Starting Chemo in September 2017
Comments
-
mkn, I'm sorry as well about the results of your genetic marker test. I too tested positive for BRCA2, which meant a much different treatment plan than was originally proposed to me. It also means that I seriously need to consider having my ovaries removed, but I asked for time to heal from the breast cancer treatment and will revisit that in a year from now. I hope I don't regret waiting because, as you mentioned, there is no good screening method for ovarian cancer.
On a positive note, I went into the office for my meeting today. I had to present to a group of regional vice presidents of sales. I know most of them fairly well and have presented to this group before. They're all men but an easy crowd and I've never been nervous to get up in front of them before today. They all knew that I was out of the office in July and August for a medical condition and that I've been working from home since September, but they didn't know exactly why. So, my boss welcomed me to the front of the room and told them (with my permission) that I've been fighting breast cancer for the past few months, but have been working behind the scenes on several projects. I was much less nervous about presenting after getting it out there and my presentation went well.
-
Mkn -- yes difficult news - take your time to process it and make the decisions that work for you and your life.
Great news on your WBS and that you feel well -- knocking out the treatments.
Toughcookie -- congrats to you. You have 'broken' the ice and now on the way back to 'office confidence' -- the longer it goes the more we get stressed about it happening. I look forward to being back in the office in January -- i know I wiill be nervious as well.
-
Mkn, sorry that you got the genetic test result, what I found out, we can’t control anything , believe me I was one of those people love to make plans and meeting deadlines. Now I realized nothing I can really control especially when I Dx BC. I turned to God and prayers, pray for God give me strength and face each days. It helps me to get through many bad days, I hope you can find comfort in God.
Tough - congratulations for the great presentation! I give you ladies so much credits when you have to deal with all these SE and emotionally still can give your best to Work! 💪💪💪👏👏👏👏
-
Congrats on your office success, Tough Cookie!
I had my 4th out of a planned 6 chemos on Wednesday. So far doing ok, just tired. I had to get up early today because I haven't prepped the lab I'm teaching this morning yet. I strangely have super busy ridays but I just need to push through and then I can collapse in my bed for the weekend which is when all the SEs usually hit.
-
mkn, I too am sorry about the BRCA news but I agree with everyone, you sound like you are handling it well and thinking it through. My best friend found out she had the gene (she does not have cancer) and made the hard decision to have her ovaries removed and a prophylactic BMX. This happened a few months before I was diagnosed and now she is grateful she did it. It is a personal decision and needs some thought for sure.
Travel, hope you are feeling better and up for surgery. Please come back and let us know how it goes. Keeping you in my prayers.
Tough Cookie, I am glad the meeting went well. I had a huge presentation for a grant (I am the CEO of a nonprofit) and ended up just telling them about my breast cancer. I hadn't planned on it, it just spilled out. They were very supportive. I hope everyone going back to the office finds support from your co-workers and supervisors. Work has helped keep my mind busy.
I had my port taken out today! The receptionist was so nice, she said, "You are getting your port out, yay! I am throwing invisible pink glitter to celebrate!" The doctor and nursed asked me what I was doing to celebrate and I said, "Going to work?" I guess I need to celebrate tonight. They did not sedate me this time which made me nervous, I just got the local. There was a lot of tugging, pulling and pressure but no pain. It took about 20 minutes from the time I walked into the room to walking out. Drove myself to work. I assume this local is going to wear off soon and I may call it a day then. Just wanted to assure all of you that getting it out is much easier than getting it in. They applied surgical glue, no bandages and I can shower in 24 hours.
I am three weeks PFC (I learned on this site that means post final chemo). Other than still feeling more tired than usual, I am doing well and my hair is still holding on although brows and lashes are very sparse. It has been cold here so I have not been walking as much, guess it is time to get on the treadmill, which I don't like. Take care everyone, have a great weekend!
-
Surgery is go for Monday, Nov 27. Yay!
Whew, I was so relieved that they are good to move forward and no one talked about moving the surgery date -- I need this breast tissue gone.
Cold no issue! Hemoglobin/Hemocrit counts - we have a plan.
Now I just have to stay away from anything that will spike fever and continue healing for 9 days and I will be good to go.
