IMPORTANT NEWS: Paget's Disease

I got this warning via email and I thought it's important for me to share it here.

New kind of Breast Cancer PAGET'S DISEASE OF THE NIPPLE

Please forward to all of the women in your lives . Mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, friends, etc.

A rare kind of breast cancer has been found. A lady developed a rash on her breast, similar to that of young mothers who are nursing. Because her mammogram had been clear, the doctor treated her with antibiotics for infections. After 2 rounds, it continued to get worse, so her doctor sent her for another mammogram. This time it showed a mass. A biopsy found a fast growing malignancy. Chemo was started in order to shrink the growth; then a mastectomy was performed; then a full round of Chemo; then radiation. After about 9 months of intense treatment, she was given a clean bill of health. She had one year of living each day to its fullest. Then the cancer returned to the liver area. She took 4 treatments and decided that she wanted quality of life, not the after effects of Chemo. She had 5 great months and she planned each detail of the final days. After a few days of needing morphine, she died.

She left this message to be delivered to women everywhere:

" Women, PLEASE be alert to anything that is not normal, and be persistent in getting help as soon as possible. Paget's Disease: This is a rare form of breast cancer, and is on the outside of the breast, on the nipple and aureole It appeared as a rash, which later became a lesion with a crusty outer edge. I would not have ever suspected it to be breast cancer but it was. My nipple never seemed any different to me, but the rash bothered me, so I went to the doctor for that. Sometimes, it itched and was sore, but other than that it didn't bother me. It was just ugly and a nuisance, and could not be cleared up with all the creams prescribed by my doctor and dermatologist for the dermatitis on my eyes just prior to this outbreak. They seemed a little concerned but did not warn me it could be cancerous.

Now, I suspect not many women out there know a lesion or rash on the nipple or aureole can be breastcancer. (Mine started out as a single red pimple on the aureole. One of the biggest problems with Paget's disease of the nipple is that the symptoms appear to be harmless. It is frequently thought to be a skin inflammation or infection, leading to unfortunate delays in detection and care.)

What are the symptoms?

1. A persistent redness, oozing, and crusting of your nipple causing it to itch and burn
(As I stated, mine did not itch or burn much, and had no oozing I was aware of, but it did have a crust along the outer edge on one side.)

2. A sore on your nipple that will not heal. (Mine was on the aureole are a with a whitish thick looking area in center of nipple).

3. Usually only one nipple is effected. How is it diagnosed? Your doctor will do a physical exam and should suggest having a mammogram of both breasts, done immediately.
Even though the redness, oozing and crusting closely resemble dermatitis (inflammation of the skin), your doctor should suspect cancer if the sore is only on one breast.
Your doctor should order a biopsy of your sore to confirm what is going on.

This message should be taken seriously and passed on to as many of your relatives and friends as possible; it could save someone's life.

My breast cancer has spread and metastasized to my bones after receiving mega doses of chemotherapy, 28 treatments of radiation and taking Tamaxofin.

If this had been diagnosed as breast cancer in the beginning, perhaps it would not have spread... "

TO ALL READERS:

Women are not aware of Paget's disease of the nipple. Most people only know of Pagets disease itself (which is a bone disease and obviously totally different)...
So it is vital to pass this information on. If, by passing this around on the e-mail, facebook or whatever means possible to us, we can make others aware of it and its potential danger, we are helping women everywhere!

Please, if you can, take a moment to forward this message to as many people as possible, especially to your family and friends. It only takes a moment, yet the results could save a life.

3BT: December 29, 2007

1. Hubby waking me up with a HUGE smile on his face as it was SO late already and we were supposed to go grocery shopping first before going to my in-laws. Since mother-in-law's left ankle's still on cast, she needs us to go grocery shopping for them. I LOVE the fact that hubby doesn't mind my being a HUGE sleepyhead HE HE HE HE HE...LOVE HIM LOVE HIM LOVE HIMMMMM TREMENDOUSLY!!!

2. My rashes are almost GONE HUE HE HE HE HE...YEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!! ;-D

3. Finding some frozen egg rolls on a discount (2 packs for €3) and hubby bought them for me. I was going to pay him, but he didn't want to take cash HA HA HA HA...YEEESS!!! I saved some money yet I still get what I want. YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY!!!!

Note: here there are no Asian stores, so no stores selling egg rolls wrappers...if there are stores selling them, I'd make them myself since I know it'd be cheaper that way he he...

