August 2010...anyone starting chemo besides me?!
Comments
-
Sptmm- too funny about your son! Yeah def cant judge a book by its color!!!!
jsw- its funny cuz we've been on herceptin bout the same amount of time and you've had about twice as many as me... i think they will schedule it soon for me LOL
lizzy- last night after i logged off i had remembered something that just recently happened- my daughter is only 5 and she for about 5 months or so kept getting htis white bump on her nose. I resisted temptation of squeezing it cuz it looked like the start of a white head, but i thought 5 yr old no way its a white head it must be something like skin cancer! My husband said i was being paranoid, which i prob was LOL i thought each and every mole or blemish on my kids and husband needed to be checked out right away LOL... okay so anyhow it was there on her nose for maybe 3 months before i gave it a little squeeze and a little white junk came out.... i thought that'd be the end of it but no it stayed there for another 2 months! i was nervous, her teacher even asked what it could be and then maybe last week it FINALLY turned into a white head and now its gone! Who in the heck has heard of a zit taking 5 months to come and go!!!!!
Oh and i have TOTALLY done that to my sister! We were in highschool and there was this cute waiter at this MX resturant that she thought was cute, i told her "te quiero en mi cama" meant whats your name! (that translates i want you in my bed!) I almost died laughing! And she was like "what did you make me say" i told her and she was ticked LOL but needless to say he did a really good job at filling our drinks and stuf!!!
We do speak spanish at home, mostly in English though. About 30-40% in spanish. I've gotten mixed opinions if us speaking dual languages might be part of the reason my son has a speech problems (hes 3) SOme say yes and some say no....
MY HEADACHE! i think i got it figured out- whenever i read small print like whats in my books i read it seems to lead up to headaches- i actually still have the one from yesterday and nothing i've taken has helped. i have always had 20/20 vision but i am gonna see an eye dr tomorrow before i see my oncologist- i actually had to postpone that appointment cuz of gas!
Yes jsw- chocolate chips would be a must in those muffins!
0 -
Debbi, Just saw the post about your son and the stew, too funny! I'm convinved dh hears those voices the grownups on Charlie Brown had, mwa mwa mwa...when I tell him to do something. It sounds like you've helped your kids deal very well during a scary time. Humor is a great defense mechanism and those people who think they should be 'somber' are way off. You sound like such a great mom, I really am in awe of all that you do as a single mom. I was so sorry to hear your ex owes child support. My cousin is having a hard time with her deadbeat ex. He actually called the cops b/c the kids were home alone. The boys are 13 and 10 and my cousin left them alone for half an hour b/c her mom was in the ER after a fall. She called him and said she was at the hospital and would meet him at her house. When she got home the boys were sitting on the stoop with two cops . Her ex (who is a cop) had called the boys out of the house and then called the cops saying he found his two children unattended. Luckily she kept her head and called a patient who is a high powered attorney (She's a nurse at NYU). It turns out her ex did this so he could sue for custody and try to get out of paying the $150,000 in back child support he owes. I just cannnot believe he would put his own children through that - to have them watch their mom questioned by the police and frighten them like that. I can't believe he won't pay the child support either - I mean I can b/c he's an ass, but I wish they could just automatically take it out of their paychecks. The good news is she recently got engaged to a wonderful guy with two teens after 9 years on her own, so I hope you find someone special someday when you are ready.
Lizzy too funny about the blackhead. I totally get it though,and I'm sure the doctor did as well.
lady glad you got to the house - hope you can join your family on the water soon. And yay on making the 16 year old smile, all it took was a lakehouse:-)
good night all
Carolyn
0 -
texas I've heard that children who are raised bilingual can start speaking later, but I don't think it would contribute to his delays. Boys are much more prone to speech delays in general. I think it's great that you are raising them bilingual. I was at Club Med in my younger days and they said 'what do you call someone who speaks two languages - bilingual'; 'what do you call someone who speaks one - American!' The whole audience laughed; we've got a bad rep with languages. When Aidan started in the preschool (disabled) program the class was all boys. Poor Caitlin had one other girl and 8 boys. The good news is that most of them outgrow it, boys just don't mature as quickly as girls - big surprise, right:-)
My poor 6 yo was up all night with fevers so off to the ped we go. Hope we can clear it up so he gets to see his cousins for Easter.
