Starting Chemo October 2009

Shelby ~ I will have drains again...  they say a few days of pain.  4 weeks recovery but nothing like the double mastectomy was.  I am sure it will be easy compared to that.  I am looking forward to getting rid of these uncomfortable expanders and hope the implants look okay.  I am not setting my expectations too high to avoid major disappointment.  Hope that works !

JOJO ~ that is so sweet of your sister.  AMAZING love ~

Wishing everyone a great day !

Hi All!

Michele the sore throat thing was in the handout I got at my simulation.  I too notice that there feels like a lump in my throat.

Jaclyn so good to hear from you - glad to hear that things are getting better!

Shelby sorry to hear about your in-laws accident.  I hope that they are now on the mend!

Alicia I hope your surgery goes well and if not your expectations at least your new boobs will be higher!  I know that's what I'm looking forward to!

Laura good luck with the PET!

JoJo so nice of your sister to shave her head for you!  You'll look like twins!

For those of you that are still going through chemo - hang in there!  Remember that although some of us are finished we are still here for you to vent and share your happy face successes with!

Hugs to all!

Marie

Oh Marie ~ I wish I looked like that pic of Keira as well  !!  My hair is about 1/2 way there.  Almost that length but not as full ~ still a bit sparse.  I get coverage like that and I will go TOPLESS.  So sick of looking like a pirate in these bandanas.  Kills my whole outfit.  LOL

I have a few brow hairs growing in but still next to none.  Eyelashes I can see a few growing in the magnifying mirror but nothing to speak of there either. 

Thanks for the good wishes for surgery day ~

Alicia

Marie, where did you get that photo of me?   Oh to look that sexy with 1/4inch of hair...mine is mighty sparse...

Laura, wohoooo for you.  The best news...drink up girlfriend...hellI will have one for you too.

Laura, I'm so happy for your clear scan!  Drink that wine in good health!

My hair isn't anywhere near that picture.  I have extremely short, very light hairs growing, but you can't see them unless you are REALLY close.  I can't wait until I have hair I can see!  My eyebrows are getting even more thin, which is hard to get used to because I normally have quite full brows.  I have a few bald spots on my eyelashes, but still have plenty there.  Maybe I'll get lucky and they won't all fall out?

Alicia, I'm sure your exchange will go well, and you'll look H-O-T.

 This is how I fear I will look when my hair grows in:

Shelby....lol!!

Laura, congrats on the good scan.  I got that news mid-chemo....it is definitely worth celebrating!

Jaclyn, sorry to hear about your challenges but it is so good to hear from you.  We have wondered about you.  Hang in there, look at all you've been through...the road ahead is shorter.

Jo-jo, love that your sister is doing that!

And love to everyone else........look at all this group has been through!

I just finished my post-chemo node removal surgery.  It was a difficult week as I was nervous, then my pre-surgery testing day was hellacious...I had three appointments and after spent about five hours sitting in waiting rooms...was emotionally hard since I was missing time/events with my kids.  Since I knew I'd likely be missing some after surgery, I resented those I was missing because people can't come close to staying on a schedule....not one, not two, but three times in one day!  But enough of my rant.  The surgery went fine, only problem is that my drain was sitting on a nerve or something so is particularly uncomfortable.  Then, of course, it worked Wednesday and Thursday but slowed way down Friday and isn't working today.  I'll try to go in and get it removed Monday...if it isn't going to work there is no point in suffering.  Wish me luck on that....

I still don't know about rads.  Can't imagine that I won't have them, but the doctor wants to see the path report before referring me.  I'd love NOT to do them, but conservative treatment my first time around came back to get me....I'm tempted to throw everything at the beast this time!!

