Chemo May 2011

What a way to spend a holiday weekend - with chemo SEs!  Oh well, at least I have the day off from work tomorrow!

A big THANK YOU to all of you that are or were military.  I appreciate the service and sacrifice.

Hi guys, hope everyone is well today...  

Start day May26th end for Chemo July 28th and then 6-7 weeks of radiation so will be done sometime in Sept I think....hope and pray......

Good luck to all of you beautiful ladies...

Lot s of Hugs

Pam 

I am taking my late father flowers today to the cemetery - he was my hero as well as my mothers and a veteran of the Korean conflict.



I didn't have it in me to participate in the golf outing with my DH and DD or the BBQ with the rest of the family. I have my next chemo tomorrow so the anxiety and dread has already started.



Plus... I don't want to see well meaning family members asking me questions. I am normally 5'2" 125 I have lost 15 lbs my size 4 jeans hang on me, my face is drawn I look grey, my hair is 1/4 inch and splotchy.



Ok, thank you sisters for listening to my vent. I get nutty the week of tx. </p>

Beaglesgirl. so this is your second treatment? You will do fine, I did have anxiety before my second but it was ok. I am kinda like you with the anxiety, I don;t want to venture to far from home or to far from my hubby, and when he is at work I basically stay home, although I am starting to work a few hours here and there, so I am trying to make work a safe place for me also, as they are all good friends. But still have to deal with stupid questions sometimes, like what is your prognosis. I hate that question. I lost alot of weight too, but with me I could stand to lose more.

Ok I have not started treatments yet, but today and last night I was coughing up some yellow gunk. (looks alot like snot). Should I let the doctors know?

I really dont want to delay more.

Candice

Which doctor should I call , the radalogist/oncologist that I will have radiation with OR the oncologist that I will have chemo with. or my family doctor?

I would call my oncologist, he's the one that's going to be giving you chemo, let him know who your family dr is and your radiation guy is and he'll copy them.

That's my opinion because out of all of my new doctors, I love my oncologist the best.  He was the only one who was pro-active on my wound issues, my BS looked at it, said don't do anything more it will heal on its own in 2-3 weeks and dismissed me.  My oncologist was the one who got me on anitbiotics when it got infected and got the wound vac on me.

I rarely see my PCP, I have only seen him 3 or 4 times in the last 4 years.

My primary contact was the surgern and is now my oncologist. They have a round table that they all talk together. There is the radiologist, oncologist, surgern, breast health nagivatior, pathologist, another oncologist.

I think it is all good.

Good luck tomorrow bjk66!  Pace yourself, take breaks when you can. I am working through treatments, and have found that as long as I control my pace, I can generally manage to make it through the day.

Hope it is an se free weekend for everyone.



I hope everyone is eating as healthy as they can right now. It is important to rebuild our bodies in between treatments. Protein is very, very important for muscle mass, hair growth and immune system. I've been eating cottage cheese and protein shakes with banana and fruit or scrambled eggs. I found a protein powder with added enzymes to make it easy to digest. Almond milk is nice addition to a smoothie. I also made instant pudding and added protein powder to give me the extra boost of protein.



Iron is important for the blood counts. Eat steamed or stir fried spinach. Red beets help boost your bodies rbc count. So does red meat, ugh, don't eat that often.



Watermelon is high in l glutamine and potassium and balances the electrolytes. Also adding freshly squeezed lemon to water helps detoxify your kidneys and liver.



Steeping some slices of fresh Ginger in hot water for 10 min makes a nice drink and alleviates nausea. If you need a little sweetener, add some agave.



Try to walk for at least 30 minutes daily. It keeps spirits up and keeps things moving.



Most of all, think positive, keep smiling. This is a hurdle we can all jump!

Happy Memorial Day, ladies.



You guys touched on a great topic; how to address friends' and family questions. So far, I haven't had anyone ask me anything really rude ; just inquiries about how I'm doing or offers of help. I did have two questions about what stage I was. But, I have limited whom I've told; only family, close friends and those that have a need to know (employer and co-workers). What do you suggest saying to those who ask retarded or otherwise inappropriate questions?



Tomorrow is treatment # 5 of taxol and the hair has thinned and began coming out heavily this morning. I have been dreading the idea of the wig. It's a beautiful wig but I don't want to HAVE to wear it for 5-6 months!



Hang in there everyone!

Yes, Marybe, comeback! I hope you are feeling ok, as we haven't heard from you in awhile.

Hey chemo pal, 38, Y/O, I am having chemo this thursday also because my doc is going out of town on my usual friday! We can cyber hold hands! I will be thinking of you!