Radiation recovery
Comments
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Dianarose, Yes, I had 4 rounds of chemo (taxotere and cytoxan) and it was really not bad at all--much better than I expected. Actually, for me chemo was easier than rads. My MO's mantra was that if BC reached a lymph node, it could be lurking anywhere. I agreed with him and I wanted to do all I could to keep BC from recurring. For now though, please just think about recovering from your lumpectomy. Did your BS have to put a drain in your lymph node area? Those things are no fun, but they do help. Sending gentle hugs to you.
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Janis, praying for you as you go for yet another test that it's the icky Arimidex giving you the symptoms!
Checking in on you gals. Life is busy here, one graduating senior and one sophomore in high school are keeping me on my toes.
Hugs,
Steph
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Thanks Steph...and of course everyone who sent me good wishes. I just love my sistas! It sure sounds like you have a lot going on right now. I remember the graduation days...enjoy the fanfare!
My biological sister arrived yesterday from Denver. She is only here until Wednesday so we have to cram a lot of sister fun into a few days. She is an RN and works in oncology, so has followed my treatment from day one. I made corned beef and cabbage and an almond/cream cheese pound cake. It sure was good. We have leftovers too so maybe tonight I'll skip cooking.
Dianarose I did not have chemo but I have come to understand it is not the chemo we feared in years past. I have seen many other women post that chemo was easier than radiation. I had radiation and did well with it. So, deep breaths hon. Just remember if your doctor recommends chemo that YOU are helping to kick those nasty little cancer buggers to the curb! We have all been there and survived. There may be a few tears in the weeks ahead, but you will be surprised there will also be joy. I love garage sales and went every weekend during rads. You will be surprised at all that you can do. You have a lot of support here, so come anytime you need some cheerleading. We understand!
Love and hugs to my special sistas!!
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Janis, so glad to hear your are with your sister. My sister came back from Boston yesterday. She was out there in her place on South Shore since before Thanksgiving. She has a townhouse right across from me here in Minnesota. We went out for lunch and a movie today. It was just heavenly to have some good sister time. Tomorrow we start a new diet and fitness program. We are going to team up and make it to our goals. P.S. I know the tests will turn up nothing wrong and if those side effects don't pass, they will adjust your meds.
I love the sistas here too. The support from this group is amazing and so soothing. Dianarose, we are here for you. Whatever your treatment plan is, there are ladies here who will tell you it is all do-able and you will get through it. You will find friends here.
Kate, are you getting back to normal now? Hope life is getting easier for you.
stephN enjoy these days. I remember graduation parties for my kids. It seems like yesterday. Precious times.
Hey Elizabeth1889 Hope things are good with you. Spring has definitely arrived in Minnesota. We had our first severe thunderstorm warning tonight.
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Hi Gigil, I am glad that you are having fun with your sister. Which diet are you starting? I quit smoking about a year ago, and have gained 20 pounds UGH. I need to diet too. I am doing much better. Thanks for asking.
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Hi GiGiL, Thanks for asking about me. I am doing well. I am still going to LE therapy and it is helping. The therapist took arm measurements last week and the swelling is going down. I started attending a cancer support group twice a month. It is still too soon to tell if it will work for me, but I will give it a try. I am glad that your sister is back from Boston. Enjoy catching up with her.
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Elizabeth- I didn't have to have any drain tubes. I have a little numbness in my fingers in the morning, but it gets better in the day. Not a lot of pain to speak of either. I go tomorrow for the final path report. I will be a total train wreck. I am going to go shopping today to make me feel better. Spending money always helps. I will have an oncotype before any chemo. I know they are doing it now even if you nodes are positive. I don't want to go through it if it is not going to do much good.
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Dianarose, I will be praying that you get a good path report. HUGS!
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Dianarose, good luck.
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Thanks for al the good thoughts and prayers. I have stressed my self into a major headache. I don't know why I do that, it's not going to change anything.
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We will all be with you in spirit tomorrow. Wishing you the best of luck.
