Starting Radiation October 2019
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petite1: Where is Steinhatchee and what is there to do there? I used to have two cats and I would travel for days at a time. They did well alone. They loved to drink out of my two toilets.
Yes, I have a magnolia tree. I guess it bloomed before I got here but I'm looking forward to the white flowers next year. I didn't buy a Halloween flag so my next flag will be for Veterans' day. I have three retired vets as neighbors and I am in a Navy town.
My A/C got repaired today but it's making a whistling sound. My realtor has a complementary cleaning of the A/C system that I will use to have them check out that problem. Tomorrow, I have the water conditioner man here for most of the day.
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Kamboka, Steinhatchee is right at the panhandle bend. From J-ville take I-10 to 51 exit Left, take 51 to the end and you are there. I would guess it would take you about 21/2 hours. It has adorable little cabins to stay in, water front dining, a beautiful park with a Florida water fall. It was nice to get away, but being on the far side of Beta, the Gulf was sucked out and smelly, that county is not as far along in re-opening and some places did not have indoor dining, so we drove around, ate a fish sandwich in the truck and drove home last night. We still enjoyed it, and will do it again. Water conditioner? Are you on well or city water?
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petite1: It sounds like a peaceful place when things open back up. I've known a few towns like that in other States. At least you enjoyed your fish sandwich and drive up and back. I'm enjoying just driving around myself. On Saturday, I'm going up to Fernandina Beach to pick up some lamps. I'll have lunch there as well.
I'm on city water but I guess it's so hard that most folks have these water softening systems. Mine is 16 years old but he said it has some life left in it. He had to redo my sink but it's leaking. He'll come back tomorrow afternoon. In the morning, I have to take my car down to Palatka for repairs. I so hope that they don't drag this out and take all day.
My brother just called to tell me that his father in law (who we are close with) has COVID and had to be put on a ventilator. He's obese with other co-morbidities. I really hope he can pull through. He's such a good man.
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Kamboka - I'm so sorry to hear your brother-in-law's FIL has Covid. I hope he can get through it. I liked your flag. I have a few flags but need to get more because the wind has ripped a couple of them. I hope you can get everything fixed and looked at in your house. Hopefully all of these house problems will end soon.
Petite1 - Sounds like you had a good time despite eating in your truck.
I saw my PS today. The good news is he thinks he can just put in the same type of implants he did before. The bad news is because the skin on my cancer side has been radiated, he may need to go with a smaller implant, will do stitches to keep incision shut, and there is a risk of it taking awhile to heal. I'm hoping to get the surgery done before the end of the year.
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mocame, Hope you can get it done soon and get it behind you. Hope is the puppy doing?
Kamboka, will you have a service taking care of the water conditioner or will you be dumping the salt in yourself? (When I was in my 20's I could dump the salt in, but now no way) One of the remaining rentals has one. The renter likes the water and doesn't use the conditioner.
My big adventure today is taking my tiny cat to the vet. It is time for license renewal and shots.
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Petite1 - You have to license your cat in Florida? We dont need to here. Our cat HATED going to the vet and let everybody within the building or hearing range know about it. My cat's vet has a mobile unit so we tried to use that as much as possible to lesson his stress. Does your kitty mind it?
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I'm learning all kinds of things about FL--need a cat license and a fishing license.
mocame: I guess it's always good news with the bad. Maybe the smaller implant will work out okay without much noticing a difference. At least it's the more simple procedure and you can get it done by the end of the year.
I'm running into complications on my bariatric surgery. With my new job, it's new insurance. I was thinking of Cobraing for a few months but I don't think they will let me. I talked to the DC doc and they said I'd need to be in DC for at least a month. I can't do that unless my job was paying me to be there. Now, I'm trying to get an appointment here at Mayo. I'm just worried that they might make me restart the qualification phase. That was torture and I'm not sure if I can do it again. All the doctors I've seen at Mayo are all pro surgery.
