May 2010 Chemo

Afternoon guys.  Yikes, I'm starting to get nervous for surgery!  I just had a patient orientation at the hospital...and am feeling a little overwhelmed.  My surgery is 2 1/2 hours, with no reconstruction - just cutting and sewing!  The nurses were really nice, and couldn't believe how much I already knew about what to expect - I thank you guys!  I'm really hoping to get rid of this darn cold before then though.  I sneaked into my school last Thursday to visit my drama students during lunch, it was great but I ended up with a cold!  Darn chemo and no immunity  

 So, I do have a question for everyone though...I'm not a petite gal in the chest department.  Does anyone have suggestions for what to wear that gives some sort of support to the other side?  I'm the type who has a good bra on ALL the time (well except while I'm sleeping) so I'm nervous about being able to go without.  Especially if I'm supposed to go walking.  My back will kill me!

Any advice would be great!  Thanks, Jenn 

Hello ladies,

My cold is almost gone. Almost, lol. Whatever fatigue I might still have is all from the Arimidex (or so says my oncologist).

I had the appointment with him on the 1st (yesterday). Apparently I am doing awesome, healing nice after my last surgery, and I'm to see him in 3 months if I dont' get any really upsetting side effects from the Arimidex. 3 MONTHS! That, coupled with the 6 MONTHS for the BS! I know a lot of women once all the treatments kind of stop and the doctors' visits start getting more spaced in time they get worried and anxious. Not me! For me it means the cancer is beat for good, now I'm only recovering from the treatment - I'm sure it makes sense to you.

My eyelashes are back (till not full length but plenty of them and I can use mascara). My eyebrows are back. My hair is over 1' long. I don't even want to talk about the hair in other places coming in with a vengeance. I stopped taking Biotin two weeks ago exactly for this reason - it seems it makes hair grow everywhere. I'm still using my herbal poultice though. I'll post photos of my hair at the end of this post.

sacphotomom - you're getting there!  You're almost half done! I'd think itchy skin comes from lack of vitamin A. I'm sure you're taking D already. I'd get more fish and carrots in my diet and even try a Vit A supplement. Also, some propolis wouldn't hurt - and even an ointment based on propolis. Trips by yourself! That sounds wonderful! I think you should wait until you're done with the rads though, lol

Jenn, I'll be thinking of you for your surgery. When is it? Maybe you should look for a sturdy sports bra?

 njbhwgirl, I know how that feels. I'm a dark ash blonde as natural color, and my hair started coming in with lots of white and a big stripe of black, I looked like a badger!

Daiva, I so understand! I was the same with keeping up bu not able to get myself together to post. I will be getting an oophorectomy probably in January too. It will be a lady from the Surgical Oncology recommended by my BS - whom I trust totally.

 Laura, so good you're done with the rads! Hang on, your hair will come back like there's no tomorrow!

 Majdula, awesome news! The eyebrows and eyelashes will be back soon, I promise!

Leanna, I hope you are not in pain anymore. Make sure to ask your surgeon about when can you start stretching exercises,  otherwise you will have the "iron bra" feeling real bad. The stretching exercises are absolutely awesome to get rid of it. I am thinking to make a series of drawing with the ones I did and I have no iron bra at all - and that with a LD flap reconstruction!

 packjen - I started Arimidex and the hotflashes are still here, but by far not as bad as during chemo! You sound so busy!

Drim, so sorry I missed all of this! Seems my bio-rythm is totally messed up since I had chemo - I seem to be going to bed after midnight and wake up after 9:30 am!  Is there a recording anywhere?

paxton - remember to get on the picture forum - you'll get a much better idea of what to go for. If I woudl have to take again teh decision now - I'd go for one-step with Alloderm sling. It hurts like crazy for about a week but then no more surgeries, no more pain-killers!

Irishtess, I hope you feel better. You must be done by now. Wish your skin heals fast. 

 Redbarb, it's not fair. You are having way too much fun!

 Patricia, that is hilarious!

 Ok, I know for a fact that I did not mention everybody. But I don't want this post to become mile-long, and I also feel that I am starting to lose it lol (lingering chemo-brain, anyone?)

