2013 Sister Warriors
Comments
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Thanks for the welcome Renee. Have already started visualizing.
Kimberly - hope you are doing ok today. I haven't started chemo yet, do I don't have any tips, but you are in my thoughts.
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Cuetang- Best Wishes on your surgery tomorrow! Hope you have family & friends around that can make you laugh & feel like a normal day. ( we played tennis did hair dined out played games-laughter is good for the heart)
You have a great team a great plan & you're ready for battle! Stand confident
)
The pressure will ease after surgery & you begin to feel you are moving forward.
Be kind to yourself today (((hugs))) calming healing thoughts!0 -
What RMlulu said Cuetang! Enjoy your day. Check in when you're up for it. Will be thinking about you.
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Cuetang- I will be thinking of you tomorrow and sending strengthening and positive vibes your way. I hope your surgery will go smoothly and don't be shy about taking those meds if you need them!
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Well, the choice of lump or mx is now out of my hands (which somehow makes things easier??)...my BS from MSK called and said the 2nd "spot" is cancer and too far from original to warrant a lumpectomy. So here we go.
Now the next big decision is...do I want immediate reconstruction or not? It would just be an implant with TE but I've read of so many women that either chose no recon or had problems with recon infections etc that I wonder if it's worth it. Dr suggests I at least meet with the PS to get an idea of the process and see before/after pictures, etc before making a final decision. Too many things to think about. I just want this out of me ASAP. And the soonest date for surgery is 3/25 which, to me, is already too far away. Or...maybe too soon, depending on my frame of mind at the moment!
In the meantime you just know I feel twinges in my neck, other breast, ribs, back, etc. Oh boy, sisters, what a ride we're in for!!
Nancy
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Hi Nancy
Thankful that your BS has all the data to provide you with the best care. Your PS will be able to help you with your decision how to proceed. There are some great threads to follow & you have time to work through how you feel about your body and what is right for you.
Is there a BC support group at MSK? I found the Lucy Curci BC support group at EMC so helpful & insightful as I work through BC.
Praying that the 'gift of time' helps you find your right choice and grow more confident in how you choose to proceed...
(((Hugs)))
Cindy0 -
I don't know if any of you ladies lurk on the January 2013 Chemo group, but those ladies are a hoot! I always feel uplifted by the way they use humor and attitude as a way of coping with chemo.
2 posts there today, I really liked and thought you all might find some inspiration in them as well:
Cancernoway shared a John Wayne quote- "Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway." So here's to all of us sister warriors who formed a posse, saddled up and are hunting down those nasty cancer cells!
hope49 wrote:
Here's a little something my dad sent me today...I think it's sweet and thought you might enjoy...the pictures didn't copy over, they are just of flowers.
Attitude...........
There once was a woman who woke up
one morning, looked in the mirror,
and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.
'Well,' she said, 'I think I'll braid my hair today.'
So she did and she had a wonderful day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror
and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.
'Hmm' she said, 'I think I'll part my
hair down the middle today.'
So she did and she had a grand day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the
mirror and noticed
that she had only one hair on her head.
'Well,' she said, 'today I'm going
to wear my hair in a pony tail.'
So she did, and she had a fun, fun day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and
noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head.
'Hooray!' she exclaimed,'I don't have to fix my hair today!'
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Hello ladies, I would like to join your group as well. I am 34 years old and was diagnosed with stage 1 lobular cancer in January. It was the scariest thing I ever heard. I live in a small town in IL so decided to go to Northwestern in Chicago. They did a MRI and found 2 more areas that had cancer. I did the genetic test and came back negative so I decided to go with a lumpectomy. That happened on the 4th, a day after my birthday. I'm still pretty sore especially under my arm since they cut it there for the sentinal node biopsy.
Now I am waiting for the 14th to meet with the oncologist. I know radiation is for sure but they are saying I might still need chemo even if my nodes are clear. I'm really scared about that since I don't know how I will feel physically and emotionally also.
