MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish
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Hi all, recovering from the surgery and starting chemo on 9/25, anyone know anything about AC and Taxol?
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I need a pocket party tomorrow and Monday. Tomorrow I go for the first of three visits to get my hemorrhoids fixed. thank goodness they no longer to surgery for this or I would not do it. Monday I go to the endodontist and possible root canal. Guess I am covering one end to the other, haha. Oh and someone bring cheetos cause I have not had them in awhile. And butt Dr is a young cuttie. Should not be allowed to be that kind of doctor and be young and cute.
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Butterfly, I did both AC and Taxol 7 yrs ago. Both have their varied side effects. I never like saying this one does that or the other does this because we're all so different in our experiences. I believe you will definitely lose your hair though, so that's something you need to prepare for. Personally, I preferred to be proactive and had my hair buzzed by my long-time hairdresser before my first chemo. Then I bought two very different wigs and switched my persona according to my mood! After my 2nd AC treatment, the remaining hair started to come out, so I had my husband shave what was left. Lots of people have shaving parties with close friends or their kids joining in so there's bound to be laughter involved. It's unavoidable, so facing it head on (no pun intended!!) seems to work best from an emotional standpoint. Talk to your doctor about possible side effects and what you can do about them ahead of time. There are what they call pre-meds that you can get from the drugstore to take in advance of chemo day to ward off most of the nausea symptoms. Feel free to PM me for more info on this or anything else if you don't want to ask too many questions in the main thread.Best of luck to you hon
Sherry, you better have your big pocketed-pants on 'cause I know we're all gonna jump right in
Prayers and hugs. -
Sherry, isn't better that he is a young cutie than to have an ugle old coot? My BS was a young cutie. It feels strange when you hit the age that all of your doctors ar younger than you are.
Butterfly, I had AC & Taxol 8 1/2 years ago and I also lost all of my hair. I cut my hair short, then buzzed it as it started falling out. I used Emend (a rx pre-med) for nausea and it really helped. I only missed one day of work due to nausea. I offer to chat by PM also if you'd like.
edited to correct spelling errors!
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sherry - will be there both days with cheetos, cheetos and more cheetos!
Meece - not sure if your offer to "shat" is a spelling error or a pun regarding the hemorrhoids - lol. Sorry but my sense of humour might be a little off this morning.
Had my scans yesterday and stable boy is still hanging around!
cmbear - hope you are feeling ok and getting lots of rest today!
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Meece and barco-
Tho probably a typo. I was cracking up reading the comments about "shat" and then the added hemmroids u gals made my day unintentional or not !!😃😃😃 -
I too had the AC/Taxol treatments as well. The emend was a good thing. I lost my hair as well. I wear it short anyways, so I waited until it started to really come out to shave it. By the time I had my 2nd treatment that afternoon is was coming out like crazy and I wanted it gone, so I took a trip to the salon. I fyou need anything feel free to pm me as well. Good Luck with the treatments.
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Chemo is really starting to kick my butt. I sleep for 10 hours and could sleep more. 53 dam days to go. I am getting better at putting the eyelashes on though. Count me in for all the pocket parties. I might take a nap though unless you girls make a lot of noise.
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HOT FLASH HELL- is there anyone who knows of something us ER Positive woman can take for hot flashes? I think they are starting to make me insane. Some days I get 5-6 in an hour. I can't sleep at night as they wake me up even with the window open and the fan on. Please help!!!!
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Hi Dianarose, I have started taking evening primrose oil capsules three times a day and they have reduced my hot flushes dramatically. I got my pharmacists okay before taking them as I am on Tamoxifen and she checked and said they were fine to take. A lot of the meds out there for hot flushes contain estrogen so I can't take them with Tamoxifen. Check with your pharmacist and give them a try. A friend going through menopause is taking them too, non-cancer person, and they have helped her too. As a bonus her skin has cleared up too. Cath
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Cath- I will have to ask my MO if I can try it while still doing chemo. I can't deal with them much longer. I have always been cold with a sweater when everyone else is in t-shirts. Now I am on fire all the time. I hate snow, but can't wait for it this yr. I am going to make snow angels naked if needed. Thanks for the info. Diana
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Dinarose I finally had to cave and take effexor for my hot flashes. It really does work, has wiped them out. I was having one right after the other 24 hours a day could not sleep and was misserable.
Meece that is funny I have felt the same way when I feel my Dr's are now my age or younger.
