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

DizzParkMom

Gingerchi, I am so glad that you had a celebration with your friends. What a way to say "see ya" to chemo for the last time.

Steph, so sorry you have to put up with more complications. I really hope they don't have to put you through more surgery.

Karen30, healing vibes coming your way. Rest, Rest, Rest!

Positive, I hope your retreat gave you all the energy you'll need for all those appointments. At least you are getting it all out of the way though. I plan to try to get whatever I can out of the way before the end of the year too...but the list seems endless. Have you started the hypothyroid treatment yet?

My SSBMX DIEP surgery date is confirmed for 10/19. Last chemo follow-up yesterday leaves me officially diagnosed with Anemia. MO offered to give me a blood transfusion, but I decided to give my body more time to recover on it's own. If my bloodwork doesn't improve by pre-ops 10/16, they will transfuse me before surgery. But, MO thinks I just need a bit more time and Naturapath switched my B-Vit out with a huge dose of folate. MO and team gave us a cake at the appointment to celebrate end of chemo. I had a little sliver, DH and DS had some big slices and then we gifted the rest of the cake to another family we had seen in the elevator earlier in the day.

Ear surgery goes off as scheduled Tomorrow. Nobody is worried about low platelets as there is minimal blood supply on ear ridge and they will cauterize the wound right away. Biggest issue will be pain. Tons of nerves on ear ridge.

I can't believe we just flew home late last night and we leave again in 9 days. So much to do to get ready... Surgery alone is stressful. Traveling for surgery is nutso!

georgie61

Dizz....You poor thing. Im sure the ear surgery will go well, but I know how difficult the travel can be. I have had to travel as well for every little thing. Right now I am travelling to Salt Lake City once a week for TE fills. Just got back Monday, and Im heading back Friday. I am actually going to have a little fun this weekend. My 24 year old daughter is flying from Portland, OR to SLC to hang out and have a girls weekend!! She is even going to go to my fill appointment with me Monday before she has to head back. I am also looking forward to her opinion on how big my fills are and how many more I should get. My husband is way too easy going. He honestly could not care less if I was an A cup or a DD.....which is nice, but not real helpful.

I apologize to everyone for not posting more, I get a lot of support from all of you ladies and think of you often. xoxo

gkodad

Guess I got a little too cocky with the radiation - I thought I was doing fune and was down to the finish line but woke up last night in pain with a whole string of nasty blisters across my chest. Doctor postponed my last 3 sessions until next week and gave me silver stat to use until I go back. So I won't be done on Friday....boo, boo, BOO!

I am so ready for this to be over.

ksusan

BRCA1, Breast Cancer Gene Cannot be Patented, High Court Finds

http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2015/10/07/high-c...

Rpayton

gkodad OUCH!!! I hope that heals fast.

Georgie61 good to hear from you. Have a great mom daughter weekend!

Kbeee hope you are resting. I'm so exhausted from rads I'm usually out by 9pm.

So glad I'm also down to Thursdays off and only 32 hours a week. I'm so ready to be done with this!!! I want my hair, eyebrows lashes back.I also just want to get beyond so much treatment. Uggghhh I need a vacation from cancer. I'm pretty crabby too must be a sign of getting better when we get crabby. Tamoxifen I'm sure will do wonders to help this crabbiness when I start the next phase. Geeessshhh

Hang in there everyone!

AndreaC

Steph - best wishes to you, hope all goes well. I am curious, if you had a BMX, how can you have a mammo? I am crossing my fingers that you don't have to have more surgery.

Dizz, hope your ear surgery goes well. Sorry about your anemia. I've been anemic most of my adult life...at times I have been on iron supplements (I am right now) or have had iron infusions. I have never had a blood transfusion though...my hemoglobin is never quite low enough. I am thinking that once I fully recover from chemo and since I don't have my periods anymore, my hemoglobin will come up.

Yay Ginger! Congrats!

Awww gkodad, I know how much you want rads to be over. It sucks that you have to wait even longer. Hugs!

I am feeling well, just tired. My skin is getting way better, old stuff peeling off and nice pink skin underneath. Very little pain now. Yay! I want to say I have beaten cancer but I don't know that for sure. Positive thoughts...

