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Default Nov 19, 2020 at 04:41 PM
  #61
My chemotherapy went as planned, it has shrunk my cancer so my surgery scheduled for this Tuesday will go on as planned. Though I now have an appointment for December 15th to discuss what further chemotherapy may be needed. Good to have that news behind me now.
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Default Nov 20, 2020 at 07:21 AM
  #62
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My chemotherapy went as planned, it has shrunk my cancer so my surgery scheduled for this Tuesday will go on as planned. Though I now have an appointment for December 15th to discuss what further chemotherapy may be needed. Good to have that news behind me now.
Great news! Pleased for you!
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Default Nov 22, 2020 at 09:25 PM
  #63
Excellent! I hope your surgery goes smoothly and is a complete success.

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Default Nov 25, 2020 at 03:47 PM
  #64
Might need to rest a few days from PC (a little zonked out from drugs and surgery) but wanted everyone to know that I am home now from the hospital and that the surgeon said the surgery confirmed what the PET scan said that the cancer responded really well to the chemotherapy. I have good range of motion in my arm and can even type with both hands. Apparently, I should always get blood draws, vaccinations, etc. on the arm that still has lymph nodes now. Onto bed.
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Default Nov 25, 2020 at 04:16 PM
  #65
Thank you for updating us and hope you are resting and recuperating, and being spoiled too. Xx
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Default Nov 30, 2020 at 05:58 PM
  #66
Thank you for updating us. You are AMAZING!

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Default Nov 30, 2020 at 08:24 PM
  #67
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Apparently, I should always get blood draws, vaccinations, etc. on the arm that still has lymph nodes now.
Dont get that confused! My mom thought her operated arm was her invincible arm - wrong! That or she was just saying the opposite to get my goat. My goat is easily gotten!
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Default Dec 01, 2020 at 02:52 AM
  #68
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My goat is easily gotten!
Mine too; or worse, I don't get the joke everyone else seems to get..,

Yesterday, I definitely went through oxy withdrawal--I just laid around and felt down--all those oxys had made me feel high (a feeling I was missing) and able to do a lot more physically (I had been walking but skipped my walk yesterday and didn't cook at all). I had an online student scheduled and really did not feel like working but, of course, I did. I will force myself to do more today. Having overcome a worse operation in 2015, IMO, laying around in bed does not help you recover.
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Default Dec 08, 2020 at 03:07 AM
  #69
Today I am going to see the plastic surgeon. Given I have no hair (except a few wisps of bangs), some maskne and only one breast--I hope the plastic surgeon can fix me up. I used to always find some things about my appearance that I liked--very hard to do right now. I should be focusing on the fact that the pathology report from the surgery looked so good that they are still deciding if I need any radiation (for my lymph nodes) and I will not need anymore chemotherapy (unless it comes back)--they will just monitor me for a while. This is the conclusion I came to after reading my pathology report--I see my oncologist next week.
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Default Dec 11, 2020 at 11:34 PM
  #70
How did it go at the plastic surgeon? I hope you have a way forward and that you are being able to feel more yourself without the oxy.
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Default Dec 12, 2020 at 03:12 AM
  #71
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How did it go at the plastic surgeon? I hope you have a way forward and that you are being able to feel more yourself without the oxy.
Yes, I did. So far, all that has happened is that I opted to have surgery with my own tissue but because of COVID, the surgery may not happen for months (my other surgery and chemotherapy were scheduled quickly because a delay could have effected my survival). He said I am a good candidate for this type of surgery and ordered a CT scan of the vessels in my belly area. If the vessels look good, my new breast will be made from my stomach skin and fat--I figure it is like getting a free tummy tuck thrown in--and he will also lift my other breast to match. I am hoping to be a size C instead of a size D or DD (depending on my weight), eventually. The surgeon also said that my oncologist had to clear me for the cosmetic surgery. I will see my oncologist this Tuesday. In the meantime, I stuff my wrapping around my chest, and wear a hat and usually a layer such as a vest over my T-shirt. My hair is beginning to grow again but it is like baby hair so I still look bald.