If anyone is going through chemo already please let me know your experience. I have one son who is 16 months old and I was also told that I should freeze my eggs if I want more kids but I havent decided if I will do that or not.
Thanks for all the support.
Mehnaz
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Hello, Mehnaz and welcome. We sure wish you didn't have to join this club, but we are glad you found us. You will find this a warm and supportive place to be. I am getting my second round of chemo (Cytoxan and Taxotere) tomorrow. I did have side effects, but all of them were very tolerable even losing my hair (it will grow back). I was scared when I found out that I needed chemo even though my nodes were clear. This was determined by a special test called Oncotype that is done on your tumor to determine if certain genes that help predict your risk of recurrence are active. My results came back high intermediate- so I am doing chemo to lower that risk. My experience so far has been better than I thought it would be.
I am post menopausal, so I never have any discussions with my MO or RO about fertility effects of chemo or radiation, so I can't be helpful to you in that area. Maybe others can. Sounds like that is a big concern for you and I don't blame you.
One thing that I have learned is that there are many different chemo regimens. Even those of us who are on the same regimen differ in the type and magnitude of side effects we experience. You might want to find out if you need chemo first and then what kind it will be before reading up on side effects too much.
Have a peaceful night!
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Welcome Mehnaz. What a terrible birthday present! I personally can't share about chemo (am waiting to find out about that myself). You could probably go back two our three pages on this thread and see some comments from others.
Also know there's a Team ILC Warriors thread too: http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/71/topic/800630?page=8#idx_238 You don't have the details of your diagnosis (you can fill that in if you go to your profile, it will appear below your posting, as mine does), but from what I gather from your post, you have Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (? yes?). You may find some insights and information about your type of cancer with them. Also there's a Young with Breast Cancer forum, which may have topics/threads you'd like to check out: http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/27
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Meni33 I also had ALOT of pain in the armpit area from the node biopsy and still do a month later. Surgeon finally told me to take 600 mg of advil for 5 days and massage it gently with some kind of lotion. I have to say it has really helped. Also doing stretches all the time. Can get my arm straight up and over my head and to the back of my head also to do what hair I have. Cut my hair very short (need to have some control) Start chemo tomorrow....SCARED. Cant advise you about eggs...lol as Im an old lady (59). Best of luck to you sweetie !
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TMM60, thank you for sharing that piece on Attitude! Puts things into perspective!
Mehnaz, welcome! I'm a part of the Team ILC Warriors thread as I have ILC. It is a really great group of women, like this one. 😃 I mostly lurk here but have gotten some wonderful advice and found strength and encouragement by reading these posts. I even had the opportunity to meet Patty, who is a part of this thread, for lunch the other day!
Hugs to all! I hope everyone has a great evening! Good night. 😴0 -
Mehnaz-- I'm 33 years old and my husband and I were thinking about starting a family then I found out I had breast cancer in January. My oncologist recommended that I meet with a fertility clinic and provided me a name. I met with them and they gave me a lot of information and options that I could choose from. It wouldn't hurt to meet with one just to know your options if you haven't already. There's also another forum, with women under 40, Young Survival Coalition -- community.youngsurvival.org that has plenty of postings about fertility questions and other topics.
Thanks everyone for their well wishes on my surgery tomorrow. Never thought I'd say that I'm looking forward to surgery but more like looking towards making cancer another step in my past and getting rid of it! Hugs to all!0 -
Hi, I have about the same scenario going on but still no results on HER2 status. I'm 65. Lumpectomy scheduled for 20th, radiation for sure but no decision yet on chemo. Good luck with yours!
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Today a good day. Had chemo two days ago and feel good amazing. Best I've felt in months. Hang in the warrior buddies we got this!!!!
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Hi ladies
stardynights -- what kind of massage you do ? it's already 5 weeks after my surgergy, I still feel tight in my armpit & shoulder area. s.t. I feel there's a few drips inside around the armpit area, is that normal ? I've been exercising, but still can't raise my arm straight up above my head, always this pulling sensation. I won't see my BS until the end of March. kind of frustrated....
