What would you do?

[caseyjo]

OK.....The results are in & I have plain old garden variety Cancer in my right breast.....This is not a sympathy thread because I dont even feel sorry for myself nor do I feel angry. What I am is sort of lost as to the avenue I want to take here. I have several choices.

I can have them go in & remove the lump & opt for radiation.

I can have the affected breast removed & opt for reconstructive surgery.

I can have affected breast removed & NOT have reconstructive surgery which would leave me lopsided.

I can have both breast removed & opt for reconstructive surgery.

I can have both removed & remain flat chested.

I am coming up with a big blank when I try to make any decision so.....I am not asking for advise here as I am going to be doing lots of reading & talking to plastic surgeons, people who administer  Radiation or even(possible) Chemo etc. befor I make any decisions. 

I am just curious to what you all think you might do? I am the same curious gal I have always been & I like you all contrary to what some of you may think. I get over stuff really fast & I find most everyone I have ever met on TBD interesting & worth the time of day...That means all of you.

Yeah, I go over the deep end sometimes...WEll, maybe more than sometimes, but I am really easy going & usually opt for a friend request rather than sit in my anger toward people forever.....Not saying that is wrong either....Just saying there are people here who I miss eventhough we dont get along all the time, I miss their companionship....

I have learned so much here. If you think I am a bad girl now, you should have met me when I first came here full of anger.....

It takes time, but with understanding....People grow. The silent treatment works too, but it is a puinishment......I can see through punishment to what is really behind it, so for those punishers out there.......NANANANANANA.

[caseyjo]

Ha ha Merry...I came to post the latest & since I forgot to pick up the Dr. report I had to go to a site to copy the info I needed from the info I remembered in my head, because this info is more precise than my memory. I also discussed nutrition in my post...came here to post it & here you are with books...You must have read my mind...Thanks for the good info...BTW....Did your husband make it?..Hope that is not to personal.....

This from my note pad: The good news is I have stage 1 Cancer: 
Stage 1 The tumour measures less than 2cm/1in. The lymph nodes in the armpit are not affected and there are no signs that the cancer has spread elsewhere in the body.

 

Low-grade means that the cancer cells look very like the normal cells of the breast. They are usually slow growing and are less likely to spread.In high-grade tumours the cells look very abnormal. They are likely to grow more quickly and are more likely to spread.Moderate-grade or grade 2 cancers fall between these two grades and have a level of activity somewhere in between.

 
The bad news is I have grade 3 high-grade tumor......I have also had my ovaries removed when I had ovarian cancer, so the drug they give to radiation patients after the radiation will not work for me... so (I was told) They will most likely want to give me chemo...

Lucky days are here again the sky is cloudy & black..I think I should just grab a bottle of booze & have a party.

I doubt I will take the chemo...Quality vs quantity....After the radiation I think I will go the Natural route & use food & exercise, & positive thinking as my medicine.....Now I have to find a teacher...Hopefully someone who can take the ins. I have....I dont think there is any ins. that covers natural medicine....I know they try to sue people who administer natural  meds to others...What a shame & another reason I am disillusioned with this screwed up place...

Anyway...No Chemo..I am almost positive I will not let them torture me again....

 

 

[Cat]

Caseyjo:

I'm so glad to see Laura post, as she's just recently been through this, and she is an awesome person.  If you don't know Laura, friend her, and keep in touch with her. 

 

 Every situation is different.  You are in my thoughts and prayers, and you will do what's right for you, and you know that we're all here to listen, laugh, cry, or whatever you need.  *sending good vibes your way*!!!!    

[caseyjo]

Hi Cat.....Very nice things you had to say about Merry........I am trying to do things to make ME happy now...The Bf is being ordered to do good fun things w/ me..He doesnt seem to really want to , but I can tell he is enjoying himself just a tiny bit in spite of the fact.....Today we went on the Rivership Romace for breakfast & Lunch & picture taking on deck while it cruised down the St. Johns River...The cruise was a gift from the owner of the ship & I was surprised we had seat #1-A the best seat on the ship...She is a Angel to do that for me...}. She even showed up there to wish us well. Then we went & played early bird bingo...I dont stay for the regular games, they are too long..but I won 50.00....Yeah..I guess it is my week.....How are you Cat? I hope you are well & happy........Ya...I think Merry is awesome too.....Anyone who takes the time out of their day to help another is awesome...You are awesome too cat.

