Sept 2012 chemo

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  • Melrosemelrose
    Melrosemelrose Member Posts: 3,018
    edited December 2012

    Mariposa- Sometimes some oncos opt not to offer Abraxane since it is usally prescribed to patients with mestastic breast cancers.  From what I can tell, one has to demonstrate that Taxol or Taxotere cannot be tolerated by the patient so that Abraxane is the last resort is given instead.  With that being said, I know of one person who was switched to Abraxane and could not tolerate that.  In short, no guarantees that one will not experience side effects from Taxanes no matter what form the Taxane is in.  I know you have suffered tremendously through your time in chemoland and you are quite a woman in my eyes and to others here.  Somehow you continue to see yourself through and find a way to stay on track and keep moving forward.

    You may want to ask your onco about the drug, gabapentin to help with the neuropathy pain.  One of my gal pals here has suggested it to others to help with neuropathy.

    Wishing the best with that very last chemo round coming up and of course minimal side effects!!  Hang in there.... the good times are yet to come!!!!

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  • jojo2373
    jojo2373 Member Posts: 662
    edited December 2012

    Melrose, you always know just when to show up and just what to say! My left foot has really hurt this week, primarily the heel. Those first few steps out of bed in the mornings are killers. I stiffen up so quickly, even when standing putting on makeup. I am hoping as you say each day PFC will get better and better.

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  • Mariposa123
    Mariposa123 Member Posts: 267
    edited December 2012

    Thanks Melrose:-)  It is nice to be reminded that things will get better!

    Jojo:  I really love that wig too!  You look amazing:-)   I want to a cute blonde wig I have decided. 

    Allurbaddays:  That is some incredible hair growth!!!  I can't wait!

     



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  • Timbek2
    Timbek2 Member Posts: 204
    edited December 2012

    I love the wig too JoJo! Super cute. I already feel my wig is getting ratty like a doll. Do not want to purchase another one.... Really want my hair back in 2013. Just cannot wait to put chemo behind me and I pray forever. I don't want to think of any one of us doing this ever again!!! Happy n healthy new year to all!

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  • jojo2373
    jojo2373 Member Posts: 662
    edited December 2012

    Becki, my other one was getting too ratty/fuzzy so it was a Christmas present to me. I wear mine to the office, but otherwise wear hats and scarves. Oh I got my free scarf in the mail and a nice card too, ty.

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  • EnglishRose75
    EnglishRose75 Member Posts: 147
    edited December 2012

    Hello everyone,

    Just checking in to wish you all a happy and healthy 2013.  I will be very happy to draw a line under 2012, and move on to lighter and brighter things in the year ahead.  I've been so grateful for the support and comfort that this group has provided over the last few months.  Thank you all for being in my virtual life!

    Onwards and upwards ladies!

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  • Hopex3
    Hopex3 Member Posts: 397
    edited December 2012

    EnglishRose: My sentiments exactly!!



    I posted this in another thread but will here too.

    I am so thankful for finding all of you. Even though my family has been so supportive and amazing, sometimes I feel maybe I talk too much "cancer talk" and they may get tired of hearing it. So, I'm making a good effort to be more engaged in their lives and what is going on with them and try to leave the "C" word out of it. That is why I love having all of you as my new friends cause you all understand!



    Happy New Year!



    Erin

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  • Amy4978
    Amy4978 Member Posts: 473
    edited December 2012

    Heres to a Healthy Happy New Year! I most def appreciate the support this forum brings... Its great to have people who fully understand how I feel and can fill me in on tips and bring me up when Im down...

    Much love to all of you and I pray today you can forget the C word, let loose and bring in a fresh new year! although I am greatful I found my tumor in 2012 so I could be treated properly excuse me when I say 2012 can kiss my ass!

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  • butterfly14
    butterfly14 Member Posts: 253
    edited December 2012

    Happy New Year!!! I just finished my last chemo and almost cried, I cannot believe I made it through. I cannot say how much each of you has inspired me and helped me through this awful joureny.  I hope that I, or anyone else here, will never have to repeat this.

    Here is to a better 2013, and like Amy said, 2012 can kiss my ass also!

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  • damiana9
    damiana9 Member Posts: 389
    edited December 2012

    I am happy to report that the SE from my last treatment were very minimal! wooohooo!  The previous one really kicked my butt so I was worried, but this one was 'almost' a breeze.  I went in last wednesday though to get my labs done and my neutrophil count was almost non existent!  She asked me if I had forgotten to take my shot (no, I didn't forget!)  And now of course, I have a really terrible cold.  Luckily that is all it is, but it is one of the worst colds I have had and my body is just too weak to deal with it.  I am taking my temperature 2x a day to monitor for fever, if I get a fever I have to be admitted to the hospital but so far nothing!  Hopefully it has been long enough now that my counts will start going back up.

    For those of you with muscle weakness/pain in legs and arms- I found mine was at it's worst in October after my 3rd tx, and while it is certainly still there, it is much better than it was in October.  I have found I just have to not walk quickly but that if I keep walking at a slow steady pace I can actually go quite far.  I have heard that this side effect can last as long as a year after treatment!  yikes!