The water conditioner man said I can add the salt myself. I have enough for a month now and he said to wait until that went through as he didn't know what kind of salt it was and you can't mix certain ones. He came back today to fix the pipe that the other fellow didn't do correctly. He didn't charge me. I don't like really soft water but I guess it helps the pipes. I also had to get a tire put on my rim to use as a spare. I went to Tuffy. They took the two out of my trunk and delivered back to me in two minutes. When I asked 'how much', he said nothing. Can you imagine? I tipped him.
I bought a really nice dresser on Facebook yesterday. It has been in storage and I think there is dropping from either mice or roaches. I need to disinfect. Any advice. I'm hiring this college kid from our neighborhood group to help me. I really want to hose it down but afraid it would ruin the wood. I really need to clean it well so I will feel good about putting my clothes in it.
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Good morning, ladies. They license them to make they have the vaccines. My are inside cats, but one never knows what will happen. If they go to a different vet, travel, of get out, they need proof of their shots. Plus I think the county likes the fees. Louie meowed the entire trip, but was a good boy at the vets. He loves the attention and they fuss over him. He wasn't too bad on the way home. It is only once a year. Felix has to go frequently with all her diagnosis, diabetic, hyperthyroid, arthritis, and dementia. She has lived about 4 years longer than I expected, but I guess it is because of the treatments.
mocame, Since I didn't do reconstruction or have implants, wouldn't the recovery be similar to a lumpectomy?
Kamboka, I have known a few people that had the bariatric surgery. Two had marvelous results, one had post op problems that may have been physical or mental and couldn't or wouldn't eat. The issue I would have is with 50 pound bags of salt, maybe they have smaller ones at 25 pounds, but I would still have problems lifting that. I would use lysol to clean the dresser and maybe refinish it. No charge is a good thing.
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I sent back my mattress today as it was a little soft, especially on the edges. Since it was buy one get one free, they picked up both. I have my new one already but it's still in the box. It's too heavy for me to open by myself. I've ordered the second one from Amazon and it should be here tomorrow. I do have another bed with a mattress but I'm too lazy to make up the bed again after I use it so I'm sleeping on the couch. Tomorrow, the delivery man is coming with my grill and box spring and I'll get him to help me with the mattress.
petite1: I envy you with the cats. I love cats but am highly allergic. Dogs are okay but they require more work and can't be left along for long.
The water man told me to get four bags of 40lbs. I'll see what I can do. Every afternoon, the back gets worse. I bought an inversion table and tried to use it today but it seemed to hurt my back. I'll try it again as the idea of the stretching sounds like it should help.
I'm heading to Fernandina beach tomorrow to pick up some floor lamps. I might have lunch downtown if the weather is good.
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Kamboka - I'm glad you got some of the issues on your list taken care of and with not much out-of-pocket costs. We have very hard well water at our house and it really effects the pipes a lot. Even the toilets slowly don't flush as well over time due to the hard water. We have filters and a water softener and it still effects them. I never knew there were so many different mattresses out there. Our mattress is over 25 years old and in okay shape but we are starting to think about getting another one and I have no clue where to begin. Some people swear by memory foam. Some people like the sleep number beds or the purple mattress, and many more. Let me know when you find one you like.
So, after talking with my work and asking my PS more questions, I have scheduled my surgery for December 8th. One issue that came up was that I need to get a COVID test about 5 to 6 days before the surgery and I have to quarantine from then until the surgery. That is additional sick days that I will have to use that I hadn't planned on. I only have enough sick days to do the quarantine, and miss just over 2 weeks of work for recovery from the surgery. I hope my recovery goes well and I don't have to miss more. The PS said I would be off at least a week even if I don't have any complications but could be more. He is putting 4 weeks on my FMLA paperwork to my work. This may sound stupid but the thing that bothers me the most about this surgery is the fact that this will make me look worse then the first reconstruction. In addition to the chance the implant will now be smaller, because they are using stitches, they said there will be a railroad track effect on the incision and the incision will be raised. It was hard to go through the reconstruction, even though I had very few issues with the whole process. Now I will look worse and even less normal. I guess I'm just being a baby about it because at least I'm alive and leading a fairly normal life but it it still bothers me. I need to do some research on these boards to see what others have experienced. I haven't heard of too many women going through this.
