Starting Radiation October 2019
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I've been teleworking for two weeks. However, my work load has gone up since we deal indirectly with COVID. I wish I had my two large computer screens from the office. It's hard trying to work on a little laptop when I have so many windows open. I said to my brother today that I've been having to socialize more since the lockdown. I am an introvert so it's not too hard for me to be alone. Many of my colleagues and friends are not that way. I am constantly answering texts, emails, calls, gchats. I'm worn out and want a technology shutdown.
mocame: I know you have to be especially careful since you work in the retirement center. I hope you can stay healthy. Glad that you sound to be doing okay with the surgery. I am keeping my finger crossed that I don't cough on Monday. They will surely turn me away. I have a constant cough d/t a BP med that I use. Nowadays, they won't ask me any questions, just turn me away.
petite1: At least you are getting out to walk and exercise. I seem to only leave the house 2-3 times a week to go to the pharmacy. I miss my walking back and forth to work everyday. So far, the diet is okay but I am craving some ice cream.
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Good morning, ladies. My walking distance has increased, but so has my snacking and wine consumption. LOL
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Hope everybody is coping as well as possible.
I spent five hours today at the mammogram center. They did the mammogram then an ultrasound and finally a biopsy of the lump in my affected breast. We think it's probably just fat necrosis but they wanted to be sure. They did say that I didn't have any lumps in the unaffected breast. That was good news.
Five hours of wearing that mask was a little much. They said they were only seeing a few patients with issues and not doing routine scans. Only three other ladies were in the waiting room and everyone had masks on. The technicians were obsessed with cleaning everything--machine, door handles, beds, etc. That was good to see. Both my Uber drivers also had masks on.
I'll just hope they don't take four weeks this time to get a report back.
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Kamboka - Yay! You got through your mammogram appointment! I hope your results come back quickly and everything is fine. I know the waiting game feeling! Do you take Lisinopril for your BP? The reason I ask that is because I took that medication about 4 years ago and after taking it for a month, developed a cough that I couldn't get rid of. I found out from a friend who was a nurse that it is a very common SE of that medication. I had to go off of it because the cough got so bad that I couldn't catch my breath when it happened. It's now one of the many medications on my allergy list. Keep us posted when you get the biopsy results.
Petite1 - I know a lot of people are bored and tired of staying home. I also have seen so many more people out walking and running than normal. I'm glad you are increasing your walking distance...That makes the increased eating and wine consumption okay! LOL! I've actually been enjoying my time stuck at home on the weekends. I haven't actually gotten much done but I've relaxed more, watched tv (which I rarely do), and have gotten more sleep. For a person who doesn't sleep well, I slept for about 10 1/2 hours on Friday night! It felt so good!
Have a great evening!
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mocame: I take Benazopril and ,yes, it causes the cough. I laughed and told my brother that I would have to keep running to the bathroom if I had to cough. Well, I did have to run there twice so they couldn't hear me cough. I think the hot mask made the cough reflex worse. Thankfully, I made it through.
Oh man, I'm so envious of you getting 10 hours of sleep. I still wake up every 2 hours and can't even imagine what it would feel like to sleep even five hours in a row.
During this stressful time, I guess our habits of eating junk and drinking wine, could be worse!
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Good morning, ladies.
Kamboka, I am so glad you got the mammogram over. Hopefully you won't have to wait forever for the results.
mocame, I went in the pool. It was up to 74 degrees. (I like bathtub water better.) Anyway, I did laps and exercises. I enjoyed the change of routine.
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Good news for me! the pathology came back negative. They said it was just fat necrosis. That's a relief. Now, to start worrying about getting my endometrial biopsy one of these days.
I've talked to four colleagues this week. All are sick. One has 'cold', another increased BP, another has GI problems and another had panic attacks. It's just two weeks and we are all still working so not worried about losing our jobs. Can you imagine those that don't know where there next paycheck is coming from?
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Kamboka, That is good news.
