August 2011 chemo, anyone w/ me?!

Morning ladies....bother restless night for me. Plus my neighbors dog has not stopped barking out me window for over an hour.



Good luck VtEllen and Edoyrest!!! Will be thinking of you both today!



Michelle, enjoy your day with lobed ones....I know how you feel abou enjoying the days with no medical appointments. They seem fewer and fewer right now. Mine this week is today, my daughter and I are going to The Smurf's movie this afternoon.....



Ah, my TE's.....I'm grateful I had the option to do immediate reconstruction but no one warned me how uncomfortable they would make me. I hope my boomerang pillow comes soon.....I can't take my sleep option anymore. My backside is numb from having to be on it every night and I'm so tired!!! My foobs better be FABULOUS in the spring! I was a 34B before BC and I'm shooting for a 34/36C after my exchange!!!! I call it my "booby prize". It all depends on how well my skin will stretch, so uncomfortable but I'm trying to keep focused on the fact it will get better.



I go wig shopping tomorrow....I have anxiety already, Xanax please!!!!

GOOD LUCK TODAY VtEllen and Edyorest! And I hope everyone else is having a great week and anxiety is low! I start tomorrow (Aug 4th) - anyone else that day? Red Devil, here I come! I've been meditating lately and thinking healthy thoughts like "I am strong" and "Chemo won't take me down." I hope that it helps. It stinks so much because I feel so healthy and good right now. It's hard to imagine 4 months of not feeling good. I've rarely been sick in my life. 

Kasi, I'm with you on being the youngest person in the chemo training class.. felt sooo out of place!!!  But then again, cancer doesn't discriminate.. doesn't mattter if you're old-young, black-white..

I started chemo on July 21, my regime consists of Taxotere, Carboplatin, and Herceptin.. I'm going back for my second round Aug 11.  It's going to be every 3 weeks for 6 cycles.  My hair started falling out Monday (Aug 1 - slowly) .. today it's falling out heavily... I think it might be time to shave it and utilize the wig I bought   I don't think I've ever cried so much my entire life.  My friend gave me some good advice the other day (she just finished chemo and then radiation - her hair has slowly come back).  She told me, try to be confident, although looks matter, health is a higher priority right now and you have to do this to get healthy.  By going through this, you get to live.  She's 100% right. 

Well, I hope all you lovely ladies are hanging in there.. although this sucks big time we have to do this to live! 

Hi aimska! Thanks for the encouragement! You and your friend are so right - health is 100% priority at this point! How have you been doing with the chemo so far?

I just read a news story in my town that a 3 month old baby was just diagnosed with leukemia. I just don't get it. This stupid beast definitely does not discriminate. 

Madismommy, enjoy the Smurts. We saw it Monday night at the drive-in and we loved it. It had been about 25 years since I had last been to the drive-in! It was fun.

Istreet, I start 4 rounds of A/C on Monday, followed by 4 rounds of Taxol two weeks apart.

Kasi, good luck tomorrow.

michelleo13 - Thanks for the luck! We are getting the same regimen :-)

aimska - I'm really glad I decided to go that route for my hair. It's supposedly made for a bald head so that it will look as natural as possible and stay on well. But I know that it will still feel weird. The other sucky thing about it though is that it is EXPENSIVE. My insurance kicked in $500 but that doesn't even cover half. Oh well, I guess having a savings account is overrated :-) 

Good Morning all.

Blessings to those doing chemo this week and to new members.



Yvette any special kind of green tea?



Well my world was rocked upside down yesterday when the radiologist said I wasn't the best candidate but certainly a candidate for partial breast radiation. They insert a balloon type device in your breast and you do radiation 2x per day for 6 days and then you are done. Well after having to make a split second decision because it has to be done now due to surgery scars and it will be right before chemo on the 24th and my head is spinning. I have to do more tests and it is set for next Wednesday so far. So August will be one killer of a month if it all goes through but the thought of being done hopefully by Christmas..amazing! Keep you posted. Hugs to everyone today especially those going through it!

aimska - holy CRAP! $3000? Mine is $1200. It's a lot but my husband is so nice, he wants us to pay for whatever is going to make me feel the most comfortable. I would NOT have paid $3000 though, that is for sure. That is insane! Maybe the fact that I'm in Maine keeps the cost down a bit. Yikes. Don't regret your decision, I wouldn't have done it either for $3000. Oh, and thank you for the tip. I am a chapstick junkie. I use Alba organics. I can't wait til this stuff really starts drying my skin out and I'm already dry to begin with!

muscialmom - Sorry to hear about what happened yesterday! 6 days doesn't sound too bad, though, so that's a good thing! Good thoughts to have it all behind you by Christmas! 