Not missing the Oxy at all now but it is certainly hard to resist when you have pills in the house. I am walking 4.5 miles again and trying to eat healthy so that I will be ready for the surgery. I lost about 14 pounds because of the chemo and am happy with my current weight. The the plastic surgeon said my BMI and health make me a perfect candidate for surgery. I am looking forward to when I have two breasts again.
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Default Dec 12, 2020 at 04:25 PM
  #72
Good luck with your oncologist on Tuesday. You are doing a great job by walking and eating foods that will nourish your body. Keep going. I like your take on getting a free tummy tuck. Even better.
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Default Dec 27, 2020 at 10:37 AM
  #73
I will start radiation treatment on the Wednesday the 30th. After seeing my surgeon for surgery follow-up, I had hoped I wouldn't need radiation (this doctor actually advised against it). With radiation treatment, I will need to wait longer before getting reconstructive surgery--my radiation doctor advised that I would get the best results if I wait a year. However, my oncologist in charge of my cancer treatment recommended I have it since the type of cancer I have is such an aggressive form (for a variety of reasons, I thought it best just to trust him though I know it is a judgement call). The radiation carries a variety of risks (higher chance of pneumonia, edema, pituitary gland complications, etc but so does the cancer returning). My oncologist wanted me to schedule my June mammogram during the first week in June so that he could call me before he leaves our state to train to do bone marrow transplants. My radiation doctor is located in the town I live in and seems very thorough. That she seems like a very good doctor makes the thought of going to radiation better. I will be getting 6 weeks (5 days a week) of radiation (the treatments will only take 30 minutes) starting in January. The Wednesday appointment will map out the treatment using a CT scan which will account for how my breathing and heartbeats cause movements. I will end up with a tan on the treated area.
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Default Jan 02, 2021 at 09:43 AM
  #74
Found out on the 30th that my radiation treatment starts on Jan 11th. Due to some of the videos I have been watching (and because I still have major swelling under my armpit and some in my upper arm), I am nervous about getting lymphedema. That the radiation increases the chances that my lymphedema (it is very minor but I want to keep it that way) will worsen is why the surgeon argued against my having radiation. Apparently, lymphedema is very common--I know someone who suffers but never had any lymph nodes removed.
Lymphedema - What the doctor isn't telling you? - YouTube
Kathy Bates - Discussing Lymphedema On The Doctors - YouTube
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Default Jan 02, 2021 at 09:47 AM
  #75
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Found out on the 30th that my radiation treatment starts on Jan 11th. Due to some of the videos I have been watching (and because I still have major swelling under my armpit and some in my upper arm), I am nervous about getting lymphedema. That the radiation increases the chances that my lymphedema (it is very minor but I want to keep it that way) will worsen is why the surgeon argued against my having radiation. Apparently, lymphedema is very common--I know someone who suffers but never had any lymph nodes removed.
Lymphedema - What the doctor isn't telling you? - YouTube
Kathy Bates - Discussing Lymphedema On The Doctors - YouTube
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Default Jan 02, 2021 at 04:46 PM
  #76
I often think of you, and always send thoughts of strength and well-being.

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Default Jan 02, 2021 at 05:18 PM
  #77
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I often think of you, and always send thoughts of strength and well-being.
Ditto ditto ditto!
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Default Jan 20, 2021 at 01:45 AM
  #78
It is the second week of my six weeks of radiation. So far, no ill effects. Last week, my H asked my radiology doctor to further explain the risks and rewards of radiation (to which I added that my surgeon said I didn't need it). She's the type of doctor who loves to explain to her patients everything she knows (love doctors that give out a lot of information ). She pulled up images of my first PET scan showing where all the cancer was. I had a modified left radical mastectomy which means they took all the breast tissue but none of the muscle (they used to take some of the peck muscle too). Even though they removed more than a dozen lymph nodes, there was one (possibly two) small one behind the muscle, near my collar bone that looked cancerous (but was never biopsied) and after my chemotherapy she felt it still looked a little suspicious. I feel better about getting the radiation now. She added in a funny way that I am not glowing green either. She has a wonderful bedside manner.
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Default Feb 19, 2021 at 03:31 AM
  #79
I am now very sunburned in the area below my left collarbone and above the mastectomy scar. I have a couple of creams that I apply to it often. Some reddening/darkening from my lower left neck to the area under my arm pit to a couple of inches below my mastectomy scar. Seven more treatments and then I am done. I am so grateful that I have healthcare. It saved or extended my life. I want all our citizens to have affordable healthcare. For a while, I sold/signed people up for a variety of healthcare plans. I know how expensive it is. When my mental health crisis resulted in me being in the hospital for nearly a month (two operations), my "healthcare plan" was bankruptcy. I have forgotten how much the bill was but the amount owed to the hospital was much more than our house is worth.
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Smile Apr 10, 2021 at 04:22 AM
  #80
I had a CAT scan on Tuesday and was able to view the results yesterday. It did not show any signs of the cancer returning. I also recently was fitted for and received three bras with one prosthetic and a compression sleeve and glove to help prevent swelling in my left arm where my lymph nodes were removed. Interestingly, I sweat under my right arm but not my left. I still shave under my right arm but no longer have any hair under my left arm--perhaps the radiation removed the hair. My next appointments having to do with this diagnosis are in June (mammography on my right breast) and July (appointment with the plastic surgeon), so the next updates will likely be about when I get reconstruction surgery. In the meantime, having the prosthetic is better than before, my H joked that my adjustments of the fiberfill I was using (it would creep up when I walked) reminded him of Granny on the Beverly Hillbillies . No need to make those adjustments anymore--the new bras have a pocket for the prosthetic.
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