My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer
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Kitty in your pocket for radiation treatment… hope it’s quick. Thinking of you ladies.
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Kitty, in your pocket for the WBR, let me know if you have any questions along the way.
I am glad PT is starting this week for me. Sooner I start, sooner I see results, it will be nice to have homework to do for my health.
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Apparently I'm complicated, we've had to push the start day until tomorrow, just once would it be too much to have something go to plan.
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Kitty, I am sorry it is pushed out but glad they are making sure the plan would work. Still in your pocket anyway.
This week is warm, debating asking older DB to put in air conditioner since I could never get the screen in, apartment was warmer than I like. Not sure if walking all the way to the hospital, think I will do my idea, bus and then walk around the hospital, will see how it works out. Must also remember my marching in the house. Also need to move stuff so I can make a cross breeze from the bedroom to the living room
Today, will do normal beans, beef, spinach and noodle dish. All done up in the chopper to resemble ground beef. Season with steak seasoning and salt. Easing up on the garlic a bit for today, possibly tomorrow as well since I have PT. I will let you all know how that goes.
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Feeling pretty clever right about now, I thought about putting the window fan in before air conditioner is put in but no screen so not interested in the bugs. I realized I could possibly tape one of my larger mesh laundry bags on the outside to block up entry by creepy crawlies. I did that and I am getting the cooler air coming in which is great. I will be able to have older DB do the AC later and in that extra time, should be able to clean it out some. Was sitting under a blanket so no dust from over the winter so that was good but I need to take screws out and clean whatever I can get to.
I decided on having hashbrown with breakfast so changed mind on cheese or noodles. Just some black beans, spinach, beef and once it cools will put hashbrown in the chopper with some wheat bran, goal is still a ground beef sort of texture which I enjoy. Seasonings to be determined.
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you’re making me hungry again lol. mom so glad you’re alright Mara.
I’m still waiting for results. This oncologist takes forever. He’s Japanese and very throughly efficient. I hate the wait though . hope everyone is ok today
Kitty ~ sorry it’s been pushed back. I’m also in your pocket! Hugs to all
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you're making me hungry again lol. I'm so glad you're alright Mara.
I'm still waiting for results. This oncologist takes forever. He's Japanese and very throughly efficient. I hate the wait though . hope everyone is ok today
Kitty ~ sorry it's been pushed back. I'm also in your pocket! Hugs to all!!
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I have to start listening to myself. I told myself to take the bus and walk around inside. Did I listen, of course not. Made it to the hospital but crashed when I sat. Super tired
Then got to the cancer clinic and had to sit while waiting to check in. Now, I did not lose balance which was good. Going to do the bus going home and train more. Take 10 min walks outside etc and whatever PT suggests.
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I should do more waking myself. I could build up a little stamina as well. Once all these doctors appointments are done. (2 down 3 to go) I’m going to enjoy the nicer weather more. Tomorrow I see the surgeon about my gallbladder and will find out more about what the plan is. Also, medicine doctor tomorrow! Still no results. Ugh!
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DH and I walked two laps around our neighbors property (he's got a nice trail). It was only 1/2 mile but it's rocky and up/downhill, so challenging and slow going. I definitely felt good afterwards though, loving the weather and fresh mountain air.
Not much else to report but I am in pockets with Easter candy as well.
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Not doing a lot so far, getting some dusting done, little bit of vacuuming as well. I confess that I am not the best on dusting but oh well, when someone comes, I do put an effort out. Thought about moving storage boxes but there is nowhere to move them, my apartment is tiny and believe it or not, I use all that stuff, not stuff that just sits. If my apartment is too small which my SIL wondered but I don't believe, PT trainer will tell me. I am a bit tired post Herceptin so saving some energy with marching inside. Cooling off the apartment some, warmer weather will cool down and I will get DB to put air conditioner in later.
I made pancakes yesterday and put in two eggs to the mix, I did not enjoy it at all, too much like cake and that was not what I was going for. Next time, I'll stick to basic pancakes. Not sure what my meal plan is today, I want to use up some beef, soup noodles and of course beans and cheese. I use the soup noodles fill out the meal a bit and they are cheap, rice does that as well. I also take the seasonings from the soup noodles and add to a multipurpose seasoning container. I still chop up all ingredients as that is my favourite texture. Eggs will remain in an egg sandwich, don't mind adding beef or cheese to the mix, tastes good. I can shrink a pancake to serve with whatever meal as a side or dessert.
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Scans for me today…..then in same boat as Mel -waiting for results. Good news is MO stopped Ibrance on Monday to aid blood counts for upcoming surgery. That will give me 17 days of no Ibrance b4 shoulder replacement and a nice little vacation from it during recovery. She still has me taking anastrozole.
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In your pocket for surgery and results Goldens, hope the break does allow more energy for you.
Breakfast wound up to be two scrambled eggs with sliced cheese and made in the sandwich maker, little salt and mayo as well.