Our dog is a loving and snuggly guy but he also is quite the handful! LOL! He escapes from his crate, his hardness, and his collar. He is everyone's constant shadow and has a lot of energy. He is too interested in sniffing whatever could possibly be outside, to be interested in going to the bathroom. That has been an issue because he is having too many accidents in the house. But he is my snuggle buddy at night and as soon as I climb in bed, he is right there and snuggles up against me. He sleeps all night too, which is great.
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Hello all, I finished Radiation in April 2020 and Im having issues with my breast. Have anyone have had issues with breast infection that is not 100% resolved? I would love to hear from you.
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Helo, Eigna. I finished Radiation Nov. 22 2019. I did not have infection, but did have skin issues and my breast felt thick and heavy. My skin has cleaned up and my breast has softened. It took a very long time. I still have pain at the scar, sometimes. What does your doctor think?
Kamboka, no way I could lift 40 pound bags of salt. Find out how much a service would be. If it saves your back, it would be worth it.
mocame, do you have any other options?
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Thank you Petite for your reply. It started with a red rash, warmth and swelling. Inner side of the breast I have peau d'orange texture which a punch biopsy was done and turned out negative. Mammogram is scheduled for November which in my opinion it is too far away...I had two weeks of Clindamycin, then two weeks of Amox Clav followed by two more weeks of Amox Clav. I'm finishing meds on Tuesday. Doctor says it’s a breast infection due to the radiation.
I must say warmth is not present any more but my breast does feel heavier and part of my skin is thicker and has that peau d’orange texture.
Did you have skin redness? Swelling? And how long did this last? You said it took a long time to get back to normal. How long did it take and when did you start having skin issues after radiation?
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Eigna: Sorry to hear that you are having problems with radiation. How many sessions of radiation did you have? When did you complete treatment? I had 30 sessions and luckily had no problems during treatment. I had some skin peeling immediately after but it wasn't bad and healed quickly. As petite one mentioned, I also had the thicken skin and heavier feeling. I, too, had the "orange" look for a while but they said it was normal. I finished my radiation last November and I don't notice the skin texture any more. Glad the ABX helped with the infection. My RO said up to one year before you reach your 'new' baseline.
mocame: I went through eight mattresses in 1 1/2 so I might not be the best one to ask.
I'm on my third mattress here, if you count my air mattress as number one. Last night was my first night on this new Helix mattress. So far, the edges are stronger than the last mattress I had. I try to either rotate or flip the mattresses every six months.The last two times I've had procedures during COVID, they said it would have to be within two days and not 5-6 days with quarantine. Can they doctor reduce your time? Also, I'm not clear the benefit of the surgery if you think the outcome will be worse than what you have now. I'm sure you probably explained that some time ago but you know how the mind is now. Is there any other procedure they can do that would have better outcomes. Yes, definitely comb through the boards to see what others have experienced.
My college student that wanted to make some extra money did not show up this morning to help me. I guess he didn't want money that bad. Today, I bought a bicycle. I'm thinking that it might be better for my back and nerve compression than walking. After 5-10 minutes of walking and standing, I'm in so much pain. I'm trying to find a good acupuncturist down here to see if that can help. I'm scheduled for PT next week but PT has not ever really helped me.
petite1: I went to Lowe's yesterday with the main goal to get my salt. I walked out with $50 of other stuff and no salt. Luckily, I don't need it for a few more weeks and I'm in Lowe's/Home Depot several times a week.
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Kamboka - I finished my radiation treatments end of April 2020. I had 20 treatments in total. I started noticing redness, warmth and swelling plus peau d’orange on part of my breast in mid August. Doctor says it’s normal from the radiation. I just wanted to see if anyone had similar symptoms to me.