[Merry]

My apologies, it must be groundhog day again, the one day out of the year that I pull my head out of my behind and take a good look around. I can't believe I haven't seen this post sooner. I wish I could tell you that Ollie was fully recovered but he had many issues with his health, a plethora of perscriptions , he wasn't able to exercise and had been at ground zero after 9/11 for 12 straight days looking for his mom. He had a lot of issues. He chain smoked and ate crap and drank soda. But I feel very strongly that they had a conveyor belt way of going about things. They based one week of very harsh chemo on an outdated MRI and he wasn't into drinking non-cafeinated drinks and on and on and I lost him. 

Hydration is soo important and he had trouble getting the stuff from all the pet, cat scans and MRI's out of his system. That didn't help. We went through the VA. It's a pretty bad boo-boo.

 

There was a man there who did very well with radiation and imediately I told him that he liked to drink water and he seemed surprised and said yes he didn't have a problem pounding down the 80 oz per day that they want you to drink. It's such a crash course in cancer when it happens so fast. To me sometimes it sounded like the teacher in a Charlie Brown cartoon, mwat mwa mwa mwa cancer, mwa mwat mwa.

6 years ago , I made my boyfriend of many years go and get a lump biopsied on his neck and it turned out to be lymphoma. He didn't want to go to the doctor to get checked out but I bore down on him till he did and took care of him when he did chemo and he's still with us and spending the day sailing today.

We're just friends now.

Advice? Eating advacado is a great way to deal with it all. You need healthy fats like the ones in nuts. A little babyfat is in order to get through it. I've been making alot of sprouts lately. They're very concentrated nutritionally. I look at someone like Lance Armstrong and know that being able to move releases tons of negativity. My Mom & Aunt both had radical mastectomies. Mom was a heavy smoker and passed away a good decade + after surgery. Auntie is still going strong , she works at the botanical gardens in Phoenix. I'd say that my aunt went more the alternative medicine route than Mom who would have poo-pooed it .My mom also suffered from Rhumetoid Arthritis.

You know that looking at art produces the same chemicals as falling in love in the body. Laughter and sex boost the immune system.

{{{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} And hugs are better than chocolate. ;-)

 

[caseyjo]

Hi Merry......I'm so sad you lost your hubby......My Mom kind of went like that...6 months from the time they found it & she was gone. I'm not sure but I started eating unhealthy food & thats when the new Cancer showed its ugly head....Either that or just bad timing..The radiologist I had a cxonsultation with thinks maybe it was something that laid dormant...maybe dormant because I kept a good diet for so long?

Funny you mention Charlie Brown & the thought behind the Dr's words....The words do seem come out like that sometimes dont they?..The reason I mention it is.... back when I had cable (I got rid of it) I used to watch the politican antics of both sides of the isle & I would get really upset...sometimes walk around talking to mysef..I did this for about 3 years then I discovered its all for show & walked away from cable altogether.....I would look at the mouths & either hear Charlie brown going mwah mwah mwah or see someone from the planet of the apes..It was darn right scary....LOL

I try to stay pretty far away from politics & religion now (for the most part)..being part brat though..I do stick my nose where it should not be every once in a while......

Funny you should mention avacado.....I eat lots of avacado....In the whats for dinner section (Q&A) I posted a popular salad of mine just recently..It has fresh tomatoes from the garden & fresh lime & virgin olive oil dressing w/ honey & beets...I was out of kidney beans.

I have a can of cashews open in the kitchen......There are 3 food groups you can combine to get whole proteins if you dont est mush meat..One is  grains, one is the seeds & nuts, & the other is beans..I think thats right..I will have to check though..There is a chart on-line..so lately I have tried to go back to more positive eating habits.

Jeesh..You really must read minds Merry, because we went downtown Sanford to some art galleries yesterday & I bought a couple old books from Mayas used book store (she has books & albums piled high & couches & a big black dog) as part of a BD present for a TBD member, & then went & bought a blouse from the indian store which was having a grand opening for its health food restaurant & I would think half the hippys in Sanford were there looking very beautiful & healthy..Being the simi- bible belt here I dont see a lot of hippies  & I was one once..kinda still am in my heart....

