Has anyone started a Dec 2011 group?

Mardibra

wow....lots of us starting on the same day.  I look forward to sharing stories.

rachelvk

I'm probably not starting until mid-December; my next onc appt is Dec 13, though my port placement is Nov 30. I've got to start making a list of things to pick up for my own 'SE box.' Should I wait to go over it with my onc, or just start working off the lists on the Chemo threads? Still marveling at the Claritin suggestion.

Mardibra

My oncologist works at a big fat Boston cancer hospital.  I mentioned the Claritan to her and she had never heard of using it for bone pain and didnt understand how it would be helpful.  So, im sticking with the suggestions of the gals on this site.  Ive made my list and will be filling it tomorrow. 

darlam

I agree. I have learned more from these ladies than anyone told me at any medical appointment. When I went for my pre-chemo appointment, the nurse practitioner was taking notes on what I was telling her about OTC's for SE's that I have heard about here; like the Claritin. It makes sense to me that the people who have actually been through it know best what has worked for them.

As a medical provider myself, I also know that we do not know everything! Just because something hasn't been through a clinical trial or research study and made the journals yet doesn't mean it doesn't work! I do, however, tell my team about everything I plan to do and ask if there is any detriment to using it that they are aware of. If the answer is no, I figure....what can it hurt? I have a real mixed bag of tricks lined up, using both conventional medicine; surgery, chemo, hormonal therapy....and alternative therapies; reiki, medical massage, acupuncture, nutritional supplements, cold cap therapy, etc etc.Whatever is safe to the best of our knowledge, reduces side effects, and helps me cope is fair game!

To be honest, I am absolutely terrified and I just want to throw the whole kitchen sink at the problem until I see what I need and what helps. It is just amazing how all of this becomes "normal" vocabulary in a couple of months time............ 

ravs

Mine hasnt been scheduled yet, but it looks likely that they will start chemo Dec and then advice Mast or Lumpectomy later. I live in Mumbai while my husband is in London so its stresssful as it is. However I think this forum is very supportive and I find myself visiting this page everyday nearly.

Thanks everyone for giving support and help.

rachelvk

Welcome, Ravs. We'll be glad to have you along with us and hope we can all help each other.

Murmist

Count me in for December.  Surgery, BMX, scheduled for the 2nd.  This is my second round with cancer.  Diagnosed 2004 w/OVCA.  I did the Taxol-Carboplatin chemo for 6 cycles.  I am so sorry you have to go through with it.

The first time through, I did cut my hair short.  It began falling out about a week after the first chemo treatment. What I found most difficult was not having eyebrows, I used to put them on with pencil and purposely going around looking perpetually surprised!  There was something very freeing about never having to shave ANYWHERE.  As for the side affects, I still have numbness and tingling in two toes and I can't eat tunafish or salmon.  For the nausea, I took Emend...it was fairly new in 2004, but worked very well.  Food wise I basically lived on chocolate milkshakes and Jamba Juice the first week, then things improved daily until the next cycle.  I did end up with a low white count and was very careful about who I saw and where I went.  Used to grocery shop late a night with a mask on!

Can't say that I am happy to be back here again, but the support of all the women here has been a life-saver for me...the first time I went through this alone.  Thank you all, God Bless and wishing you all the best and big hugs!

Mardibra

So I just dropped a small fortune at CVS getting ready for chemo to begin.  Tylenol, Aleve, Senekot-S, Immodium, Biotene, shower moisturizer, regular moisturizer, soft toothbrushes, new shower curtain liner, Chapstick, Claritin, notebook to log SE's, and a pretty box to hold all this stuff in.  I think im as ready as I can be.  Im in the process of planning my "Hair Be Gone" party.  A get together with friends where we will drink wine, eat good food, and buzz my hair off.  

 Im starting 12/1 so i will be sure and post my experiences and hopefully that will be helpful for others.  Bring it on BC!

Terry71

Good plan mardi- add Pampers BABY wipes to that they work well for the big "D" and are soothing..... St Ives with vitamin E lotion, Clear coat nail polish for your nails, Hard candies for the dry mouth, lemon work,  vaseline and q tips for your dry nose, Boost or ensure meal replacement EXTRA protien, calories and or Immunity...... Multi vitamins to keep your hemoblobin up ( Iron) I know I spelt that wrong I blame the Chemo brain....... Im 3 days post last treatment and In so much pain, my knees, hips and ankles are starting to get really sore.... Keep saying Im gonna be just fine, NO MORE, but its not working today.... I wanna cry 

Mardibra

Forgot the baby wipes and the Ensure.  A friend of mine is a dental higenest (sp) and she is providing me with some candies that promote saliva but wont rot my teeth in the process.  Just cry and let it all out.  