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My best friend just called to say that her mom who is about 60 tested positive for coronavirus. Her mom is the caretaker for her 89 yo grandmother. They are in New Orleans. She doesn't live there so is understandably upset. I'm praying that grandma doesn't have it but that will create another problem of who can take her of her. What a crazy time.
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Kamboka, I am sorry for your friend. It sounds like a very difficult situation.
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I hope all are doing okay. I'm just happy to have my job now and can't imagine how stressed I would be with no income.
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Good morning. I had to go down to St. Petersburg to sign a closing paper that had to be notarized. The woman was very careful. I used my own pen, wipes and hand sanitizer. It took about 1 minute and I never left my car. Then drove the long drive back, but half the traffic I usually encounter.
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When I signed in at the breast center on Monday, the receptionist had me pick a pen out of a new box and then I was told to keep the pen. Many creative ways to try to limit touch. I don't have a car but can image the roads are nice now. One positive side effect of COVID is that there are very few traffic accidents. I think every year we lose about 30K people from accidents. Think of how many people are saved just from that during this six weeks of shut down.
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Kamboka, so true
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mocame and petite1: How are you guys making it?
I went for a walk around a few blocks on Sunday and it felt good to get out.
Today my BS called me to see if I had gotten my pathology report. I was scheduled to see her in May but she said to cancel and reschedule for six months from now. She said I'd have to redo the mammogram at that time. I see my MO in June so that works out well.
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Good morning, Kamboka. I am doing OK. The closing on my mom's estate fell through, for the 2nd time. Just heard from the realtor. It is back on with an extension for 2 weeks. Crossing my fingers.
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petite1: I guess this is a rocky time for some people to make commitments. I hope the right buyer comes through soon. I thought about buying a condo (actually been thinking for the last two years) but with everyone on lock down, I can't go looking.
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Hello! Sorry I haven't been around for awhile. It's been busy and I never seem to get everything done that I want to. It seems that everyone is having appointments canceled and rescheduled due to the virus. Starting on Monday, I was having some pain, soreness and pink skin showing up around one of my incisions. I wasn't sure if I just irritated it or if an infection was starting. My other incisions are fine. I called my gyno surgeon and the nurse said to just watch it for a little while. My surgeon then called and told me what I can do and said that I can upload a picture of the incision for them to look at if it didn't get better. I guess that's what our doctor's visits are now coming down to right now...picture or video visits. I asked the nurse when I can start exercising since it's been 3 weeks since my surgery. She said I can only start exercising after my post-op appointment. That appointment was supposed to be on 4/6 but got rescheduled for May! Ugh! She said I still can only go on gentle walks around the block.
Work is busy and still changing due to the virus. We all have masks and have to wear them at all times except when we are in our offices and individual hall. Still getting our temperature checked, questions asked, etc. They are trying to keep morale up for the employees and are having something special for the employees twice a week. That is nice. We are all doing our best and so far we have no positive cases here. Praying it stays that way.
Petite1 - I'm so sorry you can't settle your mom's estate. That is so frustrating. I hope you can get it done soon.
Kamboka - I'm hoping everything settles down so you can get your June appointment in. I feel bad for realtors and the whole real estate market right now. I know people trying to buy a house and people trying to sell their houses but nothing can happen right now.
Hoping everyone has a great end to their week and a wonderful Easter holiday!
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mocame, Good to hear from you. Stay safe and don't over do.
Kaboka, The housing prices are probably going down. After things get back to some what normal, you can probably get a very good deal.