4. I got an even total score with hubby during our card game (we played cards again with my mother-in-law). That meant we were two big losers HA HA HA HA HA HA...At least I didn't have to be ONE big loser, right? *wink*

5. Some romantic moments with hubby HI HI HI HI HI HI HI...I can't write them down here, though HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE...

6. I brought some soto ayam for my in-laws to try. *crossing my fingers* I SURE HOPE they like it and they don't find it too spicy he he he he...

7. Pink clouds. I've seen pink clouds several time over here...so the sky is mostly covered with greyish clouds, yet there are some covered with pink clouds...odd, interesting, quirky, unbelievable! Never seen anything like that before in Indo!!!

8. Feeling LUCKY and BLESSED! ;-D WOOHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

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Bye Bye Bed Bugs!

I'm sure you've heard parents say this line to their kids when they're tucking them in their beds, "Sweet dreams and don't let the bed bugs bite you." Bed bugs are nasty little creatures! They hide in the seams of your mattress cover, even sometimes between books and beneath carpets! They suck your blood when you're asleep and causes skin irritation or rashes.

In Indonesia, if people find bed bugs in their clothes, they would boil them in hot water to kill them. The reason is that the bugs can't stand the heat. In the site you can also read a list of natural remedies to rid yourself of bed bugs and find out which works and which doesn't work.

As you all know, I'm done with rashes, thank you very much. I don't ever want to experience it again. If you want to know more about how to get rid of bed bugs, you can visit the above site.

The Rashes Came Back!!!

ARRRGGHHHHHHHHH!!!! SO ITCHY and HOT again!!!!

I'm now wondering what triggered my rashes to come back again. This morning I ate lasagna and it was fine. The rashes started to come off and it wasn't itchy...but right after I ate the joulukinkku (pork ham leg), the rashes came back full force. Now my arms are SO red again and stiff and hot...*sob sob*

I think I'm going to the doctor tomorrow evening. My skin starts getting yucky again and I can't stand the itch anymore. I'm going to stay clear of the pork ham leg as well for fear of rashes. Only tomorrow the doctor is open as well as the pharmacy. Uuuuggghhhhh...I hope it won't take too long in the health centre so that if he gives me a prescription, I can buy the medicine right away...because if it takes long there, I can only buy the medicine on Friday morning!

Sorry, guys...haven't had enough time to blog-hop today. Hopefully tomorrow or Friday I can go back to blog-hopping!!!

My First White Christmas Story Part 1

Yellow, everybody! I'm bacccckkkk...how was your Christmas? Mine was FABULOUS except for one little fact: RASHES attacked me, but I'm getting too far ahead of the story he he he...let me start from the beginning.

Sunday, Dec 23rd, 2007

We went to Elvi's house. Elvi is my mother-in-law's eldest sister. She had her 76th b-day on Saturday, but hubby was too tired to visit her then. We bought a pot of flowers for her and we also brought her Christmas gift. I gave her a nice brooch and two identical mugs with the pic of Santa on them (cartoonish pic). She greeted as as usual, very cheerfully and gave us hugs. She gave more hugs and a kiss on my cheek after she opened her gifts. Yeah, she opened her Christmas gift right then and there as well. I noticed so many different pots of flowers in her house already. There must've been other people giving her flowers, as well ha ha ha ha...Gladly we didn't give the exact kind of flower like the rest we found there.

As usual she served us coffee and some buns. Before we went home, I asked hubby to take a pic of me and her and here it is:



Yep, she grabbed me like that right away. She's very sanguine and not a typical Finn, I guess. She talks a lot animatedly and she's always so bubbly. She also gives LOTS of hugs to everybody he he he he he he...

After that we stopped by at her son's house (Pirita's Dad, Arttu's closest friend who sometimes has game nights with him) to fix something in his computer. There he showed us his Christmas tree. He just got the tree the other day since his brother told him to come over to get it from his land.



Monday: Dec 24th, 2007

In the morning Arttu and I went to two different cemeteries. Lots of people go to these cemeteries to light candles in front of their loved ones' graves. Let me show you some pics.

The first cemetery we went to was the place where my mother-in-law's parents' graves were located.



This is another view of the cemetery: as you can see they even put and decorate a Christmas tree there! Nice! ;-D




Then we went to a second cemetery (the one I've been to last summer, though I couldn't find their graves). These are the graves of my father-in-law's parents. Somebody's put some roses there, though I don't know who did it.




