May 2010 Chemo

Majdula

njbhwgirl and GolferGirl: Thanks for your warm welcome, I'm glad I landed here and found you all girls!

Leanna9: Nice to meet you, though I'd have preferred better circumstances. It seems it's not unusual to have BC at my age, there are reportedly younger women, some even during their pregnancies or right after... (and I thought I got it because I'm childless!). I'm on Taxotere, they give me premed IV with steroids and degan (the other is for stomach upsets) and I take steroids on the day after. I'll see with my onc next time if we can do anything about it; they are reluctant to prescribe steroids in this part of the world due to possible fluid retention, but my onc is a great woman who is willing to do her best, so that I can finish my treatment as scheduled. Anyway, I have three more T chemos to go, the next one is on Sep. 15 and the last one should be on Oct 27, if everything goes along the plan that is. I'll hang on in here and keep you posted on my progress!

I had to go in today, because I still have UTI symptoms and symptoms of a mild cold (went to a social event on Saturday, it was cold outside and the hotel was air-conditioned...), but my regular onc is on holiday, so there was another one to help me and I couldn't really discuss my SE's. She found a mild infection and a deficiency od vit. B and protein (no wonder, I have no taste buds now, so I barely eat). I'm on ciproflaxin for now and have been given nizoral for mouth sores. But, as you say, it's great to see the tumor responding (from 23mm x 19mm to 12mm x 9mm after four rounds of AC)

 (((Hugs))) to all of you!

DancerMel28

"Ok so my new obsession is rubbing my head..the hair is so soft..I find my self feeling it all day long.." sacphotomom

Hehehehe - I do the same thing

Majdula

' "Ok so my new obsession is rubbing my head..the hair is so soft..I find my self feeling it all day long.." sacphotomom

Hehehehe - I do the same thing ' DancerMel28

Yep, my hair is starting to regrow too, such a lovely baby fuzz, I love to touch it too .

Irishtess

Denise, Mel & Majdula:  You guys are too much with the touchin' of the head!  Right now, I can't stand to touch the top of mine ~ still has nubs & no sign of re-growth.  The back, however, at least according to the hubsband, is growing in (I can't tell, but it feels different than the top).  I have visions of looking like Elizabeth I - bald from her eyebrows to the very back of her head!

x-raygirl

Wow, this is a "happening" place to be.  So much going on!  Magda and Stacey, I'm so glad you have found us!  What a great group, as you can probably already see from the reading the posts.  

Magda ~ It's so encouraging to know taht your tumor is shrinking!  I've already had a bi. mastectomy so don't see exactly what's happening.  I'm so happy for you.  Yes, the Neulasta is the worst!  Better than landing in the hospital with nasty infections.  

Jen ~ Bolinas... funky hippy town - right up my alley!  What's not to love about waves, sand, beach.  Talk about therapeutic.

Stacey ~ hope you're having a good week.  

Patricia ~ so sorry to hear about the numbness!  When is the transfusion again?  Re: your trip - my brother owns a condo in Beijing - do you need a place to stay while there?  PM me if you do. Hope your spirits are better these days.  Big hugs to you, dear dear sister!

Day ~ I had cording issues for a long time and the stretching really helped.  My armpit is still funky (sx was in March).  Be diligent about it.  I wish we lived closer, I'd beg you for some lessons.  You are so gifted!  Happy healing to you, girlfriend!  btw - was the osteopenia related to chemo?  

Irishtess ~ WOOHOO!  You're done!  I'll be joining your ranks tomorrow.  Hope the SE are minimal with this last round - sending prayers your way.  Re: liverpanel - there are many foods and herbs that are super great and cleansing for the liver.  I plan on working on that once this last chemo is behind me.  Be careful of what you read and where you read it while researching - sometimes a little knowledge can be a bad thing.  BIG HUGS to you!!!!

Wellsey ~ hope you meet your man!  Congrats on 40 yrs!!!!  Re: rapidlash - I've known women who swear by it.  Same with Latisse.  Never hurts to try.  Have a fabulous weekend in NC!

