Starting Chemo Feb 2010?

Lindee - Noooooo, not the eyelashes again. You are my barometer since you've been a few weeks ahead of me throughout chemo,radiation and hair growth. I, too, read that it could happen and I swear I just noticed a few fallen eyelashes on my cheek. I still have my heavy duty eyeliner and eyebrow pencil, just in case. I stopped wearing my wig 10/8 and my hair is coming in thick but unruly. Not really curly, but wavy and sticking up all over the place. I do not like it but I like how easy short hair is. Every time I start to complain about my hair, I remember that it wasn't long ago that I had no hair, eyelashes or eyebrows and then I'm thankful for my own hair, regardless of the non-style. Sorry to hear about AWS, but it's good you are on top of it. Take care of yourself, Gina

hey there everyone--just checking in.  kind of pinked out, as i can tell are others.  oddly emotional lately & not liking it much. 

as the hair slowly comes in i realize  these many years of hating my hair was not an indication of personal lack of talent with styling...i truly have the hair growth pattern from hell.  no wonder it always looked so messy.  could be in hats quite awhile.  and it is thin to boot.  ugh... as are the eyelashes in spite of the latisse.  but at least it is coming back.

getting ready to head for arizona for the winter--looking forward to being warm.  burly--any hints on clothing to bring would be appreciated.

dh suprised me with a brand new 5th wheel--my 'done with chemo & radiation' gift.  he says life is too short, why not enjoy a new one.  how sweet is that.

been baking & reading like a fiend...

ta ta

Hellooo ladies, been a little while.

Grdnslve-layers!  I'm still wearing flip flops with my jeans, and usually a t-shirt with a light sweater.  It's pretty cold at night, so that calls for a long-sleeve tee, sweater and actual shoes-SIGH.  A new 5th wheel?  Very cool!  Sounds like you'll be riding and staying in comfort.

Did I tell you all I got a new Camaro as my "made it through cancer and chemo", anniversary and brithday gift?  Wow, quite the car.  I feel very spoiled.

Got new boobs again on Tuesday-I am officially a 36D and loving it, except for now I have to wear a real bra.  SIGH.  The new year will bring nipples and tatts, which I'm really looking forward to.

My eyelashes are looking pretty good, eyebrows are full as ever, and the hair is getting there.  Still very thin on top, but the sides and back are super thick like my hair was before.  It will be a while before I go completely wigless.  It's also a mousy brown color, with tons of gray.  As soon as it's long enough, I'm going to color it something funky.  The benefits of working at a hair salon.

I turned 40 on Monday, and am feeling great!  So thankful to be alive and well.  Big birthday bash for me tomorrow night-I stopped taking the Vicodin yesterday so I can get good and drunk.  What the heck, right?

Hi - congrats, Kim - happy birthday - hope you can move forward into your forties and put all this stuff behind you! 

Gina - I am anxious about my first mammo, which is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, as well.  I never was before all this stuff and now I'm somewhat freaking out - this weird image of them popping my boob because it feels so not normal still keeps coming to my mind!  I know that won't happen but I'm very anxious about the entire procedure.  Keep in touch and let us know how you make out.

Mo 

Hi ladies.. I already had my Mammo in Sept.. and guess what??  Started with an almost 5 cm tumor.. and I'm now clean..  Now just thinking about whether to have surgery or not.. in my case it's "UP TO ME!!" ugh.. there is always something..

hey kim--happy b-day & congrats on the car!!!!   we all deserve to be spoiled.

we are in the middle of a snow storm, so are stuck here - hope one day to actually get to arizona...

happy thanksgiving to all--i'm feeling pretty abused right now, so no celebrating for me.  the dog keeps wanting to go out, but won't 'go' in the snow...yea.....

got to see my daughters wedding dress yesterday...lovely!   they finally picked a venue & date, so if i don't kill myself over the weather, the wedding should be wonderful.

ta ta

Hey lindee629! I was dx'd Jan 2010 - not far behind you, so I was wondering the same thing. What's going on with your arm? I went into a full middle of the night panic yesterday - the side I had my lump/SNB on is still sore, and armpit and inner arm area bugging me this week.  I've been reading up - doesn't look like full out lymphedema and I've not been stretching like I have been... and I"ve been on a major caffeine-o-rama kick recently -- none of these things are good to keep your lymphatic fluids going.  I had surgery end of July so I shouldn't be surprised I still feel pains here and there, but my mind can't help but wander into scary waters sometimes. 

