Calling all triple negative breast cancer patients in the UK
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Hello everyone,
I am just going to post the second part of what I was doing.
Biotin. Traces of biotin are found in a wide variety of foods. Foods rich in biotin include liver, nuts, peas, beans, egg yolks, cauliflower, and mushrooms. Most of the biotin that we require is manufactured by bacteria in the intestine.
Calcium. The main food sources are milk and dairy products, sardines, dark green leafy vegetables, beans, peas and nuts. Calcium is also present in drinking water where the water is hard.
Chromium. It is present in a wide variety of foods. Meat, dairy products, and wholemeal cereals are good sources of this mineral.
Chromium is a trace element and only minute quantities are required.
Copper. Most unprocessed foods contain copper – liver, shellfish, nuts, mushrooms, wholemeal cereals, pulses.
Fluoride. Tea, sea fish are rich in fluoride.
Iodine. Seafood is the best source of iodine, but bread and dairy products such as milk are the main source of this mineral in most diets. Iodised table salt is a good source and it may be inhaled from the atmosphere in coastal regions.
Iron. Liver is the best source of iron. Other rich sources include meat (especially organ offal), eggs, chicken, fish, leafy green vegetables, dried fruit, enriched or wholemeal cereals, breads and pastas, nuts and pulses.
Iron is better absorbed from meat, eggs, chicken and fish than from vegetables. Foods rich in vitamin C enhance iron absorption.
Magnesium. Best sources of magnesium are leafy green vegetables. Also rich sources are nuts, wholemeal cereals, soya beans, cheese and seafood. In hard water areas drinking water is a good source.
Potassium. The best sources are green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, oranges, potatoes and bananas. Rich sources are also lean meat, pulses, chocolate, coffee and milk.
Processing foods lowers the level.
Selenium (a trace element and it is an antioxidant like vitamins A, C & E). Good sources are meat, fish, wholemeal cereals and dairy products. In vegetables the amount of selenium depends on the amount of it in the soil.
Sodium. Main sources are table salt, processed foods, cheese, breads, cereals, smoked, pickled or cured meats and fish.
High concentrations are found in pickles and snack food, including potato crisps and olives. Manufactured foods may also contain sodium compounds such as monosodium glutamate.
Zinc. It is present in small amounts in a wide variety of foods. The mineral is better absorbed from animal sources than from plant sources.
The best sources are protein-rich foods such as lean meat and seafood. Wholemeal breads and cereals as well as dried pulses are also good sources of this mineral.
I do hope this will help you all to get a very mixed diet. This is the only way to make sure we are getting plenty of vitamins and minerals and trace elements. Deficiencies in any of these are going to have an effect on the proper working of the body and over-supplies I would think would be no better.
Thanking all of you who have contributed strongly to the thread this week and hoping to say hello soon to those we have not heard from.
I am thinking in particular of Sarah and hoping she and her mother are doing well. I also hope that newer posters, such as Duchess60, HappyHammer and Chelsea are doing alright.
Wishing everyone a good week.
Fond thoughts.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Mary and others who may be interested,
You may want to have a look at the following links that I found on the thread parathyroid disease and breast cancer. It was started by sam52 and I have kept an interest in it ever since we met there in 2009 when we both had hyperparathyroidism and had both had breast cancer. It is very interesting information there.
Also of interest is the High calcium thread where we also both posted. I am trying to keep both of these going.
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/04/garry-shandling-hyperparathyroidism/476445/
https://parathyroidpeeps.com/our-stories-2/
Best wishes.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Everyone,
Kat, thanks for your kind wishes about my ankle. It hurt a lot at first, but I rested, elevated, iced, and used compression, (RICE) on it right away. I'm limping just a little still, but I'm happy to say the pain is almost gone. I'm glad you got a 3-month clearance from your oncologist. I hope you feel great about that. I have my next appointment at the end of this month.
Mary, Thanks for sharing all of the Iodine information. I picked out the things that work for me already, like using Milk Thistle to flush toxins, the diet tips, and using Himalayan salt. It's good for us to be aware of the importance and the link between Iodine and general health.
