2013 Survivors!!!
Comments
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Ninaroberto - welcome and thank you for sharing your daughters beautiful song; well done - both of you
McCook - I also appreciate your pep talk
Juneau and Joanne - way to go!
Chrisrenee - cutting out that Coke alone should make a big difference for you. You are a strong woman, take that beast on again today, you are conquering it.
That would be such a hard decision for that young woman to make
Liefie - Such a hard decision for you, I am not faced with that quite yet but will also have to decide what to do in the future.My thoughts for myself are that I have already had atypical hyperplasia in the other breast so, if I have the courage to go for one more surgery I might want to do it all at once and get it over with - mastectomy and then DIEP reconstruction.
I agree that pushing the retreat to fall would help with planning and finances, hopefully more of us would be able to attend that way. BTW Liefie - you already look fantastic, I think one day off a week to let down a little and bake and entertain is perfectly allowable.
This a.m. I am down 2 lbs since last time I weighed in; I don't count calories but I cut out most dairy, sugar and gluten. Yesterday I had my protein smoothie for breakfast - almond milk, protein powder, handful of spinach, 1/2 avocado and 1 tbsp peanut butter (fruit ingredients can vary, peanut butter is optional depending on the ingredients). If I don't have a smoothie then I have an egg poacher that I got from Costco and I would poach three eggs or make scrambled eggs; my other 'go to' breakfast is steel cut oats, once cooked I add my protein powder, then apples and cinnamon or blueberries and pecans - whatever sounds good.
An hour before lunch yesterday I had two small Clementine oranges, then lunch was cottage cheese, raw veggies and a handful of almonds on the side.
Late afternoon snack - one apple sliced up with cinnamon sprinkled on the slices, one tbsp peanut butter on side of plate, slices dipped in the peanut butter.
Supper was a small bowl of home made chili with a kale salad, basil and garlic dressing on the salad
Before bed I had one cup of steamed almond milk with cinnamon and stevia; with two bite size dark chocolates (72% cocao) - keeps me honest the rest of the day when I have that to look forward to
On the treadmill yesterday I managed 32 minutes going between 2.8 and 3.0 with no incline.
Mccook - thinking of you at your appointment today - in your pockets
Take care everyone
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Yes McCook we are all in your pocket today. Let us know how the scans went
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Websister, what an inspiration you are, and thank you for the kind words. Your diet sounds really delicious too. This week I added aquafitness classes to my exercise routine. Will drop one yoga class, and condense the weight training into two sessions to fit it in, and to make sure I do enough cardio. Fortunately the holiday did not do too much damage, and I was up two pounds to 160 when I weighed myself last weekend. Will see what the scale says tomorrow. If I can only manage to be good today . . .
Best wishes, Mcook!
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As one of your cheerleaders, I am so impressed with all of your activity and "diet" changes and additions and what you have already been doing. I need to use my steel cut oats instead of quick cooking ones and appreciate the reminder that we can cook ahead. The longer cooking time was my excuse for not doing it.
Enjoy your weekend everyone and again, congratulations to all of you!
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Thanks McCook - loved your story. Very inspirational. I had a sign in my office that said "Whether you think you can or not - you are right" I haven't seen the sign since I retired but I find it. So true.
Liefie - I thought of something that might help with your decision. Not sure where it came from but sounds like good advise. Which decision will you be happiest about in 5 years.
Chrisrenee77 - sounds like you and Jullian are bonding!
Today it is offical. I have lost 2 lbs. When you add that to my previous loss, I am down 20 lbs! Didn't realize I was so fluffy! More to go so I will keep going. I did my walk with the Beast first thing this morning and weighed after that. I should be smiling all day! I have cereal for breakfast. Not very exciting but eggs and cereal don't sound good at all. Someday my taste buds will return to normal. I have started using smaller plates and try to eat only 1/2 of everything on plate. Put it all together and it is working. Small steps.
