TRIPLE POSITIVE GROUP
Comments
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Ashla...a call can never hurt.
Nancy....removal of mine consisted of snipping the stiches, and then a pretty hard tug. I had to take a deep breath and breath out when he pulled. One side didn't hurt. The other hurt a pretty fair amount. Then had to wear a sterile pad over it for a couple days as it drained a bit.
You are right, it is great when they are out. But I am a wuss. Would not do it myself.0 -
Hi Ladies....Ashla - I would say YES, call your bs. Ref the eyelashes...if you're still interested, ck around. I paid $65 for mine and go every 2-3 weeks for fills at $25-$35. They will fall out with when your natural ones do...so don't give up.
Ugh, the problems with the surgeries and the drains...my heart goes out to each of you going thru this. Stay strong...it'll get better.
Some of you might have known Reesie (Marie). She passed on Sunday, her services are this Fri/Sat. This information may interest you. Any questions, please PM me.
I started the ball rolling on a "Pink Rose for Marie" at a local florist in her home town. If anyone wants to add a single flower to the arrangement that will indicate 'From all her BCO Sisters', this is the contact info:
Jerry's Florist - Marie Giebel's Services - Phn 856-317-9402 from 10:30-6pm Eastern time. After hours call 856-283-8569 and leave a message, someone will call you back. DEADLINE for ordering one flower is NOON (Eastern time) on Friday 8-17.
Pink Rose - $3 ea Pink Gladiola - $4.50 ea Pink Tiger Lily - $6.50 ea
Love and prayers,
Sue
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Thx all...fyi I called the bs and all I said was I had a discharge and she gave me a friday am appt.
It's obviously a side effect not to be put off.. You were right as usual.0 -
MemaSue...
Didn't know Reesie but thank you for the info. Will send a flower. The best friends anyone can have in this miserable odyssey are right here in these forums!
May Marie rest in peace.0 -
Singing Drain Free to the tune of Born Free. I can officially shower, but I think I will wait until tomorrow and give the openings for the tubes one day to heal. I do have a "dog ear" on my left breast area. She said a lot of people want her to take care of it when it happens, but my husband doesn't think I should get any unecessesary surgery. It stinks that it is totally flat on one side and "dog earred" on the other. The looks don't bother me, just the hard bump....the feeling of it. Just sayin'.
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Hi my friends, I need some advice. I had a bone density scan before chemo (2 years ago) and everything was spot on normal. I had another one yesterday and my hip is fine but my back (L1) is very osteopenic now. I asked how that happened and she said (Onc PA) that it could have been chemo (and the steroids). I don't take a calcium supplement just eat a lot of yogurt and milk. My vitamin D is around 36. I take about 2000 D3/day. I also walk/swim regularly. What would you suggest I do? The Onc PA wants me to go on fosamax once a week. Do I have to do that??0
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kayb - thanks - that would make sense - what kind of calcium supplement is good? I am amazed that it happened so fast too. Loss of estrogen, inactivity with surgery/treatment, lots of steroids, chemo....bad combo for my back.0
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Omaz..
I think my mo plans to give me one of those drugs too. I am leaning no because of several articles I've read that are similar to this.
"Note to Women with Breast Cancer
Many women with hormone-sensitive tumors are now taking an aromatase inhibitor as part of their breast cancer treatment. These drugs—anastrozole (brand name Arimidex), letrozole (brand name Femara), and exemestane (brandenzyme that converts androgens into estrogen. Clinical trials have found that these drugs, unlike the hormone therapy tamoxifen, increase bone fracture risk.For women who have osteoporosis and are on aromatase inhibitors, bisphosphonates should help reduce fracture risk.
For women with osteopenia, though, it still makes more sense to wait until osteopenia has advanced to osteoporosis to begin taking these drugs. The exception would be a woman who is starting on an aromatase inhibitor and is already close to a –2.5 on her DEXA scan. In this case, she may want to start on a bisphosphonate while starting on the aromatase inhibitor."0 -
I agree with kayb..if my mo tells me he wants me on them I plan to ask him to wait till my next scan.
I'm doing lots of weight bearing exercises now.
