Chemo starting in December 2010

hdangelbaby

my doc said it's my choice, but suggested leaving it in for at least a year, with all the bloodwork and stuff that is done the first year. mine doesn't bother me though. i don't even know it's there until i touch it. so i'm leaving mine in and will have it flushed every 6 weeks.

congrats on finishing chemo all!!!! yay!!!

hopefortomorrow

Today I saw my Oncologist and then had my last chemo treatment. I should feel good about it. Monday I have to go for an ultrasound in my right breast where the lumpectomy was done. She feels something there. I felt it too...but I have had a hard time deciphering anything different from scar tissue. I imagine that is what it is. I just was a little alarmed by her absoluteness, and perhaps by remembering the first time the doctor felt something- and honestly I couldn't feel that either. I didn't have a lump- it was more like a growth. I guess this is kind of what Lisa went through with the spot on her spleen and endocrine gland. Has anyone heard of anyone growing another mass during chemo?

LisaMomOfFour

Hope -- sorry to hear you have to go through this stress!  It's likely nothing, but just having to worry about it doesn't seem fair on a day when you should be celebrating your last chemo treatment.  (Hugs!) 

Congrats on finishing chemo!  Excellent!  

sammolisa

Lawleigh - grats on finishing chemo!

Hope - you too! 

I know for me it was very mixed feelings when I finished - I felt like I should be celebrating - but I felt like such crap that I just couldn't.  Praying that they are only feeling scar tissue Hope.    I totally understand what you are feeling right now.   Hugs sweetie.  I wish we were closer! 

Anybody else getting weird food smells this late in the game?

karebear76

 I got home from the hospital today. I ended up staying an extra day and i am glad I did. I feel better today than I did yesterday. We got my pain under control so that was good. So things are going well. My mom is here until tomorrow and then my aunt is coming on Monday.

ami

Hello everyone,

 Haven't been on for a long time, but for what it's worth.... I finished chemo end of Feb (Taxotere/Cytoxan) and was ready to start rads - got all the way through tatoos and simluation, and then the rad onc said, "I need a recent mammogram."  It showed new microcalcifications which she wanted removed.... after alreayd doing two lumpectomies and lymph node removal before chemo, so I decided to be done with it.  Unilateral mx in a week with one-step reconstruction.  Probably no rads.

In the meantime, about 5-6 weeks after chemo the brows and lashes started to go.  I've got sparse brows left so used a brow brush to fill in (I've never used pencils).  The bottom lashes all came out over about a week period and now are coming back - funny little stubs on the bottom now, but enough to get some color on with mascara.  Hair is coming in short with more gray than I think I used to have - but I always highlighted it, so who knows?  In the meantime I've played with a couple of wig colors and think I'll go red in a few months ;-) 

Oh, and the nails.... I'm not one on manicures but did them for the last two months (did a shellac on relatively short nails for added strength) so I wouldn't obsess over the growing black marks and lines.  Now, the nail line moving closer to the tip is a sign of health returning for me.  The ends are lifting, but about half-way down the nail bed they turn normal.  So, I'm keeping them super short (so they won't tear off) until they grow out more and I think it's safe to go back to a nail file.   

I can still feel the chemo now and then, particularly when tired, but normality continues to return!  

hopefortomorrow

Hi everyone, I hope all have enjoyed this weekend.

Karebear I am glad to hear things are going pretty well considering your surgery. It is wonderful that you have your Mom and Aunt to help. I hope you keep recovering strongly!

Ami, your post has been interesting to me to hear you had the problem with the calcifications. I go for my scan in the morning, and I am hoping that it is just the scar tissue or something not threatening. It sounds like you are taking it all in stride. I hope things for you continue on a normal path!

msjag

Hope,  sending you positive thoughts for tomorrow, so you can celebrate chemo being done and can move on to the next part of this journey.

