Chemo starting in December 2010

msjag

Hope everyone is well....can't believe its two years this weekend since I had my last chemo!!  Keep the years coming!!!

sammolisa

Girls!!!  I have been severely remiss in checking up on everyone!   How is everyone doing from this group?!?!  I just got a pm from Msjag checking up on me.  I haven't been on the site in awhile.   I am sorry.  Last year was a bit much for me medication wise and it was all i could do sometimes to just get up in the morning.    We moved to CA in December of 2011 and the move was ok - the truck got broken into on our way through Oklahoma City and alot of our stuff was stolen.   Fast forward to last year and the med I was taking - Fareston wasn't available in CA because of the ins program I am on here.   So my onc tried me on every single one that is out there.   And I found  out I am rather sensitive to meds - I couldn't tolerate any of them.  So in January of this year I went off all cancer meds.   And started a Paleo diet.   That went well - (it's rather expensive tho)  for about 8 months until I went on vacation back east and went off my diet.   Blew it right out of the water lol.   So I have compromised and I am allowing myself ice cream again,  as Fareston is available here now and I restarted it in September.  All is good in that dept.  NED so far for me.   It's all the other crap  I have to deal with.   LE, memory problems, balance issues, etc etc.  oh did I mention I still have body pain?  Doc is telling me fibromyalgia from all I had to go through in 2010.     Enough about me,  how is everyone?!?! 

Hugs to you all,   Merry Christmas and Happy New year. 

Lisa

sammolisa

I am glad to see the changes in the website - it will be easier to keep track of this thread.  I have added it to my favorites so I can open it whenever I want.   Went to the Onc today.  Good report.  Tumor markers are behaving.   Like Hope,  I ran into another bc patient at the ONC today and she had mets.   8 years after her lumpectomy.   Now she is stage 4 and on weekly chemo  after 8 years!  I understand what you mean by being scared and running back to you girls, because here I am looking for reassurance from my sisters that I struggled with, laughed with, yelled at,  got yelled at,  all in all commiserated with during this whole process.

sammolisa

I just saw in the Angels thread that Shelmel had gotten her wings.    She was one of our original members here in the December group.  My heart is heavy tonite. 

msjag

hi Samm, very sad about Shelmel.  I feel honored to have met her here  and  shared concersations with her on our rads thread.  I totally agree with you about finding confort here when our minds drift back to those places of three years ago, not that those kind of thoughts are completely gone.  Glad to be here and feeling healthy to start off the new year.   Happy New Year to all. 

sunflower71

hi Samm & msjag!  I am rarely here(which is a good sign), but saw that y'all posted.  I was shocked to see that Shelmel passed.  This disease just sucks.

I'm doing well and living in San Francisco now.  I took a travel therapy job last year and have been many places. The cancer forced me to reevaluate and I'm trying to live more in the moment now.

I stopped Tamoxifen a few months back.  I got tired of feeling crappy all the time.  I went Paleo as well and man is it expensive.  But I feel so much better.  

Glad to see that you are both doing well.  I hope that all of our group is.  Happy New Year!  And Happy 3 years!!!!!!

msjag

Sunflower!!  Happy New Year to you also..

 Gad you are doing well, I have a friend that went of of tamoxifen also, she couldn't take the side effects.  You and Samm are in CA, may vi;sit my daughter in LA this spring, maybe we could somehow meet one day!  I need to check into the paleo diet, sounds like you both are doing well with it.

ALready wishing for spring!

sammolisa

Ms - that would be great !!  I am only 3 hours from San fran. and about 4 hours from LA.  Would love to meet up.  Any anytime I get out to San Fran I will let you know Sun - would love to meet up even tho Ms can't be there too.

I am  doing ok.  I stopped the Fareston too.   Tried it again for about 5 months and couldn't do it anymore.  I am on Gabapentin for all the balance issues, fibro from the chemo and leftover neuropathy.   It's ok.  Better than dealing with Cymbalta.  I still have major hot flashes which sucks.   LE is holding it's own.  I get tired of having my arm and hand wrapped all day  and night tho.    Anybody dealing with sleep issues still?

msjag

Samm, I actually started getting such great sleep when I started rads, didn't get tired during the day, just slept well (probably all those days up with no sleep during chemo!!)   I do pretty well, about 7 hours!  Before BC, I usually slept 5!  I try to remember to do exercise for LE, never know when that could start to creep in, have had some close calls.  Having fingernail issues, very soft and peel if you look at them.  Never had any trouble during chemo.  Who knows what its from!   Hope you and Sun get to meet, I will keep you both posted if I get to LA! 

hopefortomorrow

I am glad to see a few posts here still! I hope everyone is doing ok. I am ok, but then again I am not! I have terrible pain issues. I am now on Aromasin, after the tamoxifen since I have entered the official netherworld of menopause! lol I hoped it would be better than tamoxifen, but I think I am worse. This week I saw the Onc and she gave me the order for a tibia and fibia scan. My calves hurt so bad! I am back to working full time at a different place, but it is still women's clothing, and I love the ladies I work with. I sometimes think maybe I talk to much about the whole cancer thing, and side effects, but I feel like after all I have been through it has been such a big part of my life? Love and hugs to all!

msjag

Hope, glad to hear from you, sorry you're having all that pain.  I still have aches and pain too, and finally md's and oncs are talking about the after care  of chemo/rads.  Glaid you like your job, just finished some routine testing,  hoping for the best.  So nice to kepp in touch!

hopefortomorrow

Ms, glad to see you checked in! I hope the tests all turn out ok!

