Sept 2012 chemo

Good luck today Forever and Patricia! Wishing you smooth surgery and quick recovery! 

Florbo-Sorry to hear about your situation...I'm doing Herceptin for a year and other than feeling a little tired on the days I get it, I haven't had any side effects, but it just sucks thinking your done and then things changing. 

My path report from the initial biopsy was ER-/PR-, then from surgery it came back ER+ (7%), then my MO sent it off to another lab and it came back ER-...It's been frusterating and I am going to ask my MO it double check it one more time because as much as I don't want to take Tamox, if it's going to help, of course I will. 

Patricia & Forever-- Wishing you the best with your surgeries and speedy recoveries.  Sending you lots of positive healing and calming prayers, thoughts and energy!!! Hope each of you will be smiling when you get to the recovery room.  My husband was told by the surgery nurses that I was smiling when I was being wheeled into the recovery room after my surgery.  I guess somehow and someway I knew I had made it to the other side. 

Florbo- I'm hoping that you will feel better about the Herceptin infusions.  I know it is somewhat of a disappointment and shock to you.  Hang in there!!!!  I know you realize it's a good thing to be able to take it and it is okay to express your disappointment.  BTW:  I have my Herceptin run over an hour and never have any side effects from it.  For the past year, I've always had the Herceptin run slow.  You won't have to take any meds prior to the infusion like you have had with the chemo.  Sending you lots of (((HUGS))) and positive thoughts and energy!!!

Wishing everyone here some wonderful times as you each continue to move forward!!!!

forever and patricia, I echo the best wishes for tomorrow! I am feeling so much better two weeks post op with both drains out.

florbo, it is such a crazy journey and for you, even more so right now. Who would have thought that we would miss our ports? Please don't tell me they need a vein for the CT simulation? That just plain unnerves me. I managed to get a blood draw on Monday but just. The anesthetist had to put me under with gas to get an IV in for my surgery~~as they were taking the port out!

jojo, I am thinking that today is the last of rads for you? That makes me know I too can do it!

Good evening my September Sisters! Had my dye injected this afternoon and then went and checked out the area where I'm supposed to go tomorrow morning. Patricia, they finalized the OR schedule and my surgery time is now 8:45am so you have a head start on me but like you said, we've got this!! I am soooo ready for this cancer to be taken out. Today was farewell booby day. They served me well until they turned on me and tried to kill me. Bye bye, boobies!! No hard feelings.

Forever, we look forward to hearing from you in a couple of days but meanwhile you sound like you are handling everything so well and with amazing grace!

Jojo I think you are done with rads! Yay!

PS put in 60 cc and will so the same on Tuesday. He was happy with everything and so was I. He says if I can't get the ROM for the CT simulation to just tell them to postpone. 

Forever and Patricia--I will be sending you prayers and hugs for tomorrow and the days following as ya'll recover.

Marian--Are you feeling better with all those drains out?  I always did my ROM exercises after a shower and after popping some pain meds.

I felt better waking up this morning after trying to process the Herceptin info shock yesterday.  I stayed in my jammies and didn't even wash my face until my kids were almost home from school.  Then I put on some really bright lipstick.  My younger son thought I looked like a clown.  Evidently, I don't color between the lines well.

I will start popping over on the Herceptin thread for info and advice.  I've heard it is a good thread for lots of info.

My sisters......here we go......i will see you on the other side....forever i will pray for us and everyone here on recovery!!!!!!......i love u sisters!!

Patricia and Forever I am thinking of you today, good luck with your surgeries. JoJo your almost done!! That is fantastic.....Cindi you are on the home stretch and good luck with the hair growth. I would never in my life have cut my hair into a pixie but funny thing I actually really love how easy it is, and I think right now a pixie is kind of stylin....I am 7 weeks out of rads, other than a occasional twinge in the boob I feel almost normal. It is great and I can definitely see summer around the corner and pray it is better than the horrible summer we all had last year.

I did have a neighbour call me a few days ago as she got the call back from the mammogram, and then had a ultrasound and now has to do a biopsy probably this week. She is in the anxiety stage of finding out if it isn't or if it is BC. I am praying she has a better outcome than we all did.

Everyone who is having joint stiffness I hope you feel better soon.

English I love your hair!!

Hi everyone!

I haven't posted here in a while!  I have been reading - but doing more posting on the fb page... Engish Rose, you totally cracked me up with the gamine discussion!  I like Cindi's description of more Audrey Hepburn:-)  

Florbo:  I am sorry too that you found about the her2 status- and I wanted to agree that the herceptin infusions are not very bad.  There are a lot of infusions total though - 17!  So you might want to ask about another port (as yucky as that is)  17 pokes all on one arm seems like a lot.  I get my infusion for an hour and it is totally doable.  I don't have any side effects that I can tell.  And my infusion center can even see me on the weekends when I start back to work. 

When I saw Dr. Pegram talk he said that cancer was like snow flakes- no two women have the same cancer.  And what is even more interesting to me is that if you took cross sections of each of our individual cancer tumors, they would be different in different sections!  Which means the status  can be different.  Some areas of my tumor are just barely her2+ where as other areas are extremely her2+.  No wonder this stupid cancer is so difficult to treat!

Forever & Patricia:  Been thinking about both of you and hoping things are going well.  Hope we can get an update as soon as you are able.

jojo:  Congrats again on finishing rads!!!  One more hurdle jumped.  

Bearcub:  Hope your neighbor is okay... but if not, she is lucky to have such an amazing resource as you.

