March 2010 Chemo Start

Oh and Frosty - great picture!!

Hello lovely Marchers,

just back from a 3 day mini break - flew down to Tasmania to visit my dad, and we drove down to Cockle Creek - the southernmost point you can drive south in Australia, Just next to a World Heritage National Park 618,000 hectares big, very isolated. Outside the bay you could see the Southern Ocean - just a hop skip and a jump to Antarctica. Just heard a young 16 y/o Californian girl is lost out there in 9 metre seas- although 2000km west. Will be very chilly, but I just heard a QANTAS airbus is almost to the point of her emergency beacons now, so hopefully they'll pinpoint her location for rescue if needed.

So many of us are in our 40's hey? I was 43 when this started, turned 44 in May. I'm campaigning amongst my friends for them to start mammograms/ Ultrasounds now,and not wait til they're 50. Our national screening program is targetted at women 50-69, although women are able to attend for free screening without a referral from the age of 40. Yes there are issues with false negatives and provoking anxiety but I'd rather someone had a week of anxiety and got a negative result than like me feel a lump when it's at 3cm.

Frosty, I love your new picture, you look like a warrior princess. Heather, yay for finishing AC - I've tolerated my 1st dose of taxotere much better than my FEC, hope you'll be the same. Charley, my eyes are watering quite a bit, so I'm following your treatment really closely.

Lorrhaw, that's great news about the good response, wonderful.

Ana, good luck with the rads and all that driving, you'll need to have some really stimulating music to make the trips go faster.

M, maybe it was your low Haemoglobin that's been causing your symptoms. good luck for the rest of the tests.

and Teemee, I'm glad you're feeling a little better - remember, with each day we all walk a little further from the lion. I know this whole thing has scared the hell out of me, but I just caught a plane that had a really wonky turbulence filled take-off, and it struck me how there's a whole lot of things that can potentially change our lives, I'm just hoping for the wisdom to know which of those I can do something about.

love

Lisa

Hello Ladies,

Ana - Gave my goosebumps to hear you say survivor - Have fun and You Go Girl !!!!

Today will be day 14 on the rads, everything seems to be going well - getting a little pink and tender.   The Cornstarch seems to do a great job in keeping it dry.

Heather my thoughts are w/ you as you begin your new journey.

Wishing EVERYONE a great weekend!! Stacey

ps   for anyone with TE's - I was scared about setting off the security at the airport - on the way down -no worries, straight through. On the way back - beeep - I'm thinking "oh no", but I took off my shoes, and went through with no problem. Ha. So the magnet doesn't set off the scanner. What a relief.

Good morning everyone.  Turning the corner on #5 (of 6) although I still feel that my throat and jaw are clenched tight.  I just worry that this damn fatigue will continue through the week. Sometimes my legs feel like cement.

I will be seeing the rad oncologist on Friday to begin that process.  It is great to see the progress we've all made.  We are actually moving through it, with light on the horizon.

This is something I thought i would never say - I can't wait till my next chemo!! MY LAST CHEMO.  My day 7 of Cycle #6 is the 4th of July, so I will be celebrating my independence.

M - glad to hear the transfusion went well.

Heather - I take Ativan throughout my treatment week, but also take it every night to help me sleep.

Charley - encouraged by your response to Tamoxifin.  No SEs!  That's what we like to hear!.

Have a great Sunday - I'm going to try to get some more sleep!!!  Marilyn 

Marilyn;  thx for the news on Ativan.  I spoke with my oncologist's fellow on Friday and she told me that if I feel I need something before the treatment on the 21st, ativan it will be and if I don't but need it the day of, they'll put something in my Taxol cocktail.  She's great!!!  She stressed that I've been through the worst of it and I should sail through Taxol.  Anyhow, any and all of advice is welcome for Taxol.

Got my weekend's mixed up when I wished everyone a great Father's Day weekend, I guess I was still in my chemo fog.  have a great Sunday, everyone.

Heather

I went to the RFL rally on Friday and was an emotional mess. All the survivors got up in front of the crowd and told their name, type of cancer and how long they have survived. Then all the people lined up on either side of the walking track clapping, whopping and hollering for all of us survivors....ugh, so overwhelming. My hubby just held my hand and walked the track with me...he was a wonderful support. Then a very kind woman walked over and handed me a note with her phone number offering me a wig for free. I was so touched by everything that happened at that event. I was thrilled to be a part of it.