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  • whenlifegivesyoulemons
    whenlifegivesyoulemons Member Posts: 184
    edited December 2012

    I agree, but can't quite embrace the 2012 part of the sentiment since I've got a ways to go.  So instead, I say, anytime, anywhere, cancer can kiss my ass!

    Here's to us in 2013 - stronger, healthier, hairier(!), and cancer-free.  Happy New Year to you all!

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  • bearcub
    bearcub Member Posts: 485
    edited December 2012

    I will say that 2012 started out my best year, I was what I thought healthier than ever, my hair was exactly how I liked it, everything felt perfect until the end of May....then all it took was a moment to rip my bubble apart, to totally blindside me.

    I will say now in retrospect it was still the best year, WE FOUND MY CANCER...If I had waited until November to do my mammogram as I had originally planned my outcome may not have been as good....and my journey would just be beginning now.



    I am going into 2013 starting rads on the 3 rd....should be done by the 24th. I am happy, and I believe I am healthy and cancer free. I have learned lots about myself, I can be strong in the face of a doctor telling me I have cancer, I can face surgery, chemo, hair loss, tamoxifen and herceptin and now rads with my head held high...I am a strong woman who will have a fantastic 2013...



    I will say a private prayer for all of us tonight, and I wish you all the best for 2013.

    I also want to say thank you to each and everyone of you for being there for me on this journey. Your words have helped me get through some pretty low moments...never forget you are BEAUTIFUL!...

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  • allurbaddayswillend
    allurbaddayswillend Member Posts: 355
    edited January 2013

    Congratulations Butterfly!

    Happy New Year everyone!

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  • Hopex3
    Hopex3 Member Posts: 397
    edited January 2013

    Butterfly: congratulations to you on your last chemo. Your on your way now to a better 2013,

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  • bearcub
    bearcub Member Posts: 485
    edited January 2013

    Congratulations Butterfly, you did it!!

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  • Mariposa123
    Mariposa123 Member Posts: 267
    edited January 2013

    Congratulations Butterfly!!!!  What a beautiful feeling to bring into the new year!

    You all have said it so beautifully.  This year was challenging for sure!  And- I am so grateful that my cancer was found and treated.  I am so grateful that I have an excellent team at Stanford that I trust.  And I am beyond thankful for all of you:-)  It has been so important to have a group that understand the journey I am on- that doesn't judge me - that allows me to vent - that answers my questions - and makes me feel normal when faced with such a crazy experience.  We are all such powerful women.  We have faced down cancer and are living to tell about it.  We are awesome. 

    Sending love and hugs to everyone.  I will also say a prayer at midnight for all of us and drink a glass of sparkling cider toasting to all of our health.

    Happy New Year!!! 

     



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  • jojo2373
    jojo2373 Member Posts: 662
    edited January 2013

    Butterfly, congrats. It is a wonderful feeling!



    Happy New Year to the most wonderful group of women I have ever known. I am still up at 2am reflecting on the "forever changed" year. Still searching for why this happened to me and us. I hope 2013 gives me some answers.

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  • butterfly14
    butterfly14 Member Posts: 253
    edited January 2013

    Thank you all for the congrats!

    happy New Year to the strongest group of women I have ever come across. May 2013 be good to all of us!

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  • Timbek2
    Timbek2 Member Posts: 204
    edited January 2013

    Hope everyone's new year is starting off without ses. :). Couldn't have made it thru 2012 without all of u! May this year exceed our expectations!



    Also Parenthood. New episode tonight for those interested. Previews shows her with the clippers. Should be good.



    Happy 2013.

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  • Amy4978
    Amy4978 Member Posts: 473
    edited January 2013

    Butterfly.... Congrats! And the dvr is already set to record lol



    HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!

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  • Cherioo
    Cherioo Member Posts: 305
    edited January 2013

    Happy New Years Ladies . This will be a great year for all of us . Just moved into my new house and we are settling in. I hope all of you have a great day . Tomorrow is my last chemo . Looking forward to that chapter being over .

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  • Hopex3
    Hopex3 Member Posts: 397
    edited January 2013

    Cherioo....Yay! Congratulations on your last chemo tomorrow! Great way to start the new year!

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  • marianelizabeth
    marianelizabeth Member Posts: 1,735
    edited January 2013

    Mariposa I took Gabapentin for my first cycle of Taxol; one the day before chemo, two the day of and three for the following five days. So far so good and the only thing I see a bit different is some lines on the insides of my fingers though that may be my imagination. My hands feel vey dry. Yesterday my MO said when we talked about neuropathy, that I WILL get it. I just hope that I can continue with the dose dense 3 cycles left and not have to go to the weekly that she said is possible. But that was when I was sick so I am crossing my fingers as I want chemo to be over with. Tomorrow is #2. I also see my PS this week and have a follow up CT scan. 