MusicalMom.....Hubby just picked up Arizona Green Tea and that worked for me.

I read in a natural health magazine that 3 cups of green tea a day assists with healing from BC as it's a natural anti-inflammatory. I love homemade iced tea in the summer time so I bought some strawberry flavoured green tea leaves and tried making iced tea out of it. It was really yucky! Guess I'll stick to drinking the green tea hot and using herbal teas for my iced tea.

The other thing the article recommended is 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric daily. I've been putting it in my soup!

VtEllen, Edoyrest and Ellasmom, you've been on my mind today.  I hope that everything went well and wish you all the very best for the rest of the week.

Madismommy, thank you for your wishes.  Today is day 3 post TCH x1 for me and I am feeling a bit off; not sick really, just not right.  Water and coffee taste funny which is very odd.  I hope it improves tomorrow.

Aimska, welcome.  I too am doing TCH.  My first treatment was Monday.  I'd be curious to know what other SE you've experienced beside the hair loss.  I guess that's happening right on schedule; I was told about 17 days after treatment.  I'll be really sad when it happens; I've never worn a wig in my life...

Musicalmom, I wanted to wish you good luck with your radiation decision.  It can be so stressful to make these life-altering decisions when we are already feeling so vulnerable and under so much pressure.  For what it's worth, I'd researched it and would have preferred it to the standard radiation, but I am not a good candidate, so it will be a full radiation for me after chemo.  Partial radiation is a newer procedure but more appealing because a smaller amount of tissue is exposed to the radiation.  Good luck with whatever you decide. 

Amelie 

Hi Everyone I am also on the July site as I satrted Chemo last mon July 25th I was also terrified of the unknown and I can honestly say that I am on day 9 and its so much better than I thought it would be .I had some nausea for the 1st 2 days and some pain because of the Nuelasta shot the following day after Chemo.But it is all Doable I am still waiting for horrible S/E has'nt happened yet.i hav'nt lost my hair yet but was told day 10 to 15 it will happen I know that will really upset me.I have bought a wig and turbins just dont have the heart to shave it yet still hanging on.I am getting Fec 3 x and then Taxatore 3 x Every 3 weeks followed by 6 weeks of Radation and more lymp node surgery as they found 1 node 2mm in the sentanal node.But I will do waht ever is needed to do as a prevention.Thats what the oncol said after the lumpectomy everything else is just preventive for it to never come back.So good luck to everyone starting their 1st Chemo dont be frightened its not as bad as you think drink lots of Fluids and eat ice chips during chemo and you will be fine,Sandra

YAY to Eileen and Ellen for getting thru number one with ease.... Sounds like everything went ok!!! 1 down!!!



Kasi, I was given the name of a place that uses your own hair for the wigs....but I ended up cutting mine to my shoulders before I could look into it..... I couldn't deal with the long hair anymore with my left arm still not 100% after the AND.... So, I'm going tomorrow to a boutique that my grandma is treating me too....she said they are real hair wigs so that's cool!!! And she's treating me, she said threat I was diagnosed "if you need a wig, I WANT to buy it...." and she won't take no for an answer? I still have to call insuarance to find out what my allowance is....someone from HR told me it's 500 bucks ??? And I agree Aimska, it totally sucks!!! I want to keep my own hair.



Kasi, are you the only one tomorrow??? Good luck!!! Kick some cancer booty!



Musicalmom, FOUR appointments in one day? You must be exhausted!!!!

Kasi,

I don't feel that $3,000 is too much for a hair replacement piece.  I would pay it too!