November 2009-Starting Chemo

Toyah, glad you are back...love your new doo.  It looks nice and thick. I am jealous.  I have faith that all is ok with your back...after all you are only stage one and no nodes...think positive, and keep us posted.  Hugs.  Just read your last post....TOLD YOU.

Nette, I love your crazy sense of humor...great idea...glad you had such a great day.  You deserve it.

Toyah - great news!!!!

 Melinda - how do you know what your new pubes look like? I can't see down there. Just had a laugh to myself imagining you with a mirror checking them out

I went back to bed this morning and slept for a couple more hours - feels great. I haven't done that for ages. The one thing I like about being off work - I can shop and wash during the week and then Saturdays and Sundays I have nothing to do but rest.

Sue

Hi Everyone. Finally checking in after a long absence. A lot has happened on this board - surgeries, final rads, final treatments, and some great news from Toyah!

Things are pretty much the same for me. I have 3 more weekly taxol treatments to go. Side effects are still pretty manageable, though the numbness in my feet and fingers seems to be getting just a bit worse every week. Melinda - you made me laugh out loud when you were talking about wanting your old nose back. I've got the same thing happening to me. I get at least one bloody nose a day... and then - what did you call it? Snot soup? YUK!!

I've had some pain in my knee for the past couple of weeks - I know its just from my running, but, in the back of my mind, I can't help but think the worst. At what point do we just accept the small pains in our bodies as just that? Or - is it better to acknowledge the fear and get it checked out... just in case? 

My hair. I had a good quarter inch of goose down all over - but I chose to shave it off one last time. Its been about a week now, and it seems to be growing in a lot more like real hair. And it is coloured - not just white. As for other areas of my body - nothing. Legs, pubes, underarms, eyebrows - nothing. I don't care about any of it - except for my eyebrows. I just cannot stand not having eyebrows! Maybe if I wasn't so bad at drawing them in.

I still haven't seen my PS since I found out I'll be having rads. I wonder what my timeline for reconstruction will be now? I have a feeling I won't be getting my new boobies until sometime late this year. I've had these %*#@'ing expanders in for almost 8 months now! That is about 5 months too long!! I still hate them and can not wait for the exchange surgery. 

Enough griping from me... hope everyone is doing well! Big hugs to all of you! 

Hello. I was just wondering if someone can help me . My mother is going through chemo for bilateal breas cancer, stage 2, hormone positive with one lymph node affected. Doctors advised FEC75 . Cycles have commenced. Someone told me she should be getting taxane. Is this correct? As I am a first time user, apologies in case I am in the wrong discussion forum

Ashok, there are so many different types of breast cancer, therefore there are so many different chemo cocktails. I also had AC X 4 and Taxol X 4. I'm sure your mother's doctor prescribed the best treatment for your mother. Have you posted on the Stage II board? You may find some helpful info there. Good luck!!

Good Morning,

    I havent posted in a few weeks..Friday was my 9th T/H...I had a two week break as we went on a much needed vacation to San Diego CA..My sister in law passed away before we left, so we had the calling hrs/funeral two days before we left...she was 53, died of kidney cancer ....we were mentally exhausted for the first few days but then started to enjoy our vacation.  I caught a cold the day after we got home, so when I went for Tx Friday, all was great with my counts, so I had my chemo, but then she did chest xray to be sure of no fluid around heart/pnemonia setting in and she put me on an antiboitic for 5 days..My throat has been sore but no fever at all....first time I have had a cold or felt under the weather since Oct..

     Its wonderful to hear so many of us Nov Chemo Girls are done with Treatment ! Woo Hoo ...I am waiting to hear if I will need to do radiation (which onco at beginning said yes)....then it will be awhile before Im done ..Im torn about it as I had one node positive but it seems to be the protocol if you are node positive even with one...does the radiologist oncologist make the final decision regarding moving forward with radiation TX ? 

   Onco also said she will discuss hormone therapy after Im done with T/H  .....Im er-/Pr-  so I didnt think I would be able to , she said because it will reduce chance of recurrance in other Breast ...any one with my stats that went on hormone therapy after Chemo ??????

Cathy, I'm so sorry for your family's loss (((Hugs))). I hope you kick your cold's butt!

Alicia, had my first one yesterday...so far so good..

Cat, big hugs.

Fellow warriors - Had my surgery on Friday and everything went fine.  Two sentinal nodes were removed and first look they are negative for cancer cells.  Wahoo!  The final results of the breast and nodes will be on Monday.  Pain isn't as bad as I expected but having meds is helping a lot.  I participated in a research study where they took bone marrow and blood while I was out - hope it helps future warrirors. They are trying to see if anything in the marrow/blood will help determine which drugs will do better than others.  I don'tknow whether they will put me back on Taxol or not.  The numbness/burning is still there - 

 THANKS FOR ALL THE GOOD THOUGHTS/PRAYERS! 

#10 down, 2 more to go!

Cat: Sorry about your family's loss (((cat)))

Sue: How is radiation going? Sending hairy fairy dust...

Grandma Mickey: Glad surgery went OK, hope those nodes behave and stay negative for the final path report

Linda: Congrats on being negative, at least your family doesn't have the worry of the mutation.

Alicia and Michelle : Big hugs!!

Melinda: Good news on only 2 to go.

The radiation is going ok so far. I've had 11 I think, I've started to lose count. The boob is looking a bit darker than the other one but no burning so far. The people there are lovely so that makes it easier. Going everday is a bit of a pain, but I've got them scheduling me early in the morning so I get in the habit of getting up - all ready for going back to work.

Thanks for the hair fairy dust. I do expect it to come back well as I did have lots of hair before and didn't lose all of it. Being bored makes me get fixated on certain things.

(((HUGS))) to you all

Sue

Melinda -where did you find that Fanciful mousse??

Melinda ~ thanks for the tip on the coloring of the mouse fur.........  Mine is getting a bit more golden at the root, I think?!  Could be me wishing and imagining it. 

Sue ~ you will get to that finish line after RADS !  Make sure you take good care of your skin.

Brenda ~ thanks for popping in and "cheering" for us !

Hugs to all !

Alicia 

Melinda, Are you sure the colour you got was mousse not mouse

 Nette, My nipple is sore too. They don't cover it. It was sore after the surgery though. I told the rad onc about it yesterday and she didn't seem too concerned. Skin is looking ok so far after 12.

Had my 7th herceptin yesterday and got stuck there for ages waiting for the onc. It was a really busy day for them.

Sue