Radiation recovery
Comments
-
Brookside - hey nothing to feel like a wimp about. I psyched myself out when I started my treatments. If I had allowed myself to think about what I was going through I probably would have been a "wimp" too but as I said I had the best techs. I sent an email to their boss complimenting them. They were so compassionate and gentle; it made the whole process a little less painful and intimidating.
Josie - bless your heart girl. I am sorry you didn't get those jobs you interviewed for. Having a job you can at least tolerate should be a slam dunk but not these days. I agree with Janis, Brookside and Gigil..I mean do they have a clue what you have gone through? I realize now that my lack of concentration on my job was at least in part due to the BC/treatments. How can it not? I think some people think we just bounce back from all the emotional and physical trauma we have been through. You know like okay you had your treatment and now you are taking anti-cancer drugs so you are fine. Don't we all wish it was that way?
You have a lot on your plate so do be kind to yourself. You earned it; you deserve it and it's okay. Hope your head is okay. We had a trampoline in our backyard and I held my breath when my son and his friends were on it. Have to admit it was fun to jump on it. I had bosses like you have. When I would come home at night - I worked the night shift - I would unload with my husband and yes, cry. They hurt my feelings over and over again. When I left for my surgery and treatment they tried to push me out. I went over their head to the CEO in Atlanta. Sent him a certified letter. Now I can go back if I want to. I don't know what your chain of command is there but it sounds like they are doing a lot of pushing and shoving to get you to chuck it. Don't let them do it. You leave on your own terms. Maybe you can't relieve the stress at work right now so do it at home. I had to learn to let things go and that was hard for someone like me who is so obsessive-compulsive about cleaning, etc. None of this is good for your health because we all know stress takes its toll. It definitely had at least something to do with why all of us got BC to begin with. Can't de-stress totally that's not realistic but maybe you can get some relief on the home front.
There is a job out there for you - don't give up hope. One of my brothers who also works at Fedex has bid on a zillion jobs and has yet to get the job he has applied for. He has an impressive resume and a master's degree, awards and a lot of years with the company. I know it's frustrating but it will happen. Keep the faith. Diane
0 -
Debic- Hi and Welcome. I am a bit over a year out from rads. My only lasting effect is LE and a sore underarm that gets really swollen. It is worth it, I just had a MX and nothing was found on that side, I think due to the rads. They really are so important, you can do this! I know I have read many women say rads were nothing compared to chemo. The women on this thread are so loving so keep asking questions and please let us know how you are doing.
Josie- I think the advise from Brookside is excellent, this has to stop. It seems to be bullying to me. If it was just your boss and you and a private conversation that is one thing to bring others in is unprofessional.
Today I got my last drain out!! Yahoo.. they also upped my pain meds and I feel pretty good. I officially got the pathology report. BS says within 1-2 years I would have had BC in the left side according to my HX and what was found. None of it showed on mammo or MRi which is scary. My gut just wouldn't rest and that is why I did this and now I know it was the right thing to do. I don't care about the pain or anything its all worth it. I think God gave me a hint and I feel so blessed tonight.
I am also worried about Kate. If I am remembering correctly she was in the hospital but had come home, is that correct? does anyone have a contact # for her? Kate if you see this I am praying for you.
Much love to you all
0 -
I like peaches too. What's in the peaches Gigil that helps prevent BC? I like Dr. Oz - he has some really great advice and shows.
You are done Redhead...yea! Some people who had them said they rang a bell...they didn't for me...
April - that's funny...a drive by. I am not that crazy about my I-pad either. I would rather use my smart phone than anything else.
Can someone find out how Kate is? She hasn't posted in a week. I know she is having a lot of surgeries, etc. Her last post wasn't too encouraging. She is suffering so. Diane
0 -
lemon, I think Kate was having stents put in ( surgery) on Tuesday. Maybe somebody has a contact number for her.......I do hope she's ok
0 -
Redheaded so glad you are finished! Hopefully now you can get about the business of healing and getting past this thing. Isn't it amazing how when we get to the end sometimes, it is so difficult to take those last steps? So glad you did. MostlySew gives good advice. Stay in touch! Good advice and TLC given here.
