Starting Chemo in July 2009

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  • gillyone
    gillyone Member Posts: 1,727
    edited July 2010

    Joni - you have tons of hair!!! Four cuts!!!! Wow, I'm impressed. Considering we've been at this a similar length of time, our hair growth is way diferent. I've only had one cut so far, and will probably have a trim in August - ready for that wedding you know!!

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  • Jayne_in_UK
    Jayne_in_UK Member Posts: 517
    edited July 2010

    Joni1 I will be having my TE replaced with a permanent implant, a lift on the other side for symmetry and my surgeon will take some fat from my tummy to use for contouring to get a more natural look.She will use a kind of liposuction to get the tummy fat, rather than make an incision and do a flap surgery. I know some surgeons are not happy doing implants on radiated skin, but my skin is looking good with the TE in place and she expects it to be just as good or better with the permanent inmplant. If she is able to do a nipple at the same time she will, otherwise I will wait 6 months and have it done under local anaesthetic. Once I have a nipple I am planning to get it tattooed and then I should be done! I am getting excited too. I hope you are able to enjoy some sightseeing in Charleston before your surgery. Anyway I will post an update once I have had mine.

    Joni2 your hair looks great! I love your curls. I have had mine cut 3 times now and it has a slight wave once it gets to a certain length, which it had before. I would have liked to have curls, but I don't think it will happen now. I don't have much in the way of eyebrows either and I am using eyebrow pencil, This is easier now I have some hairs there to give me an idea of where to fill them in.

    I hope all of you triple J's are still doing well and enjoying the summer. It's a bright and breezy day here and I have just got back from a run/walk. I plan to go swimming this afternoon, getting my quota of swimming before surgery.

    Hugs to all. 

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  • gillyone
    gillyone Member Posts: 1,727
    edited July 2010

    Hi Jayne. When is your surgery?

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  • Jayne_in_UK
    Jayne_in_UK Member Posts: 517
    edited July 2010

    Hi Gill, it is 26th July, so one week on Monday! I should have plenty of time to recover before college term starts again in September.

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  • gillyone
    gillyone Member Posts: 1,727
    edited July 2010

    I will make a note of it and be thinking of you. I will be in the Seattle area at that time at a Musikgarten workshop. I hope I don't have to get up and down from the floor too often - my creaky knees won't like it!

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  • Jayne_in_UK
    Jayne_in_UK Member Posts: 517
    edited July 2010

    Have a great time in Seattle Gill. I'll think about you while I'm in hospital and hope your knees are holding out.

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  • PauldingMom
    PauldingMom Member Posts: 927
    edited July 2010

    Hi Gals! It does my heart good to see all your new pics. I'm so proud of all of you. I want to PM everyone who was ever on this site but can't figure out how. I can't copy and paste on this site for some weird reason. Even tried it on another puter and it didn't work.  

    Pink Hugs,

    Lisa 

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  • PauldingMom
    PauldingMom Member Posts: 927
    edited July 2010

    Just sent out about 67 PMs to all the ladies on this topic. Please forgive me if I left you out or if I sent you two. I am posting the letter here for all that may have been missed.

    July Jedi Jug-A-Naut!!!!
    It's been a full year since we started this topic and our journey together. Some of us are done with treatment. Some of us have moved on to different hormone treatment, others of us are doing reconstruction surgery. We have all moved forward in fighting this disease.
    I can't thank you all enough for your support during the past year. I hope in some small way starting this topic has helped each of you too. I know for myself it was wonderful to meet women going through the same treatment. I've laughed and cried, I've shared embarrassing moments and some humorous ones too. I've held hands and have had my hand held also.
    It's a journey I am thankful to put behind me and glad I had you all to travel with.
    I wish each of you only the best of health and pray that a cure is found soon so that there will never need to be a "Starting Chemo. in July" topic ever again.
    Pink Hugs,
    PauldingMom
    A.K.A. Lisa
     

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  • PauldingMom
    PauldingMom Member Posts: 927
    edited July 2010

    Okay it's called "Private Message" but......I have to share because not much was kept private hereTongue out

    "Yes, seems we have all moved on, but like you, I will be forever grateful for the love and compassion I found on "our" thread. I wish we could all meet and just have a grand ole visit sometime. I'm hoping everyone has gone thru treatment and we haven't had any recurrences. I don't think I've heard of any. What a blessing....thank you for beginning our thread. We all needed it more than we knew." 

    "I was an orphan in my journey now I belong."  

