Stage 2 Sisters Club
Comments
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Welcome Fabian! Sorry you have to be here but glad you found us. Your 94% is a great number! Don't know if it is going to make a difference but my Neulasta shots were given in my stomach. Nurses claimed this procedure minimized bone pain. I don't know if there is any hard data to back that up. There was a woman (beautiful long blond hair) who used to post on this thread and reported exceptional resuls with cold caps. Can't remember her name but maybe some of the "oldies" here do? She used to participate circa summer 2013.
If questions, ask away. We are here to support you! Hugs, Nisa
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Soriya, congrats! So happy for you.
Nisa, mine is mostly in my feet. They get so sensitive it is almost painful, but mostly numb. I worry about them stopping this chemo and bc getting a leg up.
Welcome Fabian. Just did the nulasta about a month or so ago. Did the Claritin before (not Claritin d) and for a few days after. It did help. Most of the tenderness was in my breast bone. My onc said that was because it creates more wbc's than people think. I am glad I have my port. My veins aren't the best anyway, none to use in my arms.
I am feeling really blue, then come on here and read there are friends of friends who have it so much worse. It doesn't cheer me up, but of course there is someone who has it worse. I say a prayer for everyone here and their friends, as well as our doctors and nurses, every night. I have been miserable with bowel issues for weeks. Missing too much work, even with the laptop to work from home. I got a phone number for a local cancer care and they sent me an $800 check payable to my mortgage co.. It is a one time grant funded by Susan B. K.. They won't write a check to you, but you can give them info on bills you need help with. The VA just faxed over a doc to show I was under care for bc. This is a big help. If anyone wants the ph# let me know. Also, cancercare.org will give $ towards transportation costs if you meet the financial criteria. I did not. Just go to there website. I waited months and was not going to call, but my daughter verbally slapped me in the head as she knew how stressed I am over everything.
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Take whatever help you can get during this time......you can return the favors later when you are well ('pay it backwards' is how I think of it).
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Missing - I agree with Ruth. Take advantage of anything out there to relieve atleast some stresses... you need to take care of yourself and it's easier to do when you aren't adding additional stress. Hope you feel better soon!
Hortense is the cold cap user - I recently PM'd her for our family friend who just started chemo. She was so kind to quickly respond with lots of great advice. I know she wouldn't mind a PM if anyone wants to check in with her.
Fabian - sorry you have to join us... but welcome!
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Missing - I echo Ruth and MJ on finding ways to reduce stress!
Fabian - I think Hortense (thanks MJ) could be of great help to you right now. I learned about cold caps after I started chemo. I grieved the loss of my pretty hair for a long time. I now look like I have auburn broccoli on my head, and love it - because it is all my own hair. Best wishes with that!
Hugs to all, Nisa
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I totally agree with the suggestion to get in touch with Hortense. She's a walking encyclopedia of experience with the cold caps. IF I have to do chemo I am going to go back and read every word on that thread! Of course, I am REALLY hoping I won't have to.
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Just checking in and hoping those of you doing chemo are doing so with minimal SEs.
A word to Arimidex (brand) users: I looked into why my former monthly $50 co-pay dropped drastically and most recently became NO co-pay. I was told the manufacturer now offers a free program and therefore insurance companies have dropped co-pays. You might want to consider looking this up if you are still making a co-pay.
Ready for another 3-month check up with Onco tomorrow. Little to no anxiety about this follow-up because I am sure they would have called me if my labs had shown anything as I do labs the week before the appt. I have scheduled a reconstruction surgery revision and feeling ambivalent about going under again - likely changing my gummie bears to something else.
Hugs, Nisa
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Just found out I am being assigned a new onco. She is supposed to be nice and will be with the VA for a few years, so its all good.
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I'm glad to hear you'll have someone you can have some continuity with, MM. I hope she works out very well for you.
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Nisa - hope the corrective surgery will give you peace of mind and make you feel better!!! Keep up posted! Going under isn't fun, but I looked at it as a nice nap - had to do something with 4 surgeries in 8 months!!
Missing - hope you mesh well with your new onco!
Hope everyone is doing well! Just wanted to say "Thank you" to all of you again for your thoughts for my friends... the brain cancer friend just texted me her tumor is shrinking and the chemo is working!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yippie!!!! Finally some good news for a change! She had a rough few days last week and had a hard time getting out of her dark place. We all went to dinner Sunday and she seemed better & now - finally positive news!!! Now her DH wants me to work on her agreeing to going on a cruise with us in March - gotta work my MJ magic with powers of persuasion : )
Think about you all often! It's been a little quiet - which I hope is good!!!! Fall hit the midwest quick this year - I need to find a place that is summer all year long, I'm not made for the cold : )~
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Hi All! Our weather has been unusually mild. We are enjoying every second (and not getting a thing done inside) because we know that it can't last much longer.
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Enjoy it while it lasts, Ruth. There will be plenty of time for the indoor projects all too soon.
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That is my thought exactly!
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Enjoy your weather, we are halfway through spring here, with summer just around the corner
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I hope your summer won't be as crazily hot and dry as some have been recently, Trisha-Anne.
