Chemo June 2010
Comments
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Hi Ladies:
Congrate to everyone who is done with chemo -- THINK HOW GREAT WE ARE DOING! I am now 5 weeks post chemo and just starting to get my energy back. Still have numbness in my toes thanks to the Taxol.
SKD-My brows and lashes are beginning to seriously grow back - the hair on my head is just peach fuzz. The surgeon threw me a curve this week - not sure he can do breast conservation. I am getting a second opinion and hoping it will work out. Hope everyone has a great week.
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Chey - I still have 4 taxol/herceptins to go...I may be the last of the June ladies. I had a few delays due to blood work and port problems early on. The taxols haven't been delayed but I do feel like things are starting to build up a bit. I'm having a bit of back and joint pain and my teeth are really sensitive. Can't wait for this to be OVER! Especially when I read about all of you finishing - The constant feeling of exhaustion is hard to deal with.
My rads doctor said that the rad tx will also tire me out but the difference is that when I sleep, I will get relief...as opposed to what the chemo is doing.
I have some fuzz growing on my head but I really miss my eyelashes more than my hair. It's the one thing that you can't cover or pencil in.
Have a good week.
Liz
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Tmarina thanks hopefully i will be able to go. I have been working out almost every day at home at least every other day either a cardio sculpt video or my elliptical. But that was only the first tx I will have to really keep pushing. I actually really miss the gym.
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lizzyanne - thanks for passing on what your rads onc said.
toni - good luck with the second opinion, hope it works out for you
re hair growth - my hair continued to sprout during taxol, so my fuzz is now about 1.5cm long. but the taxol also made it continue to fall out, so when i run a lint roller over my head it gets covered in quite long fuzz hairs still. my eyelashes have also been growing back during taxol, but they are almost white, so even though they are quite long already, you can't actually see them (unless you're looking for them like I am!)
i'm now thinking about the next stage in this journey - i have surgery scheduled for November 14. My BS wants to try to do a nipple-sparing lumpectomy (the tumor is right behind the nipple), but if he can't get clean margins then i'll have to get the nipple removed in an additional surgery. What worries me (apart from losing the nipple and having to have an additional surgery) is that presumably rads will be postponed because of the second surgery. anyone else been in this situation? how important is it to start rads asap? (maybe i should just have the bigger surgery instead so i can go straight to rads?)
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Good morning ladies! Just had my first rad session. In and out in 20 minutes. Back home a little over an hour later--traffic not too bad today. Now I'm really tired and getting a headache! Might have to nap soon to make it through the day. I had to get up way too early, and didn't sleep well. I posted on the Oct. rads thread also, but this thread is "home" for me.
Hope everyone else has a great Monday! -
ok now im freaked, last week my wbc was 5.8 ans a week later its 3.5 i have 2 taxols left is that normal?
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Chey - my blood counts continued to "tank" with each Taxol tx. With only 3 left, I had to get a Neupogen shot to boost my counts so I could finish. Then when I finished, my first FEC tx was delayed for three weeks waiting on my counts to build back up.
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Bon - I hope you are feeling much better this week.
DMom - how's the rads going? Still having to wait a long time?
My hot flashes have been increasing since I finished Taxol. I probably have 15-20 a day. During Taxol, they had tapered off. I probably only had 2, maybe 3 per day. Do you think the Taxol inhibited them? Seems odd. But, I'll add this to the long list of discussion topics for my onc this Wed.
Went to TX last week and had a fantastic time. Didn't really do anything, but it was so peaceful there. We all get along really well. I felt pretty good - had an appetite and was able to eat. However, my joints feel like they belong to a 90 year old lady! Ever since my Neulasta shot almost three weeks ago, the joint pain seems to increase. I can't sleep more than 10 minutes on any side or my back or else I feel like a knife is being inserted in my joints. I can hardly walk and amble along with a slight limp (from my left hip pain). It's mainly in my knees and left hip. They alternate between burning and sharp pains. Then the burning and pain of the neuropathy in my feet adds to the "joy." I took Claritin when I got the shot - must not work on me. What a surprise - LOL!
