TRIPLE POSITIVE GROUP
Comments
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YAY Liz!
Vicki - It's awful you have to deal with an evacuation on top of chemo! Please stay safe...sending prayers your way for you and your family and friends.
Scottie - I am a billing manager for a group of physicians. You should not be charged for fills, it is considered part of the global package for your reconstruction. If they try to charge I would question it. Hope this helps!
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I didn't have to pay co-pays for fills or postop visits. I used to do coding for a doctor's office and all that kind of stuff is included in the cost of the procedure as it is part of the whole package.
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Oh Vicki, please be safe. You are doing the right thing by evacuating, fires can be so unpredictable and change course in an instant. Property can be replaced, people cannot.
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ToniLee: what a great story! I LMAO with the vision of you getting off the table and storming out with all the medical staff hanging mouths open and wide eyed! LOL!!!
Hip Hip Hooray Liz!0 -
Tonlee, you are one wild lady. I wanted to get up and leave at my third lumpectomy. I cowarded out the last minute fearing my surgeon would put in my medical records that I'm one crazy lady ...
I'm not too technical when it comes to photo buckets. I have a regular pc (although we do own a I Mac but don't like it) and not sure how to get into the picture album so many here talk about. I tried...and failed Actually, my new breast is looking better. It's dropped a little and is beginning to look more normal. A first it was this round ball sitting high up in my chest. I'm hoping the next surgery with fat grafting around it will help with the feeling something very abnormal is sitting on my ribs ... like a internal bra. 0 -
TonLee- Wow! Your surgery results look great! That's really kind of you to post those photos. Maybe it will help some women facing that surgery.
Jackboo- Yeah! Glad the results were good!
Vicki- Hoping for the best! Happy to hear you're safe.
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Freaking out. Nurse mentioned as I was walking out the door that my calcium was a little high at 10.6. Totally and completely worried that this is sign of bone mets.
. She tried to reassure me but I am just sick to my stomach now. 0 -
Jack...........WoooooHoooooo so happy to hear the great results
Vicki.....please stay safe and I pray all is ok
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Yah Jack!
Tonlee love the hopping off the table. I know if I had my doubts I would do the same thing. I had 6 weeks before my surgery.
kltb we all get stuff. Most of the time it's not cancer so best to assume it isn't. Also not common to get mets while doing chemo or just after.
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Thanks to you all for your kind words regarding my MRI. Tonlee: great story, amazing pics! Vicki: I so hope your ok.
Liz
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Jackaboo - excellent news - YAY!!!!
Vicki - hope you are safe! Thinking of you!
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Tonlee ,....you looks sooo great even in your worst moments. Your attitude is even better thn he body!
Jackboo...whew! We've had alot of whews here ...THANKFULLY
Ktb...Like lago said and Jackboo, Nora and many others have already demonstrated most of the time it's not the worst we fear!
Just want to make a point here. Both kelloggs and nora and me at times and probably others have a tendency NOT TO SHARE our feelings when we're the most fearful. We wait until it's an all clear if ever to speak up.
It would likely be helpful to the person facing the crisis and all the rest of the girls to let it all( or most of it) hand out while it's happening.0 -
You've got me pegged Ashla...
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Kelloggs,
I'm the same way although I'm working on it. When you told your story...I gasped thinking how difficult it must have been for you to keep it to yourself as we chatted on. I thought you must have a supportive family but it's us BC girls who are likely the only ones who can understand the emotions, fears and dark places our minds enter when any thing much less a big thing occurs. And there are likely people here who've been there already to help us through.
Like I said...there are lots of us who do the same.
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I fall into the 'share everything mode.' I hope everyone on here can tolerate that approach! However, the up side of this is that another lady in the grip of fear might gain some reassurance from my particular scare. Just a thought.
