MAY 2009 Rads
Comments
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Hi all. I saw the oncologist today, and he is having me wait for one month to start tamoxifen. I have been having lots of hot flashes and intense sweats, especially at night and so he decided I should wait. He also says the number one reason he takes people of the tamox is because they don't get enough sleep. I now wonder, if that happens what next?
I so hope you all keep checking in on this thread. This group, like the thread during chemo tx, has been my lifeline. I love my family and my friends for their support and concern, but I really truly think this whole ordeal would have been impossible without you all. Besides, who is truly going to understand and laugh at the goofy spacey stuff encountered due to chemo fog and fried rad brain!!!!
Congrats to PRINCESS!
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I have the Sherber book and it's very good. A lot of very easy, common sense advice.
I feel unnerved by Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson's death. Especially Farrah's. Too close to home. I try not to focus on recurrence but I guess it's natural that it's in the back of our minds right now.
I want to keep up with all of you here on this thread!
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princess - i love your idea of antioxidant tea for a gift to techs and doc. i've been trying to think of gifts besides cookies (already did that and my doc said "I'M ALREADY FAT!", so no more cookies). thank you for the links. i will definitely check those out.
debonthelake - thank you. i hadn't heard that about TN.
ivorymom - thank you! you're so sweet.
congrats to everyone who has finished!!
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Chelev: CONGRATS on being done!!! Let's see, yesterday was mojitos, so today I'm thinking about Lemoncello in lemonade.... a toast to you!
lisa: hope you can get through the crowds of people to get zapped today.
ddlatt: It is unnerving to be at the end of active treatment and on to the wait and see stage. I spend a little time each day thinking actively about my bc and what I need to do to stay healthy - what I can control. Whatever feelings that evokes, I just let them happen - then I move on with my day. Seems like if I can "visit" it each day, then I can leave it too.
Have to agree, it is unsettling when death hits the headlines. And they are both sad in there own way. Will keep the TV off this weekend...
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Thanks, Kathy! I'm leaving in a few minutes to go get the last one. Feels like graduation day!
Lisa, hope you are able to get your treatment today - they sure have a lot of issues with your machine and yesterday must have been a madhouse!
ddlatt - I too am struggling with the what if's and the unknown. Most of the time I feel confident that I am going to be just fine, and we've gotten it taken care of and now I am a survivor vs. patient. but with the recommendation for AIs, I'm starting to get a little nervous about dealing with 5 years of potential side effects that could really make it hard for me to do the 115% that I give my job, not to mention trying to get healthy again, which includes losing weight, getting my self in shape and living a healthier life. I'm bringing my DH with me to my med onc appt next Thursday so we can discuss this next phase. I understand with ER/PR highly positive cancers it is recommended to help, but I've already had the hysterectomy over 10 years ago, both ovaries out, and have been through the hell of menopause not once, but now after chemo, twice. I'm just struggling with the pros and cons of it. although if it is decided I will do this, I am going to ask for the lowest dosage of the one with the least amount of se's - that's another thing - with how horribly I did through chemo, developing so many secondary se's, I'm nervous about taking something that will cause se's - everything I do is now to avoid se's and get on with my life!
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Chelev, I also had a very difficult time with chemo. My oncologist even said he felt terrible about what I went through! Because of that, he was far more willing to discuss my using Tamoxifen rather than an AI. I'm terrified of the side effects of the AIs, but in the end I decided to at least give them a try because they are slightly more effective (2%) and I've read that my type of cancer may not be as responsive to tamoxifen . I've got a prescription for Femara in front of me and will probably get it filled this weekend.
Your body continues to produce estrogen from muscles, your adrenal glands and other organs even after menopause. Part of my concern is there's a reason why our bodies are built to do this, and it's scary to deprive the rest of our system of the estrogen they've been getting. There's no easy answer.
