Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!
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Dara, I love the pictures! HH, my surgery is 7/22, I am nervous and excited at the same time. I think I have been feeling like I am limbo while waiting to heal enough to take this step and then do the exchange surgery a few weeks later. I made the decision to call Vinnie Myers and get scheduled for when he comes to CA next summer ( I hope he does!) to get the best to do my 3D tats. I think feeling good about myself will go a long way to putting this stupid cancer behind me. Well, as Poodles knows with a genetic mutation it always lingers there but since tomorrow is never guaranteed I am deciding to take a more positive approach. One thing I have been changing is to try not to pass up the opportunity to visit with people I care about. So next June I am getting together with a group of friends I met on the internet. We have known each other over 10 years and I have only met 3 of them. This will be a wonderful reunion!
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Brit, great analogy and you are right about the general population not knowing that we are on this train forever. I know that my sister, God rest her soul, even though she never had a recurrence never had a day go by that she didn't wonder if it was going to come back. Sadly it was early onset Alzheimers that got her much too early instead.
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Brithael, great photos, especially the last one! Love the analogy. Well done!
Molly, it IS wonderful to finally meet internet friends in real life. I have a group of about 6 WordPerfect Universe friends I've known for at least 20+ years. Several of us have met in person and we all keep in touch through Facebook (I'm Peggy Coppersmith Tabar there). One even drove up from Ft Wayne to attend the memorial for DH in May! Another embroidered a pink ribbon mandela for me when I was diagnosed. Of course, I've made great friends here and have been lucky enough to meet about 10 of them in person. How thankful I am to have this place to meet wonderful people I'd never have connected with otherwise. I certainly understand your mixed feelings on your upcoming surgery! How awful to lose your sister to early onset Alzheimers (what a sh*tty disease)
HUGS!
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Peggy, the internet is a remarkable place isn't it? One of the ladies in this particular group calls me her BFF that she's never met! Yes, Alzheimers is a sh*tty disease. My mom is in end stage Alz. My good friend lost her mom and grandma to it as well.
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Brit- love the analogy and how you wove your words into such a beautiful message!
Dara- the pics are very cool- keep sharing!
Molly- thinking about you! Glad you are looking into Vinnie art- something to lok forward to for when that time comes. Did you see the BCO article on Mindfulness? It has some god suggestions. (Agree with Peggy about Alzheimer's
Headed to Hickory for a 3:15 work in apt with the MO. Then, tomorrow for the surgeon to look at the other problem. Will be glad for answers and a plan for fixing the issues but, a bit scared, too.
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HH, in your pocket!!! Fingers crossed all is well.
Molly, I don't know know what I'd have done without the internet the past 6 years, especially when I was virtually homebound with DH. It helped me stay sane. And, of course, providing great friendships. I'm sorry you are all too familiar with Alzheimers.
HUGS!!
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Molly, I hope things go well. I know that having gene mutations that cause all kinds of other cancers is a looming cross we have to bear.
Dara, you really are a good photographer. You could sell those pictures!
Bithael, you are so right. Even though we are on this journey, we need to stop and live our lives now and then. i dont go a day without cancer intruding on my thoughts. Of course, it doesn't help that DH also has cancer now. But I am determined to get on with it, despite our disabilities
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HH, in your pocket!! Poodles, you are an inspiration with your attitude!
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Poodles, look what popped up in my email today! Specific Breast Cancer risks for Chek2 1100delC carriers
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Poodles, with everything going on in your family, it's amazing you are functioning!!! You are AWESOME! Wish we could all be with you to support you. And help you get through your mother's stuff!
HUGS!
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Mary, fingers crossed that your MO appt will be spectacularly dull & uneventful, and that your mammary inflammation turns out to be easily treatable and not bc-related. Poodles, your outlook on life is truly inspiring (though those doll pix will haunt me forever). Speaking of pix, Dara, you are a talented photographer! Suzanne, we always knew you have a way with words, but in addition your metaphor is spot-on--it ought to go out to the community-at-large to correct their misconceptions (whether dire or Pollyanna-esque) about breast cancer. Last year when I went to the Bar Show after-party (I’d taken a hiatus from the cast because I didn’t know whether or how much treatment would impair my ability to perform, so I did some joke-writing from home instead), people looked at me and were amazed. Some even said, “So you didn’t have cancer after all? I’m so happy for you.” “Civilians” (to use a Weight-Watchers term) expect to see nothing but skin & bones & scalp no matter what the stage, type or treatments. Or they say, “Wow--they got it so early that you’re cured!"
