Chemo May 2011

40-years-old-now

Update on me

I have a PET on the 29, results on the 1st.

My lung went from pre chemo of 14mm to now 4mm and NOT hot; the one in my liver is now not showing, My arm one is only showing as somthing that has been treated and is alittle smaller. My leg one is also being seen as something being treated and is the same size.

So I think this means I am in remission.

So now all I have to do is get my legs working right agian.

Candice

MamaV

GREAT NEWS CANDICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

bak94

that is terrific Candice! So does that mean no chemo for awhile? Long live remission!

bak94

Justme-Is your surgery scheduled yet, or did you have it already? Getting nrevous for mine....I have an appointment with the surgeon today.

40-years-old-now

bak94- yes that means no chemo for a while. no radiation, no meds except the pain meds for the leg pain. But it is the right direction.

justme1

bak94
still waiting  they said 7 to 14 days and its been 10 days since they got the order so 4 more days and i should get the call so we can schedule it. Drivin me nuts.........maybe we wiill go together ??

justme1

38-years-ol...
OH YEA! sounds good

bak94

Justme-Maybe we will have surgery at the same time! I just had an appointment with my surgeon. He was so positive today it made me feel better about everything. He suggested I make an appointment with a ps, so I did, saying I may be able to have reconstruction in 6 months instead of year.

The fatigue is crazy from my last chemo! I did feel a bit better today so that is good. My appointment made me really tired, and I have another appointment tomorrow (zometa). I do remember feeling tired weeks after rads the last time I went thorugh this, but I worked more then also. Well, I am 9 years older than I was last time and my docs did say it would be harder the second time around. Oh well, need to be patient like many of you have said.

So happy for you Candice! I hope your legs start working right for you!

justme1

Patriotic
my husband called the insurance last night and said case manager and well well they approved it.LOL THANKS!!!!I got my date today its nov 16 .ahhhhhhh finally a date.

Patriotic

Hi gals. Hope everyone had a nice Halloween.



Bak94, I have an appt with my Onc on Tuesday. I think it will be mentioned.....Lupron, etc. I guess the hyster isnt that bad, in the scheme of things but, for me, I am just opposed to having any surgery that's not necessary. When is your BMX? Here's hoping you are feeling better soon post-chemo. I felt pretty good 3 weeks after but was surprised to find my RBC and liver enzyme counts were still out of whack 4 weeks post-chemo. The chemo is the gift that keeps on giving. It took almost 7 weeks to begin seeing real hair growth. Ugh.



I plan to ask if there is anything else I can do to try to prevent recurrence. I am frustrated
because still have a drain in from the UMX. Monday will be 3 weeks so, it's delaying getting a TE
"fill" and the initiation of rads. I am not particularly eager to start rads but, I just want to get it
overwith ASAP. This is going to sound vain but, I would like one or two TE expansions before
Thanksgiving so everything looks pretty symmetrical. Then, I don't have to "stuff" the bra to avoid
inquisitive stares. DH claims it's not that noticeable but when the other breast is DD+, I think it is.

I am pretty impatient, which is probably not a good trait when you have BC.



Bak, when to you plan to have reconstruction? I can understand not wanting to deal with it for
a while. I was originally told I might be able to have recon 3-4 mos after rads but, now, the
recommendation is 6 mos +. It just seems like this will never end. I am not looking forward to that surgery after the last one.



Justme1, did you already have surgery? Or, do you have a date?

Patriotic

Justme1, yeah! A date. Hopefully, you will be back on your feet in time for Turkey! . Seriously, I m wishing you a short hospital stay and quick recovery!



38-years old, so happy for you. It's nice to see all the sacrifice paying off.



Anyone heard from Blondelawyer?

bak94

I pm'd blondelawyer with no response. I hope she is doing ok.

I am starting to feel a bit better a week after finishing chemo, yay! Not back to normal, but not near as tired as i was. My mo recommended I wait a year for reconstruction, actually favors not having any at all. my surgeon says I can do reconstruction 6 months after rads, so I did set up an appointment with a ps. I wanted immediate te's but the first ps I saw said not a good idea before rads and also said with my body type a diep would be better and he does not do these so he recommended the the ps I am going to see in a couple of weeks. It seems that many stage 3 gals get immediate reconstruction and I am sad that I can not do it, but I guess I would rather recover quickly to get to rads sooner, as my im nodes were positive. I don't think it is vain at all to want to have normal, even breasts, so I understand Patriotic, that you want to be even for the holidays. My surgery is Nov. 30th. I don't want to be flat for 6 months to a year . I actually am a bit uneven from my lumpectomy in 2002/2003. I kept thinking I would get it fixed and never did.

