March 2012 chemo

Trail girl and Lanagrave - I feel your pain!!! Hope it's starting to ease! How would you say it compares to your last tx??? I'm in the chair tomorrow for number 3 and hoping that it's not any worst than the last one. That one was not much fun and seemed to last forever.



Hope everyone else will have a great day. We keep getting closer and closer to the end of this phase. It would be great for everyone to state where they are headed in this journey. We started with a long list of Marchers and I wonder who's left in chemo!!

Just wondering!!!!

triplem-good luck with tx today. I'm glad the visit is going well for you.

Januaryice- good kuck tomorrow. I think we both have just the last 2 to go. I will be moving on to surgery in July or August, the date hasn't been set yet.

galena glad you stopped in and that everything is going well.

Indigo- I still get iv steriods on Taxol, wonder why the would push them.

 KCB-good luck today. Yay for getting a holiday! 

Hope everyone feels good today and can enjoy it some. 

January: The pain is finally letting up a bit today. My Taxol SEs have been very random. The pain was bad with the first one, then with the second I had barely any SEs at all. But this time, after the third, it's been awful. I basically spent Saturday, Sunday and Monday curled up in the fetal position. But it's finally getting better. Only one more to go. Then on to radiation for me. My chemo has been adjuvant, so I had my surgery first, a BMX on February 13. It seems like forever ago in one way but in another, I can't believe it's all happened so fast.

Lanagraves - know what you mean by "fast"!  My surgery feels like forever ago, too. 

TrailGirl - don't know what to say except I hope #4 is better than #3 too!  It is really odd that the treatment cycles can be different one from the next.  

I have one more T/C treatment then on to radiation. I am not exactly sure when that starts because I haven't met with RO yet.  I just booked a trip to Vegas in November, wonder if I will have any hair by then!  It is my little mini vacation before I do the big one in March!  

Hope everyone is having a lovely Tuesday evening! 

Kim - wahoo Vegas!  Sounds exciting.

Kam - so sorry about the neuropathy   What a dreadful SE.

Lana - glad you are feeling at least a little better.

TG - I am another one who has yet to have surgery.  The best I can figure, my last chemo will be mid-August so surgery mid-September-ish?  I met with the PS my BS referred me to yesterday but he didn't tell me anything I didn't already know.  My personal choice is BMX with immediate reconstruction - which for implants means tissue expanders for 6 months - ugh...

Michelle - glad the visit is going well.  My MIL invited herself to my house this week but with my counts being so low, I asked her to wait til next weekend.

January - hope #3 went well today.  As far as me - I am on #5 of 8 (4 A/C and 4 Taxotere).  So still a ways to go.

galena - so good to see you - glad you are doing well.

Indigo - that is true that the rash right after TX could be the steroids - mine are always in IV form - I never have had any pills.  Hope that your heat wave is over soon...and that your canker sore goes away.  Looking forward tot he new avatar.

KCB - hope your TX went well today and glad you will get a break after chemo.

lost - lol on DS "attempting" to do the dishes.  

Well, I went for Neupogan #2 today - still waiting to see if I am going to have bad SE from these...otherwise, just doing a lot of watching TV and reading.  And some online shopping - since I am banned from the public.

Good morning everyone! Well, I feel like I am almost back among the living today.

Kam: Boo on the neuropathy. I've been having some mild neuropathy after each Taxol that kind of comes and goes. Nothing severe so far.

Kim: I just booked a trip to Nashville for Thanksgiving week and I'm wondering the same thing. No fuzz growing so far. My big trip is probably going to be May - Disney World to celebrate!!!!

kltb: Sorry you're in quarantine. I'm thinking we need to meet up in Memphis sometime late August - early September. I should be almost finished with rads and you should be on a few weeks break between chemo and surgery. I'm thinking Texas de Brazil or something really cool like that - steak and drinks to celebrate the both of us surviving chemo!!!

TG: I did both although the right one was just prophylactic. It was the right decision for me. I would have always worried about the other one, and it makes recon (if you're going to have it) or matching with prosthetic easier too. However, I know ladies who did only one and are very happy with that choice.

