March 2012 chemo
Comments
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Indigo: Sorry you were the recipient of the bird poop today. Sending (((hugs))) and hoping the steroid crash passes quickly.
kltb: We definitely have to meet up in Memphis sometime once we are both up to it.
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Tellie-lol at DHs comment! Told my DH about it and he looked down his pants real fast and said "nope, it's still there!"
I've been having a hard time being in the mood for it myself. Hard to feel frisky when you can hear the stubble on your head rubbing against the pillow lol! -
Afternoon ladies!
tellie- had to laugh about DH's comment. Mine always waits a few days and tells me "your not toxic anymore".
Indigo-hope the steroid crash is over fast.
TX4 seemed to be harder on me than the others. Spent most of the weekend sleeping or just lying around scared to move. Nausea was a lot worse this time around. DS birthday went ok though. My parents brought him out a cake Sat. and we had a small party. Then my MIL brought out another cake on Sun. I managed to walk arcoss the yard to eat then back home to sleep. I have cake coming out my ears. lol
onvacation- so sorry about your friend!
Might be nap time again.
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It is always a good time for nap time! So envious of you that are only doing 4 treatments and are finishing up. I have 3 more to go of my 6 then radiation. I haven't even met with a RO yet, guess that is another question i need to ask the MO! (MLB - thanks for the idea of putting my questions in my phone!)
Rainy day in Houston today, but the good news is I always have a good hair day with the wig! No more frizzies or flat hair ! WOOHOO! Ok that is my positive thought of the day!
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I remember hearing somewhere that exchanging bodily fluids is not a good idea for a while after tx...still not much of an issue here these days.. I am sapped of all sense of attractiveness or interest or extra energy...
Having a pretty awesome time right this minute sitting on my porch in the breeze smelling my lily of the valley, staring at a magazine. Wishing I could actually focus to read! -
Lost - hope you got that nap.
Michelle - lol at your DH too!
KCB - glad you had a good afternoon - I have a hard time concentrating on reading books...magazines I can handle
Indigo - speaking of magazines, I flip past the hair and clothes and head straight for the food
Kim - me too on never having a bad hair day - I posted the pic I put on here on my FB page and I have had more people comment on it than I can count telling me how good it looks, how much younger I look. My real hair never garnered such compliments. I had been holding onto an old hairstyle for far too long! Oh and am so jealous of your rain - we are SO dry here.
Oh, about hair - I ordered my LAST HALO today...if this one doesn't work, I give up. It is the regular straight hair halo from tlcdirect (the one I got from them and sent back was the curly one and it was quite Bozo the clown). I don't know if I mentioned it but this weekend I got in the one from hatandhair.com that has the velcro - it looked ridiculous. If I tried to tuck it behind my ears, there was the appearance of not having hair around that part of my head. And if I ordered a bang piece too that would have been a whole lot of velcroed in hair to shift around. So I am trying the traditional halo one.more.time. Something tells me I need to go shopping for a cute big sun hat and some scarves before our trip.
Well I guess it is about time for me to retire to my room for the evening...I need to get some movies because I am about caught up with all my regular shows I watch...
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kltb, can't remember if I told you, but when I added a piece of elastic to my halo, it was SOOOO much more comfy. I can wear it for hours now, which is a big improvement! Hope your last one works, if not, tons of cute hats out there!
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Magazines.... funny, I like the food and recipes too. Reminds me, I have got to send someone to the grocery store before we spend any more money on takeout, darn it. Or run out of toilet paper.
I have been saying more or less the same thing about the wigs, too - that I can now have a good hair day any day I like. I just wish the wigs didn't feel like a knitted winter cap.
kltb04 - I probably missed it somewhere - where are you going for the trip?
The "bleh" feeling seems to be passing. Just having these outrageous hot flashes. I can see now why they are so hated! I must have taken my temp half a dozen times today (I'm a little bit nervous about maybe getting an infection since I just had the port). But no fever, no sign of infection - just heat that does not register on the thermometer. Lol - I got some printed info from my OB/GYN's office on di fferent things to try to help with hot flashes - would you believe that one of them is "stick your head in the freezer"!
