Radiation recovery
Comments
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Hi Joan, So glad to hear from you. Your trip sounds fabulous. Count me in your pocket party today, although I am probably the only one who doesn't like chocolate- vanilla girl here. I feel the same when I go to my mo's office which I did this week. So many sick people in the waiting room. It is depressing, but I feel so blessed to be cancer free now. I will be thinking about you today, and I am sure all will be well. Hugs!
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I tell you Janis, you need to bake for the homeless, or some women's shelter, or the radiation clinic or something. baking is in your nature, you're good at it, and it probably satisfies your creative urge. So...don't give up the baking, just find some place to drop it off right after you and DH test out a piece......I've got it......ride your bike to the local mail box and mail it on out here.....I PROMISE, I'll help you dispose of your baked goods. Have you thought about opening a dessert company? I'd call and place an order....like I need it!
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Janis,
Just finished reading the arimidex thread, and thought about your hip/knee/wrist pain. Have you tried taking Claritin? Not Claritin D, just the plain. It might help and doesn't involve another doctor(always a good thing). Aren't you having your neck surgery soon....or am I not mentioning it?0 -
I'm 20 days past my last rad, and I'm doing quite well as far as side-effects. However, these last few days I am experiencing itching in weird places like all the way down my outer thighs. My husband complains that I am restless at night, and I've been scratching for relief. A little hydrocortizone cream did the trick and calmed the itch for now, but I'm wondering if this is related to the rads. Anybody here has an answer?
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Hmmmm, Liefie, does sound a bit strange. The boob itching I can understand but not the legs. Sounds a bit like an allergy to me. Have you started Arimidex or Tamoxifin? Any other new drug or vitamin pill? Using new soap? Or gone back to one you used to use before radiation? I had to change soaps during radiation nd my skin wasn't happy going back to my old standby. Eating anything different, like shellfish? Hope it goes away for you soon......
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Well, I am so grateful for the crowd in my pockets tody. My cancer center is so nice....I mean, the privacy, the waiting rooms, the people who work there....it so non-threatening today. They took 2 films on R side and 3 on the L side. They send it right to the radiologist while the patients wait. I went to get coffee and some stuff to read from my car. When I got back upstairs,my name was caled. I was handed a "report card" which said "normal - come back in one year"
Thanks for being there for me...I consider this to be my official "made it through the first year" day.
It means a lot to me to have the support here of those who understand. And there were hardly any crumbs.
Kate - I prefer vanilla everything too....but I will not usully turn down chocolate!
Liefie-the itching is definitely a possible SE from any skin damage or A.I. drugs. The skin act like an organ and sometimes erupts away from the source. I hope it doesn't persist for you.
Janis, what a great feeling to have your BS dicharge you. Now you have to heal in all those other areas that have made your life so unpleasant for too long.
Sew, I like your idea about baking, taking a piece and giving it away. I usually do that with DH - I take one serving and he eats the rest. Only that doesn't get it out of the house.Thanks again for all the good wishes!
HUGS to all,
Joan0 -
Joan Congrats! I am so glad that your mamo was normal.
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MostlySew, I'm starting Tamoxifen next week, and I'm not doing anything different than before, except that I'm now taking Vit. B complex for neuropathy. Will ask my onc; I'm seeing him on Monday. Thanks!
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Joan.....I am thrilled about your normal mammo! Big hugs, big congratulations. I wish I lived close, I would come over and celebrate with you!
Sew.....I probably don't bake as much as it sounds. I always mention the bad stuff that I bake. Seriously, as much as I love it I just cannot afford to bake too much these days. When we moved here we were stunned at how hard it was to find work. Impossible at our ages basically. My DH is 67, and after a year of job hunting he finally filed for SS. That is our only income. I have a very small grocery budget. I just happened to find cream cheese on sale dirt cheap, so made the cheesecake. I would love to bake and donate but really could not do much. When I do bake I have two neighbors I always share with. It goes quickly. My neighbors across the street are so nice, but Nickie, the mom, cannot cook or bake. I love sending my baked goods there. They all love and appreciate it and they are poor so don't get a lot of treats. Nickie thought she had died and gone to heaven with my cheesecake. We do grow a ton of tomatoes and always take lots up to the rescue mission. They are thrilled of course. I try really hard to share everything I can! Since we can no longer do gifts for our kids for Christmas, I do send them baked goods. Everyone loves my marzipan candy and my cake balls so that is what they get. The postage to send them though is so expensive! Crazy.
liefie......I have no idea about itching on your legs. I think Sew posed a lot of good questions. I had itching but only at the radiated site. I hope you can figure it out and get comfortable.
Sew I forgot to mention that my neck surgery is August 29th. I am really nervous about it. I have to stay overnight in the hospital. I am going to a different hospital than last time thank goodness. I will never go there again. We have to go to a class at the hospital about the surgery, the procedure and the recovery. It is a 3.5 hour long class. They recommend all your caregivers attend. That would just be Chuck. He takes very good care of me.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Feel better every day too!
