Re: Cancer survivors

AkaGoldie · ‎04-14-2010

hello ladies,I tried to post last night, so I could be the first to post in pink, but grrr it didn't go through. I want to thank everyone for posting teal last month for ovarian cancer awareness. I posted all the signs and symptoms , are y'all ready for your tests? Lol maybe one of you can post what to look for regarding breast cancer. I feel that part of our purpose here is to educate.

Pgraciesmom, how did Debbie make it through her first chemo?

Lannie, bow, belle, Grace, I can't remember every name, but prayers for you all,

goldie

JackieHN · ‎09-23-2011

thanks Goldie. It's a pink month. GC another week won't make a difference with chemo.

Belle, I had the same problem as you with the armpit. So I went into my sock drawer and found the softest one I could find. Put it in my bra and relief. You could probably also use cotton. The telfa and or 4x4's I would stay away from.

Gracies Mom · ‎04-25-2011

Hi Everyone!!!

bowregard----Thank you for the meditation tips. I don't feel like I have the concentration yet to meditate--does that sound weird?I have an appointment with a psychologist on Oct 8th--she has experience with patients who are fighting cancer and also have to deal with diabetes--so I hope she can help me with some coping ideas.

Goldie--No, I have no yet heard from my friend Debbie, so I have no idea how her first chemo went. I hesitate to call her right now.Maybe over the weekend. Thank you for your concern--and for thinking about her.

As for my Gracie, her arthritic knee is feeling a bit better since I started her on an anti-inflammatory--but her leg is still stiff. The vet also recommended a joint support (non-prescription) that I ordered online--so will try that. Her liver enzymes are still a bit elevated, but much better than they had been--also one of her kidney functions were elevated, but since the other one was fine, the vet wasn't concerned. All in all, it will be a slow process to get her knees better, but Gracie is a trooper. Love her!!!!

Everyone stay safe as this hurricane approaches on the east coast. I think we will just get rain where I live (in the mountains).

Happy October!!!!!!!

bow regard · ‎03-09-2010

@JackieHN wrote:
thanks Goldie. It's a pink month. GC another week won't make a difference with chemo.
Belle, I had the same problem as you with the armpit. So I went into my sock drawer and found the softest one I could find. Put it in my bra and relief. You could probably also use cotton. The telfa and or 4x4's I would stay away from.

Belle....When I first had a lumpectomy/axillary node dissection, all I wore was large men's v-neck white t-shirts. I went to SteinMart and bought 2 pkgs. of R.Lauren soft white undershirts and washed them several times before wearing. Even when I left the house, I wore these and put on outer clothes. This worked for me as my surgery was in January and I didn't work outside the home so I didn't have to "dress-up" except when I went to radiation or saw doctors and I could wear this get-up....I sported a layered look of sorts.... I don't have big boobs so that may make a difference too.

And since then I've had more surgery and I have numbness and discomfort (not pain though) and my soft, cotton t-shirts feel so good on my skin as I still sleep in these shirts and love the way they feel...so soft and smell so good and clean, but I have now since mastectomy adjusted to wearing bra with prosthesis when I leave my house.

I would like to have my lumpectomy boob back, but at the same time am glad to just have a healthy flat chest on that side of my body.

bow regard · ‎03-09-2010

@Gracies Mom wrote:
Hi Everyone!!!

bowregard----Thank you for the meditation tips. I don't feel like I have the concentration yet to meditate--does that sound weird?I have an appointment with a psychologist on Oct 8th--she has experience with patients who are fighting cancer and also have to deal with diabetes--so I hope she can help me with some coping ideas.

Goldie--No, I have no yet heard from my friend Debbie, so I have no idea how her first chemo went. I hesitate to call her right now.Maybe over the weekend. Thank you for your concern--and for thinking about her.

As for my Gracie, her arthritic knee is feeling a bit better since I started her on an anti-inflammatory--but her leg is still stiff. The vet also recommended a joint support (non-prescription) that I ordered online--so will try that. Her liver enzymes are still a bit elevated, but much better than they had been--also one of her kidney functions were elevated, but since the other one was fine, the vet wasn't concerned. All in all, it will be a slow process to get her knees better, but Gracie is a trooper. Love her!!!!

Everyone stay safe as this hurricane approaches on the east coast. I think we will just get rain where I live (in the mountains).
Happy October!!!!!!!

GraciesMom....you're welcome and I completely understand...your mind is all over the place I imagine.

