May 2010 Chemo
Comments
-
Hi, a quick pop in. I've been really busy taking care of Gage while bf was working on the harvest. He finished on Friday so its a relief to have him around again. Gage is a joy but very much a hand ful. I didn't even take him out for Halloween. I was so exhausted and emotional. But I figure he doesn't care quite yet. I joined the ymca and have been taking him to that. My energy is returning but still a bit overwhelmed with taking over the household. Sure isn't the same as w/o kids. I've managed to go out deerhunting a few times. Probably go again a few times this week.
I just PM'd timtam to activate my acct on her forum. My BS left extra skin from the mast to make recon easier so I almost feel like I have small boobs now just without nipples so I'm hoping that means I don't need to pump up too much. I really don't even want to think about more surgery at this point. Bleh.
Well, hope everyone continues to make strides. I don't have time to get online as much right now, but try to keep updated. Someone mentioned having nausea after chemo and I agree. I feel nauseas most of the time and just having my port flushed makes me queasy.
Anyway, take care....
-
Poppin in real quitck - I thought I would be posting more, but a dear friend had a heart attack on Sunday. He still is in ICu and I'm going daily to the hospital and I'm getting very tired by the time I get back home.
-
OK, girls, so I have my surgery appointment - Dec 3! I'm a bit disappointed by the length of my stay in hospital - check-in on the day before and check-out three days after... Sugery day is a Friday, so i guess that's why I'm due to stay until Monday (no doctors on the week-end to assess my state?). Anyway, it's just a lumpectomy and lymph node removal, so I'm still happy about it (though the surgeon said he preferred it when the tumour was still there, with complete remission like mine there was a risk of not getting clear margins but WTH, I'm not having him spoil my joy of having got rid of it! And there WILL be clear margins, I just don't admit other outcome!). Good thing - a friend of mine works in the same hospital as a nurse and said the surgeon was a very good one!
Jenn, thinking of you today, hope everything goes along the plan and uneventfully!
Denise, good to hear your rads are going well!
Jersey, Summer is keeping in touch via FB. She seems to have had some rads problems but she keeps posting sho I guess she's doing fine.
Leanna, I hear you on oncs being better than surgeons in explaining what's going on. I'll see mine next week for my Zoladex shot and will go over my surgery plan with her too. Just want to make sure everything is fine.
Paxton, good to hear you're getting better and better. Deer hunting, oh my, that's great that you can get outdoors like that! I'm still out of breath when I go uphill for instance, but I feel my energy going back every day!
Day, prayers for your friend! It's awesome of you to be by his side!
Hugs to all of you!
-
Hi Magda,
I also had a complete response from chemo - no tumor and clear nodes according to MRI - and am also having a lumpectomy and SNB on Nov 14. my surgeon is hopeful for clear margins (I told him that if he didn't think there was a good chance, then I wanted a MX, but he said he thinks a lumpectomy should be OK). I am only at hosp for less than 24 hours - check in 3pm for 5pm surgery, and check out at 12 pm next day. I would have felt a bit happier with a bit longer stay - but am glad i'm not there for as long as you. Just relax and enjoy having people there looking after you!
-
I have a question for Latte and Majdula ..What are they taking out if there is no lump? Is that a silly question?..Are they removing the tissue that was the lump? just wondering!
Majdula ...How many nodes are they taking out? or are they going for the whole sack under the arm?
-
Hi - Just checking in to see how everyone is doing. I finally updated my pic tonight showing my small amount of hair growth. At least it is some! My rad burns are finally getting better, I am hoping that by the end of the weekend we are healed.
Leanna - I hope you are feeling better
Day - My thoughts are with your friend! I hope he gets better quick.
Majdula - and Latte - I think I have the same questions as Denise. I am glad the chemo worked so well but why surgery now?
Paxton - It is best to take it easy as much as you can now to let your body heal. Gage will appreciate it when you are with him for many more years to come!
Have a good night!
-
Laura.. Your hair looks great!
