New to all this and need friends

Hi to all, sorry I havent been in touch, but I am doing ok, I am back at work, and dont have much free time.

I have been offered my old job back in Brisbane which will be easier on my body plus I will be closer to my children and grand children.

We are currently trying to sell the house so we can be gone by xmas.

If there is anyone in Brisbane whom would like to get in touch or if anyone here would like to catch up on face book feel free to send me a request.

Since my last visit here I have completed my radiation therapy, had second lot of vein surgery, back at work fulltime, trying to stay focused and not have too many bad days, but they creep up on me. I try to keep it all together and dont really talk about it too much......is this a good sign or not?.......My breast care nurse said I dealt with what needed to be done at the time but I havent actually dealt with it.....she could be right and once the move is over I will seek councilling and hope that Dom will come with me to help understand what I am feeling, thinking, and why I get so upset and insecure at times.

Sam I hope you keep improving and if you get a chance to come to sunny qld let me know, my door is always open for a visit.

Thank you to all whom have given me advice and who have been here to listen to me ramble.....

 

Take care everyone and I will try and get online more often.

Love Selina

There are absolutely NO COSTS at Peter Mac at Moorabbin. It is a public hospital and they claim from Medicare on your behalf, completely covered by Medicare payment.

Parking is the same as any hospital in Southern Health, $6.00 for the first hour, going to $9.00 for second hour, maximum $16? per day. If your appointment goes longer than an hour you get another ticket from Peter Mac reception and feed this into Payment Machine after the first ticket and it reduces back to $6.00.

If you ring Frankston Private ask them the difference in cost between Medicare payment and the cost to you for each session - builds up alarmingly over a long course of radiotherapy.

With love

Joy K

There are absolutely NO COSTS at Peter Mac at Moorabbin. It is a public hospital and they claim from Medicare on your behalf, completely covered by Medicare payment.

Parking is the same as any hospital in Southern Health, $6.00 for the first hour, going to $9.00 for second hour, maximum $16? per day. If your appointment goes longer than an hour you get another ticket from Peter Mac reception and feed this into Payment Machine after the first ticket and it reduces back to $6.00.

If you ring Frankston Private ask them the difference in cost between Medicare payment and the cost to you for each session - builds up alarmingly over a long course of radiotherapy.

With love

Joy K

Thanks Joy I will look into it carefully first......Do you know what the parking is like at Moorabbin.......afternoon would suit me better as i do mostly 6.30am starts but could finish at 3pm everyday.

My car is still in panel beaters so I will make some calls Tuesday after my Radiology appointment....If I call both places will they be able to tell me the costs etc?

Regards Selina

Hi again Selina

All treatment at Moorabbin is free. Peter Mac at Moorabbin is a public hospital and all radiotherapy is coverered uner Medicare rebates. You just take the cheque into them when you receive it from Medicare after you have finished treatment.

I think Frankston Private offers radiotherapy under the private system, and you will be many thousands out of pocket for the course of radiotherapy, even allowing for the Medicare rebates. Don't think you can claim under Private Health insurance either.  Moorabbin will cater for your needs if you are working. They keep the early morning slots and the late afternoon slots for those in the workforce.

Ask questions before you commit to either treatment centre!

Good luck for your vein surgery.

With love

Joy K

 

Hi all, hope everyone is doing ok today, I am doing good atm had a little cry the other morning I think that is cause I have been keeping most of this emotion locked inside.

I got my results on tuesday and they are 99.9% confident that they have removed all the cancer, Now to start 6 weeks of radiotherapy and then go onto tomoxifen for 5 years. I havent decided as yet where I will get treatment, I have a choice of Morrabbin or Frankston Private......Since I work at Hawthorn and live in Frankston either i guess will be suitable and both will cost about the same in the long run. Guess it will depend on the time slot that I will require once I talk to my work in changing my shifts to suit.

I had a lovely surprise visit from my daughter and grand daughter from Brisbane last week I think my daughter needed to be near me to make sure I was doing ok.

I know I am at this stage lucky to have a good result and I know some of you all are going thru worse than me, and I just want to say thank you to you all whom have been in contact it has all helped and I dont feel alone in this journey.

The oncologist has agreed for me to have my vein surgery on the 22nd of this month before starting radiotherapy.

Thanks again to all, havea good weekend....Selina

Accessing your superannuation early depends on the staging of your breast cancer and you won't know that till early March when you get your results.

I am being treated at Moorabbin (and you can arrange suitable times for Breast Oncology Clinic and other treatments later in the day) and have Stage 4 breast cancer which was diagnosed at original diagnosis. It's easy for me to say don't worry about the future but as you say you have faith in the medical profession. No amount of worrying or amount of scans will stop the cancer coming back if that is what it is going to do. Just trust in your doctors and know that it will be picked up and treated accordingly if it does. The only difference in my life to someone living with early breast cancer is that I have to fit my active life around medical investigations and treatments and be very organised. Despite having had neoadjuvent chemotherapy, radical mastectomy with all lymph nodes on affected side removed, radiotherapy and then more radiotherapy followed by lymphoedema I can honestly say I feel better than I have in years.

There is life after or even with this disease. 

With love

Joy K

Selina, check out with ur Breast Care Nurse or even just the ward at the hospital, often the auxillary ladies make these small pillows that sit in ur underarm area and make it much more comfortable while u are recovering from surgery..mine was a godsend!..

Sam :)

Diagnosed with stage 3 ductal Carcinoma in my right breast August 2011, sent me on the roller coaster of waiting rooms machines that go ping and 8 rounds of chemo. Now with chemo finished I am into the next phase. Next Thursday I will have a Masectomy plus a reduction on my left breast and an axillary clearance. 4 nodes were positive however I think they are going to take many more. I have 2 kids a son 19 an a 15 yr old daughter, my husband who has struggled through this but is supportive. Feel like the chemo drugs are finally leaving my system. I hope we can support each other through this forum and perhaps a catchup sometime with coping strategies. I live and work in the bayside suburbs and hope that part of my recovery will include walking regularly along the beach at Brighton with women who know what I am going through Your posts inspire me. It is hard to stay positive .....but I'm trying thanks- Helena

Diagnosed with stage 3 ductal Carcinoma in my right breast August 2011, sent me on the roller coaster of waiting rooms machines that go ping and 8 rounds of chemo. Now with chemo finished I am into the next phase. Next Thursday I will have a Masectomy plus a reduction on my left breast and an axillary clearance. 4 nodes were positive however I think they are going to take many more. I have 2 kids a son 19 an a 15 yr old daughter, my husband who has struggled through this but is supportive. Feel like the chemo drugs are finally leaving my system. I hope we can support each other through this forum and perhaps a catchup sometime with coping strategies. I live and work in the bayside suburbs and hope that part of my recovery will include walking regularly along the beach at Brighton with women who know what I am going through Your posts inspire me. It is hard to stay positive .....but I'm trying thanks- Helena