Starting Radiation October 2019
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Good morning, Ladies. No new problems with mamo and no new problems with bone scan. Still osteopenia in my hips. I am heading out to go junking and lunch with a friend.
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Petite1 - Yay! We like when there aren't any new problems! I have osteopenia in my hips too which is why my MO is suggesting the Prolia shots. I haven't talked to her in person about it and I already have a bunch of questions but right now, I'm just trying to do some reading about it. It doesn't sound terrible but I'm not sold on it yet. Have they talked to you about doing something about the osteopenia?
TeriJ - From what I have been reading, the more risk to the jaw is from the infusion drugs and more intense version of the Prolia shot. Have you seen any patients on those drugs and if so, have they had any problems?
Kamboka - I never had chemo and I had asked my old MO about getting a baseline bone density test before starting the Arimidex but she said no. She wanted me to wait after being on the Arimidex for 6 months before the test. She never explained why and finally compromised and said she would have me do it after 2 months. She then disappeared before I could get it done but I only had to wait another 2 to 3 weeks longer. But now I don't know how much the drug has effected my bones or what was there already. I have heard the deterioration of the bones can happen pretty quick.
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TeriJ: Thanks for the explanation about the mouth/teeth bones and the meds. Mocame is the one that might start that medication. I won't know until I can persuade my MO to do my bone scan again. She says every two years and I'm pushing for every year.
You only have three more days to go. Sounds like you still have some energy since you are able to play tennis. I was lucky and had no rads fatigue. I was having PT/OT for lymphedema prevention before starting rads so I continued iwth my twice daily stretches. That really helped.
I had my dertmatology exam today. I have some new moles on my affected breast. He said they were normal. I thought I had my vag ultrasound today. I showed up at the center and they couldn't find my appointment. Well, I had the wrong day. It will be tomorrow. I'm still waiting on the pap. After the mammo, which I hope is sooner rather than later, I'll feel better that everything is okay.
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Kamboka - You are talking about the bone density scan? Have you checked what the cost of it is if you pay out of pocket? On a Prolia thread a couple people said they got their scan for $100 - $150 because insurance wouldn't pay for another one. Just a thought. I hope your ultrasound goes well.
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Good morning, ladies. All the labs are in and only 2 slightly out of range. TSH - in my case to be expected and the bad cholesterol. That surprised me, must be too much Holiday eating and I was eating the same foods when my husband was on Keto. Looks like lots of chicken for me.
kamboka, I am glad the derm visit went well. Good luck with the ultrasound.
mocame, No one, PCP or MO has said anything, but the results just came in. I take enough meds and not in a hurry to add any more.
TerJ, you are nearly completed and you can ring the bell. Ringing the bell is a good feeling.
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petite1: Is your high cholesterol d/t the AI? I know they tend to elevate.
mocame: I just might check into the bone scan if I can't convince them later in the year. I use Direct Lab and ordered myself a estrogen and progesterone test. The results came back normal for both. My estrogen was less than 15. The norm for a menopausal woman is anything less than 30. If my side effects get worse, I might start taking the pill every other day and keep a check on the estrogen number. It's a shame that my doctor won't order these tests.
I had my vag ultrasound today. It was actually more painful than the last time I had one over 10 years ago. I know she found several fibroids, but of course, they will never tell you anything. When she found out I was in the medical field she asked the doctor if she could share but he said 'no'. I'll have to wait for my Gyn NP to get back to me. So now, I'm waiting on pap smear and ultrasound results.
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Good morning. I am not sure what caused the Cholesterol issue.
Kamboka, I hope you don't have to wait very long for the results.
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I got the call today from my gyn NP. She said I had three fibroids that looked normal. There was abnormal thickening of the lining of the uterus and she suggests a biopsy. I will get that done in April. I'm not too worried so not bothered by having to wait til April. My pap has still not come back yet.
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Hello! It sounds like several of you have had some good news lately! That’s good to hear!
I get to ring the bell tomorrow! I’m looking forward to no more treatments!
Mocame: I have many patients who are on Prolia and none of them have Experienced dental problems because of it. We continue to recommend regular 3 to 6 mos maintenance visits to keep a close eye on their teeth and periodontal health.