Your injury adventure was definitely comic/tragic! It happens so easily, and makes such a huge impact, doesn't it? We haven't heard much about the wineries since the mudslides in Santa Barbara. Both disasters were horrible. We don't have tornadoes or blizzards, but between earthquakes, mudslides, and fires, there are a lot of reasons not to live here. I have lived in Southern California all of my life, and I've been lucky.
I'm planning a trip to Ireland and Scotland in May, and I'm really looking forward to it.
Sylvia, I'm looking forward to what info that they share with you at your appointment on 3/19. You're right - that's enough going into the hospital.
I'm curious, I know many people stop using their microwaves, but they're not all as informed as you are. Was there a particular reason that you stopped? Thanks for sharing the all of the info about the vitamin sources in foods. I tend to absorb bits of that info that suit me too.
Have some fun if you can today. I'm going to try, even though it's a work day.
Pam
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Hi, Sylvia
You have been very busy, thanks for all the info you have posted. After reading the nutritional info, I thought it looked as if we could survive eating nothing but liver and dark leafy greens! Just kidding, that would get monotonous, but it's too bad liver has gotten a bad name over the past 20 years or so. Mainly because it's an organ meat and holds a lot of the toxins that animals take in, from what I understand. I do know a butcher who processes grass-fed, drug-free beef as well as the regular beef and I think I will see if I can get some of it and eat it occasionally. I still do have some left in my freezer. I wonder how long all these nutrients last in a frozen state.
Back to your first post, I wonder too about the thyroid link to BC. I am always curious about why there is seemingly so much more BC now than in previous years, and I don't really see that addressed anywhere. And perhaps it is as you said, we take in more toxins now than say, 50 years ago, and the tissues of the breast and the prostate are receptive to those toxins. Perhaps the hormonal-reactive types of BC are reacting to all the extra hormones given to cattle and ending up in the milk, and thus in the breasts and prostate, people do eat a lot of cheese! But then I think about TNBC, and I draw a blank, like the much better educated docs and research scientists.
I checked my most recent blood test work-up, and you are right, there is a result for T4 and TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), but not T3. I think next time I will ask for it to be included. I didn't realize the bromide was ubiquitous in breads nowadays, I eat very little bread, but keep a loaf of the flourless sprout bread in the freezer and I do eat sourdough bread occasionally. I looked up making my own sourdough but it seems rather time-intensive so for the small amount of it I eat it hardly makes sense to trouble with it.
Back in the days before BC, before chemo weakness, neuropathy, and knee injury, I used to walk 2 or 3 miles every morning. Some days I would be fine, other days I would get about a mile from my house and would suddenly become weak, have a cold sweat and feel very shaky. Those days I would rest a moment and then slowly make my way back home. When I got home I would eat whatever food was handy and rest for a bit and would then feel better. I finally learned to eat some protein before leaving home, but occasionally had the same thing happen with that. I asked the doc but he said probably thyroid a little low, or maybe it was high, but when he would test the numbers would be okay. I never did really understand all that. Maybe something borderline? I do know my body seems to need a lot of protein to be at all happy, and usually needs frequent snacks.
Interesting that iodized salt is not easily available in UK. UK seems way ahead of us in many areas. Most people I know just buy the iodized salt off the shelf, it is very cheap. I have been using the Celtic sea salt for a while and also have a grinder of the pink salt. My husband liked the Lite Salt, it had potassium in place of much of the sodium, but was also probably a batch of other chemicals. It did get us accustomed to not eating much salt. Most of the lower-priced restaurants around here overuse salt, and I find some of the food inedible because of the saltiness.
I also worry about the fluoride in toothpaste, but I still do use it intermittently, alternating with a non-fluoride paste. If I don't use it at all, my teeth darken, probably because of my morning coffee. But I don't want to give up my coffee! There is so much to worry about, what about the mercury fillings in our teeth? So in the area of fluoride toothpaste I bow to vanity, and do keep it on hand.
I am also not going to give up eggs, I wonder if the problem with them arises from the hormones in chicken feed? Perhaps the free-range, organic eggs are fine, I will continue to think so and keep eating them within reason.
