November 2009-Starting Chemo

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I made some more hair!!

Hi Carrot Top!

Hey all.  I had my 6 mo. chemo follow-up today.  Onc said she was pleased with how I was doing. Here is a summary of what we talked about.  Maybe it will address an issue, or issues, some of you might have...

 Re: the finger and toe neuropathy - The onc. gave me a prescription for Neurontin for it. She said it was a low dose and that I could take it at night, as needed, whenever I've had a couple of nights in a row of the neuropathy interrupting my sleep. Is a sedative, so to take it a bedtime. She said it should eventually go away but she couldn't say how long it would take. I asked about taking B vitamins, glucosamine, etc. but she immediately shook her head and said they didn't work.

Re: losing my top eyelashes - she said it shouldn't happen again. That everyone loses eyelashes during the day, but only one here, one there. When you lose them during chemo, they all fall out at once. Then they all grow back at once, and therefore are now on a schedule to fall out all at the same time when it is time to fall out again. She said they should start falling out in a normal, staggered pattern again now.

Re: the one big-toe toenail that is raised up half-way - she said it should grow back normally eventually.

Re: the calcifications in the lumpec. breast - she said they were from the radiation, and we would look at them again in Dec. when I have the next mammo. She said her office never got the results of the last mammo as I had requested, but she was able to look up the info directly from the rad. office.  She said that where they grow and the way they grow, their pattern, can tell you if they are cancerous, from radiation, or just benign growths.

Re: do I need a bone scan since the Arimidex can cause bone loss - she will request a bone scan before my next 6 mo. appt. with her in February since I've only been on the med. for 3 months. She had blood drawn to check my vit. D level (helps the body process calcium and prevent bone loss).

Re: the stiffness I feel in the morning and when I've sat in the same position too long - The Arimidex is causing that. I should do more easy stretches when I work out.

And lastly, I mentioned that I thought the Arimidex might be curtailing the number of hot flashes I'm having and she said she has heard of that happening.

Hope this helps some of you.

Melinda:  you look great in your new "do"!  

Some of us, not to mention any names, did seem to get more hair than the rest of us!!!  Toyah: you look awesome!!!

Have a great evening!  Nette 

Hi Nette,

You are looking wonderful.  Thanks for the post.  I am dying today, but not from Arimidex.  I did a 60 mile cycling event in the heat Sunday (downsized from 70 miles because I didn't want heat stroke) and am feeling that in my legs.

Then I went for a swim yesterday after my walk.  Was getting ready for the Atlantic waves this weekend.  I have muscle cramps up the wazoo, and every where else as well.

I was pathetic when I went out and walked a mile.  Even my butt hurts when I sit on it.

I am bagging any other exercise ideas other than my weights/crunches.

I still don't think I have any A side effects other than sore knees.  I can't feel them today because they aren't muscles!

I understand wine is a wonderful muscle relaxant, but need to wait for a couple of hours until things cool down here a bit.

I suspect my heart is just fine as I made it up a major hill cycling on Sunday. - Claire

Don't know what I was thinking...forgot to finish the post and spell check.  Nette, So happy all went well for you today.I will post more when I get time.

I go back to surgeon tomorrow. The radiated area swelling and redness has decreased a lot, but that makes Clyde stand out more. He is still red and tender. The antibiotics are not working on him but I am pretty sure he is some kind of abscess. I am able to wear my foob again, last week everything was so tender I was having to wear the cushie foob again to go to work.

It is odd to me how important it is that I have some projection on the Mx side. I have left the house without a bra since Clyde came on the scene, but I have a special shirt, very big and baggy with very loud prints which I hope is visually distracting enough. But to go to work, or see people I know, I want something in there.

It's not like they don't know I am boobless, I don't know why I will suffer to "look normal".

Oh well, I am back to being able to foob so it's getting better.

I am loving the hair pics, I need to take a new one, but frankly, I looked better bald!

Brenda ~ are you on the armidex?  I am hoping and thinking that it is just medication or residual from chemo.  I completely understand the sheer terror that takes over when something is out of sorts with us.  I just did it with my back pain.  Please be strong and think positive.  I am sure it is nothing.  Think of all you have been through and the cancerversary is a very stressful time.

HUGS and prayers.

Alicia

I too read each day but don't always post.  MELINDA !  Glad you are able to wear the foob now and I am hoping Clyde goes far far away really soon. 
HUGS !

Melinda ~ your strength and attitude are empowering !  You amaze me......... 

Brenda ~ tamoxifen sucks.  I bet all the crap you are feeling is from that darn pill.  I was just on a 2 week break and felt great.  3 days in the headaches are back, knees hurt, and crotch is starting to itch.  Such fun.  I am so sorry for all you had to endure with your son.  I would need more then medication going through something so horrific.  I hope he is all better now. HUGS

Hang tough girls.  We will survive !

Can't find my camera, got a few highlights and a haircut, it LOOKS longer then it did before it was cut.  I feel feminine again.  I am very happy with it.  Will share a pic soon. 

Hugs,

Alicia

Came home from surgeon still toting Clyde around. Surgeon thinks it is necrotic tissue from rads that my body is slooooowly absorbing. If he cut is out, I could have healing problems since I am all recently nuked.

It is less tender, still angry looking, red and sticking out. But when he realized how long it had been there, he decided an abscess would have gotten much worse by now.

So I will do the "necrotic tissue that my body will digest" dance...

If I am not mistaken, Alicia had a good scan report...correct?

So we need an all clear from Brenda and we are all good to go, right??

Sue: I know he appeared shortly after the 4th of July and I started rads mid June. You are correct, they don't want to cut since it may not heal. I guess he would cut if it kept getting bigger and more tender-heck, I would cut it out if it kept growing!

It is just odd having this thing sticking out of me! But, I am very optimistic about its demise without further medical intervention. My little macrophages will be working hard.

Melinda: The main thing is that he doesn't think it's cancer - it's DEFINITELY NOT!!!! The fact Clyde appeared after you started rads does tend to suggest it may be exactly what he thinks. Did he tell you if he tested anything after he stuck it with the needle? or was he just poking at it to see if any puss came out. We all hate Cylde and he is a goner!!!!

Sue

Too right - Michele!!!

I'll be up most of the night. We had a federal election today and it looks too close to call. We're sitting glued to the telly. The good news is that our sitting member of parliament lost his seat to the Liberals - hooray. We hate our current government so much!!!!

Sue

Alicia: Is tiredness one of your SEs from tamoxifen? I'm really tired all the time and am not sure if it's the herceptin or the Arimidex. We should be over any chemo/rads tiredness. I find I'm sleepy not physically drained.

I'm doing one more week of 4 mornings, then next week I'm going to try Mon and Fri as whole days!!! eeeek!!! The rehab chick wanted me to do 4 x 6 hour days, but what's the point, I might as well stay another hour and a half. I'll still keep Tues and Thurs as short days and have Wednesday off. I'm so lucky they are so nice about the whole thing - they are really a good company to work for.

(((((((((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))))))) to you all.

Sue

Brenda Sharon:  am I crazy or did you post somewhere when your scan is going to be??

My 11yo DD has taken one of my bald pics and is playing with the lifetime dot com makeover web site! She can add in eyebrows and eye lashes and give me celebrity hair. (I was not impressed with the Amy Winehouse look she gave me).

Hope everyone's week is off to a great start.