CSN sisters and brothers How are you doing? Please check-in

lynn1950 said:

Still hanging in there

Five years after treatment, I am busy working and holding new grandchildren.  Life is good.  My husband is planning on retiring in January.  That will be a big change for us. Looking forward to seeing how others are doing. Thanks for this strand, New Flower. xoxoxo Lynn

Lynn,

 glad to hear from you. Well 5 years is a great accomplishment and was not easy. 

hugs and stay in touch

desertgirl947 said:

I have been wondering how

I have been wondering how everybody is doing especially those who have not posted for a long time.

I occasionally comment on different posts, but I have not said too much about my current status in quite awhile.  I am now about 13 months past the time I finished rads and healed from the bit of burning I had.  That marked a significant end for me as I had had a double mastectomy, chemo, and then rads.  I started tamoxifen about 15 months ago and deal with some of its side effects.  Took awhile for some of those to exhibit themselves.

I am on the three-month plan with my oncologist.  I am on the six-month plan with my surgeon, and that may change in the comin g year.  January should be the last visit I will make to my radiation oncologist.

My hair grew back rather quickly.  It appears that it will continue to be straighter than it was -- I had thick, wavy hair.  The color is about the same.  It is softer, but it is still thick.

When I twist and turn, I do not feel as tight in the chest as I did for quite a few months after my surgery.

My left arm bothers me somewhat. [As it was, I had injured the shoulder when I was a younger adult -- I was playing volleyball and crashed into the wall, chasing the ball.  I put my arms up so that my head would not hit the wall hard.  I dislocated my shoulder.]  When I was doing rads, it was difficult for me to hold my arm in the position I needed to.  When I did the boosts, it was even more difficult and very uncomfortable.  I managed, though, because I was determined to finish.  My left arm was where I had lymph nodes taken.

I can do a lot of what I used to do; but there are a few things that I can't do OR are difficult.  I just accept it as part of what goes with battling the disease.  I feel that I am doing quite well.

Thank you all for taking time to respond.Lgad to hear that many have been dating NED. The good news you can share him with each other and nobody is jealous or upset.

Victoria, how come you never took a picture of us?

SlowRolin - good luck with reconstruction, hope everything will go smoothly

Sue - thank for staying and follow on everybody

Desergirl glad to hear about your recovery. It took me 12 months to recover from mastectomy, Chemo and radiation. I hope you feel stronger every day as time go by.

We all have our challenges moving forward and dealing with this disease.

 Chemo girls how are you doing, still waiting to hear from you as well as radiation graduates and many others. 

Tomorrow is a busy day for me, taking vacation for 3 medical appointments. 

Hugs

camul said:

This has been a tough year.
I am thankful to be here. This has been a rough year. All treatment was stopped which makes it harder tonstay hopeful. Had a big mixup with medicare when my insurance through work went from primary to secondary. Extremely stressful to get one bill for 38k, then find out that my primary stopped covering herceptin, knowing that it was slowing the progression and wanting 17 months worth of treatments, chemo and scans, back, as I was her2 undetermined and they thought I was her2+. Then put on Adriamycin until Inended up with 3 embolisms in my lungs and I spent 5 nights in the hospital. This was when all treatment stopped, my body can not tolerate chemo, and Xgeva was stopped because of necrosis to the jaw.
Now I am on thyroid meds, Coumaden and pain meds. I still take vitamin d and b12 shots and potassium. I guess it was purely coincidental that all treatment stopped at the same time as medicare staryed. I wondered for a while when they even stoped Evista (the hormone blocker). I finished 10 days of radiation on my right knee and upper femu, then started 12 days of radiation to my thrasic spine, to try and stop the tumors from putting pressure on my spinal column which was causing weakness in my legs (so I dont end up paralyzed from the waist down).
I have a hard time with all of it at times and tire pretty easy, but I am so happy to be able to say that my medical team was wrong in their prognosis as far as a timeline.:)) Some days are better than others, but I am very happy to take as many as God is willing to give me!

thank you for sharing, we smile and cry together, amazing power of human spirit.

hugs