Have a nice weekend ladies!
Teri
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Kamboka - Great news that the fibroid are normal. Let us know how everything goes in April.
TeriJ - Yay! You get to ring the bell! So happy for you! It is such a relief when those are over. Thank you for that information on Prolia. The dental problems seems to be the only issue women have with it. I had an implant put in a year ago so dental work is a concern for me because that situation came up quickly.
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TeriJ, That is wonderful. YAY
Kamboka, Great news on the fibroids!
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TeriJ: Congrats on finishing today!!! Celebrate this weekend since you deserve it.
Speaking of dental work, I was flossing and brushing 4-5 times a day during chemo and still developed some cavities. I was also in the process of getting an implant from 11/18. I had to stop everything. I went this past December to have the post put in but because I don't live in the city with the dentist was to wait till the end of this month to get the tooth put on. Of course, the screw came out in January and I'm worried that either it broke or my bone weakened and the screw fell out. I'll see next week. I'm so tired of chewing on one side.
I got my ultrasound report today and the impression was either endometrial hyperplasia, endometrial polyp or endometrial cancer. Apparently the normal lining of the uterus for post menopausal women is less than 5 mm. Mine is 9 mm. I guess I'll see in April. Still waiting on the pap.
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Good morning. My back is not hurting. I slept good and no hot flashes. I hope it continues.
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Kamboka: I'm sorry to hear about your implant. It's such a long process anyway and then throw all of the other wrenches in it and that drags it out even longer. I hope they can get a new implant post to secure itself into the bone. Don't give up. Keep up the great homecare, it will pay off.
Petite: great news! Nothing like getting a good nights sleep AND waking up feeling good!
We celebrated yesterday and had a nice time. my chest itches soooo bad. I'm not even going to bother to see how much hydrocortisone cream or lidocaine I can use because I'm applying it as needed which is very frequently. gawd, I hope this subsides soon!
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TeriJ - I'm so sorry it is so itchy! It will get better but I know it's annoying! I'm glad you got to celebrate the end of your radiation treatment. Are you done with any form of treatment, are they going to have you go on medications, or anything else?
Petite1 - Sleep, no pain, no hot flashes = Great day!
Kamboka - I'm so sorry about your implant. Hopefully it's nothing that needs major work. I'm hoping it's not cancer and it's something else. What do they do to determine that? It's frustrating that you have to wait until April.
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petite1: What did you do to sleep so good? I wake up every day with back pain. Besides getting up 4-5 times a night to go to the bathroom. I'm on my 8th mattress in a year.
mocame: I am hoping the NP can try to do the biopsy earlier than mid April. I have a feeling that they will need to put me to sleep to be able to do the biopsy. I had cervical stenosis 14 years ago and I'm sure it's worse since I've never had children.
TeriJ: Sorry about the itching. Besides the cortisone have you tried calamine lotion, aloe vera or an oatmeal paste? It won't hurt to try.
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Kamboka, Are you diabetic? One of the symptoms is frequent urination at night. On the Arimidex thread a lady said she took Claritin to relieve SE's. I have used it for 2 days and the SE's seem better. Coincidence?
TeriJ, the rash gets a little worse before it gets better. Hang in there.
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petite1: I'm not diabetic and I've had the frequent bathroom runs for at least 30 years. I don't know what it would feel like to sleep longer than four hours in a row.
I used Claritin when I was getting the Neulasta shots and it helped. I think the turmeric has helped my joint stiffness. It was so bad in January, I was about ready to give up letrozole. After starting the turmeric, It improved greatly.
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Kamboka... from what I've heard about uterine biopsies... you may well need something to help you get thru it. You might want to talk with someone in your doc's office before the day of the biopsy. I hope things go well for you. Let us know.
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Good morning. I think I will add the turmeric to my supplements. If it helps my joints, I will try it.