 So, I'll end by sending you all lots of love and many many hugs, and for the ones of you who already have their implants in place, a warning: make sure you cover them up real good when it's cold. Remember you don't have the nice layers of fat you used to have there. Otherwise you will end like I did, last winter, after taking out the trash wearing just a T-shirt - feeling like someone had plastered on your chest two frozen, wet, slimy towels. and it takes a while for them to warm back up!

Now, the photos, as I promised. That would be 3 months and 5 days after the last chemo tx and it's VERY thick. It's funny, ladies had started to stop me on the street and in stores to tell me how much they love my haircut. I DID use semi-permanent hair dye though. L'Oreal Feria. Apparently the natural "frosting" from the chemo gives it a very sophisticated look. Hilarious.

The only problem is that it's so thick that on top of the head it just sticks straight up - I looks like I have a much longer head than I really do. And it's slightly curly - which I love.

Leanna:  I am so happy for you with the good results!!!!  I know how relived you must be!!    If I knew how to do the happy face dance I would!  It brought tears to my eyes to hear that with all you've gone though there was a bright and happy light at the end of the tunnel!!

I breifly saw that some of you have the foot itching.  Mine started in my hands and feet.  As chemo continued I would get a rash that would come and go all over my body.  Of course when I went to the doc it wouldn't be there.  This has been going on since July.  The last appointment I had with my rads doc it was there.  I showed him and he said it looks like a contact rash (who knows what from) he gave me prednisone and said if it comes back to go see the family doc.  While tonight I started itching under my arm, guess what, IT"S BACK!!  So I guess I will be calling the dermotoligist.  Just what I want another doctor.  To top everything off as far as rashes go, I was at the Urgent care last night because I had about 7 spots on my stomach and since we have chicken pox going around my preschool I had to get checked.   My first thought was if I made it through surgery, chemo and radiation with hardly any side effects and then end up with the chicken pox and have to miss work I will need to start drinking to keep sane!!!  No chicken pox but now the rash is back.   Who knows. 

I have missed everyone and will try to catch up on the rest of the posts this weekend. 

Love you all and thank God every day I have you ladies in my life!!!!

Leanna - by what my BS says (and he is quite a top figure in the field) there is a certain connection between Vit D and breast cancer. And by his experience (nothing published yet) there is a certain connection beetween Vit D and recovery from mx, reconstruction and ALND - with all the SE known. And other things as well. Also, it is very important, you must take Vit D3, not the plain D or the D2. The optimal levels in our condition are 55-60 by what he says. I am taking now 2,000 UI a day.

As for the rash - and other things. I have to say again, ladies, try the propolis. It is a miracle of nature. The perfect booster for the immune system. All the supplements and plant teas I've been taking during chemo - I've talked to my oncologist and BS about them and their qualities and they  approved each and every one of them. Maybe also I'm lucky  that both of them are quite into it and knowledgeable about natural medicine.

I recently discovered a bee-keeper in my area, so I get very fresh propolis, raw and just scraped from the combs. But before I was getting it online from these people:

http://draperbee.com/catalog/page6.htm#Propolis 

They have it in pill form too if you are not inclined to prepare your own thing. The tincture would be for the rash. Also, Royal Jelly as is - is another miracle of nature.

Hurray for sprouting hair!  Mine is growing each day!  Day - yours looks great!  Jen, your twins are adorable!!!!  Have a fabulous time in Maui-you deserve it!  Barb, glad no chicken pox.  Wow, all this talk of itching, I realize the bottom of my feet itch at times.  Now that I'm walking daily, once in a while I get the urge to charge a hill and run for a bit.  I love that familiar  feeling of wellness.   Had my 11th rad tx out of 31 today.  Leanna, my onc. gave me a rx for Raioplex gel, though I'm still getting pinker by the day.  Gyn ordered transvaginal ultrasound.  Having ooph in Jan, then port removed (in and out sx).  Ok, so my gyn asked how I was doing in "sexuality" dept - she told me I should put on a blonde wig and seduce my husband.  Hilarious!  She's such a conservative quiet and warm woman - I would never have expected it.  Hehe!!!  Am going to google propolis :-)  

Barb - a Chicken Pox scare.... owww!!  Glad you are ok!!  I too have developed random rashes; but they usually have been mild and I try to not touch them and ignore them, and they have gone away... to date!  The latest is on the right side of my neck. 

