2005 ROCK-TOBER CHEMO GIRLS
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hi ravdeb!
starting rads 20 feb. I am not the least bit concerned about the side effects, cant be any worse than chemo (hope this isnt going to come back to bite me on the bum, and i wont end up with some horrible rare side effects)...
anticipating burns of course, but my biggest concern is my implant. The risk of them failing is very high with rads.
hang in there, chemo is tough, but it will end. At least you've got your stubble, i've only got some fine fuzz. Checking my head in the mirror every day for any sign of growth, of course nothing so far. You are right about massaging, its all about blood supply. I am planning to buy a head massager actually. -
I agree with keeping in touch and still using this thread - otherwise i am likely to get lost!!!
O.K , my last chemo on 26th and so far have had no probs but now i seem to be getting really strange side effects. ( Typical!) I have black stripes on my finger nails and a really sore scalp. If i just brush against it it feels like it is heavily bruised or burnt.Anyone else get that?I still have a little bit of stubble - like to think it is those little hairs clinging on for grim death - if only my eyebrows had had the same idea! I have my date for my rads check - 14th Feb. Do you think they will do my tattoos in little heart shapes??
You can private chat in chat but its just as easy to talk in the main room.
Nearly there girls
Take Care
Debbie
P.S - how do i resize a bigger pic to go on here and not just crop a larger one - anyone know?? -
My Onc said rad's will be a piece-of-cake compared to chemo. I hope he is right. My friend who had BC also told me radiation was a breeze next to chemo, she went back to work and had no problems. I hope they are right...Last Chemo today and I am nervous for some reason. Probably just anxious to get this over with..Graycie
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paula...glad to see you're the proud owner of the tattos...i also find radiation to be fascinating. it's just not as scary as the chemo although i'm sure it will be annoying to go everyday...i have 28 rads. i start on feb 6th. my doctor said that he doesn't expect me to be too fatigued...it really can't be worse than chemo.
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Ravdeb, why don't you tell us how you ended up in Israel?
I had my Taxol/Herceptin yesterday and hit the sack by 8pm. Slept til this morning since I was so exhausted. It seems this is more tiring than the other times and I got fevers last night.
Oh well, 8 more to go. -
Although the stubble is good cuz it keeps the scarves on (lol) I think that if all my hair had fallen out, I'd have a better chance of it growing in strong and new. I mean, I have had stubble since October and it hasn't grown at all. It seems like the stubble is longer now, or is that just my wish that it is growing!
Great that you aren't worried about rads. I wish I wasn't worried. I worry too much!!!!
I hope that rads goes smoothly for you and you have no problems with the implants. Let's not worry about that!!!!!!
ravdeb -
Hi Debbie,
I've got stripes on my nails now, too! What is that about? I hope it's not the runway for a take off! :-)
I would definitely request heart tattoos :-)
Congratulations on your last chemo on the 26th! That will be my 5th out of 12. I'll think of you as I go through my 5th one.
And I agree...must stay on this thread or I, too, will get lost :-)
ravdeb -
ravdeb...i've got streaks on my nails too...it started being just on my thumbnails but now all my nails are brownish with darker stripes. i'm not painting them or anything because i'm worried that would make it worse. i wonder how long it takes after chemo for our nails to come back to normal? i'm in such a rush to look normal again!!!
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I paint my nails the pinkest French manicure pink to offset the darkening. I have enough problems being self conscious without having people staring at my hands like I rifle through the garbage in my spare time!!
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what's the deal with manicures and lymphadema? is it okay to have them if you've had a lot of lymph nodes taken out? i can't remember.
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Mine also started on my thumbnail and only on my left side (side of my cancer..I'm weak on that side apparently :-() We could just say it's a new kind of manicure and very expensive, too!
I, too, want to be normal but ya know...normal is overrated :-)
ravdeb -
terynsmom,
Okay...here it goes...I ended up in Israel because my husband is Israeli. I met my husband in the States. He was working and traveling and living with his cousins who were from my community. He told me that he wanted to live in Israel and so I had to go there and find out for myself if I could live there. So, after my semester of grad school finished, I went with him to Israel, we got married and then we returned to the States for 4 years so I could finish grad school and have a couple of babies before returning to Israel. We've been living here together for close to 19 years! Hard to believe!
Just to add...we moved to his hometown. At the time there was only one other English speaking person here so my beginning years were very tough. This other woman and I never really became close friends at the beginning but we always had a certain bond...partly because we shared the same language (though she's British) and partly because neither of us grew up in this town and in those days, most of the residents had grown up here. At any rate, she came through as a true friend since my diagnosis. She calls me to see how I'm doing, comes over to check on me, brought food over while I was in the hospital and well... she is the best friend I've ever had here! They say you learn who your true friends are and this is so very true.
ravdeb -
Why did you get fever, terynsmom??? Are you okay?
ravdeb -
They say its a reaction to Taxol but I am ok today, just moving slow.
