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Jackie07
05-26-2009, 02:28 PM
'Today's Joy' - got a phone call from a student loan company today. I will be starting June 1st going through some training first. It will be a 'sit-down' job with light data entry. Sounded perfect for me - having had the scare of the hemangiomas in my liver.

[Note: Doctors must not know much about 'hemangioma'. My Mayo-Clinic - trained family doctor called me today and said the hepatic hemangiomas shown on the CT scan was not revealed in the ultrasound and he's going to schedule another in early August - will coordinate with my oncologist. I got on the web and searched via National Institute of Health and found this interesting information:

Exams and Tests Return to top (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000243.htm#top)

The following tests may be performed:

Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)
MRI
CT scan of the liver (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001166.htm)
Hepatic angiogram (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001165.htm)
Blood tests (thrombocytopenia (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000586.htm) may be present in large hemangiomas)
Ultrasound was not on the list - I guess it's already been known that Ultrasound won't do. But how interesting!

[Gee, it is very hard to keep 'my' mind off BC - I guess it
is part of our life...]

Jaimieh
05-26-2009, 02:52 PM
Congratulations Jackie :)

Mary Anne in TX
05-26-2009, 03:13 PM
Super News, Jackie!!!!

Jackie07
05-26-2009, 03:15 PM
Thank you, Jamieh and MA in Texas,

My husband's going to drive me for a while. I worked at the college library 7 miles further down from 'Sallie Mae' during 1995-2002, so I am familiar with the area. But I haven't been driving much lately.

Chemo does 'traumatize' our brain some. Fortunately I've been staying active with this group - it keeps our brain intact.

So, a 'thank you' to everybody - especially Joe and Christine.

juanita
05-26-2009, 05:39 PM
congratulations on the new job!!!!

ElaineM
05-26-2009, 08:40 PM
congratulations on the job offer.

Jackie07
05-26-2009, 10:03 PM
Thank you, Juanita and Elaine.

hutchibk
05-26-2009, 10:11 PM
Jackie - Congrats! I also have an hemangioma on my liver. We found it back when I was first diagnosed.... went through every test imaginable to be sure it wasn't tumor.

Jackie07
05-26-2009, 10:52 PM
How interesting! Did you do anything about it? It was
bothering me when dianosed by the CT - the reason why I had requested for the scan. But lately I haven't noticed much - could be because I've already scaled back my activities.

Thanks for sharing. I wonder how many other members have it. The information I've gathered seems to point to 'estrogen' - too much of it. The same stuff that fuels the ER + BC?

hutchibk
05-27-2009, 11:54 PM
We found mine 5.5 years ago and my doc told me it is just a cluster of blood vessels that can occur anywhere in the body. I have never noticed it or had any symptoms...

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/liver-hemangioma/DS01125

Jackie07
05-28-2009, 04:03 AM
I was having 'irritable bowel' problems in January. It has been better but the color and shape of the stuff is quite abnormal these days. [Forgot to mention it to my family doctor when he called.] I think there must be an internal bleeding somewhere and possibly some obstruction(causing the 'bent' shape.)

Oh, just found something on the web. Perhaps my doctor was looking for this:

How is liver hepatoma diagnosed?

In addition to a complete medical history and physical examination, diagnostic procedures for a liver hepatoma may include the following:

liver function tests - a series of special blood tests that can determine if the liver is functioning properly.
abdominal ultrasound (Also called sonography.) - a diagnostic imaging technique which uses high-frequency sound waves to create an image of the internal organs. Ultrasounds are used to view internal organs of the abdomen such as the liver, spleen, and kidneys and to assess blood flow through various vessels.

schoolteacher
05-28-2009, 06:49 AM
Jackie,

Congratulations on your job.

Amelia

hutchibk
05-28-2009, 11:36 AM
Is it a hemangioma or a hepatoma that they suspect? They are two entirely different things...

Jackie07
05-28-2009, 10:32 PM
My doctors never mentioned anything other than confiming 'it is fine'. I was the one dug up the 'hepatoma' information and figured that's why they did the ultrasound - to rule out the possibility of 'hepatoma'. (The info about the 2+cm and new .4cm hemangiomas was relayed by the radiologist over the phone after I had inquired about the result of the ultrasound.)

