Come join others currently navigating treatment in our weekly Zoom Meetup! Register here: Tuesdays, 1pm ET.
Fill Out Your Profile to share more about you. Learn more...
Take our poll: How does Breast Cancer Awareness Month make you feel?

Radiation recovery

1…176177179181182…528

Comments

  • katehudson25
    katehudson25 Member Posts: 1,939
    edited May 2013

    Sew, you are so smart. I just heard from my doctor, and he said to elevate my foot on pillows higher than my heart. I am doing what you told me. I am laying on my sofa with my leg over the top of the sofa, and it seems to be helping a little. It is going to take a much longer period of elevation to get more relief. He also said I should minimize salt.

  • katehudson25
    katehudson25 Member Posts: 1,939
    edited May 2013

    I am also going to try and go to bed early tonight to try and escape the pain.

  • rmlulu
    rmlulu Member Posts: 1,501
    edited May 2013

    Hi y'all



    Kate - so sorry that you can't seem to get a break:(. Take a pic email MO pic is worth a 100 words! Hope you get some relief soon!

    April - hope your kitty is doing ok...good lucky nurse...cats are smart...hope it's doesn't play hide and seek at med time. How's your skin? SEs improving? Don't know how you keep it all together!

    Josie - recliner couch sounds comfy. I would curl up and sleep. Poor doggy held captive...yeah dogs luv unconditionally.

    Sew - green pedi looks great! Beautiful hands:)

    GiGil - we want pics of gold sparkle nails:)

    Bunkie - hope the vertigo is better soon!



    DH is home with cath&foley yippee! Life is crazy. And good:)

    We fly home late Wed yippee! He's worried about airport security...I think it will not be a big deal on a late flight...a macho man thing.



    Good Night

    Cindy

  • MostlySew
    MostlySew Member Posts: 1,311
    edited May 2013

    Cindy, I'm glad hubby is home safe and sound, although I think you both have your plates full with his recovery. Take it easy when you can.



    Kate..just get that leg up as much as you can, it will feel much better. Im glad you heard from the Dr. If its bad overnight, I suggest crawling out to the couch and getting that leg up. MyLE therapist was telling me that getting the swelling from LE out of the legs was really difficult to do. Not that you have LE, but It will probably take lots of laying around on the couch to keep it in check, it sounds like. Maybe Vogue or People magazines would help?

  • katehudson25
    katehudson25 Member Posts: 1,939
    edited May 2013

    Cindy,

    I am so glad your bubby is home too. So much to take care of. I agree with Sew make sure you get rest.

    Sew you are so right elevating it is making it feel so much better. Unfortunately there is no way I can stay home all day. I must get out every day or I will go nuts. I will elevate it all night, and in the morning. Tomorrow afternoon I was hoping to go out and buy long skirts, so I will probably aggravate it again. It's like what is more important my mental sanity or my foot. In order to think positive I need to be out and about. I am hoping that minimizing salt will help a lot too.

    xoxo,

    Kate 

  • MostlySew
    MostlySew Member Posts: 1,311
    edited May 2013

    Kate, yep sanity's important too! So are fun new clothes.

  • katehudson25
    katehudson25 Member Posts: 1,939
    edited May 2013

    Thanks for giving me approval Sew, and good advice. My foot is much better now.

    xoxo,

    Kate

  • gigil
    gigil Member Posts: 916
    edited May 2013

    Kate, sorry to hear you are having trouble.  Maybe when you are home, elevate and then when you are out it won't have so much time to swell.  I wondered about icing it too to get rid of fluid.  You could maybe ask your doctor about that.  Minimizing salt should help also.  Hopefully you can stay on top of it until the lymph node starts to shrink.

    Dinner tonight was wonderful.  Both of my sons and my brother who is only 8 months older than my oldest son, one granddaughter, two grandsons,  one sister in law, two daughters in law and my father.  It was a very good group and everyone seemed to enjoy it.  I felt especially blessed to have them all together at one table.  It doesn't happen often.  Everyone is so busy and one of my sons and my brother travel a lot.  I will try to upload a picture of my wrinkled hand with sparkly nails.  I remember the television commercials for the dish soap when you couldn't tell whose hands were the mother's and whose were the daughter's.  I don't keep my hands in dish water and I lotion them all of the time, but they are getting wrinkled, darn it!!

  • gigil
    gigil Member Posts: 916
    edited May 2013

    <a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/vfleblanc/media/photo-1.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/vfleblanc/photo-1.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo photo-1.jpg"/></a>

  • gigil
    gigil Member Posts: 916
    edited May 2013

    GiGi's nails

  • gigil
    gigil Member Posts: 916
    edited May 2013

    Still having trouble posting an image.  I tried to follow Photobucket instructions and also the instructions here.  Not sure what to put in extra spaces that ask for border, vertical, horizontal?  I tried to paste the html code and it went in okay, but not sure what to put in the other boxes.  When I try to wing it by saying align at top and give dimensions that I think should fit, and then there are those other boxes that I don't know how to fill -I just get a small blue box.   I have an Apple computer.  Anything different I should do there?  I don't have a right click button on my mouse.  Any insights?  Thanks,

  • gigil
    gigil Member Posts: 916
    edited May 2013

  • gigil
    gigil Member Posts: 916
    edited May 2013

    Sorry it is so big.  I haven't figured out how to size it yet, but at least you can see the gold flecked nails!!  It's a start, I guess.  Talk about wrinkled hands!!  I am only 63 and my hands look like I am 80!  As you can see I like my nails sport length.  Can't stand to type with long nails.  Makes me crazy.