Love and hugs all around..........:)
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Janis.....you get the altruistic gold medal of the BC games! The first one awarded in this olympic season, i might add. Never mind i just made them up, but if knitters can have knitting olympics, and quilters the same, i think we can have our own olympics! So, I'm awarding you this gold. I would find it all too hard to give away a home baked goodies, and am quite certain I would eat it all first! Hence the award. Of course, if someone comes in with a better score than you, your gold might be downgraded.....you know how that goes!
Yes, times are certainly tough for lots of folks, thru no fault of their own. I find it quite sad. It makes for such difficult positions and decisions that have to be made. I think you're doing admirably well with having to move and leave good friends behind, then going thru this cancer stuff, then the thyroid and LE, and now the neck surgery. We will all be there for you but man, that sure is scary to think just the class beforehand is 3 1/2 hours. Perhaps some of your neighbors can help Chuck out. I'm sure they'd be more than happy to repay all your favors.
Hugs to you (and I'm still drooling about the cheese cake).0 -
I agree. Janis definitely deserves our first gold medal. Thanks for being so wonderful, Janis.
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Ladies....STOP! I get embarassed so easily. I do love helping others and I always do what I can. My grandmother taught me so much, I adored her. Nobody in our family had money, but we come from hard working stock. Grandma was a registered nurse and used her retirement money to travel which was her passion. She lived very simply, in a small trailer in a senior citizen mobile home park. Right next door to her sister and my beloved Great Aunt Belle. Talk about special ladies! I never lived close but they always came to visit me wherever I lived. We were so close! Grandma would do sweet things for me, she always insisted on buying me one piece of nice clothing or a new purse or wallet or something I needed. Every time she did something I would tell her one day I would pay her back. She always told me the same thing: when I could afford to, just help others. I have always tried to honor her wishes and do right for those less fortunate than I am. I was able to do much more in the past, but I still try. Paying it forward for Grandma!
I'll be proud to have you both in my pocket on the 29th. As time gets nearer I know I will be a wreck.
Love you ladies!
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You're so sweet Janis, and I think you've done your Grandmother AND your Great Aunt Belle proud.
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Aww Janis you made me all misty this morning. What lovely women you have had for role models. Your post is a reminder to me to set a good example for my own young ones. Thank you for that.
(edited for appalling grammar :0)
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janis...you are good for the soul!
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Good morning ladies! I forget who asked (maybe Sew?) but I have finished reviewing the ingredients in my new multivitamins and thought I would report back. I did find that several of the ingredients in my women's (post-menopausal) blend to be suspect. My mix includes Chaste tree berry, Boron and PABA which all exhibit mild estrogenic effects. I guess this makes sense for women without BC, as it might provide some natural hormone replacement benefits? (I'm not a vitamin specialist, I only play one on this post.) Livestrong suggested that those substances be avoided by women with BC.
There is also some question about Vitamin A--a 2010 study indicated that it was contraindicated for us, but more recent research here on BCO did not seem to raise any red flags.
Bottom line is that I will stop taking my obscenely expensive supplement and rely on a healthy varied diet of whole grains, fruits and veggies, wash them down with some lovely green tea and then go exercise. Sigh.
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I never thought about looking at my multi-vitamin. My sister just wrote me saying she had read an article that no one should take a multi-vitamin. That if you have a dificiency, than you should take that vitamin supplement, but if you are not deficient, you shouldn't be taking them. I asked her to send me the article. I have difficulty taking any meds and have tried to find cacium, vitamin D and magnesium in liquid form. They are making more products in this form due to the many people that have had their stomachs stapled. Because of their surgery, the vitamins from both food and supplements don't spend enough time in the GI tract to be fully absorbed.
Anyway, thanks for the reminder that I need to be extra diigent when taking anything. I liearn so much from you ladies. And as they say, knowledge is power!
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Well, there are over 300 known interactions of common drugs with Tamoxifen, and since I don't plan on going to pharmacy school any time soon I downloaded the list on to my phone from Drugs.com. The one that seems most common (over the counter) are the pm versions of pain killers that contain diphenhydramine, also some cold relief products.
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Uh oh. I have been taking a pm. Guess I better get busy and start making a list and checking it twice. Dang, just once I'd like someting about this stupid disease to be simple. Thanks again for the info.
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Mini, I agree that everything seems more complicated these days. I would urge you to double-check me--as I said I am not an expert! This is only my read of the drugs.com information when I searched drug interactions for Tamoxifen. I would tell you to check with your MO, but mine has not mentioned these interactions. My girlfriend, a hospice nurse, told me that she always trusts the pharmacists over the doctors. Next time I pick up my Tamoxifen I think I'll ask for a consult.