I am going with the self co2 tissue expanders, A tiny little bit of control.My biggest issue 3 weeks PFC (a side from the viral/cold/laryngitis that is slowly passing) is not getting continuous sleep.
I long for 10 solid hours of deep slumber - has to be healing. I am hoping that with my anxiety lowered worrying about surgery delays and my cold passing through - my sleep will be long and peaceful. I am typically a very good sleeper, so this is extra difficult.
Henrietta - I hope your Friday went well and that you are collapsed and healing this weekend. Only 2 more to go, OCDAmy - good for you sharing during your presentation - I hope it made you stronger. I would have probably had to fight tears,
Work has been a wonderful distraction through chemo, I am looking forward to my 6 weeks of 'healing' post surgery. I have these grandiose visions of looking healthy by the new year. The Vampire look just isn't my favorite look
Happy Healing everyone
-
Congrats on the surgery date, Travel Girl! I did make it through my Friday and now am in my bed with my Taxol bone pain. Just reading and looking at the internet for distraction until I can take a pain pill! I’m trying Claritin this time too after hearing it has done wonders for others.
-
Henrietta - hope your bone pains isn’t too bad, I still have joints pains from my knees down even one week PFC.
Travel - good luck on your surgery and speedy recovery!
Amy 🙌🙌🙌 happy for you.
-
hi everyone, thank you all for the words of comfort. I haven't posted much as i've just been trying to lie low for a few days (or was it weeks?) or so.
Mostly just trying to see how my body has been reacting to taxol + carboplatin. and with the exception of that one time i had constipation and that one night i couldn't sleep there hasn't been much. There are a few things that i need to discuss with my oncologist. the fluid in my chest feels heavy/ier the past two days. so i need to discuss that again. See if there's anything they can do.
Been putting off the DNA test results discussion between doctors in manila and frankfurt. but i know it needs to be done.
Coleslaw and gravy tastes like soap. 🤣
travel_girl, good luck with surgery and i wish you a speedy recovery!
I wish you all a good week! going for mg blood test today. and hopefully infusion 3 of 12 tomorrow.
and maybe a really good reward meal on friday. -
mkn - hang in there, hope you find out what’s going on with the fluid in your chest. Does it affect to your breathing? That soounds like something you need to talk to your MO.
-
It don't have difficulty breathing. but my chest just feels/weighs heavier in general. but yes i need to be persistent about this. chemonis difficult enough as it is, all other things i shouldn't even worry about anymore like the fluid.
-
mkn, it is good to let your MO knows your problem, on my infusion day, I talks and gave them details about my SE, I’m not letting things go. I know I can be so bitchy .... hahahaha
-
Hi Everybody. It's been about a week since I last posted. I read your posts daily, but have just been too tired to post. My MO stopped my Taxotere treatments due to the reaction I had after round 3. In a few weeks I will be starting AC (the red devil) and I'm nervous about it. Luckily I'll only have 2 rounds, but I hear it causes more nausea than Taxotere. If anyone can give me any tips on what to expect, I'd really appreciate it.
mkn, the fluid in your chest could turn into something serious. I don't mean to scare you, but your doctors should take it seriously. One of my daughters had fluid in her chest after an upper GI issue. The hospital discharged her thinking it would clear up on it's own. Two days later she was back in the hospital in a coma and on a respirator for more than a week with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (the fluid scarred her lungs). Your immune system is already compromised because of BC, so if you have any difficulty breathing, don't hesitate to encourage your doctor to take it seriously.
Travel Girl, Congratulations on getting the "go ahead" for surgery! I hope all goes well.
Paulette and Amy, You are so lucky to have chemo behind you. Now it's on to the rads. You have both been real troopers in your battle against BC. You give me hope.
Tough Cookie, Where are you these days. Is everything OK with you?
-
Meg - for AC, you need to stay on top of the meds when your schedule said take your Zofran every 8 hours even you don’t feel nausea you still take your meds. Also make sure you have something in your stomach even you don’t feel like eating. Put some soup and crackers in your stomach. You know about the Big D or C, then mouth sore some people got that problem. People talked about joint pains because of the WHite blood boost shot. If you are getting the shot take your Claritin a day before the shot. Fatigue is a big issue, expect you will have few down days. My down days was day 4-6. I hope this help you out,
Happy thanksgiving to everyone !
