Anyone Starting Chemo Jan. 2010?

Mslrg - Congrats on getting the exchange done. Sorry to hear about you getting ill - but from the sounds of your post - looks like that is behind you now. Just remember - one step closer to being done!

Me - actually got some sleep last night, pain meds are working, I am on antibiotics for 7 days, every 6 hours so got up at midnight to take that. But managed to fall right back asleep. Using a real bed, with lots of pillows. Actually quite comfortable - or maybe that is the pain meds talking.

My drains have been low - no more than 30 cc's. Hubby is getting to be a pro at emptying them. He even created a spreadsheet to record the output. Waiting for my mom to fly in, and get to take my first shower post surgery today - yea!

Lssymom - that sounds like fun. enjoy the dinner. It is nice to chat with people who have been thru what we have, and you are right - they get it! 

Good to read that everyone is moving right along in this journey through the discomforts and joys along the way.  Looking at the calendar I can't believe how time passes.  Saw my surgeon yesterday and had all the pre-op tests, just waiting for a July surgery date. 

Has anyone here had Inflammatory breast disease?  I have/had some that the chemo took care of for the most part but it's still a concern.  Have a great weekend everyone and keep your chins up, we're on the home stretch now. 

Hi mslrg,

LOL - I'm still here reading everyone's posts but nothing I have is really very newsworthy to post!  I did go to my first radiation consultation yesterday and start radiation next Wednesday.  The doc told me that radiation can also put me at risk for lyphodema - I didn't know that - thought all that risk was behind me post surgery 6 months ago.  I have to go to a lympodema class as I start the 6 weeks of radiation.  At this consultation, they marked me up and then took a cat scan - I get the tatoos next time.

The place was nice, they gave me a gift - a nice fluffy blue robe that I can wear each time I come in for rads to keep warm.  I'm  so glad to be starting this part of the work - it's like another big check mark on the list!

I also went to the dermatologist today - to talk about the nearly whole body rash I have...it's like eczema - chemo induced - because of my very dry skin.  Perscription is to lotion myself up with Lubriderm or Aveeno 5-6 times a day.  In addition, I asked about the eyelashes and helping them grow.  Dermatologist told me to wait about a month post-radiation.  I asked her why everything is coming in as white hair when 6 months ago, I was a brunette everywhere.  Some chemo drugs can destroy the melamin in the hair root folicles...and she thinks that's what happened to me.  It could reverse over time, but she told me not to be too hopeful.  Arrrrgghhh!

I can't decide whether to stick with the albino look or to dye my hair.  Since it is only about 1/4 to 1/2" yet, I'm gonna wait until it grows a bit more.  If I comb it to the left, it's very white.  If I comb it to the right, it's more salt and pepper with some remaining underlying brown hairs.  My eyebrows are nearly totally white and so are my eyelashes.  I would have to dye my eyebrows as well.  So, I just can't see myself doing that the rest of my life.  I think I'm going to go funky white and look like Billy Idol.  It's an improvement from the Six Flags guy I've been looking like.

I'm not having any more surgery, so I'm thinking of all of you still undergoing those hoops.  Hugs to you all and speedy recovery.

I'm in a rest and recover mode - not doing anything special, just working, doing chores and getting myself "up" for an exercise routine - post radiation.  The doc also told me "fatique" was common with the radiation.  I'm not setting myself up to be more tired than I already have been.

You guys have been a truely wonderful support group.  Thank you!

Pat

I'm still here too. I had my first appt with the radiation onco on Thursday and will be having my tattoos and pre-work this coming Wednesday and will start radiation on 7/19, will also have my port removed on the 19th, am very happy about that!

I never lost all my eyebrows and lashes and I think my lashes are starting to come back in, those are dark. My head hair on the other hand is mostly white, there's some dark hair peppered in there. I have about 3/4 inch and went and had that colored today. I was afraid to go back to my normal dark so went with a light blond for now and as it grows I'll work back up to my normal dark brown color.

I have been venturing out more and move without the wig and most of the time I even forget that I have almost no hair on my head. However, today we were at lunch and a table next to us was a family with two young boys; I happened to look over just about the time that one of the boys poked him mom in the arm and pointed at me. I have to say that did make me feel like the local circus freak a little bit.

I'm starting to feel better after my last chemo and sort-of over did it this morning using the tractor to mow the barn yard. It was only a couple of hours but I was so hot afterward I probably shouldn't have done that. It did feel SO good though to be doing something "normal" again and I look forward to more of that!

nkrun- sorry about the neuropathy.  Have you tried Glutamine?  I had neuropathy after my first treatment.  My naturopath recommended it.  I noticed a difference the first time I took it and my neuropathy only got slightly worse during the next 3 treatments.  I am feeling pretty normal now.

