TRIPLE POSITIVE GROUP
Comments
-
Hi ladies
I don't know enough about how trials work. I live in the uk. When can I expect this vaccine to be available here?
Liz0 -
Anyone here have a bilateral DIEP or other kind of flap reconstruction? Looking into what alternatives I may have besides implants.
0 -
hi everyone
was wondering when you went back to work if you have decided to...I am still on herceptin until November. I can't start any meaningful full time work until after my bmx surgery in september but I have taken on some part-time/contract work in the meantime.
are you working full time? and if yes how far after treatment - how are you feeling, how do you drag yourself out of bed every morning
I am still sooooooo tired
0 -
rozem - I went back full-time 30 days after the 6th TCH. It did not go well for me, lol! I knew I was having surgery 3 weeks after I went back, but I went back because I had exhausted all my FMLA, STD, ADA accomodation and LTD was indicating that they felt I would qualify for SSDI (social security disability) because of the number of surgeries, LE and my AGE!!! So I just went back to work on the arbitrarily agreed upon date. I was OK Mon and Tues - by Wed I was coming home and falling asleep in my scrubs, then waking up a couple of hours later unsure of whether it was day or night, and unsure of whether I had gone to work or not! Needless to say, Thurs and Fri were a mess. I did that for 3 weeks and then resigned, with a re-hire clause, because I was having the left expander put back - would be starting twice weekly PT for the LE, and weekly fills, as well as still receiving Herceptin every three weeks - with echo, CBC's, etc. Just felt that work would suffer, and with direct patient care (transfusions) didn't want to make a mistake and hurt someone. I had 5 surgeries in the 3 months prior to the start of chemo and that put me behind the eight ball, I found it difficult to rebound.
0 -
I have an office job. I worked right up until 2 weeks ago when I got a really bad cold that wouldn't go away (after 3 rounds of FEC and 9 of 12 weekly Taxol/Herceptin) and my doctor ordered me to stay home until chemo was finished.
We actually didn't know that I now have pneumonitis until this week. So now I don't get the last Taxol due this Friday but will continue with the Herceptin.
I am planning on going back to the office next Wednesday which will be 13 days after last Taxol and 5 days after first Herceptin only. I have an inter-state trip set-up for the following week. Part of my job is to go visit hospitals running my clinical trials to check they are filing everything OK and because of chemo I am overdue on a couple of those visits that need catching up! I am looking forward to staying in a hotel close to the beach and being able to go for walks along the boardwalk after I get back to the hotel each afternoon. I think it will be like a little mini-break!
I was able to keep working because we have VERY generous sick leave provisions, flexible hours, and I was able to work from home if I wasn't well enough to go to the office.
Jenn0 -
Hello, ladies!
My MO told me today that my Oncotype came back at a "low to intermediate" risk
(score 20), and that based on that I have a 1 out of 8 chance of recurrence in the next five years. She feels chemo would be higher risk than any potential benefit, so I'm going to be on Tamoxifen for 1 1/2 years and then switch to Arimadex for the next 3 1/2. I'm also getting follow up ultrasound and CT scans because I have several cysts on my liver, pancreas, and one in my ovary. Fingers crossed!
Thanks for all your support!0 -
rozem, I am hoping to go in part time for a couple of weeks starting next week and then I will work during my chemo. I don't have a choice; need the money since we are a two income family, plus, I will go crazy if I'm here too much more!
0 -
Rozem, I have been on leave from work since august. I will have to go back in September, but getting the stress of work off my plate has been good for me. I wish I didn't have to go back at all, but financially, I do. Im a lawyer, and I took the leave of absence because I knew I would not be able to focus and would likely make mistakes as a result.
0 -
Chachamom I too have cysts on my liver. Had a scan before surgery, after chemo and 1 year after chemo. My next scan is 6 months after the last scan (because I'm further out from chemo). I had 3 lesions but the last scan showed only 2. They have not changed. In 2006 I had a cyst on my uterus. 2 years later it was gone. These cysts tend to come and go.
Congrats on no chemo!
0 -
I tried to go back to work on the med surge floor in the hospital, after my BMX. Less than 4 days into it, I came down with an infection and ended up in the hospital as a patient. My onc then would not let me work so I will have been off over 5 months. I was also hospitalized three times, so I guess it is good I didn't work. I have only one tx left. It will be hard to go back and hard to get into shape to make it through.
0 -
Thanks, Lago! That makes me feel better!
0 -
Thanks, Lago! That makes me feel better!
