MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish

Dianarose

Hi everyone- Haven't been here for awhile. The chemo gave me a bad sinus and ear infection. I have been totally miserable. Really missing the nose hairs with the whole sinus crap. Doc said I wouldn't lose my hair on cmf. First the hair went, then the eye brows, then the nose hair and yesterday all my eye lashes fell out. Looked like an albino baby seal. Had a major melt down and was at walmart a 9 pm buying fake lashes. Very hard to do when you can't see without your glasses. The first ones I tried made me look like cat woman, so those had to go. Back to the store. I was determined to get it right. Took me 45 min. to put them on this morning but I did it dam it. I asked the doc when I had my infusion today what else is going to fall off that he didn't tell me about and he said even after I stop chemo I could lose my finger and toe nails. Perfect. WTH. On a more positive note I am half way done with infusions. I did some major retail therapy and feel much better now and when I got home I had a check in the mail for the cost of the wig. The social worker at the hospital got it from somewhere. God I love her. I feel like I hit the lottery.

I will have to take a few days when I feel better and catch up with everyone.

Katherine- sorry you are joining us, but these great ladies have been my Angels through this.

I hope everyone is doing ok.

Dakota212

Barbe-

Why did u need the pacemaker??? Did u have a rhythm problem. I do cardiac ultrasounds just curios.of ur willing to tell.

Momine

Diana, good to hear your update. I was just thinkingof you yesterday and wondering how you were coming along.



Sorry about the hair loss. This too shall pass.

barbe1958

Marlegal, I tried all that but all that gets entered is the number of the picture!!! 16.jpeg    Weird, eh? What to do? What to do?

Dakota, I have a Long QT AND Prolonged QT Syndrome and had started to black out. I had 2 falls, one really, really bad off a ladder. So they said that's it! 

barbe1958

hehehehehe, I did it again just to prove myself wrong!! This time I had more patience and saw the little hour glass....

barsco1963

Welcome Katherine - sorry that you are here but you have come to a great place! Lots of wonderful women here to support and encourage, to laugh with and cry with.

Dianarose - hope you are feeling a bit better everyday and can come back to join us soon.

Eli - What a tasty treat to celebrate the Olympics with! Yummy!

Meece

LOVE your new avatar, Barbe!!!

barbe1958

Figured the last pic was 1 1/2 years old! Time for a new one. Can't believe how long my hair has grown in that time. In my old avatar, my hair was an inch. All over!!

justmejanis

KittyGirl I am so sorry.  I have no idea what may be in store but wishing you all the best.  I know how frustrated you are.  I am dealing with upcoming neck surgery, plus I saw my PCP and he referred me to a dermatologist for a dark spot on my nose.  I am not worried as much as I am just annoyed.  I have to go to this guy now on Monday.  Just more, and more you know?

Katherine sorry you had to join us but welcome! 

barbe I will jsut pack a bag and plan on being in your pocket all week.  I hope I can keep up with your busy schedule!

Greetings to everyone else...I can't seem to keep up lately with this thread but I never forget all of the comfort I found here. 

sissyvonvon

Hello Ladies:  I have a question for Barsco1963.  I have been diagnosed with two small bone mets on my right pubic bone, so the doctor is giving me Navelbine and Herceptin.  I have the Navelbine one day a week, two weeks on and one week off, which is nearly two weeks, and I have the Herceptin every three weeks.  Are you familiar with Navelbine?  I have heard good results from it.  I have just one side effect and it is gone in a few hours.  No hair loss.  I go to work the next day, so far so good.  The doctor seemed pretty positive about it.  Hope you all are doing well...

sissyvonvon

I forgot to add, I am also receiving an Xgeva shot once a month to strengthen the bones.  Can't tell I have taken that one.

marlegal

Dianarose, just in case you stop in...I would highly recommend against the false eyelashes. The last thing you need right now is inflammation of the eyelid or worse yet, an infection of some kind. Store kits are not professional at all and I know more women who had trouble than those who were succesful. I too hated it when I lost my lashes, but no way did I want to risk any more going on that I already had, ya know? A little eyeliner carefully applied can help with the bald eye look. Hugs hon.

Paula66

Glad to see you post Diana.  I've thought about you often and wonder how you are.

Ok I'm probably going to regret this, but I have been pain free for more then 3 weeks in a row since chemo and the Tammo!!  Finally am so glad to start feeling like me again.  I was not liking the new not really improved Paula.  Was down a bit thinking this can't be how the rest of my life was gonna be like.  Gee whiz I'm only in my early 40's!!  May just go do a real cart wheel instead of a mental one!

barsco1963

Barbe - good to see you again!

Hooray Paula! So glad to hear that you are feeling well. Be careful about that cartwheel though - maybe start off with a heel click! Here's hoping that you continue to be pain free.