OK hemoriod thingy is over and it really was not all that bad. From the time the nurse called me to the back I was on the phone with DH. I called him 25 minutes later and I was in the parking lot heading to my car. No kidding. That was signing papers, going over my history talking to the dr and having the procedure. Felt a little pressure. Dr did his thing ask me if I felt presure or pain I said presure and he said good I'm done. They gave me Tylenol on my way out and then I went shopping. Told my Dr so glad they don't do surgery anylonger or he would never talk me into having them fixed. He said don't feel bad I would live with them before I had surgery too. He said the surgery is horrible but this new banding procedure is so much easier. I have two more to do and then I will be done. They will do them about 2-3 weeks apart. so if anyone needs to have them fixed and you have been afraid check into the banding procedure.
Will go check on my tooth on Monday and then yesterday found out DH has another hernia he needs to get repaired. Between the two of us it seems to never stop. My girlfriend said she was staying away was afraid it might rub off.
Oh and the cheetos were great I can eat those without hurting my tooth.
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Sherryc- My MO emailed me back and offered to write a script for Effexor, how funny. I don't know what it is though?
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Dianarose it is an antidepressant that given in low dosages works for hot flashes. Once you start taking it though you cannot just quit taking it you have to graduate off of it. I am very sensitive to meds and it made me really nauseated at first. I should have thought and started prilosec along with it. Once I started that I was fine and the nausea went away. not everyone has that happen. But nausea always effects me.
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I was on Effexor this past year. It's an anti-depressant, but I took it "off-label" for Fibromyalgia. It worked pretty good for that and it took my hot flashes down about 70%. But after a year, I decided to come off of it. It had a few side effects that I did not like (and it had some that I did like) and it took me a MONTH to wean off of it, during which I had "brain shocks" every day.
1) Effexor is another nasty drug that changes your brain chemistry, interacts with LOTS of other drugs, had bad side effects, and is hard to go off of.
2) Works pretty good.
I'd say give the evening primrose oil a try (or try a few of the "natural" remedies first.)
Then, if those fail, and you need pharmaceutical help, I know that some are helped with gabapentin, amitriptyline, or venlafaxine. Those are the generic names. Read about them on drugs.com, and talk to your doc as they are all a little different. They all can have nasty side-effects, and by that I mean effect B/P, heart, blood sugar, liver, etc. Gabapentin seems to have fewer interactions with other drugs.
Since quitting my Effexor, I can only tolerate 10 mg. of Tamoxifen a day and I split the pill to 5mg. morning and 5 mg. evening. With 10 mg. daily, I still get a handful of flashes, especially about 15 min. after taking the pill and/or drinking a hot liquid. Now that Fall is coming, I may be able to take more without having the hot flashes from hell. I have adjusted my dosage seasonally for the past year. My doctor knows this. He doesn't really like me doing that, but he likes it a lot better than if I just quit taking it. I'm not suggesting this to others, but honestly I can't handle the 20 mg., which was, for me, 5-6 flashes an hour, where my head felt like it was trapped in a sauna.
Good Luck, Dianarose. Hope you can figure out what works best for you.
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Now where is cmbear, with her tales from the DIEP-side?
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Today, they are having a memorial party for Marybe, in Cincinatti. Here at BCO, some are having a memorial party on this thread:
So, if you have a memory to share, or a feeling to write about her, or you just want to party in her honor, post something TODAY. Supposedly, her family will read all the posts. I know one of her best friends (without B/C) joined BCO just to thank and "talk" with her friends here. Her husband emails with BarbA, so they know we are having the online memorial party for her. Stop by there if you had a connection with her.
(She went back almost to the start of this thread. I considered her one of the "charter members."
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Posted on Marybe's memory thread. Thanks E.
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Hey all. My sissy is a bc survivor for a little over 10 years. She asked me to post her for her because she's having some issue's and she's not sure if it's bc related or not. I told her that you gals are my go to so I'm go to for her. Anyways, she's been having pain in her shoulder off and on for about 6 months. She says it's on the front side of her armpit and it goes behind it. She says this is the best way to describe it. I hope someone can help because this really scares me because she's my sissy and I want it to be nothing! She can't remember the exacte amount of nodes she had taken out. She also had a redical on that side.
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Paula66--I have a similar pain on my rads side. It's the pectoral muscle tightening up, in my case from rad damage, but surgery(mastectomy) will irritate that muscle, too. I do special stretches to help keep that under control. A PT can show her how to do the doorway stretch. The pain could also be an early sign of lymphedema. It's far more likely to be something like this than a recurrance, although a recurrence is possible. She should see her PCP or Onc, and have it checked out, primarily for her peace of mind, not becuase I think there's a serious problem.