GG ~ hope you can make it to our get-together.  Glad to hear no skin problems with rads.  Also, good news about the weight loss.  I've put on over 20 :-(     Congrats on BF's dream job - at least the living situation is temporary.  Hoping and praying the last of your rads will be an easy ride with minimal, if any, SE.  How's the fatigue?

Paxton ~ I hear the relief and excitement in your voice!!!  SOOOOO happy for you!!!!!  Yippee!  Hurray for being done!  

Leanna ~ sorry you had to go alone.  I'm telling you, I would have taken off yesterday to come with you!!!  I think my friends think I have so much support and I'm experiencing the same thing.  It is a long road.  Everyone has full plates of their own and they just don't know.  Good for you - checked your Komen site - hope you make more than your goal.  Okay, I know what your SE are like.  I'll be praying for you daily!  It's a promise - esp. since I couldn't come to tx with you.  Hopefully they won't be as severe.  Hugs and prayers your way....  You can do this!

Sacphotomom ~ you will start to decline....but only to incline again.  We're on a healing journey...lots of downs, but ups as well.  I, too, love rubbing my head.  Will think about you next time I rub it - and will send positive vibes and prayers your way while I do.

Jean ~ when do you get the results from your scans?  Hoping for the best.  

DancerMel ~ who would have ever thought that would be an obsessio?  Hope it comes in full, healthy, beautiful!    Keep smiling!

Summer ~ where are you?????  everything ok? 

 I'm SOOOO glad my final tx is tomorrow and even more excited that Fri. will be my last Neulasta shot!!!  My onc. is going to be disappointed that I still haven't followed thru with BRACA testing.  I still don't know about the oopherectomy either.  DH and I are trying to decide if we should plan a trip before or after rads.  I'm afraid I might be too wiped after, so we might go to Cabo San Lucas or somewhere tropical in October to celebrate 20 wonderful yrs together.  It would only be 5 or 6 days - so it may even be somewhere closer.  We need some down time together.  Not to mention, some romantic time - since it's not been on my radar the last few mos.  Some things are worth investing in, or re-investing in - which is more my case.   I'm so grateful to have you guys to share the ups and downs of this journey.  Thanks to each of you for your honesty, encouragement, inspirations, and humor.  I'm glad we're sticking together thru rads!  hugs, Daiva

x-raygirl

WOW - sorry that was such a long post.  That's what happens when  you're off a couple days!  

Irishtess

Daiva:  I'll be thinking of  you tomorrow as you finish.  Hope the after-effects are minimal & YAY for the last Neulasta shot (I had mine on Sat).  A tropical get-away with your husband sounds like just the thing to re-energize.  Hope you can do it!

LibraryJenn

Wow ladies, so much has happened in the past week or two since I posted!  I loved reading how everyone was doing (especially you Paxton, I'm so happy for you!)  I've been busy camping with friends and just getting my mind off of cancer.  Does anyone else find that some days you can go all day without thinking about it, and then you do something, like catch a glimpse of your reflection, and it all comes rushing back?  I don't know which is worse, not being able to forget, or having that feeling when you remember...

I have had a few problems with my hands.  It's not that they are numb, but they just don't have any strength.  Washing the floor was particularly hard, and sometimes I just can't grip things.  Did this happen to anyone else?

Majdula - Welcome to our group!  I also thought "I'm too young for this."  (I'm 28)  But I've changed my views after hearing about so many people under the typical age getting this disease.  I am hoping to spend some time writing in the near future to try and increase awareness for people under 40 to make sure to do self examinations.  Breast Cancer doesn't discriminate against the young!  I go on Friday for my second Taxatore.  I will finish 2 weeks ahead of you, but I still have to do surgery.  Right now I'm looking at a mastectomy the week of November 7th.  I meet with the BS next week so I'll see what he says. 

I'm not even going to try to comment on everyone, but know that you are all in my thoughts (and I think of you often.)  Kim - I really want to hear about how people react when you wear the t-shirt!  

