Calling all ladies in their 20's

Wow, so nice to find this group.  It has definitely been difficult to deal with the "You're so young" comment from everyone including medical staff.  I can relate in some ways with other patients I've met, but they all tend to be 20+ years older than me.  I finished chemo in Nov. and just finished radiation.  I go back for a consult with my oncologist this week.

I do have a question.  Anyone having major issues with their nails pulling away/numbness in their fingers?  I'm thinking it is a delayed effect from Taxotere, but I'm also on Herceptin.

 Thanks so much!

Smile on-

Yes i def had nail issues and the tingling (nuropathy). I actually just found out monday that i will NOT be getting the last dos of chemo due to the tingling in my fingers nad toes. More than likely its the taxotere- be sure to mention this to your dr as it can be a lasting side effect if over exposed to the drug... (my dr actually said fingers crossed when it came to the numbness and tingling going away LOL)

Basically thats an update with me- no more chemo, still getting herceptin and zometa (i think). Going to meet with the surgeon soon...

Thanks dancerme and texasrose.  I visited my onc today and he said the cold weather makes the neuropathy worse so it wasn't so strange that I didn't notice it right during chemo but a few weeks after my last Taxotere when the temps started dropping outside.  He said I should probablly notice it getting better in spring.  He did mention that sometimes it is permanent, but since mine is mild and showed up late he thinks I'll be okay.

I am 28 now was 27 when I first noticed a lump. Thought I was way to young to be worried about it. My husband talked me into going to have it checked out. My gynecologist did an ultrasound and said it didnt look like anything to be worried about and that it looked like a calcium deposit. He decided to do a biopsy just to be on the safe side. I went in and had the lumpectomy which I chose to stay fully awake for all they used was lidocaine to numb me. Surgery went great I went home as soon as it was over and waited for a phone call. I got it on Monday May 10, 2010, I'll never forget that date for as long as I live. I made an appointment with a surgeon that afternoon. I went in for a bilateral mastectomy on June 9 and came home the next day. I didnt have insurance so they wouldnt do the reconstructive surgery then. The doctor told me to come back after treatments were done and he would do the surgery then if I had the money to pay for it up front. I have a son and moved closer to home so I would have help with him and started TAC on his birthday in July. I was really tired and depressed but I never got a chance to really cry because I am the strong one in the family and have to be there for everyone else when they need to break down. I finished chemo in October and am almost done with radiation. My hair is growing back really fast. My eyebrows and eyelashes took some time but they are getting thicker. I'm so glad I found this site. I just wish I could've found it sooner. I had an MRI last month and nothing showed up and so far I am cancer free and hoping to stay that way. I meet other breast cancer patients at the hospital and they try to help but I'm way younger than them and I'm standing there politely smiling and listening but thinking the whole time how can you possibly know what I'm going through you're twenty or thirty years older than me. I hope noone thinks that I sound selfish or just plain hateful. I just started the Tamoxifen three days ago and was wondering if anyone else was on it and if the sound of a mans voice drove them crazy. I tell my husband not to talk to me because the sound of his voice makes me really mad and I dont know why because he and my son have been my support system and have helped me so much. When the smell of food made me sick on chemo they would put me in bed and cook a full meal on the grill so I didnt have to smell the food cooking. I feel really bad that I am being so mean to my husband but I cant help it. Can anyone relate?

footballmom: I know how you feel. I started the Tamoxifen back in Oct and definitely have had my fair share of mood swings. My bf has been great all throughout my diagnosis, but sometimes he just drives me crazy, for no apparent reason. I don't want him to touch me, I don't want him to breathe on me, don't want to cuddle - nothing. It went like that for about a month...but then it started getting better. I finally got my period, and that made me feel a lot better. I don't know if it's the Tamoxifen or not...b/c I definitely still get irritated, but I have noticed it lessen some. And you don't sound selfish or hateful, I think everyone in here can relate to being the youngest in the waiting room, and having every doctor/tech/nurse comment on how young you are.  

i kinow it suxs they took my breast 17 days before our wedding , im 27.

looking back now i wish they took them both, you can get new ones its not a big deal (well to me its not) and after speaking to woman , who yes are older than us who have had problems with lumps just being removed, im glad i let them take it .

as now im just scard it will come back in the other one and i dont ever want to have to have bloody chemo again ..

and hey i will get new ones that will look way nice'r than the old ones im going to get them to remove the other one and replace it with a fake one , coz if its not real it cant get sick...

cross fingers

all the best and luck liz

Liz made compleate sense

I am done with chemo and i am hoping that the nail prob would go away and my hair would grow back!

I see the surgeon THUR for an eval before scheduling any surgery!

How many rounds will you be getting?

Some women chose to get it just through an IV but sometimes their viens give out or burn. 1 gal that did chemo at hte same time of me chose not to have a port and her veins went out and she then had to get one implanted while she was at her worst feeling wise cuz the chemo SE...

Let me know how Zumba goes- i want to try it cuz it looks so fun!

I too was diagnosed at 29 years old in April 2010. I did neoadjuvent chemo. I had 4 cycles of AC, and then 12 Taxol treatments weekly. The Taxol was definitely easier for me than the AC treatments. Yes they do say that your nails can start to lift but that didn't happen to me, they did get a little sore however.

I too was absolutely terrified of the mastectomy. But I can tell you that my own experience was that the anticipation was 100 times worse than the actual surgery. I was actually a little relieved that it was fnally over. Next step is radiation-Tamoxifen-Leupron-Zometa I'm hoping for the best, but I'm a nervous wreck.

My diagnosis was ER+, 8cm, Lobular, 12/21 nodes

I am 28 years old and dx with tnbc on Dec. 2, 2010.  I found the lump while breastfeeding my 2 month old baby.  Everyone told me I was too young to have breast cancer.  I am so tired of hearing that and I hate the sad looks people give me when they find out I have it.  I have felt a mix of emotions, depending on the day.  Some days I can laugh when my 3 year old puts on my wig and some days I'm up all night crying bc I can't help but think the worst.  I am incrediably lucky to have had 2 little girls before the dx.  I have a wonderful husband and support system but they don't really know how I feel or what it's like to be so young and not know what will happen.  I started chemo Jan. 7, 2011.  I go tomorrow for my 3rd of 12 taxol.  After that I will do AC X 4.  So far I haven't lost any hair or had any sickness or fatigue.  I know everyone is different but when should I expect to loose my hair?  I pumped myself up for it and nothing has happened.  I am also waiting on the results of my BRCA test to come back.  If I test positive for that I will have a double mascetomy and hystorectomy.  I am so glad that I found this thread because I finally feel that I can relate to other women who understand my fears...

maltomlin - thanks for sharing that about your MIL!!  I was diagnosed Sept 09, at the age of 29 also.  I completed chemo, lumpectectomy and rads and currently on tamoxifen and trying to put it all behind me.  I love hearing positive stories like this one!

jcoutee - I did TC (taxotere & cyclophosphamide) x 4.  My hair started falling out around day 15 or 16, slowly at first, then in clumps.  I always knew what section of hair was going to fall out because my scalp got really tight and painful for the 24 hours prior to falling out.  Best of luck with everything....

I had that too, it went away after a while.  Now I forget they are there...just some mis-colored freckles.

 I definitely thought it was odd when they tattooed b/c I could feel it in some places & not in others (still numb in many areas on my chest/sides).  It was my 1st tattoo experience.

I think we all have had little emotional meltdowns!

Its sorta the straw that breaks the camels back- the thing htat set us off isnt as important on its own, but added to EVERYTHING else its huge!