April 2015 Chemo Crew... Starting in April? Please join us!

littleblueflowers

my nursing team. They are the best!

littleblueflowers

the finish line my brother made for me to run through..

ksusan

Your brother is awesome.

littleblueflowers

He is that!

Did you make your fascinator? I see the gauntlet has been thrown...

bluedog

You guys are the best! Congrats to those who are finishing, those who are hanging in, and those who are dutifully eating their shit sandwiches

Addie29

congrats ankledolphin and littleblueflowers!!! Way to go!!!!

gkodad

Congratulations to everyone finishing chemo! Maybe I'll catch up with you in radiation. Love the cute bunny ears, but I do admit to being partial to the fascinator.

ksusan

The fascinator is commercially available. I got mine from Many Hands in Corvallis, Oregon, but a search for "fascinator" on Amazon finds both lovely and startling results. Are the bunny ears are hand-crafted? I salute and yield to your clearly superior headgear.

KBeee

I love the finish line little blue!!! You have an awesome family!!!

MO called in an antibiotic. Yahoo! Relief is in sight. Now to down some yogurt!!

littleblueflowers

ksusan, yours has class...I look like a playboy bunny who got stuck in the trash disposal lol.

CONGRATS ANKLEDOLPHIN! pictures? Experiences? Please do share!

Katie, yr the best!

Glad you got some antibiotic kbeee! Not long until you cross that finish line!

ankledolphin

littleblueflowers i really dont have any pics other then the one i shared with the bell....

my experiences have been highs and lows. Various side affects from day 1 of chemo, to now.

currently hot flashes are driving me nuts, having issues getting fluids in, food takes like crap at times, after tastes are just so salty, my legs and knees are weak and hurt. I have chemo brain and major clumsiness I have noticed the past two weeks and I notice it more at work....typing committee minutes I have had a lot of easy typos and a few sentences that have made no sense and when I go back and read them, I shake my head and say, what the hell was i trying to write! I am fatigued, I am up late trying to do things, and up early for taking my daughter to school/day care and getting to work, since I have been working this whole time, expect for my chemo days...and a few days where I was just not able to function in the office. I do have some things I can take home and work on, so that is good if I need

I love my MO, he has been great since I first met him. He wants to make sure I am going ok with things, before he sends me downstairs for chemo....he has a great bedside manner and actually takes time to listen to me and my husband and loves the list of questions I bring in everytime on various things. Last week I met with my surgeon and she mentioned she felt some hardness with could be from the biopsies I have had, since I do develop thick scars from past surgeries, so he was feeling around and thinks he finally felt what she was.

I was able to see my first chemo nurse today and she surprised I was getting number 6 already! I dont always get the same nurse everytime I have gone in, but so far they were all pretty great.

Positive_spirit

Ankledolphin, Mysunshine and Littleblue - Congrats on last chemo!!! love the pics and the finish line. Cheers all the way.

Kbeee - you look gorgeous in that ponytail! Wow!

Lynne - *HUG* I am going to drive up and take you out for lunch one of these days. We'll call it a date!

Stephmoen - Wishing you a speedy recovery. Thinking about you and your family often.

Hi everyone, I am sending you all warm wishes on this beautiful New England summer night (think cool night, clear sky, frog sounds (Yes, Littleblue), quiet). Sigh.

Today I went to see the Lymphedema PT who provide me with such great information. I will see her in 2 weeks after I have gone to restorative yoga. I learnt so much but only retained 25% due to chemobrain. I told her I would need 2 more visits to retain more info about exercises. So...compression sleeves should be covered by insurance. Will look into that as we fly to Chicago for a family gathering in Sept. Yesterday, I saw my MO's team. Was told to get off tamoxifen for 2 weeks to see if depression lifts. Lo and behold, no major depressive symptoms today. Maybe it's all in my head but those mood swings from tamoxifen...i don't know. I feel more like myself than I have felt in 3 weeks since going on Tamox. And my hair...well it's not growing back yet and I am still very bald some 6 weeks after chemo. I think I am a slow hair grower person whatever....

littleblueflowers

Hey has anyone had their port out yet? What was the recovery like? My MO said my numbers have been so consistently good he is fine to take mine out this comming Tuesday. Should I plan to take the day off work? Whqt about the next day? I can work a desk job if need be, no activity exceptntyping, and my commute is short.

ksusan

I has my port out two weeks ago as an office procedure with local anesthetic. The lidocaine shots were a little uncomfortable, but better than the shots before my biopsies. The procedure was pain-free. He gave me my port and I'm turning it into a steampunk pendant that will be recognized by only a discerning few. I had a little pain after-nothing like when it went in. One tramadol and follow-up buprofen took care of it. It's been a little bruised and tender, but feels much better than the port did and is manageable even with a seat belt over that shoulder.

I had neck stiffness and pain on the port side the whole time it was in--it immediately dropped to a tenth of that level when the port was removed (literally--I knew in the office that he'd removed the port from the relief in my neck) and since then has felt increasingly normal. My heartburn-like symptoms on that side also remitted immediately.

I took the afternoon off work that day, but even with a tramadol I was awake and reasonably competent. (However, I wouldn't have wanted to drive, plus it's bad form to show up compromised to teach a class that meets a state chemical dependency requirement.) I'd take the rest of the day off unless you have someone to get you to and from work and are doing something where if you decide to sleep at your desk, your co-workers will think it's cute and your boss will let you take post-hoc sick hours.

littleblueflowers

Good advice susan! I'll take the day and see if I can get the fridge repair man to come that afternoon. Did you feel 100% the next day?

ksusan

Close enough for government work!

The incision is still a bit sore and the flesh underneath somewhat tender, but the swelling went down rapidly and the healing is fast. I can now sleep on my left side, joy of joys!

littleblueflowers

Perfect...since I work for the government lol

ksusan

As do I.

Alibeths

anyone else getting chemo today!?

littleblueflowers

Nope but I'm with you in spirit allibeths! Be well!

Alibeths

thanks!!!!im

Ready to give up. I'm on 5:6.

ksusan

Hoping you have a smooth day, Alibeth.

Jackbirdie

Alibeth- you got this. We are all here. So sorry you are ready to walk. I think we've all felt that way. You're almost there.

Alibeths

Throwing up during chemo! That's never happened to me. You guys

Jackbirdie

oh dear. Hopefully the nurses have something to counteract whatever is causing it. I'm so sorry. Keep us posted.

littleblueflowers

Allibeths! I did that on my first taxol. Just bared my guts out until they pumped me full of ativan and antinauseas. Don't know why, I think sometimes our systems are just over it. Ask for extra fluids after chemo so u stay hydrated. Poor dear. Hope you feel better soon! You are in the home stretch girl you can do this! Big hugs!

KBeee

Alibeths, So sorry you got sick. I agree with Littleblue. Ask them to call your MO and order fluids. I hope they pumped you full of anti nausea meds. Do you get AC and at all together, or are you on Taxol or TC?

Positive spirit, I was 6 weeks post TC before I grew any peach fuzz too.

bluedog

So sorry, Alibeths. Hope you're feeling better by now.

Positive_spirit

Alibeth - sorry about the bad chemo SE. Fluids and hang in there...you are almost there

Positive_spirit

My friend from California shaved her hair in solidarity with me on the same day. She is a survivor. Her hair grew back quickly and I was shocked when I saw her. Amazing how chemo kills cells.