TRIPLE POSITIVE GROUP

hapa

Princess - also astounded here. It's your body, it should be your decision.

Princess_Meg

rljes and hapa, yea those were the reasons they gave me. I had reconstruction done and they look identical in shape and size. I will be having nipple reconstruction done in June. They are still monitoring the good breast with ultrasound and mammogram. I just want the peace of mind whichever way.

Cowgirl13

Princess Meg, a hospital can't dictate whether or not you have a mastectomy. What kind of a hospital is doing this? This is illegal!

Princess_Meg

cowgirl, they didn't dictate. I was advised against it and they gave their reasons which makes sense to me. To be honest, I didn't push for it either as I trusted and still trust their judgment. Maybe I shouldn't have used the term “allowed" but I didnt get a mx on the good breast after I was advised

rljes

Princess - I am happy things turned out well for you.  

Just a note; When you are first diagnosed,  your overwhelmed and exhausted with all the new information.   However,  if something doesn't sound right, or the answers your given don't agree with you - Get a 2nd opinion.  I wish I of had the strength to of done so.  My 2 years I think, would have been a little easier and less frustrating. 

Princess_Meg

Rljes thanks a bunch.

You are so right with being overwhelmed and emotional with all the new information. My hospital is actually my “second opinion”. The first place I was diagnosed scared the sh*t out of me. They made it sound like the cancer was going to kill me if I didn’t act fast while this hospital calmed me and made me understand that it’s not that serious and I can beat it which I did. It’s been over a year now and everything looks great so far, I can’t complain plus I love my MO, he said the best.

Jumpship

Eyebrows. I’m curious if I am one of a kind. Mine were always thick. They were my defining feature. Looking at photos they were a little less fluffy when I ended chemo and had no eyelashes. But at the end of Herceptin they were super sparse. That was 4 years ago and it hasn’t changed. Drawing them in is not the same. Just curious if this happened to anyone else. I look in the mirror and feel like it makes me still look dick

ElaineTherese

Jumpship,

I still don't have real eyebrows, and I just draw them in. I also still have sparse eyelashes. I miss my eyelashes more than my eyebrows because I loved mascara. But, I'm too lazy to use falsies. It is what it is. I have thought about waxing off my remaining brow hair and getting eyebrow tattoos, but I'm too lazy. So, you're not the only one!

LaughingGull

Hi ladies

Jumpship: I jumped into the same ship!

Kidding.

I also had thick eyebrows, with such strong hair that even after the MO assured me I would be losing them, it still felt like an impossibility. I went through AC and kept them, and only after a couple additional months of taxotere I lost them. They started to come back after I finished taxotere, and they did come back, but they remained sparse all through Herceptin. I am two months out from Herceptin and they are still sparse but they may be getting a bit thicker. I am thinking of getting microblading, that looks great to fill the holes and give them shape. The only thing stopping me is the price and that I dont have any recommendations for a good place to get that done. But I will get it eventually

Eyelashes came back weak and short, I know they are there but I have trouble seeing them when I try to put mascara on them. Is there any remedy? Incapable of using the fake ones, I just want them to grow longer.

Princess_Meg

Laughing I also want to do the microblading but I want to wait till the end of H&P.

Sign up for Groupon, they often do great discounts on mircoblading and you can read the reviews too before deciding on the tech to go to

LaughingGull

Upper lip fuzz getting stronger every day, though! Such is my fate

Ingerp

Laughing--I either posted above or on another thread that I started using something called Lilash before dx and my sister <unsolicited> commented on my lashes. I know all lash serums take a while, but it doesn't seem to be doing much now. I thought maybe I should switch it up so just ordered RapidLash. I'm fair, have hardly any pigment in my lashes/brows, but they used to look okay with mascara. I'm with you at not being able to see much even with mascara on. Eyeliner does help.

Tresjoli2

I have super thick hair. It.grew back just as thick. I also had brook shields eyebrows. However, my eyebrows grew in lighter and very sparse. I have to fill in with pencil now. I miss them...but I think they are gone for good. Stupid cancer...

hapa

I had two wooly bear caterpillars on my forehead and now they are just wisps and I don't think they're coming back. I'm not sure which is worse. On the upside, I've got about 8 armpit hairs now.