On another note, I got out of the shower today and noticed that my head looked dirty! After a closer look I realized it's HAIR! 3 1/2 weeks out from last chemo and I'm already seeing fuzz! Maybe the Nixon and Biotin is helping. It's like soft baby hair. I'm just so happy to see it coming in, instead of falling out.

Tomorrow's the big day for me...radiation starts at 9:15am. I'm nervous but will not complain one bit since I know my March sisters are still dealing with chemo. Prayers and hugs to all of you.-have a good night!

Ana

Hope it goes well, Lorraine.  Wishing you a better appetite this time.

Glad to report my teary eyes have become much better very quickly. They just barely got better over a period of weeks and then in one day almost back to normal!

Badger - Congrats on final treatment!  Yea!

Lorraine - Hope all went well w/ #5 ... and Ana - I hope rads were uneventful!

Heather - For some strange reason I was planning my father's day weekend last weekend. I'd read it somewhere that last weekend was father's day.  Finally my husband told me to look on the calendar!  Not until next weekend ... haha. I think I read it in your post!

Hugs, Charley

#5 chemo got cancelled due to low blood platelettes - they are 48.  this is the second time they have cancelled a chemo due to low blood levels of some kind.  the good news, i guess, is that i did manage to get my herceptin.  they were having problems getting the labs back before they got me in the chair so they went ahead and started, starting with the herceptin.  then they gave me my pre-meds.  then said oops your platelettes are too low come back next week and we'll draw your labs and see if you can get chemo then.  :: sigh ::  unfortunately i am getting used to this.  there are no hard and fast rules of engagement when it comest to treatment.

thursday i'll be going back to my breast surgeon to have more fluid drained from my MX site.  she is drawing less and less every time.  i cannot go as often as she wants me to because i just don't feel well enough and i have no one to drive me.

another good thing is that the blood transfusion has seemed to help.  i have no racing heart or shortness of breat since saturday (day after transfusion).  i did have a muga scan this morning and my EFR went down from 65% to 59-60%.  the onc didn't seem concerned about this but i've made a note to remind him that i want another one in three months since it is the Standard of Care and i seem to be a problem child in all areas of treatment at the moment.

well tomorrow is a new day and hopefully it will be better.  congrats to those who are almost finished.  i should be joining you soon.  :: fingers crossed ::

~M

Charley - so funny about you thinking father's day was last weekend. I did the same thing and was feeling really bad on Saturday that I hadn't planned anything for Sunday for DH.  My mother didn't help since she had called and told me that father's day was the next day so between her and chemo brain I didn't have a chance!

I am feeling good day 3 after treatment #5.  This is usually my bad day so I am hopeful I will continue to feel well.

To everybody still trudging through lets hang in there together.  Soon we will be joining the others who have finished, yeah!

stacy, I too have fuzz on my head which looks like it doesn't know which way to go, some of it is dark brown (my normal colour} and some of it is light, some is longer and the sides and back are still pretty bare, but it's mine and I love it. I was thinking of trimming it off to start fresh, but I can't bear to touch it yet.

Tee mee, haven't heard from you for a few days - hope you're ok.

Lisa

Hello ladies! Today was my last chemo!!! So glad. But I need to do Avastin till march 2011 every 3 weeks. I hope i will not have lot of SE.  I having very annoing SE from Taxotere- watering eyes. Tissue always with me, looks like I`m cry all the time. I went to opthomologist last months, she gave me eye drops, but they didn`t work, on friday i made an appt to do tubes somewere in my eyes. Tomorow my Neolasta shot Congrats everybody who finished chemo already!!!

Hello ladies! I am very excited to share a piece of information with all of you ER+ PR+ girls and girls looking to go natural with your food intake. As we know, for some of us Soy is a no no. Which means chocolate (under normal circumstances) is also a no no. Well, not any more! This past weekend I went to my local health food store and discovered a Soy Free, certified organic, free trade chocolate! Some flavors also offer dairy free, gluten free and vegan varieties! On the wrapper they give their website site, so I wanted to pass this wonderful information on to all of you. I can tell you it is wonderful, as I'm enjoying some right now. I know for me, a little chocolate really brightens my day! Enjoy By the way, I do not work of this company or have any affiliation. I'm just so excited about my chocolate!

www.theochocolate.com