From what you say I am on the right track..:)...How about you? Are you taking & keeping up with your own advice..I hope so..Let me know..We can give each other positive nudges....Thanks so much...Kathy

[Merry]

awwwlol, let's see, yikes been on the computer so much that my chi is tied up in knots in my body.There will be plenty of stretching today for certain, maybe even a foot rub to get all of the nerve endings in my feet happy again. Yesterday , I made tortelini with beans from the garden and lots of garlic and onions tossed with olive oil and sea salt and fresh ground pepper. I have to get back into my studio to restore my balance. The general consensus here in my town as the cab lady put it seems to be that I'm a flower-chile! I thought I had evolved beyond that as an almost little old lady but not in the eyes of this crew. I have a container garden on my deck to pull in when the weather gets cooler and some raised beds. Got to turn over more of the yard to make a truly decent garden. I want to have it all ready to go in the fall. I have a quilt to finish for a client, my first client. :) And I have to get under the addition in the crawl space to insulate it. It's ok , I'm enough of a tomboy that I enjoy that sort of work. My sister is horrified. My sweetheart loved Monet's garden and even visited it once so I wouldn't mind turning the whole smallish back yard into a nice space for people to sit in. My neighbor to the west of me is a pain but the ones on either side love me very much. (I think the curmudeon next door has a bad case of yard envy) I need to learn how to see her through more compassionate eyes. She really thinks I'm interesting enough to be somewhat obsessed over. That's my challenge these days, not to just flip her off. Listening to the Art of Happiness with the Dalai Lama seems to help. I have to talk to Snagg-0-licious and see what he would do. That's all the news from Lake Wobegone for now. Thanks , I really enjoyed the exchange and it will probably keep me coming back. I'm looking for a new penpal to email with and have my email in my blog on my page. Let's be friends.

[caseyjo]

It seems you are totally on the right track...I need a good influence & hope to be one in return here shortly....I'm workin on it....How far are your garden beds raised?...I have 2 that are built on top of the ground...One is wood, the other brick. I thought of raising it off the ground, but went ahead & added soil on top of the ground..

I got cut worms which started to do my tomatoes in, but just in the nick of time I cut the bottoms off plastic cups &  put them over the tomatoe plants 2" into the ground....From now on plastic cups will be seen over each & every plant which grows above the ground..They really do help to keep bugs off & add a greenhouse effect while the plants are young. I wonder if they will help to keep young plants warmer in the winter?...shelter them a little from cold wind for sure.....

My neighbors are all crazy, most of them on cure all pills for anxiety & pain & mental disorders, but they stick to themselves around here....One who shares my fence is a pack rat & her yard is beyond words, I try to ignore the mess....Shes nice, but she does have a problem......Every other year her church members come & spend 2 days in her yard filling up dempsty dumpsters....We got rats twice because of it...They ate the insulation out of my stove unbeknownst to me & made a nest..I couldn't for the life of me find out where that smell was coming from until I noticed flies coming from my stove...GROose..I gave the stove to someone who wanted it & got one from freecycle. I never breathed a word of it to her, she is stressed enough as it is..poor thing....about a week ago one of her cats got caught in a net I have on my back porch..It was dieing in the sun & I had to cut it out of the net....It was a nice 3 ring fishing net I thought I would use as a art project when I figured out what to do w/ it..Ive had it for years..Hope I can fix it....

It's nice to have a new friend...I will check your profile for your e-mail & go from there.....:))))))).

[Merry]

When I look at my handyman special sometimes I'm beyond words, I tried to put in a solid day but only put in half, maybe tonight I'll buckle down and get back to work. Listening to Sachamo. And waiting to give someone some biz cards I printed out on the computer. You know what I do for anxiety is take flax oil, that brings it down a few notches.

[caseyjo]

Tell my neighbors...:)

[Kittycat]

Caseyjo, I'm so sorry to hear of your troubles... I just happened to pop on to TBD and came across Robbie's PM and here I am... I know that you'll make the best decision for yourself... Go with your gut feeling after you get all of the test results and info from the Drs.  Please keep us all updated on your progress... Sending you good vibes and lots of special ((((((((((HUGS)))))))))

[caseyjo]

Thanks kittycat.......Had a open MRI yesterday.......This coming friday I will get information about chemo for this cancer.....Its a more agressive chemo than what I preciously had with the ovarian cancer.....By friday I should have the info I need & have scheduled a appointment w/ the surgeon that same day...I have to make a decision....gotta get this out of me one way or another..Cant wait for the results of the MRI......Will keep busy over the week-end I hope so I dont have to think much about the wait.....Will look for more trials....I would hope there are some using more natural methods, but havnt found one here in fl...I will go to another state if need be...It's my life......Hugs Kitty....Hugs Robbie & all the others who have sent me such nice warm wishes & heartfelt experiences .....:)

[Merry]

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

 

Feel free to email me as much as you want. I have to get a better phone plan.LOL