Carolyn
0 -
Texas: That is hysterical what you did to your sister!!! I had to get glasses for reading recently. Never needed them before. The eye doctor told me that chemo drugs do affect the cells in your eyes too, hastening the aging process. Hopefully that is what is causing your headaches.
Carolyn: I am with you on the Charlie Brown voice...I swear that is what my kids hear half the time...LOL. That is awful what happened to your cousin, but having a deadbeat ex myself, it does not surprise me. Personally I think it is all about punishing us for daring to decide we didn't want to be married to them anymore. I am surprised however that they don't garnish his paycheck. My ex quit his job when they started taking the child support right out of his check. Now he gets paid cash and puts his bank accounts, cars, etc in his girlfriend's name so he owns nothing for them to put a lein on. Oh well, it is what it is.. and its not going to change. I hope your cousin's high powered attorney sticks it to him. As for me...I have decided I had enough with men and will be completely happy to live my life on my own terms, without the extra added aggravation. I don't date nor am I looking to meet anybody. I figure if the perfect guy really is out there, I will know it immediately if I meet him. Unless he's perfect, I am not interested..LOL. Hope your little one feels better!
JSW: I could definitely go for one of the chocolate chip Celexa muffins some days..LOL!
Lizzy: How are you doing? Any results yet?
I sent this out on a general post, but I wanted to ask you guys too. Has anyone had a galactogram to explore the breast ducts? I have developed a drainage in my affected breast and the cytology came back as highly suspicious, although the Rad Onco told me that she wouldn't be too worried because rads could have caused the abnormal cells they are worried about. I was just wondering what to expect as this does not sound like a pleasant test.
Funny story. I am at the surgeon's office today and he decides to try to elicit the drainage, so he begins to press down on various areas of my breast. Gets to one point just to the inside of my nipple and this fountain like spurt comes out. So he's like...."oh look, this is where it is coming from" (this spot is nowhere near my original tumor I might add). Anyway so he goes on pressing on other areas and getting little drops, then goes back to this area and gets a spurt. All the time he is telling me.."look, press here get a little drop, here get a little drop, here....see that...that's where it is coming from". He must have done this three or four times. I am like.."okay, I see, but it hurts so you can stop now!!" I have to admit though I chuckled when it went literally shooting across the room...LOL.
Okay, gotta get to work now. Hope everyone has a great evening.
Debbi
0 -
sptmm - no kidding, there is a test called a galactogram??? Who'd a thought! Sounds like a message from another galaxy! Probably is the rads, they really penetrate. Is the drainage/spurting coming from the nipple?0
-
Hey Omaz!! Yeah it does sound like something from outer space, but that is exactly what is on the prescription so it must be real. I googled it like any good girl would and I have to admit it doesn't sound like a very pleasant test. Something about a very fine cannula inserted into the duct (in the nipple) with some of Lizzy's infamous dye injected in, and then a mammo!! Talk about adding insult to injury!!!
The drainage is coming from the nipple, and according to the radiation oncologist they wouldn't worry about it had it happened right after rads, but I am now almost four months post rads, so she said while it could be from the rads, that would be very rare.
0 -
Debbi.....never heard of that test....you are like a pioneer exploring the unknown!
Since I have started working out with weights and resistance bands, my left breast hurts more than my right one ( right had the cancer). The trainer thinks that I am, unknowingly, putting more emphasis on the non-surgical side. Makes sense but in my mind is the worry that something is wrong with the other side. Logically, it doesnt make sense but you know how our brains jump. Damn cancer is always in the back of your mind. Anyway, question is......I do not have a followup with onco until July for mammo etc.....has anyone had checkup sooner?0 -
I had a mammo last week at about ~8 weeks post-rads. Rad onc wanted a baseline.
0 -
Lizzy - any news today?
sptmm - They better numb you up good for that test.
0 -
Good evening chemosabes and radicals-
My scan was clean!!!!! They said it looked excellent!!!! YAY! I was so relieved. Those headaches I was getting were scaring me but they must be ocular.
