Mastectomy Sept 2011
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I forgot to add that the Aredia infusion was easy and my infusion center is very nice ( as far as these places go). I will be getting a monthly infusion that takes about 90 minutes. I also seem to be having no major se's from Arimidex and I feel sure the exercise really helps with that.
Caryn0 -
Hey Everyone!
Yes I am still around just haven't been posting. I have been reading this forum so I have been keeping up with everyone.
AFM- I have been incredibly busy at work. It's like I never had a month off and never had major surgery! I do primary care so for those who have been interested I have let them feel what my implants feel like! I had a second opinion with an oncologist more local to me- lovely woman. I find it difficult to comprehend that I have multiple tumors and stage IIb and no chemo or radiation. SHe agreed with all that- chemo would have no benefit. Still taking the tamoxafen and minimal side effect.
In one week I am leaving for Disney to compete in the Marathon Weekend! I will be doing a half marathon on Saturday and a full marathon Sunday - 39.3 miles in 2 days. I have roped my sister, 2 friends, and my niece to do this with me.
No I am not completely insane- I planned this before I got my diagnosis
I am late for a meeting!
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Groovygirls - I am sitting in my chair like a SLUG reading your plans for next week - YOU GO !!
I don't see any marathons in my future - but definitely some ZUMBA!
Our house woes seem to be at bay this week - we have HEAT and HOT WATER !
I am "on vacation" this week - using up time - but I too am completely swamped at work - making up for 8 weeks out - and it is insane - my deadlines didn't move so everything is due on 1/4.
Trying not to freak out and keep perspective - but some days are harder than others.
I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season - and I cannot wait for this year to be behind me - and start 2012.... Of course - I still have my TEs for a few more months and another surgery for the exchange - but I can handle that.
Glad to read everyone is doing pretty well - and always keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers!
Tina
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Wow groovy girls - I'm not worthy!!!
So nice hearing from everyone. I'm steadily recuperating, better each day. I feel like a mac truck hit me in the mornings, but then once I get moving I'm much better!
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Groovy girl -- I am very impressed. I hope all goes great for the race.
chonikel -- yea to everything getting back to normal for you - house/work
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Groovygirl - You are an inspiration!! I am hoping to run a mere 5k in April and possibly do both the Avon Breast Walk & Alzheimers Memory Walk in May. Wishing you well this weekend!!
Chonikel - I am also making up for 8 weeks off and feel your pain. I may never catch up...lol Even have a one week business trip now scheduled in February to Windsor CT...
DT - Glad to see each day is getting better.
Hugs to everyone...
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Groovygirl, I wish my MO had recommended no chemo no rads for IIb and had pushed tamoxifen only as I think I would be far better off now. I now have persistent chemotherapy-induced fatigue, chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, pain and difficulty with my dominant arm from surgery, and STILL have to do tamoxifen.... lots of wishing I had listened to my inner heart and not the statistics my MO scared my DH with.... I don't think the chemo gave me any longevity, and certainly did not do anything except destroy my ability to be active and significantly decreased my quality of life - have not been able to backpack, dance, exercise strenuously since first chemo in Oct. 2010. And I had recurrence just exactly one year after first diagnosis. I know chemo works for a lot of people and they don't have long-term SEs, but some of us do, so count your blessings that you are able to live fully and do what you want to do for as long as you can. The thing is, chemo is always an option in the future if you have progression, so don't be overly concerned and don't do it unless/until you have to! Glad to hear you are still hanging in there and going like a mad woman!!! 0
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My dear virtual friends and sisters- thank you all so much for your positive thoughts and well wishes. I am in awe of everyone and their marathon that we are all going thru.
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Groovy - first, so excited for you that you're feeling so well and that you're going to race - I did my first 10K just a few weeks out of treatment for cancer Round I (chemo, rads etc.) and it was the most empowering thing I ever did. I hope you feel the same - what a rush! Second - yes, it's weird to be stage II and not have chemo, but here's the thing - they have been OVERTREATING many breast cancers for years b/c they didn't have a tool like oncotyping . . . so so many women have been saddled w/tough treatments for nothing. I know it feels like you want to do everything you can to fight the BC, but what you're doing is enough, and that's the great news. Go run & celebrate, my friend!