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SAB- The pharmacist is a good suggestion. I'm on pretty good terms with mine. I read and research a lot. I have osteoporosis and some gastric issues as well, so I have learned a lot in the last 18 months. It seems that since my CA diagnosis in March everything I find on one subject, i.e. radiation, hormone treatments, nutrition, etc., has a conflicting opinion in another study. Reading The Harm We Do by Otis Webb Brawley, the Chief Medical Officer of the American Cancer Society was a real eye opener. I've tried to be thorough without be compulsive, but it's a tough balance. This disease will make you OCD or a germaphobe if you let it. I'm trying to find balance. Thankfully, I like to learn and try to use what I learn to free me from worry instead of allowing it to take me prisoner.
My mom was a surgical nurse and I've always said that if you want the real skinny on a doctor, surgery, treatment, hospital, etc., ask a nurse. If your girlfriend trusts the pharmacists, I'll take her word for it!
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Good morning my friends! I thank all of you for your kind and cheering words. You ladies have all touched me with your sweet comments. I had wonderful, amazing women in my life to guide me. My mother was an RN and did not own her own home. She rented an apartment despite making very good money. She told me that she never would lend money to friends at work......because that sets you up for disappointment. She simply gave money to those in need. Her mom was my beloved grandma, and of course there was Aunt Belle and Aunt Lila, my grandma's sisters. I so admired these women, all widowed and living their senior lives to the very fullest. My grandma was so generous on a very limited income. Her favorite thing to say to me, when I protested a bag of groceries, a new wallet....she would always say "money is round and made to roll". Grandma lived to be 92 and when she passed I was heartbroken.
SAB...I really admire the hard work you have put into researching vitamins and other products. I am sure you have been an immense help to others here. It is a lot of work. I must admit I have done no such research and eat the same as I always have. My bad! Tomorrow DH and i are going on a diet. We rarely ear meat anymore...mostly because it is too high....but we eat chicken still and plenty of salads. Our tomatoes and cucumbers are producing now so soon we will have more than we can eat. Later we will make a lot of sauce and freeze it.
Off to ride my bike before it gets too hot. Wishing joy to all!
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
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Hi all, just checking in...thank you so much for all the good wishes about my one year cancer-free report. It was a good day. I am traveling and will be around but not always....
This is amazing that we can all talk here....who would have thought this was possible 20 years ago?
I wish good things for each of you and hugs for all.
Joan0 -
Janis, I definitely have "gotten" more than I've "given" here. Love your granny's words to live by!
Hugs back Joan, be well.
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Today is the one year anniversary of my second and final lumpectomy. What a year OMG, but on Aug 3 of last year I found out that I was only stage 1, and my lymph nodes were negative, so I have a lot to be grateful for. I am going to my surgeon Friday, and hopefully find out the exact date for my latissimus dorsi flap surgery with an implant. I am hoping to have the surgery either Sept. 5 or Sept. 12. Joan, I hope you are having a great time on your trip.
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Happy Anniversary!
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Anyone still having issues with their breast feeling hot to the touch? I'm 9 months out of rads, and while I've occasionally had what seemed to be bouts of a bit of swelling, I could get it to go down after just one or two LE massages which I learned before my surgery. I haven't been evaluated for LE. This "hot" stuff is fairly recent. I did react to radiation within 3 days of starting it with the same symptom of a "hot" breast and was diagnosed with "radiation induced" inflammation. Hmmm. Am wondering just how to deal with this. It truly is quite hot. Doesn't appear pink however.....still sort of brown with a leather area. The scar is totally numb too (realized that when holding an iced drink against it and realized I couldn't feel it).
Opinions?0 -
Sorry you are going through this Sew. My scar is ropey and tough but not hot. Do you have an appt. coming up with one of your providers soon?
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I'm done with rads (2 weeks Tues) and I feel more tired and sore now than I did when I was having the treatment. I never napped during the day during treatments but have had lie down and sleep several days this week. Also, I've been very short of breath when going on a simple, normal walk. The skin has healed nicely and the itching has pretty much stopped but I"m tired and sore and short of breath. Has anyone else experienced this post treatment?
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Mini1, I am not at all surprised to read that you are having this fatigue experience. I also never took the time to rest throughout rads treatment, and paid a big price for it for several months later....in the end even decided to leave my job which was really too demanding (10 hour days 5 days a week)for the level of energy I had after rads. There was no way I could rest at all with those demands, and I found myself in a perpetual state of exhaustion. Out of work for a little over a month I am slowly getting back my energy, but would probably do better with some naps here and there....just have not learned to nap!! I saw my MO today and mentioned the pain I still have intermittently on the radiated side, and she said that it is normal to experience that for a long time after rads. Don't know if that is helpful, but you are not alone in this experience. You will probably fare better if you can nap when you need to. I recall that several contributors to this thread have talked about the lung issues....maybe you can find their posts several pages back. Best to you for starting to feel better.....
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