March 2012 chemo

Good morning everyone! Feeling almost human again here. It's been 8 days since my final chemo. I'm so ready for my celebration weekend now. Didn't do it last weekend because I knew I would feel crappy. Starting rads in a few weeks. Guess I need to head over to the summer rads thread, but I'm definitely gonna hang around here too and keep up with everybody.

Lanagraves - were you on DD taxol?  That's fantastic...I swear it took me 4 weeks to recover from that last taxol.

I'm still dealing with neuropathy 5 weeks out (hands and feet), BUT curiously, and I thought this was a coincidence, the day after my first and second Carboplatin, my neuropathy greatly improved.  Are steroids suppose to help with neuropathy or is this just a coincidence?  So far, this 3rd chemo is mitigation for that evil Taxol!!! (Except I do get a great amount of fatigue with the Carbo.)

Hope all the chemo'ers this week are holding up. 

Just want to say congratulations to those folks that have finished chemo! Personally, I think it was one of the happiest days of my life.

My leg pain is finally subsiding!! Starting to feel human again, but still get pretty fatigued. I didn't get to the aqua fitness class this week because my neighbor (a nurse) reminded me that I didn't get the last Neulasta shot and needed to wait 2 weeks from tx before exposing myself (and my healing PICC wound) to the public pool. Darn it! Next week for sure...gotta start building my stamina and getting my muscles moving from months of sitting on the couch.

Alice71...Happy Birthday!! And Congratulations on your 50th anniversary!!

Happy birthday and anniversary Alice!

Went up for my last chemo yesterday. It was a very emotional day and not at all like I had planned.  Started out at 4am to get ready to leave, arrived at 7:30, they had a little trouble drawing blood from my port and I had to play the look up and left game to get the tube to move. Then met with my MO who said what I've been fearing..the tumor is actually getting  larger. He sent me down to have an ultrasound done because they didn't have a copy of my original. Back up to see the DR. He said that while it's a little larger the ultrasound showed quite a few pockets of dead cells inside so he wanted to go ahead with number 4.  I'm trying to be positive and thinking that since it's attached to the skin and being pulled down that it is being squished like a water balloon and that's what makes it appear larger. I have an appointment with the BS on Monday to move forward with that part of things.

 We had visitors in the chemo pods that was truly inspirational to me at least.  This gentle man is part of a group of disabled vets who are bicycling across the US. He is a stage IV throat cancer survivor who happen to have his treatment at the center where I'm going. http://www.s2ssbikeride.org/  to read all about the trip and participants.

Lostinmo, thinking about you!!! I am looking forward with you to getting that nasty taken out. Hugs and purple energy to you!!!!

Hello Lostinmo

Fingers crossed that you will feel a burst of energy and hope after your tumour's gone!

Have you considered asking your oncologist for a referral to a nutritionist during or after treatment? 

As a high-risk lady (I'm HER2+++), I'm always looking for ways to cut recurrence and follow the diet and exercise threads on this site as well as looking for others such as Food for Breast Cancer.com.

I see my body as a host. If I can make this host as unhospitable an environment for cancer as I can, I will be doing the best I can to stop it coming back.

Everyone is different, of course. Just my two penny's worth but food for thought?

Worth discussing with your oncologist?

Best wishes

Alice

Wow I have slept all day today! Usually don't sleep this much till tomorrow!  Guess you never know how it will hit you. Trying to stay awake the rest of the evening so I can sleep tonight.

Oh and I woke up this morning and half of my right eyebrow is gone - JOY!  Chemo, the gift that keeps on giving!   

Hello all...been reading the last few days but have been too lazy to drag the laptop out.

Lost -   sorry to read about the growth...I think with all of us, they won't know a true picture until they get in there.  Great story about the disabled vets group.

Kim - sorry for the loss of your eyebrow!  Mine are thinning and my lashes are getting really down to nothing.

January - hope the SEs aren't treating you too badly.

lana - glad you are bouncing back from chemo.  Thanks for sharing about your youngest.  Mine both actually slept with me until my dx - we had been working on getting them out for the longest time and then when I had to have the SNB and recovery, there was no choice.  My youngest is def my baby too and she doesn't like talking about things when they are bothering her.  I ended up with my oldest with me last night because she was crying with a headache.  (Sigh) 

Indigo - sorry to hear about your car - what a pain.  How is the visit going?

