Is there a July 2011 group?

Congrats to Rabbit for making it through the surgery!

I colored my hair a dark chocolate brown and have been sporting my short punky hairdo to work.  Everyone loves it.  I keep pulling on my tiny bangs to see if they will come in faster, too!

Hi Dexxy - For me the tamox night sweats got better with time.  I used to wake up several times a night and now hardly ever.  I think period returning has in part to do with age.  I was 45 at dx and doc said after chemo and tamox, I had an 80% chance it would never return.  So far it hasn't and I'm 5 months pfc.  I'm sorry you are having feet neuropathy still.  I can imagine that would make working out twice as hard.  If you haven't read it, maybe read now the post in the "newlly diagnosed" forum entitled 29 months post dx or something like that.  They have it tagged so it stays at the top.  I think it nicely confirms that our bodies have been through so much, but it will get better! 

phillybird - the color sounds great.  just like you, everyone is so kind to me about my very short hair.  I haven't colored yet and it's pretty gray. I'm back and forth on coloring it.  I read about a mini hair straightener and bought one.  It's little enough that we can use it on our minimal hair.

rabbit - how are you doing?

Bcisnofun...thank you for suggesting that thread...it was something I needed to hear. For some reason I am feeling this pressure to "be normal" right now. Is it just in my own head? Part of me feels like other people expect everything to be all better now that my treatments are done. I'm sure the truth, however, is that I want everything to be all back to normal now, and I need to accept the fact that it's going to take some time.



Starting Livestrong at the Y on Monday. Getting the port out on Tuesday. Hoping that doesn't limit my activity for too long.



Hope everyone's recoveries are going well.

dexxy, I am 5 weeks PFC and have lost 3 pounds..put on 14 during chemo. I also have pretty bad neuropathy in my hands and feet. I also have some pretty bad foot pain, my MO thinks it's arthritis but of course swears the chemo is out of my body and it's not from that. I know chemo flared up every ailment I had and it's making all the aches and pains so worse. As for my period, I have not had one since August I think...and I was told the same thing, I'm hoping it doesn't come back because I am ER+ and I would prefer to not get my ovaries taken out if not needed...

bcisnofun, I am just drained, I'm guessing the chemo is still tiring me out and the general anaesthesia is probably making me have such little energy. 

Going to the casino for my little sister's bday tomorrow night

Also, my cousin started chemo today,she was finally dx with a rare cancer of the appendix that has spread to her ovaries and intestines. She's on a combo of 4 every 12-14 days for 3 rounds, then surgery. Say a prayer for her please. 

Nite all!  

that's an interesting point about ovaries and periods.  I hadn't thought of that.  I think you can also shut down overy production with lupron injections though I have no idea when they choose that or why vs. ovary removal vs. just letting you have periods.  Gee I thought I didn't want periods just because I didn't want the hassle. 

rabbit - I'm so sorry for your cousin.  I'm sure you are an inspiration to her.  Isn't this the second family member for you since you've been diagnosed?  I know misswim had her husband's family member but I thought you had another too.  Enjoy the casino!  Sounds like fun.

I'd love to see new pictures of all of you too.  I'll try to do mine later today. 

PhillyBird: Your hair looks wonderful!! 

Oh JBug and Dexxy - you guys are so kind!  Thanks!!

Hey Rabbit,

Hope you are doing well and feeling good.  The thing about the hair is that you can privately watch it evolve every day.  Then one day, you realize that you don't have to keep your hat or wig on anymore and no one is staring!  If you have fuzz now, it won't be long, before it is long!!

Rabbit, it took about a month from the time I first saw fuzz to the day I finally took the plunge and stopped wearing hats. Here I am three months after my last chemo. Its been growing about half an inch each month, which I read is about average. Be patient!

sandy115, I was told by my MO, and he gave me literature on it at the time, that large doses of VitC can actually feed certain cancers including breast and prostate that I remember...

rossileo18 and PhillyBird, you give me hope! Mine is growing pretty fast, just a bit sparse

Ok, I saw my MO today, found out I need to have my ovaries removed and possibly a total hysterectomy. He started me on tamoxifen and wants me on zometa once every 6 months, he said new studies show it can prevent certain breast cancers from recurring. Also, it helps build bone density and my mom has osteoporosis, so it's a plus. 

I pretty much decided I would go with rads on the nodes instead of ALND. My MO was very confident with doing rads. 

So, anyone in my situation....hysterectomy vs. ovaries only? Anyone taking zometa for prevention? 

Please share

xoxoxoxoxo 

Yeah, J-bug!!!  I am sure you look great.  Go for a feminine neckline, brighten your eyes with some make-up, and wear some stunning earrings.  No one will mistake you for a boy!