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ashla - Thanks for the article. That is interesting. It seems to me that I should try increasing vitamin D, add a good calcium supplement and do more weight bearing stuff than I do now before going on another med. Why don't they suggest trying that first?0
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Omaz, I.was told the timing of the calcium and vitamin d mattered. I believe you take the two together with something fat, to help it be absorbed by the body. Also my back went outing me during chemo, due to deconditioning. I was very lowon vitamin d at the time too. *sigh* cancer just plain sucks. I saw my ps today and he redressed my drain and took off the binding. I am so much more comfortable. Much love to all.
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I am afraid I am not triple positive so please throw me out if you feel I shouldn't be here. You ladies haves much knowledge on this issue hence I am here
I am ER 10%, PR 0%, and Her +++
I assumed I wouldn't be doing to Tomoxifen or AI. But yesterday my MO had the " chat" with me. I have three weeks of Taxol left, and he told me I am borderline for these and wanted me to make the decision. His thoughts- no clear evidence of benefit, but given my age, 45, if I wanted to throw everything at this he would recommend doing it. Anyone here doing AI or Tomoxifen with low ER percentages?0 -
Ashla,I am 73 yrs old -I was diagnosed with osteoporosis 2 yrs prior to BC. The only medication I take is Boniva. I completed chemo,rads and still have another 7 herceptin to go. After rads my doctor put me on Tamoxifen. She said arimidex is better,however she would not consider it due to the bone issue side effects that Arimidex can cause. I have been on Tamoxifen 2 weeks with absolutely no side effects so far. I still take Boniva once a month and I take 1000 vitamin D per day ( Oscal)..
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Thx EileenOhio. My first mo and bs seemed inclined to do tamoxiphen for 2 years and then switch to an AI. My new mo likes the AI.
Gonna ask my bs on friday when I see him about the nipple issue.
Hopeful..everyone is welcomed in this forum and we have lots of girls your age sorry I can't help you on this one.0 -
Ashla glad you called. yellowish discharge probably isn't cancer. If it were blood or brown then I would be concerned.
Yay Arlene!
Omaz I had a bone density before chemo and I am slightly osteopenic. Tested again 8 months PFC and slightly increased but still osteopenic. Will be testing the end of this month. My onc and PCP does not treat oesteopenia. My onc had me start taking calcium (had D in it) and of course the walking at least 30 minutes a day (was already doing more than that plus strength training). I already was on increased D. I would ask to see an endocrinologist before you start taking fosomax. Unless of course you are right on the border.
Hopeful my ER is 30% and my PR is 10% I think. (I'm not home now so I can't check) My BS considered my PR- but my onc considered it +. It is more common for us triple positive gals to be low in both ER & PR. I think in your case I would try it. You can always quit if it's giving you issues. I was 49 at diagnosis. Finished chemo 2 week before my 50th birthday.
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Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it.
lago - Interesting that your onc and PCP don't treat osteopenia - I think my numbers will improve with time I just think the whole treatment process did a number on my body especially since my hip is fine.
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I was Dx at 98% ER and 10% PR.
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One more thing about osteopenia. I have read that the dexta scan might not be accurate for those of us that are small framed. I might indicate we are osteopenic when this is actually normal for us. Something about having smaller bones and how the scan sees them as thinner… when of course smaller bones are going to be thinner than bigger bones.
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This is the first I've heard of percentages with estrogen progesterone and her 2. What does these percentages mean... Is more or less better??
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Ashla: Glad you called your dr, hope it turns out to be nothing major and your mind will be at ease.
Hopeful: I am ER 90, PR 25, ki-67 positive, HER2+++ so can't help ya but keep watching posts, the ladies here are so helpful and have lots of information.
I am trying to read up on osteopenia and osteoporosis but am going to blame chemo brain as these days I can't remember from one day to the next what I read about which! So until I finish treatment, I try to eat well and get in as much exercise (aka limited to walking these days) as I can. Blood work came back better so have treatment #5 tomorrow. Still have a lot of swelling in my legs but it is a little better each day. One day at a time.
Wishing all of you a blessed day! and lots of hugs and thank you!
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jpicciallo - less is better...all 3 of mine were in the 80-90% range. Good luck to you!
HugZ!