Alice71 - Happy Birthday and Anniversary - what a milestone!

Kam - good for you on the therapy...I agree, this isn't one of those things you can "positive think" away - for me at least.

TG - glad you are feeling better.  Speaking of swimming - and this is a general question for anyone - as long as our counts are ok, are public pools alright?  And I may have asked this before...we just are thinking of going somewhere for a few days later this summer and I was thinking of one of those indoor waterpark hotels...not that I would probably do much.

Nothing new going on here - just more of the same.  I had a day or so of mild Nuelasta pain but no major SE from the Taxotere and I am a week out.  Been lucky so far on this one.   Reading, watching TV, playing the occasional Wii game, some housework.  Labs tomorrow for my blood count.  I am not even asking them about the calcium thing until my next visit when I actually see my MO.  If it has gone up, I don't want to be left trying to interpret what that means.  

It is cloudy and thundering here but the radar looks like we actually won't get any rain

Oh that sucks!  Hopefully they will get that on pronto!

Kltb04, sure hope your power is back on!!!!



Visit has been nice. My guys have enjoyed spending time with my niece. We have had monsoon rains off and on the whole time they have been here but fortunately my niece was still able to enjoy the Renaissance Festival on Saturday, last night she and my youngest went to a movie, and today my oldest took her hiking. They didn't get to ride the alpine slide, but I think she's had a good trip. I've really enjoyed visiting my mom; don't get to see her much.

Morning everyone

Off to meet with the BS, hopefully will get my surgery date soon and get it overwith before I have a nervous breakdown over it.

Hope everyone has a good day! 

KCB - I don't worry about my lack of brows (I never had many to start with!) and lashes.  I wear glasses, so I doubt many notice.  I did buy a brow pencil when I started chemo, at Macy's, then proceeded to lose it. Darn if I'm going to buy another one!

It feels like so many have moved on from this thread....Sissy - looks like we both will be finishing chemo around the same time.'

Lost - I found chemo much tougher than surgery.  Easy to say that now, but looking back, surgery wasn't as bad as I expected.  Chemo is just so much longer with so many ups and downs.   

I now know the difference between DD and weekly - a WORLD of difference!!  On the weekly carbo, I won't be missing work, except the day of infusion.  What a huge difference...barely a symptom other than fatigue.

To those finishing Taxol...I know you are still in it's grips.  The worst is about to be over! 

Good evening ladies!  Hope everyone had a decent weekend!  I was on the couch all weekend and could have stayed there today, but went to work.  Numbness is pretty bad this time, but I am hoping it will decrease as the chemo drugs leave my body.

kltb - woohoo on the power being back on!

Meeting the radiologist first time tomorrow, no idea what to expect, but ready to get on with it!

Lana: I wish I had your nerve! I would love to go out bald... I just can't quite get over myself enough. In fact it is so comfy to be bald in this hot weather... I've been doing just scarves, which are ok.

Lost: I hope you're doing ok.

You ladies who are working, I am in awe of you. I work freelance, and frankly the phone has just stopped ringing, there was so much of me saying no to work offers... I'll have to get busy building my business back up when this is all over.. Can't imagine it right now.

Onvacation - good luck tomorrow and please let us know how you make out. Did you have a port and if so when are they taking it out? My visit with RO is not until next week and I have lots of questions.



KCB - it's been a rough road but try to remember we have much of the worst behind us. I think we all have our moments when we are down and that's alright. Its part of this whole darn journey. We wouldn't be normal if we didn't get sick and tired of this at certain moments. Hang in there!!!



Kltb04- glad you got your power back. Nothing like not feeling the best nd having to put up with no electric.



Recovering from my LAST Taxol on Thursday. Even with the reduced dose I have been having the usual aches and pain. The one thing I notice that is different is that I am soooo much more tired. Seems like I've been sleeping around the clock. I have to agree, I don't know how some of you are able to work during this time. I only go in when I'm up to it.



Hope everyone else is having a great day!!!!