Ow, radiation burns hurt. I still have most of my energy, which is good. 

Glad to hear everyone is doing so well. Hair is on the way back for us all. I'm just glad I'm a short-hair girl, so I don't have long to wait. lol

Mavinbook, my scalp is itchy, but I think my scalp has always been tickly anyway. I don't have dandruff, but it itches sometimes.

Have a super weekend all. 

Sorry I've been MIA again! We went to Vegas from the 13th-16th. I thought that by beating the odds with the molar pregnancy and then breast cancer at my age, that I might as well test my luck at the casinos. Results are in: Negative! LOL! We were actually there because my husband had a friend that wanted him to meet some potential clients. I didn't come back a winner, but didn't come back a total loser either hehe. Anyways, it's been pretty busy for me. I'm still battling some fatigue, but I am up to 3 days a week at work, so moving closer to full time again. My doctor extended my disability through March, so I have a bit more time to transition. And then of course, it's time to start working on taxes again. I am extra motivated to get it done earlier this year....expecting a refund after all of the medical bills from last year (forked over a huge sum for fertility preservation)!

I also wanted to mention that 217 days after my last period and 113 days since my last chemo (nealry 4 months), I think I may have gotten my period back! Since we have no living children yet, this is good news for us. I've never been happier to see my period! 

Wanted to do personals separately....

J-Bug - Did you end up getting a Neulasta shot? I hope you're feeling better! And how is radiation going?

bcisnofun - How long is your hair now? I am nearly at an inch as well! In fact, some parts are more than an inch!

misswim - Good luck with your Masters! I haven't really done much meditating or yoga during this process, but the YMCA in our area has a Living Strong Living Well program for Cancer patients. Not sure if it's everywhere in the country or just our area (someone from Stanford Hospital where I get treatment organizes it), but maybe that would interest you? The program is designed for cancer patients. I believe it's a 12 week program, twice a week, and they do yoga and other exercises and it's free for cancer patients. 

Rabbit - Sorry to hear about your cousin, but it's better to finally get the diagnosis down. I will keep her in my prayers. I'm glad to see that you're doing well though! And you're doing great with the hair just 6 weeks post chemo! I didn't really have much at all before 6 weeks! Now my hair is about an inch! About the oopherectomy/hysterectomy.... Here are my thoughts on both. Having your ovaries removed will effectively reduce the estrogen circulating in your body. So if you were highly estrogen positive, it could be why they are recommending it since you are BRCA negative. Just remember that this will affect your sex drive and could affect your overall mood. The hysterectomy is not really beneficial for BC, but if you're taking Tamoxifen, you may not want to take the risk of getting uterine cancer (this risk is 1% and has only been noted in post menopausal women). But the removal of one does not require removal of the other, so don't think it needs to be all or nothing. As for Zometa, I believe there are some risks involved (obviously the benefits outweigh the risks overall or they wouldn't prescribe it), but definitely look into it just so you know what they are. I feel like doctors only like to push the benefits on us when it comes to these drugs, but they don't spend much time explaining about the risks or the side effects, kwim?

Phillybird -You look awesome with the short do! I think I'll post a picture of my progress too! Will do it soon!

Yooper - I agree that others around me are expecting me to just "bounce back" as if now that treatment is over, I should be "good as new". Well, that's not the case! I can't stand when people forget so quickly! And then there is the other end of the spectrum when people treat me like I'm totally fragile and are shocked when I can still have a good time as if I SHOULD be depressed! Well, I have my down moments, but I don't intend to spend precious time in my life feeling sorry for myself ALL the time! 

Dexxy - I have not had any issues with weight from the Tamoxifen, though I'm also being really careful with diet. The Tamoxifen does make me really tired too. Also, I did just get my period back today. It's really light, but my last visit with the fertility specialist in December showed that I had a really thin lining (due to lack of estrogen), so that's to be expected. I am 29, so it was expected that I would get it back. It took just under 4 months to get it back.

Mavinbrook - I'm vaguely remember having my scalp be itchy when the hair first started coming in. It does get better! I have used coconut oil in my hair a few times now and it helps hydrate!

Hey all, glad everyone is doing well.

I'm still doing rads until the end of next week. Rather miserable right now cuz the burns are really bad. Under my armpit is the worst where they are trying to zap the heck out of my lymph nodes. Honestly, chemo was a breeze compared to this pain. My only real compaint with chemo was fatigue and now this. Oh well, I know it will go away.

Looking forward to new bewbs in May. Wish I didn't have to wait so long, but it's normal.

Hope we all have a great weekend.