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Location: burple dinosaurs are eating my buporoses
Posts: 30,347
Sammie and Mark, love and very gentle hugs to both of you.
Mark, when is your surgery?
We will be thinking of you as well!
And Sammie, I feel as though I should send you a bouquet of burple buparoses...
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Jane
'Blessed are all the good hearted, the poets and the dreamers, and all us crazy holy hungry ones who still believe in something better'.
--Carrie Newcomer
On one from my family (other than my DDs remembered). It kind of makes me feel bad. I guess my mother and sisters are sick of hearing about my surgeries or cancer in general. So no one called. Oh well, that is life I guess.
Sammie, that sucks. I would feel bad too.
But I am glad to hear that you are doing okay. I hope you continue to recover nicely and hopefully Mark will get his rotator cuff taken care of.
Also, this is the first time I've heard (read) of your other nickname "Sandi"!
__________________
Faites l'amour, pas la guerre, ...ou alors, faites les deux : mariez vous !
Cards for troops and kids
I have posted a new thread in this forum as a tribute to Mark, it is titled "Will He Hold Your Purse?" and is written my a breast cancer doctor. When I read it, it made me think of what a wonderful, wonderful husband and support Mark has been for Sammie.
I sure wish their were more men in the world like Mark!
Thinking of you both today, Sammie and Mark!
__________________
IIII*IIII*IIII*IIII*IIII*IIII*IIII*IIII*IIII*IIII* IIII*IIII*IIII*
Take only photographs, leave only footprints.
I just stumbled upon this thread (not really sure what I was looking for to begin with!) and I just want to say that I'm glad your doing ok after this journey you have been on. Take care of yourself and that great husband of yours! I will keep following this to hear all your wonderful updates.
I have posted a new thread in this forum as a tribute to Mark, it is titled "Will He Hold Your Purse?" and is written my a breast cancer doctor. When I read it, it made me think of what a wonderful, wonderful husband and support Mark has been for Sammie.
I sure wish their were more men in the world like Mark!
Thinking of you both today, Sammie and Mark!
You made me cry when iI read it Laurie. It was beautiful. I printed it off on cardstock and gave it to Mark. He was very touched. He has always been my purse holder. I never thought of a DR even noticing the men holding purses for their wives. We are lucky indeed.
Thank you.
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Sammie # 7651
When you get in a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. -- Harriet Beecher Stowe
It's late again and I can't sleep due to the pain everywhere. Mark and I saw our oncologists today and Mark is now considered totally cured and free of any cancer. Yeah. I am a several years away from that yet and will have an MRI in April to check again for a tumor in the good breast. Tired of going to the DRs and tired of pain.
I need to go on a medication that could raise the risk of another cancer in the other breast but I am willing to take the risk as I need quality f life and not quantity. I am pretty strong but did almost cry today and my voice did crack. The oncologist really heard me and I saw him totally turn into a bug teddy bear that cares. That helps. I mean this in a nice way and not a bad way.
The oncologist thinks I need another surgery as he didn't like the feel of how the scar tissue has changed on the mastectomy side. But that is not life threatening and Mark loves me just like I am. So maybe way down the road and hope there is a long road ahead.
Wow. It sounds like I am depressed. I don't think I am. I am just exhausted with the season and now it looks like we will be iced and snowed in on Thursday when we are supposed to fly to see our kids and grandkids for the Holidays. I need to go.
In the last 5 years I have had over way too many surgeries; lower back, knees, nerves out of both feet, MOHS surgery for skin cancer, mastectomy, expander surgery, a huge TRAM flap surgery and several out patient ones and I a tired. I have lupus, Fibro, Raynaud’s, Sjogren’s so I guess I have a right to be tired. Way too many pills to take. I need sleep and I can’t get there.
Maybe I am feeling sorry for our situation when compared to a lot of others but then we are both still on this side of the grass. For that I am thankful. I really am thankful for so much but especially for Mark and my kids. We both need each other and he may have Parkinson’s now. We will find out maybe in January when we go to the Neurologist. It’s not fair for him. I am really angry about that.
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Sammie # 7651
When you get in a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. -- Harriet Beecher Stowe
I'm so glad that Mark is officially done with cancer! And I know you'll make it there too - hang in there. You two definitely deserve a break! I'll keep you and Mark in my thoughts for January's appointment.
I hope you two have a great time with family this week! ((hugs))
In the last 5 years I have had over way too many surgeries; lower back, knees, nerves out of both feet, MOHS surgery for skin cancer, mastectomy, expander surgery, a huge TRAM flap surgery and several out patient ones and I am tired. I have lupus, Fibro, Raynaud’s, Sjogren’s so I guess I have a right to be tired. Way too many pills to take. I need sleep and I can’t get there.
