Choices

Hi gals

This was posted by Vicky Sam in May of 2012 and I thought it would be a good idea to bring it forward and repost it here for anyone that's trying to understand the abbreviations:

*Abbreviations* for all our Newbies

Vicki Sam May 31, 2012

 AC - one of the five most common types of chemo given to women with BC. It's probably the MOST common drug combination given to women with node-negative (hasn't spread to your lymph nodes) cancer. AC includes two drugs: doxorubicin (Adriamycin), and cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan).

AI - aromatase inhibitors

ADH - A benign (not cancer) condition in which there are more cells than normal in the lining of breast ducts and the cells look abnormal under a microscope. Having atypical ductal hyperplasia increases the risk of breast cancer. Also called ADH and atypical ductal breast hyperplasia. involvement

AKA - also known as

ALH - Atypical Lobular Hyperlasia - cells in the lobules that look different from normal cells, but aren't cancer and more cells than there should be.

AND - axillary node dissection

AWS - Axillary Web Syndrome; associated with Cording as a result of surgery/rads. Requires management by specialists in PT/ LE and myofascial release.

B9 (Not Cancer)

BC- Breast Cancer Bi-Lat (bilateral, Mastectomy of both breast)

BIRADS - Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System score. This indicates the radiologist's opinion of the absence or likelihood of breast cancer.

BM(x) - Bilateral Mastectomy BS - breast specialist/surgeon BTW - by the way... Bump - written to edit a thread up in the listings so someone can find it.

BWT - But what the.......!

CC - capsular contraction

CHF (Congestive Heart Failure) = a side effect of Adriamycin, Herceptin, Avastin and some other chemo drugs but it is not a common side effect. CHF occurs in <1% and 3-4% and 5-10% from Adriamycin, Avastin and Herceptin respectively. (Heart failure doesn't mean that your heart has stopped working, or has "failed." Heart failure means that the heart is not pumping blood through your body as well as it should.)

CMF (Cyclophosphamide Methotrexate Fluorouraci) - a commonly used regimen of breast cancer chemotherapy that combines three anti-cancer agents

CT scan - computerized tornography, used to image the structures of the body, especially head, neck or trunk. DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ)

DD ~ Dose dense

Dear Daughter DH ~ Dear Husband

DIEP - deep inferior epigastric perforator: autologous (own tissue) transfer. a refined version of the TRAM flap

DIL - Daughter-in-law DP ~ Dear partner DS ~ Dear Son

Dx (Diagnosis)

DW~ Dear Wife

ER (Estrogen Receptive) estrogen receptor positive+ or negative-

FEC (flourouracil/epirubicin/cyclophosphamide) - combo that many Canadians, Brits and Aussies receive with one of the taxanes to follow

FIL ~ Father in law

FNA - fine needle aspiration

FWIW - for what it's worth

GCM - Glucosamine Chondroitin w/MSM (for relief of joint pain)

HER2 + or -, whether your tumor overexpresses the HER2 protein or not HT (Anti-hormone Therapy)

HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy)

Hx - history

IBC (Inflamatory Breast Cancer)

IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)

IDK - I don't know (something we all said first time diagnosed)

ILC (Invasive Lobular Carcinoma)

IMF, infra-mammary fold, the crease/fold under the breast

IM(H)O - in my (humble) opinion (with or without the ‘humble')

KWIM......."know what I mean".

LAVH - laparoscropic assisted vaginal hysterectomy - a surgical procedure using a laparoscope to guide the removal of the uterus and/or Fallopian tubes and ovaries through the vagina (birth canal

LCIS (Lobular Carcinoma In Situ)

LD flap - Latissimus Dorsi Flap

LE ~ Lymphedema Lump (Lumpectomy)

Lt ~ Left Mast (Mastectomy)

Med Onc (MO) - medical oncologist

Mets (Metastasis)

Mil ~ Mother in law

MLD - manual lymph drainage

Mojo ~ Sex , or lack of MPBC -

Metaplastic Breast Cancer (not to be confused with metastatic breast cancer) - an aggresive rare form of breast cancer. See thread of the same name under "Just Diagnosed"

MRSA - Methcillin-resistant Staphyloccus Aureua, a bacterium that causes an infection that is hard to treat and the bane of women who have had surgery, expecially for breast reconstruction (worth googling for more information)

MX - Mastectomy

NAC - A skin-sparing mastectomy will be performed with preservation of the nipple-areolar complex (NAC).

NB = Navelbine Navelbine is an anti-cancer ("antineoplastic" or "cytotoxic") chemotherapy drug

NED (No evidence of Disease

NP - Nurse practitioner

NSM - nipple sparing masectomy

ODAAT ~ One day at a time Omph (or Ooph) ~

ONC ~ Oncologist path=pathology

PBM - prophylactic bilateral mastectomy

PCP - Primary Care Physician

PE - pleural effusion or pulmonary embolism (an example of when you need to chedk with your medical team)

PET scan - Positron Emission Tornography, used to image metabolically active cells, such as cancer cells.