0 -
Hi y'all
Redhead - Ooo who rads completed:) keep up the skin care and hydration...soon peaches and cream:)))
GiGil - ha ga, I just gad 2 peach trees removed...blocked my panoramic view...also concern varmints would bring snakes...ugh...enjoy FL
Lemon - yippee drains gone! Happy Dance that you followed your gut beat the beast! Speedy healing:)))
April - hee hee drive by hit&run...I love my iPad
hope your return to AI is going better...vacation break over:(Josie - ugh! What a mess of unprofessional office staff...Brookside...Diane great advice...nail them
Kate Kate....sending sweet thoughts healing prayers...we are relestt in your princess warrior coat...giggle giggle squeeze xoxo
Almost ready for guests...finish primer in morning than paint...hope I can get it out of my hair:)
(((Hugs to all))
Cindy
0 -
Good morning everyone.I feel so blessed to have such sweet women in my corner.Thanks Brookside,Gigil,Diane,Lemon,Cindy,April,Joan,Janis- that was so sweet!!
I will try to stay strong and will try to find a new job soon.Right now it's more like getting through each work day.It's hard to look past that.Yesterday I cried most of the way to work.I will try to get that documentation from the doctors to defend my lack of concentration.I hope they will do that for me.I don't see the medical oncologist until July I think.But I will try to get them to give me that before then.
Kate.....where are you? We are worried.But in your pocket.
Welcome to Redhead .Sorry I don't have any more advice but rest and let your body heal.
BTW. Remember me posting that the dog clothesline me the other day? Well I finally remember how I got that bump on the head.I hit my head on the wooden post standing in the back yard.It's a wonder I didn't get a concussion.I sure had a killer headache all day yesterday.
DD gets her new bed today and I still have some cleaning to do before that happens.
Didnt sleep well again last night.Hopefully I'll get a nap in today.Maybe I should start taking the Tamoxofin earlier in the evening.
Cindy enjoy painting.
0 -
Josie, if you had an all-day headache and didn't exactly remember where the bump came from, you did and do have a concussion.
Right now, it's not about only finding a new job. It's about protecting yourself at the job you have. Please call your primary care, your onc, your RO, your shrink if you have one, any of the above, and get that note now. Gigil or I, or others, can help you make them stop. It's kind of tough to address in the open forum, but feel free to PM me, at least, if you want to do maybe a bit of role play. There, I've said it. Now I'm done being the pushy New Yorker, and will now just send love and support and hopes for the perfect job to appear, and appear fast.
0 -
Josie, I agree with Brookside, you might now also be dealing with a concussion, as if you didn't have enough to deal with. You should go to your primary care physician, tell him or her about the bump on your head and also your job and what is going on there. Keep it accurate and brief. Tell him you have gone through breast cancer within the last year, you are still feeling drained and overwhelmed from that, and although you are doing your best, your employers have been unsatisfied with your performance and your ability to keep up. Tell him you have experienced a lot of stress from this, and you are needing some time and space to regroup. Ask him if he would be willing to write you a note explaining your situation and requesting they either give you more time to complete your tasks, or let you work reduced hours for awhile until you are back on your feet. It is important to create a paper trail so you will be covered legally. I hope you do this, and look into that concussion. I don't know if you get sick leave, but you might need a little time to recover from that. I think the stress you are under caused you to have this accident. Yes, the dog was there, but you were also likely not as coordinated under the circumstances. Hoping for the best for you.
0 -
Gigil, my PCP had to retire early due to an eye disease .He's slowly going blind.I haven't found a new one yet.I guess I haven't tried to hard either.I don't have $250 to go to the ER.I really am feeling better.Just a little tired due to lack of sleep.I guess I could call my husband's PCP to see if they are taking new patients.