Hello ladies!  Thanks for the birthday wishes.  I had an awesome party that took me a day to recover from...heh heh.  We won't tell the oncologist about all the alcohol I consumed.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!  I know we all have a lot to be thankful for this year.

By this time last year I had found the lump, and was waiting for my diagnostic mammo.  My actual diagnosis date wasn't until December 17th, but I knew it was cancer already.

I was hoping I would have enough hair to go wigless by Christmas, but that's definitely not the case.  It's still very thin on top, with a bald spot on top right where men get them (weird!)  Maybe in a couple of months I'll have enough to have a short pixie cut like Halle Berry at her shortest.  I've already picked out a purplish/red to dye it for fun  lol

I'm glad to see so many of us are still here-it's comforting to come to a place where everyone knows your name and story.

Have a great weekend ladies!

Hi Mo,

I'm checking back in after almost two months away. Wow, time flies. Yes, I have hip aches and pains, although to be fair they were starting before chemo. I think it's arthritis made a little worse by what I went through. If I get a lot of exercise they get pretty achy at night-- I have to flip from side to side while sleeping.

My cancer anniversary passed a while ago-- Oct. 29. Still getting Herceptin-- treatment tomorrow, and after that, just two more. Port out in late January!

Still no haircut, and no need to blowdry, but I do put "product" on it now. It came back the same color as before, not too gray, and not very curly, but now that it's an inch or two long, some wave is appearing. It's actually kind of cute. I passed the looking-like-I-had-chemo stage long ago-- people just assume I cut my hair super short.

My eyelashes are coming in, but here's what's strange-- my eyebrows started getting fuller, and now they're thinning again! What's up with that? I'm back having to beef them up a bit.

I have spent almost no time worrying about cancer... have been very busy with my business, my family, my life, and helping a couple of other women going through this. But I must say I was shaken today by Elizabeth Edwards' death. She was a fairly early diagnosis girl. It's scary.

Thinking of you all. I hope Michele is doing all right.

Colleen 

I'm glad to see everyone sticking with the board too. I don't post as much as I probably should, but I love reading how everyone is doing.

I was shaken by Elizabeth Edwards' death also and I'm glad it's being discussed here because I'm not sure how to talk to my husband about how it frightened me even more than when I was diagnosed almost a year ago.

Colleen and lindee629 - I've got a killer short do now. It's come in thicker and much softer than before, but with a bit more grey. It's driving my daughter crazy and is urging me to get a rinse quick! I've had ladies come up to me and say they wish they had the guts to take the plunge and do a short haircut. Before bc, I had wished I had the guts to do it too and now here I am!

Colleen - my eyebrows did the exact same thing. They are pretty thin right now so I just keep filling them in as best I can. I have eyelashes again though. They're sparse and not very long - but they never were to begin with.

Take care, ladies! Praying that Michele is doing alright.

Crystal

I'm in that "this time last year" mode, too.  I found out the day of my work Christmas party last year.  At the eye doc today, he shared his cancer experiences with me.  Yesterday, I learned of another friend who has been recently dx with bc and will have surgery next week.  And like you all, the news of Elizabeth Edwards' death saddened me greatly.  Sometimes it seems cancer is everywhere.

I have a mess of curls that is now long enough to style.  After showering, I spray on some de-curl product, then blowdry while holding each section straight, then use the flat iron, then try to spike my results with goop.  When I'm patient, it all turns out pretty well

My arm on my affected side bothers me on occasion.  My rad onc wants me to wear a sleeve when flying.  He couldn't see any change, but felt it better to treat as le risk.  The stiff, achy hands, especially in the morning, still bother me.

