Is there a July 2011 group?

Rabbit, good luck today and enjoy your mini reunion. Good luck with your presentation,too. I think once you start talking, it will flow. Its a topic you know personally and likely have now done a bit more research on it. It should be quit fun!



Well, I am in the chair for my last big tx!!!!! Soooooo very excited to get beyond this hurdle. I am moving on to rads in about 3 weeks and continuing Hercetin every 3 weeks until July.... But this hurdle is a biggy. Hoping for a smooth week to follow. I plan to have my girls night out celebration in couple of weeks alcohol encouraged! LOL



Thinking of you all!

Izzy -- Congrats on finishing chemo!!! I, too, am looking forward to celebrating with friends as soon as I'm feeling up to it. We'll probably be starting rads about the same time.



Dexxy -- I hear you on distressing over how you look. I've noticed that when I feel like crud I don't seem to give a hoot what I look like, but when I start to feel a little better then all of a sudden I feel like I look terrible and everyone is staring. I hope you feel up to going to the wedding and are able to enjoy it!



I also sympathize with the stress over all the things we are supposed to avoid. Who can do that in this day and age? Did your "underarm bumps" go away eventually? I can't believe your feet are still so painful! That sounds miserable. What chemo were you on?



Rabbit -- hope your tx went well today. Do they say SE's are any different with your weekly taxol as opposed to the biweekly many of us had? Best of luck on your presentation on Friday!

Ann, I guess the more savvy we get, the better our questions. We kind of assume that docs tell us everything but some " don't Bother" to give all the details.... Due to not wanting to take the time, or just assuming you rely on them to worry about the details. You had a rough time getting to the margin you have so it's very good question. Good luck tomorrow and let us know.

Mavinbook,i got them a week ago and they are still there,annoying and painful, so yes,it happens(i am open to all possibilities now with chemo)! can't wait till all this is over!!

rabbit,good luck with the presentation dear,and no,you will not be the last here on chemo ,my last chemo will be January 25th,i guess i'll be the last one on chemo chair here!

Chemo fog started,can't concentrate and so forgetful,im afraid it will be a problem while driving,i like to be out most of the day.

Good luck to everyone

Love you all

Good night

xoxoxo

izzy - so happy to have you on the other side of chemo!  Congrats.

dexxy - I'm sorry you are going through a tough time.  You've been very strong through this.  I hope you are able to go to the wedding and have a great time. 

As for all of the things we're supposed to give up that cause cancer, I feel your pain!  I'd love to hear others opinions on this too.  I just can't do it al.  I've changed a lot of things, but I don't want to give up everything.  There are so many people who survived breast cancer 25, 20, 15 years ago and didn't know to give up all of these things, so I'm not positive I believe in an absolute connection.  Still, I drink green tea, reduced greatly the amount of sugar and meat, eat more veggies, fruits and whole grains, don't cook in plastic, use organic face stuff, aluminum free deodorant, etc.  But I still drink a little coffee and diet coke and eat dessert (thought lots less often).  Can others weigh in on how they are doing with lifestyle changes? 

have a good day everyone!

I am a bit confused.  I was told by my BS that my port would be out VERY soon (told me to  call her when I was getting my least chemo session) but my chemo nurse was going on about leaving it in for like 6 months to a year????  If any of you that have a port when are you or did you have it removed???

Thanks!

Thanks-- I had my surgery (lumpectomy) in May, port placed in June started Chemo in July.  Now I will finish up with Chemo (Nov 22nd) and onto rads...  My oncologist keeps telling me that my cancer has been removed from me and I am cancer free......he says everything from here on out (chemo/rads) is just to prevent a recurrence and to do any necessary clean up.  Maybe that is why the surgeon is saying I can get it out sooner rather than later??  Not sure though...  I really do not want to go into the oncology unit each month and have my port flushed.....geez

Hey all, I love having the port. Think I'm the only one. I'm going to keep mine through herceptin for the next year. I have very deep veins and don't feel like getting repeatedly stabbed to look for them. Just alot easier this way.

hi luvmy2kids - I've heard of people who liked their ports, but I hated mine.  I couldn't wait to get it out.  My MO was the one who made the decision to pull it and he let me do it 2 weeks after last chemo.  I know their goal is of course not to pull it and then need it again, so I agree with jbug that it's based on their opinion of the likelihood of recurrence.  Plus I think some docs just have a certain minimum they leave it in.  (because they've never had one).  fortunately mine was not in that mindset. Good luck to you

Hi all - I work with diabetes educators and I asked them about metformin.  According to them, it's a very old drug with limited side effects.  I asked her if it were her, would she take it knowing it may or may not work at reducing recurrence.  she said absolutely she would.  However she talked to one of the endocrinologists and told him about me and he said he wouldn't recommend I take it without being diabetic because I'm too thin.  Not sure why...could I take half a pill?  My MO said I didn't qualify for the trial.  When I go back in Dec, I'm going to ask what they think about just prescribing it for me.  

Thanks to all..  I see my MO in one month, the day before my last chemo, and I will ask him what he thinks....  and go from there...

