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

GreeneyedGirl said:

~~♥♥♥~~

Like many, I check in, but don't often post. But I am thinking of you all ~often. Praying for my sisters/brothers who are part of this family as I see your posts and challenges you face. My health is great, and I am greatful for that. Life keeps me busy with 5 grandkids~the newest is 4 mo. old, and a wedding in Dec. plus another grandbaby due in May. Part time work that gives me joy~ and appreciative of all I am blessed with. Enjoying that pretty little convertible that I get to drive everyday...even when the sun is not shining here in the gray NW. (it is sunny in my ♥ tho)

 

~M

I'm doing very well.  I've even made peace with my permanent hair loss from Taxotere.  It is what it is.  It has been 3 years since I completed treatments for breast cancer.  I also had endometrial cancer at the same time and that's doing great, too.  My follow up appointments are now at 6 months - I just have twice as many as most of you because of the 2 cancers.  Sigh.  My husband was just diagnosed with prostate cancer and will begin radiation after the first of the year.  I guess God likes to keep us on our toes.  But life is good here in Northern California.  Hope your holidays are filled with joy.

Suzanne

Grandma X 6 said:

Doing Great

I am in remission. Dignosed Sept 2009, Stage 2, Her2, one year of treatment .For the most part I am a quite reader. It has been a tough year with all of are wonderful Sisters who have passed, May thay all rest in peace. My Holiday candles will all burn for them and thier Family this Holiday Season.

 

April 19,2014 will be 5 years since diagnosed the first time April 12 2014 will be 4 years since the second time ! I'm doing good I do check in here I   just don't post much! I wish everyone well and Happy Holidays !

smilingdeb said:

I'm still here after my scare

I have been in remission for 2 1/2 years now and had congrestive heart failure 1 year ago. I was on my death bed with my heart functioning at 10%. I had pneumonia with blood clots in both of my legs (now I have DVT), lungs and heart. The three in my heart, one of them was a size of a golf ball next to one of my valve. If it was to move and cover the valve I would have had a stroke, brain damage or died. The doctors said I was a miracle and a very strong warrior after learning about my breast cancer history. I was in the hospital for almost a month. When I got out I went stright to Card. rehab and now my heart is functioning at 45% (a normal heart is 75%) The heart cath. showed my heart was pumping good and strong and the veins looked good without any blockage. My Card. doctor does not think that my heart will get any stronger but that's okay cause I am still living. Please everyone, if you have any type of family medical history tell your doctor and make sure that any medication you are taking does not have any side effects that will make the problem worse or put your life in danger. Hope you all are doing great and getting ready for the holidays.

Take care and Bless you all,

Deb

P.S. What cause all this? The aggressive chemo treatment, I think they said radiation (I was heavy duty medicated) and anastrozole (arimidex)

Deb, you have had a really rough year and I hope you continue to be a tough warrior.  You are amazing.  Thank you so much for sharing your important story.

I have long encouraged all on the MB to be proactive about their hearts.  Duke University proposed a "multiple hit hypothesis" some years ago.  Basically, their hypothesis states that women after breast cancer are at increased cardiovascular risk from all of the treatments.  See: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/563432_2

Don't forget that breast cancer itself can increase risk!  In my case, in 2007, at age 54, I had a small heart attack.  At the time, I had undiagnosed bone and lung mets (long story) which had been going on for 2 years.  My cardiologist is convinced that my undiagnosed metastasis caused a hypercoagulable state.  Cancer can cause weird clotting issues and an unwanted clot can end up anywhere.  In my case the clot ended up lodged in a blood vessel in my heart. 

The cardiologist believes this weird clotting caused by cancer was my problem because 1) I had no cardiovascular risks (no diabetes, not overweight, no family history, etc.) 2) during cardiac cath he found that all of my coronary vessels were clear except the blocked one 3) the blocked vessel was a distal (far away) and small one.  See: http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/hypercoagulation-disorders

The day of my heart attack, I was very tired and short of breath.  I thought it was the heat.  Later that evening, I suddenly had every classic sign of a heart attack:  sudden crushing pain and pressure over the heart, pain radiating to the jaw and left arm, immediate nausea and vomiting, and denial.  Believe it or not, our daughter, a PA, had just told me that one of the symptoms of having a heart attack is denial and all I wanted to do was go to bed and forget about it!  I couldn't keep an aspirin down, but I chewed one and held it under my tongue hoping it would help (there are many blood vessels close to the skin under the tongue and many meds can be absorbed there).  I then made Danny call 911 and no one looking at me believed I was having a heart attack because of my age, my sex and my physical condition.  Everyone kept saying it was probably esophageal spasm and I kept saying, "that would be nice."  Anyway, the next morning, my cardiac enzymes shot up and I was told I had a heart attack and was going to cath.

