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After Radiation

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Comments

  • Sherryc
    Sherryc Member Posts: 4,503

    Susan I agree in the fact that I think we all make the best decisions that we can at the time with the information that we have.  Some are luckier than others to have been given alot of information and others have had to do their own research.  But in the end we make our decisions of what is best for us based upon our knowledge.  Some get really strict with diet and some doen't It is all a personal decision of what makes each one of us feel the best.

  • omaz
    omaz Member Posts: 4,218

    In that study above, I don't now if they controlled for BRCA risk - did they test for it back then?  Since they saw the increased risk in the other breast for younger women maybe it was because they were more likely to be BRCA positive. 

  • Sherryc
    Sherryc Member Posts: 4,503

    OMAZ not sure and I went to the Journal of Clinical oncology online to read it but you have to subscribe or pay for the article.  Very pricey.  They have very few free things to read on there.

  • SAB
    SAB Member Posts: 1,121

    Sherry and all, it's true that we have to make the best personal choices with the knowledge we have--it's just like I told my BS though--I sure do regret going the liberal arts route!  I feel so frustrated sometimes having to make these decisions with so little knowledge and expertise!

    My friend of 45 years visited me last week.  She's a hospice nurse and she tells me that while I should do everything I can to live healthily she has seen many, many people who did everything right and just got a "bad card."  I did change my diet and got back to exercise but now I do it because it feels good, not necessarily because it will "save" me.

  • FireKracker
    FireKracker Member Posts: 5,858

    I did not want to do rads..no how no way.i swore i would never do it BUT between my kids and my grandkids screamin and cryin i did it for them...i waited way past the statistics..am i sorry...hell no...would i do it again...hell no...I did soooo much homework (like i drove everyone crazy with the bras i did the same with the rads).....I do believe that when your time is up it sup...i try to do the best i can and thats IT!!!!!!!

    JUST FIND A DAMN CURE.(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Sherry))))))))))))))))))))

  • duckyb1
    duckyb1 Member Posts: 9,646

    Granny...............wasn't sure where to find you today, so I scouted the posts, and here you are....................I wanted to let you know..................you recall my identical twin great-grandaughters were born while I was going through Rads...................you may also recall.the Dr. who delivered the 2nd baby, instead of doing a C-section after delivering the 1st twin vaginally, decided on his own that he could deliver this 2nd baby again vaginally.........................he was only on duty for 1 hour.................the previous Dr. who left caue her shift was done said "I will leave instructions for Dr. T---y to let him know "if you don't deliver within the hour, a C-section needs to be done....................this woman Dr. was with my grandaughter the entire "labor"...................she knew what she was doing.............................well in comes "a self centered igotistical bastard of a man", and decides he will do what he wants.

    Now the bad news..........we knew Grayson (her name) had some problems after being sent to Children's Hospital in Phila....where she stayed for 2 weeks.....................at the time they said "its difficult to tell now exactly what her problem is..........they did an MRI, and said once she reached the crawling, sitting, trying to stand stage they would know more................

    Yesterday they did an MRI again..................I am devastated.............I found out last night she has a "severe spinal cord injury" as a result of being born feet first..............my grandaughter said "when the neurologist came into the room, I knew something serious was wrong"..............he told my grandaughter exactly what they found and told her "Grayson will probably never walk"

    I knew something was wrong from watching the progression of baby #1, but had no idea that it was going to be this tragic.

    Just wanted to let you know, please pray for her, and I will go on other threads to ask the same thing..............hugs, and give that little guy one for me.

  • omaz
    omaz Member Posts: 4,218
    ducky - I am so sorry.
  • Sherryc
    Sherryc Member Posts: 4,503

    Ducky I am so sorry for the news.  What a blow.  Hope she sues the egotistical man. I will definalty keep your family in prayer.

    SAB I need to remember the liberal arts quote.  I feel the same way.  I think we all deserve to be given all the information and all the choices and then it is up to us to decide what is best for ourselves.  That did not happen with my BS and that is one of my huge frustrations.  If she had given me all the info I'd be finished with everything now instead I feel like I am just getting started.

