January 2017 Surgery Group
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Dcis what a beautiful girl she is . Those other boards .... bub bye .. everyone here knows how to run a board. There is no one like us.
Win-chimed .. glad to see you back . I always wondered about CTCA.
Thanks for bringing us some Shuga
Have a great weekend ladies
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Hi everyone - it's been a long day and I'm exhausted. I had my echo and I have to say - having my chest pressed on a week after a BMX was not my idea of fun. It wasn't horrible but I had pain later in the day where they pressed at my sternum on the left TE. Not to scare anyone - it was manageable but it might be worth taking ibuprofen before you go if you have one after BMX.
Then after lunch went to chemo class. My mom was with me today and thank GOD. The first part was okay - honestly nothing I didn't know about. The possible SE's and making sure I understood the whole process for avoiding infection and reporting issues. Then we went on the tour.
I'm not one for being in the fishbowl so I really didn't like this. I felt like we were the new "cancer crew" and could see the sympathetic looks. I don't know why but when we went to the area where they do infusion I was fighting back tears. Everyone was SO nice and the place is amazing - many private rooms and the nurses and staff were so nice. Once we left we walked to the library and I broke down in tears. I felt terrible. I had to cut the tour short. There were two others with me - a grandmother who spoke no English with her granddaughter and another woman who is a teacher at my daughter's former school. She has not had surgery yet and was so upbeat and positive. It really bothered me and I don't know why - I just kept thinking everyone was acting like this is a field trip and it's not. It's chemo. I think they were glad I left because I didn't really have any questions and probably had the look of someone who did NOT want to be there.
So, we left early. I think my personality is just not for this show-and-tell approach. I can figure things out pretty well so just tell me the floor to go to and I'll be fine.
I hesitated mentioning this but I felt it would be something I would have preferred to have known ahead of time. To do it again I would not have gone on the walking tour and I would have been perfectly fine.
Other than that I peeked at the wigs in the shop at the cancer center. I couldn't bring myself to trying them on. I am in denial. I'll admit it.
Pugsmamma - you look fabulous. I'll probably do the super short cut too.
I'll catch up on the other posts later. I will say in terms of teenagers - my son is 19 and at college and I think he's in a little bit of denial about my diagnosis and I'm ok with that. I need him focused on school. My 12 year old daughter told me tonight she wants the year to be over because she's worried about me. A 12 year old shouldn't have to worry about her mom. I've assured her I'll be okay so I've got to stay positive for her.
Have a good evening.
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Can you AZ and CA ladies send some warm weather my way. It is the high of the day right now and 36 with snow on the ground.
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Shellybeans, I'm sorry to hear it wasn't the best day. Words are inadequate so I will just leave at we love you and are here for you.
I also have recently reconnected with an old co-worker who is now on her last 2 years of tomoxifen. Her exact words were "I have zero side effects"
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Dcbc you look absolutely beautiful!
No I did not have a 3D MRI. They found it on a Mammo and then sent me for an MRI with contract to see if their were more and to clear theleft boob.
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cowboy up, where in Ohio are you? I was born and lived only 5 years of my life but all of my dads side of the family is still there! I was born in Sandusky... most of my family are in port Clinton. If I could send you a little heat and you could send us some cooler weather, that would be awesome!!
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I am in Central Ohio. Outside of Columbus. I lived in Glendale for a couple of years when I was a kid. I really liked Arizona.
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Shelleybeans - my heart aches for you. I will say again; there is no "right" way to do this. You do/don't do whatever you need to in order to manage through this. I'm so glad you had your mom with you. Wish we all could be there to hug you and let you know that we are cheering you on and praying for you.
Just process as much as you can. And give yourself a break when you need to.
Xoxo.
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Praying for you Shellybeans. This road we have traveled is bumpy and confusing and mostly overwhelming. Everyone has to come to terms in their own way . I am heartbroken for all my friends who are facing chemo . But knowing that after we conquer that battle , we can go on and live our lives to the fullest . 🌸👍💗
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Shellybeans - I am also joining the February chemo group with you and I also have a 19 yro son in denial. His father died 3 years ago in an accident and I think my diagnosis is more than he can take. Hang on, count every blessing and reap all the support and love you and every one of us get from these wonderful ladies. 💪💪
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Hello ladies!
