March 2012 chemo

Made it home - lol.  I LOVE my sequined Yellow Box flip flops - they were pricey but they are so comfy and have lasted 2 summers.  And they are the only flip flops I have found that I will accomodate my horrible wide feet and don't look bad on them.  I really need to get another pair!

Onvacation

Sorry to hear about your Dad. My Moms 84 and I used to be the total go to girl for all appointments, shopping you name it.  I have 5 other brothers and sisters and a couple of years ago I really put my foot down with them and told them I need them to step up.  What ticks me off the most though is that my brothers still rely on their wives to do the things they should be doing like doctors appointments etc. Its not like they have to bathe her or anything!!  Meanwhile they have their own Moms that are in their 80's as well! 

Anyway, things did get better and good thing too especially after my DX. 

Indigo

I was cracking up reading about you in the radar line!!!  I could just picture it.  I've been known to through a coat and boots on over my nightgown and drive my DH somewhere or pick up a coffee at Tim Hortons LOL!!

Indigo - good luck with your treatment today!  Purple healing right back at you!

Yay, talked with MO nurse and she said based on yesterday's labs, no need to do another draw today! So I don't have to go in an hour early. Lol, DS#1 (my chemo buddy) gets to sleep til noon.

So my dad scheduled his surgery on the ONLY day I asked him not to - my next treatment day!  SOOOO I am moving my chemo from Thursday to Tuesday, they assured me it was no big deal and I could get back on schedule.  Ah the trials of elderly parents.  I am glad his open heart surgery is scheduled and I will be able to help him and my mom, but I was a bit peeved to have to move my treatment.  I know that is selfish of me, and I am better about it now.  

Hope everyone has a wonderful no side effect weekend.  I am thinking I will see how a glass of wine tastes in a bit!  

Hi all, I had another bad day of overeating.  It seems that I crave SIMPLE carbs.  I'm trying to be good and stay away from sugar and white flour and other baddies.  But it just pulls me in.

Hi all, tx#2 is done, and I know now getting the port was definitely the right thing.  They did use the anesthetic spray on it and I didn't feel the stick much at all.  It certainly wasn't as uncomfortable as the last two IVs I've had.  They were out of the EMLA cream for me to take home, but said they'll give it to me (no charge) any time between now and next treatment if I want it, or I can just go with the spray. Overall, I am happy, happy - no more drilling for veins!!

I had heard from somebody that getting the Cytoxan by port caused a lot of sneezing, so I had my kleenexes ready - but no, just that weird sinus feeling like water up my nose from a pool.  Can't complain.   And that nasty bitter taste on my lips - but I ate teriyaki chicken with brown rice for dinner and was able to ignore the bad taste.  

Visit with MO was good, too.  He said I don't need Neulasta/Neupogen, that my counts had rebounded well enough this time.  So far this evening, I am feeling pretty much the same as I did right after tx#1 - Zofran headache has started, but I was able to eat fine so the Red Warrior and I are both content.  I took another Tramadol since it helped with the headaches last time. 

Does anybody else get really cold from the Cytoxan?  Both times I have ended up cold enough after that infusion that I needed a warm blanket because I was shivering.  And this time it was after having a hot flash when I first arrived there earlier.   

Kltb- great picture!

Thanks everyone, I'm feeling better about moving my treatment, and I am hoping my syblings will step up.  Mostly I am worried about my dad and getting through the surgery and the recovery. He is a strong man and I am strong so I'm sure we will be fine!

enjoy the evening! 

Oh, forgot something...MLB, if it was on the other side, I would totally think LE - I didn't even know that truncal LE was a thing until I started researching it.  But it isn't pitting so maybe not...I may call BS office Monday and just see if I can run in and have the nurse take a look while I am in town - MO is in the same building and I have to go for labs anyway. 

lost - yay on the shrinkage - boo on the period.  I have fingers crossed that mine has ceased.  Yesterday was day 28 and I have been pretty regular and not a sign of it so far.  Speaking of shrinkage, I have been poking about on my "bad boob" a bit out of curiosity and I am pretty sure mine is smaller - it feels more a nodule area whereas before it was a "ridge".  Or at least I am telling myself that.  Have fun at the birthday party!

Joan- I've done a couple of massages as well, thought I'm not up for them as often as I'd like. I definitely feel the toxins release during the massage, which makes me a little queasy and then I'm a bit dizzy and weak after, but lots of water helps flush it all out so it's got to be a good thing. Unfortunately most of the time my muscles ache so much I don't want anyone kneading them. I barely want to be touched at all!



Galena- that's so great that your brain is starting to move on beyond BC. When I'm feeling well I'm able to concentrate on my future, my growing family, etc, but when I'm sick or hurting, it's pretty hard to forget about what I'm going through! Sorry about the eyelashes. I've been wondering if anyone else was losing theirs yet. Mine are getting very spidery and I have a few bald patches. My eyebrows are also thinning at each end. Not fun...it's much harder to hide that than the head hair. I'm very fair, so without hair to provide definition to my face I look very odd.