0 -
so difficult to get back to work for all of us it seems,
today i did some work for a contract i just picked up, and i have to say it was nice not to think about C, i was just to distracted
so i guess physically it is a challenge but mentally it's a nice break
btw - i am starting my metformin trial on thursday, i will get my meds and then we shall see if i can tell if i am on the placebo or not
0 -
I am a realtor and I made the decision not to list any houses, and to work with buyers when I felt ok. Listing requires a lot of marketing, open houses, etc, and I just didnt feel like I could give the commitment they would deserve. I did a couple houses early and then three between August and November. From March to June during chemo, I did nothing.
I also work a little bit at Macy's. I was on leave from february to January of this year. My onc didn't want me around that many people and I ended up with multiple surgeries due to TE infection, so it really wasn't an option.0 -
Rozem-I took short-term disability during chemo (January-April) and for a month afterwards. I went back to work the day I began radiation. I am in sales that requires daily travel of over 100 miles, making multiple calls per day. I just didn't have the energy. I call on physicians and often have to wait in the waiting room with patients, so I didn't want to risk infection. The biggest challenge of returning, so far, has been finding a professional "look" that makes me feel comfortabe, confident and not sick-looking. My wigs, while cute, hurt and are hot and scratchy. I'm happy to be able to go back to work but unhappy about how I can't seem to regain my confidence. Good Luck to you.
0 -
Chachamom- I also have cyst on my liver. Scary but all my doctors say no big deal. Most people have them and don't know. Usually found when scanning for other reasons.
Rozem- I am going to start the metformin study as well in July. I'm thinking it will be pretty easy to determine if you have the placebo ( per blood glucose levels). Im not a diabetic but my sugars run on the high side of normal.
I'm going back to work next week. Hope my body is ready. I admire all of you who have worked through this. Y'all are awesome!!0 -
NCbeachgal...
Your confidence issues are likely at least partly exascerbated by the hormonal imbalances and huge fluctuations brought about by chemo and early menopause etc.
The anxieties and the symptoms they bring to the forefront are not just psychological. They are the result of big chemical changes in your body.
I'm on my second round of menopause. I told my doctor I failed menopause the first go
round and was sent back for a do over...with a vengeance!
There are meds to help you.0 -
i like this work discussion because it gives me some info about my trip positive friends that isnt about size/grade and lymph node involvement
we are so much more than this diagnosis!
i also admire you guys who worked during chemo, i could barely cook for my family
0 -
Kay
Thanks for the info regarding trials. Plenty to be hopeful about just a pity it takes so long!
Rozem
I am a high school English teacher. I have just finished herceptin and as yet have only embarked on home tuition. I will need to make a decision about resuming work because it's easy to lose confidence. I however feel that my priorities in life have changed. My job can be quite stressful and I kinda think why return to that when I may soon be Sick again. Sorry I realise this is a pessimistic attitude. What I really want to do is live by the sea and work in a cafe!
Liz0 -
J ackboo09
Your attitude doesn't necessarily need to be pessimistic although only you know if that's where it is coming from.
I think all of us faced with the tenousness of our existence reevaluate our priorities and make changes to what for many are lives driven by all kinds of unimportant issues. Like rats in a maze at times.
Hopefully we can all take this reminder....smack upside our heads..... and turn it into happier, more fulfilled lives.
Go to the beach. Start planning.0 -
I've been off work since this all started for me last summer. Well, I did work a few weeks in January teaching, but I have not gone back to clinical work. There is absolutely no way I could be doing my job through chemo. Although I love my clinical work as a physical therapist, it has actually taken quite a toll on me physically and mentally (stressful dealing with patients who are in pain, are ill, etc.). Hubbie and I have decided I will not go back to clinical work when this is all done. Too easy for me to re-injure my back, and too stressful for me. It's extremely fast paced, with so much pressure to do more with less time. I will, however, go back to teaching because I love it so much. So yes, priorities change - life moves forward - and I am so looking forward to feeling well again in a few months!
0 -
Got my clearance for part time starting on Monday for two weeks, then full time after that. That gives me a week after my first chemo to see how well I will do. Hoping I will be one of the folks that is able to do okay with SE's.
0 -
Thanks MsBelle...l went through six months of testing after a CT scan after an ATV accident in 2006 shoed a cyst on my pancreas. That was stressful enough! But now after BC....even with "several" cysts on my liver, pancreas, and one on my overy...nothing seems as scarey as the SE's of treatment! Lol!
Dance: I'll bet you are an awesome teacher!
