November 2011 Rads

Nans, I'm sure your body needs a lot longer to recover after the chemo + rads double whammy. I hope your DR can give you some good advice. Are you taking any meds that might be making your bones ache? That must really be awful hope you get some relief soon!



It's so hard to be patient after treatment and allow our bodies to slowly get back to normal. I know I have some days when I wonder if I'll ever get back to where I was, or if my competitive days are over. tVacrat, it must be wonderful to hear that you are looking good. I never get that, but at least people have stopped saying that I look tired, or asking me how I am in this concerned tone of voice.



Nans, enjoy your quality time with your youngest this weekend. I can't believe it's warm enough to go camping there!



Nat

Happy for you Natters and I agree that 2012 is a much better year!  Everyone comes in your life for a reason. This new person sounds very promising! I am almost 2 weeks out of rads and I have some energy.  Not a lot.  But the hormone pill is driving me nuts!  Hot flashes, headache, a little joint pain....hope it goes away.  I am going to start back at my gym on Monday.  They were so awesome and put my membership on hold.  I joined in April last year and now its time to start again! All of our lives seem to be "starting again!"

Lilylady, So sorry to hear that after rads you had to deal with this news.  I have not heard about the Concerta - I don't see why you can't take it longer.  It sounds promising.  BC just sux and am hoping you have better news soon. I guess we won't know if your rads killed some bad cells, but I'd like to think that's true.... Thoughts and prayers going your way.....
Natters - was wondering where you were....glad you are getting your energy back.  So glad to hear that your recent unhappy ending has brought a new person into your life.  You never know!  My rads recovery has been fast.  My skin is almost normal color; all the rough red itchy bumpy stuff is gone.  Even  my scar has faded so that it is very hard to see.  But my breast is shrinking....swelling went down and breast is soft.  I feel the scar lump once again.  Wait and see....
kadajay, the specific joint pain was/is so annoying. Overall, I felt that the side effects were worth it if cancer cells are suppressed.  My arthritic type of pain did not go away when I stopped the drug...I have bumpy growths and pain especially while driving....annoying, not unbearable. I was told I had PR about 3% and was told I was PR negative; but then my MO told me that it is considered positive now. Try to hang in there with the Arimidex....it is kind of the "backbone" of treatment for Er+ Pr+ Her-    I stopped it because my chronic angina-like spasms that I got rarely began to occur several times a week. Scary stuff....but......
Update: I had the cardiac catheterization Thursday and when I awoke was told they found nothing wrong. So, the good news is that my arteries are clear and no risky blockages. However, I do not know what is causing the spasms. I guess more tests are in my future.
I too really have enjoyed going through the rads months with the ladies here....there is a recovery thread; but as long as this thread stays active, I'll be checking in.
It's 3 AM and am hoping to get some sleep.
nite all...

Joan

Lilylady - No, no, no!!! I am sorry to hear your news. If you need someone to yell with, I am close by. Just let me know. I will do what I can to help you out.

Joan811 - thanks for the encouragement. The pain in the thumbs was especially bad this weekend and I was really wanting off this stuff, but some of the other ones are worse. I just don't want to be bald and in pain for 5 years :-)

nans - I did feel lost for a while. What are we supposed to do now that we are through with treatment. Everyone thinks that you should instantly bounce back and be your old self but we all know that is not possible. My husband is also going back to the norm. In fact, this morning he compared me to someone he works with who is/was going through treatment at the same time. She took off work while being treated which I didn't, she is probably ten years younger and has a job that allows her to nap every day at noon. He said he doesn't see her have any of the pains I do and well, it was just not worth trying to explain to him. This is an angry morning sorry for venting.

lily - oh no I am thinking about you this week and hoping you feel better soon. Fingers crossed the Concerta gives you some relief and that your new meds don't have nasty SEs. It's sunny in Pittsburgh today and getting warmer this week - hoping that you're getting similar weather across the border in Ohio, a nice break from the snow.

