Starting Chemo July 2012

Hi Ann- sounds soooo familiar!! You alternate between sweating and shivering!! Keep well.

Had the simulation for radiation this morning and a bone scan. Supposed to start radiation next week. Hoping for an easy 33 sessions. The center provides a cream--to be applied three times a day to the radiation site. And supposed to wear a mens cotton T-shirt next to the skin-under the bra for protection. 

One more step....

Hello to all my July 2012 friends - that seems like such a long time ago, especially in terms of what we've all been through.  I'm pretty much finished with all of this (I hope and pray).  Surgery done, chemo done, radiation done, don't get to (or have to) do hormonal therapy since I'm triple neg.  Not doing reconstruction since the plastic surgeon was worried I'd have a stroke. (Bad history...)  Still trying to get my blood clotting numbers back to a safe level.  Had to stop coumadin to have the surgery to remove the chemo port, and even though the PT/INR clinic ups the dosage each time I report the test results, the numbers still are in the danger zone for possible clotting, leading to possible stroke.

But my energy level is much improved.  Just came back from 2 weeks at St. George Island, FL where I could enjoy walking outside, and on the beach.  Finally achieved a one-hour walk with no fatigue. Not at my previous pace of 4 mph, only did 3.8 miles, but still...so much better than when I was on chemo.  I've noticed that friends who don't exercise, and who (probably) feel guilty about that, don't want to hear my good news.  Not much support from THEM!  But DH is supportive, and my new friends on this forum always have kind words to say.

Pretty wordy today...sorry.  But I send my good wishes to all of you who are going through your various treatments.  Nat

Hi Madelyn, it's great you sailed through rads.  I am also using aloe and aquaphor.  Susan, I've been doing the men's t-shirt under a sports bra in the house.  It's quite a look :-/   Nats, glad to hear of the return of your energy!  I'm still having ups and downs with fatigue, but I was thrilled the first couple times I made it through a day without a nap.

Hi July sisters,

It does seems so long ago that chemo began, doesn't it? As I meet more women just diagnosed, I'm surprised to realize how much I've already forgotten, or chosen to forget, from all the surgeries and treatments. But then, I was pretty stoned on steroids and benadryl, what with allergic reactions to chemo. ha!

PAeagles fan, you have bangs????? Jealous!!!  My hair is coming in thicker and thicker, but not longer. Still couldn't pretend I'd just had a pixie cut or anything.  Chemo nurses suggested tamoxifen and continuing herceptin treatments cause slower hair growth. Anyone else heard of that?

Celebrating having had my exchange surgery yesterday. Feeling good. Swollen, so don't know how cute my new breast is yet... but good to be moving forward. Had my little 2 month grandbaby curled up on my chest today.. that's healing.

Cheers to all.

Maddie57, Think I'll be happy.. as long as once swelling goes down, the implant side is same size as other! I was worried about not liking feel of TE and implants because I'm so cranky sensitive about things like clothing tags or even weight of nailpolish on toes. (Ya, weird) But TE was fine, so I suspect implant will be better. Now, I do have to say, it's pretty tiny breast they are matching too, so that might be helpful. ~smile~ Perky now, too.  Hope your implants start to feel more a natural part of you.  Will give my granddaughter a kiss.. and i'm sure she'll be sending kisses back. 

Maddie, yeah that was a great image for us but it was time for a change.  I don't feel like I'm a scared person fighting cancer any more.  I feel like I'm living life again, with a somewhat annoying burden of doctor appointments.

Good afternoon to my July chemo friends. Had radiation treatment #18 of 33 today. My skin is sunburned, tender, itchy, and I am irritable. Have cream from the cancer center and my pharmacist compounded 3 formulas for me to try. Two have helped greatly. 

Herceptin and dripping nose! Yes! I thought it was still a hold over from taxol or taxotere--but getting worse. Thought it was related to those because despite my last treatment being late January my toe nails are falling off and my fingernails are now starting to peel off. 

Have an appointment with my surgeon in early June for the second mastectomy and with a plastic surgeon the same day to discuss reconstruction. My surgeon wanted me to wait with my first surgery as my cancer continued to grow despite chemotherapy, etc. This darn fake boob weighs 2.5 pounds! 

Still only about 3/4ths an inch of hair. Horrid grayish white color with the texture of brillo. So anxious for my hairdresser to say we can color.

Hugs to each.

Much love

s

Im on Herceptin and my nose still drips constantly as well.  Finger nails also continue to peel.

Susan - wishing you well on the remainder of your rads and future surgery

Hi Chell 45 - are the sizes quite accurate on those bras? I am a 34 C and it says I should take a small. I would normally take a medium. Also are the bras padded enough that they would support the normal breast and not show the nipple when wearing a T shirt?

