Illinois ladies facing bc

Me and my daughter - April 30, 2011 - one day post diagnosis.... at Epcot

Me and my daughter.... Sept. 13, 2011 - one hour post buzz cut.... 

Just a quick stop by to wish a Happy Birthday to Jackie. Thank you Jackie for uplifting our spirits each morning.

I had my consult appointment last Monday with my PS at NW to discuss nipple options, etc.  I have a date set next month for my fat grafting.... liposuction.  YES!  Get to move some of this belly fat up north!  I still have to decide on my nipple options before then.  This Thursday I have a follow-up CT scan, but not too concerned about that at all.  Just be glad to get it over with and be done with doctor appointments for a while so we can head out on vacation next week.

Madmom... the pixie cut is cute on you.  Looks like you have a proud daughter.  It sounds like she will make a good cheerleader for you while going through treatments.

I finished my chemo just over a year ago and what a difference a year makes!  Now, I just have to figure out how to handle 4 more years of Femara.  I am not getting along with that stuff at all.  Ugggh! I am so darn stiff and feel like I must have run a marathon or something...LOL. I am lucky to get up and down the stairs in the house.  I did go play tennis this morning with my indoor league and played really well... think once I got moving, I just forgot about my achy, tight muscles. But this evening, I am hobbling around again.  Just took a hot bath with epson salts and think that has helped some.  I have been using the therapy pools at the health club several times a week too and will get started back to Yoga classes when we get back from vacation.

Welcome to Becca!  I am thinking so much of those going through treatments.  The sky gets dark so the stars can shine.... you will soon be shining too. 

Such wonderful pictures!

Gabby is a real doll!  That looks like a modeling shot with her cute little hat. 

Jenn - Your daughter is a real cutie too.  I love the pic with her arm around you with your new 'do.  What a sweetheart.

Becca - I do all my stuff out of NWCH in Arlington Hts and Alexian Bros.  I work right there, I like and trust my docs and it's extremely convenient for me.  Fortunately, there are a lot of really great options for medical care in the Chicago area.  Welcome.

Saw my internist for a pre-op physical today.  She's having me get a stress echo test tomorrow because of lingering chest pains and history.  I did not have time for this!  This week has been hell-week so far.  But, I worked it so that I'll work in the morning, run down to the hospital and do the stress test, then run back upstairs and finish working.  Gah. Also saw my PS again today to clarify all the details of and am feeling much better about everything. 

Jackie - I hope you had a wonderful birthday!

Jackie, I'm terribly behind in reading, but wanted to say I hope you had the best birthday ever! I had the big one last year,and now I can tell you that I don't feel much like a senior citizen, though the calendar says I'm 66. I'll bet you don't feel any different either.

The only telltale sign might be that I spent 10 minutes looking for my reading glasses which were on my head all the time...or can I still blame that on chemo brain after 5 years? Also, I do have some creaky and aching joints sometimes, and I don't have any drugs to blame. I just keep exercising in the move it or lose it mode, and that seems to work.

Hope you had cake and ice cream, and took a little time for yourself today.

Pat 

Happiest of Birthdays Jackie, thank you for all you do.

Mak Mak, wow, can you believe I have that exact same dress as your daughter. lol. Just kidding.

LE is bad this morning. Joan you beat me by a day. I expect it now as soon as the weather changes.

Have a beautiful day ladies.

Once again this morning......a thousand thanks for all the birthday wishes.  A long time ago now, someone here ( hello fading memory, got any clues for me ) liked that I used quotes in some of my posts and so it came to be that I should find something daily.  It has given me so much, to give something away every day of my life. 

Dreary here as it rained ( still doing so very slowly ) overnight and will be 45 in the morning.  I hope that is temporary.  Not sure I'm ready yet for that.  Getting cooler is ok.....it's going to happen but I really don't care for those steep gradients. 