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Congrats beautiful chelev!!! A toast to you from your toasted (breast) friend!!! I am a little bit worried about your view of therapy (hormone). It is not all about side effects, its about beating cancer. We have one thing in common with our dx we HAD larger tumors. With that there is a responsibility to do all we can to prevent any recurrence. The hysterectomy that you had all those years have not stopped the estrogen receptors from growing in the cancer cells. I read somewhere that 200,000 cancer cells can sit on the tip of a needle. GULP! You said you already went through menopause and now you are going through it again. Me too UGG! Its horrible but so are mets. We have to stop it now this is out chance. Throw everything at it. The whole trick with cancer is to stop it as soon as you can. Maybe you will not have the SE that some woman have. The ones with no SE do not post. (or rarely). I sorry that you have to take the sh@# at all. But you have a better prognosis than trip neg people. Make sure you address you fears with your onc. But then slow your mind down and listen too. I know its hard for me when I go I am all wound up ready to fight for what I think......... So much of this treatment we are kicking and screaming inside at. Imagine loosing you health and hair you very confidence in life itself. Especially when we were not that sick before we knew!!!! It rough but we can live through it. It is a long battle and we have to remember what we are fighting for. Blah Blah. I just want you to get your game on for the next round. I respect all your decisions and want you to die of old age.
Well hopefully the machine is up and I will not have to wait to long from the back up yesterday. I really enjoyed the day off. worked in the garden and fixed the fountain in the front. I have a large on in the back that sounds fabulous and a little one in the front that is more gentle. You can hear it from the living room. AWWWWWWWW So far my skin is great and my energy seems to be getting better not worse. I think the chemo is leaving me more and more.
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That's my feeling as well. We're going to make the best educated decision once we talk to the onc and weigh the risks vs se's, etc. and go from there, I guess!
Right now, the best way to describe my mood is to quote an old song from Rare Earth . . . I Just Want To Celebrate Another Day Of Living!" and that I am FINISHED!!! Yay!!!
Got big hugs from my rad tech and the rad nurse. They asked me NOT to bring anything in because they don't want any more sweets, so I just brought in a card. Follow up with my rad onc in one month.
Hope my rads sisters who are dealing with painful skin issues are feeling better and will heal over the weekend - at least you will get the two day break to help.
Have a great day / weekend, ladies!!!
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Chelev - - Congrats on your last Day!!
I'm thankful for ALL of you wonderful ladies here.
My husband, brought home an old book (1998 pub date) called, Choices in Healing by Michael Lerner that looks good. I've only just started to look through it but this passage caught my eye, "The therapeutic approach developed in his (LeShan) reserch work with cancer patients is based on entirely different questions: 'What is right with this person? What are his (or her) special and unique ways of being, relating, creating, that are his own and natural ways to live? What is his (her) special music to beat out in life, his unique song to sing so that when he is singing it he is glad to get up in the morning..."
Viva la Vida Radettes!
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Hi Radettes...
It has been a really strange week this week with all these celebrities passing....
Do any of you remember Dr. Jerri Nielsen FitzGerald? She passed away on Tuesday. She was the Dr. who was stationed in Antartica about 10 years ago. While there she found a lump in her breast and because she was so remote from the rest of the world... she had to perform a biopsy on herself with the help of an electrician/mechanic who was stationed there. Finding that it was malignant she had her chemo drugs flown in and dropped by plane as it was not an option for planes to land because it was too cold. After months and the weather had opened a window of opportunity they got her out of there. She wrote a book called "Icebound" which I read a few years ago. She was a very strong woman. She was quoted as saying.."It doesn't matter how or when you die...what matters is How you LIVE..."
That really hit it for me yesterday....
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Good Afternoon Radettes...and Happy Friday....
Looks like KM47 is next to GRADUATE and then LOOK who is next on the countdown list...YIPPEEE ....ME...along with lisalisa and Genia..
CONGRATULATIONS TO CHELEV.......Celebrate BIG TIME this weekend girl...!!!
Here is our updated RAD Graduation countdown list....
I also added HORMONE therapy - let me know what you will be taking when the Rads are done.....
