August 2010...anyone starting chemo besides me?!
Comments
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Good day, girls-
Ckptry: that really is a shame about the ST basically castigating you for not doing more. I hate to sound silly but is your son afraid of the toilet...like maybe he saw a spider or something in it? When my brother was young, he dropped some toy in the toilet (I forget) and he BROKE the toilet trying to get it out...of course the septic system had already claimed it! He was so upset I think my mom had some trouble with him because he now saw the toilet as the evil hole that absconded his toy! I just thought I would offer that anecdote to perhaps get you thinking about something else that might be going on with him. I feel for you, though. I said it a number of times and I will say it again: those of you who are raising children and going through this are the true super heroes and you have it all over someone like me. My heart breaks for all you moms have to deal with in addition to your bc. Just know someone out here thinks the world of you
On the tamox, what do I know about oncology but I do think that maybe herceptin and tamox is too much at once? Perhaps after herceptin you will have a good go of it. Don't feel awkward about crying with a stranger...you, of all people having worked at MSK, know full well how, at any moment, you might find yourself crying with those previously unknown over the enormity of the situation at hand. We are only dotted lines to each other and if we don't help each other, who will? I suddenly starting bawling with a male nurse just before I was getting my port put in...out of no where, whining like a lunatic! That would be the last day I got my period, however! I was really whining up a storm, though....I felt so bad for that guy and he was so good to me. One thing I can say about the nurses at Yale is they are wonderful. I had some great nurses there. Just think of how much someone thinks of how you supported them in a time of need at MSK. Don't worry about a thing
Also, on the tamox, JSW is not even on tamox with herceptin and she is having flashes. I just think the 2 together are a lot.
JSW: rockin' the herceptin!
Lady: where is that path report?!
Lisa: on the weight and working out, if a 5'6", 42 y/o woman weighing 145 who wants to maintain her weight would have to eat almost 1900 calories a day! It does not make any sense. Yet, if you reduce caloric intake AND workout the results are negligible. Who is eating 2000 calories a day anyway? They must be eating at McRat 2xs per day! I was listening to this really nice looking guy once in LA talk about diet and exercise etc... and you could notbelieve the amount of food he ate every day when training just to maintain and build. In any case, it was all clean like grilled eggplant and 2 grilled turkey burgers (no buns, cheese, bbq sauce etc..) or a grilled chicken breast, lettuce, cucumbers and craisins (no dressing) and the like. I know that from training. The food industry has us convinced we are supposed to eat for taste but to achieve true nutrition, that could not be further from the truth. We should eat for nutrition 6 days and eat for taste 1 day! That is LL Cool J says!
Does anyone else spend a lot of time on the phone making appointments, getting test results, talking to insurance companies etc...? wow...!
Have not heard from the gyn on the pap yet...today is 2 weeks....
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Lizzy: I'd like to know where the heck the report is too!!! I called again today and was given the nurse's voicemail. I haven't heard back. The message I left told her that I had a deadline today of cancelling my implant surgery with my PS and I needed to know something. Screw it. I'm getting my implants next week whether the report is good or bad. Another week won't matter in the long run. If they give me any BS about it, I will remind them that they have screwed around for a week too so it must not matter that much!
Omaz: I'm jealous!! I'm about the same weeks as you (last chemo Dec 6, I think that makes me at 17 or 18 weeks?) and my hair looks more like Rachel's. Not that Rachel's is bad, in fact, I think it's longer than mine too! Oh well, at least it finally came in all over. I think God is STILL trying to teach me patience - wait on test results, wait on hair to grow, wait, wait, wait, wait!!!
Bizarro side effect of the day: I felt something stick me in the foot inside my sock and when I took off the sock, the toenail of my big toe fell out. The whole nail had fallen off in one big piece! So now I'm missing one fingernail and one toenail.
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lady call when the office opens - or have dh call for you (hate to say it but sometimes that lights a fire under them) and say that you guys have been very patient but this unexplained wait is adding stress and possibly delaying your surgery and say that he needs to speak to someone now. Sorry you have to deal with this.
Carolyn
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Good Morning Everyone!
Omaz: Wow on the hair!! I thought I had a good head of hair going, you put me to shame!! I would post a pic but I cannot figure out how to, if anyone can tell me I would appreciate it.