Andrea

ksusan

Andrea--may as well say it, get that idea in your head! Glad you're healing.

Addie29

I just saw a commercial for neulasta. Ugh. Made me achey just watching it. Damn you neulasta. I loathe you.

littleblueflowers

Addie-snort. Every time I see that commercial I crave claratin for some reason...

gkodad

I also saw the neulasta commercial - waht's that for? Are they thinking someone will ask their doctor for some?

I think the silver stat is helping the rad burns - I took Aleve PM at bedtime and slept the whole night - first time in a week and the pain seems much more mamageable today. Anybody else with blisters....did they truly heal in a 5 day period, or is it all going to reoccur on Monday when rads start back?

StacyMc329

hi all.!. Haven't posted in a long time.. But read up on all of you from time to time. Its been about 3 weeks since the last of my 32 rads... Starting to come out of the tiredness and fog. Started tamoxifen oct 1st and all seems to be going well I think. Yep been feeling the hot flashes. Well I think I have...sweating perfusly out if nowhere. They had to switch my antidepressants due to a conflict with the tamoxifen... I guess thats going ok too.. No crazy spells yet. I have enough hair to almost comb..almost. Right hand still has pretty severe numbness. Have my next mammo scheduled for the day after I was diagnosed a yr ago.. Jan 13.

Stacy:)

littleblueflowers

Hi Stacy! Glad things are going well for you!

Gko, glad you are getting some reliefe, but ugh on the blisters. Did your RO give you a steroid cream perscription? Mine did and I didn't blister.

3 month check up, everything looks good! Whew. I guess all this shit really works.

Addie, my MO is going to try to get me into that tn vaccine trial. Fingers crossed for both of us!

Anyone taken lexapro? I got some for anxiety, took my first pill just niw...

Addie29

Jenn have you heard anything from mayo about that vaccine or when it's available? I go for another follow up on the 12th and I want to mention it to him again

Jackbirdie

anyone hear from Kbee? Is she finished with rads today?

Anxious to start her celebration!

Jackbirdie

Jen- so glad your checkup is out of the way and clear sailing ahead!

So glad to hear about all if you who have finished rads and starting to feel better. Let the healing begin

littleblueflowers

Addie- I just saw my MO today and asked him to look into it. He should get back to me this week. Do you know if you were required to travel to Florida for it, or could you be anywhere?

Addie29

littleblue I think you do have to travel for it but I'm not 100% I just emailed my mo again about it. Let's hope we both get accepted for it

littleblueflowers

Dang it. Well, maybe by next year I will be able to afford to go...you too!

Addie29

well thankfully for me my family said they would step up and help out to pay for flights and what not if I get to do the trail. We can figure something out for you too. Ana like I said I'm not 100% sure

KBeee

I did finish rads today and RO "assured me" that it was at its worst and would only get better from here. Of course I should have kept a collection of skin that has sloughed since he said that. I do not believe him anyway; he simply says what he thinks you want to hear. Thanks for thinking of me Katy

GKO, I have heard that breaks can help your skin a bit, but I am sure more blistering is still a risk. Hoping you heal soon. Hoping we all do. This burning alive crap is for the birds. We don't even do that to birds. We at least kill them before we cook them. I suppose their goal is to keep me alive though, and for that I am grateful.

Jen, glad to hear about your clear check up. I sure hope you and Addie can get into that trial somehow!

Stacy, good to hear from you. Hope the hot flashes ease.

Andrea, so glad to hear you are healing.

Renee, I do think we need a cancer vacation!!!

Dizz, I hope the surgery goes well

gkodad

Thanks Kbeee...glad you're through rads! As a friend of mine recently said ---first they burn you up on the inside, then they burn you up on the outside.

So I guess we all have to figure we've been through hell and emerged singed but saved.

Hopefully, this will heal enough to get the last three days out of the way, even if I'm miserable for a few days after that. .

