Starting Chemo March 2015

Trvler

Happy chemo end party, Theresa!

Technically, I don't know if I am a blonde anymore.:) I guess I do have blonde hair on my arms and upper legs. But I do have some of those blackhead looking things so I was hoping. I might have some blonde fuzz I can't see.

pboi

Have fun at your party Theresa! 🎉

Allison - I do exercise already. I have heard about the magnesium, but don't know if I should take it, I was told no supplements. And now that I'm about to start rads, they said only calcium and vit D were ok, nothing else. I totally agree with you about all the mixed messages, it's really hard to figure out what you should/shouldn't do

PB

Jackbirdie

Happy chemo party T! Have fun! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎈🎈🎈🚴🚴🚴🎈🎉🚴🎉🎈🚴🎈

pboi

All this talk about hair...wish I had some! Was wondering if it was true that hair grows faster in the summer. From what I was reading, I think it's just a myth 😟

Dear Hair and Hair Follicles,

Everyday (sometimes multiple times a day) I look for you to see if you are coming in. My March BC sisters and I have been through so much, so I don't think it would be too much to ask that you speed up your growth for us. Many of us are trying all sorts of shampoos, conditioners, creams, lotions, potions, and pills to coax you to grow. So, hair, please come out, after all this, we deserve it!

Impatient bald girl,

PB

Lol...sorry indulge me...it's been one of those lazy boring Sundays! 😊

Jem27

PB my gynae put me on a low dose Paxil med 10mg for the hot flashes because I was not sleeping either with this chemo induced menopause. There is another drug Brisdalle which is Paxil 7.5mg but that is not covered by my insurance. Ireally dont know yet if it is working. He said it cant take a month or more. I hate taking all these tablets but it comes down to whatever i need to do to get me through the day.

Katy you can do this. You have been so strong and have found words for all of us when we were at low points. Sending you hugs.

Teresa hope you have fun at your party : )

greenae

Theresa

PARTY ON!!! Have a great time!

I think the CIPN affects feet because they are most distal in our circulation. The capillaries get sort of clogged with chemo and affect the nerves at their "endpoints," our hands and feet. Anyway, I looked it up, but I am probably not explaining it well. Let's just hope it Goes Away!!

Enjoy the party!

Arlene

so-she-did

Happy No More Chemo party Theresa

SueH58

Theresa - Congrats. You have been such an inspiration. You deserve nothing but the best. Enjoy!

slothabouttown

PARTY ON THERESA! Bravo woot woot! What a great occasion to celebrate!!

shaz101

congratulations theresa! 😃 👠 put on your dancing shoes.

on thursday my arm swelled up and its still swollen. I went to the physio today an she confirmed that i have lymphedema. There is 4cm difference on each arm. She did some lymph drainage massage and has taped it up. Im so pissed off! Any tips? Guess i should visit the lymphedema forum 😢

Jackbirdie

Sharon- no tips, just sympathy. I can't believe it! You just didn't need this. I think going for the manual lymph drainage is good, and you should probably get fitted for a "sleeve".

Sloth knows the most about this in our group I think. Maybe she will chime in.

Did activity bring it on? Was your routine any different?

I am SO. SORRY.

xoxo

Hugs

K

SpecialK

shaz - sorry about this - you need an appointment with a certified lymphedema therapist, not just a PT.  You should be fitted for a sleeve and glove or gauntlet (handpiece) but should not wear it until your swelling is under better control.  They may want to wrap you initially to control swelling, and then have you wear the sleeve.  MLD should be done daily and mild exercise can help.  For exercise in the gym you definitely need to work your way up from very light weight but it does help move your lymph fluid.  I was diagnosed during chemo with bi-lat lymphedema, worse in the arm with more nodes removed (I had bi-lat SNB, then ALND on the cancer side) and for me it stemmed from a body-wide swelling event after Taxotere.  I have decent control of swelling, but do get flares from a variety of things.  If you have any questions ask away, but here are some resources:

http://www.stepup-speakout.org/

http://stepup-speakout.org/Handout%20doc%20for%20SUSO-030113.pdf

IndyGal35

Yes, Katy. As long as my counts are good, my last chemo will be tomorrow! I'm dreading it, butI'll be so glad to have this horrible part behind me.

I never have recovered from my most recent round. The fatigue is still really heavy, so I'm praying to be able to finish strong. (It looks like my bmx will be on 7/31, but I'm waiting for the call to confirm.)

Jackbirdie

oh Special- why didn't I think of you? Thank you for stepping in so quickly to help my other "special" friend" Shaz.

Lee- I'm starting the mojo incantations early then. Starting now. It's a bi$&h not recovering before you go again. And surgery right on its tail. You are in a special place in my heart right now, and there you will stay, dear girl.

I had the BMX in December. You must start eating your protein now, any way you can, to build up. Simply every caregiver I talked to at surgery time beat it into my head how important it us for healing. Now and especially after surgery. Endless warm hugs for you. K

Trvler

Indy: Hopefully between now and 7/31, you can get some strength back.

Sharon: I hope K's tips help you.

SpecialK

Aim for 100g of protein a day - it is a lot, but it really helps boost the RBC and hemoglobin up, which will alleviate the fatigue and assist with healing after surgery.  If you use an app like MyFitnessPal and enter your food amounts it gives you a breakdown at the bottom of the page with your running total for the day of nutrients - makes it a bit easier to track when you are so tired!  If you can't handle actual food in the amount needed to get 100g of protein, try smoothies or shakes with added protein powder, or protein bars.

