Cancer: it ain't fun but sure as hell is interesting! (today's onc appt.)

maggie_wilson

Ro10 said:

My onocologist also said the insurance does not approve PET
I asked about a PET scan and my gyn/onocologist said insurance does not approve PET scans for UPSC. I too have Blue Cross. He said the CAT scan would give the information needed at this time. He said he does not agree with the insurance companies decisions. I know many have had CT/PET. I am not sure why theirs were approved. My three suspicious areas have been unchanged. If they grow bigger than 1 cm, maybe things will change for a PET.

Maggie I hope you CAT scan goes well for you. In peace and caring.

oops, double posted.
oops, double posted. sorry.


sisterhood,
maggie

kkstef

norma2 said:

Interesting ain't the half of it!!!
Linda,

Every time I feel the slightest ache or pain I think it is cancer crouched there like a tiger waiting to spring out of the tall grass. Makes for an interesting life. I am constantly giving myself pep talks about how I should not dwell on it.

Reading your post the thought occurred to me that you sound pretty darned healthy. Except for the nodes lighting up your body doesn't seem to have a lot wrong with it. So that is a positive sign. All the healthy parts are working fine. I am hoping for it being nothing more than an anomaly. Something to watch but, not a threat.

Thinking of you, sweetie. And praying it is nothing more that some renegade node that will quickly succumb to treatment. {{{Linda}}}} here is hoping the best for you.

I like your new photo, Norma!
Norma...A great new photo! You look fabulous....I love that look in your eye...it says "don't mess with me as I'm one strong lady"!

Best to you....Karen

norma2

lindaprocopio said:

How BAD is this, that it being BREAST cancer is BETTER??!!
I'm baffled, but I'm smiling about it! It's almost too bizarre to be able to take seriously. I am very grateful that so far my cancer is hanging around in things I can live without (lymph nodes) and not moving into organs I absolutely need.

My husband did research and incidences of endometrial cancer metastasizing to those particular nodes in the armpit are .03%. (He didn't show me the source, and I'll do some resaerch of my own and let you know if he's wrong here.) I told my chemo-onc that my gyne-onc always checks under my armpits and he asked if he also routinely does a breast exam. I told him he does, and he said "Well then he's a good gynecologist because we are finding that women in cancer treatment rarely ever see their primary care doctors any more, and so oncologists try do more general exams to catch other unrelated health problems that the women may be ignoring." And that made sense since I haven't seen my primary care doctor since I got cancer. How about you ladies? Anyway, that's why my chemo-onc is even entertaining the unlikely 'primary breast cancer' idea. We just have to dig out that node and have a look.

I do feel wonderful! I'm getting ready for my cruise that departs next Thursday. I've 'fake-tanned' my legs and whitened my teeth and bought a lot of new clothes, and today I'm going to color my 1/4" crewcut so that it will look a little better if it's too hot for a wig or hat and I have to 'go commando'. 3 1/2 months out of chemo, it's still too short to fool anyone that this is a hairdo, but my scalp is at least fully covered now. We have a romantic balcony room on the ship and I've booked some shore excursion adventures for us in Bermuda, St. Thomas (where Vic and I were married), St Maarten & Puerto Rico: a boat tour into a water-filled cave; a submarine ride; a jeep waiting for us in one port with a guide to go to 2 famous Caribbean beaches; a tour of the Bacardi rum factory. I'm going to put cancer out of my mind and have a ball!

Thank you all so much for you support and ideas. It means so much.

Living vicariously through your post!!!
Gosh! Linda, Your post reminded me that it has been years since I have been on a cruise, or even taken a vacation. I need to get out more. Your trip sounds wonderful, dear. I hope you have a super time. Come back and tell aaaaalllll about it. At least I can enjoy your trip. It will be a while before I can schedule one of my own.

I hope they sort things out for you and decide what the heck is going on, you are a smart gal to question their opinions. It is why they call it the pratice of medicine. I guess we are the pratice part. Just goes to show that we are unique individuals. Each diagnosis reflects the fact that none of us fit into a medical pidgeon-hole. Keep em' on their toes, Linda. I hope the Bacardi factory gives free samples. {{{HUUGGGG}}}

lindaprocopio

daisy366 said:

Oh Linda!!
Why does this cancer story need to go on so....I'm not happy you may have breast cancer. I wish it would all go away.