I have heard, and read a little about the Salisbury spy poisonings. Sounds like it is being reported that the KGB
is alive and well and poisoning spies, and also causing innocent bystanders to become ill. Now Russia is banning UK journalists, and Teresa May is responding by expelling Russian diplomats. And the saga continues!I will close this for now, talk to you soon, and thanks again, it is good to be reminded of all these necessary nutrients.
Love, Mary
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Hello Mary,
Thank you for your interesting post. I posted the information about food and nutrients because I wanted to make the point that just enjoy your food and eat all in moderation. I agree that it is sad that liver has been given such a bad reputation, as it keeps coming out on top for nutrition. We had a lot of it as children. I am sure that if you get organic grass fed meat it should be fine. I do wonder what happens to food when it is frozen. I remember reading once that freezing bread changed the texture and that frozen vegetables are lacking enzymes. Who knows what goes on? I just tend to eat food in as natural state as possible.
I do think there is a connection between thyroid problems, parathyroid problems and probably others and breast cancer. There seem to be quite a lot of people on the thread having had both. I tend to think a lot of it may be to do with deficiencies in vitamins, minerals and trace elements, brought about by unhealthy processed food and thus malfunctioning glands. Thyroid problems seem to be due to iodine deficiency, breast cancer problems due to vitamin D deficiency and parathyroid problems due to too much calcium circulating in the blood. There is too much under-diagnosis and too much difference of opinion about what is a normal reading. The parathyroid problem can be fatal. Yesterday I was reading the links on the parathyroid and breast cancer thread and was reading about a comedian who had died at 66 of what is being called a heart attack. It seems it could have been due to hyperparathyroidism. I cannot believe I had no symptoms of which I was aware.
As for TNBC we have to remember that cancer cells mutate and your TNBC may not have started off as such.
I think, perhaps, that the regular blood tests we have are not that great, a bit too vague and the numbers of what is acceptable seem to change. Patients need to be detectives and not necessarily accept what they are told.
Raymond and I are going to continue to eat organic eggs. They also score high on that nutrition list. We just tend to do what we think we will and do not have much trust in the 'experts'. We have just done some shopping and the main part of it is always fruit and vegetables. We bought some fish and prawns, a little bit of goats cheese, some green tea and some chamomile, almond drink, organic oat cakes, nuts and some quinoa. There is too much scaremongering and too many people making money out of doing this.
We have been following the Salisbury spy poisonings and taking with a pinch of salt everything the politicians are telling us. We think they are trying to start a new cold war, so that they can sell more arms and kill more people. The Russians are the scapegoats for everything these days. We, the ordinary people, will never know the truth about anything. I think our government needs to get back to Brexit and deal with the appalling state of our country. They also need to come down to earth a bit.
We are absolutely dreading all the hysteria that is to come in April and May with "royal births and marriages in style" while people sleep on the streets in dire poverty.
I have been thinking about Michael today (Chatterbox). This is about the time of the birthday of his wife Janette Collins who died of TNBC. I have been wondering how he is and whether he made any progress with the Janette Collins Foundation that he set up in her memory.
That is all for now.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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A recipe for when you don't feel like eating it raw.
ROASTED GARLIC CABBAGE
1 head cabbage
2 1/2 Tblsp. olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper if desired, or garlic salt
Combine oil and garlic in small bowl. Slice cabbage into circles and then slice each circle in half, keeping part of the core intact to hold slice together.
Place on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray or lightly coated with olive oil.
Brush the cabbage slices with oil/garlic mixture, then season and place into oven. Roast for about 30 minutes or until cabbage is tender and edges begin to slightly brown. Serve hot.
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I hope it's okay to post a recipe, I know this isn't a recipe blog! I usually eat cabbage raw or steamed but this sounded good, while still being simple.
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Sylvia
I wanted to let you know I read the articles that you linked, they were very interesting. I really liked Barbara's story among the 3 women with adenomas because of hyperparathyroidism. She was very detailed, and explained things very well. The difference in her health now and the way she was before is amazing!
