Starting Chemo Aug 09

Hi Everyone~

Jenn~ I am so sorry that you are in such pain.  I hope that you feel better quickly after your last treatment.  Just saying last treatment makes me smile.  I am so happy you are almost done!!!!!

Lilah ~ So happy to hear that you are doing well. 

Donna~  Good luck with your Scan.  It will be good news for sure!

Patty~  AC is so bad it makes everything else easier.  My nurse said that is why they give it first.

Gill ~ Glad your foot has healed and glad to hear you are handling rads well.  I will be starting mid to late Jan. 

As long as this journey has seemed at times it has actually gone by quickly (thank goodness).  Just looking at when most of us signed up on the board makes you realize how long it has been.

I have hair all over my head (maybe a 1/4 inch) and now have hair growing in all the other places as well.  I have to shave again now. (That is one part of all of this that I am going to miss.  It has been so nice to not shave!).  My hair started coming in completely white and now it is darkening up.  I hope that I do not lose it again.

I have been getting alot of rest in hopes that my counts will be good this week and I can sail through the final 4!

Anyone taking holiday gifts into your oncology nurses and docs? If so, I would love any ideas.

Take Card

Kaye

I must be an oddball -- I found Taxol far worse than AC.  AC made me lose my hair, which sucked, but other than that I pretty much sailed through it with minor SEs like low white blood count, poor taste buds, gastric distress.  Taxol gave me great pain in my lower legs and feet and made me very tired.  All I can say, overall, is: feh on chemo!

EDIT: Actually, AC also gave me chemopause, dry mouth, dry skin, dry eyes... but even with this additional list of SEs I still feel that Taxol was worse.  It may just be cumulative though...and also a matter of recent vs. distant memory

Had my drains out today and saw my MX breast for the first time (bandages had been on since last Wednesday) and I am so happy!   It looks very good for what it is and I'm looking forward to the fills (as much as one can) and to the exchange.

Cheers,

Lilah

Jenn - there you go! CHEMO JUST SUCKS.  I am glad I got that out.  I remember my Onc said to me at last visit: so -- AC the worst?  I said -- No way!  Taxol!  I think she was surprised.  Next time I will simply say: CHEMO the worst.  Been there, done that and glad it's over.

I am not sure when I start fills (will find out tomorrow when I see the PS for follow-up post-surgery) but I think it might be next week.  My doctor likes to do it once a week.   We shall see what happens! 

Cheers,

Lilah

 Jenn - one more tomorrow!!!!   You can do it!  

I know what you ladies mean about "flashback" foods - I don't think I'll ever eat another cheeseburger or egg salad sandwich again.  Ugh!  I just want to throw up thinking about them.  LOL!  

It is so cold here!  Freezing!  I have to go in for bloodwork this afternoon and then I think I'll take it easy and stay in for the next couple days and try to do some stuff around the apartment.  I went out to see "the Blind Side" with Sandra Bullock last night with some girlfriends.  What an amazing movie!   I laughed, I cried.  Definitely something everyone should see! 

Hope you are all doing well!   

I really want to see "It's Complicated" too Jenn!  I just love Meryl Streep and the movie looks like a hoot.

Jenn  one more to go!  woo hoo!!!!!  Good for you.

Hello to everyone.  Hope things are going well for everybody.  I read your posts everyday but I don't write very often.

I had my post chemo CT scans on Tuesday.  Everything Ok except for a lymph node in my armpit that has grown in size when compared to my pre chemo CT.  Onc has ordered a PET scan now.  Anything suspicious on it and I will be in for a biopsy.  If that is positive then I will be joining the radiation club.  Onc thinks it could be scar tissue????  So another wait and see.  Gosh, how I hate the waiting.  Ya gotta wait for the insurance approval, then wait to have the scan then wait for the results.  If chemo didn't make me lose my hair this certainly would!

Navy

Hello Ladies~

I agree with you about the fact that Chemo sucks!!   I will be so glad to be finished.  My WBC rebounded a bit and I was able to have my treatment today.  3 more to go!!!!!!!  I was also unblinded and I was recieving the avastin.  I only had 4 treatments as I declined to continue participating a while back.

I have started to feel very anxious about the "what if it comes back".  I think hearing that I will not be undergoing regular pet scans has started the worry train and I can not get it back to the station, lol.  I am really a very positive person and have been through this whole process but I am it is harder for me now that I am almost finished chemo.  Is anyone else feeling worried.  My hubby keeps telling me to remember all of the survivior stories and I do but.........