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Thanks, Molly. Not sure if that research satisfies me, but it's good to tuck it away for later.
Sandy. I hear it all the time. "You're lucky you got chemo" (no, I'm not!) "So, you're all done now that you had that BMX "(nope, not by a long shot) And the best one: "You should grow your hair out" (seriously? )
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Dara - nice pics at your trsin stop!
Sandy - Is Chico's casual good for wherever we go? I'm packing tonight! Yay! I actually bragged to someone today that I know a woman who has son who is a comedian!
Yep, I l know you guys and I also want to know you in person! You helped me get through this! I met Molly and April and Alice, and now my figurative train stop will be in Chicago to meet Sandy!
I don't know how to find people on FB, but if you can find me add me! My last name is holmes.
HH, you doing okay?
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Brit, love it!! No one but someone who has dealt with cancer can understand!
Molly, prayers for surgery and so sorry about your siste
HH, prayers for you!!! Hope all goes well!
Poodles, you are made of strong stuff!
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LOL, I just got home from my visit with my mother, on the Gulf Coast. I've been home an hour and I've already cleared out half the clothes in my closet.
I have to admit something terrible though: when I was helping my mother, I secretly out tossed a large box of old letters. Yes, I really am that evil. These letters have been packed in a box in the attic for over 30 years. I picked out several and read them, and they were interesting; they provided a snapshot of life in the 1960s, mostly. However...I knew that if my mother had seen them, she would have ground to a complete stop and read every single one of them. And there were hundreds. I briefly thought about taking them home, but honestly, what would I do with them? I don't want to put them in MY attic. And none of my siblings will want to do anything with them. Mother doesn't have a square inch of available space left in her new apartment. So...I dumped them in a black 55-gallon bag and put them in the dumpster. I have regrets, of course, but we just can't save it all. Eventually, the letters were going to go to the dumpster. I will not tell my mother and I cannot tell my siblings. Even though they wouldn't want them, they would be angry that I threw them out. So, it will be a secret between me, my DH, and 75,000 of my best internet friends.
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That's sad but necessary, Poodles.
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It really is, Molly. But, you know, if those letters were really important to Mother, they wouldn't have been packed in a box in the attic for 30 years. She found 4 boxes of nothing but trash up there! And at the rate she is going, it's going to be a least another year before she can get the house cleaned out. She wants to do it all herself, touch every item and make a decision about where it will go. And I'm quite sure there are over 1 million items, small and large, that are in that house. She has one room that is waist high in clutter with a rabbit trail from the door to the window, I kid you not. And another that has one wall that is floor-to-ceiling fake flowers, for putting on her husband's grave. Not to mention all his tools, model airplane paints, various fans and boxes, and oh, yeah, a double closet packed full of clothes that haven't seen the light of day since the 80s. The whole situation is 40 degrees of MESS. And yesterday, she found out that the heater is leaking carbon monoxide and needs to be fixed ASAP. There goes $3600 that she can't afford. But she can't sell the house without doing it, at least not at the price she thinks she wants to get (that's a whole 'nother story. She found out that one of the grandkids looked up her home value on the internet and she was furious. I showed her how to look it up on Zillow, how you can see your house from an aerial view. OMG. She was so mad!)
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Poodles...made me laugh that you cleaned your closet when you got home. The letters? Your secret is safe here.
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Sloan, Chico’s is perfect--we’re not going anywhere that requires anything dressier. For Mon. night I’ve got it narrowed down to Girl & the Goat or Izard’s new “reasonably authentic Chinese food” venture Duck Duck Goat. Of course, we could also try to get into one of Rick Bayless’ restaurants if they’re open. (One ought to be). Let me know Mon. morning what you’ve already seen so we don’t duplicate any tours or drives.
Poodles, I hear you about the letters. Maybe you’ll remember enough of the “slice-of-life” stuff to write a book or some articles (names changed to protect the guilty, of course). And I had to laugh about your closet-cleaning. This afternoon I needed to clean one of the portafilters (ground-coffee holders) for my espresso machine and I couldn’t find the little toolbox that serves as my machine-cleaning kit (with heavy-duty espresso machine detergent, brushes, “blind basket” for backflushing, etc.). One of the places I searched was the cabinet where our coffee filters, spare parts, user manuals and tea-towels are kept. To my horror, I found that I had amassed years and years’ worth of hotel-room coffee filter packets--to what end? As a hedge against the collapse of the coffee industry? To supplement the sawdust in hotel-room coffee makers so that I can brew stronger sawdust? I tossed it all in the trash (though in retrospect, I should have opened up the packets, and put the filter packs in the compost bin).
