Calling all triple negative breast cancer patients in the UK
Comments
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Hi, Sylvia
I wrote a lengthy post and hit Preview so I could Edit it, it disappeared and I am angry about it. I have no time right now to re-write, I know I have to quit trusting these Buttons. Preview and Submit do not always work properly! I will be back later.
I did get another post from Chris W, dated June 3rd.
Talk soon, love, Mary
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Hello Sylvia,
You must have been very confused by my writing that I had seen the video in Chris Woolams' newsletter. Professor Charlie Swanton looked very like the oncologist I watched on YouTube a few weeks ago. Annoyingly, after a long time searching I cannot find that particular video. I will go on looking as I think you would find it interesting.
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Hi Mary,
This website has so much interesting information, but something really needs to be done about its frustrating habit of losing comments. Many of mine have disappeared and I've had no success with trying to find them again. Surely there should be some way of retrieving them?
I can't say anything intelligent about climate change. However, my son-in-law is an academic and climate change in the Arctic is his area of expertise. He's pretty convincing. Whether we humans are causing the change or whether it's the natural changes that occurs over the millennia, I'm not sure. I do think there are just too many of us. We use up far too much of the Earth's resources and pollute the ocean and rivers with plastics and chemicals. It's frightening that we're now polluting space as well.
I do hope your sister-in-law's cervical cancer scare will turn out to be nothing serious. Waiting for results is horribly stressful.
It's so sad when close friends become ill. Lung nodules do sound very worrying when that's all the information you have. All you can do for your friend and your sister-in-law is wait and pray that all is well or at least, easily treatable.
I was wondering where Susie had got to. Probably taking in the culture somewhere in London. I do love living in the countryside, but still need my London fix every so often. The capital is excited, (not everyone), about Donald Trump's visit. Rumour has it, that Prince Harry is ignoring him because he called Meghan Markle 'nasty', apart from that, the visit has run very smoothly.
You must be happy to be down to just one mammogram a year. Do you have an ultrasound scan on the mastectomy side when you have the mammogram? It's the ultrasound on my left side that I'm most interested in. The mammogram missed my cancer after all.
Don't go overdoing things on the farm.
Love,
Gill X
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Hi, Gill
It is frustrating to lose messages when we put thought and effort behind each one, perhaps I will start writing several short ones and sending each separately, or use the copy and paste method.
Yesterday evening we had a storm that was actually a deluge, the sky opened and down came a wall of water for about a half hour, when it moved on we had had 2 inches of additional rain, on top of already flooded areas.
In the area of climate change, everyone has opinions and in the meantime, the main pollution offenders on the planet keep doing what they are doing and if truly any of this is man-made, I would appreciate most of the blame being laid at their feet. If changes are all natural, then it's all just chatter anyway. Just my opinion, I am no expert.
I am like you in that I like living in the country, but very much like going to a big city once in a while.
It is disturbing that the metaplastic TNBC is more elusive than regular TNBC, as if the latter isn't bad enough. Yes, I also read the part in Woollams' article that said "TNBC has no cure currently." I would rather just forget I saw that! At least by going through the chemo we have done all that is possible to do. Like you, I did not have radiation, because I was not in shape for it at the end of chemo and it was not brought back up. I am so glad you are recovering well from the C. difficile.
As for my friends who are facing illness, I am waiting for reports from two of them, and one I visited in the hospital yesterday; he has been battling kidney cancer for 14 years. Many surgeries, and much chemo later, he is at the end of what is available for him. Although, he has confounded the experts before!
Talk to you later, love
Mary
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Hi, Sylvia
I shall write again to you a little later, right now I have an errand while the sun is shining, before the next rain! I wish I could send some rain your way.
Mary
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Hello Gill,
Thank you for your latest post dated June 4th. I was glad to know you are feeling much better and I am sure that the tiredness and the bitter taste will gradually go.
