After Radiation
Comments
-
stage1: She's tried Elevil (Amitriptyline) and many others this past 5 years she's had it, nothing so far seems to work. She almost always has the opposite reaction to meds than she is supposed to. But my daughter also has been a Type 1 diabetic since she was 7 and she has a breathing disorder called Vocal Cord Disfunction, and add that to the Fibro - so I think sometimes new medicines just put her body in "overload." Wish I could think of all she has tried over the years, but chemo brain just won't allow it - I know Lyrica was one for sure.
0 -
Cherrie, yes, you can develop lymphodema with just one node removed. Anytime they mess around with a lymph system, there is risk. It's low, but there is still a chance. And it can happen at any time, even years later. Great, huh? When they sent me to PT after surgery, they told me to avoid getting cut, scratched, don't have blood drawn or blood pressure on that arm, etc. She even said don't get any bug bites on that arm. WTH? I live in Minnesota, where the mosquito is the state bird. And I'm a vet tech. No scratches? Not likely. So I quit worrying about it. I can't possibly protect that arm completely for the rest of my life. Anyway, long answer. I don't have lymphodema, so I don't know if numbness or tingling is part of that, or nerve damage from the surgery. That's something to ask your doc about. And congrats on being a 9 year survivor!
Sandi
0 -
Hi Cherrie,
Yes, you can get lymphadema with just one node. The risk is small, but definitely there. Congrats on being a 9 year survivor. I am just getting over lymphadema of the breast but I had 6 nodes removed. Between the exercises and compression, it is pretty much gone and I started tx at the beginning of October. Another thing it could be is some kind of cervical disc degeneration or herniation. Have they checked you for that? I have many problem discs in my neck and when it gets bad, I will have numbness in my arm and portions of my hand depending on the disc involved.. Do you notice certain figures and parts of your hand being numb? There are 3 sections-thumb and forefinger, middle finger, and last two fingers and back of the hand. Hope this helps.
My own fatigue experience has been very positive. I was exhausted during rads and for those 4 weeks afterwards that they always talk of, but surprisingly disappeared after 4 weeks. Have had other problems, but fortunately no fatigue. Right now, my pain is so much better than it was. I still get armpit pain, especially after I go to my chiropractor. (He has to hold me under the armpit) and my breast is still sensitive to touch, but my range of motion is almost normal now. Boy, did I really say that word? Normal? I guess it's possible :-)
Happy Holidays Everyone!
Susan
0 -
hey Ladies..................just a suggestion................Has anyone of you ever tried "accupuncture"...........I have, and it is wonderful.............I got to a chinese woman, who graduated from the University of Shanghi, and she is outstanding................I had a horrible low back, and she took away allt he pain.....................it is not painful, does not hurt, and the relief is amazing, and its not like a Chiropractor where you have to keep going back........................going back to her is your choice, she does not tell you to continue coming........you feel good, she says "not necessary"
Now another thing...........my daughter who is 42, and I truely believe has Fibro.........had the worst shoulder, upper back, and neck pain.........so bad she was miserable.............she was seeing a Chiro, and he is excellent........I told her just to try accupuncture, and finally she did
1, just 1 treatment with my woman, and she is fantastic...............no more pain in her neck, and she says, "I feel like someone gave me a new upper body.......................she has not gone back, and it is nearly 1 month, and says she still feels great....................she told her Chiro., and he agreed it is a great thing to do, but also said. "our office does it".......................I told her stay with the woman your going to, she is excellent, and schooled in her specialty in China.............they are the best..........for accupuncture.
You should give it a shot, and see if it helps you all....................It did me.......I swear by it...........and remember "it should not hurt", if it does, the person doing it, is not doing it right.............and possibly took a "quickie" course, and not a long term program in anatomy, and accupuncture...... actually a woman my daughter worked with said "I had it done, and the guy killed me"........................I told my daughter........"it does not hurt".............................after she went the girl at work said "didn't it kill you"......................she said "no", and you need to find another accupuncturist..........
I swear by it........and it is not expensive, and some insurance companies cover it........mine doesn't, but it is worth the money, which is minimal.
hugs.
0 -
Thanks for the info ducky - I think there's a division of our hospital that does accupuncture. I had read about it a while back but had forgotten to pursue it. If I can find a reputable one I will definitely have my daughter try it for sure.
