3+ Year Survivor Stories PLEASE!

I have only had the one, lost about four days to nausea, etc but then started feeling really good again.  I'll be glad when the AC is over, three more to go.  Are you doing the three all together?

Don't worry about germs unless your neutrophil count goes below 500.  I am a nurse but actually do sales rep work where I go into doctors offices all day long. I'm not wearing a mask, just using lots of hand sanitzer. Its usually your hands that spread the germs. Wear a mask if you feel better about it.

My heart goes out to you having a child so young. Mine are 15 and 18 and I can't imagine how tired I would be if I were taking care of a young one.  I've felt so guilty that my issues are taking away from their carefree childhool but finally realize that it will eventually make them stronger and better equipped to deal with life.  Life really is about how we choose to view it, and every night I'm writing down at least one thing I am greatful for.  (The first day I got my appetite back,my greatful item was food)

I have a total of 6 treatments.  I have TAC all at once.  My white blood cell count has been running a bit low.  I woke up this morning with some cold syptoms.  I hope I have enough immunity going on to kick it.  I do the same thing:  I write down things I'm grateful for.  I try to transform what is happening into a spiritual journey so that it has meaning and isn't all for nothing.  I am so grateful for my good week and a half.  Also, so far I've only lost my sense of taste for the first week.  After food tastes just as great as ever - not good for my figure, but some people just lose their sense of taste entirely.

crs319,  Good luck on Wednesday!  May you have few side effects!  My next TAC is on Thursday - not looking forward to it.  I, too try my best to see the positive things going on around me.  I definitely give vent to my negative feelings, but, on the whole,  I think: "What if this is it?"  What if this time is all I have left?  I try to get the most out of the days where I'm feeling fewest side effects, and although I do not feel at all good about my appearance I try to get out there nonetheless.  Have you lost your sense of taste?  I find that mine is impaired the first week and I'll have a strange taste in my mouth, but the next week and a half everything tastes just as good as ever, including chocolate. 

crs319,  I had my 3rd TAC, so I'm half done.  I like it that that glass is half-empty.  I had a great deal of anticipatory nausea.  I can't even think of it or see the chemicals in written form without getting whoozy.  I know it's psychological.  The nurse put Ativan in my bag after I cried (not much of an Amazon).  I can't get Xanax!  I can't get a valium!  I can't even get hooked up to pain meds immediately after radical hysterectomy or bilateral masectomy!  In both cases it took them a good twenty minutes of me screaming before I "was in the system" and they could give me meds.  I tell you waking up with no meds after rad hysterectomy is worse than childbirth.  It felt like I'd lost a knife fight.  I don't know what it is about me and the no-pain-killer-for-you thing.  You see people with little boo-boos on their pinkies getting serious painkillers and people who are a little bummed getting the good depression meds and here I am with two cancers and two small children, no hair, no boobs, no hormones, and we think you will be OK - just breathe the nurse told me...the nurse who never did chemo, which should be part of their training.  OK, enough venting.  It's probably for the better that you got your hair buzzed now.  I still have hair on my head, but it is coming out daily into my beanies.  I have about half a head of hair and counting.  I had mine buzzed when it came out in a clump in my comb.  For me it is harder to have lost my hair than my boobs.  People do not recognize me at first.  I had naturally blonde, long hair all my life.  I've never dyed it.  The most artificial thing I ever did was perm it in the 80s once - bad mistake.  I don't want it to be darker or a different texture.  My hair was my favorite feature.  I don't like my wig.  It's supposedly a good one: Raquel Welch.  It's a bob, but I chose too dark and it is too shiny, like doll hair.  I want to find a good wig I like, it may make a big difference.  Right now I go out in my beanies.  I do have some cute ones mostly from J. Crew - two really gorgeous metallic ones and bunch of cashmere ones in fun colors.  I have two scarves from France Luxe.  I feel a little naked in them, but when it's warmer they will probably be first choice.   I do my makeup most days and could easily pass for normal if I had a good wig.  It's hard to pull off the bald look.  You have a beautiful face, crs, you could probaly pull of no head coverings even.  I do post eaarings right now, soft ones like pearls, but once I have hair I'm going to get big earrings and I have some cute flower hairclips (again, from J. Crew) that I'm going to wear so I'm not mistaken for a man.  I've never had short hair.  This is entirely new to me.  I do the four days of sleeping a lot, eating comfort foods at regular intervals, and sleeping...  After four days I still have existential nausea about another five days.  Then for a week and a half I'm normal.  And  eat too much. And I don't know what to do with myself   I clean the house and read.  I try to stay in the moment and am nudged out of it often with stray negative thoughts.  I've been trying to meditate to Laura Alden Kamm's Develop Your Intuition 6-CD set.  I've gotten some good insights.  My mind is still interfering, meditation is hard work.  After my side effects mellow out I'm right back on it.  I'd like to master the art of meditation.  I'd like to be able to stay in the moment.  I'm reading Bernie Siegel's second book now.  I love him.  I'm also reading Deepak Chopra's new book: someting like Resurrecting the Body and Soul, I forget the title.  And I'm going to start Caroline Myss "Defying Gravity".  You may like these books if you haven't already read them.  I try to speak my intentions too.  I try to think them.  I try to keep making long-range plans without editing myself. 

