**NEW** Starting Chemo March 2009

sakura73

Dayla I saw your post before you deleted it and really wish you all the best - it is great that things are working out so well for you.

NYDeb I love that video!

Kim I am having my first haircut this Thursday! I am wary of having too much taken off but it is really uneven and I do need that sorted out at least. Let's agree to post pictures... Nadine I have the chemo wave too, which I think is why my hair looks like it has stopped growing. 

My eyelashes are completely back but I am expecting, based on what  I have read, to lose  them again. Eyebrows mostly back:  they were never that thick. But as Nadine says, I don't feel quite back to normal. I wake ever morning with really stiff hands and fingers - it is a different pain from the one I had during chemo, so I don't know what to blame it on. 

Wish I could join you in NYC next April, but I am looking forward to my  own brief overseas jaunt next week; 4 days in Singapore. It is for work  but it will be lovely nevertheless.

LD and I have submitted an application for a house to rent together. I feel really excited about it. It is not nearly so nice an area as where I live now, but we have to compromise as he needs to remain near his ex wife so that they can continue to share care of their son. And it will do while we save to buy somewhere better. 

Love to all.

crusader1

Hi All,

Deb I too loved the pink glove video.

I went for my second fill today and all went well.The PS says I probably need two or three more and than a month later the exchange.  Then I went to my monthly Gilda's club BC networking group. This bunch of ladies is always upbeat and also so supportive of those in need. To my surprise three women gave each little holiday gifts to all in the group. I believe there were about 15 of us. What a pleasant surprise. For those of you not familiar with Gilda's Club here is a little blurb.

Gilda's Club - Home

I love my new hair. Yes Christy I only had a little trim the first time. I rinse it myself to get out the gray.

Hugs,

Francine

kim40

Thanks Christy - I'll have to keep that in mind as I don't have much but it seems to have stopped growing altogether - so only the ends it is with a little color to boot! 

Rachel - Singapore!!  Sounds great even if it is for work!  Post a pic after you get your hair cut and I will do the same.

All the best ladies.

crusader1

Hi Ladies,

Everybody has been so quiet. I guess all are getting ready for the holidays.

I had my second Zometa infusion just this afternoon at my oncologist. It brought back many chemo memories. Not all so pleasant. But it was nice being a visitor today and not a regular. The nurses all liked my new hair.

Hugs,

Francine

ChrisC433

Francine:  How did you get Doc to prescribe the Zometa?  I have Osteopenia (?) and was put on Fosomax.  I wanted Zometa but was told insurances won't pay for it unless you have bone mets????  How are you feeling...get any flu like symptoms?

I am getting ready for the holidays....shopping, decorating, xmas cards...on and on...  We had a snow day today in PA so I had some extra time to bake some cookies and wrap presents!

Forgot to let you all know....EKG was fine, PAP was fine, and recent bloodwork looked good.  Next check is in Feb with BS for mammo.  He alternates between mammos and ultrasounds and has yearly MRI.  I hope that nothing ever shows again, but if the BC returns I want it found quickly.

 Take care all.. enjoy the season!

crusader1

Chris,

Glad to hear all is well with you  and all your tests.

My insurance coverage okayed the Zometa . I don't have any mets but I believe I had a poor bone density. I am post menopausel but was never on fosamax. I must say it took a while to get the insurance company to okay it. At first they said I had to pay for it. What was curious about the coverage it does not come from my prescription coverage but from my regular health insurance  policy..I had no symptoms with my last Zometa infusion. I feel fine now and do hope that I feel fine tomorrow. Busy weekend ahead.

I will have only a yearly ultrasound and a mamogram. My oncologist does feel my breasts every three months when I see her and the BS wants to see me every six months. I had thought  that some doctor told me I would have yearly MRI"s but when questioned I was told that I am not really a candidate for them. I must say I was disapointed. I too am interested in finding any new cancer early. In my case my mammo really did not find the real tumor but something minor. The MRI did. Yet I later realized that if I had been given ultrasounds that would have seen the real tumor.

I guess we must trust the decisions of these doctors. I believe that now my "good" breast is in the hands of both my oncologist and my breast surgeon..

Enjoy your holidays. I am Jewish and this weekend Chanakah begins. Today I wrapped eight presents for my granddaughter. Saturday our children will come over and I will make dinner for all.

