Breast Cancer Awareness!

A Bit Saddened

blondeyy — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 06:01:48 -0700

I have to admit, I am a bit saddened that there is so little activity in this group - especially with it being October - Breast Cancer Awareness Month....

*****My thoughts and prayers to the survivors, the fighters, and the women and men who have left us..............

Blondeyy

Breast Cancer Statistics

blondeyy — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 05:42:44 -0700

Breast cancer incidence in women in the United States is 1 in 8 (about 13%).
In 2008, an estimated 182,460 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 67,770 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer.

About 1,990 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in men in 2008. Less than 1% of all new breast cancer cases occur in men.

From 2001 to 2004, breast cancer incidence rates in the U.S. decreased by 3.5% per year. One theory is that this decrease was due to the reduced use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) by women after the results of a large study, called the Women’s Health Initiative, were published in 2002. These results suggested a connection between HRT and increased breast cancer risk.

About 40,480 women in the U.S. are expected to die in 2008 from breast cancer, though death rates have been decreasing since 1990. These decreases are thought to be the result of treatment advances, earlier detection through screening, and increased awareness.

For women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer besides lung cancer.

Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among U.S. women. More than 1 in 4 cancers are breast cancer.

Compared to African American women, white women are slightly more likely to develop breast cancer, but less likely to die of it. One possible reason is that African American women tend to have more aggressive tumors, although why this is the case is not known. Women of other ethnic backgrounds - Asian, Hispanic, and Native American - have a lower risk of developing and dying from breast cancer than white women and African American women.

As of 2008, there are about 2.5 million women in the U.S. who have survived breast cancer.

A woman’s risk of breast cancer approximately doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. About 20-30% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have a family history of breast cancer.

About 5-10% of breast cancers are caused by gene mutations inherited from one’s mother or father. Mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are the most common. Women with these mutations have up to an 80% risk of developing breast cancer during their lifetime, and they often are diagnosed at a younger age (before age 50). An increased ovarian cancer risk is also associated with these genetic mutations. Men with a BRCA1 mutation have a 1% risk of developing breast cancer by age 70 and a 6% risk when they have a BRCA2 mutation.

About 90% of breast cancers are due not to heredity, but to genetic abnormalities that happen as a result of the aging process and life in general.

The most significant risk factors for breast cancer are gender (being a woman) and age (growing older).

www.breastcancer.org

Lumpectomy Procedure

blondeyy — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 05:33:01 -0700

******I have been home now since 10:30 yesterday morning. I am feeling VERY sore, but I have a lot of pain medication. I have a nice 'nest' set up with my cozy p.j.'s, lots of blankets and my laptop and my dressing changing materials. So, I am not sure if it is the pain medicine making me so emotional or just the whole ordeal and that it is finally over. In any case, I wanted to share some of this important information with all of you. I may not be on very much today - very sleepy. But, with the pain meds, I may be up to it. It helps to keep my mind busy. I wanted to share this information as I never thought "It could happen to me" and I believe most women think that way, and I want to show that with a positive mind and emotional support and INFORMATION you CAN get through this.

Learn what to expect during a lumpectomy, and how to care for yourself during recovery. Be prepared to deal with health insurance, anesthesia, surgical dressings and drains. Learn some tips for self-care during recovery from your lumpectomy.

Lumpectomy Preserves Your Breast
Lumpectomy is one type of breast-conserving surgery, and is usually done as an outpatient procedure. Your surgeon will remove just the breast lump and a margin of tissue around the lump. You will keep most of your breast, and you will have a scar at the incision site.

Your Pre-Operative Appointment
Before your lumpectomy, the hospital or surgical center may ask you to come in for a pre-operative appointment. It's a good idea to take time for this appointment, so you can get most of the paperwork out of the way before surgery, and ask questions that you may have. Bring your insurance card with you and identification such as a driver's license. Be prepared to make a payment to the hospital, or ask them what amount will be due on the day of surgery. Give the nurse a list of your current medications, and be prepared to answer questions about your health history. If you are allergic to particular medications, let them know. You may be asked to sign consent forms for the surgery as well as possible blood transfusions..