Mardibra

Murmist - your hair started falling out a week after first treatment?  Wow...quick.  I hear ya on the brow liner.  I dont want to walk around looking like i just saw a rat.

rachelvk

Not sure if someone already mentioned this - but a friend sent me ginger chews to help with nausea.

tammie

Wow we do have quite the group going here..My port placement was awesomee..It was done by interventional radiology an im told they do them a bit different..My first port in 2002 was hell 5 days later i was still in pain, well when the surgeon looked at my scar as i was askin if they could do the same side..He said who did that mess ive never seen such a scar n told me that he couldnt do that side as with the mess there he couldnt trust that the vascular flow wasnt damaged..Naan im starting chemo on Tues also apparently AC..Well i got my hair cut super short in preparation and actually get alot of compliments it soo weird as its normally half way down my back..My shoppin lists as full as its gonna get the rest ill worry bout when the time comes..I'm hopeful Thanksgiving wont be ruined by chemo hang over as ive got my whole family together for the 1st time in yrs. and i wanna have a few glasses of wine and enjoy the day, this will also be the first yr. i dont have to do most of the cooking Well ladies here we go team CHEMO i say hope we all weather the se's well and kick some cancer A**!!! Much love and big hugs to you all..Tammie

darlam

Tammie-soooo glad it went better this time! Was thinking of you Friday. Doing mine Wednesday. Dropped $200 at Walgreen's this morning...............sigh.

Happy Thanksgiving, all! Hoping we are all able to enjoy time with those we love, and to find joy in the good things of our lives...despite the obvious!

stephanie33

Murmist

I am doing the Taxol-Carboplatin chemo, what can you tell me about side effects.  I noticed u said ur hair came out a wek after the 1st dose, wow that is fast my last go around I had AC and it took till about a week after my second dose for my hair to start falling out.  I am worried about the numbness due to Taxol.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

rachelvk

I'm curious - how many of you are planning to work during chemo? I have limited full-paid leave days, so I'm hoping to return to regular duty and then adjust my schedule around my SE's (ie - work weekends if necessary to make up for lost weekdays).

stephanie33

Rachelvk

I am planning on working as much as i can. My chemo is scheduled on Thursdays so i will take Thursday and Friday off in the beginning then who knows. I am fortunate that if needed i can work at home so I will do that when I can. Hoping it is not too hard on me!

Mardibra

Im with Stephanie - im planning on working throughout.  Im also having chemo on Thursdays and plan on working "from the chair" and working from home on Friday.  My boss has been fabulous about my situation so if I need to adjust the schedule I will.  However, as the saying goes, God laughs when we make plans.  So we shall see how it goes.  I will be having a mastectomy and reconstruction once its all over so im going to need to be out of the office for a while and will likely use short term disability to cover that.  Although, my disability insurance isnt great..  I can expect about 30% of current salary.  I will cross that bridge when I get there.

Gator65

I will be working as well. Chemo on Thursdays, Fridays I can work from home. My job has been very good to me so far. I hope that continues, lol!

tammie

I unfortunately havnt been working since my stage IV diagnosis. looking for somthing to keep me busy..Actually went on a date for the first time in 2yrs. last week soo thats been exciting looking forward to more,we have been friends for yrs and the day i got my stage IV dx and admitted to hospital was spose to be our 1st date,but i ran after my dx..Anyway he wasnt hearin that soo,long story short im now running round like a little school girl with a crush..Mayb just what i need to help me push through side effects better..soo anyways first AC tomorro hoping all goes well..Stephani i did weekly Taxol in 2003 for original dx the numbness wasnt too bad..The achy thing got me alot along with the forgetfullness rashes and bowel crap is what i remember the most but we all respond differently...Much love to all of you..Tammie 

rachelvk

Tammie - I'm still getting to know everyone on this thread, so I hadn't made the connection to your other threads that I stumbled upon going over the whole story! I think it's GREAT! You enjoy that crush - he seems like a great guy. I wish both of you lots of happiness.

darlam

Rachel; I'll be working too. I have the same plan as you. Chemo on Thurs. Work Fri. Off weekend, hopefully back by Monday. If that doesn't work, we'll adjust as we need to. My partners have been very accomodating and supportive. We will make it work as long as I can walk, think, and breathe. Like everyone else, I suppose, I just don't know what we will do financially if I am off any length of time; therefore, I'm pretty motivated:)

ravs

any guess or experience how many cycles of chemo you need to go thru?

