**NEW** Starting Chemo March 2009

Mom_of_boys

Tanasha... Congratulations!  Feels pretty darn good doesn't it?

Just got back the results of my liver MRI... all is well!!!  Thank God!  Enzymes are still high and we will watch, but all is well! 

pickle

It sounds like it's Good News Friday around here....I love it!

Mom_of_boys......yippee! have a wonderful weekend

Beth P

didle20Diane

Tanasha....congrats girl....go celebrate!

Jan (mom of boys) congrats on the liver scan...phew....I hate all tests now even bloodwork.

Leaving for the beach tomorrow!  Everyone have a safe holiday weekend and see you next week!

hugs

Diane

crusader1

Hi All,

Yes good news day for ...MOB, Tanasha..

Diane.. enjoy your vacation.

Pickle- hope all turns out well for you ...

I leave this Monday for our five night cruise. It has been a long time coming with all my setbacks since my July 1st lat surgery.

Our journey continues..

Have a great weekend all.

Hugs..

Francine

pickle

Diane: Have a great beach holiday . Enjoy the waves and sand with your wee ones.

Francine: Thank you and have a wonderful time on your cruise. Where are you cruising to? Someone else is going on a cruise too but chemo brain (well just stupidty) has left me wondering who?

Kim: Good luck with your event tonight. I hope you fill the legion to the rafters.

pickle

Three's a charm......Nurse Navigator just called and it appears that reults are B9. Thank God. Doc will have full report next week but it appears good. Woohoo!  That's 3 of us today with good results....  I think this calls for a glass of wine!

Alyad

More good news! I had my last rads today! Finally got to ring that damn bell! ccbaby/Christy happened to be there waiting for her treatment too- that was really cool! 

 We don't have a bell in the chemo area- I just got a certificate when I was done with that, but I rang that bell to signal being done with EVERYTHING!! 

Cool and rainy here in MO, the cats keep trying to curl up between me and the computer... Looking forward to a long weekend.

Dayla

ccbaby

Congrats again Dayla!! I am so glad that I got to see you ring the bell!! And I am still jealous! lol After my rad treatment today, I saw Gramof3 in the restroom. It was cool to see you both there today!

Dawnmrn1

Hi All!  Summer is ending and by these last few posts everything is coming out great!!!! I am so happy1  I finished rads yesterday and went out for Margaritas with my work friends, my family and I are going to anothers for a barbq tomorrow, I am so happy to be done!!!!!

 I hope all who are traveling have a great time and those who are getting good news enjoy!  Love you all!  Dawn

PattiB

Congrats to all having great news and finishing rads.  Have great trips Diane & Francine.  I am going to the beach tomorrow for the weekend too.

Luv2sing

Hello All!

Just checking in for a minute.  My husband is still home recovering and I just finished my second week of radiation with four and a half more weeks to go.  My hair is growing and coming out at the same time, eye brows have left me (trying to figure out why this happening during the radiation??), but I'm a good make-up artist .  The Techs who do my rads are really nice, the doc is extremely young, but he's okay.  Will look into having my port-a-cath removed once the scans are done.  All things considered we are blessed.  I'm glad to see so many good reports!  For those who are still having some challenges I wish you better days ahead.  For those planning or taking trips I wish you a smooth journey.

Will check back soon!

crusader1

Hi All,

Pickle..Your good report made my day. I am soooo happy for you. We are cruising up North to Canada from NYC. Jdeking is also crusing I believe..

Alyad- Another loud bell ring for you too. Congrats on the completion of all.

Dawn- Congrats to you too. Many more Margaritas for all of us.

Hugs to all,

Francine

inthemoment

The Good News Train is at the Station!!! - For all my sisters who had to wait to get test results - can any words be sweeter than B9?  WHOO HOO !

Have a peaceful weekend

Geri

bethr

Hi All,

I have to chime in with everyone else to say I'm so happy to see all this good news...

Mom_of_Boys and Pickle - congrats on the good (great!) results.

Alyad and Dawn - congrats on your last RAD

luv2sing - I'm happy to hear your husband's recoving nicely and that you like your rad team.  My team is great as well.

Francine and Diane - I hope you have a great vacation!