-
thank you meg.
no worries about adding fear and i appreciate the heads up. At the moment no difficulty breathing and my MO gave me a different set of antibiotics and already referred me to a breast surgeon if the antibiotics don't work. And i've already scheduled another ultrasound in case the surgeon will need a most recent one during consultation. Currently riding out the sleeplessness from the steroids of dose 3 of 12 of taxol + carboplatin.
staying with parents this weekend and looking forward to being away from the city and getting fresh air.
have a good weekend everyone! -
-
Paulette, Thanks for the tips. My MO is prescribing 3 anti nausea meds so hopefully that will do the job. I'll be sure to take them on time even if I don't feel sick. I hope you're feeling better now that you're finished with chemo. I know it takes a while, but you were good at keeping up with walking and other exercise so maybe you'll bounce back faster.
mkn, I'm glad to hear you and your doctor are on top everything.
Wishing everyone a wonderful, festive, tasty Thanksgiving!!!!!
-
Checking in -- I had to go for bloodwork again this am , Friday post Thanksgiving in the USA the cancer center was a ghost town - so now I wait for the results and the action behind it...
I asked when they called on Tuesday, yes, I will get my blood tested again ... and then what happens? Nurse could not answer me ....ohmmmmm
As far as II know still a go for Monday's surgery -- just that one of the surgeons (breast surgeon) was worried about my numbers and wanted me retested. Crazy they would take more blood -- seems like I could all I have right now
I decided to just do what they asked, I made plans for the day and if I need to adjust
Mkn - stay on top of the questions, and don't think you can't ask too many - ask away.
Meg -- you can do this - I am glad you will get away from the taxotere SE's -- you have got this. Stay on top of those meds.
Paulette - I hope everyday you are feeling better. I finally slept 7+ whole hours last night - I did take Lorezpam before bed, as I was a bit emotional from the day w/ my family -- it was a good emotional just emotional none the less --
Happy Healing to you all
-
mkn - how are you doing now? I know you can’t sleep for couple days but after the two you should able to sleep better.
Meg - take whatever meds you need when you are having chemo. On the last few weeks of chemo I take my anti anxiety meds every night. All I wanted was a good night sleep so I can feel better during the day time.
Travel -praying for your surgery on Monday and speedy recovery. I usually don’t sleep that long, last night I have about 6 hours sleep that’s pretty good for me. I usually take a short nap when I do my Le pump so I can recharge my energy.
2 weeks post chemo, my appetite is almost back to normal, taste buds is getting better, energy is slowly getting better each day, Neuropathy also slowly getting better but still numb.
-
Hi there everyone!
Checking in. It has been almost 4 weeks since final chemo of Taxotere/Cytoxan. I'm finally getting my taste buds back. The ONLY hairs that have grown back thus far on my head have been gray and sparse! I was feeling grateful that I didn't lose my eyebrows, but I sure want my head hair back. How long does it take after final chemo?? I still feel a little foggy headed. About 10 days after my final tx, I could tell my chest was a little congested, I had a little cough, and I wasn't breathing fully. I felt okay otherwise, so I tried to do some deep yoga breathing and some stretches. It really helped me clear my chest and the next day I didn't have any congestion. Just wondering if it was the chemo or the fact that I had been sitting/sleeping so much. I would take walks everyday, but even then I could tell my breathing was shallow. Since then, every day I do deep breathing exercises.
On Thanksgiving I saw my husband's side of the family for the first time since treatments. Mostly a positive, but my MIL is a bit crazy. Her comments about my scarf were a bit off-putting, but I could let it go. We have to, right? I'm off to radiation next Tuesday, so I'm on the rads board a bit more these days. I am reading your posts and following you all - Meg, mkn, travelgirl, henrietta, Amy, et. al. I can't quit you!
Sending you all big hugs of encouragement and strength! -
Milkweed, that made me laugh! I start rads on Tueday as well. Was supposed to start Monday but something got messed up with insurance. Glad to know we can contine to follow each other.
Good luck with surgery Travel Girl! Keep us posted.
Hope everyone gets good sleep, I still don't sleep well and now every little pain I have I am sure it's cancer, I have to stop doing that to myself.
