Taxotere/Cytoxan starting July 2011

Hey everyone!

Enjoy your trip Rossileo.  It is wonderful to get away and have an adventure.

I was in Spain for ten days in early April visiting around in Andalucia - food, wine, and all the fabulous history, art and architecture!

Mammo was clear.  Will be bringing the images to my BS when I see her on Thursday, to be sure she agrees.

Try not to worry about that PET, Frances.  Worrying won't help, but I must admit I was a bit on edge today until the radiologist said there was nothing there.

Good for you LadyBoss - getting to the gym and feeling normal.  I feel normal, but soooo lazy.

Commuting to and from work, working at the office, working some more at home sometimes, going out and doing social stuff --- it all gets in the way of my intentions to go lift some heavy weights at the gym.  I do walk a lot and I ride my bike.  Tomorrow I am going to the gym, though!

Oh - I still have curly hair, but I got it colored and cut again this past weekend.  The cut is going to allow it to grow out a bit, but makes it much more hip.  And so as not to look like a sheep, my hairstylist used a flat iron on some of it and suggested I try the same.  I will now have to buy another flat iron, since I gave mine to my sister - on a long term loan - figuring I would only burn my ears trying to use it.

Sorry for rambling on.  I do feel a lot better having gotten through that mammo.

You are so lucky to being doing all that traveling, sounds like so much fun. Had another mammogram it was clear. Will have a pet scan in June with blood work for tumor markers. Also still have curly hair, still silver, but coloring this weekend. Joined a gym with a personal trainer, boy am I out of shape. In between sessions I hit the treadmill and some circuit training. Still worry about cancer showing up back in breasts or elsewhere. Right breast still sore. Hope everyone else is doing well!

Good news Theatercat!  Glad to hear that everybody is going on with life, trying to stay healthly.

Back from China yesterday Saturday night.  Had a great time and pleased to report that my stamina held up fine.  I was at Jiuzhaigou (nine village valley) and Huanglong (yellow dragon) for three days and hiked for about 8 miles on the first two days.  Oxygen no problem since we took a bus or cable car to the top and walked down. Scenery was beautiful.  Both places are famous for the colored pools of water.  See new profile pic.  You can see that my hair is pretty thick and curly.

Lazy summer days are here and I have to make sure I'm exercising and eating right.  Too easy to get into bad habits on vacation.  Left breast is still swollen and slightly tender. I try not to worry about it too much.  Next mammo not for another couple of months.

Hi all, I completed my rads in mid Nov and I still have sore breast! It is so hard and lumpy at some spots that I told my onco there is no point for me to check myself as I can't tell anymore what is what!

I am going away to Gold Coast in 2 days. Yippee! A good break from work and the hot humid weather here. It's winter in Australia and Gold Coast has temperate climate and hence a very mild winter.



March on ladies! We are all doing well:)

I hate my curls.  I'm letting my hair grow and it looks like only the ends are curly, so I have hopes that I will grow out of this and start looking like myself.  At the Chinese border control neither of the staff thought I looked like me.  One woman asked me if I was really me.  The other guy stared at me and my picture a looooong time.  I finally said that I had changed my hair.  Interestingly enough, I did not run into this at US border control.  Maybe they are used to the way that Americans are always changing their hairstyles.

It's been more than a year since my diagnosis.    Yes, need to move on and hope that the cancer is gone forever.  Occasionally I forget to take my anastrozole -- I'm not used to being on medication -- and tell myself that one missed day is not going to make a difference.  Much more important is diet and exercise.

Hi Diana,

So good to hear from you and know that all is well.  I don't log into the site very often, but I do get a notification if anybody posts on this forum.   Hard to believe that I was just starting radiation about a year ago.  All seems like a bad dream. 

Hair is still curly and growing faster than I expected -- almost 5 inches.  I'm on arimedex(anostrozole), which makes my joints achy, but it's nothing that I can't tolerate.  Had a mammogram in July and it was all clear.  Next one in January. 