Texas: Glad to hear from you!!! Those kids are adorable! How's the studying going? Did you meet with the admissions counselor?
Ckptry: To h#ll with the ST. She has some nerve deriding you for not doing enough with your son. She is way out of line. As moms, our first instinct is to take care of everyone else but right now after all you have been through, and are still going through, you have to take care of yourself or you will not be able to take care of anyone else. So, forget the ST's opinion. You do what you can, that is more than enough! From everything that I have read on this board you are a wonderful, caring, and very attentive mom! And you have dealt with everything that cancer has thrown at you along with your children's difficulties with grace and strength! You are a SUPERMOM! As for the crying, I never cry, and have found myself weepy for no reason at all on several occasions. From what I have been told this is not unusual and is more or less a reaction to the stress that the situation has put upon us. I have actually been told that it is healthy to "cry it out". That being said, I would listen to your onco and try going off the Tamox for a while and see how you feel. She is right, quality of life must be considered, and there are other options to Tamox if you really want a medication. I believe they can remove your ovaries and put you on one of the postmenopausal medications (Arimidex or Aromasin). Or you can go a more natural route like Calam and achieve the same goal.
Calam: Stay strong with your onco. You seem to have found a way of achieving the effects of Tamox in a way that you are comfortable with, so stand your ground. Just remember, you are in charge of your health. They can give advice, listen to it, but you are in charge of all the decision making.
Lizzy: It is snowing!!!! ARRRGGHHH!! Sorry you had to run into the incredibly insensitive people, but I can only imagine the look on their faces when you promptly put them back in their place! I am laughing just thinking about the scene! As for the weight, I have read that it becomes more difficult to lose weight after menopause because of natural changes in your metabolism. Since you have not had your period in a while, I think it would be safe to say you are biologically in some form of menopause, albeit maybe temporary, so perhaps that is why you don't seem to be losing weight. However, I would imagine that part of the problem is that you are already at a healthy weight, so there is not much to lose. The more you weigh, the easier it is to lose!
I know a lot of you guys have been struggling with weight gain, but I wanted to share my story with you anyway, only because you guys have been so encouraging of my newfound dedication to exercise (especially you Lizzy!) Please understand that I am not trying to be insensitive, just proud. Other than my kids nobody knows that I have been going to the gym regularly and exercising with a vengeance, but you guys. Anyway, I started this BC adventure out at 210 lb and 5'7" (yup, a little overweight). I am now still 5'7" (didn't shrink, LOL) but at my doctor's appointment today I weighed 179 lb. I lost 7 lb in the last two months, all because of the exercise. I know it is not a lot, but since I didn't make any dietary changes I am happy with that. And my clothes are practically hanging off me, so even though it is not a lot of pounds lost, visibly it has made a big difference. And I have been having a lot of fun too. Makes me feel good about myself when I leave the gym. And soon, Lizzy, I am going to get a couple of sessions with a trainer and venture over to the free weight area of the gym!
Anyway, I hope everyone has a great day. And Lady, I hope you get your good results today....waiting sucks!!
Debbi
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Oh and Lady, I finally lost my big toenail on my right foot the day before yesterday. Good thing though,it was all black and purple..disgusting looking!
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Debbi....congrats on your weight loss...gives me hope
Hair....when I compare mine to others...it seems shorter and more sparse. I haven't tried anything to help it grow but may start....I just wish it was more full...short I can handle, sparse is kinda ugly
Lady....can't believe you havent heard...crazy...keep on them. No offense taken on the hair! I actually finished chemo right at end of Nov so am about one week in front of you. My hair took a while to get started...didn't really start growing till around Christmas. Go figure. -
Debbi: Fantastic on the weight loss. 2 years ago I was around 220, I'm 5'8". I started eating healthy, not a weird diet or anything, just healthy, whole foods, and I joined the gym. It took me 2 years, but I got down to my goal weight of 155. Just when I was looking hot and feeling good, I remarried a man who loves to cook and eat! I had gained about 15 pounds when cancer came a callin' and I've gained about 15 more from lack of exercise and eating wrong. Sigh ... I'm now feeling well enough to get back to exercising, at least walking, and I feel so much better. About 5 pounds is all I've lost, but I haven't been able to really tackle the exercise like I want with all my new surgeries, but I'll get there. You ladies have a good day, I'm going for my morning walk. When I get home, it's back to the phone to try to get some info from the freaking doctor!
