Canadians in British Columbia
Comments
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Anamerty I'm 16 years out from triple neg with micromets to nodes. I've had two er/pr+ her- BC's since and just celebrated 3 years NED after BMX/DIEP when dx with BC #3. All 3 were different primary's. So, I'm a BC Petrie dish lol.
I think the big 3 of BC are:
Waiting
Side effects
Fear
My mantra is "Just keep swimming" (Finding Nemo)
My motto ... Don't give cancer more than it takes without your permission.
The only time I've let the basterd slow me down is when I'm recovering from sx or in tx.
You may not need chemo or rads if you have clear margins and neg nodes.
I had my tumor from '96 HER tested when dx with BC #2. Royal Columbian Hosp keeps path samples for ... Uh oh I forget ... (a few years ...).0 -
Janet and Ossa, I used to have a cottage on Harrison, across from 20 mile bay! I could drive there from Maple Ridge without having to go on the highway lol. And I'm not going to bore you with Sasquatch hunting stories, other than to say the old guy that did the first (Sasquatch) Kokanee beer commercials was a good friend of mine lolz.
Tazzy are all the fires out now?
Cat it's great to hear you like your new foob!
Ossa, love your fur baby
I had a little cat in Africa for a year, but he met with an unfortunate end, so I've been petless for a while now. I also had a Persian cat who would poop in my shoes if I was gone for too long lol. Sigh ... I travel too much to have fur children.
Sleep well friends, it's almost 7am here in paradise!0 -
She... yes ALL fires are now out, thankfully.
Off today to meet with the MO to find out more about rad tx.... then tomorrow have my mapping session. Want to get these started. sooner I start, quicker I finish.
wishing everyone a minimal SE day and some sunshine.
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marianelizabeth and She; thanks for sharing your TN stories:)
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Tazzy wear something darkish to your mapping appt, I wore a white blouse the first time and not only did it get wrecked, the marking showed through. I was freeken mortified lol. I was always getting into trouble for my marks smearing or disappearing.. I think my body was staging its own private mutiny, tape wouldn't even stick
Whatevah how are you doing? I'm always happy to share TN experience, 'specially since I continue to defy their "expiry" predictions.
Ossa, I forgot to tell you how great your hair looks!
Gumshoe are you still über busy at work?
'nite all!0 -
Meet with the doc went good. My original RO has gone on a sabbatical so I met a new doc and he is wonderful, such a 'gentle'man. Then he managed to get my mapping session booked in for yesterday afternoon. So I have my tats and my rads start on October 4. 5 weeks worth. Happy to have a date.
Luckily I had a black and white blouse on so no markings came through. My first ever tatts - bad ass I am
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YAAY Tazzy!!! Rads will be over before you know it!
The 4 pin dot tatts were my first ever tatts too! (Yep, real bad asses lol) Now thanks to
Vinnie I have 2 gorgeous 3D tatts and 'faded-out' dots! After a whole year I still smile every time I look in the mirror. Maybe I should go back and get him to add a fipple ring ..... giggle And I'm seriously considering tatting the whole ab scar into African waist beads ..... 0 -
fipple ring... ha ha ha!!
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lol she too funny.. is this vinny in the states you are talking about? have heard a lot about him.. Think I an doing nip reconb as I have one real one otherwise I would have one burnt out headlight
.. Speaking of tatts. You should have seen my kids faces when I told them I went and got fout tatts 0 -
Hahaha She, re the cat who pooped in your shoes. That's pretty good aim, for a cat! I am still really busy at work: if I go into the office I get nothing done except meetings, and then I have to do the things I wanted to do at night to catch up.
But, we are headed out next week on a 2-week road trip. We're stopping in Vegas so if I win a million dollars, I'll send a postcard
Tazzy, good to hear you liked your RO. It's so hit and miss with doctors.
whaevah, I know you mentioned on the other thread that you had your third Taxol today. Hope it was manageable.
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She love those stories! Defy on! I am hanging in here, Taxol #3 done , long ride through treatment but it gotta be done!