But I think you have the best attitude about it all and your trip and putting it all on the shelf for now. Don't forget snorkeling!!!

Enjoy - Mary Ann

Saw my gynecologic oncologist today,...
I saw my chemo-oncologist Thursday and my gynecologic oncologist today. Both would prefer that I have the lymph node cut out under my arm and the whole thing biopsied. But the breast cancer oncologist (who I won't see until after my cruise) told them via email that he prefers to do a sonogram-guided needle biopsy first. It seems like a wasted step, since none of us will trust a 'benign' result since the needle may have just grabbed the good cells and no cancer cells; and if the node is cancerous, I want it cut out anyway. But the breast cancer oncologist is the expert in underarm nodes, so I certainly want to be examined by him before we do anything.

My appointment with the gyne-onc today was an informative one. In his 30+ years of experience he has seen less than 5 endometrial cancers that metastasized to an underarm node, so he acknowledged how rare this would be. But he looked closely at my scans and could find nothing in the breasts that would make him think breast cancer was likely either. He had me lie down and then sit up and move my arm up and down and out, all the time trying to feel the involved lymph node under my arm, but couldn't feel it. Had he been able to find it, he said that he would have done the needle biopsy today himself just to get that step out of the way.

We talked about the other 'lit up' para-aortic lymph node. He said we may end up wanting to cut that one out also for biopsy if we find we are dealing with a new primary cancer, and that he would be the surgeon for that. It is in a difficult spot between an aorta and a kidney, and he couldn't do it laproscropically so it would be a larger surgery. He thinks we should just plan this one step at a time for now. HECK! There’s still a chance that underarm node will be benign!

He told me to enjoy my cruise and not think about any of this the whole time. And that's what I plan to do. We leave Thursday & won't be back until June 5th!

kkstef

lindaprocopio said:

Saw my gynecologic oncologist today,...
I saw my chemo-oncologist Thursday and my gynecologic oncologist today. Both would prefer that I have the lymph node cut out under my arm and the whole thing biopsied. But the breast cancer oncologist (who I won't see until after my cruise) told them via email that he prefers to do a sonogram-guided needle biopsy first. It seems like a wasted step, since none of us will trust a 'benign' result since the needle may have just grabbed the good cells and no cancer cells; and if the node is cancerous, I want it cut out anyway. But the breast cancer oncologist is the expert in underarm nodes, so I certainly want to be examined by him before we do anything.

My appointment with the gyne-onc today was an informative one. In his 30+ years of experience he has seen less than 5 endometrial cancers that metastasized to an underarm node, so he acknowledged how rare this would be. But he looked closely at my scans and could find nothing in the breasts that would make him think breast cancer was likely either. He had me lie down and then sit up and move my arm up and down and out, all the time trying to feel the involved lymph node under my arm, but couldn't feel it. Had he been able to find it, he said that he would have done the needle biopsy today himself just to get that step out of the way.

We talked about the other 'lit up' para-aortic lymph node. He said we may end up wanting to cut that one out also for biopsy if we find we are dealing with a new primary cancer, and that he would be the surgeon for that. It is in a difficult spot between an aorta and a kidney, and he couldn't do it laproscropically so it would be a larger surgery. He thinks we should just plan this one step at a time for now. HECK! There’s still a chance that underarm node will be benign!

He told me to enjoy my cruise and not think about any of this the whole time. And that's what I plan to do. We leave Thursday & won't be back until June 5th!

Bon Voyage, Linda!
Thanks for your update....have been wondering what your dr. would have to say today.

OK....you have been through enough lately and time to roll on out of here and have one heck of a good time. Put all of the cancer stuff on the back shelf and have an absolute wonderful, fun filled time. You need it and so does your hubby!

By the way, where you are headed on your cruise??

Best to you always! Karen

Kaleena

lindaprocopio said:

Saw my gynecologic oncologist today,...
I saw my chemo-oncologist Thursday and my gynecologic oncologist today. Both would prefer that I have the lymph node cut out under my arm and the whole thing biopsied. But the breast cancer oncologist (who I won't see until after my cruise) told them via email that he prefers to do a sonogram-guided needle biopsy first. It seems like a wasted step, since none of us will trust a 'benign' result since the needle may have just grabbed the good cells and no cancer cells; and if the node is cancerous, I want it cut out anyway. But the breast cancer oncologist is the expert in underarm nodes, so I certainly want to be examined by him before we do anything.