I couldn't resist taking this pic since there were SO MANY candles there!!!!!!!!!



After we visited the cemeteries, we went straight to my in-laws and right away we started working he he he he he...Arttu had to take out all the carpets and dust them whereas I cleaned up the floors with a vacuum cleaner and then I mopped them. Then we put the carpets back inside and then my mother-in-law asked Arttu to change the curtains and I helped her change the table cloth to make it more "festive", I guess. Then we had lunch afterward since we were sweating already and we got hungry after doing the work he he he he...We had boiled potatoes and moose and salad. ;-D

Not long after that, Arttu's second brother and girlfriend dropped by and had some lunch, too. They didn't stay until evening, though, since I guess they were celebrating Christmas Eve with the girlfriend's family. He gave us a bag of presents (from him and girlfriend and the other one was from Arttu's eldest brother and family). Gee...we didn't even get Arttu's eldest brother and family anything but a postcard. Oops!!! Better do it next year, then. I suppose it's too late this year anyway he he he...We gave Arttu's second brother his gift then, but he didn't open it right away.

My problem started right after sauna. During HOT HOT HOT sauna, I got thirsty and I drank cider. This time the cider had 4.7% alcohol in it and I gulped it until more than half of the can, but I felt fine. I wasn't drunk at all. No headache whatsoever. BUTTTTT I started having rashes along the underside of my arms and they started being itchy. I tried not to scratch them, but I only rubbed them to get rid of the itch. Anyway, my mother-in-law played cards with us for a while. In the first game, Arttu won by 1 point from me. ARRRGGHHH!!!! In the second game, I lost since I got pretty lousy cards again and again he he he...

After that, we started serving dinner. The traditional X-mas dinner here is joulukinkku (pork ham leg). Here's a pic I took when Arttu was slicing it and taking away the fat:



It was such a HUGE pork ham leg!!!! ;-D



Then we ate it with boiled potatoes, salad, beet, and everything else. Mother-in-law took out a bottle of red wine so that we could toast using it. I only took two sips of it, but I guess it made my condition worse during the night. My rashes started spreading to the back of my legs and butt and eventually even spread to my back and the front of my legs. YARGH!!! Anyway, here're pics of the festive dinner table he he he...





After dinner, we cleared up the table and then took out our presents to open in front of one another. Arttu gave me a new mobile phone and a very warm and soft blanket (I LOVE the colours of the blanket!). My in-laws gave us a big candle, a cooking pan, and some chocolate. We got them a pair of warm long johns (top and bottom), a smoke detector, a kitchen tool, and the photo album I made for them. At first my mother-in-law thought that the photo album was just a blank photo album, but when she looked at the first page, she realized it wasn't a blank photo album HA HA HA HA...

Funny thing was that she didn't recognize the first flower I put there. I took a close-up pic of the flower, so to her it looked different. Finally after a while she did remember it, though. She had fun looking at the pics and trying to remember the occasion hi hi hi hi hi hi hi...Then she showed the album to my father-in-law. ;-D

We got some nice glasses and also some candles from Arttu's brothers. Arttu opened his gift from me and realized that it wasn't what he thought it was. YAAAAAAAAAAAAYYY!!! I gave him a pair of new jeans and he thought that the gift was a shirt HUA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...I WIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNN!!!! I asked him to try them on since I was apprehensive that they wouldn't fit, but they did fit perfectly. YEEEESSS!!!! ;-D

After that we finally went to sleep, but I couldn't really sleep since my rashes started getting SO itchy. I brought some salve there, but it didn't really help. I went back and forth to the toilet to rub more salve, but the itch was there. Finally I was at my wit's end, so I decided to try rubbing some olive oil to the rashes and it worked...if only for 15 minutes at a time. The olive oil soothed my rashes for 15 minutes, then I had to go rub it all over again. But after rubbing it for three or four times, I could finally drift off to sleep. Arttu had a restless sleep, as well, since I kept on waking up. It was a VERY rough night for me and we finally woke up at around 10.30 am or 11 am. Yet still I was SO tired then due to my rashes.

I NEVER had any allergy toward anything before in my life and that was HORRIBLE! I can't imagine how people who suffer from allergy to many things live. I almost wanted to rip my skin off due to the itch. Plus the red patches also felt SO HOT that during the night, I had to move my blanket away from me. Only then I realized the suffering of those people who've experienced the same thing. Nothing beats experience indeed!!!!