0 -
Josie, you do need a Dr. and you're right, the ER is not the place to get this handled. None-the-less I do hope you get some sort of relief soon.....
Gigil, by the way, I remember reading that all stone fruits, nectarines, plums etc. along with the peaches are good cancer inhibitors. Plums especially which have as much anti-cancer elements as do berries, which previously were rated the highest in anti-cancer fruits. Of course, studies show that the foods highest in inhibition of breast cancer cell growth are garlic, leeks, scallions, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage and kale (per theDavid Servan-Schreiber book which is great). So.....add a salad of roast cauliflower, brussel sprouts, leeks and kale with a peach and berry side dish and you're set for the day....... (apparently I need to go to get to the farmers market!)
0 -
Sew, is it bad I prefer my berries and stone fruit like peaches in a cobbler...with a side of home-made whip cream? Ok, I thought so...lol
The book you referenced is truly excellent. I read it when I was first diagnosed and it really rang true to me.
Josie, I am pretty sure the others are right and you need a new PCP soon so you can protect yourself at work and also in case you do have a concussion! Also, Brookside is right...you need to put them on notice that you are covered under the ADA. Cancer is SERIOUS business as far as the DOL is concerned and they are not supposed to mess with you if you are protected with a doctor's note. I bet the bullying and harrassment would stop immediately if you bring them a note!
Kate, hoping that you are ok! Please check in when you can. xo
Gotta run as usual! BBL
0 -
HaHa April - I was thinking the same thing about the fruit. I don't like any if those veggies. Now if Lima beans was on that list..I do like plums too- all by themselves.
Josie- def not the ER. You are lucky if its only 250. My stress test years ago was 2500 and insurance paid 500. What about a minor emergency clinic? I need to get a new PCP too or an internist. More doctors...sigh.
We had a Survivors luncheon Wednesday at Carrabbas. The restaurant picked up the tab and the servers volunteered their time. Pretty cool. After it was over we released all these purple balloons! Yes no pink, thank goodness. Diane
0 -
Edwards, I feel the same about the pink. All it is for me, is a harbinger of bad news, and a reminder of what it feels like to be powerless. As for the peaches, no cobbler or added sugar, darn! All of those foods are good, and all the pit fruits are good, but the recent Harvard study mentioned peaches specifically.
0 -
-
Gigil, Interesting summary. Fortunately I like peaches just fine. The thing I find most interesting is that according to the article you mention and the anti-cancer book....I never should have had cancer in the first place according to my diet! Ah well...all we can do is just do the best we can and don't worry about the rest.....
0 -
Hmmmm, now I'm hungry for peaches
I worked hard today to get the house clutter free and vacuumed before they came with her bed.It looked pretty nice and I was proud.Then I had a bunch of flowers to plant that my oldest DD gave me for Mothers day.3 bags of top soil later and lots of weeding it was completed.
I planted and now can relax after we get back from Target.Oops!!no sheets to fit this new bed.0 -
Sew, I hear you. I guess we have to factor in toxic exposure, stress, and genetics as well, huh? Oh and the state of our immune system. Don't, forget that. That includes vitamin D and thyroid levels. and don't forget the state of your dental work. UGH! Too many variables!
Josie, glad you are de-stressing and enjoying your home improvements. Don't let your guard down though. You need to be pro-active about setting up your paper trail. Protect your precious self.
