Is there a July 2011 group?

Pinkpalette...hope you're feeling better. We have the same diagnosis, but looks as if our treatments are slightly different. Do you have a website for us to see your artwork?



Susan... Your art would do well here in northwest florida area. Very creative and love the characters and colors.



Jaime...bless your heart, hope you don't get burned. Glad your feet are better.



Rabbit...does skype work w/ facetime (apple), just wondering.




Mommaof4... Enjoy your pup while shes here, so sorry. We'll always consider our dalmation who was 15 to be our 1 st baby & know how you feel. It just sucks!



Snoop...are you ok?



HERCEPTIN...so what you ladies are telling me is that I may as well walk around w/ a tampax hanging out of each nostril?!? :-) haha Lovely...one more SE to look forward to. I hate runny noses, Yuck! Hope none of you just spit your morning coffee out!



Have an awesome day everyone!

Thanks everyone.  I have just gotten out of bed and feel a little tired and weird.  I took my emend and my decadron.  Hopeing for a burst of energy to get my laundry done.  My husband is working OT today which will help out SO MUCH with all of the school supplies and trumpet band I still have to buy. We are very lucky to have really great insurance but copays, gas, and extra visits do add up when you are already on a budget.  He will not be off again until Sunday so I have a neice and my daddy here to help out with me and the boys if needed.

ANA - I do the same thing with scarves and wigs.  At home I wear nothing because I have hotflashes like crazy but when I go out I have scarves and hats.  I do wear my wigs to church.  I like to switch them up.  Our pastor has told me that he loves my new looks, lol. 

Misswim - Hope things get better for you soon also.  Try to get some rest with your busy schedule.

Rabbit- by the way I love the new hat too.  I have one kinda like that and it is So comfy.  I also wear it under some of my scarves for added volume.  It came with the hat and a head band that matches to spice up scarves also but I havent learned exactly how to master that yet.  Good luck with your treatment!

Hi ladies - Hope you are all doing well considering:-) sending you lots of smiles:-) JAmie - you poor thing, sending you well wishes.

This is my"normal" week. I am feeling more liek myself,been working full days andcooking and doing all then other regular normal stuff:-) I have 2 toddlers (4.5 & 3yrs) its that age man ooo man, its like mommy this mommy that, she did this he did thatshe wants to eat this he wants to eat that etc etc.. and they are soo energetic LOL...So far I am feeling good, have not taken any meds this week apart from the regular daily med and my vitamins.

All the Best to all sitting on the "chair" today & this week. Sending you positive vibes and hoping you have minimal SEs.

 Hugs.

Hang in there, Catron!  Try lying down with your head propped up.  Nibble on crackers.  Take each day one at a time.  It is hard, but you have lots of support here.

Jamie: So awful to have to be poked so much and then to get burned on top of it. Sending you a hug {{{{}}}}}}.  I opted for a port to avoid some of that, but managed to get a hematoma around the port from my blood thinners.  Looks like someone punched me in the collarbone -- but at least it doesn't hurt.  Just looks nasty.

Ana: I think you are absolutely right about the attitudes of the people around you when you wore your copper wig.  I know my colleagues at work are very at ease with me because I made a point of making jokes about the things I can joke about.  Hair today. Gone tomorrow  type of stuff.  It has made work a lot less stressful.

 Snoopy: Glad you have having a great week! Little ones can exhaust.  My still-living-at-home-bi-polar 28 year old is my prime stressor.  Not much better than a toddler I'm afraid, LOL

 Catron: Sorry you feel so lousy. I hope you take a turn for the better really soon.  

Mommaof4: Hug your pup--my cairn Kirby is 11, so she's getting up there and I hug her all the time.  The hardest part of having them in the family is when we have to let them go.  I'll never get used to that.

And I love your picture! I may have to investigate halos too  -- sounds like the perfect solution to wanting some hair and not baking in a wig in the heat. I may start a collection of hair pieces as a result of BC.  Just what I need, another hobby that costs!

Misswim: Having confidence in your doctor for me the probably the most important part of this journey.  I'm glad you have a good one!  I'm glad I do too! 

This has been a good week (probably because no Taxol last week) and I've been working all week without any problems except the nosebleeds and faucet nose.  Tomorrow I'm going to the movies with a friend -- I think "Crazy Stupid Love" is a good pick for a mood elevator, then dinner out and knitting.  Then I go back to my chemo spa on Friday afternoon.  I'll have to see what my WBC is on Friday and see what my dr. decides to do this week.  Every week is a new adventure!

My hair is starting to shed more and more, but not in clumps. More like small bunches of  single hairs when I run my hand through. So yesterday I decided to break out the hats.  I figure I'll get everyone used to me in them before I really need to be in them and the transition will be smoother.  I'm  going to ask about Latisse too -- on a good day, before BC, my eyelashes could have used a boost.  Any idea of cost? $$$ is intimidating.

I also found out today at my hairdresser that the wig I bought impulsively as soon as I knew I would be having chemo and losing hair, does not fit me properly.  Grrrrrrrrr!  It's a little too small.  The curse of a big head.  But the stylist who specializes in wigs (I wish I'd known that before -- Rule #1, when hair loss is imminent, call your hairdresser FIRST!) said he can alter the cap and make it work for me. I ordered another one anyways -- because I want a really short punk looking one in a different color and because it made me happy to order it.  Not practical, not really affordable, but I did it anyways. I figure I'm worth it. LOL  This next one will be a   50/50 human hair and synthetic and Ralph, the stylist, said he can fix it up however I like.  I'm excited to see what he brings in next week for me to try out.  