Tex: I bet that waiter hooked you guys up after your sister's accidental invitation sponsored by her sister!!!! Your poor daughter...white heads already?! That is just so not fair!
Timothea, like they say, opinions are like ___holes, everyone has one! Who cares if you speak 1/3 English, 1/3 Spanish and 1/3 Spanglish...it is your house and your business! All I know is your kids will be fluent in both Spanish and English which are the most desired bilingual coupling in this country.
I am with you on the headaches also. I think getting back into reading has caused mine. My GP also lingered when he looked at my eyes last visit (who has got it better than me?! My *GP* checks my eyes! He is such a good guy!) so perhaps chemo did a little damage. I am going to wait until September to get them checked as that will be 6 months post-chemo and 1.5 years since my last eye doc appt. I am hoping the remnants of chemo will be gone and my eyes will be stronger.
CKptry: since chemo, if I am talking to someone who is wallowing in circumlocution, I dip into Charlie Brown's teacher a bit!!! All of the sudden that is all I am hearing!
As for your cousin, that guy is horrible. I think NY will attach his pay soon. NY attaches on deadbeats. What an awful experience for your cousin, though. 13 and 10 seem to old enough to be home alone for a few minutes.
On that blackhead, I officially announce I am fast becoming a hypochondriacal lunatic!!!!
I hope your son is feeling better. I really think it is scary when kids get fevers because you never know what is causing them and they can, unlike the common cold, become life-threatening. I hope his ped figured it out.
Sptmm: your lucky your son even got the meat back to the fridge! At least he heard something!!!!!
It sounded like that doctor was moderately proud, and a bit amazed, that he pinpointed the leak! He could have stopped pressing on you, however!
You sound very fancy, shmancy with your galatograms, Long Island!!!!!!! Perhaps you were singing that Katy Perry song "ET" when you stumbled upon this galatogram idea?! I have no breasts in any case so no galatograms for me! I did not even do nipple-sparing...I just had them both taken totally off and I have zero regrets. Bottom line, and all kidding aside, although it sounds uncomfortable, the galatogram seems to be absolutely imperative. Please keep me posted so I can look out over LI Sound and perhaps catch a glimpse of your leaving in your spaceship for this test!!!!
As for men, my motto was the very antiquated "why buy the cow if you are getting the milk for free!!!!" Now, with all the estrogen suppression, I could very much care less. A very good friend always said I made "the right choice" and how they could have done without marriage and kids. I made a choice that was "right" for me but not "the right choice." I will tell you now, even with bc, I am one of the happiest people I know!!! Another friend told me once no matter how the marriage turns out, kids are the gift of marriage. I think that pretty much sums it up for you.
Rachel: don't forget, they told us unequivocally bc does not hurt. I am sure you have just woken up muscles that went to bed for a while you went through this past year. Don't worry...remember itching and orange peel skin=the only 2 outward signs of bc!
Omaz: I am so glad no more mammos! That was one of the perks of getting rid of my fat sac, knee-warmer, boobs!!!!! No more bras also...so happy about that one! I was born in the 70's although, with my dislike of bras, I think am a bit of an anachronism!
Did you start Celexa yet? It is mild but I am sure it will help you. If you add a vodka tonic to the Celexa you might conjure up thoughts of being with Deb at the galatogram, whisking across the sky!!!
BTW, thank you so much for asking about the scan...ugh...I was nervous!
Well, I had some bloodwork today (titres for nursing school) and to check my ever-failing thyroid! That is all here, thankfully.
BTW, if any of you feel good about tamox, there is a fellow "boardie" who needs your help. There is a member on this board called "Polyana" who lives in a developing country and is about to start taking tamox. She was looking for some reassurance. I stopped by and commented a few days ago. You see, she is worried about complications with tamox and the lack of very good health care in her country. So, again, if any of you have good things to say about tamox, stop by and give her some encouragement. The topic is : "Can I choose not to take it" and if you search for her name, it is the first or second topic.