- kt57 - June 18th ....FINISHED...ARIMIDEX
- Seagan - June 22nd ...FINISHED
- Puppers - June 22nd....FINISHED
- Texas357 - June 23rd....FINISHED...FEMARA/TAMOXIFEN (50/50)
- margo1 - June 24th...FINISHED
- americanpinay - June 25th...FINISHED..TAMOXIFEN
- Ivorymom - June 25th...FINISHED
- Princesskaui59 - June 25th...FINISHED..TAMOXIFEN
- chelev - June 26th...FINISHED..ARIMIDEX/AL
- KM47 - June 29th...HERCEPTIN/TAMOXIFEN
- Cruise4Life - June 30th.......FEMARA
- lisalisa - June 30th...ZOMETA/TAMOXIFEN?
- Genia - June 30th..TAMOXIFEN
- barbiedahl - July 2nd...TAMOXIFEN
- Facecrafter - July 3rd...ARIMIDEX
- LynnVA - July 3rd
- ddlatt - July 6th
- carolinachick - July 6th
- ajlive - July 7th.............FEMARA
- Pringles - July 9th
- debonthelake - July 13th
- jrgolomb - July 13th...TAMOXIFEN
- Bold - July 15th
- Deb-Ohio - July 20th
- Snappygoddess - July 30th
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Cruise, thanks so much for doing this!
You know: those outside of the BC circle think BC is all the same. Just looking at our different diagnoses and treatments, it's incredible how many differences there really are!
I just finished reading Chicken Soup for the Breast Cancer Survivors Soul. At first I was reluctant to read it, but I'm glad I did because I read many uplifting messages. The one that sticks with me: Be proud of your scars. Without them, you might not be here.
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CONGRATULATIONS CHELEV!!! A toast to you and to life!!!
PRINCESS, CRUISE, TEXAS...thanks for the beautiful quotes...
About BC treatments...I typically do not like too many choices as I am not particularly ecstatic having to make decisions (oh, what to have for lunch, what to wear) but treatment choices mean if one doesn't work, you still have other options...and I want to have as many options as possible to beat this horrible disease...
Hope everyone is doing well...have a great weekend...
Stay cool, ladies...
Oh, that reminds me...KT...lemoncello sounds good...
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YEAH!!!! CHELEV LET'S GO OUT AND CELEBRATE ANOTHER DAY OF LIVING!!!!!!LET'S GO OUT AND CELEBRATE ANOTHER DAY OF LIVING. sing it girls.
That's what we have to do. I love that quote from the Doctor. It doesn't matter how we die it matters how we live. I love the advice to visit our demon briefly each day. Make the choices we can to conquer it and then let the rest go.
This is a great thread and you guys are a great bunch of ladies. It is scary. Don't you wish we could all be together in a room and just give each other a great big group hug. The contact would feel so good. We could play the celebrate song and dance.
Have a great weekend.
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chelev - congratulations! Seven more will finish rads next week!
Got marked up for my boosters today. Had one of the two male rad techs today. I think he was having fun marking my boob up. When I got back in the dressing room and looked in the mirror I cracked up. It looks like he drew a big bow tie across my boob. Now I wonder just where was the cancer. I was told 9 o'clock. This should be interesting. I thought the booster would be where the incision is or are they going hit it from two angles?
Everyone have a great weekend!
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ajlive - you are almost there! The boosts are more of a surface treatment where your scar was. My boost area was just about to start turning red, glad we stopped today. Mine looked like the shape of an eye, kind of almond shaped.
Debonthelake - it would be very cool to meet each other in person!
Don't forget ladies, moisturize moisturize moisturize!! Limoncello counts - it's internal moisturizing!
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cruise4life - they've moved my date up to july 2 for my last boost and end of radiation. i can't believe that's next week.
you know how dogs can just sense when it's time for their master to come home or time for dinner or something--some kind of internal clock? that's how i am about radiation. i sometimes completely forget about it, but then around noon, i get this odd feeling that i've forgotten something--oh yeah, have to go to radiation! i wonder how long that feeling will last once it's all over.
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I made my appointment with a new med onc. I will be meeting with an endocrinologist and a naperpath too. I have to figure out what to do about the 2% ER+. I have only 2 weeks to decide. I will have the bone density test. I am still low on Vitamin D. I will have to get a prescription or have injectable. I think that was a contributing fracture for getting BC in the first place. I want to have my iodine levels checked too. I am still wondering weather diet exercise and supplements could be as effective as Arimdex for my case.