PET-CT scan - a combination of PET and CT which superimposes the matebolically active cells that ‘light up' on the bodily structures so that the radiologist is reading a single image.

PFC = Perfluorinated compounds - suspected carcinogen. {Comment removed}

PICC - peripherally inserted central catheter. When used (occasionally) for chemo, it is sometimes known as an "arm port". More often used for IV antibiotics such as may be required for MRSA and other serious bacterial infections.

PILC - pleomorphic invasive lobular carcinoma

PM - private message

PPI = proton pump inhibitor (the mechanism of action of drugs like Nexium, Prilosec, Protonix, etc.

PR (Progesterone Receptive) progesterone receptor positive+ or negative-

PS ~ Plastic Surgeon

QOL - quality of life

RADS - Radiation; Radiotherapy Rad onc(

RO - Radiation oncologist

RS - Recurrent Score

ROFLOL - rolling on floor laughing out loud Rt ~

Right SE ~ Side Effects

SNB - sentinel node biopsy

SOB - short of breath

SOH - sense of humor

SX can be used as an abbreviation for 'surgery', or 'symptoms'. http://www.globalrph.com/abbrev_rst.htm

SP - status post

TAH-BSO - Total Abdominal Hysterectomy - Bilateral Salingo Oopherectomu (uterus, cervix, tubes and ovaries removed)

TCH - taxotere, carboplatin, herceptin

TE - temporary expanders or tissue expanders

TIA - thanks in advance

TM = tumor markers

TN (Triple Negative) In regards to negative status for ER/PR and Her2neu status

TMI-Too much information

TRAM flap - Transverse Rectus Abdominis Myocutaneous flap

TX - treatment

WNL= Within normal limits

Additional info (thanks Leaf) to consider: There can be multiple meanings for some abbreviations in medicine. For example, PE is also an abbreviation for pulmonary embolism. (Tamoxifen users are at increased risk for pulmonary embolism.) One acquaintence with a congenital heart defect (CHD) didn't believe me when I told her that CHD is more commonly an abbreviation for coronary heart disease. In medical notes, you often have to look at the context. With some abbreviations, it can be difficult. Hope this helps! Vicki Sam

Looks like Idalia is going to be tracking up through the big bend area in Florida. That will put it right in the middle between you and my daughter Heather. I will continue to pray for peace and safety for you. If it does go there it's going to really mess up the oyster beds so if you like oysters... :)

Don't forget to stock up on water!

I am so glad hospice is working out for you Claoh! I think it is absolutely wonderful how they are watching out for you ahead of the storm! I did have a question though that I forgot to ask you, if you need prescription pain medications later on is that something they would do or is that something that you're palliative care doctor would do? Just curious.

Tomorrow is my chemo day and I am assuming that Marla will be feeling better and should probably be on the boards tomorrow. I'm not sure if I will be or not because tomorrow is a very long day. Obviously I will try to get back on the boards as soon as I'm feeling a little bit better. Can't wait to try that Gatorade trick!

So after I got all excited about that Reach to Recover website and signed up for it I noticed that I seem to be an odd duck in the pond in that group. Trying to find someone that has had triple negative and a mastectomy or double mastectomy plus risk of recurrences and the operation into a pec muscle pretty much all hit brick walls yesterday. I am so glad we have this board here and that we found each other to be able to talk about things which concern us. The R2R site is absolutely great for anyone else who isn't dealing with triple negative. I hope that our readers get a chance to check that out.

Speaking of a readers, is there anyone out there who can give us some insight into mastectomies, double mastectomies etc with or without reconstruction?

I figured it was worth a shot to ask.

Marla, I miss you and your sunshine! I can't wait to hear from you again and hope that you're doing a lot better.

That's pretty much it for me right now. I'll talk to you girls later and again, be blessed and stay safe!

Pat

Good morning, Nice to see you here and yes I am getting a/c and cytoxin. Have you tried an ice cap for migraine headaches? I got mine from Amazon and it works pretty well. If you don't have it which is fine, an ice pack to the neck and another one across your forehead or top of your head. Ice works wonders. lay down in a dark quiet room and rest. Hope that this helps. I Had my second a/c treatment yesterday and by the afternoon, a headache was coming on. I was also told that Zofran, usually given pre-infusion for nausea has side effects of headaches and diarrhea. You might ask about that. I take oral Compazine which works much better! Give it a try and let me know how it works!