To all -  I hope you all have a great three day weekend.  I'm looking forward to three days off from RADS... lol  (15 to go!)  I'm off for my first trip home in quite some time.

Take good care!

Beth

pickle

Dayla and Dawn: Congrats on finishing rads!

Patti: Have fun at the beach and enjoy the long weekend!

Christy: That's pretty cool that you ran into Dayla and Gramof3. When will you be ringing the bell?

Raymon: Nice to see you checking in. I always enjoy your thoughtful posts.  Glad to hear that your hubby is recuperating. When did you finish chemo? My eyebrows and lashes came out more after chemo than during chemo so possibly it's not from rads??? Anyway the good news is that they will return. I think my eyelashes are actually thicker than before.

Francine: Are you cruising into Halifax? That is where I grew up. It's a beautiful city with a scenic waterfront and lots of old historic buildings and shops.

Jdeking: Enjoy your cruise. Where are you going?

Inthemoment, BethR and all you other great gals: Thanks for being such great cheerleaders.

BethR: Where is home? Enjoy your trip

Hugs

Beth P

MichelleinSJ

Good news!  You guys need to rub off on me while I wait to hear about this job ...

Yes, Deb, I had bilat.  When I met with BS to decide what to do, he sat with me for nearly 2 hours while I weighed the decision.  At first he only talked about lumpectomy or mastectomy.  The whole time I was thinking that I would prefer to just get rid of both of them, but he didn't mention that.  Finally I said it's a shame I couldn't just dump them both, and he perked up and said I definitely could choose that route, and assured me that insurance would cover it (I was worried).  After that it was a no-brainer, and I think BS saw I was sure about my decision. 

Michelle

pickle

Michellin: Sending good vibes, positive thoughts and keeping all things crossed for your new job.

Dawnmrn1

Michelle!  We are on a roll!  Good Luck!  good things happen to those who wait!!!

Raymon!  Glad to hear things are better!!!

I too had bilateral at two different times, but my first one was elective, I did not want to revisit cancer again if I didn't have to!  The second one I had no choice! I have no regrets!

Dawn

Mom_of_boys

Seeing all the good news puts a huge smile on my face!  Life is good... or so my t-shirt says.  LOL.

NanaA

I am hopeing the good news train stays put for me.  Wednesday I am having an ultra sound of my thyroid because of nodules seen there on CT and the following Monday they are doing a bronchoscopy of my right lung because of 4 pea sized nodules found on same Ct in there.  No one is saying mets but everyone wants to know what they are.  If no cancer in my past 90% of thyroid nodules are B9.  Stats fall to about 70 since a previous cancer.  Still not bad odds.  The lung could be something from my past since I never had a CT before.  No one knows if they were there previously or not.  During the bronchoscopy they will try to biopsy the largest nodule 7mm and also wash the lung and suction out the saline and check it for abnormal cells of any kind.  If any question they will send to Mayos.  The bronchoscopy is done with the same kind of meds as a colonoscopy so you don;t remember a thing.  Still 7 more days of rads left.  I am in middle of boosts.  3 this coming week because machine down on Friday and 4 the following.  Bronchoscopy on Monday and rads Tues thru Friday and I will be done!!  If all tests b9 nothing but pills, checkups and herceptin every 3 weeks till March ahead.  Keep me in  your prayers.  Annette  

ccbaby

Pickle...Thanks and I just did rad #7 yesterday and I will have a total of 33 or 30, not sure which, so it will be a few more weeks before I can ring the bell.

crusader1

Hi Pickle,..Yes we are cruising into Halifax. It happens to be one of our favorite Canadian cities to visit. My husband and I have been there on other cruises, by plane and also one year we even  took a tour of the Maritime provinces. Over the years we have seen the city get better and better. We just love the waterfront,  the ferry to Dartmouth, The Casino, The Old Town Clock, Pier 21, the Public Gardens and so much more...I even bought a small hand painted picture of the ferry last summer and have it framed in my dining room. No wonder you are so nice ...

Nana..I do hope things go well for you..

Michelle- good luck with your job hunting

Hugs to All,

Francine

inthemoment

Nana - Good News train is staying parked at the station until you get your results - nothing but good news allowed!  Big hugs - waiting to say Whoo Hoo for you.