    Special thanks to Eph3_12 for teaching me how to insert text. I'll teach you how to add pics. soon.

    Special thanks also to O2behealthy for posting everyones name on page 7 of this topic. You saved me from going through every post.

     

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  • Jayne_in_UK
    Jayne_in_UK Member Posts: 517
    edited July 2010

    Hello Triple J's. I hope you are all well.

    Lisa I love the butterfly, I have been watching some nice ones in the garden today, but not as beautiful as that. I agree it would be wonderful if there never had to be another "starting chemo in July" topic, although I really appreciated being part of this one.

    I am out of hospital after having my exchange to a permanent implant. I am feeling better every day, I don't need pain pills and I don't have any drains. Hooray for that! It is difficult to see what it will look like just yet as I still have dressings on. Already I can see that I look more natural than with the TE and the implant feels more natural too. I just need to wait for things to settle then I can think about having a nipple done. My surgeon didn't do it on Monday because it may have ended up not being level.

    One of the worst bits of my hospital stay was the trouble they had finding a vein to insert a cannula into. I used to have good veins before chemo, so this was a new experience for me. I discussed with the Anaesthetist the fact that I wanted to avoid needle sticks in the side I had nodes removed, and she was fine with that. We agreed she would try my foot first and if that failed them she wold use my other arm. Before the surgery she tried my foot a couple of times, had trouble, tried my hand/wrist area and decided to go for a vein in my hand just to get me to sleep, then move the cannula once I was asleep. It was a bit ouchy but not much I could do about it. When I got home and took the dressings off my hand and foot I found 6 stick marks in my hand/wrist and 3 in my foot. The cannulas were left in my hand and foot overnight and I asked the next morning for them to be removed. I was waiting for this to be done, sat reading a newspaper when the one in my hand started bleeding. I got up to try to stop it and the one in my foot started bleeding too. I certainly made a mess of that ward, but I got them removed pretty quickly after that.

    Anyway ladies have a wonderful weekend whatever you have got planned.

    Hugs xoxo

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  • eliz46
    eliz46 Member Posts: 71
    edited August 2010

    Hi everyone .its so nice to see everyone .the pictures are great ...i am so thankful for meeting all of you on this thread, someday we all need to meet.  since breast cancer my life has changed so much.everything in life is so much clearer, the flowers are beautiful ...even my family has changed, i am now a supporter for the american cancer society.  i have had my mammo and all is clear.  liz

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  • gillyone
    gillyone Member Posts: 1,727
    edited August 2010

    great news Liz!

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  • Eph3_12
    Eph3_12 Member Posts: 4,781
    edited August 2010

    Yippee Liz!  Gilly, what days will you be here?

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  • gillyone
    gillyone Member Posts: 1,727
    edited August 2010

    The wedding is Sunday September 5 but we haven't worked out arrangements yet!

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  • DeniseM808
    DeniseM808 Member Posts: 32
    edited August 2010
    Lisa (aka PauldingMom) & All Other Triple-J's - got the PM and appreciate the good cheer. Haven't posted for almost a year as SE's hit hard and long through end of December 2009. Onc had to cancel second part of my chemo halfway through.it was that bad. Returned to work in February 2010 together with the Tamoxifen. Boo to hot flashes!  Seriously requesting prayers as my 1 year follow up mammo shows a large suspicious grouping of micro calcifications. Serious enough for radiologist to ask me "Have they talked to you about mastectomies?". Not what you want to hear! Stereotactic biopsy scheduled for Tuesday, Aug 2 @ 7am. Fears of this being a local recurrence is haunting my days and nights since the mammo. I think only you guys can really understand the fear levels and alternating feelings of hope, despair, and denial I'm going through. Although the mammo results were known last week Monday, I haven't come back online here because it just makes it too real. Tonight I just had to "speak out" to those who would best understand. If you're uncomfortable sending me a reply, I'll understand. The very last thing any of us want to hear about is a recurrence after all we've been through in the past year.  My love to you all. ~ DeniseM
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  • gillyone
    gillyone Member Posts: 1,727
    edited August 2010

    (((((Denise))))) we'll be thinking of you.

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  • jacee
    jacee Member Posts: 1,384
    edited August 2010

    Denise.....gosh, not what we want to happen to one our Jedi's!!!  Will be thinking of you tomorrow morning and praying for good results. Yes, it is too real...but don't ever forget we are here for you...good times and bad. We have all kinda moved on it seems, but NONE of us have forgotten the path we have taken. And what you are going through now is something we don't want to think about, but we all know...a recurrence is a very real possibility at any time. PLEASE know you can come here and let it all out...and we will pray, laugh, cry, share and mostly walk beside you.

