Wellness

[Shugirl]

On 6/3/2015 bowregard said:

On 6/3/2015 ShuGirl said: Hi Bow, I remember you as well (I used to be Kindle but had to start new id). I'm very sorry you're having to deal with a re-occurrence. I had a lumpectomy & radiation in 2013. I wish you all the best as you fight this again. I will be keeping you in my thoughts & prayers. Shugirl

Hi ShuGirl (Kindle)!....wasn't it Kindle Reader? Thanks so much for your kind words. How's your girls doing? And your Dad? Wasn't there some health issues he was dealing with? Glad you're continuing to do well.

Hi Bow, yes I was Kindle Reader, you have a great memory! My girls are doing really well, considering this last year full of changes & adjustments for them. Today was the last day of school & I'm very proud to say that both had straight A's all year while taking honors classes. My oldest will start high school this year & she's already anxious to start driving. You can get your permit at 15 1/2 here. But she will have to wait longer than that. My dad turned 90 last month & he is also dealing with bladder cancer. He's a 20.5 year esophageal cancer survivor but was DX with bladder cancer in January. He's too weak for any surgery or other treatments right now. The dr is keeping a close eye on him & so far nothing has grown or spread. We are grateful for every day he has. Keep the faith Bow, we are all in this together. Shugirl

[JackieHN]

Our lioness is back. Watch out!! It's a long story for you newbies. Talking about gaining weight I think I'll have another chocolate chip cookie because Lannie made me hungry.

GCR, I didn't want anyone to stay with me either during chemo. They made me sign this piece of paper stating that I wouldn't be drivng. First treatment my girlfriend stayed with me. 2nd treatment I was alone. Girlfriend took me and drove me home. 3rd and 4th my husband came.

[Lyn08]

On 6/4/2015 Lannie said:

Lyn - hooray for you and your good tests! That is great news.

I can only suggest cheeseburgers, French fries and a chocolate malt for gaining weight. Actually you can make a fairly healthy cheeseburger with grass fed beef, a good cheese and healthy or gluten free bun. Drink whole milk, eat full fat yogurt, a hearty cereal. I'll add more if I think of anything.

Thanks dear Lannie! I'm so glad I had good test results this time.

I have frozen KC steakburgers in the freezer. I don't have buns, but I have 12-grain bread. I also don't have sliced cheese, but I have grated cheddar (maybe that would work in a pinch).

I've been buying fat free milk and fat free yogurt. I eat oatmeal every morning, with half a banana, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries.

I started losing weight a couple years ago when my blood glucose was slightly elevated (pre-diabetes range). I weighed 135-136 pounds. I've been gradually losing weight, but didn't realize I'd gone down to 106.9 pounds until I was weighed earlier this week. I know I need to gain weight (I can see my ribs). I just don't have a big appetite. I eat well, but evidently I eat like a person who is on a diet.

I just baked banana bread, and it smells so good! Maybe I'll have a piece with my lunch. I usually bake cookies and banana bread and give these to people who live in my condo building (and don't eat any myself), the mailman and the UPS driver if he has a package for me.

I continue to pray for everyone on this forum every single night, and will continue to do so, even if I'm not on the forum every day. God bless all of you!

[bow regard]

Oh, everybody....I am beyond excited!!!!.....so much so that I feel like I'm about to have a heart attack with JOY!

My update: I met with my surgeon on Wed. (I wrote a long msg. that nite when I wrote msg. to each of you, but it did not post) for a full 2 hours. He was trying to get ready to go out of town and will be out of town until Mon. and he had no patients scheduled and my Radiation Oncologist talked to him about me and he decided to see me right away since my case is a little complicated. My mammo shows trouble which cannot be found on the ultra sound. So, I had the Breast MRI which also showed what mammo showed. I had a PET scan yesterday and my surgeon (even though he is now out of town) had results sent to him and talked with Radiologist reading scan this a.m. He told his office to call me immediately...about an hour ago. He says my PET scan could not look better. That area is lighting up about the same as surgery scar area which it is right beside. There is every chance it is scar tissue showing up. I am scheduled for a Mammo/Surgical Biopsy for this coming Wed. (my Medical Oncologist's PA just called confirming same results on PET scan....she said they are so happy because they don't often get to give happy messages to patients). My surgeon said an ultra sound needle biopsy is not possible because it does not show up on ultra sound and an MRI Breast biopsy would take at least 3-4 weeks to schedule and would still not be conclusive. So, he will do a bit of the old-fashioned way which is to put me under local anesthetic and use mammogram to put wires in breast where it is showing up....then put me under general anesthetic and into the OR and take tissue samples and send down to lab.....if it comes back absolute cancer, than a mastectomy would be performed.....if it comes back not absolutely clear and we need longer lab test results, he would put me back together and we would wait 2 days for more detailed results.....if there is a grey area, he will have to make a decision and, of course, it is my HOPE that it will come back on first lab test NEGATIVE for cancer, and I will wake up with only having had a surgical biopsy. Anyway, now it looks like I have a good reason to be optimistic and I'm so happy PET didn't show anything anywhere else. I have had butterflies in my stomach all morning awaiting these calls. I am beside myself with JOY and can hardly type.

