Radiation recovery
Comments
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Just a quick drive-by post to wish all of you a great day. Chilly weather back here in the NorthEast after spring finally arrived...sigh. We had a storm last night with thunder, lightning and high winds. Scary! Hope all of you in the midwest are safe! I heard they had tornadoes!
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Gigi, I would love a link to the article you mentioned if you happen to come across it again. When I finished rads a few weeks ago, my RO said blood tests won't be a part of the monitoring going forward. Twice annual breast imaging (alternating mammo and MRI) plus I'll see one of the three onc doc's every four months. I will probably have extra blood work from my PCP annually to check for vitamin D and thyroid (I'll request it if not offered).
This is at a Harvard teaching hospital, incidentally. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one, because the blood tests do seem to be that extra step of feeling like we are closely monitoring.0 -
Hi Gigil,
Besides me telling him about the shapes of my stools changing. There was an incident in Dec. I called his office because I had hesitancy( I was unable to urinate) He said it was a uti and gave me an antibiotic. Also there was an incident where I was on the phone with his nurse, when I was on the potty, because I was bleeding. Thanks so much for letting me know Hugs, Kate
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Hi Lemon, Such a sweet post. Chicago is my home town and I adore it there. I told my children that we are not going to talk about illness for one minute, becasue I just want to have fun, fun, and more fun. My grandchildren are so wonderful, and they make me feel like a teenager again. Three of them love to play cards so I lose in Old Maid and War all of the time, and they giggle and laugh because I always get the Old Maid Card.
Do you get to Chicago much? The weather sucks of course, but the restaurants and shopping are fabulous. Not to mention museums, architecture etc etc. Sorry Los Angeles Ladies but I like Chicago so much more than I do LA. And did I netion the people there are the best. Kim it would be great if we could meet there some time. Hugs, Kate
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Hi Lisa,
I feel that with the support of my wonderful bc sisters, such as yourself, I will be able to get throught the chemo. There may be a lot of venting, bitxhing, and complaining, but I know with your love I will make it. Thanks so much for your support. Hugs, Kate
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Hi April,
I am so jealous. I love chilly weather and storms. Sorry that you weather was scary though. The weather here is so boring. You know the saying it never rains in sunny california, and it just about doesn't Hugs, Kate
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Kate it sounds like you definitely have some incidents of care in regard to bladder symptoms. I could meet in Chicago sometime too. It is a day trip on the train from Minneapolis. Next week I am going to Washington DC to a writers conference, but some other time in the future would be fun. xoxo
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Kate I don't know if you would love this weather. I am at our little house in the lakes area of Minnesota. The snow is coming down heavily and it looks like December. We have had deep snow for 6 months! Spring is so far overdue! I just told my DH we should start playing Christmas music - maybe it would make us feel better.
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Hi Gigil,
The next time I go to Chicago I would love to meet you. When I lived in Chicago we sometimes went to Minneapolis for a day trip. Hugs, Kate
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Kate we could even meet in The Dells! There is a great hotel/casino there. Do you know of it?
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Hi Gigil,
OMG I miss snow so much. The next time I go to Chicago I want to go in January so I can see snow. I remember Spring snowstorms in Chicago too. As I remember it Minneapolis has weather that is a little worse than Chicago. Sorry that you are not enjoying the weather, and I will pray that spring weather will come to you soon. xoxo,
Kate
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I haven't been to the Dells since my kids were little. No I didn't know there is a casino there. When we want to gamble, while in chicago,o we go to the casin boats there. Hugs, Kate
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I mostly tag along with my sisters for gambling. They win and love to gamble. I don't often win, so I just spend time enjoying the other things like the gift shops, coffee shops and spa. We always end the day with a nice dinner. If I am going to spend money I like to get something for it, like a pedi!
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((((((((((Kate))))))))))). Super Big Fighting Hugs!!!!!! You have a wonderful time with your kids & grands!!!!! Oh how cancer sucks along with incompetent GP's!!!!
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Hi Julz4. Thanks so much for your support. All the love from my breast cancer sisters is making me stronger and stronger, and I will kick cancer's butt. Hugs, Kate
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kate,
I remember thinking Southern Ca weather was so boreing when I lived there. Always sunny, just either hot with sun or cool with sun. The cold was still warm compared to here. You are right Chicago is a great place but the winters are so long. I think for me I could appreciate a place that had a mild winter. I can handle snow but 6mos of it just bugs me. I do ok in Nov and even Dec and the in Jan I am ready for it to go away.
