Is there a July 2011 group?

Just wanted to pop in and thank everyone for the kind words. I'm feeling better about the encounter with the coworker now. I really don't mind everyone knowing - have been very open about it - that's why it caught me off guard that someone did NOT know. There have been so many positive and helpful reactions from people through all of this - it has truly made me feel so blessed and supported - I want to focus on and remember those!

4honey - sorry about the setback. It sounds like they are addressing it, but I know it must be frustrating to have things delayed. Love hearing about the bees/honey - I've heard people say that keeping bees is a great thing, but have not heard it explained before.

ellenquilt - Laughed at you calling chemo your spa day. I've nicknamed it the ChemoSpa, because I get to relax in a big comfy chair covered in blankets and watch TV for a few hours. Gotta be something positive about that, right?

What an interesting and amazing group of women here. From artists to beekeepers to poker players ;-).  paintingmywaythru - I really enjoyed looking at your work. It seems to come from a happy place.

AMETHYST11... we have the same diagnosis, when's your next treatment? Welcome, I think you'll love this group of amazing ladies.



Going to the beach this morning while cool. Don't worry, I will protect my head. Any of you that live near the beach, is stand up paddle boarding the hot thing in your area right now? It's like a long surfboard that you stand on & paddle. You can use it to surf, go when it's flat surf (me), in the bay, or in lakes. It is a great core workout. You'll be sore in the hamstrings, quads, stomach, shoulders, & arms, oh and butt! It's so awesome b/c you get a great workout & don't realize it b/c you're having so much fun! My husband bought me one for my 40 th bday (7/14), but 2 days before my diagnosis though ( in June). He was in panic mode & usually doesn't buy things
spontaneously. He felt, like I, that we were not going to get good news from the doc, even though he didn't want to say it. I don't actually get in the water yet since my levels are low. Certainly don't want to swallow water. School starts tomorrow, so we'll have our last day of summer fun! :-). Hope all of you are enjoying your weekend!

Honey

It's funny, my natural color is a very dark blonde, I always highlighted it, but it's nowhere near as dark as it looks growing back out....I told my fiance I am going to haunt him and come back as a red head (he has bad experiences with redheads LOLOL) But it appears it may grown back as almost jet black ?? Weird. 

Honey, you are hysterical, we are very much alike But you are a touch stronger then me, I felt a little funny when pulling up to the drive thru at the bank the other day, I had taken my cap off because my head was sweaty, and forgot, couldn't understand why the 2 girls at the window were sort of staring. But it didn't bother me much....I am on Taxotere starting Sept 21st for 4 treatments, would be thrilled if I found out my hair may grow back through that and not have to wait til end of winter for my hair!

Went on my first excursion a few hours away to my in-laws this weekend for my birthday. Great visit but I am sooooo tired. Birthday is REALLY hard today. Makes me so aware of my mortality and that cancer just sucks!!!!! I go from hapiness for finding my cancer early and a good prognosis, to anger that I am tired, self concious in my wig, and that I have to have chemo this week, then just very scared and sad and crying about how many birthdays I have left. My poor DH. He doesn't know what to do with me.

I hope everyone is feeling ok.....

J-Bug- totally with you on the sore feet. I noticed this friday but it is getting better!

my hair is falling out by the handfuls today... i knew this was coming but i still feel... freaked out by it.

i keep telling myself it's just outter proof that the chemo is working.

but my hair is coming out by the handfuls! *sigh*

you're so very welcome!

i wonder how those same people would feel in your shoes? i think it's important that others let us feel what we feel as we feel it. try as you might, you can't be all pollyana all the time. lol

i've heard the LGFG classes are a ton of fun! unfortunately, all the ones in my area coincide with my chemo dates so i may have to finish all 6 before i can attend a class. it's high on my to-do list though. i could use the help!

i want to shave it but tomorrow is my anniversary. maybe tuesday... if there's anthing left to shave! =D

4Honey- My next treatment will be this week. August 11th. Have felt really good this last seven days. Don"t know whether I'll have to start over after the chemo. My hair is falling out so quickly. Am thinking I may just shave it completely. I have a wig ready and several scarves. Just nervous about going out in public. But I can deal with it as long as it hopefully takes care of the cancer. Good luck to you and everybody else going thru this.

Wow. I've been offline for about a week and now I'm so behind on posts. Will do my best to catch up. Sorry if I miss anyone!

Thanks for the well wishes for my anemic self. I'm still struggling, but slowly getting better day by day. I'll be good enough to go for treatment #4.

Ralston - Yes, anxiety is a killer. I experience some before each treatment. I swear I'm nauseous before they even start the chemo! Hope your cold caps work. I had a hard time losing my hair, but ever since it's been gone, I feel so much better. No maintenance and I have some really cute scarves, plus on those hot days, my head is thanking me. 

