Chemo June 2010

Thanks everyone for the positive wishes and prayers for my joint pain issues.  I am trying to stay positive. DMom, that is very sad news about the staff person at your BS office.  It's like a gut punch every time I hear about another loss from this horrible disease.  I have never hated anything so much in my life. 

I have my first LE therapy appt on the 21st.  I have fairly mild LE I think.  My left upper arm is 1 1/2 inches bigger around than the other one.  From my elbow down, everything is normal looking and feeling.  I am still numb in some places on my upper arm, the nerves are still trying to fire and I get those burning pains.  I'm anxious to see what all they can do and have me do.  I'm disappointed that I can't walk for exercise like some of you - so this will be the next best thing.

Going to a cancer seminar tomorrow.  The school nurse, who has chronic lukemia, wanted me to go with her.  It's put on by one of the hospitals here in Tulsa and is free to cancer patients.  They have special speakers coming in and a couple of the sessions sounded interesting to me.  Only bad thing is I have to get up in the morning at 7:15 and I so look forward to sleeping in on the weekends.  I have to get up at 6:30 weekdays to be at school by 7:30.  Last weekend I didn't get to sleep in past 7:00 a.m. because we kept the girls all weekend.  The youngest one never sleeps much past 7:00 on the weekends.  And she likes to have pancakes at my house on Saturday mornings.   I tried to substitute waffles one time for pancakes.  Bad mistake.  She informed me she only likes the circle pancakes - not the square ones with holes!  Oh how I love those little girsl, but I am looking forward to a quiet weekend!  I will see them at church tomorrow night.

Oh yeah, I remembered!

Chili--have you tried calling?  3 weeks is a long time to wait!  Knowing that you already have 1 cancer dx, you'd think they'd hurry this a long a bit. I would've called after the first week!  Hoping for B9!

Gin--Sorry for your friend's loss. So sad!

Sand--good question!  i've been meaning to ask my onc when they start counting--from surgery or dx, or ?  Today is the anniversary of my dx, but I don't know how long I've been "cancer free'.  Until I have my scans in 2 weeks, I can't say "NED" (no evidence of disease) yet.  That's another question I have--I thought my onc said that my stage of bc can be cured, but that might have been before we found out it was stage 2b and in the nodes (because that was totally unexpected).  So do they just use NED and remission instead of cured?  What have other oncs said?

Bon--you doing ok?  Hope the zingers have subsided.  I get some little ones now and then, annoying, but not painful.

Ok--enough!  have a good night!

Tmarina,  My understanding is that you may remain NED forever but you are not considered cured once it has gone from breast to nodes.   My onc said that you will always be a cancer survivor but not considered cured just free of cancer for now.   It sucks to think of it that way but as long as we survive that is the important thing to take with you.

Chili,  OMG I cannot believe you have not been notified of your results.  Someone's head should roll.   It never takes more than a week to run the tests here and I don't think it would be any different there.   I am pretty sure someone has just dropped the ball about calling you.   PLEASE< PLEASE call ASAP so you can move on with your life.   I am praying for B9 results for you.  

Sherry,  Just call me for those waffles.  I love them with Sugar Free syrup or Jam.   I got my haircut and it is more manageable now so that has been a good thing.   Now it looks more like a really up to date super short hairdo than a chemo grow out.  I recommend getting a trim as soon as it is long enough to do that.   It is much nicer being able to style it a little. 

I had my 1st LE therapy treatment yesterday.   I was impressed with the therapist and she told me I would probably have a headache and maybe some soreness.  It was a very gentle rubbing massage of the lymphatics  kind of all over except lower legs and head but I was a little sore and headachey.   She said she was moving the toxins around in the lymph nodes and that was why I felt this way.  She told me to take some Motrin or whatever I can take for inflammation and that should help and it did.   She sent me a short video by email to show how to do the quickie home version of manual drainage.  It is easy and only takes a few minutes so I know it cannnot help as much as her 1 hr session.  I will be going back every morning next week and will start with wrappings on Monday.   Thank goodness I caught this early on with only mild LE so maybe we can get it under control quickly.   One thing I am going to check about____ not to scare anyone but I am curious and thought I would share my curiosity with you guys.   I wonder if moving this stuff around could move cancer cells faster around the body.   I will discuss with my onc in May and let you guys know if I find out anything.   Probably just a dumb thought from me but you never know!!!!!

oh yes,  skin is definately dry.. although it always is in the winter... daily moisturizing is a must for me.   hmmm if only it would come with a nice relaxing massage    

 from  what i've read it is best to get the le under control as soon as possible... glad you are on the right track gin2.     Did they also say drink lots of water to help flush out the toxins?     