Had some pretty wild storms last night--Heidi (our girl kitty) was terrified and spent the night on my chest, head-butting and making “pet me, pet me” gestures. One of my tomato plants got a particularly heavy branch bent--had to tie it to its cage, and I hope it doesn’t die before its fruit grows big enough to bring inside and ripen on the windowsill. We are supposed to get even stronger storms late tomorrow. Ah, the joys of Midwest living. (At least we’re too close to the lake to be in Tornado Alley). Beats Snowmageddon & Chiberia, though. As trying as summer can sometimes be, I find most of our winters infinitely worse.
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Poodles, you did absolutely the right thing in tossing all those letters after sampling them. Your secret is very safe with us! I totally get going home and clearing a closet
I showed my son the picture of the scary dolls tonight and he definitely thought they belonged in a horror movie. A friend of his moved into a new home with his small daughters. The old lady across the street came over with a THREE FOOT TALL doll (looking like Marilyn Monroe sort of but weird) the girls. Well, it was taller than the little girls so mother put in the basement. She forgot it was there, went down without turning on the lights and scared herself to death when she came face to face with the doll. What is it about freaky dolls?Sandy, sorry about your storms. While you're all hot, we've turned much cooler much to my dismay since I love warm weather. Maybe next week it will creep back into the 80s. I sure hope so. Last year when I visited Spokane (and San Diego for that matter) it was cold. The minute I left, they got hot and set new records of 105° for the weekend. I must be the kiss of death for global warming.
HUGS!
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It was so hot & humid tonight that the defoggers in Bob’s Fusion stopped working and the A/C could barely keep going. It was a muggy drive back from the S. Side. Had to use the wipers just so I could see once we left the Outer Drive and got back into the neighborhood.
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Good Morning All,
I am scheduled for my mammogram in August. This will be my first mammo now that all my active treatment of lumpectomy, chemo, and rads are done. I also had breast reduction at the time of my lumpectomy, last September.
Can anyone tell me how they did having a mammogram after all of the trauma to their breasts? I know I will do it, but am wondering how the procedure went.
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Autumn121: my first post-treatment mammogram went well from the physical standpoint--very thorough, to be sure, as they wanted to be sure of the scar tissue--but no more (or less) painful than previous ones.
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Poodles your secret is safe with us!! My grandma would have had a FIT if she had known of the BOXES of old receipts we threw away that was dated back to 30 years ago. There was a big basket of dirty clothes my uncle had left in the room (from a year earlier) She wanted to save them for him and wouldn't let us throw them. (He never visited again, even when she was dying and didn't go to her funeral either) I almost threw them anyway.
Sandy, you made me laugh because I save every shampoo, conditioner, body wash bottle, cups filters from hotel rooms we stay in. I do use them if I stay with mom for a night. (She never has conditioner), but I find they sit in a drawer forever!!! I hate to toss them and try to bring them to my mom to use. (Shell use anything, she isn't picky), if I don't use the items the hotel furnishes, I stash them in my bag so they'll leave new ones every day and actually love using the soap as just a hand washing soap in bathroom. I feel like I need to squeeze everything I can get for the expensive prices we pay to stay at some of those places lol! Otherwise, I'm good at throwing stuff away except clothes ( I have sizes from 14 to 20 since I've lost and gained so much weight over the years) lol! The filters are wonderful to use as spoon rests in the kitchen - just throw away when done and keeps everything neat and clean!
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Sandy - Mmmm, sounds great! I'll call you this weekend. We really haven't seen too much of Chicago yet. We were there once before and went to a few museums and that nice port area we talked about. We're excited to meet some locals!
Moondust - Haven't heard from you... You okay? I'll text you later.
Autumn - My mammo went fine. It didn't hurt, or anything like that, but be prepared for the ultrasound person to say, "We want to take some extra pictures." And then, the office huddles, another more experienced person might come into the room, and you'll be freaked out. then, I got a letter saying that I'm "probably fine" but there is a suspicious area.... I went back in for a biopsy, and the radiologist doing the biopsy said, "I wish they wouldn't send out that letter. It scares people. The scar tissue shows up mammogram, and that's why they took the extra pictures. I KNOW this will be benign, but because you are scared, we'll biopsy." My surgeon even called me and assured me, "You're fine. It's too early for a recurrence. It's scar tissue. They'll biopsy, but you're fine." I was fine. So, be prepared in case there are extra pictures or they say you need another biopsy. It didn't hurt, but it scares you! We're in your pocket!