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Indigo
Stick your head in the freezer LOL! Oh that's helpful. I'm still cracking up over that one. Must have been written by a man!
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I quote: "Use your freezer liberally. A number of women talked about opening the freezer at home (or in the supermarket) and sticking their head in when a hot flash hits."
It just may come to this! -
And here's another one: "Get a bigger bed if you and your partner are on different heat planets but you still want to stay in close orbit."
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Indigo: Hilarious!! Stick yr head in the freezer... May just try that though... Ice-cream cures many things.
Re: magazines. Love magazines, and yes Always go straight to food. Love food, love recipes, love eating, but sadly I am not an inspired cook. I like to cook but I particularly love finding recipes that are super easy but still tasy, and I try really hard to stay away from jars and cans I possible. J just found a magazine called Eating Well which has good, fairly simple recipes...my house is stacked with magazines. I love to read actual books too, have always been a bookworm, but despite all the time on my hands these days I cannot start into anything. Maybe today is the day...
Re wig: can't even get near mine. Tried it on one day and thought I looked ridiculous with hair!!! I feel far less self conscious walking around the neighborhood and the kids school with a scarf or cap than my crazy wig....it's not crazy, really, I just can't identify with me in it... I wonder I that'd because I feel so far from where I was two months ago with a full head of hair.
Recipe I just saw: garlic chicken in wine and Dijon, all simmered in a skillet on the stovetop. Yum. -
Indigo
I was laughing so hard at the whole "stick your head in the freezer" quote last night I almost wet myself! My periods ceased about a year ago but I remember that the two years preceding that is when I had hot flashes so I can relate. I thing you ladies that have been thrown into chemopause might have it worse though because its so sudden.
One of my GF's uses Estradril and has for over 5 years. I told her this scares the crap out of me but we were away a couple of years ago and I was super hot flashing. She rubbed some on my arm and I have to say I didn't have a hot flash for a week! I never used any HRT though and was never a fan of taking birth control when I was younger either. Never liked messing with my hormones. Yet out of all of my friends, guess who got BC.
KCB
I cook all the time but I'm a simple cook really. Love looking for new recipes online and in magazines but if I see a huge list of ingredients it just turns me off from trying it. We used to eat out ALOT a few years ago and my cholesteral, blood pressure and weight were all up. My doctor who I had been seeing for many years made a really good point when she said. "In the early days, what we couldn't have to eat because of lack of money resulted in illness and death, now its was we CAN have that does the same". Then I started shopping regularly for groceries and cooking at home more often.
I could still stand to lose 20 pounds but I'm down 10 easily and my cholesteral and bp is under control. At least the brakes were put on from gaining more weight.
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Morning all - home after running into town to run a few errands. Got my mom's birthday gift as well as things to make cutesy little teacher appreciation/end of year gifts for next week.
Bahaha Indigo - sounds like great advice...picturing you with your head in the freezer.
Regarding hot flashes, etc...well, I think my period has ceased - this is about day 33 and I never go this long so that is good I guess? Can't say that I have had any hot flashes or such but I did decide today that the scarf/hat combo I wore today will NOT be useful for summer. It is only 75 but really humid this morning and I had on a silky material scarf and a newsboy cap with a silky lining - all it did was trap the heat. I did buy more of a "sun hat" at Target today - not the huge floppy ones - the big ones looked crazy ridiculous on my head. But one with more of a brim than the caps I have. A lady saw me trying them on and told me it "looked cute" which I interpreted to mean - oh you poor thing, you have no hair. LOL.
Let's not talk about healthy food right this second - as I have powdered donuts and Starbucks.
I love trying new recipes but I am SOOOO picky that I often have to tailor them to what I will eat. Then I tell my kids they HAVE to at least try it because if I will eat it, anyone should. On takeout - that gets so ridiculously expensive, I know. DH would probably cook more but I would have to tell him exactly what to buy and make and some days I just can't deal with that, even if I am not actually cooking. Making fish tacos tonight but not homemade - we just had leftover fish from carryout last night so I am adding tortillas, cheese, lettuce/tomato and calling it another meal.
Oh and we are looking at going to New Orleans for a few days and then down to the Gulf Coast for a few days.