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Hi Sherry - I too am having bad bone related pain. My back is killing me - I can't stand up for very long and my knees, ankles and hips are also hurting. It was tough sleeping last night. In addition, my PS gave me a fill yesterday so ,needless to say,I did not have a good sleeping night. Finally took an Ativan at 1:30 and at least I slept till 7:00. Ihave Taxol #9 tomorrow - I hope I don't feel like this for the next 4 weeks. Up till now, I was amazed at how much better I was doing compared to the A/C. But...I will push through and finish this up. As I get toward the end - I feel like everything is moving in slow motion. I think I can...I think I can...
Hugs to all
Liz
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thanks sherry, im so sorry your having trouble, you have been put through the ringer a lot!!! your my hero lady!!! i just could not understand how high my wbc was then they tanked in a week?!?!, chemo, crazy stuff!!!
I had # 10 Taxol yesterday and went to work at about 6 then came home at 9:30 then went back at 11:30 till about an hour ago, lol i hate this chemo high!!! lol. Two more to go. im so worried about blood next week, i feel so blessed to have had no side effects on the AC or taxol, though i think i felt a few aches in my shin area and upper leg when i was falling asleep the other night. hmmm, no finger or toe things yet..
,I wanna thank you for all your thoughts on me taking everything out, im brca 1,2 negative,i guess im just worried, i have a pap next month and am scared of that! i hate how the Dr always says " can scoot down a little more",lol this time im gonna make sure i dont have to scoot,haha
lizzyann,yes you are right, you are behind me, are you seeing the end yet? im also so sorry you are having pain, 3 more, then you will be done!!!! keep pushing through it,
hello ladies T, Latte,kitty,dmom,jfv,ect,toni,skd,carrol, grney,bon ok i know i missed some sisters, im sorry, chemo brain and i think im coming down now,haha, oh yeah!! while at work the other day i leaned over and my fake boob fell out of my bra,haha, there was a cute man watching, how funny, i just picked it up and said hello and walked away, lol on my... well im happy to say that i have got about 12 ladies to go get mammos, im thrilled about that! i also have been taking warm meals to a 32 year old woman with 3 kids who has colen cancer. (met her at chemo) i feel good about that!
love to all Chey
think ill take an Ativan
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Chey--Oh my! lol! Glad you could laugh about the boob falling out! And that is so great that you are helping others!
Those of you having bad pain from Taxol or Taxotere, if the pain isn't controlled with Tylenol or ibuprofen, ask your doc for stronger meds. I had the dd Taxol and the pain was terrible, but percoset made it bearable. Also, sleeping in the recliner hurt my legs and hips less than laying flat in the the bed. Sorry some of you are still suffering so much!
Sherry--Glad you were able to get away and have some fun! We all need that now and then.
Latte--My rad onc said they like to start rads 2-3 weeks after chemo, but he didn't really say why. I would definitely ask your rad onc when you should start, I think he'd be the best one to give you a good answer on that. Good luck with it all. I probably won't do any recon until next summer. I've heard you should wait 6 months after rads, plus I have the summers off. I haven't met with a ps yet, but rad onc said I probably won't be able to do implants after rads, but I can do some sort of flap.
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To all the ladies still doing chemo. Hang in there, we are rooting for you.
Sherry, are you doing the FEC or still considering stopping? I have finnished 7 rads, 23 more to go. Just a little chest heavyness now and then but no other S/E. Piece of cake so far. It sucks being away from home for 6 1/2 weeks.
Chey I had terrible leg pain with the taxols. Percocet did the trick. No sense in suffering more than you have too.
