Exchange City

ME TOO ANNA !!!!!!!!!

I will say.. I would never get to your area.... BUT............... do you ever get to KC? How fun it would be!!!

DeeKaay...... Girl you are always loosing your posts.........:)

Am I alone?  I think that video of Dr Weiss is very odd.  No matter what her diagnosis or choice of treatment she could always state a disclaimer of how she may thing her choice of treatment is possibly not the standard of care or experimental.  We're all curious what the doctors would do if they were diagnosed.  Hmmmm

Hi everyone,

Still elated about having a clear mammo on Monday -- feels better than a shopping spree!!  Saw the PS yesterday and have narrowed my choices to having the implant removed and leaving the option open to have a lat flap later or having the implant removed and the lat flap now.  I'm waiting for PS's email responses to a couple of questions.  The tram flap is off the table and so is the capsulectomy.  He said (and I think he's right) that I don't have enough abdominal fat for a tram beside the fact that it's a big surgery that I don't want.  The capsulectomy won't work because I've already had 2 implant failures and he would never recommend doing the same thing a third time.  Fat grafting may be an option for some small areas down the road, but for now this capsule is rock hard, uncomfortable and needs to be gone.  I am very comfortable with this PS, and now I just need to figure out the right choice for me.  I'm off to do some more reading about lat flap surgery.  Take care, everyone.  --bonnie

Bonnie:  I really hope that this works out for you.  From what I understand these are very nice looking but have their own complications. It's never easy all of this reconstruction stuff.  Good luck figuring it all out and it sounds like you have a great dr.

tnbcRuth -- sounds like you have a great therapist to work with you on the LE issues.  The therapist I saw was more like a drill sargeant and I couldn't get finished with the PT quick enough.  She always sent me home with "homework" that involved about an hour of exercises (that I did in 20 minutes -- shame on me), but my LE is so minor that I've discovered that I only need to do a few exercises for a week or so when it becomes an issue.  I'm so happy you found someone you like and who is helping you!  --bonnie

Hi cookies, glad to see everyone is popping along!

How does one know you have LE?  Sometimes I think my right arm looks kind of fat at the elbow,but it's not the involved side.  I think it may just be fat ;0.

Hey, Bonnie, if you want to hear my experience with lat flap, PM me.  I'd do it again,but it was a tough surgery recovery.  Do able, tho and wow what a great cosmetic result!  Wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't watched it heal.  I NEVER thought that would happen.  Don't be put off by horror tales, there are many who've had it and not had bad experiences.  I have full strength and my scar is very thin and white and under my armpit on the side.  I have no boob scars at all.  I did get iron bra, but got rid of it with exercises and PT.

Naturtint does have amonia...the box says it doesn't, but I had it tested by a chemist buddy. Yes, it's got plenty.  If you use it (and I did for a long time, I loved the color) you can smell it like crazy, so I became suspicious.  Now I just use 10 minute no amonia L'Oreal in golden latte which works great. 

love to all my lovelies....

I've decided to have my implant and scar tissue removed and allow myself time to heal before deciding if another procedure is in my future.  Waiting for the doctor's office to call with a surgery date.  Hope that doesn't mean I have to leave this thread.....

Bonnie

Estepp, I do indeed get to KC, the next time I plan my trip I will get in touch with you!  It would be a blast!

Bonnie, you can't leave, you are a sister here!! Good luck with the surgery and it sounds like a good plan for you; you've been thru so much already.

tnbdRuth, I love the idea of that beautiful tatoo....I saw a photo of a woman who did the same thing, you cannot see any scarring and the rose garden she had put all over her front was just lovely. 

If you want a 100% veggie dye (and the health food store thought the Naturtint was one) you might have to go online.  I'm OK with the no amonia, but you can google fanciful or buy it if you can find it.  If it rains tho, your hair drips color .....it's a great product.

I bet your hairdresser can find you some or how about Henna?

