Is There A September 2011 Chemo Group?

rj, haven't had that problem, definately call your dr might be reaction to chemo or some people get shingles with chemo. don't know what else to tell you except if you have any steroids drs like to give them for allergic reactions, of course you might be up all nite if you take one now. is it baking soda you add to bath water for rashes?

CJRT - Sigh.  You sure do get them all right.  What kind of PA is surprised when a cancer patient does not have hair?  Duh.  I just want to remind you that you young ladies tend to look pretty good even without hair, so don't let the occasional idiot bother you too much.

Kate - Touching story about your dad making that extra effort.

RJ - I had port out 3-1/2 weeks PFC.  I had talked with MO, needed his approval and orders to get it removed.  He said "Well, we usually like to leave it in for a year because that is when there is the most likelihood of recurrence."  Hmmn.  Didn't know that, about the 1 year recurrence factoid.  Anyhow, I let him know that I didn't think I could take more chemo even if there was a recurrence.  My heart, liver, and kidney function seem to have taken a pretty big hit from chemo.  So I got my orders for port removal.  I don't know if this is the standard for port insertion, but my port was on the opposite side as the breast with cancer.  If the port is not on the same side as the cancer, I would not think it would interfere with rads.  Anyway, glad to get it out, and get it out in the same year as my deductible has already been fulfilled because that port stuff is expensive.

Karen - I'm done with the roughest treatment, except for the Arimidex which I have already started.  I had micrometastasis and isolated tumor cells in one node on biopsy, so I was in a gray area for radiation, whether it is recommended or not.  After weighing the relative risks and benefits of radiation in my case, I have chosen not to do radiation.  A lot of the side effects of Armidex, I already have like vaginal dryness, some hot flashes, joint aches, fluid retention, muscle fatigue.  So far I have not been able to tell the difference from taking the Arimidex.  Oh, they say it causes insomnia too, but I would be surprised if I got that one.  I never get that one.

Cooka - Getting any hair growth yet, the scalp kind?  I was getting kind of excited last week and thought I was getting new growth.  Unfortunately it doesn't look much longer this week and really not many more hairs thickening in.  Ok, maybe some, but I was hoping to grow like a Chia pet.  I am not getting anything like that.  I would like to take a multivitamin to help my nutrition and help my hair, but have read things about the folic acid in multivitamins not being that good for you, so just trying to eat healthier.  More veggies.  Maybe consider Biotin.

RJ - I was wondering where you were.  I thought the kids had run you ragged with the noise and the mess, on top of all the working you do.  I don't know what to think about the rash.  It reminds me of Jersey's story.  I hope it turns out to be more irritating than dangerous.

LeeAnn:  I saw you had some serious GI side effects.  We miss you and hope you get well soon.

Sara - Congratulations on your son's graduation.  Hope you are feeling well enough to to enjoy it. The port removal was in outpatient department at hospital, very quick, just Lidocaine for anesthesia.

Linda - I hope you are feeling great and enjoying your time off in between.

Belle - Hang in there pal.  I hope you are past the worst by this week.

hi everyone,

kimberly, glad you got some relief from your rash.

yesrerday, started feeling better went to lunch with my sister. one of my granddaughters had xmas program last nite. met my son and family went to see the Santa Train, was a long line and a little breezy. got inside, my dil took picture of me and kids with santa, then when we started to leave, Santa grabbed me, saying oh no,not yet, sat me on his lap/leg! asked if i was having health issues. i was so surprised i was like yes, doing chemo. he asked if he could pray for me, i said yes. my dil took a picture of me on santa's lap, i wasn't smiling and i look terrible with my scarf covering my forehead,my face looks fat. arrrrhhh

this morning woke up with fever blister/cold sore ,sore throat,sinus draining, bone pain. CRAP

Hi everyone!  I had my first AC infusion yesterday and I was very nervous about it.  So far, I am doing okay.  I just feel a bit dizzy and drugged up.  I also feel like my whole body is heavy - sort of like someone turned up the gravity.  They gave me Emend in my infusion and I have to take steroids for 3 days afterwards which always makes me wired and cranky.  I actually slept fairly well last night which really surprised me.  I guess my emotional exhaustion was greater than the steroids.  I go to get my fist neulasta shot this afternoon and I took a Claritin this morning so I hope that helps.  Thank you to all of you who have supported me and given me advice thoughout this whole journey.  My real life friends just tell me how strong I am and how I can handle anything and I need this place to express my fears.  When my nurse practioner asked me how I was doing I told her that I wasn't brave but I was doing it anyway.  I figured I might as well be honest with her.

So, big hugs to everyone wherever you are in your cancer journey.  Thank you for being part of mine.

Belleeast - Thank you for your encouragement.  I'm sorry that you woke up this morning feeling crappy and I hope you feel better soon.  I was touched by your story about the Santa who wanted to pray for you.  What a sweet man.  We'll take all the prayers we can get!

 Hang in there....

Linda

sorry Belle for your continued pain...your endurance is amazing!

