Starting Chemo in JAN 2007

IowaCindy

really mess me up, too. Very fragmented sleep during the days I take them. I only have one more dose this round. I'll be glad to be done with them.

I've not really noticed any difference with the dosage reduction but it usually doesn't hit me until the evening of day 3 so we'll see tomorrow night if there's a change.

Cindy

Robbin65

Thank you all whom congradulated me on fininishing up my chemo. Starting Rads soon.

Caya

Mary,

I see you're in Michigan, not that far away - I'm just north of Toronto in Ontario Canada - believe me, if I could send some matzo ball soup over the border to you, I gladly would!
Caya

IowaCindy

They're really falling out now. And it's so ugly! I'm another one who has spent her adult life wearing minimal make-up so I play with the eyebrow pencil trying to fill them in. I think I need a paint-by-number set for them.

And the eyelashes are falling rapidly now, too. My eyes are pretty gooey. Makes it hard to read. That's annoying.

However, I refuse to stay annoyed. It is Spring. The sun is trying to break through the clouds. We are moving on, aren't we ladies?

And hey, I think I have a little fuzz on my head. I didn't see it yesterday but this AM it looked a little and felt a little fuzzy. I don't know if it will stay in or fall out.

Happy Sunday, all.

Cindy

tlc60

Congrats Robbin Jaye!
I'm beginning to feel very depressed here, I was one of the first to start chemo here (Jan 3), I'm doing dose dense, and I'm still not done for almost another month (4/25)! I am REALLY am ready to join the graduate list! I thought I would be one of the first, but NO!
OK, enough griping, congradulations to all those who are done, and those getting ready for rads, good luck!

tlc

mer1957

We love Toronto but haven't had a chance to visit lately with paying for our two sons' college tuition. I wonder how much tourism will be affected when it is required to have a passport in January to cross the border?

Lynn12

Hi Ladies,

Happy April!

Just checking in today. I had a wonderful birthday celebration yesterday with my family. Then dh and I went out last night for a little while. It was so nice to get out of the house.

Joni, how are you doing? Haven't heard from you and hoping you are traveling and not sick.

tlc, hang in there, it's now April which is your month!

We're planning a trip to Ft. Lauderdale for late May after my last chemo. Looked at Memorial Day weekend and it would cost an additional $300 - $500 just to go that weekend so we'll probably go the weekend after.

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend!

NOLONGERREADINGORPOSTING

Hi Mary,

I live in Michigan too, about 35 miles north of Ann Arbor and an hour or so east of Detroit. Where are you?

I notice there is quite a contingent of Ontario and other Canadian women...maybe we could meet sometime..!!!

Hey TLC, I sent you an email earlier asking for your chemo info for our list...that seems like an awfully long time stretch for dose-dense chemo. What kind of chemo are you getting and how often?

Mizsissy

NOLONGERREADINGORPOSTING

Congratulations Nandy, on finishing chemo tomorrow!!!!!

Nancy, I don't blame you for hating to be bald. I am really beginning to hate it now that I don't feel at all sick. I don't like getting Pity Looks, especially when I feel healthier than most of the people that give them!!!

I wore a wig to church last Sunday, and then my turban & bangs again this Sunday. People said they didn't recognize me last week, and they like my turban so much better...they say it looks so upbeat & fashionable. But I am dying to try out the new short hair cut I got right before chemo w/bangs. I think I'll need at least 3 inches of hair before it looks right.

Any guesses on how many months after chemo it will be before we can wear our own hair? Anybody???

Amera

Mizsissy, I'm hoping to go topless in late Aug when I go back to work. I figure my hair will be about 2.5 inches if it grows at 1/2 inch a month.

I can feel mine poking through, but the nurse said that this will fall out at 2 weeks post chemo and then start growing again.

On a similar note, I saw a woman skiing this weekend who clearly was just getting her hair back. She was without a hat and it was growing a lot down the middle--kinda like a mohawk. The sides were shorter. She looked great! Funny how you notice everyone with very short hair these days.

Curlylocks

Hi Mizsissy,

I was just reading through this thread as the headline caught my eye about hair after chemo.

I am 10 months post chemo and my avtar that is posted here was taken this weekend.

I did 6 months of chemo, 4 a/c and 4 taxol. I had enough hair to go topless about 2 1/2 months post chemo. My hair came back straight initially and then came in dark, thick and curly, curly as it started growing.

I posted some pictures of my hair growth under the Moving Beyond thread under the one titled "Help! Need Answers to Hair Regrowth".