My family doctor did agree to check it again in August. And my oncologist - after seeing me today about the genetic report - said he will arrange for an x-ray on the area of my spine where there's spot that bothers me (when pressure is applied.) He told me to wait (not to call Myriad - the company who did the analysis) till September to see the [new?]geneticist who will be on board.

*******

Thank you, Amelia.

harrie
05-31-2009, 11:52 PM
Jackie, I am so happy for you on the new job you will be starting tomorrow!! Will be thinking of you....
wishing you a great day
Maryanne

Jackie07
05-31-2009, 11:58 PM
Thank you.

I'm going to bed now.

WomanofSteel
06-01-2009, 07:33 AM
Congratulations on your new job! Good luck on your 1st day!

Jackie07
06-01-2009, 08:26 PM
Thank you.

My first day went fine. I walked in just one minute past 8 when all the 'new hires' were still waiting in the lobby. Most people got a blue-colored pass. The ones that came late, got a yellow-colored pass - or so I thought. At the end of the day, the security guard clarified with me that there were just so many blue-colored passes. They use the yellow ones when they ran out the blue ones.

We will be in intense training for 6 weeks. There are other staff whose job is to listen to our conversation with the customers.

I also found out that the new hires comprise of 3 different categories. Somehow (didn't know how - test scores? interviews? choices? - I was hired full-time with benefit. The other two groups are 'seasonal workers' and something else. So starting July 1, I can cut the expensive COBRA and switch to the not so expensive (the company pays for more than 3/4 of the cost) PPO which has a high $5000.00 deductable. (So it's probably going to come out the same.) I am pretty sure my doctors are on the preferred list because our hospital has practically taken over the health care of the whole area.

My energy went downhill fast and by four o'clock my mind was drifting away and did not hear the instruction - the co-trainer who's sitting in the very back (not far from me) came and gave me a hand - I must have 'blacked out' for 15-20 seconds because I did not hear the instruction from the trainer at all.

The past 20 years I have lost numerous jobs because of my cognitive problems caused by the brain surgeries and chemos. Since this is going to be a 'sitting down' type of job and the interaction will be one-on-one on the phone, I think I might have a better 'shot' to stay on the job longer.

Thank you all so much for the support. We take it for granted the support we get here within the group. We got so used to 'ask' and 'receive'. The last couple of weeks I had found out that most people have no idea what we are going through and have very little 'sympathy' for it.

Thanks again and 'good night'.

Believe51
06-03-2009, 01:48 PM
You Go Girl!! I am so happy for your good fortune, you deserve the very best. Happy to hear that the first day went well and wish you continued success. Love, Your Unemployed Friend, Believe51 (wink!)

Jackie07
06-19-2009, 12:21 PM
Just 'lost' my job! :) Looking back, this was not the shortest-lived job in my life. I worked exactly 14 work days there. After had I filled out the 'exit interview' on the computer, the lady who's doing the 'processing' came back to the room and offered me a 2-week 'severance'
deal. I haven't even worked 3 full weeks yet! They must have really, really wanted to get me out of the door quickly, hoping never to hear from me again.

Talked to a Texas Workforce Center staff off the phone and learned that accepting the 'severance' would not affect my unemployment compensation. I should have two more months left over still.

Well, I have tried. Just wished people could be a little more patient. I might be a little bit slow at the beginning (haven't worked for a whole year), but I know in the end (of the 6 weeks) I will get everything 'stored' in my brain and do a superp job. That's the pattern of all of my academic records. I always ended up with mostly A's when the semester is over.

Next time, I will definitely wear my wig no matter how hot it is...

Believe51
06-19-2009, 09:50 PM
Jackie, I am so sorry for their lack of understanding and patience. It is their loss for not giving you a true chance to prove your worth. I give you an A+ for giving it a shot, for trying your best. Please do not beat yourself up, try again, give yourself another chance. Someone will see your worth and appreciate you as you are, wig or no wig even!!>>Believe51

Jackie07
06-20-2009, 08:51 AM
Thank you so much, Believe. I have a huge scar (3/4 of a 'circle' on the top [and front] of my head. Because my hairs have been thining (thanks to the good genes from my Dad :) I look almost bald with the huge circular scar on my head. It doesn't look good.

