Outcome of post lumpectomy results: total axillary clearance of right arm, surgery next Monday.

@viking1, with Netflix you never have to worry about how to occupy time again!!! ;) 

Thank you.  I will do my best. If chemo doesn't get me, 2-4 hours of  my own company will!

@viking1, here's hoping you sail through chemo when you start. 

Hi @LMK74 that's good news! I haven't been told when I have chemo but I have an appointment with oncology this Thursday. The said there is an info session first, same as radiation treatment. On 31st I see radiation oncologist just for an initial meeting and on the 8th a heart scan. So they are booking me up! I am wondering if the appointment on the Thursday is a chemo initial visit. They couldn't seem to tell me on the phone. Maybe it's just a welcome to the Cancer Centre as I am now out of the surgeon's hair in the Breast Centre! Stay well xx

Hi @viking1, all is good. I didn't need to go to hospital with the fever, mind you I was only .2 of a degree of 38 but it eventually went down. Glad you liked the pendant idea. A getaway sounds like bliss and maybe after all this cancer stuff is finished I might look into it. How are you doing, have you started chemo yet.

Hi @LMK74 just came back to this post and saw my reply to you wasn't there. I'm so sorry as you took the trouble to write. How are you? Did your temp go down? I hope you didn't have to go into hospital. It looks like your hands are full and you have taken on a hard job, especially when dealing with cancer. I am going to do the same re the pendant ... that's a great idea! Then I can stop waiting for action by other people and act on my own! Great tip! Yes, we should be on Beyond Blue, or instead of that, a Greek Island! (Minus earthquakes!) Have you looked into the free holiday option? I don't think there is one in Western Australia. A break might be good when there is a break in the Cancer Job. I have 5 weeks between chemo and radiation. But it could be that you need the 5 weeks to get upright! xx

Hi viking1, great you have a few good friends checking on you. I have a great psychologist I've been seeing for 3yrs now. My brother and I live together as we jointly own the family home. My brother is schizophrenic and  I struggle with certain behaviours, he rarely showers, he smells bad and has no hygiene whatsoever. Even though he knows it's detrimental to my health at the moment it's seems too much effort. That's just the tip of the iceberg. I've put up with a lot since my mum died two years ago. He has stolen money from me, pawned household goods and my mother's jewelry. I have been a good sister and have done so much for him. I promised my dying mum I would look after him and I do. It would just be nice to have someone look after me for awhile. Just yesterday and night before I had a fever that nearly hit 38 and can't help but wonder if it's because of his gross habits. Probably not appropriate to post this on here as it's for breast cancer, maybe beyond blue forums.
I have my mum's ashes also, and I bought a beautiful heart shaped perfume bottle pendant that I wear with a few of her ashes inside. Anyways, fever has gone today and feeling a bit better.

@LMK74 It is a hard time when it's anniversaries or birthdays.  I put up a pic of mum and some flowers on the day and upset the family who referred to it as a 'shrine'. I had no idea it would upsetting. So now I do it in my flat upstairs. Not to be maudlin but I'm the collector and keeper of three grandparents' ashes and my mums! Nobody will come together and have a conversation about making a decision about where to scatter them - my psychologist gets a good laugh from our sessions! It is tricky dealing with disfunction and your own cancer related problems. I've just been talking to my dad re when I'm having new surgery. But maybe I shouldn't? He seems to be taking it in his stride but he is 77. My sister and niece are here but have their own issues and I think it's best not to talk about it unless invited, and even then it can come back and bite me. Good friends have been checking in with me but as @Zoffiel  says, I don't want to overload them with me.  Thank goodness for being here online and having the good few friends and psych! They do tend to normalise things for me, especially with our disfunctional family dynamics! I'm sorry your brother is being a pain ... does he live with you? It's hard when you share space. I'm trying to do as psych says and keep being kind, be the best person I can be and not buy into petty stuff because I can't win whatever I do. Even though the psych can't fix the problem, at least it's good to have a sound board and someone in your corner. xx

I've got to confess that I use my mental health people as repositories for all the junk I don't want to carry around. I learned from my mistakes 10 years ago--dont 'dump' on your friends or family (regardless of how much medicinal Muscat you've consumed)

It can be really therapeutic to have someone who is paid to put up with you voicing things that will really stress people you care about. There's no chance of them confronting you five years down the track with 'I was so worried about you when you said *******' You can use them to 'test drive' the way you deliver information that no-one wants to hear.

I don't know that anyone I've seen has actually 'fixed' anything for me, and sometimes I feel worse when I come out than I did when I went in but overall I think it's helped, if only because its one place where there is no guilt associated with being a gibbering mess or snarling loony. My poor psychologist...

Marg xxx

Counselling can do just that - give you a fresh or different perspective. It won't get you better quicker but it can give you some handy tools to work with, and we can all do with those from time to time. Worth trying and see how you go. If it isn't helping, then you stop. There's no loss of face in trying it, and absolutely none in giving it the chop if it isn't working for you. Best wishes