Is there a July 2011 group?

Thanks shinypop and J-Bug for the info. I am exactly 2 weeks PFC, fighting a horrible cold, started as a sore throat and now it's in my head, happen to see the surgeon Monday and she put me on antibiotics. It's hard to tell if the aches and tiredness are from chemo or the cold! I am just being impatient, I want to feel better now~ LOL. 

xoxoxoxo to all!  

Yooper - Glad you are almost at the end of the rad road!  Also that you can use shampoo again.  How wonderful!

Rabbit:  What a fabulous article! Congrats to you on your good work.  Also on the shrinkage of your tumor.  That's terrfic!  On the other hand, it sucks to be sick after all you've been through.  Feel better quick!  I finished Abraxane on October 22 and my nails didn't get bad until the very end. They are still pretty awful and my toenails are even worse.  I have been assured by my onc that they will return in good shape but it will take a few months.  I'm not sure if it's the same with Taxol.  Just like Shinypop, it took almost a month for me to feel my energy come back. just in time for me to start rads and be tired again. LOL

It certainly sounds like the service for your BIL was a celebration of his life. I'm sure it was a great comfort to you at a very sad time.

ANA - How nice to go topless again -- I think it's a great idea for the new year! My hair is just starting to come back -- it's about 1/16" long right now, not much, but at least I know it's coming back.

Dexxy - So happy that you are doctor-free until March! Enjoy the holidays!

Shinypop - I know what you mean about the hair coming back uneven - I have some good return everywhere except right above my forehead, where my hair has always been a bit thinner.  I'm anxious to see that part come back because I don't think I can really rock the receding hairline thing.

 JBug -It's good you have a PT to help with the aches and joint pain.  I'm still taking Herceptin and I find that I'm okay for several days after the infusion, but then the aches and stiffness kick in for a week or so.  I take Tylenol in the morning and again at night to help, which it does, but not much.  There are days when I feel like I'm 90.  Which I'm not.  But which I'd like to be someday,

I've finished 14 of 25 rads and then I have 10 boosts.  We may have to scramble things up a bit because all the skin under my breast has broken through and is quite painful and a really interesting shade of burgundy.  The skin under the breast reminds me of the zombies in The Walking Dead.  However, I do not have the urge to attack and eat people, so I think I'm okay in the zombie department.  I'm using Lidocaine mixed with an antimicrobial (Silvadene? sp?) along with the Udderly Smooth cream over the rest of the area that isn't all open sores.  Personally, I found chemo was easier, but I've been told it's the luck of the draw and depends on your skin.  And the size of your boobs.  I've been blessed with very fair skin and big boobs, which makes things worse.  First thing I do when I get home is dump the bra and let the air hit me.  That helps.  I'm just counting down.  

We had our holiday lunch at work today (cajun food, very yummy and made me glad I can taste things again) and I thanked my boss (friend) for being so supportive (if I were in the classroom instead of doing the job I have now I would have been harassed endlessly) and she said she would do anything she could do to help make things easier for me.  I am truly blessed in working with such a great person.

Also on a positive note, mold removel and asbestos tile removal will commence at my house on January 3.  It only took four months!  FEMA sucks. LOL  

I hope everyone here has a Happy Hanukay, a Merry Christmas and a happy and HEALTHY New Year! Enjoy the holidays and celebrate life!

Hi Ladies hav'nt posted here in awhile started Rads on Monday doing great so far Rads so much easier than chemo 6 weeks post chemo and hair is coming in fast.What a great job Rabbit you are doing a great job as a spokes person.Cleaning for Cancer sounds like a great Idea.I went to see my BS today went in feeling great and upbeat and the BS was so negative about everything my husband @ the end of visit said so is my wife Cancer free she just glared @ him.He then said so is she cured and the BS there is no cure for BC very stone faced and cold.I cried for 3 hours after that my poor hubby felt very bad for asking those questions.She has no bedside manner.

Happy Holidays everyone. Hope we are all healthy and happy in the New Year.