Love and Hugs, Mimi
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Sherry - just remembered that TX means Texas - otherwise your msg didn't make a lot of sense - having fun during a chemo tx and finding it peaceful :-)))
tmarina - thanks for the info about rads. the problem is that I don't have a rads onc - it doesn't seem to work that way here. I am supposed to go back to my regular onc 10 days after surgery, and she gives me a referral to the rads onc at that point, and then within the following 2 weeks I am supposed to meet with the rads onc, get rads set up and started. but I am getting my port removed this week (it's been broken for a while and they told me to get it out asap after chemo ends), and i am going to be in the same building as rads, so i will pop-in and speak to them and see if i can meet with a rads onc already.
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Hi Everyone, sorry I've been MIA for a few days. The Rads appointments are going fine, with the exception of the delays. This week hasn't been quite as delayed, on time yesterday and only 1 hour late today. I met with my wonderful RadsOnc yesterday. I told him that it was a good thing he was so smart, funny and entertaining to make up for the delays. He did reassure me that I was on the absolute state of the art machine, just installed last year for $50 million. Jeez!!! So far, no real SE, a little itchiness and shooting pains, sort of cramps. My RO prefers Aquaphor only. Because I complained that it feels like book paste and is sticky, he is allowing Aloe (from a plant only without additives) and Calendula cream by Boiron. So far, so good.
cheyenna-You are giving me a good LOL! Oh I wonder what that fellow thought as you tucked your boob back in place! Good for you helping another cancer sister out with some meals. I know even the smallest gestures felt like a HUGE gift to me.
Bon- How are you doing after that hornet stung you?
Tina- Did you start with your rads? I know this must be difficult the second time around. I'll keep you in my prayers. -
Designermom--Yep, I started rads yesterday. I was really NOT looking forward to it, but now that it's started I don't mind it much. But thanks for the prayers! The worst part so far is the drive into the city in rush hour traffic. Eventually my appts. will be a little later, right after rush hour. My rads onc told me to use pure aloe now, and then switch to Aquaphor when the skin starts getting red. I realized today that wearing a bra might become difficult--but being a "uni" I can't go without! I hope it doesn't get that bad!
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Today is a HAPPY day for me. Was scheduled for my 2nd FEC tx and saw onc first. He was out of town two weeks ago when I was so sick and I figured I would have to catch him up. I had my speech all prepared to support my decision to stop chemo. When he walked into the exam room, he walked right up to me and took my hand and said, "I'm really very sorry." He already knew about my chemo reaction. Before I could even start on my well-rehearsed speech about stopping chemo, he told me that he felt like I had received about 95% of the benefit from chemo and he was not going to put me through any more just to get five more percent. So, I'm done with chemo - YAY! ! ! ! ! ! Now it's on to radiation. I meet with the RO next week. So now I've got to read up on radiation and what I need to do to prepare, etc.
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LOL, Chey, about the "scoot on down" part. I had forgotten that very famous phrase! And to have your fake boob fall out - oh my! I'm sorry for that embarrasing moment, but it's nice to have a little comedy on this horrific cancer journey.
Tina - can you NEVER have an implant after radiation or do you have to wait a while? Was that meant just for you, or does that apply to everyone. I'm asking because I'm still considering either a mx or bmx.
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Sherry--> My rad onc made it sound like no one can have an implant after radiation, becaue of how radiation changes the skin. I know some women start the implant process (with TEs) before rads, but some of them run into problems with that. I would have to do one of the flap types of recon. But I haven't asked a PS yet--there might be more options. It was suggested to me that I see a PS before rads, but I never got around to it. You might want to do that though, so you know your options. There are probably others here that know more about this too.
and YAY!!!!!! for no more chemo!! I'm so glad the doc confirmed what you already felt was the right thing to do!
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Latte: I am also having surgery post-chemo - next week - similar to you - a lumpectomy behind the nipple. They are hoing to conserve the breast. Then I will have radiation. I met the rad onc about 2 weeks ago and no one seemed concerned about the delay. In general, they like to get the surgery done 4-6 weeks once chemo is done. Then they wait a couple weeks to start the rads. So I wouldn't sweat the delay. I would however, try to have a meeting with the rad onc, just to get the process started, and to make sure you get someone that you like. Hope your surgery goes well - will let you know how mine goes.