  • gigil
    gigil Member Posts: 916
    edited May 2013

    Two of my grandkids.  Just trying out my posting and sizing skills.  Two of my sweethearts.  Cole and Maya.

  • gigil
    gigil Member Posts: 916
    edited May 2013

  • SusannahW
    SusannahW Member Posts: 375
    edited May 2013

    Kate, hope the foot elevation is working. I understand not being able to stay home all day, it would drive me crazy too. In the donut shop could u keep your foot elevated on a chair? So good that your doctor stays in close contact with you.



    Josie, sorry to hear about your fatigue, sounds awful. And poor dog!



    Cindy, so glad your DH is well, and you're on your way home.

    Gigi, what beautiful grandchildren. Thanks for telling about your nice dinner, it is cheering to read something so warm.



    Raining here, was supposed to play tennis before my son comes home, not sure it will happen.

  • brooksidevt
    brooksidevt Member Posts: 1,432
    edited May 2013

    Kate, in your honor, I'm typing this, and reading posts, lying on the couch with my leg on the back of the couch and my laptop on my tummy.  Hope you're doing the same.

  • katehudson25
    katehudson25 Member Posts: 1,939
    edited May 2013

    Hi Gigil,

     I love youir nails. I wear mine short and square. So glad you had a wonderful dinner with your family. Your grandchildren are darling. Your older granddaughter is gorgeous.

    My foot is better this morning. I have some chores to do around the house, and then I will elevare it. I am going to go shopping, so I will have to elevate when I come home.

    xoxo.

    Kate

  • katehudson25
    katehudson25 Member Posts: 1,939
    edited May 2013

    Suzannah yes I can elevate my leg at the donut shop, but I am going shopping, and not to the donut shop. I need some long skirts to wear. My pants don't fit because of swelling. I can't wear short skirts, because I don't want anyone to see my swollen leg. I don't wear dresses, so long skirts is all I can do. I will elevate my leg before I go shopping, and after I come home

    Thanks for your support

    Kate

  • BUNKIE10
    BUNKIE10 Member Posts: 670
    edited May 2013

    GiGil - Ok I tried the Valium and was planning to add the other pill but I fell asleep. Woke up at 6am. Bam! I will have to try again tonight. The Valium does calm the vestibular system but it is addicting so I try not to take them much. I will try again tonight. I woke up not too bad till I started to move around. I looked outside and there is so much pollen all over the streets, roofs etc. No wonder I am a mess. I usually get up in the morning and open all the doors and windows for a half hour. Yes the pollen is bad but the toxins from the basement are all around too so I try to let them out. Then I turn up the heat or the air and let the hepa on the furnace filter it back out. I keep remembering living in Ca and not having to worry about that. I must have been immune to the smog because all this clean pollen air here in Mi is worst. OMG your grand kids are cute!! Your granddaughter is beautiful. I can not wait till I can post.Your hands look like mine. However mine are really bony too.

    Kate - Glad the leg up helps. Can you put an ice bag on it or did the Dr say no? That sometimes helps too. You have a really great Dr. Mine would not call me back if I bribed him. Instead his nurse would call 2 days later to see if I went to the ER. That is the drill with all my Dr's. I have not had a Dr call me since I left Ca. My PCP would call me every week out there and she also gave me a walk in appt if needed every Friday before she started seeing her patients. That was just for the steroids I was taking. She watched me like a hawk. Ordered blood work every 2 weeks. Here they only want to see or hear form me every 3 mos and order blood work when I ask them to. Small town USA. There are times when I love it and times when I want to just run away.

    Josie - I remember that fatigue. I called it hitting the wall. Like your legs just want to crumble under you. It does get better but I still have it sometimes after a walk around Sam's Club and it has been 5 mos. Just takes time.  I had to sit down at Walmart once for about 5 minutes. Then I was able to get to the car and home.

  • katehudson25
    katehudson25 Member Posts: 1,939
    edited May 2013

    Hi Brookside,

    Glad you are taking care of your leg. I am eating breakfast, and right after I will do the same as you.

    xoxo,

    Kate

  • josie123
    josie123 Member Posts: 1,749
    edited May 2013

    GiGi, what great pics darling grandkids your older granddaughter is gorgeous.

    Kate, take care but enjoy your little shopping trip.