HI ALL MY SWEETIES

 Its hard to stop laughing at the moment  which is so nice , yeh my hair  looks like Keira  at the moment which it great i love it i wish i had her looks BUT at the moment  im the spitting image of GOLEM  Im just sooo darn cranky with everyone i just hate everybody i want to kill SAM he is just such a dick head at the moment  , i know  if i told you what has been going on you would just say to me that not that bad Joanne ,but to me everything is just so magnified its driving me NUTS  well thats my imput for the day sorry it was a shitty one .

Everyone still on chemo hang in there it will be all gone soon and then onto the next step and closer to the finishing line

SEE YAH ALL LATER

JOJO GOLEM LOL

PS -I read recently that cancer treatment is a bit like a Triathlon form Hell - Events not always in the same order, and some women are exempt from parts depending on diagnosis and options. But many of us will have the three main events (sometimes in different order) - Surgery Event, chemo event and radiation event. Followed up with Tamoxifen/Herceptin or other training regimes or additional events. (It gave the idea for a blog entry - http://feistybluegeckofightsback.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/the-triathlon-perspective/)

So I am cheering everyone onwards as we follow our course - go girls!!!!

P

xxxx

after 7 chemos I feel as I do have sparks flying outta my ass!!!!

seriously, I know what you mean, it is tough for them, but I am defnitely feeling a sense of "oh well we have got through that, so now things are getting back to normal................"

love and hugs to you and thank goodness we have each other to rant to because we know and understand the whole thing.

philippa

xxxxxxx

Thanks Mary

It is so encouraging to hear.  I think I am just a bit worried about my skin as it is very fair (typical Scottish pale, freckly skin!)  I think i will call it the Cookery Club!!  I will be based in Bangkok for the duration of rads sono travelling which is good, though home is very peaceful in comparison!

I'm glad you liked tha triathlon analogy - I first saw it through twitter and facebook through Chemobabe. I then worked on it a bit as I liked it just seemed to resonate with the things we are going through.  There it was called the triathlon from hell...............

Glad to hear your rads are moving forward so quickly.

Thinking of you all

Hugs

Philippa

Well I'm wheat complexioned and my boob is toasted 1 week after rads. I think the skin will heal over the next month or so.

Hi Ladies..

Guess Ive been mia again. Have done 24 of 25 rads and last one is tomorrow. I'm really burnt and have had a hard time mentally making myself go in for these last few. But it will be another chapter done and time to move on to the next step. I have 3 1/2 weeks till my surgery, one of which will be spent on vacation in Mexico. I'm hoping it will be a good distraction for dh & I.

In regards to rad burns I'm using pure aloe, glaxol base and now a steroid cream. I also got a recipe for a saline mixture (salt and boiled water thats cooled to room temp) you use gauze or a clean cloth and soak it in it then place on affected areas. It helps to take the stinging pain away. Ive also used epson salts in my morning bath when I wash all creams/lotions away for tx. Ive heard we shouldn't use chlorine pools... but I think the Onc could tell you how to prep the skin if you need to use them (I remember reading someone used Vaseline to protect the skin and washed it away as soon as she was out of the pool and had no problems)

Its so nice to see almost everyone done chemo and moving on to the next step, whatever that may be. Its a long journey and everyones is so different. I know I wish I was done and am envious in a nice way for those that are finishing tx and starting to put this all behind them.

Hmmmmmm! Hair..... mine is taking forever to grow back. I had my last chemo Dec 31, lost my eyelashes and eyebrows a month AFTER that. I was hoping to keep them this time, but guess not. I have two tone dark grey and white fuzz on my head between an eighth to a quarter of an inch long. Its still shorter than my avatar pic (last chemo) good news is my eyebrows and eyelashes are appearing but still short. Thinking of getting some sort of false eyelashes that last a week for vacation but haven't researched them yet.

Hoping everyone is well and on the road towards physical and mental recovery!

Love & Hugs Suz

(((((((((snuziq))))))))))

That really sucks.  I'm sorry you're going through this, especially now.  I'm sending good thoughts your way, and wish you strength and hope.

Peace,

Shelby