    Praying today for a calm spirit.

    Putting on my armor...for you,

    Joni1

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  • Jayne_in_UK
    Jayne_in_UK Member Posts: 517
    edited August 2010

    Denise I'm sorry to hear what you are going through. You will be in my thoughts and prayers. Please let us know how you get on tomorrow. (((((Hugs)))))

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  • PauldingMom
    PauldingMom Member Posts: 927
    edited August 2010

    Denise, I'm having faith that the results will be good and no matter what the future holds for you, you are a strong woman.

    Big bright pink hugs sent your way.

    Lisa 

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  • FaithFollower
    FaithFollower Member Posts: 49
    edited August 2010

    My doc said after you start chemo, day 17 typically is when your hair starts falling out, but my hair fell out on day 13!

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  • Eph3_12
    Eph3_12 Member Posts: 4,781
    edited August 2010

    Denise-everything everyone else said, I'm saying too!

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  • o2bhealthy
    o2bhealthy Member Posts: 2,101
    edited August 2010

    Denise - crap!!! I am so sorry you are having to go through the waiting game again.  I just logged in to your caringbridge site and saw your recent posts...you are in my thoughts and my prayers.  Please do not hesitate to pop online here whenever you need someone to lean on, vent to or share your thoughts/hopes/fears.  

    ((((HUGS))))

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  • stef58
    stef58 Member Posts: 288
    edited August 2010

    Hello everyone, Have not posted in awhile. Life is good. Had a new grandchild named Cash Lee a couple of weeks ago. Who would have thought a year ago that life is all sweetness and goodness.Things change. Now for a question, for all  on tamoxifin. Has been gaining weight a problem, and the worst, my hair is thinning on top? Have any of you experienced this? My hair is still think and curly but just thin in a few spots. Those were the spots that thicken up last when the hair was coming in. Have a great day and enjoy what is left of the summer. Dianne

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  • o2bhealthy
    o2bhealthy Member Posts: 2,101
    edited August 2010

    Hi Dianne!! Congratulations on the new grand baby!  

    I have gained more then 15lbs since starting Tamox in Dec 2009...I have dieted and increased exercise but still my weight will not go down.  Hair growth has been slow but no thinning but that could be the Herceptin which I finished July 21 Laughing

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  • sheila888
    sheila888 Member Posts: 25,634
    edited August 2010

    ((((((PauldingMom/Lisa))))))  ♥  ((((Hugs))))

    I'M thinking of you and sending you hugs.♥

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  • o2bhealthy
    o2bhealthy Member Posts: 2,101
    edited August 2010

    Pauldingmom -  thinking of you too...you are in my prayers.

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  • Jayne_in_UK
    Jayne_in_UK Member Posts: 517
    edited August 2010

    Lisa I have only just caught up with what you are going through right now. You are in my thoughts and prayers. Gentle hugs.

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  • jacee
    jacee Member Posts: 1,384
    edited August 2010

    Lisa...BIG HUGS to you!!! I know Sep 2 can't come soon enough. You were such a fighter through chemo....I can only believe that same determination will see you through. I'm praying for you ...right now. Once again, looking for B9 report.

    Much love,

    Joni1

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  • LovingLifeToday
    LovingLifeToday Member Posts: 39
    edited August 2010

    Prayers for you Lisa and Denise!! 

    (((Pink Hugs)))

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  • tougherthanithought
    tougherthanithought Member Posts: 454
    edited August 2010

    ((((((((Lisa & Denise)))))))))))))

    Lisa, Hi again!  We "met" last summer.  I received the Triple J Anniversary PM...thank you for acknowledging all of our journeys.  I only started reading these posts recently again, because I thought I was doing a damn good job of getting on with my life.  But I've been concerned about an area above my right implant (chest area).  Friday I had a CT scan and my Onc said all looked normal.  I see him next Thursday to talk about further testing, b/c I just feel there may be something there,  It has been sore for several months, but in the last few weeks, I feel a small lump.  I guess it could just be muscle, but I really want to delve further to make sure it is nothing. 

    I'm usually not a paranoid person, and don't get too concerned with every little ache and pain, but this has been bothering me for a while. 

    Just wanted to show you all some cybor support and ask for a little in returnSmile

    Sherrill

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