Is There A September 2011 Chemo Group?

CCJJ,i order the truffles from the lindt-lindor website,i think it is www.lindtusa.com!

gotta say they won't help your weight loss,but we all deserve a treat now and then!! LOL

mmm,might order some for Easter,surprise the kids and grandkids!!! xmas of 2011,i didn't order any because everyone were on diets! had some mighty disappointed kids and g-kids!! I felt bad,this past xmas i did,boy did i get some hugs and smiles!!!

Hey CJRT, I was just thinking of you and stopping by to say hi.  How is everything going with the wheelchair and all that stuff? Hope you are doing ok.

CJRT, sounds like treatment is getting started pretty quick with the radiation,that's good! Hope your ortho appt goes well. I would think it's pretty frustrating moving during all this,moving during normal times is bad enough! LOL But it's good you are going to a one story,someone's looking out for you!!! I've been thinking about you all week seemed like this past wk was sooo long!! Glad it's over i bet you are,too. In my prayers and thoughts!

That is great that you have gotten some relatively positive news today! It is always a relief to have your doctor look pleased with something...sounds like blastic is much less destructive. "Best prognosis" is just what we wanted to hear!  

CJRT.....so happy to hear you received some good news. Amazing that it builds bone and you may not need another surgery. Hopefully that means no chemo as well.

Can't believe your also going through a move. So stressful in itself as Belle mentioned.

Hang in there girl.

CJRT - I have just come back to the board to see how everyone is doing and I am so sorry to hear about your troubles. I am really optimistic for you being that it is the "better" cancer (talk about an oxymoron!). Please know that I am thinking about you and praying that everything will be resolved and you can move forward beyond all this crap!



I am in a bit of a flux myself. In early Jan my genetic testing (15 months AFTER the blood draw!) came back positive for BRCA1 so in 2 weeks I will be having a PBMX and at the end of April a complete hysterectomy. As far as I know I do not have cancer but I pretty much wonder every day what they will find after they take all the stuff out. But I ask myself every day "how do you feel?" and I feel pretty good. Sometimes today is all that we can be sure of and I have to try so hard to focus on not letting my fear of tomorrow rob me of my good day today.



CJRT I am certain you will get through this. Take care my thoughts are with you.



Karen

CJRT,

You sound amazing and strong! Glad the rads went well and you have a good plan together. Don't know why the call them side effects...they always seem front and center to me:)  Hope all goes well with the port, etc., wonderful to hear you sounding so positive.

Cheers, Anne

CJRT, so glad to hear you have a plan in place and already started rads! I understand your fear of the side effects of the shot! When I was first diagnosed- the first thing out of mouth was I'm not taking any hormone blocking meds!y dr thought I was nuts!! Then we found out I was triple negative so it was a moot point!! It's a different fear of SE of chemo because you know the chemo is not forever! At least I hope it isn't for you. But the SE of the hormone blocking drugs are going to affect every aspect of your life- potentially premature aging,sexual intimacy .i'm sorry if I'm stressing you out more by saying this but that was some of my fears! A friend has to take them, I told her give them a try,maybe the side effects won't be bad! If they are,weigh the pros and cons,quality of life is important,too!She is a lot older than you and truthfully seeing what they have done to her,reinforces my belief for myself-I won't take them if I was told I should! Now I probably have bummed you out,I'm sorry! Maybe the others who are taking them will give you their input!! In my thoughts and prayers!

belle- thank you. yes i share most of your feelings about the hormonal treatments. i feel like BC and the treatments have robbed me of so much of my life, myself, my feminity... i am aware of all of the things you mention, and they do shake me up. sometimes more than others. i feel that it is a hard choice to make, but i feel that i must go along with this treatment plan to have a fighting chance for my family. i have approached this whole journey that way (opting for the BMX even though there was NED on the MRI) and now, more than ever, I feel desperate to do anything that improves my chances. when discussing the situation with my husband, his opinion is "well we certainly will be more intimate with you on any of these medications than if you are not around anymore." i try to remind myself of that.