    I slept like a rock but the dog woke me up at 6:30am whining to get out of the bedroom.If we let her run around all night she would chase kitties and get into the litter box for a snack.

    I tried to go back to sleep but I knew the friend of my hubby was coming at 8am to put the hot water heater.

    BUNKIE hope you get some relief soon.

    Happy weekend everybody and oh course Happy Mothers day to all a day early.My son is going to be 15yrs old tomorrow.

    Thanks to everybody for sympathy about the fatigue.

  • MostlySew
    MostlySew Member Posts: 1,311
    edited May 2013

    Gigil,  I'm loving the gold sparkley nails and they match the ring.  Who would notice any wrinkles with nails like that?  Your grandchildren are just plain cute.  so tender.  And I bet there were 10 guys following your oldest granddaughter, she's beautiful. 

    Brookside, very cute trying out the laptop on your stomach in Kate's honor. 

    Did you guys read the article about it's potentially dangerous to do that with an Ipad2 if you've got a heart pacemaker or defibulator?  Interesting.  The girl that figured this out and submitted it for a science fair didn't even win first place, but apparently it's true.  so Kate.....only laptops on your stomach while slinging your leg over the couch! 

  • gigil
    gigil Member Posts: 916
    edited May 2013

    Thank all of you for the compliments on the grandkids. They are the brightest spot in my life. I have three more, a 14 year old girl who is my mini-me, and two tow headed boys, who are brothers to my oldest granddaughter. My oldest son has a daughter graduating college and his youngest is in pre-school! First wife and present wife. Two different lifetimes!



    Kate I am glad it is helping to elevate. I wondered about icing your leg as well.



    Sew that is interesting about iPads. I wonder what makes them different than laptops?



    I was thinking I was going along pretty well in the aging department, and then two years ago yesterday I got my bc diagnosis. Now I have wrinkly hands, a saggy neck, and a prolapsed bladder, not to mention a frazzled nervous system! Glad I went out and lived it up with family last night instead of brooding all alone. Of course at the mall there were tons of people passing out t-shirts for the Susan Komen walk for life. It was pink all around. They even had pink flowers floating in the fountain. I decided to ignore them for the night.

  • gigil
    gigil Member Posts: 916
    edited May 2013

    Josie, Happy Birthday to your son. Do you get a chance to take a weekend nap or two? It is cool and windy here in Minnesota. Good napping weather!

  • gigil
    gigil Member Posts: 916
    edited May 2013

    Bunkie I have taken the half Xanax and the half meclizine at the same time or within an hour of each other when I was hit by a severe case after the Melting Pot restaurant meal. I slept for almost an entire day, because I took it during the day. I slept in the recliner chair - kept waking up with my head slid sideways. I felt better afterward though.



    I wonder how you would improve if you had a two week break from the house. Have you been away from it that long recently?

  • katehudson25
    katehudson25 Member Posts: 1,939
    edited May 2013

    Josie, Sew,  and Gigil thanks for your suppost

    My foot is still swollen but much much less than it was yesterday and it doesn't hurt. I have some chores to do, and then I am going to shop till I drop. Well not really, but it takes me a long time to pick out stuff, because I want to purchase at the lowest price. Sometimes I see what I want at J Crew or the Gap etc, but wait till they put it on sale. Today I am going to a kiosk that sells long skirt. They bargain with you, and I like that. I could use a dozen long skirts, because that is all I can wear with this swelling, but for today I will just get two. Then I will go to J Crew etc to see about tops for my skirts. Girlie-girl as I am I love shopping,and retail therapy will be good for me today.

    I am looking forward to a couple of good weeks. I have chemo Monday, but I am off for two weeks thank God I need a rest from it

    My doctor said I need 4 to 6 months of chemo. I asked him what determines whether I need 4 or 6 months, and he said cat scans. He said that I will have scans at the end of June.Then I will need all the prayers that I can to have good scans. Then he is sending me back to the urologist for another exam to see what the urologist sees in my bladder. Originally my MO said I had inoperable bladder cancer. Of course I want it, because it means that if it is operable I can live longer. Yesterday I asked hime if it was definite that I could never have my bladder removed and have a neobladder, and he said there was a tiny chance. A tiny chance is better than no chance, so I will pray for it.

    xoxo,

    Kate

  • MostlySew
    MostlySew Member Posts: 1,311
    edited May 2013

    Gigil, the article said it was the magnets in the IPad case (to keep the lid closed) that was interfering with the devices.

  • gemini4
    gemini4 Member Posts: 320
    edited May 2013

    Kate, maybe you can find some of those cute hippy-style long, flowy, gauzy skirts in really pretty patterns.  Is that what the kiosk has?  They usually are so comfy with elastic waistbands and lightweight for the summer heat.

  • josie123
    josie123 Member Posts: 1,749
    edited May 2013

    Thanks Gigi I 'll give him a birthday hug from you.

Categories

Join Us on Zoom: Upcoming virtual meetups. Read more...
Give your account some personality! Add a profile photo.