Calling all triple negative breast cancer patients in the UK
Comments
-
Sylvia - the flowers in your gardens are stunning. Such vibrant colours - thanks for sharing them - they are very uplifting. How lovely that you get to see these every day in your surroundings - that is wonderful.
I have had a busy Spring with family commitments - Mother's Day, my son from Quebec came for four days and of course the new baby comes and visits and I go to their place - so it is busy enough. My husband and I went to Victoria on Vancouver Island for a few days just to have a little break - it was very nice.
I have a weird bony protrusion on my right clavicle which I am a bit concerned about. I went to my GP and she sent me for an x-ray to see what it could be - I am working very hard at not freaking out, but of course, my mind has gone to the very darkest of places. I was going to go straight to my oncologist, but decided not to panic and just go to the GP first. I will see what the x-ray shows.
My summer will be busy - we are going to Ireland for a month in July, then in August my son and his family from Quebec will visit again. Then in September, we are going to India - I am not getting too excited yet until, I hear about my clavicle. But India is one place that I have always wanted to visit, so hopefully I will be able to go.
I have been doing a lot of gardening the last couple of days - putting in annual flowers to brighten up the yard. I have not got around to sowing my vegetable seeds yet.
So glad that you continue to do well.
0 -
Adagio,The old walled city of Dubrovnik, Croatia, with much new construction going on behind tree. Rather a murky view, I think I have better pic on my camera, haven't got to that yet.
0 -
HI, Sylvia,
I think the Eastern European countries we visited are struggling to get back into prosperity, and it seems the parts we were in depend on tourism to do so. There doesn't seem to be much industry, that we saw anyway. Some people, and we visited some of these areas, still live quite as they did a long time ago. But especially in Croatia, there is much construction going on near the sea, and a lot of it looks like quite expensive apartment and condo buildings. Many of the roads we were driven on are wonderful, and seem like new, and there is a lot of new road construction going on in Montenegro and Croatia. So I would think there probably are a lot of people who are trying to make a success elsewhere, but it looks like there are also a lot of people coming back or just visiting. But we did hear several comments from the locals about the war of the 1990's.
I opened my email this morning and found another post from Chris Woollams, I haven't got through the first one yet. Sometimes he is very quick with them.
We mostly ignored the news while gone, it wasn't hard to do because we never turned on the TV in our room, and I only scanned quickly some of the newspapers offered in the Lounge we had access to. We got a little sheet of news highlights delivered to our room each night, but it was very slanted and I considered it trash. It is no wonder if people around the world don't like Trump, the media paints him with horns, or a swastika, or a clown suit. You are right, it is hard to know the truth; but the truth is that here in USA a very large portion of people support Trump, but you would never know by what most of the media say. I see that he was in Saudi Arabia, and is now in Israel. I think Israel would be a fascinating trip, Pam thought it would be too dangerous now, I think it's probably always dangerous. But actually anywhere can be dangerous these days.
I am sorry you seem to be losing hope for the Brexit, I did not hear much about that while in Europe. I did wonder why UK never adopted the Euro? Was it a matter of choice for all the countries? I had a lot of trouble calling a euro a euro, I found myself calling it a lira, or a peso, and being corrected. But we managed, with a little help from kind people. And the people on the ship would able to help with any question we had. We didn't have to deal with the pound, except in the London airport.
I wonder too about Hanieh, it has been a long time since we heard from her. I also hope Gina is doing well in the Philippines. I think you are right about Amanda, she had a trip coming up last time we heard from her.
Closing for now, today will be a nice day before the rain comes back, I am going to try to do some things outside.
Talk to you soon, love,
Mary
0 -
Hi Adagio,
Where in India are you going?My cousin has been living there for over two years and she adores it.She is mear Auroville, in Southern India. She rents a house and has a NGO that helps provide medical care for street dogs.Icwas hoping to visit in July but much treatment is longer than expected.I love to travel.
Rhonda
0 -
Mary I love your pictures! It looks like you had a wonderful time!Please post more!
Rhond
0 -
Hi Sylvia/allHope you are all doing well.
Loved your photos Mary they are fab. I would love to do a little tour through Europe,Montenegro sounds fab.
I have just returned from Singapore and Dubai with my daughter . We had a wonderful time in Singapore we visited lots of botanical gardens and tree top walks on average we walked 10 miles per day. Dubai is one of my favourite places beautiful beaches, warm sunny weather and a lovely warm sea to swim in.
