January 2018 Surgery group! Please see updated list in thread!
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Maggie2...Thinking of you as you prepare for kidney surgery. Hope all goes well with the surgery and you have a smooth recovery.
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over70, thanks for your good wishes. I am more nervous about this surgery than I was the BMX. Maybe it's too many medical procedures in such a short time.
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Good luck with your surgery Maggie!
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Good luck and speedy recovery, Maggie!
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Thanks to all for your good wishes!
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Wow Maggie you sound like you're having a year like mine. Last year in March I tore my UCL in my thumb skiing and had to have surgery and a pin put in and I was off work for 4 months. Just as I was returning to work is when they found the cancer in my breast and stage 0 cervical cancer. Then I had my ovaries out in October so I could take a different hormone pill and had the cervical stuff taken care of. Mastectomy Jan. 16th and now onto radiation, then reconstruction. But I just stay as positive as I can and take it one day at a time.
I wish you the best of luck on Wednesday and I will be praying that all goes well for you. Speedy recovery!
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Nancy, you really have had a tough year. I'm sorry to hear that. As you said though, all we can do is take it one day at a time. The well-meaning family and friends that want instant answers and action don't understand this whole BC process. This is why finding these groups here has been such a godsend to me!
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Hi Maggie, I am thinking of you too....Jude
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Jude, thank you. I hope your recovery is progressing well.
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Maggie, It doesn't sound like you've had it any easier. These groups have been great for me too. Family and friends are great support but it really helps when you can talk to others that have gone through it themselves. Stay strong and again good luck.
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16 days post Round 1 of chemo. While washing my hair this afternoon I lost a handful of hair. Based on others reports I expect to lose most of my hair within the next few days to a week. I did order a wig but it hasn't come in yet. In Miami it's very hot ,so ,for the most part , I'm going to wear a cotton scarf. I still want a wig for the theater , weddings and so on. I have stuffed foobs from Knitted Knockers. Im going to stick them in my bra tonight and go out for dinner and a play. Round 1 chemo has been free of SEs other than fatigue abd minimal chemo fog. Who knows what round 2 is going to bring?
Maggie and Nancy-I hope your year gets better. You two have been through so much.
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You rock, Jo! I found by the second and third week I felt much better and needed to go out and be in the world before the next round. The hair shedding timing is right on schedule, unfortunately.
I live in NJ and I'm now 10 weeks post chemo. I have about a half inch of hair sprouting and I'm hoping I can sport a short pixie by May. Wearing wigs all winter was okay - kept my head warm. But I don't think I'd want to wear one very often once the weather approaches Florida temperatures. I wore funky head scarves when it was warm in September (see the Wrapunzel website and videos. They also have a foundation for women with hair loss. I received several really pretty scarves, headbands and scarf bling). I'll probably wear scarves again when spring comes. Just think, once you have your round this coming week, you'll be one third through chemo! Stay positive!
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philaflash- yesterday evening was perfect. I informed all my friends I did not want to talk about cancer or anything relating to cancer. We had so much fun. I haven't drank alcohol since I had a glass of wine New Year's Eve. Last night I actually had a glass of wine with dinner. Unfortunately it tasted a little metallic but what the heck. The whole evening was normal-not the new normal just Normal. We laughed, bickered, bitched about work, flirted with bartenders, etc. The musical "The Color Purple" was beautifully performed. Enough about me.
Are you finding the herceptin and perjeta are easier to deal with than the chemo combo? Any stomach issues with H&P?10 weeks post chemo , Congratulations. Did you celebrate?
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Jo - Good for you! Herceptin and perjeta are nothing compared to chemo. A little diarrhea next day, otherwise it's a two hour rest break. Haven't really celebrated because everyday feels like a celebration. Great path report, taste is back, life is good. You'll get there.
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Maggie, Good luck with your surgery today
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Nancy, thank you! It is so kind of you to be thinking of me today. We’ll leave for the hospital in about an hour. It’s been a very long morning already. I definitely would have preferred morning surgery, rather than this 1:30 PM for today. Met with the MO yesterday. The good news is that he still is quite confident that this kidney tumor isn’t related at all to the breast cancer; just an unusual coincidence, though naturally, pathology results will have final say. The bad news, though not totally unexpected, is that I will need chemo since I’m triple negative. Oh well,one step at a time and today is surgery
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maggie- best of luck with your surgery
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I haven't been keeping up with this page, sorry to say. Been healing from my surgery and got an infection then turned out to be allergic to the antibiotic they put me on. Went to oncologist today to get my OncoDX score and surprise! fell in to the high risk category and now I will need chemo before radiation. I did not expect to need chemo. I'm just kind of stunned now.
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So sorry to hear about your infection and OncoDX, Sfrankie. Hoping treatment goes smoothly for you. Hang in there!
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philaflash-1/3 through chemo. No hair now but I feel really good. Minimal SEs, Running, working full time, hanging with my pets and going out with friends. I know it can change quickly but I'm going to enjoy it while I can. I aporeciate your advice.