Liz
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Ok guys I am home now and thought I would call back to the MO office and just see what my calcium levels were before, how much they have risen, etc...I got a different nurse (we have four in my clinic) and I guess they had been discussing me because she didn't even pull my chart, just said "oh honey, she re-ran that and they are within normal limits" (I think she said 9.something) So....I guess that is a relief, although how I don't know how they would have redone a blood test with no more blood, maybe just the way that it is read/calculated. Oh well, I will leave it for now.
On the general topic, I am one who shares out of desperation to hear similar stories to find out if they came out ok. But when I get in a real "funk" or depressed, I tend to withdraw totally and not post at all. I cannot tell you all how important this site is and you all are. As others have said, that is a silver lining amongst all this mess is getting to know some absolutely amazing people.
Vicki - I am so sorry you are having to evacuate - thinking of you all.
ashla - I agree, I was so sad when I read about Nora Ephron as well.
jackboo - SO happy for your clear MRI. What a relief.
One more thing that I just shared on the MArch chemo board. I went to Wal-Mart after my appt today and was feeling down/worried. Today I was wearing a silk scarf and cap. I was just in the chip aisle and there was an employee stocking shelves. She said something along the lines of "well, you are looking lovely today m'am" and I just smiled and said thanks. A few minutes later as I was walking away she called after me and said "I hope you don't mind me saying this but you will be ok, you are a survivor." Tears! I just welled up and said something along the lines of of "I hope so, I got some possible bad news today" and she hugged me and said "no, you will be ok, God is bigger than the bad news." Of course, I know it isn't always that simple but she made me feel better.
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ktlb, don't freak. (I know, easy for me to say) Might be something inconsequential like, oh, osteoporosis. You know what I mean, nudge, nudge.
THank you all so very much for all the good thoughts and prayers. The girls and I are staying with my sister for a while; hubby still at the house. He has chosen his 'gotta get out of here' line in the sand. The smoke is deep and spread very far over the city. One of my co-workers lost his house BUT the kids and wife are all okay and he said, 'that is ALL that matter'
Weird, here I have been, still am, really, dealing with BC and all that goes with it and something comes along to make me COMPLETELY forget about it for an entire evening. And it figures it was (is)something horrendus.
Blessings to all you ladies. If this is your day for the BGC, you rock it!
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kltb.....I just checked my papers and 2 years in a row was over 10.......last year was 10.2 and year before was 10.1
Normal range according to this lab is between 8.5-10.3
Just sharing it with you to ease your mind that I don't have bone mets......to be honest I didn't even know that was a sign....Hugs♥
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Vicki: Good to know you are safe! We are praying for you and everyone in the fire zone every day!
KTB: Thank you for sharing your feelings.....it takes courage to express our emotions and you are right.....it helps others who are feeling similar emotions and unable to express it. Sounds like you came across an angel in Wal-mart....hmmm. Sounds like a book title! Lol!0 -
I have officially won the scanning battle. I told my onc that I talked to the insurance company and they would cover it and a bone scan. He thinks I am nuts, and I dont care. I am thinking however, that I will have the bone scan now just to make sure the couple of sore places I have are nothing, and then have the petscan late in the year.
Are there other scans that are pretty equally effective but have less radiation? I would consider something else, if there is something.
I also want to give him research that suggests scanning is good for stage I her2 people, so if you have any links send them my way.
He said he was going to make me sign a paper that I wouldnt ask for another one in 6 months. Lol. I told him I could easily go a year. I just needed something to confirm that at one time, I appear to be all clear.
Sure wish I could get my hands on the results from the circulating tumor cell tests they are doing in the vsccine trial, but no dice. Wake Forest said they dont even get them.
Vicki....glad you are in a safe place. Dont let your husband make that line too close. Lol0 -
Had my first Radiation appointment today. Doctor was nice. Receptionist was nice. Bus rides were long but tolerable. Appointment was very quick. He just got to know me and mapped out what they were going to radiate and probable side effects. Next week I go for 'staging'. Actual treatments will be 5 days a week for 6.5 weeks. I start in 3.5 weeks. Yeah I get a little break! Baruch Hashem. Thank you G-d.