I was mapped yesterdays for boosts. The scar is not necessarily the tumor bed. My surgeon cut around the aureole as to reserve the dignity of my beauties.
However Mine was 12:00.Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Let eat drink and be marry.
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Bold: You mentioned still being low in Vitamin D and that you thought it was a contributing factorfor getting BC. That caught my eye cause a couple of weeks before I found out I had breast cancer I had blood work and then an appointment with my family doctor. He said I was very low in Vitamin D. Had to take a prescribed Vitamin D pill once a week for 6 weeks. Then I had my mammo and found early stage BC. I had not even thought of that until now. I know my bad eating habits were a contributing factor.
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Hello all May Radiators-
CONGRATS to all 4 Ladies who have now graduated since myself!!
I have one burn strip across the scar line that needs to heal but I can now wear a bra comfortably and soon will start wearing my V necks.
I have been reading through all of the thoughts & concerns and have this to offer.
Tamoxifen-I took this from the Fall 2000 to Fall 2005. I slept just fine. Yes I did have some night sweating but it was periodic and went away.
Femora-Taken for 2 years-really did not notice any changes.
Weight Gain/Weight Loss. I was 5'8" and about 142 ish-gained about 10 pounds after the chemo-probably due to the intravenous steroids-but then lost the weight and returned to my 142ish. A year later decided to really concentrate on my diet and lost 10 lbs to 132, my all-time low since college-I was 42 then. But being that thin is TOO much work so now I am back to my 142ish and I will be 49 in August. By the way I am 1/2 inch shorter now!! As far as exercise-now it's yoga 3x week-working on being able to do headstand in the middle of the room!! But all I did when I went on my superdiet after chemo was walk for at least 1/2 hr 3x week at lunch and ride my bike 2x week maybe 15-20 miles,
Will the cancer go to my bones?-it didn't. (My original DX was IDC +2cm, Stage 11b, 2/19 nodes ER+/PR+ HER2-)
Aromasin- I start in a couple of weeks. It will be interesting to see if anything at all happens differently-I am not very worried about it. If I have sides affects there are other drug options.
Farrah-Very Sad!!! She must have been end stage, although I have not followed her story, but she did lead a VERY full life-more than most. I was fortunate to know a woman who wasn't so fortunate-she only lived to her early 30's and left 3 small children and a husband behind. She was DX'd just after she finished breast feeding her youngest. She was a trooper. In between chemo treatments she'd say "I am going to have cocktails now!!!" Beautiful too-looked like Alanis Morrisette.
Just live each day/each moment to it's fullest. You can't change the past and you can't control the future. But you CAN control how you react to the present (I believe I am quoting Deb-on the Lake here-thanks Deb!)
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Congrats Chelev!!!! I hope you have a great weekend celebrating the end of rads!
My machine is stll down and actually, they are replacing part of it this weekend! They snuck me in on another machine tonight at 7pm. I hope to finish on Tuesday as planned. So far, the boosts are a breeze!
I've had so much fun the last 2 days with my old college girlfriend visiting. It's made all this crazy rad rescheduling more tolerable!
Cruise - I will start tamoxifen one week after rads end. I'll also do zometa every 6 mos. I switch to Arimidex after my hysterectomy in early August. so....I'll be on all kinds of stuff. Oh, I'll be dieting and exercising too! My life is starting AGAIN! I'll be LIVING MY BEST LIFE!
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Chelev---Yahooooooooooooooooo!
Debonthelake---yes, it would be wonderful if we could all get together and have a group hug. It would definately be an experience. We would need hours to get all the talking in!!!
Have a great weekend~!
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Yahoo to all who will finish next week! The finish line first had a few stragglers, now you're coming in groups!!!! That's so awesome!!!
Margot, thanks for the encouragement about the next steps. My oncologist said he'd worry if I didn't have side effects on Femara because they mean the drug is working. So I am thinking: if I feel good, I need to worry? Where's the justice in that after all we've been through?