Hair: this morning when I washed my face, I had a little bitty piece of "bangs" on my forehead. I almost have a Judi Dench look going
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Today is my last radiation treatment! 36 done, 1 to go!!!!! I am excited about this! When I awoke today and remembered that this was the day I felt my spirits lift!
Lady I am thinking about you today, your wait is just not fair.
Texas your kids are so cute and your hair looks great! I went hatless this last week and no one fainted.
All of you who are exercising are an inspiration, I shall try walking a bit further soon. This danged neuropathy makes things more difficult, my gait is a bit wide and feels so strange to me.Iwalked around the Seattle Aquarium yesterday with son and his family but I mostly walked from bench to bench. The fatigue from chemo has me landlocked.
Have good day all, do something that lifts your spirits too!
Hugs Barb
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Congrats on the last rad, Barb!!!!!
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Debbi - That is GREAT about the weight loss, good on yah mate!!!
Ginger - CONGRATS on finishing rads!!! WOW, you did it!! Ginger, I didn't know your name is Barb. I always think of you as Ginger!
Lady - Hoping your path is good!
Hair - I did those elastogel caps as best I could, we had two of them, so I lost a lot of hair, about 80% but it came back a little quicker than normal and I was able to blend the new hair with the old hair that was left. All of a sudden you may notice that your hair seems thicker. It just seems to happen.
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omaz your hair does look great! just wanted to share that when I was in for my last herceptin I read an article by a dermatologist at MSK saying he recommends Biotin (vit B7) 2.5 mg daily to help nail/hair growth post chemo. My onc gave it the okay and so I'm going to give it a go.
Carolyn
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Good day, girls-
Ginger: congrats on the end of rads! I am sure you are going to be feeling much better as you move further and further away from the last tx. Good for you.
Sptmm: snow..ugh! As for weight loss, I don't have a problem losing....bottom line is if you don't eat anything that tastes good and you workout crazy, no matter what your age/state of menopause/state of mind etc... you will lose weight. If you find yourself eating things that taste good, guess what? That weight will not come off! What gets me is when I look at this calculator: http://nutrition.about.com/library/bl_nutrition_guide.htm and put in your height, weight etc... it gives you a reading on how many calories you should take in to "maintain" your current weight. The numbers are high! In any case, good for you on your gym commitment and your weight loss. You just feel better.
Fat cells are estrogen factories! I was talking to my gyn about this and when you lose weight, numerically the number of fat cells you have does not go down. She said that although that is true, the smaller they get the less estrogen they can make. Interesting point...motivating point...our fat cells are now trying to kill us...great! Can someone get me some kale and swiss chard?!?!?
Warning on tamox bottle: this morning when I was calling CVS to refill my tamox I happened to be reading the warnings on the label. One of them says "herbal products may interact with this drug. Discuss with DR or RPH." I thought I would pass that on. I know many of you take supplements etc... and perhaps finding out what herbs might interact with tamox negatively would be worthwhile.
Lady: I hope after your walk you got some news about your path report. Please let us know. BTW, husband that cooks or not (I know how you feel....my last fiance cooked very well...not good!) you will get the weight off as soon you get a reprieve from this madness. For you more than anyone, this has been a seemingly non-stop event. Give yourself a little break and keep walking! It is good for the soul.
Sptmm: one more thing: no pressure but I would like to see you on the cover of "Shape" so get crackin' woman! OFF TO THE FREEWEIGHTS AREA you shall go!
Zumba: that is all I can say! Actually, if you go to Amazon and buy the box set that comes with the "maracas!" and you will also get 5 discs: a 55 minute cardio, a 55 minute tone, a 20 minute basic, a lengthy instructional so you can learn all the moves and a live cardio session that was filmed in a zumba studio. Fun stuff. If you simply do an hour of Zumba and 45 minutes on the treadmill, good health is your's.