JaBoo

I had frida kahlo eybrows, and used to spend ages plucking them to acceptable TWO shapes. now they don't grow over my nose at all, which is a welcome change. they start right over the eylashes and go up, just as they used to. so plucking is still very necessary.

Ingerp

I’m with ya on the armpit hairs, hapa, although every month or two I see these weird, sparse, long hairs and remember I still need to shave occasionally.

hapa

Ingerp, I thought I had 0 armpit hairs until I discovered those weird long ones about a week ago. Three on the cancer side and five on the other. I guess the rads killed off the other two? Anyway, I have done nothing about them as I have no sleeveless shirts that cover my port. I kinda want to see just how long they get!

Ingerp

Yeah not sure who’s getting up close and personal with my armpits but I do think about it before a medical appt.

BigPeaches

My hair everywhere is spotty. Have to fill in the eyebrows and 8 months after finishing chemo I am still wearing a hat, doctor says I'm one of 2 patients she's ever had who's hair didn't come back. Figures.

LaughingGull

Ladies you are killing me with the brook shields and frida kahlo eyebrows and woolly bear caterpillars

Thanks Ingerp for the commiseration, I am also more disciplined with the eyeliner or I look like I have no face

Cascadians

On Kadcyla now, finished Taxol Dec 26th, 2018. And today my toenails are turning yellow. Ugh. Hoping they stay on.

LaughingGull

Cascadians, hang in there. Kadcyla will greatly, greatly reduce your chances of recurrence. I wish I could get it but after a year of H+P they would not give it to me. Losing fingernails is extremely annoying but they grow back fast once you are off chemo -I lost two plus two toenails.

You can do this

Taco1946

I had permanent makeup even before cancer. My light blue eyeliner has lasted for 10 years. Wish I'd had my eyebrows touched up before I started chemo as very little eyebrow hair came back and no eyebrows bothered me more than no head hair. I was a klutz with a pencil (never been good at make-up) Both permanent makeup and microblading are on the pricey side but I've been glad I did it. Runs $200-$300 here but some places run specials. Ask for referrals and how long before it will fade. I had one really disaster job and then they charged me for a "touch up." Once you do the permanent you can't do the micro so look into both before you get too far and decide which is better for you. Also get your hair color settled first if you are not going natural.

Peaches, my hair was pretty much back and then started shedding (from the crown) after I started femora. I've just reconciled myself to being the "hat lady." Now that I have my hot flashes under control, I do also wear my wig occasionally. DH continually tells me my hair is fine but I have gotten to enjoy the hat look.

Taco1946

Another thought about the eyebrows - ask about someone who might give a cancer patient a price break.

Alicesneed

I'm a newbie - had my first treatment of THC+P yesterday. They did not mention neulasta - I called yesterday and the nurse only said the doctor didn't order it - I asked if it was an over site but haven't heard anything back. Did most of you have neulasta right up front or did the doctor wait until first labs after chemo? Thanks

BigPeaches

My doctor waited and when my white blood cells dropped, I got it.

Alicesneed

Thanks BigPeaches - just trying to stay ahead of the game.

DawnS1962

Alicesneed I got nuelasta with AC. Now I'm THP and don't get it any longer.

Alicesneed

Thanks DawnS1962 - I learned a couple of things yesterday about the differences between those getting AC and those getting TC (plus others). Like Mouth sores are more likely with AC and I didn't need to eat ice chips.

I think the steroids they gave me are too much. I had 16mg day before treatment, 28 mg day of treatment then 16 mg today (day after). I feel like I'm on coke (or 18 cups of coffee) - and I go cold turkey tomorrow. Did you all have that much steroids? A little concerned about the hard stop too - I always thought you had to taper off steroids.

Alicesneed

Got an answer to my steroid question from my pharmacist friend - thought I would share:

"Steroid 'Bursts' are safe with hard stop. The main reason they give you those is to prevent an anaphylactic reaction to the taxotere - so they are important."