I've been taking a break from cancer and this forum, busy trying to get over my c.diff. (and very depressed about it) so I can get my darn surgery, and dealing with leaking hot water heater, leaky patio roof, and pool plaster changing strange colors, ugh, when it rains it pours. And my son's science fair project, that's the worst!! I'd almost rather do chemo again than another science fair project. I shouldn't joke about chemo, but there's some truth in that. I survived chemo, but I may not survive this project! LOL!
Briefly browsed the posts, so sorry to hear some of you will be doing chemo and so happy for those who won't be. I have been taking a break from this forum but haven't stopped thinking about and praying for all you wonderful ladies.
Fighting girl, haha about the flannel in the heat! I wore flannel to each chemo appt last fall and you know how hot our fall was, 90+ degrees and I'm wearing black flannel, black sweats, and a black cap over a bald head, I thought I looked like a gangster, but I probably looked more like a bag lady, LOL! I have to find summer button up shirts for my surgery with the heat coming, let me know if you find any and where.
I did the Cytoxan and Taxotere last fall with the 4 rounds every 3 weeks regiment as I see some of you will be doing so ask away if you have any questions on here or PM me. Going to go back and get caught up now on posts.
Love you ladies!
PS I love playing games too! I used to play Mexican train dominoes, haven't in a while though. Lately it's been Settlers of Catan, Rummy, Uno Attack, and Qwirkle. My favorite is Pictionary but no one will play it with me, LOL! Oh and Heads Up! with an iPhone is a blast. We get really loud with that game!
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Shellybeans- I'm sorry about your day yesterday. Too bad we could not go together. Thanks for heads up, can't wait-right.
I have not told my children I have the C word. I Lost my mom from colon cancer 3 years ago. My son(12 year) we call him Peabody, he is a wealth of information. I bring that up because he has read about cancer, I'm sure of it. He also may associate it with death because he knows about my mother. My daughter is 9 and is a spit fire, she already acts like she is 16....yikes! My mom is probably laughing about that. I will have to tell my kids more when I board that chemo train. I'm not one of these mother's that will have my children come with me to shave my head. My kids think after my drain is removed I'm healed, if only.
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Was it suggested to any of you to ice your hands & feet during chemo to ward off neuropathy?
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Gezzzh! Where is that poop fairy???? Her evil twin the gas fairy hit the road anytime! Such a waste of air!
shellybeans, tears are ok. The make me mad sometimes. I do not cry well. Relax today. Easier said than done...I know. You appear to be a high energy get stuff done type girl. Stop, breathe and know this group of girls isnt going anywhere. I love the town of Mount Dora...head over there get a pizza from Mount Dora pizza. Take a walk around town in those quaint little shops.
Getting my hair washed and dried. Oh the little things! Now a good poop would make the day perfect. Who ever dreamed they would call that a perfect day
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Shellybeans, we all get it. Whether we have to do chemo or not, we have all had the fear and anguish while waiting. I have been trying to not read up too much on chemo because my breast surgeon doesn't think I will need it. I find out on Friday and hope I am not blindsided.
Today is going to be a good day. A friend is meeting me out at the barn and she and her daughter are going to groom my horses. I will hang out with them and get some horse time. Hoping by themiddle of the week next week, I will be able to start handling them and grooming them myself. The little things in life mean so much.
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Finally had our dinner with friends (she is 35) who just finished reconstruction after BMX. They were a wealth of hints and reassurances, one of which I thought was particularly good. She said, you (and partner if you have one) will both change a lot because of this process. We will change on a molecular level, emotional level, attitudes, lots of things. Her advice was to be aware, watch for, and be ready to accept those changes - for both of you. Your kids, too. Good words
Varga - hoping for a poop fairy visit sooner than later!
GT - awww gosh! I bet at a certain point your son will rise up and become an honor to his father
Shelly- glad you went with your instincts and left the 'field trip' when you did. You will be ready when you need to be, that's the bottom line. No point pushing before your ready. You are so strong and by now you know how to be ready when you need to be. It's our job right now and we are kicking butt!