Questions to Ask Before Surgery - Make It Easy on Yourself
You can ask for pre-medication to prevent nausea and vomiting from the anesthesia, if you think that may be needed. A Scopolamine patch behind your ear can also help prevent nausea. Make sure that your request is noted in your chart. Ask questions about billing –- will the hospital, surgeon, and anesthesiologist bill you separately or inclusively? Will your health insurance be compatible with their services? If your insurance is not accepted by one of those providers, can a compatible provider be found for you? How should you dress on the day of surgery? Should you have a designated driver? Who should you call during recovery, if a problem comes up? Jot down the answers to these questions, so you can be prepared..

Preparing for a Lumpectomy
You will be required to avoid food and drink for 8 to 12 hours before surgery. When you arrive for surgery, you will check in and begin preparations. You will change into a hospital gown, and your own clothes will be stored. A nurse will take your vital signs. In some cases, your skin may be marked to indicate where the incision should be started. Your anesthesiologist will meet with you and talk about what anesthetic will be used, and you may be given pills (or a patch) to help prevent nausea. A nurse will start an intravenous line (IV) for fluids and anesthesia. The IV needle will be inserted in your hand or arm, and taped into place..

Related Procedures Before Lumpectomy
If your surgeon wants to check your lymph nodes during your lumpectomy, you will need to have lymphoscintigraphy in preparation for a sentinel lymph node biopsy. And if your breast lump is too small to be easily felt, a wire localization procedure may be done to help your surgeon locate and remove the lump.

During Your Lumpectomy
Most lumpectomies are done while you are under general anesthesia (asleep). Once the anesthesia is started, your surgeon will make the incision using a special heated scalpel. The heated scalpel cauterizes your tissue and helps prevent bleeding during your surgery. Your incision will be curved, following the natural contour of your breast, to allow it to heal properly. The breast lump will be removed along with a margin of tissue. The cancerous tissue is then sent to the pathology lab for examination. If needed, a surgical drain will be placed to help remove fluid that collects in your surgical site. Your incision will be closed with stitches or staples, and dressed (bandaged) to keep it clean, and apply pressure to the wound..

Recovery After Your Lumpectomy
While you are still under the effects of anesthesia, you will be moved to the Recovery room, where your vital signs will be monitored. Since a lumpectomy is usually done as an outpatient procedure, you will be given instructions on self-care, and allowed to return home. If you need special attention after the surgery, or if you've had other procedures done as well, you may be moved to a hospital room for the night..

Rest and Mend at Home
If you have been given pain medication, and feel the need for it, take it as directed. The pain will lessen, and soon you won't need the extra pills. Keep your bandages clean and dry. If required, wear a sports bra over the bandages, to maintain pressure over the incision. Follow your directions in caring for your surgical drain, if you have one. Rest while you are recovering, and plan on having someone do the lifting and driving for you until you feel back to normal. When your surgeon says its okay, start doing arm exercise to prevent arm and shoulder stiffness. Keep your follow-up appointments.

Re-Excision Ensures Clear Surgical Margins
After your lumpectomy, if the pathology report states that your lump has cancer cells in the margin of tissue around it, your surgeon may need to remove a bit more tissue. This is done to ensure that all of the cancer has been removed, and your risk of recurrence is lowered. This is a separate surgical procedure for removing extra marginal tissue, and it is called re-excision. If the re-excision will make your breast significantly smaller or undesirably shaped, your surgeon may ask if you would prefer a mastectomy, and possibly reconstruction.

American Cancer Society. Detailed Guide: Breast Cancer. Surgery for Breast Cancer. Revised: 09/13/2007

10 to do's for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

GrandEntrance — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 01:19:34 -0700

Learn more about a "smart bra," this device incorporates a series of microwave antennae to detect temperature changes in the breast that point to early stage breast cancer..
Breast Cancer Awareness Month: free exams for those who qualify.If you are a woman age 40 and older, uninsured, with an income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, you may qualify for this program.Call 1-800-511-2300 Monday - Friday from 8:30 AM to 5 PM for more information.
Host a Breast Cancer Fundraising Event, like a walk,run,or bike in your neighborhood
Purchase pink ribbon pins, keychains, t-shirts or other related items and give to your co-workers,friends,family and neighbors as a support reminder.
Visit a Breast Cancer Survivors Group and show your support for them. Search for "Breast Cancer Survivors" in your area. Or read survivor stories online
For the Month of October,2009 use Pink Ribbons Graphics, in your emails, letters, etc.,
Educate yourself . Period
Wear a Pink Outfit . .

>> continued to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Update: Sorry I failed to mention...

wackdoodle — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:50:28 -0700

That last month my sister finally had her mastectomy!