I was not really surprised to read about the poor performance of so many cancer treatments in the articles by Chris Woollams. I have always felt that surgery is the most important part of cancer treatment and that it is important to catch any tumour as early and as small as possible and get the surgery over. As for chemotherapy, patients just have to make up their own mind and in today's world of cancer treatment there is no need for anyone to be unaware of the side effects of chemotherapy treatment. We know that the taxanes cause neuropathy so we know what we are getting into. I have also read that it is the taxanes that are very likely to cause lymphoedema. You can read about lymphoedema and the taxane drugs in the book Let's talk lymphoedema. My oncologist told me without hesitation that the docetaxel (Taxotere) I had caused my neuropathy.
As for radiotherapy, it is also very toxic treatment.
We are still waiting for rain here. It keeps raining all around us but not in Exmouth and only in dribs and drabs here. I think we need a good storm and some torrential rain to clear the air here. It feels heavy and oppresive but not hot.
That is all for now. Keep up the good work.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Mary,
I think it is much easier on the thread to do shorter posts in the thread and do several of them instead of long ones that can disappear.
I have recently been going through Chris Woollams newsletter from May 26th and was mainly interested in the details from Professor Charlie Swanton of UCL and the poor increases in survival times from new cancer drugs. I tend to think these drugs are so toxic and so undermine the body that in the end you just give up.
The other article of interest was about UK scientists and their idea of transplanting immune cells to cure cancer, rather than bombarding the body with debilitating chemotherapy drugs. There is mention of immune banks to store disease-fighting cells of healthy people in preparation for patients to receive this new treatment.
It is frightening to think that the debilitating cancer drug 5FU was approved in 1956. It is widely used and does not provide a cure.
I was interested in the article about the best foods for gut health, because I think in the Western world people probably have very unhealthy guts, both in the mouth and the intestines and it is causing inflammation and probably playing a role in cancer.
As for the email from Chris Woollams dated June 3rd, I still have to go through it.
That is all for now.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Mary and Gill,
Where exactly did you read in a part of a Chris Woollams article that said "TNBC has no cure currently". Was it in the June 3rd newsletter? There is no cure for any breast cancer, whether it is TNBC or hormonal breast cancer. They can be brought into NED and remain so for years but that does not mean you are cured. On June 20th I shall be 14 years out from diagnosis with TNBC. I have a friend here who was 13 years out from diagnosis with hormonal breast cancer and on those nasty pills you have to take for years after standard treatment, and then about four years ago it metastasised to her bones and she has been on and off anti-hormonal pills, oral chemotherapy and radiotherapy with breaks when needed, but she is not cured and will not be unless there is a cure. Another friend with hormonal breast cancer had the treatment, went on pills, the cancer metastasised quite quickly to the bone, brain, liver and lungs and she survived about a year and then died.
As I have already said, I think there is only so much treatment the body can take and then it gives up.
Thinking of you both.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Sylvia,
I have very mixed feelings about chemotherapy. It can do so much damage, but for most cancers it's all we have. After reading Cris Woolams' newsletter regarding the poor performance of many cancer drugs, I did some internet research. Some of the most vociferous detractors of chemotherapy are extremely unreliable, in that they often seem to have a book to sell, or have financial interests in alternative cancer treatments. Of course, internet medicine /science has to be treated with a great deal of caution. Nonetheless, the benefits of cancer drugs, according to more reliable sources, do seem to be very small.
I believe that our NHS would save a great deal of money and heartache if it invested in specialist cancer centres which concentrated purely on cancer surgery. Getting cancer patients into surgery quickly following diagnosis would save lives. It might also cut down on the need for chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The waiting time for surgery is a great deal too long in far too many instances.
I doubt that many oncologists would have the time to explain much about the side effects of cancer treatments. Mine didn't. Breast cancer clinics are bursting at the seams in Norwich. I found my specialist oncology nurse to be an excellent source of information. She is still available if I need her.
I know very little about radiotherapy as it wasn't needed in my case. I wonder if the number of radiotherapy sessions is too high in some instances. Doctors in the United States seem to favour more sessions than those in the UK. I would be concerned about damage to the heart and lungs.