My cat used to poop in my luggage upon return so I get that LOL
gumshoe if you win a million, my kitty needs a tiara purrrty please
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whaevah -- That's why I have dogs. At least they throw up and get it over with -- they're not smart enough to hide it. If I win a million, I will buy you a tiara!0
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I want a tiara too
How about a tiara party when you come back rich and famousGot my fat grafting and fipple surgery date today Oct 26 ay Jimmi Pattison.. One step closer to being done.. Went to physio today as well. i thing physio therapits must be a little sadistic.. Man oh man did it hurt when she did the cording massage by my foob.. but I have much better range of motio now.. Have to be fitted for a sleeve on monday.. Have to use at work and when exercising (guess that means I have to sign up with curves) Also have to see a massage therapist who specialie in LD,, Glad there is one in Abbotsford so I can go there after work or on my lunch hour..
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Ossa, yes, Vinnie from just north of Baltimore. He does amazing work. Can I suggest you ask your PS some questions about your Oct 26 sx? My nipple recon mostly failed (I still have a tiny bit of projection) because I had too much work done at the same time and the swelling affected the fipples. But, I also understand that a fairly high percentage of nipple recons fail. I think there are a couple of different ways the procedure is done. I'd ask him what percentage of his nipple recons fail, what measures he takes to avoid the failures (i.e. using a 'cone' instead of piling up nursing pads with the nipple cut out to protect the recon) and if he uses tattoo ink to colour the tissue during the procedure so you don't need to get a tatt after.
Sorry you have to get a sleeve, there are a number of different manufacturers. I got Jobst with finger gauntlets but have just discovered the silicone dots that hold them in place at the top of the arm give me a nasty rash in the heat. I got mine at a pharmacy on West 4th, I don't know if sleeves (or a good fitter) are available anywhere in the valley. I also have a couple of pairs of Lymphediva sleeves. They come in a variety of colours and patterns and are 'fun' instead of looking like old lady elastic stockings. The Lymphediva gauntlets don't have fingers. They are phone or online order so just google and check them out. Pharmacare pays for one pair a year, and they aren't inexpensive, roughly $200 per pair.
Gumshoe add me to the tiara list please
And have a great road trip!Whatevah it is a long haul through this, hang in there. Are you done after taxol #4?
Marian, I saw you were on the Vancouver get together thread. Don't worry, we'll make sure the info is posted so you can help decide where and when.
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She.. thank you for the great info.. We do have a fitter in Abbotsford.. have an appointment monday... I am to wear my sleeve when excersising and when doing a lot of repetative work
Once I have been fitted I will find a lympadive (love the name) sleeveHave a great day all
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Have a question. My chest (a few inches under & above too) is very hard like a rock. I keep getting like 'contractions' especially when I'm typing. Have to stop & do major stretch. does anyone else have this issue? the contractions are something else!! quite painful at times (anyone remember having a baby? lol) the morphine helps somewhat not perfect (or tylonol xtrength is all i can take grr) .. did you all go through this? does it stop? HELP please? my GP hasn't a clue. Have no surgeon or PS (PS appt end Nov, as I need someone who knows about all this) I think I asked this before elsewhere, but no answers as of yet.
Also, my upper chest has big & small 'lumps' skin is getting easier to touch, but still extremely painful in some areas. I've been grimacing, but trying to massage everywhere - thinking maybe this is to help?
hope someone's got some suggestions/answers. 3 months out (but only a couple weeks wounds healed)
thanks
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Ossa.. sorry hun & to all else that you've got that dreaded LE omg.. I try to be so careful now after hearing all that goes with it. funny how 'non bcer's' think.. oh, tumor out, treatment done.. now it's all over! ya RIGHT! grr.. pray they don't have to live it.. but maybe they could take their heads out of their '......'es and research!
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Cher, I'm sorry you're having such discomfort. I was having muscle spasms across chest and ribs which were a result of me not using the muscles on my shoulder blades enough after surgery. Gentle stretching ... regularly has helped. Now don't go all Rambo on me
and start stretching aggressively. I'm not a doctor and that may not be what the problem is. If your docs have told you that you can stretch, then do it regularly and the spasms should ease off. Try to change positions more frequently when you're typing. Can you go to see a physiotherapist? Ask your GP. One visit to learn the correct stretches may be all you need.
