November 2009-Starting Chemo

Melinda ~ glad all went well yesterday. Hope you are feeling ok. Sue ~ so glad hubby got an all clear ! Great news.

Sue ~ woo HOO that hubby got the all clear ! 

Did someone say KFC ?  :P

Alicia, sounds like you are mighty excited about Sues DH getting the all clear...double woo hoos...must be chemo brain...or perhaps you were were thinking about the KFC

Thanks for all of the woohoo's girls. He's actually lightened up a bit now (normally a very negative person). He was quite cheerful last night after it had sunk in.

Hugs back to you all.

Sue

Melinda - good luck with the taxol pain. I hope its easier this time.

Sue - another "woo hoo" from me! 

Michele - I haven't had KFC in about 15 years! But just thinking about it ... I can smell it... and I WANT it!!

Sherri - totally sucks having to have more chemo. What's your cocktail going to be? Congrats on the shrinkage though!!!!! 

I feel almost back to normal today - no more pain. My feet and fingers are a bit tingly, but nothing to complain about.  

Gotta go.. Canada vs Russia hockey starts in 45 minutes and I must prepare! (congrats to USA for your win over the Swiss) 

Yes, I can do 3 more rounds of chemo, just didn't want to. 

The tumor is gone now due to my recent lumpectomy.  I guess there's always a chance for some little cells to be left floating around, even though they got negative margins.  Anyway, they said it is best to hit a first cancer as hard as you can...

I know it'll be fine.  There's even the possibility that I won't lose my hair for the 2nd half - which is great news since it's grown so much over the past few weeks.  I think I have about 1/2" overall but it's full coverage.

For those of you who started chemo in November 2009, how many of us are still undergoing chemo?  Just curious

Sherri: I still have one TCH to go on 10th March, then radiation starting at the end of March.

Wow, you've got more hair than me!!! Mine never all fell out and it seems only the greys are left - it's actually a silvery grey. It will be interesting to see what colour it becomes.

Mabelle: Just watched Oz win the gold in the women's aerial skiing - what a scary sport. DH and I were talking about a place to go on an overseas trip and we discussed coming to BC. I would love for him to see it. Just got to make him save up and we'll be there.

Glad your pain is gone. I was good this time and didn't take the pain killers for more than 2 days, my oncologist will be proud of me.

Sue

Sherri: I still have 9 Taxol/Herceptin treatments left. I also have hair growing, I wasnt sure if I would keep it with doing T/H now?  Its white/gray...Im hoping to get to #4 tomorrow morning but we are suppose to get 14 inches of snow by tomorrow morning..I dont want to put this off , want to be done...

Sherri, CONGRATS ON THE DOWNGRADE!! I have 5 more weekly Taxol/Herceptin treatments in this round. Then I do Herceptin every three weeks for 9 months. I take Zometa once a month to protect me from bone mets. I asked my onc how long I will be doing this. FOREVER! I will eventually go to every two months, then every 6 months, then every year.

But I am looking at surgery in April followed by 6 1/2 weeks of rads.

I haven't been on lately because I've been in a little funk, but I definitely feel better. Sometimes this just get a little overwhelming, but I feel great and feel lucky. Cancer sucks, but new strides are being made with new medicines like Tykerb and SuperHerceptin.

As far as hair goes...I feel like a hairless chihuahua!

Love and (((Hugs))) to all!

Mabelle, I am a olympic whore as well....can't help but cheer on our Canadians...So proud...

I've never gotten the "what's next?" question; however, I have been periodically emailing friends, emailing weekly for family, and emailing daily for parents and sisters, with updates on SE's and how I'm doing in general, so the important people don't need to ask.  Guess I've headed them off at the pass.

 Yesterday I had my simulation for rads.  Had EMLA cream slathered over the areas I thought they would be tattooing.  Well, just my luck, the techs said that they weren't sure if I'd be getting the rad. while lying on my back or my stomach, will depend on which way they can miss the most organs, i.e. heart, lungs, etc.  So, the techs measured me for both positions:  I have 6 sharpie marks with clear, supposedly waterproof, tape over them for now.  I'll get the perm. ink dots when I go for my first session on March 8th.  I tried to explain the numbing cream and how I really need to be able to use it prior to the perm. dotting and that the cream will wipe off the sharpie marks they put there.  The techs said, "Oh, you won't need it because the dots are just made with a needle just under the skin." And I'm, like, shaking my head and saying, "No, no, no.  You don't understand.  I have a phobia about needles of any kind or size.  I need the cream!!"   They said that we'll work something out.  Not reassuring, but I will have my way...and my cream.