Your bc sister
Michele

NOLONGERREADINGORPOSTING

Scooby, your hair looks terrific now!!! Mine now, 3 weeks after chemo, looks just yours did in your first picture (April). When did you actually stop chemo, because August is listed as 3 months after...

Amera, my first big important hair date is mid August when I go to Maine on vacation. I really want hair then. And, just like you, I'm hoping for 2 1/2 inches by then.

I am using Nioxin...anybody using this?

Mizsissy

Curlylocks

I stopped chemo May 5/06.

Michele

skyedivine

Nancy, we could very well be long-lost sisters. Or there is something in the Taxol that makes us want salad. I think the Taxol is made from yew tree bark so of course greens would go with that. And now that you mention it, hardboiled eggs WOULD make the salad even better. Next meal....- Skye

IowaCindy

but to remind myself that life is going on (as my girls like to tease me "It's not all about you, Mom") I attended a rally in town yesterday and saw Barack Obama.

Very interesting to hear in person. Very personable, charismatic. Top three concerns are getting out of Iraq, energy, health care. Education runs a close fourth. No clear answers to anything.

It's going to be a l-o-n-g political process.

Cindy

Rebecca

Quote:

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but to remind myself that life is going on (as my girls like to tease me "It's not all about you, Mom") I attended a rally in town yesterday and saw Barack Obama.

Very interesting to hear in person. Very personable, charismatic. Top three concerns are getting out of Iraq, energy, health care. Education runs a close fourth. No clear answers to anything.

It's going to be a l-o-n-g political process.

Cindy

---

URRRGGGG Blech. I totally agree. I am completely disgusted with our political process, even if I think it is impossible and irresponsible to ignore it

I have been very impressed with Barak Obama, although I have not ever heard him speak in person, the words that I hear on the radio and in the news hold power for me. I have to say that I think that Edwards is going to trump him because it is all about media coverage and ratings, and his wife has given him a great deal of free publicity as a result of her unfortunate situation. I can only hope that the two of them can take this terrible personal tradgedy and turn it into something that benefits not only them personally (ambition) but us all (get to be president, and do something to heal this country!).

Up early this morning because I had to drive DH to the train station in preparation for complicated travel plans to our Seder this evening. All of you fellow Jews out there, enjoy the food and family.

sharon56

congrats Robin on your last chemo as you were the first to start us out here its good to see there is a light at the end of the tunnel .
I am off today for my 2nd last blast ... taxotere , i have plugged myself full of steroids and zofran . After this one 3 more weeks and then its my last . So I am looking at 3 weeks being done . The goal is in sight ......
Caya , rebecca enjoy your meals with your family .
Hey yes there are alot of us that are close together here Ontario, ohio , michigan , .... maybe we could meet someday ???
Will check in later after my infusion , got some questions for my onc . My body is so achy , and I am sooo tired this round .. hopefully my blood counts are ok . I have another lady to chat with today as she is getting the same regime as me , but pre op to shrink her tumour .
Its April !!!!!!! yahooo .... no leaves on our trees yet but the grass is getting greener and the daffodils are coming out , its cancer awareness month here and the cancer society is selling flowers , gotta get some on my kitchen table .......

skyedivine

Morning Ladies,
Tic60, we are both very close to finished. My treatment was almost as long as yours, within days. I started Jan. 8 with 4 AC and my last of 4 Taxol will be April 23. So that's just three weeks yet to go, like Shorti has. If we got through this long winter, we can surely make it three more weeks in April. Of course, there is still post-treatment recuperation, and then the radiation starts, and for some of us like me with HER2, weekly Herceptin infusions for a year but that's all minor compared to the surgery and chemo. Best wishes for Seder with your families to Rebecca, Caya and Viddie and any others. I'm headed for weekly blood tests and finally getting some mundane errands done, haven't been out of the house since that MUGA heart scan last Thursday which I hope to hear the results of today. As for hair, I figure it will come back in its own sweet time and way. I also noticed the sides of my head are smoother than the top and back yet so perhaps mohawks are the normal way of "restyling." We could look forward to "Sanjaya Ponytails" then too - Skye