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Tina- I know what you mean about needing to wear a bra. These girls look like two cats fighting under a t-shirt if I go braless! I can already see that it is going to be uncomfortable wearing a bra soon. A friend of mine got a sort of long line cami running bra and said it worked well. I bought a cross over the front support cami by Spanx. The inside seams are completely smooth, I'm hoping it will be comfortable. Being a designer, I am also chopping up one of DH's tank undershirts to see if I can make it have sort of long ties that can wrap around and under bust for support. I'll let you know if I figure it out!
Sherry- Oh, Hallelujah! You are finished with the chemo monster. I can't speak to all the statistics and 95% benefit. All I know is that your chemo kicked your butt harder than ANY. To me that means it kicked your cancer's butt extra good! I'm so happy you are finished with it.
Finished Rads #6 today. Two days in a row with little delay. Whoo hoo! Just some itchiness and heaviness so far. I feel a little tired now, but that might be because I walked the 40 blocks to Rads! I'm trying to walk at least 30 minutes every day as they say it helps with the fatigue.
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Hi All- I am at my half way point in rads. It feels good. Skin is a little irritated and my guess is that my foobs and skin are shrinking. I have developed a tightness that comes and goes. I also had the same feeling post surgery for awhile. I tell my husband it feels like my boobs are in labor and having contractions. But, since I am also back to work and not stretching or exercising as much it could be that fatigue and poor psoture are causing my problems. . I am also very tired when I get home and don't do much after work. I am very lucky my husband is so good around the house and my kids are independent.
Sherry- so glad you are done with chemo!
Chey you crack me up. So do you Dmom with your two cats imagery. I just keep telling everyone I'll have the perkiest boobs in the nursing home.
Tmarina- Glad you got over the rads nerves.
I am praying that we will all beat this thing 100% and come out of this better than ever.
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sherry, yea!!!!!! no more chemo!!!! im sooooooooooooooo happy for you!!!
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I FINISHED CHEMO TODAY! (Wednesay - I'm posting late) Taxol #12 is DONE!!! 16 rounds total of AC/T, 20 weeks of good and bad days! I still have to do rads, but glad I'm past chemo.
I met with my onco today. They willl run labs and watch my blood counts for the next few weeks. I have my CT scan/simulations/tattoos for rads next Tuesday and I am supposed to start on Nov 17th I should be finished by the 1st week of January. Woo Hoo!!! My onco said I could get my ooph/hyst within the next 6 months. I'm thinking late February or March would be a good time to do it. Of course, that all depends on the clear cyst that is still there.
I have an appt with my dermatologist on the 10th to check moles again. I don't see anything suspicious, but I'll definitely take whatever they think looks suspicious. And I get my labs and see my obgyn on the same day (for yearly exam). My onco said they are going to closely monitor me after this is all done - like every 3 months. She wants me to have a breast MRI at this specialist that only does breast MRI's. I was going to ask her about doing scans at my next appt (it was crazy busy at the onco's office today). She said I could eat lettuce in 2 weeks. Yay salads!!! Also, I can color my hair (I have a full head of mostly gray hair that's about 1 inch long). it's very wavy looking and flat on my head!
I hope everyone is doing okay. I had to get a Nuelasta shot today because my WBC dropped to a 2 from a 7 last week - Yikes! I'm probably doing too much. My onco said it's probably the chemo from being on it this long. Who knows! I'm going to my cousin's wedding this weekend and will sleep in the car on the way over to Fresno!
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I forgot to mention that I've also had some bone, hip and mostly knee pains. Any pain makes me worry so! Also, have any of you had the flu shot? I was talking to the nurse about it today and meant to ask my onco about it. It was super busy so I forgot to ask her.