Now that we're all through with rads, how long do we keep "oiling" our breast? I'm still using tamanu oil and I'm afraid to stop. The skin is really nice, although still somewhat pink/tan. And my boob feels like a water balloon, so I'm thinking it's probably somewhat swollen still. Are you all comfortable back in underwire bras? I find that the seam in the underarm area bothers me still. Otherwise, my energy level and strength seem to be pretty close to pre-BC.

I can wear an underwire for little while but I have always preferred sports bras. I still have discoloration and swelling but otherwise doing ok. Just saw my RO fir my follow-up and he told me to keep slathering on lotions since my skin is still discolored, but that otherwise I was good for another 5 months. Its so sweird but i got a little emotional in the parking garage afterward - its like being there brought up all those old emotions or something. So much has changed since then (for the better).



Today, I'm seeing my MO. I'm hoping it goes pretty quickly. and that I'm done with DR visits until May or June, when I get my first post-BC mammogram...



Nat

My MO told me the swelling might take a few months to go down but that it would go down before the tan would fade: he said it takes a year for the tan to go away. So I'm going to Mexico tomorrow morning with one swollen, tan boob and one pale smaller one - and a big scar alongside my bikini from the skin I lost during rads - but I feel so incredibly grateful that I get to keep my breasts (at least for now).



Joan, I hope the vasospasms go away on the new AI. Are you still having joint pain?

Natters,
Have an awesome time, and watch that sun....protect yourself.  Are you still dealing with the skin damage?  I peeled and had relentless itching; but I did not lose any skin larger than a flake.  What about your joint pain? 
My tan has quickly faded, except for underneath in the crease.  My scar is nearly invisible right now due to uniform color of skin. 
Yes, I have the joint pain.  Even off the Arimidex, my shoulder hurts if I raise my arm more than 90 degrees from side.  I get fatigued if I carry anything in that arm or on the shoulder.  My thumbs are chronically painful and I have a sharp pointy spot under the skin at the base of my thumb joint.  It hurts to drive sometimes. I hope the new drug is a little easier.  I will not start it until I see my original MO.  I plan to end my relationship with her unless she does a huge turnaround.  She won't care....I am not one of her study subjects and did not take chemo.  She's done with me.
pt - didn't you say u r going on a cruise?  I hope that was you -- and I think it is a wonderful idea!  when?  and don't forget to leave BC behind.
Have a good week!

Joan

All your vacations sound wonderful! I hope you find them totally rejuvenating. When I started treatment, I wanted something good to look forward to so I decided we should go ahead with the kitchen renovation we had talked about but postponed. Now that it's upon me, I wish I'd planned a trip away instead!  We're doing a total gut job and demolition is due to start any day now. Woe is me! Maybe I could stow away with one of you.

tvacrat I have to say I'm jealous of your kitchen remodel.  Something I've been wanting to do for years! 

 Everyone's trips sound wonderful too.  We're going on a long weekend away by the beach that I'm looking forward to.  A friend of my husband's has planned a trip to Napa to celebrate as well.  Can't say that I'm too excited about that since every time I drink a glass of wine now I see all the reports about connecting alchol to bc.  I think I'll be the designated driver instead.

Joan811, what did you choose for your cancerversary date.  The end of treatment seems like a big milestone but I'm wondering about the anniversary of my surgery date since hopefully that's when the cancer was all removed and the rest was just a precaution.

Glad everyone is doing so well.

Trips, new kitchens, getting away...I am so jealous of you all! I will be here plugging away at the job for a while. In my mind I am picking places and times for a vacation also. Have to find the money first though since the medical bills along with the daughter's wedding has caused some tight purse strings.

 Ptdreamers...love the Pooh thought!

Nans - I think I am choosing St Patricks Day as my cancerversary since that is the day I found out that I did indeed have bc. I do like the thought of picking the day of the surgery and your reason is so understandable. May have to rethink my date...hmmm.

Did anyone here think there would be a time we would be discussing normal things again? Last year is fast becoming a blur for me. Hope it is for all of you also!

I finished my radiation on the left breast on December 14th. Started Tamoxifen Feb 1st. Just had follow-up mammo today. The radiologist is concerned about calcs on the right side. She's pretty certain it's DCIS again. This is surreal.  I see the surgeon on Tuesday.