Jen - Your trip to Hawaii without the girls sounds great - I'm sure you will have an awesome time!!  Thanks for the 'iron bra' defeinition; I definitely have it... just started PT yesterday, and already feelig a big difference in ROM (range of motion... not sure if that is a common acronym used on here or not), but it is still painful.  And, then I accidentally took 2 doses of valium and lortab for my 3 pm dose today and it knocked me out for about 2 hours.... I thought I was over needing to keep a log of pain med doses!  NOT!!!

Day - thank you for the D3 explanation... I swear I am only doing as well as I am doing is because of all of the tips and knowledge from everyone on here!!  Because, I certainly am not being told any of this by my docs!!! 

Magda - great news.... ultrasound is much better at seeing too!!  Can't wait to hear what they say tomorrow!!! 

Daiva - Holy crap.... someone asked you about your sex life!!  I would love to, but dang, I'm so uncomfortable from the surgery... thank God, my husband is a Saint... still hanging in there, and reminds me everyday how sexy I am, even when he had to give me a bath after my mastectomy... and he's loving the TE fills!! 

Denise - how many rads are you getting?  My rad onc today said I would get 25... not sure when yet... they have to finish my fills before they do the CT.  And, I told the doc today that I refused permanent tattoos, and she said "ok."   It was not a big deal... I was shocked... prepared for a fight!!   

As always, prayers to all!!  Leanna

I don't see my tats either and they mark over them with a marker too.  Denise, I count too :-)  Leanna, so glad you're getting PT - it took me a long time to get ROM back.  I also started yoga for recovery and found that so helpful.  D3 is talked about everywhere these days.  I heard Dr. Oz talking about it yesterday.  So weird, my D3 levels are ok (on low side) but overall D is super super low.

Denise ~My armpit feels weird - itchy and a bit sunburnt feeling.  I'm not surprised it felt hot, Denise, there's a lot going on in there.  Are you still taking D3?  Re: eyelashes - my daughter swears by Loreal's lash booster.  The one I'm using is called Double Lash (a gift).  I know for a fact that Latisse works - I know people who use it.

Theresa ~ how are your burns?   What did you do for them?

Laura ~ I still can't figure out how to wear my buff without feeling like a cancer patient (LOL).  I end up taking it off and throwing a baseball cap on. 

I had a transvaginal ultrasound yesterday and the tech mentioned a possible fibroid on my right side.  Dear God, I hope that's all it is! 

Daiva...I have started taking all my vitamins again..only thing is, its left me as a habit, so I 'm forgetting to take them    a lot!  I take a multi and extra calcium and D3...Did you have that fibroid before you started chemo..I thought chemo wouldn't let any thing grow? 

about that scarf...I have only worn my scarfs at the beginning, before I bought my hats..I too felt like THE CHEMO LADY! with the scarfs on..and I will wear them when I'm home and my head gets cold. I have never felt I looked good in hats (small head) but I liked them so much better then the scarfs...At rads I had a lady complemented me on my hat and I told her where I got it ..she told me "I cant wear hats my nose is to big!"  I thought that was kinda weird..She took off her hair and put on a really funky knitted bonnet..then told me nobody will ever see her with out anything on her head!..the three of us standing there kinda looked at each other and smiled at her, but there we all stood with our bald selves ...I had to laugh because just the other day we all said how freeing it was not to have any thing on our heads..

njbhwgirl...after reading lots on the exchange site, the gummies sound very hard..and uncomfortable.but is the silicone the ones that need to be replaced after 20 years?.Wow that would put me in my 70's...I don't think I would care if my boobs stood tall then! I have never got what causes the ripples...is it like the prostheses.  When they hang they get ripples? My surgeon said about the dog ears all they have to do is lippo them..

Today I was canceled for rads ..the machine broke down ..they call this morning ..I was actually bummed because now it will be the day before Thanksgiving that I will be done..

