2013 Sister Warriors
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Renee thankfully the cancer is now gone now moving to recovery and determine the next steps on your journey. It was nice your family was able to keep us updated the day of surgery. thank you thank you for clear nodes how awesome. Skin graphs are new to me so I will be anxious to hear the outcome. I would guess that means another surgery soon. Have dancing for you and sending (((hugs)) your way.
TN mom welcome to our group we are the warriors one for all and all for one.
Kimberly I like the others are really pulling for you that you will get good results from the heart studies and you will soon turn the corner and start to feel better. I am sure they are being careful with the pain meds while they investiage the cardiac issues. Hang in there sister warrior we can carry the flag for you.
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Renee,
I am very happy you have clear nodes. I remember when I woke up after surgery, I was too scared to ask the results. I kept quiet until my husband told me the good news. Hopefully, your path results will be fine too. I wish you the best of luck.
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Just a quick note..my bone scan was clear. Still waiting for genetic testing but met with my new oncologist today and really like her! Next step is radiation.
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Great news, momtotenkids! So glad for you!
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That is good news momtotenkids!
I am two days out of surgery. Keeping up with my pain meds and been immobile most of the time, so I've experienced minimal pain. I am taking antibiotics too. So, I set my alarm for a dosage during the night. I ate some oyster crackers so I wouldn't be taking pills on an empty stomach. Next thing I know wake up a couple of hours later, with the pills I was supposed to take in a small cup on my chest. These drugs are knocking me out (which is fine by me). Been sleeping a lot.
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That is good news sleeping a lot means healing.
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Hi Renee,
So glad to hear you are doing well...I chuckled about the pain pills, I did the same thing...I also would doze off the texting and find "sddddffffff" haha
Question for ladies with MX w/TE. I am 2 weeks out. Today I noticed the skin on both breasts, in different areas, is textured like an orange or grapefruit; not nice firm ones either, more like the mushy ones lol - need two more fills
Anyone else have this? I'm going to post on the reconstruction board as well. Just doesn't look right, though nothing does right now I guess0 -
Renee - so glad nodes are clear and you are sleeping! It is your best friend. I am still sleeping alot but as the ladies say, sleeping is healing and it really makes a difference.
Great news, momtotenkids! So glad for you as well! My genetic test just went through so I think its 14 days for results.
Kimberly - thinking about you as well. Just know that we all wish you well and send postive thoughts your way.
And of course, on a happy note. I can taste chocolate again! My DH bought those minicups of hagen daz chocolate ice cream since I don't have much of an appetite. It was the perfect portion and I could taste it! Woot!
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All I forgot to add. My daughter is flying in from Boston tomorrow so I'll most likely be offline for a few days enjoying her company. In the meantime my best wishes and thoughts for everyone on their journeys!
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Hi sister warriors!
Got my MRI results....not what I was expecting to say the least! Besides the lump we knew of, turns out to be 2 more in left breast and another 1 in my right! Looks like a bmx is in my near future! Hope everyone is doing well! I'll get back and let y'all know my surgery date, hoping for next week!
Angie0 -
Thinkingpositive How wonderful enjoy your time with your daughter. Great news on the taste buds small steps.
Momto5inva hope all is healing well waiting to hear the feedback on the mushy orange.
Renee I am continuing to send positive healing you way and hope your appointment tomorrow goes well.0 -
Hi barberchic,
Sorry to hear about your MRI results. Hang in there, It is best to know before surgery so you know what to do. Sometime MRI does not pick up everything. Mine showed 2 areas of concern in the left breast. After the surgery the path report showed 2 additional small areas (4 mm) that did not show up in the MRI. Before the surgery, I decided to do mastectomy even though the breast surgeon offered a lumpectomy. She told me after the surgery that she was pleased I chose mastectomy. It is best to know in the beginning so you can make the right decision. Please let us know when you will have surgery. I wish you the best of luck.
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Hi Warrior Sisters
Been awhile since I have been on and reading your posts to catch up on the news, Sending positive thoughts to each of you in your healing processes. Finally had my post op and CLEAR MARGINS!!!! Wooooo i almost jumped the desk and kissed my BS Sentinal node was neg, widely clear margins by 15mm and the largest dimension of the tumour was 2.5 centimeters. Sooo done with surgery and off to Onc on the 4th to decide about chemo, maybe rads
I've been feeling good and back to work even though my left breast is the size of a small watermelon while the right one is still a grapefruit, hopefully the swelling and fluids with go down soon
Much love to all you Sisters
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Hope all are doing as well as you can be. As for myself I have a lot of pain from the expanders. I have to have a port put in for my chemo. I had the test for my heart so hopefully everything is alright with that so I can get the chemo and drugs I need to kill whatever she'd into my blood stream. I am pretty depressed due to feeling like I'm a burden. I have always been the caregiver to anything and anyone. Hard to be the patient. I feel as though I'm not mending as fast as I should. Weak, tired, brain is in a fog. I just want control of me again. I do not like feeling it has total control of me.