I was also very interested to read the article about Larry Shandling. I heard he had died but didn't really know why. The article claims he had hyperparathyroidism and links it to the heart attack that killed him, but I wonder why it wasn't treated in his case. Or was it treated, but too late? The article doesn't really say what happened, except that Larry made it public at one time. I always liked his humor, he used to have his own half-hour sit-com on TV and it was funny and self-deprecating, I liked it.
Thanks for posting the links. And I will post more later.
Love, Mary
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Here are a few photos of Zihuatenajo, Mexico where we spent a lovely relaxing week in warm sunny weather. Tomorrow I go to see my oncologist, and I will let everyone know how it goes.
Nice to catch up on the posts and as always, lots of interesting conversation. Will post soon - now off to pack the suitcase.
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Hello Mary,
Thank you for the recipe and thank you for your post.
I was glad to know that you had found those articles interesting. In the same way that I thought triple negative breast cancer should be brought out of the dark ages in the UK back in 2005, I thought at the same time it applied to hyperparathyroidism at the same time but I had to concentrate on the breast cancer at that time. I was not convinced when I was diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism at the same time that it was as rare as I was being told. I got back to the hospital in 2009 when I was well recovered from my breast cancer to ask what to do. Although they had told me how serious it was, they had forgotten about it. I did all my research with sam52 and as said it was through the hyperparathyroidism that I really discovered breastcancer.org. I found the high calcium thread in the forum Not diagnosed with a recurrence or metastases but concerned. There are lots of posts from sam52 and me on there that are worth reading. I reactivated it and shall keep doing so. The person who started it really started it because she thought the high calcium had to be a sign of metastases.
The thread needs to be read in conjunction with the thread sam52 started Hyperparathyroidism and breast cancer in the forum Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC).
I think that parathyroid problems and thyroid problems are associated with the development of breast cancer and these problems may explain why so many women are being diagnosed with breast cancer.
I saw recently that in the Alternative forum there is a thread Low iodine and breast cancer. I have marked all three threads as favourites.
I see that adagio is back and I hope she will post about her check up with her oncologist as soon as possible.
That is all for now.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello adagio,
Welcome back to the thread. Your photographs are beautiful and I bet the holiday has done you a world of good.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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This is how I celebrated being discharged from the Cancer Agency today - bought myself some beautiful spring flowers - my heart is full of gratitude to God and I feel quite emotional about the whole journey. My oncologist said that I can phone her any time if I have concerns - she is so lovely and very reassuring😀
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Hi, Pam
Glad your ankle is mending well. An injury like that really does make one appreciate just being mobile again, and definitely makes one just a little more cautious!
Glad you found the iodine info useful, I have also taken Milk Thistle for years and have been using the pink salt for a while now. I also have some of the more gray-toned Celtic sea salt. I was also interested to see how the Government arrives at the Minimum Daily Requirements. They recommend just enough to keep from getting the severe symptoms; in the case of Vitamin C, scurvy. And in the case of Iodine, goiter.
I don't think it matters where we live, there is always some susceptibility to natural disaster. I have heard that California has always had a lot of natural wildfires because of its' seasons of drought followed by seasons of moisture, but now there are so many more people living in these areas that the fires cause much property damage. Not to mention there is a current state of worse drought than usual, and I think some of the fires were caused by humans, either accidental or intentional.
Your trip to Ireland and Scotland sounds wonderful, I have a trip in May too, that is coming up fast.
I am up in the air about microwave ovens too. I never did use mine very much, mostly for warming up heat wraps for various body aches! Microwaves are convenient at times, but I have heard experts on both sides of the issue expounding on the subject.
Have a great weekend, Pam, talk to you soon!
Love, Mary
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Hello adagio,
I was glad to know that all went well at the Cancer Agency yesterday. I was a bit puzzled by the term Cancer Agency. Is this part of a hospital set up?
It will feel strange at first being liberated, but at least you know that you can phone your oncologist if you have concerns.
Thank you for sharing the flowers with us. That was a nice way to celebrate.
I do hope you will have a nice weekend. I saw that the weather in Vancouver is pretty mild at 14c. I think you are warmer than we are here in Exmouth.
I do hope you will stay with us to help others. I am increasingly concerned at the number of women coming on various threads here with breast cancer. It is just not normal. I was looking at a chart this week which said 35% of cancers were due to lifestyle and 30% due to smoking.