Sarah
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I hope you all have a fantastic New Years.... Celebrate like it is 1999
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Hi Everyone,
I think I may have forgotten to join this thread. I had my Rt Mast Sept 9 with TE. 17 axillary nodes removed.
I just "graduated" from Pt-when they discovered that my insurance for Pt ran out on the last day I was there. I had been there 8 weeks/going twice week. She was a LE specialist I've heard, but she didn't teach me any MLE massage or much about LE. They just would have me go through my exercizes when I got there and at end of session would massage that pectoral muscle for about 5 min. I've been doing my PT exercizes daily/lately twice day. in the last few weeks they had me add 2 lb weights to routine.
I guess my arm muscles are more tired from small weights, but I'm still having discomfort from that TE-not a lot just feels like a rock is in there. I think this is normal. and its really always felt like this.
I have appoint with LE specialist in feb after chemo is over to teach me some more of the stuff I need to know about LE. Its a hour away.
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Happy New Year my friends!!! May 2012 find us all healthier, wealthier and happy!!!
Good riddence 2011....
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Hi Fredntan - welcome - glad you found us! I can't speak to the TE discomfort b/c I got implants straight-away, but there are other women here who've had them/still have them, so hopefully they'll weigh in.
I have a question for you guys, too - anyone still having discomfort from their sentinel node biopsy? My site is achy off and on - really annoying. I don't remember the left side being uncomfortable for this long back in '01 when I had it done - maybe it's having it, combined w/the tissue removal for the mastectomy?
In any case, I wanted to wish all my breast friends a very happy 2012! I hope this year proves to be much less eventful for us all . . . .
xoxo
Sarah
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Happy New Year Sarah and all my September friends,
I had an AND. The scar looks pretty good but sometimes feels irritated. I thought I was wearing something that rubbed it but when I kept track of clothing vs. irritation, that turned out not to be the case. I'm hoping more time will take care of it and I hope it will for you as well.
Good news, I'm going back to work mid- Jan. Hope everyone is starting the new year well.
Caryn0 -
Welcome, Fredntan. I didn't have implants either, so can't help you there. I hope you have better luck with your LE specialist in February. The drive will be worth it if that person is better qualified and gives you more one-on-one care and attention, which you deserve.
Sarah - my SNB is asymptomatic and has been so since oh, I don't know, maybe 10 wks post op? Maybe you can ask your PT if this is normal for your case - perhaps you had more scar tissue with it?
Caryn, psyched for you to get back to a normal routine!
I'm still recovering from my 2nd reconstruction surgery a week ago Friday - doing better every day! Man oh man are my hamstrings and pecs tight, though...gently and gradually working on it. Meeting with 3rd opinion docs on rads 1 wk from today.
Hope everyone is doing well!
Lorraine
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Sarah.. I had umx with no reconstruction and my whole chest area and under arm still has a numbness to it. I don't really notice as much now bc I think I've just got use to it. I am still getting the nerve sensations like fire crackers going off under my skin but only once in awhile. Saw the breast surgeon a couple weeks ago and he said it could take up to a year for some of the nerves to regenerate.
Happy new year everyone!!
Caryn.. Congrats on being cleared to go back to work. You must be very happy!
Welcome Fran to this thread0 -
Ladies!!!! I am done with chemo!!!!!Yesterday was my last one... So far did not sleep at all ( hello, emmend), go to get Neulasta today and see my PX about future operation- exchange defective TE, probably in Feb. Also my heart rate is always high, and ECH showed something, so I have to see cardiologist on 17. I wll get Herceptin every 3 weeks till the end of Septenmber.Oncologist wants to give me Tamoxifen too...I am happy for you ladies, all of you are doing good and better..
My love and prayers with u, OLGA
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Olsenberg, yes, the sentinel side is still achy for me as are the scars where the drains came out.
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Congrats on being done with Chemo, Olga. My last one was three weeks ago and it is such a relief to be done with that. Now I just want some HAIR!
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Congrats Olga and Momine on both of you being DONE with chemo!!! Yeah - HUGE step forward!
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Welcome Fredntan... I still have discomfort from the TE. Last night they were bothering me to the point I had to move back to the recliner to sleep. My PS says it's normal.
Sarah -- I still have some discomfort with my SNB area, but I figured it was do to the edges of the TE since I have similar discomfort on the other side too.