I will follow the suggested links later. I have another killer Things To Do List for today. Make it a great day, ladies!
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Believe777, that is an excellent piece of advice! I will certainly think about it from that perspective, and see where it takes me - thanks a lot. Congrats on the weight loss too.
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Nina.....your daughter brought tears to my eyes.....what a beautiful voice and what a beautiful thought......you must be so proud of her.
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Seems we have a few ladies weighing in and losing .....congrats ladies💃💃💃
Remember to treat yourself after the first 10lbs. Hard work should always be rewarded.
Mcook....beautiful inspirational story.0 -
Believe, remember to eat enough too ... Also your body holds onto water after exercise so better to weigh before. That is what I was told at weight watchers.
Congrats ... The scale is moving in the right direction.0 -
hi. im new to these web sites but any way here goes. i was diagnosed 18mnths ago with stage1 idc no lymph involvement so had radium and was put on arimidex. i had oncology check up 3 mnths ago and they told me i wasnt menepausal after all and my estrogen level was 169 and they changed me to zolzdex implant after being on arimidex for 15mnths. my ca on right side by the way. was at doc today as have a lump now on the inner arm just at the crease of elbow joint.doc says lymph there enlarged but lymphs under arm feel ok.she could also feel a lump in breast smooth edges but hard in central area . sorry this the LEFT breast and arm im talking about. she sending me to breast surgeon soon. what do you think. thanks
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Hello All, I promise to post our weight losses tomorrow. Just home from work & grocery shopping and have been invited to neighbours for supper - phew ! I am exhausted... but in a good way.
It is wonderful that all the scales are going in the right direction (methinks).
Welcome karolinem - sorry you have to be here, but this is a great bunch on knowledgeable women and you will find comfort here. I hope you can get an appt. soon with your BS - they are taking no chances and will get you checked out ((hugs)).
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Welcome Karolinem......you've come to a great place for advice, a laugh. support....anything really. Hope you get that appt. soon.
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Hello ladies,
My question is does anyone have or know of someone who has experienced diep first and then implants added as well to increase size? I had radiation so was not an ideal candidate for implants nor did I want them. My choice has always been diep but my Dr. advised me that i only have enough belly fat for a large B. I was a DD prior to bmx and want at least a D now as i know absolutely that i will not be happy as a B. Any info that someone can provide would be appreciated such as how it effects what stages are done, suggested implant type, is lipo still apart of the stages, etc.0 -
Welcome to the new ladies!
Nina- I have not had a chance to listen to your daughter's song, but I will!
Tazzy- according to the scale at work I haven't lost anything yet. Kind of discouraging, but not going to give up.
Scottie- quick letrazole question for you. Is your hair still thinning? Every day when I take a shower more and more of mine falls out. When does it stop?!?!?
Tonight I MASTERED the bitch! 1 mile 289 calories burned and I did not pass out have a wheezing fit and DID NOT CRY! LOL
I got home was looking through our local paper and saw that my son made the newspaper twice this week! That made for one happy mom. Getting ready to start packing for my date night with my hubby tomorrow. Just wanted to do a quick checkin. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, I will definitely be checking in on everyone!0 -
Hi All, I agree that a tripp in Sept will help with planning, etc. Also, that area will be really pretty, esp later in Sept.
Congratulations to all who are working on losing. Chrisrenee, the bitch doesnt have a chance anymore!
It is really nice to read that everybody is so busy. Looking back a few months for perspective, we were all just trying to get through the days. Now we are making lists! I took my son to get his wisdom teeth out today. Nasty task, but I was so glad to be there for him. Really nice to be the " mom" again when he needed comfort- it made me very emotional to feel so normal. Then I got a funny itch on my chest and looked at my skin where I had a scar revised in October and then rads over it. Looked funny, so bs said come right in. He proceeded to dig out a one inch piece of suture which had broken off when they were removed in November. Holy Mother of Pearl did that smart! Back to not normal....now on antibiotics0 -
Hi All, I agree that a trip in Sept will help with planning, etc. Also, that area will be really pretty, esp later in Sept.
