January 2017 Surgery Group
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cowboy-up: my hubby is the same way. he minimizes everything. After my BMX, he figured, I'm cancer-free so that's it. Chemo was a real wake-up call to say the least! I don't think anyone, no matter how much they love us, has the attention span for the duration of this experience...they just want us to be cancer-free & OK. So, I spare him my emotional roller coaster & bring it here. When I'm not feeling well, I just say "today's a bad day, but I'm sure tomorrow will be better. Pretty soon this will all be in the rear view mirror."
For him, your treatment is just an insurance policy that you won't have a recurrence. It's not treatment bc you're cancer-free already. So just call it that...btw, this is a great time for a "honey do" list. That's an easy way for them to show support. For example, I haven't gone food shopping since I was diagnosed! Can't be around all those germs LOL
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LOL one of the first things I asked the ps when he said implants were my only option was "what will they look like when I'm 80 (thinking... perky boobs on a wrinkled old,woman?) and he looked at me like I had insulted him.. his response? 'They'll look great!" LOL I don't think he understands the female brain very well.
Aboob, Friday night halves it is... weekend halves, then full starting Monday night?
I am trying to get back on my low-carb diet so Imdont gain any more weight as well... but it means giving up way more than sugar, and not sure how I;lol,cope... but lost 18 lbs before Dx, and committed to losing the last 10... so will see how I commit to that ... maybe lent is a good period to try! But no alcohol is what kills me. 😳
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Hey, no fair!! My ps said I will have 30 y/o BOOBS!!! Ah well, I will take it, 30 y/o boobs at age 52 is a major improvement after my hungry babies deflated me lol!! I had expansion yesterday, I think #4 with1 to go. Then exchange sometime in April. I don't post on this thread much because I only needed surgery, no chemo, radiation or hormonal therapies. Now I am visiting other threads, but still like to pop in over here and see how everyone is doing. I saw beautiful pics of dear daughters, funny memes, and lots of love and encouragement for each other. Cowboboy-up, loved the view from your horse's back. I grew up riding English on the show hunter circuit in Virginia. I really miss riding! And I will confess my DH sometimes is not as supportive as I would like, but he does say periodically "it's terrible you are going through this". I feel very fortunate my cancer was caught so early and I don't know why it was hormone neg, making chemo unneccessary (is it because I am already going through menopause?). My 1st breast surgeon (whom I didn't go with) told me as she was explaining my biopsy path, said to me that it is actually a negative for me, being hormone receptor neg, because it "takes a weapon (chemo, tamoxifen) away from them. Not sure how I feel about that. On a very positive note though, I had my biannual kidney appointment Tues. My nephrologist looked at my labs and told me my stage 3 chronic kidney disease had DOWNGRADED to stage 2!!! Yay!!! A month before I found out I had cance I had changed my diet; organic as much as posssible, no dairy, very little gluten, very little sugar, very little to no processed foods. It got me OFF pain meds and out of PT I had been on all summer long. I guess the foods I had been eating were causing inflammation, and being a kidney patient, NSAIDS are OFF LIMITS. So my body couldn't heal from the imflammation. The diet change is most likely responsible for my kidneys improving. I am so overjoyed!! And I tell people about it just in case they are suffering with pain and joint swelling and not getting anywhere with conventional medicine. The doctors said I had Fibromyalgia, Lyme disease blah blah blah. I noticed some of you ladies giving up sugar for Lent, I am here to say I cannot believe what a huge difference in my quality of life since making these changes!!
Blessings, Shoregirl
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Shoregirl, my daughter rides hunt seat. She rides for Ohio State on their Equestrian team. In college, they draw a random horse and hop on and do jumpa course with never have ridden the horse before. The first time they ride is when the enter the ring. It is fun but scary at times. Same with the flat classes. She used to show a summer series but her horse aged out. I wasn't buying a 3rd horse with her in college.
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Hello ladies! I sure love all the photos. I had procedure to remove scab on my right nipple on Monday. I am now sporting a wound vacuum! This is a piece of equipment attached to me and its heavy. I don't feel it inside me like I did my drain tubes but it is not fun to tote around. I see PS tomorrow and I'm hoping he'll remove it. I'm back to NO showering 🙁 He said I'll have to wait a week or two before he knows if my TE can stay in and skin graft a new nipple. More waiting on results. I keep telling myself I have the entire year for recovery. I know I am blessed to not have to have chemo or rads. All of you battling are my inspiration! Thank you for always caring.