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Good morning all:
Renee when you do decide you can try to go back please leave yourself open to work a reduced schedule. I know I went back early after a lumpectomy and found on day two I needed to leave at noon but I start at 5:30 AM most days by choice. From there going forward I made myself leave at 10.5 hours. We have similar job demands but now that I have started rads I may have to rethink my schedule. I am doing rads early and by next Tuesday I will be in the first slot at 7:00 AM, for the most part it is just an inconvenience. At the end of next week I should be feeling more of an impact.
Kimberly and Longwayhome I am happy to see you are at least having some manageable days.
Thinking of Cuetang this morning as she faces her big surgery day. I hope she found some calming peace as she prepared for this special day - to get rid of the tumor.
Lemon68 glad you have checked in we have missed you.
To our newest sisters I know we can be here to prop you up on those trying days and offer smiles on the better days.
I have been thinking about Renee's challenge to find a new word for journey. Journeys can bring joy and pleasure, so if we don't find an alternative I want to find the good things on this road. I know that doing our happy dances for each other is a good outcome being rid of these nasty cancer tumors is what we want. The overwhelming part is we hope to all be survivors as we are enduring the pain of treatments and surgery, that is the goal of our club! Yes, we will be survivors together. How awesome is that?
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Pacools--definitely will do that. Luckily, I'm .75FTE (which, being salaried, means bumpkis many weeks), but am prepared to carve out whatever I need time-wise and put me first. (I've put this job first so often, I am owed this.) I even have asked for dinners for the first couple of days I go back to work so I can ease back into my routine.
Did a check with Thesaurus for other names than journey. What about odyssey (a long wandering or voyage usually marked by many changes of fortune; an intellectual or spiritual wandering or quest)? I guess that is why I have a problem with journey--usually associated with joy and pleasure. But, good point pacools--it is important to acknowledge the good things, from good results to counting the blessings from having neighbors and friends step up to help. But whatever we call this, I'm just glad we're able to do this together, and we all will not just survive this, we will be victors of this bitch of a disease.
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Hi,
As for the new word- how about expedition? An expedition is a journey of discovey- some of these discoveries are nice, some are not. Also- to me expeditions seem to have an element of danger involved.
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Menni33 we are probably talking apples and oranges here you had a masectomy and I had a lumpectomy. What are drippys? Are your incisions leaking? I massage with a nice organic goatsmilk lotion. But you can use Vaseline intensive care too. Just be careful that it doesnt have any retinol or alpha hydroxy in it. I did use baby lotion the other day when I was at my daughters and it was bothering me. I just massage it (the entire boob and armpit) with my open hand like you would if you were putting lotion on your feet. A little firm but not so hard that it hurts. As far as the stretching the doc said to walk my fingers up a wall..I didnt do this. I just held my arm out to the side bent at the elbow with my hand pointed up in the air. Stretched about an inch at a time about ten times trying to get it over my head. Did it while watching tv and when I was in the shower. The warm water felt really good to me. Sometimes I just put it out to the side and rest my hand on the top of my head. It has really helped. Skin is still really sensitive in the actual armpit. Hard to shave there so I only do it before going to the doc. Sorry this is so long, Im super wired now from the steroids today. Please feel free to private msg me if you have any questions.
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Pacools~I don't want to be a just a survivor. Many times people survive a tragedy, but they're traumatized forever.
I want to be an OVERCOMER!
Blessings
Paula0 -
Great discussion on alternative descriptions for both journey and survivor.
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I was told a long time ago. One scars don't stretch 2 cocoa butter goes a long way in helping with the look and feel of scars. I also have my right arm that the range of motion in is off bad. But if you have expanders I would say that's our problem. Hang tight girls we got this.
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Kimberly and Longwayhome I too am happy to see you having better days! Cuetang thinking of you and your surgery. I felt so much better just knowing the cancer was out and I was on to the next phase of my recovery! Lemon68 glad you have checked in and are doing well. To our newest sisters this group of women are wonderful and supportive and the shared experiences do help you put your situation in perspective. TMM60 - Attitude is wonderful!