Valbee - I definitely get chemo brain. I normally have an excellent memory, but now if I don't write down my to do list, I will forget most of it! It can actually stay with you a while after chemo's done too, so don't be surprised if that happens to you. I know others who are 7 months out from chemo and still struggle with it, though I believe it does get better.

J-Bug - Definitely keep an eye on those counts. They really explain the fatigue, dizziness, and rapid heart beat. I never struggle with anxiety, but now it's keeping me awake in the middle of the night. So then I'm more tired and so on and so forth. It's important to tell your doctor any symptoms you have so they can determine how to go from there.

mavinbook - I normally like to exercise. I planned on going swimming during chemo and hope to start that after my next treatment. I had stitches from my mastectomy and only got them out last week and was told 2 weeks from that before swimming. Of course, I'll ask again when I get my next blood work since they are dropping all the time. I think maybe going for a bike ride on a flat surface would also be okay if you want to change things up. The idea is to not push yourself too hard but to still get the fresh air and light exercise. I try to do all of mine in the evening when the sun is setting so I don't have to worry about sunblock.

lovetorun - I agree with you that we have to fight the great fight because giving up is not an option, but that we are also okay to not feel strong all the time.

Ana - Thanks for the papaya info. I am eating fruits and veggies and not worrying about cooking, but they have to be organic and washed carefully. I read that the American Cancer Society used to recommend not eating the peels on fruits and to cook all veggies, but they have since changed their stance. I think it's a good idea to clarify with your doctors because I'm sure if your white count is too low, they may have a different recommendation for you.

Allenan - I'm not taking iron supplements right now. I certainly don't need more constipation issues! I am trying to get it through diet, though we'll see how my #s are this week. I finally feel a little bit better. Good luck with treatment #2 tomorrow. #4 is on Tuesday for me.

dexxy - glad you were feeling good shortly after treatment! Prilosec has really helped my heartburn symptoms too, though I seem to always forget to take it until the day after treatment. I'll try to start the day before treatment...maybe it'll help even more! As for that customer, what a way to let her have it!

Valbee & dexxy - I agree that I don't like dealing with everyone else's trivial crap when I'm stuck dealing with a "real" issue. I was told by the woman who leads a local support group that people are just built to think of themselves first, so to them it is a big deal, but to us it's not. It could be that we'd think it was a big deal too if we didn't have cancer to deal with. This diagnosis cerainly changes our perspective on what's important.

paintingmywaythru - I can't believe what you went through, but good for you for speaking up! I go to Stanford's Cancer Center and they always have me read the labels before they infuse anything, so I feel good about that. I think we should all be doing that because mistakes CAN happen. Anyways, I'm glad you caught their error and that your doctor accepted responsibility and was willing to work with your schedule after what happened. I hope you are feeling better this time around. 

 Izzy325 - When I was first diagnosed and told I'd get chemo and would lose my hair, I wasn't as upset about my hair as I was about losing my breast. Then I had the surgery and I'm not that upset about my breast but leading up to losing my hair, I got more and more upset and anxious. That was until the day my husband buzzed it for me. I felt a HUGE sense of relief that day. Now I'm happy I did and while I haven't lost the remainder of my hair (it's actually already growing back a little), I am actually enjoying not having to maintain any hair at the moment. I am sure once treatment is over, I'll be wanting my hair back the way it was immediately, but for now, I'm doing okay and having fun with a bunch of different scarves. Hope you're doing okay after getting round 2.

Jamie - I find that there are people who just don't know how to properly acknowledge others for their pain or discomfort without bringing themselves into the equation. I personally feel that there are some people I know that I can't go there because they'll think I'm depressed and need therapy. No knock on others who feel helped by it, but I also think we're all entitled to some "down" days without having therapy pushed on us. Know what I mean? I mean most days, I am pretty positive. I think that others are going off of how they'd be doing if they were going through cancer, not actually how we're doing. As for the redness, I'd definitely mention it to your doctor because you never know if it's a side effect from the adriamycin.

Yvette - Glad your first treatment wasn't too bad and that you're finally feeling like you again. Mine had me on the floor, in bed, or on the couch for about 5 days straight. I really can't remember much from that first week. My 2nd and 3rd treatments weren't a cake walk, but I can actually remember what happened! Those BM can be pretty rough can't they?

Bless0Mel - Glad you got some good news this past week! As for the meds, you can always ask for Emend. It's a little expensive, but if you have insurance, it most likely covers it. It helps the Zofran work better. They switched me to Kytril and Emend for Cycles 2 and 3 and I did much better.