Hope you all have a good  night! Banish the SEs! 

Hi All,

I have to complain someplace. I have a new mouth ulcer and it is on  the side of my tongue. This is with difucan, biotene, salt rinses, lots of yogurt smoothies, steroid paste,  miracle mouthwash and ice chips sucked on the entrie chemo....it is so painful...onc gave me percocet and still on liquid diet.. I have rhuematoid arthritis and the meds dry ones mouth so for years I have had an autoimmune mouth disorder called lichen plantis.  I was doing well before chemo but oviously my mouth is my weak point. I am so afraid my WBC are going down like last time. I get fluids and blood work Friday and have a follow up with the breast surgeon,,,but this is a big weekend coming up and I CAN"T BE SICK....my son is having a dozen friends stay over at our RI house and I have a solo show opening Saturday from 2-5PM so I have got to be better.

I was told I have to drink 64 ounces of anything daily as I can't eat. My temp is OK but is slowly nudging up. I have to put my trust in all these meds and believe that I will get this under control but I worry that it means I can't get an adequate dose of chemo. Ist was 100%, 2nd 75% and next is supposed to be 85%. I hope it is as I need to "kick the Crap out of Cancer" as the saying goes on a card I received from a friend.

Anyway, thanks for being here. I need to just complain as my body has to do it's stuff and I am just the vehicle for that. Planning on another sleepless night and cranky work day...

hi all...I've read everyone's posts, just no energy to reply to everyone, sorry but thinking of you all!

Jamie, you and I both had a bad experience in the chair this week, mine was today, during steroid infusion my port attachment came undone and I was wearing the steroids LOL because of sanitation purposes, they had to remove the whole thing and reinsert the port access. That was not fun, I never used any numbing creams but putting a big hole right next to the first hole was quite painful for a brief moment, not terrible though.

So after all that drama, when it came time for the Epirbuicin, the devil red stuff, they couldnt' get a good blood return and they push this one, so they must have that....they tried me turning my neck to the right, raising my hands, breathing in deep breaths....it didn't work enough. Finally they put my lounge chair back to the full reclining position and wooohooo, they got good return.

Today was like a drama queen day, and I should of known it wouldn't end after treatment. I had the worst night ever...horrible headache, bad stomach pain and the worst nausea ever! I took 3 zofran from 4pm-9pm, and had my sister give me an phenegran injection, finally after 30 min or so, it started to subside, but still not gone, I fell asleep at 11:30pm, woke up 1:30am wide awake,darn pee and steroids!

So I decided to fill everyone in while I have a burst of energy Nausea is 75% gone...going to try to go back to bed now, Jamie I hope you're doing ok...will see you all tomorrow

xoxoxo 

Oh Rabbit, sending up prayers for you now. May the Lord cover and protect you from ever having to endure these type of treatments ever again and may He remove the SEs while granting you sleep and peace. {{{{gentle hugs to you sweetie}}}}

catron, not sure if anyone has asked if you are on emend, or if you get aloxi (spelling?) for nausea in the IV. Also, what meds are you on for nausea...I take zofran, compazine and phenegran, depending, zofran works best, it's worked for me for my first 2 treatments great, last night it just didn't swing it but hopefully that's a solo case! Good luck to you

xoxo 

Jamie, Paintingmywaythru, rabbit - Sending you lots of get well wishes and prayers! Hope the SE decrease with time. BC SUCKSS but we will beat it to the core!!!

Snowbound244 - how often do you take Zoladex? I take mine every 4 weeks and darn the shot HURTS!!! after my last one, i asked my MO to prescribe a numbing cream.

Hugs to you all and wishing you a blessed day!

Been MIA for a bit.  My 15 yr old got admitted to the hospital for 11 days!!  Living at the hospital while on chemo is just not ideal.  Thankfully all my counts have been normal, and they had put her in a negative pressure isolation room just because it was open.  Perfect for me   she was very very ill, had a blood transfusion, was on TPN and got a PICC line while there.  Ironic, because my onc didn't want ME getting  a PICC line   So we are home, and back to "normal" with the chemo.  Four treatments left, but the nurses are now pushing for the PICC since my veins are so bad.  I don't want it for just 4 more treatments, but not enjoying having 3-4 sticks for an IV each time either.

Good morning ladies! On my way to the chemo chair for my 2nd AC treatment. Not feeling as anxious as I was for the 1st one....that's a relief! Praying I feel the same way when I actually get there!!!! Here's hoping & praying for a smooth tx and SE free day for everyone

izzy 325 so sorry you don't feel well.My second TC was on August 1st and I am still tired and have mouth ulcers...will get my WBC checked tomorrow.

Think it is low.

Jamie, Sandy, catron, rabbit so sorry you are all not feeling well. We will get better and stronger and cooler and wiser and brighter....it will take a little while but we will make it.

My mouth is 10% better today so I am going to rejoice that it is not worse!!!!

misswim..that is really really low...I am surprised they did not put you int he hospital....

Good luck today.

Dexxy - I have the exact feeling as you since yday!! Last nite i could not get up the couch, my legs esp the thigh area felt as if I was on the treadmill climbing for hours!! the other thing is I also have pain on my lower back. Interesting, I mentioned this to my BCBS case manager today and she said that it may be the effects of the Taxotere.