I am doing well now and the hair is growing back.  I have to shave my legs and underarms now.  My eyelashes are thick but still short.  The hair on my head is thick but still too short to go topless in public.  Hopefully a few more weeks.  I have a lot of white hair and some brown.  Not really sure what the final hair color will be like.

My only issue now is that my finger nails are have become loose and are breaking way down on the nail bed.  I have super short (about 1/2 way down the nail bed) nails on 3 of my 5 fingers on each hand.  Fortunately, they don't hurt they just look bad. 

I wish all of you had surgery lately a speedy recovery!

I'm still here, too. I've completed 14 of my rads, and have 11 to go. Skin and TE are holding up really well. The rad onc. had the PS remove 50cc of fluid in TE, so the likelyhood of problems arising from radiating the TE would be less. Can't have my exchange until after December, and am still deciding on when to have the right breast removed.

mslrg--I'm glad you're done with exchange surgery and can move on from this crap! Also, happy to here Neurontin is working.

friscomom--I still have no hair (what's up with that), and wear scarves all the time. I'm constantly being stared at and people pointing. I'm really getting tired of it because it's been going on so long. How awesome you could get your hair colored! And working in the barn! Lucky you--I'm serious because I own horses too! I can't wait to get back to a "normal" routine with them.

issymom--My fingernails are doing the same thing. I keep them super short and polished so I don't have to look at the white line where they're peeling off. I remember going through Taxol and feeling like my fingernails had been put in a vise. Guess that's the outcome! Fingernails peeling off from the top!

nkrun--I'm with issymom. Try L-Glutamine, if you haven't already. I took 10 grams 3x's a day with vitamin B12 and folic acid for 3-4 days post Taxol. I have no Neuropathy. Also, Neurontin is a wonder drug for nerve pain. I've used it for a severed nerve, and had no side effects.

pagowens--As for lymphedema. I had all my axillary nodes removed and am having rads. I had horrible cording after my MX and had experimental surgery to release the cords under my arm. It worked amazingly, but I am at a very high risk for lymphedema. I am a runner, I have a four year old, and I work with horses, and I don't want lymphedema at any cost. My best piece of advice is to work with a PT who is knowledgeable in dealing with breast cancer patients and lymphedema. Work at doing manual lymph node drainage everyday and do the exercises they give you everyday. So far I'm doing OK, but the scarring from rads can happen up to a year after, so it's going to be a long year!

I still don't have any hair! I have some fuzzy eyelashes coming in, and some dark areas on my eyebrows, which looks like hair growing under the skin, but no hair on my head! There's about 1mm of fuzz growing after I shaved my head (out of frustration) with my Schick Intuition last week, but I also have fuzz on my forehead, too, so I don't know what kind of hair it is. All I know is I still have a shiny old bald head. I was really hoping to be able to go topless when my daughter's preschool starts in August. Where's my hair!

Hi Ladies:

I had a wonderful time on my cruise.  I only got back 2 weeks ago, but it seems like an eternity already.  Stayed out of the sun and when I did have to venture out I put on my 100 SPF. 

For those of you in the NJ area there is a great even coming up in August. "Because Your Dog Is Worth It Too"  sponsored by L'Oreal with the money going to Susan G. Komen.  I went last year with my little mini Schnauzer and had a blast.  The gift bags we received were unbelievable.  Hundreds of dollars worth of L'Oreal products.

www.yourdogisworthittoo.com

For those of you in radiation or about to start, just a head's up that you will be incredibly fatigued.  I finished rads on May 17th and I am still exhaused.  I had my first follow up with the radiation oncologist on June 23rd and she told me that was to be expected.  She said "look at the assault you have had on your body for almost a year now, it will take time to recover and especially now that you are older it will take even longer."   OUCH!  did she have to mention the older thing?

Glad to hear from some of you who have been quiet for awhile.  It's nice that most of us are finishing up and there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Paxton and Leta how are you both doing?  Long time - no hear.  Hope you are well.

The hair on my head is about an 1" long.  It seems to be stuck there.  I colored it 3 weeks ago and don't see any roots yet.  Humm!!  I'm not brave enough to go out without a wig yet.  I'm not a real hat person so I don't do the baseball cap thing either.  My eyebrows and eyelashes are pretty much back to normal.  I have been using the RapidLash and I think it did help.  I remember not so long ago when I was guessing where my eyebrows should be because there was nothing to even follow.  At one point I only had 3 lashes on my right eye.  That was pretty creepy.

Someone mentioned a few posts back about their tatoos being so small they were afraid they wouldn't be seen during treatment.  A couple of mine are super tiny too and what they would do it dot them with a magic marker when I got on the table.  The tatoo on my chest had a bleed out of ink under the skin.  It looks pretty gross.  I must say I was very disappointed in how the hospital reacted to my upset over it.  I was able to find a wonderful female dermatologist in NYC who has agreed to remove the tatoo for me.  I saw on the internet she had dedicated a day last October to removing radiation tatoos for breast cancer patients.  I contacted the office asking if she would be doing it again this year.  They told me no, but that the doctor would remove mine for free.  I couldn't believe it.  I started crying.  One office I contacted wanted over $500 to laser it off.

