Starting Chemo July 2012

Just returned from 3rd MRI and meeting with surgeon. Not as expected. Still not considered a surgical candidate. MRI showed an additional "area of concern" so back to imaging for another titanium clip to be placed under MRI guidance. If my counts stay, and IF i can get through the next 6 weeks of Taxol and Herceptin, and IF i stay well the 4 weeks after might have surgery 2 January 2013. If, if, if. Then, in 4 weeks if healing will start rads and return to Herceptin. Was very very down when I left.

Came home--3 hour drive--to a dark house. Light candles, started a fire. Called electric company. Apparently someone had purposefully pulled the breaker handles and stopped all power to the house. Since this has not happened in the past 14 years am doubting a band of teen aliens. More likely the 6'7" %*&^**who walked out on me the day my port was placed with his new penis in hand. Filing police report tomorrow. 

Now going to have a cup of hot tea and a long nights sleep.

Much love to all

Thrilled to be back in a house with power this morning. It came back late last night. My sister's boyfriend, also hubby's best friend, took us in all week after the hurricane.

Nat - school was canceled all week and still waiting to hear what this week brings. My principal reported that the building was not damaged but many of the surrounding streets had some big issues preventing people from getting to the building.

Life - CONGRATS! I am so happy that you finished! As so many have pointed out, sisters are such a gift in life. I don't how I would have gotten through this if I didn't have my sister. Since I've been away from work, my husband has spent a great deal of time at his job and my sister took me to every single chemo treatment. I continue to pray for your sister.

Susan - I am also sending you a big hug and positive energy.

Susan, Sending good thoughts your way. Take Care.

lifeonitsside Wonderful news about your sister.  AND congratulations on the end of chemo.

Good recoveries to all.  I will keep you posted on my therapy for lymphedema.  It didn't get started last week because the therapist wanted a clearance from my cardiologist first because of possible complications from my heart surgeries.  I got an echocardiogram, and the cardiologist said the valves weren't leaking any more that they were a year ago, so I'm cleared to start treatment.

Nat, I hope your LE therapy is successful.  Susan, hugs to you.  I hope things have settled down.

Well I just wanted to report I still have no neuropathy with the daily L glutamine.  I'm feeling a lot better about facing seven more Taxol infusions.

Hi all, after superfreakstorm 'Sandy', my last (6th) Chemo unfortunatelywas rescheduled for 5 days later, but I had it yesterday. After I was done with my infusion, the amazing nurses and my Oncologist that had taken care of me since July 19 surrounded me, and I got a certificate, balloons and hugs,  for completing my chemo streatments. After having accumulated numerous leadership and leadership certificates and awards over the years, that was definitely an interesting and unexpected and surreal experience.

My godzilla has shrunken, and on 11/12 I see my breast surgeon so assess the tumor once more and schedule MRI and discuss surgery. After that next phase-radiation. All amidsts Thanksgiving and Black Friday (I am an electronics and movie deal hunting fiend!). In a few hours I get what I hope will be my last 'Neulasta' shot, and then my days of side effects will follow. I hope I never have to take this journey again, but I am so grateful that am part of this group to share the oddities that come with this entire process. Whether a long road lies ahead for us, or one has already passed, the shared experience, for me, personally has been a life safer to keep my relativity in check. This will always be a part of my life now, but all of you have helped me float me through what has been the hardest thing I have ever faced, personally, mentally and emotionally, at 36. My wife and I have taken all of your collective support and suggestions to the chemo chair every treatment and talked at length about this 'collective' experience with each other to keep us strong and to keep us hopefully and thankful.

Hi boobzilla - Congratulations - am so thrilled to hear you had your last treatment. It must have been awful delaying it a week, when you were so psyched up for it!!! I had mine 5 weeks ago, and am anxiuosly checking the mirror for signs of new hair. I reckon the armpit and leg hair check is the most accurate. Murphy's law says they will grow there first, as the armpit is so hard to shave on the mastectomy side! Alas no hair yet, but am feeling so much better.

PAeagles fan - how is the radiation treatment going?

Congratulations boobzilla!  

And PAEagles fan, congratulations for you too.  Hair and a period-- the joys of womanhood ;-)

Boobzilla - congrats on being done with chemo!!! You made it to the other side!

PAeaglesFAN - thanks for the rads update. Can't believe you are almost done. Glad to hear you are doing well and the side effects arent too bad. So when they talk about rads making you tired - what does that mean? Sleepy? Fatigued? Are you able to keep a pretty normal schedule? Your hair updates crack me up! I start radiation on the 26th.

SusanHG123 - hang in there!