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Question: I had lumpectomy and will be doing rads after chemo but am considering seeing ps as now that the swelling has gone down some the girls are a little off balance. What is the sequence of events for ps? Am also concerned about what radiation will do to my skin. I have a little bit of lympadema on that breast also. I have an appt with bs in a few weeks but am looking for some info from those who have been there done that. Thanks ladies!
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psm...we are all so different but I see no difference in my skin from the rads. Well, underneath the breast it is a bit darker but that's about it. Now, the breast is still very sore and almost a year since I finished rads and the breast is very sore and my onc says that may never go away. I too had a lumpectomy and didn't notice anything off balance.
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Arlene - congrats!!!
Ashla - diabolical indeed.
So glad you are able to get in so quickly - less time to worry, which we all understand oh too well. Omaz - so sorry to hear about the osteopenia. I had my baseline done and was shocked to find I already have slight osteopenia, (T score - 1.4) at age 44 and only 5 weeks post chemo. It is only of my hips, not my spine. My gynecologist told me it is not low enough to treat. She told me to keep taking my daily vitamin which has 500 mg of Calcium in it, and get the rest from my diet. Neither her nor my onc want me to take more b/c of the heart risk. I'm thinking of seeing a specialist in osteoporosis to see what they think, b/c I'm worried about it getting worse, especially given my age.
I am drinking almond milk instead of regular milk with lunch and dinner b/c (1) I like it better and (2) it has 450 mg of calcium vs. milk which is 300 mg of calcium per glass (plus it is fewer calories).
I also switched to not taking the calcium in a daily vitamin but rather taking calcium citrate b/c I am on Nexium (which may be why I am osteopenic
). Calcium carbonate, which is what is in all multivitamins I checked, cannot be absorbed well unless there is some acid in the stomach. So you have to take it with food. Oh, and you can only absorb around 500 mg every 4 to 6 hours, so think about that when planning your meals/supplements. I take 4000 mg of Vit D daily.
I am on Tamoxifen, 2 weeks now. Am hoping I'll benefit from some of its possible bone building effect.
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Ashla, I hope its nothing, but you're right to call. And I feel exactly the same - I stop worrying for a bit, then some new symptom or mysterious ache pops up and the worry overtakes my thoughts again. I can only hope it gets better with time because im just sick of it all. Let us know what your BS says.
Omaz, im taking liquid calcium citrate with magnesium. The nutritionist in my health food store told me liquid is absorbed better. Not sure how true that is, but I like the liquid better than the big pills.
Arlene - good for you getting deported
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dance, shore, kayb and lago - Thanks so much, lots to think about! I have some citrical that I ordered a while ago but never took. I started it today with dinner. You guys are the best.0
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Ashla, lago, moon, jpi, psm, Kayb and others- thanks for all your inputs. I was thinking along the lines of lago, doing it but stopping if the SE were bothering me. I'll read your posts to see what the SE's are. Kayb looks like your numbers are the closest to mine.
I am not sure how the percentages work. I asked my MO if there was a chance that it was heterogenous, i.e. the cells expressing ER were not expressing Her, and he said that could be possible. I am so tempted to see the slides myself to see the distribution. If this is the case then herceptin won't have an effect on these and I do need to consider harmonals.
Ashla- hope your appointment goes well on friday.
Thanks again to everyone for your input.0 -
Memasue 56 and Kayb... Thanks for the info... Sometimes I feel so lost with all this information!
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Got my petscan results back. All clear. I feel some resolution and am ready to move forward not worrying about every ache and pain for awhile.
I take calcium citrate too. Since I had a kidney stone attack while I was on chemo and had lithotripsy to blast its remainder in January, my urologist says to only take 500. I see the pcp in November and he will order a full blood workup and I'll have another bone density as it has been two years, so I will be interested to see how everything is now.
Tonlee...I just picked up some juven today. Going to give it a shot. I decided to go with that over the muscle armor as it is lower in both sugar and calories. It only has one sugar. It does have aspartame which I am not a fan of, but well see.
I am back on my organic, no refined sugar and flour food plan. I have been straying over the past few months as I run back and forth to Winston-Salem. I still can't give up ice crea, though, lol.0 -
Good news about the petscan fluff!0