I don't think I mentioned that Chris Woolams newsletter pointed out that TNBC had no cure currently. I may well have said something that mislead Mary. Or she may have read the newsletter and then gone on to do some research. My brain is not on top form at the moment. I'm hoping that time will put that right.
Here in South Norfolk the weather is very cool for June. Heavy rain is expected this afternoon. I do hope you get your much needed storm.
Take good care of yourself and of course, Raymond.
Love,
Gill X
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HI, Sylvia
I am back, we have had a busy week of functions relating to business, yesterday there was a golf tournament to finish the week. I was there in a social way, and although it was forecast to rain and be cloudy, it ended up being a hot, humid day. I was very glad to slip out in the afternoon and cool off again at home. I was out long enough to become very hot and my left ankle swelled and was painful, from standing around in the humid heat for hours. Today we are forecast more rain, it is a weather pattern that seems to be stuck, as are your dry conditions.
The article I was referencing about no cure for TNBC was in a offshoot article from one of Chris Woollams' posts on BC; that had a separate section on TNBC; and you are right, none of the Breast Cancers has an absolute cure, but many docs go on as if the estrogen receptive and HER2 types do have cures, but they really just block the troubling hormones. It is still possible that some other cancer may pop up. Woollams' opinion is that right now TNBC is best battled by good lifestyle changes, like proper diet, exercise and sleep habits.
I think it could be helpful for Marias to check out Personal Prescriptions, Woollams' apparently has helped people all over the world, I think it's a good idea if she is up for it.
You reference the article that says drug 5Fu not a cure, isn't this the flourouracil that seems to be routinely given in UK? It is not given here that I know of, although we are given the other same drugs, AC/T. None of them are considered "cures". I think they are meant to beat back the cancer while our bodies recover and fight with our own immune systems, however, sometimes they are so debilitating that doesn't work out well.
As for your opinion that surgery is the most important part of cancer treatment; The doctor who did my initial biopsy was perhaps the plainest speaking of all the cancer docs I encountered. He diagnosed my TNBC, and told me I was in for a rough road ahead. He said in his opinion surgery was the most important, and that the surgeon should be sure to get it all the first time. He said the treatment would be difficult and he could not say how I would react to it, and there was no cure.
As to Vitamin D, when I had my annual gynocologist visit a couple of weeks ago, she had a blood draw done and tested my D level. I was at 46, which on her scale (1-100)was normal. Low would be below 20. And I take 5000 IUs a day, I expected it to be higher! Of course, this is coming off of a long, dark winter and our spring has been mostly cloudy too. Apparently sufficient D is very important in the BC world, I will keep supplementing it.
Okay, I thought this would be shorter, but I am going to try sending before it disappears!
Love, Mary
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Hi, Gill
You didn't mislead me, I do find Woollams' posts lead me down many labyrinthine and interesting paths, and I find myself quoting passages and don't remember where I read it. Nothing wrong with your brain, girlfriend!
I was just referring to the fact that the other types of hormone-receptor positive BC have targeted therapies, and TNBC doesn't, and this leads many to believe the other types are "cured", and the truth is the best diagnosis any of us has is NED. It is that when I see the words "there is no cure for TNBC", it makes me a little queasy but then logic steps in and I get over it.
Love, Mary
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Sylvia,
When you say that there is no cure for breast cancer, I don't understand how you would define a cure. Thousands of women are successfully treated every year, do not have a recurrence, and go on to live a full life span. To me, that means they were cured.
Susie
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Hi, Gill
You didn't mislead me, I do find Woollams' posts lead me down many labyrinthine and interesting paths, and I find myself quoting passages and don't remember where I read it. Nothing wrong with your brain, girlfriend!
I was just referring to the fact that the other types of hormone-receptor positive BC have targeted therapies, and TNBC doesn't, and this leads many to believe the other types are "cured", and the truth is the best diagnosis any of us has is NED. It is that when I see the words "there is no cure for TNBC", it makes me a little queasy but then logic steps in and I get over it.
