January 2016 Chemo!

Cathytoo

I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL... In five days I will complete my chemo treatment. I came on to this site a very frightened "little girl" filled with despair and dread. I am approaching this last infusion as a woman who has been empowered by the journey I've taken with all of you. From MissBee, who created this group to the newbies who pop up now and then, to the "regulars"....everyone of you has added so much to my life and my new normal. I hope that we all stay connected through the next stage in our recovery. I hope that we are all here many years from now, leading busy meaningful lives. I have to say...it's been a crazy experience. Thank you for being there for me. I hope I've been able to help some of you because so many of you have helped me.

Sheri64

Hi Cathytoo I too am so grateful for this site, it helps me from losing my mind.  I know I can go here and find answers or vent and you all will understand.  I try to be strong with my family and they are great but have no idea what I am going through or why I cry for no reason.  I finished chemo 3/30 and am doing radiation now and hope to be done with that by 6/8.  Soon we will have a somewhat normal life again.

buttaflydiva

i came here very frightened and confused back in December when I first found out I had cancer. this website was a godsend, because even though I had a good friend go through this 5 years ago, she didn't go through chemo and also I didn't want to bombard her with questions. My surgeon didn't offer much information at all, and between the time of my surgery and seeing my oncologist for the first time (a span of about a month), I spent hours here reading and researching with pathology reports in hand I learned so much. im so thankful for the women here and being able to share our experiences with each other, and for the women who have come before us who have offered so much information. I honestly don't see how anyone can go through this without all of the information shared here.

Maya15

Had my last chemo today! I was so glad when I heard the alarm go off on the IV pole for the end of Taxol, yay!

Smurfette26

Congrats Maya15.

fightergirl711

LAST CHEMO TODAY! Some of of my work team flew out this week to join me, had a blast, but now I'm fried. Infusion day for AC always got the best of me. Time to recover, but already on Herceptin-only in two weeks, and surgery not far after. Ivegohis - I haven't heard that Herceptin slows hair growth, I'll ask about that for sure the next time I'm in. Just so happy that this phase is over.

And CONGRATS MAYA

Maya15

Congrats fightergirl! And good luck for the surgery. Mine is June 1st. They're giving me a 6 week break from Herceptin/Perjeta because of the surgery.

Paxton29

Congratulations on being done!

fightergirl711

Awesome, nice on the getting a break, Maya. I've opted for re-excision and ALND, that's what was recommended, I'll go with that. That may be why I'm not getting a break. I am getting an echo on May 26, Hopefully my heart can take the anesthesia as well. They didn't seem too concerned overall, which is fine by me. Although right now I feel like a combination of being hit by a truck and wide awake. Hope you are feeling well this evening. And thank you Paxton!

DFWFLYGIRL

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Fightergirl and Maya......Woop Woop...congrats on finishing chemo!! A grateful end to that chapter.

Cathytoo-you are so close to finishing and such a nice note to us all...could not have said it better and lots of gratitude for you as well. We all continue to lift each other up..

Onward and upward and Happy Nurse Appreciation Week for those great nurses who have also helped us thru!!

zinny

Congrats Maya and Fightergirl!!!

onehumpedcamel

Hello Ladies! I am happy for all of you who are done with the treatments. I still have 8 Taxols to do, as I have 12 in all to do, after the 4 ECs. I took a little trip in between my last EC and first Taxol, and postponed the first Taxol treatment by a week. I just had my 4th one yesterday. My question to you is, did any of you have your hair grow back during Taxol? Because mine definitely is doing just that, as well as my eyebrows. And I was specifically told that Taxol will make even the last remaining hairs fall off. My son tells me I now have hair like Bernie Sanders Otherwise Taxol is sooo much easier for me than EC. No nausea, no pain, no fatigue, no loss of appetite, everything tastes normal. The only thing is I can't sleep, but I can live with that.

Samcpa

Wonderful to see many of us finishing chemo. I am wondering what treatments are up next for everyone. Who has completed treatments? Who is going on to Rads? I will be going on to BMX who else has surgeries coming up?

Fightergirl ....I see you are going to have ALND but I have no idea what that is. How does one figure out what the acronyms stand for?

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fightergirl711

Onehumpedcamel - I actually had 12 rounds of Taxol (plus 4 rounds of Herceptin and Perjeta) before the AC, and lost hair but the fuzz never really went away until I started the AC. Now my eyebrows and lashes are gone too. Taxol was much easier for me too.

Samcpa - I need a re-excision of the lumpectomy for better margins, and an axillary lymph node dissection, removing the level I and II lymph nodes on my left side. During my lumpectomy and sentinal node removal in Dec 2015 all 4 nodes removed showed cancer, so my surgeon feels more confident to remove them all. There's no option for re-excision under the surgery options for the bio. Next up is 13 cycles of Herceptin only through January 2017, and radiation too, just don't know when yet, likely July?

You can find all of the appbreviations here: https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/131/topics/773727?page=1#idx_1

Hope that helps!

Valstim52

Samcpa

I have bmx on 5/24, then rads Congrats to all that have completed treatments, or are close. Can you believe we got here? In January for me it seemed pretty bleak. Will chemo do something to this horrid thing I have inside of me? If so will it do enough so I qualify for surgery? So many possibilities, but so far I've done better than expected and am moving to the next step in the fight.

So glad for this thread, and thank yo MissBee for starting it.

