Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!
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Dara, thank God for your MO. Sorry about the new primary. Ugh. Sloan and Moondust, great pic!! This is a drive by hug from me to everyone here. I have to be at the hospital at 5:30 tomorrow morning for a 7:30 surgery. I am crazy busy at work and home.
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Dara, one of the hardest things to do (aside from BC) is finding a new PCP. Mine of 40+ years retired a few years ago. I interviewed 2 and picked a man whom I did like. Within 2 years he went to a concierge practice and I left. I then got a recommendation from a high school classmate and found the best doc ever! She's Syrian (here for 20+ years), smart, funny, informed AND I had to leave her (though she said if I'd pay for her flight, she'd come here and take care of me)! It was terrible. I haven't started looking for new docs yet but that is on my list for the next week or so. I can't believe how out of touch that doctor was. At 65 you are an adult and you PARTICIPATE in your care. Perhaps things are very different in Pakistan but she really ought to wise up that most of us won't blindly take any doctor's word. End rant. Have a humongous glass of wine and hope that this new test will help clarify things.
HUGS!
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Good luck and special thoughts for you for tomorrow Molly!
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Molly, good luck tomorrow. I'm in your pocket dancing away and giving you continuous hugs. Praying for a swift, uneventful recovery!
HUGS!
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Good luck tomorrow, Molly!
Elizabeth - I'm sorry you had a mix-up with your Oncotype test - that's so strange. My experience was the exact opposite - MO asked if I wanted it, I said yes, and I had my results in a week! Luck of the draw, I guess.
Dara, how condescending was THAT doc, sheesh. Can't get (Dr.) "Nutso" out of my head now. You do have a great sense of humor!
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Dara, I am really stunned that a potential PCP would treat you so badly. No way would I go back for more of that! You and I are EXPERTS in our own bodies. Certainly at our age (I'm nearly 60) we can be trusted to know our own minds. Any doctor that can't treat us as an equal part of our healthcare team needs to be fired. Proud of you for not being cowed by this maroon. Time to move on. She's not the only doctor in the world.
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Dara, what is it with these young women doctors? Are they all so rude and lacking compassion? Sounds like she could be good buddies with my MO!
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Molly- in your pocket tomorrow!
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Molly, thinking of you!!!
Good gravy, Dara! It must have been hard to not remind that doctor that oncology is not her specialty.
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Good luck tomorrow Molly
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Molly, good luck, tomorrow. Prayers that it goes well and you have a speedy, complication free recovery.
Moondust and Sloan, what a lovely photo. Glad you got to visit with each other.
Welcome Amanda! My LXs didn't bother me much and the RO waited 8 wks before starting rads. I'm 10 wks out from finishing rads and am only getting occasional zaps. Hope your pain starts to resolve soon.
LG, so sorry you have to deal with an infection. Hope your antibiotics kick in and clears it up soon. Geez, what a pain.
PlanB, congratulations on the new house.
LoveMyFamily, good luck with the rads. They'll be over before you know it. If your RO recommended any cream for your skin, use it regularly.
Good grief, Dara, what a nightmare of a doc. Good for you on not going back. I also don't tolerate such behavior from docs and throw them under the bus when needed. My favorite expression - 'you're not the only game in town - have a nice day'. It's not like their services are free - no reason to pay someone to peddle that brand of abuse.
It's great that your MO was able to offer another test that may help in making your decision.
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in your pocket Molly
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Hugs to you Molly!
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Molly, in your pocket and going to make sure you do very well! Go get 'em!
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In your pocket Molly!!
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Good luck Molly! Hi everyone else! Thinking of you all and sending positive vibes for all the challenges everyone is dealing with.
Been offline a few days as I started back to work after a week of recovery from lx. Between that and taking care of my 86 year old mom with Dementia I'm pooped!
I go for follow up with BS tomorrow.
Hoping for no surprises. Have appt with RO 8/4 for mapping.
Will check back this weekend. Hope everyone has a happy Friday!
Dara, can't believe that dr! Hope you find a great one soon!0 -
Good Luck Molly.
Dara, Good for you.
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Good news at the MOs office. My blood count is a little over 11 & 33! No need for further iron infusions.
We are waiting at the doctors office to get DHs catheter pulled. The breakfast and pack the car for our camping trip.Thank God we have a comfortable camper! We would not be able to camp in a tent.
The real estate agent came yesterday. That went very well. He made some good suggestions and suggested a price considerably higher than I thought. We live in a hot sellers market. We plan to spend the next 6 months cleaning and decluttering, painting, putting in a bit of flooring, and updating the master bath. I had thought to put it on the market in Jan, but DH wants to wait until March. That should give us enough time to bring things up-to-date.
