Posts by briskskipper71

Hey everyone, my mom went through hormone-responsive breast cancer almost two years ago. After dealing with surgery, chemo, and radiation, she’s been on Tamoxifen. She’s been taking it for about a year now, but things just took a turn. At her last gyno appointment, her endometrial thickness was 6 mm, but she went back this morning and the doctor said it jumped to 12 mm. They suggested she head over to oncology—they’ll either want to do a biopsy or maybe switch her medication, at least that's what I was told. I'm wondering, what are the actual options here? Like, what happens with hormone replacement therapy... does the uterus have to be removed or what? I know endometrial issues can happen with Tamoxifen, but I really didn't expect it to happen this fast... Is there any way to protect the endometrium from the effects of the drug?

Hey everyone,

I’ve posted here before about this—my mom is dealing with lobular breast cancer. She’s already gone through a mastectomy, six rounds of chemo, and 25 radiation sessions. Since her tumor is hormone-dependent, the plan is to keep her on Tamoxifen. But we hit a bit of a snag with the scheduling. She was given a two-month supply and an appointment for January, but when we sat down and crunched the numbers on the pill count and the days, it looks like there’s going to be a 6-day gap if she starts taking them today. Is it okay to have a little break like that, or should she be taking them constantly without any interruptions? Also, are there any supplements that might help with the side effects? From what I've read, they can be pretty rough, maybe even dangerous, though I know this is an older drug that's been used by tons of patients, so the side effects are well-documented.
On another note, I wanted to ask how hair regrowth usually goes after chemo. My mom’s hair is starting to come back, but it’s just really thin, weak, and patchy in different spots on her scalp... I honestly expected it to look better than this, but it's looking pretty rough, even though it’s been a month and a half since her last chemo session.

Hey everyone, I have a question about chemo for breast cancer. My mom was just diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma, and it looks like she'll need chemo once she's through with her surgery. Here’s the thing—Mom has been dealing with heart issues for a long time now, and I keep reading that chemo can be really hard on the heart. Is it actually safe to give chemo to someone with a heart condition? I’m honestly terrified that we might end up making things worse instead of better.

So, I'm headed back in for surgery soon—they're going to take out the whole breast now—and then it’s onto Chemo. Maybe some radiation too, I guess... I'm just not entirely sure yet.

Hey everyone,
My mom had surgery on her left breast two weeks ago because of some changes they caught on a mammogram. They thought it was likely benign at first, but they couldn't rule anything else out—it was a BI-RADS 2/3. Well, the pathology report finally came back today, and here is what it says:

classic variant invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast
Nottingham histological score 6 grade 2
AJCC TNM pT2NxMx
lobular carcinoma in situ LCIS
Suspected positive resection margins in multiple foci
lymphovascular invasion is clearly not observed

Can anyone help me make sense of this? I mean, it feels like they caught it early, but it definitely doesn't sound harmless. My mom was born in 1955.

Hey there, I’m dealing with something pretty similar and honestly, I have no clue what’s actually triggering it... I’m starting to think it might be some kind of allergy? Lately, I’ve been switching back to those old-school cloth handkerchiefs because, after a ton of trial and error, I realized that if I use a cloth one, I only sneeze maybe two or three times in the morning before I'm good. But if I use the paper tissues? There must be something in them that's irritating my nose... It's just super annoying and exhausting to deal with.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord 😢

Hey guys, so I was working on my desktop tonight when out of nowhere, a message popped up saying the system needed a restart... So, I rebooted, and everything seems fine at first—it boots right up to the user password screen—but once I log in, the screen just goes gray. Total blackout. The only thing that actually works is Ctrl+Alt+Del, and I can still move my mouse cursor around, but that's about it. I'm running Windows 8 on this machine, and honestly, the only thing I know for sure is that it's a Gateway computer. Any idea what I should do? Thanks in advance!

Hey there, I'm checking in... feel free to ask me anything you want to know. Phantom pains... man, they are such a rough experience. Luckily, it doesn't last forever—it's usually about 30 to 40 days before it settles down, and then you're just left with that phantom sensation. It doesn't exactly hurt after that, but it drives you absolutely crazy. I guess if it's just toes or part of the foot being amputated, it might not be too bad... though, from what I can tell, the more significant the amputation, the more intense those phantom pains get.

I’ve been living without my lower leg for about ten years now... honestly, it isn't even a big deal once you get used to it. I mean, yeah, it looks pretty brutal at first, I won't lie. But once the wound heals up and you finally get fitted for a prosthesis, everything just kind of clicks into place. Seriously, if you have any questions, just ask me anything.

