January 2014 Surgery Sisters
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Thank you Mary and Beverly. Yes it was the warehouse fire. I've kept it all off my FB because I don't want to upset Grace further, but it was such a horrible, sensless loss for everyone.
We are doing our best to pull together and be thankful for what we still have.
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so sorry!!
I just want to say merry Christmas to my January sisters. May we feel the Christmas spirit and be blessed with a healthy new year!!! Love you ladirs
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as we enter the month of our surgeries I want to wish you all a year of Peace. That is my word this year for 2017: PEACE. With our bodies, our minds, our souls and the universe. It may be a hectic and chaotic year but may we all deal with it in Peace. 🙏 Namaste my friends
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Ann,
I think Peace is an excellent word for 2017. May we all find it, even in small amounts. Remember when we were all looking for silver linings? They are still all around us if we just focus our energy there.
Thank you all for your support over these past 2 years. Such lovely strong women you all are.
Love you all,
Diane
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Namaste Ann! And I agree, Diane, we are strong! But it's been 3 years, right? I'm so grateful to have shared this journey with you all. May we have many more happy adventures to come...and peace be with you all.
Love,
Mary
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first off, happy birthday Diane. Today a co worker/friend of mine had a 12 hour surgery to remove her breast cancer and do reconstruction. A Mom on my daughters softball team was just diagnosed with breast cancer. It is so scary to think about how many people this terrible disease affects. I am great full to be on the other side of the diagnosis and I too hope we can all find peace this year without having to worry about cancer! I think about you all often and pray that each of us will be able to live our lives without the fear that this damn disease creates.
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Hugs to all you brave ladies. Celebrating 3 years. Amazing that time can stand still and then slide right by us. Think that is a good thing, but at the same time I want time to slow right the heck back down. I didn't really want to post about your beautiful anniversaries 'cause I am still only 4 months out, but I do share your joy...it has been a long road. But we are still kick'in it.
Just got back from a fabulous vacation at the top of the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. Just the most beautiful awe inspiring views from our cabin. You could see the sunrise and sunset from the deck...The stars have never been brighter...so relaxing and peaceful. Hope everyone is doing well.
Nice to hear from you all. love you forever
THERE IS A VALLEY UNDERNEATH THOSE CLOUDS.
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Hey Eve,
Nice to hear from you. What beautiful pictures! Sounds like a dreamy vacation.
We have nothing but snow, cold and subzero wind chills. It's like living on the frozen tundra. I've been fighting a nasty cold for 2 weeks that only now is starting to go away. So your pics look like heaven to me.
I hope you know that while our journeys may be different, we will always be January 2014 Surgery Sisters. May we stay forever cancer-free!
Love you!
Mary
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ours is our bond that can't be broken! Not by distance, not by cancer. We are... January sisters! No matter what bumps we may face along the way, we have each other's back. You guys were there for me when I was at my lowest... scared, isolated and alone. I hope to always be here for you as well!! January sisters now and always!
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my coworker contacted me today and told me she just got her pathology report back after bmx with flap surgery. They found 20 lymph nodes positive for cancer. I can't believe it!! I feel so bad for her. She sees oncologist to discuss chemo soon. OriginLly they didn't plan chemo. I believe she was stage 3.
Have u heard of these many nodes being affected?!
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Hi Beverly,
Yes. My good friend had 26 nodes removed and chemo plus rads. She is 5 yrs cancer free.
Diane
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will chemo and radiation affect the reconstruction
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Hi everyone
I haven't checked in for a while, but today is the third anniversary of my surgery,so I thought I would say hi. My life is as crazy as ever, especially with travel. This fall was more hectic than usual with 2 unexpected trips to NY. My older brother passed away from melanoma. I flew up for the funeral, then drove back to North Carolina with my younger brother. After a few days there, he drove me to my son's house near Charlotte, NC, and then I went from him to my daughter in Atlanta. I was with her for about 10 days, then back to Fl. I wasn't home for three full weeks when I got a call that my sister had a stroke, pneumonia, UTI and a heart problem. I flew back to NY and was there for three weeks, and I am happy to report my sister recovered completely except for COPD, which we all expected because she has been a chain smoker since we were teenagers. Came home for a few weeks, and was off again. This time I flew to my son's, drove with him and his family over to my daughter for Thanksgiving, went back with him to spend another week with my two granddaughters. I went back to Atlanta to be with my daughter for her third skin cancer removal on her face. Her face swelled so badly that her eyes couldn't open. Then finally back to Fl mid Dec.