I am absolutely terrified by the very thought!!!

ginasamb

Hi!  I would like to join this group if possible.  Am doing first round of 4 infusions of TC on Friday, Nov 25th - black Friday.  (one infusion every 3 weeks.)  All the cancer is gone but doing this to improve my risk for recurrence down to 3%.  Eegads, what have i signed up for?  )

Am very nervous, but excited to get this over with.  I read here that there are items to buy ahead of time at the pharmacy - does anyone have a master list available?

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of what kind of supplements - vitamins, herbal and/or minerals that minimize side effects?  Is it ok to take a valium during chemo?

I plan on working through this as the thought of sitting at home in a robe watching Dr Oz is a side effect I have to avoid.  Any tips hints?

Boy am I nervous!  But I am jumping in! 

Thank you in advance for your time and thoughts!

tammie

Welcome to our group Gina!! Your wise to do that chemo anything that betters our odds is worth doing..Pinned to the beginning of the chemo forum you will see the lists of possible necessities..We are all different in se's from chemo.. I'm off to begin my first round of A/C today, hoping i do well with it..Keep up that good attitude Gina, i hope you breeze through it..Thank you Rach i plan on enjoying as much up time as i can hes such a sweety, crazy fool was tryin to offer to bring me to chemo lol..Well i spose i should get me dressed and ready to head in for chemo..Thank you all and big hugs..Tammy

Moderators

Hi ladies;

Stopping by to provide some great information from the main Breastcancer.org site on Chemotherapy, including what to expect, types of chemo meds, and side effect management.

Hope you find this helpful!

--Your Mods

rachelvk

Thanks, Mods. It's always nice to know you guys are really keeping up on us!

elizadevi

February 11, 2009 8:41 PM

Link Eyed Between Beef And Cancer

By Jaime Holguin

(CBS) In feed lots across the country, beef cattle are given growth hormones to make them fatter faster, to save money.

Now questions are being raised about one of the most widely-used hormones, Zeranol, a synthetic estrogen implanted in cattle. A series of tests done for the Pentagon show a possible link between breast cancer and Zeranol.

In the lab, researchers at Ohio State University mixed beef from Zeranol-treated cows with human breast cancer cells and saw "significant" cancer cell growth -- in some cases at levels 30 times lower than the government says is safe.

Concerned about possible long-term effects, they write: "consumption of food ... derived from ... animals treated with Zeranol poses a potential health risk to consumers."

"We know that Zeranol and some of the synthetic hormones used in cattle production are estrogens, and we know that breast cancer is dependent upon estrogen," says Lou Guillette, a biologist at the University of Florida.

In his own research, Guillette examined the effects of hormones coming off cattle feedlots and getting into the water. The study, funded by the European Union, which bans beef hormones, found serious damage to the reproductive systems of fish downstream from a Nebraska feedlot.

"It certainly raises a red flag for us," says Guillette. "What it suggests is that there are very potent hormones that are coming off of these feedlots that are going into the environment."

Andrea Martin, the founder of the Breast Cancer Fund, says there needs to be more research into what women are exposed to that might be causing breast cancer.

"We feel there are preventable causes of breast cancer," says Martin. "In the last 50 years, it's almost tripled, and there's no reason to think it won't keep increasing."

As a breast cancer survivor, Martin says women in particular need to be aware of the risks.

"It's really a matter of women waking up and demanding to know what is in their products in their food. And what effect it has on their bodies," she says.

But the cattle industry says the minute amount of Zeranol found in beef poses no threat.

"My wife and my four daughters eat beef on a regular basis," says Gary Weber, of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. "I've reviewed all this science, and I'm confident that beef is safe and wholesome for consumers.

Weber initially said levels of Zeranol found in beef were "57,000 times less, literally, than what the FDA has determined is safe."

However, a day after this CBS report aired, his organization said the figure was wrong. The levels of the drug are 5,700 less than what the FDA has determined is safe -- in effect, 10 times higher than the first estimate.

The manufacturer of Zeranol says the drug is FDA approved as "safe and effective" and adds, "there has been no demonstration that Zeranol affects the development of breast cancer in humans or animals."

The FDA tells CBS News it's waiting for the results of a major follow-up study which will track Zeranol levels in women and in store-bought beef.

Estrogen in chicken and beef may be contributing to hormone-dependent cancers

Posted: May 23, 2010

Breast cancer study

Conference:

American Society of Clinical Oncology Meeting, June 2010

Study name:

Does dietary estrogen intake from meat relate to the incidence of hormone-dependent cancers?