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Onvacation, I am so sorry to hear about your friend! Sending warm hugs your way. : (
MLB- I like your doctor! I get so tired of being told to ADD things to my diet to make them better. We're always being told to get more of something, but the amounts make no sense when you consider how you would get it without supplements, or the item they want you to take would not have been in your diet normally. I truly believe that that best thing we can do is remove the crap from our diets. The sugar, the white stuff, the artificial ingredients. The rest will fall in place. I'm really looking forward to my stomach settling down so I can buckle down and start eating a normal, healthy diet again!
Today I'm having a love hate relationship with Percocet. I am in a lot of pain (f-ing taxotere) so I'm grateful for the dulling effect, but I hate taking it because it makes me fuzzy and lazy. Not that I can move around much anyway since the pain is in my legs this time. Feels like my shins will just split if I stand up.
Has anyone else noticed their skin texture change? Mine seems looser or something. All over, but of course I notice it most in my face. I had really good, firm skin before this so it's pretty depressing. I'm hoping it's temporary....
I hope everyone is having good, or at least decent days. If you are having bad SEs, I'm sending you big hugs...
Has anyone heard from Amymom/fightingforamy lately? I'm sure she's in full fighting mode right now, but I worry about her and would love to know if she's okay. My heart aches everytime I think of what she's dealing with! -
My skin was normal until just about a week ago (maybe a tad dry) and now it has gotten all weird - like you said, a texture change, not just dry. I notice looser skin on my neck too - ewww...
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And no, I haven't seen anything from fightingfora lately - I looked and her profile says she hasn't posted since 4/30.
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Good morning ladies! Hope everyone is having a good SE free day.
ktlb: New Orleans and the beach sound like lots of fun! Wish I could get away for long enough to get to the beach. But we are going up to Memphis for Memorial Day weekend, so that will be nice. I have missed so much work already with the surgery and treatment, and more to go, so I hate to take off for anything else.
Masserz: Sorry you're in pain. I start Taxol tomorrow and I'm asking for a prescription for Percocet or something at the outset just in case.
Indigo: I'm thinking stick you head in the freezer sounds like a great idea lol! I might try that.
KCB: Garlic chicken with wine and dijon sounds awesome.
Food seems to be my primary focus in the days before TX. All I think about is what to eat next. Yet so far, I'm still losing weight. I guess because I go for a week after TX without eating. Since nothing tastes good, when I find something that does, I eat it for every meal. This week it's chicken salad. I've had it for every meal for two days already, and looking forward to it again for lunch. And cheesecake - YUM! My friend made me a cheesecake with this AMAZING half-inch thick layer of caramel and glazed pecans on the top - OMG!!!!! I have tried very hard to eat it for every meal and snack - it probably has 1,000 calories per slice but I don't care!
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That cheesecake sounds AWESOME!
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I sent her (Fighting for A) a PM on Mother's Day; no reply but I had told her before replies weren't necessary, just wanted her to know I was thinking of her.
A newbie to our April/May chemo thread is a mom who started AC in her 32nd week of pregnancy. I didn't know that was do-able and so I googled it. Turns out recent research based on following babies born to moms who had chemo and those that weren't showed no connection with developmental delays. The only ones that did were preemies/low birth weight, but that was the same as for babies born to moms not undergoing chemo.
Still..... God bless them, and my heart is with them. Being a new mom all by itself is huge; adding chemo to that is incredible.
NO would be fun - I have a friend/former coworker there who's a native and has told me a lot about it. Definitely will be humid, though! -
Lana - I second the yum on the cheesecake! We like to celebrate birthdays at the Cheesecake Factory. My BD is 6/11 and I already know what I want - chocolate tuxedo cream cheesecake. ;-)
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Chocolate tuxedo cream cheesecake sounds awesome too! We are a cheesecake family - we all LOVE it! My friend who made it for me does homemade ones for the public, and they are fabulous! We work together and she's always trying new recipes and bringing them for us to try. I gave her the recipe for the pineapple upside down cheesecake at Boma in Disney World (one of my favorite desserts at Disney), so she's going to give that one a try. I can't wait!