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Hi, all sister warriors,
saw oncologist yesterday, so my treatment plan will be 4 tx of adriamycin + cytoxan once every 2 weeks, follow by 4 tx of taxol. radiation consult will follow. Is it standard for every 2 weeks of chemo ? onc said total hair loss by the 2nd tx.
after that, I can see his mouth moving, but nothing register .... don't recall him saying anything about oncotype... I have a whole bunch of appt next week (blood work, echocardiogram etc) I'm just overwhelm.... any advise ???
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study411- I'm guessing your question was why he didn't suggest the Oncotype? If so, it's because you have positive nodes and thus are automatically in the chemo club. The Oncotype is done when you have negative nodes and need a prediction of recurrence based on whether or not certain genes are active- thus, if it at risk- then you use the test result to guide a decision to add chemo.
I totally get the overwhelming feeling at the MO visit. I was a bit dumbfounded to find out I needed chemo. But not to fear, you have lots of support by those on these boards who are doing chemo. You can do it!
longwayhome- doing the happy dance for your news about clear nodes!
kimberly1965- my heart goes out to you and hoping you start feeling better soon!
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Study~It is very common to get chemo every 2 weeks. That's what is called dose dense. I got AC every 3 weeks, and I started Taxol today. It's every week for 12 weeks, but that's just how my onc does it. Her way, you don't need the Neulasta injection because you have an extra week to recover. Most of the ladies on these threads get their chemo dose dense.
Get you a notebook or datebook to write all your information in. Also make a list of questions as you think of them, so when you see your dr you don't forget.
The tests are normal. It's helps them to give you the very best treatment for you.
You will get through this!
Get your Fighting Boots on Honey! It's time to SLAY THE DRAGON!!!
Blessings
Paula0 -
Study~It is very common to get chemo every 2 weeks. That's what is called dose dense. I got AC every 3 weeks, and I started Taxol today. It's every week for 12 weeks, but that's just how my onc does it. Her way, you don't need the Neulasta injection because you have an extra week to recover. Most of the ladies on these threads get their chemo dose dense.
Get you a notebook or datebook to write all your information in. Also make a list of questions as you think of them, so when you see your dr you don't forget.
The tests are normal. It's helps them to give you the very best treatment for you.
You will get through this!
Get your Fighting Boots on Honey! It's time to SLAY THE DRAGON!!!
Blessings
Paula0 -
Kimberly, I know what you are going through--I am that person too. The person that takes care of others, always on top of things, always making sure things get done. It is very hard to ask for help, but I decided with this dx that all bets were off and I needed to do whatever I needed to do to get rid of this cancer. And if it meant leaning on others, so be it. Every time I've had someone offer to do something nice for me, I have had to reprogram my immediate response from "no, that's OK" to "yes." As a result, I don't have the feelings of guilt, and instead am allowing others to express how much they care for me and my family, and giving them the opportunity to help out in this situation. They may not be able to rid the cancer, but they can make a meal for my family as I recuperate, or give me a ride to the dr.'s office when my DH goes back to work, etc. I guess what I am encouraging you to do is to look at the situation differently, rather than wish things were back to normal.
I do believe taking this approach is making a difference in my recuperation. Today I went in for a check on my mastectomy. BS and PS were concerned that some skin would be dying off--they had to take so much of it, so it was pretty thin (found cancer clustered so close to the skin; still am waiting for pathology to come back to see if the margins are clear). I have rested (keeping up on my pain meds helped), ate, drank well since coming home on Tuesday. They found that my skin is healing perfectly and I won't need a skin graft. So be kind to yourself Kimberly. Put yourself first. You are important enough to do so, and your family and friends want you to be better. My husband thanked me for healing so well. He is so besides himself with what is happening with me; he wants me to be OK. So, I view getting better as my job, my priority. However long it takes, I'm going to be OK with that.
Congrats on clear nodes LongWayHome!