Hey Lost:

Sorry to hear you're feeling worried... Do they check your lump each time you go? My experience is different because I had a lumpectomy pre chemo.. So just curious. Hang in there.

Stinking hot record breaking temps here today. So I decided to clean my oven. Can you say Steroids?

Wishing you all a fine day.

Hey ladies, hoping everyone is doing well today.  My nails are still annoying the heck out of me and I'm afraid to take my toenail polish off to see if the same thing is happening to them.  I like being in denial!  LOL

kltb - no licking!  Hope you get sprung soon! 

Kam...So sorry about your neuropathy. I've just had a very mild bout after taxol #3. But nothing like you are going thru. My doc said it's one of those SE's that could go away fast, takes months, years to go away, or stay forever. That kind of stuff scares the sh!t out of me....a medicine that is helping us can cause long lasting effects that can dibilitate us. Not fair!

lost...I was having the same thoughts about my tumor. Both the BS and MO said the main reason for doing chemo first was to shrink the tumor for surgery...so I've been waiting for this big shrinkage to come. All the ultrasounds since chemo (I have another one tomorrow) show no shrinkage. But it feels like it's given way a bit from the skin. At my last doctors appt I was terrified that she was going to say I had to do more chemo when I brought up the subject. She said the same thing that kltb said...it seems to be shrinking in depth and any shrinkage is very good. She also said, no more chemo no matter what...that made me very happy. So, I wouldn't worry too much, but definitely bring it up to your doc to discuss.  

Anyone have a good response for me when my 7 year old niece asks me why the medicine that's supposed to make me better actually makes me sick? Her brothers birthday is 2 days after my last tx and when I said I didn't know if I could make it to dinner because I might not feel well, she had a hard time understanding that the medicine is making me well and sick at the same time. She has asked me more than once now, so what I am telling her is obviously is not computing in that smart little brain of hers.

Thanks for all the comments on the surgery decision. I've got a lot of questions written down for the BS...even more since I've taken a peek at the surgery threads.

I'm feeling alot better today! Pain is minimal! And it's one day earlier than I usually start feeling well. 

Trailgirl: I have a dear friend who is a PS and when I was first diagnosed and trying to figure out how to tell my kids she offered this: the cancer cells are like kids in school who don't know how to follow the rules, and they behave out of control...and the medicine that makes them go away or behave also makes the good cells feel tired for a while. But then the good cells repair, and the bad cells are gone!

Don't know if this helps...

Rough post chemo week for me! I am so glad only one more left. I am physically and emotionally drained. I know I havent kept good track of everyone on this wonderful board but I am curious.. How many of you ladies are going thru this hellish experience as single women? It sounds like so many are blessed with wonderful husbands or boyfriends. For me, I ended a 5 yr relationship w/ my bf and was diagnosed with breast cancer in the same week. 2012 has been a sucky year! It sounds nuts but once I finish chemo, I'd actually like to start dating again but no clue how to begin. And afraid of more heartbreak.. Any thoughts are appreciated. Thank you all!!

Dianefightslikeagirl-sorry you've had such a rough week. When do you go for your last one? Hoping that it isn't as bad for you.

kltb and TrailGirl- thanks for the encouragement, trying not to worry about it too much. My MO measures the thing everytime I go in so we will see what happens tomorrow when I go. 

kltb- sorry about the fever. You seem to take so many precautions and here I just do whever without thinking about it. Get better quickly.

Indigo-I have read that houses that aren't air tight and cleaned with antibacterial cleaners have fewer allergies and sickness because you build up immunity or something to that effect. So I should be fine, everytime I turn around I find some mess that my DH or DS has made and decided to ignore. 

On the bright side, my nails have stopped hurting. 

Morning ladies! #5 has really knocked me down. Mostly sleeping and crocheting. going to attempt laundry today. I have decided to do a bmx just so it alleviates some of my fear. I can't remember the name of it right now but I'm having them take the tissue from my stomache instead of implants. So on the bright side I get a tummy tuck out of the deal. I'll find more out on July 10th.



Kids are still doing good but I can't keep up with the house right now. DH is taking them out hiking today so we will see what I get done. Hope everyone has a blessed day.

woohoo Westwoodmom!