Unfortunately back to work tomorrow... but have to save for the next adventure.
Lots of love
Amanda
0 -
Hello Mary, Amanda and adagio,
Thank you for all your interesting photographs and posts. You all seemed to have had a lovely time on all your various travels. It is interesting to read about them as I am definitely a non-traveller now.
I am glad you enjoyed the photographs of the flowers in the apartment complex grounds where I live.
I look forward to hearing more of your travels and how you managed to settle back into your everyday life.
Mary, you look good on your photograph. Here in the UK we are fast approaching General Election day and I think we are all fed up to the teeth with it. The parties have produced their manifestos and the Conservatives are definitely back to the Nasty Party (if they ever left it) and are pitting the young against the old. I am not sure what Theresa May is up to. As for Donald Trump, I am not sure what he is up to, but I do not think he should be selling arms to the Saudis. I think all effort should be made to bring peace to the Middle East.
The only person that seems to speak his mind is Nigel Farage. I think the most decent person is Jeremy Corbyn, but despite his honesty and decency, he does not appeal to the general public. In this age everyone is judged on their looks, not their principles.
I have not yet read the latest details of the two Chris Woollams emails, but I hope to catch up soon.
Take care the three of you.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
0 -
Sylvia and all,
I got some bad news yesterday; my daughter-in-law who is married to my stepson, has been diagnosed with Ductal Carcinoma. She had a biopsy Friday and waited through the weekend for her diagnosis, her weekend was busy because her daughter graduated high school and there was a ceremony and a party. Her daughter was so excited Saturday about the event and an upcoming trip with friends, I was excited for her, it was contagious. I was praying her mother wouldn't get bad news.
She doesn't know much more right now, I'm sure the info will be coming fast and furious soon. She is consoled by the thought that I have gone through it, 4 of her friends in church, her grandmother and more people that she knows peripherally. She knows that we have survived and is sure she can too. She will see the surgeon next, and already has an oncologist that she knows and loves, because she has a blood condition that the MO manages. So she is a step ahead right there. I was able to answer some of her questions and offer a little advice. I tried not to overload her with stuff she doesn't need to think about right now.
Mary
0 -
Hi Ladies,
Amanda - I am sorry that I was not able to meet up with you. It looks like you enjoyed your holiday.
Mary - Love your photos. Hope to be able to travel to Europe again.
Sylvia - I was well enough to travel to Penang Island in Malaysia.
I want to share some of the photos I took there.
View from our hotel room's balcony.
Beach side.
About45 degrees angle Train ride to Penang Hill.
My perfect jump shot.
Best regards,
Lou
0 -
Hello Mary,
Thank you for your latest post. I was sorry to read that your daughter-in-law had been diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma.
I hope she will not have to wait long for more details. She needs to cope just with the basics for the moment. She needs to know the receptor status, whether it is hormonal with or without HER2, or whether it is triple negative. Of course, she needs to know the stage (the size of the tumour) and the grade. This will decide how the medical team will proceed with the treatment. We, who have been through all this, know this, but it is good to repeat it for any newly diagnosed patients. Once these details have been given to her, she will be told about surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Of course, treatment will also depend on node status.
Please let us know how she gets on.
I think you did the right thing in not overloading her with information at this stage. One thing at a time is the best thing, as far as I am concerned. She is lucky to have you there.
I have been looking at some of the Chris Woollams stuff. In the first email he sent and the details you can click on from the email, he is writing a lot about vitamin C and its importance. He does not seem to think much about the vitamin C that we buy in various stores or what he calls synthetic ascorbic acid. He talks about L-Ascorbic acid and its importance for so many things, such as the synthesis of collagen and connective tissue, the strengthening of the immune system etc. He also says that L-Ascorbic acid is a powerful antioxidant, when consumed orally, that it can inactivate bacteria and viruses and can minimise allergic reactions. With reference to minimising allergic reactions, it interferes with the production of histamines, released by the immune system in response to an allergen, thus reducing allergic reaction.
What is important to us is that a clinic in Arizona has noted that 46% of breast cancer sufferers are deficient in vitamin C, some even to the point of scurvy.
It is also mentioned that higher levels of blood vitamin C reduce cancer risk for breast and other cancers.