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Dianarose, praying for you and keeping you in my thoughts. We will be here waiting to hear what you hear.
Elizabeth, glad you are getting that LE under control. I need to check in with the LE specialists I was referred to. I seem to have some transient LE. Does it last forever, or does it gradually improve?
Kate, we are going to Weight Watchers. I have 30 lbs to get rid of, and it is a good way to lose it slowly using real foods. Slow weight loss, I have learned is better as far as keeping the weight off in the long run. The group support is nice too.0 -
Hi Gigil, Right before my hospital stay I went to Weight Watchers. I have 25 pounds that I need to lose. I learned about the point values, but I am no longer going to meetings. Just this week I started to follow the pionts again. I only have 26 points a day plus an extra 49 for the week. Let me know how you do, and I will do the same. It will be good to have support for that too. If you are wondering why I am not going to meetings it is because I am hoping that I can lose the weight, and not have to pay them $13 a week to do it.
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I have three treatments left, "boost" localized rads. My underarm area is red and raw and I am peeling a bit under the breast, but nothing I can't handle. I feel like a very lucky woman to have a great RT team at the Cancer Center at Lowell General Hospital in MA. I started Arimidex yesterday, so we will see what that does to my bones and my state of mind. I can deal with hot flashes, because I have been there before. I do my best to always be upbeat when I am going for treatments because some of the other patients I see there seem so down in the dumps. I want to help boost their spirits, because it helps to keep mine up too. I am tired, but I continue to work, which keeps my mind occupied. This has been a long 7 weeks, but if it makes my odds of survival better, I am happy to do it. Once I am well on the mend I am going to start the weight loss program in ernest, because I know that obesity is like a welcome mat to cancer and heart disease. This has been quite the trip, and it makes me even more sensitive to the pain and fear of others around me. I'm going to do what I can to help in the small ways, like making breast pillows for other patients and offering encouragement where I can. I don't know if it will make others feel better or not, but it will sure make ME feel better!
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Mooserella, that's really nice. Don't forget to do things for yourself as well, like a nice energy-boosting walk when you can!
Kate, I didn't want to pay either. I'm using myfitnesspal.com to track and plan meals using anti-cancer foods from Servan-Schreiber's book. This week I hit 45 pounds of weight loss! Ten to go!
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Ladies, it's official....I'm done with rads today and now on my way to recovery. It's been a long but quick 6 weeks. Thumbs up to the team of therapists at New York Onocology and Hemotology in Albany, NY. They made my treatments a rather fun ordeal and were so kind and caring, especially Nick who is a 20'ish hot looking guy. Not too often older broads like me get to have someone that good looking pay any attention to you, let alone look at your breasts. Also thumbs up to the guy (not sure if he was a patient) that took the time to play his guitar for us and teach us how to juggle. Could not master it myself but fun to watch him.
This cancer stuff sure does give you a whole new outlook on life, especially your own. I have to start treating myself with better care. I want to feel better and be better. I have a long life ahead of me.
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King, congrats.
Joan, so glad to hear you are NED!
Re: dogs: we have supplemented our two dogs food with rice, chicken, green beans and carrots that I cook up for them and blend witht heir dogfood. They love it and are very sad when we are out. But I never thought of pumpkin. Come to think of it, they like apples and eat peaches so why not!
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Yay! Go King!
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Congrats kingjr66!
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Wow SAB that is great. How long did it take you to lose the weight?
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Wow, SAB, that weight loss must feel fantastic.....a whole new you! Cancer's gone, weight's gone, new clothes (or at least ones that fit)......good for you!
King and Mooserella.....CONGRATS on finishing. You both sound so upbeat and that always helps with the recovery. Just be sure to still rest when needed, walk when you can, and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy..
Elizabeth, I'm glad you're doing better. And be sure to use this board whenever you need to vent, or celebrate, or just reach out......