Hugs,

Francine

ChrisC433

Enjoy your Chanakah celebration. My sons have a few friends that are Jewish and they like to give them gifts for Chanakah as well.  My thirds son (14) goes to Temple with them for service and then the dinner at their house.  He finds it very interesting.

Hugs to all...

pickle

Chris: Wonderful news that your tests were all good. You'll be able to shop with a clear head and peace of mind.

Francine: Enjoy Chanakah. Glad to hear the fills are going well. I know you will be so happy to get the exchange and be done...whew...it's been quite a haul for you!

Rachel: Singapore....shopping....sightseeing....awesome.

Kim: I thought my hair was at a stop as well but everytime I look at pictures taken a few weeks apart, I really notice a difference. I had a trim and colored twice. Hated the first color, not loving the second color but oh well....I'm over it now! But I sure have a lot of curl and my hair is very thick (it was before too)

sakura73

Hello all - have updated my avatar to show my new haircut. Now it looks like it is this short on purpose, rather than by accident!

Happy Chanakah to you, Francine. Hope you have a lovely time with your family.

Pickle, glad your hair  is back as thick as before. Yes, can't wait for some serious shopping therapy in Singapore next week...

pickle

Rachel: Love your new pic. You're hair looks great.

crusader1

Thought I sent a message hours ago. Who knows where it went?

Sakura..All of us here in North America are all saying Wow to a trip to Singapore. Enjoy and have fun shopping. Love the new Avatar.

Ladies ..thanks for all the Chanakah wishes. Tomorrow the kids come and my granddaughter . I can't wait to see her.Each year I buy her eight gifts for the holiday. One for each night but I do give them all tomorrow.

Have a great weekend all ..

Hugs,

Francine

crusader1

Thought I sent a message hours ago. Who knows where it went?

Sakura..All of us here in North America are all saying Wow to a trip to Singapore. Enjoy and have fun shopping. Love the new Avatar.

Ladies ..thanks for all the Chanakah wishes. Tomorrow the kids come and my granddaughter . I can't wait to see her.Each year I buy her eight gifts for the holiday. One for each night but I do give them all tomorrow.

Have a great weekend all ..

Hugs,

Francine

bethr

Hi All,

I hope everyone's holiday season is going well.... 

I'm disgusted with my hair right now.  As with Kim and a few others it seems to have come to a halt.   And last night I rinsed it and it looks awful...   The color is definitely not what I wanted and then I realized I bought the wrong shade...  I was hoping to go to a party topless today ( I couldn't stand the gray and thought the color would help)..  But I may wear that damn wig after all.  It just looks a little too unnatural for me.  At thie same time I wonder if I'm going through a phase where nothing's going to look right for a while and I just need to 'suck it up!!!' and get used to it......  Oh well, we'll see.... 

 Come on hair!!!  GROW!  GROW! GROW!!!!!

Have a great day ladies,

Beth

bethr

I just got this in an email from a friend of mine..   It definitely cheered me up!!!

You may have see it already, bit it deserves a second look!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28GUU1YbP_E

 take care,

Beth

kim40

BethR - I know how frustrated you are.  What  I have been doing is putting a little gel in my hair and it doesn't look too bad.  Give a try and let me know what you think.  If I didn't put any gel in it, it would be puffy on the top and sticking off every which way instead.  Going for a trim on Wednesday so I'm hoping there will be more sense to it then.

bethr

Kim,

Thanks for the advice.  I did go to the party WITHOUT  with wig.  It was so nice not having it on...  And alot of people complimented me on my hair..   They may have been doing it just to be nice, but it was good to hear.  I haven't bought any gel and might do that. My hair is pretty curly and I just kind of fluffed it with my fingers.  It not too puffy....  

By the way, I attribute my going to the party without the wig to keeping all of you wonderfully strong women in mind.   Honestly, you help me so often just by being able to read your notes..

 Big hug to you all,

 Beth

crusader1

Beth..Glad you went to the party Au Natural .Oh yes that feeling without a wig is one no one but us can identify with.  Thanks for the nice comments re our group. It is so great to be able to speak with women who know just what we are feeling. I bet your hair will grow more pretty soon. Mine seems to be growing more and more once it passed a real short stage. It is real real curly but I am enjoying it. I too bought a new color hair rinse and do hope I am pleased with the result. Oh what problems we have now. LOL. I did enjoy the video.