Jackbirdie

Wow-Special! 100? I am really trying and getting nowhere near that. Will have to try harder. Putting whey protein in my juice, I get about 25 there when I don't feel like eating.....I need to step it UP

ninjamary

Katy - The light should be quite bright at the end of your tunnel. It is almost over! Hang in there girl.

Regarding night sweats. I seem to be down mostly to head sweats. My head is on fire. Usually I wake up around 1-2 am. Go downstairs and lay on a leather couch (it's cooler than a pillow) Then I heat that thing up and have to move my head further down the arm and the finally have to lay on the other side of the couch. I still do get body sweats, but nothing like I had in the beginning.

Hair. If it is coming in it's all white with patches of black. I'm just not seeing it. I look the same as I did when I first had my head shaved. Eyebrows are half gone, and eyelashes, I think I have total of 6.

slothabouttown

Sharon,

Here is a link to find a certified MLD therapist in your area. There are several schools that train in MLD so if this link doesn't list anyone in your area you might try through one of the other school's websites . The decompression wrapping is important for a flare and then the manual lymphatic drainage is important for Maintenance. Like Special said, finding someone who is specifically trained and certified in this therapy is crucial. I was surprised at how much the PT folks at my hospital DIDN'T know about treating lymphedema. So sorry you've had to deal with this in addition to all the other BS.

Leighrh

Katy.... I am sorry the SE's have kicked in full force.... but this is IT!! Ride it through and just take it easy, better times are ahead!

Well it looks like Sunday's are gonna be my not so great days on Taxol.  My whole body hurt yesterday.  I was really useless, even took a Loratab to try to get some sleep... didn't work but I did just lay around all day.

On the hair front... I am just going to STOP looking.  There is nothing there and it's useless!  I am utterly exhausted from dolling up everyday with all this wig, eyelash, eyebrow business and the thought of doing this for 3 - 6 more months is daunting..... but.. what ya gonna do.......... I just keep swimming.. LOL 

Jackbirdie

Thanks Ninja and Leigh-

Have to laugh....somebody told me to rewatch Finding Nemo yesterday and ....just keep swimming....

Hope you have a better day too.

Sloth- there wasn't a link that I saw.....Sharon is in Australia though.....😓😢😨

SpecialK

jackbirdie - yes, you need that much.  A normal sedentary adult woman - not recovering from chemo or surgery - needs about 46 grams of protein a day, according to reputable sources.  When you are in "repair" mode you need more.  I would recommend increasing the protein powder - doing a shake is the easiest way to get more of it.  I am not crazy about the taste of protein powder but it is disguised a bit if you do a shake and they are easy to drink.  In the short term make it with ice cream for extra protein and to thicken your shake, and make it more palatable - Breyer's No-Sugar Added Vanilla has 2g and only 80 calories per 1/2 c. serving.  Also, bars like Clif Builder have 20g and are relatively small - you can nibble on it.  Try fortified cereal and milk - you can get 5g or more there. 

Jackbirdie

Special- you are the real deal. What would we ever do without you. Thanks again for adopting us and keeping your benevolent eye out for us all the time. I so appreciate your constant voice of intelligentreason, backed up by FACTS! More than many of us get from our HC providers, (mostly because they can't agree...grrrr)

slothabouttown

Oops, Katy thanks for reminding me to add the link!

http://vodderschool.com/contacts/therapist

There are many therapists listed in Australia but I'm not familiar enough with the geography to tell if any are close to Sharon. And there are other certification schools so maybe some luck elsewhere if this site doesn't list someone.

Jackbirdie

Jack after a rough weekend of caregiving: "mom, do I have to get up?"

Beachbum1023

Katy you are so lucky to have little Jack! Just look at him, I wanna be him. I hope you have turned the corner and feel better today. Cheryl

pboi

Special - thx for all the info about the protein, so helpful!

I'm so anxious and nervous today. Going in for my thyroidectomy surgery tomorrow.

Katy - cute pic of Jack, he looks so cozy.

PB

eheinrich

So now that I guess I'm done having cancer it's time to get back to real life. Problem is my real life was screwed up so cancer gave me a reason not to deal w/ the fact that I'm an alone, unemployed, chubby, bald, one-titted chick in her now late forties. Not to say I wish I was still in treatment - at all. Wish all the previously back burner stuff would go back on its burner for a little longer is all.

so-she-did

Got my first rads under my belt this morning. 32 more to go.

Sharon - sorry to hear about the lymphedema. You have had enough ingredients on your shit sandwich. Enough already! I hope it gets under control quickly and doesn't dare rear its ugly head again.

PB - I can understand being anxious today after all you have been through. We'll be right there with you tomorrow holding your virtual hand. Take it easy today and treat yourself to something special. You deserve it!

For the protein conversation, here is a recipe I tried out yesterday and liked. http://www.babycenter.com/209_white-bean-and-salmon-salad_17200003_85.bc. I made a few changes based on what I had at home and also to reduce the number of servings. I thawed out 2 salmon burgers, flaked them, and cooked them. I used 1 can of Great Northern beans and skipped the red onion altogether to help entice my girls to eat it. I eyeballed and taste tested the amounts for the rest of the ingredients but found I liked it with quite a bit of lemon and basil. Super easy to make and love that it is a cold meal in this hot weather.

Jem27

PB keeping you in my thoughts and prayers for tomorrow.  Its never easy before any procedure to keep the anxiety at bay. You have been through so much already.

Sending you comforting hugs

Jackie