Chemo May 2011

Beaglesgirl

My last taxol is sept 8/27. I'm here if anyone has any questions I might answer or at least sympathize with.

MargieC

HI all

I haven't been on here much lately.  I have #6 or 6 TCH to go Aug 29.  Then they are giving me a break until I have BMX Oct 5.  I am starting to get a bit nervous about the surgery.  I did fairly well with the chemo so worried that surgery will not be so. 

Good luck to all those who have finished up chemo.

MamaV

Patriotic no tats for me. I have sharpie marks

bak94

Blondelawyer-Thinking of you. Are you still having surgery tomorrow?

MamaV you are cruising along! Congrats!

Beaglesgirl-Hope the taxol is going ok for you! Congrats on being almost done!

Margie-Congrats to you too on almost being done!

bak94

Laureen-glad the weekly is better for you. Have a fun trip!

Patriotic-Halfway done with ac! Way to go!

I am a bit tired today, 3 days after my first abraxane, but I have been doing alot of cleaning and reorganizing which I hardly did at all on ac, so maybe that is why I am tired! Resting up because I work tomorrow.

justme1

i am here too i start taxol wed hope it goes ok I will have 6 of em. Cant wait till this is over ; )

Robyn_S

Happy Tuesday everyone! In the chair for my last chemo today taxotere and hopefully the last for good! I am moving onto rads in 3-4 weeks so will be hanging around those boards to find what to expect over tx. I am set with my rad tats - I did ask about alternative could have had sharpie marks but covered with tegaderm (allergy) to preserve them for 4 weeks - figured that tats were safer and I suppose a souvenir of the BC journey!

It seems like everyone is nearing the end of chemo - it has been wonderful to have so much support from everyone here for the last 5 months- sooooo long!!! I have read every post and chemo has been such a trial for everyone at one time or another. I will not miss the itchy dry eyes, constipation , nausea, bone aches and fatigue etc!! my hair is now about 1/2 inch long a big step back to normal.

Wishing everyone a SE free week (((hugs))) Robyn

bak94

Hi Justme and Robyn, Justme, are you doing taxol every 2 weeks? How about you Robyn, did you do weekly taxotere? Your hair started to grow on taxotere? I am up for abraxane 2 on Thursday, the nurse did say I may get some hair growth, so far it has been slow and fuzzy! I have felt pretty good this first week, Thursday I am also getting zometa and I hear it can make you feel like you have the flu:(. My doc really wants me to take it, so I will even thow there are mixed studies on it preventing mets.

Still thinking of blondelawyer! Hope you had your surgery today and that everything went smoothly! I am following in your footsteps! My surgery will probably be in November or December. Sooner if the abraxane does not shrink the cancer.

Beaglesgirl

Robyn Congrats on being done! I'm done in sept, and I'm over the have way point now I do just want every day to pass by. FAST

MargieC

Congrats Robyn on completing chemo.  It's great that your hair has started to come back. Good luck with rads.

mccrimmon324

Hey Beaglesgirl, I'm finished in Sept too, over the 1/2 way point and it seems the days are moving slower and slower for me.  I keep thinking, 4 down 2 to go!

blondelawyer

Hi ladies!  My surgery did happen as scheduled and I am home recovering.  The original plan was for skin sparing surgery, but because of the recent redness and swelling, my surgeon opted to take all of the skin on the cancer side.  So, he pulled skin up from my stomach area to close the incision.  So there is tightness there and he had to use staples to hold me closed.  Also, the tumor appears to have grabbed onto my chest muscle, so he took a little muscle on the cancer side too.

All in all, I'm doing well.  I am up and moving around and the pain hasn't been too bad.  I slept through the night without needing more pain meds and am taking 1 pill at at time now instead of 2.  I've been warned that the pain could get worse as all of the anesthesia is out of my system, etc., so I am just playing it by ear.  

I'll be honest and say that my chest looks like a bumpy, ugly mess right now, so hopefully things will even out and not look so freakish when the staples come out, etc.