I am taking it easy before PT and likely shopping trip with DB, just doing household stuff, mentally organizing things in a different way in my head. Since I have no actual storage and am not in a position to add any, I am going to buy small containers that can hold the stuff that I could put into pretty bags over my doors or even use my dryer rack on the door since I don't presently use it. I am still working to organize the closet in the living room to make room for some sort of shelving to keep a small recycle bin in, or a pantry set up with containers for food that needs to be airtight etc or put small containers of shelf stable food in the pretty bags, keep all jackets on the outside of the closet, I do not have many jackets anyway, keep the inside empty except for extra storage. I have storage behind the couch but it is not practical as I don't move the sofa enough to get to it. Thinking of adding a shelf horizontally as wel on the kitchen side. All kinds of ideas percolating in my head about how to make the space more functional and get stuff off the floor. I also use all the stuff so getting rid of it really is not an option and I ruled out having box shelves over the door as it would be a PIA to need my step ladder all the time.
I already play tetris when I want to shower as my portable washer and bucket with wash wand live in the tub, they move into the kitchen and I go to bedroom closet to pull out shower chair so I can clean up, honestly do that about three times a week a nd clean up with was cloths at the sink the other days. Tetris occurs in my kitchen as well though it seems to work well that way.
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mel, I'm hoping your appointment with the doc regarding your gallbladder goes well!
mae, that sounds like a nice walk. Do you use walking sticks or anything for balance?
goldens, hoping for good results from your scans.
mara, I hope your PT appointment goes well. When is that? I don't remember if you said.
Here's a copy of what I posted on the Ibrance thread:
My DH and I had dinner with some dear friends last night. They used to live here but moved up to Northern California a while back. Anyway, they're both MDs and he's an MO. He was asking how I'm doing and telling me about how there were so many recent advances in the treatment of MBC. One question he asked was about my HER-2 status. He said that even if it's HER-2 negative, sometimes it will be "low", but they still call it negative. There are some newer treatments, apparently, that can be used if Ibrance stops working if one is HER-2 low. I looked at my recent progress notes from the MO and it refers to the HER-2 status of the axilla biopsy as HER-2 negative (2+ by IHC, FISH negative). Then when I had the biopsy of L5, it said it was HER-2 negative (0 by IHC).
I'm going to email him my report (with my identifying info blacked out) and see what he thinks. His wife had cancer a couple of years ago and I think it really shook her up when my cancer came back as Stage IV. They have three kids from the ages of about 7 to 17. I see the fear in her when she looks at me, wondering if my fate will be hers.
Anyway, it was good to see them both. They sent the kids back to hotel and we brought them back to our house for dessert. Fun times and had a good discussion about intermittent fasting.
Off to PT this morning. Had my MRI yesterday morning. I'm hurting more today. I don't mind the actual MRI, but that table is REALLY uncomfortable! Oh well. Tylenol is my friend today.
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Yesterday at 4am I got up to use the bathroom. I looked down at the rug and bashed my forehead into the wall. After being really dizzy, I went to urgent care. One CT scan and an EKG later, I was diagnosed with vertigo. DD took off work to take me in because I was far too dizzy to drive. I'm better today, but still not going to drive, They said it could take a few days to clear up. Just call me Grace.
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Oh wren, I'm so sorry! Vertigo is horrible! I've not had it, but DH has. I hope you start feeling better soon.
Carol
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Sunshine, the appointment is today in a few minutes, got my house as clean as I felt like and we will see what it is all about today. My place feels warm so put fans on. By next week, it cools down again.
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I like the PT so far, gave me exercises that I was not using before and the nice thing is that these will be like homework since she will be able to tell if I followed them or not. She does like that I can stand without pushing with my arms, will keep that up as well, just have to do the reps twice a day and add ankle and wrist weights later. She was a very nice and bubbly sort as well, enjoyed my cat Tigger. Will still march and walk but she wants me follow to gain some shoulder strength, quad strength and so on, really good to have constructive stuff to do, I really like pillow folded between legs and then push in knees, hold for a few seconds and then slowly releasing it, feels good to me.
Another thing it taught me was that I am not focused on the correct muscles. I was focused on back muscles but when I did the sit to stand, she could tell the muscle strength was already there, just got to work on arms, shoulders, core and exercises for the front of the leg. I see her on May 4th. Done my homework today so this will get done everyday as she will be able to tell if I do not do the exercises which I love, holds me accountable.
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Mara-Sounds like you had a great PT session. Enjoy doing your "homework"!
Wren-Sorry about the vertigo. I've had it from time to time but nothing so severe. It is very scary.
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Wren~ my goodness I’m so glad you weren’t hurt more. That sounds awful. No concussion is also good. But vertigo can knock you off your feet. Please be safe when you get up and hold hand rails when you can. So glad dd was there for you. I’m sending you hugs.