Love, Mary
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Hi Mary,
I do exactly what you do, read Chris Woolams' newsletter and then go off into my own little world of research. Also like you, I sometimes don't like what I find there. I've always thought that once a patient with TNBC had been out for 5 years, the chance of recurrence was extremely low. I'm going to consider that to be the case for metaplastic TNBC too. Who knows what science will come up with in the meantime?
I haven't experienced a real deluge for years. When I did, the meandering stream in our garden quickly became a raging torrent, sweeping away anything in its path. I used to listen to it during the night, praying that the house wouldn't be flooded by morning - it wasn't! However, our village is very marshy in places and some of our garden is marshland, so we have to keep ditches and the Marsh pond clear at all times. It's an idyllic place to live, with plenty of wildlife. Ducks, grass snakes, frogs and, huge, not so welcome, slugs enjoy the wet side of the garden. We're not on mains water and use a pump and filter system to bring our water to the house - all chemical free. I would think that you have a similar system on the farm?
Hope your friend with kidney cancer confounds the docs once again.
No outdoor excitement for me this weekend, just sitting here watching the constant drizzle and wondering if I should do some ironing, read a book, or watch sport on TV. I should really get stuck into the housework, but as my school reports always said 'this girl is easily distracted'.
Take care.
Love,
Gill X
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Hi Susie,
I was wondering where you were. Hope all's well and you're enjoying a London Spring. A lot's been happening down there in the last week - Donald Trump's visit, D day celebrations, Trooping the Colour, Gove coming out as a crackhead and last but definitely least, Boris Johnson's charm offensive.
My understanding of TNBC is that after 5 years in the clear you're out, unlike hormone + patients. The whole thing seems a bit like a bad dream to me now that I've seen off the C. diff side effects. Still tired, but hair back, eyebrows back, eyelashes back, weight back, oily skin back and spots back, hurray!
What I really need to know is can I have a glass of wine now and then? I thought you might be up to speed on this. 😉
Gill X
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Hello Mary,
I do hope you recovered from that swelling in your ankle.
I have now read through the Cancer Active/Chris Woollams article entitled Triple negative breast cancer overview, causes and treatments. On the whole I found it very interesting and thorough. In all of these articles, whether they are from Chris Woollams or other sources, you have to make up your own mind about what you want to believe and what you do not want to believe. Whatever I read I do not take too much notice of percentages etc. As I have said before, I do not believe there is a cure for any breast cancer, just NED. My consultants said the same. What we can say is that there are no orthodox treatments by way of medication after the standard treatment of surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, unlike hormonal breast cancer where you can have years and years of tamoxifen and/or aromatase inhibitors with all their side effects and Herceptin if you are HER2+. I think the big drug companies are anxious to find medication for TNBC because that is a good income for them. If there is a cure for other breast cancers, but not TNBC, then why are the researchers and scientists always talking about a cure for breast cancer and searching for it all the time. If patients with NED tell themselves they are cured, and it gives them peace of mind, so be it. I think you have to take good care of your lifestyle and hope it will keep metastases at bay. Prevention is the easiest way to deal with trying to keep cancer at bay, but there are no guarantees. I have always said that I am glad I do not have to take medication and have always had a positive attitude to being triple negative.
I see that Chris Woollams will celebrate his seventieth birthday on July 4th and will be taking a bit of a break from his Personal Prescriptions.
Yes, 5Fu is flourouracil. It is used here quite a bit, but is not standard. I do not know why it is given to some and not to others, but we have to remember that the chemotherapy drugs act in different ways and that is why we have these regimens. The drugs epirubicin or doxorubicin, with cyclophosphamide, and then a taxane drug, seem to be fairly standard, but doxorubicin is also something that I think dates back to the fifties. The oncologist will decide what is best suited to each patient. As you say, these chemotherapy drugs are not meant to be cures. My own oncologist described them as palliative. As you say, they are so toxic they can be devastating.