OMgosh, girl. You have more than the right to be tired! You have endured so much. You should be proud of yourself every day just for getting up and facing another day.
I am thrilled to hear your DH is cancer-free. That is indeed awesome news. And like Karen said, you WILL get there too.
Sammie, I'm soooooooo happy that Mark is free of cancer.
Did the pain in your knees ever subside??
I hope you get to fly out as scheduled to see your kids and grandkids!
I'm glad to hear your oncologist was so supportive. Makes me feel warm and happy for you. Hope you have a great time with your family despite all this crap you and Mark have been going through. You are right... at least you are both still on THIS side of the grass! *grin*
__________________
Faites l'amour, pas la guerre, ...ou alors, faites les deux : mariez vous !
Cards for troops and kids
Location: burple dinosaurs are eating my buporoses
Posts: 30,347
Quote:
Originally Posted by Samantha
It's late again and I can't sleep due to the pain everywhere. Mark and I saw our oncologists today and Mark is now considered totally cured and free of any cancer. Yeah. I am a several years away from that yet and will have an MRI in April to check again for a tumor in the good breast. Tired of going to the DRs and tired of pain.
I need to go on a medication that could raise the risk of another cancer in the other breast but I am willing to take the risk as I need quality f life and not quantity. I am pretty strong but did almost cry today and my voice did crack. The oncologist really heard me and I saw him totally turn into a bug teddy bear that cares. That helps. I mean this in a nice way and not a bad way.
The oncologist thinks I need another surgery as he didn't like the feel of how the scar tissue has changed on the mastectomy side. But that is not life threatening and Mark loves me just like I am. So maybe way down the road and hope there is a long road ahead.
Wow. It sounds like I am depressed. I don't think I am. I am just exhausted with the season and now it looks like we will be iced and snowed in on Thursday when we are supposed to fly to see our kids and grandkids for the Holidays. I need to go.
In the last 5 years I have had over way too many surgeries; lower back, knees, nerves out of both feet, MOHS surgery for skin cancer, mastectomy, expander surgery, a huge TRAM flap surgery and several out patient ones and I a tired. I have lupus, Fibro, Raynaud’s, Sjogren’s so I guess I have a right to be tired. Way too many pills to take. I need sleep and I can’t get there.
Maybe I am feeling sorry for our situation when compared to a lot of others but then we are both still on this side of the grass. For that I am thankful. I really am thankful for so much but especially for Mark and my kids. We both need each other and he may have Parkinson’s now. We will find out maybe in January when we go to the Neurologist. It’s not fair for him. I am really angry about that.
Oh Sammie.
I'm so sad to hear that you're in so much pain but a bit relieved to know you're ok with knowing you can come here and just let your hair down for a bit.
You've gone through so much. It's no wonder you feel exhausted and overwhelmed sometimes. I've very much found that sometimes the best thing you can do to take care of yourself and keep going is just have a good cry and let it out when you need to. When I used to backpack one of the fellows I hiked with always rested for 5 minutes every hour. It made carrying a load on long days on the trail a lot more workable.
You've been hiking a long trail and I think that makes it all the more important to set that pack aside now and then and rest and do what you need to do.
I very much hope that you can get to the airport and off to see the grandkids. It sounds as though you're ready for all the warmth of that time with them.
And very warmest hugs to Mark on his official diagnosis! That must be such a huge relief to both of you! I know you've got a bit more trail to hike before you get there Sammie, but it sounds as though you've come so far on that road, with so much strength and steadiness.
__________________
Jane
'Blessed are all the good hearted, the poets and the dreamers, and all us crazy holy hungry ones who still believe in something better'.
--Carrie Newcomer
Thanks for the very kind words everyone. We are on our way to Minot Air Force Base, ND today, a day early, due to the major storms coming. We hope to get there at midnight tonight. We need to get thru Minneapolis before they get that foot of snow that's predicted. We are supposed to get an inch of ice first here tonight and then snow on top.
I hope everyone has a Happy Holiday however you celebrate or maybe just a time to spend with family. I wish you all good health and happiness in the New Year.
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Sammie # 7651
When you get in a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. -- Harriet Beecher Stowe
It's been forever since I have posted. Tomorrow I have a full body bone scan to rule out metastases to the bones. I have had a lot of pain in the lower spine and leg. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little scared, but am still trying to be positive. It's just so darn scary all the time.