YEAH!!!!!!

She easily made it through the surgery. The doctors removed her left breast tissue, pectoral muscle, another small chest muscle and 15 of the 19 lymph nodes in her left arm. She still has the tumors in her neck (one on the collarbone and one near a big artery) and the one in her chest that's wedged in her ribcage.

However, even with those three tumors left in her her pathology report from the tissue removed is that she has absolutely no cancer cells at all in her body. Excellent.

The tumors still in her are effectively dead but she is still going to receive radiation treatment to obliterate what is leftover.

So she had the surgery on March 26th and it started at 8:00am PST and was finished by 11:30am PST or so. Because the oncological surgeon couldn't get a standard operating room as quickly as he wanted he played a trick on the hospital and scheduled my sister's mastectomy in the Same Day Surgery OR.

So she had the surgery in Same Day Surgery OR then while she was in recovery he told the hospital that she needed to be observed by staff for 3 days more. But by 2:00pm my sister was up, wide awake in her hospital room (in the hospital where she is a nurse and on the floor where she normally works) and walking around talking to her co-workers. She felt good and very very happy to have the breast finally removed. She said she felt so good that she didn't need to stay in the hospital at all but the doctor said she had to stay.

The next morning at 8am she called me at her house. "COME AND GET ME! I CAN GO HOME NOW!" She was really yelling in the phone.

So I booked it over to the hospital and she was dressed in PJs and darn near waiting anxiously by the elevator door. Because she works at the hospital and is a well liked nurse she didn't get a wink of sleep. Every single nurse, aide and doctor stopped in to her room all day and night to wish her a speedy recovery and to ask for her counsel on some patient matters.

So I got her home and she finally slept. For the first time since October when she got her diagnosis she slept peacefully for 8 full hours. Until she realized that the bandage made her itch and that she needed to take her pain medications BEFORE she had any pain cause the JP drain is an annoying thing.

Anyway, my sister is cancer-free now but not free of her usual b*tchiness. Radiation starts at the end of the month. She thinks it's cool having only one boob (she calls herself Cyclops now) but since the remaining breast is a G cup and the mastectomy side is about an A cup (the surgeon left the skin so that he could use it for reconstructive surgery later) she finally decide to go ahead and have the reconstruction and reduction on her breasts. That should happen in June and she thinks she'll be back at work by July 2009.

We'll see, I think its too early to know if she'll be able to do the heavy lifting and deal with the very physical situations she faces as a med/surg nurse. If she starts working out with the physical therapist the doctor got her then maybe - if she does as she did when she had spinal fusion and a broken foot, she won't work with the Physical therapist and she won't have the strength or flexibility to resume normal activities.

PS. On my side - my first mammogram was absolutely clear. And genetic cancer screening shows that my sister's triple negative breast was not genetic but environmental and that I do not have the same pre-disposition as her. However, I will continue with yearly mammograms even though I am not yet 40 and I will get blood tests looking for cancer signs or new genetic anomalies.

Tea Research Update

Chai Baby Tea — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 11:08:16 -0700

World Tea News reported a study indicating that tea drinking may decrease the risk of breast cancer. The study, conducted at the Moffitt Cancer Center, was published in Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. The research team observed that participants who consumed three or more cups of tea per day had a "37 percent reduced breast cancer risk when compared with women reporting no tea consumption."

Though research must continue to occur in order to support the many and varied health claims related to tea, it's nevertheless striking that positive research results are pouring in from all over the globe. I think we're just beginning to understand what a truly amazing plant this is. So, drink up, baby!

My first official Mammogram - easy as pie!

wackdoodle — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 15:15:54 -0800

OK, today I had my first official mammogram and I wonder what all the fuss is about.

It was simple and took only 10 minutes once I was topless. And it was absolutely painless. And not uncomfortable. Perhaps it was painless cause I have what I call "flapjack boobs" instead of perkies. But I am a DDD cup (I'm only 32 band size - kind of hard to find a bra with a cup that big and a small band) so there's a lot to my flapjacks.