My appointment with the gyne-onc today was an informative one. In his 30+ years of experience he has seen less than 5 endometrial cancers that metastasized to an underarm node, so he acknowledged how rare this would be. But he looked closely at my scans and could find nothing in the breasts that would make him think breast cancer was likely either. He had me lie down and then sit up and move my arm up and down and out, all the time trying to feel the involved lymph node under my arm, but couldn't feel it. Had he been able to find it, he said that he would have done the needle biopsy today himself just to get that step out of the way.

We talked about the other 'lit up' para-aortic lymph node. He said we may end up wanting to cut that one out also for biopsy if we find we are dealing with a new primary cancer, and that he would be the surgeon for that. It is in a difficult spot between an aorta and a kidney, and he couldn't do it laproscropically so it would be a larger surgery. He thinks we should just plan this one step at a time for now. HECK! There’s still a chance that underarm node will be benign!

He told me to enjoy my cruise and not think about any of this the whole time. And that's what I plan to do. We leave Thursday & won't be back until June 5th!

Have a great trip!
As you say, it seems that your office appointments were very informative. Lets think positive and go with the benign!

Enjoy your cruise!

bots

lindaprocopio said:

How BAD is this, that it being BREAST cancer is BETTER??!!
I'm baffled, but I'm smiling about it! It's almost too bizarre to be able to take seriously. I am very grateful that so far my cancer is hanging around in things I can live without (lymph nodes) and not moving into organs I absolutely need.

My husband did research and incidences of endometrial cancer metastasizing to those particular nodes in the armpit are .03%. (He didn't show me the source, and I'll do some resaerch of my own and let you know if he's wrong here.) I told my chemo-onc that my gyne-onc always checks under my armpits and he asked if he also routinely does a breast exam. I told him he does, and he said "Well then he's a good gynecologist because we are finding that women in cancer treatment rarely ever see their primary care doctors any more, and so oncologists try do more general exams to catch other unrelated health problems that the women may be ignoring." And that made sense since I haven't seen my primary care doctor since I got cancer. How about you ladies? Anyway, that's why my chemo-onc is even entertaining the unlikely 'primary breast cancer' idea. We just have to dig out that node and have a look.

I do feel wonderful! I'm getting ready for my cruise that departs next Thursday. I've 'fake-tanned' my legs and whitened my teeth and bought a lot of new clothes, and today I'm going to color my 1/4" crewcut so that it will look a little better if it's too hot for a wig or hat and I have to 'go commando'. 3 1/2 months out of chemo, it's still too short to fool anyone that this is a hairdo, but my scalp is at least fully covered now. We have a romantic balcony room on the ship and I've booked some shore excursion adventures for us in Bermuda, St. Thomas (where Vic and I were married), St Maarten & Puerto Rico: a boat tour into a water-filled cave; a submarine ride; a jeep waiting for us in one port with a guide to go to 2 famous Caribbean beaches; a tour of the Bacardi rum factory. I'm going to put cancer out of my mind and have a ball!

Thank you all so much for you support and ideas. It means so much.

Seeing My Regular Doctor
I wholeheartedly recommend seeing your regular doctor even is you are seeing your oncologist regularly. I have neuropathy from carbo/taxol. I was having strange roving pain in my legs, and my oncologist said he didn't think it was from neuropathy. I was taking neurontin, and it was causing swelling. So, I decided to see the orthopedic surgeon who did my knee replacement. He ordered Xrays and said that he didn't see any arthritis, and said he really thought it was neuropathy. He said jokingly that marijuana is good for that type of pain. I decided to see my internist since I hadn't seen him for a year, and he is wonderful about listening and trying to solve any problems. After a thorough checkup, he suggested that I stop taking the neurontin and try nortriptilyne. Nortriptilyne in small doses has been found to be effective for chronic pain. This has solved the problem which is important for me because my husband and I love to walk and hike. (He is 80 and I am 72.) We also have a one-year-old golden retriever who needs lots of exercise. I saw my oncologist a few weeks ago, and he was delighted I had found something that help--said he wasn't familiar with nortriptilyne. So I guess my point is, if you are not satisfied with the information you are getting, keep looking for answers.

norma2

kkstef said:

I like your new photo, Norma!
Norma...A great new photo! You look fabulous....I love that look in your eye...it says "don't mess with me as I'm one strong lady"!