DizzParkMom

Well, the dermotologist worked hard to reduce the 'elf ear' effect. Crossing my fingers the margins come back clear, or he'll have to take more and then we'll be talking skin grafts and some more prominent deformity. As it is now, the top half of my ear is now more flat and trapazoid shaped than round. Numbing wore off about 2 hours ago, and the whole left side of my head is throbbing. I've got the hydrocodone and ativan waiting in the wings if it gets much worse. I'm trying to rationalize that the pain is temporary and will pass eventually....and if it's still bothering me by the time of my bmx, the pain meds will be doing double duty.

Hooray kbeee. No more rads!!! Hope that skin cells start healing pronto!

Little blue & Addie, when I called about the TN vaccine, they said that tentatively it was designed to be a series of 6 administrations and at the time it was scheduled to be done only in Jacksonville. That was back in June, but they also said nothing was finalized and it was all subject to change.

GingerChi

Glad that your ear surgery is behind you DizzPark, I hope the pain lets up and you get some sleep. Hoping for clear margins!!!

Addie, how is your cold, did you get meds this week? I hope you're better!

So sorry for ya'll dealing with the effects of rads, I hope the healing will come quickly!

Neulasta commercial? I've missed that one, thankfully!

I've been wiped out this week....I felt like I was walking in concrete boots most of yesterday and crashed about 7:30 last night..of course now at 1:30 a.m. sleep has left the building. The Taxol stiffness is starting to set in for the weekend already. Thanks so much to those who took the time to post congrats on my final chemo.....after all this time, just now finishing is anti-climactic in terms of the group...but I'm so glad to have made it.

I see the MO today, I guess I'll find out whats next.

KBeee

Gingerchi, pick a time and a day this weekend... We will all have a collective toast celebrating the end of chemo for the awesome April 15 gang.

lovlilynne

Cherie, it's the LAST time you'll feel this way (from chemo, anyway)!!! It's far from over, but I hope you take some mental pleasure in knowing that you just have to push through one more time. Let us know what the MO says - are you going straight to meds, or rads next? I never noticed before but you and I have a similar Dx - except that I am HER2- and had a +node. I have never had anyone tell me what stage I am, but based on info here I figure IIa.

ksusan

Dizz, hope your ear will be feeling better soon!

Addie29

a toast to ending chemo sounds wonderful!!!

littleblueflowers

A toast to Ginger! I'm in! Pick a time, sister!

Positive_spirit

yes, let's toast to chemo!! I think of all you amazing women and I just smile. Despite leg pains, joint paint, butt pains,head pains, and gods knows what else, every one is trekking along at their own pace.

Lynne, the retreat really grounded me and allowed me to rest. Everyone took care of the kids and they survived. I thrived.

Rpayton, thyroid was normal last August so I am not sure whether it's coincidental (yeah right!!!) or related to treatment. Very low thyroid, here. ....not producing enough thyroid hormones. Immune function thing. I am glad you are getting checked up. It feels good to make sure that other parts of my body are ok. Scary too!

Dizzpark, heal well sister. You have been through so much and travelled extensively.

Kbeee - yeah!!! I am going to celebrate for you today as you manage to steer us all through this cancer maze with such pragmatism and compassion. Chocolate lava cake!!!

LITTLEBLUE and Addie ... Planning a Florida trip for a vaccine without the rest of us? Sheesh. Florida sounds good in November or December. Road trip.

GingerChi

6 p.m. tomorrow, lift those glasses! We have every time zone covered in our group I think,

MO is setting up a consult with an RO for him to determine if I need rads. While checking over my chart today she said he may say yes or no. She also gave me a script for Arimidex and is sending me for a baseline dexa scan. I go back for a Herceptin infusion on Tuesday, and will continue that every 3 weeks until July.

For those getting rads, are you already on AI's? Now that I think about it, seems like I read some MO's don'tstart them until after rads??

Port question.....if I need rads, do they remove the port? No one has mentioned removing it due to the Herceptin I guess, but its on my cancer side.

Positive, so glad the retreat was a great experience, you deserved that!!

Lynne, no one really discussed staging that much with me, but I did notice on the online patient portal from the MO's office, they have me as stage 11a.

Bad chemo fog day going here, I think its time for my jammies! lol