Wanted to share my happiness with y'all............

[bow regard]

On 6/4/2015 Lannie said:

Bow - can't stop thinking about you! You've got a full plate, my dear, but one step at a time. Thinking about all of it is too much - I'll share it with you!

They should be setting you up with a surgical bra/wrap thing after surgery. And when you go to your post op, ask about what you should wear - many times they have something they can give you right there in the office.

I wore a light jacket type thing with buttons or a zipper down the front with pockets to hold the drains in. Worked really good.

If I'm remembering correctly, your lymph nodes were already removed, so you shouldn't have to deal with that - trying to look on the bright side here.

Good night - I'll get my Roars in order for you, come out of retirement to take back my position as Queen and think of a good proclamation to make!

LL

Oh, Lannie, thank you so much!!!!! Your good energy vibration ROAR of the Lioness was heard!!!!! Read my above message! Thank you for such a kind message and for being with me.

I am also thinking about you and your new decision as to whether to have surgery or not on this latest thing with you. I know how hesitant you must be anytime anyone uses the knife on your body anywhere.....with healing and all. I remember all too well the stuff you experienced before. I know that you will make the right decision for yourself. I probably would want it cut out, but then I would be so cautious about the healing process. Since the doctors know your healing complications' history, they will be taking extra good care of you I'm sure if you decide to have it cut out.

Know that no matter what decision you make, I'm here for you!

[JackieHN]

Bow what fabulous news. Jumping for joy. If Lannie decides to go for surgery then Goldie will get all of us prayer warriors together and we will all pray in unison for a speedy recovery. She will not have any problems next time around. Goldie is powerful with her prayers.

[bow regard]

On 6/5/2015 JackieHN said:

Bow what fabulous news. Jumping for joy. If Lannie decides to go for surgery then Goldie will get all of us prayer warriors together and we will all pray in unison for a speedy recovery. She will not have any problems next time around. Goldie is powerful with her prayers.

Thanks, Jackie! Do a little cyber happy dancin' with me please!

Then, Prayer Group it is....for Lannie....whatever decision she makes I know that prayers are aleady going up and out.

[embgm]

Oh bow I'm dancing! What wonderful news! Count me in as a prayer warrior. The more the merrier! Em

[bow regard]

On 6/5/2015 emalyn said: Oh bow I'm dancing! What wonderful news! Count me in as a prayer warrior. The more the merrier! Em

Thanks Em!

I'm so happy for you that you did not have to do chemo. I had only one dose of Taxotere Cytoxan and it 'bout did me in. Glad that your health now seems to be on an even road for you. Cyber dancin' continues .......

[LTT1]

On 6/4/2015 Lyn08 said:

I haven't been on the forum lately, but I do check the postings from time to time.

I had my 6-month CLL checkup with my cancer doctor the other day, and everything continues to be stable. My white count is only up 2 more points, and the bone marrow and other tests are good. I was worried about a small nodule I found under my arm, and asked the doctor to check it out. He said it was a lymph node, and everything was fine.

Any suggestions on how to gain weight, and still watch what I eat (so my blood glucose doesn't go up -- it was good my last test, and the one before that was elevated)?

Lyn08... so happy and relieved for you that your tests came out with good results. I will only add to the other suggestions here, that the Trader Joes (?) vegetarian cheese was reported to be very tasty! If you want to avoid dairy for any reason (which I do) this might make for a yummy addition to baked potato/hamburger/tostada, etc.