Is There A September 2011 Chemo Group?

ccjj,glad to hear heart function is back to normal,hope it stays that way!!! i hear everyone on the port removal,i was so happy to get mine out.hoping the ridge/scar goes away someday!

hot weather is returning here,supposed to be in 100's for the next 4 or 5 days! very dry,too,at least grass won't grow much lol!

cjrt, enjoy your road trips,where are you going?

the trial for my great-niece's killer is supposed to start july 9th in joliet about 4hrs from here. it has been postponed so many times i'll believe it when it starts! it has been 3yrs 2 1/2 months. it will last 7-10 days they say. i have planned on going since the start but now i am having 2nd thoughts, i just don't know if i'll be able to handle it!!

hi all, had appt with mo today,haven't done selfexam in a while so did one last nite! yeah, found a 2" area in lower inner quadrant of ca breast,ca was in upper inner quad. mo thinks it is a cyst but wants mammo to make sure. i have one already scheduled for july 12th,told her i was going to reschedule because of the trial. she said i know family is important but so is your health,your cancer was aggressive-you need to keep your appt. she said this before i told her about the lump/cyst and she had examined me! i don't know what to do,i was already having 2nd thoughts about going to the trial but feel i'll be letting my sister down if i don't go!!

i am also a little no a LOT upset with my mo,she was really rushed today! no labs were drawn today,i asked why because we monitor by exams and mammograms and symptoms-headaches,jaundace then we would do scans. i asked what about ca tumor markers, no we don't do those because it doesn't specify what type of cancer it is!!! i was so dumbfounded and she was halfway out the door saying at least you are 2a,so hopefully it won't come back- that i didn't get to say what i was thinking!! who FRIGGING cares if it doesn't specify what kind, i want to know if i have ANY KIND OF FRIGGING CANCER!!!

it just doesn't make any sense to me,don't reschedule mammo but the hell with doing any bloodtests every 3 months!

Belle- I agree with RJ and Mags. I hope you can balance keeping your appointment with feeling like you are being supportive of your sister. I am sure that all your sister wants is for you to stay healthy and that being there for her is so much more than being physically present that one day. That sucks about your MO. After all that we have been through and with your current concerns, I know how important having your questions answered is. You anticipate feelign some closure after appointments and then are left with the same questions. Sending tons of positive thoughts your way that you will get good news next week. As for the road trips, I went to NC with the kids and my parents last week to visit my sister's family and go to a big family party for my aunt's 65th birthday. 12 hours in the car was better than I anticipated, luckily. We will go on a family vacation with my husband to TN and NC at the end of the month- have to arrange things around my Herceptin infusions and my husband's work schedule.

Thinking of all of you, especially as I approach one year since diagnosis. 

Belle- sorry about the lump. Praying its a cyst.  Very confusing about the blood draws and tumor markers.  I havent had any blood draws since I finished chemo in January. I keep meaning to ask my onc about it and then forget. I was thinking that maybe since I am still getting herceptin, they wait until that is done and then do them every 3 months. After what you are hearing, I wonder if mine operate the same as yours.  I dont see my MO until August but am definitely going to ask.  Thursday was my 1 year anniversary since dx.  Technically the date was July 7th, but it was the Thursday after the 4th of July. I was on my way home from work and they called me with the news. I went in the see the surgeon the next day. Crazy year.    CJRT..do you think your hair is growing slower while on herceptin? While I was on my herceptin break my hair really took off. Now I'm back on it and its really slow. Probably grew 1/2 inch in 6 weeks versus the 1inch over 4 weeks. Ugh..

ccjj- My hair is growing in thick, but I feel like it is growing slowly, too. I don't know if it is my impatience or actually really the case, but I did read information on Herceptin from a few sources that said it slows hair growth. When my mom mentioned to her hairdresser that I was interested in researching extensions, she told my mom that I should see the hair growth accelerate after I finish the Herceptin. Hopefully she is right! As for labs, I get them every three weeks while on Herceptin. I only need the CBC to get the actual infusion but they are still running the others. I know that will become less frequent when Herceptin is done. I am also nearing my 1-year anniversary. Mentioned it to my Ob-Gyn at my postpartum appt. on 7/5 and got the diagnosis on 7/15. What a roller coaster this year has been!

Hi everyone!



Sorry about the lack of communication. After I was done radiation I just wanted to be done and forget about the whole nasty business.



I only logged on once or twice in the past few months and wasn't much in the space to post.



I have been reading the last few pages of the posts to catch up on everyone's news. I am glad that everyone is not doing to bad.