OK, let me just post this and I'll continue the story later. I have to write down all the important details in my old mobile before I put the SIM card to my new mobile he he he...

Additional note: Don't worry. My rashes are getting MUCH better now and I hope they're gone tomorrow. But if they don't, then I'll go to the doctor tomorrow. Here in Finland the official Christmas holiday is until today, so nothing is open out there until tomorrow he he he he he...

After I got back home, I did some research on allergy and found out that Asians have a genetic disorder that makes their bodies unable to break down ingested alcohol completely. Ahhhh...no wonder...and some sites say that sometimes it's not because of allergy to alcohol itself, but to some ingredients in alcoholic drinks. I must say that from now on I dare not drink any more alcoholic drinks. Too scary! My body skin yesterday looked SO scary, you know??? But what really bothered me was the itch and the hot feeling all over the rashes. YIKES!!!

OK, I'd better stop now he he he he...

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Saturday, the First Day of December 2007

Can't believe that it's December already. Yesterday I even "forgot" that it was already the first day of December he he he...Anyway, when we arrived at my in-laws, my mother-in-law hugged me right away and then she served coffee and my strawberry-cream birthday cake.

We had a little talk while Arttu and Dad were busy fixing the car. For some reason our car's heater didn't work well, so they were tinkering with it. I told my mother-in-law that my mother send regards to all of them. She looked happy and she sent regards back to my Mom he he he he...Then I got to ask her about her rashes. You see, ever since last summer, there were rashes all over her arms. At first she said it was due to allergy, but even after she applied some medication all over it, they were still there. The rashes looked like mosquito bites...red and itchy.

Then about two weeks ago she finally went to the doctor and the doctor took a bit of sample from the rashes to find out what it was. Yesterday I got a chance to ask her what the doctor said. She said that it was because of stress. I began to wonder what made her stressed. Arttu said that it must've been because of Dad. You see, a few weeks after I moved here, Arttu's Dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. I thought he was still doing fine even though sometimes he seemed disoriented. Turned out that nowadays he grows restless during the night, so he walks around the house and urinates in weird places. Yesterday he urinated in a bucket. Gladly the bucket was empty.

I feel sad for my mother-in-law. The love of his life is now deteriorating mentally and she must be worried whenever he gets up during the night while she's sleeping. I remember Arttu telling me their story. They met when she was 19 and he was 31 and even from the first meeting, she knew she'd marry him. And they did get married!!! They'll have been married for 45 years on December 26th. Unfortunately, I don't know what to do to help. All I know is that I'll remember their situation more specifically in my prayers, especially since her rashes aren't getting any better yet.

Talk about stress...turns out my brother's girlfriend's mother is also in stress. She's also suffered from rashes or itch over the past few weeks. It seems that she's stressed over the "upcoming loss" of her daughter. My mother's told her that she can come and visit anytime she wants to. Gladly their house is near my parents' house so they can definitely come every day (literally) if they want to.

One thing that makes me SO RELIEVED...is that my Mom is able to let go of me. Yes, she did cry, of course, but she didn't get stressed out about me. At least not that I know of he he he he...

OK, now on to a lighter topic then...here are some pictures I took yesterday while walking to the frozen lake. I also took a video clip of downtown but I still have to edit it to make it more presentable.

First pic: my birthday gift from my BELOVED mother-in-law. Since I've never had plants before, I asked her how many times I should water it he he he he he...Hey, I just realized last night that this is my first "pot" of FLOWERS!!! Nobody'd EVER given me flowers before in my life HE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE...YIIIPPPIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! ;-D



Second pic: Pic of the lake again. It was around -9'C when we went to Kelujärvi, but when I walked to the lake, it was already down to -12'C. Then when we were about to go home, it dropped to -20'C. It's again -19'C today he he he...BRRRR!!!!!!!!












Yeah, tried to make footsteps on the snow picture he he he...Hope you like it! I also wanted you to know how thick the snow was. Actually on the left side (the huge field), the snow was MUCH thicker, but I didn't want to walk there, thank you very much ha ha ha ha ha ha...


This last pic was taken from inside the car. This is the view of the river in Sodankylä. I just want you to see how thick the snow is at the side of the road since the snow truck comes every day and moves the snow from the road to the sides of the road he he he...There are MOUNTAINS of snow here and there (I'll take more pics later on, OK?)



I just uploaded this video of the frozen lake, so it might take some time before it loads. If it doesn't show yet, try again in a few hours, OK? He he he he he...