Caya

Yesterday was not a good day for me - the Taxotere twitches and aches finally made their arrival - also I think I am getting a mouth sore or two, something I have avoided until now- I'm using Biotene toothpaste and mouthwash, any other suggestions? I know my onc. said I could have Tantum (a prescription mouthwash) if I need it. Also very tired. Oh well, I guess it had to hit me sooner or later. However from what I've read the nadir point for Taxotere is 5 -9 days, so it looks like this will be the bad week. I hope I will make it to the seder tonight, I'll see how I feel today.
I hope everyone else has a good week, it will be nice to enjoy some spring weather and flowers.
shorti, good luck with your taxotere today, I hope you'll feel better than I do.
anyone else who is having treatments this week, good luck.
It will be nice to have some real hair grow back, but I guess for me it won't start until June, as my last Taxotere is May 10th. Glad for the rest of you, it will be interesting to see how we all grow in - straight, curly, grey, salt and pepper etc.
all the best
caya

meliaanne

Caya,
I have NOT asked my doctor about this, but I use vit E on the mouth sores. I am continually fighting them. I find using biotene everytime I eat,and also opening a vit E capsule and spreading the oil on the sores heals them very quickly. I do the vit E about three or four times a day, and always before bed. My mouth sores can erupt all throughout my mouth making it impossible to eat, so I am very vigilant. But please remember I have not cleared this with the experts.

Melia

Caya

Thanks for the tip Melia. I have heard of others who use the vitamin E capsules. I have Vitamin E oil, which I guess I could try. I will put a call into the onc. office if it gets worse.
Caya

TPPJ

Amera, totally cracking up at your comment: "Oh and my eyebrows are still sort of there but you cannot see them. I've tried to draw them on but look like some sort of deranged drama teacher circa 1920."

I am experiencing the same thing! Lost my hair and it's coming in grey. Terrific. I just turned 41 and had dark hair. Actually, lots of Boston friends/family tell me I look a lot like Kelley Tuthill...I'm in OH now and had to look her up online and I did see the resemblance...even my 6 & 10 yr. olds did. Weird. Anyway, my brows are now totally light and look nasty. The pencil makes me look like Joan Crawford. I wonder if my brows will darken up. I wonder if my HAIR will, w/out the help of a bottle.

Happy to report I finish chemo Wed! YAY! I did 4 A/C's, 12 Taxols. One dilemma: my dr. doesn't do scans after tx. Only if you present symptoms. Got the old "finding a metastases earlier doesn't change outcome" discussion. I'm trying to wrap my mind around that...my husband too. I'm not looking to find mets, but I'm afraid to not be pro-active and at least attempt to find stuff at the earliest stage so I can fix it. I mean, should I not ever get a colonoscopy or should I just skip pap smears frome here on in because it really doesn't matter because I've had BC already? Just not getting this kind of thinking yet... any input anyone?

Lynn12

TPPJ,

Congrats on finishing chemo!

Your onc might not have sent you for scans because you have no positive nodes. I also didn't have any positive nodes and my onc didn't plan on gettting me any scans. Then I went for 2nd opinion at Dana Farber and the Onc there suggested I do, but I think that was because I had a very large tumor (7.5cm). So my onc went ahead and ordered me the staging scans: bone scan and ct scan (chest, abdomen, pelvis) which all came back negative. That was done before my chemo started and I don't expect to get any when I'm done. This was of course my experience, not sure what others have had, ladies?

meliaanne

Hi TTPJ,
I have the same chemo protocal as you ... am starting taxol next week. For some reason I am very frightened, and wasn't going into ac. How did you find the taxol? What side effects did you have? Did your hair start growing back while on it, or just after you were done?

thanks,
Melia

viddie

Congratulations, TppJ.
I haven't had any scans either, but I have an appointment with a BS at Dana Farber on Wednesday and will ask her about it before I have my mastectomy in July, I hope. My pathology report was misread at my local hospital in Dec,- didn't see the other DCIS tumor and did not get good margins on that tumor, but luckily when I went for a 2nd opinion at DF in Jan., they picked it up and I will see what say they say about getting the rest out.

I hope you feel better for the seder tonight, Caya. I am going tomorrow night and will go armed with atavan. It is 1 1/2 hours away, but I plan to sleep in the car if i have to.

Lynn,
I am glad you had a great Birthday celebration. Ft. Lauderdale sounds like a wonderful plan!

Shorti,
Good luck today. I hope you feel better soon.

Skye,
How have the taxol treatments been for you? When are your worst days? I start ApriL 19 and am going to get 12 weekly taxol/hercpetin treatments at the same time. She did say that once a week will be easier than every 2 weeks because I will be getting a lesser dosage. If you do not feel better until the 2nd week, then I might never feel better for 12 weeks-I really do not want to be a martyr, but she did not give me a choice.--- brooding time for me.
My onc also told me the glutamine will not help- should I ignore her? I saw they come in pill form also. Do you know how much to take? She is also taking me off the neulasta and amend....she told me that if I am in pain, take alive, tylenol , or in the worst case scenario- vicodin.

