March 2012 chemo

TrailGirl- they are right surgery isn't near as bad as chemo. Mine was 6 days ago, I get to get the drains out tomorrow (YIPPIE). I actually feel better than I have in months. I've done some light dishwashing (we've been using a lot of paper plates), and laundry folding. My DS takes it to the wahser/dryer brings it back for me to fold. And I've done light housekeeping. Usually only have to take a pain pill at night. That's mostly so I get some sleep.

On the meals- we have had dinner bought to us every night and some have brought 2 nights worth. My refriderator is full to the brim.  I won't know what to do when I have to start cooking again.

I'm hoping to be healed enough to join those of you starting rads in August. There is light at the end of the long tunnel for us all! 

Got my call today, starting rads tomorrow!  Glad i have a date now, but a little nervous about the whole thing!  At least I have a timeline now!

I agree on the eyes - I'm on a computer all day at work, then on it a lot at home, not sure if that is making them worse with the chemo or I'm just getting old!   

So I was talking to my friend who is dealing with cervical cancer today and I was saying how sucky 2012 was, and she agreed but then said, i think we need to look at this as the year that saved our lives.  After i thought about it, I thought that was very profound.  Instead of sitting around saying how sucky this year is and all the stuff I am missing out on, i am going to remember that this year saved my life!.

Just wanted to share.

On vacation: sign me up for the year that saved my life. Thanks for that.

Good luck tomorrow! Report back ASAP.

KCB & Indigo- yes I have the watery eyes. I had my last taxotere and carboplatin on July 6. I am blond/gray so what few lashes and eyebrows I have are invisible. I too had to abandon eye makeup. I have the red skin around eyes. What has helped is to put some Aquaphor on the skin to sort of waterproof it. Also try to blot rather than rub when the tears come too fast. I had to go to an ophthalmologist because one of my eyeballs had turned red. The ophthalmologist diagnosed my condition as episcleritis. He said my eyes were not that dry. I have been using steroid eye drops 4x/day since. He suggested I also use artificial tears eye drops 4x/day. I will see him again on Aug 6.



Interesting Development in the last few days: I have been scheduled for a mastectomy and DIEP reconstruction for Aug 10. I went in to see my breast surgeon and the plastic surgeon. I have been dreading this surgery for months, so when my BS had a proposition for me, I was interested. There is a phase III trial going on at my cancer center, and she said I was a perfect candidate for it. In fact it is being offered at many institutions around the country. It is for women who have had a lumpectomy, have early stage BC, and have high risk factors. The trial has two arms. One is standard radiation treatment -- 5 wks of rads and 1.5 was of boosts. The other arm is 3 wks of daily rads at a higher dose plus the boost on the same day. This has been used successfully in Canada, but the FDA likes its own research. As it turns out, I will be in the standard USA treatment arm. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Threre's no fun therapy in cancer treatment, but for me personally, the rads will be immensely easier. My husband doesn't drive any more so being stuck w/o wheels would be a major inconvinience for us. I just hated the idea of the recovery. I went in yesterday to be measured. They'll let me know when to come in for the simulation and start of treatment.

Alice: thanks, I'll look for Aquaphor. Very interesting and cool about  

the surgery/rads... Glad it gives you a good peaceful feeling. That's when you know something is the right way to go.

I'm here! Today was post nuelasta day. DH left for work and called my mom to come out and help today. I slept while my mom and the girls cleaned the youngest's room. It's a good thing too. I am pretty sure she was about to qualify for Hoarders: The Childhood Edition.

My MO sent me to get an MRI today for back pain I've been having throughout chemo.....why didn't she know that you can't have an MRI when you have Tissue Expanders in??  I was one check mark away from having those tissue expanders pulled out of my chest by that big magnet!!  (hyperbole...she said I would have experience a lot of pain if I had gotten the MRI).  My guess, it could have had some dire consequences.

It's good to hear from everyone.

kltb-it seems you are always trying to get your youngest to clean her room. I'm trying to teach my son to do dishes. I think he will just have ti make sure he has a dishwasher when he moves out.  That he can do.

Sissy and lana- for some reason I thought you were both done. Guess the chemo brain takes a while to go away.

kam- sorry your having the neuropathy hope it starts improving. Scary that your Dr didn't realize about the MRI.

triplem-hope you get a choice on rads. I was told stage 3 gets it all.

I got my path report yesterday. Dr wasn't there to go over it but is said IDC 6.5 cm, DCIS  and 3 nodes. Kind of sucks because I know it was smaller when I finished the AC.

Today I am grateful that the cancer chose to be on the left side and not the right. My arm is still bothering me a lot from the surgery. If it would have been in the right I might starve to death since I am right handed. The left hand is just not coordinated. 

Love - glad you got a shiny new port, lol!  I am going the TE/implant route too.  I am going to have to start shaving under my arms and I am still in chemo - guess the Taxotere didn't affect my hair follicles like A/C.

Lost - her room is unbelievable, too much stuff, not enough room, and a personality that could care less about having it clean!  My oldest  has always been great about keeping hers nice and organized but the youngest doesn't care!  She will sit in the middle of a mess and play away!   So they got it all nice and neat again; we will see how it lasts. Sorry your path report was disappointing but hey, it's outta there now!

Michelle - I am just psyching myself up to think I probably will have to have rads so if I don't maybe it'll be a pleasant surprise!

Kam - OMG on the MRI - how scary!  Let us know how the SE go this time round.

Alice72- good luck in your trial!

Just sore today - that seems to be how the Nuelasta affects me - I am just sore all over, rather than having the extreme pains, etc...I'll take it over some of the other SE though.  I didn't sleep great last night since I slept all day yesterday.  My mom has taken the girls to lunch and shopping.  I do believe birthday planning is afoot...my birthday is tomorrow.  Unfortunately, tomorrow I have to be up at the break of dawn.  I don't know if I mentioned it here (I think I did) but my oldest has a brown spot on her lip and her ped wanted her to see a dermatologist.  I am almost postive it is going to be one of those in and out/oh, it's nothing to worry about appts but it is at 8:30 am - an hour away!  Ugh.

Lost - So you had neoadjuvant chemo??  And you saw it shrink from 6? to 4.5 during Adriamycin than back to 6.5 after surgery? How long did you have to wait between chemo and surger?   Did they do MRIs or PetScans during your chemo? I guess the good thing about neoadjuvant, they do know what chemo is working for you, but then I wonder why they continued to give you the Taxol (unless they only scan after your done?).  Could they palpate your mass during chemo?

I see you are ER+/PR- Her2-....same as me (I'm ever so slightly PR - I did have the "treat" of having an oncotest as I'm node negative).  For all of the grief Taxol gave me, I hope it did some good - though I will never know because my tumor was gone before chemo.  So it is good you have that knowledge...though I hope you never have to use it again!

lostinmo - I'm with kltb, just glad for you that the cancer is out now - and that the drains are out too!  Yes, you will sleep a lot more comfortably now without those drains.

Love74 - good to hear from you!!  

Kam - geez on the MRI!  You never, ever, have to stop being your own advocate, do you?  I don't have TEs; so this means they have metal in them, I take it?  Scary.

kltb - rats about the underarm hair regrowth.  I sure haven't missed mine.

And I don't have my last chemo until 9/13, so I'm still around for awhile!  And then rads to follow, starting sometime in October.  The saga continues!