Starting Chemo February 2009?

I haven't been on here for awhile, but I wanted you all to know I still pray for all of you.  It seems every time a see a doctor they want to biopsy or scan something, but after pet scans, mri's,blood work, ultrasounds, catscans................all is "no evidence of disease".   I'm over cancer, been there done that and I done.  I went through all of that last year and a few weeks ago my 40 yr old sister was in a car accident and died.  She has 3 little girls, the baby just 9 months old. So be praying for them, we may be getting them to raise up.  It will be going to court some time. So it's good I'm over cancer, for I may be having 6 kids to raise soon, no time to be sick.  No one recognizes me anymore. Do you all have that happen?  I have gained so much weight and my hair is still pretty short, with hardly any eyebrows or eyelashes, I look alot different.  I keep telling them that I'm still the same me on the inside.  Oh well.  If I don't get back on here for months again, remember I love you all and you are still in my prayers!

Grace~ Prayers for your sister.  Yes, I look different too.  People say I look much older.  Well, I guess so! Gonig to hell and back *does* take a toll on you! LOL! So, happy to hear that NED is cheating on me with you.  xxoo

it is funny...  I have the stomach from hell but am not having trouble with clodronate.  I take it 1st thing with a HUUUUGE glass of water.  Then I go exercise (so I'm upright).  The only time I get sick from it is if I sit or lie down after taking it.  (FWIW~ I don't really sit down again till I'm in the car on the way to work.  I eat breakfast in the car...)

Grace:  It's good to hear from you, and that you are NED!  But I am so sorry to hear about your sister, what sad news that is.  I hope you are doing ok, I know how hard it is to lose a close family member. ((((hugs))))

Kerry:  somehow the snow missed us, just a bit of rain Friday night.  Back when I had my bone density scan, I had wondered if something showed, I could take one of those meds, but my scan was ok, so no meds for me. 

Jaimie:  good job with the sale, feels good to clear stuff out and make room for more stuff, lol. 

Mosaiced all weekend, no cuts this time Jaimie, lol.  Had daughter Michelle over for dinner tonight.  Now it's 2a.m. and I am wide awake.  Too much sleeping in this weekend.  Only 2 more weeks until Easter break, I can't wait...10 days of sleeping in!!  yay

Oh, we shopped for Easter Goodies the other day and spent $70 on Chocolate! So, I guess the kids are going to be happy campers this year!

I had Chemo the Thursday before Easter last year, so this year I just will be happy I can join in the fun!

Jaimie - happy to hear you got rid of so much stuff. I am with you on just getting rid of things - we have  friends who had a baby last year, and we gave them all of our baby stuff - it is great to see it getting used!  Hope you have a great time in Florida!

Well, the kids are back at school today so I have had a nice relaxing afternoon. Off to pick them up in a minute, it has just started raining.  Thought summer was here last week, it was just teasing us!!

oh geez!

i pray it is just nothing.. I've never heard of that...I will keep you in my prayers for sure!

{{{Nancy}}} Praying it is nothing!

B~ Take it easy on yourself.  I sat aroung like you are wondering why I was only a little tired and it was the steroids.  Glad everything went well.  Did they give you emmla cream to use for your port ??  I love my emmla

Nancy~ Thinking of you and hoping and praying that it isn't anything.

My palms and feet itch like crazy! i'm trie'ing to refrain from scratching

Well, you have one down, good for you! In a way for me it was a relief just to get started. Hope you are doing OK today, and the itching isn't too bad. How long are your cycles - 2 or 3 weeks?

I have 5 more treatments.... 3 week cycles... so all togther 6 treatments... the chemotherapy meds i'm on are: etopiside, taxol, and carboplatin. sorry if i misspell them. :-( I feel normal besides my feet and my hands itching... i woke up last night at like 1:30am to my palms and feet itching... they still itch but i'm trying to block it out.. i've been taking benadryl but it's not helping... ugh...

GCPOMMON-   itching is usually a SE of carboplatin but that's usually after 4-6 treatments....

well it's 3:33am and i feel sick... i guess it's starting to catch up with me. 2 hours of this nausous feeling... and yet no yacking yet... i hope i don't throw up... Took some compazine to help with the nasusa... yet... still feel sick

Oh, Rosa... nausea sucks.

 Can we talk ovaries?  My gyn said she'll take out my ovaries.  My breast surgeon thinks she's wacky.  My onc thinks it is overkill but not crazy. I want to have them out... Not having to worry about ovarian cancer would be a *good thing*.  However, I'm sick and tired of procedures.  So for those of you who had your ovaries out (but not a hysterectomy), how bad is it?  Easier or harder than a mastectomy? Kerry? Jaimie?  FWIW~ My ovaries were fried by chemo so I'm already postmenopausal.  So, my symptoms (hot flashes) won't get any worse... Opinions? BTDT?

Michele - what is BTDT??

Anyhow, for me it was a no-brainer. I am 100% ER+, and it just seems to make sense.  I don't even really know if there is research to back up a survival benefit, but I feel better knowing they are gone. Also covers that "doing everything" need. If you feel strongly that you would like them gone, then I think you are making the right decision.

The surgery is not bad. Firstly, because it is prophylactic, there isn't all the emotion that went with my Mx. Well, you would know that from your own experience. So, that part was much easier.

The surgery actually took longer than my Mx.  I puke from anesthesia, so that was still no fun, but I woke up in very little pain. When I "came to" after my Mx, I thought a dog had me by the chest and was biting me, after my ooph I didn't even get the post-op morphine I was looking forward to. Didn't really even need pain killers at home afterward.

The following week I was a little slow. My MIL came down for the surgery, but only stayed for one day after, so I had the kids on my own pretty much straight away and I could manage quite well. I was in no pain when sitting down, I just had to be a bit careful when I moved. And really only for a week or so. I did get referred pain in my shoulder from the gas, but more discomfort than out and out pain.  The hardest thing I remember was finding clothes to wear that were loose around my middle.You would be OK to go back to work in a couple of days I would think, as long as you were careful.

I had the Surgery end of July, in August we went camping for a week, sleeping on the ground, etc, and I was totally fine.

No regrets at all.

Anyhow, good luck with your decision. If you want any more info, let me know. 

 micheal s -well i've only had my right overary removed... it wasn't that bad besides the first week of sweating but then my body got use to it and now i don't sweat that much. i  also got cold flashes too during the time pireod. i guess if you don't need them then i guess it's alright to have them removed. *shruggs*