I saw the duplicate messages too and just backed out. Way too confusing for my simple head LOL. I'm glad that they have a supply on hand for meds in case you need them. And I'm also very VERY happy to hear that you have a chaplain who can also help your husband. My husband is still going through the grieving process AKA denial anger etc. My palliative care doctor spoke with him a couple sessions ago to try to help him cope with his emotions. I really think that he's angry with God and the devil and everybody else in between (except me). It is rough on our "better halves" and I pray through it all that they find peace in the end. I know he is not giving up the fight. In all honesty I'm not really sure how I feel. I'm definitely not mad at God if that helps LOL. Like I said I might find more hope after I get my pet scans and brain MRI done mid September. This is going to be quite a story for whoever reads this down the road. But until that happens we still have each other and we're still alive and there are beautiful things in our lives that we can focus on. Like you said Claoh, you have a wonderful family who loves you very much. And of course you have us crazy girls LOL! 😁

Marla I drink Lime- cucumber Gatorade. I don't like sweet and it has a little bit of tart with it.

Good morning Ladies!

Well, it has taken me a week to recover pretty much from the 2nd dose of chemo and I wonder what the next two cycles will bring, I had nausea for 6 days after chemo. Dr. prescribed Reglan for nausea and that seemed to help. My mind feels much sharper today than the prior days. I also found eating some Ginger Chews helps a good deal with nausea. It seems that there are not that many prescription drugs that help continuously. But you have to "like", (I use this term lightly) ginger to chew the chews. I purchase them from Amazon, of course, and they have always helped my nausea before my life with chemo. As far as my energy goes, it doesn't. I get very short of breath, another medical abbreviation (SOB) just walking up and down my driveway one. Granted it is about 200 feet, but then my hands, arms and legs start to shake. Relieved by resting 5 -10 minutes. Is this part of the fatigue other than general tiredness? I wonder. Other than the extremely hot weather we have, 100 degrees plus, watching your weather and trying to say prayers for you all, not much is new. My husband and neighbor have been gems so far. One more note about the nausea, seems like if I get hungry, the nausea zooms in. I keep eating small meals and stuff every two hours or so. Hope this is helpful information, I wish you ladies well and am on the lookout for you guys

Has anyone heard from Karen?

Good morning, Nice to see you here and yes I am getting a/c and cytoxin. Have you tried an ice cap for migraine headaches? I got mine from Amazon and it works pretty well. If you don't have it which is fine, an ice pack to the neck and another one across your forehead or top of your head. Ice works wonders. lay down in a dark quiet room and rest. Hope that this helps. I Had my second a/c treatment yesterday and by the afternoon, a headache was coming on. I was also told that Zofran, usually given pre-infusion for nausea has side effects of headaches and diarrhea. You might ask about that. I take oral Compazine which works much better! Give it a try and let me know how it works!

Morning ladies!

Well it looks like we have one of those rare times that we are not running to appointments etc. What a nice break for all of us!

Claoh, I am so impressed with your Hospice! They seem to be extremely well organized and I'm really glad they checked in with you both before and after the storm. I'm not sure about a 5-ft alligator climbing through my backyard LOL. Do you have fencing around your property?

Marla, I feel for you. This chemo is really rough on you and I totally get it. My last chemo was like that. I guess that's why I advocated for myself so hard this time. I didn't want to damage my body anymore than it was, granted, but I also had major issues with the effects of that chemo and didn't want to deal with that either. The fatigue and extreme fatigue are all part of the chemo. Be careful in that heat. Chemo and heat don't get along too well. Make sure you get liquids in you and try to find something similar to Gatorade because it sounds like you need some electrolytes in there too. As far as eating is I think you're doing great. Small meals are definitely the ticket. I was a huge fan of angel hair pasta with vegetables and scrambled egg in them on my last chemo. The angel hair pasta seem to be easy on my tummy and I would drink a coke with it to help settle it all down. Of course I can't get away with that this time since I need to make sure that I am actually getting the nutrients I need according to my nutritionist. But when you're sick like that even angel hair pasta is a good idea. My husband made a lot of trips to the Chinese takeout place LOL. The lady there called it "healthy noodle" which was actually vegetable mai fun (sp.?) and would add a couple scrambled eggs to it for me.

So I have done six treatments so far. I feel really blessed to have a helper come in from Area Agency on Aging a couple times a week, especially after chemo. She is wonderful! She makes sure she has my meals in me and my protein shakes and when she's not taking care of me she helps out around the house trying to keep the chaos down to a dull roar LOL. It really helps my husband get a caretaker's break. I can't say enough about checking it out for your area to see what they can do to help you. Also found out they have a program for medication so that I don't have to pay an arm and a leg for some of mine.

Karen I will continue to keep you in my prayers. I am waiting to hear wonderful news from you. I am so grateful that you're MRI and scans came back clear! It does my heart good to hear things like that. I pray for wisdom for the doctors and an easy recovery for you.

All right ladies that's it for me for the day unless I think of something else LOL. Y'all have a blessed day and I'll talk to you later. Hugs.