Just took my new kayak for a maiden voyage...in my pool. haha. I had to make sure we could get in and out of the thing! The guy who fixed my kitchen area laughed at me and asked if it took one stroke to get across the pool. Pfft. It was two. Packed that puppy up, and now we're heading to LA to catch a plane to Chicago to see the grand babies and Sandy!
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Sloan, have a great time! I know Sandy will keep you well fed
HUGS!
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Awesome, Sloan! It's so great that you have the energy to do all that, paddle the kayak AND enjoy the grandbabies. My mother always says she's happy to see them come and equally happy to see them go--the grands just wear her out.
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Sloane, have a wonderful trip; seeing grand babies helps put things in perspective and definitely helps you forget about bc, even for a while! I'm envious of you being a year out now from the beginning. I look forward to this time next year! Chicago is wonderful and it sounds like you and Sandy will have a great time.
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Hi everyone! Just a brief fly-by post. I'm feeling pretty good and planning to camp up at Mineral King in Sequoia National Park tomorrow thru Sunday. I'm trying to plan my meals and pack everything. I'll be camping out of my new truck but it's still an awful lot to pack and organize.
Yesterday was my one-week post-infusion checkup with the MO. Here's what I posted on the chemo thread: My MO appointment was as expected yesterday. I have to drive an hour each way to have my vital signs taken, tell her I'm feeling okay, have her listen to my lungs and heart and shine a light in my mouth. She never smiles and is very critical of anything I ask about or do that is outside her limited experience. The first thing she said when she entered the room was "What do you have on your feet NOW?" It was like the Jake at State Farm commercial -- I said "Sandals?" She looked again and said "Oh, they are socks - I thought you were doing some other weird thing to your feet." She must have been referring to the fact that I iced my feet during my infusion last Wednesday. (I was wearing peds underneath my sandals.) I do not feel like I can discuss anything with her. She is very defensive and abrupt. She is quite young and I think she must have fast-tracked her way through university and med school, never experiencing much of life outside of school and studying, and not gaining much "people" experience. I did mention that I had again lost some weight after the infusion, however I was not concerned about it and knew I'd regain. She said I lost weight because my appetite was down and I was not aware that I was eating less. I just nodded, because it wasn't worth it to tell her that I weigh and track all my food and know exactly how many calories I am eating. Then I told her that everything was going well except that the lab did not have my blood draw order when I went in the day before chemo. She said that was not her office's fault. The lab tech did not know where to look in the system. She often says that things are not her fault. You'd think she would try to work on improving things for the patient instead of making sure it is not her fault. Anyway, that's my rant about my MO.
Poodles, I think it's fine you threw out those old letters, but those are something I would have taken photos of to preserve before I tossed them. I think you can do that with a lot of your mother's old stuff before you secretly toss it: take photos, then surprise her later with an album of the "memories." But leave out the dolls.
Sloan, you made me laugh when I read you put the kayak in the pool! I would love to be a kayaking partner sometime. Might as well put all my upper body strength to good use. We have rented kayaks at Shell Beach a few times and have done their long tour. It was so much fun! I have in the back of my mind to buy a kayak for when my poor old knees need a break from hiking. Have a great trip to Chicago! I'm envious!
Welcome to Autumn! Hope the mammo is comfortable and has good results!
The other thing I need to rant about is the stupid gyn's office who did not submit the authorization request for my biopsy back in December. To submit an insurance appeal, the insurance woman told me to include all my pertinent medical records. Both hospitals I've dealt with took about 5 minutes to give me my records. However, the medical group where I see the gyn will take 10 to 15 business days to have my records available!! And charge me $25 for a CD, with no printouts. I was floored.and upset. It is their office's fault I'm getting this $3800 bill, and they can't even get me my records faster than that!? When I have a little more energy and higher blood counts I might talk to the management there.
I hope everyone is having a manageable day and focusing on the positive! We will all die of something some day, so focus on what you can do today to get the most value and enjoyment out of life!!
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Oh my gosh, Moondust, it would take literally months to photograph all the letters. Some of them were 12 pages long, written front and back, on notebook paper. Dozens and dozens of letters like that. I hated to have to throw them out, but honestly, none of my siblings would want them and my children, nor any of the grandchildren would do anything with them, except store them in their parents' attics. Two of my sisters are downsizing (one is as bad a hoarder as my mother) and they would kill me if I shuttled this stuff for them to deal with. Although they would not actually want the hoard of letters, they would be upset that I trashed them, so I will be keeping it to myself.
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