Thank goodness for compasionate caring people.

Love and hugs to all my sistas.  Stay strong!

Hi All!  I am slowly starting to resume something of a normal life.  I had my BMX at the end of May and now that I'm one month out, I feel pretty good.  I have good range of motion and after my fill last week, actually have some boobs.  It has not been without pain, but it's all manageable.  I go back to work full time the middle of July.  It will be weird to go back.  I have been out for 6 weeks, but really not there 100% since last November when I got my diagnosis and started having treatments, surgeries, and procedures.  I went to the gym this morning and have vowed to get myself fitter over the next couple of months.  I know that it is an important part of recovery. 

I may have developed another blood clot in my right arm since having my first fill.  It's terribly painful and I'm praying it's just some sort of pinched nerve.  I don't know what a blood clot will mean to me taking Tamoxifen.  That's the one complication that seems to be a deal breaker if you have trouble with clotting. I was supposed to start taking it last week, but held off because of the blood clot pain.  Fingers crossed it's no big deal.

I'm also going to start therapy soon.  They offer free counseling sessions that I think I'm ready for.  I mentioned a couple of months ago that I hadn't heard from my mother and nothing has changed there.  I did find out from my sister that the reason she stopped speaking to me was because she was jealous of the amount of help my friends and in-laws were giving me.  I can't understand how anyone can be so petty, much less my mother but it is what it is.  She decided that witholding support, love and communication from me and my family during my chemo, BMX, and recovery made sense and that's something I have to figure out how to deal with. 

On the hair front, I seem to have about 1/2 inch all over my head.  It's very fine and light, so it's not easy to see.  I have gone without a hat a couple of times, just because the hat got hot.  I've had lots of stares and pointing, but my husband says it's starting to look like a fashion choice now instead of a health issue.  All I need is some combat boots to complete the look.  My eyebrows and eyelashes are almost back to normal and my leg hair and body hair seems to be mostly back.  I've had lots of bumps all over where the hair has started to regrow.  A good loofah seems to help there.

I'm glad everyone is doing well.  I hope you all have big plans for this holiday weekend.  Enjoy.

stlcardsfan--that's good news. One weight off your mind!

Georgiabirdgirl: Glad you're healing after BMX> Sorry your family  has a less orthodox way of upporting" you.

Vehasdiva, it's nice to hear you had a good time on your cruise vacation. Hope you recover from the rads!

I saw my PS today and discovered that I'm allergic to the steri strips they put on my to close my incisions, so they all had to be ripped off. ouch! I'm still sleeping a lot and dealing w/ nausea. The bruising is there and will be there for a while

Gramoflexus/Linda: Congrats on getting through your radiation therapy. I know how you feel about wanting to feel well and  to get back in shape. With me I wonder "where to start?" I need to lose weight, my knee is getting worse, and I'm supposed to walking the 3 day in October, Iam in constant pain, and I'll be back to work fulltime again in less than 2 weeks, facing a very stressful job. The answer for me is in taking those babysteps. I simply CAN'T do it all at once. So I ty to celebrate my small successes and cut myself some slack on the areas I still need to address. We can do this, one baby step at a time!

Bubbalu- 10 days before the operation you have to stop taking aspirin and all the other blood thinners and Vit E (and products that contains it).
For pain you can take Acetaminophen and products that contains it.

I'm glad to hear about you all. I missed you. And I'm glad you all are doing well and YES we can do this together!
Today was my Radiation Day 3. I'm doing ok, but there is still long way to go and I'm a bit worried about the implants. I have sometimes headaches and I'm wondering if the Tamoxifen is the cause or the radiations or what?
My bone density is at the limit of osteopenia with a few values smaller than -1. Did anybody else have the bone density done? I'm taking Calcium and Vit D.

bubbalu - my doctor did all the tests on the kidney for my taxotere edema.  Since it is not the kidneys, diuretics will not work.  He told me the same thing as your pre op doc.  Just so you know, Potassium can cause the edema to get worse.  Diuretics can cause your potassium to decrease also.  Thoughts and prayers with you and your surgery.

bubbalu - yep, walk, and elevate whenever sitting.  Time is supposed to fix it!  No diuretics.

My last taxotere was Monday and last night I went to scratch my new soft hair and came back with a handful of it!  Oh my, I hope I don't lose all of it again!!!!!

mslrg:  Chapstick or Chapstick lip butter, IPod, unscented hand soap, Aveno body wash and body lotion..