Enjoy your day, people-
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carolyn - I"m going to send you a PM --
I'm glad your onc is better than mine. Did she tell you to get your ovaries out? I still haven't gone back to mine....now that I'm doing so much better though, I will. I feel like I wish I could find a new doctor - but not sure where to turn! As for your son, my son just turned 7 and his thumb is in his mouth constantly - CONSTANTLY. I am taking him to the dentist in a couple of weeks - I don't even want to know what they will say. Sometimes I think we underestimate the effects our illnesses have on our kids.......hang in there - it will get better!
It may take more than 2 weeks for the tamox to leave your system. My naturopath has been taking me off of one natural mood elevator at a time. Tamox left me a shambles mentally. It takes 2-6 weeks according to what I read for it to entirely leave the body. -
gals --
I wanted to hop on and share a fast and REALLY good recipe that I discovered! This is SO easy - my kids devoured two loaves since last night. It's bread made with a can of beer, flour, sugar and butter and that's IT, no raising time at ALL!
Here it is:
3 cups self rising flour (it's easy to make self rising flour using baking powder -just add 1 1/2t baking powder and 1/2 t salt PER CUP)
12 oz can of any beer
1/2 cup sugar (I reduced this- used 1/4 cup honey)
1/4 cup butter ( I'm going to try olive oil instead.)
Mix all together until there's no lumps - don't overstir- bake at 350 until it's done, in a loaf pan. I did it in a round casserole dish.
It tastes like a real yeast bread and not a "quick" bread!
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I am home, I finished rads!
Onto Arimidex.
Ginger
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Ginger - you did it!!!
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Ginger brew keep me posted on the arimidex as that will be my cocktail as soon as I finish rads. Only 10 done. Just trying to stay sane until spring break. Libraylil
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Ginger -- Congrats on finishing rads! Keep me posted also on your AI as I will probably be switching from Tam to that later this year.
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OK, good news, bad news. Good news: I'm BRCA negative. Bad news, my ovarian cancer has been put at Stage 3. They found "cells" in the omentum. None anywhere else, but it's still stage 3. I'm looking at more chemo at the least. I can go ahead with my recon surgery next Wednesday, the onc said I'd be healed by time for us to move on with more treatment. I see him on Mon, April 4, and will know more then. I'm bummed, to say the least. Rather than spread my cheer, I'll sign off for the night. Maybe tomorrow I'll have come to grips with all this a little better. Thanks for the prayers and support. Love you ladies.
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Lady--I am sorry to read this. Please know that we are here to listen and help as you need. Sending you hugs and strength, Rachel xoxo
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Lady Bama, I am sorry you didn't get the news we all had hoped for. We are all here for you.
GInger
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Oh, Lady, I'm so sorry. You are strong and resiliant and I know you will get through this, but that just plain sucks! Sending you love and good thoughts tonight.
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We are here for you Lady. ((((Gentle Hug))))
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Lady - Sending healing thoughts your way.
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I am now getting email alerts but they are in a weird style and I have to scroll horizontally to read them in my email. Anyone know how to fix or who to complain to?
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Lady: I am so sorry. Positive thoughts and prayers heading your way.
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Lady, I know this is not what you were hoping to hear. We are here for you. Love, lib ray lil
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Lady - I wanted to let you know you are in my thoughts and prayers. It certainly does suck, especially after going through everything you have already been through. I will be sending positive thoughts and prayers your way!
Texas - CUTE kids! How can you stand them? They are adorable!
All - great hair pictures. I would love to know how to post in the thread as well.
Michelle
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Here are the site instructions for posting images:
How do I add an image to my message?
To add an image to a Topic or a Post, click the image icon
in the Post/Topic toolbar. A popup will appear where you can enter the image's URL (see note below), description, and dimensions. Click "Insert" to add the image.
Note: The image you wish to insert must be saved online somewhere, such as http://www.photobucket.com/ or http://www.flickr.com/. Each of these sites explains how to share your images. You should select the HTML code option for the image you want, and paste it into the "Image URL" box. -
Lady: So sorry you didn't get the results we all hoped for. I will keep you in my prayers, but Lisa said it, you are very strong and will get through this just like you got through the past year. We are all here for you anytime!! {{{{{HUGS}}}}}
Thanks Omaz, I will try to post pic tomo.
Debbi
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