Lorraine -- glad you are doing well after your 2nd surgery. I hope all goes well with your 3rd opinion on rads.
Olga -- congratulations on completing chemo one more thing you can cross off the list. you will find the herceptin infusions will be so much easier. It is nice to only be hooked up for 1 1/2 hours rather then the 6 hours for chemo. Good luck with the cardiologist I will be praying it is nothing.
Momine -- congratulations on completing chemo. I started seeing some hair at 6 weeks post. I have 3/4 inch right now and I am 18 weeks post. check with your Dr if you can take biotin not sure it really helps with the growth but I am taking it.
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Three cheers for you, Olga! Hope your path is easier from this point on.
Good for you too, Momine. Finishing chemo is a great accomplishment.
Glad everyone else is starting off 2012 on a better note.
I'm back to work on 1/17. Can't wait!
Caryn0 -
Congrats to Olga & Momine on finishing chemo!!!
Caryn- I am so glad you are excited to go back to work. There really is a comfort in the normalcy of routine.
Fredtan - Sorry you have to join us but glad you did.
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Thank you, my friends! see what Ps and cardiologists gonna say..cannot wait to go back to normal life. However, my oncologist told me we won't have PET SCAN? Why is that possible? How do I know, what - IF?
he sais symptoms... but isn't it too late , when symptoms arrive? I thought evereyne must have PET SCAN?
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Congrats to Olga & Momine on the last chemo! Don't be impatient right now - it may take you longer to feel better than you expect (most people around you expect you to be jumping back into normal stuff after a couple of weeks, but it may take several months or longer, so rest when you need to!).
Olga, the PET scans are not without risk as you get quite a lot of radiation exposure during one, so they don't like to do them routinely, but for baseline or diagnostic. My MO sort of suggested thinking about monitoring with PET but said it is NOT standard of care (so insurance might not approve payment for it). The other thing is that since you have also had surgery, there may be some residual tissue response from healing that might give "false positive" and just cause more anxiety. You have had surgery, done the chemo, and you are going to do the herceptin and tamoxifen, so at this stage, treatment would not be any different even if they DID find something. So this is just to try to reassure you that the PET scan does not provide all the answers, sometimes misses things, and sometimes finds stuff that isn't really of any consequence, and does expose you to additional radiation.
Caryn, I am so glad you are heading back to work also! I took a couple of weeks off, but have a very flexible schedule, so it was a bit easier for me to continue working this fall. I do think I might be feeling a bit stronger and healthier now if I HAD taken time off, especially with all the extra complicatins and set-backs, but emotionally, spiritually, and mentally, I am better off working than not.
Special thanks today for all of you wonderful women who have helped support me through 2011. And welcome to the newbies here. May our 2012 be a better year!
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Olgah -- I asked my ONC this week about scans and got the same answer as you. Since I have had surgery, chemo and still having herceptin no more scans unless they see something during my quarterly check ups. She said it is treatment protocol to not do more scans since as Linda said there are risk with them too. It is hard to accept, but I really trust my ONC so I am going to accept no more scans for now.
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Olga,
I have also heard that scans are not routinely done for early stage patients who have undergone tx and have no symptoms to warrant scans. That being said, I did have an MRI and PET after my collapsed lung which turned up my bone met. I had no symptoms and nothing else that would have pointed to mets but I believe, just as with the lung collapse, that I am the exception. Gee, why couldn't I be exceptional in some other area, like a big lottery win ? Don't worry, my friend.
Caryn0 -
Thanks for the good wishes. I am 3 weeks and 2 days past the last chemo and I have some sprouts on my poor head. Also had to shave my legs yesterday. They only had a stubble, but it was hair, yeah! Dh is going to clip the stuff on the head, because parts have quite long random hairs and other places are still bald.
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Momine, that was my experience with chemo.... the FIRST hair that came back was on the legs!!! Just no justice, is there?
to leg hair and having to shave before the head hair comes back!!! 0 -
And speaking of hair... I have not shaved armpits since surgery, and am beginning to be grossed out, but am having a lot of difficulty with the lack of sensation. I do use electric razor, so am not concerned about injuring myself, but the weird feeling of no skin sensation but the ability to feel pressure is just creeping me out. Anyone have any suggestions?
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