Has anyone started a forum for Chemo in Dec 2008?

Hi everyone.  Got my port out this morning.  It wasn't as simple as everyone says.  My doctor said it kind of wedged itself in there so she had to mess with it a bit to get it out.  It didn't hurt though and I just layed there and chatted with her and the nurse while she was fidgeting with it.  She showed it to me after it was removed.  It was a pretty purple color which made me laugh.  I also took a picture of it for my website.  I'm soooo glad to have it out.  I have to keep the steri strips dry but I can shower tomorrow.  My doctor said she'd like the strips to stay put for at least 4-5 days.  I was feeling a bit of soreness so I took some extra strength Tylenol.  Time for a nap!

Yeah, she put stitches in mine too and covered them with the steri strips.  Weird.  It was hurting but the tylenol helped a lot.  Now I know why mine I always looked dark!  It's cuz it was purple... duh

Elaine, there's no way I would have ask the BS to see the port!! Sounds like my removal, lots of twisting around. I got the stitches & strips as well. It's been 4 days and it's just now bruising, probably from all the twisting!. Aren't you glad it's out!

Texas, sorry about the nail

hi all, glad everyone is hanging in there, Texas you seem to really have been hit by so many things, remember we're all thinking of and pulling for you...

I'm 2 weeks out from my last chemo, still have 7 eyelashes and maybe 1/4 of each eyebrow, am pretty hopeless at drawing the eyebrows, fortunately I work from home and don't have to go out to an office every day!  haven't shaved my head in about 4 weeks and have a nice crop of peach fuzz, if it doesn't start really growing guess I'll shave again pretty soon, though have to say it doesn't hurt to lay on it thank goodness...

congrats to all who are now portless, hope to join you in 2 or 3 weeks, see the onco next Monday and he will schedule me then with the surgeon...at first he wanted me to keep in it several months but that puppy is coming out as soon as I can!!!!!

I'll sign up for the reunion, probably will have to be pushed, I'll be 78, but NOT OLD 

yesterday and today we've had beautiful weather but ground is still soaked from Fri & Sat, hope good Spring weather comes to everyone pretty soon...

take care, prayers and blessings to all...

Hello All - It has been a really bad day.  My mom was admitted to the hospital today.  She now has conjestive heart failure.  They are running more tests, but they are pretty sure that is what it is.  Hopefully they will be able to get her stable.  Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Thanks,

Colleen 

Colleen, our prayers are with you and your mom.

I see my oncologist today. Will ask him about the numb fingertips and burning muscles. I've got the energy to exercise (finally) but the pain is stopping me.

Thanks for all of your support. I know it will get better, but it won't be as soon as I'd like it to be.

Hi every one,

Colleen, my prayers are with you and your mom.  Let us know how she's doing.

Texas, let me know what your onc says about your fingertips and burning muscles.  I'll go to my onc in a couple of weeks if the edema and numbness and pain aren't going away.  I see my primary today for my pre-surgery physical.   I'll ask him about this stuff too.  Then Thurs I see my PS for my pre-surg and my BS to get port stitches out.  Next week I have my exchange surgery and follow up appt with PS.  Too many Dr. appts in two weeks already.  I'm just afraid my onc is going to say, it's just the taxotere and it will eventually get better.  He hasn't seemed concerned so far.  But I need some relief.  I think if I can get the edema under control, the other stuff won't be as bad.  I think walking around like a stuffed sausage compounds the other stuff.  I did read yesterday that the median time for neuropathy to go away is 9 weeks and edema is 16 weeks.  Seems like forever.

I'm getting excited about my exchange next week, but I'm really nervous too.  I always feel like this is the one thing I have some control over, but really I don't think so.  I'm so afraid I won't like the results.  It's kind of the last step in all of this and I want it to be right.  My PS is really good and a perfectionist, but I'm still nervous about it. 

Hey swest,

I'm having my exchange on Wed. 4-29 at 8:30 am.  Good luck with the TE placement.  I never had any problems with mine.  Just go slow with the fills.  My PS put in 120cc when he put them in and then we just did 60 cc fills every other week till I was at the max over fill.  It really was a breeze. 

Oncologist basically said to give it time for all the side effects to go away. He said I'd had them worse than women who are on taxotere much longer, but he didn't seem concerned.

We started the AI discussion, and I got so frustrated. He basically told me to ignore whatever I'd read about side effects because they might not happen to me, and I need the drugs. He also will insist that I take a bone strengthening drug too since I have osteopenia. My thinking is that he's awfully cavalier about the side effects (some of which may be permanent) considering it's not HIS body. 

I'm not one to take prescription medicines and this is weighing heavily on me. I had started a natural regime to address the bone density issue (caused by a parathyroid tumor),  and I'm due for a bone density test. I'm hoping to stall him on at least that drug until I can get the results.

Getting my port out this morning under a local. Why wouldn't they let me eat or drink this morning???

Firni, I'll check out the thread. Thanks!

Good luck with your port removal Texas. They didn't want me to eat or drink either, I assumed it was just in case they had to put me under for some reasons, but than nobody asked me when was the last time I ate or drink. Humm, maybe they did, can't remember, I did take a big Xanax befoer getting there

Thank you Firni for the encouraging words!  My PS is not expanding until 3 weeks after surgery.  How long did it take you to get back on your feet?  I just don't want to be down (at home) long.  I am not a good patient.  I am a better nurse.   Good luck with your exchange on Wednesday!!!

Texas - I hope your port removal went well!  Let us know how you are recovering when you feel up to it.

Is anyone having trouble with hot flashes.  I get one every 1-2 hours.  All night it is covers "on" and "off".  It is really getting old fast.  Is there anything we can do?

Sonia

Texas, glad to hear the removal went fine.  My steri strips are just now starting to peel off at the edges.  Can't wait to have all this mess gone.

Sonia, I wake up about once per night with a hot flash.  It's usually very early in the morning around 4:30 a.m.  I wake up, wonder why I woke up and then suddenly my head feels like it's on fire.  It passes very quickly and then I go back to sleep.  It's so irritating though!!  I'm not on any follow up drugs so I guess mine is due to chemopause. 

Sonia, I know I was down for a few weeks but I had my bi lat. mast. at the same time my expanders were put in.  I don't know what the down time would be having the expanders put in after the fact.  I'm thinking it would be an easier surgery since there won't be tissue removed and nerves cut.  As far as the fills, there wasn't any down time at all.  It took about 15 min. in the office and I was good to go.  Three weeks after surgery to start expanding sounds about right.  Don't want those incisions opening up.

My primary doc put me on Welbutrin for my hot flashes a year or so ago.  It doesn't eliminate them, but they are less frequent and not as hot.  More like warm flashes.  Most anti depressants will do the same, just be sure to make sure what you're taking is compatible with your Tamox or AI.  Like I know Prozac doesn't go with Tamox.

Thank you for the information Firni and Linda!  I am not on Tamox, Femera or Al since I'm triple negative.  I will definitely ask my GP about welbutrin.   Right now I'd take my period back!!!  You girls are so wonderful!  What would I do with out you all! 

Well my family is coming into town for my surgery so I will be scarce on the boards for a while.  I will try to check in with you all when I can.

Sonia