Hugs,

Jenn 

patricia48

Hey Warrior Women-  Good morning.  I like rubbing my head too, but there is no hair, only the original stubble from my head shave.  Leanna, I like your Komen site, and the pic of your mohawk !I am praying for you today(and yesterday). We understand if you do not feel like writing, but I hope you do have an easier one this time.  Daiva Thanks for the offer of the condo.  I will not be in Beijing this time, but Singapore and Hong Kong.  I do love Beijing!  Congratulations on your last chemo lounge!  I hope you and DH do take a little trip before rads, if you are up to it. Tomorrow I will go for my 8th (of 12) weekly taxol and I think the dreaded transfusion will be on Friday.My last tx  should be Sept. 30th.  I have felt so tired this week that I am almost looking forward to the transfusion  at this point.  It is funny how your perspective on all this can change. And yes, my spirits are back to normal, crazy, perky self! Irishtess My sister already told me I look like Elizabeth the first!  So there is nothing to fear.  I think I look like little Orphan Annie in my wig, with no eyebrows. It gives me that surprised look all the time.Ha. Hope everyone is strong, staying tough, and keeping the faith that we are long term survivors and thrivers.  We have a lot to offer the world and the world has a lot to give us!  Hugs and lots of love, Patricia 

marmalade_skies

Hello my dear May Chemo Warriors...It's wonderful to see everyone going strong and positive! I'm sorry I have been away for a while since the beginning...somewhere along the line it got really tough and I slipped in keeping up with the support group. It's really encouraging to see everyone still going strong, and a warm welcome to those who have found us! Although I seldom post, I'm always reading about how everyone is getting on... That kept me going on!

I am at my last 3 sessions of Paclitaxel (yes, 3 weeks left!!), before a 3 week break and then rads. Can't believe how time flies. My hair has all fallen out, eyebrows thinned, lower lashes are gone and my "cloudy" tongue has stayed around longer than the past few sessions. Am so looking forward to having normal tastebuds again!

 And I'm thinking of going commando too! Here in Singapore it's really hot but I'm worried about the sun exposure that the head may get. The T-shirt is an excellent idea tho - I would really love to wear a shirt that says that!

LibraryJenn - there are days where I totally forget that I have cancer and think that all these will pass and I'll be back to normal. And there are days when I know deep inside that nothing will be normal again and I'll feel down. It's kind of like a see-saw. And I'm having the weak fingers too. My fingernails are not even strong enough to peel sticky tape! I know what you mean about being young and feeling the need to increase awareness for self-examination- I'm 33.

Stay upbeat and persevere, my friends... we'll definitely make it!

Majdula

Irishtess: Don't worry, your hair will start regrowing too! At first I couldn't believe it, as my head was just looking slightly less pale than before, but now I have real fuzz on the top - the sides are still behind, so I feel like one of those guys who shave off their sides to look cool .

LibraryJenn and marmalade_skies Yes, nobody's too young for BC these days. I'm also thinking of how to help my young sister patients when I'm done - there's practically no programme for them now in this country and little info that would help us through from biopsy over diagnosis to treatment! And yes, this treatment can be nerve-wracking - a little while ago I had a good cry, being convinced that I'll never ever make it right through to the end! And this is just a silly little infection that I would never think of as a catastrophe under other circumstances. 

paxton

Hi ladies

Irish: I didn't feel very happy the first time I finished chemo either so don't feel like you should be feeling a certain way.  People have a million different reactions to all of the phases of this. 

Jean: Good luck with your tests.  You gotta love drinking that junk.

Leanna: be thinking about you as you retreat.  I know it all too well. 

x-ray: congrats on being done soon.

Magda: welcome.  I'm 36 dx with recurrence.  Orig was at age 33.  I had my first child at 35 in between the cancer dx's.

Well, being done and good test results hasn't sunk in totally yet.  I started an internal cleanse and have been juicing green drinks.  I ordered some supplements, went grocery shopping for healthy food, and got some books from the library.  I can see its going to be trial and error with some of the recipes.  My energy is improving but still not normal.