I just had my last A/C on Thursday and as usual today and tomorrow are my worst days- so I guess I am in a bad place right now. My yucky thoughts are taking over. Better go eat, that might calm my nerves.
Happy Passover, Caya and Rebecca!!!!
Viddie

NOLONGERREADINGORPOSTING

Went for my "Simulation" today and met with my Radiology Oncologist; I wish my Hematology Oncologist had 1/3 of her pizazz & smarts. She told me the biggest challenge I was going to have was to resist the urge to get back in shape too quickly; she wants me to take it easy. Hmmm. Ran a mile yesterday no sweat, not interested in backing off.

According to the lit they give you may lose up to 1-2 lbs per week of Rads...hey, I'm beginning to like this. Six weeks times 2 pounds is 12 pounds of fat I'd love to get rid of!!! My first official RAD day is next Monday, and I'll go for six weeks.

Quote:

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I attended a rally in town yesterday and saw Barack Obama....Very interesting to hear in person. Very personable, charismatic. Top three concerns are getting out of Iraq, energy, health care. Education runs a close fourth.

---

I first heard about Obama from my 84 year nearly deaf and blind Mom, and she's crazy about him. I think she is staying alive simply to experience the next election, and she's been a glass-eating Republican as I long as I can remember, so this guy MUST have charisma (though not quite as extreme as her brother my uncle, who actually kicked in the screen of the television because he was annoyed with Walter Cronkite). I've heard nothing but good things about Obama but have never heard or seen him in person. I am almost afraid to hope for improvements in the political machinery of this country; the political column Jim Kunstler thinks that Obama is just so honest and clear eyed that he'll probably get assassinated along with the other strong leaders we've had in past decades.

His political musings can be quite entertaining but I do hope he's wrong about this. http://www.kunstler.com/mags_diaryindex.html

Mizsissy

Amera

I had my rad appointment today too. I really love my rad dr and his nurse. They gave me the list of lotions to use and what to watch out for. You need to stay away from scents or harsh chemicals in your soaps etc. They suggested Aquaphor and Tom's of Maine deodorant. They will also give me burn cream to use.

Exercise is fine with them and said that the exhaustion usually shows up around week 5 when you are almost done. The dr said that couch potatoes will probably feel the exhaustion more and earlier. I'm not sure what category I fit into at this point. I've been a big couch potato since AC #2 but before that I was in shape. Who knows.

Anyhow, they gave me my tattoos. I got two--one on the side of my boob and the other in the middle of my chest. They look like little black pen marks. Nothing much really. I start April 13. The first one is a run through and the real one starts April 16. I am so glad to have this part up and running.

NOLONGERREADINGORPOSTING

Amera...when I asked about lotions, they told me they would examine me every Monday and give me their own stuff..pretty cool I think!!! I'm not too worried about the exercise warning;I will simply use this week to build up even more, so I can back off if need be at rads time.

Anyway, what my doc said did not jive with an article I read in the waiting room a few weeks ago, which said that aerobic exercise during rads raises red blood cell counts and helps reduce fatigue.

I do remember reading something in the lit about NO ALCOHOL unless a glass of wine is prescribed by your doctor to improve your appetite.

Mizsissy

Robbin65

My first appointment for my Rads is on April 11th. For those of you whom aren't there yet, I will let you know all that I can from what I learn. I am SO done with chemo. (AC)

I am 41 and have been having MAJOR HOT FLASHES at nights!!!!!!!! (Just this last month) I didn't get my period last month in March. I probably won't get it in April either although I am done with the chemo.

I wonder how long till my body goes back to normal from the chemo. Sheesh....

I still have another 10 years before I hit menopause according to my mother and family. I am not ready yet for all that. I want my period. I want my 10 years. HELP.... Ha...

Amera

Hey Robbin, congrats on finishing the chemo.

As far as menopause goes...I asked the NP at my onc's office and she said she would be surprised if the chemo induced menopause was for good. My first period on chemo was very late but the second one came exactly 4 weeks later. I was caught completely off guard as I assumed that was it for me. They are lasting a long time though. I am also 41 and she said we are the youngish end of chemo causing menopause permanently.

I'm with you. At first I thought I'd be happy to have no more periods but have since decided that I'd like at least something in my body to work the right way.