Anyway, if you haven't started getting mammo's or dread them, I just wanted to say "JUST DO IT ANYWAY!" Considering the alternative of not knowing and worrying about the future, scheduling and getting a screening mammogram was a breeze. While at the Breast Health Clinic I also volunteered to be in the hospital's clinic study to try to develop a blood test for breast cancer. That to was easy it involved filling out a questionnaire of 30 questions and having two small vials of blood drawn. Done and done. They will use my blood and the blood of 20,000 other women and the results of our mammograms and breast density examines to try to develop a simple blood test for screening. While in the waiting room with about 20 other women, of which of two others had volunteered for the study, I wanted to stand up and scream "JUST DO IT- give the blood and let's put and end to the disease! Put your magazine down and roll up your sleeves now." But I held my tongue in the waiting room although I told the guy who drew my blood for the study and he said that he wants everyday to scream the same thing in the waiting room. It's just so simple and could potentially end so much suffering.

A side note - my sister's mastectomy has finally been scheduled! She goes under the knife on March 19th and we all could not be happier to have that cancerous breast removed. She's actually very excited that the mastectomy is scheduled and that she's finally starting to have a few normal days since her last chemotherapy treatment in January.

It is so much worse than anyone thought it was

wackdoodle — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:01:34 -0800

Regarding my sister and her breast cancer. The whole situation is far worse than we ever thought. Far worse than the doctors thought or told my sister her cancer was.

She's has four chemotherapy treatments and the tumors have responded positively. The oncologist says that the cancer in the lymph nodes appears to be 'resolved' aka 'in remission'. And the tumor in her breast has shrunken significantly and is also 'in remission'.

Now the bad part, the tumor which they keep calling Breast Cancer is not inside her breast- in invaded into her mammary ducts (invasive ductile breast cancer was her diagnosis). Initially the doctors said she was either a stage 1 or stage 2 cancer patient. However the tumor they describe as "breast cancer" is actually inside her chest cavity attached to her ribcage near her heart and lungs. It is attached to her ribcage and it invaded her breast therefore they consider it breast cancer not lung or bone cancer.

So now since they say she's in remission the surgery talk and after surgery treatment talk has started. One surgeon wants to only do a lumpectomy of her breast and remove the some of lymph nodes in her arm but leave the cancerous tumor (that they think is dead) in her chest and leave the formerly cancerous lymph nodes in her neck in place. Until a consensus is reached all of her treatments have stopped and my sister is sitting at home watching her life fade minute by minute knowing now that she hasn't a chance to survive.

This isn't acceptable to her or I. She wants the cancer tumors removed - everything. So she wants and I support her having a full mastectomy not lumpectomy. But they won't remove the cause of her losing her breast the tumor underneath the breast (we both agree that losing the breast is no big deal because at this point her breast is a health hazard and it doesn't define who she is). One male surgeon seems obsessed with not having to remove her entire breast and keeps saying a lumpectomy will "save" the breast but our view is that it will also expedite the ending of her life and torture her everyday because she will live in fear that they missed some of the cancer cells in the remaining breast.

The doctors could actual remove the piece of ribcage that the tumor is attached too but the are dead set against it because she will have to have chest tubes temporarily to re-inflate her lungs. In the scheme of things she is and I am okay with her having this section of ribcage removed and having the chest tube because then the tumor will be out of her body instead of sitting there always threatening to restart its cancerous activities again.

So right now there is argument between the tumor board, the doctors and my sister over whether they should be as aggressive as my sister wants them to be. The problem lies in this - my sister has Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Triple Negative cannot be treated with hormonal treatment or the Tamoxifen or any other cancer drugs after the mastectomy or even before. Only chemotherapy and radiation can try to beat Triple Negative but they can only treat a patient with chemotherapy so many times before the cancer adapts and fails to respond to it. Same for the radiation. So the doctors have to be cautious in using the only two treatments available for her current Triple Negative Breast cancer BECAUSE Triple Negative woman tend to develop other cancers within 5 to 7 years of going into remission for the breast cancer.

Triple Negative Breast Cancer patients rapidly develop advanced cases of liver, pancreatic, brain or bone cancer that is fatal because they won't respond to chemo or radiation and the organ cannot be removed without killing the patient. So in order to try to fight the future cancers the doctors are being semi-aggressive about treating the first cancer - and try to just get her into remission and give her a brief reprieve from having cancer.

So when she started this battle the doctors said she had a better than 70% chance of survival overall including the surgery.

Yesterday my sister spoke to the doctors and they revised her chances. She now has less than a 50% chance of surviving the surgery and if she survives the surgery she has a less than 50% chance of surviving 18 months. Why? Because they are almost positive that the radiation therapy that she must have in order to insure that the tumor in her chest is dead will seriously damage her heart. And once that damage occurs there is nothing they can do to help her - and they would not proceed with further chemo or radiation treatment because her heart would not be able to withstand the treatments.

