Tampa area BCO sisters II
Comments
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Muwah!!! Maybe we can get Monday's Child to join us. Fwiw, Tori might drive over here next month to visit me. She wants to see YOU for certain!!! Let's see how it works for a Luncheon about July 12th or 13th or so. Could be here for a couple days. Depends on badly she reacts to my cat, since she's allergic. I'll PM you with more as it gets closer.
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Drat. It's official. Need a total hysterectomy because of the cysts. Praying it can be done vaginally to only need One cut into the low abdominal mesh from the hernia repair. Since leaving at end of August, not sure I can get it done soon enough for an entire recovery to handle a cross-country road trip. If not, then it would likely be in late Oct or Nov based on family availability to be in Oregon with me for the surgery and recovery. Not the type of operation to be dealing with dogs and chickens immediately after. Thankfully I'll be staying on the main floor instead of upstairs then.
July 9th is the repeat chest ct scan about the sternum lesion.
Sorry for TMI, two things at once just makes me more anxious about it all than usual.
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Galsal, I would not take the chance of the cross-country road trip so close after that surgery. Check though. When I had my total hysterectomy 100 years ago, okay, 1994, they were only doing what I called a pseudo-Csection. Hospitalized for a week and then probably about a month after, I was walking a mall with my sister, carrying her newborn grandchild. Just that amount of action caused major pain afterwards. Perhaps the vaginal procedure is much, much, easier on the body - hopefully. In any case, even if okayed by the doc I would, if you can, elect to wait on it. My best to you in whatever you decide.
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Galsal. Hi! The important port is not to lift anything, even with the TVH. It took about 5 weeks to totally recover, but I don't miss my cysts. Troublemakers....
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Galsal -- Sorry you are dealing with all of that! I was back to work online hours after the surgery, but I couldn't drive or go in to teach until 3-4 weeks out. It was a much easier surgery for me than the mastectomy, etc., but it would be rough to do a cross-country trip. Good luck with everything!
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Galsal- you have every right to be nervous! Just stop and breathe and take it one step at a time. Everything will fall into place the way it's supposed to.
Ann
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Thanks to you all for such kind words. For the now, the plan is to deal with this out in Oregon. The concern will be if tumor markers are elevated and if that requires plan to be changed. Regardless of all of this, I it is without a doubt that I WILL be in Salem, OR by Sept 6th. Next week after the chest ct scan is redone, my Onc will determine if a biopsy of that is necessary.
As one friend called this...."Scanxiety". Yep, that's what it is for any of us all right!
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Awesome news!!! The sternum is from an injury. so it appears. Report specifically says there's less chance of it being Mets!!!!
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galsal - yay!
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Galsal -- That's great to hear!!!!
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GalSal: Oh, good news. September will be here before you know it.
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galSal- Awesome news!
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Thanks for the good words, Ladies! If all goes to plan, will be departing Tampa Bay on Wednesday. My best to every single one of you!!!
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Galsal - Safe travels and stay healthy! Keep us posted!
Ann/Snickersmom
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galsal - travel safely and let us know when you're settled in.0 -
Take care, Gal Sal. It has been nice talking to you.
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Safely arrived in Salem, Oregon. Blessedly, not impacted by any of the wildfires.
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Good to hear Galsal! Keep us posted!
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galsal - yay! Thanks for letting us know and glad your trip was safe! Keep us posted on your doings now that you're there!
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Portland VA Gyn I had a one hour appointment with them the week after I arrived here. She's not jumping to surgery without more validation. She's reviewing my health record history and image history about this, ordered more Labs (ie, tumor markers again, etc), is considering genetic counseling from taking my family medical history into play and since IF any thing were to be found it would be the third form of C for me. Oh and also communicate with the Surgeon in NYC that did the hernia repair for his specific instructions about the mesh in terms of closure, etc.
Wow...quite the difference to speak with someone who ins't just knee-jerk saying get it all removed. Not that it won't happen in the long run though.
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galsal - Glad to hear that you have a thoughtful doc helping you!
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I appreciate it when they talk to my other doctors. That's a good sign.
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Hi Ladies,
I know you all seem to be in the Tampa area but am hoping someone may be a little further south. I'll be moving to the Bonita Springs area this winter and am looking for a MO in that area. Does anyone have any recommendations? Bonita is between Ft. Myers and Naples so I could go either way. I know there is a group called Florida Cancer Specialists very close to our condo and am wondering if anyone has had any experience with them.