Take care.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello everyone,
I hope everyone is alright and am disappointed not to see any posts.
The snow is back here and snowing unrelentingly in Exmouth. On Friday before any hint of snow I had a letter from the NHS Dermatology to say my appointment for Wednesday March 28th had been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances and a new date will be given when possible. To say I am fed up is an understatement.
Now we have snow and I am due to go to the lymphoedema clinic tomorrow morning. Will it happen?
That is all for today.
Best wishes
Sylvia xxxx
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Snowing here this morning but at least the temp is fairly mild. We are supposed to be gearing up for about 20 cm by Friday. But we know Spring will come. I'm just wondering if anyone can suggest how long radiation keeps working in the body? It is just over three months since I finished and I still have so much pain in my breast. My arm muscles are still weak and I can't seem to lift anything over 10 lbs without making it worse. I have another six weeks before I see my MO. Feeling a little down, I guess. But hope everyone is doing well
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Hello Nancy,
It was nice to hear from you. I know that in Manitoba you will be geared up for snow clearing and there will be no panic.
You mentioned about radiation. You need to remember that, although patients seem to find radiotherapy a lot easier than the longer treatment of chemotherapy, it is nevertheless a very toxic and debilitating treatment and it can be a long recovery and it does have side effects. Radiotherapy is one of the causes of lymphoedema, for example.
You do not have to wait six weeks to see your MO to get it checked out. You should have a breast cancer nurse, whom you can phone and tell her about your pain in the breast and how your arm muscles are feeling weak and get worse if you try to lift anything over 10 lbs. By the way, I feel that at this stage 10 lbs is quite heavy. If you cannot get satisfaction and action from your breast cancer nurse, then if that were me I would see my GP and relate how I am feeling and get some action. Anything that is bothering you needs to be dealt with.
Please let me know how you get on.
Wishing you all the best.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Mary,
I hope all is OK. I thought you might be interested to know that I was checking through the Active Topics yesterday and came across a new thread on the Lymphoedema forum. It was all about the first drug treatment for lymphoedema being a possibility. There was a link which I read but I am not convinced. You might like to have a look at it.
http://ourhealthneeds.com/study-finds-first-possible-drug-treatment-for-lymphedema-3/
I also saw something about Raynaud's disease or syndrome and this somehow brought me back to our own TNBC thread in 2014. I saw that you had mentioned that you had Raynaud's syndrome and I wondered if you still had it.
It was so interesting reading some of the posts at that time and it made me think about Carolben in South Africa and what happened to her. Also on those posts were MaryMargaretHope and how she was having a baby at that time, and Michael Chatterbox. I do wonder what has happened to them. I remember about Michael's wife and TNBC and how Michael had had lymphoma.
I hope all is well with you. You might want to look at the Active Topics. There are just six pages usually and you find some interesting comments.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Oh, no, not more snow!
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Hello Sylvia, Mary, adagio, Pam, Nancy and all
You are all like the dearest sisters to me. I love each of you deeply in my heart and my not posting often does not mean I let you get out of my mind. I often think of all you and wish you all the best.
Sylvia, you seem not to enjoy the snow but I want to let you know we had only a few snowy days here in Tehran during the whole winter and snow is very much appreciated by all here. Right now spring has come and the trees are blooming. I hope spring comes to your town soon too. I have travelled to North to spend the week before my last injection here. The weather is so lovely that I feel far better than previous days. I hope I get my healing form all the beauties of the nature here.
Mary, how are you doing? Your story of spraining your ankle me laugh and feel sorry at the same time.
I did a lot of spring cleaning. Now my apartment is tidy and clean in every corner and even inside the cupboards and closets. Of course my husband help me a lot by cleaning the walls, the windows, and taking all the curtains to the dry cleaners. I often think of the window you said need cleaning. Did you clean it in the end. Yet, be sure to take care of your health as you live alone and never do everything by yourself. By the way, do you do spring cleaning too?
adagio, I love to dance a dance of happiness for you. That is the greatest news I heard in recent days. You news of health is so great that made me imagine I buy myself some flowers by hearing such good news. I just like to stay hopeful that I can beat it too. I wish you a long life of of health and happiness.
