Any Maine Girls Here?

jbagley

Hi I'm Jennifer, I live in Newport Maine. Just wondering if anyone here is from Maine as well?

Jenn

Teresa5

Hi Jennifer, I live in Dexter...small world, huh?  Your almost close enough to hug! I have chemo treatment #5 of 6 tomorrow. Taxotere and Cytoxan for me, followed by rads, and Tamoxifen. I had a lumpectomy, actually two surgeries. Now wishing I had a mastectomy, as I am not thrilled with the results...but seems insignificant in the whole realm of things... The new Cancer Care Center in Brewer is a beautiful place. Just wish we did not have to go there!  Dr Clarke is my surgeon - he has been wonderful. My OC is Dr Sara Sinclair - she has been great too.  I struggle with the chemo during the first week. Nausea, body aches, mouth changes, diarrhea. Fatigue and neuoropathy are progressively getting worse. I take a couple different anti-nausea meds and protonix. I have a Neulasta shot the day after each treatment. I do not work the week after my treatment (next week)...but I would like to keep in touch. Best wishes to you!

jbagley

Teresa,

I just had treatment #3 of 8. 5 more to go. I was diagnosed in june. I found a lump under my left armpit. I told my surgeon, Dr. Haung, that if the biospy came back for cancer that I was going to have a mastectomy. It was invasive lobular carcinoma. My path reporeport from my mastectomy, showed Stage 3 lobular and ductal carcinoma. 10 tumors spanning 11 cm. I am glad of my mastectomy. It's not too late, you can talk with your surgeon, you can still have a mastectomy if it will help you sleep better at night.



My OC is Sinclair too! She is great, I have seen Beth the FNP the last two visits. I am crrently on day 4 of #3 tx. I use phenergan, ativan and pain meds. I take neulasta too. I find about 24-48 hrs after my neck hurts and goes into my shoulders. My next treatment is sept 6. Usually I go on mondays, but Labor day is the next due date. I am on adriamycin and cytoxan for 1 more, then taxol for 4.



I am glad that you live so close, we will have to coordinated a "good day" to meet. I am 38 yrs old, with 2 young kids, 9 and 3.



For days 3-6 I have somewhat same issues. Taste buds are gone, decreased appetite, fatigue, constipation though... my hair is pretty much gone except some "sprigs" all over.



I have a blog that you can access. Thecaringsoulblog.blogspot.com, also I have the healingsoulbyjenbagley.blogspot.com.



I receive reiki treatments every 2 weeks and it helps with side effects of my chemo. I will be becoming a reiki practitioner middle of sept. My reiki master is going to instruct me. I also believe in crystal healing. Amethyst and rose quartz are my healing stones and wear them to every chemo tx. I would love to hear from you.



Jennifer bagley, nurse, nurse practitioner, soul healer

Kasi

Hi Ladies!

Maine girl here! I grew up in the Waterville area and now live with my hubby in Windham :-) I'm 31 - no kids, two awesome rescue dogs. Gearing up for AC #3 on Thursday. Fatigue is my biggest complaint, followed by my nose constantly running. (Oh and the hair loss - lol) I'm being treated at the Maine Center for Cancer Medicine in Scarborough. I'm going to acupuncture every week and that is definitely helping with my side effects. I've got my crystal quartz with me all the time 

Nice to meet you guys! 

jbagley

Kasi, amethyst and rose quartz are good to carry around as well. Smoky quartz helps ground you too. I have reiki treatments everyother week, a few days before my treatments. I agree this holistic medicine does help with side effects. I am just recovering from my 3rd treatment. One more A/C then I start taxol for 4 treatments. Fatigue is def the big one. We need to keep in touch!



Jennifer

Kasi

Hi Jennifer! We definitely need to keep in touch. I'm on the same chemo regimen as you, about a week and half behind ya. Thanks for your recommendations on the other stones! I hope that you had a great weekend!