Hugs,

Francine

pickle

BethR: Yes I do believe you are at the hair obsessed stage....lol....we are so friggin happy to have it back but it's still not quite like the old us....I actually think I set myself up for that disappointment....I think I was so anxious to get it back that I thought it would magically be like my old stuff. Then I realized...crap....it's not at all like my old hair. It's curly....puffy on top...grey and dark....where the heck did my shoulder lenghth, highlighted, youthful looking hair go??? So I colored it....didn't like it and now I have once again  coinvinced myself that it's just hair. That's what I told myself when it first fell out....lol. Kim is right though....a little bit of product to separate it a bit makes a huge difference and Francine...that is so true...what we worry about these days compared to not so long ago...

Francine: Thanks for keeping it all together here....love your posts and so appreciate all you do!

Love to all you sweet ladies

Beth P

crusader1

Hi ladies,

Yesterday we celebrated Hanakkah with my family. Last year( just before my mastectomy)  we took many pictures of me and my grand daughter. ..long highlighted yet frizzy hair. Yes many memories went through my mind yesterday including what a long year I have had. Seven surgeries ..two failed reconstructions ,chemo,  MRSA virus , pneumonia. But as I just said to my husband this morning despite everything my cancer was early stage..no node involvement..I was lucky. I will get through all of this..Maybe even be a better person.

Here are two photos . one last year and one just yesterday.. 

"" "

Hugs to all ..

Francine

ccbaby

Hi everyone! I am in NOLA right now staying at the Hope Lodge. I will be getting my S-GAP surgery Tuesday morning. I have already met another member from these boards here at the lodge. I am a little nervous but very anxious to be rid of this expander finally!!

ChrisC433

Francine...love the smile on your faces!!

CCBaby...I'll be thinking about you tomorrow; praying for great results and a quick recovery!

Beth....Way to go, girl!!!  No more covering up that head, where it with pride!

Take care...

Chris

pickle

Great pics Francine. You look great and you certainly have been through a lot this year. You have such a great attitude.

Christy: Sending prayers and positive vibes to you. So nice that you met another "sister" from the boards. Good luck and we'll be waiting to hear from you.

Hugs to all

Beth P

nasharayne

Hi Ladies,

 For the last week my breast has been extra sensitive to everything. I don't know if it's because the feeling is coming back or if there is something else going on.  I get Herceptin on Thursday so, I will mention it while I'm there but, just wanted to know if anyone else was experiencing this.

crusader1

Good Luck Christy..

Hope all goes well. You arranged all this so fast. Good for you.

Nasharayne. I do think it is a good idea to mention any changes to the oncos.

Hugs,

Francine

crusader1

Ladies,

Check out this video I made for the holidays.

ElfYourself by OfficeMax - Powered by JibJab

Enjoy.

ChrisC433

Francine...you are sooo funny.  And who knew you could dance like that!!!

Thanks for sharing,

Chris

pickle

Francine: You crack me up. I made one of those a couple of weeks ago. Thanks for my morning smile.

Nasharyne: I have an area that is quite sensitive....it's like I'm getting some feeling back. I am still numb along my rib cage under my arm. Don't know if I'll ever get all the feeling back. Good idea to mention it on Thursday.

Happy Tuesday everyone. Can you believe it's only 10 days until Christmas?

Hugs

Beth P

ccbaby

Hi girls! Thanks for all of the well wishes.

I made it through surgery just fine this morning. I ended getting the hip free flap surgery instead because I had more fat there. So, far I have had NO pain. Proabably because of the pain ball on my hip. Everyone is so nice and wonderful here at the hospital. My avatar pic is fron the French Quarter when I did some sightseeing yesterday. It has been raining a lot and flooding. Have a great week everyone!

kim40

Christy - great to hear that things went well for  you yesterday - we were all thinking of you.

Going for my first haircut today and I'm so excited.  Getting some color in it too to hide some of the grey.  Hope it turns out ok.

I'll post a pic later!

Have a great day everyone!!

pickle

That's great news Christy. Glad it went so well.

Kim: Have fun getting your done