Illinois ladies facing bc

Such great news Beata!!!! Take care of yourself and let others take care of you too!!!

DeborahC- hang in there with the expanders- I was lucky enough I didn't have any pain with mine and had an easy exchange. You will be amazed at how good it feels to get the "coconuts" off your chest!!(My doctors words!!)
Hang in there!!!!

Kelly

What a pretty day.....cooled off a little.  Still concerned about our not getting any rain as we look like it is late in the yr.  Well, maybe one of these days.  Going to have to hook up the long hoses though today to get to some of the plants that will surely wilt down very soon. 

TGIF but I'm working tomorrow half a day.......well, that is ok.  I'll still have plenty of time left to accomplish things.  Hope you all have a great Friday.

Hugs, Jackie

c-squared my feet were a mess. Fingers not too bad. I bought both these products from Sally Beauty. Click on each image for linkies

I used the cutilel cream on my feet sometimes too. Not sure if that will solve you problem.

A big warm welcome to you Diane.  I am so glad you stumbled onto us.  There are so many great friends here who are not only all around great hand-holders, but also fantastic at helping you gather any information you may want and answer most of your questions too. 

Glad to hear you last chemo is soon to be over.  It is something you are so glad can help you in your fight but  is a blessing to "give" up too.  Radiation is ( for the majority I think anyway ) pretty boring.  You go daily for a few weeks.....and it usually takes longer to get dressed, ready and positioned on the table, then it does to get the "rays". 

Everyone in Chicago and surrounding burbs tries to get together and have lunches and I think on occasion a dinner meal.  So keep that in mind.  Also Laura GTO keeps a list of you name, screen name, phone, address etc. and if you give her your info she will make sure you get notifications of all the get-togethers though it is also posted here as well.  Just something to think about......your under no obligation, but a lot of us are on the list. 

I'm on late tonight......and don't know but it may be quieter now....so keep checking. 

I'm going to work early tomorrow.....so won't be here again or have a quote until tomorrow afternoon sometime.  See you all then.

Hugs, Jackie

CT & PET came back clean!!! My oncologist was kind enough to call last night (instead of making me wait until Monday).  Now can I do a happy dance? 

Hello everyone.  I am trying to catch up.  I have limited computer access during the week so I have trouble keeping up.  Glad the hot weather passed and we have this lovely weather now.  I wanted to add a couple of comments on some threads I saw.

First, congrats C-Squared.  Wow I know that makes for a good weekend for you, and thank god for caring doctors that go out of their way to reduce your worry.  I saw several pages back that you would like to walk at Independence Grove.  I can do that with you if you would like.  It looks like you may be having your surgery soon, so PM me if and when you are ready.  I would have to walk evenings - 4:30 or after and weekends of course.

Westieluv, no there is nothing wrong with you and I don't think it has to do with the meds.  I had the same feeling a few years ago before my BC and before tammi.  My son had an emergency trip to the hospital, 10 days in the hospital and surgery and when i came back to work I felt it was not worth it.  While his doctors and nurses were saving lives I was doing nothing meaningful.  Then after BC, I initially felt like the same person when I went back to work, but after a few weeks I had the same emptiness.  The way I cope is working on projects with other groups in my company that do make a difference.  I work with our foundation and am part of a group that helps people with disabilities. In between I still have to do my mundane, meaningless work, but I notice I'm really happy when I'm doing the other stuff. 

Lynn, they told me not to do laundry for four weeks.  That was one of the specific things they mentioned.  Let someone else do it.  And whatever scars you have will look much better several months from now. 

Food and diet:  Coffee - not too long ago they indicated that coffee is good for ER- cancer.  Even though I'm ER+ I decided to continue drinking it.  Broccoli, celery, parsley are supposed to be good.  I wish I liked celery better but I do love broccoli.  In the end, I think eat lots of fruits and vegetables and try to be a normal weight.  Other than that, there doesn't seem to be a strong correlation on diet.  Concentrate on exercise.  That really does show good results to prevent cancer recurrance. 

Oh and the other thing I wanted to mention is there is a study on IL Lady's chocolate cure and they confirmed that it may be able to be used instead of statins.  Of course as they always say -more research is needed but if my cholesterol goes up (do have strong family history) I am going to try that first.  Right now I'm avoiding chocolate and sweets because they are interfering with my weight, so I'm afraid to eat the chocolate. 

You know, Lago, I don't know if this is exacly what you are looking for.  Are you talking about an event like a conference?  I think the thing that surprised me is how long the emotional effects of BC last, or for me, how delayed they were.  Of course I was worried and depressed the first month or so, then the next few months were not so bad.  But I'm having more problems finding a new normal, being happy with my old life, or making a new life that is satisfying.  And I think my caregiver, hubby, is wearing out too.  It seems there's a lot of support when you are diagnosed.  I don't know if there is as much a year later. 