Kasi 

jbagley

Kasi,

I had an ok weekend. This coming week will be better. I ventured out to town yesterday, but it was too much. I was quite tired afterward. Rested all day today. Zach and I played sit down wii before the power went out. Hope you #3 tx goes ok.

Jennifer

Kasi

Thanks Jennifer! Do you guys have your power back yet? We lost ours for about an hour and a half yesterday afternoon.

jbagley

We lost or power for about 4 hours. Came back on around 7pm. We cooked fish sticks and corn on the grill and it came out pretty good.



How did your last tx go? Still tired?



Jennifer

Kasi

4 hours isn't too bad! I'm feeling pretty good at this point - just in time to do it all over again on Thurs :-) My last treatment is on Nov 10, is yours the week before that?

jbagley

My next tx is sept 6, day after labor day. My last one falls on oct 31. Happy halloween! I prob will be able to go out for short time as long as my husband goes with me. I am sweating profusely. Have been for a while now. I changed my picture, the last one my face was puffy from steroids. My son is in the picture with me. And yes he has a cast on. He fell on a toy at daycare. Broke his radius. Will have to wear a splint for a few weeks.

jennifer

Kasi

Ohhh, poor boy :-( What a cutie!!!  You said you're an NP - have you been working through this at all? I am still working as much as I can, but I am able to work from home when I need to (I do website marketing).

October 31 is right around the corner, believe it or not. Is that when you start Taxol? 

jbagley

Kasi, yes I am a FNP, family nurse practitoner and no I haven't worked since june 20, which was the day I found out my biopsy was positive for cancer. My company wont let me back to work until my treatments are done which is prob going to be dec. My patients are missing me. They feel that working part time is not money efficient for them. Working everyother week, who will follow labs and tests etc. I have one more adriamycin and cytoxan then start 4 rounds of taxol. I will be getting long term disability as of sept 21. 3 months since my dx. This is the first time since college that I have had the summer off. I just wish it wasn't because I was sick and getting cancer treatments. I keep asking myself, why me. I have about 1200 patients that I follow. I am not suppose to get sick! I am the strong one who takes care of everyone else!! It makes me soooo mad. God has his plan I guess. Jenn

Kasi

I bet your patients miss you and that you miss them so much!!! December isn't too far off ;-)

I know, I've been doing the "why me?" for awhile. And it turns into "What did I do wrong to get this?" I think back to all the things I ate...to much dairy and meat? Those are the only things I can think of.

I guess there is a plan in all this, huh? 

jbagley

I know, what did we do to deserve this? I used to drink a lot of dt pepsi. Hardly any water, one lg cup of coffee a day. I think the artificial sweetener was too much. Since starting chemo, I can't drink anything diet. It tastes horrible. It is absolutely gross! I drink a lot of juice, and ginger ale, grape crush. Still not a water drinker. Juice with ice is good for my mouth.



I don't know about you but my mouth hurts all the time. My gums, my inner lips, and my tongue. Canker sores on my tongue. The roof of my mouth is sore too along with cracks in the corners of my mouth. I have to use neosporin lip balm to make it feel better.



I am still pretty tired. Week 2, due next tues for tx.



Jenn

Kasi

Hi Jenn! I've only had one canker so far and it's gone away - no mouth pain otherwise. I do swish with baking soda and salt when I think of it and maybe it's keeping the mouth yuckiness away? I have cracks in the corners of my mouth too, using calendula oil and a natural version of Vaseline (called un-petroleum by Alba Organics) and the cracks are much better. 

I am a soda lover. I have cut down a lot in the past 6 or 7 years and I go through spells of not drinking it. I am not drinking it now. I also wonder if this was the culprit? Who knows, though, really.

I go for AC #3 tomorrow. I'm going in with a positive and open mind. :-)

Hope your fatigue subsides!!! 

jbagley

Hi Kasi, right now my mouth hurts so bad. I got some orabase at walmart but it is not helping. I think I am gonna call my onc's nurse tomorrow. It hurts to open my mouth, and to eat anything. Though we went to town and got an ice cream. The coolness did seem to help only while I was eating the ice cream though. My eyes water a lot too. I can deal with that.