Sissy - Sorry but I think that you may have confused me with someone else. I do not have bone mets and do not have experience with Navelbine or Herceptin. Maybe someone else will be able to help you out with your question.

Meece

Diana, I agree with Marlegal.  I tried the little separate lashes glued to my remaining lashes as they were falling out, but as soon as I had non, I just used liner and got by just fine.  I was adamant about not causing any unnecessary  trauma to my skin during chemo.

barbe1958

I USED to use an eyelash curler...notice the word "used"?? One time I twitched, and yep, pulled out every single lash!!! I rushed out to buy falsies and used them once. I found that liner did just as good a job as long as you didn't look at me sideways. And heck, who would look at me sideways anyway?? They grew in fairly fast, the only problem being is that they were now on the same "die" schedule, so sometimes my lashes were pretty thin as they fell out and grew back in.

Sherryc

Paula so happy you are pain free.  Be careful with those cartwheels.

Sherryc

ladies I have had one heck of a week. Monday I had my pre-op appt for my exchange on 8/21.  Tuesday I ended up in the ER with my FIL all afternoon.  They did breathing treatments and sent him home, he is fine now.  Wed I went to gastro Dr to set up the dreaded first colonoscopy for 8/20. Yes day before my surgery, I am getting it all over with.  Thursday had a funeral to go to.  One of my BF's grandmothers died and she was going to speak at the funeral.  I knew I could not miss it because when we have difficult things to do we are always there for each other.  She was so sweet she said when she got up there and looked up I was the first person she saw.  I know that that was God giving her the strength she needed.  Because normally she is a huge cry baby. So off to the movies and dinner tonight to relax and have fun.

sissyvonvon

Thank you Barsco....and welcome to Katherine...these ladies are fun...and it lets you know you are not alone and you have support.  On the former post about 60 min. saying sugar feeds cancer.  I had always believed that...so when I went to M.D. Anderson in Houston, I asked the nurse practitioner about it and she said it was bogus...they have a nutritional guide to go by, and I would certainly do all things in balance, but if I want something in the future, I will not feel guilty about eating it.  I love cheetos too, and if I want a chocolate brownie, I get one....and to all the ladies who are taking the treatments right now, this too shall pass and your hair will be back and it will be a memory...

Katharine2411

Remember the 1970 and early 80's when we all wore those silk scarves? Well, apparently I never threw mine out. Found them the other day! Dozens of the darn things and damn some of them are ugly! LOL! Where on earth was my taste? Going to wash them and wrap them around turbins. If I have to be bald then I'm going to rock it!

Dakota212

Just a question for the general population.... Is the oncotype routinely done ow or Toni have to request it... Trying to cover all bases.

Eph3_12

If you have negative nodes I think oncotype is done more often than not now. But as in all things, "Don't quote me on that!"

Dakota212

Eph3-12

Thanks. I did call and leave a message with the bs. I didn't know who to call. Also any thoughts on pet scans ?

Dakota212

Just got off the phone with the bs nurse who said the oncotype was not routinely done ... Ok so I said who orders it I want to make sure it's done. ... She said oh ok I will ask the bs to do it. Really, have to be ur own advocate.....

Sherryc

Dakota my BS did not order mine either.  I did not even know what it was but there was something in my pathology that made my RO order it.  He wanted to make sure about the chemo issue before we proceeded.

Dakota212

Sherryc



My mo mentioned it the first and only time I met him as of yet... As I said I just want all based covered no returns cause it was forgotten. I love these boards and he info do we can be out own advocates !!!

The Ki67 is a new one also. My bs showed me that one on my biopsy report. Thanks for the input. .

Cindyl

Yeah it's more often the RO and/or the MO who order it...

Eph3_12

My MO & BS co-jointly requested my onco test.  I knew nothing about it.  I hadn't found these boards yet back in those early days.  BOTH of them were certain that chemo wasn't going to be required; I was already thinking I'd do it anyway, just to be pro-active & then my %ages blew them away, so chemo I had!

barbe1958

Sherry, your oncotype is one of the highest I've seen here and yet you didn't get chemo. How'd you dodge that bullet?? Also, the oncotype scoring is dependant on you taking Tamoxifen for the full 5 years. No point doing the test if you're not going to take Tamox. (not saying that you aren't taking it, just putting it out there for those who lurk and read, but don't post!)

elimar86861

Welcome, Dakota212!  ANY of the docs on your "team" can order the OncotypeDx test.  I asked my BS to order mine.  

 re: Oncotype scoring is dependant on you taking Tamoxifen for the full 5 years.  

Clarifying to include the other hormonals, like Arimidex, which have similar outcomes.  The Onco test does presume you will be taking something for the 5 years.

Sherryc,  After a week like that, you probably needed more than Calgon to take you away.