Pam, sorry to hear about your ankle. I hope you feel better soon.
Wish you all the the best
Hanieh
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Hello Mary,
Thank you for that video. It did make me laugh and I thought only the English could be so nutty!
I had to cancel my appointment at the Lymphoedema Clinic because of the snow. I have spoken to Michelle who is going to be treating me and we have decided to wait a bit longer as the deeper cut for the mole excision has left a scar which is healing slowly.
Although Raymond and I spent 17 years in Canada, in very cold and snowy Montreal, Ottawa and London, Ontario, it was never a problem. Canada is geared up for it and people know how to drive on the snow. I quite enjoyed clearing up the snow on the driveway with a shovel and also had a small snow blower (rather like a lawn mower) to clear snow. I do remember once setting off to put Christmas cards in neighbours' letterboxes and accidentally sliding down the driveway on my rear!
That is about all for the moment.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hi, Sylvia
I was surprised at the amount of ice in this video, you are right, I don't think our roads would get that bad either because the salt trucks are always on the ready in the winter to get out. Although the ice and snow do get ahead of even those especially out here where roads are less traveled.
I am okay, had a very busy few days and was in a bit of misery for part of it. Thursday my brother helped me with some things at the farm and he told me he had hurt his knee the night before. So two of us with sore knees, great! Then he stopped by my residence and helped me with a chore. After he left I decided to finish up cleaning the gutters since it was a nice day, up and down the ladder. I did a few other things, although by that time I didn't really feel like it. That night I had ice packs on knees and hot pad on shoulders, as is often the norm now. Friday I drove to acupuncture doc, knees felt a little stiff and sore, but bearable. The doc was running late, so I had to wait a while. When I finally got in I showed him my MRI results from knee, and he decided to try electro-shock therapy on it. He attaches electrodes around the knee and for 20 minutes it was delivering tiny shocks. He said it might cause soreness. He was running very late, by the time I got home it was time to go to a fish dinner I was invited to, and the dinner was served very late. I didn't sleep well, and the next day, Saturday, was a cold, gray day and my knee was very sore. I did what I had to do and spent the rest of the time with the leg up and iced.
Yesterday, Sunday, I took a friend shopping because the knee felt better and also because I was tired of thinking about it.
If I didn't tell you, I went and picked up my MRI results because the doctors had never really told me what was going on with it, and they weren't in the room long enough to ask! Results follow:
1.Bilateral meniscus tears
2. Degenerative arthrosis, predominantly in patellofemoral joint. (mostly under kneecap, pain with kneeling and stairs)
3. Quadriceps and infrapatellar tendinopathy
4. Partial thickness tear in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
There is no definitive treatment, I have found. I have been told to only do gentle walking, recumbent bike, or swimming, as far as exercise. I believe the tendinopathy got to this point when I was with the last physical therapist and had the last treatment with him a year ago. The other things are caused by age and wear and tear, I suppose. I am just finding it adding a level of frustration to things. The things I like to do involve walking, climbing, kneeling, crawling around on the ground with plants; all these things will cause me more pain from now on. I do need to start wearing a good knee brace when I am working outside.
I will write more in just a bit. Love, Mary
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Hi Sylvia
The video is from Swanage, Dorset, UK. Maybe the link you got didn't include location?
I was very pleasantly surprised to read the link you posted and see that there is a drug in testing that can help lymphedema, that is just wonderful news! In reading the article I was really struck by the following:
"The researchers found that the buildup of lymph fluid is actually an inflammatory response within the tissue of the skin, not merely a "plumbing" problem within the lymphatic system, as previously thought."
That's really something, I think, to learn that perhaps we need to flip our thinking around. The lymph nodes' failure to clear all the lymph is possibly not the causation, but the effect. I hope this good work continues to make quick progress!
I do still have the Raynaud's syndrome, it causes my hands to always be cold and in the winter my fingers often turn white, even while wearing gloves. And usually my right hand is colder than the left. It takes some effort to get the circulation going again. My car has a heated steering wheel, best invention ever for someone like me!