Best to you....Karen

thank you, Karen
you are so kind!! I too that pic Sunday morning. Never took a pic and posted it before.

maggie_wilson

lindaprocopio said:

Saw my gynecologic oncologist today,...
I saw my chemo-oncologist Thursday and my gynecologic oncologist today. Both would prefer that I have the lymph node cut out under my arm and the whole thing biopsied. But the breast cancer oncologist (who I won't see until after my cruise) told them via email that he prefers to do a sonogram-guided needle biopsy first. It seems like a wasted step, since none of us will trust a 'benign' result since the needle may have just grabbed the good cells and no cancer cells; and if the node is cancerous, I want it cut out anyway. But the breast cancer oncologist is the expert in underarm nodes, so I certainly want to be examined by him before we do anything.

My appointment with the gyne-onc today was an informative one. In his 30+ years of experience he has seen less than 5 endometrial cancers that metastasized to an underarm node, so he acknowledged how rare this would be. But he looked closely at my scans and could find nothing in the breasts that would make him think breast cancer was likely either. He had me lie down and then sit up and move my arm up and down and out, all the time trying to feel the involved lymph node under my arm, but couldn't feel it. Had he been able to find it, he said that he would have done the needle biopsy today himself just to get that step out of the way.

We talked about the other 'lit up' para-aortic lymph node. He said we may end up wanting to cut that one out also for biopsy if we find we are dealing with a new primary cancer, and that he would be the surgeon for that. It is in a difficult spot between an aorta and a kidney, and he couldn't do it laproscropically so it would be a larger surgery. He thinks we should just plan this one step at a time for now. HECK! There’s still a chance that underarm node will be benign!

He told me to enjoy my cruise and not think about any of this the whole time. And that's what I plan to do. We leave Thursday & won't be back until June 5th!

have a great vacation with nary a thought about the c word
linda,
geeze, how complicated/crazy it can get.....it's good how seriously your doctors are taking what's going on, and how responsive they seem to be. you are so right, that that under arm node could definitely be benign, but i, too, would want it out already. while i understand how easy it is to go 4 steps ahead of oneself, i like thqt the gyn onc said one step at a time. i'm glad you're taking the opportunity to get as far away from this all as you can, linda. enjoy yourself, don't get too sunburned, and don't eat too much cheesecake and tiramisu. (cheesecake is my weakness; i make the best one in the world, as everyone who's ever tasted it will attest!)
sisterhood,
maggie

Ro10

lindaprocopio said:

Saw my gynecologic oncologist today,...
I saw my chemo-oncologist Thursday and my gynecologic oncologist today. Both would prefer that I have the lymph node cut out under my arm and the whole thing biopsied. But the breast cancer oncologist (who I won't see until after my cruise) told them via email that he prefers to do a sonogram-guided needle biopsy first. It seems like a wasted step, since none of us will trust a 'benign' result since the needle may have just grabbed the good cells and no cancer cells; and if the node is cancerous, I want it cut out anyway. But the breast cancer oncologist is the expert in underarm nodes, so I certainly want to be examined by him before we do anything.

My appointment with the gyne-onc today was an informative one. In his 30+ years of experience he has seen less than 5 endometrial cancers that metastasized to an underarm node, so he acknowledged how rare this would be. But he looked closely at my scans and could find nothing in the breasts that would make him think breast cancer was likely either. He had me lie down and then sit up and move my arm up and down and out, all the time trying to feel the involved lymph node under my arm, but couldn't feel it. Had he been able to find it, he said that he would have done the needle biopsy today himself just to get that step out of the way.

We talked about the other 'lit up' para-aortic lymph node. He said we may end up wanting to cut that one out also for biopsy if we find we are dealing with a new primary cancer, and that he would be the surgeon for that. It is in a difficult spot between an aorta and a kidney, and he couldn't do it laproscropically so it would be a larger surgery. He thinks we should just plan this one step at a time for now. HECK! There’s still a chance that underarm node will be benign!

He told me to enjoy my cruise and not think about any of this the whole time. And that's what I plan to do. We leave Thursday & won't be back until June 5th!

Have a great cruise
Hope you can put all of this aside and enjoy the beaches and the cruise. Enjoy all those shore excursions, too. Hope you get to wear all those new swimsuits and clothes you bought. You will look beautiful. Remember one day at a time, one step at a time. You and your husband deserve a wonderful time. In peace and caring.