On the last page I posted a question about Ki67.  I got to looking at my original path report.  It was tested for Ki67,  The results show "elevated" -  Unfavorable.  I know I read the column of unfavorables before, guess I just never paid attention to what each was.  Well, I've made it six years, and have not had recurrence.  Guess those tests can't predict each woman the same.

Hi, ladies.  I found this post on the active topics list.  Ignore my stats as I am not triple negative but I have a good friend who is.  She is 8 years out with a stage 2b triple negative diagnosis.  She had mastectomy, chemo and rads and is doing great!  Good luck to all of you.

Susan

crs, I used a soft t-shirt fabric cap to wear to bed.  It caught a lot of the loose hair.  I cut mine very short as well, but I still found it everywhere.  My waste baskets looked like a hampster nest!  It is a pay-it-forward feeling.  I didn't know about this place when I was going through tx, I wish I had.  If I can help one person with encouragement I will feel sucessful.  best wishes to you as you continue your journey.

Meece

Hi ladies,

to give you some encouragement.

Depending on what is the real milestone: .

DX Dec 2005 so now 4 years survivor

end of treatment  Aug 2006, so 3.5 years survivor. 

Big tumor > 5cm . locally advanced , Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy Jan 2006 - April 2006 . 3 x Capecetabine-Docetaxel and 3 x Antracycline-Cyclophosfamide ( with neulasta ),  mastectomie May 2006, 0/19 lymphnodes, tumor almost gone,  rads 25 x July-Aug 2006. After 2 x erysipelas lymphedema in 2007

Still around, sometimes terribly worried when I feel strange things. So far no concrete evidence anything is wrong.

Once in a while I check this site ( mostly when I am worried ), but reading about the more than  5 years survivors, I am very pleased. 

big_red

Welcome, BigRed.  I consider the survival anniversary from the time you found out you had Cancer.  After all, you lived through it up until that point.  Treatments could drag on, so if you considered it post treatment, some women who take HT, would not be able to consider themselves survivors until 5 years out. 

To me, every day is precious, so I will take as many as I can get.  My cancerversary is in November,  but I will celebrate the removal of my tumor in 3 days, Jan 22, 2004.

OK.  My oncologist told me that I have a greater chance of a cure than of the cancer coming back. 

Hello everyone.  I saw my onc today, he says three years is our "magic" number, after that, our risk actually goes down!  Meece, that is awesome news for you, my mother (6 years out) and my friend (8 years out).

Violet, keep hanging in there. DO NOT QUIT. We  have about 80% of being alive and kicking in ten years, even with node involvement (and that is with present data, they haven't even done stats for the last several years) Chemo is our weapon.

I'm a little down tonight. My neutrophil count was down to 564. If it goes below 500, they'll delay the next chemo. I'm sure it will be ok for chemo 3 next week but I am worried about chemo 4.  It was 1400 after the first chemo, now 564, doesn't trend well for the next. I'm getting neulasta after each chemo which is supposed to boost me but.........

Ooooh Rainenz, you havemy sympathy.  It sounds extremely painful.  What is the next step for you?  On another website, I read a thread from a woman who went through months and months of infections, failed recon.  Eventually she healed, then had another recon, and it looks great!  She had several moments over the years she was going through this, that she said she was through and wouldn't do anything more.  She is very happy she continued.

They probably took all you had!  Whew!  Did they do a SNB?  Glad to see another "oldtimer" jump in here. 

thanks for the warm welcom Meece and angels!! 

Meece..no SNB for me..I didnt know it existed..and it was never given to me as an option by my surgeon..and yes, Im mad as hell about it!!  I have managed NOT to get lymphedema, Im careful about infection, but do exercise the arm frequently, and lift some light weights.

Angel..the onc that I have seen for the past 5yrs recently told me that hormone therapy with my low estrogen values probably gave me about 12% increase in survival rate..with the pain that I endured for 4 1/2 years, I probably would not make that same choice today. 

My Onc did tell me last week that he doesnt quite know what to do for me..scans or no scans?? I think Ill hang on without for the time being..I hate the thought of "glowing in the dark".

hugs to all!!

Patti