-
Hey girls,
to those who ask about my surgery - they put in a wire clip into the tumour right after the second chemo, because there was a chance of complete recovery right from the start. So they're basically taking out only a small amout of tissue around the wire and some sentinel nodes, I genuinely hope that won't be the entire underarm sack. I'll ask my onc for more details next week. Lumpectomy should really be OK, I guess the surgeon just wanted to make sure I understood the risk of possible re-excision (and he wanted to look clever too, he's youngish, into his mid-thirties, just like me, and he looked like he wanted to impress me... at first I thought that was a little annoying, but then I was flattered that after all these chemos and in spite of that I have to make up more heavily to add some features to my face he thought I was attractive ;-) ).
Latte, you're right, I'll just relax, at least I'll be sure there are no complications! Good luck with your surgery, I'll be thinking of you on Sunday!
Laura - great hair!!!
Hugs
-
Hey May Ladies, Sorry I have been away so long. I have been reading your posts from my phone, but have not had been at the computer. I guess it was a big adjustment to come back from Paris to real life. Ha. We have been at my Sweeties house a lot. He had it painted while we were gone, and everything needed to be put back into place. The painting is for putting it on the market in the spring, when he will move to my house. So I have also been getting things in order here. It feel like part of the healing process. I still have not started rads yet. I had my mapping, and I start on Monday. I am so behind all of you now. Boo Hoo. Anyway, they finally did my Thyroid Untra Sound and they are saying there is something "irregular" there. So they are deciding if they should do another scan, or a biopsy. I am trying not to freak out. I expect it to look "irregular" since I only have a small portion left from a surgery 30 years ago. But they are consulting my surgeon today, and will call me with the plan. I have missed you all so much and reading your posts makes me homesick for all of you. My hair is sprouting, but not nearly so much as some of you. It is so white that it does not show up near the front of the crown. Still I love it, and prefer it to the wig. It is beginning to feel natural, and this week I walked without a head cover. It felt great! I will try to take a new pic soon. Hugs to each of you. Patricia
-
i was about to answer sacphoto and laura, but Magda said exactly what I was going to say. And don't forget that MRIs only detect cancer above a certain size (I think 0.5cm but I'm not sure), so they still need to take out the tissue around the clip and check the pathology to see that there isn't something small left there. In terms of nodes - i am just having a SNB, if it is clear then nothing else, otherwise they will need to remove more nodes.
-
Latte - did your onc order an ultrasound? Basically if the tumour isn't smaller than 0.1 mm it should show it, so if there's nothing on ultrasound, there is a good chance that it disappeared completely. There was a small spot on my mammogram and nothing on ultrasound so they think it might be necrotic tissue. Will you do rads? My radiology doc that it might depend on the outcome of the surgery - if all comes out clear I might avoid it...
Patricia Great to hear you're moving on - both mentally and physically :-). I'll keep you in my prayers so that the irregularity on your thyroid is just something banal!
-
thanks for clearing up my questions...that makes total sense...now let hope no lymph-nodes are bad...
Welcome back Patricia..your plans with your Sweetie are great...It will be nice when you don't have to go on the road spend time together...
The hair on my head is starting to look darker.especially on the front where it came in very white/grey..It actually gets mess now..I guess I should up date my pic too..
On to rads #16...still OK with the skin...but have been having a dull ache Doc says its the chest wall..and to take Motrin.
Have a great day everyone!
-
Good Morning All Drat! I just lost a long post. Will I never learn? Anyway, I did not hear from the doctor yet about the plans for my thyroid. Thanks for your prayers Magda. I know what you mean about drawing on your features. What I would give for some brows and lashes! Ha. Denise,I am glad to hear some of your hair is getting darker. Mine is so white that it is almost invisible. I like white hair but it is sort of drastic. I hope your chest wall pain is not too bad. My rads will focus a lot on the mastectomy scar and the clavicle nodes, since I had 10 or 12 nodes positive. The nodes in the clavicle are the first point of migration from the underarm nodes. We all learn new things everyday. Latte I am thinking of you and praying for a very successful and easy surgery for you. Paxton, I hope your BF is able to be home soon and help you with Gage. It is great that you have been able to go to the Y. Try to get some time for yourself whenever you can. We all need time to heal. Day I am amazed by your hair growth! I hope you friend is recovering, and don't forget to get rest for yourself. I am thinking of you all. Have a good day and take any time you can for healing! Patricia
-
hi magda,
yes, i had an US and that was clear too. but i will still be having rads, because I am stage IIIc - locally advanced BC - it is/was also in my nodes up by my collarbone. So i want to throw everything i can at the cancer to know ihave done everything I can to get rid of it.