A new study to be presented in early June at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago has reported that U.S. chicken and beef contain relatively high levels of estrogen. Estrogen in oral contraceptive pills has been reported to contribute to the incidence of hormone-dependent cancers in women. However, there appears to be very little discussion concerning dietary estrogen from meat in relation to cancer incidence. In the study, concentrations of estradiol-17β (E2) and estrone (E1) were measured in beef produced in the U.S. and Japan (40 samples each), and chicken produced in the U.S., Japan, and Brazil (25 samples each). Fat and muscle meat were examined separately. For comparison, the authors also analyzed fat tissues of 25 postmenopausal Japanese women.

Estrogen levels were found to be higher in fat than in muscle meat. Median concentrations (picograms per gram (pg/g)) of estrogen in Japanese chicken fat (E2 = 21.1, E1 = 65.7) and in U.S. chicken fat (20.7, 54.6) were the highest of the samples assessed. U.S. beef fat also had a relatively high level (14.0, 7.7). However, Japanese beef red meat (0.0, 0.1) and Brazilian chicken muscle meat (0.2, 0.4) were found to incorporate nearly zero levels of estrogen, and the estrogen levels in their fat were also low. The high E2 levels in Japanese and U.S. chicken exceeded the levels found in the fat of Japanese women (16.3). On the other hand, levels in meat with low estrogen content were a hundred times lower than in human fat.

The authors comment that the high estrogen concentrations in Japanese and U.S. chicken, as well as U.S. beef, have been attributed to the residue of external estrogen in the feed given to the livestock. The nearly zero level found in Japanese beef and Brazilian chicken may be considered the natural amount found in meat without estrogen supplementation. The estrogen levels found in U.S. chicken and beef are much lower than those of contraceptive pills. However, estrogen intake from meat consumption cannot be dismissed as a factor governing human health, according to the authors, considering lifetime exposure to such meat. The authors conclude that dietary estrogen intake from meat might promote estrogen accumulation in the human body and could influence the incidence of hormone-dependent cancers.

Fighting for a safer environment at home, in the community, and at work

American Beef: Why is it Banned in Europe?

HORMONES IN MEAT Fact Sheet

Most U. S. beef cattle are implanted with synthetic hormones in feedlots prior to slaughter. On January 1, 1989 the European Economic Community (EEC) placed a ban on hormone-treated U. S. meat, preventing U. S. meat products from being sold in any European nations. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has challenged the ban and accused the EEC of unfair trade practices, but the action of European governments raises some important questions about American meat.

Q. Why did the Europeans (EEC) place a ban on hormone-raised meat?

A. The European Economic Community banned hormone-raised meat because of questions on the dangers of meat that has been treated with synthetic sex hormones. European consumers pressured the EEC to take this action to protect their health.

More than a decade ago, Roy Hertz, then director of endocrinology at the National Cancer Institute and a leading authority on hormonal cancers, warned of the carcinogenic risks of estrogenic additives which can cause imbalances and increases in natural hormone levels. Hertz warned against the uncontrolled use of these potent carcinogens. No dietary levels of hormones are safe and a dime-sized piece of meat contains-billions of millions of molecules.

Breast cancer has been raised as a primary concern in light of associations between breast cancer and oral contraceptives, whose estrogen dosage is known and controlled. The risk of breast and other cancers only increases with the uncontrolled use of hormones in meat.

Q. During the seven years after the EEC ban on hormone-raised meat, the U.S. beef industry has continued to use sex hormones in meat. Why?

A. Hormones can be used to stimulate growth in cattle. Because farmers are paid based on the weight of the animals they sell for slaughter, the use of hormones has been seen as a way to boost profits.

Q. Which hormones are used on feedlots?

A. Diethylstilbestrol (DES) was one of the first hormones used to fatten feedlots. It was banned in 1979 after forty years of evidence that DES was cancer-causing. In its place, sex hormones, such as estradiol and progestins (synthetic forms of the naturally occurring hormone progesterone) have been implanted to virtually all feedlot cattle. The least hazardous way to administer hormones to animals is through an implant near the animals ear. Unfortunately, many farmers inject hormones directly into the muscle tissue that will be later used to make meat products. The only USDA-imposed requirement is that residue levels in meat must be less than one percent of the daily hormone production of children. This requirement is unenforceable because there is no USDA testing for hormone residues in meat. Furthermore, hormonal residues are not practically differentiable from natural hormones created by the cow's body. As a result, the use of hormones to boost meat production is completely unregulated.

