Chemo June 2010

Cupcakes for everyone !!!!!!!!!!!  I am glad you all are enjoying your carbs !  I felt very virtuous eating baby salad greens with lemon on them while everyone I was with ate pizza !  I saw a kids movie with a friend and am now deciding which place I'll stop after the PET scan to indulge my desire for carbs.  There's an amazing bakery on the way home that just might be calling my name.Jakcie I am glad your rash is gone.  Remember how much trouble we all had with the steroids while we were on chemo ?

Carol and mimi I am sorry your husbands aren't as supportive as you need.  Sometimes it's so frustrating with men.  They really do seem to be from another planet.Mine is fairly supportive but I certainly can't talki to him like I do you ladies.  There is nothing like the comfort of sharing your troubles with another woman. 

Joan-  Glad you enjoyed the wedding even if your mom had a mishap.  It's aaaaalways something.  Tonight The Wizard of Oz is on tv, but last night we felt like we were being blown away here in NYC.  Wow what rain and wind!  I had a PET and don't remember all those dietary restrictions.  I know I would have remembered no coffee.  I hated the PET, felt trapped in that tube.  Next time I think I will take some Ativan or something.  Of course it didn't help that their microphone was broken and they didn't respond when I called to them!

latte-  I'm so glad you are visiting friends for a little fun and relaxation for the holidays.  You deserve a break!

mimi-  Okay, I promise I won't whine anymore about the weather.  Snow!!!  It's almost April.  That is brutal!

jackie-  I'll be thinking about you on Tuesday.  Look how far you have come in this trip.  Just like Bon's friend said "just show up".  Is this your last surgery??

grneye5600 exactly the same here, well almost. I made him take me to my four chemo infusions. I figures it's 4 days out of his life, he can be there for me. He was fine actually. he joked around a lot, we talked about business. We both got antsy waiting the 5 hours, but  we brought the laptop and they had wifi. But when the doctor came in to talk about what to expect etc he did not listen and zones out and waits for me to tell him everything later. Then again he does that at his own appointments to the doctor too. When I was not feeling well he encouraged me to not give in to it. He pushed me to go out and live my life and not sit in front of the TV all day. But there were some days I could not and I could see he felt bad but that did not make him any more helpful. he still expected me to cook dinner and clean up, well cook dinner anyway, he could care less if things are clean. Now it is my second surgery. he doesn't even ask me how i feel. The first couple of days he was texting me from work and i was so miserable with this cough and sinus thing that i got right after surgery. He would stop and get take out every night rather than food shop and cook. If he went to a store he wold ask if i need anything and if i did and they did not have it at that store he would not go somewhere else to get it. I asked for jello twice, I finally found a box when i was feeling better and made it myself. In some ways his atittude keeps me pushing to get on with life and stops me from feeling bad for myself. But the little girl in me really longs for someone to just hold me and take care of me and let me cry when i feel sad.

Well as i recover from my susgery and i complain less my husband as become a lot sweeter to me. Sent me a text jsut to say i love you today instead of complaining about his job. He is happy to take time off now to go to doctor with me because it's time off from the job. He is also my boss right now though since i am working with him trying to get a business off the ground so he is sending me calls to amke all day. so i ahve kind of a double wammy.

Joan, did you hit the bakery?  When do you get the results?

Jackie, Hope all goes well tomorrow.  Keep us posted.

Husbands! Love them anyway.  They didn't ask for the cancer anymore than we did.  I know mine felt so helpless when he watched me suffer so much during chemo and couldn't do any thing to make me better.

Just got the results of the mammo, everything is ok.  I asked the rad onc about ordering an MRI as I didn't trust mammos anymore.  He didn't get exactly mad but sure brought him up a notch or two.  Oh well, I don't really want to do any more tests now anyway.

My biggest support? You ladies.  I simply could not have got through the last year without you.  Love you all.

Hugs, Mimi

Wow - you miss so much on here when you're gone for a few days!  I was sick all last week with allergies - YUCK!  Trying to ward off bronchitis now, but not sure I'll be successful.  I started with my inhalers yesterday.  Had my epidural on Friday.  Procedure was uneventful, which is normal - except for the nurse had trouble getting a vein for my IV.  I don't know how much more my poor right arm can take.  I am pretty much pain free from the waist up today which is fabulous.

Saw the oncologist today.  He read my bone scan from a couple of weeks ago.  Said it looked good, no abnormalities.  The tumor on my back even looked smaller he said. We talked about Arimidex - I confessed to him that I hadn't started it yet because I wanted to talk more about it with him.  He said because I was already experiencing so much joint pain that he did not want me taking it.  Since I've already had a hysterectomy, he changed me to Tamoxifen.  He says it has fewer side effects.  I think I feel better about taking Tamixofen instead of Arimidex.  What do you guys think?

I have a mammogram scheduled for next month and in June or July onc wants me to have either a CT scan or MRI.  If all these turn out clear, he says we can be cautiously optimistic.

Coming up on the year anniversary of my dx.  Mercy - what a year this has been.  The bright spot in it all is this place and all of you, my new special friends.  Even during the darkest days of my chemo tx, I would come here and feel connected, understood, and loved.  How blessed I am.

Wow, I've missed a lot!  Don't have time to respond to everyone, but wanted to let Jackie know i'd be thinking about her tomorrow!

