Taxotere is a nightmare

That's Brutus and Napoleon.  They have been so great through this whole thing....I think they are going to go into "nap time withdrawal" when I head back to work LOL! They are about 25 lbs each I think.

Those are small lions.

I miss my kitty - we had to put him down in Feb '10.  I had him for 17 years and he was a permanent lap fixture. I have missed him so much during the last few months.  Now my DD's 45 lb. dog is trying to be the lap cat.  Especially this morning at 4:30 when we were having tornadoes, hail and ridiculous rain.  He is not very brave, but he is exceptionally cute.

marjie, them looks like tigers!  lol

They are not "lift up and cuddle" cats so they were NOT impressed with me, hahaha.

Hi Fighter 34, I am eating ground flax seed in my greek yogurt daily. it really helps with hot flashes. I started having them in my early 30's around my monthly and it takes a week or 2 to start working but you have to be diligent about eating it. I buy it at Trader Joe's and sprinkle a teaspoon in my yogurt and maybe another in a Pb& J throughout the day. I was having them bad right after my Bi Lat MX, so I think all the meds and anesthesia plus not eating flax really sent me into a tizzy and once I resumed eating it they subsided. Good Luck

I used to make a pot of oatmeal with ground flax seed, nonfat dried milk, and raisins at the beginning of the week so it is easy to get the flax in and keep a better protein intake for breakfast.  Thanks for reminding me about the flax and hot flashes - am going to make some for next week - am needing some relief!  I like the texture of steel cut oats, which take longer to cook, and I have always hated cleaning up after cooking oatmeal, but the flax seed has enough oil in it that the whole thing sort of slides out of the pan and is MUCH easier to clean up!  And I make enough for 4-5 servings, put it in individual serving containers in the fridge, gets my morning off to an organized start!

Hi Ladies I wanted to add that Flax with Omega 3 is Natures Blood Thinner so if you are having surgery of any kind please stop eating the Flax 2 weeks prior to Surgery and as always let your doctors know of any supplements you are taking. I am currently taking , flax with omega 3 ,Iron, calcium , Vitamin B 6 & 12, L glutamine , L carnitine, vitamin E, Vitamin D3 and Pro Biotics my onc is ok as none intereferes with my TC & H regimen. but I hear some one's are against supplements of any kind.

coni, way to go! hang in there a little longer!  it takes a while to feel "normal" again, but I have been assured over and over it happens, and FINALLY am feeling like it just might happen! I finished in December, trying to stay patient with myself, and am getting stronger and more feisty every day! 

omaz, did I see you on the tamoxifen thread? I started it in January, took it for 6 weeks, stopped due to SEs, but had the discussion with my MO on Monday about starting again.  Am very nervous about it, but think I may begin again on Sunday at low dose.   I will join the tamoxifen discussion again if I do. Those ladies do seem to have a lot of fun!

Marjie, good luck with the flax seed - yes it needs to be ground as far as I know for human digestion. It is supposed to be anti-inflammatory and good for joint pains as well as for cardiovascular health and hot flashes.  I tried flax oil on recommendation from a friend, but it gets rancid really easily, and is quite nasty in salad dressings. And some of the cold cereals with flax also have a strong flavor that I don't like, but the ground seed in oatmeal or muffins seems to be much easier to tolerate for me and my super-senstive smell and taste biases.

luan, I like your new profile!

Saw my hair dresser today for advice on color and style.  I am growing out as a reverse skunk, very white from temple to behind ear, very salt/pepper with predominance of pepper above ears and all the way back.  Who would have known?  I haven't seen my "real" hair color in over 30 years!!!! I am hoping to ditch the wig by Easter if it continues to grow as rapidly as it has over the past month.

Omaz,

I've read Tamox is best with food

Luan, you are right about the confusion about phytoestrogens.  I went to a talk by a PhD researcher who found that Chinese American women who ate lots of tofu had lower breast cancer rates.  The same is NOT true for those using soy supplements.  So I am beginning to think "whole foods" that have minimal processing, minimal additives, and avoiding supplements may be the best way to go.  I started using flax seeds in cooking a couple of years ago to help with high cholesterol and joint problems, both of which seemed to respond fairly well. So I am also confused about the long-term relationship with what we eat and cancer risk.  Seems one is "damned if you do, damned if you don't."

By the way, I suspect you are a beautiful caterpillar right now. One visualization I have is how the caterpillars change in the cocoon, they are completely absorbed and reorganized, which must be a very stressful time for them, much like all the surgery and treatments are for breast cancer survivors.  We have beauty within us, even as some of the caterpillars are the most beautiful creatures, and we will become more beautiful yet. 

I love this image of caterpillar, crysalis, and monarch butterfly. What a beautiful transformation!

Luan - no, they are just cats.  The fluffier one who we still refer to as "the kitten" or "the baby", lol, has a lot of characteristics of a maine coone though.