Hang in there!!!     

x-raygirl

Paxton ~ what kind of cleanse are you doing?  Re: green drinks -I started juicing the green drink that Kris Carr makes (Crazy Sexy Cancer).  Please do share...

Shrek4

x-raygirl, chemo might have had something to do with it, but mostly the fact that I wasn't able to go outside at all due to smoldering heat did it. I hae a tendency to be low on Vit D due to my hyper-thyroid, and the chemo just made things worse.

And now a surprise. I wasn't still able to find my cable - so I took a few photos with the webcamera - they are not that good of a quality, but you can still figure out how much my hair has grown. I am 4 weeks and 3 days PFC (last treatment 27th of July). It's A LOT of white hair, the dark one is darker than my hair used to be. I have way longer hair on the top of my head (as I said, almost like a mohawk) but it's growing, and growing fast. No make-up at all on, so big dark circles under my eyes.You can see my eyebrows as well, they look good, right? Well, my eyebrows used to be nice and black (weird, with my hair color, i know) and now they are kind of "washed- off". I do have eyelashes coming in too, not a whole lot of them, but enough right now to put mascara on.

I'm still tired, and can't wait for October to come, when I wont' have to look forward to more treatments and more surgeries, just take care of recovering.

Ca1Ripken

I just lost a long post to all of you that have posted since me....   sniff!!!!  Ugh! 

So, I will just finish with my ending!

(((HUGS))) Love you all!!!! 

njbhwgirl

sacphotomom:  so funny about rubbing your head...I just have nubs on top and nothing on sides..I hope next month I can rub and rub...

Day:  your hair looks great...gives me hope...I just want my eyelashes back

Leanna; Know  your not going to be around for few days but know that we are all around thinking of you....okay...only 1 more to go........

Daiva: Yes go away with DH..best thing you can do. Good for you to realize that DH is hurting too and alone time is probably great for both of you. I so wish my husband was here. He was a fantastic cook and I certaintly could of used his creative soups and breads he created when I was really feeling lousy. So yes book your trip soon and enjoy your special time together...Celebrate your last treatment...YEAH...good luck....

Patricia; thinking of you tomorrow..okay 8 down 4 to go..hope transfusion is better for you this time around...Glad you are feeling better about yourself....Somehow you are always upbeat to me in all your posts.. I find you remarkable...

well all my scans done and do not see my onc. until Sept 20th...which is actually the day before my birthday...don't know whether I should call and ask if everything okay or wait until the 20th. Part of me wants a few weeks of bliss

Don't know about the rest of you, but everytime I see the onc. phone number come up on my cell phone the hair on my arms stands up...  I hate seeing that number....sometimes it is to confirm appointments but in the past it was to give test results and the like....that phone number is in my nightmares.... 

x-raygirl

Funny story - my onc's office asked me to come give my 2 cents to their redesigning committee (since I have LOTS of suggestions).  It needs a facelift, some color, calming artwork, and a bit more personal  and inviting and healing feeling.  I was told to come at 8 last Tues and 8 again this Tues.   Both weeks I went and nobody was there.  It turns out it was 8 a.m.!!!   Cracked me up -  maybe a blonde moment, or maybe miscommunication.   Never "assume" :-))))    I'm glad I can give some input from a younger perspective - not as young as some of you, but I'm young at heart!  That place needs a facelift!  And when I think of younger "sorority sisters" I think it would really depress them.  I ended up meeting one of the cleaning ladies and we had the best and most fun conversation.  It was the silver lining!  Pleasant dreams to all of you.  I just cleaned my kitchen like it was nobody's business - steroid high!   Tomorrow is my final tx and yes, I am sooooo excited!  love to all of you!  ~  Daiva

Majdula

Daiva: Forgot to thank you for your welcome yesterday!!! And you're right, I prefer it that I'm in neo-adjuvant therapy, so that I can see the results - I go in for a sonogram every two rounds, they put in a wire clip after the first two so that they can see where the tumor was if it disappears before the surgery. Which to me means it WILL disappear!!! The doctor at the mammography center is a great lady, went through this herself and had a bilateral mastectomy, but I've never met anyone so optimistic and full of energy. We became almost friends and she keeps telling me that I will recover completely. And recommended visualisation - just imagine the nasty cells dying in your breast (and even use foul language to help them go away more quickly ... that was the best part as she's a very fine and distiguished lady).