Still waiting for the results. Slow slow slow. gallbladder is up to me. If I want it out he’ll take it out. If I want to wait and see if my diet helps. I can do that. He wants me to keep a food log of what I eat and keep track of my fats. Then I’ll make a decision about surgery or not. I don’t like anesthesia very much. So avoiding a surgery would be good. But over all. I’m glad I have more Information. Thanks so much for asking about it.
I’ve had breaks from ibrance. I’ve started to get used to not taking it. It just is nice when you don’t have to take chemo. My mouth is still always bothering me. I see oncologist Tuesday. I dont like that appointment either. I’m sick of tests and doctors!!!!!
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micmel— I had my gallbladder out almost 20 years ago. Laparoscopically. The surgery was easy. I went home same day. Used a pillow pressed against my tummy when sitting down or getting up (toilet included).
My piece of advice is to do what they say about walking around to get all the trapped air from the abdomen area. I missed a bubble and spent a few days in pain like someone left a knife inside. OUCH.
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Dodgers~ that scares me. The weird thing is. I had a scan 8 days ago that mentioned my gallbladder, this scan I had Tuesday doesn’t mention the gallbladder or any problems but is now mentioning diverticulitis. So I am not even sure now that it is even. My gallbladder, even though he said he would take it out. But I’f it’s not that. I think I’m going to see things and how they shake down. I’m not going to hurry. I need more fiber in my diet apparently either way. But it’s maddening that scans 8 days apart are read differently and worded way differently…. The other results came back all stable Thank goodness my disease is stable. Some good news to share
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Hey Mel was reading about your post about different reports. It may be that when you had your initial scan they just did your abdomen and now they did abdomen and pelvis? Also Ultrasound is a better way to examine gallbladder than CT. Gallbladder is in the rt upper abdomen and when diverticulitis occurs it's typically seen in the left lower quadrant of the pelvis. Anyhow just a thought here from a retired CT gal....Overall so glad things are stable for you, awesome! Fingers crossed that with dietary changes your gallbladder behaves.
Mara-Sounds like you had a good PT work with you. Glad you were able to get some good tips to work on strength
Wren- Hope you get relief from the vertigo.
Things were quiet here today had treatment yesterday and all is well. Hot one here today ,managed to get a walk in this morning for me and my pup. Gonna enjoy a cup of coffee out on my back porch before sunset. Hi to all and have a nice evening.
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Micmel, yay for stable 🎉
Sunshine, no walking stick but I do wear special shoes, I think they’re called barefoot hiking something, anyway, they are super flexible and have great tread, so I can slowly navigate rocks without sliding on loose ones.
Also, HER2 positive is 3+ (with 1+ and 2 + considered low). I don’t think anyone paid much attention to “low” until Enhertu trial info showed that many more could benefit from it. It’s really an impressive drug because it seeks out and attaches to the HER2 receptors or cells, then released the chemo within directly. I’m very HER2 + and have not had a new brain met since switching to it a year ago next month.
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I will say that one thing I have noticed is that I can definitely feel those exercises. I prioritize my homework and do what she said to do. Different muscles were engaged. My SIL was not impressed about the 3 visits and wants me to ask about specific exercises to get up when I fall but I told her that I do think these muscles will address some of that, we will see.
My silly body has decided it must stay up overnight due to the early appointment for an echo, that is fine. I usually fuss and get upset but at this point, really would not be worth getting upset about. I always either sleep very lightly and wake up often or not at all, lame but what can you do.
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Only got bone scan yesterday - CT machine broke down so that part got rescheduled.
Mel - diverticulitis can also be very painful. I seem to remember that you had to be on bland foods at one time…..
Wren - scary stuff this vertigo. Be safe!
Mara - sounds like you have a great physical therapist. Having “homework” is a good thing. What I like about PT is that you can do short sets of exercises multiple times a day.
Happy Friday sisters!
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Happy to hear your scans are stable again Mel. Happy that the cancer is quiet. Sorry for the gallbladder or diverticular issues. Seems it is always something to deal with.
Hello to all.
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Mel, I am glad you are stable, now just need to get rid of your other issues. In your pocket dancing for the results being stable and also dancing to get rid of the other stuff for you.
I did my routine echo. I surprised myself by walking all the way to the hospital. It was cooler out but still managed to sweat up a storm, Guess I just need to put up with it, better to sweat than stop sweating. The walk to the hospital was tiring but I remember a yoga breath called Bellows Breath. Take fast breaths through the nose to apparently give you more energy. I think that it did work as even though I was short on sleep and could not eat much breakfast, I did make it, no balance problems. Took the bus home but got off a couple stops early, more steps. My PT will take priority once I work up the energy but perhaps after supper, take a short walk around the block though that ranks below the PT I know. Anyway, feel like some short naps will also be in order, done my medical week until 3 weeks from now.
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I’m glad that you finally got to start PT Mara! It sounds like she’s doing some good stuff! I think that strengthening those muscles will help a lot
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I'm loving PT but am kind of embarrassed at how weak my legs are. But, hey, we have to start somewhere, right?
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