I wore the wig for a couple of days at the beginning of the training. It was very cold in the classroom. For some reason, the temperature setting was changed and it became too hot for me to wear the wig ( I have very oily skin). (The instructor also had reminded me one time that 'hats' were not allowed according to company rules.)

Also, I was called to the office to filled out a form giving them the name of my counselor at Texas Rehabilitation Commission about 10 days into the training. There were a couple of other girls who were there also to fill out forms on their 'Welfare to work' status.

From my husband's observation - I was completely oblivious - I have not been able to hold down a full-time permanent job ever since my brain (tumor) surgery in 1990. The longest period of empolyment with a single employer was at Central Texas College Library. I worked part-time (19.5 hrs/week) as a reference librarian for almost 5 years before my job became full-time after the expansion of the building. Barely 6 months into my FT (with benefit) job I had to have Gamma Knife to curb the suddenly enlarged tumors. (I was sure it was caused by working directly under the terribly smelling tar roof that had been repaired the previous summer.)

And '14 working days' is not a record. There was a job that I had stayed on for only 4 days before I was told to leave before the end of two weeks.

Never realized the 'power' of chemotherapy until my IQ showed a dropping of 21 points according to the tests given by the neuropsychologist. According to the common IQ test used by the psychologist, my IQ remains constant and I am still very smart. But the fact that I couldn't hold down a new job during training says something about my very damaged brain. I have the hardest time memorizing people's names ('face recognition' has been a tough task for me since I was little - though eventually I will get it.) Detailed information on procedures and policies has always been hard for me to retain.

Thanks again for your encouragement. I am going to check into jobs that I might be able to 'work from home'. I can be a good translator since I know both English and Chinese well. In the next 2 months (The lady at TWC told me I could continue collecting my unemployment regardless of the severance pay,) we should be able to figure out something.

My husband hasn't been working for 7 years. Though he assured me this time he will go get a job, I can not really pin my hope to it. He's a very nice guy, just doesn't have any professional skills and can't stand unreasonable bosses. He's been suffering from 'depression' because of all the illnesses and job losses in the family. (My Mother-in-law passed away early January after suffering from Alzheimer's for more than 7 years. Father-in-law has had two hip surgeries. I've got two brain surgeries and two breast cancer surgeries in the past 19 years. Hubby himself got two stents put into his coronary arteries in 2002 when he was only 45.) My Oldest Brother commented one time giving hubby credit for sticking with me all these years.

But we'll make it. We've always survived and thrived after the catastrophies. And I was brought up by parents who have survived World War II and the ensuing hardship bringing up six children after fleeing communist China. My in-laws grew up during the depression era. The word 'impossible' is not in our dictionary.

I will bring good news to you all soon. Thanks again for writing.

Believe51
06-20-2009, 11:59 AM
Since you have known me so long I feel I can say this and you will not take it the wrong way. With the patience and love that encompasses you, have you ever considered working with handicapped or special needs children or adults?

I say this because I worked in the field and truly miss it dearly. You are appreciated and loved right back and the rewards are priceless. Also, they amount of things they can teach you, no book could teach. I feel that working with them was a rewarding and precious gift. I also see you as someone who would be perfect to appreciate them because they are all Warriors too.

Just thinking outloud Jackie.

Much has happened in your lives and marriage in the last 7 years. If impossible is not in the volcabulary in two different languages, well then time will bring those things when you both are ready. Both of you be gentle to yourselves as you wipe your skinned knees and more forward. Love will carry you a million miles together and this is something I do know!!>>Believe51

StephN
06-20-2009, 02:26 PM
Dear Jackie -

You seem "with it" enough here. As qwe all age we need to keep sharpening our "tools" the best way we know how. Stay active, keep oxygen going to the brain and find things that interest us.

And, by the way, just keep in mind that knowing and working within our weaknesses is our greatest strength! You have no trouble in that department, but find a way to overcome or get around them.

Keep it up, dear friend!