Cyborg

I feel so out of the loop here. Went back to work before rads were finished and now I am done with rads. Seems like I need more sleep. I just want to laze around. I am seeing my onc for starting tamoxifen. A little apprehensive about that. Hope all you girls are doing well. Just saw FIVE on Lifetime channel and cried for the first time in a long time. I think what has cone out of this cancer experience is how much I love my mom.

Loviesmom2

Wow! I watched FIVE also and well... WOW! Question ladies, how do you feel about tamoxifen? Side effects profile sucks, including increased risk of uterine cancer. Ok another cancer, really?!!! Then it's daily for 5 years! Blocks estrogen in breast but increase estrogen in uterus FOR 5 YEARS! Any thoughts yea or nah?

Cyborg

I am starting tamoxifen in a couple weeks. I am hoping the benefits outweigh problems. People I have spoken to off if the boards say they have zero problems.

Patriotic

I just got my Rx for Tamox today. I was told to expect hot flashes, moodiness (if you've experienced hormonal moodiness in the past with your menstrual cycle) and was told the risks include blood clots, uterine thickening/small cancer risk, etc. Great! I asked to have a smaller dosage per pill so that I could take it twice a day. Maybe, the symptoms won't seem as bad using this method. Oh, who am I kidding?? It's ALL bad!!



Had the dreaded ovary "shutdown" conversation, too. My Onc wants me to do monthly Zoladex shots to shut down the ovaries and put me into Menopause. I understand the concept (my bc was over 90% ER+). But, here's what I dont get: if estrogen is bad (fuels cancer) then why are most of the women who get bc post-menopausal? In theory, they are making LESS estrogen. Dont get it at all. Do any of you know?

Robyn_S

Hello girls! I started tamoxifen 1 week before finishing rads so have had over 5 weeks on them now. I have not had any noticeable effects and I was premenopausal before chemo. I take a. Antidepressant which can help with hot flashes but that really has not been a bother!

I have recovered from rads burns, flu and now in hospital 3 days so far with breast cellulitis - I am starting to think that chemo was the easy bit!!!! Lol

So good to see many moving onto surgery and thinking of reconstruction- I have unfilled BTEs since April and with this infection am relying on the surgeons optimism that the current angry boob will be okay with time- and I thought they were uncomfortable before!!

bak94

Robyn-Sounds like you have been through alot! It sounds like things are looking up for you, thank goodness! So you had rads after the te's? I talked to one ps that said he won't put in te's before rads, he has seen too many complications then he told me I don't have the right body type (nice way of saying I am overweight!). He referred me to a another ps that does diep, but I still have to wait 6 months to a year because of rads and becuase of my advanced local cancer. Oh well, I will just be flat.

Patriotic-I don't get it. I am pretty much triple neg, I have 3%pos for er. I am afraid my doc is going to want to put me on tamox. because of the 3% and I am not sure it would do any good. But does one do AI's instead if they have their ovaries out? I will be doing that because ov the brca pos thing.

Thought I was feeling better pfc, but worked and went to a funeral yesterday and couldn't finish my day at work. The funeral wore me out being a Catholic funeral and all the standing, sitting standing. I can't believe that made me so tired!

Loviesmom2

Patriotic, I've read that there are different metabolic or breakdown products of estrogen. It basically leaves our bodies with good estrogen and bad estrogen. 4OH-estrogen ( four hydroxy estrogen) and I think 16-OH as well are supposed to be the bad ones that are made in excess from body fat and other sources. When they shut down the ovaries, that only stops that source of estrogen not all sources. Problem I have is that it's been well documented for years that unopposed estrogen in uterine tissue means trouble. Tamoxifen blocks E in breasts but increases E in the uterus that's why you get thickening. Many women (on other threads) say they end up getting a hysterectomy because of tamoxifen. I know it's been used for 30 years to fight bc but DES was on market for 30+ years before they took it off. I just want the truth about the risks.

Loviesmom2

Just two more rads then I'm DONE! On to my happily ever after. Had surgery 1st, then chemo then rads. The end 11/11/11 at 11:00am. I want to scream from the roof of sears tower or Willis tower whooohooo !! Thanks ladies for your input, stories, rants hugs etc. I haven't said much along the way but read nearly every word and prayed for triumph. Thank you again.

alyysha

Hello everyone,

I am a journalism major at CSUS and am writing a feature story on breast cancer. I am looking for a female to parallel with a male with breast cancer to tell their stories together. I have had relatives who have battled/are battling the cancer and I would like to spread awareness in any way I can.