Pink shirt--doc told me that if you were gonna get sick you would be sick from first one so hopefully she was right!!  Getting #3 AC on thursday and #7 overall so only 1 more after this week and chemo is done!

Kelly-- the love your Daddy has for you is shining!  Absolutely brought tears to my eyes. 

Maggie

Hi Cooka - I'm sorry to hear you have LE, but glad to hear you are getting therapy. For me, the LE gets a little worse with each TE fill. I can't wait to get the TE's out and see if the LE goes away, like my therapist thinks it will. I love my LE therapist and therapy is fantastic. My swelling is relatively minor, although it feels huge to me. No wrapping or prescription sleeve, but I do wear a biking compression sleeve. My cording is almost gone and my range of motion has greatly improved. My therapy is basically stretching and massage twice a week. It feels REALLY good!

Where is your LE? Is it in your arm, or truncal,  or both? I have a little of both. Do you have cording too? Good luck with your therapy Thursday. Please let me know how it goes.

RJ....just saw your post about your rash and was wondering how you were? I posted a couple of weeks ago that a similar thing happened to me...started with low fever then swollen earlobes and within hours, hives all over my body. I took benedryl at home, which did nothing, ended up so sick I passed out and spent a week in the hospital. They diagnosed me with Stevens-Johnsons syndrome, which is basically a really toxic drug reaction in your body. Most of the docs seemed to feel it was the chemo since that was the only drug I was taking, except for the oncologist of course...he was just mad that the other docs blamed the chemo, lol. I ended up on mega antibiotics and steroids in hosp for a week, but I think the steroids are what actually kicked it. Anyway, I hope yours didn't get all out of control llike mine did, lemme know how ur doing..

shelley, thanks for the laugh!!!! how is the radiation going ? any skin problems ?

feeling better today, think i've turned the corner!

 had a shrink appt today, i go every 3 months. thank god cause she can say the stupidest things sometimes esp since my diagnosis. just goes to show once again unless you've been thru it, people have no idea.

jersey, dang girl YOU have had it rough!

khegidio, (((((HUGS)))) thank you for the warning, i have forgotten to tell my mo about my shortness of breath, going up stairs, heart pounds, the last 2 times i saw her. i have appt tomorrow, she is going on leave for 3 months (pregnant) so after tomorrow i will see another dr. i've been getting a weird pain in my left rib cage toward the back.

hope you feel better soon, don't take any chances if you don't tell your dr.

Thanks belleast. Feeling fine (despite getting stuck 6 times and giving a total of 21 vials of blood today - no joke). just tired and glad I am still here. Having some wine and reflecting. I came home tonight and hugged my husband and 17 month old like crazy. Love them and wish, hope, and pray this is year is just a phase and not the start of my decline. I want to see my baby grow up. Scary times.

Wow, Kate. I am so sorry to hear about your frightening day! I am so glad you had your dad there for support, though, and that your doctor was so on top of things.  So many times they just blow off the chemo patients. Sending many positive thoughts your way!

CJRT - About the comments you get about your hair or lack of it, I noticed tonight again, being out and about bald, that a maybe Indian man, certainly some middle eastern heritage, gave me lowered eyes, averted eyes, and could barely look at me.  Like I was unclean.  I felt the reaction to bald head on a woman was very strong, very much a cultural thing, and not being Hindu or Islamic, I looked it up.  I saw something where widows are shaved bald and forced to beg after the death of their husband (Hindu).  The Islamic are always covered up, pardon me, so who would know they are bald? There is a movie out there called "Water" which is I guess about the life of a Hindu widow.  I so wish Blockbuster had not gone out of business because I want to see that now.  Of course christians and buddhists have a big history of their religious leaders or followers shaving their head to indicate dedication and celibacy, so it's a horse apiece.  I think the Dali Lama is balder than an eight-ball.  Funny how some religions say you should never cut a hair and some of the highest in others shave it all off.  When I shaved bald in support of my sister 6 years ago, I was never sensitive to it.  I never put anything on my head and walked through a busy multicultural workplace daily with no problem.  I am just more sensitive to it now, when that hair loss was against my will.

Oh Kate...so so sorry...glad that your Doc was proactive in looking into what was going on.  Hug that family as much as you can.  I am sure your Dad was just happy to be there supporting you.  So many things I just brush off as part of this process but will now tell my Doc everything.

Hugs and love to all my sisters--still dealing with insurance crap...now hospital says that what I am receiving is not Chemo (AC) and just infusion therapy and will not accept me as a patient since they do not do infusion therapy only chemotherapy and so today--I am up in the middle of the night with insomnia--i will get #7 at the docs office and pay for it myself then go afters these idiots when I am done.  I think it all stems from the hold up with insurance not paying claims which they are now so hospital thinks it is too risky to let me in but insurance only covers at hospital.  Exhausting.  Hopefully my letter to insuance regulator of Fl will help

Maggie

Kate, all I can say is that our thoughts and prayers are with you.  Apparently there is an angel on your shoulder and a good doc at your side!