Tuesday, January 09, 2001
I've had my gallbladder surgery and all went well. They were able to do it through the laproscope, and I'm resting comfortably in the hospital. I'll stay overnight then home tomorrow. I've taken my first walk to the bathroom and that went well - no dizziness or pain.
posted by Karen Weber Tuesday, January 09, 2001
Wednesday, January 10, 2001
FDA Approves Femara(R) (letrozole tablets) as First-Line Hormonal Treatment For Advanced Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women"Smart Probe" for Breast Cancer Detects Malignant Tumors Instantly
Nightshift link to breast cancer
I had a rough night last night, so I'm glad I stayed in the hospital. I ran a fever and had a lot of pain. The funny thing is that we discovered the pain was mostly from a really, really full bladder. Once I realized that, I started getting up and going to the restroom more frequently, and voila, most of the pain was gone. The fever broke about 4 am, although I'm still running a low grade temp. I'm walking around fairly easily, but I plan to sleep in the guest bedroom tonight. I don't think I'd be able to get myself out of the waterbed in the master bedroom very easily yet.
posted by Karen Weber Wednesday, January 10, 2001
Thursday, January 11, 2001
PlaceForHope provides help to cancer patients by providing computers, internet access and a support location for patients.False-Positive Screening Mammograms: Effect of Immediate versus Later Work-up on Patient Stress - surprise, surprise! It's less stressful if they do immediate follow-up on suspicious mammograms rather than making you wait weeks for the follow-up. Isn't it amazing that they have to do research to figure out this kind of thing?
Why Some Tumors Become Resistant to Tamoxifen - a BreastLink analysis of the research findings.
I'm feeling much better today. I slept well most of the night. Up a few times to hit the bathroom, then up at about 4 am kind of sore. I took a darvocet and then slept again until a bit after 8. Took a nice shower and have taken it pretty easy today. I've looked longingly at the pool, but I guess it will be a bit before I'm allowed to get back in. I made an appointment to see the surgeon for a post-op follow-up on the 19th. In the meantime, I'm not allowed to drive for a few days or lift more than 15 pounds. Since I'm not really supposed to pick up more than 15 pounds because of my knee anyway, that's not a real restriction. The biggest problem seems to be digesting food right now. I haven't figured out what I can eat that won't make my tummy sore.
posted by Karen Weber Thursday, January 11, 2001
Friday, January 12, 2001
FORCE: Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered -- Hereditary/Genetic Breast or Ovarian Cancer & BRCA IssuesDietary Factors and the Survival of Women with Breast Cancer - a BreastLink analysis of research on dietary protein, fat intake, fruits/veggies and their effect on surviving breast cancer.
Quality of Life Improves with Herceptin - information on the treatment for her2/neu+ tumors from BreastLink.
I'm feeling better still today. I didn't set my alarm this morning and let myself sleep in as long as I wanted to. I'm just lounging around in my PJs and having an easy day.
posted by Karen Weber Friday, January 12, 2001