I feel some tingling and numbness in my hands and feet today, but still bearable, hopefully it won't get worse. Good thing - the other pains and aches are gone, and the antibiotics seem to work!!!

Irishtess

Daiva:  Hoping your last tx is uneventful (medically) ~ enjoy the T-shirt celebration!  Your story sounds like something I would have done!

Patricia:  Thinking of you today.  Hope the transfusion tomorrow goes well & you are back to your old self soon.  I just know you'll be ok for the Paris trip.

Majdula:  My onc prescribed Neurontin (generic: gabapentin) for the neuropathy I developed from the Taxol.  Although I have numbness & tingling, it's not nearly as bad as it was before the meds.   Your onc sounds like a great woman.

Day:  I'm really envious ~ your hair looks great!

LibraryJenn: I also have limited strength in my hands (I think it's part of the neuropathy), so it should go away.  I know what you mean about times when you completely forget you're a BC patient, & then realize what you've been through & still have ahead of you.  I don't think that will ever change, but I hope that the times we forget about it start to outweigh the others.

njbhwgirl:  I've been following the reports on Hurricane Earl & hope you don't have any problems.

Leanna:  Don't fret about losing the post!  Happens to everyone at some point.

marmalade:  Great to hear from you.  I usually wear a scarf or a hat, but have taken them off in restaurants and clothing stores (esp when it got too hot).  It's very liberating, & I think I'll do more of it once it gets a little cooler.  Good luck with your last 3 tx.  Some of the ladies here already have been through a number of rads, so they're trail-blazing for the rest of us!

Paxton: Although your good news may not have sunk in yet, you sound much more future-looking than ever before.  Congrats again!

Well, I'd better get back to work.  Love to everyone!

sacphotomom

Insurance AHHHH!   What ever you do- do not (just because they were nice) go out of network for a Prosthesis or anything else, they come up with way to get you to pay for thing that insurance wont cover just by the name they give them...I figured paying 30% of my prosthesis was an OK amount due to the wonderful time and professionalism of the store I pruchased them at...turns out because of wording I have to pay $602 of the $813. they cost...never again, boy! that was one expensive lesson!   ahhh and to top it off Had to deal with them with a Chemo Brain! I have had conversations with them over the last 2 months ..about my charges..and finally got them to conference call with the insurance  to explain their  costs..yup thats right I'm stuck..and boy am I not going to let them off, the store or the insurance!   wording to watch out for  ..Up graded private fee!  and  if you talk to your insurance for explaintion, tell them to write what they just told you in an email or letter.  So you have proof of conversations..I know I'm ranting. its my fault for being dumb about insurance stuff but still ahhhh  going to have a good frustrating cry then maybe a beer!

paxton

I can't preach enough how acetyl-L carnitine 3x a day during taxol helped with the neuropathy for those of you still on that path.  I still decided not to do my last tx, but I know I wouldn't have even done half of the tx's without the supplement.  But then I already had a series of chemo with taxol in it in the past. 

Daiva: I'm using Kris Carr as a reference for my green drink, too.  I've been doing a cucumber from the garden, a big kale leaf, a green apple, a broccoli stem, and sometimes a little cabbage or brussel sprout or whatevers on hand.  Then I put either 2 packets of truvia or a little juice or part of a packet of crystal light (the new ones with truvia as the sweetner) in because I feel a little nauseas drinking it just plain. 

I bought a cleansing kit that I've used in the past from the local health food store.  I decided to wait with starting it.  I think my body needs time to heal before I start bombarding it with supplements and cleanses. 