Chris Woollams states also that we should be buying natural or liposomal vitamin C.
I am not taking any vitamin C in supplement form at the moment. I must admit I have not seen L-Ascorbic acid in the shops here. Are you taking any of these products?
I am just getting mine from fruit and vegetables. There is a list of good sources of vitamin C and red peppers, black currants and cooked Brussels sprouts are a good source.
That is about all for today, Mary. Please keep in touch.
Fond thoughts.
Sylvia xxxx
0 -
Hello Lou,
It was nice to hear from you and thank you for posting those extraordinary photographs. Everything looks so beautiful.
I do hope you are keeping well.
Are you still going on to the Philippines? Will you be seeing Gina? I cannot remember if you were going near to where she is.
Take care.
Fond thoughts.
Sylvia xxxx
0 -
Hi Adagio,
I hope you get to go to the countries of Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro....they were a big surprise to me, I didn't know I wanted to see them until I did! The walled cities are fascinating, to think back to a time when that wall was a good deterrent to raiders outside. Like you, I don't think I would want to be walking the narrow streets of Venice in July and August, I think it would be unbearably hot and steamy. It was cool and beautiful when we were there, but walking in those little pathways still got hot for us. We were told the best times to go to Italy was in September and October, and we thought May was good, we only had a couple of rainy days and the weather was warm with cool breezes.
I'm not sure what my favorite part of the trip was, I do know I want to go back to Italy just to roam around a bit. I would like to soak in more of Tuscany and Rome and go to the Vatican, and I want to go to Pompeii and Assisi, and maybe do as you did and spend a little time in Amalfi/Positano on the cliffs. But I am really glad we bounced around as much as we did, we saw a little of a lot of places, and learned quite a bit about them. But you're right, I enjoyed all the places immensely, it's hard to pick a favorite.
We traveled on the Oceania line, ship name Riviera. A mid-size ship, about 1200 guests aboard. The excursion tours we had with them were very nice, we had good guides and never had to stand in long lines anywhere. The food was top-notch in all restaurants, we could order canapes delivered to our room in the afternoon (only did it once), and have high tea served in silver pots with white tablecloths with a string quartet playing every day from 4-5 PM. I think children were allowed, but we did not see any aboard.
Yes, back to reality, and it is making me want to run away again! Lots going on, not much of it good right now.
Talk to you soon, love,
Mary
0 -
Hi, Lou,
Glad you enjoyed your Malaysian trip so much, it looks beautiful there. Love the pic of your jumping, it is perfect, it's such fun looking at the pics and reliving events! Are you home again? These trips go by too fast!
You look like you are feeling great!
Love, Mary
0 -
a Greek Orthodox monastery near the Achillion Palace in Corfu Greece. The monk you see is loaning shawls to female visitors who are not properly covered enough to visit the chapel inside.0 -
a view of one wing of the Achilleion Palace built by Austrian Empress Elizabeth in 1890. Images of Achilles are everywhere, statue in pic is "The Dying Achilles" trying to pluck the arrow from his ankle. It was built as a summer palace.0 -
Hi Sylvia & Mary,
I am well so far. The challenge for me during the holiday was the diet. I did try to eat mostly fruit and veggie during the trip. Overall, I did enjoy the trip but still keep on checking myself for any lumps. Maybe overtime I will outgrow it and just continue to do what I can do on my end.
I am leaving for Philippines in 2 weeks time and we will be there for a month. I have not heard from Gina. Maybe she is busy with her new job. She is from Manila and we will be flying there but we will be staying only for a mere 3 hours before we take our connecting flight to my hometown.
Mary, I am so sorry to hear about your daughter-in-law's diagnosis. She must have felt not so alone knowing that you are there for her. My sis-in-law was also diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 and she was the first person I asked about surgery details. She didn't go for chemotherapy because she is triple positive. She is taking Tamoxifen for 3 1/2 years now.
We are back in Singapore yesterday night. Time flies when you are on holiday, I suppose. The weather was too hot but I was still using my wig to look normal.
My hair is slowly growing and I saw a few eyelashes as well.
Sylvia, with regards to Chris Wollams' e-mail about taking supplements, I am also not planning to take any supplements because after diagnosis I just want to go back to as basic as possible.
Best regards,
Lou
0 -
Hi, Amanda,
Love your pics of Dubai, it looks like a fantastic wonderland......the skyline buildings look huge! The pic of you is great too, you look happy and rested. I love getting away!