I really hope you enjoy your time with your kids and have a safe trip.
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GiGil - I am so hoping it is nothing and just rads messing with it. I did have a tiny tiny nodule before rads but my PCP said it was too small to mess with after an ultrasound last year. I guess the rads made it grow. My endo said that can happen no matter how careful they are. I was real concerned about my lungs and heart being protected. Who knew the thyroid was also a concern. Glad yours came back. Maybe mine will but they are thinking it is hyperthyroid because of the tremors, jittery, weight loss and fatigue. I have some blood work to check thyroid also and a 24 hour urine collection. Maybe that will show some things. I know this is the first time any dr seemed so interested in my issues in years. I am currently searching for another PCP because mine is way out of her league dealing with my autoimmune disease let alone thyroid and after cancer care. Whew!!
I see you are in Minnesota. Another beautiful state but with LONG winters. Are your summers hot and humid also?
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Kate,
I agree with Gigil about your records. They may not document your concerns. What if your MO requests your records? Maybe that would be good... If the PCP finds out your present condition, who knows what your records will reveal. It's all worth a try, however....I'm kickin' mad about what happened to you. Any PCP or secondary physician or RN should be sensitive to a patient who has a history of cancer...to be extra cautious without over-testing.
I am so glad your trip is just days away. You will enjoy your family and keep your mind on beautiful things for a few days.
Hugs to everyone here...so many in the midst of rads, or just recovering.
I always wondered what my RO is doing when I come for follow ups (6 months apart)...they take blood and do a physical exam--then tell me all my lumps, bumps and pains are "normal"...then because it's staggered, I see the MO in between, so every 3 months a visit. My BS now sees me annually. She is sure that I will not have other issues from my initial dx. I do not see how anyone is sure, but I am living like I am cancer free.
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BUNKIE10 every woman in my family is hypothyroid. When I was younger, I went between hyper and hypo because I had a nodule (goiter). They wanted to put me on thyroid hormone at that time, and I refused. I did start taking hormone when I turned 40 because I began gaining weight. It didn't help the weight issue. I have had a terrible time keeping my weight down. From what I read a lot of women end up with thyroid issues after rads. I hope your situation is just a result of rads that will straighten itself out.
Minnesoa is a lot like Michigan, I think. The summers can alternate between being warm and dry and being quite hot and humid. Right now, I would welcome some of that heat, wouldn't you?
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Hi Bunkie,
We have so many similarities, but about weather we are different. I so much miss cold snowy winters. Unusual I know, but it reminds me of my childhood and home. I am so looking forward to my trip. I leave 7:30 am Wed. and will be back 7:30 pm Sun. My kids have a buncdh of fun plans for us. Just staying at the Embassy Suites in Deerfield will make me feel good. Staying at a hotel will make it feel more like a real vacation. The 2 room suites are comfy, and I enjoy their free happy hour every night. I can't wait. Hugs, kate
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Hi Joan,
Because of confidentiality there is no way my internist can find out my present condition. I absolutely do not want my MO to request those records. I want my internis to find out about a malpractice suit when the attorneys ask for the records. I think it is much better to spring it on him when he doesn't have a clue. Taken by surprise, I think is best. Hugs, Kate
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Kate, right on, love those suite hotels! This is going to be a great trip. I agree that Chicago's a wonderful city. My brother-in-law and his wife live there so we've taken several nice trips to see them. I'm sure I would miss snow if I lived in LA too, but we're about to get another snowstorm tomorrow in NH after my little crocuses have been so brave and sweet, and it'll make it hard for me to get to rads 45 miles away, so it's most unwelcome at the moment. Everything is relative.
My mom's bladder cancer was two tumors, a stage 1 and a stage 2, so yes, less alarming. Still I think it's generally true about bladder cancer that it's often less dangerous than many others. My driver to rads tomorrow is a friend who had big tumors in lots of places three years ago, things looked very grim, but he had 6 rounds of chemo and now he's disease-free and great. He also said the chemo really wasn't that bad, though I know that can vary. I am rooting for you 100%!
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Kate, I think you are right about the surprise (no, shock) factor.
Meanwhile, I agree - I love to stay in hotels and especially the Embassy suites with the happy hour and great breakfast. I know you will have a great time. I admire how you can focus on the positive when needed...and how you also choose to block out the negative until you really need to address it. Under these circumstances we need to use our time and energy to our best advantage. I've learned a lot from you...