  • Oh ducky...I am so sorry for you and your family. What a tragedy for little Grayson....I will add her and her family to my prayer list.
  • Sherryc
    Sherryc Member Posts: 4,503

    Also ladies I have been out of rads since the end of Jan.  I am a very active person and do yogo.  Anyway I started having nerve pain early on but also at my three month visit I told my RO that my pec muscle had started to hurt.  Well he thought my range of motion was good and that with my yoga practive I would be fine.  He did give me a couple of extra stretches to do.  Told me rads really messes with your pec muscle and sometimes it takes 2-3 years to get them back to normal.  Anyway I rocked along and continued to have pain in my pec muscle and finally at my last MO appt I told him I could not take it any longer and wanted to go to PT.  I have been doing PT for 31/2 weeks now and my muscles are so much better.  The stretches that they have given me are helping more than anything I have had.  I just wish I had not waited so long to ask for the PT referal.  My Dr's were only looking at my range of motion and there is more to it than that.  So wanted to share that.  If any of you feel an intense pulling when you are using your rads side even if you have full range of motion go see a PT you will not regret spending the time to go.

  • SAB
    SAB Member Posts: 1,121

    Ducky, so sorry.  I seldom pray but I am praying for that baby right now.

  • walley
    walley Member Posts: 195

    Ducky

    I'm sorry to hear about your grandbaby.My prayers are with you and your family

  • Panmars
    Panmars Member Posts: 166

    (((Ducky))), I'm so sorry about your grandbaby. Keeping you and your family in my thoughts.

  • Elizabeth1889
    Elizabeth1889 Member Posts: 509

    Dycky, I will add my prayers to everyone's.  Sending hugs to you.

  • omaz
    omaz Member Posts: 4,218
    Sherry - My pec muscle is still tight too but not painful and I ended in Feb.  I keep stretching it.  Takes a long time to 'get over' rads!  My rad onc also said about  2 years.
  • FireKracker
    FireKracker Member Posts: 5,858
    I just wrote a long post and lost it for Ducky---my sista/friend.....I hate hate hate those damn white coats who try to play GOD....there is a special place in hell for them...God bless your little Grayson(our new baby is Greyson)...sending daily prayers for that lill girl,you,and the entire family....you must be devistated....Please keep us posted on the progress.....I DO BELIEVE IN MIRACLES.....hugggggggggggs K
  • ksmatthews
    ksmatthews Member Posts: 743

    Praying for that special grandbaby!

  • duckyb1
    duckyb1 Member Posts: 9,646

    Granny, and all my wonderful ladies...........thank you so much for the prayers......we surely need them.............and Granny how about them having the same name, just different spelling.......

    I just posted on another thread the text I got from my grandaughter tonight......she said

    Nan, I know Dad told you the news about Grayson.  I just want you to know she is gonna be fine. I'm going to make certain of it.  While it sucks, I see so much potential in her, I have no doubt she will walk one day..................so please don't worry about this........you can't afford the stress. We're gonna get thru it, I promise...............

    She is an amazing Mother, and a wonderful grandaughter..........If anyone can make a miracle happen she will........Her name is Kira, and she is also an identical twin.............just wanted to share that with my best friends.............hugs, and thank you again

  • sagina
    sagina Member Posts: 849

    Ducky, praying for your whole family....what a remarkable woman your granddaughter is, but then again I remember through my chemo fog, the remarkable children you have and all the little things they were doing for you then.  The apples don't fall far from the trees, you must be remarkable yourself!

    Hugs and prayers always.

  • duckyb1
    duckyb1 Member Posts: 9,646

    Sagina.......thanks for the kind thoughts.........honestly, I am not a remarkable person, I just loved my children with all my heart, and the love came back...............hugs to you.

  • painterly
    painterly Member Posts: 266

    Ducky,

    I saw your post and my prayers and thoughts are with you and your family.

    My only grandchild was born with a peculiar indentation on her back.She was too young for tests so we had to wait until she was around 3 months old. The tests were done to rule out spina bifida. During the waiting period I was so depressed on my medication and waiting was just about killing me. Finally, she was able to have the tests and all was negative. She never crawled and had a peculiar way of dragging herself along the floor which made me wonder if the tests were correct or not. At a year old, she began taking her first steps and completely bypassed the crawling stage, a couple of weeks later was comfortable walking and still didn't really know how to crawl (I suspect because she was a skinny minnie, that crawling was uncomfortable on her hips and ribs etc.) So she beat my own two children who both took 1 1/2 years to walk. She is now 16 months old and running around getting into mischief. Some children just take a little longer than others.