Yes, reality is too real, time to plan another getaway.
Talk soon, Mary
0 -
Maryna - so sorry to hear about your daughter in law being diagnosed with cancer - it is so prevalent these days in our society that it makes me wonder what the heck is going on? I know that you will be a tremendous support for her and like you said having people around her who have walked the journey before will only be of benefit for her. Nonetheless, it is still a big shock to all of us when that horrific diagnosis comes - thankfully with time, we can accept it and move on to do what ever will benefit our health in terms of treatments. Wishing only the best for your daughter in law and for you as you travel alongside her on this unpleasant path.
In the meantime, just enjoy the lovely memories of your European vacation - it sounds so wonderful, and yes, you saw a little bit of a lot of places, but enough to whet the appetite for the ones you would like to revisit. I have not been to Northern Italy but would definitely like to go there one day if possible. We did go the Vatican and it was a memorable day - we were very close to Pope Benedict in 2006 when he delivered a message to a massive crowd in Vatican Square - it was quite the experience.
Hope your weather is warming up nicely - we are finally getting Spring in Vancouver and it is most welcome indeed.
0 -
Sylvia - I read the article on Vitamin C, and I do not take vitamin C on a regular basis at all. I have a friend in Australia who takes the Liposomal vitamin C - which is supposed to be the 2nd best to the massive doses given intravenously. When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, I went to see a Naturopathic Oncologist who recommended IV Vitamin C, but the cost was quite prohibitive, and besides I did not feel 100% comfortable with having such big doses delivered to my system intravenously. I have L-ascorbic acid (Vit C) in powder form which I take if I feel run down or need the extra antioxidant, but certainly not on a daily basis. I sometimes think that if we tried to take all the things that are recommended for the prevention of cancer and/or metastasis, and eat all the foods that are beneficial for us, we would be running to appointments and eating non stop every day. For me, it is just not possible to take all the stuff, so that is why I pick and choose what I take. From your posts, I see that this is also true for you. I tried the apricot kernel seeds and honestly they are a challenge for me to eat - so I have this big jar of them in my freezer which I will use up over time because I only take them once or twice a month. The few supplements that I am committed to daily are turmeric with black pepper, Immune 7 (this is a blend of 7 medicinal mushrooms), Vitamin D3 (4000 units), and Vitamin K2. These I take faithfully, and once a year I take a whole jar (over a period of 3 months or so) of Milk THistle as a liver cleanse - this was recommended to me by a pharmacist at the integrative cancer centre which I attend.
We finally have Spring in Vancouver and it is so lovely to have the warmth of the sunshine.
0 -
Hi, Adagio and Sylvia,
Responding to the posts on supplements, I do take a timed-release Vitamin C, since it is so quickly washed from one's system this is supposed to keep a supply on hand. Will have to check out liposomal C, however.
I do take the turmeric daily also, mine comes with 10,000 IU Vitamin D and Fermented Mushrooms. I was at gynocologist's office the other day for annual check, she wants me to keep taking this large dose of D, since a couple of months ago I was checked and was on the low side of normal. (I had temporarily stopped taking it) Calcium too, and she is going to check in 90 days my D and Calcium levels. She thinks because I am Caucasian, thin and have blue eyes that I am a prime candidate for osteoporosis. I hope I prove her wrong when I get tested.
I bought a new jar of turmeric at the health food store and was looking for some with pepper, the man advising me said that it is now believed that pepper added to turmeric actually blocks some of the beneficial effects. I don't know what to believe most of the time. I agree with Adagio, if we followed all the advice we would be doing nothing but eating and buying pills.
I also take milk thistle, I found a brand years ago that is one pill daily, by Solaray, and I think it makes a difference. I also take my probiotic faithfully, that really helps with digestion and elimination, I believe.
I think Sylvia's diet regimen sounds the most sensible of all, but I am not as disciplined. When I was on vacation I ate things I do not eat as a rule; the ham which was so prevalent and locally made in the Eastern European countries, the bread which is so delicious in Italy and bites of dessert here and there. Such as at high tea!! By the way, we really enjoyed the high teas on the ship. Oddly, I did not eat more than a few bites of pasta while in Italy there just wasn't enough time or appetite to eat everything offered.
