hate it for what it has done to my life. Then I want to wake up thursday after surgery and be ready to FIGHT. I want to be able to see the good in every day and hope this experience makes me a better person. I cannot thank you enough for your kind words and advice.
love, arlene
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Arlene, Ativan is great stuff! They asked me if I wanted something to calm me before going to the OR and of course I said yes! It helped so much I had to have a strong nurse to pick me up in his arms and put me on the operating table. He was so big I looked like a doll in his arms. I was so relaxed I put my arms around his neck like he was my husband carrying me over the threshold. Hahahaha! So yes do ask for something. Also they gave me some disposable panties to put on but when I woke up in recovery they were gone so somehow those got removed in the OR. I'm praying for you! XO!!
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Thank you, luv! I guess we have a straight cath in for urine during the sx. Had that when I had gall bladder out. And big yes to the Ativan! Wishing you good luck...let it be gas or a lil cyst and FEEL BETTER! The anxiety is gonna kill me before cancer does...lol
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Arlene I totally understand your feeling about saying goodbye to your breast. I'm feeling the same way. It has always been a part of my body that I liked. My surgeon asked me the first time around if I identify myself by my breasts. I said no, but to be honest, after a lot of thinking, I guess I do to some extent. I've always liked to buy clothes that were a bit revealing, I always liked their size and shape. I enjoy sexy lingerie. I know that I am so much more than breasts, but I'm having a hard time saying goodbye. I wonder about my nipple as silly as it sounds. What happens to it? It's my body and I wish I could keep it complete. I would probably feel this way if it was my big toe!
In one of my guided imagery- I think it's Bernie a Segal, he says that hating your cancerous body part is full of negative energy. I believe that, but then without anger I am left with a sad feeling. My main priority is to get rid of this cancer. Again. I will do anything and put up with any SE to be clear. As I'm sure we all would.
I was given 2 Ativan for my MRI, but only took one. I think I'll save the other for the 'big reveal'!
Don't forget a small pillow for the seatbelt on your ride home. I'll be thinking of you and sending positive hugs
Luv, I'm sorry your stuck with the weather. Please try and relax and stop reading! Maybe try meditating, or a bath with some nice music. I know it is so hard to stop your mind, but trying to stay busy may help. Hoping you get unremarkable results quickly!
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Shari and Arlene, - I remember feeling the same way when I was going in for bmx. My last night at home with my own breasts was a strange feeling, but we do come to accept the changes, and know that we are so much more than our breasts!!
I had long surgery, but didnt need bladder catheter. I hope the same is for you!
Ativan was given to me when I started chemo, - prescription said to take for sleeplessness or nausea! It did help both! Great to have on hand!!
Wishing you an easy surgery and speedy recovery!!
Sending hugs
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Arlene, I didn't have a catheter for some reason. Every doc is different though. My breasts were nothing to be proud of but it was still hard but it was easier once I focused on knowing the surgery was taking the Cancer out of my body! So you and Shari just try to focus on that. And yes don't forget the pillows and either a button down or a shirt/jacket that zips. I got several soft, warm button down PJ tops for recovery. They will probably tell you to take stool softeners and drink plenty of liquids to avoid constipation from the pain pills. I took Percocet then Hydrocodone and was never in too much pain. It wasn't bad at all pain wise for me.
My ultrasound is at 2:00 tomorrow! Hubby can't go but I guess they won't tell me much tomorrow anyway. I have to drink 32 ounces of water and hold it in. My stomach is really rumbly and feels like I'm on the verge of diarrhea. Hoping it's just nerves and/or the granola bars I had for breakfast plus the benefiber. But I worry it's related to my issue! Not going to read anything else on the Internet. Thanks for the well wishes ladies!
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Thank you, Shari, luv and nyc...it helps to know my crazy thoughts are shared by others, and not so crazy, after all. Shari, get an RX for ativan from your PMD. I have a Whole Bottle, and even if I don't take it, it sure helps knowing I have it. I am dreading wednesday night and thursday morning. Have decided to forget about the tracer injections, because there's nothing I can do about NYU's ridiculous policy of no lido or EMLA. radiologist said it could interfere with isotope uptake in the lymphatic system. I don't believe him, but I don't want to be the cause of anything going wrong. So, I will deal with the pain. running like crazy today to be ready. Love to all of you!
arlene
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Arlene are you allowed to take Ativan before tracer injections? I had myself worked up (as usual!) and found that the Ativan made it very easy! I felt very slight stinging (not as bad as the claimed 'bee sting' from core biopsy) and I'm sure it's because I was so relaxed from the Ativan that my perception of pain was different.
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Arlene, I agree with Shari. Ask if they'll give you that Ativan before getting the tracer! They gave me mine before the tracer too, and it was just the way Shari described, slight sting but not bad at all. You will do just fine. I was more worried about the crazy things I might be saying coming out of anesthesia than the actual surgeryafter taking the Ativan! It's great stuff!
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