  When i had the biopsy they told me it would take 3 weeks to get results, so i wasn't expecting to hear right away.. but as of Thurs it was 3 weeks,. so i will definately call them next week if i haven't heard anything by Tuesday.  Not sure why it takes so long.. perhaps they are backed up.

In the meantime, i'm going out to see a band tomorrow night with a girlfriend,  at a club!!  I haven't been to a club in about 15 years i think!!  so i'm  looking forward to that. Just hoping i can manage to stay awake for the whole show.   I do love to see live music though, so it'll be a treat.

Thanks for the info on NED vs. cured.  That's what I was thinking too.  I wonder if they can say "cured" after so many years?  My colon cancer was stage 3b, so I know I'm not cured from that.  I'll have ct scans every 6 months for that for awhile.

Sherry--that's interesting to hear about sugar.  So many people have told me that cancer feeds off of sugar.  It made sense to me, so I've told people that too. Sugar is used in Pet scans because the cancer cells take it in, and then it can be seen on the scan.  Sugar is still bad for you, for many reasons, but at least I don't have to worry about it feeding my cancer (just my belly :P )!

It took me a while to catch up on all these posts. Guess that's what I get for being gone for a while. I am finally starting to feel better. My MRI on my back was NED. Thank God. I'm not sure if I posted that or not. Chemo brain is still alive but getting better.



I got my hair trimmed about 7-8 weeks ago. I'm getting it cut and colored again this week. It feels longer in the back than on top. I don't need a mullet! I actually went out today with my real hair. My DH was shocked! It takes a lot of pomade to get it tame though! It is very thick, which I love. I hope to keep it healthy.



It's so good to keep up with everyone. Sounds like everyone is feeling a bit better. Sorry to hear about some of your friends' tragedies.

hi girls, well i have had a rough two weeks, horrible weather, no Internet again. but the worst is a friend of my sons had a relapse in his cancer, he is 10 years old and it does not look good! it breaks my heart so bad!!!  been doing what i can for them...i hate cancer!!!! dmom, im sorry to hear of yet another loss,its scares me so.. i pray your doing ok, everyone seems to be doing good, sherry, you are my hero! as for me i think chemo brain has really hit? seems more short term? i sometimes feel like a fool when im dealing with the big wigs at work and i cant think of the words, its crazy!my kids always say "mom you have chemo brain" so now everything that gets lost, its my fault, lol my daughter cant find something and its my chemo brain. they say i must of moved it and forgot! ha! not that much..when i move something i put it where it goes.. but oh no, its my chemo brain why my lil guy cant find his homework!! oh well,

all of our 1 year dates are coming up if not passed for a few.. im staying positive but still having a bit of a hard time..still trying to get my surgery set up for new boobs..

i cant wait for our trip!!! its gonna be so exciting, i know i will feel so at home with all you girls, and at peace! i cant wait!!!

love you all bunches Chey

Hey ladies- I am glad to hear kitty is dancing with NED.  I am so sad to hear about dmom and chey's friends who are cancer victims.  MY co workers husband who I mentioned before as having stage 4 brain cancer has just been down graded to stage 2 by Sloan Kettering.  NO chemo or rads for him.  I am so so happy for them.

Ladies I just changed my avatar and think I look like I stuck a brillo pad on my head.  It just developed this ridiculous curl this morning.  I have made a hair dresser appt for Saturday.  I will at least change the color of my brillo pad and ask for some styling advice.

I know there were others I planned on mentioning. Sorry I have forgotten who.  Hugs to all of you !

Hi Gals!  I've been reading but from the relative laziness of my iPhone. Been fighting a cold for days now and trying to rest in between clients and eat chicken soup. 

Chey...I love that belly button shot. Wish I had a belly that I'd be happy to show.

And Joan, your hair looks great. Isn't it nice to feel free and go out without a head cover? Like Popeye used to say..."I y'am what I y'am what I y'am!"

Jackie, I'll be sending good thoughts, good energy and prayers your way for a most successful exchange surgery. And I think it's grand that you're wearing pearls to your son's wedding. I just love them because they are classically beautiful anytime, anyplace, in any form,  Just like us!   

Pearl gemstone meaning:The pearl is the oldest known gem, and for many centuries it was considered the most valuable. Unlike all gems, the pearl is organic matter derived from a living creature. There is much folklore and tradition about the pearl. In fact so much history accompanies this stone that five months claim it as a birthstone - February, April, June (traditional), July and November.
The pearl is an astral stone for the signs Gemini and Cancer, and astrologers link it to the moon. It was said in some early cultures that the pearl was born when a single drop of rain fell from the heavens and became the heart of the oyster. Pearls have been called the 'teardrops of the moon'. Some believe that pearls were formed by the passage of angels through the clouds of heaven.Over time, the pearl has become the symbol of purity and innocence.

