Is There A September 2011 Chemo Group?

Rocky - I spent a year transitioning my deep auburn hair to its natural almost all white color.  Man it is hard to get red dye out of your hair.  Finally got to natural color but in June, when the OB said to me "I want you to see Dr. _____, breast surgeon." I could see the writing on the wall where that was going to go.  I had my hair cut short, so I wouldn't have to worry about styling it after surgery.  Just a few days ago it started to get long enough that it could be styled into something cute.  WTF.  In another few days it will probably be gone.  I know you think you are the 1 in a 100 that might keep your hair, but if that happened to me I would think "I knew it, they didn't give me enough chemo."

My hair is starting to fall out today, just this second, day 12. Guess I got enough chemo.

Shawna and Kimberly, sounds like you guys are holding up pretty well, considering. I woke up this morning and my scalp felt kinda funny, and i thought to myself, oh crap, here it comes. I'm going to be honest, I was sort of ambivalent about my boobs, but I have great effing hair...kind of thick and crazy with cool cowlicks and reddish brown that never needs coloring. Better yet, it hides what I am sure is a hideous and oddly shaped skull- one that once hairless will surely have acne. Grrrr. there aren't enough cool beanies in the world;) 

Kimberly, Glass half-full or half-empty ;-).  You are funny!  I sit here at 9:30a sucking on an Otter Pop because my mouth feels like a small lawn mower took a cruised straight up my tongue.  Not only that, but I felt the need to announce to my husband that I had my third crap in two days.  I'm ecstatic.  The last time I was so excited about a BM I think my baby (now 13) was able to do it himself on the toilet.  My chemo cocktail seems just right :-).

Rae: she sounds like my beautiful teenage daughters who thinks these jokes are funny! One joked about having bigger boobs than me soon and the other wants to do a flowery henna tattoo design on my head when I'm bald so "people won't wonder if your a man." 

I am trying to decide about my hair. My mom comes tonight and is going with me to chemo tomorrow and staying through Thursday when my husband has off for several in case I need help with SE's. She wants me to consider letting me shave her head while she's here since it will come out in just a couple of weeks anyway but IDK. When she had chemo and her hair began to fall out, I was the one who shaved her head and I guess she wants to repay the favor I kinda wanna wait to do that until I absolutely have too, but then I wonder what difference a week or so will make.  This stuff all really sucks! 

Kimberly: Actually the laughs on here are what makes my day we have to stick together who else can even relate! It's laugh or cry and I alternate quite well between both sometimes at the same time.

I just wanted to say "duck fuzz" is the perfect word for what I've got on my head right now.  Today we have to take the dog to the vet for her annual shots -- I'll be wearing one of my nice bandannas or a Buff, and I know people are going to look, but I'm finding I just can't be bothered to care.  I'm more concerned that with chemo and steroids and stress, my blood sugar has been going up (I'm a Type II diabetic).

On a side note, neither of my armpits became numb from treatment -- my right armpit is still numb from the Sentinel Node procedure, but obviously that was from before.  What did happen was that I had a mild allergic reaction to something in the chemo or steroids that made my armpits itch, and I developed a small red rash in my right pit.  My MO said he'd never seen that before and was completely mystified.  It gradually went away on its own. 

Kimberly...Lol! I love that analogy and it totally cracked me up....which I reeealllly needed today! Thanks!

Hi Belleast,

I brought magazines (but there were plenty there) and a big icy limeade from Sonic (which someone here suggested). I got hungry partway through so maybe some snacks?  I had Benadryl in my IV as a premed so that pretty much knocked me out, and when i wasn't out I chatted with the other folks in the room.

Hope all goes well tomorrow, let us know how you are doing!  

Wow, I went away for the weekend and there is so much to catch up on!! Even though my WBC tanked, I still went to Ft. Bening Ga. to see my son for his 36 hour pass. It was AWESOME!!! I felt really crappy when we left, but between the Diflucan for my thrush and seeing my son, I havn't felt this good since before my lymph node surgery in August!! I can finally eat real food and even taste most of it. My hair even managed to make the trip .

I notice today when I was plucking my eyebrows and some stray hairs on my face, that they just slid out with no resistance. I can't help but thing that this is a sign  of things to come.... I'm actually feeling ok about losing my hair. It's really thin and fine. I'm hoping I will be one of those lucky people whose hair grows back nice and thick!

I love reading about every ones ups as well as their downs. The ups give me hope when I'm down and the downs remind me that I'm not alone.

belleeast - cooka nailed it especially the Sonic limeade!! The only thing I would add is that I brought headphones and music and some hard candies. My big infusion TCH takes 4-5 hours with premeds. The premeds pretty much knock me out, so having music to sleep and zone too was nice. My H only, only takes 30 minutes to an hour, so I don't bring much. Good luck tomorrow!!!

I hope all my chemo-sabes are doing well today!

Maggie and Mary: Sorry you arent' feeling well. 

Kelliregi: so glad you wre able to make the trip, it must have been so nice to see your son. I'm hoping for thick re-growth too.

Belleeast: I'm taking drinks, music, puzzle books, a thin pillow and thin blanket just in case because I don't know what they have at ours yet and if it make me as tired as some others I want to sleep comfortably. 

I like pulling my hair out and dropping it on the collies' noses.  They have been doing this to me for years.  I finally get my revenge.

Just got my labwork and I only have 100 neutrophils (0.1). They gave me Cipro, but I am kind of freaking out. Shouldn't I be locking myself up in a bubble? I'm guessing I shouldn't go to school tomorrow? anyone else had this problem? Thanks!

Hi Kimberly,

Gave me a script for Cipro and told me next time I would get Neulasta...told me I probably shouldn't go to yoga... I should have asked more questions but I did not expect to have a bad count since I am feeling so good...unfortunately now that I am reading more about neutropenia I am unnerved, to say the least.

Cooka - We match! My  Nutrophiles were the same and WBC were/are 1.4. I just did a road trip and had no problems, but I was able to avoid children for the most part. I was a hand-gel fool, but I didn't get sick. What do you think you are going to do? Best of luck, whatever you choose.