-
Patricia - My RADs focused on my Clavicle, lumpectomy area, total breast and under my arm. I really didn't get sore until I was done with all of them. Good luck to you.
Latte and Magda - I understand now.. makes sense that they would want to take out the tissue around the clip and test it.
When I had my SN's out, they lab tests came back negative for both but they found was some bad cells in 2 places outside the lymphatic channel, ended up going back in and taking out the rest of my nodes and they found cancer in 3 of my nodes. Make sure the surgeon has the pathologist check the fatty tissue around the lymph nodes. If mine hadn't I would still have two small tumors and my who knows how many cancerous lymph nodes by now still in my body.
-
I've fallen into a bit of depression lately. Gage has been sick the past few days and it was like he was possessed by the devil today. I could barely manage, but I did maintain until he was able to go with bf to grandma's house after supper. I did a kickboxing dvd and took a long, hot shower. When he came back it was bedtime (thank God).
I received Montel William's Healthmaster emulsifer today. Maybe tomorrow I'll head to the store and try it out. It looks like a blender on steroids. I also ordered some books from amazon that should be coming soon. One on green drinks and a few on parenting toddlers-lol.
I've been reading up on recon. I didn't have it done at the time of my mast. Not too eager to go through more surgery, but won't be any time soon now so I'm not thinking too much about it; just researching a bit.
TMI: had great sex last night for the first time since mast and chemo. Guess there's hope for anything.
-
Paxton...Woo! hoo! on the whoopy!
Any one getting the rads on the back also I just found out today that I am getting through the back too..kinda disturbs me ...but what you gonna do?
-
Good morning ladies!
Patricia How long ago have you had your last chemo? Mine was more than 5 week ago and I still have only a little fuzz, next to no eyelashes and no eyebrows. Bugs me sometimes, because it has me running late often - I used to go out without make up in some cases, now I have to put on full warpaint and I should be out of my house by the time I remember... Ah well, at least I still don't have to shave my legs and armpits
.Latte So we're on the same boat - will be thinking of you tomorrow, let us know how it went!
Laura I suppose you had your surgery before chemo, so I hope any tissue they will take out from me will come out clear... Chemo has almost killed me, so I'm pretty sure it killed any bad cells in there! Did your sores heal already? I hope they did!
Paxton Ha, we're getting hot in here
. Good for you girl! My libido is below the freezing point at the moment, but I'm happy with that as long as getting rid of my hormones helps me get rid of BC .Denise No idea through where rads should be done... They're probably trying to hit a spot they would be unable to through the front.
Oh and a question to all of you - did anyone have bone marrow biopsy? They want to do one during my surgery to find our there are no stray cells in there - they call it MRD (Minimum Residual Disease). I'm puzzled about what a possible positive outcome would mean...
Big hug!
-
Majdula,
My hair was pretty much a fuzz until around 6 weeks after last tx, and then it just went like crazy. It is true that my eyebrows and eyelashes never quit completely, they were still there but very spare.
Marrow biopsy? That sounds like overkill. Did they do any PET/CT scan that looked suspicious?
Here's for you a little history of my hair to encourage you. I stopped shaving my head after the 3rd tx. Last tx was July 27.