Here's a photo of myself and my daughter in Kauai June, 2015 😎
I want to go back.....
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Leftcoastie-beautiful picture! Hope you get to ditch that vac soon! I love that you are taking a year to get well and kick BC ass!
Annoyingboob- I'm in if I can start today!
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leftcoastie: great picture! I wish I was there too!!
A-Boob: no sugar yesterday! Day 1 done!!!
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the no sugar cabana:
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I'd give up Sugar if I could go there
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I'm with you cowboyup, I'd love to cut out sugar. I am trying to change my eating habits slowly. I do not want to gain anymore weight and of coarse weight gain is a SE of tamoxifen.
A-boob & PugsMama - I'll be your cheerleader pushing you through your no sugar journey. You got this!!
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OK, day one of lenten 'give up sugar"... I had three 'two bite' cupcakes for breakfast... and pizza for dinner. And wine. But today I've been good... staying on my diet, have had not sugar.
But ladies, I am going on a weekend spa get away -- for real -- with my girl friends. We scheduled it before I knew I was having the BMX, and I am going. Not sure exatly how they will get my massage done (still cannot lie on my stomach), but they will have to figure it out. Lenten commitments stay at home, I'm afraid... what happens at the spa stays at the spa
) I figure I deserve it!Left Coastie, BEAUTIFUL! I wanna go back there too!
Vargadoll... so true. It irks me a little when folks say "you are amazing... so positive"... I mean, what am I going to do, right? Get through it and move on...
XOXO Ladies!
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3bears here, checking in. This is my wig. They buzzed my head yesterday. What a long journey this all has been! I still have to get reconstruction after I finish chemo. Then I can talk tamoxifen.0 -
3Bears, such a natural beautiful wig. I am amazed at how great these wigs are.
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wow you look beautiful and that looks so natural on you 3bears. Plugging along the road to freedom . You look great and hope you feel that way too .
Leftcoastie , what a lovely pic of you two beautiful people . You and your daughter are beautiful and awesome . Thanks everyone for sharing the great pics.
More than halfway through rads . Then I revisit ai therapy around the 8th .
But got a beach place and legoland trip planned for 5 days starting the 15 th. With a couple of the grandkids. Should be fun in SO.Cal where I spent 40 yrs of my life prior to So. Utah .. I don't know whats worse , Ca. Pollution or downwinder radiation from the 50's in St.George. Do we really know if it is still affecting people who came here in the late 90's or early 2000's? Oh well , it is what is is! Getting rid of cancer and keeping it away is what I need to focus on today!
Working this weekend.. have a good one ladies with lots of xoxox's🌸👍💗
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3Bears - you look great in your wig! Very natural looking. Hope you're tolerating your chemo well so far. Can't believe it is already March. The last three months are a blur.
A friend of mine had a great idea I think I am going to do. Since all this yuk diagnosis stuff came right at Thanksgiving and was a specter all through the Christmas season, she said I should have a "re-do" and do a Christmas in July. I am thinking I LOVE this idea. Pull out one of my smaller fake trees I didn't even get out this year because I was the Grinch, and have a mini celebration. Anyone care to join in the fun? HO HO HO!!
I did get some great news today - my genetic testing came back NEGATIVE. Woo hoo! So happy for myself and my kids, too.
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3bears you look beautiful!
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love all the pictures and love all the plans for fun things!!
Just to show you how far times have changed - here is a pic of my mom wearing the wig her mom wore when she went through her bc treatment in the late 60s/early 70s. Completely fake and awful. So you are lucky - if I passed you on the street I would never know it's a wig!!
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Annoyingboob - the wig my mom wore when she was being treated for lung cancer looked ridiculously fake! They have definitely come a long way.
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also, we should designate someone as the sugar eater, so when I get a craving for donuts or ice cream, you can eat one and describe what it tastes like, lol!!!
Congrats on negative genetics, dcis - that should make you feel better about no tamoxifen, right?
Varga, I love the bitter v better quotation!
Elem, halfway through rads - yipeeee!!
We are slogging through, ladies!!!
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I feel like I am so far behind everyone. Don't start Rads until a week from today. The good part of this is that I get to listen to all your wisdom and experiences with radiation and the Tamoxifen. It is going to be 7 weeks until I start that. You will all have trick to help all the SEs.