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Great news. poodles.
Listing in March sounds like a fine idea. A while back we thought we'd have to move because of work. Both realtors that came through suggested March or April listing dates. they said that potential buyers with kids start looking in early spring with the hope of closing and being moved in and settled after the current school year is done and the next starts.
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Dara, absolutely get another Doctor! I chose my pcp because I used to make rounds with him and his wife who is also a doctor at my job. He always took his time with his patients and loves to smile, laugh, and joke around. He listens to me - he ordered my mammogram that probably saved my life!
Molly, prayers all goes well!
Bee, hoping for good results with appointment! Get a copy of your path results. My BS told me everything came out fine, but I had a positive margin that he missed and had to go back in for reexcision. He is awesome and should have seen his face when I went back to see him after he screwed up so bad. He looked like a whipped puppy thatwas fixing to be hanged!! Lol! Doctors DO make mistakes!
Poodles, enjoy your trip! Congrats on the house!
Hugs to all the newbies!!!
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Bee, good luck and good results with your appointment. Caring for someone is exhausting. Be sure to take care of yourself!
Molly, hope today goes smoothly!
Poodles, I think you'll be glad of the extra couple months to get your house ready to sell. How nice that you can list higher than you thought! Remember to try not to do everything in one week. It took longer than that to collect everything
I'm sure your realtor told you to not do too much to your house - just what's absolutely necessary. Then when you sell you get to figure out what you want to do!Everyone, if you need a break from the heat, come to my house. Maybe 75 and windy, possible rain. You will want to leave by Monday when the 90s come to stay. Unpacking is going very well. Three big kitchen boxes (residing in the garage right now) to do, all the books and stuff for the den, and lastly, for some time down the road, all the pictures. I would like to have all but the pictures done next week and figure out what I want for storage solutions for the garage. A lot accomplished in two weeks!
HUGS!
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I had a follow-up with my RO today--a little over a month after ending treatment. All good, nipple still swollen, she told me to start massaging the scar tissue too but to wait a few more weeks to let it heal some more. I told her I need specifics--she said just like a minute a day, but apply firm pressure, which was the same advice I got following hand surgery. She said if I do it lying on my back I can use the rib underneath to press against. And the nurse said it's up to me as to whether or not I keep applying goop to that hooter. Maybe I'll stop that too, although it's become part of my regular routine.
What's kind of weird is that I won't see anyone (RO or BS) until next year. They already scheduled a mammo for me next February, told me to see my BS after that, but unless I have issues/questions I won't go back to the RO's office for another year. It is kind of weird.
We talked diet and exercise and general health stuff. I asked her about aspirin going forward, which one friend said she'd heard can help prevent recurrence, but she said there's no science behind that. I think I'll wait til fall but I think my next step will be a regular old check-up. Seems like I should check in with my GP after all of this.
Life goes on. . .
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IngerP, what a good appointment! It does seem strange not seeing any of the oncologists after going all the time. I had an MO to see and saw him every 3 months, then 6 months. You don't need that.
I think they just can't make up their mind on aspirin. I go back and forth. I have GERD, so that's a concern but I don't think a "baby" aspirin is going to make a particular difference.
Enjoy your summer!
HUGS!
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Ingerp, that's something how all doctors differ. I had 3 month follow up with breast surgeon, one month follow up with RO, I don't go back to RO until January. Don't go back to BS until January to discuss end of December mammogram I have to schedule. I was told that my pcp had to order it. If I'm reading correctly, this puts you getting mammogram 8 months after finishing rads? Mine will be 7 1/2 months. It will make me almost a year from the early January one that I had that diagnosed my cancer. I am going to see MO 5 weeks after starting tamoxifen, but don't know how often I will see him. I'm actually scared, not relieved to have so few appointments. Before the cancer, I had only been to a doctor 3 times in the last 10 years - I always HATED going to the doctor. Somehow, the appointments reassure me now. (I know, this crap messed me up in the head!)
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LG, Ingerp, I'll add to your posts re: RO followup to say that my scenario is different again. (It seems that the only thing consistent about care is the inconsistency.) I was scheduled to see my RO two weeks post-rads, but my skin was just then starting to react (mildly) and I was tender so she didn't want to give me a physical examination that day in case it hurt me - she scheduled me to come back in six weeks' time, which is next Thursday. Once that appointment is over with, I will never see her again - unless I need radiation again some day down the road. My surgeon -- same thing -- unless he needs to operate on me again, I won't be seeing him ever again either (I had a follow up with him two weeks after surgery and that was it). The only doctor I will see regularly is my MO. I will see her twice a year, the day before my Zometa infusion - of course, I'm welcome to make an appointment anytime I like if I need to see her for some reason. So my MO is the one who is my "primary" cancer doctor.