Am vacationing with DDs and it is precious time. You are doing the right thing!0 -
Hi Runfree,
Such a nice post. Thank you so much for your support. What part of Chicago does your brother-in law live? My children are in Northbrook. Geez so sorry you have to travel 45 miles to get rads Thank you forthe info about your friend. It brings me hope. Thank you so much for your support. You have been a doll. Hugs, kate
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Hi Joan,
Such a sweet post. Thank you so much for the compliment. I hope you have a wonderful time with your DDs
Hugs, Kate
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My Mo emailed me about two hours ago and said the sweetest thing. He said" I urge you to comfort yourself that we will be able to handle anything that comes up, and that I will be with you to help you get through." OMG that makes me feel so cared for and so much less alone. I feel so blessed to have him. xoxo, Kate
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Good Mornin! Have a later meeting off site this morning so was able to stay in bed a whole hour later! Man, that sure felt good. Sleep is tough to come by these days with so much on my plate and on my mind.
I hope you all have a good day. It is chilly again and is supposed to pour rain all day, but hey, just a little to the north of us, they are expecting snow. I am happy we will just get a cold rain!
Kate, you are a strong woman and you have a great MO who is going to get you through this time. Enjoy your visit to Chicago with your family! I have never been there (except for a 2 hour layover at the airport on the way to Las Vegas) so I can't comment on it, but my DD loves it there. She went on business and loved it so much she has been back a couple of times for pleasure.
Have a great day ladies and safe trip to rads in the snow Runfree!
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Kate, you're up nice and early for a west coaster (or not sleeping?). Just to get started on your case, your attorney is going to want all your medical records, starting with your first visit with your pcp, so you might as well go right ahead and give them a call. (Of course, if you've already received contrary advise from an attorney, just ignore me.) Most records requests are very benign (just like mammograms) and your request should not prompt a malpractice alert. If you're very, very lucky, they're on an electronic system and they can get moving pretty speedily. Some facilities, however, "offer" a standard 30-day wait before they will copy and release your history, and you probably want to get a bit ahead of that curve. Also, I very much hate to mention this, and I know you'll want to check, but there's a pretty good chance that when you had your very first appointment at the hospital where your MO is, you may have (as I did) signed paperwork asking that your records be sent to your pcp. I know when I went to see my primary care guy shortly after my diagnosis last winter, he walked into the examining room in shock, having just read his stack of emails from the hospital where I've had all my out-of-the-ordinary procedures for the past 15 years. Please do not assume this to be a problem. Records are records, and as someone else mentioned in an earlier post, the primary issue is what he may or may not have documented in the first place. I ain't no lawyer, but, my guess, and my hope, is that your former MD will be able to see the error of his ways very, very clearly and will be open to a settlement, not wanting to prove his gross incompetence in a lengthy (and public) court case. The advantage of working with a lawyer is that s/he can do all (or nearly all) of the work and, if lengthy depositions and court appearances can be avoided, you can control exactly how involved you want to be in the stress and angst of what is by nature a lengthy, grueling, and over-the-top stressful experience. We all have our own ideas of how justice will "look," but I'd guess your view would revolve primarily about the jerk recognizing what a @#$% he is, how very significantly he erred, and that he needs to make reparation beyond a simple apology. He'll have to devote hours upon hours to the case (as, I suppose, will you, regardless of how good your intentions to let your attorney do it all), but, while the burden of proof is on you, it's his reputation, his license, his financial situation that is on the line. He won't be having fun with this.
Sorry, I know I've just kind of ranted here. Couldn't help it. I'm appalled at what I view as this guy's insensitivity, arrogance, and incompetence.
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GiGil - Yup we have the same weather. We have had torrential rains for 5 days now. My basement is wet again. Hate that. The dehumidifier is working overtime and it is only April. You know what our May - August rains are like. My flowers are just peaking out. Especially my lilies. Hope they last.
I lived in So California for 22 years and moved back here in 03 to care for my aging parents. Now with them both gone I am thinking about a move to warmer weather. If not at least more sun. Lansing has less sun days than Seattle. That is bad. Think I could take the cold if we had sun so maybe Vegas.
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Kate, my daughter is working on getting some names today. She emailed me that she was out of the office with depositions all day yesterday so she will ask the partners for some names today. I will PM them to you when I get them. My daughter told me to tell you to "hang in there" and that a good lawyer will do a lot of the leg work for you. Just from what I told her, she said you may very well have a case but she could not be sure without knowing all of the particulars. HUGS!
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