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thisiknow: I am a baby when it comes to pain. I barely can get through a tooth cleaning. I'm trying to find another GYN who can see me earlier. I really think they might have to put me to sleep since I know there will be scar tissue. I'll see in a few days if the physician I emailed will send me a referral name.
petite1: Let me know how you do with the turmeric. I bought a brand called 'Nuvana" from Amazon. It also has ginger in it. They say to take three capsules a day. I only take two a day.
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Happy Monday! Thanks for the turmeric suggestion. My next step is AI med likely Letrozole. I’m curious if adding it in its natural form is as effective as taking capsules. I’m not very good at taking meds or supplements, but where there’s a will there’s a way.
Petite: thank you for the honest info. I have heard the symptoms worsen after rads before they get better. I’m finding that ice packs at night do help a lot better than the meds.
Kamboka: I’ll be sending positive vibes and prayers your way for your biopsy. I’m sorry you have to deal with that.
...heading to freezer to get another ice pack. Ice
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TeriJ - I hope your radiation side effects go away quickly!
Kamboka - I hope you can get in with a gyno soon and some answers sooner rather than later. Praying that your biopsy will go well.
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Good morning, Ladies. I started taking turmeric last night. I will see what happens.
Kamboka, I am praying all goes well for you. Too bad the GYN isn't giving you a little more information on what to expect.
TeriJ, Keep it moisturized.
mocambe, how are you doing?
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TeriJ and petite1: I really hope you have success with the turmeric. I read that getting it through foods is not enough so the supplements are recommended. I guess there would be no way of eating the amount needed.
I hope the skin itching and burning gets better soon. Each day is closer to it resolving.
My second opinion MO gave the a referral to a GyN at her hospital. (If I had to have surgery, I'd go there as my hospital for my two week hospitalization last year was awful.). I will see the Gyn for a consult on 3/12 and then the doctor will let me know if she can do the biopsy in the office or not. I'm not having any bleeding so I'm very hopeful that it's just simple hyperplasia.
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Kamboka - Praying that it's just hyperplasia. Keep us up-to-date on how your appt goes.
All of you will have to let me know if the turmeric is working for you. I just started with some achiness last week. Each day is a little different but I didn't exercise on Saturday and Saturday during the day and Sunday morning was the worst so far. I then went for a walk since we had some nice warm weather and I didn't have any achiness after that. Today, I'm feeling a little bit in my hands and in my hips when I was sitting too long at work. I try and keep moving as much as possible even though I have a desk job.
For those of us who have been done with radiation, is your skin still tan or did it fade completely away by now? I'm still tan and it hasn't changed a lot over the past couple of months. I do keep my regular suntans pretty long. I still can see slight tan lines from our family beach trip that was in July. I didn't know if this is normal or if I will keep my tan forever. My BS said that the way it looks at a year is the way it will stay.
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mocame: I still have the tan. I do notice that my breast has 'uplifted' and the skin got tighter--or feels thicker--if that makes sense. I still do the moisturizer oil every day. My exercise only consists of walking back and forth to work. My major stiffness in December and January was sitting longer than 15 minutes and getting up in the middle of the night. I still get stiff but it's after much longer and I'm not as stiff since I started turmeric. I hope yours doesn't get any worse.
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mocame, I still have a light tan and the skin still feels different. I use the aquaphor everyday.
Kamboka, keep us posted. I pray it will be OK.
TeriJ, Is it slowly getting better?
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My MO was not able to schedule my mammogram early. I'll do it the same day that I see the breast surgeon--3/30. Last night I had a dream that I had a huge mass in the unaffected breast. Gosh, I hope that is not prophetic. I've got a busy March: mammo, breast surgeon, dental crown, upper endoscopy, and Gyn consult.
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Kamboka - You are going to have a very busy March! I wouldn't worry about your dream. It's probably just your feelings coming out regarding not getting your mammogram earlier.
I met with my BS yesterday to look at my biopsy incisions. There is a stitch still sticking out of the smallest incision. She didn't want to cut it because if she cut it too soon, the incision could open up due to the radiated skin. The incision is small, not even a 1/4 inch long. I will have to wait at least a couple more weeks until I could have it cut. It was a little discouraging because I will need surgery to exchange the ruptured implant with a new one and it may take a long time to heal due to my radiated skin.
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