2017 Diagnosed-- A Place To Share "Whats Next"
Comments
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53Nancy-- regarding inflammation: before dx, I had good luck reducing pain and inflammation by taking Relief Factor which is turmeric and Omega3.
My MO told me to stop taking it because I am ER+ PR+ and turmeric acts like estrogen in the body. But I see you are TN so thought it might help you.
I have done lots of research on Turmeric and hormone positive BC and cannot find conclusive evidence to support not taking Turmeric or taking Turmeric when hormone +.
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Rhyfelwr, the holiday question is an interesting one. I am flying out to California to meet up with the hubs and drive back to Texas. We will pop in to see my parents, brother, nephews and aunt & uncle, who I have not seen since my diagnosis. It will be odd considering I was dxd Stage IV from the get go at 41 and recently discovered brain mets. I suspect there will be crying and that they probably think I’m going to die at any time but they’ll feel better once they see me, I can out run all of them (except the nephews). I do see them very rarely though (I prefer it that way), so this could be the last time.
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Sisters..Wish 2018 be a worry free and minimal drs appointment.
Dodgersgirl. Congrats!!!
Paulette wish the rest of rads be smooth.
Ocdamy. Bolus I hated it. Have you tried cold bolus? I started having pinkish freckles about half way all over zapped area. Those freckles can cover the entire area. I am 3 mo post final zap. All the freckles are gone. Another anecdote about rad induced freckle. I had a blue flat teeny freckle appearing around mastectomy scar. I am Asian w lots of freckles but blue freckle!! Yes I had to google it. Turned out blue freckle is common post rads among Asian. B9 they are.
I walked 13701 steps today. And ate my anti-inflammatory diet meal.
A couple of caveats are one I am lazy and lousy cook. Two, this routine is cumbersome that the only reason I continue is the benefit offset the work for me. There is no recipe which specify ratios. So here we go
1. Rinse multigrain rice -anti-inflammatory food.
2. Quick sautee Kale w olive oil, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Anti-inflammatory again. Kale should have a lot of crunchness even after sauteeing.
3. Cook deveined deshelved shrimp w olive oil, garlic powder and pepper. Shrimp may not be a good choice for those w high cholestrol. Sometimes I use leftover chicken breast or hams.
4. Quick Sautee carrots w the same three spices. I like carrots because of vitamin A and the color.
5. At the same time 2, 3, 4 cook multi grain rice.
6. Combine rice, kale, carrots and shrimp(or any substitute)
7. Put 6 in small containers let them cool and freeze.
8. Microwave containers whenever you are hungry. Since no salt is added when prepared, add some at this time if you like.
This is very filling. And works like a natural cleanser for GI system.
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illimae--- hope your trip is fabulous. And that your family visits go well.
Looking forward to hearing all about your trip!!
And happy early anniversary
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tlfrank just a note to say I am thinking of you. So glad you get a break from work and fingers crossed the skin issues resolve soon!
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Castingame, way to go, your steps are great!
Dodgersgirl, thank you, I appreciate it!
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Gigilala - I had hyster with ooph Oct 25 or 23rd...so far so good...well there are repercussions. I had a robotic procedure and 4 incisions total. They have all healed fine, with the exception of the belly button incision...some bleeding but nothing major. The hot flashes have been the worse side effect so far.... they were brutal for a few....Thanksgiving day came every 45min...but outside of those I feel really good and emotionally very stable...seriously the PMS before this and my short then lengthened cycles were enough to make me crazy...I just felt so tense most of the time. Any specific questions??
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RhyFewlr -
I think the holiday gatherings are stressful for so many families. I am actually not traveling this season because of all the surgeries this year - BUT I did return to work and attended a large meeting where I had not seen many people since my diagnosis in May...and that was interesting...no one really knew what to say - beyond the "oh it is great to see you!" and then it was a weird silence and then the catching the "side glance" at my chest to see what it looks like...it was strange. My family inserts humor to situations when they do not know what to say (cousins, etc). The typical response has been "you should have just gotten the boob job, you didn't have to go and get cancer." (oh the joys)
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Peacetoallcuzweneedit: thank you for your response
Iam premenopausal so my gyn told me that the side effect will be very hard that s why iam scared
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Gigilala - I was perimenopausal...I am 48...and I had night sweats and hot flashes already just from the perimenopause. The hot flashes I experience now are not the same, and most people notice when they start because I turn bright red. My gyn - onc (had hyster for cervical cancer in situ - ovaries done because of all the cancer in my family) thought I could have some severe side effects of the surgical menopause and I psyched myself out a little by reading too much but so far it is manageable. My hot flashes did not start for ~ 3wks post hyster and then I got a few and then the flood gates opened for a weekend and then it subsided. I might have an active 24hrs but then it subsides. What are you most scared of???
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Rhyrfelwr, I hope your visit with family goes well. It may be hard for them seeing you this first time and we all wish you well in this 'first' time, too. We know it will may hard for you but we are here for you when you need us. Many hugs.
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peactoallcuzweneedit: I am 39 years old
And my gyn told me that I will have bone problems
Mental issue , libido issue and the list is very long
I already have hot flashes it start with chemo
And now with tamoxifen
My oncologist wants me to remove my ovaries because I am triple positive it's like prophylactic oophorectomy
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Georgia1 - Thank you! I think I've turned the corner....finally starting to feel a little less discomfort.
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Hello!
I'm at a different stage with my breast cancer than you, but had my ovaries removed just last week as my surgeon felt the incidence of OC and BC in my family were high enough to warrant it. I won't be tested for BRCA 1/2 until April and may or may not have already had a double mastectomy by then. My next scans/biopsies for LCIS are in January.