    My husband takes one of our sons off to university on Vancouver Is. tomorrow and will continue on to spend time with an old friend of ours (whose wife died in 2006 of metasticized BC). I have been encouraging a break as 24/7 for months has got to me and I am pretty impatient and often just plain awful to him - closest person to vent to and it will be good for us both to have a break. I am hoping that the new year and longer days with less rain will lighten my spirits as I have been having trouble breaking out of darkness. This is true of December for the past few years after 17 winters in Saudi Arabia where it winters were the best time of the year.

    It is sunny today and maybe this is a sign of better things to come! 

    For those of you who have finished chemo, kudos to you and best of luck with the next steps.

    Bearcub, I thought similar to you; had done two trek in the Himalaya in May, one on my own (with guide) and then a high altitude one with friends and thought I was just getting healthier but what a surprsie in July!  I will be thinking of you with the rads on the 3rd.

    Timbek I don't think we get Parenthood until next week up here in Canada. 

    Jojo, I love the new wig. I have only worn mine twice though I did get compliments. I just feel more comfortable in scarves when I go out.

    Mariposa, after you posted your Mountain High lollipops, I thought about posting our Christmas night "high" but held off. Now I figure we can all use a good laugh on NY day. We were 13 for Christmas with our visiting friends and their kids, our kids, and some partners. So 4 old parents and 9 young adults. One of friends' kids who just got a PhD in  something to do with cancer and PET scan mediums the night before had tried convince me that marijuana would be good for my appetite (or lack of). I finally said that if his mom agreed to do it, then Christmas after dinner we could all partake. I almost forgot but sure enough, it came up while we were all playing trivial pursuit and out came different grades and pipes and a cool device that evaporated all the smoke and that was for me to use. So in the end all but the other mom smoked. It has been decades but I have to admit it was pretty funny seeing generations together admitting to everyone their secret or not so secret habits. I did eat 2 desserts and nothing untoward happened but think that those lollipops would be my drug of choice if I were to try again! 

    Happy New Year to you all!

    SmileMarian

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  • Hopex3
    Hopex3 Member Posts: 397
    edited January 2013

    Marian...Taxol made my hands dry too and wrinkly looking. I did get the neuropathy in fingers and toes. At night, in bed, I would have to wear socks as my feet felt like frozen ice blocks. An onc told me last week to get the L-Glutemine powder (instead of the capsules I was taking) and take two huge teaspoons with water 3x a day. I do think it helped with the neuropathy.

    Loved your Christmas night story. I bet it was fun to hear everyone's stories. Yeah, those lollipops are stuck in my brain too. Should I or shouldn't I? Haven't done that sort of thing in 30 years. Hmmmmm, you never know!

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  • jojo2373
    jojo2373 Member Posts: 662
    edited January 2013

    Marian, hoping you can continue with the DD Taxol. It was so nice to get finished quicker. The Taxol worked wonders on my tumor too, much more so than AC. I did endure great muscle and joint pain for 3 to 5 days after each treatment and mild neuropathy in my fingertips and toes. Now that I am almost 4 weeks PFC, I am only still dealing with stiffness and morning feet pain. Those could be due to any of my chemos or estrogen loss.



    Has your tumor responded?

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  • cgesq
    cgesq Member Posts: 319
    edited January 2013

    Had my last TCH treatment the day after Christmas, and have to say, this past week has not been so much fun.  I keep saying over and over that it was my last treatment, but can't wait to feel "normal" again.  Each day, I feel a little better, so slowly I am climbing over the hump and moving forward!!!

    I really just wanted to echo what everybody else has said about having a happy and healthy 2013!!

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  • marianelizabeth
    marianelizabeth Member Posts: 1,735
    edited January 2013

    Jojo, you and I both had lumpectomies so am confused on what tumour you still have?

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  • jojo2373
    jojo2373 Member Posts: 662
    edited January 2013

    Ah Marian I should have looked further! You have had your surgery, I am having my lumpectomy this week. I chose neoadjuvant chemo and surgery secondary. My MO was able to monitor the response my tumor had to the chemo that way.

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  • marianelizabeth
    marianelizabeth Member Posts: 1,735
    edited January 2013

    jojo, I also did not look at your 2013 surgery date! chemo brains. My tumour did go from what the mammo and u/s showed July 23 of <2cm to 3-3.5 cm at lumpectomy 6 weeks later. neoadjuvant might have been wise due to wait for surgery but nothing seemed urgent from core biopsy back then and I was off on a preplanned trip so no time to see an MO - summer time busy for surgeons, OR's and probaby MO's. So I will have a full mastectomy and axillary dissection probably after rads. Seeing PS Thursday and my case is being presented at a weekly breast cancer team meeting Jan. 18. I asked for this just to get some more opinions on rads before or afer surgery/possible reconstruction. 

    Glad to hear that your tumour responed to the Taxol! Will you have to do rads too?

    Just realized yet again that you and had dx on exactly the same day.


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  • jojo2373
    jojo2373 Member Posts: 662
    edited January 2013

    Marian, yes 7/27/12 a day we will never forget! Mine went from 1.9 the day of diagnosis to 6.7 the day of my first chemo on 8/31. It was growing out of control at that point.



    I will have 4 to 6 weeks of rads beginning 4 weeks after surgery.

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