Gigil and Kate, I started weight watchers on-line last week. Need to loose at least 20 lbs. over half of which I gained during treatment, not to mention the flab. I finally feel strong enough to work on this, which feels great. Arimidex is taking its toll on my sleeping and I get so tired, but thankfully that's really the only SE i have from that. Think I'll change it around and take it in the morning when I'm all yawns....then maybe I can sleep at night. Anyway....I've lost 4lbs in 10 days, but think I might be under eating, as that's too fast. I find the new point system quite lenient, and didn't "eat all my points" last week. Didn't use the exercise points either. So...it feels great to be making an active assault on this weight. Let us know how both of you are doing..0 -
Mostlysew when you first start a diet you lose a lot of water so 4 pound loss is not that unusual. I quit smoking 6 months before I was diagnosed with cancer and gained 10 pounds almost immediately. Then after the cancer was diagnosed I slowly put on another 15. It is time to get it off. I will check in once a week and let you know how I am doing. It would be great if you and Gigil can do the same.
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Thanks Kate, I'm not concerned yet about the quickness, but will watch it. I'll check in weekly...should be fun, at least as fun as a diet can be. Have you checked out any of the other threads on here about weight loss?
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Mostly sew, no I have not checked them out.
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Correction 40 pounds-not 45 (sorry my brain skipped wishful thinking) but yes, it is a lot, about 4 sizes so far and I feel really good. Kate, I started at the beginning of September by changing the foods I ate and starting to walk every day. After rads (end of November) I started paying attention to calories. Now I would like to get another 10 off. Then I'll buy some clothes. Right now I wear 3 pairs of jeans I was forced to buy and lots of old baggy tops .
I really enjoy the good food choice thread for ideas on healthy meals, and I do dip into the exercise threads for inspiration though my own routine is so boring I don't post. I have really grown to love my walks though, when I can do them outside.
I wish we all lived close enough to take some walks! Good luck you guys!
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sab - I agree with the counting calories. I started this way of weight loss about 2 weeks before starting my treatments. Then I noticed when I was weighed in every Monday during treatment I lost a pound a week. A pound a week is pretty good just by counting calories and cutting out the junk foods. I eat what I want, just smaller portions. plus walking and drinking plenty of water helps. go to www.calorieking.com. Don't need to join but you can find out the calorie content in so many foods, even fast foods.0
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king-I have that app on my phone! It is so helpful when eating out. Then I use myfitnesspal.com to keep a food and exercise diary and plan my meals/calories... eating what I want but trying to keep within anti-cancer guidelines. It sounds complicated but it is so easy and has become my habit. I am also losing about a pound a week which I think is a healthy amount.
As an aside, my RO told me to heavy up on the protein during and just after treatment.
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So did my RO. And I am learing more and more about organic meats.
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Congrats King and Mooserella on finishing the rads. Mooserella, I think it is very cool that you are thinking of ways to make the experience of others better. At the rads center where I went last summer, there was a beautiful fireplace with a mantle. I always felt there needed to be a painting there that would give comfort to those waiting for treatment. You have inspired me to take positive steps to get that painting for them, and see that it is hanging there for others to enjoy. King, it sounds like you were surrounded by some really great people when you went through treatment. I had that experience as well, and it meant the world to me. It made going there every day so much easier. I will never forget
SAB Bravo to you! It sounds like you've gotten this weight loss thing figured out. I weigh in tomorrow for the first week. I have been doing Weight Watchers online for awhile. When I first got my diagnosis, I lost a quick 10 lbs. just from stress and leaving dairy and sugar out of my diet. When I started rads, I started eating yogurt again. I really need yogurt in my life. I am still drinking coconut milk however, and leaving the cheese alone, for the most part.
MostlySew and Kate, I like the point system Weight Watchers uses. I will let you know if I lost this week. I didn't have a perfect week, but it wasn't bad either. I love the online tools. It really makes it easy to look up foods and track points and activity. I need to get busy this next week. More walking! More walking! More walking!!
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GiGil, That is so kind of you to want to get a painting for you rads center. I bet it will comfort more people than you will ever know.
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