I have been home since and will probably stay put till April. In the three years since my surgery, I have added two new granddaughters- one last March, the other last June, two days after my youngest son got married. I have never regained the stamina and energy I had before BC, and still feel like I am wearing a bra that is several sizes too small, even when I don't have any bra on at all.
Just couldn't let today go by without saying hello to my Jan surgery sister's. You are all still in my thoughts and prayers.
Ann
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happy anniversary Ann! I'm so sorry about all those challenges you were faced with over the last few months!!! Hopefully the future months will be much happier and less stressful. My 3 year anniversary is tomorrow. My family wants me to just move forward and not look back so my guess is that they don't even realize tomorrow is my anniversary--- not that they don't love me, but they just don't get it. Even my mom who was diagnosed twice...
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Happy anniversary Anne. Let's hope 2017 is kinder to your family. It is really rough to see your loved ones struggling. I'm glad you sister and daughter are okay.
Happy anniversary tomorrow to you Beverly. Take heart, everyone handles BC in their own way. I had to look up my bmx date, which was Jan 13th. To me, I just count another year in January and am thankful.
Eve, I miss your humor and stength, and hope you continue to get better. You kept so many of us together when we were struggling.
Sending you love and hugs to all my January sisters!
Dian
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Today is my 3 year anniversary from my bilateral mastectomy. 3 years have passed since I was told I am cancer free, so why do I still worry so much about it coming back. Being told you have cancer changes you, at least it did me. I was thrust out of my little bubble where I was naive and care free. The life I knew and loved before October 2013 is gone. At my yearly breast surgeon appointment after my mammogram I was told that something doesn't look right and we need to do some tests. So we did. We did a biopsy and a lumpectomy in November and then I was told it was cancer in December. The good news was it was caught early, the bad news, it was cancer. On January 29 2014, I went in for my bmx. 2014 would be a year of about 8 more surgeries/procedures. As I sit here I feel blessed that I'm on the other side of the diagnosis able to live my life and enjoy my family but I'm not naive and care free like I was before. I worry. I am not the same person. Physically and emotionally cancer has changed me. No, it did not take my life, and for that I am blessed!!! But it took the life I knew and do that I'm saddened. To any of my January sisters that are on Facebook, you understand and I want to thank you for being there for me, cancer took somethings from me, but it gave me a couple friends that I would otherwise not have known.
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Happy Anniversary to everyone!
Nice to hear from you Anne. I'm so sorry to hear of the loss of your brother. How difficult that must have been for you and your family.
I know how you feel about feeling fatigued. It's all I can do to put in a 6 hour day at work. But I am so glad that I can do it! My goal is to start an exercise program this year that I can stick to. That's the plan anyway!
Diane, we had our BMX surgeries on the same day! 1-13-14. I like to put it on my calendar as a way to recognize that date as a victory. The further that time goes by, the easier it seems to get. Most of the time I don't think about it. That in itself is victory enough.
((((Group hug, ladies))))!
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Right back at you Mary!!!
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Good on everyone for three years out! Can you believe it? Three years and actually more from first DX.
Yup, lotta suckiness in those years, but who hasn't had that before DX. We all know that there is probably more to come.
I've never known "what living in a bubble" feels like. NEVER. Glad you had that wonderful place Beverly. Try to give that to your kids for as long as you can.
I've always believed "It's not WHAT you do, it's WHO you are while you are doing what you're doing"
Having HAD cancer and a short 4 months out from my absolutely last surgery (that's a decree not a wish) I, like you Mary, am pledging to make this year the time I get healthy. One step at a time. (on the treadmill lol) I have always pressured myself to do more and be the best.. Done with that. Everything from here on out will be from my heart and what I feel is best for me. Not in a selfish way at all. I have certain family members that are chronically miserable. They wallow in their unhappiness and if you aren't in agreement with their misery they double down with trying to make you feel for them. Not going to be apart of their lives anymore. NO MORE.