I hope everything went well with your mammogram Belle. I am in the same place as you. I get no scans and once a year they treat me to a mammogram (yippee!). I find his kind of a drag because I am most definitely not 2a (I am also not too impressed with your mo Belle!).



We went to Disneyworld in May for 2 weeks and had a blast! I was definitely tired but sooooo happy to be there!



I am off all treatments and doing well. I am trying the low fat (under 33 grams a day) and exercise (about 150 minutes a week on the elliptical) and hoping that it is enough to keep the beast at bay.



I am also on a really small dose of metformin (250 mg per day) but thinking of asking my doctor for another 250 a day to bring it up to 500 mg. Is anyone else doing the off label metformin or part of the big clinical trial? I do not qualify for the trial but it doesn't matter anyway because Manitoba is the only Canadian province (or place in the world for that matter) that isn't participating in the trial!



Well I better go take kids to swimming lessons. I hope everyone is doing well and continues to do well.



Take care



Karen

hey all, we got a little rain today,yeeeeeeeeaaaaa! first time in over a month,really needed it,triple digits again today.hope everyone is doing good,watching my 1 yr old granddaughter today. trying to eat healthy,low fat-cholesteral diet,next week going to start zumba and kettle bell!

RJ- I've missed all of you. Hope you are continuing to do well. Hope school is going well with your daughter and that the grandbabies are doing well back to school. I'm sure life is chaotic again for you with school starting, but it must be nice not having all of the drama of last fall.

Though I must admit that I have had a harder time adjusting to normal life than I expected, I had a wonderful summer. I had my TE exchange surgery and am thrilled with the results. We sold are house and are shopping for a new one, enjoyed a wonderful 2-week family vacation this summer, and watched our daughter start preschool a few weeks ago. My little one is now 15 months and is such a happy, funny, active, loving kid.  My year of Herceptin has officially ended, and I will be getting my port out in about 15 months. It will be a whole different perspective on Pinktober this year.

Hugs and prayers to all of you...

I cannot believe I have been away so long.  I came back to check in and all the same ladies are still here.  So cool!!

I hope everyone has been okay.  I read a few pages back and it seems like everyone is well.  If I overlooked something - I apologize. 

Here's my update:  Let's see.... so my last chemo was in the beginning of January.  Surgery was 2/1.  I had a failed reconstruction so I have been in and out of surgeries throughout the year.  I just had a tissue expander put in last thursday.  I am hoping to have my final surgery the week after thanksgiving.  I cannot WAIT to be done with surgeries!!  But - on a good note, I have had two sets of scans since my last chemo and everything is clean.  My next set is next month, then I'll move to a 6 month plan.  My MO is kind of leaving my treatment plan up to me.  She has told me what she normally does.  We talked about a variety of things - including the blood tests.  We opted to stay away from those, because of the high number of false positives and negatives.  I want pictures baby!!  If this monster has come back, I want to see it with a picture and see if fast!!

I am on femara and zoladex.  I am pre-menopausal so they have to use zoladex to put me in menopause so the femara will work.  My MO didn't want to put me on tamoxifen since there is a slightly higher risk of blood clots.  Since i had two pulmonary embolisms from my port (which is now gone Hallelujah!!) she wanted to be safer. 

My hair is back and SOOOOO curly.  It was wavy before, but this is super tight curls.  I think it will be great when it grows out a little but it sure does make for an awkward middle stage.  I have dyed it too - since it came back a blah mousy brown.  

Here is a recent pic of me and my son (he's 2).  My hair is slightly longer than this now - maybe 3 inches long.  Although - it really doesn't look much longer because it just keeps curling!!  Really I am grateful....after all we know what not having hair is like. 

Aw Kate, it's been a year.  Still remember your courage with the before and after pictures when we started.  So many ladies, their stories during active treatment, helped me so much.  For any of you who still drift back here, believe me even with "chemobrain" I remember so many of your stories, remember you from your posts, loved all of you. Ladies, we are a group that I don't want to forget.  Kimberly

Kate - Sorry to hear about the hypothyroid. In your case, perhaps you may even feel better because I know that hypothyroidism can cause fatigue. Like you have said, something like this doesn't compare to cancer, but I feel like we have already been through so much that when one more thing is lumped on top of it, it seems overwhelming. You certainly aren't alone in feeling that way. I have more good days than bad, but every now and then I find myself saying, "Now what?!" Sending positive thoughts your way. Enjoy Halloween with your cutie.