Mehnaz, specifically about the chemo. I'm having round 2 on Thursday the 14th. My first round went like this:
Day before and day after I took a steriod (cortisol). These can help with your treatment in a variety of ways:
- reduce nausea associated with chemotherapy and radiation
- decrease swelling
- reduce allergic reactions (before transfusions, for example)
- lessen headaches
Day of chemo I had the slow transfusions and it took 6 hours and training on all the possible side effects. Next round will be more like 2.5 hrs. They do it very slow the first time to check for any reactions. Took the claritin that night and started on other supplements the doc told me to get to help prevent neuropathy (numbness in fingers) which can happen around the 4th cycle of chemo.
Day after chemo, felt good. A little nausea in the morning but they give you meds for that. I only felt nauseous the first couple mornings. Had the Neulasta shot in the afternoon. I didn't feel anything.
Saturday felt achey. Sunday felt awful from the bone pain. No way to describe it...but the doc said the first one has the most pain and the next rounds shouldn't hurt as mucn. I hope so! I felt ok by Tuesday.
Taste buds where gone over the weekend. Had dry mouth. But overall not as bad as I imagined. It took a couple weeks but the taste buds do come back. Of course that's just in time to lose my hair so I shaved my head. I am so ready for round 2 and reaching the end of treatment!
I'll be done with chemo and rads a couple weeks before my first wedding anniversary in August. I'll still have the Herceptin for another 5 months but after the radiation is done I should be good to travel and my sweetie is planning a 10 day vacation for us to get away.
Renee - I set my schedule as chemo day and day after work from home. Then the entire next week (when I felt the most fatigue and side effects as work from home) the next weeks up to the next round of chemo I went to the office and worked from 7:30 am to 3 pm. After 3 I couldn't function.
I am so very happy right now. I feel good, I am kicking cancer's ass and its a beautiful day. Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!
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Kimberly1965 - forgot to mention my doc said I could go with the creams but that the key is keeping the right balance of moisture. So after all the glue came off (after incisional healing) he said use lotion or Vaseline and that keeping the scar soft and supple will provide me with the best quality scar. He advised Cetaphil lotion, Aquaphor or Vaseline, which is well tolerated and has low risks of allergic reactions, rashes, or breakouts. I had Vaseline at the house so I've been using that. I may switch to Aquaphor as I know that is less greasy feeling.
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Hi, I'm a little cross-eyed from all the meds so will try to describe things more after I get home-- cant focus too well. Thanks for the well wishes and yes I'm so glad the tumor is gone! Will be in the hospital at least to Monday/Tuesday. So far clear nodes...
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Cuetang - yeah clear nodes! Now closes those eyes & drift off to t free sleep...sweet dreams...healing thoughts.
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Mehnaz - I done my mastectomy surgery on 1/11, lymph node dissection on 2/15 , and going to have my chemo port placement on 3/15. Meeting my onco next wed. for the medicine for chemo. You might like to check out the posts on " starting chemo march 2013". It shares lots of experiences and very comforting all of the anxious nd fears.
Fight on!!!0 -
Cuetang- My thoughts and prayers are with you for a easy recovery!
Kimberly- love your"hang tight girls we got this"
Positivethnking- Hope round 2 treats you well this week, I will be thinking of you.
Prayers to all the IDC Warriors!
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Hi everyone! I just got back home after three days in the hospital. I have four drains (and now I know why everyone complains about them). I told the anesteschia doctor I get sick easily so I got a patch behind the ear....it really helped after coming out of a ten hour surgery. There are pains in the drain sites and well as the abdomen, but nothing too bad so far. I'm walking about 90% upright, but will tend to hunch over if I don't think about it. The new breasts look similar to the old ones, just a slightly different shape. I'm happy so far with the results. Now going to have some serious recliner time in front of the tv.
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