I think we all have to remember that we are not doctors and that we can only speak from what we read and, above all, from our own experiences.
I do agree with you that vitamin D is very important and that we do need supplements if we cannot get enough sun. I have no idea how much of the vitamin D from supplements is actually absorbed.
We actually had a lot of rain yesterday but the rain promised today has not come.
That is all for now.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Gill,
I think that we can be sure that cancer treatment is not really up to par under the NHS. There is too much waiting at every stage. We cannot blame the staff, they are overwhelmed. There is too much demand for treatment and not enough staff to cope with it. I cannot see how it is going to improve. I had good treatment but that was nearly fourteen years ago and I think things have changed since then.
That is about all for today.
Keep well.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hi Gill,
Glad to hear that you're on the mend. I don't know what the advice is about wine but I have some waiting for me downstairs with my dinner.
I'm just back from a week in the Peak District. Such lovely scenery!
Susie x
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Hello Sylvia,
I wonder if it has finally rained in Exmouth? We've certainly had more than our fair share in South Norfolk, we even managed a thunder storm last night.
I had an appointment with my GP yesterday afternoon to discuss the intermittent rib pain I've been having. As it comes and goes rather than being constant and didn't respond to pressure during her examination, she doubts if it's anything to worry about, but asked if I wanted a bone scan to put my mind at rest. I don't think I do really, but it's now in my notes and I only need to telephone if I change my mind.
I'll need to ask my surgeon about an ultrasound on my mastectomy side. I see him on September 13th. Ultrasound scans are no longer undertaken routinely it seems. I'm not too concerned as a lump would be very easy to feel and I do check along the scarline regularly.
My GP spent quite a long time with me, and wanted to know all about the chemotherapy and how I was feeling both physically and mentally. I'm very fortunate to have such caring doctor. The waiting time for an appointment is horrendous though.
The thread is very quiet at the moment.
Take care,
Gill X
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Hi Susie,
The Peak District has some very dramatic scenery. We used to go quite often when the children were younger as both enjoyed cycling along the safe cycle paths. Then they became teenagers.........
Gill X
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Hi Gill,
Your homeplace does sound idyllic, what with the marshes and meandering stream and animals. I also do have a water well, it was drilled down through the rock, here we are very hilly and rocky. At the bottom of the hill below the farmhouse there is a stream and a pond and there are definitely lots of animals!
Our chances of recurrence after 5-years survival are better than they were, I don't know what the percentages are but that's okay. We'll take it and run with it! My sis-in-law and I were talking and we realized just how many people we know who have cancer of all different kinds, it's getting ridiculous. She and I are going tomorrow to California for a week, and it looks as though my friend with kidney cancer may die while we are gone. He is home with his family and hospice care.
I can always be distracted from housework, my least favorite thing to do.
My sis-in-law and I are heading to California for 5 days, I am looking forward to getting away. I have been staying home intentionally for these last many months trying to heal my shoulder and keep up with therapy. I still am not allowed to wrangle a heavy suitcase, so will have to pack light.
I'll talk to you later, love
Mary
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A quick update:
I am awaiting phone call to head to one of our large cancer centers in Melbourne Australia called Peter MAC (about three hours south by car). I have been referred to a doctor Sherene Loi which runs Breast cancer trials to see if there are any options I might be eligible for.
Still have the vacuum dressing (aka the farty box) for at least another two weeks. Whilst the wound has healed by half the surgeon is worried it will regress if the dressing is removed too soon. I’m all good for anything that can help me heal, even if it makes embarrassing sounds, regularly!
My MO has put me on leave - no work - no additional stress. So I am good with that as exhaustion was becoming a problem. So in a holding pattern for now.
I hope everyone is doing well or as well as you can be if in treatment. I still cruise the posts and read lots of interesting and useful information, as well as lots of inspiring women, BC stories and a wealth of camaraderie.
