Starting Chemo September 2015; join us!
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Interesting to read about those of you considering having both breasts removed. My surgeon didn't recommend that for me at all. He said I was more likely to have a recurrence on the same side than to develop something on my left side. Then again, I've never had large or dense breasts, so that may be a factor. I'm still recovering from the surgery more than 3 months later, so I'm glad it's just the one side actually. He removed 9 lymph nodes, 5 of which were cancerous, along with a mass of "something" he didn't like, which is what finally pushed me toward dealing with the chemo. I was trying to figure out a way to avoid it. I do wish the cancer had been in my left breast since I'm right-handed. Seems like it would be easier.
Had dose 3 of Taxol yesterday. Appetite is fine and food tastes OK. Didn't sleep well last night, so tired today but no luck when I tried to take a nap. I do sleep better if I take an ativan, but I'm trying not to take one every night.
I must be one of the few people here with Medicare so I feel fortunate to have no insurance issues. Nice to have one advantage to being older! I used to feel pretty young for my age (66) but now feel like this process has aged me 10 years. I doubt I'd be willing to go through this again should the need arise.
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Minnesota: just to clarify so others don't panic, I think you meant your 7cm tumor? Unless my conversion rates are way off 7mm would be pretty small (mine was bigger than that, and lx was not a problem for me. Happy with that choice for me. by the way. We are all different)
Hugs
Octogirl
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I actually like having Obamacare over Medicare if I had a choice. Right now with such a low income I pay $77 a month for BC PPO on Covered CA. My deductible is $500 and out of pocket max is $2250. Everything was met long ago and so it's been free for everything I need in network for 3 months now.
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Octogirl - Chemo-typos must be a thing, too, right? ; ) Yes, of course it is centimeters.
FWIW, surgeon said he would worry about a lumpectomy being able to get enough tissue with clear margins. We'll see what he says post-chemo!
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We have ChampVA insurance. That's as close to medicare as you can get I suppose. It's all government I suppose. When we were in Oregon I was hard pressed to find someone who would take it. Here in PA no one even questions it. I feel like it was such a blessing that we moved when we did.
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Minnesota Lisa, my tumor was 1.5 cm and I lost 7.5 cm of boob. I can image a 7 cm tumor would take enough tissue that it's the whole boob anyway. The BS said something about value of 3's or something like that. Meaning you have to cut out 3x more than just the tumor to get it all plus clean margins plus keep it so there isn't a boob crater. That's how I remember the explanation anyway.
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Thanks for the welcome MinnesotaLisa and SouthernCharm
My big dilemma is about going back to work. I can't live on social security (I'm 64 and divorced)since I'm the sole support of my son and his family. But I can't see going back to working third shift either. I've been working more than 43 years. I'm off while getting chemo and have had to dip into my savings just to pay the bills. Oh and that little thing called insurance lol. I keep buying lottery tickets ! No luck so far. What's a girl to do
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Obamacare was $800 a month when I checked for us and a $10,000 deductable. I'll just keep my little VA policy and Jim has to use the veterans clinic. I can't afford that obamacare.
Southern did you check with your cancer center to see if they have a foundation to help with bills? ACS has programs too. I got quite a few things paid for through a foundation here. Worth checking out.
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I was feeling the same way, but the woman who administers the fund told me how many corporations and really rich people donate and that at the end of the year they need to clear the accounts and sometimes there's money left over because people just don't ask.
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Why is this not in my possession???
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Ha Ha Ha ha!
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I just ate my whole dinner and didn't feel like gagging once. I might actually get a couple normal days before chemo! I've basically been sick since Sep 9th. It's a good day today!
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And I pooped...just thought I'd toss that out there in case y'all thought you'd escaped my BM commentary today.
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It's the "great" part of not working and having minimal income. I think the affordable part is for us poor people and not for others who have income. I had MediCal before this where everything was free. Had it not been for Obamacare, I would have 0 insurance as I didn't qualify for MediCal under the regular one. I think it shouldn't be a law that people have health insurance. I think it's a little different that the car because you can choose to drive or not. You can't choose to be sick or not. I think it's folks who make money are helping us who are dirt poor be covered with Obamacare. Otherwise how do they fund it? If I didn't have my insurance, I'd be in the stage IV section (if I'm not going to be in 6 months anyway) talking about how to prepare for my death. No way could I stack up the bills from having no insurance with cancer. I feel bad with you folks with big bills and struggle, but some kind of insurance is better than none?
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Wow Annie, glad you had a great day! I can't imagine being sick for a month. You're a trooper for sure! Wishing you better rounds ahead! xo
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I think Medicaid scoops up the really poor. There are real strict laws regarding breast cancer and what treatments are required to be given. But ya some coverage is better than none for sure.