Hope everybody else is also doing well.

Rossileo/Anna

I used to follow the 'bigger' July 2011 Chemo forum last year and sometimes check in just to see how people are doing.  The posts there are getting few and far between.  People are moving on.  There are also some sad stories of women who didn't make it.

I had a chance to 'relive' the experience with a colleague who was diagnosed about 8 months after me.  I became her BC mentor.  Because I was around, she said she didn't even feel the need to get support from websites.  But I was really glad to have all of you around while I counted the days to my next chemo.

Please check in every once in a while. 

Hey Diana, Rossi, everyone,

In the getting on with life category, I have been trying really hard to get back to my original level of fitness.  Still have stiffness and some pain, but seem to be healthy.  In addition to regular workouts and weight training, I do a lot of stretching and other exercises as per physical therapy sessions from early summer.  Just back from Portugal - history, food, wine, lots of walking - really needed a vacation.

My MIL died in late August after her 3 1/2 year battle with ovarian cancer.  Her struggle really put a lot of things in perspective for me.

My hair is short, but like a sloppy shag.  I must have had it colored and cut about 5 times by now, but need more color and will try to cut only the bangs.  It is much less curly; more like my usual wavy.  Even though it seems to be less gray than before, there's still a big white patch poking out.  Anyone notice that the area over the temples grows very slowly?

Damn tamoxifen and hot flashes!  Been taking daily 1000 IU of vitamin D, too.

You guys have been a great support to me too.  Just knowing that others could do it and get through it really helped make me brave.  I am also thinking that maybe next spring I will check with the ACS to see if I can volunteer with Reach for Recovery.  I got guidance and support from someone through that program when I was first diagnosed.

Theatercat and Phillybird -- glad to hear that both of you are doing well but still working on getting back in shape.  I also feel tired, but don't know if it's from stress at work or the Arimidex.  I do know that the achy joints are from the drugs.  Don't know if I'll ever get used to it, but not much I can do about it except keep moving.

Phillybird -- sorry to hear about your mother-in-law.   Hope that all of you are coping well. 

I'm starting to plan vacation for next year and just like this year, the nagging fear of recurrence gets in the way.  Just have to fight it and think positive!  After all, everything went smoothly this year. 

Hugs to all of you.

Had a follow-up MRI today.  Let's hope it shows the same NOTHING as the follow-up mammo from 6 months ago.  I see my BS for follow-up the first week of December.

Hope everyone else is doing well.

ALL CLEAR and have a great weekend!!!  Got a bit nervous when they called me today, but they do call with good news too!!

Hi you all ladies! Cheers to all clear results for all:). I am focussing on moving on and hence checking in less. But I really do miss you gals as you were here with me when I walked the Big C journey and I didnt feel alone. Thanks to all and I pray all of us continue to get All lear results. I am being checked every 3 months by onco, ultrasounds every 6 months and MRI/CT/Mammo Scan every year. Dislike the tenterhooks I get waiting for results.



Lets check in once in a while to keep this thread going. I am looking forward to my family vacation in Dec to Hong Kong. Meanwhile, gotta head to Beijing, Venice and Frankfurt for work in the last 2 weeks of Nov.



Take care and love you all!

Good to hear from you Frances and glad that all is good for you.  So far so good for me, except the Arimidex just makes my joint aches.  Got to keep moving!  That's what helps the most.

I activitated the option to send me an e-mail when somebody posts to this forum so I know when somebody has some news.  My next mammogram is not until January, so no more doctors until then!

Hi ladies



I am back from my travels and gosh am I tired! Not the usual me anymore. Jut had my bloodworks done and my SGOT and SGPT - liver profile all above normal range. Getting worried and book an appointment to see onco on Boxing Day. Hope ots just a case of inflammation of muscle ...



Meanwhile have a great week ahead all!

Frances,

So sorry to hear about the tests.  Hoping it is nothing serious.  I'll be thinking about you too.

Robin