What do you think of the new Avatar? I won't leave it up long but wonder if you think it's good enough to replace my old working photo that was on here for months. This one is the current me, grey hair and all. Hard to believe I had long blond hair a year ago. Just glad to have hair, period! Anyway, if you think this is pretty OK, I might just make just order new business cards and be done with it. Now when I pass out the old cards with that blonde woman's pix, people fee sorry for me. I don't need pity...just sales! (Please look carefully at this new photo...you may be able to see the long strand of pearls).

Love and hugs...Bon

PS/ I think the Pearl is also a symbol of patience, persistence and tenderness.  That little grain of sand stews and brews inside the mollusk shell to become a beautiful treasured gem.  We've been through a lot and are all gems, too! 

Gin2-  BIG happy birthday and countless more happy, healthy ones to come!

Bon-  Fabulous photo.  I think it is more "you"  than your old photo. I have had the priviledge of getting to know YOU, not how you look, but your heart, during all these months.  Like Gin said, your other photo was certainly pretty, this one is beautiful and radiant.  I LOVE beautiful silver hair.  Mine is all salt and pepper, I wish it was completely gray.  My favorite fashion model is Carmen, an older, gorgeous woman who allowed her silver hair to shine.  She was so much more interesting than the others.

I love the description of the pearl, especially knowing that pearls are formed when angels pass through the clouds of heaven.  Bon, I am so glad your vacuuming mishap helped us choose our perfect jewel.  We are all true pearls, beautiful, luminous and uncrushable!

I have been struggling with the "what if it comes back" conversations in my head a lot lately. I bet a lot of you have those too!  Now that I am finished with active treatment, I need to stay positive and try not to live in fear.  I read the following post from one of our BCO sisters and it just put it all into perspective.  I don't know why, but it just helped me shift my stinkin' thinkin' a lot.  I thought you would all appreciate it.

Posted by BrandyB April 4, 2011

"One dream that I had early in treatment gives me peace. My dearest best friend, who happened to die recently in a fluke accident, came to me in my dream. She told me in her California valley girl accent "Brandy, just because you have cancer doesn't mean you are going to die, just like not having cancer means you're going to live, hello?!?!?!" Before she died and before I had cancer, we were busy helping our two friends that had cancer. We felt sorry for them and assumed they were dying. Well, those two people are in remission and my dear friend has died. Before that dream, I felt robbed of a secure future. After God sent me Steph in my dream, I realized that the only thing I lost was a FALSE sense of security. None of us know what the future holds. Cancer or no cancer. Try not to make up wild stories of the future in your mind. One thing is for certain, those stories are NOT true. If you want to envision yourself well and happy then I encourage those thoughts... The negative ones need to stop. Literally tell yourself that those bad thoughts are lies and falsehoods that your mind created, NOT the future."

Gin...Happy 57th! Isn't it fabulous to be getting older?! You're still here, Gin. Enjoy every day to the fullest! Wishing you a truly fabulous year and many many more.

chili-  Hurray!  I'm so glad you called and I am so relieved it was benign!!  How was your wild night out dancing with the girls??  Didn't you go out?  Or is that my crazy brain dreaming that?

Chili...doing the Happy Dance for you!

Latte...hope your wisdom tooth extraction goes well on Sunday and you can get rested a bit. I am in awe of you and the other moms on this board who have kids and work and husbands to take care of while still trying to recover from treatments we've had to endure.

You are a pretty remarkable group! I am humbled to be in your company here. It's all I can do most days to work, feed the critters and find something to wear with the pearls. I just don't have any stamina right now. Maybe in June when the Herceptin is done I will start to feel stronger.

TGIF...hope there's joy ahead for your weekend!

latte-  Like Roseanna says "it's always something!"  Now wisdom teeth too??  I know you have been beyond strong with all your surgeries and treatments.  I remember having my wisdom teeth out and boy was I in pain after!  I was gobbling pain killers!  I have a pretty high pain treshold, I didn't need even a Tylenol after my node dissection or lumpectomy.  Tooth pain is a different animal.  Please make sure you have some meds.

grneyd-  I'll warn NYC you are coming!  I'll PM you.Oh!  Aren't sons the very best thing in life!

Latte, good luck with the wisdom teeth.  I never had the pleasure, but my daughter had her's out in dec..it's  definately a good idea to take it easy for couple days .   I'm sure the dentist will fix you up with whatever you need as far as pain meds go.. ... plus it's a darn good excuse to eat all the ice cream  and pudding you want!   

Yes DMom, you have a good memory.  I did make it out to the club with my girlfriend on Sunday.  We got to see 3 bands ( for the price of one) that were all great, danced all night and had a blast.  Just what the doctor ordered!!  I love to see live music and don't get to do it often enough.   But now , i think i'll try a little harder to get out and see some shows,  it was so much fun.