Hope everyone who has been feeling ill is feeling better!

These past few days I have been having a lot of twinges and shooting pains in the breast area.  I think they are muscle spasms????  Saw PS today to discuss implants – saline v silicone.   More stuff to think about!  Completely forgot to bring up the pains though.  Thanks chemo brain!  My exchange surgery is scheduled for April 4 (TEs and port coming out)!  There has been lots of confusion between doctor offices and the hospital; been getting the run-a-round these past few days.  I have lots to do beforehand in preparation – at work and at home…..

Patricia & Forever-I thought about you both all day today.  Sending lots of prayers and big hugs your way.  We look forward to hearing from you!!

Marian-I’m glad you’re feeling better!

Hope-I like your picture.  Your hair is coming in nicely.  : )))

Amy-I am going to attempt to create an account on FB this weekend; I would love to join the page.

Toastiecat-Yes, still experiencing lots of joint pain.  Just like Hope, when I get up, I’m hunched over for a few minutes.  I have to stand still for a few minutes – concentrate and then begin to walk.  I don’t feel steady when I first get up.  I feel like one of those ‘wind-up’ toys.  LOL.  Great idea on the pill box – wish I had thought of it for my last surgery.  I share your thoughts about all the wonderful women here.  We have come such a long way ….

JodiRocks-Congratulations on the new note in your chart.  What a terrific feeling.  I can’t wait to see that on my records.  After the exchange surgery, how long were you down for?  Were you really limited like the first surgery?  Any suggestions with regards to preparations – what to expect?  I too had a BMX last July and have had TEs ever since.  I can’t wait to exchange them!!!

Cindi- It sounds like you are going to a great center.  You went to the farm and mowed?  Pretty cool.  It sounds like you are doing much better.  Regrettably the effects from Taxol are still with me (and it seems like they are never going to go away)!

Cocobean-So looking forward to getting rid of the armpit boob!  Yes, we are moving forward for sure.  Some days I feel like the Michelin Man! LOL.

Jojo-Congrats on almost being done with rads.  I remember when you were just starting them.  Soon it will be time to do the happy dance!

Florbo-WTH?  So sorry you have to deal with this new news.  That just plain sucks.  Hang in there.

Bearcub-This summer HAS to be better!  I am encouraged and look forward to feeling almost normal again.  My hair is still really short; on its way to pixie like.  It’s so easy to care for right now.    I hope all is well with your neighbor.  I agree with Mariposa, you will be a good resource for her.  A friend of mine was diagnosed a couple of months after me.  I have supported her anyway I could; it feels good to pay it forward. 

Mariposa-It’s very interesting to know that the cross sections of each of our tumors would be different in different sections and that the status too can be different.  Wow.  I just don’t have any other words ….. I continue to read your blog and you continue to amaze me.  Inanna-very powerful.

Hugs to all!  : )))

Faith-Focus, the exchange was so easy. I went in at 7am and was home by 1pm. I was a bit sore for 3 or 4 days. Not bad though. Most of my soreness was from the fat grafting I had. I had full range of motion right away. I felt immediate relief from the TE pain. I would say that in a week, I was done with any pain meds (Tylenol) and had to remind myself not to lift anything because I felt so good. I didn't really do much to prepare. I used the same sports bras that I used for my TEs. I slept propped up for about a week. I have 2 young kids, so I needed someone to drive for 2 weeks. I could have driven after I stopped the Pain meds, but my family insisted:). Really sooo much better than BMX. I was out a month for that. Oh, and I didn't have any drains for the exchange. Good luck, I'm sending you prayers for a smooth surgery and a speedy recovery!

Hello ladies!! Went in for surgery at 8:45...right on schedule. My surgeon and ps talked to me before I got put under. Mysurgeon said that he was going to do sentinel node biopsy and if cancerous he would do the axillary node dissection. Then poof! I went to la la land. Thank you anesthetic. Woke up feeling fine in the recovery room...until I moved my arm. Holy crap! The nurse started me on morphine. It took a couple hours to get my pain under control. Then I was brought to my room where hubby gave the good news...one node found by dye and it was the original cancerous node that tested cancer free!!!! He didn't do the axillary node dissection. So then it was just about time for nausea to kick in. Even though they gave me some anti-nausea drugs I spent the next 8 hours puking off and on(sorry, tmi!!) until they could give me a different anti-nausea drug. Slept the night through without pressing the pump. They might let me go home today!!! Thank you all for thepositive vibes! Love you all!!

forever, such good news that the sentinel node was clear and you didn't have to have the axillary node dissection! I hope all continues to go well with no more puking.

Congratulations, Forever and Patricia for making it through surgery!  May your healing be swfit!  You've passed such a major hurdle in this journey!

Faith, I had exchange surgery (from UMX) in late January.  I did wake up with a drain, though I don't think that is typical (and I only had it for 5 days).  I agree with Jodi that it's a much easier recovery than my umx was.  However, surgery and anaesthesia did make my neuropathy act up again.  That was a bummer but those symptoms have improved again in the weeks since surgery.  The relief from TEs is immediate, but I didn't really feel better until about a week after surgery when the surgical swelling around my implant subsided (swelling is now back since I am doing rads).  Just like mx, you will need to avoid lifting over 5 pounds but range of motion was nowhere near as reduced.  Overall, it's a much easier surgery--just be aware that your body is still recovering from chemo so you may feel more effects from anaesthesia or some chemo SEs return a bit.  Good luck!!