Radiation recovery
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About the clear liquids--my friend who recently had a colonoscopy selected vodka as her calorie source. She found it to be just the ticket. That's certainly news about the red dye. Probably new technology has ramped up the visualization.
I had my teeth cleaned today, and full set of xrays, 18 in all. Not that long ago, I'd have been concerned about the amount of radiation doing nasty stuff to my body. Today, I was wondering whether it would send me back into PTSD. How our viewpoints change. Afterwards, I attended a garden club luncheon, sitting across from ladies I'd never met before. Now, I am a total wimp about teeth cleaning and have to have novacaine before I open my mouth. So, there I was, struggling with my salad, with the little ends of it constantly sticking out of my very numb mouth. Very ladylike.
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Run-it is all about timing. For me it started around 9:30 pm each time?
Edward 's - I lost a family member to colon cancer...she had no symptoms...32yr old....so sad.
Brookside-I fear the dentist and I am way overdue. You are brave!
Healing thoughts for all.
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Lili-Ri, I am not brave. I am just more afraid not to go. Now that I"ve caught onto asking for injections (right side, both upper and lower), I'm pretty good--only 1/2 the panic.0 -
Lili - OMG how sad and so young. When I went to have mine done I was thinking about Katie Couric's husband. He was 42 when he died of colon cancer. My sister is in her mid-60s and just had one done after nagging and nagging her. Of course it isn't fun but gotta be done. After all what all of us have been through its really nothing.
Btw I dread the dentist too but went for my 6 month checkup today. I have always had dental issues - part my fault and part not but today was k thankfully.
Diane
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Hi everyone. Thanks so much for all of your notes. It makes me feel so good to have you here when I come home from work.
Well today I waited and finally got a call in the afternoon from my MO's nurse, such a sweet lady. My MO had received a copy of the written report of the CT but they had not received the pictures yet. I had to call back to the diagnostic center where I had called to have the CT pics delivered over to my MO, and they said they had delivered them! So I called back and the nurse tracked them down. So my MO did not have a chance to look at them today. They have asked me to come in first thing in the morning and have blood drawn. I am sure they will focus on the calcium levels and marker. So at least by tomorrow I will have an idea as to whether anything is going on in my blood. I had an appt on June 18 scheduled with my MO and he is moving me up to the 13th, even though I will be double booked next week. I don't care I would rather get it over sooner rather than later.
Work does help me take my mind off of things. I could not afford to be off work. I will let you all know tomorrow about my blood work. It means a lot to have you all in my pockets. It is very scarry and nervewracking. It just not seem possible that it could have metastasized this quickly, but if it has, I will deal with it. I can't pass it off to anyone else and sure would not want to. I have not been able to eat much but I did get some sleep last night. I love you all to pieces.
Michelle, welcome and congratulations on the end of rads! And I am sorry too about your friend's daughter, that is terrible. You have found a great place and a lot of amazing women in this thread. Your energy will return but as to how long it will take, everyone is different there.
Thanks to everyone for the info on the colonoscopy too. I am definitely a proscrastinator and I am determined now to get the pesky thing out of the way as soon as I can. I have missed a lot of work this year and depending on what is facing me ahead, I will just have to sort of play that by ear.
Have a good evening everyone.
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Sending multiple prayers your way BigD.
Diane
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big D, I'm just glad we can be here for you. And, the really good news is, you get to use the Princess Warrior coat tomorrow .... Believe me, it has huge pockets so we'll all be quite comfortable at this dr. Appt. and we will save some of the cake balls for you too.
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BigD - in your pocket {{{squeeze}}} we will be there for results...you are not alone...tonight sending calm confident thoughts&prayers.