Sandy - I didn't really start to lose my hair until after day 17 (it was manageable until day 22) and I ended up buzzing it on day 23. The anticipating is the worst part. Once it's gone, I felt so much better emotionally.

J-bug - You probably already had your 2nd treatment, but I agree, if she wants to be there, you should let her. She has been through enough medically that she can probably handle more than the average 13 year old. And she may feel more included in your care this way.

Cathy - You cracked me up with your story about revealing your bald head! Haha! I have done the same thing with a few people I know. I'm getting more and more comfortable. I still prefer to wear a scarf or bandana when I'm out and about, but I can also sit in a room with a number of friends and family with nothing covering it. I almost forget I'm bald sometimes!

Snoopy - Sorry for your experience with your SIL. I have two (my brother's wife and my BIL's wife). My brother's wife has been very supportive (ordered me a bunch of scarves and hats) and did a lot of cooking for me the last time I went through chemo though DH has asked no one to cook this time since he wants to do it himself. The other is more wrapped up in her own world, though she isn't unsupportive. I'm just not as close to her. They both live close. I got tired of my BIL's wife complaining about financial issues they have and how hard life is when theirs was self induced and our situation is entirely not due to anything we've done. I kind of put them in their place when they were complaining about how hard their 2 year old daughter was to manage by telling them I'd be happy to have that problem, but my dream of children will have to wait, so to try to remember that others, like me and DH, aren't in a position to have children. Haven't really heard as much complaining since then!

Krista - I believe I mentioned the Claritin in a previous post. I take it for a few days starting the day of my Neulasta shot. I have so far only had some minor pain in my neck and face starting a few days after the shot. I can't believe the card your friend sent. It would be better not to send a card at all in my opinion!

honey - Welcome! Did you get a neulasta shot after your first treatment? Delays in treatment do happen to people sometimes. Some just have more sensitive bodies than others. The first time I had chemo, it was for a complication from a molar pregnancy and they cut it short because of my white blood counts and my red counts were dropping fast too. This time, they're also dropping, but they started at higher levels, plus I've had neulasta. I'm only 28, so clearly age doesn't always help. In fact, I have heard that chemo can be harder on younger people because our selves more rapidly reproduce as it is. I do think we have the potential to bounce back faster after though.

Shinypop - Lol on not going for a few days! I never used to have a problem if I didn't go every day. I could go a few days without going and have no discomfort, but after starting chemo, if I don't go at least once a day, I'm in trouble. It gets painful!

Ellenquilt - I have also experienced dry eye. In fact, for some reason, it's more in one eye than the other. And the same eye gets dry and red and swells a little the day I get my treatment. Nothing crazy, but it's definitely there. I also have to put drops in. How are you feeling after your 3rd treatment?

Rabbit - Thanks for the article on melatonin. I will have to check into that! Hope you had fun with your bingo night. Oh, and cute head! I also have parts of my head where there is more hair (stubble) than others. And mine is also darker than usual. 

Chey - Thanks for dropping in to give us encouragement! How are you feeling now 9 months later? 

Memasue - That's great that your scans are showing promising results. When is your next scan? Hoping it shows even more improvement!

Phillybird - I also have the scarves with the ties in the back. They're really easy and kind of fun. They fit just fine on my bald little head.

Amethyst - Welcome! I'm glad your 1st treatment wasn't too bad. For me, it was horrible, but the 2nd and 3rd was better. I'm on AC though. Hopefully yours just get better too. Sucks about the herceptin though. Do they only start that after you're done with the chemo?

Misswim - I totally get that birthdays are reminders of our mortality and I think it probably hits home that much harder in the middle of treatment. For me, it's moreso the cancer than anything that makes me feel that way and we are definitely entitled to feeling that way. I turn 29 on 11/11/11 and told my SIL I want a huge party because I just want to celebrate the fact that I'm still here now. I should have my "new boob" by then, so I joke that I'm getting a new boob for my birthday.

For those of you with triple negative cancer, do you know what the %'s were for each of the receptors? They aren't calling me triple negative, but my estrogen receptor status was just 10% positive, so it's close to borderline. I'm just curious if any of you were 10% or close to it and considered triple negative. 