0 -
Josie, I would say Job 1 is to get a new PCP, or just go to whoever's available on the day you call and get on a list for a new PCP meanwhile. This isn't just for the head bump but to have someone to go to. In the same phone session, I would call the MO's office. They probably have staffers who can listen to your question and maybe even get a note from an MO without you seeing anyone, just on the basis of ordinary cancer recovery processes. A note from an oncologist might carry a bit more weight with your employers--but I'd get one from a PCP if that's all that was available. And I'd do that soon, while continuing to scour the area for a better job. I also think you should ask your bosses not to double-team you anymore. They
may have a legitimate reason for it, but of course it's making you feel
ganged up on and increasing your stress a lot. Goodness, what a lot to handle all at once! Warm wishes that you get a new job and start to feel better. You don't have "occupational wellness," as the wellness people say. This is a known debilitating thing.Deblc, good luck with rads! Like many people, I rather breezed through it. My best skin treatment was 99% pure aloe gel. I got my hands on several other things eventually, but that was the only one I used consistently. My rads center was nearly an hour away and I was afraid I'd get sleepy, so I had drivers, a different one every day. A friend recruited them and managed the list. That way, going to rads was just a chat session, like getting together with someone for coffee. It's an easy gig for them because the actual appointment is so fast. Just an idea.
Redhead, big congrats on finishing rads!!! Way to go! Will you treat yourself somehow? I went shopping on my last day and bought two cute dresses (clearance rack = my friend!).
To both of you: my MO says to moisturize the rads skin basically forever, so I've done that for the past year since finishing rads. It's easy to do. The other day I noticed how much prettier that skin is than my other side, so I started moisturizing the non-BC one too! Why not??? It's not as though I'm doing a nude photo shoot, but I like seeing the skin look creamy and soft.
I adore peaches and would eat infinite numbers of them, but it seems as though whole summers go by without a decent peach making it to our northern latitudes. I keep trying and I do buy them frozen sometimes. All those vegetables are on my yuck list though, except garlic and leeks in small quantities. I take Vitamin D supplements and they didn't prevent my cancer, but I know all these risk comparisons are looking at whole populations, not individuals. I had a somewhat elevated risk from lots of x-rays to track my scoliosis as a teen, although I didn't know that until after I was diagnosed. I'm glad I didn't know. There are so many factors we could point to for every case of cancer. It's really a puzzle to figure it out.
0 -
Josie - planting today too. Dang its hot here - the humidity is horrible and its only May.
Runfree- I have heard the same story from a number of women with BC. Don't fit the "criteria" for getting it but here they are. My sister and I evidently carry the gene. Our mother had it in her late 60's. She passed away a few years ago but not from BC. I think they just don't know why some of us got the unlucky draw. Its probably just as well I didn't know I was carrying the gene because I would have been even more freaked out than I was when I was DX. For me, I am sure unlike others, its better that I don't know in advance because I am the poster person for anxiety as it is. Have a great weekend and holiday everyone! Diane
0 -
Thanks RunFree, I promise I will find a PCP ASAP.I have to do my homework or just go to my husband's family doctor.
I agree about the surprise meeting.I don't appreciate it .She said she wanted to talk.Not her and my boss.Pretty sneaky.And to just come in my office without warning and yes it felt like I was being ganged up on.
Diane, yes it was very hot here yesterday.
0 -
My daughter s new bed
0 -
My daughter's new bed and freshly painted room
0 -
Checking in from California....heading back home soon. As I sit up writing, there is a little mouse running around this beach house I'm staying in.
Josie, I love the princess bed for your daughter. Very pretty! It always feels good to have something new and fresh. Sorry about your job issues. It seems that this place is focused on making a profit and that they are not going to be very flexible in how they run the office and what they expect. On the positive side, they are speaking to you and letting you know what they are thinking. I do agree, however, that you need more hours and could justify by using some of the suggestions here.
I hope you are feeling better from your mishap. As they say..."no good deed goes unpunished"...April - I'm with you on the correct way to serve peaches. You made me smile.
My trip has been so relaxing...a lovely stay at my son's home and now a few days in a beach house. One favorite memory is from Tuesday - when Mostly Sew and I were able to meet up for a few hours in Berkeley. Sew knows her way around ...and we went to a fabric and button store ... we each found something to buy that we probably did not need. We had lunch and it was almost a perfect day...except that we were not able to meet up with SAB this year. (missed you, SAB,and sorry we could not meet this trip)
I just want to say congratulations to SAB on her DD's graduation from the Art Academy. It's a wonderful accomplishment for the family. And talent runs deep...as we await news of SAB's book!
