2013 Sister Warriors
Comments
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The operation of the sentinel node went really well. Happy about that. The only downside was that my pee was only blue/green a couple of times! My son (6) and I were really excited about those, but at least he got to see one and he thought it was the funniest thing ever!
Today I have an appoinment with the gen people and a blood sample will be taken to see if I am a carrier of the BCRA gen. After that, I get a week off till the next appointment. Still feeling calm about it all. The waiting is not that hard anymore. I think the hardest wait was the one to see whether I did have BC or not.
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Maak-- Good to hear that the surgery went well! For me, the genetic test was a swish with scope and spit into a tube thing. Glad to hear that you feel better about things. (Hugs)!
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Yippee Maakmezorgen - so happy that you feel calmer and SND went well. Luv the blue pee your son thought you were way cool. Keeping fingers&toes crossed for your gen testing (((hugs)))
Cindy0 -
sweetie, you are already headed in the right direction for you have that POSITIVE outlook already and I will keep yo in my prayers BUT you are truly on your way to good health that thinking is Healing and I am a 19 yr SURVIVOR, and you have the same SPUNK, continue on(Praise God) you are on your way to healing, HUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. msphil ( idc, stage2 3 nodes, L mast, chemo and rads) chemo(adriamycin, and cytoxin) and 5 yrs on Tamoxifen.
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Yes, keeping positive is the only way forward. I do have my worries and find myself worrying about the sentinel node... The first time I had a biopsy done (surgical) was 2,5 years ago and at that time I also noticed a swollen gland in my left arm pit. The doc then (in Central America) said to me that it was nothing and it would probably stay that way forever. Fair enough, and I never thought anything off it. Now, the day after the sentinel node was taken out I thought ooooh shoot, was that not the one that was swollen? And guess what, it is now gone... so it was the sentinel node. Does anyone know if this could have been swollen due to cancer cells? I have a strong feeling that that is the case. Won't know for sure until I get the results but was just wondering if anyone has any experience with this?
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Maakmezorgen - keep the positive attitude:)
You will have results from the SND soon and bcra in a few weeks:))
From what I've read here on breastcancerorg on SND BS removes nodes that are blue..you had 1... I had 5. Then path...you had 1 that sucked up the blue dye so fingers&toes crossed it is clear. Your BS did not take more nodes. Trust that BS did his best. Fingers&toes crossed for your result! Sending healing claiming no node involvement thoughts:)
(((Hugs))) brave warrior
Cindy0 -
Thank you Cindy! I am staying positive and am ready to fight whatever crosses my path. Just can't help my mind wondering off in all sorts of directions! Going to enjoy the fact that spring finally arrived here and enjoy that, rather than worry as the results are what the are and nothing will change that!
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How are my IDC sister warriors doing? I see some of you active in other threads and hope that you are all making it through with minimal side effects. I'm STILL waiting for my treatment plan at this point, so I'm somewhat jealous of those that are making good progress with your chemo or rads treatments!
HUGS to all!0 -
I finally had my lumpectomy w/oncoplasty this Monday. I'm happy to say that I'm feeling pretty good at the moment. While I don't have the full path reports yet, I do know that when they looked at the sentinel node during surgery, they didn't see any cancer. So. I'm hoping that the path report will make that preliminary "negative" official.
Anyway, very happy to have this stage of the journey behind me and eager to get my full treatment plan in place. I already know I'll be having radiation and taking arimidex. It's the possibility of chemo that's still up in the air until all the path reports and the oncotype dx report come in. Feeling strong, though, and ready to kick this cancer to the curb. :-)
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Thinking positive thoughts nyama that your oncotype score comes back low and no need for chemo.
I'm doing OK. The ovarian suppression hasn't caused too bad of SE (so far...). I did end up getting my period, and was warned that it could be heavier. Yeah, that's an understatement. Also still working on my TE fills (weekly). That's going well, too. Having a harder time covering up my lopsidedness with my boob--that one is so much lower. Not sure what I'm going to do with warmer weather. Was told I need to have TE in for 2 months after the final fill.
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Adding to those positive thoughts for you Nyama!
Renee, good to hear that those SEs are not too bad, and I hope it stays that way! Did you start tamoxifen yet? How many fills do you have left? Hopefully not too many more. I didn't do TEs so I don't have any good suggestions on how to deal with the lopsidedness. Hopefully the gals on the other threads have given you some good ideas on what to do with the warmer weather going on.
I'm still waiting on what the oncologist is planning to do (they are discussing my case at the tumor board later this week) and it's driving me nuts. I'm still not sure whether I'm for the chemo vote or not for the chemo vote. Hopefully they can settle this soon for me!
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I received good news! My sentinel node was clean, very happy about that! Now I am just waiting for the gene-results. After that I will finally know more about treatment options.
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nyama I started the Arimidex a few days ago so far so good. My morning joint stiffness is no worse than any other morning yet. I am trying to be better about morning stretching.