0 -
Hello all my sistas....seems like everyone is surviving whil i was babysitting for my 3 nephews while the 4th went to fla.for the peewee championship in football and won..
i see we have a 9 yr.survivor....who still is havin problems.damn.this sure is the gift that keeps on givin alrite..
i had edema which is a sista to LE.....but its not tingling and numbness...its just swelling.another gift from the rads....
Ducky---where did you do the acu???in NJ or PA? ya got me thinkin now.with all the problems i have with my lower back with the discs and scoliosis maybe it could help me too.hey ya never know.
hi to everyone.ill be back later.gotta catch up on the boards.
Please check out the thread LETS DRAFT A LETTER TO WASHINGTON....did i say that before i left?????im tryin to get the word out....just doin my volunteering work.ha.seriously this is important.
huggggggggggs everyone. K
0 -
Hello my sistas....gotta say Thanks for not givin me a hard time for asking you to go on the LETS DRAFT A LETTER TO WASHINGTON....I think I got a few people a little upset with posting.Thank you for understanding my passion.....you ladies know how pushy I can get.gotta slow down a bit.Will not be able to go dancin this weekend.My niece is havin Santa and I plan on dancin with him.better rest up and practice.
hope everyone is doin good today.Its a little chilly here in NJ.I like it this way.
hugggggggggggs sistas K
0 -
Stage1 and Achpurple~ I really noticed the pain and "bruised" feeling in my early 20's but thought it was just normal from stress. I was on gabapentin for the nerve pain in my face and noticed it made a difference too, probably because I seemed to be sleeping more soundly....and gave me a "I really don't care" attitude, so stress seemed a little less!!! lol.
Cherrie~lingering nuerapothy? chemo or rads related?
0 -
Granny...............I go to a chinese woman, in Drexel Hill, in Pa............she is 2 minutes from my house if I made the light at the end of the street....................she is wonderful, and she is also an MD, but does mostly everything acupuncture...............love her, and love it....................my son-in-law went for the first time today, and he was suffering awful with pain in his neck..............................nothing helped...........he tried her, and he said he feels like a new person...........................next week he is going for his lower back.........................you have to try it.................however, I can only speak for my " lady", not saying they are all good...................However, I would stick with an Oriental person....they know their stuff.
0 -
Ducky- I wish I lived near you! To be out of neck and low back pain would be a dream! I would not know where to begin to find a good acupuncturist in Buffalo, though. You would think if they did so much good, people would know about where to find them...
Susan
0 -
Ducky I am going to try acupuncture right after the first. My MO has me doing PT and then he said when I was finished with that he wanted me to try some acupuncture. So I looked on line at the place he wants me to go to and they are having a special 3 visits for $30. So I bought one for me and DH, he has neuropathy. Anyway this place is so much cheaper and they must be good because my MO is pretty picky about who he refers to. They do what they call a community setting where they do several at one time. They have recliners set up in a room and ask that you wear loose fighting clothing so they can get to the spots they need to. Will be interesting as I have never done this before.
0 -
Sherry, it sounds good................this is how mine works..............might be a long explanation, but I want you to know how its done for me
1. At the first visit I am given a sheet of paper with a full "body" on it.............I am then asked to put a check mark at every place where I have pain.
2.She asks me what area hurts the most...........then she puts you on a table in a private room, and she proceeds to push on all the "trigger points" on the body.........(in my case I was face down)...........
3.She then asks you as she pushes "does this spot hurt"...........if you answer yes, she puts a needle in that spot, and each one after that that you say "yes" to..
4. After placing all the needles she then puts small electrodes on each needle, and also covers the whole area with heat.........A machine is turned on, and you judge how much stimulation you can handle (it does not hurt)
5. After 25 minutes she removes the heat, electrodes, and the needles.
6. She then does a "hot stone" massage all over the area, and a procedure called "cupping" that stimulates the blood too the area where the pain is.........(also does not hurt)
7. The last thing she does, is a hands on deep massage of the entire treated area.
This costs me $45.00, and after 1 treatment you usuall;y do not have to go back.........Of course if you want a completely different area done, then you would go back...................my woman is oriental, an MD, and a specialist in chinese medicine..............
Enjoy your acupuncture.......you won't be sorry.........
0 -
Sherry......depending on where I want worked on, it requires having to take clothes off, just as if you were having a "salon massage"........................if it is the upper back, you would have no shirt on.......lower back, you would have to pull your bottoms down far enough to expose the area being worked on................and so on....................the woman I go to does acupuncture on everything, and for eveyrthing.
