2017 Diagnosed-- A Place To Share "Whats Next"
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Congrats DodgersGirl. I wish us all many more anniversaries to come.
Almost there moth! Great news on the biopsy.Praying for a quick last few weeks of your active treatment
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Hello everyone!! I haven't been here for a while. But I wanted to share my celebration. Today is the one year anniversary of my BMX!! What a difference a year has made!!
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Oceanbum—- Following right behund you. Had my surgery on the 11th. So next Tuesday will be my one year mark.
DH went to ER last weekend due to really high heart rates which calmed down in ER. He has a stress test Monday. Hoping all is still ok with his heart.
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I’m following you both. My one year is Sept. 15. What a trio we make
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TaRenee— nice to share these milestones!!
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Yes it is!! I'm glad to find 2 who are right there with me!! I hope you are both doing well!! Hugs to you both!!
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I haven’t been on this thread for awhile - I tend to hang on the TN thread!
We just returned from Glacier National Park - it was beautiful and humbling. I rarely thought of cancer, I felt 100% and I immersed myself in the experience and my family like never before.
I still have my bad days, but for the most part I just try to enjoy every single day. I still cry sometimes, alone in the shower, and have a pity party, but I think that is okay.
I’ve alway appreciated and valued my life and the people in it, but now I take absolutely nothing for granted and I put nothing off .
It’s really good to be alive.
I hope you all are on the peak more than in the valley - nice to read that we are moving forward. Nice to know we can come here for support
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VL22– so nice to hear from you! Your vacation sounds wonderful.. and that photo is breathtaking... thanks for sharing!
Love your attitude. I sure find I “don’t sweat the small stuff “ any longer and I make sure to take note of every day pleasures in life.... all while always keeping an eye out for signs/symptoms of a recurrence... will be glad as those thoughts lessen with time
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yes, the photo above is amazing.
Just wanted to get other's perspective on living half done. I am living half done. Permanent implant exchanged Dec '18, still so uncomfortable and no way am I adding another uncomfortable implant to the other breast or making a fake nipple on top of uncomfortable implant. Greatful to be cancer free
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Hello, all. I haven't posted on any threads in a while because I really don't know where I belong, but I still read everyone's posts here.
I've been continuing on Herceptin/Perjeta and the recent CT of neck and chest showed a slight response in the supraclavicular nodes -- except one, which is bigger. Ugh. The MO said this is unusual though, that there is improvement in all but one. And there is inflammation in my lung. The MO said the bigger node and the area in my lung might be swelling from radiation. Pneumocitis. I can't believe how long it has taken to recover from radiation. It's been ten weeks. The skin on my neck just like two days ago finally started improving.
MO scheduled another CT of neck and chest in about five weeks to check progress. If they are not improved he wants to move on to another treatment. Yikes.
Trying to let it all sink in. The endless cycle of tests, appointments to find out about the test results, wait a few weeks and repeat is wearing me down.
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DazzlingEagle— I think of you often. Always hoping you are doing well.
Please know you can post here always. You belong here, if you like.
I am hoping your MO is correct about the swelling being a SE of radiation. Encouraging that all the other nodes are responding to your current TX!
Understand the feeling of being worn out. Hope you can find something that gives you joy that you can get into your days.
Please let us know how the CT in 5 weeks goes. Hoping you get great news.
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Dazzling Eagle, so good to hear from you. I am sorry you are on such a long, torturous journey and you are in my thoughts. Echoing DodgersGirl, I hope you can find a way to rest up and restore yourself. I only had a sore throat last weekend (ok, I had a bursitis flare-up and tinnitus as well) and I canceled ALL of my plans, got some Chinese take-out and wine, and read books all weekend. It really helped.
AliceKo, there is a thread here somewhere called "living half flat," and the ladies there should be able to share their experiences with you.
And best wishes to all of you. Hurricane Florence is really dampening spirits here on the East Coast but one day the sun WILL come out.
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Hello everyone
Coming here to just sigh and share so I can get this sinking feeling out of my system.
I had a dermatologist appointment last week. I had doc look at a spot that she froze 6 months ago. I wasn’t liking how it was looking. It was a really small red spot that itched a lot. After having it frozen, it just seemed to grow back as it had been.