I have attached a photo here and note Sew's beautiful hand-knit sweater. She is a talented lady!
I was not feeling well since before I left NY and realize that I still have some kind of food-borne illness that will need to be addressed when I get home. I have been sleeping a lot, eating very little, and staying very close to "home" wherever that may be at the moment.
Hanging out with Sew makes me a little jealous...she is loving retirement and exudes the same wisdom in person that she does here.I do agree that Kate was to have a surgical procedure. I hope by now, Kate, that you are up and
about and checking your iPad. Know that everyone here is thinking of you.
Thinking of those of you recovering from procedures, treatments, etc. Lemon, your wise words make so much sense and I am glad your surgery is behind you. We need to listen to the inner voice at times.
Here's the photo...
.jpg?1400922293)
0 -
Josie, thank you so much for posting those photos. Your daughter's new bed is so beautiful, and clearly a bargain at whatever exorbitant price they wrung out of you. How I would have loved it when I was her age! And the paint color is absolutely amazing--restful and exciting and stylish all in one. You must be so proud of your design skills and that must be one very happy young lady. How's about we all come over for a slumber party, pile and plop on that gorgeous bed, and gobble up the cookies I spotted over on the side. We'll leave a spot for you and a very special spot for your daughter. Even save an entire cookie for her. I hope you have a wonderful, restful, peaceful, lovely weekend.
Love the photo of you and Sew, Joan. So Sew knitted that intricate pattern on her gorgeous sweater's yoke (and the rest of it as well)? Quite a talent. Your blouse is exactly what I've been looking for. Too bad I can't just slide it off the screen and into my closet. Maybe in a few years technology will catch up with my imagination!
0 -
Brookside, slumber party sounds good to me.Yes she is a very lucky girl.I'm even jealous.I never even had my own bed as a kid .My sister and I shared one for years.We definitely are not designer s but the room does look nice.I'm just glad to finally have it done.She's been sleeping on her floor on the mattress for weeks with the rest of her furniture in the middle of the room.And not one complaint from her.I. think it was worth waiting for.
Joan Thanks so much for the great photo.Great picture of both you and Sew.I'm so jealous .I would love to have been there.Sew that is a beautiful sweater.
Joan, please go to the doctor.You could have Salmonella or Camphylobactor.That is what I and my daughter got once.It was bad.I felt wiped out for days and even ran a slight fever.That was from slightly pink chicken breast.But really it comes from employees not washing their hands before preparing food.Gross.
0 -
Thanks for posting the photo Joan....it does reflect the good time we were having I think. And thanks gals for the compliment on the sweater. I do love all handwork, I find it quite soothing ... when it's all going well. Perhaps I should change my moniker to Mostly Does a Bit Of Everything.... And yes, Brookside, Joan's blouse is quite cute. Maybe we could get one of those very fancy xerox machines which apparently can create anything you want, except I think the resultant blouse would be made from paper or plastic
Josie, I agree, your daughter's bedroom is just beautiful. What wonderful colors. You did a great job. And, Brookside, I had to go back to look for the cookies, I missed them the first time around.
0 -
I never miss the cookies!
0 -
Sab, we did miss you this week. Bah Humbug to all jobs that get in the way of having fun and meeting friends. Congrats to DD the elder, good job on graduation. And so tell all, how's DD the Younger doing in school this year? Since we didn't catch up in person, I'm afraid you'll have to just spill the beans to all of us. And the book? Finished your editing yet? Ready to throw the whole thing out the window? Inquiring minds want to know
0 -
Brookside, good to know about your skill at cookie finding...that is one trait we definitely need at the cookie party we're having in Josie's daughter's bedroom and in all the pocket parties.
0