Congratulations to all who are working on losing. Chrisrenee, the bitch doesnt have a chance anymore!
It is really nice to read that everybody is so busy. Looking back a few months for perspective, we were all just trying to get through the days. Now we are making lists! I took my son to get his wisdom teeth out today. Nasty task, but I was so glad to be there for him. Really nice to be the " mom" again when he needed comfort- it made me very emotional to feel so normal. Then I got a funny itch on my chest and looked at my skin where I had a scar revised in October and then rads over it. Looked funny, so bs said come right in. He proceeded to dig out a one inch piece of suture which had broken off when they were removed in November. Holy Mother of Pearl did that smart! Back to not normal....now on antibiotics0 -
Chrisrenee...yeah hair.....right from get go my hair start coming out. My pillow was full of it every morning. Many ladies on the boards here were advocating high doses of Biotin.
I started taking it, and at the same time, saw a Dermatologist who told me I was wasting my money because the body could not absorb such large amounts. We did blood work, but not showed up. So for several months I just put on a hat and sucked it up. Then two months ago it stopped falling out and started to grow and get a little thicker. Now, two months later again....grrrrr I see some hair on my pillow again.
One of the ladies here said she talked to her MO about the hair issue, and he said it would always go in cycles while taking the med. seems that's exactly what is happening to me. I have to say that I'm not losing as much as I did in the begiinning.
A lot of ladies say they have good results taking large doses of Biotin...I don't know, I listened to the Dermatologist and stopped it. I actually have been thinking about taking it again, but in much smaller amounts.
That's my hair thinning saga. Don't know if Inhave helped you or not. It is what it is, and I have more or less come to terms with it. In the scheme of things, if that's the worst thing that will happen to me now....I thank God.....and I can always go shopping for wigs.....lol0 -
llr010200, you may want to check out the DIEP threads on this forum. There are many ladies there who had this done, and who will be able to answer your questions. I am getting this surgery in April/May too, and will be reading those threads for information. Hope that helps.
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Chrisrenee/liefie; I take 5000mcg biotin a day. Maybe your deem is right, but my MO said it can't hurt me and I think my hair is coming I pretty fast. The evenly coming in part I attribute to the fact that when it very first started to gone in a week after shaving it, I shaved it again...totally. Smooth as a baby's butt. Anyway, sorry about the hair thining. I totally feel for you.
Ok ladies; I am officially stooping my quest for spring locations Anna pushing back to September at the earliest. So get out your piggy banks!! Now... Head count please. Please private message me with just "yes 🙋 I'm in" if you a fairly sure (as we know life happens) that by September time and finances should allow for you attendance. That way i will know who to reach out to as I make plans so I don't post it all here every time. If you wouldn't mine leaving your real world email, I can just send group emails. SO much easier! xxoo. 💋
Thanks!0 -
Ok gals.....need advise (when everyone wakes up) I have been having tremendous
back pain for about a month now...yeah went to dark places, which I guess does't help.I am on anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds (anxiety meds when needed) I did. Little experiment and took the anti-anxiety meds twice a day for one week and my back problems disappears. BTW can't take muscle relaxants as they are contraindicated
Due to my other meds. Went to see my GP and says my back is full of knots (not tumours, thank God) he put me on anti-imflammatories which did nothing. Now I'm usi g up all my anti-anxiety meds again but my back is great...yeah...QOL....
Next Wed. I have to go for the results of my mammo and u/s....Assuming everything is ok....should I fight with him to take me off the anti-depressants (I don't think I'm depressed) and put me on the anti-anxiety meds on a regular basis????
He doesn't seem to want me to come off the anti-depressants but taking the anxiety meds is giving me QOL.....please.....some advice.0 -
Scottiee, you need to get a prescription for massage. That will help immensely in getting the knots out .... Promise!