I CHOOSE to be happy. It is a choice.
Putting on the rose colored glasses. Seeing the good. If I can't change the bad, so be it. No time anymore for that.
Nate's best friend for 30+ years.....his mom died last week. No reason, she was not ill. Just died while playing a video game. 71 yo. My cousin, Alan, funny guy, police chief (retired) 68yo died Monday after battling parkinsons. Sad. Alan was the oldest of the cousins. There are 3 of us still standing. Life goes on.
Look for the things that elevate your soul. I love music played LOUD. Music that lets me sing, albeit off key, and dance. I'm painting again. The birds I feed are back. My 7 month old kitten is fascinated by them. The older cat is ho hum and my beloved pup is, well, just my sweet friend. My sons are in the prime of their lives and going like gang busters in school and jobs. Hubby is just the BEST EVAH! I see my brother often and talk to my best friend for hours on the phone talking about politics and we truly try to save the world every day...lol
Cancer? meh
Love you all, forever
k, not the best pic of me.....akkk.... but that is my son Sean and my stepson Daniel...fun times...being silly
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Anne,
Sorry I didn't acknowledge you in my post above.
So sorry about your brothers passing. I can't imagine if my brother goes. sigh. I always hope I go first.
I also smoke...I know, I know. But I will own it if the day comes where I have damaged my lungs. I think we all have our addictions. Best wishes to your sister.
Bravo to you having new babies.
You do keep busy..
I cant wear a bra either. So flat it is. Winter isn't so bad..we can layer. What to do when it gets warm.....oh well....I'll figure it out.
Love you lady
take care...keep telling us of your travels.
E
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Thanks for all the wonderful feedback. I, too, am different than before cancer. I will never get the old me back, and it is taking a very long time for me to figure out who the new me is.
My brother's passing was totally unexpected for my younger brother and me. We hadn't seen Bill in two years. At that time, he took my brother, sister, niece and me for a nostalgic trip to the Bronx. A few days after our visit, he was Dx with a brain tumor. They went in to biopsy it and reduce the bleeding, but were able to remove the whole tumor right there. We thought he was fine after that. I was told about a year before he passed that he had a gall bladder infection, and they had found some "stuff" in his colon, but clearing up the infection came first. The colon stuff was not a priority. Next call I got was that they were meeting with Hospice. Holy Crap- how did we get from a gall bladder "infection" to Hospice.
That was bad, but my sister's issues were really out of the blue. She is like the energizer bunny- although her lifestyle is far from good, she somehow keeps going. She is a strange creature- always has been. Her diet would not sustain a bird. She eats egg salad, peanut butter and muffins. She drinks non -alcoholic beer by the gallon and has smoked like a chimney since she was 17. She lost her husband when she was in her thirties and has never dated at all. She is borderline agoraphobic, going only to the grocery store around the corner or her children's homes. Eating out with her is pizza or a place that serves breakfast 24 hrs. But, like I said, she's been this way forever, so nobody noticed anything. Her kids had been trying to get her to a Dr because of a cough, but she refused. Her daughter comes to her for lunch every day. This day, her daughter really didn't like her cough, so she stopped n again after work. Margie was lying on her bed, but did not recognize her daughter. She stopped breathing in the ambulance. Beside the stroke, her whole body was septic, which changed her kidney and liver numbers. But, three weeks later, she was home and on her own.
Hope you all are doing well
Anne
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Dearest Anne,
Cancer changed me too. Now I have a "what will be will be" attitude. I have learned I cant change anyone, honesty is important.. One can only control one's own life. But if someone hurts one of my own..ha ha look out..ma ma tiger is coming.
I lost my former husband to a nasty brain tumor. My mom to a stroke...I was very young. So many more gone. sigh.
That gallbladder infection is what killed my dad. I had that also and so did my brother....we were lucky. Gallbladders can create havoc. It can back up with bile and ruin your spleen and pancreas. And the ducts from it and your liver....not good.
Your sister sounds like an interesting person. Living her life. Her lifestyle is hers. Sad she lost her husband. Interesting that her whole body was septic. that would indicate a huge infection of her blood..like cellulitis. My son had that and so did my father in law. Scary stuff. Hope she is feeling better.