Maya15

I have surgery coming up on 1 June, MX with axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). Then rads, Herceptin till next March, and MX on the other side and bilateral recon once I've recovered from rads. Nausea and diahrrea were on schedule last night but I was so glad to wake up today knowing it's the last round of side effects--officially 1 day post final chemo!

Hair: mine has been growing on Taxol. NP said it can fall out again up to 2 weeks post final chemo. On legs and down there it grew back then fell out again. Now it's growing back blonde! But on my head it's thin, but growing.

Cancerpickedthewrongone

Congartulations to all who have finished! I only have 2 more taxol treatments to go!!!!! I will be starting RADS in July. I had a BMX before chemo on 12/01, so looking forward to an exchange surgery sometime at the end of the year.

LoveMyVizsla

Onehumpedcamel, I have 8 taxol so left as well. After that, a month off, then a reexcision, then another month off, then rads.

My hair has been growing back in. I never completely lost it, and I'm hoping the rest of it doesn't fall out.

Been having lots of bloody tissues when blowing my nose. Itchy bumps on my hands. Fever again this week. I'm ready to be done.

LovesToFly

sorry I haven't been around much, I've just been enjoying this time off chemo. I finished on the 19th but my hair started growing back on taxotore. I have a fair amount of hair now, however it is very sparse and my head still looks bald ( like a middle-aged man losing his hair) from a distance. I certainly am not comfortable going without a covering, I was honestly more comfortable with my head bare when I was bald than like this. My leg her and underarm hair is also coming back, however very slowly I don't really have to shave yet. My eyebrows are coming back slowly, and are very light. Eyelashes are still gone

Had mapping for radiation last Friday, and I start radiation on May 24.

I started tamoxifen on Tuesday. I get these moments where I feel really tired and foggy, for half an hour or an hour, and then they pass. It could be residual from chemo, could just be the time of year cause I never feel great in the spring anyway. I also get hot flashes at night, but I was getting them anyway from chemo, they hadn't gone away yet, so I don't really know if the tamoxifen will cause them for me or not

Valstim52

We missed you Jill. You look great.

Veronica31

Onehumpedcamel: I have two taxols left and my hair grew throughout. It started pretty heavily after AC but the top is much more sparse. I look like a balding old man. I have never worn a wig except to my fathers funeral and to skype with my students, but I agree with LovesToFly completely. I felt way more comfortable going without anything when I was completely bald than now. I can't wait to have hair again!!

Maya15

Jill and Veronica, my hair looks just like yours!

It's day 2 post final Taxol and I'm in soooo much pain. Don't think I've ever had pain so widespread, from neck to toes, it hurts when I move, when I walk, when I swallow, breathe, etc. Bones, muscles and joints at the same time. I guess the Taxol/neulasta cocktail really doesn't agree with me. Just have to get through the next 2 days and hope I never, ever need it again.

LovesToFly

Maya and Veronica.... I hate the way my hair is so much thinner on the top and the sides, and looks so sparse, the same as Veronica's picture. I'm worried it's going to grow like that, it is difficult to believe that I'm actually going to have a full head of hair again! We will though, right?

Maye do you have any prescription painkiller? I got some when I was on taxetore. I only needed it the first cycle, but I was very happy to have it. Hydromorphone. Tylenol three also helped, I had some leftover from surgery. I hope the pain passes quickly! Congrats on your final talk s I hope the pain passes quickly! Congrats on your final Chemo (I guess herceptin continues?)

Veronica31

Maya15: Congrats on being done!!! It can't come soon enough for me. I have had hardly any side effects until this last chemo. Then my body hurt so much I thought I was getting the flu. It was unbearable. Hoping it doesn't happen the last two times!

Maya15

My hair is also much thinner on top and sides. Hoping this doesn't last and it doesn't regrow with bald patches.

I have some prrescription Tramadol left over from a broken arm. It takes the edge off but doesn't get rid of the pain altogether. This is definitely worse than any flu I've ever had. Hoping it will lessen by tomorrow.

Paxton29

I shaved my head at the end of chemo because what grew during was just pure white, fine hair that clearly wasn't "real." I don't know if that helped but my hair really is filling in well. At 7 weeks PFC it's nearly uniform, with even the patches on my temples that were worrying me filling in. So, my hair looks shorter than y'all's, but I think maybe the shaving early was why I didn't have a real "pattern baldness" look.

Take heart! A lady on the Hair thread who sadly did not have her grow back mentioned that those who suffered that knew pretty early. I think if you're seeing growth it's a good sign, and it seems very common that the front and top are last to come in.

Cathytoo

Does anyone's head hurt? I have no hair yet...one more infusion to go. But, there are areas on my head that feel sore to the touch and hurt. This was happening when I was losing my hair. Don't understand why this is happening now I do wear a wig every day. It's very comfortable but maybe it's pressing too hard on certain areas.

mltdd

Hi Ladies -- I thought I made it through chemo with my nails intact...but 3 weeks after my last session they starting turning colors. Now my fingernails are starting to come off. Any tips?

DFWFLYGIRL

Cathytoo-I had head pain when I lost my hair but so far not when growing back but it's still early. How much has come in for you? I wear a wig also but no pain from that..just hot flashes..lol

Smurfette26

A few ladies were asking about hair regrowth so thought I would share a pic of mine.

My last chemo was January 12th.