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Thanks Native I'll pass the info along to her. I'm just a little freaked out because she's my sissy and I don't like to see anything to be wrong with her. She's very important to me and I'm very worried for her. That is her rad side as well. I didn't have rads, so I'm not sure what to expect with certain things.
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Paula--I agree with NM, hopefully its just a nerve regeneration thing and some exercizes will help. I get all kinds of odd pains and stabbing shooting things since my rads. but still, I hope that she gets it checked out soon and its turns out to be non BC related!!!
I am back from my Diep stage 2, not at all like the first surgery. Almost like a cakewalk. Ha, well not really. The bruising from the fat grafting is the worst! Can't imagine someone would do this for an nonmedical reason. Thanks for the pocket party, I'm still dusting cheeto dust off the pads over my incisions! I go tomorrow to get them changed, and hopefully be allowed to shower then. This sponge bathing is for the birds. Wish I had a hunky nurse to do my back. . . and at least this time, I can bend over and wash my hair in the sink, so its not a total loss!
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Paula66, There are a number of things that could be causeing that sensation in your sis, not just B/C; but we can't ignore stuff like that anymore and she does need to check with a doc, to rule out anything truly bad. I was thinking it could be something else, like infection, whcih might cause node pain and/or swelling. I didn't think of the muscle tightening, as NM said, but muscle trouble can give that wraparound feeling.
cmb, My friend said the same thing about the grafting. I wish you the normal healing from all this. Sounds like you are doing o.k. so far. Now be careful with those Cheetos crumbs. I hope you asked for the microfiltration bandages, which are really the only ones that can block those orange particles fully. Your pocket pals were crunching up a storm during your surgery, but the surgical drape caught it all, and some of us (I won't say who) wiped out hands on the anesthesiologist's back. Hehehe.
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Hi Paula,
I hope everything is okay with your sister.Wish I had advice, but way to new to all of this. Good thoughts and prayers for your sister.
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Thanks girls!! I called my sissy and let her know what everyone thought it could be and I'm passing along a big "thank you" from her to all of you. She's got an appointment with the doctor this afternoon, so I hope that all goes well for her.
I know I'm probably being way over the top with worry about her, but I can't help it. She's the mac to my cheese, the other pea in my pod, plus she knows all my dirty little secerts, hee hee! Thanks again!
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Sorry for interrupting, but The Philadelephia Inquirer is eager for stories, so in case you are interested......
What was the most difficult moment for you in your battle with breast cancer? Or the most triumphant? Or the moment that changed you the most or that you will longest remember? The Philadelphia Inquirer and its web site philly.com are very interested in publishing a series of short narratives to enhance their coverage of Breast Cancer Awareness month. The Inquirer and its web site want to tell your story, to share your most illuminating or powerful or transforming moments, to give their readers a window into your world. The newspaper is planning a special section on breast cancer on Oct. 18. In the 14 days leading up to that, they will run one personal story per day about a breast cancer survivor. This is an opportunity to inform the greater world of your experiences. If interested, briefly describe your moment, your feelings, your story, and include contact information, all in one email to breastcancer@philly.com If you are chosen, an Inquirer reporter will be in touch with you.
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Excuse me Mods, but I have noticed that you have posted that announcement in seven different forums, but this is the only thread you have posted it on. Why not just post it as a topic in the Middle-Aged Forum? Unless you are planning to bust in to every thread on here, I don't know why this thread has been singled out for that pointed solicitation.
Don't get me wrong. I think there are many on BCO that have a good story to tell, if they choose to. I hope a few do get selected. Oh, wait, it's for the Philadelphia Inquirer! Sorry, I thought you meant National Enquirer. We all know which readership has the truly inquiring minds, and I don't mean Philly, although I was quite sympathetic to read about the city being overrun by feral cats. (One of their top stories today.)
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I would suggest your sister see her doctor to rule out a heart problem as well. It can also present as a shoulder pain.
Lisa
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Eli -- you make me laugh! Feral
Cats! Makes me wonder what is on the front of my paper today. . . Oh ok, a story about wearing med devices and getting thru airport security. Not so bad. -
cmb, I don't even have to make that stuff up!
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ITS NATIONAL CUPCAKE DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (eli, I just had to)
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