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Thanks Artista. It was bronchitis. My little germ factories bring home everything from school!
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Cake! Chocolate! You ladies are making me hungry! Unfortunately it's 3 AM and the blueberry coffee cake I made is gone...
Still haven't gone out to see The Martian movie, although my husband (who usually hats movies theaters) said he'll come too if I'm up to it. We planned for yesterday, but I had only gotten 4hrs sleep, and pretty much crashed taking Misty on her evening "poop walk" plus have been fighting a headcold for the past week. Last chance is tonight (Weds) because round 4 is Thurs, and with the new type of chemo meds, I don't know the type or timing of SEs, except "expect vomiting, delayed by about 3- days". It's probably not going to be in the theaters much longer, so no or never. At least the showing should not be packed full, and my labs today showed good white cells/granulocytes, so I hope I'll be ok. Just one big screen movie like a normal person please!!!
Annie, congratulations on your nice poop today
Keep 'em comin', girl!!!0 -
exercise_guru, thanks for posting this: "I try to remind myself each day that I am useful, I am worth this fight and I have something to offer this world that merits" also "Taking care of you treatments and practicing self care is being useful." I have been in a funk again struggling with this lymphedema which severely limits what I'm able to do around the house when I wear the treatment bandaging,and your comments helped.
Last week I pretty much stopped trying to make dinners (difficult with what amounts to a soft fingers-to-armpit cast on your dominant arm), and was feeling pretty bad about it, as until now husband's cooking was limited to basic grilling of pre-marinated stuff (cold now, grilling season is long over), making coffee, and once in awhile, boiling unpeeled potatoes (usual in Finland, peel at the table, supposed to keep more vitamins in). Well, he found some noodle-plus-sauce mixes you just add water to and cook on the stivetop which miracle of miracles do not give me an allergic reaction, and has been making thise plus frozen veggies plus today even steamed broccoli my favorite) and panfrying chicken filets or minute steaks to go with. One day he even baked some salmon in the oven. Plus he has been washing food prep dishes for longer than that. Who'd have ever guessed?
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tessu..I can't remember the last meal I made. My hubby took a cooking course and is much more confident in the kitchen. He even said he hoped I wouldn't mind his taking over the kitchen even when i was better...hahahahahaah...after 30 years of cooking, I'm hoping to sit back and wait to be called for dinner.
The insurance issue blows my mind. None of those concerns in Canada as it's all covered except for the meds. And if you don't have private extended health coverage, it will still get covered if you can't afford it. Sometimes, I forget that my high taxes are there for a reason. Hoping all of you manage your way through as this is bad enough without financial worries to go with it.
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Congrats Octogirl! You must be so relieved!
All of your wigs look great and getting a trim to make them feel right is a very good idea. I had mine trimmed and it was a good move.
Does anyone get a headache like feeling if you wear it too long?? I do! I whip it off the minute I get in my car after work. I always think I should keep a hat in the car but I don't really care if another motorist sees my bald head!
Thanks to all the Veterans out there!
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They told me not to take vitamins.
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I am taking Vitamin D since I am deficient .
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You should take vitamins especially if you aren't eating well or right. I love Alive for women. I really feel it's giving me energy. I also take Caltrate with D3 and Vit D3 (because I'm insufficient, especially in these dark days of winter). With Taxotere, I'll be adding magnesium, glutamine, vit B12 and B6 to combat neuropathy. People who do this feel it really helps. Why some MOs say don't and others say ok is beyond me as it has nothing to do anyone's personal regimen.
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I was told that some vitamins interfere with chemo drugs. I don't know about minerals. I think it was vitamin C or something. I can't remember. The point of chemo is to kill stuff so I get why you don't want to boost yourself up if you want to accomplish that. As soon as chemo is done I'm going on a juice fast and hyper pushing the nutrients to repair the damage.
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I think they really don't know and some things are best guess based on this or that research.
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I was told no multi vitamins also. My mo especially told me to stay away from anti oxidants as they can interfere with the chemo drugs. She did okay vitamin d, b6, and b12. What dose of the b vitamins is anyone taking?
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I think if the MO isn't sure if it interferes they say stay away. My MO says there is no research that says such a thing. Now herbs and some other supplements, yes. But it doesn't make sense for vitamins. I mean how about an orange? It has tons of vit C in it. Is the supplement really that different than an orange's vit C? That's where I'm baffled and I choose to feel better and healthier during this time unless someone can provide the research on it, which my MO couldn't.
Also, chemo is only active in your body for 1 hour after infusion. So ok, don't pop a vitamin before infusion. If you really want to be safe, wait 48-72 hours until the chemo is out of your body. Once chemo is gone from your body, how can vitamins interfere????
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Southern, I wouldn't fret. If it was such a big thing in research, it would be one of the don'ts for us all.
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