Q. What kind of policies should be in place in the U.S. to address this problem?

A. Hormonal and other carcinogenic additives (pesticides from food fed to animals, some antibiotics, etc.) should be banned immediately, as should be all additives that are not proven effective and safe. Additive use and residue levels in animal products, including milk and eggs, should be subject to explicit labeling requirements. Until then, state initiatives that establish hormone-free certification for European shipments, should be applauded and extended domestically.

Q. What can consumers do to protect themselves?

A. Consumers can boycott chemical treated meat in favor of organic meat and insist on the fight to know which additives have been used and what residues might exist. Consumers should speak with their butchers or grocers about hormone-free meat product availability.

Beef Hormones Linked to Premature Onset of Puberty & Breast Cancer

Research links breast cancer, beef hormones

By Dennis Bueckert / The Canadian Press

Ottawa - Consumption of hormone-treated beef may be causing girls to

reach puberty earlier than they used to and making them more susceptible

to breast cancer, say researchers attending a world conference on breast

cancer.

It is "very likely" that hormone residues in North American beef is a

factor in the early onset of puberty among girls in recent decades, said

Carlos Sonnenschein of the Tufts University School of Medicine at

Boston.

"There is no other reason to explain it," Sonnenschein said in an

interview Friday.

Pediatricians say the onset of menstruation has steadily decreased in

recent decades. The average age for a first period is now 12½, up from

age 14 in 1900.

Early onset of puberty with its raging hormones translates into higher

risk of breast cancer, said

Sonnenschein.

"The length and amount of exposure to estrogens (a class of hormones) is

one of the most significant risk factors in breast carcinogenesis.

"Unless you are exposed to estrogens you don't get breast cancer. The

longer the exposure is, the higher the incidence. Therefore if you

decrease the age of menarche (first menstruation) . . . you

are at higher risk."

Hormones are used by cattle farmers in Canada and the United States to

increase the weight of cattle prior to slaughter. They are currently the

focus of a major trade dispute between North American and the European

Union.

Annie Sasco, of the International Agency for Research on Cancer at

Lyons, France, said more study is needed but it makes sense that

hormone-treated beef could affect the onset of puberty.

"Any exposure to a high level of hormones is associated with earlier

onset of puberty. It needs to be

studied more but it makes sense."

She said the risk of breast cancer associated with hormone residues in

meat is not proven, and is probably small.

"We all have estrogens and we need estrogens," she told the mainly

female audience. "They are needed for life, for being what we are. We

cannot say, 'Ban estrogens.'

"We all have to try, through our diet and physical exercise, to keep our

levels down. But there is a

need to keep things in perspective . . . without getting into a complete

panic."

Even if the risk is small, she said it would be prudent to stop the use

of hormones in the cattle industry there's no offsetting health benefit

for consumers.

The European Union has banned the use of hormones for fear they pose a

health risk, and has banned imports of hormone-treated Canadian and U.S.

meat.

The two North American countries have taken the dispute to the World

Trade Organization and have won the right to retaliate by placing

tariffs on European goods. Canada announced retaliatory tariffs on a

range of goods this week.

The federal government maintains the hormones are safe, despite strong

misgivings on the part of its own scientists at the Health Protection

Branch.

Four scientists with concerns have been placed under orders not to

discuss the issue in public.

The incidence of breast cancer has been rising steadily, most quickly in

rich countries. In 1997, around the world, close to 400,000 women died

of the disease.

The number of new cases reported annually approached 900,000 in 1997,

up from 572,000 in 1980.

Date: Sat, 31 Jul 1999 22:36:56 -0700

From: Andrew Gach <UncleWolf@WORLDNET.ATT.NET>

Posted to: Health and Environment Resource Center

<HEALTHE@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM>

rachelvk

Picked up a new tip at a support group meeting tonight - sea-bands to prevent nausea. I have a pair since I went down to the Antarctic in Feb and managed to avoid getting seasick, so I'm willing to give them a shot again.

rachelvk

Most amusing $3 I've spent in a long time - I stopped into a local dollar store just for the heck of it and when I got to the nail polish, I figured I might as well pick up my clear coat there for a buck. So I now am the proud owner of... "Nails be Strong - strengthener," "Calcium Boost base coast - moisturizing gel instantly fortifies and conditions split, dry, brittle nails," and..... "Garlic Growth base coat - nourishes dry, brittle nails to spur growth." I figure it can't hurt to rotate through those during chemo.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!