Anne you are such a wonderful support for your family. Really a rock. I hope you have time for yourself. I admire you for being there for everyone.
Wishing you some peace and quiet
Eve
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please say a prayer for my husband as he is going in to have his knee replaced... again! He had a total knee replacement last February and the past few months has been in lots of pain. Come to find out, it loosened. So he goes in tomorrow to have that one taken out and a new one put in.
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keep prayerscoming.... my husband has infection in his knee no
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How is hubby doing? Prayers for a quick solution to the infection. Is he home or still in hospital?
Take care.
Eve
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long story eve. I'll give you the short version lol. They have him on iv antibiotics that go into a pic line for 6 weeks. He's home. They have conflicting results as to whether there is an infection now so as a precaution he's on antibiotics. The week we got home from the hospital he received a call from the hospital saying his brother was in icu and he needed to come immediately. Well I was walking out the door with my kids for work and school and he was sitting the recliner wit him his leg elevated hooked up to the iv antibiotic. February 27 his brother passed. Today is my husbands birthday and he spent the morning I never the funeral home and is currently writing his brothers obituary. We leave tomorrow to go to my daughters softball tournament In lake George for the weekend. It's been a crazy few
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Beverly,
That is truly awful. I am so sorry for your husband and family to go through all of this. He must be really suffering.
Many many hugs to you both.
Love,
Dian
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So sorry Beverly,
Lots to deal with. Sad about your husbands brother, he must have been a young man. Was he ill? I cant imagine losing my brother.
My heart goes out to your family.
Hope hubby can enjoy your weekend, lake George is a beautiful area. Good luck to your daughter.
How's teaching going this year?
Take care lady,
Eve
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my husbands brother was 51. He suffered seizures and a stroke and was without oxygen too long. He ended up in a coma.
So we did go to lake George, we left Friday and will be here til tomorrow-Sunday. I think I mentioned that on February 28 I had a colonoscopy. 'My first one. I've been having issues with my stomach for months now with bouts of diarrhea and constipation and stomach pains so I went to the doctors and because of family history they suggested a colonoscopy . Well as I'm learning nothing is just standard as I was arriving at Lake George I received a phone call from the doctor. And basically they had just said that it was precancerous. there was a polyp removed and some tissue samples and what they have found was precancerous. That was pretty much all the information they were going to give and I didn't even know what questions to ask at this point. So I asked what are the follow ups? And what I need to do at this point given that information and they basically said that the doctor would like to see me back for another colonoscopy in a year. Have any of you been through this process procedure , a colonoscopy with the result of a polyp being precancerous? What happened?
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When it rains.....Glad you got to spend a weekend away.
As far as the colon thingy......no personal experience with colon cancer...I have the same symptoms though. I had a colonoscopy 2 years ago and the doc removed 2 tiny polyps. But couldn't find any reason for the symptoms. So I'm on the 5 year plan.
Anyhow, my mom had colon cancer when I was 7yo (yes! a loooong time ago) and so did my former hubby.
Mom had her whole large colon and rectum taken out which resulted in a colostomy. Never had chemo and the cancer did not come back.
Hubby had a huge tumor that created blockage and he was going septic. Bad stuff. His surgeon took out the bad part of his colon and 26 lymph nodes. The sentinel node had a few pre-cancerous cells but his doc told him he didn't need chemo, he felt he got it all. Hubby had chemo anyway. Was all clear for 2 years, when he was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor sheesh.
If I were in your shoes I would get my path report and look for this:
How big was the polyp
Were the pre cancer cells in the polyp or in the intestinal wall.
What grade and stage
Where in the intestinal tract was the suspect polyp
can they do another path test on the polyp...sometimes the initial report is wrong. (my breast biopsy was wrong, in that it came back NO CANCER) just sayin
I would get another colonoscopy in 6 months just to put your mind at rest. If they do find something, which I doubt, and yes I am not a doctor, colon surgery is pretty easy now a days.
I dont presume to know anything just going by my loved one's experience.
hang in there kiddo.
Eve
ps sorry it takes me so long to answer, my laptop died and I am using my stepson's laptop.. Yuk! lol
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