It's not cold here now (mid-50s) but it's raining cats and dogs - about an inch so far today, with more on the way, and quite windy. Since most of the trees still have their leaves I would not be surprised to see some uprooted by this.
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MJ, that is great news!
We're going to have a warm spell here. 60 and 70's. Did I mention I love sweater weather? I do indeed.
Seeing GI today. I will just feel better knowing he is up on what is going on as he will know best how my crohn's will act when I go off the immunosuppressants.
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Ok I'm about DONE!!! So in the past month I've had a Mammogram which showed a spot in my Lumpectomy area which had them doing an MRI which showed it was a lump so they did an ultrasound and were going to do a biopsy but it was too small so they said to wait 6mths - which I was ok with. Fast forward a week I see gyno for annual exam and he feels thickening in the "cancer" breast which he doesn't like and send me to a surgeon who I have an appt with on Nov. 12. Fast forward to last night and as I was getting ready to take a shower I notice my non-cancer breast (the one that has been leaking for months) has a weird change to the areola/nipple area. I email a picture to my Oncologist and she now wants me to move my appointment up with my new surgeon or she will see me if I can't get in with him. I knew the miniute I felt the lump in my left breast that it was cancer and I've felt for months that it's in the right one - I just want to get off the rollercoaster and get this over with. I'm looking to see if I can have a bi-lateral mastectomy with Diep reconstruction and just be done with it all.
Kristen
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Good Grief, that is terrible!!!
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Kristen, That is a lot to be facing. It sounds like your oncologist is going to make sure you get the care you need in a timely manner. I'll be praying for you. Keep us updated!
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Kristen - I'm with you: double mastectomy and sleep better at night. My advice is trust your instincts. One recommendation for me was to save my right breast. MRI-guided biopsy showed nothing scary but I didn't trust the results. My surgeon didn't trust results either but she said there was no "evidence" on imaging and her recommendations must be based on imaging. I said I wanted both breasts gone and if insurance didn't cover I would find a way. That was not necessary. Guess what? 12.2 cm of cancer (yes, 12) in the "no evidence" breast. Trust your instincts. The surgery itself can be long (5-6 hours) but for most the recovery is not too bad. I'll be thinking of you. Hugs
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Nisa - I really want to take both off which is not an easy choice for me, I have rather large breast (40DD) but they have always fit my body and I've always been very happy with them - both my sister and mother had reductions and always questioned why I didn't but I've always embraced my breast and actually liked them. I really don't want implants if I can avoid it so I've been researching the Diep procedure - do you have any advice on that?
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You might want to check out the Breast Reconstruction forum. There is a thread devoted to DIEP; other options have threads, too.
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Mommado, I was 40DD, but when the biopsy came up cancer, those puppies were gone. I wasn't comfortable with that much breast tissue for bc to come back in the future. It was the right choice for me. Big hug and damn bc to hell.
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Kristen, I feel for you - you're going through a lot, sending you lots of ((((((hugs)))) from Australia xoxo
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Kristen - sorry slow response. I don't know anything about the Diep procedure. I do get that you like and wish to keep your breasts. I liked mine too. They fed my babies and stayed in decent shape despite gravity. I only miss them whenI want to sleep on my tummy, implants get in the way. Let us know how it goes. Hugs, Nisa
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On a different topic, I was diagnosed with osteoporosis this week. They did a baseline bone density the day I started on Arimidex, and a year later I am in trouble. The calcium and vitamin D3 plus the 5k walk every other day appear to have done nothing to help me. I am so bummed. Onco says I must get meds for it. That the damage is significant. But meds seem to raise estrogen which is exactly what I work hard to stay away from. Going to see an endocrinologist next week. Anyone on the same boat? Unhappy Nisa :-(
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That sucks Nisa
Big hugs and love headed your way. 0 -
I would be unhappy too!
If the loss is significant, this won't be enough by itself; but a serving of prunes a day actually builds bones, so you might want to add them to your diet along with whatever else they recommend.0 -
So sorry Nisa! It just never seems to end - one thing leads to another even when you do your best to stay healthy! Positive thoughts that treatment won't be too bad and you can get ahead of it.
Side note - I bought one of those memory foam pads for my matress and it really helped with sleeping on my tummy with my new foobs!! And Costco has memory foam pillows with Cooling Gel for those lovely nightime hot flashes!
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I found this topic today and added it to my favorites - or as I like to call them, my "Inspiration Rooms". I would like to join this topic as I was diagnosed in September 2014 with Stage IIA and started "neoadjuvant" chemotherapy this month. Because a lymph node was involved everyone was automatically assuming mastectomy, but I was hoping I could get through this with just the lumpectomy and node removal. So my MO and I decided to take the MyRisk blood test to see if any cancer markers showed up positive, and then I could decide on what type of surgery to have. The results take about a month to come back. BUT, since then, the CT scan showed a 3rd lump that was not found on the ultrasound because it is very deep. Now it looks like certain mastectomy - scary. MRI results were not back last time I spoke with the MO, but I will find out more on this tomorrow (hopefully). So, I've had 1 chemo treatment and another this Thursday. I am a newbie with all of this and very greatful that I found these forums. I find them helpful, informative and inspirational. Thank you all!
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