Illinois ladies facing bc
Comments
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Is it ok if I have a glass of wine or a beer?
I haven't started any treatment yet.
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Only is you have one for me at the same time Lisa.....but I think it is or probably should be a moderation thing .....seems it is not real good for anyone who had BC. I have an occasional drink with a friend once every couple of months. Just because other things taste as good so I don't really care so much....just being with the friend and spending girl time is the item for me.
Enjoy...
Hugs, Jackie
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Have to go off topic for a moment-does anyone have a recommendation for an orthopedic doc in the Chicago area? I have a frozen shoulder (had it before bc diagnosis) and it hurts like all get-out, so time to get it fixed.
Thanks!
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I had shoulder issues after my lumpectomy and again after my BMX. My PS referred me to a Physical Therapist that specialized in BC patients. My shoulder is completely back to normal. I would talk to your surgeon and see if they can get you to a PT that treats BC patients. I don't think I would just go to an ortho doc given the situation. YOu also want someone familiar with lymphadema so you can avoid things that would trigger it. Your breast center should be able to refer you to someone.
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Just wanted to share this link in case anyone is interested in organic meats. I am going to give it a try and pick up in Naperville. FYI.
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It's been alittle over a week and I miss working..I don't have the best job( work Ina factory) or a classy jobbutits a job....I'm so bored all I do is watch tv and think about food.
This sucks0 -
Spunky I sent you a PM
Lisa I know how you feel. How do you think my post count got so high?!
Nothing wrong with factory work. I used to design games for a game manufacturer. We used to walk through the factory all the time. It was like a treat but I know it takes a certain type of person to be able to do that. I know I would last about 10 minutes at most. I'm sure there are some books, movies etc that you need to catch up on. I did a lot of cleaning and organizing. Are you into any crafts? 0 -
There is a destiny that makes us brothers: None goes his way alone: All that we send into the lives of others comes back into our own. - Edwin Markham
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Though chilly, there is beautiful sun outside which is definitely gong to make the day for me. As far as Denny's eye -- so far, so good. He goes in later this a.m. for re-check. He seems happy so far......everything is sooo much brighter ( that extra dilation is helping that I'm sure ) he says. I know others have said the same.....so I think he is well on the way.
Spunky....good advice about the shoulder......we do have to worry about that old lymph-edema now, but like always......no way to tell who will have the problem and who won't. I think I got over the why me part of cancer early on.....but I still "ponder overmuch" on why so many get stuck with after-effects. It will always seem a little un-fair to me that you go through so MANY trials with this disease and what do you have in the end......a need to consider everything you may have normally done all your life for fear it will now cause you a serious medical issue long after the fact.
Lisa....bored may be good....will get you out of the comfort zone and into starting a new fantastic hobby or expanding on a former one. Hope you find something that turns into a marvelous fit.
Hope you are all going to have a wonderful, sun-filled day.
HUGS, Jackie
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Largo;
May I ask what game place you worked for?
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Hi all! Im sorry i disappeared our family friends visit along wth my last tx conssumed my weekend-monday. Finally done with chemo!
id really love to attend one of the lunches but itd have to be after this week, taxol gets to kick my ass one last time 
Ivebeen trying to keep up with the posts through email. Hope all is well with baby! And if anyone wants new arts and crafts ideas i got tons
i have my own website pm if youre interested. Also check out www.etsty.com!
Now that chemo is over i want to go hide from my upcoming surgery... Feb 24 is my date, i decided on evanston, although i wish dr. Cook could come with me
Lago- think i could kidnap him lol. I like the PS at evanston and he has a great rep dr. Fenner. I just really like dr cook
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I also need to get more radiation opinions, any suggestions ladies? Some so far have said no and some say maybe it makes my head want to explode! Chemo did shrink my tumors but i dont think theyre gone completely..i hope this helps in the no rads dept. Radiation onco names would help tho!
<3lots of love</p>0 -
LisaK I worked for Milton Bradley in East Longmeadow Massachusetts early-mid 90s.
KatieP I totally understand. I know that I wanted Dr W (BS) and when I met with Dr. K (PS) and it wasn't a fit I too thought I might have to switch BS. I was already checking out doctors at Northwestern before I met Dr. Cook.
You need to go with what feels right for you. All of these BSs and PSs are good at what they do. I'm sure you will be just as happy with your outcome regardless if it's Dr. Cook or Dr. Fenner
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Yeah for sunshine this morning. Sunshine goes a long way towards making me feel better. I am flying out to Seattle today to babysit my granddaughter for several days. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like I will see much sunshine out there. Grrrrr. Vitamin D in a bottle for me. My job is portable so I will be taking it along. I found a health club close to my daughter's home that I can use after I drop off GD at school so I will stay busy.