As for the lumps, possible guesses are tissue that was moved around and is now healing, or even surgical clips that are closer to the surface. Until you can see a doc about this, don't massage so hard it makes you grimace. Healing from a big surgery like this, especially with other medical conditions can take a little longer. You've been through a lot so slow and steady and gently.0 -
She thanks for suggestions & such. when my wounds were open, gp wouldn't let me see PT, so now each time I go, I've a list of referals for him.lol I've been doing stretches since day one (i have FM, so stretching is a must if you wanna move lol) I did my limits etc. I'm amazed how large the area is that is hard as rock & still numb, but am sure that'll change in time. Yes hun, I stretch lots with the typing, as I'm a crunched over-type with laptop.dangerous things these are eh? Guess I'm impatient still? am massaging the bit of cording I'm getting. but yes, next appt is referals to a PT .
not sure what you mean by 'clips' ? there shouldn't be anything left in me at all. the upper chest started off smooth almost alcave with so much breast tissue taken, but then from where bridge ought to have been huge,i mean huge lump there since healing started, that lump goes all way up to collar bone almost, but it's crooked. lol. I can hardly wait to find someone to look at it and just reassure me. Someone said all the rock hardness is scartissue.. who knows eh? but when are or am I supposed to get ultra sounds or checks? do only people having chemo/rads get checked?
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Tazzy so glad you've gotten your dates for Rads & hopin it'll all go no problems. All the fires/smoke gone now? I'm heading up on Monday - friday. Not near long enough. 4 days.. shortest trip yet. but have have have to!! Oct looks busy with lots of surgeries & treatments starting. Oct 1st my new Onc meeting in Abby, so glad to get away from MR & where the norm IS BC there. going to get counselling set up too, and yes, I loose NO pride in doing so. Just another week, but so looking forward to it all.
Taz, you've had all your surgeries, is this the last of all of it? the Rads? Your in Kel or West Bank? not sure my schedule up there (have to get tu-tu's finished) I'll be in Pent 2 days & Summerland 2 days. Need to visit my girl cousin in Osoyoos, had a 6bypass (she's 9mths older & was very healthy) they airlifted her from KGH to St. Pauls, she'd had every test there was to check on heart problems, GP still wasn't happy that all tests were normal, so he sent her in for angio-gram.. 24 blockages behind heart!!! 6 bypasses in the small arterities.. so now all siblings/cousins are getting checked more throughly, we've had quite a few had open heart already.
I hear Femara can cause heart disease? hmmmm .. well, what doesnt' lol
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Cher, they sometimes use surgical clips that look a lot like a stapled staple to tie off veins during surgery. Some can be relatively close to the surface. I knew nothing about them until a couple lit up on my mammo (when I still had the real ones lol) and I freaked out thinking they were tumours. I always had such great mammo techs who'd explain things without 'telling' me anything. I sure do miss them, but not being squished lol.
Your new Onc will tell you what your follow up schedule should be. Add to the list of questions.0 -
Hi She, I replied on the Canadian Thread, then deleted as I realized it was this thread...chemobrain
I have 12 W Taxol , next week is #4, then onto rads. Hope to be finished by January. I am at the point of frustration, patience is a virtue I obviously have missed. I am sure many feel this way.
Nice to see you have moved on with life, and a happy life at that! It is so encouraging. Chemo can be depressing, although AC more so than Taxol, for me anyways. Not to mention the TN status.
One. Day. At. A. Time.
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I'm already far behind and it has only been a day!
Cher: Sorry you're still in pain. Man, what a long haul for you. If it makes you feel any better, I had open wounds for months and they did eventually heal. I still have a healing skin graft but that will take a while. Stretching is SO important. I find I get mine in while digging the dog's ball out from underneath the couch, where she rolls it 50 times a day.
whaevah: You're a third done! I really hope the rest go smoothly.
She: Are you still on vacation? Hope your LE has eased up.
We are off on our excellent road trip adventure tomorrow. I'll try and at least read the boards, but if not, "see" you all in a couple of weeks.
Hope everyone else is doing okay.
Man, the boards are flaky these last few days. I'm not getting notifications (I get some, but not all) and it is s-l-o-w.
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woohoo gumshoe
one more sleep and off you go! happy trails~
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Gumshoe have a safe trip, and have a fantastic time!
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Gumshoe have a great time!
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Oh, and please don't forget my shiny hat 0
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Have a great trip Gumshoe.. Hope you win enough to make you comfortable...
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Thanks all -- and yes, whaevah, if I see a shiny hat, it's yours!
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Cher: I am in Westbank. I could meet you in Summerland if you have the time. Will PM you.
Positive healing thoughts and hugs to all.
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