Girls- I have signed up to do the Avon Walk in Boston in May 2012. It's 40 miles, over two days. Thought i would post the link to my page, because I am doing this for US. Love to all of you!

http://info.avonfoundation.org/site/TR/Walk/Boston?px=6276522&pg=personal&fr_id=2170

I just typed up a HUGE post and poof it's gone, UGH!!

I just caught up all with all the posts since I've been on...the flushing of the port is done every time I get chemo. It's when they use the saline before and after the chemo, I think...just to clean it out?

thanks to everyone for being so positive that I would succeed so well at the talk, as I did and it felt good! It's funny how the nerves just left me after like 30 seconds of speaking. Izzy, you are right, it flowed, I had 3 pages printed out but found out after I started on a subject, I touched on the things I needed to and didn't have to read word for word what I had written. Everyone said it went great. My sister said you could hear a pin drop, with 60+ people and 30+ of those being kids, that's a pretty big accomplishment. My other sister told me I should call some of the local schools and offer to speak using the power point and speech I did at this one, she said it was that good...wow, I think I might!

And congrats Izzy for your last big tx, how did it go? I hope your SEs were very minimal!

dexxy, did you get any answers about your feet? With the docetaxel I had horrible swelling and blistering, in fact 6 weeks later (we switched to taxol for the next tx) I still have layers of skin coming off my feet and hands...feet much worse than hands. But the soreness is pretty much gone from the blistering...foot pain is there off an on.

yooper, I never asked that specific question on the weekly vs. biweekly but the onco did say at the weekly dose it's much lower so the SEs should be very minimal, which they have. My SEs on weekly taxol are:

1. brain fog worse than ever, especially the first 4-5 days
2. tiredness, I just did round 3 of taxol on Wed. and find the tiredness does accumulate, I'm more tired the last few days than I was last week at this time.
3. bowel issues, constipation, diarrhea, it goes back and forth.
4. Mild bone pain, shooting pains off and on after day 2-3, but nowhere as bad as the docetaxel.
5. A very bad dryness inside my nose, hands, feet...
6. Taste buds are not the same, constantly off since day one of taxol, not terrible, but nothing tastes right. 

So, compared to the docetaxel, I am in heaven to be honest.  

Allenan, I wish I knew more about margins and stuff to help you, I hope you get the right answers soon and put your mind to rest. I will be questioning all of those things in a month or so.

mavinbook, I had the docetaxel one time and my body freaked on it, including horrible blistering so I don't know if my constant peeling of the skin is from that or the newer taxol, I'm guessing it's more from the docetaxel.

lulujune17, I knew I would be "one of the last in the big chair" we will all be here for each other, I love this group and  I sure hope we can get together one day!

J-Bug, I think they call it flushing of my port every time I'm there, when they put saline in it. I'm not 100% sure but pretty sure...anyone else? And 4 doctors in one week? wow

bcisnofun, I am with you, I have done almost exactly as you, although, a few years before my dx, I basically was doing that...cut back on sugar, never a big meat eater to begin with, lots of fruits and veggies, not cooking in plastic, exercise regularly, organic when I can afford it, blah, blah, blah, I  am not giving up everything, but I am going back to my "moderation is best" theory. If I have dessert, I have a small peice. I've backed off the frappes and ice cream, really trying to get back into eating better, I did let it go a bit during the first few months of chemo.

khs113, I have put on 13 pounds now since my first tx. And with the taxol I find my taste buds not as good and I'm really not eating as much as I was during FEC or docetaxel, but yet, I can't get rid of what I did gain. I have made it a point to get more walks in, not eat late at night, all the things we know already, it's not easy

luvmy2kids, because I had the clot in my external jugular, I was told I could have the port removed during sx (which is now scheduled for Jan. 5th) but since the clot seems to have dissolved nicely, the BS and onco are discussing if it needs to stay in longer. I will know more in Dec. when I get the MRI again. I am torn between getting it out asap and keeping it in, just to be safe. I don't want to get it out and then need another one put in!

shinypop, I totally understand where you are coming from keeping the port.

sandy115, I had precancerous cells on my cervix when I was in my late 20s (20 years ago)  and had the gas/freezing, which hurt insanely by the way. But I was told the same, it's not related. My mother had early stages of cervical cancer where they did surgery, but took just a chunk of her cervix, not all...and many years later she's fine.l

Sorry, for the long post!!! So much to catch up on.

As for my talk, it went awesome, I was so happy with it, felt comfortable, the nerves were gone  after like 30 seconds of talking. My BF let me spray paint his hair pink, it was awesome support by my family and Rod. 

Also, I have training on Nov. 15th at Hosparus (the local hospice where my sister works as clinical nurse manager) for volunteer work with the children. I can't wait, I really want to do this, I hope emotionally I am ok with it, I think I will be.

Ok, signing off...gotta finish packing, doing a casino trip to celebrate the bdays of mom, my BF and friend. I look forward to it regardless of the gambling factor. The beds are so comfy there and they have a little gym, indoor pool....like a mini vacation.   

xoxoxoxo to everyone! 

luvmy2kids: I have to do herceptin for a year after my chemo so I will keep my port in, but on my initial visit to MO the nurse told me my MO likes to keep the port in for at least a year after. Not sure why or if I can get my way and get it out.

dexxy: Lovely picture of the two of you. Don't see any 80 there