My good fried is dying of stage 3 breast cancer right now which has gone to her liver. She wants to make it through the summer. I don't even want o think about it.
I hope you all are doing OK. I have avoided SCS pretty much except for quick scans once in a while. Too much drama and no one get s anywhere or even listens any more. So, I have been on Facebook and I have a fantastic farm a Farmville. I know that some hate this, but I love taking care of my animals.
We are going out to visit out DD and grandkids ad SIL. We leave next week for a week. I need to visit them and my other DD at the end of April.
Sorry I have been out of touch but we are consumed with DR app'ts.
Take care everyone and HUGS to all.
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Sammie # 7651
When you get in a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. -- Harriet Beecher Stowe
Sammie so good to hear from you. I love FB, not so much the farms tho I have enough to take care of IRL.
May I walk with your friend's name on my shirt?
If you think that would be appropriate let me know in a PM. I'd love to have her name shining with all the others.
Oh I could just hug you up I'm so happy to see you here today. A perfect ending to my day. XOXO
Sammie, best wishes for the bone scan today. Sorry to hear about your friend. How is your knee doing?? Did the pain ever recede?? I hope so. Best wishes to Mark too.
__________________
Faites l'amour, pas la guerre, ...ou alors, faites les deux : mariez vous !
Cards for troops and kids
Hi,
I am here but don't come to SCS much. Mark has been quite ill and is just getting over pneumonia and a kidney infection. He only has one kidney and no bladder so it gets serious. He also just got out of the hospital due to a large bleeding ulcer. I was supposed to have back surgery Tuesday but cancelled due to Mark’s condition. My neuropathy is quite bad, lupus up and down. I am not trying to complain, but life has been quite painful for the last several months. Maybe that is why I haven’t been on SCS that much.
I am going to a new and special breast construction DR tomorrow as after I had the Tram Flap surgery, the muscle may be in sideways and the scar is eating into my skin. Also, the area in the top left quadrant turns blue and has a lack of blood supply. I was cut hip to hip to remove half the stomach muscles on one side to keep the muscle attached and then rolled up under the chest muscle to make a new breast. Had I known it would be so hard, I think I wouldn’t have gone that way.
Life has been a series of DR app'ts for both of us and we are just trying to survive the best that we can. I have just started to put together 100s and 100s of pages of notes and medical records to write a story of my journey through breast cancer. It will take a long time to get organized but I have wanted to do this for a long time. I did keep a private blog along the way and when I went back the last few days and read it, I had forgotten all of the really bad times and pain. Interesting. When you ae in pain, I guess one does tend to forget the past really bad times.
Life has been tough at times for both of us. One of our daughters is an Air Force family and they are being sent to the Netherlands. I cried for a week as I will miss my grandkids so very much. We are both a little afraid of traveling out of the country for insurance reasons. But I will have to research that. I think it is a great adventure for them, but not for us right now.
I think I am starting to ramble.
I hope all of you are well and thank you for thinking of me.
Hugs to all of you.
__________________
Sammie # 7651
When you get in a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. -- Harriet Beecher Stowe
Awww Sammie it's good to hear from you. You may not be around here much but I think of you often. I wish I were closer so I could drop by some hugs IRL.
I have another major surgery coming up on Monday. They have to cut out the scar that semi-circles the breast where they did the mastectomy. It is digging into my arm pit and chest and they think that scar tissue is pressing on a nerve. That is why it probably hurts.
I am actually tired now of all this procedures for various different reasons. I went on an anti-depressant to try and improve my moods. I think it is working a little. Last week they filled my cracked disc with steroids. The nerve was inflamed from a new bulge. Because of a mix up on when I should stop eating, I ate 3 hours past the dead line. So I had the choice of waiting the 3 hours for sedation or just going head with no sedation. I told them to just go and do it. It hurt but so does everything else. I am not sure it worked as I had a lot of pain yesterday after using my back for the first time.
Then on Oct. 10th, because of my Horner's syndrome, the specialist surgeon has to sit the eye lid, go up to my eye brow and lift up the lid. It covers half my pupil right now and it is difficult to see. Plus my eyes tire so easily because of that eye. The good news is that they have not found the tumor that could be casing this. Maybe I don't have one.
So that is my life. Mark just got out of the hospital for a very large ulcer in the base of his stomach that he didn't even have pain with it. He just suddenly stated throwing up hundreds of blood clots and then he bled from both ends. There is always something. I am tired of going to the DRs plus I take my mother to hers and my disabled brother to his. You would think that maybe one of my sisters’ close by could help out at times when it is so difficult. I don't (can't) work so that leaves it up to me. We each have our days to do my mom's grocery shopping though and that helps.