Best wishes one and all - Helen xx0 -
Hello Gill,
It was nice to hear from you, especially as the thread has been very quiet lately for posts. There are always a lot of views.
We have finally had lots of rain. It seems as if it is all or nothing. We had a lot of rain yesterday and some thunder and lightning. I am hoping it will be better tomorrow when the gardeners are due to cut the lawns and do various other jobs.
I was glad to know that you have a caring doctor. What kind of bone scan would you be having to check out the intermittent rib pain? If it is a bone nuclide scan, it involves injecting a radioactive substance into the blood and you are radioactive for a couple of days. I had two in the past, one before I started treatment and one after finishing. I think the first one was to see if I had any spread to the bones and the second one was to make sure all was clear after I had finished treatment.
The other scan is the bone density scan (DEXA) to look for osteopenia or osteoporosis as cancer treatment can cause bone problems.
I do hope all will go well on September 13th when you see your consultant surgeon. When I was going through all this, you could have a mammogram every three years and you only had an ultrasound if there was anything suspicious.
It is good that you do your own physical check to see if anything feels abnormal.
It was good that your GP spent a long time with you and took an interest in your chemotherapy treatment and how you were feeling both physically and mentally.
As for waiting for an appointment, it is the same here in Exmouth, especially if you want to see your own GP. There are more and more offers of telephone and on line appointments, but I always insist on seeing my own doctor, so often have to wait.
I have been reading through the latest edition of What Doctors Don't Tell You (June). There is so much in it that it takes quite a while to read. One article that I found quite interesting was the Politics of Health – by Rob Verkerk, A long engagement – why being engaged – with your health – is vital for a long life (Someone who is 'engaged' in their healthcare throughout their life – proactive instead of reactive – fares much better).
Another article of interest was Heart disease: the insulin connection. Holistic cardiologists say 90% of heart attacks do not have to happen. As Celeste McGovern discovers, heart disease is not caused by high cholesterol but inflammation and insulin resistance.
I liked the various headings for healthy eating in this article.
Eat real:
Eat more vegetables and berries.
Ditch sugar, especially the processed kind.
Eliminate all processed foods.
Eat a handful of fresh nuts every day.
Fast:
Some kind of fasting is advised.
24 hour fasting
Only eating within an 8 hour window everyday (intermittent fasting)
Fasting may improve the way your body metabolises sugar, which reduces insulin resistance.
That is about all for now.
If you can think of anything you would like to discuss on the thread, please let us all know.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Mary,
I am just popping in to say that I do hope you have a nice time in California with your sister-in-law for five days. I think you have earned it.
My friend here flew off to California yesterday to visit her son.
Enjoy your break.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Helen,
Thank you for your latest post. I do hope you have some good luck at that cancer centre. That is a long drive.
I do hope that your wound will soon be completely healed. It has been such a long ordeal for you.
I was so glad to know that you are on leave from work so that you have no additional stress. You have enough stress coping with what you are going through.
I was glad to know that you do get some benefit and comfort from the thread.
Please let us know how you get on.
Take care.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hi Mary,
I'm beginning to think of cancer as the modern equivalent of plague. I seem to have an awful lot of friends with it too. They're all a little older than me though. Growing older is certainly risky, but beats the alternative I suppose. However, we're only in out sixties, so very much in our prime.
I think we're both greatly blessed with where we live. The wildlife is frustrating at times, but there's a chance that I might get my own back post brexit when no one wants to trade with us any more. Rabbit pie and braised venison for supper anyone?
Anyway, this is just a quick note to wish you a very happy holiday in sunny California - I'm writing with fingers and toes crossed, hoping that you'll be leaving the rain at home.
Have fun!
Gill X
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I went to the physio yesterday (pain in my heel). I knew that his mother and mother-in-law had both had BC but have now discovered that both his receptionists have had it.
Is it him? Is he Typhoid Greg?
Half of us will have cancer of some type. BC is one of the better ones. My husband died of oesophageal cancer. You really don't want that.
