Met with Oncologist

Kylez said:

Hi
Pitt, you have it all planned out. I bet it feels good to have a treatment plan and know when and what is taking place. I didn't have chemo. I had a lumpectomy with rads. I wish you good luck Pitt! I celebrate a butterfly flying by me anymore. Bc makes you realize you are mortal and best open up your eyes and enjoy each and every little thing. Good luck!

Kylez ♥

Celebrate everything good, no matter how small!
Liz, good to hear from you, and GREAT to hear that your lymph nodes told cancer to stay the he** away! Definitely reason for celebration!

You and I still seem to be walking down similar roads: I'm also stage 1 (though both breasts in my case), no lymph node involvement. I was BRCA negative, and I also had a PET/CT, which came back clean, so I'll be hoping the same for you.

I'm currently halfway through the same chemo cocktail you'll be doing, on the same schedule. Then radiation, then Tamoxifen. I was offered the Oncotype DX test, but refused it, because I also wanted to be aggressive about doing chemo -- I'm 40, so I too have a lot of estrogen-filled years ahead of me before menopause!

And me and my good veins also didn't need a port!

The first thing about chemo that I had a hard time wrapping my own planning-obsessed, control-freak little head around is that everyone reacts to it differently, even women on exactly the same cocktail. My oncologist kept telling me beforehand that there was no way for him to predict which side effects I would get, or how badly, so we just had to wait until the first one and then attack with whatever drugs I needed for whichever side effects.

That was SO difficult for me -- I wanted him to tell me exactly WHICH side effects I would get, and exactly WHEN they would hit, and exactly WHAT we would be doing about them.

As my grandmother would say..."and people in hell want ice water, too."

:-) Traci

outdoorgirl said:

Hey Liz,
To begin with,I'm glad that your nodes are clear-that means a lot!
Sounds like you and your onc have a great game plan!
There's a lot of posts on here about chemo-might be a good idea to skim through them all and keep what advice you can.
With me it was all about celebrating the little things-or perks are what I called them. Little lights in the darkness that you can be thankful for!
And I tell everyone this because I don't know if our oncs tell enough of us this before starting chemo-set up an appointment to get your teeth cleaned-you'll be glad you did after all is said and done!

Good point, outdoorgirl
Oooh yes, very good point about making an appointment with the dentist beforehand, as you can't have dental work done while you're on chemo. My oncologist didn't think to tell me, so I'm glad I read it myself in some ACS materials!

Traci

LIZ
Your awesome, it sounds like you have all your ducks in a row!! Good luck with your scan and your treatment plan!! Hugs, Diane

pitt said:

UGH Barium Sulfate
There are so many other things I would rather be drinking on a Friday night than 3 10oz. glasses of Barium Sulfate!!! This is so gross - though much better cold than warm. How do I make myself swallow? Any chance I can wash it down with a martini? That's a clear liquid.

YUCK!,I had that horrible
YUCK!,I had that horrible stuff to drink before my CT scan. Then they found or I should say confirmed my ventral hernia. My Oncology surgeon ordered the test. The GI Dr. was shown it back in early June and said nothing. Sheesh!So, I'll need another surgery.

TraciInLA said:

Yuck!
Liz, I'm sorry you have to chug that stuff....I had a PET/CT, and I didn't have to drink nuthin', they just gave me an IV when I got there.

I'm afraid you'll have to save the martini until AFTER your test -- and I would suggest you have it with some Ben & Jerry's, you've earned it!

Traci

Yum Ben & Jerry's! I am in!
Yum Ben & Jerry's! I am in! lol

Sue

MCJ said:

Great news, I'm happy for
Great news, I'm happy for you, hope things stay good!

Will you do surgery first? then chemo?

No advice on chemo, we will start later this month.

Why a hysterectomy??

Because you have a higher
Because you have a higher risk for uterine cancer with taking Tamox. My grandmother died from uterine cancer at age 77. That was back in 1968 though. Her GYN Dr. had recomended she get a hysterectomy years before, but she refused for some reason. My cousin had BC twice, and was good for yrs. She took Tamox, but she also took the anti-depressants they recently found out were not a good mix.

pitt said:

Yeah - Lucky Me
Yeah - my mom is 60 and has Stage IV uterine sarcoma. Since uterine issues run in my family they are going to monitor me closely to make sure the tamoxifen doesn't "feed" a uterine cancer for me. I'm still waiting on the BRAC test too. If that comes back positive, I'm getting it all done: double mastectomy and hysterectomy. If the scan and Brac are fine, then I am done with surgery. I had the lumpectomy and two surgeons assured me that the recurrence rates are the same for mastectomy vs lump with radiation. I just hate waiting for test results. That's the worst part because I feel like I am in limbo until I know more. That just speaks to my overly active, control-freak nature. I need information and lots of it or I feel lost. And speaking of which, the iodine iv was goofey! I felt the warmth of it oozing down my body all the way to my genitals. What the heck was that about? If they hadn't told me to expect that I would have had a panic attack! As it was, I actually thought I had wet my pants!!! Could these tests get any more bizarre?
Liz
PS I'm having Americone Dreams (Ben & Jerry) tonight with Stephen Colbert...and a martini!!! :-)

They told me in advance that
They told me in advance that I'd feel warm and that I'd think I had wet my pants. I knew the gal who did my CT scan. I actually worked with her when we were CNA's at the Nursing Home! Actually it was she who got the Dr's to approve for a more extensive CT scan than just my abdomen where the hernia was, so I got a more complete report on my other organs. It was great to have a person I knew!