    Here's hoping your darling great grandchild will show all the docs how wrong they are.

     PS....I forgot the most important thing....

    They did see a certain "something" in the tests that they "thought" maybe would require surgery for her to walk....but as I mentioned above...she not only walks..but runs to our hearts delight!

  • SusanHG
    SusanHG Member Posts: 455

    Ducky-so sorry to hear and I too hope those docs are wrong!!  sending prayers your way...

    Susan

  • Kay_G
    Kay_G Member Posts: 1,914

    Ducky, very sorry to hear about your great granddaughter.  I am saying prayers for her right now.  Your granddaughter sounds like a great mom.  And young children are so resilient, I don't think docs should ever say never for them.  I pray she will walk and overcome all the difficulties she faces, and really believe she will.  I am also an identical twin and was the second born and was breach as well.  That is why my sis is 20 minutes older than me.  And had a similar situation with the docs too.  My mother's regular doc had a heart attack a few days before we were born and we were delivered by an intern at the hospital who'd never delivered twins before.  My mother said after my sister was born, he said to her, do you know there is another one in there?  And he went running to get some help.  It all worked out for me and it will for your great granddaughter as well.   (((((hugs)))))

    I am officially joining the thread.  I finished rads a few hours ago and cannot believe how emotional I was.  Still doing Herceptin every three weeks through May, but this was a milestone.  Hello to all my post rads sistas.

  • SusanHG
    SusanHG Member Posts: 455

    Sherry-I totally get what you're saying about the research.  We all have a choice--either we decide to trust the doctors 100% (and we all know where that can lead!!) or we need to find out if what they are telling us is true through our own research.  I am fortunate to have a medical background, so it was relatively easy for me to understand the reasoning and statistics behind medical studies, but I can understand how frustrating it is for others without prior knowledge.

    Unfortunately, breast cancer is one of those things where you don't have the luxury of time in most cases to figure these things out.  Besides, our emotions at the time were only telling us to get it out now matter what!! So, we all end up picking up the pieces later on.

  • duckyb1
    duckyb1 Member Posts: 9,646

    Kay 1963....thanks for the encouragement, and prayers................congratulations on finishing Rads...............it is very emotional......sounds crazy but it is..........I remember, as I walked out of the dressing room, toward the waiting room, all the techs were blowing horns, shaking rattles, and clapping hands.....................when I took hold of the "cord" on the "bell", I remember getting very emotional, and I can honestly say .......................I don't miss the radiation, but I really do miss the people.............my techs were wonderful, and so was my RO.................so loving and compassionate...................we celebrated with a big hoagie tray, and I made them homemade cookies.......................it was a day to remember in more then one way...............good luck to you, but remember...............even though your finished with Rads..................it can give you a little "kick in the ass" for a while after..............don't get discouraged, it gets better.............I still have some "not great" days....................the fatigue is the big thing, but I'm doing great........................hugs.

  • duckyb1
    duckyb1 Member Posts: 9,646

    Kay.........I was a patient at Delaware County Memorial Hospital, in Drexel Hill, Pa.........I had everything done there...............It is a Fox Chase Regional Cancer Center..............excellent staff of Dr.s, and they have their own Regional Breast Center............everything from soup to nuts...........all things were done without anything leaving the hospital.....mams, biopsy, surgery, Rads, MO, RO, and also my LE specialist............they even have massage, yoga, support group, and a beauty center for wigs, and accessories..........I didn't have chemo, but my LE specialist is in that area of the hospital...........................everything under one roof, and 15 minutes from my home......................take care.

  • SusanHG
    SusanHG Member Posts: 455

    Kay-congrats on finishing!  it is a great feeling, isn't it?  now to rest, get your energy back, and your skin!  Best of luck!

    Susan

  • Congratulations on finishing Kay!!! Happy dance time!Smile
  • omaz
    omaz Member Posts: 4,218
    Congrats Kay !!