So basically the doctors are now saying that they what they thought was stage 1 or stage 2 breast cancer was actually closer to terminal rather than survivable. They wasted a lot of time "thinking" about how to treat her rather than immediately treating her and re-evaluating treatment as they went along.

So I am at a loss over how this could happen and whether we should just chuck those current doctors and do everything we can to get her to the top medical centers in the country to have more experienced and more truthful doctors treat her.

My sister is truly broken. She's disheartened and there is no sunny side to this picture. Then to compound matters her youngest son, Jeff has decided to do the stupidest thing ever which is to give up his total free ride pre-paid college education to join the Marines. He has made this irrational decision because his girlfriends uncle convinced him that the Marines is the answer to all his problem and would make him a man. This man and the Marine recruiter have convinced my nephew that the Marines offers him more of a step up in life then going to college and getting a degree. They've convinced him that he'll have more "freedom" in the military then he would ever obtain from going to college. They have told him that he cannot wait to join the Marines he should do it now because college will always be there. Yes college will always be there but the full pre-paid tuition plus stipend won't be and there's no guarantee that he'll make it out of the Marines alive or without PTSD which could make it difficult for him to survive outside the military.

So while she is fighting for her life, she will also be worrying about whether her son is lying dead in some foreign country and when she really takes a turn for the worse that she won;t be able to see him a final time and tell him that she loves him and give him a chance to say goodbye since he never got a chance to say goodbye to his dad (because he died suddenly) or his granddad (because he died suddenly). So now my sister is going to ask my nephew again to postpone his decision to enlist for about 18 to 24 months. The amount of time the doctors think that she has left to live.

Again, the breast self examine that she did monthly did not find this tumor. The breast examine the doctor did during her pap did not find this tumor. The mammogram didn't actually find the tumor but did catch a glimpse of something happening in her chest cavity. Only the MRI showed this "breast cancer". And the strange thing is that doctors know that MRIs of breasts are a far better way to see if there is anything abnormal in the breast. Mammograms are obsolete and breast self examines provide a false sense of security to women.

My sister has probably only had this tumor for about a year and half to 2 years. The fact that she probably had cancer shows up on the numerous blood tests that was had taken over and over again about a year and half ago. They showed repeatedly that she had an elevated SED rate but no doctor ever looked to see why her SED rate was evaluated and rising from test to test. A full body scan probably would have shown the beginnings of the tumor on/in her ribcage chest. But instead they went with the cheapest and simplest answer which was "you probably have an infection that you aren't aware of." But for a year and half they give her antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs and got even higher SED rate numbers. And no doctor bothered to think that the other reason for an evaluated SED rate (some form of cancer) was what they should be considering instead of sticking with the mystery infection explanation.

Me I'm angry. Once again I'll lose another family member early. First my mom, then my sister's husband who was like a surrogate dad for me, then my own dad, my grandparents and now I'm going to lose my sister.

Is this weird or not?

wackdoodle — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:46:55 -0800

Before my sister was diagnosed with Breast Cancer my dad's youngest sister died of Breast Cancer.

She died one week before my sister's regularly schedule pap and mammo.

My sister found out she had breast cancer two weeks after my aunt died.

So, even before I knew that my aunt had breast cancer, I found myself drawn to buying anything that supported breast cancer research. I had tried to get an entry into the Avon Breast Cancer Walk but I couldn't get the time off from MUNI because 2 other female drivers were already doing the walk. Over 1,500 drivers and the city cannot spare 2 females drivers for a 3 day week on our own time?

So I did the next best thing I could, I gave money to Breast Cancer research groups. But moreover I found myself drawn to buying things that had the little pink ribbon on it. Anything and everything that gave money to Susan G Komen and other foundations.

So I saved the UPC off items and collected them from friends and co-workers and just sent them in anonymously with only my return address on the envelope in case the address for the foundation was wrong.

Then I find out that my sister has breast cancer and I look around my apartment and its covered in things with pink ribbons on it.

My aunt kept her breast cancer a secret from us until she was at death's door. So I wasn't compelled to support these foundations because of her.

I've personally only known one women who had breast cancer (at least 1 that I can remember). And she was a long term survivor and it was over 20 years ago that I knew her.

