TRIPLE POSITIVE GROUP

nmoss - too funny!  It has been so long since I had a good night's sleep - you would think with all this exhaustion it would be so easy!

omaz - I can sympathize.  I too had the one an hour kind - surgical menopause from TAH/BSO at 45.  I did HRT (hello, bc?) for 10 years and was really scared to go off, but did cold turkey day of bc diagnosis.  I have not had as much of a problem as I anticipated but I probably have half a dozen or more during the day now.  They seem milder but sometimes on a really hot day I will have more, or the week after tx (now) I will have more as well, and I always have more at night while trying to sleep!  It will be interesting to see what happens now that chemo is over. 

As far as fluid retention the give away for me was putting on shoes. I could tell how tight they would get.

BTW I don't get hot flashes anymore, even on Anastrozole (3.5 months). I know that doesn't happen for all women but you never know. I never had them real bad though. Mostly at night between 2-5am I would get hot, not drenched sweat though.

But I have to tell you that you will eventually feel better especially once hitting the 5 week mark from last tx. I'm not saying I don't still have some residual SE. I'm still retaining a little fluid, have some nail lifting/little soreness (but I got that really bad) and my hair, although looks great is not quite the same texture yet. I do feel it will take a full year for things to fully resolve but at almost 5 months out I feel pretty damn good.

Diuretic has worked for me. I am on a very low dose. Initially taking 1/2 pill!  Right now I'm taking 1/2 pill every other day trying to ween off it. I still don't think I'm ready but I'm only gaining about 2-3 when I'm not on it. I didn't start the diuretic till a good month or so after chemo when I complained I was still retaining fluid.

I used to gain at least 8lbs of fluid when doing chemo! I couldn't even get my feet into most of my shoes. I had no ankles and my tummy would swell too.

Hi Ladies:

I'm 5 days from Chemo #4 and my heart palpitations are really bad.  Did any of you experience this as you came off the steroids and, if so, what did you do for it?  Just let it run the course?

Thanks, Arlene

ArleneA - I just ride it out and it goes away for me after about the first 10 days.

My Onc encouraged me to have my port out as soon as I was done with Herceptin...........didn't realise how uncomfortable my port was until it was removed.

I am glad to hear I am not the only one. My port has been very painful since I got it in and the area between my port and armpit has been tender to touch and swollen. Clearly my body hates this thing. I have 10 more TX of H and I am trying to deal with it but it itches , pinches and pulls constantly not to mention the surgical cut refuses to heal and it still very bruised and purple. On another note anyone get cold flashes after hot flashes ? Anyone PFC have there thyroid levels checked ?

nmoss   having my thyroid checked next week when I get my herceptin.  I am doing rads and they are doing the clavicle area so I am checking to be sure they arent hitting my thyroid.  I also have a family history, sister hypothyroid and mom had thyroid cancer.  It was my idea to have it checked and thr RO was totally ok with that, heck they draw blood every 3 wks at herceptin, just add it to the list.

I hope not either! You have had a rough go if it. I only ask because a nurse I met today and 5 year survivor said chemo can really wreck your thyroid and my concern is how do you treat thus without hormones?

I can't wait to get my port out. It was fin for awhile but now I am just sick of it. It doesn't always draw but it will flush and it hurts more than it did before. I still have a year before I am done the H. Ugh!!

Hi gals,

Just had my port placed on Thursday, it is quite tender to the touch but I'm hoping that will improve.  I do feel a bit like a have an alien or something under my skin.  I'm just hoping I will get used to it.  Anyway, before my port placement I asked my onc. when it could come out.  She advised me to leave it in a minimun of 2 years, as that is when my highest chance for recurrance would be and if that happened, the port would already be in place.  So, I just nodded my head knowing that I will be scheduling  my port removal ASAP after my herceptin treatments are finished.  I don't plan on having a recurrance and so I am not gonna need this thing any longer than that!  Hope that helps.