I showed her the spot. She said it wasn’t anything but since it was concerning me, she would remove it and biopsy the skin.
Today was the call from the dermatologist office with the results: Bowen’s Syndrome which is EARLY in-situ squamous cell carcinoma. Nothing further to be done at this time. Return in 3 months for a checkup
Now, I expect to have skin cancers as I grow older after growing up in So Calif and was always in the sun but this spot had been looked at by 3 different medical people and dismissed. So was really expecting this biopsy to be nothing. It’s deflating to get that biopsy phone call — skin cancer.
I am sure tomorrow I will be more rational and realize it WAS skin cancer and now it is gone. But today I am going thru the emotional side of hearing that awful C word again.
Thanks for listening. It will be ok to
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Dodgersgirl
I just wanted to reach out with a virtual hug. I think your feeling about your situation is understandable. An hour ago, I had a consult for my upcoming colonoscopy and was really stressed out...more than I thought I would be. I had no special reason to get breast cancer so now I think anything is possible! I see my ENT about my thyroid tomorrow and I am stressed about that too! I am trying to tell myself that if they find sonwthing then at least it will be early stage likely...which matters. Hoping for the best for you...
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Ugh, DodgersGirl. Hearing "cancer" again in any context is horrible now, isn't it? I'm so sorry you are going through that. But as a skin cancer survivor myself, the terrific news is that it's gone and no follow-ups are required. Hope you find a way to treat yourself to something and mentally "move on" real soon. {{HUGS}}
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Scrafgal- thanks for the hug! Best wishes for your ENT appointment tomorrow. And good luck with colonoscopy. I had one in July where tiny polyps were found but non-cancerous. Phew.
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Georgia1–. You are so right.... cancer spot is gone, move on!
Wednesday is my next MO checkup. Planning on a nice lunch after that appointment.
Thanks for the encouraging words. I expect to wake up tomorrow ready to move forward. Sucks getting those cancer phone calls while at work.
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Thanks Dodgersgirl. I am hoping for non eventful medical appointments from now on!
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I have not checked in for awhile either but dodgergirl I was happy to see your posts. I had 2 spots with basal cell on my leg and my right breast. I had it biopsied and had the plastic surgeon remove it with my bilateral mastectomy. It was high up on my chest and call me crazy but didn't want a scar. I just have to laugh at that now...worried about THAT scar and not the large scars and not having reconstruction.😜 I hope you just have to wear sunscreen for ever.😋
I have been struggling with nerve pain still. I had a nerve block last month from my pain management Dr and think it is helping somewhat. Any thing to not have to take pain pills. But seriously anyone having a hard time getting meds since all this opioid epidemic? It makes me nuts after we have been through all this stuff that I feel like I have to jump hoops to get a couple of Norco in case the pain gets bad.
Send all healing light and hugs 💓
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Lisap62–. Sorry to hear about the nerve pain. Where does it hurt? Have you tried anything for inflammation? Wondering is inflammation was reduced, the lack of swelling would help the nerve pain in addition to your current treatments??
I still have pain where the band of my bra sets making it painful to wear a bra all day. MO and BS said it gets better with time. I don’t know if it’s nerve pain or something else.
Nice to hear from you. Keeps us posted as to how you are doing. And what you find that works
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Hello, everyone; it has been a very long time since I have checked in with you. It has been a very busy summer with lots of coming and going, and computer breakdowns to add to the mix. I hope that all is well with you and say welcome to new visitors to this forum. All is well here; as of August 18, I am still NED for cancer; my tumor markers were back up to where they were in April, though they were down a bit in June after repeat scans. So, though they were back to April values, the MO has decided that maybe that is "my normal". We will see what happens when the next scans are done in mid-November; interestingly, I will get those results exactly one year to the day after I started radiation therapy. Though I consider that my cancer "was gone" as of my lumpectomy date in July 2017, the MO goes with October 30 as the "anniversary" as that is the first time she saw me.
We have had LOTS of damp weather and cold temperatures (at 2C with a "real feel" of -4C here today), which is so unusual for September here and, after a very dry summer where the farmers were mourning the lack of rain for their crops, now they are frustrated with all the rain over the last two weeks which is hindering them from getting their crops off. Unfortunately, there is nothing they can do about it.