Susie
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Hi Susie,
Oesophageal cancer is one of the very bad ones, I agree. For me, you could add pancreatic, head and neck and stomach cancer to the most dreaded list. There are so many different breast cancer types and some are a lot worse than others.
Watching your husband die from such a vicious, painful cancer must have been an appalling experience. I'm so sorry you both had to go through this.
Gill X
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Hi, Sylvia
My ankle has recovered, but I still do have a slight swelling on top of my foot. Right on the area where I had bunion surgery years ago, all brought about by standing on concrete too long in hot weather in the wrong shoes. Another one of those things that only came about after chemotherapy and neuropathy, not to forget varicose veins.
Getting older is more expensive; I just finished checking on my flight to California and paying extra for aisle seats so I can stretch my legs during the flight, and get up when I want to without crawling over people. Very necessary to keep ankles from swelling during flight, I will also have to pick up some kind of snack so as to avoid the salty pretzels, peanuts and chips that are handed out.
I find I agree with you down the line on your opinion of TNBC and its' progression. We live as we think is best and hope for the best, and that is about all we can do. It does get easier to handle this way of living, and I suppose everyone alive has the Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads always. My friend with the long-term kidney cancer did pass away yesterday, he was my age and I am sorry to miss the funeral. I would like to be there to support his family, they are very close and have already lost one family member this year.
Happy birthday to Chris Woollams and I wonder how Marias is doing this week? Helenlouise is certainly having a time of it, I hope she gets some good news.
I received my issue of WDDTY yesterday, I think I will take it along on my trip. I haven't had time to look at it.
I am a little concerned about this trip vis-a-vis my shoulder, I will have to take along my pulleys, elastic bands, 1 lb. weight, plastic bags for icepacks. I am still limited in what I can do, and will have to be careful with luggage. I am looking forward to getting away however, and can only hope nothing happens to anyone here while I am gone! The last 3 trips of mine have been occasions when people dear to me had accidents or worse.
I will actually be gone 6 nights since tonight we will be staying in the city where the airport is, since we have an early flight. There is an airport only an hour away, but it's very small and whenever we use it and get our connecting flights home there are many delays, it's quicker to drive twice as far and use the big airport.
I'll talk to you soon, love, Mary
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Hello Sylvia,
It would be the bone nuclide scan my GP had in mind, as I was concerned about the possibility of a spread of cancer to the rib cage. The offer will remain on my record, but I won't be going ahead unless the discomfort increases or becomes more permanent. I do have some cording, despite doing the recommended exercises, though nothing that impacts on movement or flexibility. However I do wonder if the stretching might cause referred pain under the ribs.
As for osteoporosis, I've decided to have the Zometa infusion in July, this will be my second dose. The consultant at the London Cancer Centre was keen for me to have Zometa both to help prevent the cancer from spreading to the bones and to harden my bones following chemotherapy. I also take a vitamin D supplement and get out into the garden at every opportunity - not that there's been much sunshine in South Norfolk this week. I could always ask for a DEXA scan if I have any concerns.
I've been fairly proactive with my health for many years. I'm not sure about 24 hour fasting, but do usually eat within an 8 or 9 hour window. I tried fasting before chemotherapy, but felt nauseated long before the 24 hours were up. The eating advice you listed in your last post to me is sensible and very much in line with NHS guidance on eating for people who either have diabetes, or are borderline. Michael has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes very recently, but both parents and his uncle were diabetic, so it was almost inevitable. Genetics play a huge part in our health, but I firmly believe that we can fight back with a healthy diet and exercise.
I'll give future topics for discussion some thought. This thread throws up some very useful information on diagnosis, treatment and side effects as it is. I'm always interested in what those who contribute to the thread are up to, though sometimes the news isn't good. What really amazes me is the good humour, even during difficult times.
Hope it was dry enough for your lawns to be cut. Our grass is far too wet - very green though.
Love,
Gill X
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