By the way, you AZ and OH ladies, NC is sunny and beautiful! But According to a wives tale, we are scheduled to have a snowstorm the day I come home from hospital! (10 days after a winter thunder/lightning storm. Ever heard of that one? )
Hope everyone enjoys your Saturday - I'm working but the sun is shining right outside the door 🌞 So I will be happy with that. And a free night to snuggle and watch tv with DH
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Thank you all so much for telling me your teenage girl horror stories. It makes me feel so much better that it's normal and mine is not the only one acting like that. I'm sure I gave my step mother a hell of a time too. I know I did. Yes Elem, I will keep leading by the strong example they expect me to be and that I want to be for them. Thanks.💕
Fightingirl--I think you said the "little shits grow up" . That made me laugh.😀 My daughter really is a great kid. I know that. I know that with every blood sweat and tear I put into her and with Gods grace that she will turn out so wonderful. I can't expect her to act like a 30 yr old daughter during this. I'm lowering my expectations.
Cowboyup-- Thanks for the warning about the tamoxifen board. I'll stay clear. Besides, I'm dealing with chemo right now. I like the thought about the woman who didn't worry about side effects and didn't get many.
I'm going to head over to head coverings . Com and see what they have.😘💕💕💕👭👭👭Love you girls so much. I really do.
3bear
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How many of you had the BRCA genetic testing done? I finally am sending mine in. I don't have any family history (both my mom and grandmother died of lung cancer but I don't think that "counts"), but I don't have a lot of women in my family due to lots of only children, so I am a bit nervous. I guess if it comes back positive I will do the hysterectomy/ovary removal, but the question is what to do with my other breast since I only had the mastectomy on the one side and a lift/implant on the other. I guess maybe I should have waited for the genetic testing results. Oh well; hindsight is 20/20 as they say.
If you did the testing, how long did it take to get the results and who gave them to you?
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Shelley beans...I am so sorry it was a hard day.! I'm not much of a crier, and was a little freaked at first that I hadn't done so through dx, biopsies, etc... but I have cried since... twice. And I realized both times it was because something was happening that I didn't understand, and I was scared. We are all so different, and react in our own ways... but I'll bet many (most? All?) of us have dreaded any form of public 'outing' .. hell, think about how hard it has been for some of us to even tell our families or accept help. What you described sounded so normal to me... to become overwhelmed by experiencing that kind of public identification at the very moment you are learning about the facility where you will be having a treatment that scares all of us... sounds like a lot to me. I am so glad your mom was with you.
Can I share with you a story of my MIL during her chemo? It wasn't her first treatment... it was probably nearer the end maybe she had only one or two,left after this particular round. But I went with her that day, and she told me how much she loved the treatment center. The nurses were lovely... trained to make you comfortable, and they KNOW. They aren't sickly sweet, they are gentle and know their shit. They knew HER. Not her port, or her file.... HER as a person. It was just a room with recliners and the portable IV stands, magazines, and women doing cross words or knitting or whatever kept them busy while the drips did their business and theiy were done for the day. But there was love in that room. And a fair amount of strength, I am sure... because I saw no pity or self pity there. It was a bit like this board, alth9ugh not as much fun😎 Of course, Imwas only there once...Who knows what mischief I missed on the other days.?!
Beautiful Vargadoll, have tried Miralax? It helped me w the poop,fairy.
Here in D.C. We've gone from 70 degrees to 20 degrees and flurries in one day... weather is so,weird this Year!
Kiss the horses for me, cowboy! Don't know if I mentioned here that I row... but years ago I did ride... and the other night I dreamt that Imwas riding with a friend on horses boarded at a boat house! These meds do weird things to my dreams!
Love to all. I'm hoping for a better day today...
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Bevmomduck- the driving question that you posted...I'm not supposed to drive while my drains are in. I think every DR is different with that. Also, I only had a mastectomy. It looks like your node biopsy will be on the left side, nice. That frees your right arm up, I'm guessing your right handed. I would be suffering if I had to drive a stick shift right now. About the wives tale......let it snow!!!! We love snow. For 2 days, lol.
Dcbc- hot mama!
DCISinAZ- so precious, she is just beautiful! I can't even imagine when my little Julia will be doing that "teary-eyed me".
beachbabyk- thanks for all the chemo info. I think it was you. The free be stuff. I was reading the before chemo list. Lordy!