Okay, so my hair is growing back pretty slowly. I had a nice tonsure going on, but the top bit was sparse. I finally have fill in growth. Looks like it will all be pale silver. Seriously considering dying options even though it's merely 1/14th of an inch. I'm too young for this. lol

rabbit: Are you doing bmx for your surgery? Are you doing SNB or AND? Be careful, the gym might be the worst place to go if you are getting over something and also trying to not get anything else before surgery. I used to get sick every time that I would first start back to the gym. It drove me crazy!! Best wishes to you on your surgery! I am sorry to hear about your cousin. I know a man who has been going through testing like that for 2-3 months now and having a hard time getting an answer. They are looking at colon, pancreas, etc on him.

shinypop: I was reading your comments on hair growth. Do you guys think that it would grow faster if we gave in and had a trim? I started using Nioxin shampoo, conditioner and treatment last week. I found it on sale. I feel like it is fillling in a little better but not getting much longer.

I had two toenails that came off halfway last week. They were off halfway vertically. I had to trim them to keep them from catching on socks. Yes, my last Taxol was 10-07! I was amazed that trimming down to the cuticle did not hurt, but that makes sense since it was already detached. I know, TMI!

I hope everyone had wonderful holidays! I really enjoyed spending time with family this year. I made an impromptu run to Michigan last weekend for a holiday party with family and also visited with a stepsister and her family that I had not seen in years. She has a two year old and a nine year old that are just so beautiful! My stepdad is Phillipino, so that mixed with her mom being French... Of course, the most beautiful thing about the children was their great big personalities and spirit. I felt very renewed with just that quick trip. 

Everyone keeps commenting that there is lots of gray coming in. I do as well. I have more than I did before chemo. Do you guys think that this is something that will go away or do we just end up with a lot more gray than before?

Shinypop...we are not the highly trained professionals. We are just supposed to do what we're told and not ask questions. Didn't you get the memo?

Hi girls-

So sorry that I have not checked in lately. We've been trying to get back to some normal after the loss of our family member. It has been hard, but we are moving forward as best we can. Christmas took on a special meaning. We stayed with our neice and nephews so all of our kids could open presents together. It was a very special experience. There were tears but also smiles and laughter. The holiday had a meaning like never ever before for me.

I am 8 weeks PFC, feeling pretty good. Working out 4-5 times a week. The exercise thread is great and very motivating! eating a mostly vegan diet and I continue to lose weight. When I started this journey, I weighed 154. I weigh 126 now. I feel good, I think I am one of the oddballs who had a seriously metabolism rev after chemo. Tamox is going well, metformin is going well. I have an inch of hair on my head, it grew back FAST! My eyebrows look like a bushwomanand I seem to have double the lashes!

I have a port removal and revision surgery tomorrow. I will also have autologous fat grafting from my thighs to fill in the divots I have above my implants from the serious scraping up to my collar bone during MX. It is definatley an interesting procedure. I have to be at the hospital at 5:45- leaving home at 4:00......ugh, early morning.

Rabbit, best of luck on surgery, what did you decide on lumpectomy or mx?

J-Bug , how are you feeling other than your nails??? You poor thing, ouch!

Yooper, what a sweet message you are well.

Shiny, thinking of you!

I am thinking of all of you~

xo

Missy

Shiny I'll be at the hospital having weird surgery....... port out, nipple revision, scar revision, and get this autolougus fat grafting to my divots above my implants......so, i get a little lipo at the same time as surgery! I'll be thinking of you

thinking of you misswim and shiny! 

Hi ladies! I am ringing in the new year with a new nipple! Just got it today and I got my port out as well! I know some surgeons will put you under general anesthesia for this, but mine had me awake and just did local numbing. Worked out well and I will be wearing a nipple shield for the next month, but no big deal. We've all gone through much worse!

Misswim - Yay for getting through another surgery! I also had some scar revision done today with my nipple surgery. It was great having my plastic surgeon take out the port too because they were able to revise the scar from that as well. Who knows, maybe I'll get me some lipo down the line as well to fill out the area above my implant too. Where are they taking the fat from? Also, congrats on the weight loss! I lost about 10 pounds through this experience (just from eating better) and people are telling me I'm too skinny, but I'm actually happy with my weight (other than the fact that my other boob shrunk lol!). I have never been under 120 pounds since before high school, so being 118 is nice, though I don't want to get any lower and I think some of the weight loss was muscle loss, so that will come back. 