My fatigue is def better, just tired. But that is the story of our lives. When am I not going to be tired. I hate feeling like this. I think about how active I was before and I just cry. My husband keeps saying "its temporary" but I hate it!



I have a cracked tooth on the left lower, so I can't chew anything on that side. All I can do is chew on the right, so the right side of my tongue and mouth hurt worse. I can't win. Afraid to go to dentist, that my sore in the corner of my mouth will split larger. Lol can't have that.



Are u on facebook? I am. I check it at least 15 plus tmes a day.



Jenn.

jbagley

I forgot, good luck with #3 tx.



If you have any crystals, rose quartz, smokey quartz, moonstone, amethyst, wear them. They help with grounding and healing.



Take your premeds. If you have phenergan, or ativan. Take some. I did for my last one #3 and slept most through the tx. I didn't have any nausea this time. Premeds work.

jenn

jbagley

Teresa, how are you doing? I haven't heard from you. The last time you posted you were going for a treatment,let me know how you are/

Jenn

Kasi

Hey Jenn - yes, I am on facebook! www.facebook.com/kasimarie Friend me!

I'll have my crystals with me today. And my mom and my best friend :-)

They don't have me take anything prior to chemo and I don't want to since I work half a day before I go; ugh, I hate taking drugs. When I go, they start the IV with Aloxi, Emend, Decadron, then the A, the C, and finish with a push of Ativan through my port. Then I have to take a steroid beginning the night of chemo every 12 hours 5 times.  Chemo is on Thursdays so the last time I take a steroid is Saturday night. I have Zofran and Compazine to take, as well as Ativan. I take the Ativan at night to sleep for a few nights and the Zofran as needed. I've only needed to take the at home stuff for a few days after chemo; I usually feel pretty OK by Monday.

Thanks for the luck today!! I hope everything goes smoothly. Have a great day!!! 

Teresa5

Hi Girls - I'm back at work. Nice to meet you Kasi... I only have computer access at work... my Aug 26th treatment went as well as expected. I do not work the week after, and I am working half days until my final treatment Sept 16th. The fatigue is really getting to me. I feel like I am a hundred years old some days...and the hot flashes seem to come every half hour. I too have the runny nose and eyes watering.  I so just want to be "me" again.  Hope you are both doing well and will check in again tomorrow....my hubby will be picking me up shortly to take me home.  TV has become my new best friend (ugh) : )

cookiegal

Hey Mainers! I lived in Bangor for a year!

Kasi

Nice to meet you, too, Teresa!

Hi Cookiegal! Where do you live now? 

cookiegal

NYC. But I loved Maine, it was unique and kind of magical. Dirigo!

Katiejane

  I love Maine!  Lived in Durham for 3 years and would move back to Maine in a instant!!!  Hang in there girls---it's a tough road but you can do it!!!

Katiejane

Kasi

Hi Ketiejane! Durham/Freeport is nice! I live in Windham, just over the Westbrook line. Thank you so much for the encouraging words!

haltsaluteatx

Hello Mainers

I live in Durham. I previously lived in Freeport and am originally from MA. Kasi, are you aware of the Cancer Community Center in South Portland? They have some fantastic resources and support groups available. Nice to meet everyone.

I carried a rose quartz heart with me along with my prayer beads. 

Healing thoughts to everyone

Kasi

Hi Nicole! We live pretty close to each other - nice to meet you!! Yes, I have heard of the CCC in SoPo; I'm signed up to do the LGFB class there at the end of the month 

theyaregone

I am new to the club and looking for an Aroostook County Gals.

babsbrink

I am a County Gal too. Southern Aroostook. I am currently traveling to Brewer five times a week for radiation.

theyaregone

Ahh another county gal....I had radiation back in 2001 - not for BC and went to Bangor.  How are you doing?

I had a double mastectomy 2 weeks ago.  You are right - these county folk sure are stand-offish.