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Yea Maakmezorgen--clean nodes! Will think positive thoughts that you won't need chemo.
Nice to hear from you pacools!
I will start tamoxifen next month Cuetang (4 weeks after my initial ovarian supression shot). I've got 2-4 fills left, I think. Had another hot flash last night. It still feels surreal that I'm going through this.
Hang in there Cuetang!
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Pacools~~Are you taking Claritin for the joint pain & stiffness associated with arimidex?
Loratidine is the generic of it and is much cheaper. You can even get it at the Dollar Stores. It really takes the edge off that pain.
Paula0 -
Hi Warriors!
Maakmezorgen - Happy Dancing clear nodes!
Renee - ugh hot flashes and OS, but yeah fills are going well.
Pacools - movin on HT! Best Wishes ... Must admit that of all of this HT scares me...5-10 yrs ugh!
Cuetang - sorry you're still hangin...waiting ugh! But good that the Tumor Board will add their expertise. Praying for the best course of tx!
Met with nutritionist today...MO is May Day for HT RX...must say I'm concern with SEs
Tomorrow is day 27/33 next Tuesday 5 boosts begin. Fingers&toes crossed skin hangs in there...rad rash across chest...50 shades of pink!
Good Night Warriors!
Cindy0 -
Hi Ladies! Well the verdict is in for me. The tumor board came to the consensus that I will not be having chemo. They looked at my slides during their conference and believe that it is a slow growing tumor and an Oncotype score of 8 supported that, despite showing a high ki-67 score of 25%. I narrowly missed rads (because of a super duper close skin margin) and now I missed chemo. Am I fully comfortable with this? Not reallly. However, I guess I have to put my faith with the doctors.
I'm also getting recommended for ovarian suppression, but won't know what it is until my next appointment with the oncologist. Hellloooo hot flashes and bone issues at 33!
Maakmezorgen -- yaaaay for clear nodes!!
RMLulu-- keep maintaining that awesome positivity that you've shown us throughout treatment, you'll totally rock the last few boosts!!
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Yippee Cuetang!
Happy Dancing for you:)))
NO Chemo....NO Rads...what a relief...so happy for you!
Your waiting is over and you now have a plan. OS guess Renee will be able to help with what to expect...if you can skip rads do...can be done once and hard once reconstructed breast so yea for good margins...
Looks like tamoxifen will be most of our daily routines for the next few years...
All too surreal...Warriors charging forward!
(((Hugs)))
Cindy0 -
Good luck to all breast cancer warriors. I also find myself thinking this is surreal. I was lucky in that I am not doing chemo or radiation. The oncologist has left the use of tamoxifen up to me. Still unsure of what to do. My problem is my support system thinks I'm cured and they don't understand my fear of breast cancer coming back. Most days I'm good. I enjoy my job, go to the gym, do my "normal life" stuff, but I can't ignore that there are women out there with similar diagnoses that have it metastisize. Am I the only one feeling this way? Am I just suppose to "get over it"? Hoping this fades with time.
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Pselby - congrats on your successful bmx & no chem or rads or HT! Yippee! Happy Dance!
Best Wishes for your upcoming implants! Celebrate...you are a brave warrior...
There are no guarantees we had cancer dx and we are survivors...there are scars that look at us in the mirror each day...but we can choose how we move forward and how WE define our lives. Yes, today I choose life...:)))0 -
Good Morning 2013 Sister Warriors..I hope everyone is doing ok... for me the 2nd phase of this journey is finally about to begin. I go into surgery next Tuesday for LX. I am glad that the waiting is almost over as it has been one of the longest periods of time that I have had (with the exception of the 24 hours waiting for the path result of the Biopsy). Last day of work today
. I am blessed that I will be able to take as much time off as I need to heal, both physically and mentally.In another breath I am scared and nervous about the final pathology/DX report even though I am being told that the outcome is very good, but that feeling of waiting is slowly creeping up again UGH!! I am trying to stay focused and positive and project that in my daily life, but inside its rolling around trying to come out. Thanks for listening. I will update everyone on my progress.
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Jude123 - Welcome and best wishes on your upcoming LX!
Waiting the scourge of bc:( is so hard, but you have a BC team with plan in place and soon you will have crossed over. Try and spend the days before your lx doing things that bring your heart smiles:). You will be surprised how great you will feel after lx. Maybe need pain meds the first 24-36 hours and then tylenol. The mind cloud will lift and you will realized that wow the pressure is gone.
Before lx make sure that you have communicated expectations with your BS and know how and when you will receive your path results...margins and nodes a phone call or in the office. Also that results come in over time...not all at once so don't panic.
Join us in the lumpectomy lounge...
Sending calming thoughts for a great weekend and a successful lx!
You will be fine brave warrior!