Jenn.....love your hair and the sweet little cheer leader next to you.  Just keep knowing that all the changes and things you must do right now are temporary, and you will come back stronger from the weakness you endure during the next few months.  I don't know if you recall......it is quite old, but yrs. ago.....someone recorded the Alka Seltzer theme song which now keeps playing in my head titled " No Matter What Shape " I think.....and don't recall the artist, but it was so catchy I loved it......and I think of you.....no matter what shape you have to take on now, it is going to be so fantastic when you get on the other side. 

Joan....how great....if your Doc runs out.  I'm thinking wouldn't it be great if we could all donate our Armidex tummies to a fat bank.  I've lost so much wt. but still feel like the Pillsbury Doughboy when when I see my stomach.

Pat/Smerf....no ice cream but I did have several ( shame on me ) sm. pieces of an Italian nut cake ( no icing needed ) that my friends family bake and send to her from Chicago.  Also had pizza and salad....yum.  I don't do too much pizza....love it and I'd eat it three times a day if I could. 

Joan, since you have 4 more yrs. ( I bet this was discussed before ) might you be interested in trying something else besides the Femara.  I have been fortunate to have mainly light se's from the Arimidex and so feel for those who struggle with these pills.  I think they are the damned if you do or don't pills. It is the gold standard.....and yet. So just a thought and sorry if it is a repeat of earlier conversation subject matter.

Be checking back in later.

See you all again then.

Hugs, Jackie

Robo I felt done after my 3rd expansion. My PS said I needed a few more… ended up with 7 more! Granted you might not want to go as big as I did. To be honest it's kinda fun.  I got honked/cat called by a passing car at on Monday. Never had that happen in my 20s

As far as the hair. Yup you're in denial. Mine came out I think on day 16. Day before I almost cancelled my appointment for wig fitting because nothing was happening. It falls out mostly in the shower  at first more than anything else. You'll be fine this weekend. Look at my hair link. The 10.24.2011 is 19 days after my 1st chemo. Yes lots of thinning but I still wasn't wearing a wig or scarf till a few days later. That picture is also after the windy day walk too.

Jackie not sure which on but I thought both of these were fun:

Linky 1   Go Meat!

Linky 2    Go Bimbos

Oh, and my lace front....I can totally tell it's a mesh material and not "scalp" looking.... Can I cut that or something??? Trim it back maybe?

Madmom do you have a wig liner? No way could I wear my wig without one. I can't even wear wool products against my skin. I even remove almost all the tags out of my clothes because they itch me. Can you fold the lace top under the wig or trim it?

My TE's were so weird and stripper-like to me that I didn't even bother trying on bras. I really don't look like a D eventhough I'm wearing a 34D (and one 32DD). If I were that big I would be bouncing into walls. I was bouncing off walls with the TEs.

Mahometmom happy exchange! How you feeling? Funny when I first read "new girls" I though you were going to talk about your "new girls"

Mahometmom Vent away. We've all been there. 

Don't judge them yet. They change a lot in the next few months. My PS said they change up to 6 months. Mine got rounder and nicer shaped in just 2 months. I think they also got a little bigger. Just wait. They are going to be nice.

What's odd for me is I never had ptosis before. My old little perky dense boobs couldn't pass the pencil test. I bet I'm one of the very few that have reconstruction and get droppier ones… actually right now one has ptosis and the other doesn't. Will be fixed at nipple time.

BTW I forgot to mention there are about 30+ women either surviving or currently going through treatment for breast cancer right now in my building. I know one neighbor who lost her battle a few years ago too. My building is only 30 floors.

This one older woman was one of the first in my building to know. She had really bad LE in one arm. She actually saw Dr. Feldman (Le MD) when he was a "young man." I think he's at least 70 now. Anyway she has been a survivor since 1976!

I'm in Chicago across from the zoo & nature museum. Must be those damn butterflies.

Seriously it might partly be all the crap we breathe (exhaust from LDS).

Didn't notice we were officially diagnosed on the same day. I actually was told at my biopsy.