July 23rd:
September 1
September 16
October 02
October 23
And November 02
-
Good Morning Ladies. It is beautiful weather here in central Kentucky. I love fall! My one year old granddaughter Nadia Simone is going to spend the afternoon with me while her parents start to get ready for her sibling who will arrive in late April. Wow! Then I will be a Mimi of two! Magda, I had my last treatment on Sept 30th. My hair looks about like Day's Sept 16th pic, so I guess it is pretty much on target.Thanks Day, for providing these. I want more in the front crown area, but I am so tired of wraps and wigs that I am enjoying it exactly as it is. Paxton, yeah for the good sex. My libido is coming back too, although somewhat affected by the antidepressant I am taking. I think I need it though, and I am sorry I did not start it sooner. Although I have been very positive throughout my treatment, I was very tearful and fearful. Now I feel I am much more realistic. Yesterday the doctor called with the plan for my thyroid.I only have a small portion from a previous surgery. I am seeing an endocrinologist on the 22nd. The good news is that is is probably a goiter, and not cancer. Still, I may need surgery to remove it as the mass is 2.5 centimeters. I am sick of medical procedures, but what are you going to do? Denise, I am not having radiation from the back side, but I know each plan is different. Since I have Mastectomy on the left side, one issue is missing the heart, and still part (1-4%) will be hit. I guess this is routine, but kind of scary. My scar is to most likely spot for reoccurrence. Hugs to everyone. Patricia
-
Wow Day - thanks so much for the photos - it's good to see the progression (my last tx was oct 19, so I still have a way to go before mine will look like yours, but it's good to have hope and something to aim for) :-)
-
Day Thank you so much for the photos - just like Patricia it seems I'm pretty much on schedule :-). They didn't do any PET/CTs with me, and my tumour markers have normal vylues, but they told me bone marrow biopsy was for a clinical trial and for possible follow up in the future... I only wanted to know if this was common. OK... So far this is the only info about my treatment that I have not told my nearest to not to scare them, I'll just hope for the best and keep mum :-).
Patricia They might help you get rid of the goiter by hormonal therapy - at least I hope so, only avoided surgery is good surgery!
It's unnaturally warm for November here - more like April/May - but it won't last. I'm looking forward to going out tomorrow to enjoy some last warmth before the winter!
Best
Magda
-
Patricia, I had a pretty significant goiter with my hyper-thyroid (Graves Disease) and it all went away in 6 months with a combination of anti-thyroid medication and herbal therapy. I was not a good candidate for surgery as my thyroid has grown around my vocal box and there was a very significant risk that I would lose my voice if they'd have tried surgery.
So yes, it can be done, hang in there!
-
Hey Ladies! I just wanted to pop in and say that my mastectomy went very well. I was in Wednesday and was out by 10:30 am Thursday morning. The tumor was still 7x8 cm (boo) but the surgeon said that it had definitely changed from when I started chemo. The problem was that I had an ultrasound at the beginning of all this and a MRI at the end, so it was a bit like comparing apples to oranges, but I assume they know what they are doing, and that is why we do radiation after! I have pretty good ROM with my right arm, but it feels very weird when I can feel things shift inside. The annoying part is that the back of my arm is completely numb down to my elbow. Does anyone know how long this takes to go away?? My bs said that the best way to have full range of motion is to get back to doing everything I was before, and add exercise! I hit the treadmill yesterday (pretty good if I do say so myself
for 30 minutes, but I knew that that was my limit. I just can't believe how good I feel compared to how rotten I felt with chemo. I have hair already for some reason although I didn't finish chemo until Oct. 15th (like Day's Oct. 2nd photo) but I can't wait for my eyelashes to come back to normal. I still have quite a few on the top (I never quit wearing mascara) but zilch on the bottom.Patricia - how long after surgery did you wait to resume yoga? I really want to get back in shape, and I loved that yoga made me feel energized instead of drained!
Paxton - Way to go girl! Good whoopy will help knock the depression out!
Magda - I hear you about wanting to be able to go without the war paint! Although, the way I figure it, I'm still ahead in the time I save from not having to do my hair!
HUGS
-
Jenn,
For ROM make sure you make your stretching exercises. They should have given you a pamphlet with the exercises. Did you get any lymph nodes removed? When aer they giving you the path report?
Great news about the mastectomy, and good to know you are feeling good!
-
Aloha Ladies -- we leave for Maui at 5am tomorrow. CAN NOT WAIT. I plan on doing a whole lot of nothing while looking at the waves.
Patricia, it makes my heart sink every time one of us has an "irregular, abnormal, or suspicious" finding on a scan or test. That is the thing that we all will live with for the rest of our lives. Waiting for the other shoe to drop. I hope your thyroid turns out to be OK.