Hope Monday goes well for everyone.  This is my last week of radiation, can remember starting chemo with all of you, it does come to that light at the end of the tunnel.  We can all do this!!

nolaa

Hope, sorry to hear you have to endure all this stress.  I'll pray its nothing.

I have an MRI and mammogram scheduled for tomorrow.  My post-chemo diagnostics before surgery.  I'll find out on Wednesday the results.  It'll determine where the surgeon wants to put the incision, if the nipple can be spared, and if the lymph nodes are still showing signs of cancer.

I still don't have an actual surgery date and I think that is stressing me out as much as not knowing how much cancer is still inside.  I'm definitely more anxious now that chemo is done even though I'm still struggling to overcome the symptoms of last week's treatment.  It just seems weird that chemo is done and that the cancer is still inside, growing.  I wish surgery was sooner but I know I have to recover from the chemo first.  Frustrating.    

sammolisa

Hope - thinking about you tonite.  Prayin all goes well tomorrow.

Ami - sorry to hear you have to go thru surgery again - but you  are being so brave,  I am in awe!

Karebear-  glad to  hear things are better.

Hugs to all.   I think about all of  you daily and pray we all come thru this fine.   Back to rads for me tomorrow - it was nice having the weekend off.  Brain MRI on tuesday for the neurologist.  She gave me a presc. for something called lidoderm - they are lidocaine pads that stick to wherever you have pain.  Wish I had had them during the horrible parts of chemo where my feet were on fire!   I still am getting shooting pains in my toes and heels are still weird so she wanted me to try them, to see if they help at all.   Alot of stuff started making sense after I talked to her.   She said the neuropathy is normally worse at night.  ( I thought I was crazy wondering why things hurt worse at night)    She didn't explain why tho.    The hot flashes we are getting are linked to the low estrogen, (which most of us already knew)  and estrogen is normally lower at night,  (didn't know that)  which is why I feel more flashes at night - not sure if the rest of you have more at night too.   Also found out that the hypothalamus that controls our internal thermostat thinks the body is cold when it senses the lower estrogen and kicks up the heat in response, hence the hotflash - even tho we aren't really cold.  OK, enough rambling.  Time to hit the hay for rads early tomorrow morning.

Night all!

hopefortomorrow

Well it is good news- It is just a fluid filled lump called a Seroma. The Doctor said it is from surgery, and it will eventually go away, but it might take some time. Whew! I got in the changing room and I was like- "YES!" Now I can be happy I am through with Chemo and on to the next step in recovering. What a relief. Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers, I believe they really help!

msjag

Yeah Hope!!! That's great news!!!

LisaMomOfFour

Hope -- Excellent news.  Now go and really celebrate the end of chemo! 

sammolisa

Congrats Hope!

hopefortomorrow

Thanks you guys!  Now just trying to cope with my remaining side effects. Omgosh, the worst yet! I haven't had mumbness before, last night my whole foot was numb and hurting. Now I understand what you guys were talking about! I had pain through my ribs and thought i was having a heart attack, but knew it was just bone pain. Sigh. My hair is falling out again too. Set up my radiologist appointment though! Pushing onward!

msjag

2 more rads to go!  You can all do it.  You probably will feel so much better than chemo.  I never thought it would go so fast, but it did.  I almost everyday full time, the a.m. time worked great for me... slept great at night.  And I met some great people.

hope you are all doing ok with s/e, and nearing the end of chemo.

karebear76

I heard back about the pathology reports. 7 of the 19 lymph nodes they took tested positive. Also they found that there is still tumor in the incision site. Soooooo we don't know what we are going to do at this point. I see the dr on Fri and he should have some answers by then.

LisaMomOfFour

Hang in there Kerri..... I hope your doctor has some answers for you on Friday.  I wish your news was better -- after suffering through chemo you deserve to have all of the cancer be gone. 

hopefortomorrow

I'll be keeping you in my thoughts and prayers! I'm also hoping Friday brings you good alternatives from your doctor.

karebear76

Thank you ladies. I am praying that the radiation will be enough to get rid of any lingering cancer cells. We shall see. Until then I am just resting to heal. They can't do anything until I heal anyways!

sammolisa

Evening Ladies!