Mary
0 -
HI, Adagio,
Have you heard anything about your clavicle? I do hope it turns out to be nothing ominous.
It sounds like you have a wonderful summer before you, going to India sounds amazing, and I am sure you will be able to go!. And Ireland sounds wonderful too, and I bet it is lovely in June. My sis-in-law is going to Ireland with a small group in December, I declined because traveling right before Christmas messes up my holiday prep. I think if I were going I would rather go when you are, December sounds like it would be chilly in Ireland.
I am thinking of planning a jaunt back to Italy in October, but haven't committed yet. We saw just enough of Rome to make me want to see more, and didn't really see much of the countryside of Italy. Now would like to spend more time there, I now have a number of a native contact to call for advice on how to go about things. We will see.
I am also trying to decide on whether to bite the bullet and have surgery on my shoulder, with its' torn rotator cuff and torn bicep muscle. When on vacation it doesn't bother me too much, but I have been helping clean up storm damage since I've been back and it is very painful. If I want much use out of my rt. arm I may have to do it, it is just such a long process recovering from it, and that arm has become very weak. Living alone, the idea of not using my rt. arm for 6 weeks is hard to accept. Last night, between the knee pain and the shoulder pain it was not pleasant, I had ice on the knee and heat on the shoulder.
Hope all is well with you and the tests come back good!
Love, Mary
0 -
Hi, Sylvia,
I think my DIL did see the BC surgeon yesterday and had CT, MRI and is slated to have a PET next week, maybe. Friday she sees the MO, and I did not talk to her yesterday. I got the impression on Tuesday that she is getting overloaded with advice from many directions, and her exact diagnosis is still not known and probably won't be till Friday when she sees her MO. I think her DH is pushing her to be treated elsewhere, but I know she has a strong bond with the MO on her case, which is also important. I decided to back off and see what is decided. It is still very early days. I am happy to help, but don't want to add to the clamor.
Chris Woollams' latest posts are full of info, a lot of the first one seems to be recapping, I am fascinated that the fairly old treatments of antihistamines and statins may be so helpful against cancer. I thought it was a little unclear on which kinds of cancer it seems to work best. I am just not sure I want to add another pill to my regimen unless I am sure it will have an effect. I commented on my use of Vitamin C in another post, but will check out the liposomal version when I need more.
I think you are wise to be getting your vitamins in your foods. If we were all as disciplined as you, I don't think we would need the supplements; you are my inspiration but I am not in your league yet, thus I do take the supplements.
And I do want to add that the flowers on the grounds of your complex are beautiful, thanks for the cheerful pictures. I ordered a "garden kneeler", it came in while I was gone. It folds up, when the legs are extended it is a seat, or you flip it over and you have a padded cushion to kneel on, plus when you get up there are the legs to give support. Pretty neat, I haven't used it yet, to be continued.
I am very sorry about the terrorist attack in UK, I don't know how this problem will be handled overall. Seems that every time this happens the news comes out that they were on a watchlist all along. But I guess nothing can be done until a crime is committed, don't know what the answer is. There must be one, so many innocents are dying for nothing but a crazy murderous belief system..
Talk again soon, love, Mary
0 -
Hello to Sylvia, Mary and all.
So sorry about the terrorist attack in the UK. To do it at all is unthinkable, but targeting our future which are the young is horrid.
Mary love your pictures. Oceania is my dream cruise line. I've taken several cruises. We lived in south Florida almost a decade, so cruising was reasonable and my kids were teenagers. I've shied away from Europe due to my knee and overall lack of stamina, the cobblestones and walking. We have traveled to Europe when we were younger. I remember being exhausted in Rome. We tried to see everything in a short amount of time. Totally impossible. I've longed to go back. My husband has now decided we are going no matter what. He says he will wheel me if necessary. So, we are booked for next year in September for a European cruise. This year we are doing an Alaskan cruise.
Mary so sad about your dil. You are correct, she is no doubt getting an overload of information. When it settles, and she knows her hormone status and treatment plan, she will feel better as we all know.
Adagio, I agree if we took everything, and went everywhere, there would be no time for living. I like Sylvia's approach. Getting our nutrients from healthy eating. I remember years back, I had trouble with my potassium. It was a severe case. When I changed my diet, without meds, the problem was corrected. I'm still learning discipline as i love pasta. I now have a spiralizer, which makes vegetables into spaghetti and it's very satisfying. I'm still a work in progress.