Lisak.... Daytime TV SUCKS even more than nighttime TV. During my chemo recovery days on the couch, I did get sort of hooked on the Ellen DeGeneres show and Dr. Oz. haven't seen either of them since though. Wonder if your employer would have any work you could do for them from home.... Wouldn't hurt to ask. It could lead to a new assignment when you go back.
How was Sushi lunch in Lake Zurich yesterday, ladies. Any pictures? When I get back from Seattle, I hope that we can organize a lunch at Benedict's in Crystal Lake. Great menu there and only a block from the train station for anyone who wants to commute in from the city and elsewhere.
I am really starting to stiffen up again on this Aromasin. Femara was hard on my hands, but Aromasin
has really hit me in my shoulders and legs, especially my knees. Feel like a walking cripple. Have an appointment with my ONC in a couple weeks, so will see what he has to say as far as my next option. Seriously considering just ditching this whole AI regimen.
Hope everyone has a sunny day. Thinking of all you gals going through treatments and dealing with side effects. Like Lauragto always says, "we need a cure"!0 -
Largo;
I work for WMS Gaming.(making slot machines)
Joan: I picked orders for the costumers so there is no way I could work from home..
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Hi Katie -- I too had differing opinions about rads..... I had a BMX, but my one positive node had extra encapsulation, and that put me on the borderline for radiation. My RO gave me the choice... he couldn't get a definitive ruling from colleagues, and essentially left it up to me. In fact during my treatment, two different -- and of course contradictory -- studies were published on the efficacy of radiation for early stage BC.
Ultimely I decided to do it, just because I wanted from the start to be as aggressive as possible. It definitely affected the outcome of my reconstruction, I will never be symmetrical, but I am OK with that.
PM if you want more insight... ultimately my RO left the decision entirely up to me.
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Lisa I worked for Midway in the late 90's right after I worked at Milton Bradly. Were you part of the strike back then?0
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I want to share my story as a cautionary tale.
I had my surgery and diagnosis at University of Chicago. The head of the breast center did the surgery. She is a very nice, very upbeat person.
For a second opinion I sent my slides to Sloan kettering. They found what U of C did not, cells in the node, and lymph invasion. They recommended CMF and that's what I've been doing.
I told U of c of the difference in the diagnois.
I recently found a lump on my chest and Sloan said to go back to U of C to have the surgeon look at it, which i did.
She looked at it and said it was nothing, fat necrosis. Then she said "It was so far from the tumor, it couldn't be anything". I said, "but there was lymph invasion and cells in the node so it was not so far from the chest wall".
She said "oh! didn't you know? there was neither! Our patologists have been studying you for months, there was neither cells in the node nor invasion." She then got the report and read with me. She concluded I was ok and should just get one more infusion, go on hormone therapy and forget about it, i'm fine! Well, I read the report with her and it did not seem to say what she said it said.
I've been thinking about this for weeks, hoping she's right but feeling unsettled because the report seemed to say something else. But who am I? Maybe I misunderstood?
Finally, i asked a good friend to look at the report. He's a pathologist who has done a fellowship at sloan, a residency at U of C and is now at Northwestern. He saw what i saw, that U of C was agreeing with Sloan! He just emailed me after talking to the path dept at U of C. They said that because of the discrepancy they studied my case carefully and decided it was cancer.
I'm just want to alert everyone to get second and third opinions and if something doesn't seem right, go with your gut. Don't just follow what they say. I won't be going back to U of C for ANYTHING anymore. Such carelessness is pertrifying and makes me worry about what else she did wrong, in the surgery. She is a really nice person who, but has been careless. I think they give in to wishful thinking and of course I'd love to go there too. But the truth is important and has to be dealt with.
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I want to share my story as a cautionary tale.
I had my surgery and diagnosis at University of Chicago. The head of the breast center did the surgery. She is a very nice, very upbeat person.
For a second opinion I sent my slides to Sloan kettering. They found what U of C did not, cells in the node, and lymph invasion. They recommended CMF and that's what I've been doing.
I told U of c of the difference in the diagnois.
I recently found a lump on my chest and Sloan said to go back to U of C to have the surgeon look at it, which i did.
She looked at it and said it was nothing, fat necrosis. Then she said "It was so far from the tumor, it couldn't be anything". I said, "but there was lymph invasion and cells in the node so it was not so far from the chest wall".
She said "oh! didn't you know? there was neither! Our patologists have been studying you for months, there was neither cells in the node nor invasion." She then got the report and read with me. She concluded I was ok and should just get one more infusion, go on hormone therapy and forget about it, i'm fine! Well, I read the report with her and it did not seem to say what she said it said.
I've been thinking about this for weeks, hoping she's right but feeling unsettled because the report seemed to say something else. But who am I? Maybe I misunderstood?