Peggy
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I'm curious - did anyone actually see their scans? I was given the all-clear before I started chemo, but I didn't actually see the images. I am going to ask to see them. Fluff, I asked about future scans and my docs will only do them if I am symptomatic. I understand why you want them. Mine said they did them because of my positive node.
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Vballmom: I saw the results of my spinal/lumbar/sacrum mri scan on wed. It helped to see it for myself if that makes sense. I have now learnt that pain does not necessarily mean mets. I waited a long,long time for some answers about my back pain issues (way before this bc diagnosis)
Perhaps this latest reassurance has calmed me a little. I wont be pushing for any further scans unless it is an unexplained, new pain that my oncologist feels warrants investigation. The whole process is very stressful and tends to set me back mentally!
Fluff: good luck with your scan. I think your onco sees you as very low risk as you have a small tumour, node neg and grade 2. However, I understand the need to rule the nasties out. In Apr 2011 I persuaded my onco to run a bone scan against his better judgement. Now I cant say the same would happen as Ive been discharged from the clinic. Just dont think he would order further tests which is a good thing. I would start to panic if my medical team ordered tests for me!!!! Oh what a ride this is.......
Liz
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When I had to go to MD Anderson, I had to get a copy of my PET scan, etc. to take with me. They put it on a CD. I've never looked at it, so I don't know if you can see it on your computer or not, but just an FYI for anyone who wants to try that route. I was successful in looking at my breast MRI on my own computer (had to download some free software to view it, if I recall correctly). So it may be like that.
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I remember getting the disk from my breast MRI. My husband and I still couldn't figure out where the 6-6.5cm tumor was in my old barely unfull 34B breast was. I leave the viewing to the experts but ask my MD questions.
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ashia, You are so correct.
Fluff....I am so good that you are able to get the scan, best of luck to you
As far as actually seeing our scans, tests ect. When I had my MRI at the very beginning and I was not at the Mayo at that time they gave me a DVD to give to my Mayo breast surgeon when I finally got to meet him. I was in transition at that point. I was not going to who my PCP wanted and decided to go to the Mayo but I was getting the scans and tests he wanted. Actually with Mayo it's sort of a good thing that they have going. I have a "patient accounts" portal which not only can I access patient billing. (and it's SCARY.....I owe them so much I am shocked they aren't bugging me for more) I can also access conversations I had with my doctors, test results, blood work results, clinical notes etc. It was on there that I realized that I was not only ER+ PR+ Her2+ But they listed my HER2 status as +++. I thought I was highly ER and I believe it was only at 42%.
Kellogg....Please pardon me, I didn't read back far enough to see what you have gone through as well. I will do that now. I am glad you are doing well. From what other's said, it sounded as if you went through a major scare too. Hang in there girls we are ALL here for each other. This has taught me that.
Love you all XXXXXX
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vicki - stay safe! we are thinking about you
we have something called "my chart" at my hospital. You can look at the actual u/s, mri etc...of the breast. All scan results are on there. I gave up trying to interpret everything. I did see my tumor on the u/s - it just looked like a white blob. I wish i could get my med degree so i can scan myself
so i saw my PS surgeon, I signed off on all the forms for surgery. Will be setting a date today (most likely in sept). I will have to have a lat dorsi flap with TE's. 3 nights in the hospital i was told, WOW this seems like a long time. I think its b/c they have to do the surgery on the back??? who knows. I am going to try to enjoy my summer with my "old" boobs
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ps...whenever i bring something up that i learned here i always say " my online friends told me..." , my onc and friends and family all know about my online friends!
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Rozem a gal I met on the Illinios Ladies thread calls me her "breast friend"
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What does it really mean when it is said that our cancer is "aggressive?" All the doctors have said that to me and I see online in places that this form is considered "aggressive." Does that mean, it grows fast? It spreads fast? It's likely to come back? It's a little scary to me and I'm not really sure how to take it when it is said.
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