December 2012 chemo group

It pretty much would hv to b normal at least thats what i feel as i hv recently learned firsthand after dx with idc stg4 HER2+ with mets to sternum at initial dx. Im so far away from SEX that i wonder at times if it too is another long term or permanent SE. I couldnt even hv it if i wanted it due to the damage potential in doing so. Literally,my body cannot handle the act w/o some bleeding or pain occuring,no matter what. I only can pray its cuz of chemos effects on our body. You are not crazy tho. Remain strong and good luck n prayers to us all.

Thanks LeeA yeah the ocean is amazing. Went out to an Indian restaurant tonight, I have def got my taste buds back, yummo!



Welcome vas4554 hopefully with the help of the wonderful women here you will find this time easier than you would if you we're alone.



Xx kk

Thanks Krayzwolf....why were they looking for low counts? To show that the chemo was working. I've had two Neupogen shots in addition to the Neulasta after 1st round. And just had another Neupogen shot after round 2 and the Neulasta. My onc seemed concerned. He made certain that I have Cipro on hand. However, I feel OK, just some fatigue.....and the itchy scalp. I was also given a sample of something called Mu Guard to prevent mouth sores. It is fairly new on the market. Must have just been approved by the FDA. It coats the oral cavity. The company sent me 5 complimentary bottles because my insurance would not cover the script. So far, so good. I've been using it for two weeks and it has helped. If anyone wants more info, I will be happy to supply.

kiwikid - the ocean meters form your room sounds amazing. I hope it helps you to feel and get better.

krazywolf and vas4554 - Welcome! None of us really wants to be here but we are, but it is a wonderful group of ladies and we try to encourage and support each other through this chemo journey.

Soteria - i am on AC 3 week cycle going in for my 3rd round on tuesday..the only se i really dont like is swelling of lymph nodes in groin and armpits around day 5-6  with the fatigue...getting a cold after #2 was even worse...will have to talk to doc on that one on monday...forgot to ask at last meeting because they changed who i was seeing 3 times..asked nurse about that and she said if you dont see your regular onc doc its because youve had no problems with chemo....

Hi all,



Regarding radiation,I was very worried about that fora number of reasons. When I went to get a second opinion from a well regarded radiologist and she said I didn't need radiation I was thrilled. For people with mastectomy and who have had lymph nodes removed rdiationcanhave aloof really bad long term effect. Like capsular contracture, lymphodema chances are increased, and there are potential impacts to organs.



So she said if I had radiation, it would maybe reduce my chances of recurrence from 8% to 5%. And that's based on older data when treatment overall wasn't so effective.



Finally, she said the two biggest risk factors are: 1) rumors larger than 5cm, 2) four or more lymph nodes involved. I did not have these. Then there are six minor risk factors: 1) lymph nodes involved, 2) lymphovascular invasion, 3) grade 3, 4) positive margins, 5) younger than 40, 6) progesterone negative, estrogen neg or HER2 positive. I only had 2 of these six. And she said that want worth the risk and we could monitor closely.



Talk to your radiologist about the risks and weigh them out.

dcsandpiper~Thanks for that info. I'm ER/PR+ her 2 neu-. I really don't want to do rads if it can be safely avoided. My tumor was 5.6 cm and here 13/16 nodes.



I hear that the radiation can be hard on the heart and thyroid. I haven't talked to the RO since final pathology report after surgery, but I'm hopeful I can forgo rads.



Blessings

Paula

Dcsandpiper - thanks so much for that info. I am going to talk with my MO. I really feel like the rads are overkill. I had a double mastectomy with reconstruction and am doing chemo. I seriously do not want to risk any other physical ailments as I want to really make exercise a major part of my life and ongoing treatment.



Just back from a 2.8 mile hike only I ran the first 1.4 miles! It felt great and I spent a lot of time visualizing my strong self in 2013. Endorphins have been released!!

dcsandpiper - thanks for that info on rads. I too feel as though rads will be overkill and do not like the risks. Of course I am not crazy about having an ALND either, so I am nt sure what my next course of action will be after chemo.

runner - I have gotten the scalp bumps after tx1 & tx2. I suspect I will get them after this next tx too, but I will talk to my MO about it prior to tx on wed.

Sandra - I have only had bloodwork done prior to tx each time. Your numbers go through a cycle after treatment. The lowest point is about day 10. If you do a google search on "nadir chemotherapy" you will be able to read about it. Sorry but my Mozilla will not let me do a cut and paste on this site and I have not been able to figure out how to fix that yet.

Gwen - awesome update on your run/walk!

FriendGwen - love to hear that you are running!

It's day 10 cycle 1 for me and I finally feel like I'm back!  It is GOOD to feel good! Ran some errands this morning and then went for a long walk this afternoon.  Hoping to walk again tomorrow.

I am doing the nupogen shots and have to have my blood drawn on day 7 and day 9.  My white blood cell count was as high as it had ever been on the day 7 draw.  I haven't seen the results from yesterday yet.  Does this mean that my immune system is in good working order?  I've been a little nervous about returning to the community center because my oncology nurse has really warned me about germs in public places.  It doesn't help that our newspaper is running articles about norovirus (stomach flu) and regular flu starting to hit hard in Portland.  

I'm going to meet a new oncologist this week and I am hoping to figure out whether I can safely be amidst the germy public with my counts.  My old oncologist tried so hard to be funny that he really put me off.  I'm going to be seeing a woman oncologist who is fairly new to the practice but I'm hopeful that the relationship fit will be better.  As I understand it, my oncologist and I will have a nice looooooong relationship so I hope I'm finding one I like.

Happy to feel good for a few days before heading back down the rabbit hole.  Wishing you all well!!!!

My DH just buzzed my hair (18 days post chemo round 1) - it was just getting out of control.  I didn't watch but it made it surreal as the hair fell on my legs, toes and nose - tears streamed down my face.  It doesn't look bad...a little chilly but ok.  Before I could hide I didn't have cancer now it's so obvious.  Another stepping stone I suppose.

Sandra60 -feel better and take care!

Jenjenl - I know it is a surreal experience but you did it! The anticipation is almost worse. It has been about 12 days for me and I'm adapting. I wear my wig when out and go topless or wear scarves at home. Just tonight I figured out how to do a turban with a beautiful scarf and I'm feeling almost a little glamorous. It's like playing dress up. Today when I went running I wore the baseball hat with half wig. As someone who has had bangs for years having a bald forehead seemed ridiculous and not me. But it was also kind of empowering not having hair in my face. Tonight when I went out to dinner I had on my wig with awesome highlights. It's kind of fun having my different looks! And you will love your quick shower tomorrow. It takes me under ten minutes to shower, put on make up and get dressed. More time to drink coffee and play with my new kitten!

Nicole- I also gave up coffee after my first treatment but was very happy to discover it tasted good again after about 2 weeks. I just drink hot water in the morning on those days everything tastes weird. Not much for tea.