(((Hugs)))
Cindy0 -
Hi Jude123. Yes, waiting is the pits!!! I think I was more nervous/scared in the first 3-4 weeks of this whole experience, starting from when I found my lump, than I have been ever since. Well, other than the night before surgery when I panicked again. I finally had my lumpectomy and oncoplasty last week and am soooooo happy it's behind me. The cancer is now OUT!
My final pathology report confirmed clean margins, clear nodes, and no lymphovascular involvement, so now just still waiting on the oncotype results to find out if I have to do chemo or not. My ER/PR ended up being 100%, strongly, positive so I KNOW that Arimidex is in my future for the next 5 years (thanks for the feedback, pacools), plus I know I'm doing rads. I'll be so happy when the oncotype results are in so I have my full treatment plan in place.
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Hey Jude! Do some fun things before you head into surgery. I think we all can say our imaginations made the prospect of surgery worst than the actual experience. Best wishes for an uneventful surgery and speedy recovery. Look forward to hearing updates from you.
That's great news about your path report nyama!
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Pselby-- I totally understand your thoughts, as I go through similar thoughts almost daily! Unfortunately, all of us have those thoughts, but each find our various coping mechanisms. Hopefully over time, these thoughts will just be a part of the background noise that fills our daily lives. Hang in there sister warrior.
Jude123--good luck on the LX next week! The waiting is totally awful, but you'll be so glad to get it out of you. Rest up and it's another step down this darn BC road. Can't wait to hear you report back after surgery.
Nyama--woohoo on the path results!0 -
Thank you ladies for the encouraging and positive thoughts.This weekend I am planning on having dinner (i do not have to cook
) with family and friends that have supported me from the beginning of this journey. Another thing I did for myself is hire a cleaning service to come in and do a spring cleaning on the house..they will be here Monday. There is nothing like coming home to a clean fresh house!My team of caregivers have been awesome and I have been very impresssed. I even have a nurse case manager from my insurance company (she stated its not about insurance or benefits she is just there to answer questions)
RMlulu-thanks for the tips on questions to ask my BS I will be writing them down
nyama-great news on your pathology report. I see you had surgery on the 15th how long did you wait for the results?
I hope you all have a great weekend and I will meet you in the LX lounge sometime next week!
Jude
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Good morning all,
I am 52 years old (as of thursday) and on wednesday I had a mmg/us/biopsy of a 3 cm left breast mass and 2.5 cm lymph node. The path came back yesterday as IDC, extensive necrosis and the node was positive as well. The receptor studies werent back yet.
I have staging studies next week (so scary to hear those results!) and meet with the team.
At this point, im trying to stop crying and get calm. Easier said than done !! I have had so much love shown to me the last few days, its been so uplifting and a silver lining.
As much as i didnt want to be a member of this club, here I am!
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Hi y'all
Nyama - Congrats on your path results! Happy Dance:). Take this time to heal...once I knew the battle plan...I kept the weeks leading up to rads a no C zone. It really helped my mind & body. Use the time to nourish your skin and feel your tank with (((hugs)))
Come join us in 2013 Spring Rads:) brave warrior!
Lauralind5 - Welcome and so sorry you meet the criteria to join us warriors! The waiting is the worst...but use this time to read all you can on this site only...good info. Make a list of questions and if possible find an appointment buddy. We will be your appt pocket buddies (((squeeze))) but its good to have that trusted 2nd person there with you to hear and record when your head goes £>=>%€>.
Now breathe and know that your sister warriors are standing strong with you!
Cindy0 -
Jude123, I had surgery on Monday and the SO's office called me with the results on Thursday, plus I had a visit at the MO's office on Friday and she printed out the full path reports for me to take with me. BUT...the FIRST thing I remember in the Recovery Room, after surgery, was the anesthesiologist telling me a couple of times--so I'd remember--that they didn't find any cancer in the lymph nodes when they checked during surgery, which meant that there was a ninety-something percent chance that the path reports would also indicate everything was clear. In retrospect, that was so amazingly kind, since it almost completely eliminated my worries over the next few days about what the path reports would show. I could just focus on healing and how wonderful it felt to have it out of me.
RMlulu, I would join the Spring Rads group, but I think I'm gonna be a summer kind of gal.
I have to go to Louisville the first week of June, so treatment wont start till after I get back. And of course at this point there's still the possiblility of chemo first, too (though I kind of think it's unlikely...but you never know until the tests are all in!)Welcome Lauralind5! No, it's not really a club you want to be a member of, but here we all are! There's lots of support and lots of good information here on this site, not to mention a group of totally wonderful and supportive women! The first few weeks of realizing that this is really real and that this is really happening to you are very difficult. Sending you many hugs. You will get through this and soon you'll have a plan for kicking this disease to the curb. I found that once I actually had a plan in place and began moving forward that those feelings of despair faded as I regained a bit of a sense of control again. Hope that happens for you, too. Good luck with your appointments next week!
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Hi...not sure if I belong here...was actually diagnosed 11/13/2012...but had my BMX/TE's placed on Jan. 30, 2013. ???
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