Anyway... I'm 53 and still haven't gone through menopause. The surgery was 6 days ago and I'm still in bed for the most part because pain and dizziness. I can manage the pain with Advil and don't need any big gun drugs, but the first 2 days were hell on earth. I convinced the nurses to allow me to alternate Advil and Dolipran (paracetamol) so I could take something every 3 hours those first 2 days.
I had a nice, flat tummy before surgery and now look about 6 mo preggers. I'm told the swelling will go down in 2-3 weeks post op. I recommend digging out the maternity trousers if you still have them. Clothing is very uncomfortable. I'm living in my night gown or loose yoga pants.
It takes, so I've been told, 4-6 weeks to fully recover. At this stage I can't make it half way around the grocery store without feeling like I'll faint and being in great discomfort. Plan for having helpers and spending a lot of your time with your feet up. I wouldn't even attempt to drive a car.
As for the menopause thing... I thought it would kick in right away, but have since been informed by one of my doctors that it can take up to 2 weeks post op before it does. And when it does, it's the full package in one big hit. If you like, I can keep you updated when that happens, but it's too early yet. And you need to keep in mind that women go through menopause very differently. You are more likely to have the same symptoms as your mother or other close relatives.
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I have hysterectomy 13 years ago I still remember it was a painful few weeks. msP you shouldn’t drive for few weeks, because you can have problem step on the break. As far as the hot flashes, just as Peqce said it will be tough for awhile but it will subside in few months. However chemo brought back hot flashes for me, it went away long time ago, now I got it from time to time.
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Hi Gigilala-
I just had a prophylactic bilateral salpingo oophorectomy (sp?) because I tested positive for Brca2 gene mutation.I had it mid-November of this year. It was very easy for me. I really was in no pain afterward, and did not need much of the painkillers they prescribed. After a week or so it felt like they were never poking around in there!! My surgeon said I could not run until 4 -6 weeks after surgery, but I honestly felt like I could at 3 weeks -- maybe even before that. My surgery was laparascopic btw.
I hope this helps, and good luck to you on your oophorectomy!
Barbara
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We had my sibling family Christmas Dec 10 and my sister made a toast to which I got weepy. She said toast to Teresa, we almost lost her this year and we thank the Lord that we still have her" Was very touching....
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Teresa, how beautiful!
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Just want to wish everyone a Happy Holiday season and all the very best in 2018.
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Merry Christmas everyone!!
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To everyone...... may the days are better than the last few months.
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Joy, peace and love to all my sisters out there!
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Thanks to all for the holiday wishes!
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Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!! Thank you for being fantastic people and for all of the support this year. Here is to a great 2018!
-LoJo
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Now that I finished my RADs (last Friday) I thought I'd check in over here!! I know I've "talked" with several of you on other threads. I'm meeting early January with my MO to find out which meds I'll be taking. I'm post menopausal so we'll see what they say. Wondering if the MO does any testing prior to determining which med to prescribe.
Castigame - Loved seeing your recipe and suggestion for freezing. I'm always looking for healthy recipes. Great job on your steps too.
The cancer survivorship center at my hospital is offering a 6-month nutrition for weight-loss program for those that have finished treatment. It starts mid-January and I can't wait to go. They meet once a week and have dieticians, oncologists and others as speakers. We go on a field trip to the grocery store and also to a spice shop (should be interesting) to learn about using spices instead of fats and salt to flavor. They said we have to use the "myfitnesspal" app to log our food and exercise. I'm so excited to do this because I'm afraid of gaining weight from whatever meds I'll be taking. Have a great day everyone
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Hi there Ellyn and all. My MO discussed pros and cons of tamoxifen and the AIs with me, but the only test she ordered was a bone scan. As expected I have osteoporosis even after three years of Fosomax, so it will be tamoxifen for me, at least for the first year.
Here's wishing everyone a new year that is better than stupid old 2017!
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Hi ladies, I have been almost 7 weeks post chemo my nasal hair is back, however my nose is still dripping, do you still have that problem?
I’m almost half through my radiation so happy I’m reaching to the end of the tunnel. Next I will checking with all of you on Hormonal Therapy.
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paulettek-- my nose has started dripping again. I attributed it to the cold. I know where you live doesn't get bone-chilling cold so maybe that's not the issue?
Hope you are doing well with your rads. You about halfway finished now?
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illimae-- LOVE the writings about your trip and LOVE all the photos!
Mojo potatoes looked delicious. Sights in SF were great. I hadn't thought about eucalyptus trees in years. Your post about SD brought back memories of the eucalyptus trees in my back yard growing up. We used to pretend there was a koala living in the trees.
I am enjoying your trip and wanted to thank you for sharing. I visited LA last year, SD in 2010, but haven't been back to SF in years. My DH and I are thinking about a trip to Napa Valley and SF in 2019-- if possible
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time for a quick rant.... we had our first snow of the season recently. Now I am ready to move to a warmer client.
Snowed around Christmas and then got bitter cold. Knowing it was going to be cold for many days, I went outside to shovel off the sidewalks before the really cold air moved in. I used to like shoveling snow but between the effects on the body from chemo, surgery, rads, and cording from surgery I was not thrilled being out in the cold for an hour working on clearing sidewalks. Normally, DH would be out with the snow blower, clearing sidewalks (we have about 300' of sidewalk to clear) and I would clear off steps, back patio, driveway where needed and as a team we did pretty good. But we found out on Dec 14th from his cardiologist that he can't ever use a snowblower again and isn't supposed to do any work outside if temp is below 40. (Snowblower is too hard on them graft from open heart surgery). So it is up to me now to clear the snow and ice all winter --- sigh
Of course, the forecast for the first week in January is a chance of snow each day. Looks like I picked up a part time winter job. Maybe on the positive side I can find shoveling a good exercise to break the cords from surgery?
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