-
hi everyone
dose 3 of 12 was uneventful. i decided not to take the sleeping med (actually an allergy pill 😂) that my MO gave me. i took decaf chamomile and then this diffuser with essential oils mixed designed for sleeping. i slept 2 hours thursday night. VICTORY! friday night i slept 7. BIGGER VICTORY! 😅 some ache in my bones today very mild so i'm taking it easy. having fresh, steamed, sweet corn as a snack
and some cold sliced pear my MO and i were still laughing when i was asking him my questions. so that eased my worries about a lot of things. i still got my peroid. my period just won't quit yet. haha! but all good. manageable.
I plan on just taking it easy this weekend. stretching twice a day, slowly unpacking things i had shipped from frankfurt (they finally arrived!) and figuring out which things fit into my life here in manila, reading, munching on snacks and getting a few hugs and snuggles worked in from family
I hope everyone has a great weekend and some rest from all the thanksgiving festivities. hugs and love to you ladies!
-
MKN - i know what that sleep/victory feels like. Almost 7 hours is awesome. Do whatever you can to get as much sleep as possible, helps restore and give our immune system time to repair. Happy unpacking and don't make any quick decisions on what you might want to get rid of, wait at least cycling through a few moods.
Have a restful weekend.
-
Paulette - I am on so many meds, I feel like a walking pharmacy. I'm taking Effexor (time released) and Xanax for anxiety and sleep. These work well for me. I also take a prescription diuretic which preserves potassium and prevents swelling. I don't know yet when the AC/chemo will start. It's been a month since my last Taxotere infusion. Hopefully now that Thanksgiving is over, the new schedule will start. In the meantime, I'll have more testing, scans, etc. I am surprised at how weak I feel even a month are my last infusion.
-
Milk - Too bad your MIL wasn't more encouraging of your head wrap. Maybe she just didn't know what to say. I didn't know what to say to friends or family who had cancer before my own diagnosis. You were right to just blow it off as no big deal.
-
MKN - I heard about diffusers and essential oils being good for sleep during treatment. I'm very sensitive to smells these days, but I've heard the scent with the diffuser is very mild. I think I might try it.
Don't over do it while unpacking. Fatigue can creep up on you during and after treament. I'm getting "head rushes" more than ever before just getting up from a sitting position. LOL.
-
Hi Travel - Wishing you a successful surgery on Monday or whatever day they decide to do it. It's a shame you have to wait in suspense all weekend. I notice others are still waiting for schedule confirmations and even test results. Apparently the Thanksgiving holiday has caused a great deal of miscommunication between staff and patients. Keep us posted.
-
Hi all,
I’m glad to read so many are doing so well and finishing chemo or progressing through it. I also hope everyone in/from the US had a good Thanksgiving! My parents and one of my brothers came for a few days and it was great to see them even though it was more tiring than I expected. Everything is still going ok for me. I feel like my side effects after my last treatment were more manageable or at least more routine? My visit with the big C was shorter, my bone pain was bad but I just took pain pills and slept on the worst day. I did get some Claritin which so many swear by for pain but I have not seen any effect
-
Hi Ladies... seems like a number of us are starting rads next week. I’m starting on Monday.
Mkn, so glad to hear that you got all your stuff and I’m envious of the sleep :-) Hopefully it will happen at some point for me but the night sweats have a lot to answer for.
I’ve had loads of water retention and the diuretics are helping.. not good to feel like a beached whale on top of everything else :-)
Milkweed .. shame about your MIL’s reaction to your scarf but I guess a number of folks really find it hard to react sensibly to “us” at the moment
We’re all making progress on this journey which is he great news.. keep smiling
-
Hi everyone,
How’s your thanksgiving? Did you have a good time with your family? I was busy the last three days with families and friends. Today I will be rest at home maybe do more walking on treadmill 😐.
Milkweed - my MIL saw me many months ago, she wouldn’t know what to say also, I think many people haven’t been through Cancer, they don’t know what to say.
Kiwi - are you having swelling from your feet?
Henrietta - I’m two weeks PFC, beside bald I still have joints pains, fingers and feet are still numb, got my taste bud back so my appetite has been good, I don’t take the hour afternoon nap anymore, only 20 minuets or so would be good enough, still have some fatigue middle of the day.