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mocame: Good to hear from you. I'm assuming that the photo you sent wasn't alarming to the doctor. Hopefully it's not a major issue. It's so weird that they can't just give you the go ahead to exercise since the appointment has been drug out another month. Glad to hear that all the employees are safe and doing well. I think I will be happy to wear a mask if I could go to the office for a few hours a day. Although, I get claustrophobia and hot flashes with the masks.
petite1: I think you are correct about the housing market. I need to keep looking online and narrow down where I want to be. I also realized that if I buy a condo, I will need a car! I bought one in 2016 but since I lived overseas, my mom has been using it. It's her car now. Also, she told me last weekend that mice have been getting in the car. I hate mice/rats!!! Now, I'm scared to drive it. If I feel anything on my feet or legs while driving, I will surely have an accident. Another reason for me to buy a new car soon.
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Good morning, ladies. Hope all is well. If it doesn't get cancelled I have an appointment with my MO next week.
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petite1: Hope it doesn't get cancelled. I wished more offices would start to 'safely' open. I can't help but imagine that so many people with other medical problems are being neglected. We'll see a spike to illness and deaths because of this. This week I have a video call with my nutritionist. I was doing good with losing some weight but then I ordered a pizza today. I will retain fluids for several days, I know. But, it tasted great and was somehting different.
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Happy Easter. I plan to cook ham and will call family members this evening.
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Happy Easter!!
A typical southern Easter dinner would be ham and chicken and dressing. I had none of that. Can't wait to get the restaurants open or getting to my families' houses in the south soon.
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Kamboka, It was just Jim & I and the cats. I ate too much. I will have to take a longer walk and more exercise today.
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mocambe, Kamboka, are you all still around?
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Hi petite1: I'm still hear. Just working from home. Everyday runs into the next. Thankfully, no medical problems. I do have a constant cough that is caused by one of my blood pressure meds. I decided to stop it this week since if I go out in public coughing, they might arrest me.
Are you doing okay?Mocame: I hope you are not over working and that you are still feeling okay from your surgery.
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Kamboka, I am a little down in the dumps. I have lymphedema in my breast. Plus, I have gained my weight back to pre-cancer size. (I guess that's OK, if it's not related to the big boob) So I have been checking the lymphedema blogs. It was strange to go to the cancer center after all the time at home. You are right, the days run together. I was surprised at all the people out and about. Traffic was heavy. The gas stations and convenience stores packed.
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petite1: Sorry to hear about the lymphedema. What are the effects of the lymphedema? I really always have dreaded the long term effects of cancer. So far, I don't have lymphedema but I do have the nerve damage to my feet. Everyday is a reminder that I had chemo.
I think people are getting cabin fever. It seems like there is more traffic outside. I have also seen a few more people roaming around. the Mayor extended our lock down till May 15.
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Hello! I'm here! It's been crazy busy for me. Work has been busy and the rules at work about the virus keep getting tweaked. While everyone else seems to be talking about how bored they are or are getting all of these things done around the house, I can't get anything done beyond the basics. I work. I come home and make dinner, do laundry, go to sleep, repeat. My husband is self-employed (construction) and is not allowed to work right now (considered non-essential) so he is working on remodeling our basement while this whole quarantine is going on. We had a quiet Easter but I made the traditional big meal. I was missing my daughter who is quarantined in her college apartment. I can't wait to see her again. I feel good except I think the lack of exercise due to the surgery is taking it's toll. I started getting more achy in my joints, I'm more tired, and my blood pressure has been higher (although that could be from the Easter ham and the Covid-19, just sayin). The lifting restriction after surgery are now over so I think I'm going to start exercising again.
Petite! - Is the lymphedema from the radiation? What are the symptoms of that? I'm so sorry you are down in the dumps. Hopefully the virus stuff will start to improve so restrictions can start to be lifted. Has it been warm outside where you are? Are you able to get outside and enjoy the sunshine at all. That's what I've been trying to do the few times I'm at home and the sun comes out. It feels so good to feel the warmth and see the bright colors of Spring! I hope you start to feel better soon!
Kamboka - I'm glad you get to work from home. More and more people I talk to are being laid off as time goes on. Has your cough improved or gone away yet? When I had that problem on my bp medication, it went away pretty quick after I stopped taking it. Hopefully that happens for you too.
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