Will let this do for now, and will be back soon; must do some reading to catch up with you. Have a great Fall. Hugs!!!
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I haven’t been on in awhile too. Think if you all a lot. My support group that is always with me. Dazzling Eagle thinking of you and sending hugs. Dodger’s Girl I am glad they were able to remove the skin cancer. Nancy my weather is the exact opposite hot and raining. I can’t wait for the cool weather. I have been busy back at school and short weekend camping trips. I have now exhausted all three aromatase inhibitors and currently trying to get my insurance Cigna to pay for Faslodex. I have been battling tendinitis in my right Achilles, left knee, right shoulder for the past year. Constant pain, cortisone shots and physical therapy. I switched to a new orthopedic doctor and he said it is the aromatase inhibitor and as long as I am on it I will be dealing with bone/jointpain. My oncologist agreed. Had a not so positive discussion about my pathology and recurrence. LisaP my oncologist said at this point she would have offered me a pain med but now she can’t. So my fingers are crossed my insurance will pay. VL22 that is a breathtaking picture. Thank you for sharing.0
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I had my 3 month MO check up this week. I am still on a clinical trial for Afinitor (unknown if I am on the placebo arm or real chemo pill). I have to keep a daily diary noting side effects. One SE is a dry cough. 20% if people taking Afinitor get pneumonitis. MO ordered chest x-rays to see if that was what’s going on. If so, I would be taken off the trial. Of course, being a BC patient, I worried about something more sinister. Sigh. Just checked my patient portal and test results are there. Chest x-ray CLEAR and blood work all normal. Whoop Whoop!
Annbee— Hello! Think about you often, especially as school starts again. Hoping CIGNA agrees to pay for Faslodex and that it lessens the pain.
53NANCY— congrats on still being NED. I am envious of how thorough your med team seems to be to stay on top of your health. I just get routine blood work every 3 months. Your cool weather sounds wonderful. It felt like 105 this week. Of course, when it’s cold and snowy, I will miss even that high heat. Just no pleasing us!!
Reference pain meds- I have never really had good results on stopping pain with drugs. Thinking I should investigate medical marijuana, so I would know how to get a card to try it. Never smoked anything and not interested in starting but maybe those drops under my tongue would be helpful??
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dodger’s girl congrats on a clear X-ray and normal bloodwork. I had my 3 month check up this week too. Love being able to access the test results online. I have never had luck with pain meds. When she said that she would offer it if she could I said no worries I don’t have much luck with them. I am glad you are doing well on the trial.0
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group is quiet. Hope that means we are all doing well and getting on with our lives!!
One year ago today, I started radiation therapy. Daily visits to the Cancer Center. Sure don’t miss that.
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I continue to check the boards daily, but haven't weighed in lately. I finished rads a year ago last Tuesday, and we're celebrating with a week in Bonita Springs FL, which is where we headed three days after I finished treatment. I have been amazed at what a difference a year makes: the range of motion in my arm, the 'kick' that's back in my step during my daily 4+ mile walks, the joy of sitting in the sun, and the energy and strength I have recovered. Still working through some tightness in my armpit, but the concave areas from surgery have mostly filled in - and I realized the other day that I can press on my rib cage, and it's no longer sore to the touch. Looking back, I wish I had known how long some of this takes to resolve, and still have hope that the remaining neuropathy in my toes dissipates - but SOOOO much to be grateful for - Life is good. Hope everyone is doing well, and that the quiet we 'hear' means we're all getting on with our lives. That said, I still need a daily touchstone, and these boards have been a lifeline.
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Hello to everyone! October 10 was my one-year anniversary of surgery, and I'm doing well. So glad you are too!
DodgersGirl, thanks again for enduring that clinical trial - either way you are helping our daughters and grand daugthers and I appreciate you "paying it forward."
Thinking good thoughts for Dazzling Eagle and all.
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Hello everyone! Just checking in. I had a colonoscopy Oct 4th. All was good!! Yay!! Just wanted to share my good news!!
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Just got my 3D nipple tattoo....colonoscopy scheduled for Nov 12...probably switching from Tamoxifen to an aromatase inhibitor at the of of the year...
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