We will get better each day, yes we should 😊.
Categories
- All Categories
- 679 Advocacy and Fund-Raising
- 289 Advocacy
- 68 I've Donated to Breastcancer.org in honor of....
- Test
- 322 Walks, Runs and Fundraising Events for Breastcancer.org
- 5.6K Community Connections
- 282 Middle Age 40-60(ish) Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 53 Australians and New Zealanders Affected by Breast Cancer
- 208 Black Women or Men With Breast Cancer
- 684 Canadians Affected by Breast Cancer
- 1.5K Caring for Someone with Breast cancer
- 455 Caring for Someone with Stage IV or Mets
- 260 High Risk of Recurrence or Second Breast Cancer
- 22 International, Non-English Speakers With Breast Cancer
- 16 Latinas/Hispanics With Breast Cancer
- 189 LGBTQA+ With Breast Cancer
- 152 May Their Memory Live On
- 85 Member Matchup & Virtual Support Meetups
- 375 Members by Location
- 291 Older Than 60 Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 177 Singles With Breast Cancer
- 869 Young With Breast Cancer
- 50.4K Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis
- 204 Breast Cancer with Another Diagnosis or Comorbidity
- 4K DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ)
- 79 DCIS plus HER2-positive Microinvasion
- 529 Genetic Testing
- 2.2K HER2+ (Positive) Breast Cancer
- 1.5K IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer)
- 3.4K IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)
- 1.5K ILC (Invasive Lobular Carcinoma)
- 999 Just Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastasis
- 652 LCIS (Lobular Carcinoma In Situ)
- 193 Less Common Types of Breast Cancer
- 252 Male Breast Cancer
- 86 Mixed Type Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned
- 189 Palliative Therapy/Hospice Care
- 488 Second or Third Breast Cancer
- 1.2K Stage I Breast Cancer
- 313 Stage II Breast Cancer
- 3.8K Stage III Breast Cancer
- 2.5K Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
- 13.1K Day-to-Day Matters
- 132 All things COVID-19 or coronavirus
- 87 BCO Free-Cycle: Give or Trade Items Related to Breast Cancer
- 5.9K Clinical Trials, Research News, Podcasts, and Study Results
- 86 Coping with Holidays, Special Days and Anniversaries
- 828 Employment, Insurance, and Other Financial Issues
- 101 Family and Family Planning Matters
- Family Issues for Those Who Have Breast Cancer
- 26 Furry friends
- 1.8K Humor and Games
- 1.6K Mental Health: Because Cancer Doesn't Just Affect Your Breasts
- 706 Recipe Swap for Healthy Living
- 704 Recommend Your Resources
- 171 Sex & Relationship Matters
- 9 The Political Corner
- 874 Working on Your Fitness
- 4.5K Moving On & Finding Inspiration After Breast Cancer
- 394 Bonded by Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Life After Breast Cancer
- 806 Prayers and Spiritual Support
- 285 Who or What Inspires You?
- 28.7K Not Diagnosed But Concerned
- 1K Benign Breast Conditions
- 2.3K High Risk for Breast Cancer
- 18K Not Diagnosed But Worried
- 7.4K Waiting for Test Results
- 603 Site News and Announcements
- 560 Comments, Suggestions, Feature Requests
- 39 Mod Announcements, Breastcancer.org News, Blog Entries, Podcasts
- 4 Survey, Interview and Participant Requests: Need your Help!
- 61.9K Tests, Treatments & Side Effects
- 586 Alternative Medicine
- 255 Bone Health and Bone Loss
- 11.4K Breast Reconstruction
- 7.9K Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 2.7K Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment
- 775 Diagnosed and Waiting for Test Results
- 7.8K Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 50 Immunotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 7.4K Just Diagnosed
- 1.4K Living Without Reconstruction After a Mastectomy
- 5.2K Lymphedema
- 3.6K Managing Side Effects of Breast Cancer and Its Treatment
- 591 Pain
- 3.9K Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 8.4K Surgery - Before, During, and After
- 109 Welcome to Breastcancer.org
- 98 Acknowledging and honoring our Community
- 11 Info & Resources for New Patients & Members From the Team