OK, enough complaining.
I hope you all are having a wonderful day. Hugs to all of you.
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Sammie # 7651
When you get in a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. -- Harriet Beecher Stowe
Oh Sammie I think of you and Mark daily. I am training every weekend to win my battle with the Avon walk 26 miles LOL because if you and so many others can battle this disease I can walk a few miles.
You truly are an AMAZING woman Miss Samantha. With all that you're going through, and have gone through, you still take your mom and brother to their doctor appointments. Wow.
Oh sweetie, your post was NOT a pity party. You're letting friends know how you're doing. We're here for anything you want/need to share. We all just wish we could do something concrete to help you. Of course you're tired of the procedures, pokings and proddings. And you definitely need to be able to talk about it.
Big hugs and pain-free thoughts for Monday.
__________________ It's all fun & games until someone gets a paper cut.
I am home but very tired though. The surgeon cut the scar tissue off from the muscle as it was attached to it at the mastectomy scar toward the arm pit where it was pulling and painful. Then he went under the rest of the scar and cut it from what ever it was attached to. I am all taped up. I have a 4 week restriction on how to use my right arm and side. I have no voice as the tube they put down went by the vocal cords and my throat really hurts. I take the pain pills at night so I can sleep in my recliner. I can't lay flat yet. Iam not sure what hurt worse - the original mastectomy or this revision of the scar. There are now large "Z" shaped scars around the outter side of the siet. Hurts like h*ll.
On Sunday Mark and I made and froze about 40 dinners so we won't have to worry about cooking for a while. I have some meals for my crock pot too to make after a few weeks.
Thanks for all the well wishes. As for my book, I have sorted about 1000 pages of my private blob, 3 notebooks I wrote in, medical records etc. and hopefully will start to put things together after I recover. There is so much going through my head - the good and the very bad about Drs, hospitals etc.
Hugs to all of you.
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Sammie # 7651
When you get in a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. -- Harriet Beecher Stowe
So happy to hear you're home and the healing process is beginning. I hope you heal quickly from this surgery and with minimal pain. And don't skimp on the pain killers - if you're in great pain your body is tensed up against it and that interfers w/ the healing process. Get on top of that pain and stay there as long as you need to!
Great job of planning meals ahead and actually getting them in the freezer!
I'll be second behind Laurie to sign up for a copy of your book! You already inspire so many people w/ the strength you share when you post here; I can only imagine how heartfelt your whole story will be.
Hugs to you, Ms. Samantha, and to Mark.
__________________ It's all fun & games until someone gets a paper cut.
Thanks for the hugs. I am leaving in 10 minues for one more surgery today. I am warn out and tired. This is the 3rd surgery in 4 weeks and I am physically drained. Thanks for caring. My sisters and mother really don't care that much as they are tired of my "problem". So I don't even talk to them about things. When I do tell my mother about upcoming surgery or even right after, she just changes the subject. So today, I will only call my kids. I am a little depressed as one could read into this note, but pain is becoming a reality. 29 years on steroids for lupus is doing a number on my back and other organs. But they can't stop them. Oh well, we'll see what happens today.
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Sammie # 7651
When you get in a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. -- Harriet Beecher Stowe
I hope this surgery went well? I am sending you positive, healing thoughts and well wishes, hang in there!
My sister-in-law suffers from trigeminal neuralgia and your post has prompted me to call her and check on her, she says that some of our family has lost their compassion for her pain as well, my heart aches for those of you who live in chronic pain and suffering!
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IIII*IIII*IIII*IIII*IIII*IIII*IIII*IIII*IIII*IIII* IIII*IIII*IIII*
Take only photographs, leave only footprints.
Samantha, it has been awhile since I stumbled onto your forum. I am glad you are still being victorious in your battle. Hopefully thing will settle down soon for both of you. You are truly a blessing and I appreciate you sharing honestly your trials and tribulations. You are one of my s-heros and I greatly admire you and your husband.
Sammie
you may feel overwhelmed by your pain and operations but PLEASE know you are a tremendous inspiration. As much as I'd love to fix this all for you and take all your pain and frustration away I'm in awe at your strength, your loving relationship, your continued smile in these posts. You amaze me. If you ever feel like you need someone to listen PM me here or find me on FB. We have a few mutual friends I bet
Love to you Sammie...I think of you every time I lace up my shoes to go walk. I'll be wearing your name proudly again in July
I have enough to take care of IRL.
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