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Good advice ReneeinOH. Kimberly you have to take care of yourself and not worry about being a burden right now. We are not burdens...we just need a little time to take care of ourselves and get on the road to recovery. I really do know how you feel. I have always been the caregiver and it is hard for me to let others help out. I also feel like every time I talk to my friends it is about me and they have to be tired of hearing about me all the time.
Positive thinking I hope you are enjoying your visit with your daughter!
Barber chic sorry to hear about the MRI results. Let us know about surgery.
Longwayshome i am jumping for joy with you! Glad to hear clear no nodes and clear margarines,.
I was surprised when they told me no chemo. I really expected I would need it.
So I was really surprised to hear that just because I has no positive nodes that they were worried that I might have a spot on my spine. I did not know it also traveled through your blood stream. So even though I have had a ct of most of my body and a bone scan, I still worry that they missed something. Every little pain becomes a big deal. I sure hope I get over the worrying soon.0 -
Kimberly1965 ~ everyone has good advice! We need to take care of ourselves first now but that feeling of being a burden is something very familiar to me. Since our emotions are connected to our physical healing, I tried to get past it. All it took was a few wise words from a good friend to help me over the hump. Watching someone they love go through something like this makes them feel helpless... "doing" makes them feel useful and to refuse might be insulting. Simply put she told me to "sit back, shut up, and let everyone love me in whatever way they could!" I still get pangs of guilt every now and then, especially now that I'm up and around and starting to feel normal again, but I'm letting them "do" knowing it makes them feel good
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Hi! I'm Nancy from Long Island, 63 y.o., diagnosed IDC on 2/13 following my yearly (on time) mammo. I'm also ER/PR negative, HER2 positive so a double whammy re:aggressiveness. MRI from last week shows a secondary something in the breast so now I'm waiting on an MRI-guided biopsy to determine if that's also cancerous. If not then surgeon says lumpectomy is fine but if second area is cancer then too far from original mass so a mastectomy will be needed.
Since I'm HER2 + I'll definitely be doing chemo with a year of herceptin with some radiation thrown in if a lumpectomy is done. All of this will be thru Sloan-Kettering in Commack. I'm fortunate to live within a reasonable distance of MSKCC so this choice was a no-brainer for me.
Of course now while I wait I'm starting to second-guess my decision to go with a lumpectomy, if appropriate! But maybe that decision will be out of my hands.
Loving the support this board provides!
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Weclome Nancy! So glad you found us but sorry that you have what it takes to join our little club. You sound very on top of things. Wishing you all the best as you go through this, and know we're here for you.
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I just wanted to say "hi!" I've been following your warrior thread for the past week and a half or so. I'm ILC and not IDC but have learned a lot from all of your posts. Thank you everyone for your insight, for your support of each other, and for the courage and strength that you've shown on your journeys thus far. 😊
I was diagnosed on January 21. I had a lumpectomy and SLNB on February 1. On Friday March 1, I met my MO for the first time and discussed the oncotype results. I was a 15! Needless to say, she did not recommend chemo because it would have only been a benefit of 1-2% and I agreed to no chemo. I'm relieved but in the back of my mind wonder if chemo would have killed anything that might be lurking on my left side. I did not have an MRI prior to surgery as it's not standard of care with the University of Michigan. My BS said he would order one to set my mind at ease but to be prepared for the possibility of multiple biopsies and even ultimate mastectomy or BMX. I just didn't want to go there. Maybe ignorance is bliss? I meet with my RO on March 14 and that's opening up another new set of "butterflies" in my stomach! LOL!
On the bright side, I'm meeting one of your fellow 2013 sister warriors for lunch this coming Tuesday! I'm really excited to be meeting her in person! 😃 Thank you for listening. Hugs to all!
~ Amy0 -
LittleLuLu- Welcome
) sounds like you are in good hands & on top of things. The MRI biopsy will give you the best info for how to proceed. Yes, your decision may be out of your hands but you are in good hands. Don't second guess yourself trust your gut and go with what brings you peace. You will know...there will be a peace In heart & mind.
AmyinMI- are paths similar ... Lumpx 1/23 RO requested another MRI 2/28 before rads & will share results 3/5. Preop MRI showed 2 other areas that everyone thought were over reads but lumpx path report showed 2ts inside my clear margins. So that means there's another area to double check before rads. I don't regret choice of lumpx best choice made by great team.
Renee- great that you are doing well. Prayers for your path results.
Relaxed & confident that our bc teams will help us sister warriors fight on to victory!
