Has anyone started a forum for Chemo in Dec 2008?

Firni, I know what you mean about anxious for the return of taste buds. I bought a few new healthy-eating cookbooks and have even made some of the recipes. I have to ask my husband how they taste because they could be school paste as far as I'm able to tell!

I finish chemo one month from today. I am so excited about the possibility of feeling good again! No more stomach ache, nose bleeds, dry mouth, missing taste buds or painful fingernails. I won't know how to act when I have energy again!!!!

Texas357 - I can't wait for you to start feeling better soon too!  I wish I could give you my taste buds.  I am eating everything and it's starting to show.  Ugh.  I haven't had nose bleeds but when I blow my nose at least once a day there is blood.  Does that count?   

Simvog, I'm also praying for you and your family.  When I pray each morning, I always say a prayer for everyone on these boards and anyone going through these trials.  It's just so hard and it seems that all I ever hear these days is more bad news.  I pray that one day soon there will be a cure for this!

mimiwhite            #4  1-Feb            4xTC 

mmliv                  #4   3-Feb           4xTC  

Brenny                # 4  4 Feb           4xTC  

isasayers            #4    6Feb           4xTC 

horsercn             #1     9 Feb (TH)       4xAC +12 Taxol+Herceptin  

ptjen                   #4   11 feb               4xTC

CindaD               #4   12-Feb                4xTC 

swest                   #4  13 Feb           4xTC 

iktracey               #4    17 Feb               4xTC 

apfuentes            #4     17 Feb               4xTC   

bkokie                #4       19 Feb              4xTC 

Texas357           T#4      24 Feb       3xFEC+9xTaxotere  

Catrenae           T1-T12  26 Feb-14 May        4xAC+12xTaxol   

Romiles               #4    26 Feb              

DrDecker            #4     4 March              4xTC

Texas357           T#6    10 March       3xFEC+9xTaxotere

Mandy1313        #6      10 March          8xCMF      

Lainey64              #4T  12 March          4xAC+4xTaxol 

simvog               T1-T12 13 March-29 May   4xFAC+12xTaxol 

LindaBusEd        #6      18 March            6xTAC 

zuffa                   #6     18 March          6xTAC

cebula                 #6    23 March             6xTC  

Majanumba1         #6   23 March              6xTCH 

Bold                    #5    23 March             6xTCH

sdavis                  #6    23 March                  6xTC  

Texas357           T#7    24 March       3xFEC+9xTaxotere

berrypatch           #6     24 March              6xTC  

Firni                    #6     25 March              6xTC

Texas357           T#8    31 March       3xFEC+9xTaxotere   

Texas357           T#9    4 April           3xFEC+9xTaxotere    

Bold                    #6    13 April                 6xTCH

Mary, I'm glad you posted about your taste buds. I was wondering how soon they will return to normal. I've got 5 more weeks of chemo, and unfortunately my wedding anniversary falls 2 weeks before my last treatment. A nice dinner would be a total waste of money on me!

I'm getting a little discouraged and impatient. I'm so tired of feeling badly and so anxious to start reclaiming my vitality. I was up most of the night with a stomach ache and because my nails hurt so darned badly.

On a brighter note, I've started thinking of what I want to do for the doctors who have saved my life. I want to get the name of the radiologist who spotted the cancer on my original mammogram, and send him a handwritten thank you note. I also plan to give small gifts to my BS and Medical Oncologist.

Simvog I had my cancer free breast removed as I wanted the surgery all at once.  Even though it was my "cancer free" side, I have had problems with that breast for ten years...every year having biopsies, etc.  Which is why I was floored when they found the cancer in my left.  For me, it was the right decision.  After talking with my breast surgeon...I knew that is what I wanted to do.

Good morning Divas.  Wow, can you believe we were the December Divas?  It's already March and almost Spring.  As hard as this time has been, I have to say that it's passing pretty quickly for me.  Of course, I can't wait until we can say it's Spring 2010 and we are all alive and healthy!  And have hair again!  I have let the hair thing bother me more than I thought it would.  It's getting so warm here now and going out bald just hasn't been an option for me.  I'm so self conscious.  I always have been actually, with or without hair.  But on Saturday I talked to God and said "heck with it" and threw on my ballcap and went out.  No more wooly caps in 80 degree weather for this gal!   

I am looking at my last TX this coming Thursday.  I really can't believe it.  I know I'll be faced with more pain and those wonderful muscle and bone aches but I can do it.  Then it's on to rads.  I'll still be here though. 

Texas:  I hope you're feeling a little better today.  When my hands and fingers start to bother me I grab some ice cubes and hold on to them for a few seconds or so and that helps with the pain. 

Hi my sisters: It has been a long time since I have posted here. I have  been reading though and have kept you all in my prayers. I have 2 more to go. I can not wait till this fat lady sings. I have managed to gain 7 pounds. grrrrr. I will take care of it after rads. It looks like I am bringing up the rear on the TX chart. We are on our way to perfect health and balance in our lives.

Peace and prayers.