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Oh I totally forgot to post about hair stuff...since some of us are at the point of being able to start growing our lids back...I wanted to share a product that I love. It's a protein/amino acid based therapy and I've used it for a long time with good results. The link is below. A couple of years ago I had a tragic hair color accident and most of my hair was so damaged it actually broke off (to about 2 inches in some places!!) and what was left was essentially straw. I heard an ad for this product on the radio and they actually had a number of chemo survivors giving testimonials, so I decided to give it a shot. I didn't tell anyone I was using it so I could get unbiased responses. It was crazy. Almost immediately my hair was softer and shinier and looked fuller. I started getting compliments on how healthy my hair looked. Then everytime I went to my hairdresser, she would trip out about how fast my hair was growing back. She kept asking what I was eating, etc. I finally told her what I was using and she immediately ordered some for herself. She still uses it too. You have to order it (it's made by a small company here in my home town) and it is not cheap, but since we have so little hair it will last a really long time! I at least use the therapy product, but the "advanced" line is awesome and the shampoo and cream rinse are great too if you can afford them. And they smell great. I know you aren't supposed to judge products by their smell, but it matters to me. I started using this again on Monday and my stubble is already softer and less annoying.
http://ovationhair.com/
I've had some regrowth already, some started here and there over the last month or so...hopefully it hangs on and doesn't fall out after this last treatment. It's so blonde though that you can only see it when the light hits it just right. I know I'm going to obsess over it because I am so over dealing with being bald. I'm sure since your hair doesn't all grow at the same time I'm going to look like Gollum again for a while, but I'll deal!
If anyone else has good products that will help, please share! Skin care ones also please! As noted I suddenly have weird skin and am going to have to do something to tighten it back up... Peels maybe? I don't know. -
lanagrave
Eat whatever you want during TX! I know I did and I didn't gain any weight which shocked me actually. As long as your eating, you can clean up the diet when you finish so don't stress about it now. That cheesecake sounds amazing!
Have you considered Clariton 24 hour. I lived on percocet my first TX and tried it and it really worked for me. I was getting Taxoter and the Neulasta shot mind you.
Masserz
Yes that Doctor was amazing. She was a real redneck and used to swear and everything, I could be sick as a dog and would be cracking up the whole time I was there. Most of my family went to her as well. She also delivered most of my neices and nephews. Unfortunatley she had to give up her practice due to a brain tumor. She was an amazing doctor that pulled no punches though, told you straight up whatever her opinion was. I remember having an appointment the same day my Ex H's father passed away from heart attack. I was upset and she says to me "Hey, he lived a long time and had a great life, what are you balling about? He's the poor bastard they're going to be burying not you! ". Yeah, that's how she rolled. Another time my Mom's liver enzymes were quite elevated and she called me (my Mom lived with me at the time) and asked me if my Mom told me everything? I told her yes but why was she asking? She said her liver readings were those of an alcoholic! I told her no, not at all, had been a social drinker her whole life. So that answer led her to do more investigating and realized there was more going on with her liver than booze. She didn't want to lecture her about alcohol consumption but wanted to know from me because alot would lie I suppose. Turned out she had a benign growth, had it surgically removed and a full recovery.
She was an old fashioned, treat the whole family type of doctor that rarely exists anymore.
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Masserz: That Ovation product does sound interesting. One of the key things I've read with Herceptin is that is slows hair growth. I don't want any slow growing hair. I may have to try Ovation. It is somewhat expensive though.
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I have heard the ads on the radio for ovation - will check it out.
I really think May is just a bad month for me. Just found out this morning that my friend from high school came home from work last night and found her husband dead from a heart attack. DAMN - I've lost 3 friends in less than 2 weeks. WTF! Ok so I'm done now, no one else is allowed to die! HA!
Other than that I am feeling pretty good, skin is still wacky and that is annoying. But I guess there are worse things right!
I hope everyone has a good day with minimal SE!
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Omg, Kim! this is enough bad news for any of us. ((((((Kim))))))
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Onvacation: it's crazy what's going on with your friends, crazy! So so sorry you're having to face this right now.
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onvacation- I am so sorry! My heart goes out to you!
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Onvacation
Too much and so close together. I've been to 3 funerals since DX but certainly not so close together! How aweful!!
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