OMG...in a completely unrelated event (!), I was in the pharmacy and saw this woman (4'9"...I always wanted to call her a kid!) that I used to work with. She was Ms. Company Suck-Up and I know she knows I saw her but I said nothing and just walked out! I just suddenly realized I don't "have" to talk to her as I don't work with her anymore and I NEVER liked her to begin with!! I am so not a consummate phony! It was so funny because I go to this pharmacy all the time and the tech said it was weird the way I looked at her, for like 40 seconds, and then just looked away! It was so funny...I guess you realize after you don't have to work with people how much you never liked them to begin with! Alas I do surprise myself these days!
I wish you all sweet dreams!0 -
Yay Lizzy, good NEWS!!!0
-
Debbi I didn't mean to imply you need to be with someone, but you do deserve perfect:-) I hope all turns out well for the galactogram.
Liz yay on the ct scan, great news!!!!!
All, I called the neighbor to ask her to take my daughter to preschool with her kids (since my son was wiped out and still sleeping), something I've never done before. I was actually nervous, but she was happy to do it and the world didn't end, so I guess one good thing that comes out of this might be my learning how to ask for help:-)
Carolyn
0 -
Debi- that squirting story is hilarious!
Lizzy- yay on clean scans!!!!
carolyn- i am so glad you asked for a little help
and you're right the world didnt end!My vision is still 20/20 the eye dr dialated my eyes and spent A LOT of time checking them out (he reassured me he doesnt see anything like cancer in there) they did perscribe me reading glasses because he thinks it might be muscle strain when i read.... Bad news is i dont have any vision coverage from my reg insurance so i used my medicade insurance for this visit and they said it generally takes up to 3 weeks to get the script approved
i am in the middle of this book LOL but i dont want to stop reading it, but i also dont want the headaches!0 -
Lizzy: Yay on the clean scan!! Here's to the ocular headache!! I will definitely let everyone know when I blast off for my galactogram, but first I have to find a planet on which they perform them... and hopefully a doctor who has performed more than just one per year! You are right about the kids. My marriage was the price I paid for my great kids...now I have the kids, don't need the marriage anymore...LOL.
Carolyn: No implication perceived, don't worry. I am glad you asked for help and received it. I know exactly how difficult that is, believe me. But you are right the world didn't end and your day was much easier because of that help. The first time asking is always the hardest. Keep asking....you have a lot on your plate.
Texas: Maybe you could try those $10 magnifying glasses they sell in drug stores, just until you get the real ones. At least you could finish your book. The eye doctor told me to try the +150 ones before I got my prescription glasses, because I also don't have vision coverage and the magnifiers are less expensive. Unfortunately they didn't work because one of my eyes is worse than the other, so I had to get the prescription glasses. But there was a special at JC Penney so they only cost $80.
Rachel: Totally get the fear...I think it will take a while to get used to it always being part of our consciousness.
Gotta get back to work. Have a great day everyone!
Debbi
0 -
Congrats Lizzy!!!!0
-
Just an update - I upped the tam to the regular dose at 20mg and I actually feel pretty fine now. I *think* I am sleeping better and that has helped immensely.
0 -
omaz that's great news, I'm glad you're feeling better! I asked the onc yesterday if she'd had people who had reactions like I had and she said yes but she could count them on one hand. Dh said later well get out the other hand lady:-) She thought I was going to do weekly lupron shots plus arimidex for 5 years. I told her dh and i had weighed the pros and cons and I'd decided not to. I just don't want to feel that irrational again. I know she had to go into cya mode, she said do you undertand the risks? I said not really b/c you won't give me any statistics. She said she couldn't, they just don't know if people like me , moderately ER and her2+ , are cured by the endocrine therapy or the herceptin. I said you haven't done any scans, how do you know I'm cancer free now. She said we don't, but nobody does, we just wait and see. In a way that makes my decision easier b/c I know it's really out of my hands. I may change my mind in the future but for now I feel I'm doing all my body can handle.
On a lighter note my 6 yo just asked me if the Easter Bunny and Santa were nocturnal:-)
Carolyn
0 -
Carolyn - Nocturnal, that's too funny! Kids think of the funniest things! When I was first diagnosed I had been to the med onc and they gave me a packet with information about the chemo I was going to have. One was for taxotere, one for carboplatin and one for hampster. My daughter was looking at them and asked if they were really going to use hampsters treat my cancer! Apparently the word processing program had auto-corrected herceptin to hampster. We laughed a lot about that.0
-
Omaz: Very glad the Celexa is helping you feel better, and sleeping better too...THAT'S GREAT! Lack of sleep will definitely make you crabby. Too funny about the Hampster...LOL.