Karebear - praying today brought you some answers and you are on your way to healing completely.   Is anybody still in active chemo?

bambi380

Here I thought all was going well and I was wonder women. Went to take a walk Monday and my heart went WACKO. Hubby took me to ER and they ran an EKG which showed I was having a heart attack. Before I knew it I was in OR and the heart cath was headed into my groin for my heart. They were for sure I had a blockage. But when the dye was released it showed my heart was better than the people working on me. So why the EKG showing a heart attack and the symptoms? LBBB (left bundle branch block) which is an electrical issue. My thought was TAC chemo! They kept me over night and the cardiologist more or less confirmed it was most likely the drugs. He also said he did not think it was permanent. Gee hope he is right! I now take meds to keep my heart beating nice and slow and an aspirin a day. Oh yes, add a cardiologist to my list of doctors.



So gals watch your tickers and I hope the drugs left yours intact!

bambi380

All done with chemo and have my rad simulation Monday. Cannot wait to have this experience!

hopefortomorrow

Bambi, how scary that must have been! I am glad that you are ok. Yes defintely will keep an eye on my ticker now! I saw my radiologist today and she said she is going to do the intensified radiation so it will be only 4 weeks as opposed to six weeks. I go next Friday then I guess for simulation? whatever is the next step. My brain is slow motion lately.

sammolisa

That sounded scary Bambi!  My heart has done some flipflops every once in a while but it calms down after a few mins.  Dr didn't seem too concerned - checked my potassium and it was fine.   My brain MRI came back ok - no mets to be seen, however my brain is showing signs of stroke aging i think she called it - that usually only shows up on older people that have diabetes or high blood presure or really high cholesterol - which i have none of.  So she was a little perplexed that my brain was showing up like that.  Stroke up another weird WTF?

Hope - glad you are getting done quickly - My RO is doing it in 5 weeks and 2 days.  Dunno if that is the fast track or not.  I don't have to do any boosts.

bambi380

Sam I have come to the conclusion chemo speeds up the aging process. Age spots have appeared all over me along with the "wacko" ticker.



But the good part is we are still here!:) Must smile and laugh through this gals as it beats crying.

msjag

hope everyone is doing well, finshed rads on Friday.  Done with cancer treatment.  It feels great, and you will all get there.  If you are having rads, jump on March or April Rads for great info.

Here's hoping all s/e  quickly go away.

take care

LisaMomOfFour

Congrats msjag!  I hope you have a great celebration planned for yourself. 

DivaJMusic

I am having my port removed tomorrow. I had a panic attack in the middle of target today about it. This is the final chapter on my story with breast cancer. Are any of you experiencing a sense of confusion about what "normal" is now? Are you finding it hard to not let cancer define you? I don't want cancer to define me but am unsure how to do that? I hope those who've had surgery after chemo heal well. I thought surgery was so much easier. You can get through it.

ebann

Update:

Just wanted to let everyone know that when I saw Dr. Ondreyco (oncologist) she referred me back to the radiologist to see if I can have radiation again to take care of the pain I have been experiencing. Dr Richmond (radiologist) said I cannot do radiation I have reached my max. So then both Dr.'s referred me to see an Orthopedic Surgeon. I did see him yesterday and had some x-rays done. Dr. Seidel (surgeon) says I need to have surgery for my hip/leg on the left side. He will burrow out the bone marrow and some of the bone that the cancer has been eating away. Then they will place a rod in my hip and one down my whole leg close to my knee attached to two screws. I am lucky cause I have not fractured my leg or hip which is better cause I will not have to do a replacement. Surgery is an hour long, hospital stay is 1 - 2 days will be walking right away and out of pain. Is that amazing or what! I am not looking forward to another surgery yet I am looking forward to being out of pain and off pain meds. Thank you for your support and prayers