November 2009-Starting Chemo

Cathy & Phillipa, it was nice to "see" you again. Glad to hear all is well. I have two more boosts left and then I'm finished. I'm a tad red...that's an understatement. My poor collarbone is fried! I was practicing putting a picture on the board, hence the above picture from DC. Had a hard time remembering! My memory sucks anymore. Does chemo-brain ever go away?

Mabelle, I don't know how long chemopause lasts. I'm 38 and Onc said I'll never have another period. I go see my Gyno on Wednesday, so I'll have more info there. I'd like to find out what the difference is between Tamoxifen & and aromatase inhibitor. Anyone???

Linda:  Definitely start charging for hair touching privileges!   You look amazing!!!  Sorry to hear about the fried collarbone.  When were you in DC??  I live 25 mi. west of DC in a suburb not far from Dulles airport.

My med. onc explained the differ. between the Tamox. and the aromatase inhibitors this way...the Tamox. blocks the estrogen from entering the cancer cell while the aromatase inhib. blocks the production of estrogen at its origin.  She drew a diagram with a cancer cell and an X between the entering estrogen and the c. cell wall, with the Tamox. being the X preventing the estrogen from entering.  Then she drew another diagram with the cancer cell and on the other side of the paper, she wrote the word "estrogen" with an X beside it, showing that the aromatase inhibitor "inhibits" the production of estrogen to start with.  From the book After Breast Cancer:"Breast cancer cells that are estrogen-receptor + require estrogen to survive and multiply.  In what is described as a 'lock and key' arrangement, the cell must take in estrogen.  Tamoxifen tricks any breast cancer cells-the lock-into perceiving tamox. as the 'key' and taking it in, thereby making them unable to take in estrogen.  As a result, the cancer cells die."  ..."tamoxifen inhibits the growth of ...breast cancer cells while providing some of the benefits of estrogen to other parts of a woman's body..."

"Aromatase is an enzyme that produces estrogen in fat tissue.  In postmen. women, most of the estrogen...is produced in the adrenal glands, which convert a substance called a precursor steriod into estrogen with the assistance of the aromatase enzyme.  Drugs that interfere with this natural process [inhibit this production of estrogen] cause estrogen depletion, thereby starving estrogen-receptor-+ breast cancer cells of the hormone that is critical for their growth."   Hope this helps.

Also from the book, I read that, like some other side effects, chem. brain can go away or persist for a long time.  And "Most oncologists would not consider you to be postmenopausal until at least six months have passed following the end of your chemo. and your periods have not returned."  "...Sometimes, a blood test is done to test the levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in your blood.  The levels of these hormones can determine whether your ovaries are still functioning, or whether you are in menopause."

Seriously, the book mentioned above has a ton of info.  I bought it, not only to read now, but as a resource for the future and for the things that can happen, or not, in later on.  The good thing about the book was that the info is based on medical info and on thousands of women and their own experiences. 

Cathy:  Good to hear from you!!  In answer to your question...I never felt anything with the rads.

Toyah:  Good to hear from you, too!!!  I truly have been wondering about so many of "us" that hadn't been heard from in a while. 

Happy Friday, everyone!  Nette

Mabelle,

Get this today at the office, Our front desk staff was at lunch.  A customer comes in to pay bill, I go out of my office to front desk to take payment ...Now grant you Ive known her for years....Says "Oh someone new !! Wheres  Kelli, Cathy and Jerry..?"  I said "Im right here Val "....Oh , look at you , you cut your hair SOOOO short "  ....I just got back from a trim and touch up color)....so I told her not by choice, it was chemos choice to do this to me !"...so she did sign of the cross and said glad to see you are doing well ".....for months customers saw me with my wig and didnt know what I was going through..I shock them now !! too funny.

I did #7 Rads today...I have to go in on Monday as they said "We are open so you are going to be here too !"..any one else have to go in on Monday ?

Cat, my chemo/rads center is closed on Monday. I have my LAST boost on Tuesday.

 I'm doing naked Herceptin too...it's a piece of cake for me. The only bothersome thing is getting the bi-monthly echo to check my heart. Since my left breast was radiated, about 10-15% of my heart is being radiated, along with the esophagus (sp?). Just have to make sure everything is ok! The Herceptin website was pretty good. Explained how Herceptin works and had graphics explaining them. Have you been to the Her2neu+ forum?

Cafelovr:  I'm confused - why do they radiate your esophagus????  I had a left MX, after chemo, and still have to do rads.  Is there a specific reason they are radiating this area on you?

Well girls I'm off to work in the morning - very nervous. Thank goodness I'll only be there for four hours.

 Happy Independence day!!!!

Sue

Thanks Nette - I've woken up much too early - nerves I guess. All of my work stuff was packed in boxes when they moved buildings, so I'll have to unpack first. I feel like I've forgotten everything about the insurance software I write. I told my team leader I'd have to go to the US for a retraining course seeing I've forgotten everything - that didn't work

My left side was radiated and I asked them about the heart and they said it was out of the radiation area.

Sue

I have a lump, above the mastectomy site, on my rib.

I showed it to the rad onc that was there today, he will pass it on to my actual rad onc. He did say that it is not rib that I am feeling. But, it is in the radiation zone.

Hopefully, I will see my rad onc tomorrow, Wednesday is my usual day to see the doc. I am very concerned that this is the mystery area that showed up on my last PET.

Fear sucks.

Thanks Sue,

Surprisingly, the rad doc I saw today actually called me at home. (I see my doc on Wed, this guy was just the guy that was there today.) He said he reviewed my chart, this new lump IS in the mystery area from my last scan but that it is in the radiation zone.

I said, "So if it is cancer, than we are already doing what needs to be done", he said Yes.

This is sounding like bone mets to me. I am waiting for my regular onc to give me a call.

Melinda: you must be very worried. You would hope that it couldn't be bone mets if it was in the radiation zone. Hoping for the best for you.

Sue: Glad your thyroid test came back OK.

Linda: thanks for an alternative explanation for my lump. Rad Onc gave me a less than rosy scenario.

I can't even crochet enough to make the worry stop.

My regular onc is on vacation this week, his nurse did call me back and said that we will scan again after rads. I am going to need some anxiety meds if I have to wait that long to have a label for this thing.

Is it odd that I need it named? If it is cancer, we are already zapping it, there is nothing else we would be doing (per rad onc and onc nurse).

Melinda ~ praying for you.  I can only imagine your worry.  But good to know it is being zapped.  Hang tough.

Sue ~ Glad your first day back at work went well.

Hope everyone is doing good.

Hugs !!!

 I'm going to lay it all on the line...forgive me if anyone takes offense!!

 Melinda, I don't think it's odd that you need it named! That's the fight that we're in...we need to see our enemy. But God forbid, if it is mets, then you will be armed with the facts. Stage IV is not that different than Stage III, it just escaped it's cocoon of lymph nodes. I live every day knowing I have Stage IV BC. 20 yrs ago, this was terminal. While it's incurable, it's not a death sentence. I live every day as normal as can be, spot on my liver is gone. When/if it comes back, there are hundreds of medicines available.

I guess my point is, don't stress over something you can't change. I know it's hard! No one knows better than me, but you will be fine!!!!! 

Quick Question: If this lump was on the last scan, did your doctor talk about Zometa? That is what I take for a questionable spot on my sternum that PET and CT didn't confirm.

(((HUGS)))

Sue: so your thyroid trouble is totally ot related to cancer? Just a "poop happens" thing? I think we should be exempt from "regular" medical problems.

Thanks for the hugs and well wishes everyone, I feel better today, I will just keep zapping and see how it turns out.

BIG HUG!