Majdula

Paxton: It's only now I realized you're all through this for a second time .... so sorry about it!!! Hopefully this is going to be the one and only recurrence for you!!! Happy recovery!!! Carnitine sounds good, I'm going to see with my onc if I apply - since this is a fatburner, I weigh modest 60 kgs for my 1m66 (sorry girls, no idea what this makes in pounds and inches, but my BMI is 21) and I shouldn't be losing any more weight, I'm a little concerned. I've read it in another thread that vit. B was good too - I'm taking it now for my mouth sores so I'll see if it helps with the tingling too. It's not so bad for now, just a weird feeling, like I let my feet hang for a longer time. I'll keep you posted.

Tess: Like I said, it's not so bad now, so I'll just keep an eye on it and advise later :-). And yes, I'm lucky I found a great team of women mostly - my clinical onc reminds me of a high-school PE teacher who looks strict at the beginning but takes to you once you show some will to fight :-).

Leanna: Hope your chemo went well, the Red Devil can cause havoc with your body, but hold on, I could do it and so do you! It wasn't until the fourth round that my onc found the right medication for me - Aloxi + corticosteroids (I couldn't bear Emend, it was causing me more SE's than it was supposed to prevent...). I was just a little queasy after that, could eat a little and as a result didn't feel so run down. I also went for an acupuncure session on the day before everytime, it helped me to deal with the heartburn and swallowing problems on the week after the chemo. Do you go to check-up sonographs or mammos to see if the chemos work? These check-ups were a great motivation for me, kept me going!

My eye-brows are gradually filling in as do my lashes. I didn't loose all of them though, they were just sparser; I was using a l'Oreal serum on my lashes throughout the AC therapy and it seems to work, so I might suggest it as something worth trying.

njbhwgirl

Majdula:  what loreal serum did you use? How long after chemo did your eyelashes come back? this is bothering me alot...I am two weeks out of my last taxol treatment(yeah).....

I am going to start taking Vitamin D soon.. I do not go back to onc. until mid September so figure I should start doing something now...Anyone taking this vitamin.?

sacphotomom

I'm taking Vitamin D but because my calcium is low and V--D help with absorption

You can see my eyelashes now..so excited not enough to put on mascara but they are definitely black and back...worrisome note I have lost hair on my right arm ...hope fully its was just because it was week to begin with...

Wow I was really on a rant yesterday.....emotions run high for me on days 5-8 of chemo... still had 1/2 a beer though!

off for my 7th day blood test hopefully all is well no low white or red  blood!

sacphotomom

PS  once again...does anybody know what happend to fotopet?

Majdula

njbhwgirl: I'm still on chemo, but have already finished my 4 AC rounds and have 3 more rounds of Taxotere to go. The serum is called simply "Lash renewal serum". They also have a mascara that goes with it. I didn't loose all of my lashes though, so that might be it...

Ca1Ripken

Denise - Fotopet said she would be busy... but that was a while ago!!  Maybe she's enjoying being done with chemo... and will come back soon to say hi! 

Thanks for all the well wishes.... not feeling great, but I think a little better than the last treatment!  Hanging in there... just thinking ONE more to go!!!!!   

Magda - No, my onc doesn't do any sonograms or anything.... I actually had to ask for a scan after my completion of 12 weeks of taxol because she still wasn't 'feeling' a difference in my tumor... thankfully, MRI showed a significant reduction in size. 

(((HUGS)))

sacphotomom

leanna..I kept looking back to see if she had said anything ..must have missed her post..thanks for the reminder...I hope she is enjoying herself..This is 3rd AC for you correct?  This one should be easier.

I have a question for those of you who are doing the shrinking of the tumor.. Did they do a check the lymph nods to make sure they were not involved?  For me they already knew that at least one was involved. So when I had my DX they kept looking..Just curious about the procedure. 

There is one thing that scares me about my DX .when they were trying to feel the tumor not one of the Docs could feel it ..but it was there bright as day on the mammo.  Even I could pick it out..these thing are going through my mind as I come to the end of this round of chemo..

My White cells are down again....I had a neupogen shot today,..will be taking Tylenol tonight to make sure no pain.. ...this round has just made me tired and kinda foggy, but not to bad I guess, I have not written anything for my ONC appointment, so I guess thats good.