What compelled me to start giving money to Breast Cancer Research? Did I somehow know that this was going to strike very close to home, so I started to push for a cure and for a way to prevent the disease from taking the lives of more women?

Is it weird that I'm wondering why I just bought a pink ribbon PediEgg because the proceeds go to the Susan G Komen foundation even though I already have a pumice scrubber?

Is it weird that I feel compelled to go to my Ob/Gyn and ask her to run every conceivable test on me to make sure that the ocassional aches and pains that I have in my breasts is not because cancer is developing?

Is it weird that I wonder if this weird?

By the way, my sister has had her fourth chemotherapy treatment on this last Monday. Two days ago she had a follow-up PETScan to see how the tumor and affected lymph nodes are responding. Today she went to the surgical oncologist who said yes the tumor has shrink significantly and the lymph nodes have responded well but that all of my sister's rib bones and the bones in her arms (actually her whole skeleton) lit up as active (having cancer cells) from the PETScan. They believe that her skeleton lit up not because she now has bone cancer (as far as we know she does not) but it lit up active because of the Nupagin shot she got the day before the scan and after her Chemo treatment. So her skeleton is absorbing anything and everything shot into her body. The nupagin is suppose to active the marrow into producing more red blood cells - so it also spurs bone growth. So she's going through a growth spurt again at 50. Interestingly right now she has too much plasma in her blood stream and not enough red blood cells so she's going to have to have a blood transfusion in about a week or two (whenever she up for it) her youngest son (who loves to donate blood does it every month) is going to donate specifically for her. But he has to wait another 7 days before he can donate again then the blood has to be processed and prepped her his mom. I think its very sweet that he without her or I even asking said "Mom if you need blood, I'll give you mine." She cried. He laughed and told her "I like giving blood but I hate getting shots because of you." Long story involving a needle accident and the Hepatitis vaccines.

My sister is worn out from the Chemo Therapy and other treatments (steroids, nupagin, IVs etc) - she's tried of waiting for the genetic testing results to find out if she is BCRA1 positive so she can know whether to have a lumpectomy or a bilateral mastectomy. She cannot swallow even water at times. Her stomach hurts badly all the time. Her skin is peeling off in sheets. Her hands and feet are covered in huge purple bruises. She cannot take the Zofran for nausea because I causes migraines, so she takes my promethazine. She is sick of being tired and tired of being sick. She couldn't go macrobiotic if she wanted to because she barely eats and doesn't have the energy to prepare anything beyond rice or broth. Everything else she tries to eat she says tastes like metal. Even her tears she says taste like metal like the chemo drugs. Only things that don't taste like metal are things canned in metal - canned pineapple, canned Mandarin oranges and canned cherry pie filling - but she says food in her stomach hurts and feel like lead just sitting there heavy, undigested.

On the bright side - she's happy that there is an end in sight to this round of treatment. She's happy the cancer will be cut out. And she's happy that she's not dead. Probably for the first time since her husband died she's excited to be alive. Which is great. All it took was cancer to get her out of a nearly ten year depression over losing her husband.

Weird.

Oh yeah, soitgoes - all my sister does is take bathes in bathsalts. But she's having to stop because her skin is so sensitive now that she's almost getting burned by the bathsalts. She only uses the air freshner when my nephew decides to cook Spam. The smell of the Spam sickens her worse than the fumes from the spray.

How do I help my sister?

wackdoodle — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:16:11 -0800

My sister was diagnosed with Stage 2 Invasive Ductile Breast Cancer approximately two weeks ago (it seems like a blur so I cannot remember the exact date she called up and she she had just found out). She just found out she has Triple Negative Breast Cancer, which means a long course of chemotherapy with treatments of radiation.

What I need to know is how do I help (or organize/resolve) the practical day to day and monthly issues that a homeowner and head of household has to deal with? I know she's already thinking about this and I am too but what do we need...supply wise to wage war.

My sister is a worrier/planner (I'm the problem-solver/organizer). She's someone who wakes up in the middle of the night to check on how much laundry detergent she has left or how much toilet paper is stockpiled in the closet. She wakes up to make grocery lists and lists of things that need to be done around the house. What I want to do is get a jump on these things so that at least those concerns can be off her mind and she can just recover and beat this thing.