Shiny - Sorry about the problems with your other breast. Hope it gets better soon. I also thought about not having the nipple done or the tattooing. I have a new deductible ($2400) next year, but they were able to get me in just before year-end, so my nipple is "free" lol! I think it's a personal choice...as long as we are happy about it! It's been 12 1/2 weeks since my last chemo treatment and I'm not ready to go hatless yet (too cold), but I am happy you are feeling good enough to go out "topless" at 17 weeks. I'm not too far off!

J-Bug - I hear you on the gray hair thing. I am only 29 and I have more than my fair share. Of course, my dad's side of the family all went grey by 30, so it could just be in the cards for me, but I sure hope they go away! Sucks about the toenails though. I feel like my nails are all more brittle, but none have detached so far, so I'm counting my blessings.

Phillybird - Hope you're enjoying Florida!

Rabbit - Awesome news about your friend in Australia. So sorry about your cousin though. Hope they figure it out soon. When is your surgery going to be and what are you having done?

Bcisnofun/Yooper - Hope you're both doing well!

Just wanted to add that chemo brain is still in full effect for me. My short term memory has just gone to hell. I can't remember the smallest of things, like where I left my sunglasses (on my head), why I went into a room, etc. I have older friends that are like, "you're too young for that!". Hope it goes away. My other ongoing issue is fatigue. I am still trying to get my energy back! I am hoping it will get better in the next few months. And I still have that rash all over my body...still think Tamoxifen is the culprit, and if it is, I guess I will be dealing with it for a while. 

hi everyone and Happy New Year!

I will be getting my port removed, sentinel node biopsy and lumpectomy on Thursday, Jan 5th. My surgeon and MO feel I have a really good shot at the lumpectomy being successful. 

I am having a really rough time with some deep bone pain and just weakness overall. I went to the gym Wed. and couldn't walk for 2 days! I am scared about surgery so soon, I feel like it'll be a long hard recovery for me, I am lucky that we're going for the lumpectomy instead of mastectomy, I don't think I would be ready for that major of a surgery. 

misswim, so glad you are recovering from surgery.  And I agree, the best part will be getting my port out! I cannot wait! I want to get back into yoga, I did it for years and years, about 20 years ago, was addicted to it. And when I went to the breast cancer retreat a few months ago, they had a free class of yoga, and it made me want more. So once I get through surgery, I will start to look for a good yoga class. My MO just moved hospitals to a group called Norton and they offer free massages and free yoga classes for cancer patients. I'll check that out. 

J-Bug, I think you're right, I have much more gray now than I did before, and it's fuzzy! We'll see how it goes as it grows in, but I'm thinking I'll be pretty gray

kk11, I have major chemo brain too, I was already getting a bit ditzy but this is crazy, I am 46 and I can't talk for a minute without forgetting a certain word that I would use to describe something. So many times I'm like "I can't think of that word.." and sometimes I never figure it out, it's scary. And the lack of energy is making me nuts. I used to be non stop, and now, I just want to sleep. If I force myself to walk on the treadmill for 10 minutes or do the dishes and laundry, I'm worn out so fast, I hate it. hope it comes back soon!

shinypop, that is soooo cool about the tattoo in place of a  nipple, I was just talking about that a few weeks ago. If I ever have to get reconstruction I will definitely consider that. There is a website we were looking at that showed a bunch of cool tattoos and I can't find it now.... 

Hi to everyone else, love you all and hope we can still do that get together one day!!!!  

Hi Everyone!

Yeah to all who have weathered more surgery and gotten nipples and all.  I have fallen behind in reading the posts - sorry. . . .

It seems that many of you have lots of gray hair growing back.  Mine is sort of white in two spots in front and mostly dark brown in the rest, but I highly recommend a fun semi-permanent color.  I find that the white sops up "pimpin' purple" very well!

I had a great time in Florida and skipped the wigs the whole time.  Going out for NYE.

Hope everyone has some fun tonight too.

Happy New Year!!!!