Deb, I relate my story from time to time, because often we focus only on the cancer.  Heart disease is the #1 killer of women in the US and we have to take care of our hearts too!

Here are the symptoms of heart attack in women:

"Heart Attack Signs in Women

1. Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest. It lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.
2. Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
3. Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
4. Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
5. As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.

If you have any of these signs, don’t wait more than five minutes before calling for help. Call 9-1-1 and get to a hospital right away."  http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HeartAttack/WarningSignsofaHeartAttack/Heart-Attack-Symptoms-in-Women_UCM_436448_Article.jsp

"What Are the Symptoms of Heart Failure?

You may not have any symptoms of heart failure, or the symptoms may be mild to severe. Symptoms can be constant or can come and go. The symptoms can include:

• Congested lungs. Fluid backup in the lungs can cause shortness of breath with exercise or difficulty breathing at rest or when lying flat in bed. Lung congestion can also cause a dry, hacking cough or wheezing.
• Fluid and water retention. Less blood to your kidneys causes fluid and water retention, resulting in swollen ankles, legs, abdomen (called edema), and weight gain. Symptoms may cause an increased need to urinate during the night. Bloating in your stomach may cause a loss of appetite or nausea.
• Dizziness, fatigue, and weakness. Less blood to your major organs and muscles makes you feel tired and weak. Less blood to the brain can cause dizziness or confusion.
• Rapid or irregular heartbeats. The heart beats faster to pump enough blood to the body. This can cause a rapid or irregular heartbeat.

If you have heart failure, you may have one or all of these symptoms or you may have none of them. They may or may not indicate a weakened heart."

http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide-heart-failure?page=2

Sooooo the pain has finally gone away. On palliative care only now.  Sure sucks, but better than having the pain AND palliative care...Eh?  Always look on the bright side of life.. J xxxxxxx

Skeezie said:

Hi All...

Like many others, I check in to see how everyone is and cry with the sad news of some but don't post much anymore.  I'm always glad to see the "old" familiar faces and ache with the so many new ones and know the pain and fear so well.  I feel very blessed....next month will be the 4th anniversary of my last chemo and so far, fingers crossed, so good.  In these 4 1/2 years since dx, mastectomy and chemo my life has returned to normal (tho you think it never will) and I actuially go more than a day without thinking about it.  Even tho I see the signs of the surgery daily, I have gotten used to it and don't think about it...idsn't that odd?  I have kept my port cause I have no veins to speak of and this makes it so much easier to get blood draws or iv's.

All of you were a lifeline and still are a wealth of information and support and love.  I always encourage "newbies" to take a peek at the site and hope it gives them the same things it gave me.  I'm very lucky I have a loving husband and great friends who through all of it were right there for me.  I wish you all great holidays, peace and comfort and most of all the best health that is possible.

Hugs Judy :-) 

   

Things are doing well here.

13 years NED for Unterine Cancer   5 years NED for breast cancer   Was 11 years NED for bladder cancer but had 2 recurrences in 2011 so 2 years NED   3 years NED for skin cancer   Had a small precancerous polyp removed from my colon this year.  I do all my check ups yearly in mid March and early April so those are busy months.  I do a gyn-onc visit, a urology visit for a cystoscopy, a dermatology visit, an oncology visit for the breast cancer, a mammo, and a gastro visit for a yearly colonoscopy and endoscopy.  Then I can await results in a short period of time and then relax for another year.  I thought about spreadiing them out but then I would be going every other month and awaiting results all the time.  I am not inclined to worry over the tests but getting them out of the way as close together is much better. 

My hubby has made good progress from his stroke in 2011 and his broken hip in 2012 and C Diff infection in 2012.  No hospitalization for over a year.  This news makes me the happiest.  He has always been my rock and there for me 100%.  I hated watching him go through all this.Worse for me than dealing with my issues.  I felt in control with my stuff but totally helpless with his.   I am sure that is how he felt watching me go through my stuff.  So we are actually each other's rocks.

This might all sound like a lot but only because it's all written together.  Each incident was separate and we handled them one at a time. I was actually very fortunate that my cancers were caught early and all of them have responded well to treatment.  And I had genetic testing that determined I have Lynch Syndrome and Muir Torre Syndrome so I have preventative testing done for cancers that are common with them. 