Vicki: good luck on testing back to work...but give yourself permission to take the time off you need! I'll be praying your SE's are minimal!0 -
Ashla - you put it very well regarding how BC leads to re-evaluating priorities. Being on leave this year has given me more time than I've ever had to just think about what's really important to me. My job is stressful, but luckily part time & while I have to go back soon financially, I will definitely spend my free time doing things I want to do, being with people I care about, and slowing down the pace to enjoy the present.
0 -
Ashla,
Yes perhaps its more about me evaluating priorities rather than pessimism. Dancetrancer, I too have been off work just over a year. At the time of my diagnosis I was actually working in a school but only had a one year contract. I found it too difficult to return to work during chemo and so now I cannot go back to this school. It means applying to a new school. I wonder if my dx will go against me in the event of me getting to the interview stage?
My DH is a contract engineer. He can earn good money but it is sporadic and to move to the South of England will mean we will have to have some money behind us. However, we are both agreed its worth trying for. One positive for me is that there would be more opportunities for home tuition in the Dorset area too. Good luck to all of us who are making such decisions!!!
Liz
0 -
Vent ahead......
Has anyone seen the series, "The Big C?"
It's about a woman who has Stage 4 skin cancer and one year to live.
I found it SO offensive. A self-centered woman who doesn't tell her family about the diagnosis, just starts acting weird, spending her retirement, kicking her husband out of the house (while dangling reconciliation to keep him interested), has an affair, just over all becomes someone "else" the someone she always wanted to be I guess...as pitiful as that is...
When my aunt was diagnosed with lung cancer and into her 5th year of chemo we were sitting on her porch one day. This was before my diagnosis. She said, "You know. People always say they'd do this, or they'd do that, if they were given my prognosis (6 months). But you know what? That's BS. They'd die doing exactly what they're already doing. You know why? Because it's comfortable and that's exactly what we need when life throws us chaos. Comfort."
I've discovered this to be true with my diagnosis as well. A bucket list? I'm already living it!
I know from many conversations with her that she valued new experiences. She wasn't talking about that, but the whole, "if I had 6 months to live I'd...(insert something outlandish and out of character)." For instance, she never saw Niagra Falls. Not a big deal to most people but she always wanted to see it because it was close and there really isn't an excuse for "regional cultural ignorance." So we planned a trip and went. But that was about the extent of her "bucket list."
We are who we are.
And that show just really torked me off. It makes cancer look like a pass for bad behavior. Ugh
Vent over....
0 -
Tonlee - I didn't see it but wanted to. When first got my diagnosis, my hubby asked me in his own words about my bucket list. We started talking about things we hadn't done yet and places we wanted to see. After many long talks, I was able to express to him that I am living my dream. I have him, my best friend, lover and soulmate. I have two beautiful daughters who are happy and healthy. It doesn't mean I can't have dreams and aspirations, but honestly if I only had just today I can promise you that I have been the luckiest woman on the planet.
Your aunt is a very wise woman.
0 -
I haven't seen the movie but I get what you are saying. I'm actually quite happy so why would I want to change things. Sure I would love to travel, but would want to do it with my husband. I might visit some friends that are far away too but I doubt I would want to change my whole life around.
But remember this was "based" one a true story… not the true story.
0 -
tonlee - i found this show to be offensive aswell, i tuned in once and that was it. Honestly, i don't want to be reminded of this when i am trying to unwind and watch some tv. I need no-brainer shows to do that (i have pulled out my old sex and the city cd's and started watching them
is it a supposed to be a humourous take on cancer? there is nothing funny about cancerseriously, have the networks exhausted all possible subject matters?
0 -
TonLee - thanks for the heads up on that show...so now I won't even be tempted to watch it. That would p*ss me off to NO end. Talk about commercializing cancer and using it to sell something. Uggghhh!!!
My "bucket list" has changed (not that I don't expect to live a long life - but you do contemplate the "what if's"!). My priorities now are time with people I care about, and I don't care where that is. DH and I LOVE to travel. With limited vacation time and resources, you can only go and do so much. This resulted in just one trip back to see our respective families a year, and we'd meet up with friends on other vacations to more exotic locations...but were always very picky where we wanted to go. One time we turned down a trip with friends b/c the location didn't appeal much to us. I also turned down a sailing trip with a close relative b/c I wasn't sure we could handle being in the same close space for a week. Uh, now I want to spend all the time I can with him, little tif's can be worked through. We will not be so picky in the future - would rather have time with the friends/family and worry less about the place. And I hope we can find a way to get back to see our families more than once a year. Priorities change. I hope I keep this perspective as time goes on, and don't forget the lessons I've learned.
0