Kimloves  where are you? Hope you all done with rads and enjoying being back at work!

ok every one have a really good weekend..

Hello girls,

Daiva Saying a prayer that it's only fibroid indeed! I agree with Jersey, chemo does horrible things to our bodies... My feet and calves are still swolen more than 4 weeks past my last tx although I don't get as many cramps as before... Lovely story about your gyn - she probably wants you to get to some pleasurable experience after all this crap :-).

Leanna Didn't learn anything :-(. There were too many of us - the meetings with surgeons always take place on Thursdays and previous Thursday was the Day of the Republic (sort of our Independence Day) so we were twice as much.. I got another appointment though for next Tuesday. The only thing the surgeon managed to tell me was that I would have a lumpectomy and axillary node dissection. To be continued ... :-) I hope your ROM gets better and better!

Jersey Good luck with your recon!

Denise As to headwear I got used to wearing my wig in public so much, because I didn't want people to ask. Truth is I'd go commando now if it wasn't too cold for that!

Spent two marvellous days at work - we had Doors Open Days at our Institute. Several groups of schoolkids came visiting and we had great fun showing them special programmes. What was best was that I was able to be there whole Friday from 8am to 4pm and felt only little tired. My legs hurt today, but it was definitely worth it :-)!

Hugs and prayers to all you guys!

Day and NJ, I thought gummies were only available through doctors who were participating in clinical trials.  Am I wrong?

Jen

Daiva - Keeping the prayers that it is nothing more than a fibroid! 

Leanna- Don't think I know your BIL, but that is great that his is still in the Norfolk area.  It is such a great area.  My dh is going there this weekend for a boys get together.  I am glad he is getting the chance to go, since the only vacation he has had in the last year is to the hospital with me.

Jersey Good luck with your recon!

X-Ray and Denise I liked my buff wraps, I think I looked more cancer looking when I was bald so the wraps because I had them in all colors were "fun".   Now I go without most of the time, but I did get my wig cut shorter so that when I finally go back into my office next week I will be wearing it.  When I go back to the office, I want to work and not have people looking at me with my too short hair and start thinking about why I was out for so long.  I am ready to move on.

Magda - great news.... waiting on your news update!

Day - Wow - I can't believe how long your hair has gotten.  It looks great!

I have been battling post radiation burns for the last week under my arm, on my neck and down my whole breast.  About 3 days after I stopped radiation I started to blister and get very very sore.  I was so not expecting this because my skin up to that point had really handled the radiation pretty well.  I called the radiologist and they called me in a burn cream that has been very helpful.  I am still red and very sore to touch but getting better everyday.  Advil helps a lot too.  I am looking forward to my skin healing so that I can finally resume exercising. 

Have a great night! 

Laura Too bad about your burns! I hope they heal quickly. BTW about your exercising routine - did you have any problems with using your arm after lymph node removal? I'm a bit concerned, a friend told me to be careful for about 6 months after surgery, so I'd like to know more...

Day Good to know about the broad leaf plaintain! I knew it was used to make cough syrup, but I didn't know it could be used against burns too. Nature is the best doctor of all!

libraryjen: thoughts and prayers with you..Hope iti s smooth sailing.

Has anyone heard from summer? I know she drives a long distance each day to to rads.Haven't seen her here much lately.

cold day here in NJ..getting ready for cold weather

Hi guys, sorry it's been a while for me... I've been staying away from the computer for a bit.... no particular reason; just focusing on healing I guess.  I had my 2nd fill today (and, duh, forgot to ask how much)... will have one more fill on Monday, and the on to CT and find out when rads start.  I see onc tomorrow and restart herceptin.  Will ask her to go over my pathology again... she just explains things better than BS.  I have lots of questions for her too... lots of things never explained or mentioned to me like ER/PR %, D3, tumor markers....  I'll let you know if there are any new developments in my life!!   

Also cannot remember if I told you Ryan's team won the Championship football game!!  Had his victory party yesterday, and it was so cold!  The boys didn't seem to mind, but most of us parents weren't having much fun!! 

HUGS and prayers to all!!!!!!!!!!!!