RunFree - go girl...hope the concert was great and you were able to hear your son and then high tail it home! Just think in a few hours you will be able to eat
)) but for now just think how much less you weigh with that squeaky clean colon...ha ha! We will hop in your Drs pockets and keep on task!0 -
I could not wait to get back in here and tell ya'll. My MO just called me at home. If you knew how many patients he sees -- the man is beyond busy. And I did not expect him to look at my pictures because he had just gotten them at 4:30 today. That man stayed late and looked at all my test results, previous blood work, and the CT pictures that he had and then called me and said he is at a loss. There is a spot up above my R eyebrow near my sinus area. He was asking me had I had any pain and I said no, I actually feel better now than I have in a while. He asked me if I had ever had any sinus issues, and again I said no. He said that he has no idea what this spot is but he is going to find out. The blood work I am having done tomorrow morning is mainly to run a specific test that will not be ready until next week. He gave me the name but I could not understand him. So that is why he moved up my appt to next week so that I would not have to wait for those results until the following week when I was originally scheduled to see him. The test is for a specific type of rare tumor that this thing might be. But he said he can make no sense out of what he is reading and seeing in terms of this being mets. My bc was slow growing and they said my chance of recurrence was very small, so to have this happen is nearly impossible is what he said.
Okay so now we are going to schedule me for a PET scan. I have not had one -- can any of you tell me what it is like and how long it takes? He said if this was a tumor it will light up on a PET scan. And then, if necessary, we will do a biopsy. He was so nice, I told him how hard it has been and he asked me to call my neurologist and get him the pictures of the brain MRI and the spinal MRI so he can see those as well.
Anyway, that is all I know but wanted to share it with all of you. I will be dragging you all with me tomorrow. Angels welcome as well!! Oh and one more thing, he asked me if I would like to stick around for a half hour or so in the morning and come chat with him, and I said sure thing! How sweet is that, with his schedule and all. I tell you, I am blessed to have a good team, I feel so secure there, no matter what I have to deal with. So I will get some more info tomorrow on that blood work so I can describe it to you. I thanked him for spending the time with me, geez, it is 8:15 here. At least I know this is something that is likely not bc mets, but I guess it could be some other kind of tumor, or it could be nothing to worry about. Now I am going to TRY to relax a little but and look forward to my PET scan ugh.
I have the Princess Warrior Coat all ready for you guys! Cake balls -- well I am trying to stay away from sugar but maybe one would be okay!
Muaaaaaaacckkkkkkkkkkkkkssssssssssssssssssssssss.
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BigD I'm just on my phone so can't post a big post but I'm giving you a huge hug. In my eyes you are so brave and such a strong woman. You've got me in your pocket. I'm bringing love, faith, prayer and party supplies for the good report.
Sleep well and know we are all here.
So much more to say need to get my tablet charged DH is sleeping by my computer!!
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BigD thanks for the update ... Try not to worry, get some good rest tonight! Good luck tomorrow and please keep us posted! xo
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BigD, hugs(( ))
I will be in your pocket for the PET Scan.You are very brave.I'm sorry your going through this.
Diane, we recommend Bone Densities for women that are menopausal.Not necessarily age 50 .But I've done them on women as young as mid 20's.Young women who are on depo provera.
Run free, in your pocket for tomorrow .I hope your sons concert went well.
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big D.....you sure do have a great team...they certainly are caring and so careful to keep you informed. That helps with the stress of all this I'm sure.....but it's still hard to wait patiently for all these results. You're doing great, with such composure. I've never had a PET scan so can't help there, but I'd guess its way easier than a biopsy. And I think you get the results immediately and don't have to wait for lab tests.
I hope you've lined up something to do over the weekend to keep yourself busy. I'm more and more hopeful that this will be some unknown but unimportant scar tissue from some long ago fall off the swings, or bad catch at softball as a kid. Looks like the princess coat is already working....
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BigD holding you in my thoughts and sending you positive energy. I hope it is nothing, and this will be over for you. You have had to sit with this far too long already. Glad you have such a great medical team. Hugs!
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Big D what a caring doctor. He sounds determined to get to the bottom of this, and when he does I hope he finds nothing serious! In your pocket...
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Wow, BigD, what a lovely doctor! Just can't wait for him to tell you it is nothing.And good morning, RunFree. Hoping you'll feel good this morning, with blood sugar behaving nicely. The nice nurse can bring you crackers and juice just as soon as you wake up. And the nice doc will probably bring you photos. Then you'll have the nice weekend and probably another 10 years before you even have to think about this again.
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Big D, we are there with you. Your doctor sounds fantastic...so few of them left these days. He is really great and you will be fine. Hugs.