Twohobbies I do believe events like this (There is the walking event in Chicago in October) not only raises money for the cause but brings people together. One of the things I suggested is people in the survivor/caregiver area need to meet others and not just the group they came with. I find you'll get the most support from "the people who have been through it or are going through it." This when you can talk about these very issues. So we're figuring out how to make that happen… and I have a feeling it will. They were very excited about that idea.

But you are right. Once treatment is done it's off you go. Get back to your life. Some folks have no problem but lets face is we're different… most of us have some degree "now what?". While I might seem strong supportive I have to be honest. Being on this site, meeting others  and of course this group has made a huge difference. 

Is there anyway you and hubby might be able to make the event in October?

BTW is there anyone interested in starting an Illinios Ladies team in Chicago for this event?

I'm in!

Although I can barely walk right now.  Decided to ignore my wonky hip and do C25K week 6 workout 2 yesterday.  Bad move.  Hard to put any pressure on that leg and I leave for Vegas tomorrow!  Poo.  Asked MIL for her cane, ha!

You are all in my thought and prayers daily, through all your triumphs and trials.  Hugs.

Diane-welcome.  Hope you stop in often.

Lynn-hope you're feeling well.  No drains-yippee!

C-squared-Good news! enjoy the weekend-so nice of the doc to call and not make you wait until Monday-kudos to him

I was at the Hyatt downtown yesterday for work and there was a PS convention-the board listed the agenda and each item was about breast cancer reconstruction.  One topic was "direct to implant, no te's"-I honestly contemplated going in and asking if they'd like to see mine-then I came to my senses and realized they might not share as much as we do   The good thing is the PS community is thinking about us and with any luck making strides in making this a less traumatic ordeal.

Finished Chemo round 2, potassium was low, but all the rest of blood work was fine. I also had the port installed in the morning so they were able to utilize that which was nice too. I have 15 months of chemo and 15 months of blood draws, so the port made sense to me.  The area is still tender, but it's only been 2 days, so I am hoping to heal well from that surgery and continue to move toward Cancer Free words next year! Thanks for all your support and discussions, even if I don't jump into the conversation, they greatly help me through this experience.

Warding off nausea and fatigue to get to my week of rest between!

2 AC down 2 AC to go! Shaved my head with my family and looking good!!

After AC I begin 12 weeks, every week of Taxol/Herceptin - anyone else done that? How are side effects and recovery time when you only have a week? Hoping blood counts can remain normal with less recovery time.

Thanks for everything!

Anyone on this board going to the 4th Annual Ta Ta Sisterhood in Las Vegas this September?  I have Frosty1 and room for 2 more if anyone wants to room with us.  Frosty1 is a Seattle gal, but we won't hold that against her.

If you are interested, PM me soon as Tracey is trying to match other BC org gals with us to fill our room.  A good time will be had by ALL!

LOL!

Beth 

Adey......hope the Universe is kind and helps you heal super fast.

Grace embraced....glad you are checking in a little.  As for fatigue......if your body says sleep......I'd listen, but now the nausea.....take the pills before you actually feel it.  It's easier to be ahead then behind.  I didn't know this and at my age --- didn't even remember what nausea felt like ( it's wonderful to be 102 ) I started late and even when doing another chemo ( nausea wasn't even a se....had bad nausea/vomiting anyway.  I hope I finally learned.....just in case but my motto is: been there, done that , didn't like it, not going to need to again. 

See you all in the morning....I'm running on empty about now and going to relax.  Did a bunch of things after work and now it's time to park myself in my recliner and forget the world exists for awhile. 

Hugs, Jackie

Invisible:  I got the same tough talk by my MO last time.  I swore to her I wasn't working as hard as I normally do (yes, I took a nap the other day at 7 am before I went to work), and I can work from home too.  I know exactly what you mean.  I have to talk myself into listening to my body....  It "ain't" what it used to be!  LOL

Good evening everyone! Thank you all soo much for your wonderfully warm welcome! I already like it here! I so appreciate each and every one of you and the support and info. I did have a good break through today though that I wanted to share. In my "BBC" life ( before breast cancer) I was very active. I was a new runner, running 5ks and rode my bike regularly. Needless to say, thru treatment, I haven't done much of that.



I've slowly started walking and recently added some jogging. I am gradually increasing my time. I have wanted to get back to my running and biking trail. But, I've been so anxious about it knowing I wouldn't be able to wear my wig (which is long and hot). I admire you ladies who are confident enough to go with bald heads or just scarves. I am not at that point! Until today, the farthest I have ventured wearing only my scarf was my yard.



But I am happy to report that I got the nerve, put on a wrap and baseball cap and took a beautiful bike ride this evening! It felt great. Next step is running on that same trail.



I think it helps me knowing there are so many people out there like all of you in this group beng brave every day and facing hurdles and challenges. I still miss my hair terribly and I dont think I will ever get "used" to my bald head..but I can keep challenging myself to be braver every day.



Thank you all again and have a good night!!