Maddie, the size was accurate for me (I was shocked).  There are different types of bras in that line and some of them do have some light padding.  I chose a type w/out and yes, they do show.  Which makes me want a lift on the non-surgical side more than ever. Is it vain to want them to look alike?  Everyone says they can't see a difference, but I easily went from a C+ to a B after my surgery and when I look at them, I think I look awful.  Maybe because I'm looking down at them?
My nails didn't fall out, but I can tell a difference between chemo growth and post chemo growth when I look at them.  Lots of splitting and vertical lines and bumps yet.  Just keeping them trimmed short till they grow out.  I had a pedicure the whole time I was going thru chemo and I wonder if that helped the toenails.  They're discolored, but they hung in there w/out any troubles.

Hi Chell45- No you are not vain wanting them to match- just human!!! I have even gone from very rarely wearing foundation to wearing it all the time.

On this web we can be brutally honest, so I will tell you all the thought processes I went through before deciding not to have the mastoplexy. I tried really hard to find someone who had a unilateral mastectomy with TE implant to get some advice, but despite my best efforts most people have had a bilateral mastectomy or a lumpectomy or were at a different stage of reconstruction. I did find someone who had the mastoplexy, but it only lasted 2 years. She has had the procedure twice in 5 years, and says she needs it done again, but the PS has refused to do it again or even see her. So the lift does not last forever.

The second important point is - there is a loss of sensation, so instead of one numb breast there is a good chance you will have two numb breasts. The fact that you had a lumpectomy may work in your favour and maybe the breasts  will match up and drop together naturally. I went on the photo web shop, and realised that with the TE construction no matter what I did they would never look the same. My DH said he would rather have one natural breast, and I was perfect as I was!! He didn't want me to have to go through unnecessary surgery.

The most important point I considered, was if I got BC in the other breast I would have gone through all that for nothing!! Everyone is different, but be happy with your decision. Discuss the pros and cons with your PS and see what he says.

I have found you have to wear moulded cups. They stand alone like sentinels, so you can have hollow spots all over the place, and you can't see the difference when you wear clothes! I found some really good swim wear that is very forgiving in the matter of unequal breasts. They are called Nicolajane, and I was thrilled with the tankini I ordered. It is even comfortable to wear, and that is saying something. Good luck with your decision.

Hello July Chemo Gang! Hope all of you are getting back to a more normal life. I am feeling back to normal. Had my first post-treatment mammo and guess what....it came back "suspicious!". Had to have a biopsy which luckily came back all clear. I know this is the trade off of my treatment choice (lumpectomy instead of mastectomy). Guess I am likely to have these scares from time to time. Hair is back (I actually get compliments from strangers on my short hair). I was so hoping to be able to have a pixie a la Anne Hathaway - but it is wayyyyyy to curly. Tried blowing it out once and I looked like a brillo pad. I did get to color it after 6 months - phew - bye bye grey! Good to have energy again. Training for the Avon walk in Sept!

Hi itsalltemporary, yikes nothing like going through all this only to have more biopsies :-(  So glad it was a false alarm.

I too was hoping to rock the pixie cut but the curls are making it difficult.  Also I realized all the pixie cut pictures I admire are of gorgeous women in their 20s.  Sigh.  I have gotten loads of compliments on the short hair but I'm never sure if it really looks good or people are just being nice because they know I had cancer.  Either way I'm going to keep trimming it short until the hair stops growing out in brillo pad mode.

Hi Ann and Susan - I have also wondered if people are just being nice about the short hair, but some of them have said I must keep it short as it suits me- not on your nellie!!! Maybe later, but at the moment I think - grow just grow!! 

Susan - the texture of your hair will be different when it gets going. It will syay a little coarser and thicker forever I think. Some of that is because grey hair is coarser and thicker than normal hair. At about 4 months post chemo I noticed it definitely felt a lot softer and it has got gradually softer ever since. The texture is now quite good, and I like it thicker. I had very silky hair before which was great to touch, but got flat really quickly. I am 7 months post chemo and my hair is now about 2 inches long. Your hair grows more slowly in winter than summer, so if the weather would finally warm up, we may see an increase in the growth rate.I am definitely not Rapunzel, but it is not obvious I have had cancer. Other cancer sufferers have reported they lost their curls about 15 months post chemo, but some seem to have kept the curls, so I guess we will have to wait and see about our own curls!

I am not wearing a LE sleeve, as I am lucky enough not to have developed LE yet. Hang in there - the pirates will be running their fingers through your golden locks soon.