I'm already looking for resources to help her make her mortgage payments while she is off work. We're looking at breast cancer support groups close to her home. Everyone in my family who is in California is gearing up to assist with getting my sister to and from medical appointments and taking her out to run errands. But we're trying to prepare for the expected year long chemotherapy and radiation therapy she's supposed to have.

So I'm trying to think of everything that we can stockpile so that financially I can assist in keeping her household up and running and take the financial burden/worry off her. I've got my nephews (her kids) going through they're home and taking inventory of what's there now - how much toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies, soap, deodorant, menstrual supplies for her, dog and cat food, cat litter and things of that nature. Then their going to make lists along with their mom of food staples that can be stocked up so that if money gets super tight they can all still eat nutritious meals, take showers and have clean clothes etc. We're going to purchase an upright freezer for the garage to replace the horizontal freezer she has. She cannot pick up anything out of the old freezer because it causes her too much pain, so were going to sell the old freezer and buy one where things can be easily reached. She uses the extra freezer to store frozen vegetables, milk, juice, meat etc. I am also going to add a pantry in her garage for other food staples that shouldn't be jammed in her pantry - canned goods, dried beans, kitchen staples.

I am obliviously going to support her emotionally, she really my closet relative and friend. And I will continue to support my nephews emotionally. But their are practical, financial things that have to be taken care of too so that their quality of life doesn't suffer while she fights - but I'm not sure I'm thinking of all of them.

She lives in Southern California while I live nearly 500 miles away in Northern California. I'm considering moving back to Southern California to be closer but since I don't have a BA I will take a serious pay cut by moving down there now without the degree. Plus she'd be a little pissed off if I dropped out of school to attend to her.

We've been through this sort of situation before; the first and second time my mom had to have brain surgery but my mom prepped things while my dad instituted her plans. Over and over again my family has gone through these serious medical issues with the most able person taking the lead in planning and resolving household issues while or before or even during the time that the person is recovering from whatever malady. Well, now my mom is dead, my dad is dead, my sister's husband is dead, my brothers are all emotionally detached because of our parents deaths and my mother and father's sisters and brothers are for the most party either very elderly and retired or distant. So all that said it's my turn to make sure my sister and her kids are taken care of during this battle.

Uggh, my brain is running a million lists of things to do at one time but I want to get started and devy the tasks among various family members before anything happens so that we can all focus on giving her the support and love she needs and the peace of mind she needs.

Today, for the first time since she was diagnosed she actually laughed. She and my 78 year old aunt had gone to the surgeon who will be removing the tumor and doing the mastectomy. The doctor said that she may want to postpone the breast reconstruction until after the radiation therapy because the radiation will adversely affect her skin and her ability to heal post-op. Then he asked if she was aware that her breast reconstruction was going to automatically include the unaffected breast too (their going to reduce and lift the other breast when they reconstruct the infected breast). She knew that already because we figured that the surgeon wouldn't want to leave her extremely loop-sided with one small normal human sized breast (a B or C cup) and one E cup breast. My aunt who was with her said to the doctor "Of course you cannot leaving her loop-sided and leaning. That's all we need is a leaning tower of Lisa." My sister (Lisa) told me this and I cracked up - that's my 78 year old aunt for you.

I told my sister that this was the goofiest way to go about getting the breast lift that she has always wanted. I said, "All this for smaller perky breasts. You'll be 50 and have the perky breasts you longed for at 20." My sister laughed so much so choked on her own spit. Then she said the only pisser was that she had just bought 4 or 5 new fancy bras in her 38 E size and there's no way she be able to wear them down to the wire with just one boobs. I told her we'd buy her a falsy til she's ready for the reconstruction surgery. She actually got off the phone in a good mood rather than the down in the dumps mood she'd been in for the past few weeks.

Oh yes - what preparations should we make for the long course of Chemotherapy she going to have? Some of the other survivors that my sister has met said she needs to buy loads of different air fresheners and keep them handy for when she starts to vomit. They've said that the smell of her vomit will sicken her worse than the smell of the air freshener. I know that cause she was a major vomiter during both of her pregnancies - anything that she smelled and didn't like made her vomit, then the smell of her own vomit made her vomit. Imagine the fun I had cleaning that up over and over again. My brother-in-law thought it was hilarious, she couldn't even watch food commercials while pregnant caused she heave.

But I know that chemo may cause her to develop mouth sores and other things so I'm trying to think of what to get for her so that she is somewhat comfortable. What can help her through chemo?