People keep asking me if I am done and if the cancer is gone. I tell them that I have 5 years of hormone supression and at least one more surgery to do, but yes I am done with the "treatment" phase. The awful thing is that they can't do a scan or a test and tell us that we are clean. We are never told that we are "cancer free". The best we get is NED (no evidence of disease) and I haven't even gotten that. UGH.
Madjula, I would find out more about the bone marrow biopsy. Don't they have to take a giant needle to get into your bone to get the marrow? Isn't there some kind of drilling involved? I just remember what I have heard is done when people donate bone marrow for transplant and it is no walk in the park.
Paxton -- good for you GF. I have to wonder if my sex drive (minimal as it was) will ever come back. Especially now that the Tamoxifen is hammering the estrogen. I was hoping to get out to Victoria's Secret to buy some kind of decent lingerie for our trip to Maui, but that didn't happen. I guess the cotton night shirt will have to do the trick. My OB/GYN told me "at least you don't have to use birth control anymore". My husband says she better be damn well sure about that!
Anyway. I am off to sleep then off to enjoy this well earned trip with my DH. First time without kids. AHHH.
Jen
-
Good Morning May Ladies, Pacjen Have a wonderful trip, and remember there are Victoria's Secret in Hawaii, so maybe you and DH can take a shopping trip. It is so great you are getting away. Thanks for your concern about my thyroid. Yes, we all have a little PTSD about test results. It cannot be helped. Once you have cancer, you are no longer innocent, always expecting the best. LibraryJen Congratulations on completing surgery. Yes, the numbness is very annoying. I did the range of motion exercises they gave me at the hospital for about two weeks, then I began to add non weight bearing yoga like cat/cow, childs pose, corpse(while I listened to my relaxation cds). I was just careful to stretch that part of my body(arm, ribs, etc) gradually and waited about 6 weeks to put much body weight on that hand. I did more passive and assisted poses, but the stretches immediately begin to help with the range of motion and the numbness. I sill have some numbness in the arm pit, where 12 nodes were removed. It itches a lot and massaging and stretching help tremendously. Just ease into it gradually. I allowed my body to tell me how much stretch to do and I just always made sure I allowed for a gradual stretch. Everyday I could tell a difference. Great that you got on the treadmill. Walking is the best compliment to yoga. My oncologist said, every day walk 30 minutes. Magda and Day thanks for reminding me that surgery may not be required. I agree about avoiding surgery whenever possible.Magda Glad you are having warm weather too. Latte the hair will come, but of course all of us want it sooner. I want my lashes and brows most! I hope everyone has a wonderful day. We are wise and beautiful women, and we can enjoy life to a fuller extent then every before. Patricia
-
Hey ladies,
Jenn - good to hear you're getting better so soon after surgery. It makes me hope that I will too, given that I have a lighter version :-). I was most concerned about my arm ROM, as my "bad breast" is on the right side and I'm certainly not a leftie.
Packjen - YAY for Hawaii, enjoy yourself! I'm not sure tamoxifen replaces birth control though - you'd better be careful there ;-). I'll ask my onc next week if the biopsy is really necessary. Basically it should be from the breast bone and a smaller sample than with marrow donation, but I'm still reluctant. My Mum had it about fifteen years ago (negative, thank heaven), but I know she said it was very unpleasant.
Patricia - you're right about listening to one's body as to excercise. I'm looking forward to some more moving around, for now I just try to walk as much as possible.
-
I HAVE EYELASHES! DARK LITTLE EYELASHES! I'm so excited you can actually see them now. and suddenly I have eyebrows too! Whoopee!
-
YEAH DENISE !!! When was your last treatment? I can't wait. In addition to having no eyelashes or brows, I recently got a stye on my eyelash area. Not sure if it was connected to no lashes, but they are caused by bacteria, so I think the lashes were not there to protect the follicle. Yeah for the eyebrows too. Today is my first practice radiation. I hope I start with the real thing tomorrow. I am tired of waiting. I will still be in radiation for Christmas. I am still planning my trip to Vietnam, Cambodia, etc with my sister and I do not want to be burned for that, but I may be, as it starts Jan 11. Anyway. Good Morning all, Hope it is a good day for everyone.