(((Hugs)))0 -
Hi there, I'm having a horrible night, I go meet my oncologist tomorrow and find out how i'm going to be treated so that has me anxious and worried. Also my left breast is now swollen to twice its pre surgery size and is heavy and achy and I am really wishing I had chosen a total mastectomy and been rid of it. I cant fit in my bras anymore and the binding ones for excercise flatten it down and puts so much pressure on it Ive iced it off and on for hours and even went braless at night which only made it swell more. I hate the way I feel and I look like a freak and people stare so i have resorted to wearing big baggy sweatshirts t try and hid my deformed breast. Great i'm friggin crying again
I am so depressed today I hurt all over. I'm sorry to be so negative, my post is even bumming me out. Just needed to vent...0 -
I'm sending long distance ((((hugs)))) LongWayHome! I wish I could do more. I didn't have the pain that you have but I did have the swelling. With the swelling, my breasts were finally the same size but I knew it wouldn't last. My left was a bit larger than my right. Now, with the swelling gone, my right is half the size of my left. 😟
I met with my MO on Friday for the first time to find out about my oncotype score and treatment. I was scared, my stomach was in knots, I had no appetite, and I was preparing myself for what I thought was the worst case scenario (chemo). I had even narrowed down my wig search to two styles that I liked. Fortunately for me, my score was low enough that chemo would have only been a benefit of 1-2%. So, no chemo! I know this doesn't help but I can relate in the "being very scared" department.
We're here for you! Sending positive thoughts, good vibes, and prayers for comfort your way!0 -
LongWayHome - Sending (((hugs))) & calming thoughts. Praying that your pain eases & you are able to have a peaceful nights sleep & receive good news from MO.
You are not alone...we're here for you!0 -
Hugs to you longwayhome. I had to have my lumpectomy redone a week after the first and I swelled big time. I could not even begin to fit into a bra especially a sports bra. I went to Joanne fabric and bought a bra expander and used it. It worked great. Gave me enough support so that I wasn't bouncing but was not so tight that it hurt. As for anxiety before a meeting your MO tomorrow totally understanable. I'm telling you all the only way I handled everything was with Xanax. I cried all the time with out it. Still cried some with it but usually only when overly anxious. I will tell you that now that I feel like I have moved out of the diagnostic and getting ready to start with treatment I feel better. I feel like I have a little more control again. Hopefully you will get good news tomorrow about your treatment. Will keep you in your my prayers and be thinking about you as I meet my RO tomorrow.
Amy welcome and glad no chemo for you! Have fun with our sister warrior!
welcome Nancy! Glad you found us.
Debbie
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Good morning Longwayhome - I had a lumpectomy on February 5 one month ago tomorrow. I am still very swollen and my skin is hypersensitive from under my arm to my elbow and my entire breast except for the actual incision. I went to a bra store that had post surgerical bras and was fitted 1 whole size bigger so I would bet the expander would work. Unlike Amy I can't tell yet how much difference in size I will experience until the swelling is entirely gone. I still have not completely healed and have glue still holding parts of the breast incision closed. My SLNB site is healing nicely; I had a seroma form there. I think giving in to the tears can be carthartic, a poor me is good as long as you don't stay there. Laughing is also great medicine, it is hard to be depressed and laughing at the same time. I have found beyond our occasional venting on these boards there is also some humor. You have lots of company with feeling intimidated before appointments because we don't want any more curve balls. Just walking into the cancer center brings tear to my eyes that I have to fight back. It is like slapping me in the face - hey you, the one with cancer. About a year and a half ago mu PCP gave me a script for 10 low dose Xanax. I had never taken any until recently. I had a meltdown the day I was measured for my rads and had to return 2 days later to complete the markings you bet I took Xanax that day! I am not a meds kind of gal but I now have learned it can be a good thing when you are facing a lot of anxiety at certain steps on this journey we all find ourselves on.
I start my rads tomorrow and heck yes I am anxious. Peaceful and calming thoughts to all of you facing appointmentss and treatments.
Renee you are one week post op glad you are getting rest and sharing your experiences.
Kimberly, you continue to be on my mind. I hope you are beginning to feel a little stronger. Let us know how we can help, can we send you some jokes? We so want your days to improve but you have to turn that corner in your healing, pain is never good for the soul. Your sisters have offered some good advice but I understand putting it into actions can just be tough. Virtual hugs aren't quite as good but sending them in volume.
Nancy welcome and to all other 2013 warrior sisters I wish you all an awesome week.
Patty
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