Ckptry: Good to hear that you have made a decision you are comfortable with. You are right, we can do everything right, including taking Tamoxifen, and still get mets or a recurrence, so you do what you can and hope for the best. As for the nocturnal....I am amazed that your six year old knew that word!! Smart kid!!
I am blasting off for my galactogram on Friday, so keep an eye to the sky for me...LOL!!
Debbi
0 -
sptmm - I upped the tamoxifen to the regular dose but, even though I filled the prescription, I didn't actually take the celexa yet... I have it ready though. I am hoping that wherever this better sleeping is coming from that it will do the trick. Fingers crossed.0
-
Omaz: I am very, very happy that is working better for you. I take it in the morning with my vitamins and they had told me that perhaps to alleviate the hot flashes which make it hard to sleep from 2-5AM, perhaps I should take it at night. All I could think was how wonderful it will be to then have those hot flashes in the early evening!!!!
Sptmm: off to the big galactogram!!! If this was the 60's you and I could meet in GCT and strum our guitars while we sang a song about the miracle of galactograms!!!! In all seriousness, best of luck with that.
Ckptry: your 6 y/o sounds pretty smart with the SAT words roughly 8 years before most kids would have that type of vocab! Nice! I could be wrong, but Lupron and Arimidex for 5 years, especially weekly shots, sounds like a lot. I don't blame you for deciding against it. I am so very sorry that you had such a tough time with it. I am totally with on the fact that they don't know if we are cancer free. I am, after all, getting headaches where it feels there is a little gun filled with rubber bullets firing toward my skull in an attempt to escape my brain (I can hear you all now!!!!!!!) and the scan shows nothing. Ok, scans don't show anything until cancer is a pretty decent size so when they start with the semantics of "survivorship" and "cancer-free" I just can't buy in. They don't realize, I assume, the impact such words can have. Honestly, I will never consider myself "cancer-free" and for this reason, as I have said before, I don't embrace the vernacular at all. I do however know there is a lot that can be done to help us and for this I am grateful. Stick to your guns and do what is best for you. If I had any troubles on tamox, aside from hot flashes, I would have gotten off of it. I hope you have a nice, relaxing Saturday night! You might want to check into SNL if you are up that late as it is actually funny again!!!
0 -
Somewhere someone here described cancer as being like the mafia - you always look over your shoulder and wonder. That rings true for me.
0 -
all he is pretty smart, and sometimes exhausting:-) My sister calls him an evil genuis b/c he tries to debate you on everything he doesn't want to do and he's relentless at finding loopholes. He asked me so many questions about santa; I felt like I was going to have to start keeping notes so I didn't trip myself up, lol. Sometimes it seems he's getting big so fast, so I like it when he asks something serious about the Easter Bunny:-) Carolyn
0 -
Omaz: that is a good analogy. I don't fear cancer so I guess I don't need to hear "it is gone" or I am "cancer-free." For many people hearing the words "remission" and "cancer-free" are very important and I certainly don't impune that. I am just not one of them. I would feel as if I was being sold a promise that I could not cash!
Ckptry: that is so funny that he is inquisitive to the point of you starting to consider courtroom stenographic tracking of your stories! Very cute! The world very much *needs* more SMART kids that will become smart people so thank you for your contribution
0 -
Happy Easter Day to all.
I had a scare this week. When I went for my radiation follow up the doc found a very sore area on my 12th rib. I jumped when he pressed there. I went for several exrays right then and the docs nurse called me about 90 minutes later to tell me there were no lesions or any sign of any trouble. I tell you my mind flew into another state when the doc dictated what was to be on the order and I heard him say mets.For the time until the nurse called I was back in that state oof nerves shaking in my inner self. When she called I remained like that for a while and then the adrenalin crashed. I am so grateful I am okay. I am also once again reminded that I will not be a breast cancer survivor until I die from something else. I too can not fly with "survivor" or "remission" and wonder if I will ever feel safe again. Even the idea of putting on my marching boots and walking through the doors of the chemo bay once again makes my stomach hurt. So there it is. That is what I didn't tell you this week.
