Starting Chemo March 2015

Jem27

Amy congrats on first rad over .I feel everyone is so much further on than me. I still have 10 weeks of Taxol to do first before rad. I know I shouldn't be wishing my life away but.....

Eileen, congrats you have come through so much. You can do this with a totally different perspective. One day at a time .....

ninjamary

EHeinrich - I feel you about going back to your previous life. I use/used breast cancer as a reason to ignore things in my life. Examples: job, daily life, kids, finances.........oh the list goes on and on. I could only deal with one stressor and said "F IT!" Now all the other stuff needs to be taken care of in the next few weeks/months. I need to get it together.

Jackbirdie

PBoi- Have you on my thoughts list for tomorrow. As others have said, you've been through so much already. And we are here with you.

Amy- congrats on knocking that first one out. Hope it wasn't too traumatic. Thinking of you.

Jackbirdie

Eileen and Ninja- now you girls don't be too hard on yourselves. Try just to start with a list of things. Sounds like you've done that. Maybe tomorrow take a stab at putting them in order. Just like the last shit sandwich couldn't be eaten all at once, this one too, needs to be managed. One thing at a time.

BBwithBC45

How are you feeling today, Katy?

ThePrincess

SpecialK - thank you for the reminder about protein! I have been lower energy than I think I should have been only at taxol #2 and felt great today, and realized I had red meat for lunch and dinner yesterday - and I think the previous days I had not eaten nearly enough protein!

Jackbirdie

BB- thanks for asking- marginally better today. Less pain maybe. But very sleepy!

IndyGal35

I just got confirmation that my bmx surgery will be 7/31. They're going to do a SNLB (and reflex to an ancillary if there is truelymph node involvement) using the blue dye. I will also get a radioactive dye prior to surgery. Good ole Dr. Internet scared the crap out of me about the radioactive dye.

I don't remember - have any of you had the radioactive dye? If so, can you explain to me what happens (how they inject it, how many injections, how long it takes, etc) as well as how painful it is?

SpecialK

indy - I had a combo of blue dye and radioactive tracer.  I had bi-lat SNB and received 4 small injections at the noon, 3, 6 and 9 clock hands around the areola, for both breasts.  I did not have any EMLA cream or lidocaine prior.  It stung briefly - only as long as they were injecting, then it was fine.  I had this done in pre-op about an hour or so before the surgery.  Honestly, no biggie for me - and I think for most the experience is similar, but I know there are others who have said it was uncomfortable.

Al - glad the protein info is helpful.  The sooner your Hgb goes up the better you will feel.

Jackbirdie

Lee- I also had the blue die and the r-tracer. As with Special, they wheel you out of pre-op to inject you, take you over to the MRI room and inject, see it's starting to move before you're in surgery. They do it this way I believe to minimize under anasthesia time. I know I was nervous, but my recollection is not one of any great pain. I've never thought about it much since. I know the whole morning itself was a bit overwhelming, but they were very gentle, very caring.

IndyGal35

Thanks! A few more questions:

Do they have to put in a marker like they do during the biopsy, or can they detect the dye without it during surgery?

Since they have to do a breast MRI, will my BS be able to tell me prior to surgery if there is still a visible tumor on the scan? My hopes of a PCR have waned since my last appointment, so I'd love to know if it definitely did NOT happen prior to surgery instead of having to wait so long for pathology to tell me

SpecialK

indy - my experience was a bit different form jackbirdie's - I just stayed in the pre-op room and they brought a portable geiger counter thing in to make sure the tracer was traveling.  I did not have an MRI other than the pre-surgical MRI does a few weeks prior to my surgery (I had surgery prior to chemo since Perjeta was not available and I already knew I was doing a BMX).  I did not have a marker placed and my SNBs were done without an underarm incision - my surgeon does the SNB through the mastectomy incision.  The dye/tracer work by traveling through the system and collecting in the first node away from the breast.  If blue dye is used the surgeon can actually see which node(s) to take because they turn blue, if tracer with no dye is used they use a handheld device to locate the node(s). 

Wire loc is for lumpectomy - to tell the surgeon where the mass is.  It is not used for mastectomy.

molly1976

I was talking about the wires today with some women at radiation. I didn't have any wire placement at all and I had a lumpectomy. Is that possible? Or maybe did they do it after I was under anesthesia?

Jackbirdie

I hope I get this right. They left a little wire in my breast when they did my ultrasound-guided needle biopsy. That's how they know where to go in and shoot the blue die and the tracer.

Once you are under and in surgery, they use the MRI I believe, to follow the blue die to the sentinel node or nodes. They take the node or nodes they have identified in this way out and send them immediately to a pathologist on standby to evaluate the nodes. The surgeon receives this info in the surgical suite and then decides what, if anything, he is going to do next. It seemed like I had drainage to only one, but sometimes there are more. They also use something akin to a Geiger counter to follow the tracer. So if they use both, I believe they are relying more on the die to see, and the counter to make sure there isn't tracer in another area they aren't seeing with die.

Your situation is different than mine, so I cannot tell you if they are going to actual do a full MRI, diagnostically speaking, while you are still awake, so you know before you go in about the path response issue.

I am guessing, but it's only a guess, that they would not, since they are going in immediately to get it out. It is a different procedure entirely to be shooting the die and just making sure it's moving. But when you wake up your surgeon should have an idea of what he saw. But I expect for the really reliable, full report, you will have to wait for the pathology. So hard to wait.