They did SNB on the left (non-cancer side) and the preliminary report showed no involvement, so that is good news too.  I meet with my MO on Monday and BS on Wednesday.  Hopefully pathology will be back on Monday.

Hope everyone here is doing well! 

justme1

bak94 i am doing weekly i just had it yesterday 1 st time today i feel really good but not sure what tomorrow will bring????

blondelawyer Sounds like your on the mend : ) So happy its going good for you! I am dreading surgery more than i thought i would looks like i have 5 weeks to dread it.

40-years-old-now

Hi everyone,

I am tired today. Had physical therapy on the leg and it is going good. Today (third PT) I was told that I could start to use a cane instead of the walker. I have been using the walker sence June. (I hate this cancer, going to the leg is reaaly bad.) But it looks like I will be able to walk with a cane if not just walk by the end of September. YEAH!!

CT results I wil get next Monday.

Candice

Cyborg

XOXOXOXO Blondelawyer. WOW! you sound great! Up and on the boards. I hae been thinking of you.

Hi, 38 yeras old. I like your avatar. Take care.

Just wanted to check in with my old thread.

I will be done with rads on the 19th of September or about there.

xoxoxoxoxo

Robyn_S

Blondelawyer- so glad that you have that nasty ol tumour out! Great news on the SNB pathology too. Wishing you a speedy recovery and pain free days!

Candice- you are doing great too!! It is so good to see the group here overcoming what hurdles are placed in front of them. Everyone has been so inspiring and motivating to me and others I am sure, in speaking out loud of their personal battles against this disease!

((Have a great weekend everyone)) Robyn

bak94

I can't sleep! It is after 2 am. I had my second abraxane, half the benedryl dose, and 10mg of decadron. Decadron usually does not keep me up like this! I had much more in the hospital and was able to sleep!

Blondelawyer, I am so happy to hear that you had your surgery and that you are doing well! Gertrude is gone!!! I am sending healing thoughts to you, wishing you a speedy recovery and good news on Monday.

Candice, Glad to know you have graduated to a cane, and maybe you can kick that cane to the curb soon! Keeping fingers crossed for good ct results. Sending happy thoughts to you!

Justme-I am tolerating abraxane very well so far, today is my second treatment. How are you holding up with the taxol? I get slight soreness, but no big deal. I received Zometa today also and feel pretty good, so I hope that continues! Maybe the Zometa is what is keeping me awake?

Cyborg-You just keep rockin on! You will be done in no time. Are you feeling better emotionaly after being done with chemo? I freaked out a bit having 4 weeks off of chemo, and now I am hoping the abraxane is working as well as the ac did. Still need to get rid of the last "10%" that ac left over! I hope it didn't grow in the few weeks since my pet scan.

Hi Mccrimmon and beaglesgirl,  you both will still be done before me:)

Robyn, hope you have a great weekend also! Do something fun! We are planning a garage sale for the following weekend and I am excited. My sisters, niece and great niece and great nephew are coming over to sell some stuff also. So it will be like a family bbq plus garage sale. I hope it doesn't rain....I really need to get rid of some stuff.

justme1

bak94  today isnt bad so far .  Kinda tired but not bad. not like a/c i was wipped out on that about a week. The problem i am having is with my bowels. They are loose (i take colice and miralax) but it still hurts when i have a movement. Kinda strange .Dont hurt long but a lil while.Thank Goodness they are loose .Thats my big complaint so far . Hope today is good and i skip the bone pain and nail issues .This stuff  keeps us on our toes dont it?

mccrimmon324

Bak94 - sorry your having problems sleeping, I have been tossing and turning for the past few nights, it's terrible, I'd just like to have one good nights sleep that wasn't due to sleeping pills.  

I know you've told us, but when is your surgery?  How often are you doing the Abraxane? 

Plils

Blondelawyer,

So glad to hear you had your surgery, also that you are feeling pretty good.  Hang in there we are here for you.