RunFree, hopefully you are "squeaky clean" this morning and today will be uneventful. Next year I will be 60 and having my second one as I had no polyps and they told me ten years and I can't believe that was 9 years ago! Hubby is on the 5 year plan for two benign polyps, both times he had it and he is jealous of me...lol. Have a great weekend!
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BigD, holding my breath, hoping for good news soon. So good to hear you are getting excellent and attentive care. I've never had a pet scan, but I've heard it is nothing bad, don't know how long it takes.
Hugs to you while you wait this out.
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BigD - wow what a compassionate and caring doctor/team you have. You know you are in good hands- it's like they are really going through this with you. Should be SOP but we all know sometimes that isn't the case. It is so refreshing to have a doctor who is about more than a script pad and the almighty dollar. Do keep us posted, we are going through the process with you too. Have a nice weekend everyone!
Diane
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BigD, I hope everything went well and you got immediate and benign news. I am totally impressed with your doctor being so caring with you.
I did not go to my son's concert last night--I was waaaay too busy. My husband took video and I watched it with my son, which was great. My guts settled down so I could sleep, and I was OK, just hungry, in the morning. The good news is that my colonoscopy was clean, no polyps or anything bad. But the day was a bit of an adventure. The IV REALLY hurt going in, and then they started to push in the fluids, and I suddenly got VERY anxious, and BAM, I was out. Woke up with oxygen in my nose, in a cold sweat, surrounded by concerned people. My husband later told me that I'd convulsed a bit while unconscious and it scared him half to death. They gave me atropine and after another 45 minutes or so took me into the OR. I was very grateful that they could go ahead with the procedure because I wouldn't want to do that prep again for a while. Now my abdomen is still a bit sore and I'm hardly eating, but I'm not as wimpy or dizzy as I was the last couple of times I fainted. The nurse told me not to go to my daughter's art opening this afternoon or to see The Fault in Our Stars tonight, which we'd been planning, but hey, the show must go on. I went to the opening and stood up for an hour, and now I'm going to the movie, so there. Thank you all for the great support! For those who haven't done it yet, please know that I've set a very bad example and it will go much more smoothly for you.
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RunFree, thank you so much for getting Kate's address out. In case you have forgotten, her birthday is June 25th. I always remember it because it is also my son's birthday. I will send a get well card and a birthday card too. Hopefully she is feeling better, I know how frustrated she must be there without internet access. I am sure our cards will put a big smile in her heart. I hope you do well with the colonoscopy. I have nice cake balls waiting for you.
Big D......you are dealing with so much all at once. Your team of doctors sounds genuine, caring. That sure helps when you are running into all these obstacles. My BF Bev was feeling 'off' for a bit and her doctor ordered an MRI of her brain. There was a small lesion on her brain, and the doctor told her it was probably MS. He referred her to a neurologist nearly 300 miles away and she went to see her. This doctor also agreed the lesion was likely MS, but said to be sure they would have to do a spinal tap. Bev did that, and the results were negative for MS. Long long story and many tests later, they have no idea what the lesion is. She definitely does not have MS, she is a workaholic, exercise freak, and feels great. Go figure. So I am on the bandwagon thinking nothing, and soon you can relax and just get back to doing the things you love. I am in your pocket as long as it takes. I brought plenty of cake balls for everyone.
Michelle, a big congratulations to you for finishing rads. Yippee, now that is behind you and although it will seems strange not going to the doctor all the time. Still, it feels so great to know you have completed it and life can resume a more normal routine. Take good care and enjoy your new freedom.
I am feeling great since the surgery. I can eat pretty much anything I want. I haven't tried anything spicy yet, but will soon. Today we bathed all three cats, they didn't appreciate it much but they needed it. DH is allergic to cats but loves them so he tolerates them. The bath always helps so much. Pistol almost escaped and he left four nasty claw marks in my right forearm. Ouch! That is my LE side so hoping they heal with no problem.