ONE MORE,  ONE MORE......

I took out my camera today for the first time in my garden this year ..thought I had better before everything burns up in the heat and or dies back for fall...  Since I didn't plant to much this year, kept waiting to see what died because of freezes and late frosts ..was planning on a total revamp of my garden this spring .but that didn't happen..the most wonderful thing about my garden this year is tomato's that were volunteers from last year.  I kept hoping they were from the striped orange heirloom I planted last yr ..but no they were the black cherry tomato's that didn't taste very good.. but this year they are really good.they taste completely different then last yr..very sweet.last yr they were very tangy and acidic.  and there are tons of them..

OK we have nothing planned for this weekend because of not knowing how I would feel.  now I what to do something.. time to get on the phone and see what everyone else is doing..would like to have a late dinner out on the patio with some good martinis and maybe some tapas!

LibraryJenn

Woo Hoo!  Had an appointment with the oncologist yesterday and my tumor is shrinking!  It went from 9x9 in the very beginning to 6.5x6.5!  That's around 30% SHRINKAGE!  My Mom and I were both excited, as was my oncologist.  My boob is burning so I'm hoping it's shrinking as I write  I have a change to my treatment too, my Dr. figures that some of the weakness in my arms and hands might be from the steroids, so I only take them on the day before and the day of Taxotere but not the day after...unless I start noticing allergic reactions.  I'm so happy, and relieved, and at the same time emotional.  I started crying for no apparent reason when my DH got home from work...he knew about the tumor dying already as I texted him when I found out, but man oh man is this an emotional rollercoaster that I'm tired of.

Sacphotomom - I had crazy volunteer cherry tomatoes this year too - and that was after rototilling the garden.  They are looking wonderful so far - but are still not ripe...  

Also, I totally get your frustration with your insurance company.  I am having a horrible time with my disability insurance (for my student loans.)  They sent me paperwork that had to be completed AFTER July 29th, and there was nothing that said when I had to have it completed.  I waited until my August appointment to get it filled out, only to find out that they quit covering my $550 a month payments, so my bank had to take it out of my account.  Today I received the same letter again saying that if they didn't hear from me they were closing my claim.  ERRR.  Needless to say I left a rather heated message for my claims officer that will greet her on Tuesday morning when she is back in the office.  I am so frustrated.  They make me feel stupid, and I'm not!  My other student loan is no better.  I had to send proof of income for the month of June for my husband and I, only to have them call to say they couldn't complete my claim because they were missing one of my pay stubs.  I only get paid ONCE a month, which they would have figured out if they would have read the pay stub I sent!  That and they didn't want to accept my DH pay stubs because the dates were hand written.  He works for a small company that hand writes everything, and he only gets stubs if he asks!  I am so fed up of dealing with all of it.  I wish elephant sized chemo pellets on their heads

Leanna - I'm so glad that you are feeling a bit better this round!  One more is definitely encouraging.

 For all you ladies noticing the facial hair - I heard that steroids play a big effect on facial hair.  I only have one mole that produces hair...so far  When I was on prednisone for Crohn's, I noticed the facial hair starting to grow, but not on the dexamethasone.  Also, for everyone on rads, I heard that if you soak your feet in Epsom salt every night, it is supposed to draw some of the radiation down and stop you from burning so bad (heard about it from a Stage 3 survivor, 10 years out.)

I noticed on Wednesday that my face was so dry that it was peeling all over.  I made a great scrub with ground coffee beans, honey and cream.  It smelled fabulous, and it worked great!  I only have a few patches of peeling skin left where my eyebrows used to be (pretty sparse now.) 

Hugs everyone,

Jenn 

sacphotomom

darn it just lost my post.

ok again...Jenn  love the image of elephant pellets... may  they rain on them .....congrats on the shrinking ..its good to know that all this trouble is worth it...how many Taxotere have you had? you should be almost done too right?.

We seem to cry when we're happy, when we're sad, when we are frustrated, and when were just plain tired...but I have started thinking of it this way...another way to get rid of all the toxins in our body, another cleansing!