I want to see Blindside and Its Complicated as well.  It will be nice to kick back and enjoy the holidays.

Have a good end of the week everyone!

Kaye

Well, I crashed my works holiday party today.  It was nice seeing everyone.  While I was there I found that my boss had said that I have been very professional through all this at the division Christmas party.  That was very nice of him.  I also thanked him for the promotion I received right before I went out for surgery.  Its nice that at least my worklife had some positive news this year.  Working through my chemo really helped me not get myself down so it was a win win for everybody.

 Monday I meet with the radition onc to see what the next step will be.  Tuesday I go back to the surgeon and I need to ask him when he will release me to go back to work.  Before I went out for my bi-lat, I thought I would be back beginning of January but I just want to confirm that.

Hi Ladies,

Glad to hear there is so much good news.

Jenn, congrats on the last TX.  You are a trouper.  You have toughed through it all.  You should be proud of your strength and positive and inspiring attitude.  What a great thing to celebrate at Christmas for you.

Lilah and Kim, I am glad everything is going well after surgery for you both.  Getting the drains out is so liberating and showering is underrated!!!

Navy, crossing my fingers and saying a prayer for you.  The waiting is torture, hope you find some good diversions.

And yes, chemo does suck.  I went in yesterday to get the path reults and find out what is next and it occurred to me how wonderful it was having a vacation from chemo and being like a regular person for a while.  We really do take our good health for granted.  I hope I never do in the future!!

So here is my update from the onc yeterday.  Clean margins, 6/8 nodes pos (yuck) and after 14 weeks of taxol my tumour, which was now determined to be heterogeneous, is now low Pr from very high Pr and Grade 2 instead of Grade 1.  Argh!  My onc said the silver lining is grade 2 is more sensitive to chemo and yes, there will be more chemo and radiation too of course.  They also found that the 4 cm tumour was in a region spanning 10 cm with cancer cells.  Darn sneaky ILC!!!!  But the good news was the other breast was clear.  Yay!!

So I think my chemo will start Jan 14.  Not sure yet what it will be but the options are likely FEC or 4AC.  I am now an interesting case so they will discuss me at tumour board (with BC we never want to be "special" do we...).  Will get the details for rads later I guess.  Oh well.  So I will enjoy the chemo vacation for now.  I also did not get the go ahead to return to work-will probabbly go after the chemo starts I guess once I know how it is going.

So progress anyway.  I know what we are dealing with at least and once I get the story from the onc I will just focus on he next step-chemo.

Have a great weekend ladies!!  Stay strong-against the BC and the Christmas shoppers at the mall!!!

YoYo - sorry to learn about your path report and the need for more chemo.  Oncs have such an interesting way of looking at things.   I thought it was a good thing that my tumor was Her-.  My Onc said, "but we have treatments for Her+ that really work".   Now your Onc is happy about your "upgrade" to  Grade 2 because...like he said...it responds better to treatment!  Great news on the margins and the "clean" breast!

Lilah, Navy, Donna - keeping my fingers crossed for your test and pathology reports!

Jenn - You go girl!   So happy that you are done!

Reni - Great to hear that there is life after chemo!  Hope your nails hang in there.

I had Taxol #6 today and reported the new tingling/numby state of my fingers to the chemo nurse.  She talked to the chemo pharmacist...who called my Onc...who reduced this dose and the next six by 20%.   I was to told to expect the current tingling/numby feelings to stay but that it shouldn't get any worse with the dose reduction.  So...we'll see!  Otherwise, I haven't had any pain or other SEs from the Taxol.  I feel lucky for that.

Have a great weekend ladies!

Patty

Hey Jenn -- well let's see it's 2:40 AM and I'm all wound up (no steroids for an excuse -- I think I had too much Diet Coke with Caffeine too late in the evening   I'm feeling better every day since the surgery.  Hope I get to hear about my path results on the breast they removed when I see my BS next week.  I know I have an appointment with my ONC in January but hope I don't have to wait until then!  Patty -- thanks for the good wishes there!  And so glad you got a reduction on the chemo; maybe that will do the trick for you.  I never felt it in my fingers, only my toes.

My right boob has occasional sharp pains (which my PS said are nerves coming back to life, oh joy) but they don't last long so I can bear it.  Other than that I feel pretty good.  Have my first fill on Monday.  Hoping I am one of those who don't mind how it feels

Cheers,
Lilah