Itsalltemp-- SLEEPY!!  Not like the fatigue that you get from chemo at all.  (Good news is the muscle fatigue fades pretty quickly, I can now go up a whole flight of steps w/out having to stop halfway.)  I swear I can nap on demand now lol.  The colder weather doesn't help.  The dogs were snuggled with me in bed this morning and none of us wanted to get up.  
When you start your sessions don't look at the whole number, break them down into bits and pieces.  Like 1/4-1/3 #10... etc.  It gives you a lot of little goals to achieve rather than one loooooong trip.  I started my boosts this morning so I have a whole new set of boob art and a fresh new sticker!  

Susan, Glad to hear you had a nice officer taking care of you.  They probably can't do a whole lot about it, but it sounds like his caring attitude made you feel a lot better.  I have a few words about someone who would do something like that too >:-{  
Hope the chicken soup and Magic Mike gets you back on your feet.  I haven't seen it yet, but perhaps will put it on my Christmas list 

Ann-- Yes... it's like going thru a second puberty 

Maddie57 - I go bald and beautiful 98% of the time so it'll be bald!

This is just a general question for those that are post chemo. Is it strange to not be on a schedule? After 5 months of being on the chemo schedule, bloodwork, knowing the down days, knowing the days that are going to be up days, pills to take and fluids to keep in us. I am wondering what it will feel like emotionally to finish. I know it will be great to get back to a new routine that doesn't include chemo. It seems like we all have more work ahead of us, some having rads, finishing reconstruction and various hormone therapies. And we all have continuing doctor appts for the next few years. My chemo ends mid December. I'm a little scared that everyone is going to expect me to be back to normal (whatever that is) and I am going to still feel like I've been dragged behind a truck the past year. I don't think I'm going to pop back that quickly....feeling worried. 

Mamabr - One of the key things I've been doings reminding people that the SE's don't end just because the chemo has. They just don't know.



Despite my chemo being over, there are still follow ups and rads to set up so there will be plenty to keep you busy.

Susan I'm glad you got a couple days to rest and rejuvenate.

Life, good luck with your upcoming performance.

I had Taxol #6 today.  Also believe it or not I finally gave in and started drawing on brows and lashes with makeup.  I assume most everyone else started doing it sooner, but I'm just not a makeup person.  It was pretty strage to see a face in the mirror that looked like pre-cancer me.  My brows have been invisible for weeks now.

My hair is growing like crazy.  It started coming in right after my last AC.  There's a lot of white fuzz, a lot of brown, and a lot of new gray.  The gray is in patches.  If this keeps up I'll be calico.  I just can't wait til it looks like a respectable buzz cut and I can ditch the hats.  I have this weird giant bony knob on the back of my head and I refuse to go hatless until that thing has coverage.

skimommi--I have worked thru all of this.  But it really depends on each individual.  What kind of work do you do? If I had a physical labor job, I would have been off no questions asked.  I am lucky to be a secretary and to have a very understanding boss.  I would take off the day of my treatments (Tuesday) and would usually go home early on Fridays because that was my "bad" day.  I wasn't ill, but I wasn't myself.  Blurry vision, dizzy... those kinds of things.
If your job is really mentally taxing, you need to take the "chemo fog" into consideration.  It makes it difficult to concentrate or remember things.  I cross-stitch and was really not able to work on any complicated projects while I was in chemo because I found myself miscounting, using the wrong colors, missing stitches... etc. I certainly wouldn't want my pharmacist to work through chemo!!
As for working out... well that wasn't my cup of tea before so I can't help you there.  BUT!!  Walking was STRONGLY ENCOURAGED and really helped me get back to feeling more like myself after each treatment.  I think it gets your heart rate up and gets that poison flushed out.  Your MO will probably tell you to do what you did before chemo as long as you feel ok.  

Ann---LOL @ Calico!!  I spent a good 10 minutes admiring my new hair in a mirror yesterday and I could actually see that some of the long ones are different at the end.  They look finer and lighter until you get to a certain length and then they look normal again.  My guess is that these are the 'hangers on' from chemo and that is what caused the difference.  I was playing around with filling in my eyebrows the other night but they looked terrible so I just left it go.  Now I see that they are coming in quite quickly.  I had them shaped before this and the areas that use to be gone are just about filled in!
Mama--Life is 100% correct!  Life after chemo ends gets back to normal eventually.  Folks that went thru it before me said 2-3 months after it ends you'll feel like your old self again and they were right.  I have been blessed that my SE's were very minimal during treatment and none of them have been permanent.  Horrible tastes, neuropathy, hair loss, taxo-tears, chemo-pause... they are all becoming a memory now.  I was very disappointed to wake up the day after my last chemo treatment and not have a full head of hair!  Just keep telling yourself "this too shall pass" and know that it will be the last you feel that way.  (Prayers for all of us that we never go thru it again!!)