I had my MRI and mammo on Thurs.--No news on the MRI yet (I think that's good), and the mammo on remaining right breast was clear!

carrol-  I totally understand the frustration of pouring money into a business for little return.  I am a serial entrepreneur, can't tell you how many businesses I have started!  I have never made a lot of money, but have always managed to support myself....and I love what I do.  Keep positive, it takes time for the money to come.  I have a fabulous idea for your husband's talents!  I recently saw an unbelievable old fashioned baby pram in the park (sort of big wheel 50's style).  It was custom painted like a hot rod (pearlized gray with pink flames).  It had coordinating hot pink blankets and was beyond fabulous. The parents said they paid something like $1500 for it! 

kitty-  I was just wondering where you were!  Glad you were MIA because you were having a nice vacation!

sherry-  What procedure did you have with an epidural?  Jeez, I'm having a hard time keeping track of everyone's medical stuff!  Glad it went well!

Thanks Janney,  nice to hear your daughter is fine and it is re-assuring ( but sorry she had to go though that at 18 yikes!  poor kid! ).  I did finally get results back that it wasn't cancer, ( i had to phone them.. guess the onc figured since it wasn't cancer, then there was nothing for her to do,  but a phone call would have been nice !! sheesh.  Anyway, i'm supposed to follow up with my family doc, something about calcifications.. not sure what that means exactly yet, but i expect it'll be along the lines of "keeping a eye on it".  I can live with that  so that was a relief. 

 Went for my first mammo and ultrasound since diagnosis today.  It wasn't sooo bad.. a bit ouchy but at least it's quick.  Ultrasound looked good, mammo results will take a couple weeks, but for some reason, i'm not too worried about it. 

On the subject of husbands...yes, they are funny creatures....  2 summers ago when i was sick as a dog with strep throat and pnemonia (spelling?)  mine was no where to be found...  he didn't even sleep in the same room for months because he didn't want to catch it. ( mind you,  i don't blame him too much for that part, as i was hacking like crazy all night, but it was a bit lonely).. 

 however,  when the breast cancer diagnosis came in, he really came through and was totally there for me.  Good to know you can count on him in a pinch.

HOORAY FOR JOAN!!! Doing the happy dance for you on the clear PET scan.  That makes me so happy.  My wbc count is low too.  Onc said it's just from the chemo. Hit the bakery and have another donut.  I have lost weight too mostly because of lack of appetite. Somehow I am sure I will regain it.....

Joan--congrats on the clean PET!!  What does that scan exactly?  Just the chest area?  Yes!  Get that colonoscopy!  The worst part for me is having only liquids for a full day--I get so hungry!

Kitty--sorry you have more surgery coming up.  Hope it goes well.  And that darn rads!  i don't think we fully realized all the problems radiation could cause when we got it.

Dmom--Hope your son feel better soon!  I know what you mean about the worry!

have a good night everyone!!

When I finished rads I thought I was free and clear with no issues. Ugh!!! We will see what the pa has to say next week. I went to see him before rads. He said whatever happens, should be able to be fixed. I don't expect to look perfect, but I'd like my radiated foob lowered a bit. It was higher already. Last year when I noticed it didn't drop like the left one, my ps checked it out. Then 3 week later I found 3 small lumps in it. That's how fast this stupid cancer grew!!! Anyway, after 2 more surgeries to my foob, it was a bit smaller. Now it's hardened. I was so freaked out about having radiation for fear of this. Oh well, hopefully the cancer never comes back!



Congrats on everyone's recent NED news!!!

Tina-  The pictures of the boys is wonderful.  God bless you and your family as he joins your family.  I had a head to toe PET/CT scan.  The PET part has follows radioactive sugar that is injected 90 minutes prior to the scan.  The idea is that cancer metabolizes the sugar much faster than normal body functions so if there was cancer in parts of my body the sugar would go there first and the PET scan would read that.  I do know my first PET scan saw the cancer in my breast.  I THINK it did not see my lymph nodes as cancerous. But, I know those lymph nodes were fairly close to my tumour so maybe it all showed up as one big tumour.  So, right now this PET scan showed no cancer activity.  The CT part gives 3D slices of my body.  I think organs and bones but don't quote me on that.  Overall I was told that I have cysts on my liver which were there in my pretreatment PET/ CT scan and since they haven't changed they are considered just cysts.  I was told I have arthritis in my spine (don't know if that was seen in my pretreatment PET/ CT scan), I have fewer fiboids than first scan and my uterus is pronounced.  The whole interest in my uterus is in part thanks to an old fibroid problem and in part due to the fact that I am on Tamoxifen.  Tamoxifen increases your risk for Uterine cancer and can make fibroids grow.  Also the doctors are trying to decide when I am officially in menopause.  Once I hit menopause I will change to Arimidex. 

While I am pretending to be knowledgeable about treatment I remember I wanted to share some things with Sherry.  I have been on Tamoxifen since October and it is no big deal.  Recently I was talking to the Pricipal in my school who lost a friend to breast cancer. The friend was diagnosed 17 years ago.  The friend was offered Tamoxifen 17 years ago but she turned it down because it was still experimental.  According to the Principal that was her friend's one regret was that she didn't take the Tamoxifen as maybe that would have gotten those last few cells.  Having said all that the Principal also said this friend lived really well in the 17 years of her battle and only went "down hill" in the last three weeks before her passing.

Kitty I am hoping that your shrinkage is just normal post rads.

Dmom-  My daughter had a good time being a tourist in the city.  I am so sorry about your son.  The flu is the pits !  I always told people having chemo was just like coming down with the flu only no fever.  UGH for him !

Mimi- thanks for the cheer.  I am glad to hear I am not the only one with the low WBC.  Do you find you get mouth sores ?  I get a few.

Carol- glad your fill went well.  Ice cream is a wonderful thing.  Tell your hubby we are all pleased that he went with you !

Today feels like a Spring day.  But, instead of being outside I am going to the mall with my DD and helping her shop for another Sweet 16 dress.

Oops looks like I'm dominating the boards again.  Hope everyone out there is well.  Jackie, Chey, and all those ladies who signed up at the beginning.  How are you ?????????