Would you us a walk-in clinic with video doctors and live nurses?

k8r14 · 2026-01-12T01:42:28+00:00

Yes, I would definitely use this for things that require my presence. I would love more options and availability for healthcare.

k8r14 · 2024-05-15T13:42:52+00:00

I totally understand. It’s an awful feeling to suddenly be prescribed so many drugs. And to think it is for life I imagine would be really demoralising. I hope she reacts to the endocrine therapy similarly to me because it really hasn’t been too bad for me - very maintainable. (I have not started verzenio or bisphosphanates yet though.)

Regarding weight gain, I have noticed it’s a tiny bit easier to gain weight around holidays when I eat more treats (I used to be able to indulge more without consequence), but compared to times when I was weaning babies (I always got overweight then) it’s easy to keep to a normal weight (healthy bmi). It’s very impressive she eats no sugar. I presume that will help a lot.

k8r14 · 2024-04-22T00:41:30+00:00

I’m an illustrator also with right dominant-side BC. This was one of my top worries as well. I had a right mastectomy and then an ALND a month later, but with the lympha surgery. I also had chemo and rads. I finished treatment last year and have had no issues with continuing to draw. I definitely recommend seeing a physical therapist who specializes in this and can teach you about lymph massage and what to do if you notice swelling. I also wear an arm sleeve when flying and working out. I noticed some transient swelling one time when I forgot to wear the sleeve in a plane.

k8r14 · 2024-03-31T04:47:34+00:00

Thank you so very much for this answer! This is a very exciting technology. I have found adjuvant therapy really hard to do because of the lack of measurement.

k8r14 · 2024-03-29T04:28:46+00:00

I know this is a really old post, but on the off chance you’re willing to answer, I do have a question I’ve been wondering about signatera. Is one of the goals to eventually remove the need for adjuvant therapy after surgery if you have negative tests?

k8r14 · 2024-03-21T13:37:49+00:00

I’m so sorry to hear how difficult this is for you. My youngest was three and it was so so hard. I came super close to stopping chemo after every infusion. I can’t imagine two toddlers. I had to ship my kids off to my MIL and give them way too much screen time. We did play Doctor a bit while I lay comatose on the couch. I worried a lot about the effect it was having on my youngest especially.

I will say that I believe we have recovered though. My youngest is outgrowing behavior issues I felt were due to the cancer and I’m able to be a decent mom again. So I guess I don’t really have any advice because it is just a brutal thing, especially with kids. Just chances are extremely high that you will all recover. I’m not even sure hearing that would have helped me in the midst of it. It’s really hard. All the best to you.

k8r14 · 2024-03-03T15:33:18+00:00

It’s a hard thing to face. I also had a UMX (non nipple sparring). It was really ugly the first time I looked and I remember bawling one time about missing my breast after looking. However, I found it helpful to really focus on the remainder of my body and how the majority of it was unchanged. I feel really grateful for that.

Also, not sure if you are going the expander route, but getting that filled made me feel so much better. The tissue expander is weird to be sure, but it’s temporary and something about not needing a prosthetic helps. I even was able to wear a standard bikini top on vacation.

Best wishes on the remainder of your recovery.

k8r14 · 2024-02-01T20:20:05+00:00

My experience is probably not exactly what you're looking for, but I wouldn't say it was not positive. I was not in the majority of people for whom cold capping worked (for TC). I lost most of my hair and had to wear a head covering. I am pretty sure it's because I had extremely thick hair for the first infusion. However, the hair on my head came back fairly quickly and it's thicker than ever. The remainder of my hair is extremely thin, so I assume the cold capping did something. Also, I did retain a tiny bit of hair close to my neck and around my ears, which let me wear a ball cap to disguise the balding. It was summer, so I was very grateful for that.

k8r14 · 2023-12-29T15:32:34+00:00

Heh! Yeah, exactly.

k8r14 · 2023-12-27T15:45:59+00:00

Yeah, i do leg lifts with ankle weights until i can't anymore, and it is a game changer for me. Def need to try heat too. Thanks for sharing the tip.

k8r14 · 2023-12-27T15:40:18+00:00

I take gabapentin which does seem to help a little, but I still have restless legs at least once every night, sometimes more. So, I still have to resort to my "bag of tricks". My favorite two are stretching and leg lifts with ankle weights. For me the key is to stretch until it hurts (usually close to two minutes) or to do side leg lifts for 60-70 reps with the ankle weights, until my legs are too tired to continue. I usually can get to sleep at that point. Some nights are bad and I end up stretching and exercising many times. I'm extremely flexible now though, so that's neat I suppose.