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Whaa..aboob, she is beautiful and that wig is not that bad. Considering the era! But yes, 3bears looks super natch . Your Mom has that Brady Bunch era look which was natural at the time. 💗🌸
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if you saw her natural straight grey/white hair you would laugh at how ridiculous the wig looks. I think my mom just wore it for the photo - hence my look of horror and confusion, lol. I do remember that wig as having a coarse texture like hay. Modern advances are amazing!!
Cowboy, you are not that far behind. We all sort of splayed out doing different postop things, but we'll be reunited soon popping pills together.
I'm meeting a nutritionist tomorrow - the hospital offered, and I'm looking forward to it - have any of you done that? Excited
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3bears, the wig looks completely natural and so good on you!!! Hope you are hanging in there and that the chemo isn't tiring you out too much!
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A-Boob...loving the cabana! I have a very elderly aunt with alopecia. Her wig, which I think she's had since the 70s, looks like a football helmet! LOL
3Bears: stunning!
I'm getting together with my hairdresser to get my wigs tweaked...if mine look as good as 3Bears, I may never go back to my own hair!
My air-filled TEs are deflating a little. As soon as I'm done with chemo, the PS is going to swap the air for saline so I have some foobs for my cruise at the end of May. Then I can have the exchange surgery over the summer or whenever I feel like doing it....3Bears, maybe we'll be "exchanging" at the same time!
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leftcoastie I had the wound vacs post BMX. Dr put on my IMF incisions. They WERE heavy and awkward, but did a fab job healing me super quick. I only needed drains 6 days. Love the pic of you and your pretty daughter! 3Bears, your wig is very pretty, stylish, soft and shiny!! Aboob, your mom is beautiful!!
My boobs are REALLY STRETCHING after the 75ccs I got Tuesday. I am rubbing various oils on them like mad to prevent stretches. My left armpit is sore like I did a bunch of push-ups!! Mom says I look like a Playboy bunny lol. More like Raggedy Ann with all those stitch marks!!
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pugs mama, it's only day 2!!! What are you snacking on? I just ate half a bag of baby carrots. Went to Trader Joe's and used my utmost restraint - they have tons of sweets and snacks in perfect nibble size, and I just walked on by and bought blueberries and carrots and dried unsweetened mango slices. Thank god I didn't outlaw cheese - my afternoon snack is sliced apple with cheese. But this will get old fast, so I'm accepting tips for healthy snack foods!!
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a-boob: I like an apple with all natural PB or cheese. like celery & carrots with hummus. All kinds of nuts...."light" popcorn.
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shore girl so glad to hear I'm not the only one having to wear awound vac. Well I went to see PS today and he attached a much bigger wound vac!!! I'm in tears here. I know it's to help me heal but my goodness this thing is heavy and noisy. Last one was silent with a fart every once in ahwile. This machine makes a constant gurgling noise. I have to wear it until my next surgery next Wednesday. So much for sleep until this things off. Bummer about this whole ordeal is my new building dedication is Monday. There's no way I want to pack this thing around with all the dignitaries and community supporters that will be there to celebrate. I'm so bummed. 😔
Aboob and PugsMama - I have zero will power. I stopped at McDonald's on way home for an ice cream cone 🍦 It was delicious.
Xoxox
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It's so good to hear you all chatting away on here. I've missed you all.
Annoyingboob is that you in the red dress in the pic with your mom? Very cute.😀
Elem--I'm excited that you are halfway through the rads!! That is awesome. Keep plugging away.
I would designate myself as the sugar eater for you all but then I'd get really fat! I really should trim 10 lbs off. I'd be back to my healthy BMI. I really need to cut some sugar out too. ( just not All of it) .
Cowboyup-- I know what you mean, I feel like I got really far behind everybody on here too but don't forget, we are going to be tamoxifen buddies in May! Just like Annoyingboob said , we will all be popping pills together soon enough. Three more rounds of chemo. Lol!
PugsMama-- You may be right. We might be surgery buddies again. I actually go see my PS next wed. Maybe he will have a good idea when we will get that party started. I want to have playboy bunny boobs like Shoregirl instead of a concave chest that's all breastbone.☹️
Thank you all for the nice compliments on my wig. I love it but I'm learning how to keep it out of my eyes and still look natural. I'm sure I'll get a hang of this. It's not all so bad. It takes me like 20 minutes in the morning now. Shower, make up, wig. Boom. Done. And beautiful for coffee at the table with my husband.
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