Fibromyalgia.........weight loss.......cancer................facial wrinkles (they say it stimulates the collegan), migraines (grandaughter went for that, and she doesn't get headaches anymore..................she treats about 30 conditions.................with 3 different types of acupuncture...........
0 -
Susan........................try googling Acupuncturists in Buffalo, NY area..............I am sure you will find a good one..................read their credentials once you find one, and I would suggest you do someone who specializes in Oriental Medicine.................they are usually the best.................my women is an MD, and specializes in Chinese medicine...............and is a graduate of University of Shanghi................also worked in the Cancer dept. of University of Pa. in Phila..............there are a lot of them out there who take a 6 week course, and are not qualified...................you don't want them.
My daughters friend went one, and when she heard my daughter was going she said ";your crazy, that hurts like hell".................................my daughter said "my Mom said it doesn't hurt"...................her friend said........."well the guy I had killed me"................................my daughter went to my woman, and said to me when she came home ....................."Mom I have no idea who Brenda went to, but I felt nothing".............so experience means a lot.
check google.
0 -
My husband has very bad back pain, he has had 3 surgeries. So far he is able to do everyday things, but he is on constant pain meds. I am going to check into this acupuncture for him. Maybe he can get some relief and get off his meds.
0 -
Thanks Ducky for all that wonderful info....right now im not in pain.Thank you GOD BUT im havin problems with my stomach....that is my main concern.i had colitus and it was supposed to be in remission but i heard that the rads can bring it back....im constantly in the bathroom and sometimes i see blood.AND my gastro Dr.is on vacation...i wanted to wait for him to come back after the new year but i dont think i can wait.
Damn if its not one thing its another....I think i just got another gift from bc.grrrrrrrrrrrr
0 -
I think they will have to use a whole lot of needles on me, Ducky! If they gave me that sheet today, I would use a crayon to color the whole thing in
Definitely will be googling to see what I can find...Thank you so much for the advice!Susan
0 -
Susan, I like you had a lot of problem areas..................I filled them all in, and let her take over..............it was amazing how much relief I got.
Granny ...........they use acupuncture for colitis...............it might be worth a phone call to someone qualified.............remember stick with an Oriental.
0 -
Ducky---acupuncture for colitis?????are you kidding me????no you would not do that.i know betta...here i sit waiting for the nurse to call me instead of lookin for one in my area....and i do remember to stick with Oriental....thank you.
How is our Grayson doin?My granddaughter was in walmart today with my Greyson and she met someone she knew from Damaskis(sp) county that knows a lill girl by that name who is a twin...could it be???
0 -
I was wondering about little Grayson too...I'm still praying for her everyday!
0 -
Do you folks have the 'groupons' things you can sign up for ??? they regularly come up with inexpenzive massage and acupuncture prices and they are legit. they are based on how many sign up for it and then you get the excellent discount price!
0 -
Sandee---do you have details on this...i have no idea what you are talkin about.0
-
Sandee we have groupons and I love it. I find some really good deals on things
0 -
come on sistas------share please!!!!!! need some more info...details ....
thanks
0 -
OK Granny I have been in PT and my pec muscle does not hurt any more. I can still feel a tight stretch when I hiperextend it but I almost have all my range of motion back. So I'll keep harping that if anyone has problems with their pec muscle or shoulder after rads do not wait get into PT. If I had gone to PT to begin with I probably would have only spend 6 weeks in PT as it is I am spending 12 weeks in PT, but need every bit of it. I just realized that I started hurting last December when I started rads and it continued to get worse until I got into PT the end of October. I can't believe how much better I feel and I realize I am much more positive since I am not hurting all the time. I still have the nerve pain but it is not bothering me near as much since the pec muscle in in control. Yeah for PT!!!!!!
0 -
Sherry - I think granny is asking for details about the groupons. She is wanting to know how they work.
0 -
how right you are JO...i have been to PT a gazillion times...yes yes yes it does work....groupons is something i never heard of.
0 -
Go to Groupon.com and look for your city or a city near you. They have a daily deal and you tell them if you want it. If enough people sign up, you get the deal. We also have one called DealChicken.com and one called Groupig.com in the Cincinnati area. I have bought a couple of them and they have been a good deal.
0 -
Jo: I asked my DD chiropractor today if he knew somebody that did acupuncture and of course he did! So he told me he'd bring me his card so I could call and make an appointment.
0 -
Well if I am not always the slow one to get something. haha Granny check out the groupons. We also have Living Social, Buy with Me and Crowd Savers.
0