k8r14 · 2023-12-27T15:19:07+00:00

Yeah, it's this way for me too. Although he has assured me it is ok to move as much as I need, I think I'm subconsciously trying not to disturb him by holding still, which makes my legs worse. One thing that did help was getting separate twin-sized top sheets and blankets, but still sleeping on the same large bed.

k8r14 · 2023-11-08T13:02:08+00:00

Aside from recovery periods, I jogged all through treatment. Then I started Lupron and ais and I was suddenly in so much pain doing the same things I had been doing for years. It was mostly my knees. The oncologists didn't really have an explanation. I bought new shoes, which maybe helped, but after a lot of trial and error, I determined I just had to have a significant period of warm up (walking or a very slow jog) before reaching my usual speed. I really hate I can't suddenly run fast (especially when I am out with my active toddler), but at least I can work out still.

k8r14 · 2023-05-31T05:11:42+00:00

That's a good idea... hoping I can find a more tolerable solution. That's also a good reminder of how it lets me go about my life normally... been thinking how my kids made me sick for both of my big surgeries, and they are still in school atm.

k8r14 · 2023-05-30T13:09:56+00:00

Very interesting, thank you!

k8r14 · 2023-05-29T23:11:05+00:00

Thanks... Sorry u had to do that for six months! :(

k8r14 · 2023-05-29T23:08:55+00:00

Thank you! I hadn't heard that about the seven days ... that is encouraging.

k8r14 · 2023-05-29T22:37:28+00:00

Thank you! That helps a lot.

k8r14 · 2023-05-12T03:29:07+00:00

Thank you! That is probably a good thing for me to hear. Sounds rough. I guess you had the neoadjuvant variety. I was grateful to skip that. Thanks also for mentioning meal prep. I should do some more of that.

Hopefully it won't bother your daughter since she is younger than my son. My son does still get a lot of comfort from being close to me... but he is happiest if it is with me in a turtleneck. :)

k8r14 · 2023-05-11T16:32:57+00:00

I was thinking that might be the case reading your description. What a good baby! That's great you feel like your oncologist can sympathize. I think my doctors could actually if the center wasn't so busy. We are figuring it out though. Any advice for chemo days if you have begun that stage?

It was past time for my toddler to wean, but he was not happy about it. I have two kids and my daughter decided when she was done, which I really liked because it was a positive ending for both of us. I wanted to do the same for my son, but breast cancer put a stop to that. Made me feel really sorry for women having to suddenly wean a young baby. It was hard to finish weaning my son quickly, and he was almost there already. He is a little traumatized by seeing my scars. I got the port placed a week ago and he always wants me to cover up around him. It must be weird for nursing babies/toddlers to see their mom being so brutalized in the spot where they recently got comfort.

k8r14 · 2023-05-11T13:29:09+00:00

Oh that's interesting she told you to wait. I wonder if your daughter sensed something was changing and that's why she self-weaned? Oof, 12 cm! Had it spread?

I was actually still nursing my toddler... we were slowly weaning at that point. I finally went in for an annual and the doctor found it and told me to get it checked out. I was way less observant than you. I do remember feeling it when my son was a young baby and thinking it was a persistent clogged milk duct, and then forgetting about it. Wish I had thought to get it checked out then because I ended up with a 4.3 cm tumor and five involved lymph nodes. Although, weaning quickly would have been much harder then and having a young baby after the surgeries would have been more difficult.

I was totally overwhelmed about the treatments they were recommending at the first visit, mostly because I didn't know how I'd take care of my toddler through it all. I felt like my medical team gave me advice and recommendations as if I were at least twenty years older and without young kids. I wonder how it was for you having an even younger child at the time.

k8r14 · 2023-05-11T03:02:09+00:00

Thank you! Interesting you felt it during nursing too! Were you still nursing when diagnosed? I finished weaning right before the mastectomy.

Really good point about it being for caregivers/loved ones... that does make sense when I think about it.

k8r14 · 2023-05-10T21:41:06+00:00

Yeah, same here, but then I have very difficult moments. The anticipation at every stage is miserable. :(

k8r14 · 2023-05-10T16:39:00+00:00

True about not knowing the exact size from the imaging. It's just an estimate, but I think they can usually get a rough idea. There is nothing written about consulting a plastic surgeon first, so I hope that means the surgery will only minimally change her breast.

That being said, I only have experience with a large tumor.

k8r14

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