Good morning, Divas.  It's been a week or so since I last posted, but I've been keeping up with posts and wishing you all well every single day.  I'm finally starting to feel pretty decent again now that UTI is gone and my last Tx is nearly 3 weeks behind me.  Next week I see the onc for bloodwork and to get the Rx for the anti-hormone drug.  The following week it's off to the PS to get a surgery date for the exchange, which should happen the last week of March or the first week of April so I can start rads on or near April 20th.  I'm a little nervous about the rads, but it is supposed to be easier than chemo so that's good news.

Elaine -- I'm self conscious too and never go out without covering my head with a hat, wig or scarf.  The only time my head is bare is when I'm alone or asking my husband if my hair has grown.  I do have a little hair now, but my head closely resembles a large, fuzzy billiard ball.

Simvog -- I had single mast, but would have had bilateral if I had known the seriousness of my Dx before surgery.  Hind sight is 20-20, as they say.  How is your MIL?  

Lisa -- I hope you are feeling well and enjoying life now that your treatment is over. 

-Bonnie

Hi everyone. It does seem odd that we've started this journey together almost 4 months ago.  Some of us have been on different threads thru our diagnosis and surgeries.  For me it's been 7 months since my diagnosis.  Now I'm looking at the end of this horrendous experience toward the end of this month.  I thought I'd sail thru chemo just like I did the surgery.  No so.  Like many of you, it's been quite difficult.  But all my cyber sister Divas here have helped me thru it all, even when I have been absent from the boards.  I thank you all so much!!  Any way.  This is my bad week.  I feel like a steamroller ran me down.  Next week will be a bit better and then my LAST Tx on 3-25.  I can't wait.

Swest - I am 5 weeks along from chemo and my eyebrows have thinned to about half their thickness and the eyelashes are bald in spots. I STILL do not see any hair growing on my head.... though I think that I am finally getting hair on my legs; still no need to shave.

Bonnie -  I am doing the dose dense in rads (16 sessions instead of 33 or so). I just finished #14 today and no problems; just a slight tenderness, still wearing normal bras and not feeling increased fatigue. In fact now that chemo is losing its hold on me I am feeling better all the time.

Biggest problem with radiation is the daily schedule, hope your center is close. Mine is about an hour away - for a 10 to 15 minute radiation session!

Mary L. 

SWEST: I lost all but 5 eyelashes (I'm babying the brave survivors) and about 1/2 the hair in my eyebrows. To me, that's worse than losing the hair on my head, but I sure want all of it back soon!

Firni and Simvog: I also was diagnosed with ILC and I fully expected my BS to recommend prophylactic removal of the healthy breast. My husband and I were pretty shocked when he didn't. I didn't push it. Guess time will tell if I made the right decision or not. It would have given me more peace of mind. Judging from the way my insurance company has been acting, I might have wound up paying 1/2 the surgical bills which I could not afford.

I go for Taxotere treatment #6 today (chemo #9 so far). Then I get a week off before starting my final three. Three weeks after that, I start 33 rounds of radiation. Then my husband gets his knee replaced and I become the caregiver.

Swest my exchange surgery is March 20th...and I'm nervous, but so looking forward to getting rid of these turtle shells!  LOL

Lisa -

I had my exchange surgery back in November - what a relief it is to get rid of those expanders.  In my case, I healed very quickly and had no problems.  You are so healthy and fit, I'm sure you will do fine.  Good luck.

 Regarding the lash thing - my lowers are very spotty and the tops are thinning rapidly even though I am done with chemo.  I'm still putting mascara on what's left but careful when I remove.  I don't even like to rub my eyes in the morning!!  Still drawing on the brows - someone said the brows grow back fairly soon.  I'll be waiting....

Simvog and others contemplating - I had both removed and glad I did because they found LCIS in the "good breast" and I would have been going through another year another time like this one..

Hang in there everyone - there is health at the end of the tunnel.  Anyone having SE's from Arimidex - I am 6 days in with lots of joint pain?

Bobbi

By the way, my right eye has bald lash spots but not the left one.  I'm not using any mascara because I don't want to have to rub to remove.  I do use a wider line of liner along the lashes tho. My brows have thinned out to about where I would pluck them anyway.  So far, no more has fallen out.  What will we all do when we have to actually groom ourselves again?

My fingernails are hanging in there. 

My eyelashes have blad spot though out. Still wearing mascara but only if I get out of the house, makes me feel prettier  especially since it's warmer out and I completely ditched my scarves! Eyebrows are thinning as well, but since I have always had very thick brows most people aren't noticing.

A couple weeks ago, I was out with my MIL and when I left, the first thing I did entering my car was to take off the scarf. She had until now refused to see me bald, I never pushed until it got warmer and told her she would have to get over it. So that night, I decided she would see it, I purposely didn't wait to remove the scarf and drove by her car. The next day when she talked to hubby, she told him that she saw me bald but I didn't know about it LOL! She said it wasn't as bad as she thought, so I was night walk completely bald into her house, her first words were "you little brat" hahaha, but she did fine.