Lou best wishes on your upcoming travels. Those in treatment or just finishing, know it gets better. Reach out to us for comfort whenever you need it.
Val
ps it's been quite the challenge posting on this site. when i look back at my post it's either deleted or words are missing. ive seen it's happening randomly site wide.
0 -
Hello Lou,
If I were you I would not worry too much if you did not eat strictly as you would want to while on holiday. When out of the home it can be quite a challenge to eat what we on the thread would call healthy food. As long as you were eating plenty of fruit and veg you cannot have gone far wrong. It is best to focus on all the good things we are eating.
The most important thing was to enjoy your holiday and enjoy having your cancer journey behind you.
It is perfectly normal to be checking for lumps etc. so soon after finishing treatment. You will find it gets better as time goes on.
I do hope you have a good time in the Philippines when you go in two weeks time. A whole month will be a nice holiday. It is a pity that you cannot meet up with Gina.
I noticed that you mentioned to Mary that your sister-in-law was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 and that she was triple positive. I was wondering what kind of surgery she had, whether she had radiotherapy and whether she was given Herceptin for the HER2+ diagnosis. I was wondering why she did not have chemotherapy.
I understand how you feel about taking supplements. I try to avoid them as I think they are still foreign substances going in to our bodies. It is much better to eat food in its most simple way. The bulk of my shopping consists of fruit and vegetables.
Keep in touch and send us plenty of photographs when you go off to the Philippines.
Fond thoughts.
Sylvia xxxx
0 -
Hello adagio,
Thank you for your recent post. I am not taking vitamin C either.
Like you I pick and choose what is best for me. At the moment I take only Solgar complete calcium complex and softgel vitamin D on a regular basis, as well as a probiotic supplement.
For the rest, I just eat as healthily as I can – fruit and vegetables, wild Pacific salmon, soya milk enriched with calcium, organic soy yoghurt with live culture, nuts, seeds, pulses and beans. I do not eat any meat, poultry or dairy products, do not drink any alcohol and keep sugar to the minimum. As a treat I have 100% black chocolate and if I fancy a biscuit I tend to have oatcakes. I have recently discovered a refreshing fermented drink called Karma Komubacha. It is supposed to be a probiotic. It is difficult to describe the taste but it is supposed to be healthy and full of electrolytes. It is made from green tea.
My constant companions for over twelve years now have been all kinds of green tea and the bitter apricot kernels. I have these every day.
I was interested to read about milk thistle. It is something I have not tried, but I think cleansing the liver must be a good idea. Do you take this as supplements?
I try not to over-burden my mind with too much information. I think that sometimes with all the Chris Woollams paperwork, it is too much to absorb. I read most of it and then leave my mind to absorb what it can. I do the same for the magazine What Doctors Don't Tell You. I have discovered another magazine, Healthy Diet. I bought it for May and am waiting for the June edition to appear. It is quite relaxing and a lot of it says the same as WDDTY.
I forgot to say that I also have turmeric from time to time but I buy it fresh in a local greengrocer's shop in Exmouth.
Sending you the fondest thoughts.
Sylvia xxxx
0 -
Hello Mary and Val,
I am going to take a break and will post later on.
Fond thoughts.
Sylvia xxxx
0 -
Hi, Lou,
I think I agree with Sylvia about not worrying too much about diet while on vacation. I went way off my usual eating patterns, but if we can't enjoy life with all its' tastes, what use is it? Like you, I did eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, there was only one morning when I forgot to order big plates of fruit for breakfast. We ate breakfast in the room almost every morning, it was so quiet and peaceful and we could wear our pajamas! I went downstairs for breakfast twice, but it was crowded and noisy, and either way was included in the price, so why not? I did eat a lot of bread, which I usually do not eat, and I was positive I had gained weight. But I had to go to the gynecologist for annual exam this week, and I weighed the same as before I left, must have been all the walking.
I still check for lumps several times a day, it's like a reflex, I don't worry about the fact that I do it. I found my first lump, so it makes sense to me to be vigilant. Never mind that they say if TN has a recurrence it probably will not be localized, it is just a little something we can do easily ourselves.
How nice that you will be in Phillipines for a month, I'm sure your family is looking forward to it too. Your pics of Malaysia look like it's a wonderful place to be.