There was an older gentleman that had some issues in the chemo suite today. The doctors and nurses rushed over to take care of him. The EMT's arrived and took him to the hospital. It was pretty scary. I heard later that he has lung cancer. Even though a lot of the patients there have breast cancer (my onco specializes in BC), I've see a few lung cancer patients and it's not pretty!
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Sherry and Kittycat - yay on being done!! congrats to both of you for getting through this phase and onto the next.
Sherry- I understand that in most cases you CANNOT get implants after rads, because the skin is too compromised to be able to hold them. getting TEs before rads and then exchange after is OK (but can still have problems with the implants). I have read on BCOrg of a few people who successfully got implants after rads, but I think they are the exception to the rule. I suggest you look at the NOLA in September thread for info from women undergoing different types of flap recon instead.
Toni - thanks for the info and good luck for the surgery. pls keep us informed. i am scheduled for nov. 14.
And now, my good news! Got my MRI results today - no sign of any tumor or any problems in the lymph nodes!! I know that MRIs only catch things over .5cm, but I'm still really excited that the chemo worked so well :-) I also made decisions about surgery - i'm going to have a lumpectomy and they will try to save the nipple, plus a sentinal node biopsy. If i still want to have a BMX and recon in a year or two (I'm BRCA1+) then I will deal with that then.
I got the MRI news while I was out, and I couldn't wait to get home and be able to tell all of you :-)
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Kittycat--CONGRATS on finishing chemo!!!
Latte--Happy to hear good news from the MRI!! And I'm sure you're glad to have a plan in place for surgery.
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Sherry and Kittycat, I am so glad for you finnishing chemo. Sherry, like you I didn't "get it all" but I did the best I could.
Latte, good news on the MRI. We will be thinking of you on Nov. 14 and wishing you the best of luck.
9 rads down, 21 to go. So far no skin problems. My arm is starting to swell but no one seems concerned except me! I have cording and nerve pain (started just before rads) that doesn't seem to be getting better with exercise. I am away from home for treatment so can not get in to see my PT from home. Any suggestions?
Love and Hugs, Mimi
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Hi Mimi
My PT is massaging and pushing on my chords tying to get them back into place. She is also just gently stretching that arm up and around. I'm hoping that I get some relief before I start the rads in December as I know I will have to be in that arm up position. Talk to your PT - maybe she can send you some advice via email. I know my PT is always referring to things she received at some recent conferences. Hope it feels better - tough to be so far from home.
Liz
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mimi, I noticed I was having some swelling on my node dissection side after strating rads. I have been sleeping with that arm elevated on a pillow and it is helping. You could try that and see if it helps.
The Rad Therapy Center where I am is not good about addressing anything going on with you other than really bad skin issues so maybe your Center is the same way. I have had several problems during treatment related to my surgery and I have had to really insist that they address the issues so maybe you could be insistent.
One of the Rad Oncs actually had the nerve to tell me to just relax and quit looking at my scars and chest for problems. I wanted to tell him what an idiot he was because if I had not found my cancer myself I would still be undiagnosed(Feb. 2010 Mammo was negative and 4/2010 I found my invasive cancer that was 3.5cms and 5 positive nodes). Sometimes I have to wonder how these Dr's ever graduate and who teaches them bedside manners. I am a firm believer in patients being proactive not reactive. I have had too many times that if I had not been persistent my health would have been severely compromised. Good luck with all and hope that swelling and arm problems get better. Hugs, Ginny
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kittycat- Whoo HOO! You did it! I am so proud of you. You have been such a positive, funny inspiration to me. I am doing a terrrific happy dance for you!
latte- Great news on your MRI results. I will be thinking and praying for you during this next phase.
mimi- I don't like the news that your arm is swelling. I would not accept the hospital employee's opinion that it is nothing. Are they lymphedema specialists?? I think you need to ask for a lymphedema consult. I don't know much about LE, but I think once it swells up, it is very difficult to reverse. Quick intervention with massage and I think a compression sleeve is important. Perhaps go to the Lymphedema thread and talk to those ladies. They know SO much. Best of luck
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