Have fun with it!  Mine is bag lady stripes of red and grey right now and 1/2 way down my back.  So attractive at 54. Not.

love to all

annie

Thanks for the good wishes.  I'm going to end up with one natural C and one flat side, so it could be fun designing a tatoo for the flat side to bring it all together.  Fun is absolutely and definitely what is needed in this situation.  As for the surgery, it should be pretty easy -- like an exchange except that the scar tissue along the edges will be removed along with the capsule and I'll end up right where I was after the mastectomy -- flat on one side.  I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me sad and I hate the idea of going backwards, but this is the right thing to do and I just need to wrap my head around it and keep on keeping on.

Hair color is something I've used for lots of years and I've switched to the brands with no ammonia.  They are nice and gentle, but need to be redone fairly often if you wash your hair every day.  My hair was blonde for years, but it became a chore to maintain so now it's sort of a copper color and it's bright and fun.  This old gal isn't ready for grey hair .....

My LE was only visible in my hand, so I wasn't sure what it was for awhile.  The tech measured my hands and arms and said I have minor LE and need to do the exercises so it won't get worse.  So far so good -- the hand and arm exercises are easy and seem to help a lot, but I don't do them unless I see my hand starting to swell. 

I'm trying acupuncture for pain from arthritis and back problems.  After 2 sessions I seem to have much more energy and my pain is shifting from the side she worked on to the other side.  The clinic is a community clinic, so you just choose a chair in this big room that has low lights and soft music.  The acupuncturists all have private practices, but I wanted to go the community route first because it's cheap ($20 a visit) and I sort of like being in a room with other people who are having these treatments.

I saw a puppy yesterday that I'd love to bring home, but with 3 cats (one is 17 and senile) that might not be such a good idea.  Anyway, he was a black and tan Chorkie (chihuahua and yorkie mix) who looked like a Chihuahua and had the yorkie coloring and a curly tail.  I'm still thinking about getting him.....

Enough of my rambling.  I'll let you know when my surgery is scheduled and I am very thankful for your cyber friendship.  --bonnie

wow, thank you for the henna info!! Did not know that!!

I just threw some out too. 

Bonnie, love your style girl.  I consciously kept a sense of humor thru all of this.  They had to stick me in a chemo chair wearing full on makeup and my hair done.  I figured I might was well look good if I was going to feel crappy .  I have at various times, (very pregnant) drawn a pumpkin face jack o lantern on my stomach at halloween, post mtxmy: put glow in the dark stick on nip on my recon girl for the true "alien" experience, put red stick on heart pasties on for valentines day....and don't forget the odd sharpie marker and what you can do there....

Oh dear,  I'd go to my own funeral in 4 inch stilettos.  Probably will too, but my 21  year old daughter says she will be there and I cannot stop her from dressing me as Zena, warrior princess.  This runs in the family.  Not that I am planning on checking out anytime soon.

Happy mom, I'm going to go check the new pixs, I'd much rather see that than do my bills....

xoxox

OOOOH..look at your hair--I LOVE it.  JUDY

I'm back in black!

Bonnie or anyone else...have you used any specific hair color product DURING chemo?    My hair was always hilighted, and with my 1st chemo, the hilighted pieces came out first and foremost.  I just don't want to compromise what little hair I have, but there is too much gray!

 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/729703   Interesting article from the 28th.  Wonder if it might be ready in time for any of us?

Here's a haha - No longer wearing a scarf...still too dang hot and I just don't feel like it anymore! So I'm at the bank to close an account and had to show my drivers license.  As I pushed it toward the 20ish guy behind the counter, I stammered, of course this is when I still had hair...he didn't look up, he said nothing...so I got more nervous, and said I'm sure you'll see a resemblance!!  Here I am begging this dude to accept my ID so I can have my money!  It May have had something to do with not wearing anything on my head...people do tend to stare and I really hate being looked at for any reason! 

ok, here's another funny...down below I'm pretty hairless, but early on, there was one spot that lost its 'covering' first.  I had the idea to tattoo a man with a lawnmower on that spot?  Am I the only one that thinks that's funny?