Has anyone started a forum for Chemo in Dec 2008?

Thank you Firni!  I sent you a PM so you can disregard it!

Bobbi & Firni (and anyone else who needs)

Below is the information from my coworker: 

Hey Sonia,

Have them call 1.800.227-2345 and ask for the "Health Insurance

Information Team."-For this program, patients must not have medicaid

or medicare and must be 65 years or younger.

There are other programs if the patient doesn't fall under this

category and they can be connected to those by calling the same

number, however, they should ask for a "Cancer Information Specialist."

Let me know if you get any feedback on how this service worked for them.

I believe so but just give them a call.  If you do not qualify then call back and ask for the "Cancer Information Specialist".  I will ask her when I get back to the office tomorrow.

Sonia

Ya'll let me know what you find out.  She says she may have more resources.

Sonia

Caroline...you can find the boxed set of four DVDs on Ebay!  That is how I got started.

Out of curiousity...what are they charging??????  Mine are $5 a class

 Glad your taste buds are coming back!!!!!!  woohooooooo

Caroline, that is insane.  The rec. center by me charges $45 for 8 classes.  They meet twice a week.  So that's only a little higher than Lisa charges.  My muscles are not near ready to even try yet.  I'm still not able to walk the dog.   I got a letter today from Unemployment saying my benefits ran out last week.  Nice I knew in advance.  I think I can file an emergency claim tho. Anyway, once I find a job, I can decide when I could do a class.  I'm thinking if I went to a class for a month, I might be able to keep it up at home.  Takes a month to set a habit ya know.

I'm exactly one week out from my final Tx.  I still have the crappy taste in my mouth and the back of my throat, but the bone pain is gone!!!  And my stubble is growing.  I can see black spots in the regular mirror (versus the magnifying mirror).  My hair hadn't grown a micro fractionof an inch all thru my chemo.  Needless to say, I'm excited.

Thanks for all the Happy Birthday wishes.  I am feeling pretty good this week.  Today a little tired and I am also going crazy with the kids.  It is like I talk but they don't listen.  They just seem to be so into themselves and not cleaning up after themselves.  I know it has been a long road for everyone, but it is almost like they are saying this has gone on long enough now that you had surgery lets just be done with everything.  The house looks like a disaster area they come in and dump their things and then they are off to their next event.  Spring around here is always busy.  Plus I know my hormones are all off and I seem to get mad at the smallest things.  But I can't help it. 

Firni:  I am sorry to hear about your benefits.  I thought that you could get it extended with all the new policies that have been implemented lately.  You should definitley look into it.

Hope everyone is well, my mom had a bunch of tests yesterday and we should probably hear something sometime tomorrow from the Dr.  Please keep good thoughts.  That could also be why I am so short tempered today.  See what you realize when you type away!!!

Well thanks for listening!!!!  As always

I had tx7 of CMF today. Only I just had the MF because I have been taken off the C due to bad side effect.  I feel ok with it. If I lived in the UK or Canada, I'd probably only have had 6 tx to begin with. We in the US like to do more.  One more to go!!!!

Back from vacation...... and can certainly say that the taste buds are back to normal! Though my left foot still has some minor tingling and both have some swelling in the evening. (though the swelling may be residual from radiation? Now am to start Femara :-(

Firni - I am now about 2 months from last chemo and I see hair growing, but it seems thin and still very short. My husband and daughter are giving me encouraging noises; I think they are being kind!

Caroline - The dose dense does have specific criteria, but I have not heard about age restriction! I went thru dose dense and the biggest constraint in this area is the doctor being trained and the hospital having the correct equipment. 

Lisa - No Zumba in our area. Sounds like fun, but I like others, am looking forward to better weather...... and getting back into bicycling! The feet issues have put my getting back into running on hold.

Mary L 

I can't wait to feel like exercising again. I was in such good shape before all this started. Now I can barely walk across a parking lot. I've tried to exercise through chemo, but it's been hit and miss.

I have about 1/2 inch of hair. Still no eyelashes or eyebrows.

Just hoping that I have no surprise chemo side effects crop up after the fact.

 Mary, that's nice that your family is trying to make you feel better about your hair.  Sometimes I wish mine would be a little more encouraging.  They seem to be brutally honest tho.  And 8 days after chemo, the look isn't pretty.  LOL

Linda, a limo party sounds awesome.  Have fun!

Caroline, it has been 5 months of being a slug. I had my surgery the end of Oct. and started chemo early in Dec.  thru March.  No wonder my muscles are gone.  It took me 3 sessions to get the dishwasher unloaded and reloaded the other day.  When do you start Rads and how many?

I was supposed to go on Femara this month but my insurance (of course) will only pay 30% of the cost.  So, I'm going to start Tamoxafin for now and then I'll switch when ever I get insurance that will pay for Femara or it gets a generic in June of 2011.  

I start rads on the 13th of April, the same day I get my port out! It will be a busy day, but I can't wait to get rid of the port and I don't want to push rads, not even by 1 day! I just want to get it over with. 33 tx, I'll be done the last week of May. I'm happy, at first I thought it would be all done mid-June, so my skin will have some time to heal before we can head out for vacations.

simvog so sorry to hear about your MIL, I hope SEs get better with each tx.

I looked up my drug plan and I'll be paying $35 for whichever AI my oncologist prescribes.

But right now, I'm hanging on by what's left of my blackened fingernails. Four days until my last treatment, and the thought of even one more infusion makes me want to run the other way. By far the worst side effect has been the dry mouth. It's painful to talk and painful to eat, and of course there are no taste buds so why bother anyway except my aching stomach keeps growling.

I'd be so happy to pay $30 or $35 for Femera.  But right now I would pay $185.  Not happening.

Texas, I'm having more pain in my nail beds and soles of my feet this time.  I'm just told, Taxotere will do that.  At least this is the last time and once they start to get better that will be it.  No black on my nails yet.  Did you get the dark polish that has all the complicated directions from your onc? I don't know too much about it.  I was offered it but didn't take it.  I don't want to pay for it if I won't use it.  If my nails get worse, I'll go back and get some.

Haven't heard from those 3 ladies, Simvog.

How many of you are having your PS take out your port when you do your exchange?  Or are you having your port taken out by your BS or general surgeon?