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Ravdeb: so what about the history of the area you are in? Are you near any Bible towns?? -
Have any of you talked to your Oncs. about having the port taken out? My last chemo is Feb. 1 and I would love to have it out Feb 2.! I just can't stand it. And besides that, I am going on vacation to Mexico in April. It sticks out like a golf ball and I'll be in a swim suit there for 8 days! It's going to be hard enough wearing a wig in 90 degree weather. I guess I won't be able to dunk my head or play volleyball in the pool. I hate this wretched cancer monster!
Thanks,
Laura (GTO) -
Debbie,
I think you can do it at www.resize2mail.com or www.onlineimageresize.com. Good luck!
Laura (GTO) -
Paula,
I feel the same way about the cancer having made us different people. I feel it has scarred me for life in more than one way. Almost like being a rape victim and never feeling safe again. And you're absolutely right...only us, who have been attacked by the wretched cancer monster, truly know what this feels like. I am hoping this will change, better sooner than later.
Laura (GTO) -
Graycie,
I'm open to any suggestions about keeping in touch. As time goes on, we'll figure it out. I truly wish you the best with radiation. I don't have to have it. But, from what I have read - it's not as bad as what we have all been through with chemo. I hope so, for you and all others that do. Thumbs up.
Laura (GTO) -
Laura, just wear a scarf. If I was at a pool, I would just jump in with the scarf and be cool. Maybe you could get some self tanner for your head and make sure to use sun screen on that bald baby!!
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When chemo is well and truly over , i am going to start swimming again with the kids and hubby. I am getting a swimming hat - with that on i will be the same as a lot of others in the pool - you cant see their hair either!!
Debbie
P.S - my teenage Goth neice most impressed with black nails! -
terynsmom...
Our village is one of the first farming villages in Israel. The land we live on belongs to my husband's family and all the land in our area of the village belongs to the first farmers of the village well before 1948 when Israel became an independent State. My father in law, who knows no English, still has his id card from the British days...all in English. He was very young then and they only spoke Hebrew anyway. At any rate, the Baron Rothchild gave this land to the farmers on condition that they would farm the surrounding land.
Before 1948, my father in law was living in the village we live in and had to fight off the Arabs during the war. He saw many residents killed during that time, unfortunately.
That's modern Israeli history. I live near Caesarea which has all the Roman ruins. We live about 15 minutes from what I think is the most beautiful beach in Israel.
Biblical spots?? Well, Israel is a tiny country so I guess I live close to everything! I'm about 2 hours from Jerusalem/Bethlehem. I'm about an hour or less to Nazareth, an hour or so from the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River....
Israel has some beautiful scenery and since I live in the "country" as opposed to the city, we have a lot of hills in our view surrounding our village.
I guess that's it for now!
ravdeb -
Fever is a reaction to Taxol? did your wbc get really low?
ravdeb -
Laura,
i wouldnt even think of wearing a wig in a summer heat... Terynsmum is right, just wear a scarf! not ideal on a beach either, but better than a wig.
and i can relate to having something sticking out from under your skin. The port for my expander is the remote kind, so it sits well below my 'breast', just where the ribcage ends. Well, i've been going swimming in my bikini and i dont give a rats bum about what everyone thinks. -
Catching up with you gals after a couple of days . . . .
I would also like to stay on this thread and keep in touch through the radiation and beyond.
Laura: I vote for you to wear a scarf or a bandana of some kind. Your picture looks like you are stylish so I think you could look very cool with a scarf to protect your head. But, I would put sunscreen on under the scarf even because that scalp could be very tender and sensitive to the sun. Also, what about a basball cap? On the American Cancer Society website you can link to a spot called the "TLC Shop" and they sell all kinds of head wear and other items for bc women. They have some baseball caps that are so cute and are cut so they come down lower on the back of the head to protect the lower part of your scalp. They look like a good idea for a vacation. Also a straw hat could work with one of the cotton liners so it wouldn't be scratchy.
I have my 7th chemo tomorrow. it is the 3rd of my 4 Taxol treatments. Then the last one is scheduled for Feb 9, two weeks from now. One week after that and I should be over the side effects and FREE!!!! I have a side effect no one else has mentioned. My heels are sore, sore. It seems like I have jumped off a roof and landed on my heels. They feel like two big bruises, but the right is worse than the left. I also keep getting cramps in my feet at night. I don't have streaked nails, but my cuticles and nails are so dry they are cracked all the time. Can't seem to drink enough, no matter how hard I try.
Paula: I agree with your attitude about not giving a rats bum about what anyone thinks. I wish I could hear you say that in your own voice. I'm imagining you would sound like you have an accent to my ears, like the people in movies and who we saw on TV when the summer Olympics were in Sydney. I think it would be delightful to hear you say, "I don't give a rats bum. . ." and march off into the surf in your bikini. Way to go!!! -
Hi,
I have been in hospital for a week, just got home.About 1 week after last chemo felt worse than usual with fleeting aches and joint pain. While laying on the couch feeling sorry for myself I remembered the onc warning me about low Wbc and fever. I didn't think I had a fever. Anyway i took my temp and it was 39c(~103).
