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

Jackbirdie

little- I agree one of the most debilitating aspects of this evil thing are the doubts and disagreements among medical professionals and the inability to KNOW, 100%, that you're doing the right thing. Just sux.

KBeee

Litleblue, AC+T has been the gold standard most aggressive treatment for years for BC. It's just in the last year that some started adding carboplatin to the T on triple negatives. TC can be Taxotere and Cytoxan which is used in earlier stage cancers because it's considered a little less toxic. TC as in Taxotere Carboplatin is used with Herceptin when the docs want to avoid Adriamycin because Adriamycin and Herceptin can both affect the heart. The protocols vary place to place and honestly vary based on parts of the country. Different countries have different protocols too!

Princess...uuugh. So sorry you had a reaction. Were they able to treat it and run it more slowly?

Peabrain, I just get Taxol weekly now, but I do tend to bounce back. I am only on #6 though...that may change by 11 and 12!

A friend shared this today. It's a must read!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jodi-meryl-wallace/o...

Rpayton

Hello All:  Am catching up on all the posts over the weekend. Loved reading about everyone's travels! My husband surprised me with a quick weekend trip to see our son in St.L. Did not think I would be able to do that until chemo was done!  I felt well enough for the 5hr drive and all went well. It was so, so good to see my 21yr old boy and my in-laws. There is nothing like a hug with your child! Dearly miss them being so far.  Had a lovely night of weather outside, dinner and long walk with my son and his longtime girlfriend. Made good memories, laughed and lived in the moment. Ugly cancer be gone.

Today went to my first yoga for those in active treatment for cancer.  It felt fantastic and something I definitely will keep going to. Any of you considering, join whatever yoga, meditation, walking program you can available to you. It makes all the difference and you will meet others to connect with. 

Kbeee: Thanks for sharing the link to the poem in Huffington Post! That was great! 

 

KBeee

RPayton, I was in St. Louis this past weekend too! We went to a Cards-Cubs game, did the City Museum and the arch! Wish I'd have known you were there, we could have gone to lunch!

littleblueflowers

Thanks for the info Kbeee...or talking me off the ledge which is really what I needed.

Rpayton

Wow, Kbeee, how funny is that we were both in St.L. same time!!!  Do you get there often?  The city is nice to visit, so much history there.  The zoo is free, my son goes often and the museums are great.  We try to go to see my in-laws and my son every couple months. They are in a large suburb west, traffic a bit too crazy for my taste though. If my son and his girlfriend settle down there, after she finishes school, then we may eventually one day retire there where we can be closer to them. He's my only and we are a very close little family. I still love the four seasons and want those but I want less harsh winters that are much shorter! Ahhh for now for my husband's work and mine are in good ole Northern IL.

Addie29

sorry about your reaction Theprincess. I just did taxol number 3 today- 8 more to go almost half way there. My treatment nurse found this poem for me and say she thought of my as soon as she saw it. The song that some to my mind when I think of my cancer journey is Martina Mcbride I'm gonna love you through it.

ThePrincess

Thanks Addie, that poem is hilarious - ugh chemo is so sucky!!!!!!!!! Why does it have to be so sucky?!! This was taxol #3 for me too - I have 9 more, you're only getting 11?

ksusan

Hah!

I just got home from having my chemo port removed. It took about 40 minutes and was comparatively easy. I will now rest until my radiation positioning simulation tomorrow. My Beloved is teaching my class tonight.

littleblueflowers

Hahahahaha, that poem is gold, Addie.

Congrats on getting deported, ksusan!

Its funny how our allies in this fight are so terrifying, huh? I felt great when I had cancer, then they cut my boobs, off, made me a cyborg, and are continuing to pump me full of poison. Now, I feel like crap. Yaaaayyyy!

Addie29

oops sorry I meant 9. Damn these fingers and their typing inability.

Addie29

I was wondering if any of you ladies are on social media like Facebook? And if you are wouldn't mind being friends

KBeee

I sure am! I will PM you my name.

Congrats ksusan!!!! I am soooo looking forward to ditching the port.

Littleblue, All 3 of my triple negative friends who live locally have done really well with no recurrences and they all did AC+T.

ThePrincess

Addie - me too! PM me!

Rockerwife

Here is conference that I just listened to. A panel of six at MD Anderson discuss their individual battles with cancer. Some are doctors and others researchers. I thought it was interesting . This is the link: http://www3.mdanderson.org/streams/FullVideoPlayer...

Addie29

This video right here brings tears to my eyes every time . My husband is my rock . He's been there with me through everything

Addie29

This song makes me cry every time. My husband has been my rock.

ThePrincess

KSusan - congrats on being deported!!!!! SO JEALOUS!

gingeel

Sorry Princess about your reaction.