Geri

pickle

Annette: The good news train is awaiting your arrival. We will be serving warm hugs, high fives, and loud Woo Hoos.

I will absolutely keep you in my prayers. Sending positive vibes and warm wishes your way....We're all here for you!

Dawnmrn1

Annette!  Best of Luck you are in my thoughts and prayers!  Love, Dawn

sakura73

Great to read every one's good news. Annette I am thinking of you. Well done Dayla and Dawn and  Tanasha and Nadine for finishing radiation. Yay for B9, Pickle. Happy travels, Francine.

 I have my final Taxol tomorrow, and also my radiation measuring appointment. It feels odd to contemplate being done with chemo. The de-porting is fixed for next week.  I spent the weekend in Sydney with my family, including singing in my parents and their friends' lounge room production of Gilbert and Sullivan's "Patience". It was fun, though I still spent a lot of the weekend being tearful.

But today I feel better. The artist formerly known as DBF has given me a more detailed explanation of why he left. I can see now that there is nothing I could have done to keep him. It is no consolation, but at the same time somehow it makes me feel calmer. I think we will end up being good friends, in time. I would certainly like that and he says he would too. We'll see, I suppose. 

My eyelashes are definitely coming back. I hope they are  not going to fall out again. Hair is still grey and fuzz-like. Sigh.

crusader1

Sakura, Great to hear you being more optimistic and your former beau.Nice to see the light at the end of the chemo tunnel.

Annette- We are all here for you..

Ladies tomorrow is my long awaited cruise. I now have real severe back pain.Hurts especially bad with certain movements.  I did some researching and it may be a SE of the Arimidex. I will have to wait till after the cruise to see either my oncologist or an orthopedist..I have packed my oxycodyn from my surgeries if the pain gets real bad. I do intend to have fun on this cruise.

Have a good week ladies and lets keep the good news flowing.

Hugs to all,

Francine

7timewinner

mom of boys:

Tamoxifen is used in pre-menopausal women. I just turned 40 in July and was premenopausal before the chemo. Chemo-induced menopause is not guaranteed to last, so that's where the Tamoxifen comes in for ER+ women like me. Tamoxifen shuts down estrogen production. Removing the ovaries puts a woman into early menopause because the ovaries produce estrogen. So it was an either-or option for me. I chose the oophorectomy so that I can avoid taking Tamoxifen with all of its many side effects.

Since I will then be post-menopausal, I will take an AI, simply as a means of hitting my BC with everything possible because I had extensive nodal involvement. The AIs tend to have fewer side effects than Tamoxifen, as I understand it. My onc says we will start with Aromasin and if that isn't a good fit for me (ie side effects) then we will try another. Femara is on that list of other AIs.

This is my own understanding of the whole ovaries/Tamox/AI issues. I imagine there is much more info that I don't have, but I am trusting my onc at this point. In my case, it is a very good idea to follow up the oophorectomy with an AI because of the nodes. Your onc should be able to guide you according to your own profile.

And please..anyone reading what I've written about Tamoxifen...it has helped SO MANY women, so know that it just comes down to personal comfort. Many women have few or no side effects. It is a very good option when needed.

Hugs to all!

Nadine

Mom_of_boys

Nadine... Thanks.  I was actually pre menopausal myself before I started down this road.  I had an oophorectomy 10 days prior to my lumpectomy/SNB/port placement at my onc's recommendation as well as my OB/GYN.  The problem is that the Femara is causing SEs. 

Thanks again for your input.  I needed a boost to continue on with the Femara.

Hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing Labor Day weekend and that we all continue to have good news this week!!!

ccbaby

Quick update.....I am 9 weeks PFC now. My hair is about an inch long and getting thicker. How is everyone else's (that is done with chemo) hair growth doing? I am sure that the herceptin and the radiation is not speeding my hair growth any, but I will be so glad to ditch my wig hopefully soon!  I have had 7 rads so far and will get a total of 25 plus 5 boosts. Then I am going tp have to wait at least 3 months (possibly 6) after rads before I can get my expander exchanged to implants. I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!