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Ok Jo, if I remember.....my stomach is in knots also now.....lol...waiting for my results....
bloody hell....just can't win...lol0 -
Thanks liefie. I've read through many of those and have learned quite a bit but can't seem to find ppl who have had implants under the diep flap. Could've just missed it though because those threads have so many pages. :-)
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Scottie, any time I have stress/ anxiety, it goes straight to my lower back. During my dx last year, I sat with an ice pack down my sweats every night for relief. I never went for a massage, but it might have helped. Having antianxiety meds as needed this year has changed my life. I can now function in situations that were impossible for me before, and no ice pack! My two cents is go for it...., and a massage too! Quality of life is crucial, and we are grown up enough to call the shots once in a while OK! I might not be, but most of us are:)
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Scottiee1, have you ever tried yoga? A gentle yoga stretch class in a warm room a few times a week will work wonders to stretch and relax your muscles. It is so relaxing/calming that I sometimes fall asleep when we lie on our mats in 'shivasna' position. I started yoga because of debilitating back muscle problems, and it is the best thing I have done for myself. The other big plus is that if the yoga works for you, you can phase out the anxiety meds as you cannot be on those indefinitely. Yoga teaches you breathing techniques which help you to calm down and relax. Those really came in very handy when I was diagnosed with bc. In the beginning you will not be able to do everything or to stretch much, but as the weeks/months go by, you will become more flexible. It is not competitive at all, and everybody just does what they are capable of, not forcing anything. For me yoga was a lifesaver. My back was so bad that every few weeks I was laid up in bed for a few days because I couldn't move, but that is a thing of the past since I started gentle yoga stretch eighteen months ago. If you also do the massage as suggested by Joanne, it can only be beneficial to you. Do yourself a favour and try it - you will not be sorry, I promise. The first few weeks may be a little hard while you get used to it, but then you will begin to reap the benefits. Try it.
Juneau, if you move the retreat to later this year I will do my best to attend, because I really want to meet these ladies. By the way, your hair looks really cute! Mine looked like that too for a while before chemo curl kicked in. I've had one haircut so far, but at the moment I have a very unruly mop of white hair that is curling wildly in all directions. It is quite bewildering to me, because I never learned to use hair products. Always had thick, easy hair which I wore in wash and wear styles all my life, and it always looked good with very little input from me. Now at the ripe old age of 58 I have to learn how to tame this white woollen stuff which seems to have a life of its own. I am very tempted to shave it again, and see what happens - LOL.
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Ladies you MUST watch this! It's great. She's great!
Stronger, Cancer music video
ByMegan Kowalewski
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaQdwTsVtCY&sns=em
Scottie:
I was in unrelenting pain last fall. My back was so knotted up nothing NOTHING relieved the pain. Not dilauted, not ambien, not the am anxiety Meds, NOTHING! I couldn't sit, stand, recline...find any position that provided me relief. As Joann said... I got a massage. Not just anywhere, I found someone who works on cancer patients and focused solely on my back. It was instantly better. I still go every few weeks. There is a string on muscles that run down the side of the spine. When she worked on those, the pain all across my back and around to my sides where the aching was all but went away. Don't wait... Call today. You don't need all those Meds, just some TLC from a good set of hands. Start with your cancer center for recommendations. Or any one who works out if a PT office.0 -
Holy Moly! I miss one day and trying to catch up:)
I am glad sharing my story was well received It is something I just try and go back to when trying to reach a goal or during all this crap.
Good Job ladies on the healthy eating and post about working out! I really like that the treadmil is being name "the bitch" I laugh every time I look at mine now. I am going to have to find a name for her as well.
Scottie - I have similar side effects and no drugs help. I do get better after moving during the day. It is worse in am for me. Epsom salt baths with apple cider finger help relieve some pain for me. And my DH rubs it for me each night. I had one massage and that helped a lot but she is an hour away and expensive but I need to find someone closer because it does help.