Ok, so I went to have Taxol #2...I was scheduled for dose dense. I mentioned the TC regime that you all mentioned and she said it can be done, however, it's not the standard treatment, and they did do a study for neoadjuvent (forgive my spelling) chemo. It did shrink TN tumors a bit faster, she said. There is no evidence of it changing the survival rate. She also said it wouldn't be recommended for adjuvent treatment. I had my surgery prior to chemo. She did change my dose dense Taxol to weekly Taxol because she said it does give me a better outcome by 2-3%. So, I thought I would be putting this chemo behind me July 28, not the case. I have 8 more weekly doses. It's ok! I want the absolute best damn treatment! Hope that helps Littleblue.

RPayton it's nice you got to away to see your son!

Addie, I'm on FB, too!

littleblueflowers

Gingeel, you may have saved my sanity with that post. You too, kbeee. Thank you. I'm gonna ask about dose dense vs weekly taxol though! I want that 2 to 3 % if it's applicable to my situation! Fucking cancer is playing with my mind. All I can think about lately is what happens if it metastases...there's never a day when some part of me doesn't hurt anyway, so how would I even know? Yup...dark places. Lately I feel like all this treatment is just screaming into the void.

Addie, I'm not a facespacer, but this may change my mind!

Sure hope everyone in the chair this week is doing ok...I ride on Thursday.

Rpayton

I'm on Facebook also, Renee Payton.

gingeel

Glad to have put your mind at ease, even slightly. My husband doubts everything. He wonders why they didn't recommend this from the beginning? I asked my MO that, and she said we discussed this, however, I don't recall. Who knows why. I'm also told the SE's are more mild with weekly Taxol, and I won't need the injection the day after.

I worry about metastasis too....but, I don't put too much into it. I just try to stay positive and live my life.

Addie29

littleblueflowers I have days where I worry all the time about it spreading and days where I know I will kick cancers ass. Also i love social media. It's a good way for me to keep in touch with friends and family I don't see a lot. And I've been posting about my bc journey on my page and everyone has been just so supportive. Gingeel we will finish at the same time. How have you been feeling? I went in for taxol today and right now I'm just tired from the Benadryl.

gingeel

I was exhausted from bendedryl too. But, I just pushed through it, and ran some errands with hubby. We are doing a landscaping project in the front. I feel pretty good, just a little headachy. Took some Naproxen. Gonna indulge in some chocolate cake and ice cream while things still taste good!

littleblueflowers

Yup. Good advice. Don't know why I've been so whiney the last few days...my big girl panties must be in the wash 😊

Addie29

we all have our days. I try so hard to push this evil thoughts aside as much as possible.

KBeee

Littleblue, this April gang is in it for the long haul to support each other. It is just important after chemo because of issues like you mention... Trying to balance fear of recurrence with trying to live life. It is a delicate balance. It is hard because your friends will think you're "done" and do not always understand why you don't bounce back to 100% in a week... That it takes time. They don't understand the fear either.

Gingeel and RPayton, I will send you Facebook requests too.

Rocker wife, thanks for posting the link. I will watch it as soon as I get home. Looks interesting

Italychick

my MO gave me a choice, taxol with herceptin, taxotere and cytoxan or taxotere carboplatin and herceptin. My her was barely positive, and I chose the taxotere carboplatin and herceptin protocol because I felt it was the most aggressive of the three. She threw the taxotere and cytoxan in as an option because she said the herceptin was my choice, although she recommended that I do it. I will probably never know if it was the right choice as I know recurrences can happen on any of the treatments. I picked her as my MO because she threw all options out to me, which I felt was good for her to do, and she let me know the positives and negatives of all regimens. Herceptin seems to be so powerful that I felt if there was any chance it would work, I wanted that chance.

I am a month from last chemo, and other than some foot pain, I feel like the side effects have diminished a great deal. You can all do this!

AndreaC

Hi all from Vancouver Island...aka Home of the Record Breaking Heatwave. If it's this hot so early in the summer, what will it be like by August...? I cannot wait to get my PICC out so I can swim!!!

Despite the heat, some of my friends came over yesterday and spent 1 1/2 hours weeding/weed whacking my yard. I am so lucky to have such supportive, helpful friends! These friends are ones I work with (or did, till my diagnosis).

Kbeee and addie, I am addicted to facebook. Full name = Andrea Campbell if you want to friend me

I am not so much worried about metastases as I am about developing another primary cancer - I have had three now. My PET scan in April was clear though. Still, I can't help freaking out at everything. Every time I feel a bump or have a pain I wonder if it's another cancer. In fact, I got my GP to order an MRI of my leg because there was a bump there. It turned out to be varicose veins. Haha!

I had a dream last night that I had hair. Long hair, and I was washing it and it felt so good! Except I worried that I didn't rinse it well enough. Funny...

A friend gave me a wig yesterday. That brings the grand total to five! It's too hot to wear wigs right now though...I've been either bald or wearing a hat or a scarf.

Andrea

Addie29

I too dream about having hair. Long beautiful hair. I can't wait.