But Lee, as I say, I'm no expert. My situation was different. I would think you could place a call to your BS between now and then and ask some of this? Or will you have another pre-op appt? I'm sorry I can't be more helpful

Edit: Special, I just read your last, and I am a bit confused because I did have a wire and I did have a BMX. So I could be confused, or perhaps there are procedural differences. I thought the wire was so they could best accurately inject the die and tracer

SpecialK

molly - was your lump palpable?  If they could locate it without the wire loc procedure they probably elected to proceed without it.  I have a good friend whose lump was high up above the nipple and you could actually pinch it - she didn't have a wire loc either.  They have to do it if the mass is deep in the breast tissue or isn't palpable.

jackbirdie - I had a titanium marker placed at the time of biopsy - that is standard.  This is done not to guide the SNB injection as much as it is to mark the biopsy site on future imaging, because they don't usually know at the time of biopsy what type of surgery you will be having, or even if you have cancer.  The marker is different than wire loc which involved long wires actually sticking out of the breast in prep for lumpectomy.  My SNB injections were nowhere near the tumor itself, or the marker - mine were at the nipple/areola and the 2.6cm mass was way over near my underarm about where the underwire on a bra ends, but I have read that others have it done near the tumor, so there are varying techniques. 

molly1976

Thanks, that makes sense! Mine was on the underside of my breast near the edge, very easy to feel.

ksusan

And I got neither markers nor wire for non-palpable.

Carrie37

I had the radioactive dye for my SNB. It didn't hurt more then a pinch. They said bee sting type pain but I didn't even feel it hurt like that. My biopsy hurt way more.

Any recommendations on protein powder that doesn't contain soy?

Trvler

Wow, so much to take in.

PB: Will be thinking of you tomorrow.

Speical: You are like a guardian Angel here.

Just got a call from the surgeon's office they won't schedule my port removal because supposedly you have to wait 4 weeks until after chemo. My surgery is scheduled for 3 so I can't wait because I need to get off the blood thinners. If this MO gives me pushback, I swear I am going to lose it. She is a PITA. Did I mentioned I am firing her? AFter tomorrows visit with her, I am calling her associate for an appointment and I have an appointment with another MO at another place. I am so sick of fighting with her, I can't see straight. I was actually relieved to not have to see her last week. Is that bad?

Jackbirdie

Alison- I am very glad you are moving in with your MO. That situation has been a thorn in your side forever. So sorry about all the complications. If all drives me crazy.

Carrie- I have tried two different non soy protein powders. I can get one at Safeway, called Terra I think. But I switched to a brand called Reserveage. It's grass fed, organic, no gmo whey. I prefer the unsweetened over the vanilla and for some reason it's more expensive. It's all ridiculous expensive though. Guess it's less than steak but.....anyway I get this stuff from Amazon

SpecialK

carrie - I use PlantFusion, here is a link.  I like the Vanilla Bean flavor and usually also use frozen organic strawberries, blueberries and some unsweetened vanilla almond or coconut milk to make my shake.

http://www.plantfusion.net/products/plantfusion

I have also used Vega, but it seemed to bother my stomach a little, but my husband has no problem with it.  Here is a link for that:

http://myvega.com/product/vega-one-nutritional-shake/

mysunshine48

Hi all, lurking around reading posts, while I recover from treatment 3 T/C. Feeling your pain, Katy, as My treatment was Thursday too. But, unlike you, I have one more. So happy you made it through all 6! I am writing because I thought we are to avoid soy. I have the Plant Fusion one Special K referred to.....vanilla bean, but I do not think it has soy. What about soy.....anyone know

Trvler

Eileen, I feel sad you are thinking of your self that way. I know you have value to everyone in your life (and to us). I totally get how you feel. Hugs.

Jackbirdie

Lynn- if your bc is ER+ you should avoid soy protein. Whey is good. What Special and I mentioned are soy free. But just to be clear if you are ER- or triple neg for example, it's not an issue for you. Bc is so many things. It's hard to stay on all the info. I know number 3 must have been much tougher. Hang in there. You got this

mysunshine48

Thanks, yes I am ER+. So, I guess that is where I read no soy for me. I read a lot and there is do much conflicting information.

mysunshine48

Oh, OK, went back to read your post - no soy.

Trvler

God, the conflicting info is killing me. Just as example, I was listening to Doctor Radio or NPR today. They were talking about supplements. They were talking about the thing in red wine and red grapes. They said, and I am not making this up, to get the amount you would need, you need to take it in concentrated pill form. However, too much of anything can be toxic so you can't take too much to it. But if you do take it, you might not even be getting anything in it because it is not regulated and last of all, concentrated form might not work because what might make it good is whatever is in the actual fruit and other things along with the ingredient. How is ANYONE supposed to make a decision based on THAT what to take? It drives me crazy. I hear glutamine is good. Then it's going to make my cancer grow. Now wonder we are all stressed out.

eheinrich

I gave myself a swift kick in the ass and took care of some things I've been avoiding for no good reason. One of them was join a gym. Summer in my part of LA is brutal (high 90s the last and next few days, then low to mid-90s - tops 100 a lot) so my thoughts of getting my bike fixed are tabled. They had a $39/mo special, figured I can't beat that.

Next I get to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. The job I have is extremely part-time, sort of to get me through until recon (if I do it) is over. I have a second PS consult on the 7th.

Thanks for your support, as always.

pboi

Special - thanks for the link. The PlantFusion product mentioned glutamine in it. Am wondering if that's the same as l-glutamine. I'm supposed to stop my l-glutamine before rads next week. And now am wondering if I'm already taking the l-glutamine powder for neuropathy, if I or others use this protein powder too will it be glutamine overload, if there is such a thing?

PB

Jackbirdie

Allison and PB- all the conflicts!

Was it Lucy in the Peanuts cartoon that would just go:

ARRRRGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

With a big gaping mouth? That's me. I'm effing sick of it