Monthly Archives: May 2011

Health Issues

Post Radiation Pain – May 28th 2011

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Well, just when you thought you had jumped through all of the hurdles… got through the surgeries and radiation, a new symptom has developed.  About the middle of May, I started to get a dry cough and some pain in my rib cage area, on the radiation (right) side. It’s pretty bad and feels like someone has taken a fist and punched me in the ribs from inside. It burns and the pain goes to 8-9/10 when I cough, take a deep breath or sneeze. It also hurts very much to lay down, and to recline in recliner.

At first I wondered at a pneumothorax (partial) but I don’t think so, as my respirations seem to be ok. It feel pleuritic, and that is what my family Dr felt as well, that it was pleuritic pain. Last week she listened to my lungs and thought I had good air entry, but she listened on side and back, not in front at lower ribcage under the breast, where it’s really hurting. I see my onco-radiologist on the 31st so will tell her about it. I suspect that she is going to tell me I have radiation pneumonitis  as it fits as to when the symptoms started. But I can’t diagnose, so I’ll hope for the best and see if it’s just something else. 🙂

I am doing the gradual return to work and am trying to do 8 hr shifts. It’s difficult with the pain now because if I get coughing it really hurts, and if I can’t splint myself fast enough, I feel it big time. I am feeling tired, but so far energy levels holding at about 70%. I am pushing myself to get back to working full time.

I’m sounding like a whiner and I don’t mean to. I am lucky, I have a job I love, I have a loving husband, dog and family, good friends, good people I work with, good Drs. It is all good, it’s just that next hurdle is all, I thought whoever had the voodoo doll and pin had finally put it away, but alas poor yoric, is not to be.

…Pam…

 

Canucks Hockey, Commentary

Canucks WIN Western Conference Final game! :)

3 Comments

Wow, we are going to the Stanley Cup finals ! 🙂 Maurice and I and our friend Mike have been following the canucks for more than a couple decades, and we always get together to watch the games. Like the rest of the Canuck fans, we have been long suffering and we DESERVE this chance at the cup. What an awesome team we have this year. I have really loved some past  canucks players for their hearts and guts (Trevor Linden, and Martin Gelinas come to mind quickly) but there is a long list of canucks who have found their way into our hearts. A a fan, and a Canadian,  I love the sport and I love our team.GO CANUCKS GO!!   WE ARE ALLLLLL CANUCKS!!!

This team, this group, from the start, has had a magical feel to it. It’s felt from the beginning that this was our year. I have believed it, and am not one of these fans that falls off the band wagon if they lose or have a bad game. Instead, I feel we need to support our team. I think Kesler and Bieksa are both awesome players who give us 100% efforts. The Sedins are both a marvel and their talents so many that we see new nifty moves all of the time. Every player on this team has given us a great effort so far. They have put it all out there and battled. They deserve more credit than they get. So does Luongo, he’s played so well, and he stole this game 5 for us, standing on his head.

The referee’s however, seem to have all been given a set of  Mr Magoo coke bottle glasses. Many times we screamed our outrage because the ref’s would not call a penalty against the opposing team, when we were clearly tripped, slashed or hooked..  yet, the other teams seemed to get away with so much, and we were called on penalties that were seemingly phantom calls. The first 4 games of the Sharks series, I believe the players were even confused as to what is and what isn’t a penalty. Torres for charging?? I don’t think so…  he took 1.5 strides.. NOT a charge. I’d be angry too Torres.

What about at the end of the game when Kesler gets sucker punched in the face by Clowe?  To me, that should have 2 minute penalty to start the next game. Why should he be able to get away with that kind of mugging?

It is awesome to see everyone supporting the canucks and I hope the fans keep it together and keep it safe. 🙂

We are SO excited, not just because it’s our team, but it’s the only Canadian Team in the playoffs so the Canucks will try to represent,  and will be watching the games and cheering from our familyroom!

 

While I’m posting, I’ll take a sec to do a hockey rant. Why should the east be able to dictate when our games are held?  a noon game on a sunday? What??  We finally get a sunny day, but can be gardening? NO.. there is a game on, so of course we are going to be watching it…   Noon?  Really?  come on….  why should WE be the only ones inconvenienced.

…Pam…

Health Issues

May 6th -healing

8 Comments

Hi everyone 🙂 Sorry for the long space between posts.

Well I’ve been to the family Dr a couple of times since the radiation was completed. I was told by all Drs that the radiation would continue to make changes in me for 2-3 weeks and I could expect that the skin would continue to change. Well it did, the skin under the breast had continued to redden and get angry looking, and finally the skin broke down. When I saw my family Dr she looked at it and said “ouch”. She advised me to try canesten cream on the area x 2 days, because it’s just the sort of place yeast likes to go. I did that, and it did seem to be helping some, but the skin continued to break down and be open, with blisters and open areas, so I started on the flamazine cream that I had been prescribed as well. (They told me not to use it unless area’s became the size of quarter or so and open) .  My family Dr advised I start taking it after the 2 days of canestin and so I did. After about 2 days of that, it felt so much better and the angriness of it started to subside. Now it’s still healing but it’s much more comfortable.

I still am feeling some fatigue but am hopeful that it will lift soon. I am at about 60% of my normal energy levels, but am on a stretch of days off now so hopefully that time will allow more rest and the levels to rise. I am starting back to work, which for me is a blessing. I feel like me being back to work gives me some normalcy back. It’s been a strange year healthwise and I can’t say it’s been easy. I am hoping the worst of it is done. Since last June 2010 = pinched nerve C6-7, still ongoing numbness in fingers of right hand from that,  Vaginal bleeding x 2 out of the blue, gyne consult and 3 pelvic US and 1 surgery (D&C) , Torn Left knee MCL (partial tear), routine mammogram and that showed the cancer, then repeat US’s, biopsyx5, then surgery Jan 11, Surgery Feb 1 as metastases to lymph node, then 5 weeks of radiation and 5-6 boost shots, fatigue throughout and continuing, my dad died Feb 22nd, so I flew home to be with my mum, sister and brother… and so now I am finished all of the treatments, and am on pills x 5 yrs, and get blood work done every 6 months or so. Plus I’ll have to have more frequent mammograms.

The hope is, that the cancer that spread to the  1 lymph node, did not even microscopically go elsewhere in my body. The hope is that I am cancer free. 🙂 Once this breast heals up, I will feel like I’ve jumped the hurdle and am back on the road to health.

I am doing a gradual return to work to see if I can get back to my regular hours. I have done a couple of 4 hr shifts and I’ll admit I was surprised at how tired I felt after each of them. I am doing another block of 4 hr shifts, and then will gradually increase so that I am back to doing my 12 hr shifts. It feels good to be going back, and I’ve been gone 4 months so there is some catching up to do, but it will be alright. 🙂

Thanks everyone who has called or phoned or visited, and helped me through this. It’s been one hell of a long haul. I hope it’s over!

…Pam…