AFM - I was so weak when I posted last weekend. I took this week to just recuperate and get my strength back. I am participating in a sleep study and hope that it will help me sleep better so I have more energy during the day! I am just finishing up my baseline week and then on Tuesday when I go for my 4th treatment, they will either give me a placebo or the drug. I'll have to look to see what the name of the drug is (can't remember off the top of my head with chemo brain!). We're headed over to my parent's house for dinner, so I need to go. I'll check back in again soon!

kk11 - You're so great - responding to everyone! I wish you the best this week - easy treatment, good sleep, improved energy. Or at the very least, good meds to help all of those things :-)

Oh, and good for you putting the BIL's wife in her place. Really, people just don't think sometimes.

thanks, rabbit. i guess then i should expect the second round to be a repeat of round one. i'm going to talk to my onco and see what can be done about the day 4 misery. if day 4 were a day 5, i think i could cope a little better, though i couldn't do much at all on days 5 & 6. i had a lot of visual disturbances... trouble focusing and so sensitive to light and movement. still, i'd rather have that than another day 4 every time! the tired part sucked but it was manageable. i slept a lot and didn't move much if i didn't have to. it sucks to just get back to feeling somewhat normal and then have to start the misery all over again.

good luck to everyone in the big chair this week! i wish you all minimal se's.

Frankenboobs,what exactly did you experience on day 4 and 5?

rabbit, i was fine for the first 3 days. energetic, hungry, and able to hydrate easily. strong anti-nauseants helped a lot, as did the steroids, i had the last steroid on the wednesday morning and by late wednesday evening i was already feeling the difference. i don't recall thursday very clearly, but i do know that every sound was way too loud and caused waves of nausea, as did movement. light was unbearable. i felt sooooo disconnected. apparently i laid in our dark bedroom for more than 12 hours not moving, drinking, or interacting. my awesome hubby kept coming in to check on me and tried talking to me. i recall asking him to leave at one point. i couldn't stand to be touched. i really thought at one point that i was going to die, and then seriously, worried that i wouldn't! late that evening i was struck by explosive trots and that's the only reason i got out of bed. i had not even peed that day! tmi.. sorry.

i chewed water. teeny tiny sips that i chewed. over 24 hours i had managed to ingest about 4 ozs of water. the next morning was a little better. i woke up exausted, still sensitive to light and sound and suffering the effects of dehydration. i was able to drink water but very little else. as the day progressed i was able to eat a little toast and eventually a little soup broth. i slept a lot.

day 6 was a little better than day 5. i was able to drink, eat toast, and even some of the noodles out of the soup. day 7 i was feeling good. my appetite was back but nothing tasted good. i still tired really easily and i was able to sit in front of my computer for the first time since day 3. light still bothered me but it was manageable. day 8 was good. i only needed one nap and i was eating again. day 9 was great! i worked for several hours on some photo projects and felt good. no naps that day. it's been getting steadily better ever since.

i'm learning what chemo likes and doesn't like. chemo likes cheese and hates chicken mcnuggets. chemo loves pizza and isn't fond of orange popsicles. it's an odd experience.

funny... same junk being pumped into our bodies and yet two very different experiences. i wish you so much luck with your next treatment!

i'm encouraged by your hair growth and the fact that you still have lovely lashes and brows!

Good morning ladies; Just dropping by to say hello and sending positive vibes to you all. Last week was tough for me (headaches, muscle pain, heart race, fever, etc etc had my Zoladex shot on thursday uurrghh) so that is why i have been MIA. Feeling so much better today, more like myself day 12 after my 2nd TC treatment. Weekend was good, had a family outing on saturday, took my kids to an amusement park, walk aLOT!!!!:-) and they had a blast!! Sunday was a more realxing day, cooked, rested.

Sending you positive vibes and wishing you a blessed week.

 Hugs

Sophie

Tina, so happy for your son and DIL, I will pray for them!

Frankenboobs,  it is weird how the SEs are different for each of us... and yes, I LOVE pizza, I make my own, found a lady that makes pizza crust organic, whole grain, it's the bomb! And I make a massive veggie pizza. And the eggs yes, chemo loves eggs, or my body loves eggs during chemo. I make a fritatta before each treatment and have a slice of it for a few days after chemo, one of the few things I can eat.

 Not sure what's up with the tad of hair growth, I think it's just slowly falling out and I don't notice it so much cause it's so short. Every day I look in the mirror, I see more baldness...it just slowly spreads to the top and back. I am praying I keep my eyelashes and eyebrows but preparing if not. 

I go the Look Good Feel Good class tomorrow, can't wait!

mavinbook, I sucked on ice chips during my FEC infusion off and on and I didn't get that carpet mouth as much the 2nd time. I am doing a few things different, like a Jason's toothpaste called Sea Fresh that is  mostly salt and baking soda and rinsing with Ipsab gum wash which is also mostly baking soda and salt. So something or the combo of those is helping.

Sophie, so glad you're feeling better

shinypop, have a bloody mary for me, I haven't felt like drinking since chemo started and am kind of scared to....will have a party a few weeks after my last one in November though!!

xoxoxo to all