We went to garage sales this morning. I got some 'get well' money from friends for my surgery. Both told me to buy something for me, which I rarely do. I hit the jackpot at one sale. This woman had a lot of clothes and I really need Capri's and jeans. She had tons, lots of really good brands, but the best part all in my size. She had told me they were $2 each so I could only get a couple pair. Then she dropped it to a dollar each and the more I found, the lower she went. I was not dickering at all, for the quality and condition of these clothes her prices were more than fair. She finally said I could have them for .50 a pair! I ended up with 4 jeans and 4 Capri's. Plus a beautiful white blouse for a dollar. The best part is, I got home and tried them all on and they all fit perfectly. I am so thrilled. I need more clothes since I am going to Colorado next month. Maybe next weekend I will look for tops. I love garage sales for bargains like that. All that for $5!! I don't mind getting clothes at garage sales, but some people sell shoes and socks and panties and bras.....YUCK. I love a good bargain but I have my limits.
Take good care my friends. You mean so much to me. I am almost three years from initial diagnosis, I feel like I have formed some deep bonds with some here. Older or newer, you are all the best!
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run free, glad the colonoscopy is over and you are clear!you had an unnerving experience, to say the least, but you are a trooper and are carrying enjoy the art opening and the movie!
Janis, u are the best too, always ready with support and loving care.
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BigDBeating---I am on the good news band wagon too-- maybe it is just headache scars--Did I tell you they found white spots on my brain, and that's what it was? Sounds like you got a excellent MO- My angel is already there--did you feel her arrive, I felt her leave me!justmejanice-you are a gal after my heart-after I walked two miles this am. for exercise, I stumbled into a neighborhood garage sale area and probably walked another two miles.....had to come home cause I left at t7:30 to walk and it was 11:00 and I had no sunscreen. LOL.
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Quite the little adventure, RunFree. What on earth do they think happened? Was it an allergy? Or your low blood sugar proving they should have given you the 8:00 AM schedule you requested? They'll surely listen when you come back in 10 or 11 years for your next go round.
So happy, Janis, that you are eating everything in blissful comfort, and that you have all those nice new clothes to start the summer.
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You ladies are amazing, and yes, I felt each and every one of you squirming around in my pockets this morning. And yes, Redheaded, I felt your Angel, too!
RunFree, what an adventure! You are something, doing all that after your colonoscopy instead of taking it easy! My hat is off to you.
Janis, glad you are feeling so much better. That shopping spree sounds like a lot of fun and so sweet of your friends to make that happen for you. That is special.
Well, here is what happened today. I went in and had my blood work. The test that will take a few days to come back has something to do with a specific protein level he is looking for. When I got there, my doctor was there already and came out and just asked how I was and if I had any other questions for him. I could not think of anything, I am bad at that, pretty much have to write it down. But I did ask him if he was certain that there was something in my forehead and he said there definitely is.
I went to work and got a call from the place that is going to do my PET scan. They said the only opening they had was next Friday at 6:00 a.m.! I told the woman that I had a doctor's appt that day with my MO and he wanted to schedule me before that so that we would have the results by Friday. So she said she was sorry, but that was the only time they had open and I would just have to move my appt with my MO back to the following week. I said okay I would do that. Called my MO's nurse and left a message asking if I could have my old appt time back on the 18th, to let me know. About 40 minutes later she called and said, my MO was not happy with them telling me they could not fit me in, so he told his nurse to call them and tell them that they have to get me in early in the week. I get a call back about 10 mins after that and the lady is saying, "We had to move some people around, but we can get you in on Tuesday at 8:00." I was happy with that.
What bothered me was I asked the nurse if the other blood results were back, specifically, the tumor marker and the calcium, and she said yes. My tumor marker went from 22 in March to 31 today. She said that is still in their range of "normal," but of course I was hoping that nothing would change. My calcium level was up too, from 10 to 10.7. 10.1 us their cut off, after that it is considered high. So that was not the news I wanted.
I forced myself to eat a half sandwich today -- I have little appetite but I have to force myself to eat something. Although I need to lose a lot of weight, I cannot lose it this way. I am just really scared and it will be a long week next week.
I personally went over to my neuro's office after I left the hospital and asked them to mail my MO the brain and spine MRIs which they said they would.