In my Province, women who are regularly screened for breast cancer are part of what is called the Ontario Breast Screening Program (every Province has its own program), and we get a letter in the mail every year (or every other year depending on how often we're required to have a mammogram) reminding us to make an appointment and we contact a clinic of our choice that is part of the program. In my city, if there's a problem, they refer us to the hospital's breast clinic for additional testing, a meeting with the surgeon and patient navigator and have the core biopsy, all in the same day. All of this is organized by the Province and covered by the Province - we just show up. I like that everyone in that clinic does nothing but breasts all day long (ultrasound technicians, radiologists, etc.) I will just have future mammograms at that breast clinic from now on. I wish I'd known to go there in the first place because had I had my mammogram there, I could have saved myself about ten days of worrying; the ball would have started rolling immediately. I blame my GP ('PCP' in the US) for that because when I asked her years ago if it mattered where I got my mammogram, she said it didn't. I educated her on the matter the next time I saw her
I will continue to have a mammogram on an annual basis, as before, and I won't have one again until January, which is the one-year mark anyway. My RO said that it used to be that patients would have one six months post-surgery and then annually, but provincial funding cuts ended that. So my next mammogram is 10 or so months from my surgery date - not too impressed with that, but it is what it is.
I've learned that my MO is the most important member of my care team as she's the one I will see regularly for the next ten years . I like her a lot plus she's quite collaborative, takes her time during appointments and listens very well. Can't ask for more than that!
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LG -- how's the infection? Are you feeling better yet?
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Grazy, I guess that sounds right. I was worried about waiting 7 1/2 months to have the mammogram, but I guess if I have it the end of December, I'm right at the one year mark of the original mammogram. I guess I'm blessed to see my RO in six months. He examines me well and MO has never examined me. Makes me feel better, even though I will a always be on top of the breast exam thing. My infection is still draining and still doing moist heat. Hoping it quits draining before i go back to work Monday. I'm beginning to just get used to hurting in some way every day and learning to just live my life despite it. Last night is the first night in forever that I only woke up with one bad night sweat. I was beginning to think I was losing my mind due to exhaustion from not getting sleep. I found the tamoxifen at night made them WORSE and switched it to mornings, but now I have chronic nausea and have to force myself to eat. Good side of it, I have lost 13 pounds since the surgery. Taking the tamoxifen with food doesn't help. I just hope it gets better. I have to take this mess for 10 years! Hope you and yours are well Grazy! I forgot you live in Canada and health system is different there. I'm sure you will still have that worry like me. It's just a part of us now, as long as we don't let it overwhelm us Hugs!
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LG, could you take a Dramamine to help with the nausea? That's a strange SE. Glad that you are sleeping better now that you are taking your Tamoxifen in the morning.
I had my first post-lx mammogram about 9 months later. My BS coordinates my mammograms. But that was Michigan. Now who knows? Have yet to contact any oncologists here.
HUGS!
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Peggy, it'll be interesting to see how things are done in your new State.
My RO and my MO have both given me physical exams - I don't know if my MO will going forward as the appointments we'll have twice yearly will be check in appointments to make sure I'm good to go for the Zometa each time (blood tests, etc.). When my mammogram detected my tumor, my BS after examining me said he would have given me the all clear had he examined me beforehand - it was not at all palpable. Thank god for screening mammograms. I'm the poster girl for my friends to get their mammograms now!
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LG, you sound happy about the weight loss, so that's a good, but I'm very sorry about your nausea - not fun. I think side effects such as that tend to settle down in time, don't they? I hope that's the case for you and that it happens sooner rather than later.
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On a side note, had such a nice day today. Met a friend at the Ports O' Call in San Pedro and took a great 1 hour harbor cruise and then bought shrimp and scallops at the fish market, then they do a cajun fajita right there with what you buy, and ate looking out on the harbor. It was a wonderful 83 degrees, so much better that the 107 degrees at home! Nice to just forget about everything, especially since I'm back with the waiting game! Thinking of you, Molly, but imagine you won't be seeing any posts for a day or so!
LG and Grazy, my bs said I'd be having a mammo at 6 mo post surgery.
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