Honestly, I don't think there’s anyone out there who hasn't dealt with something similar at some point. It’s just part of growing up, I guess. It happens earlier for some people and later for others, but we're all chasing something. That's just how life works. Don't beat yourself up over what you haven't done yet. Maybe try looking at it as a chance to show your parents that you're actually a capable, responsible adult. And as for not being married... man, as if that's such a big deal. You could have spent those fifteen years living on your own instead of being stuck in a third marriage that's falling apart, worrying about where you're even going to leave five kids... trust me, people go through that all the time.

http://postimg.org/image/7r1xlrf2n/

So, this is basically what happens when you mess up applying a fiberglass cast wrap three years ago... 😢

Thanks so much for the reply, Dr. Harvey. I also want to apologize because I didn't include all the numbers—basically, my company pays for those fancy, high-end screenings where they check absolutely everything under the sun, including analyzing every possible detail in the bloodwork. I guess it would be better if they dialed back the pressure a bit... but anyway, we're getting off track now... I can't really sit here and type out every single thing since everything is within the normal range; honestly, nothing even came close to the limits. GFR is 4.8, creatinine is 71.

Hey everyone,
I'm 32, I don't smoke, and I'm not exactly a gym rat... standing at about 5'10" and weighing 167 lbs... just went in for my annual checkup and here is what they found:

- I'm only listing the numbers that fell outside the normal range

Cholesterol 5.6 (3.5-5)
Triglycerides 1.96 (1.7)
HDL cholesterol 0.95 (>1)
LDL cholesterol 3.70 (<3.0)

Blood pressure 140/85

Honestly, this has me pretty worried. I’m wondering how much of a warning sign these numbers are if I don't get my act together. What should be my first move to get back on track? I have to mention, I'm really sweating this because cardiovascular disease runs in my family. Oh, and one more thing... an abdominal ultrasound showed that both my kidneys look normally developed, but they have some changes in the renal collecting system due to an infection. Is that dangerous? Especially since I don't even remember ever having a kidney infection—just some issues with kidney stones about 10 years ago.

I mean, honestly, I think you should probably go see a doctor just to get everything checked out, you know? Just to be safe and make sure nothing is actually going on.

I also found this amazing mountain cherry herbal tea that's perfect for a deep cleanse 🙂

Seriously, why on earth do you care so much about what other people think? I mean, what actually changes if everyone knows you nailed it, or if they think you totally flopped?
At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is how you see yourself. If you truly believe you’re a total loser, it won't matter if every single person in America stands up and calls you a genius—that inferiority complex is going to stick around and just eat away at your soul. Sure, praise and validation from the crowd can give your ego a little boost, but once you realize it doesn't actually mean anything, you'll see. You can live without being popular, but you absolutely cannot live without self-respect. Once you get that, your whole sense of priority shifts.
It’s honestly sad, but so many people who obsess over success are constantly comparing themselves to others. Or even worse, some people just love knowing that someone else failed so they can feed their own bitterness and enjoy watching someone else struggle. I remember running into this old acquaintance after ages, and he pulls out his transcript right in front of me with this nasty little smirk on his face. He looks at briskskipper71 and asks, "Are you still stuck in college?" I told him I only had a few finals left to go... and he just gives me this even more crooked grin. Then he asks if I'll even graduate before I'm thirty. I just told him, "Probably not, but I'll be Mr. Scientist by thirty-one." Honestly, the guy was such a wreck that I actually felt embarrassed for him...
...because, let's face it, people can be a pretty corrupt race—dirty and just plain mean....

I know there’s this whole association for women fighting breast cancer

Maybe try reaching out to them? They might be able to help you out, or even point you toward a therapist if you need one. I mean, it's just really hard to carry a weight like this all by yourself, I guess.

I honestly think you just have to keep fighting as long as there’s actually some sense in doing so—you know, as long as there's even a tiny glimmer of hope that things might turn around. If you had, say, end-stage cancer where nothing is operable, you’ve already done the chemo and the radiation, and the doctors are basically telling you there's nothing left to do because the pain is just getting worse... in that case, I get it. I could totally see why someone would want to just call it quits. But from what I gathered, there actually *is* a solution for your specific issue that could lead to surviving for decades if everything goes right. So, if I'm reading this correctly, you have an incredibly strong reason to stop thinking about giving up and start fighting for your life instead. I mean, you can always quit later, right? Also, I really feel like everyone should learn how to just live one day at a time without constantly spiraling about the future—especially people dealing with massive health crises or huge life struggles. It helps. And hey, maybe it would be a good idea to reach out to a professional in psychology, especially since you mentioned they gave you a six-month window without surgery, but way more time if you go through with it. Please, take that chance. There are so many people who get told there's absolutely nothing left to do and they're just given six months to live. Come on, man, fight for it.

Honestly, there's just no point in fighting like this. I don't even know where you are right now or how tough things actually are for you, but you're writing like you're living under a regime in Tehran or something... I get the feeling maybe it’s more about what's going on in your head, like that super strict, conservative upbringing where anything that doesn't fit the traditional mold is just totally rejected. I don't get why you two can't just be friends... I mean, why can't you just move 124 miles past all that and try getting to know different people? What does she even think about any of this? Does she sense how you're actually feeling? I'd really love to help you out—if it's too awkward to say here, maybe just shoot me a PM 😉