I do remember all the people you mentioned, Carolben, MaryMargaretHope, and Michael. I hope that they all left the thread because they are just having too much fun and are too busy.
I do sometimes look at Active Topics, it's odd though, sometimes it makes me a little down to do a lot of reading on other sites. I don't have that same reaction here, I suppose because I feel like we are a little family and just sharing experiences, hopes and fears, joys and sorrows. When reading the others I get a bit overwhelmed because of the sheer numbers of suffering people, I think.
I'm glad you were able to put off the lymphedema appointment, and I hope your scar will finish healing quickly.
You have posted great snow pics, I know it is so disrupting there, but spring is only a few days away, believe it or not.
I will talk to you again soon, love, Mary
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Sylvia and all
While whining about my knee pain, I am very aware that many people have far worse problems. And I know many people, including my husband, who have(had) bad knee pain and have(had) knee surgery to fix it. That's the issue, I don't see a fix for me, and I don't seem to be handling this gradual decline in physical ability very well. Is this called refusing to grow old gracefully?
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HI, Nancy
I am sorry about your breast pain and hope it is all normal, and I'm pretty sure it is. But do tell your doctor when you see him/her.
My surgery was 4 years ago and there is still pain at the site, I have told my MO and she brushes it off as nerve pain, since they cut into a lot of nerves when they do mastectomy. It seems worse at the end of the day, and with a lot of activity, but I am rather used to it and put it on the list as one of the things that hurts these days.
I also wanted to tell you that my sis-in-law was vacationing on the very same little isle in Mexico where you were, and at the very same time! I figured all this out after hearing her talk about it and reading your message about it. You might very well have been in the same restaurant or hotel at some point, interesting! But while you found it very relaxing, she and her girlfriend thought it was dull, I guess they were looking for more activities.
I hope your doctor visit in 6 weeks goes well.
Mary
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HI, Hanieh
And you are a dear little sister to me! As I said above to Sylvla, I think we are like a little family, while at the same time we are still being open to new family members. I know how busy you are and also you are not feeling your best, so don't worry about not posting a lot now.
I see you are enjoying some spring beauty in the North before your last treatment, I am glad of that.
We did not have our usual amount of snow either, the weather patterns have been different. Our spring is later than it has been in recent years, trees are still bare but the grass is getting green and there are some daffodils blooming.
So far I have cleaned only that one window, with the rest of them to do. I will probably do one at a time. I have a girl that comes here once a month and does vacuuming, dusting and mopping (questionable job of doing that, the last time she was here I scrubbed the kitchen again later that day.) I do touch-ups in between and hope to get rid of my remaining carpeting this spring. Part of the problem there is just getting things ready, I need to get things on tables and on shelves boxed and put away so furniture can be moved easily. And I need to go pick out new flooring, I just can't seem to get going on it. Now that I just can't do it all, I am really seeing all the advantages of having a healthy husband and/or children to be able to call for help. I have people I can call, but it's not the same, I feel as if I am imposing on them. They are all busy too!
This morning it is very dark, gloomy and raining a steady downpour here. So I cooked a pot of red cabbage with apples and onions for breakfast. It's really good!
I hope being in the nice spring weather brings you back to feeling strong before your next treatment, soon it will be finished!
I will talk to you again soon, love, Mary
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Hello Hanieh,
It was nice to hear from you and thank you for your very kind words to all of us.
It is true, Hanieh, that I do not enjoy the snow. It is nice to look at when it first falls but after that it becomes messy and very dangerous. I think I had my fill of snow and cold when Raymond and I lived in Canada for seventeen years. The country never stopped because of it but the cold was so severe that it felt like it numbed the mind. It is hard for people to understand, in this country, just how cold it was. Here it is cold damp and we do not get enough sun. Devon is particularly damp whereas Canada was dry and often very sunny. Canada was very, very hot in the summer months and black flies and mosquitoes were a particular problem.
I was glad to read that you have travelled north for a week's break before your last chemotherapy injection. I am sure that break must be doing you a lot of good. Make the most of it and soon your chemotherapy will be behind you.