Finally, i asked a good friend to look at the report. He's a pathologist who has done a fellowship at sloan, a residency at U of C and is now at Northwestern. He saw what i saw, that U of C was agreeing with Sloan! He just emailed me after talking to the path dept at U of C. They said that because of the discrepancy they studied my case carefully and decided it was cancer.
I'm just want to alert everyone to get second and third opinions and if something doesn't seem right, go with your gut. Don't just follow what they say. I won't be going back to U of C for ANYTHING anymore. Such carelessness is pertrifying and makes me worry about what else she did wrong, in the surgery. She is a really nice person who, but has been careless. I think they give in to wishful thinking and of course I'd love to go there too. But the truth is important and has to be dealt with.
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Wow Timbuktu Good thing you went with your gut. What the hell was she thinking. IMO I find my doctors would rather check to be sure. (Of course now I'm going on my 3rd liver scan since August of 2010 but at least I know and they know they triple checked)
I never considered U of C. Even though they are the highest rated in the Chicago area for cancer treatment I was concerned their doctors were too famous… Bit too concerned with publishing and research studies. Granted I never checked it out but that was my gut feeling reading some other stories.
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Lago..No I started in 2004.
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Yes Lisa lets see your website!
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I was just wondering if there are enough IL ladies on the board from downstate IL that would be interested in a lunch gathering in Southern Illinois. By Southern, I mean south of I-70. I could organize something if we have enough interested parties to put it together. If you are interested, send me a PM.
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Okay, that was a very scary story. It again shows that things happen and you can't be a pollyanna about believing what we want to believe. My BC surgeon's office sent another woman's results to my primary. It was a cut and paste mistake. My primary recognized that I was telling him something about my path report that did not match what he received. Her showed me the path report and I let out a huge swear word that I generally keep under lid. I was so confused and called the surgeon and her staff tried to calm me down. That doctor moved her practice out East. My primary told me it was an out and out "clerical error" on the part of the surgeon's office. That was a rocky beginning to say the least.
Robo, I hope on some level you go through with the protrait of you bald. This happening is very much a part of your whole story......journey in this world and will help you and others undertsand this part of the life journey. I have pictures of me bald (not a professionl portrait) and feel imprtant I have this documentation that this was a part of the big picture. It is interesting that you mention you lost the capacity to read and comprehend durign chemo. I am such a reader and the same thing happened to me.
Have a good day!
Susan
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This looked good so I thought I would post it.
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CAULIFLOWER CRUST PIZZA
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Serves 2; Adapted from Your Lighter Side.Ingredients:
• 1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp crushed garlic
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• olive oil (optional)• pizza sauce
• shredded cheese
• your choice of toppings*----------------
Directions
---------------To "Rice" the Cauliflower:
Take 1 large head of fresh cauliflower, remove stems and leaves, and chop the florets into chunks. Add to food processor and pulse until it looks like grain. Do not over-do pulse or you will puree it. (If you don't have a food processor, you can grate the whole head with a cheese grater). Place the riced cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes. There is no need to add water, as the natural moisture in the cauliflower is enough to cook itself.One large head should produce approximately 3 cups of riced cauliflower. The remainder can be used to make additional pizza crusts immediately, or can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.
To Make the Pizza Crust:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Add oregano, crushed garlic and garlic salt, stir. Transfer to the cookie sheet, and using your hands, pat out into a 9" round. Optional: Brush olive oil over top of mixture to help with browning.
Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven. To the crust, add sauce, toppings and cheese. Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted (approximately 3-4 minutes).
Enjoy!
*Note that toppings need to be precooked since you are only broiling for a few minutes.
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Thanks Lago!!! Looks yummy!
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Lago
Are you asking me or the other lisa0 -
Oops I meant Katie's website… but if you have one too I'll look at it!
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Lago....that looks wonderful...I am so happy to get recipes that I can make gluten free (Hubby has Celiac) Thanks for sharing!
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Lago, that looks great! Thanks
Mdg - thanks for the Wallace Farms link! I'm trying it!
Timbuktu - that is a scary strory. Praise the Lord that you were on top of it.0 -
Hawk - I was going to order and pick up in Naperville. I do get organic chicken breasts and occasionally ground beef from Costco. Their prices are the best for that but I was looking for hormone free ground chicken or turkey. Their ground turkey prices are $4.00/lb for free range, no antibiotics and no hormones. I am going to order some of that. I can't find ground turkey anywhere for a decent price. I would love to order some special cuts of beef too...brisket (for a special occasion) and some filets once it is grilling season! Let me know what you try from there....I hope it's good.
Anyone considered going to Cancer Treatment Center of America in Zion for the naturopathic docs? Anyone have experience or no anyone that has gone there? I have still not found a naturopath since we moved here and at least there they specialize in cancer. Would love feedback.
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