Always Hopeful

lindaprocopio said:

Saw my gynecologic oncologist today,...
I saw my chemo-oncologist Thursday and my gynecologic oncologist today. Both would prefer that I have the lymph node cut out under my arm and the whole thing biopsied. But the breast cancer oncologist (who I won't see until after my cruise) told them via email that he prefers to do a sonogram-guided needle biopsy first. It seems like a wasted step, since none of us will trust a 'benign' result since the needle may have just grabbed the good cells and no cancer cells; and if the node is cancerous, I want it cut out anyway. But the breast cancer oncologist is the expert in underarm nodes, so I certainly want to be examined by him before we do anything.

My appointment with the gyne-onc today was an informative one. In his 30+ years of experience he has seen less than 5 endometrial cancers that metastasized to an underarm node, so he acknowledged how rare this would be. But he looked closely at my scans and could find nothing in the breasts that would make him think breast cancer was likely either. He had me lie down and then sit up and move my arm up and down and out, all the time trying to feel the involved lymph node under my arm, but couldn't feel it. Had he been able to find it, he said that he would have done the needle biopsy today himself just to get that step out of the way.

We talked about the other 'lit up' para-aortic lymph node. He said we may end up wanting to cut that one out also for biopsy if we find we are dealing with a new primary cancer, and that he would be the surgeon for that. It is in a difficult spot between an aorta and a kidney, and he couldn't do it laproscropically so it would be a larger surgery. He thinks we should just plan this one step at a time for now. HECK! There’s still a chance that underarm node will be benign!

He told me to enjoy my cruise and not think about any of this the whole time. And that's what I plan to do. We leave Thursday & won't be back until June 5th!

Enjoy your cruise!
So glad you're able to continue with your cruise plans! Have a wonderful time...try to forget all about what has been going on...and simply enjoy yourselves!

Peace and hope,
JJ

livealot

Always Hopeful said:

Enjoy your cruise!
So glad you're able to continue with your cruise plans! Have a wonderful time...try to forget all about what has been going on...and simply enjoy yourselves!

Peace and hope,
JJ

for Linda
after your appt. today, I would definitely agree with you about getting rid of the nodes and not relying on a biopsy. But that will be for later. i am very sure that you will have a fabulous trip and totally relax. Also, going commando is awesome and freeing. I wouldn't even bother with anything else, except for maybe a really cool scarf for dress up.
HAVE FUN!!
Elizabeth

TiggersDoBounce

lindaprocopio said:

Saw my gynecologic oncologist today,...
I saw my chemo-oncologist Thursday and my gynecologic oncologist today. Both would prefer that I have the lymph node cut out under my arm and the whole thing biopsied. But the breast cancer oncologist (who I won't see until after my cruise) told them via email that he prefers to do a sonogram-guided needle biopsy first. It seems like a wasted step, since none of us will trust a 'benign' result since the needle may have just grabbed the good cells and no cancer cells; and if the node is cancerous, I want it cut out anyway. But the breast cancer oncologist is the expert in underarm nodes, so I certainly want to be examined by him before we do anything.

My appointment with the gyne-onc today was an informative one. In his 30+ years of experience he has seen less than 5 endometrial cancers that metastasized to an underarm node, so he acknowledged how rare this would be. But he looked closely at my scans and could find nothing in the breasts that would make him think breast cancer was likely either. He had me lie down and then sit up and move my arm up and down and out, all the time trying to feel the involved lymph node under my arm, but couldn't feel it. Had he been able to find it, he said that he would have done the needle biopsy today himself just to get that step out of the way.

We talked about the other 'lit up' para-aortic lymph node. He said we may end up wanting to cut that one out also for biopsy if we find we are dealing with a new primary cancer, and that he would be the surgeon for that. It is in a difficult spot between an aorta and a kidney, and he couldn't do it laproscropically so it would be a larger surgery. He thinks we should just plan this one step at a time for now. HECK! There’s still a chance that underarm node will be benign!

He told me to enjoy my cruise and not think about any of this the whole time. And that's what I plan to do. We leave Thursday & won't be back until June 5th!

Linda Bon Voyage!
Have a wonderful cruise.....wish I could fit in your luggage!!!

Keep your chin up.....Laurie