I would like to tell the story from the point of diagnosis to today.

Thank you for the potential help,

Alysha 

Beaglesgirl

I have my appt with the onc gyn onNov 16th. Hopfully they will just schedule the d@mn hysterectomy for as soon as possible. I dont want this nightmare to continue into 2012. I will have the exchange surgery next summer but that sounds so positive -- this surgery is hopefully the last of the awful things that all of this has brought me.

Has anyone had the oopherectomy/hysterectomy yet? I am worried that it will be rough- only based on my luck- I know, I know I should think more positive but really I can't at this point. so any advice or words of experience on the procedure would be so apreciated. I am BRCA 1+ thats what led me to this newest development.

L 

Robyn_S

Hello everyone - hi bak69- I had the TEs in immediately foll the BMX but they were not filled apart from 100ml or so at surgery. The RO didn't want filling to try to get a good angle on the chest wall for rads where the tumor was at 1 o'clock. Made sense at the time and I am prepared to be patient with reconstruction. Don't know when that will be now- after 5 days on IV abs I am having surgery in the morning to try to clear out the infection and try to save the TE. The boob of death erupted today and ruined a perfectly good pair of pajamas and gave the surgeons some especially painful points to prod at while shaking their heads (never a good sign!). Anyway they are calling in the PS and another professor rather than rush anything during surgery- I feel very safe in their hands.

Just want to go home!

Congrats Loviesmum on finishing rads !!! Look after yourself

Laura- I hope that you get to be all finished for Christmas!! (((take care))) Robyn

Patriotic

OMG, Robyn. So sorry about all that is happening. Prayers for a quick recovery from the infection.

neecee

Hi everyone.  I have been AWOL from this board for quite a while, and thought I'd pop in to see how is everyone doing.  I finished rads October 21, and started on Tamoxifen last week. I am feeling so good that I joined the "Y" this week, and have begun working out again. My hair is filling in nicely on the tops and sides, still waiting for a little patch in the back to fill in before I go topless. It is about 1/2 inch long and I have a lot of gray. I have colored my hair for years, and had no idea how gray I had become! I am already checking out hair colors, to decide what color I want to be when I do unveil my new hair.

I hope everyone is doing well!

Robyn - so sorry for all you are going through.  I am praying for your healing!

Patriotic

Congrats, Neecee. So happy for you. I gather the rads weren't too terrible? I start those in about 2-3 weeks.



I start Tamox soon. Please let me know how it goes. Told to expect hot flashes but I opted for lower dosage via 2 pills per day vs. 1. I dont know if it makes a big difference but hoping it lessens side-effects a bit.



Robyn, are you doing better?



Thanks, LoviesMom. So, true. There are risks AND side-effects with ALL of these treatments. And NO guarantees that they will actually "work." That part really sucks.

Cyborg

Hey, peeps! Start tamoxifen in a couple of weeks and already have hot flashes since chemopause. I don't like them. Feels like I have the flu... But i don't. Hair is growing in and fir now digging the gray.

neecee

Patriotic - I did pretty well with rads.  I got a blistering rash after the first week, and the radiation techs told me to use hydrocortisone ointment on it.  Then I got the expected burns, but was able to manage it with Aquaphor and aloe.  I still have just a hint of burn around my surgical site, but expect it to be gone in the next few days.  The key is to moisturize, moisturize, moisturize.

No hot flashes on the Tamoxifen so far.  I was post-menopausal before chemo, so hot flashes were nothing new to me.  They got considerably worse during chemo, but they have returned to my pre-chemo level, which is once in a great while.

Robyn_S

Hello everyone thank you for your healing thoughts! After a week of IV abs and some very ordinary hospital food the expander is leaving the building this morning! The PS assured me that options are still open for reconstruction at a later date- probably DIEP as I have plenty of material to work with. So tired of the pain- it seems that this boob ( not even a boob!!) has been pain central for 5 weeks! The other one has been so well behaved- only a little bit of cancer -LCIS and no zingers!

I can relate to the grey hair - mine is about an inch and a half all over and steel grey. I haven't been natural for 20 years so waiting to see what it looks like with length before coloring again. Been topless a month now- first day felt weird and I kept a hat close by for comfort, but it soon feels liberating to not cover up.

Happy Monday everyone- I hope you all have a healthy week x x

Plils

Beaglesgirl,