We watched Farrah's Story last night. Not to get into a lot of details, but her frequent comments about wanting her life back really hit home. I know we've all felt like that. Towards the end of the documentary, they did admit that they chose treatments that would allow her to keep her hair. I'm not sure if it would have made much difference, as it was obvious she took a lot of very powerful chemo.
My skin is still very red in the boost area, but the peeling/blistering is healing great. I'm in the pool twice a day, which is helping to break up the scar tissue I could feel forming towards the end of treatment.
Keep up your range of motion exercises ladies!
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Radettes...
Here's a CYBER group hug....Have a great weekend.....
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Texas 357- U R welcome. I think it always helps to hear what other woman are experiencing instead of from the Dr or techs. That's interesting re Femora-WTF!?!
Yeah the Farrah thing did hit home on some points but on others I felt like it was a "debbie downer".
So do you think the pool is helping to break up the scar tissue or just exercise in general? My neighbor has a pool I am welcome to go into anytime- I'll jump in if it will help!
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Hey Tex: Where you told that you could not swim during treatment? I was and it breaks my heart. I love swimming and its getting hot out.
the sad mermaid.
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Sorry it has been so long since I have written. Congratulations to everyone who has finished! I hope those of you who have had burning are doing better now. The doctors said my skin did great compared to many and still my armpit is very sore. I know I am fortunate though.
While my side effects overall weren't too bad, I definitely had some fatigue and queasiness. I meant to ask the doctor if the queasiness was related to the radiation but I forgot because I never felt it when I was there for treatment and it was never that bad. In any event, I finished rads on Thursday and flew home Thursday night. Tonight, I went out with a group of friends and had pizza, a cocktail and some ice cream, and afterwards I almost fainted (had to stop with my head between my knees on the way to the bathroom) and was very nauseated. One of my friends drove me home and now I feel completely fine. Could this be from the rads? Has anyone else experienced something like this? Took me by complete surprise. I did drink some during rads; I know I had gin and tonics at least 3 times and wine at least 3 times over my 5 week course of treatment and it didn't seem to bother me. And I didn't feel drunk at all tonight. Who knows, maybe it was the pizza? Or totally unrelated to rads? In any event I think I'll forego the booze for a couple of weeks ...
(As you can tell, my planned post-radiation diet isn't going very well by the fact that I had pizza, cocktail and ice cream. I was good yesterday and most of today, though, so I am not beating myself up about it. I'll have to check out Cruise's weight watchers thread.)
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Margot: In reading some books on lymphedema, swimming helps to break up the scar tissue through movement and through the water pressure. I figure what it's doing for the lymphedema it's also doing for the scarring in other places. At least it sure seems like my TE isn't quite as tight.
BOLD: I was forbidden from swimming in regular chlorinated water as is still used in most public pools because the chlorine dries out the skin. But our pool uses a salt system to chlorinate which actually helps to soften the skin. My radiation oncologist was fine with that. I just make sure to wear a tee shirt, put on lots of sunscreen and to re-apply the burn salve when I get dressed. I also keep my sessions to about 10 minutes 2-3 times a day so I'm not out in the usn for lengthy periods of time, and I'm not over-stressing my body.
When I was marked for boosts, I inspected the markings after I got out and got pretty good with the Sharpie when one of the lines started to smear.
I started the Femara last night. I just told myself it was a "magic pill" that would keep me healthy.
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Alohagirl - I have had periodic queasiness, especially the last couple of weeks. I put it down to either overeating or the heat, or both. I've had a glass of wine or a beer occasionally during treatment too, but nothing overboard. I wonder if it is a rads se? I can see the tenderness, and the swelling of my arm, hands, etc. but didn't ever connect the two. Any other rads girls get a little nauseous off and on during or after treatment?
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Aloha, the sugar/carbohydrate content of the cocktail, ice cream and pizza is too high. You probably were affected by it. Expecially since you didn't eat that for a while?
I get this when I have too much sugar. I am not diabetic at all, but just the quantity in my system all at once, does it.
Anyway,, glad you're done!! WoooEeeee. JUDY
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