Have a time for the rad sessions set up, with the exception of only the first week.  Was the time I wanted, 9:45, so that was nice.  I even have 5 friends willing to take me to rads, knowing I can drive myself, but we had such a good time talking with each other when they each took me to a TX, that they want to do it again.  Figure I'll take each of them up on it and break up my week of driving everyday.

 Port out next Weds.  I can't remember who on the site was not happy about having hers taken out as out-patient in the hospital.  (Littlebire?)  Anyway, I was chuckling because mine will be taken out in the breast surgeon's office, but I would rather it be out-patient in the hospital.   Give me the anesthesia!!!!  Oh well, lots of EMLA cream and lots of Ativan should get me through it.

Alicia:  hope you're feeling better!

Philippa:  as you can see through reading the posts, you are not alone!  And many of us are sticking around to see everyone through this!!!  Reading the messages, I am still learning things I didn't know as I went through TX...like chemo causing the blisters that are still on the bottoms of my feet!  (Never even thought to ask the onc. about them.)

Done with Taxol TX for 1 1/2 weeks and it appears that NOW I'm losing my eyebrows.  Exactly how delayed can the delayed SE's be???!!!  Still have tingling in the toes, still have the black streak on one fingernail, still have no bottom eyelashes, still have no pubes...seriously?  Guess it's like the "watched pot:"  "Watched hair never grows!!!!"  (But how can you not watch?!)

Happy Friday and hope everyone is feeling the excitement of the Olympics and not feeling any SE's!   Nette

Someone had mentioned port removal -outpatient. Can't find the post so not sure who it was. I had my port removed in the hospital - but was "awake" for the surgery. I was in patient already because I was neurtopenic and had a fever. They sedated me but didn't put me under. I'm pretty used to surgeries in general so it didn't bother me too much, but I imagine if you were someone with phobias or fears about that sort of thing it might be a little disturbing. Feeling the pressure (not pain) while they were removing it, talking to the dr. while he was taking it out...all very surreal.

I'm trying to find information about leg swelling. Last week I had 2 whole days where my swelling in both legs and feet was so bad I couldn't walk well, wear shoes, and even my toes became swollen. My oncologist told me on the 19th that the swelling should improve over time and was because of the Taxotere. However, its only gotten worse. My PCP seems to think this is lymphedema. Is that even possible? I've heard of arm lymphedema from node removal, but it seems far fetched to me that it could effect my legs (especially both legs). Has anyone heard anything like that? He bumped my dose of Lasix to 160 mg daily (was at 80) and it helped the first day (yesterday) but tonight it seems the Lasix isn't working because the swelling is coming back. I just can't seem to find any information anywhere. He's sending me to a physical therapist who specializes in Lymphedema treatment - so maybe I'll find out more then...In the meantime I just keep wondering and worrying. Ugh. 

That being said - with the swelling gone for that amazing 24 hours I finally got some energy back and was able to actually clean my bedroom, do laundry and vacuume. That felt good - I've been feeling very guilty for being such a lump. 

I too have swelling in my legs..they feel like they weight 20 pounds extra...doc said it was normal and exercise would help...insert laughter here....that was about a month ago just before my last tx.

suepen - The last taxotere was Jan. 26th. I was having swelling during my treatments for a couple days on the last two treatments but it would go away. I'll keep you guys posted on what I find out. My muscles feel as though I've run a marathon (very sore) in my arms and legs - I wonder if it'll contibute to muscle toning even though I haven't run a marathon?

 I'm still waiting for fuzz - I'm examining my scalp two or three times a day looking for signs of growth. Nothing yet but those few little spikes of hair that never fell out. *sigh*

It's a beautiful day here in Washington so I think I'll go get some Vitamin D exposure....

6 more Taxol/Herceptin for me - then mastectomy, then Herceptin for a year

Cat60 - I have the tingling, numbness, etc in fingers and feet but they are leaving me on Taxol - buttons are a pain as is changing pages in a report or book - I'll take that over the cancer any day!