Tellie- I'm right there with ya on the skin shedding! Mine moves around though. My head shedded quite a bit when I first lost my hair, but now it's kind of random all over my body. My right hand one day, my left shin the next, etc. Kind of weird. The only consistent is that my hands and feet are always dry. I use a lot of lotion every day.



Kim-I'm sorry to hear about your dad! There's never a good time for that, but it's really too bad you have to deal with it when you are already worn out. On the good side, those surgeries are so advanced now that I'm sure your dad will do great. My dad had a stroke last summer and had to have his arteries cleaned out. I was so scared but he pulled through great and was home the next day and doing amazing! He's got so much more energy now, you'd never know anything was ever wrong!



Kltb- I love the quote! Just what I needed to read today...thanks! Your pic is so cute. You are very pretty...I wish I were photogenic. I would post an avatar but I can't take a good picture to save my life. I hope you solve the rib mystery! It's clearly driving you nuts. I've had things like that all my life. We just don't understand enough about our bodies to be able to easily diagnose everything. Hopefully it's nothing serious.



Tc- if you are craving simple carbs you probably need more energy. I usually eat extremely low carb, but during chemo it's been hard. I always either need sleep or food these days and the simple stuff does call to me. Our bodies are using so much energy to repair the damage from the chemo. Try to avoid the really simple stuff though and eat more protein. I only share this because I care...I'm not criticizing or trying to scare you, but there are a number of studies (especially one recently that was really well designed) that link sugar/simple carbs to breast cancer. Ex vivo studies have repeatedly shown that cancer preferentially uses sugar to fuel growth. I'm usually careful about it, but I've really recommitted myself to dropping the junk going forward as part of my campaign to avoid a recurrence. Not trying to worry you...just sharing info cuz I care.



Indigo- get the EMLA if you can...it's awesome. I'm refilling my prescription even though I haven't used all of mine because I can totally see using it for other things. I'm wimpy. I used it when I went in for expansions too and it really worked! It's not indicated for intramuscular injections, but I swear it worked. Can't wait to see your pics!



So I had my last T/C on Thursday and was so thrilled to be "done". So of course, this is the worst cycle so far. I had a hypersensitivity reaction Thursday night. We went to dinner that evening for my DHs bday and my mom had remarked that my eyes looked puffy, but I didn't think much of it since they infuse you with so many fluids. Well, I woke up at midnight with my throat closing up, my tongue, lips and palms and soles of my feet all itching terribly. My hands and feet were also swollen and my whole face had puffed up. I spent the next couple of hours trying to decide whether or not wake up DH to go the ER or call my Dr, or what to do. I realized it wasn't getting worse and my breathing got a little easier so I decided just to wait it out and try to go back to sleep. I only got about three hours of sleep that night. Went to my appt yesterday for Neulasta/hydration and got fully checked out. They did an EKG, etc. (I have an irregular heartbeat) and decided that all was okay, it was just a mild reaction and since it is my last treatment, there's not much to do about it other than take Benedryl. I did get yelled at for not calling during the night though. They opted not to give me the hydration since I was still retaining so much fluid. My eyes and hands are just now starting to look normal again. I can almost see the bones on the back of my LE hand again. I've been checking it every two minutes since I'm already so worried about the LE issue. I was so exhausted yesterday I took a two hour nap in the late afternoon and still fell asleep at 8...slept 11 straight hours lasts night. I woke up needing to pee so bad I cannot believe I didn't wet the bed!!! Lol. Aside from all that, my nails are killing me, my muscles are aching atrociously and my stomach is very sensitive, BUT I am not as upset about it as usual since I know it's my last round. Just need to get through these next several days...

Good morning - so today I woke up and my eyes are all swollen, red and irritated.  What is this, yet another side effect?  Weird, that I seem to get new things with each treatment.  Oh well, I guess it could be worse!

Getting ready to head over to my parents to celebrate Mother's Day with my family.

Hope everyone has a lovely day! 

Morning ladies - I had my Mother's Day donuts (but they weren't Krispy Kreme) and the girls had made me cards and bought me perfume (at my request)...trying not to put too much emphasis on the day around here because it just makes me feel kind of melancholy.  Going to go to my parents in a bit - think I will stop somewhere and buy my mom something to plant in her new yard!  M Day and her birthday are within a week of each other so we usually don't do gifts but she has helped us so so much, I want to at least get a token...she will probably kill a plant though, lol!

Lost - lol on just going across the yard; I do have to make a trek across town - all of 10 minutes.  Since my mom's birthday is next week, we probably won't do an actual family thing with bro/sil and all - think we will do that next Sunday.  I should offer to host since we did my dad's birthday at bro/sil house.

Kim - have a good time with your parents today.  I assume they live close?

Masserz - you have had a rough time of it, haven't you?  Thinking about you over the next several days - congrats on being done!  And I beg to differ on the picture - I remember you posted that wig pic back a couple months ago and it was great!  

Have a good day everyone.

Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms. I spend a nice afternoon with mine and i was a beautiful day!