Categories
- All Categories
- 679 Advocacy and Fund-Raising
- 289 Advocacy
- 68 I've Donated to Breastcancer.org in honor of....
- Test
- 322 Walks, Runs and Fundraising Events for Breastcancer.org
- 5.6K Community Connections
- 282 Middle Age 40-60(ish) Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 53 Australians and New Zealanders Affected by Breast Cancer
- 208 Black Women or Men With Breast Cancer
- 684 Canadians Affected by Breast Cancer
- 1.5K Caring for Someone with Breast cancer
- 455 Caring for Someone with Stage IV or Mets
- 260 High Risk of Recurrence or Second Breast Cancer
- 22 International, Non-English Speakers With Breast Cancer
- 16 Latinas/Hispanics With Breast Cancer
- 189 LGBTQA+ With Breast Cancer
- 152 May Their Memory Live On
- 85 Member Matchup & Virtual Support Meetups
- 375 Members by Location
- 291 Older Than 60 Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 177 Singles With Breast Cancer
- 869 Young With Breast Cancer
- 50.4K Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis
- 204 Breast Cancer with Another Diagnosis or Comorbidity
- 4K DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ)
- 79 DCIS plus HER2-positive Microinvasion
- 529 Genetic Testing
- 2.2K HER2+ (Positive) Breast Cancer
- 1.5K IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer)
- 3.4K IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)
- 1.5K ILC (Invasive Lobular Carcinoma)
- 999 Just Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastasis
- 652 LCIS (Lobular Carcinoma In Situ)
- 193 Less Common Types of Breast Cancer
- 252 Male Breast Cancer
- 86 Mixed Type Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned
- 189 Palliative Therapy/Hospice Care
- 488 Second or Third Breast Cancer
- 1.2K Stage I Breast Cancer
- 313 Stage II Breast Cancer
- 3.8K Stage III Breast Cancer
- 2.5K Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
- 13.1K Day-to-Day Matters
- 132 All things COVID-19 or coronavirus
- 87 BCO Free-Cycle: Give or Trade Items Related to Breast Cancer
- 5.9K Clinical Trials, Research News, Podcasts, and Study Results
- 86 Coping with Holidays, Special Days and Anniversaries
- 828 Employment, Insurance, and Other Financial Issues
- 101 Family and Family Planning Matters
- Family Issues for Those Who Have Breast Cancer
- 26 Furry friends
- 1.8K Humor and Games
- 1.6K Mental Health: Because Cancer Doesn't Just Affect Your Breasts
- 706 Recipe Swap for Healthy Living
- 704 Recommend Your Resources
- 171 Sex & Relationship Matters
- 9 The Political Corner
- 874 Working on Your Fitness
- 4.5K Moving On & Finding Inspiration After Breast Cancer
- 394 Bonded by Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Life After Breast Cancer
- 806 Prayers and Spiritual Support
- 285 Who or What Inspires You?
- 28.7K Not Diagnosed But Concerned
- 1K Benign Breast Conditions
- 2.3K High Risk for Breast Cancer
- 18K Not Diagnosed But Worried
- 7.4K Waiting for Test Results
- 603 Site News and Announcements
- 560 Comments, Suggestions, Feature Requests
- 39 Mod Announcements, Breastcancer.org News, Blog Entries, Podcasts
- 4 Survey, Interview and Participant Requests: Need your Help!
- 61.9K Tests, Treatments & Side Effects
- 586 Alternative Medicine
- 255 Bone Health and Bone Loss
- 11.4K Breast Reconstruction
- 7.9K Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 2.7K Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment
- 775 Diagnosed and Waiting for Test Results
- 7.8K Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 50 Immunotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 7.4K Just Diagnosed
- 1.4K Living Without Reconstruction After a Mastectomy
- 5.2K Lymphedema
- 3.6K Managing Side Effects of Breast Cancer and Its Treatment
- 591 Pain
- 3.9K Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 8.4K Surgery - Before, During, and After
- 109 Welcome to Breastcancer.org
- 98 Acknowledging and honoring our Community
- 11 Info & Resources for New Patients & Members From the Team