ccjj- I haven't met with my MO yet. I got all the information from a phone call with her. I see her Monday and will ask further questions. Originally I had asked about getting the ovaries out, and they (my MO and GYN) had the opinion that it was not warranted in my case and that the risks at that point outweighed the benefits and to consider it when I got closer to 40. (My girlfriend in another state my age was told to do it right away b/c she had Stage 3b and was very estrogen-driven). Apparently, from what my MO explained, an AI works via a different mechanism and is still needed after ovarian suppression because the adrenal glands still produce some estrogen. I don't know if it is more effective or if the combination of no ovaries and the AI is more effective. It is a question I will have to ask. I am still on Tamoxifen until I finish RADS. There is a long explanation for that having to do with radiation being more effective at the cellular level. I did have my cycle return after chemo about 2 months later (even though I was on Tamoxifen). It was abnormal at first (but I had been 12 weeks post-partum and breast-feeding just prior to starting chemo). My headaches eventually went away after some treatment for them. Other than those initial migraines, hot flashes, night sweats, and sleep difficulties, I have felt okay on Tamoxifen for the past 6 months or so. I wouldn't even know I was taking it. I don't know how long post-Tamox they wait before thinking you are menopausal because I know it was discussed looking at ovarian removal for me down the road because they didn't think I would be menopausal after the 5 years on Tamoxifen (and it wasn't because of ovarian cancer risk b/c I don't have the BRCA gene). As for the port, thank you for your feedback. I had previously had mine on my chest and hadn't known the arm was an option prior to having it placed. I didn't know anyone who had it where you had yours placed, so it is nice to hear about your experience with it. I will just be getting Herceptin at this point. Not chemo. My MO said we had the data showing how effective Herceptin had previously been and that she plans to leave me on it as long as that continues. She also said we have some other options down the road bc of the HER2 status (Perjeta, TDM-1 - can't remember the new name). I didn't think to ask the dosing or schedule. I see the MO Monday and am supposed to have my first infusion (without the port) on Tuesday. I do plan to travel to a top cancer center once this bone is taken care of  to make sure no stone is left unturned. My center can connect me with various options, and my sister and some friends also have some connections.

Thanks, belle. Xoxo

CJRT: Well its looking like if you had to have a bone met.... that the one you have is the one you want.  So glad to hear that you probably won't have surgery.  That is a big relief for you I'm sure with your kids. 

I had two small blood clots when I went through chemo and since tamoxifen has increased chance of clots as a side effect, my MO put me on zoladex and femara.  So I get the shot monthly... in my belly and then take the femara pill every day.  The shot itself isnt that bad.... but it doesn't feel great.  Make sure you tell them to let you ice the area first.  They usually fill a latex glove with ice for me and let me sit with it for five or s minutes.  Helps tremendously.  And yes... although it is nice to not have a period, you do get the side effects of menopause.  The hot flashes are so bad.  And you can't take a hormonal pill like most menopausal women can.  My MO has me on zoloft because it helps with the hot flashes. and it does really help.  The other side effects i have are really just a decreased libido and dryness you know where.  But - I can live with all of these if it keeps the cancer away. 

Just wanted to give you my experience...

Hang in there!!

Hey, Karen, when is your surgery? Hope all goes well, keep in touch,let us know how you are doing! I think most of us are back to our new normal. I'm back to watching grandkids 3 to 4 days a week! By the end of the day, I am wore out more than before bc. Having a lot of aches and pains in my joints,don't know if it is the weather or side effect of chemo. Some of my family and friends have started a biggest loser for 6 Wks , hopefully losing some weight will help. I hope to get a good start on the weight loss,only need to lose 50 lbs. Lol CJRT ,how are you doing, hope rads and shots,are going easy on you! In my thoughts and prayers!

kate- thank you for sharing your experience with me. it is comforting to know that your experience has been manageable.

karen- thank you for the kind, supportive words.

unfortunately i was dealt another blow this past week (at least not bad from a cancer standpoint!), when an x-ray showed that i now have a fracture across the head of my femur which will require surgery. it may have been caused by the radiation. guess i will never know. however, i will now be getting that complete hip replacement one of you had asked about before. i honestly feel very frustrated and discouraged. however, on a positive note, the only area of disease will now be removed, they would've wanted to radiate first in my situation anyway, and they can now measure how effective the radiation i received was so that they can use that info in the future if any other spots pop up. on another positive note, i will be getting that new drug that was just approved. i have my first infusion this thursday and pray that this will be the answer to buying me more healthy years with my children. i will also be having the hip replacement 3/20. it is so strange to feel well physically (except the hip), look around at my beautiful children and lovely new home, and feel so blessed in almost every respect yet have this daunting challenge in front of me yet again.  thank you for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers. xoxo

Hope all goes well Karen!

Thanks so much, Belle. Love having such a great cheerleader! Hope you're having fun with those grand kids!



Thinking of you, Karen! Will be sending you positive thoughts on Thursday.