My DIL is facing yet another thing, she saw her MO today, and she already knew she had 6 cm BC in one breast but after the MRI results are out she now has found out she has another 6 cm in other breast, and another 1.3 cm lump. They have found she is E+ P+ in the first lump found but don't have the results from the Herceptin test yet. The mammogram did not pick up the 2 lumps in the other side, they said because of the breast density. Good grief! I wonder if she is on her way to triple positive?
I am glad your hair is coming back, hope your eyelashes do; mine never did come back very well, I miss my thick eyelashes!
Talk again soon, Love, Mary
0 -
Hello Mary,
Thank you for your recent post. I do hope all goes well with the scans and that she will soon be able to settle down in peace and begin her treatment. I do think the best way to get through treatment is to deal with information at each stage of the treatment. The last thing she needs is to have her mind filled up with too much information. I agree with you that it is very important to have a good relationship with your oncologist and other members of your medical team. I was wondering why her husband wants her to be treated elsewhere.
With reference to Chris Woollams I also think there is a lot of repetition and it is all rather overwhelming. I do have doubts about antihistamines and statins for cancer treatment, but who knows? I am rather cynical about all this and think they are just trying to push these drugs to make money. I do not think it is good for us to be swallowing all these pills from whatever source. The emphasis should all be on prevention and changing all the junk that we in the West eat and drink on a typical Western diet. All we can do is to make an effort in our everyday life and hope for the best.
It seems to me that you are doing your best to stay healthy, but I am glad I can be of an inspiration to you. I think we all know that most of our chronic illness, if not all, develops through inflammation and that seems to start in the gut with it becoming unhealthy. I do not think I am making a great effort to keep up with my food regime. I am lucky not to crave lots of the things that others seem to crave. I do not feel deprived in any way. I think my main problem is that I tend to worry too much and that I probably harm my health through stress.
Thank you for your kind words about the flowers in the grounds where I live. I think it is important to try to keep our thread cheerful and interesting.
All the talk here is about the terrorist attack in Manchester, a big city in the north of England. A large group of Libyans seem to be involved. I never quite believe what the authorities tell us and certainly not the politicians. What I do believe is that we have a lot of terrorists living in our midst and that this free movement of immigrants into our country because of being members of the EU is not doing us any good. This morning we are told that there are about 23,000 terrorists in our midst in the UK! I am still not convinced Brexit will be delivered. I do not trust Theresa May. She was always pro-EU. I do hope she will not get a majority at the General Election. I am looking forward to June 9th when it will all come to an end.
It is a Bank Holiday weekend here, so Exmouth is getting pretty busy. I am hoping for a bit of peace and quiet and a chance to catch up on some reading.
The media here is still obsessed with Donald Trump. When they are not demonising him they are demonising Jeremy Corbyn or Nigel Farage. I am afraid we have a very biased media.
Take care, Mary.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
0 -
Hello Val,
Thank you for your post. Yes, it is dreadful about the terrorist attack in Manchester, which is in the North of England.
Please send us photographs of your cruise to Alaska this year. When are you going?
You will gradually get your energy back. You have been through a lot but your determination will get you through it all.
I am sure you are doing your very best with your nutrition.
Fond thoughts.
Sylvia xxxx
0 -
Sylvia, and all
I posted part of this to Lou yesterday;
My DIL is facing yet another thing, she saw her MO yesterday, and she already knew she had 6 cm BC in one breast but after the MRI results are out she now has found out she has another 6 cm in other breast, and another 1.3 cm lump as well. Mammo didn't pick these up because of the breast density. Thank goodness it found the lump in the other breast! They have found she is E+ P+ in the first lump found but don't have the results from the Herceptin test yet. The mammogram did not pick up the 2 lumps on the other side, they said because of the breast density. Good grief! I wonder if she is on her way to triple positive? She now has to have a biopsy next week of the latest lumps found and also is now definitely having the PET scan next week. She is going ahead with her scheduled 2nd opinion on Tuesday, but I think she is only doing it to please her husband. He talked to a friend and thinks she should go to a larger city for treatment. But since she knows and trusts her MO, I am pretty sure she is going to be treated with her, and it's closer to home. I have only heard good things about her MO, had I known more at the time I was diagnosed I might have gone to her too. Oh well, the things I hope for her keep changing, now I hope the PET scan is clear for the rest of her body!
Later, Mary
0