I'm trying to strike the right tone in this year's holiday letter.  Don't want pity, but don't want to trivialize the past year's experiences, either.

Looking forward to the holidays and my DS's arrival home from college.  As for your question, CinD, I'm beyond the period problem, but my "puppy" (now 1 year old) picked now for her first cycle.  Poor thing hates her panties.

Cindy, I haven't gotten my period back. Last one was about a month after diagnosis (10/29, a day that will live in infamy). I had been on the pill for forever, in part because of fibroids; I stopped taking it not long after diagnosis, had a period, and that was it. I was just in chemo lite yesterday (I still go for Herceptin and Avastin every three weeks) and asked about it, since I'm also on Tamoxifen, and was told I'll have two years of Tamox, then tests to see if I really am in full menopause. I sure seem to be-- I was in process, but the combination of cancer stress and chemo seems to have sealed teh deal.

Oh, and I'm 52.

 I identify with the visibly aging thing, too! The good news is I'm thinner post-chemo, and I've kept it off (weight has always been an issue for me), but the chubbier face does keep one looking younger.

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who's been a little freaked with Elizabeth Edwards' death. I really am quite positive most of the time. I don't feel like I can talk much about it, certainly not to my family. I said a little something to my 17-year-old daughter at dinner last night and quickly stopped. I don't want to scare them again.

But it is scary. We were just at a memorial for a friend who battled lymphoma for ten years. Started when our girls were 10 (my older girl, who's now 20). He beat it once and he beat it twice, but the third time it returned he couldn't beat it.

That said, I have met tons of women who've lived long and happy lives post-cancer, and that will be the case for most of us.

Anyway, good luck with all the worries and frets...

Oh so many comments to reply to...

Hair-still only 1/4 to 1/2 inch all over with a small bald spot on top of my head.  I'm a little frustrated considering my last treatment was July 15th, and so many of you seem to have a lot more hair than me.  Same thing at my PS office-they all have lots of hair.

Um, my right arm hurts when I raise it above my head to put on a shirt or something.  I also have gotten used to it, but haven't asked about it.  I'm not worried, just annoyed.

Eyebrows are pretty much back to the same thickness, and I've had them waxed once.  Now I just pluck daily.  Eyelashes are looking good-not as long as before, but I started using different mascara and they look pretty good.

I have definitely aged through this entire process.  My eyes look sunken, and I have large purplish circles under my eyes.  I've only gone without glasses one time to work, and they all commented that I "looked tired."  Ugh.  I'm pretty upset by it, but there's nothing I can do about it I guess.  I just turned 40, and definitely look my age without glasses.  In glasses with my t-shirt and jeans on, I think I look about 36-37.  Until I go out with my 15 year old son who is now my same height!

My baby turns 11 today-time flies.  She's turning out to be a real pistol, kind of like a combination between my husband and I.

I too was very shocked by Elizabeth Edward's death.  I will admit it does scare me.  As I sit here drinking a beer, and thinking about the candy I ate last night.  Do I go in to the oncologist with a lengthy list of questions about what I should and should not eat and drink, or do I just live my life?  I don't want to live every day scared about what I put in my mouth.  Humpf.

I'm glad a lot of us are still posting and keeping everyone updated.  I'm very thankful for all of you!

Hi, everyone - have to say I love seeing notes from the board coming into my inbox.  I feel very connected to all of you and it gives me solace to be able to read the same thoughts I'm having from all of you!  Makes me realize I'm not crazy.  But, just to make sure, I've started seeing a wonderful therapist who is helping me put all of the past few years in perspective - lots of dying and medical stuff going on and I realized I had to get some help to sort it all out, rather than worrying all the time about everything.  It's been a godsend, I have to say, and she's really hit on some things in my past which I didn't even realize I was still carrying around - much to my detriment.  Never had therapy before and actually didn't realize it could be so powerful.  Hope you're all doing great things and have fabulous plans for the holidays.  Oh, yes, I think I am crazy - we're having thirty some people here for dinner on Christmas!  Take care and hugs to all!  Mo