I am Stage 1 but the Grade 3 continues to make me nervous

Thanks for the info.  I will go check the wigs out before I start chemo.  If you could let me know the brand that would be great.  I know my insurance won't cover the wig, but any convience I can have will be worth the money.  I will definetly check with my ono about the two week apart chemo.  Depending on what surgery I opt for I could be starting chemo at the end of April which would put me on about the same schedule as you were.  I hate giving up my summer but it;s better than losing work time.  I will keep you posted on what I decide to do.  My biggest concern is that I will miss my kids activities.  One plays baseball and basketball right now and during the summer, the other is on the track team (broken ankle right now) plays soccer and is in his schools play at the end of April.  I'm hoping not to miss that.  My 12 year old is asking me all kinds of questions and really doesn;t want me to have a mastecomy (he;s afraid that his friends will make fun of him if I get bigger ones)  I love the things little ones worry about!

What I did was have my chemo on Friday, that way I could do the neulasta shot on Saturday and lie low the rest of the weekend if I wanted to. They  gave me heavy duty anti-nausea drugs the first 3 days, so that's when I felt the worse ,but still was able to drag myself to church by Sunday and work on Monday. After those 3 days, I felt better and better. The weekends of the off week I felt good enough to do whatever I wanted (including driving 500 miles for my niece's graduation weekend. I felt good enough to go to almost all of my son's stuff; concerts, track meets etc. the only two things I missed were on the day-after-chemo Saturdays (and I still feel bad because one was being a chaperone at the post-prom party, and the other was a regional track meet, out of town ). I did spend more time watching movies, watching him play video games, rock band etc. than I would have if I felt better. I will dig out the wig brochure and PM you later this weekend. I have company coming in a couple hours and have to get busy here. All my best! Ruth

Six years ago I had my chemo on Wednesdays and the Nuelasta on Friday Mornings.  I could get thought half the day before the se's set in and Tylenol took care of it until I could get home from work, then I was down throughout the weekend and on the upswing by Monday to get back to work.
I never looked at the cost back then, I think I will dig out the records one of these days and see what it cost.

I started losing hair about 10 days post first chemo, but it didn't really become a wig-wearing issue for nearly three weeks.  I had AC x 4 and Taxol x 4 three weeks apart.  CBC every week to monitor wbc.  Radiation x 33 five days a week, including five boosts

 I was  obsessive about not being around sick people.  My boss used to come into my office and tell me he had never lost a day's work because of being sick,and then cough and sneeze all over.  I made no bones about asking him to stay at the doorway , and I kept Lysol in my desk and sprayed the room after he left.  I never got sick throughout the ordeal, and because I started that sort of "habit" I have been sick less since as well.

Ruth: thanks for the info on the book.  I'll have to check it out.  I will try to schedule my chemo on days that my son doesn't have games.  What I might try to do is schedule it for Thursday after work. if I can work, so by Saturday I can drag myself to at least some of his game.  I have a feeling my ono isn't going to let me work though.  I do have a graduation in June that I really dont' want to miss. 

Meece: When you said you had 5 boosts, what is that?  As far as chemo, my ono is recommending TC. I am going to have to really clean the house before I start surgery, with two boys  and 2 cats the house tends to not stay as clean as it should.  I will remember to keep lysol around me at all times.

weety911: I was afraid that I might not be able to be around my kids.  If I can't I will really be upset.  We have our end of the year program and picnic the end of May.   I really love this group of kids and parents.  I know what you mean about the kids not covering their mouths and coughing on you, and snotty noses!

Thank you all for the great place to come and feel comfortable asking questions.  By this time next week I will have made my decision on surgery and getting ready to really start my journey.  I'm sure once the journey has really started I will have a whole bunch of new questions!

It left me with a lifetime memory.

Its still purple

I have been reading all over that chemo works BEST on grade 3 cancers.. hmmm  I have to wonder why this is..   As I am stage 1b grade 2.  (my Oncologist highly recommended it to me).  I have 2 breast cancers Invasive Ductal Carcinoma and Infiltrating Lobular Carcinoma.  I had 4 chemo's and 21 RADS (16 RADS 5 BOOSTS)..

Charmaine

Hi Ruth,

Please let me know what brand wig you got.  I am trying to make a decision if I should do chemo or not.  Will have to decide within a couple of days.

 Char2010

Redbarb804 - the chemo that I had was 4 rounds and the drugs they used were Cytoxan and Texatere.  As for radiation therapy I had 21 rounds of it, and 5 of them were boosts.  Generally those going for 33 rounds of radiation, often 8 of them will be boosts...

Charmaine

One thing I would suggest to any of you who are in any stage of active treatment, would be that you check out the 'Look Good, Feel Better' program run by your nearest chapter of the American Cancer Society. It's one morning or afternoon, and an expert comes in and gives you a session with makeup tips, hair/wig/scarf advice if you need it, and you leave with several hundred dollars worth of really good, name brand makeup, all absolutely free!!! Since it's about the only fun (and free) thing I can think of out of the whole experience; I'd really recommend it. Ruth

Thanks for posting the contact links, Charmaine!!

Thanks Ruth and Charmaine, I will have to check it out here in PA