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Eigna, Glad the ABX worked. My rash started during radiation. The first area became the worst and the last to clear up. It was there so long the Dermatologist biopsied (negative) it, then treated it with steroids. I think that it was totally clear by June 2020.
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Eigna: I think since you have cleared up the infections, the skin should start to get better. It really does take some time. Even a year out, my skin is still tanned on the radiated side. One good side effect is that the affected breast is perkier than the other--almost like a breast lift.
Ladies, even though I've been off the AI for almost three weeks, I still have some muscle weakness and really awful back pain. It's so hard to stand up and then I'm unstable when I walk, not to mention the pain. Today, my unsteadiness caused me to hit a cement block outside and almost take off a toe nail. Thirty minutes later, I had my little toe on my metal dining room table leg and it feels like it broke. I am so fearful that I'm going to fall and really break something big. All the spine doctor wants me to do is PT. I will start on my new AI on the first so I get to look forward to even more joint pain.
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Ladies- thank you for your replies. Just want to clarify that I’m not sure if my infection has cleared up. I’m finishing my antibiotics tomorrow and the doctor will phone in. Redness is less but swelling is still present with some peau d’orange part. Im not sure if it needs to be investigated further or just do thewait and see approach.
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Kamboka, that's not good.
Eigna, are you starting on any treatments after radiation? I am on Arimidex for 5 years. 1 down, 4 to go.
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yes Im on tamoxifen for 5 y
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Eigna: I hope that the doctor gives you the thumbs up for no infection. It's not been so long that you ended treatment so maybe the swelling is just inflammation. They might try a cortisone cream.
petite1: Congrats on one year down. I will start on Aromasin on Thursday. Since my joint pain and weakness did not fully improve, maybe the letrozole wasn't the cause. I'll see how I do on the other AI.
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Eigna, I hope it's not an infection. Like Kamboka said, my skin on the radiation side is also still more tan. I also had a few little bumps that showed up and they ended up being from inflammation due to the radiation.
Petite1 - I have to do at least10 years on Arimidex (Anastrozole).
It will be one year in the beginning of December. Hasn't been terrible but I definitely feel older due to joint achiness and other SEs due to no estrogen. Kamboka - Oh no! What do they think is the cause of the pain, weakness and unsteadiness?
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So I'm off from the antibiotics and doctor say it will just get better. She said the redness and the swelling will take months to resolve but it will get better. If I see it gets worse I just need to get in contact with her again. Hope it will be ok 🤞. Thank you all for your support Will let you know how it goes in a few days...
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mocame, The joint pain and weakness in my right hand, facial hair, thinning hair, and then there's sex. I think that covers all my SE.
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Petite1 - Yes, isn't this fun! I was hoping that some of the SEs of the AIs reverse after we are done taking it.
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I feel 20 years older after cancer treatment. If I could rewind the clock, I definitely would have turned down the first three taxane treatments and not just the last one. This foot neuropathy drives me crazy. I guess my other SEs are joint/muscle pain and weakness, worsening back pain, worsening insomnia, brain fog, and negative zero sex drive. So much fun! I'm supposed to do 10 too but it's one year at a time. I'm still for 'quality' of life at this point in my life.
Eigna: glad your doc thinks this will clear up in a few months.
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Thanks Kamboka 🙏🤞.
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Good morning, ladies. It is a cool 57 degrees. Good walking weather. I ran out of Turmeric and it does make a difference. Getting some today.
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I stopped my turmeric three weeks ago as I didn't feel like anything was helping. I had forgotten that I stopped my high dose of vitamin C back in July. I started that back this week. Maybe it will make a difference.
I'm loving this low humidity weather. If it could only stay this way forever.
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Good morning, ladies. It is a pleasant 59 degrees. Husband and little cat woke me up early to tell me the President and First Lady have tested positive for COVID-19. Now, everyone has gone back to sleep and here I am. LOL
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