It's been 4 years since my diagnosis and my current MO has put me on the 6 month schedule. I do receive Prolia shots twice a year and want that to continue. I'm on Medicare and BCBS so the physician would have to accept it. I also prefer female doctors - just a personal preference.
I'd appreciate any suggestions. Also, I can foresee visits up to Tampa regularly. My husband cannot live without his Italian Beef sandwiches and I understand Portillo's Beef has opened up in Tampa. It's the one food item we can't seem to get anywhere but Chicago. We have several really great beef stands in our current area that my husband will have a hard time leaving behind. Having a Portillo's in Florida will ease his pain. LOL. Maybe we could coordinate those road trips to match one of your fun get togethers.
Thanks!
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Hey KayaRose! I'm actually in Cape Coral...sorta kinda close to you. I would recommend you contact the Regional Cancer Center in Fort Myers. It's through Lee Health and they assist you in finding all the resources that you will need. I'm 90% sure that you'll wind up at Florida Cancer Specialist and can probably even guess who your doctor will be. They seem to have the biggest "operation" down here but not all insurances (but I have BCBS and go there so you should be good). RCC will help you navigate all that. I was diagnosed 2 days before moving here from Atlanta with NO information on anything other than "find a surgeon as soon as you can" but luckily found RCC and they really helped get me where I needed to be and assisted with getting my core doctors together in one place.
And how's this - I'm originally from Chicago! There's a new Chicago style place that just opened up here in the Cape, plus a couple more. I haven't tried them all just yet, and not the Italian Beef at the one I did, but I promise your husband he's not completely out of luck in the move!
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Thanks CC2016. I'll definitely follow your advice and contact RCC. Didn't even know it existed. I'm curious how you would know which doctor would be recommended. Did you go to Florida Cancer Specialists? Can you recommend a specific MO?
You've gone through a lot of treatments and I hope you're feeling better these days. Recovery is a long process. I'm still having issues with swelling from having my lymph nodes removed, side effects from the anastrozole, etc. But I'm here and happy. Hope you are too.
Thanks again!
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KayaRose - I can probably guess because everyone I've met here with BC has had either 2 doctors at FCS, and mostly just one. FCS is huge with lots of doctors but it seems that just about every BC case gets this specific one. In my case, RCC assigned her to me originally but my insurance wasn't accepted there so went to a different company for chemo. Once I was finishing rads and about to start hormonal treatments, that office closed. Luckily I had been forced to change insurance to BCBS and could then go to FCS, and got that same one. I might have asked for her though...I took a poll during rads of the other ladies and most had her and had good things to say. I know this specific MO is at the Ft Myers and Cape Coral offices but am not sure about Bonita. I think the partner of my chemo MO actually went to Bonita or Naples when their offices closed. RCC should be able to help you out.
Yes, these treatments are hard but I made it! It's been a hard summer, I joke that 2 years ago the doctor phrase was "You're young and otherwise healthy" but this year they switched to "In an abundance of caution we are going to _____"...ugh. Lots more tests, scans, and appointments than I had hoped for - and really no answers to my strange-stuff. Gotta keep going though, I've got people depending one me! PM me if you'd like...
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kayarose - even though many of us are in Tampa, a lot of us have been treated at Florida Cancer Specialists as well. FCS has many offices throughout FL and they are the largest independent cancer treatment group in the country. Moffitt Cancer Center is right here in Tampa as well. but I have been happy and satisfied with FCS, and particularly my oncologist. I have also been on Prolia and received my injections from the oncology office, they are definitely conversant with that process, and with dealing with insurance coverage for Prolia.
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SpecialK and CC2016, Thanks so much. You have both been very helpful. I feel a lot more confident that I can find a new MO. It's really hard to leave a doctor I have so much faith in and turn my care over to someone new. It helps to hear you are both satisfied with your care through FCS.
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I live about 1-1/2 hours northeast of Tampa, but try to get down to the Tampa get-togethers when possible.
My husband is from Chicago and now he's very excited to hear about this place in Tampa that you mentioned! He has been in the East for about 30+ years but still misses his Chicago Italian Beef! There's just nothing else like it.
Hope you will come to the Tampa get-togethers if you can!
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Maybe our next get together should be at Portillo’s, lol! There is one near USF, right off I-75
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