Off I went to hospital. The ER doc did bloodwork CXR. He told me my WBC was 0.6 with only 65 neutrophils. So I was admitted and started on IV antibiotics.
For three more days I continued to have a fever off and on, a third drug was added and after two more days my temperature returned to normal.Two days later I was allowed to come home.
It was scary having an infection I can tell you. Even scarier when the antibiotics were not working. Being in the hospital was hard I hope it is my last stay there!
Ravdeb, I know you had a similar experince after third AC. I have never received Neupagen but will now with remaining chemo that is left. Have you been able to keep your WBC up? Before I took my good health for granted and tried not to obsess about febrile neutropenia, now I am worried about the next few months.
Laura, Ican relate to "scarred for life" Maybe "scared for life "too. I am keping my port for a couple of years post treatment as have fairly high chance of recurrence. Mine is right under bra strap so not terribly conspicuous.
Amy, Paula and Gracey CONGRATS on being done with chemo. I am very envious. Nice pic Gracey.
Ravdeb you made a huge sacrifice to live in another country in another language. Tell your hubby he has no choice he has to go with you to the family wedding. It will be so much nicer for you to have him with you!
Terynysmom I hope you are not heading for what I just went through , be careful!
Fists up! -
maryannecb...
I was soooooooooooooooo sorry when I read that you were in the hospital. I can soooooooooooooooooooooo feel for you as I still cannot forget the trauma I went through. You are lucky you behaved well and got out after a week! I was in there for 3 weeks!!!!!
While in the hospital they gave me neupogen until my wbc went up. I was taking it anyway...they just gave me a few extra. My wbc went up and has been okay so far. I had close to a month of no chemo so my wbc was high. So when I started on Taxol it was very high. It is slowly going down. But, I'm on a low dose of Taxol going for it weekly. We'll see what my onc says tomorrow when I go in for #5.
And yes...my husband needs to go with me to the wedding. Boy did you hit it on the nose when you said I have sacrificed. He knows it but can't really feel it. Hopefully that will all work out. I sometimes blame the stress I went through for so many years here until I adjusted on getting bc. I think I am now adjusted after close to 19 years! However, I can't blame the stress...just read that they have done studies that show that stress is NOT a cause of breast cancer. Still...
I hope that you are feeling a lot better now and you will get no more fevers. I had tons of antibiotics and they destroyed my veins. I don't have a port. I really suffered. My arm blew up like a balloon! Do you know the name of the infection you got? I had campylobacter which caused me to get reactive arthritis and conjunctivitis. My eyes are okay now but the arthritis continues!
Feel good! Glad you are back home.
ravdeb -
Mary-Anne,
Sorry to hear about your recent setback. I'm hoping that you will have smooth sailing from now on.
I had my simulation for radiation yesterday. It was very surreal for me. The technician instructed me to stay still for 15 minutes while I was under the CT Scanner. Then I was marked with 4 small tattoos around my affected breast, while my arm was over my head.
My first radiation day is Monday, Jan. 30. I think I can do this part with no problem. Saying this sounds strange now because this was the part that I was truly scared of when I was diagnosed!
Anyway, I hope that you continue to heal and that there will be no more setbacks for you. -
Thanks so much for all the suggestions about to wear on my head, at the pool on vacation.
Paula & Terynsmom,
I am really going to work on "NOT GIVING A RATS BUM" about what others think. I laughed so hard at that one! I will play around with some scarves and see if I feel comfortable. Scarves are beautiful and so elegant and pretty (Paula-it looks great on you) but I am more the "sporty" type. Thanks.
Marymelodi,
I will check out the baseball caps w/the longer backs.
Here I am worrying about the "head thing" and the "port thing" and I haven't even addressed the "breast thing"! This will be the first time I'll be wearing a bikini with ONLY ONE BREAST! OMG
Laura -
Laura, I don't wear pretty scarves. I have 'doo-rags' ... remember the paisley kind??? Find a red one, blue one, or whatever. I have a yellow one from Lance Armstrong's site, I have an orange paisley, I have one that is pink with breast cancer ribbons on it. I even have a purple flannel one my 4 year old made for me (really she did, my mom stood by while Teryn used the foot pedal and guided by HERSELF thru the machine).
I wear big hoopy earrings and a scarf to work ... the silk ones slide off my head. I have wigs (4 of them, red, blonde, brown and reddish blonde) for work, too. They never know what's walking in the door.
Oh and my new nickname at work is Wiggy. It used to be Red but it's funny now for them to call me Red when I have a blonde wig on!!! Most of the time, my boss still calls me Red, though. -
Graycie,
How are you feeling after having had your LAST CHEMO!
Laura
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