It does make you depressed to be in pain every day so hopefully you can find some relief soon:(
Your positive thoughts helped! Yesterday went pretty good! I was supposed to have a CT scan but when I meet with my doc she looked at my file and could use the one I had two weeks ago in the ER when they were looking to see if I had blood clots and it had good images they could use! No seen issues with spots lumps etc on clavicle! It is from my dam shoulder as suspected. Big relief!
Also, got my final infusion date! April 27! Whoo hoo! Going to be celebrating on that weekend!
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I also had my echo and that came out good! (having an echo with TE is not fun! )
Also, meet with my PS nurse ( I never get to see the doctor) they okay surgery even with my shoulder. So get these bricks out the 31st. I asked about going with saline and they push back a lot about that and I kind of think it there preference and makes me a little mad. They also are using fat from my tummy to fill in some areas. Not thrilled about that recovery but ask if why they are in there can they take a little extra:) she said yep:) heard that lipo is extremely painful but if they have to do it then what the heck I am going to get something out of it.
So guess that will slow down my workouts for a few weeks:( bummer! )
Then ....had my herception infusion- each time I am in that BGC I get some lesson. This time there was a volunteer that I had never seen before. She shard her story about having BC stage 0 first time and had a lumpectomy and the. Stage 1 the next and had a BMX w no reconstruction. She had quite a sense of humor! She told me about her and all the activities she does, holy crap where does she get that energy! When she told me she just turned 80 I am passed out because she looked to me about 60. She tap dances, had had knee replacements, cancer twice and also played a piano for a kitchen band and lots of other things she does. I think someone sent her to talk to me yesterday, like I said before, I believe people come into your life at certain times as messages. And also so I could share this with all you. I wish I could remember that last thing she said to me exactly but it was a statement about how choices and not to let others make them for you. It was more profound the way she said it and I wish I would have wrote it down. But it was so odd how that was exactly what I needed at that moment. Is someone just really trying to tell me to make some changes in my life? Cancer, people and other things - I better start listening
one more thing - my nurse I meet with in Onc
Discussed about getting me into a program the hospital that you have to be referred to that I have been interest in so I am excited about that it is called.Here is a little more information
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alternative-medicine/PN00001
It is a complentary medicine program.
Long post today! I celebrated last night with going out for sushi but watch my options for healthier items. But did have a small SAKE!
Have a spectaclar day Ladies! I am going to find a way to do something for myself today!0 -
Juneau- I have also like Megan page on fb when someone sent me that video a few weeks ago
it is a great video amazing girl! 0 -
Cowpower -sorry to hear that missed suture has you back on antibiotics; two steps forward ...
Scottie - sounds like lots of good advice from the survivors. I'm going to ask for a prescription for massage next visit, then my insurance plan will cover a few of them
Chrisrenee - good for you re: treadmill! Don't worry about scale, you are making good changes. Great about your son making the newspaper
Liefie - the exercise program I am in with the University here is adding yoga every Wednesday, looking forward to it
Tazzy - you sound very busy and very happy
Juneau - thanks for the video, very enjoyable, I may use it in a future blog
Mccook - glad things went well yesterday and that surgery won't be postponed. Congratulations on final Herceptin date - big milestone. Wonderful about the people and opportunities that are coming into your life, I agree that it probably isn't coincidence
Off to see my Mom and then have lunch (healthy one) with a friend.
Take care everyone0 -
Nice post Mcook; I'm taught through my recovery from addition that there are no coincidences. You were there to hear that message. Or as we say... You were right where you're supposed to be. Gives me chills. For me, my Higher Power puts in place so it can speak to me through other people.
Anyway- has anyone heard of this research that needs funding?!
http://www.wndu.com/home/headlines/Breast-Cancer-Vaccine-100-effective-in-mice-Waiting-for-human-trials-173738701.html
I'm a bit pissed that Susan G Koman not Avon will fund. Perhaps we can spread the word?
Www.Sisters4prevention.com0