How are you doing with your reconstruction? and the hormone tratments? Ready for. summertime and swimsuit? Hope you are doing great.
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Jo - Like you, I had relatively few side effects from chemo. I didn't lose my lashes and brows until about 6 weeks after my last round. The fatigue was absolutely cumulative. My last round was pretty awful. I think I slept for two weeks. Then I felt great. You'll have a good summer. I've been on arimidex for a few months with no real side effects so far.
I am so ready for summer. Three nor'easters in two weeks is no fun. My fills are progressing without any problems. I'm a now a B size. Slow and low is the way to go. Spoke with my PS today to try to schedule an early May exchange. I did lose weight on chemo and I'm fitting into bathing suits I haven't worn for awhile (one perk of the 'chemo' diet...lol). Can't wait to get rid of these expanders. My hair is now GI Jane/Sinead O'Connor; I'm hoping to rock Jamie Lee Curtis by May, with a long pixie for the summer. I hope the rest of your rounds continue to go well. Best to you and the rest of our January sisters.
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Hi, everyone
anyone here is from BC Canada?
can anyone recommend a good breast cancer surgeon in Vancouver area in Canada? My radiation oncologist and surgeon has different perspective on whether more surgery is needed. So looking to get a second opinion.
Thanks in advance
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Hi All, I realized that it’s been 10 days since my partial kidney removal. I took a break from thinking about breast cancer to focus on recovering from this surgery. There are still some things, such as getting out of bed or bending over that are a bit tricky, but overall, I’m doing very well. The good news is that the path report showed the tumor is early stage, T1a. I meet with the kidney surgeon next week to get the follow-up plan.
Thank you all for all your good wishes before the surgery. It meant so much to me!
Next week, I also meet with the MO to get refocused on the chemo plan for the BC
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Hi Maggie, Been thinking about you the past week. Glad the kidney tumor was caught early and that you are recovering well from that surgery!
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Hi Maggie, Glad to see you back. Sorry about the path report but I'm glad it was caught early. Hopefully they can treat everything at once so it's easier on you. Although nothing about this is easy about this. You've been though a lot and I'm sorry for that. However you have a good attitude and that goes a long way. Gentle hugs.
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Food has started to taste bitter and metallic. So, my solution is to Chugalug Boost drink. It tastes bad but at least if I drink it quickly I have some nutrients in my body. Do any of you have any suggestions to offset that bitter metallic taste from the chemo?
My. MO does not want me to lose any weight. Any suggestions.
Maggie- glad they caught the tumor kidney early. Recover quickly from the surgery and take care of yourself.
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Hoo boy, Jo - yup, that metallic taste really affected me, too. Good news is it does go away after chemo is done. I ate every 4 hours to maintain weight. Boost is good to supplement, but doesn't replace real food and nutrients. Are you taking a multivitamin daily? The other problem during chemo is the need for increased protein (assuming normal kidney function, always check with your MO). I was told to divide my weight in half and that's the number of grams of protein I should strive for daily. For me, that was about 75 grams. That's a lot of meat, dairy or beans - an expensive diet. Couple that with a lot of things tasting awful and you lose weight. I kept liquid supplements refrigerated because it tasted better. Heavily seasoned foods (but not too spicy) also can mask the off taste. Smaller more frequent meals made it easier. Eggs were my best friend. Fritattas and omlets were a staple, as was rotisserie chicken from the market. Shakes, too. There are lots of 'chemo' recipes on line. It really will be trial and error for you. The important thing is maintaining hydration and nutrition. At the end of chemo, you'll be surprised at how different everything tastes after a few weeks.
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philaflash-thanks for the information. I was a vegetarian up until December. Once I was diagnosed with cancer I added salmon and fresh tuna to my diet. Because my doctor warned me that with chemo I might have issues with eating beans everyday. He wanted increased protein. I like your idea of eating every few hours. I think I will attempt to do that with shakes. I lost 3 lb in 5 days. And I cannot afford to lose any weight I'm very slender. I have been taking multivitamins but I haven't been able to take them on an empty stomach. I have never liked eggs. But I will give eggs a try today. With cancer and chemo I'm willing to make whatever adjustments I need to to get through this. So I'll pick up some eggs and try some different foods today just a little bit at a time every few hours. It is a gorgeous day here today it's in the high 70s Sunny not a cloud in the sky. You guys have been getting some nasty weather. I haven't been able to run since Wednesday because I'm so weak from not having any food in my system. From reading the post I had assumed most people lost her weight because of nausea vomiting and diarrhea it never occurred to me that it was just how nasty the food would start tasting. LOL
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hi jo- during chemo I was in same boat and drank a lot of Ensure one of them is called Ensure Enlive which has more protein than the regular ones. My onc wouldn’t let me take a multivitamin during chemo so this was good. I also at eggs and was able to eat a lot of organic soups and I also ate a ton of grilled cheese sandwiches or quesadillas:
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Well today is my 1st of 30 radiation treatments. I'm just hoping that I don't get severe burns anything else I'm sure I can handle. Hope everyone else's treatments are going well. Have a good day all.
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