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Dcbc- 3 scoops of mirlax the first 2 days! One scoop Friday, 2 fiber bars lots and lots of water. I am the poster child for constipation to start with so this really isn't so unusual for me. TMI- I had gotten a good system going with kifer and ground flax seed in smoothies. I should have premade me some. DH made me a yummy smoothie Friday. I really just want a real poop!
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DCISInAZ I had the genetic testing done... the results took,around two weeks (10 days maybe?)... I think my BS gave me the results, but honestly can't remember 100%... might have also come from the genetic counselor over the phone. Information is power, sister... try not to dwell on what will happen 'if'.... easily said, I know! XO
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lol Vargadoll... you are a Pro! Fruit? Lots of water?! I'm at. A loss... now praying for the poop,fairy...X
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DCISinAZ, I had the genetic testing done the day I was diagnosed. My mother had breast cancer. It took 3 weeks to come back. Mine was negative.
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DCISINAZ- it took mine 2 weeks, the genetic counselor called me with the results.
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I will be singing the "bullet bullet bullet" song if this last much longer! Bullet aka suppository!
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DCISinAZ, my insurance company wouldn't cover the BRCA blood test when I was first diagnosed, so I had the COLOR saliva test done. We paid out of pocket for it but it was $298 as opposed to thousands for the blood test. It tests for about 11 different types of cancer including BRCA 1 and 2. If you are positive for anything, all your first degree relatives can have the test done for $50. After my sister was also diagnosed with BC a few days before my BMX, we decided to submit again for the BRCA blood test. I had it drawn at my last Herceptin infusion and the lab was going to wait to send it in until they got word from my insurance that it would be covered. I wanted to have that one done as well because they will save your serum and test it down the road in case any new genes are discovered for cancer, which will offer some peace of mind hopefully for my other 2 sisters, my daughter and my niece.
My COLOR test came back negative, and it took about 6 weeks for me to get results emailed directly to my inbox. My doctor got the results after 3 weeks.
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dcbc - I am so glad that you shared your MIL's story and I would like to reiterate that my infusion nurses were/are awesome! They genuinely care about you as a human being. As much as I hated going for chemo, I loved visiting with my nurses and other chemo sisters. There is one lady I met there that I absolutely love so much that we schedule our Herceptin together every 3 weeks so that we can touch base. I rarely got much done during chemo,,, choosing to socialize with my fellow infusionists.
Shelley - I didn't have a chemo class or any type of introduction as the infusion room is actually at the MO's office in my case, but I would have had a very hard time having to walk around with other future chemo patients feeling like everyone knew why I was there. There are so many times that you just want to do what you need to do and go on with your day. Jump outta the fishbowl and flop your way to the ocean!
DCIS - I had BRCA testing. Mainly because I was "under 50 and have BC". My test came out negative. One og my Gma's had BC, the other had ovarian cancer. Not sure how confident I am in the test, but it was nice for peace of mind.
No Tamoxifen board for me... I figure I'll stay here and commiserate with my Ladies! I'd rather go through the rest of this ride with you! :-)
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shellybeans, I'm right there with you. I have my good days and my bad days. Yesterday I cried about everything. My chemo class is next week. Not looking forward to it at all. I keep going through these "this is so unfair" phases and it really gets me down. I'm just know I'm going to look like Uncle Fester for the next year. I realize that should be the least of my worries, but i can't help it. I am soooo dreading this
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thanks to everyone for your love and support. I appreciate the perspective dcdb- and from those who have already walked this walk. I do have good days and bad. More good - but the bad seem to surprise me at what triggers them.
Right now I'm at mani/pedis with my mom and daughter. Can't do them during chemo and this surgery seemed to have sucked the moisture out of my skin! I think my mom really needed it - she's my rock.
I visited my house that's being remodeled and that's always something to lift my spirits. I actually feel pretty good today overall. Had my best night of sleep since presurgery!
Taking it easy this weekend and going to a show tomorrow night with my dad. I have season tickets to the Broadway Across America shows and normally take my daughter but thought I'd bring my dad this time. Hopefully he stays awake! Lol my seats area awesome. End row, close to the exit and bathrooms!
I haven't had genetic testing but I am. My daughter and sister and niece need to be aware. Plus my son if he ever has a daughter.
Hugs to all
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