April 2010 starting chemo

Congratulations Sara on chemo completion and the big smiley face next to your name:)

Emme - glad you are in a "safe" place.  You dont need that in your life and you will be ok.  Lots of (((((HHHHUUUUUUGGGGGSSSSSS)))))) your way..

Susiesue  - I agree. We have come a long way.  At first I thougt I would wear my wig most of the time, but I was totally wrong.  I am a ball cap and scarf lady.  My kids don't care either if their friends see me bald and that is so amazing since one of my biggest concerns in the beginning was would they feel embarrassed, but they are so used to it that all they see is Mom and their friends never even take a second look. 

Emme  -  It is good to hear from you.  Remember whenever you are feeling low, that you have a lot of good friends and support here.  Best wishes.

Emme, so sorry you're going through this on top of everything else.  I'm sending ((hugs)) your way.  Hang in there.

Thank you all for the support.  Im putting one foot infront of the other...

Em

Kelli - Do you have to do rads after your chemo?  I think i was just in shock and then today my onc tells me 'thats what i expected"  well no jerk, you told me "probably not"  I dont get them it seems like they have no clue most of the time.  anyway.   I have 7 more Taxol to go before I start the rads so I am still in the chemo group with you:)

 Had a great dinner at the olive garden with the family, now off to bed.  Have a great night everyone.

Jen

Maryc4 - me to.  At least we can look forward to Christmas my favorite time of year:)

Kelli- I have one more chemo session on Sept 15th. Then rads for I think five weeks.

Lee

Susiesue - Congratulations on being done Chemo!  I know just thinking about the end makes me want to cry tears of joy too. 

Hello Ladies - I finished chemo June 18th and started rads July 14th.  Today was my final, 33rd, rad treatment.  I know this is the chemo site but since so many of you have been writing about the saddness you feel I thought I would add that I have been "marching" throught all of this like a "trooper" - or at least that is what everyone tells me.  Well, today after my last treatment I was in the changing room putting my clothes on and crying - I think it was all that pent-up stress.  I am tired, scared, and want my hair back.  Thank you for letting me vent a bit.

Gosh, I was so excited to finish chemo - and now I'm so envious of those of you who are finishing rads!  I go for my simulation Monday am and will start rads on 9/14.  So, done by the end of October.  Seems so close and so far away.  I'm with Karen - I would feel alot better if I could just have my hair back.  And my nails back to normal (am now on an antiobiotic b/c of the many nails that infected and oozing - soooooo gross).

Sara 

Hi everyone.  Just thought I'd let you know that I went and coloured my very short hair.  I couldn't take the salt and pepper gray and put in a dark blond no-ammonia colour.  It actually looks a lot better and people are telling me to start going without the wig.  Not sure I'm ready yet but I'm definitely getting closer.  I'm 11 weeks PFC now and think that maybe in another week or 2, I'll go ditch the wig.  Finally something positive to celebrate about.

My hot flashes have been getting worse since it's gotten quite warm again and I've decided to try acupuncture to see if that helps at all.  Some women have reported great success with it, so I'm hoping that I see an improvement.  They are ruining my sleep.  I'll report back after I've had a few sessions.  I start my Rads this coming Thursday.

Susiesue so happy that you're now finished chemo as well.  For those of you who are finishing up chemo over the next few months...we'll still be here cheering you on until all of us are done.

Hang in there.  

Kad22....well I guess my hair is about an 1/2 inch long but it's not sticky up straight as I had expected.  It is laying down flat which is annoying.  I'd like it to be at least an inch long and perferrably an 1-1/2" long before I go without my wig, but I'm getting impatient.  I was at a baby shower yesterday with just family and I yanked the wig off after I was having another hot flash.  There are some pictures of me without my wig (which I didn't approve) so maybe if I get brave, I'll post one. 

Shygal,  Let me know if you go see an acupuncturist (sp?)... My onc recommended it too because I am having terrrible hotflashes. Like clockwork, every 2 hours at night.  At rads this week they asked if I was experiencing fatigue from the rads. I said, "I am exhausted, but not sure it's the rads, could be the HOTFLASHES!"...arghhhh.... 

Well, hope everyone has a great week.  This week I will mark halfway through rads. 

Oh, and does anyone get itchiness and hives from chemo still... now that I am on tamoxifen I can't take benedryl and it is getting annoying....

Kad22, Don't overdue it this week at school.  But enjoy getting back to something "normal"! 

(((Hugs to all!)))

Hi All,

I'm back from NC, looks like I've missed a lot of good news and some bad news. Sorry Emme for things going from bad to worse. Blessings on you.

Congrats to everyone who has finished and hugs to those seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. It is NOT a train! It's been 2 1/2 weeks since my last chemo and I feel pretty good. Still a little tired, but otherwise feeling good and optimistic. Hoping my hair will start coming in soon.

Have to tell a quick story about taking my daughter to college. Met another BC woman in line at the college bookstore. We saw each other immediately and had a 10 minute chat while we were checking out. I know people must have thought we were crazy discussing our mastectomies and hair, being complete strangers.  She finished chemo in may and had about 3/4 of an inch of cute reddish hair. She finished radiation last month and said Mepilex pads saved her from severe pain after blistering. Just thought I'd share this since many of us are headed that way. She said they stick to your blisters and make a layer between the blister and your clothes so you can get dressed and function easily. The Rad Onc can write a prescription for these.

Hope everyone has a great week!