He is Risen
Love Ginger
0 -
Gingerbrew sorry you had this scare,but glad everything was aok. My once nurse had uterine cancer 10 years ago. She was told she would be around maybe 2 years. So 10 years with no recurrence but she still gets crazy before her annual checkup. Says it is like a boogeyman in the closet, not knowing whether it will jump out and get you. I feel like now BC consumes less and less of my daily thoughts and anticipate it wil get better and better.
Lizzy glad your scan was in order too. No when I see the mo next week I am not needing numbers. Just a good result will be fine, or a hug from dr so fine. Libraylil0 -
Happy Easter to all.
Lizzy I am glad to hear your CT came back clear!
Ginger I am sorry you had a scare this week but I'm glad your scans came back clear too and that is wonderful that the nurse called you so quickly with the news.
Debbi Good luck on your galactogram! What funny names all of these tests have, at least it gives us something to laugh about. Hopefully it is just some sort of delayed reaction to rads.
Carolyn I love your son's question about the Easter Bunny and Santa being nocturnal! It is so funny the things that kids come up with sometimes.
Omaz I'm glad to hear you are starting to feel better on the tamox, even without adding the celexa. Maybe your body just needed a little bit of time to adjust to the tamox. I think I have heard that before, that the side effects will sometimes lessen after a bit as your body adjusts to it.
Lil I thought it was your rad onc that was the hottie or are all of your docs super cute?
Well I am enjoying a much needed relaxing weekend after spending so much time the last few weeks cleaning my house! Yesterday DH and I went out for lunch and sat outside (the weather is beautiful here, not too hot yet) and then I spent the afternoon knitting. It was a lovely day!
0 -
Happy Easter Everyone!!!
The weather is gorgeous here today, at least for now. I already have all the windows open. Its supposed to rain later, but for now it is gorgeous!!
Omaz: That is fantastic news! Glad that you are feeling better without the Celexa. I hope it continues that way. But, if it doesn't don't hesitate to take the Celexa if you need.
Ginger: Glad to hear that everything is okay. That is a very scary feeling.
JSW: That sounds like a fantastic day!! Those are the best days, nice weather and relaxing just doing what you want!
Have a wonderful, relaxing day everyone!
Debbi
0 -
Happy Easter Ladies!!! Crazy me got this tattoo yesterday. Making a statement.
0 -
Iowa, i am so impressed with your tatt. Did it hurt?
JSW hmm to clear up the hot doctor thing:) As I get to know them and their personalities emerge and with the additional attraction of saving my bacon they begin to look hot.
Oncologist: I see this coming week. Tall, over 6ft, soft spoken, full head of salt pepper hair. Probably late 40's early 50's. A hugger that shoots from the hip, but can dole out warm fuzzies when needed. I would say top notch in the onco field (that in itself lends him an air of hotness). The largest of all my doctors.
Surgeon: Greek, plenty of curly dark hair, not tall, easy calming manner, great lumpectomy results (lends air of hotness). Very serious, except on operating day. I can tell he loves his job. Very happy in preop. My DD went for my re excision and could not understand why I thought he was so cute, but after a while she came over to the dark side and realized he has a cute personality. Also when I complained that mds say the word mastectomy so easily and think it is nothing he said " No it is not easy, it is a part of you and it is a hard decision". Plus he picked up the phone and called me with my margin results so I did not have to wait over the weekend. Both my RO and MO told me he does awesome surgeries with excellent results. Good lumpectomy results increases hotness rating. Also the rear view in the green scrubs ain't too bad.
RO basically a baby, probably early 40's. Youngest of my group. Has no filter on anything he says, but I can tell he works to control it. Has no desire to see me have another meltdown. Again...not tall, but a cutie. Loves to talk about radiation and lab rat stuff. A southern boy from Atlanta, Emory grad. (I think he is extremely smart and good at what he does. ) This is the one the nurses told me could not physically console a patient. I fully intend to get a hug when the rads are over. Again...killing cancer....aura of hotness.
Now all of you will officially tag me as a pervert. Seriously they have all been so excellent throughout this whole process.
libraylil
0