When I left work, I stopped at one of the attorney's offices. He is a really super sweet man, just one of the really good ones we have and I was filling him in and when I told him I was going on Tuesday for the scan, he asked if I would like him to go with me. He is the first person who has offered something like that to me and I said yes, I would love it. I said I go to everything by myself and it is okay, I am used to it, but I would not mind having someone to take me and talk to me that morning. I know it is a painless procedure but I think it is always nice to have someone with you. And he insisted I put his number on my cell phone. He does not live too far from me, but he has a family and obligations. Anyway, it just feels good to know I have someone who I can lean on a little if I need it.
MostlySew, Cindy, lemon, Gemini, Josie, GiGiL, SAB, Brookside, April, Susannah, edwards, Run, Janis, Redheaded and I hope I did not forget anyone, thank you for you wonderful words. They are powerful and no matter what I have to face, I know you will all help me through it. I am so glad I live in an era where we have this. My mother sure could have used this. Bless you all.
Enjoy your weekend! I will find some ways to enjoy mine, I promise.
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Big D...hmmmm, that's kind of a mixed bag of results isn't it? Overall I think it's good, in that your scan is tuesday and you've got someone to go with you, that's great news. I've never heard of high calcium levels but perhaps both of those items are those fluctuating type ones? I gather you're still in the normal range, so that's good. You're right, we were all with you today, minding our manners quite well, I thought. It's always good to do that when a special angel (thanks Redheaded) is looking over our shoulders! Anyway, try to eat something this weekend, you're going to need your strength, and try not to worry too much.
Janis, superb find at the garage sale....bet it all looks really cute. Now just don't gain back all that weight since you can eat the house down now tehehehe!
RunFree...only you could end up with such a scary reaction. How awful. Is there any chance the IV wasn't really in the vein correctly? Last time that happened to me they filled my hand up with a bunch of fluid mistakenly and it hurt, alot. Of course, that doesn't explain the mini seizure. I'm glad you've recovered and don't have to go for another 10 years.
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Run Free, you have had quite an eventful past week from running to colonoscopy! The convulsions are really scary, did they say why that would happen? Was it some type of reaction? I hope this weekend you are doing something restful that you love as you deserve it. Sometimes its just nice to have no plans or obligations and do a YOU day. Hope the movie was good and glad you got to watch your son with him.
Janis glad you are feeling good and hope soon you will get to enjoy some spice! Sounds like you hit a real bargain on your garage sale shopping. I don't go to them often but I love going and looking around. My parents go on Thursdays and really enjoy it.
Big D, you also need to have some YOU time this weekend. Go and get your favorite meal and enjoy it, you have got to eat. Now is not the time to try to diet. I think so far so good. I had a scare during my radiation, they thought I had spinal cancer. I had to have MRIs and a spinal tap. Waiting for the results was torture and I ended up in the hospital leaking spinal fluid after. What a nightmare it was, never again. But better safe than sorry. Your doctors are good and just making sure all is right will give you that peace of mind. Only positive thoughts in the atmosphere. Had a good time in your pocket today so full of love.
I am feeling a bit better I think. I had a rough morning but this evening I feel good and I never feel good in the evening. I am now taking 800 mg Advil every 8 hours and my pain pills if needed. Hoping the Advil will help in inflammation. I measured and not yet but I do feel better so maybe good things are to come. We were to go to the zoo tomorrow for DHs birthday but I am just not up to it. We are going to delay it for now. My new 'girls' are looking better, still hard and lumpy but there is a bit of squish in some areas. Nipples look completely healed and their color is normal again. I tried to post on the pic forum but need to resize my pics as they were too big. Trust me a huge up close and personal pic of my huge boob on the screen wouldn't be pretty..LOL
enjoy the weekend
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BigD, you are having to be tremendously brave and strong! Did the nurse say whether it's meaningful that the tumor marker and calcium numbers have gone up, separately from what the numbers are? That kind of almost-data is maybe worse than not knowing anything sometimes. What are they worried about with the calcium? (Sorry if that's a stupid question, or if you answered it already.) Your doctor certainly seems to be in your corner--what a huge help. It always amazes me when schedulers are able to move things after saying they can't. Good for the doctor for getting you in earlier. What a sweet guy that attorney is! I would just never assume that someone would want little old me to go with them to a medical test, but really it's a wonderful thing to offer. I'm so glad you will have someone with you. Little does he know he'll have all of us buzzing around you too! So will you get those PET results then and there, or not until Friday when you see your MO? I do hope you can keep eating a little something. Maybe a yummy fruit smoothie, or just like an Ensure shake? Sometimes if I have no appetite, I can still sip a little liquid protein etc. and keep up my strength.