Give this a try: When you're in the shower or taking a bath, ask yourself "Where am I right now this second?" In other words, are you in that shower thinking about the water running off your body....feeling it in the present moment, smelling the soap, listening to the water, or are you a million miles away....way out into the future or back in time? If you can just bring yourself into the moment and feel your body standing or sitting right there where you are, then that is a beginning....even if you can only manage for 10 seconds or less....try it....it might give you a little relief.

bow regard · ‎03-09-2010

I am posting below what someone started on another thread here. I actually knew someone this happened to. My oncologist became his oncologist after he had already been given chemo and discovered what was happening. He didn't live very long after they figured it all out. Anyway, thought I'd post on our thread just in case someone missed it.

isa mason and gino.....update for 10/1/15[ New ]

‎10-01-2015 10:17 PM

posted by lisa on facebook:

Lisa P. Mason

Friends. A confession. Gino almost died on August 14th. I got him to the hospital just in time. It seems that My Beloved has something known as DPD deficiency. A "silent" genetic mutation found in approximately 26 million Americans. Harmless unless the person is diagnosed with cancer and is given the chemotherapy drugs 5FU or Xeloda. Although the drug manufacturers disclose it, oncologists are not required to disclose the FDA Black Box warning. In essence, if a person is DPD deficient, his/her body cannot eliminate the chemotherapy. It just stays in the body and burns it from the inside out. Often times, it is fatal. I am beginning a grass roots campaign called "Rare, but there." Please, please if you or someone you know has been diagnosed with breast cancer, colon cancer, rectal cancer, esophageal cancer, head and neck cancer or ovarian cancer, I BEG you .... Google search "DPD deficiency and 5FU" or "DPD deficiency and Xeloda." I also beg you to share or post this everywhere you can. If you are on QVC's or HSN's chat rooms, please post. If you are on a cancer forum, please post! I shutter to think of the lives lost needlessly because patients/caregivers didn't know about DPD deficiency. If you want to join me on this campaign, I welcome it. God bless you! Please share this!!!!

wagirl · ‎03-09-2010

Bow---I'm going to write that info down and ask about it when I see my onc dr in Dec. Had no idea that this existed but am grateful I do now. Why isn't this a topic of discussion when we are talking to our drs about treatments. Just makes me insane.If I had known what some of the many side effects from chemo were going to have on me, I think I would have made other desicions or at least, investigated further instead of just going for it. Grrrrrr!!!

Anyway----

Took hubby to get his basal cell spot removed yesterday. He did fine but he got 21 stictches in an area of about the size of a pea. And 7 of those were inside his mouth. but he only had to get one "scoop" out instead of 2 or 3; so the dr got it all on the first pass. He is sleeping in a chair and taking some pain meds round the clock too. And I'm cooking soft, baby food for him too. Tomorrow is day 3 and that will prob be brutal. but he will be good for our trip in 3 weeks to AZ so thats good.

Today I go see my gastro dr about the endoscopy I had last Friday. All is in perfect shape so prob was the Celebrex stirring up the ole juices too much. Am on omeprezole with the celebrex instead of celebrex alone and that seems to do the trick.

So happy weekend to all. I hear that Joaquin is not going to land but still you east coasters have tons of rain coming. Stay safe!! Hope all our girls in treatments are coping. Love to all!!!

PAM

GCR18 · ‎07-03-2013

@JackieHN wrote:
GC another week won't make a difference with chemo.

I was so looking forward to the 21 day count down, now it's 28 days. It's like it will never end.

Gracies Mom · ‎04-25-2011

Goldie--You asked how my friend Debbie was doing since her first chemo--she isn't doing well at all. I did not speak to her, but a mutual friend of ours did, but only for a couple of minutes--she is not up to talking. She has had unrelenting nausea and a headache since the chemo on Tuesday--she cannot eat. The two drugs she was given for the nausea did not work (I don't know what drugs she was given). I was told she did not sound well at all, but she did send her love and best wishes to me with my cancer battle. She was given chemo into her two ports, so she probably is going through what you did when you had your two ports. That's all I know. I don't understand why she isn't asking her doctors to try different meds for her nausea--she is an RN and knows she is entitled to be more comfortable and the nausea controlled. I feel awful about what she's going through and there's nothing I can do about it.

Of course, just thinking about her upset me to the point that I'm getting anxious again and needed to take a Valium--something I hate to make a habit of. I was able to get an appointment with a psychologist for this coming Thursday--I'm hoping she can give me better coping tips.

bowregard--Thank you for your suggestions as to how I can relax without drugs---I promise I will try!!

Gracie is doing a little better since taking her arthritis meds--I also started her on a joint support supplement--so we'll see. The weather is very raw and chilly here--definitely not good for arthritis.

I want to wish all of you a happy and blessed weekend--please keep my friend Debbie in your prayers. Much appreciated!

JackieHN · ‎09-23-2011

Gracie's mom I'm sorry to hear about Debbie. This is a learning experience when we're RN's as well. Problem with your first chemo is that we wait to take the anti-nausea medication until we have symptoms. No, you have to take it a few hours after chemo ends. Then continue to take it for a few days. I learned that one after my first chemo session. I was puking my guts up. I figured well they gave me pepcid and zofran before chemo I should be good. NOPE!! She'll figure it out. It should be gone by tomorrow or easing up. She needs ginger everything. Ginger tea, ginger ale, ginger candy. It does help. We'll be praying for her.

Pam I'm sorry to hear about your husband and his basal. I know your taking excellent care of him. And we all know they are babies.