I noticed that you mentioned spring cleaning to Mary. We do that here as well. Raymond and I tend to do it throughout the year and since we are both minimalists it is not that difficult to keep our apartment clean and tidy. We cannot stand any kind of clutter and we are both very organised and efficient.
It is now the spring equinox here and the days are much longer. I am looking forward to getting back to doing some gardening and bringing back colour to the grounds in our apartment complex.
When you come back from your break are you going back to your teaching? How is your daughter getting on? How is her English and does she like learning this language?
I have been looking at the active topics on a regular basis and I am concerned about the number of women being diagnosed with breast cancer. It is just not right. I have been dismayed, too, about the posts from women with hormonal breast cancer and all that they go through with tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors. It looks as though tamoxifen can cause hair loss and aromatase inhibitors cause osteoporosis and women have to be on them for years.
Have you had any time to do a bit of relaxing reading? If so, what have you been reading?
Keep in touch with us and let us know how you feel after that last infusion.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Mary,
Thank you for all your posts. You certainly keep yourself very busy. You do a lot of hard physical work and I do wonder how you manage it all.
I did not know that acupuncturists did electro-shock therapy. Do you think it worked for you?
I can understand that after such a busy day you did not sleep well. I find that if I have busy days or days that I find stressful, I cannot get to sleep and do not sleep well. It sounds as though you need a few days of TLC.
Thank you for posting your MRI results. I am familiar with meniscus tears because my younger brother here in Exmouth has had surgery for that problem. I seem to remember that he had a lot of trouble after the surgery.
I am looking at the second problem on your list and at the same time I am looking at my huge, heavy medical book (BMA Complete Home Medical Guide) and I have gone to the part entitled Musculoskeletal System, and I have a page with a picture of all the bones etc. in the body from head to toe, so I can see quite clearly where the femur bone and patella bone are. I can understand why you have pain with kneeling and stairs.
I must admit that numbers 3 and 4 are bit moe difficult for me to understand but my common sense tells me that you must be suffering with all of this.
It looks as though you will have to try to do the gentle walking, recumbent bike and swimming. I am told that swimming is very therapeutic for lots of problems.
I understand about frustration but as we age we have to try to adapt our lifestyle. I am sure you will find a way to make your days as pleasurable and pain free as possible.
You will have to learn to delegate the harder jobs to someone else.
I am thinking of you, Mary, and wishing you well.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Mary,
Dorset is not that far from Devon. Funnily enough I vaguely remember Swanage in Dorset. My younger brother here in Exmouth has a tendency to do mad marathon walks. It is a few years ago, now, that he decided to walk the Jurassic coast, by himself, from Exmouth to Weymouth. I am always worried that he is going to get himself into problems. Raymond and I drove to Swanage when my brother was on about his third bout of the journey. We figured he would come off that bout in Swanage, a tiny off the beaten track place and sure enough we found him and brought him back to Exmouth in our car. He did complete that walk.
I was interested in your comments about this drug that they think will be the answer to lymphoedema. I am not that convinced. I see that the article is connected to a drug company and I find the whole emphasis on looking after patients is finding drugs for them to swallow. The name of that drug is bestatin (also known as ubenimex) and that it is used in Japan to treat cancer and was found to work well as an LTB4 inhibitor with no side effects. I just do not believe that drugs do not have side effects. I cannot see how a drug can make damaged lymph systems work. What about the missing lymph nodes?
I was interrested to know that you still have Raynaud's syndrome. Do you know what the cause of it is?
I am amazed how faulty the human body is.
Like you I do hope CarolBen, MaryMargaretHope and Michael (Chatterbox) are all absent from the thread because they are too busy enjoying life. I would love to know what Michael thinks of the problem (or so called problem) of the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. I do not think this can be resolved. It is only my opinion but I think that the two countries should be reunited.
I do understand about how reading Active Topics can make you feel down. I sometimes have that feeling especially when I read misleading information or superficial comments. Like you, I feel at home in our own little group but feel disappointed when people leave without saying goodbye. It looks as though Lou may have left and is probably busy with her son and holding down a job.
I think we have just about caught up with each other on the thread, but if I have forgotten anything, please let me know.
Take care of yourself and do not work too hard.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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