Lemon, I'm glad you're doing better, but it sounds like you still have a ways to go. Too bad about the zoo trip. Glad you're getting your color and some squish back. I would totally look at giant pictures of your boobs! That's a crazy story about your spinal cancer scare. Did you have symptoms, like pain in your spine, or was it something they saw on a scan that cause them to look for that?
Janis, thanks for the reminder about Kate's birthday. I knew it was sometime this month.
Brookside, while I'm sure the fasting didn't help, the nurse thought my fainting was just from delayed fear about the needle. I've fainted from that kind of fear before (although I don't think they knew that), but this felt different, more like a reaction to the liquid they were putting in through the IV. I am very curious and suspicious about that. It is true that the IV insertion went sort of badly. The nurse was showing a more junior nurse how to do it, and even said after a few more demos the younger nurse was going to do it herself. Boy, if they had given me a student nurse to do my IV after fasting for 24 hours, I would have fainted before they even stuck me! Anyway the senior nurse was stretching my hand way down and saying it should not be flat, but bent downward at the wrist so the skin was stretched taut, and I think that's why it hurt so much. I did also wonder, as you suggested Sew, whether they'd put the needle in a poor position. Lemon, they said the convulsions aren't actually that meaningful or serious, and I've heard that before. The anesthesiologist told my husband that these vaso-vagal reactions are especially common in healthy people, particularly runners, who have low heart rates to begin with. I thought that sounded like a sideways flattery that really just meant "please don't sue us!" It probably says on my chart that my husband is a lawyer. (That was definitely true when I had my two babies.)
The movie The Fault in Our Stars is very well-done, but a real tear-jerker. Might as well eat a bucket of jalapenos. Has anyone read it? The movie sticks very close to the book, which is about teenagers with cancer. My daughter happened to be reading the book at the time I was diagnosed. I didn't realize that's what it's about until I read it months later, and I thought that she must have been horrified to hear I had cancer when she was reading such a painful cancer novel. She never told me, as she's the stoic type. Later, when I read it and then went to apologize to her for the awful coincidence, she said she had quickly been able to separate my cancer from the situations in the book. In any case it's a gorgeous book and film.
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Run, I'm glad your test is behind you (oops! did I say that?) I don't know why you had a reaction, but I'm sure you will make a note for yourself of what was given to you. The best part is your clean results. I'm glad you got to the opening and the movie.
BigD/Joan, I'm in your pocket for your scan and appointment. I think it is great that your doc is pushing on your behalf. It sounds like he really cares and wants to solve this mystery. This is such a difficult time of waiting. You are right about the wait - not much you can do until you get results. But we're human and uncertainty is really hard to deal with. Hugs & prayers...
Lemon, sorry you are still having pain. Recovery is slow...I remember the first thread I joined was August 2011 surgery thread. We were mixed stages and some had BMX and others just Lx. I remember reading before my surgery about the recovery of some of the ladies. It was not easy. But eventually, each one healed and moved on to treatments or back to work & family.
There is life after BC.Janis, every time you say you are feeling good, it makes me very happy for you. This is such a good result. Enjoy your springtime and your yard sales. You deserve it.
Hugs all around,
Joan
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So, RunFree, ever the teacher, huh? That poor little nursing student sure got an education. Here she was, doubtless thinking there was no difference between sticking a needle in a piece of cloth (if the youngsters still know how to sew, that is), and sticking a needle into a living vein. Surprise! So now you've taught her the ever-so-important correlation between a technical procedure and a patient. Good teacher award to you!
What a lovely man that lawyer is, BigD! LIke you, I always go alone, and I'm fine with that, but what a bonus to have a caring friend just volunteer. Redheaded's angel probably gave him a little poke, don't you think? She probably flew over to the PET nurse too, prompting her to
shoehorn you into that specially reserved spot she was pretending not to notice. Busy wings!0