I was so sad to read the posts above about Shelmel. I can't believe it. I went back and read some of her posts, she was so thoughtful and upbeat! I can't imagine what it must be like for her family. :-(

Did you get to LA?  

msjag

hope, it was horrible to hear about Shel, such a kind friend to all here.   I will get my results today, its strange, I'm not worried, I feel like I can handle whatever results I get, now that is how I feel right now!! could change in an hour!!!  Only friends here can understand that!!  Hope the pain eases up for you.  New articles on bco about pain and treatment. I never got to LA, my daughter ended up coming to MA for a wedding, still hoping to get there soon.

hopefortomorrow

I hope your tests came back OK!  Let me know!  

Lately I feel like no one is understanding. When I told my sisters about Shelmel, and said her dianosis was almost the same as mine, they were like, well there are different kinds of cancer-surely she had something more serious, and mine could never possibly spread? They act like I have nothing to worry about and like I am making more of this than it really is. After all, I am cured! I don't want it back, but sometimes I get annoyed with them.

 

msjag

Hope,  my wish for them is to never understand, but I think we have all learned, unless you actually  have had BC or any other cancer, our minds never completely shut off with thoughts of reoccurrence/mets.  Its hearing about our friends her, like Shel, or relatives/friends near and dear to us that are dealing with mets or have passed , that wake the part of our brain up to say, uh oh...this could be me soon. Just depends on the day sometimes.  Cut yourself some slack,  you're doing the best you can. 

hopefortomorrow

Ms, you are so right! You wrote that so beautifully.

How did the test results come out? Was everything ok?

msjag

All is good!!  I'll take that for the next six months!! Going to the beach for three days with the girls, will celebrate, relax and enjoy Malibu and pineapple cocktails!!

 

hopefortomorrow

Thats awesome! so happy for you! Enjoy the beach and have one for me, sounds yummy!

sammolisa

Hey all, thought I would check in.  How is everyone?   I still worry all the time that it is going to come back.  We are now officially 4 years since dx for most of us.        I am ok.  I am on Aromasin now too Hope,  just adds to all my other body pain.  bleh.   Balance issues still a problem.  Lymphedema is under control and hasn't gotten any bigger.  yay!  I am still not working.  SS has me off until 2017.     My memory sucks  even worse now than it ever did under chemo.   Gabapentin made me gain 25 lbs  yay!  (sarcasm)  So, off of that and now on Lyrica,  which helps more then Gap or any other drug ever did.    I am persuing my doula work here in Fresno, CA.   So far so good, hasn't been an issue supporting women yet.     I hope all is well with everyone.   And Hope,  I know what you mean by telling people you know about the cancer and how it affects you hearing about other people that has passed.   I told my hubby about ShelMel and he totally understood.    I am writing today because I just heard about Marcia Strassman had passed away after a 7 year battle with  BC and I immediately thought of all my BC sisters.   I love you all.  You are in my thoughts more than you know.

Lisa.

msjag

Samm, good to see you here.  Just had the four year tests, all good so far.  I know what you mean about those pesky sneaky thoughts of  a reoccurrence, just when you think your mind is turned off to that.  I still think about Shel, we had been keeping in touch throughout  these years, I think of her often.    Hope the Lyrica works for you.  Glad all is well in CA, still hoping to get our there late winter/early spring, I will keep you posted!!   Feeling very blessed to be here writing this four years later, here's to another four and another and another!!  I will always be grateful for all the support here  Take care all.

Happy Halloween to those who celebrate!

msjag

Hello everyone!! Don't check back often enough, but that's a good sign, I guess. I think of you often, and when anyone I know is diagnosed, I refer them to this site for peace, guidance, information, to calm the worse fears. I hope you are all doing well, and I wish you all a Merry X-mas and a Happy New Year. Peace to all. You will always be in my heart. I celebrate and welcome each year that I am blessed to be here.

sammolisa

Hi everyone! I need to turn on my email notifications when I get a message here lol. Just caught up with messages from a year ago! I am so bad at keeping up with stuff like this. ( My brain doesn't work the same anymore) Think of you all often and hoping that we are all doing well. I am doing well - no evidence of returning cancer. My husband and I have recently begun foster parenting as well. Hugs to all! Although I hated the reason we all got together here - I am so glad I had the time with you all, to vent, share, love, share hopes, dreams. etc. Keep on living the dream girls!

Lisa

msjag

Checking in!! Hope all is going well!!! Almost forgot my log in for this site....I guess that is another good sign!! So far so good, wishing the same for you all. Happy Spring/Summer!!!