My kindest thoughts and prayers are with all on the board.  There are many that are having struggles with this disease and with other life issues and my heart goes out to them.   I also miss those that we have lost through the years.   Losing someone you care about is like a tear in a beautiful quilt, it can be mended but it never exactly the same but you treasure it all the more.

 Love to all   Stef

Double Whammy said:

Thanks for this thread, Olga

I'm doing very well.  I've even made peace with my permanent hair loss from Taxotere.  It is what it is.  It has been 3 years since I completed treatments for breast cancer.  I also had endometrial cancer at the same time and that's doing great, too.  My follow up appointments are now at 6 months - I just have twice as many as most of you because of the 2 cancers.  Sigh.  My husband was just diagnosed with prostate cancer and will begin radiation after the first of the year.  I guess God likes to keep us on our toes.  But life is good here in Northern California.  Hope your holidays are filled with joy.

Suzanne

Wishing your husband the best going through radiation.  You have had your plate full.

Best,

Doris

fauxma said:

Things are doing well

Things are doing well here.

13 years NED for Unterine Cancer   5 years NED for breast cancer   Was 11 years NED for bladder cancer but had 2 recurrences in 2011 so 2 years NED   3 years NED for skin cancer   Had a small precancerous polyp removed from my colon this year.  I do all my check ups yearly in mid March and early April so those are busy months.  I do a gyn-onc visit, a urology visit for a cystoscopy, a dermatology visit, an oncology visit for the breast cancer, a mammo, and a gastro visit for a yearly colonoscopy and endoscopy.  Then I can await results in a short period of time and then relax for another year.  I thought about spreadiing them out but then I would be going every other month and awaiting results all the time.  I am not inclined to worry over the tests but getting them out of the way as close together is much better. 

My hubby has made good progress from his stroke in 2011 and his broken hip in 2012 and C Diff infection in 2012.  No hospitalization for over a year.  This news makes me the happiest.  He has always been my rock and there for me 100%.  I hated watching him go through all this.Worse for me than dealing with my issues.  I felt in control with my stuff but totally helpless with his.   I am sure that is how he felt watching me go through my stuff.  So we are actually each other's rocks.

This might all sound like a lot but only because it's all written together.  Each incident was separate and we handled them one at a time. I was actually very fortunate that my cancers were caught early and all of them have responded well to treatment.  And I had genetic testing that determined I have Lynch Syndrome and Muir Torre Syndrome so I have preventative testing done for cancers that are common with them. 

My kindest thoughts and prayers are with all on the board.  There are many that are having struggles with this disease and with other life issues and my heart goes out to them.   I also miss those that we have lost through the years.   Losing someone you care about is like a tear in a beautiful quilt, it can be mended but it never exactly the same but you treasure it all the more.

 Love to all   Stef

Love this thread, thank you New Flower!  I rarely post but do check in every week or so to check in on everyone.  This group was a life saver for me when I was diagnosed in 2011.  Thankfully, today I'm still dancing with NED.  

I went to the Hershey reunion this year and was honored to meet the ladies. We had tons of fun and memories I'll always treasure.  I was also lucky enough to meet a few of the California ladies last December (New Flower was one of them). 

My thoughts, prayers, love are with those struggling.   Stef, I absolutely love your quilt analogy!

Hugs and love to all!

Debi

This was a nice thing to do, thank you! I only post occasionally, but read often. I am 1.5 years post treatment (double mastectomy) for a rare secretory carcinoma which was only found on a 1yr follow-up PET scan for Stage3b anal cancer. As of today I am doing well and have routine scans coming up next month. I went back to college last spring at 54yrs old. I am filled with encouragement and inspiration from the amazing people here, and my life is full of love and support from my family which joyfully includes 6 grandsons between 2 and 5 all within 1/2 hr from my home........I am truely blessed!

Hi All

Thanks New Flower, this is a lovely thread

I'm doing well following my bilateral mastectomy & DIEP reconstruction on 12 October following dx with DCIS.  I'm healing really well, have nice pert boobies, flat tummy (no more mid-line hysterectomy scar) and am back at work.   Thankfully I don't need any further treatment following this surgery.

From an ovca perspective I have been NED since I finished chemo for stage 11c on Dec 8 2010 - wooohooo.

So all in all life is gooooooood.

Wishing all my 'over the pond' sisters a happy Thanksgiving and roll on Christmas

Hugs (())

Michelle

Hello everyone. Wow what a great post. I haven't been on here much lately. 

It's been over 4 years since my last chemo. I have since had full hysterectomy, polyps removed, 3 more biopsies. Radial scar removed from"good" side.  Just had my visit with the oncologist, still NED. My mammogram apt is Dec. 30. Doing well.