April/May 2012 Chemo hang out

Indigo - Today's my last one too!  I hope all goes well for you today! (I think I hear a bell ringing!)

Okay now here I sit and wonder.....     I opted for both breasts to be removed, only one had cancer, underwent 6 rounds of chemo for 1 lymph node that showed cancer cells of any significance (3 others had micro cells, which 10 years ago would not have even been detected), and soon I am to begin arimidex for I assume a five year period.  So my ongoing question is, am I now currently cancer free?  How would I know?  Onc says they will continue to monitor over the next several years, but I ask monitor what?  How will they test or determine if cancer is still there or comes back.  What do I look out for?  How will I know if cancer rears its ugly head again?  Mammogram that found the cancer is no longer an option, so how do I proceed to protect myself?  Do I assume that the cancer is gone?  I mean obviously the tumors were removed with the breasts, and would assume that chemo killed any stray cell that passed through lymph nodes into lymph system.  So I question, am I cancer free?  Obviously it will not reoccur in the breasts as they no longer exist.  And will the arimidex (assuming I can handle its side effects) keep the cancer from reoccurring in other areas of the body?  And then after five years of taking arimidex am I then cured?  The unknown is where I am now, what I am now feeling.  Can anyone who has gone through this or is in similar position reassure me that the cancer is now gone. 

Three days PFC! Blah today with fatigue, aches and jelly legs (that's a little different this time) but knowing that chemo is over sure helps. I owe you all so much - not the least of which is my sanity. :-) Next for me: consult with RO on 9/26, and also appointment for screening to see if I'm eligible for the Metformin trial. Port should be removed around 10/15 and rads will should start sometime after that. MO says I won't have to start Tamoxifen until after I finish rads.



As for cancer free: I like your take, Cottontail. I had clear margins, too, my MO had said repeatedly that my cancer was resected with the surgery, and he has no plans to do any scans or tests for 6 months at least. So when I talk about it, I say I "had" breast cancer. Recently a friend gave me a bracelet that says Survivor on it, and it occurred to me that I wasn't sure when the "survivor" clock actually started. I figured it started from the day I had my surgery, so my next celebration will be 9/21, when I hit the 6-month mark.



Hugs to all!

Dear Cottontail's Hair Follicles,

It is time for you to wake up from hibernation and return to duty.  Cottontail worked very hard to get through chemo.  She has been very patient and understanding at to why you left and went on sabbatical during chemo.  Now that she has completed her chemo, she would love for you to return and start doing what you know best--- produce and grow hair.  Although it would be a very exciting miraculous discovery for her to wake up tomorrow morning with a head of beautiful long hair like Rapunzel, she knows that it is not possible.  Please send out the hair fuzz to let her know that you are trying to emerge.  I know she will take very good care of you if you just let her know that you are okay; she will eat healthy and care for you with wonderful shampoos and kind words.  Again, it is just time for your return; we have all missed you!!!!

Sincerely,

Melrose, a friend of Cottontail

Hmm, I have wondered about when to call myself cancer-free . . . but I havent had my surgery yet.  I did chemo first and will be done next month.  I guess after surgery is still the date, just seems so far away from initial diagnosis.

Indigo:  Congrats!!!!

Sherry:  Congrats!  My hair started growing quickly.  I wore my wig Friday and Saturday for my son's wedding and rehearsal.  I took it off 5 minutes after the photographer was done with the pics.  I take 500 mcg og Biotin every day and use Bosley shampoo.  I feel like my hair has really taken off.  It just looks like a short "do".  Here are some pics from the wedding.  http://s1270.photobucket.com/albums/jj616/kjliberty1/

sherryh16- You can get Biotin over the counter at Costco, Sam's, Target, Walgreens, CVS, vitamin stores, etc.  I bought some but haven't taken it yet.  My hair seems to be blooming during the past 3 weeks.  I'm 6 weeks PFC now.  My eyebrows are making a strong comeback.  My lower lashes are slowly coming back while the top ones are just starting to fall out.  

Great to hear how well you are doing Chapter 4!  Yes indeed, there is life after bc! 

haehae-I started Tamox about two weeks ago.  I take it in the morning along with whatever else I take so I don't forget to take it.  As for the hot flashes, I have some at night but not severe enough to prevent me from sleeping.  I hadn't noticed any skin changes like you described.  My skin is a little drier but that it is easy to resolve with a little moisturizer.  BTW- Welcome to the PFC club!!!!!  No such thing as an interloper anywhere on these threads!!!!!

I take my Tamoxifen in the morning since Aug 1st - night chemopause sweats are challenging for me so I want to take it far away from bedtime. I have heard of some people splitting the dose and taking it twice a day. I am not having any trouble with dry skin at this time (aside what Dancetrancer has alluded to:). Peach fuzzy head - things are starting to get back to normal PFC. Cheers, vjm

Hi all! I hit PFC on 9/13 and I've noticed the crepiness too. That's encouraging, Hortense, that it should improve. My MO said I don't have to start Tamoxifen until after I finish rads, so, since I shouldn't start for maybe 3 weeks, that won't be until at least late December. Just hope my periods don't come back in the meantime.

glad to hear it's gotten better Hortense. Moisturizers just sit on top of my skin, it even feels different,... oh well, I will update if it gets better. been taking tamoxifen at nights, sleeping ok, no hot flashes so far but it's early. thanks all , good to know I'm not alone.

I finished chemo. .....AC and Taxol July 17. Yet I still get lower back and leg pain randomly.....and when it hits, it's very painful.

Has anyone else experienced this?

I'm down to my last 3 radiation treatments....I don't think it's from radiation....it's almost flu-like pain.

Just want to feel like I did before BC. Ugh!

Hi Hopeful123!

I have 3 more taxol and herceptin, then I will do just herceptin. I also did the A\C before the taxol and herceptin. My oncologist said that studies have shown that having the herceptin every week for 40 weeks is better than once every 3 weeks.  Not sure how I feel about that. Seems like that is alot of herceptin.

I can't wait til I am totally finished with chemo! I've heard that getting herceptin is nothing. Hopefully they are right. I start 6 weeks, 5 days a week of radiation after my last taxol.

Not looking forward to that, but I've been told that it's much easier than all the chemo that I've been through.

Hope you have a wonderful evening!