Lots of hugs your way

Pam 

Cyborg

Bak94

Feeling better! I am back at work. I was having a hard time between surgery and chemo --- and then between cheemo and rads. I expect I'll be emotional after rads.

Katarina

Hives,Hives, HIves for me since last round of CT on August 11th.

  I've taken prescription meds for them .Other new SE is racing heart and nuch higher level of anxiousness and insomnia with little sleep. I have taken ambien, even double up on dosage but id didn't help.   Now finally feeling leas anxious from chemo cumulation but itching ad still another round to go end of August.. 

 I'm so ready for my hair to start gowoing again. I mis it.

I'd also like to get my mojo back - don't know if that is even possible with Armidex in AH treatemen coming my way,

Hugs,

Kat 

MamaV

Just a chick check in ... I've been reading every day but not much to say. Keep on fighting through it dear friends. I survived 6 1/2 months of chemo and you can too. I'm 1/2 way through rads and it's been a breeze! The bottom could drop any day but so far so easy. Eyebrows are back and eyelashes are growing in fast. Hair - a little slower - sporting the GI Jane buzz look right now. Hope to go topless by Christmas but in Chicago I might need to keep the wig on for sheer warmth. God bless you all!

---

mamav,

so nice to hear from you.  i'm glad to hear all of your positive updates. 

laureen romero

twistedsteel

AC... what can I expect on days 7-14? Did my Taxol 12 weeklies. now not sure what to expect. Help...

bak94

Are you doing ac every 2 weeks? I felt pretty good after day 7/8. The worst part was probably days 3-5. I was pretty much tired the whole time, but not sick. Felt good as long as I was not doing anything too strenous, lifting, bending, squatting made me feel like I wanted to pass out! I am now doing 12 weekly abraxane! How was the taxol for you?

I am kinda sad today. Just reading what some of the other women are going through and I feel for them. It just isn't right.

Bondelawyer, where r u? We miss u! Hope all is well!

Hi Laureen and MamaV!

Kat-sorry you are dealing with hives. I am also so ready for my hair to grow back. I am getting fuzzy while I am on abraxane, but it is thin!

justme1

twistedstee...  i did a/c every three weeks and by day 8  on i got better each day : ) Now day 3-5 i was in the bed soooooooo sick. Now i am on taxol weekly not knowing what to expect can u tell me ? I hurt day 3 and 4 but today seems lil better so far.

Beaglesgirl

i had a very hard time on ac -- taxol has been much easier although i wouldn't say se free. just more pleasant experience, with ac i felt at times that i had to concentrate so hard to get through the excruciating poisoned feeling that i could barely function not to mention nuelasta shot that came with it that meant pain like wolves gnawing on my bones.  i did 4 dd ac and am at the half way point of 12 weekly taxol. if you want to see how my mental state was through it feel free to check on my blog anytime it would be an honor to share my experience and help someone. "Water" is probably the end of my lowest on ac, "I Made it to the Summit!" is the day i finished ac.

you will see that you can get through the darkest tunnel and see light again

 love to all my sisters going through this 

www.DaisiesAreBetterThanRoses.Blogspot.com

MamaV

AC nearly killed me!  Taxol was definitely better for me!  Good luck getting to the end!

blondelawyer

Hi Ladies!  I am still here and doing well.  Recovery from surgery is going well, though I think that I am doing more than I am supposed to be doing. It is just so nice to not feel that extreme fatigue from chemo!  I had a little step back yesterday with pain, but I think that parts that were numb from surgery are now waking up and wondering what the hell happened!  

I see my oncologist today and should get the pathology report back, so I am anxious about that.  Hopefully there will be some good news in it.  

I've been walking quite a bit and that has been nice. We have had gorgeous weather in Seattle this past week.

My FIL has been here to help and that has been great.  One of the things that I can't do is take the dog out because of the pulling on the leash.  I live in an apartment, so she has to go out.  

I'll report back when I get pathology reports!