Starting Chemo February 2013

I have poodle fuzz all over head and its white. Eyebrows ok, lashes pretty limited. But I am getting my silicone recon on 7/15! - so glad not to sleep on the left side filled with concrete saline. Tangles - I'm with you on the silicon, and hoping for a C. The right side will get a reduction. Did any of our Feb graduates check your CA 27.29 markers? Mine started at 51 and ended at 46? I think 38 or lower is the goal - curious if anyone low numbers.

I have done lots of reading on this board and sounds like if I was just getting the exchange it would be a breeze, but I have to get lymph nodes all removed from the arm pit so mine might be a bit more then others. I dont "plan" on staying the night if my surgery is early in the AM. Ifs its in the afternoon or there are complications I guess they may keep me?? Hope not as there are no private rooms at this university hospital and I HATE that!!

LW - Just take it slow.....savor that beach and know chemo is over.  I just finished chemo on May 22 and each day I noticed things are a little better - tastebuds are coming back,  no real energy - but a speck more than the day before, no hair, not even a sign of it.  But as sad as I look as when I see myself in a reflection, I still hold on to the thought of my hair will grow back, my nails will eventually grow back and not hurt everytime I barely hit them on something, and one morning I will wake up and I will have the feeling back in my toes and the bottom of my feet. 

So tomorrow, get out on that beach, find yourself a big umbrella, grab a good book and kick back, dig your toes in the sand and enjoy it.    We are gonna make it through this crazy crazy train ride called cancer. 

McKatherine did you feel this way during Chemo? I didn't at all this is all new to me. I will be 5 wks PFC Thursday and feel like I have been in a boot camp workout. I am so sore it hurts to move. I am walking like I am 90. Some say it is the herceptin only treatments, but I have a hard time believing that ,as I have been getting herceptin for months, just not solo. I am tempted to call my MO today and ask whats up????

I asked my MO today if this Herceptin can be causing the muscle pain and she said she highly doubts it. She thinks it is a combination of starting to use all these muscles again and not taking hardly any pain pills as I was with all the Chemo headaches and TE fills. Who knows. Back on the pain pills tomorrow after my surgery so we shall see!!

Best wishes Tangles

Yes, best wishes for a smooth procedure and easy recovery. Get some rest!

Tangles - lots of prayers and hugs for today!

I did not feel this type of muscle ache during chemo - but I wonder if its because we're feeling (comparatively) better and doing more than we were then? So our muscles are letting us know they're not ready yet.



I'm also on levaquin right now, and I've read that it can have strange muscle / tendon side effects??

You are in my thoughts today, Tangles! Best wishes for an easy recovery!

Surgery went OK. Did not have to stay the night Stiff and sore but nothing like the mastectomy! Pain meds are keeping it tolerable. The side I had the lymph glads removed are for sure more sore!! I took and peek an they look like pancakes right now but I read over on the exchange site that is normal I dont even care how flat I am as long as those TE are out I have a drain again because of the lymph gland surgery, but it may come out Friday. I hope!

Sasha I just ordered some smartlash from Dermastore. I hear it works like latisse and was only $30. My lashes are not gone just thinned a bit.

Glad to hear your ok Tangles.  I'm 9 weeks out and my hair is really starting to come in, you can still still my scalp but I feel like it will fill in within a few weeks.  My eyebrows are almost gone but my lashes are hanging on still, I'm hoping they dont check out too.

Tangles, happy to hear your ok and didn't have to stay the night! Each day will get better.

I'm 7 weeks pfc and lost most of my brows and lashes about 9 weeks ago. No regrowth yet and I'm starting to worry they may never fill in My hair is starting but I'm definately sporting a very noticeable "friar tuck " gotta love taxotere.

Tangles: drugs are pretty fantastic aren't they?? So glad to hear that your surgery went well and you are home recovering.



I am back home from what was probably the best vacation I have ever had. I think a big part of it was the relief of knowing that chemo was over. What a load off. The beach was pretty fantastic too and the house was AMAZING! We were at the tip end of an island and surrounded by water. I wish I was still there. Going to meet with my RO on Friday. I think I'm getting tattooed or may just talk and then go back next week. I do have to get another mammogram next week though and am dreading it. That's what got all this crap started in the first place! Surely this one will have to go better than the first one!

I had a very agressive tumor so I did chemo first and just finished four weeks ago. Monday I finally had surgery - double mastectomy with reconstruction. All I can say about that is "OUCH!". I have come to the conclusion that morphine is proof that God loves us! I am convinced that the world would be a better place if they just put a little of it in the water supply. Then we could all have a little pharmaceutical happiness every day! They gave me over four liters of fluid during surgery and then another 24 hours worth in an IV drip. I rolled out of the hospital looking and sloshing like a water balloon. Even with the grade three tumor I still had no lymph node involvement. YAY! Gearing up for radiation now and TE fills. I have to get to a C cup in four weeks - before the radiation starts. My PS was able to fill them halfway during surgery. One week after final chemo I started growing hair. I now have fuzzy baby hair over about 2/3 of my head - none on top though - Friar Tuck has visited me as well. Wonder when it starts to look like real hair? Eyebrows are mostly gone. Eyelashes about half gone. My nose has stopped running and the watering eyes is improving. And best of all, I can now taste! I actuallyy enjoyed the hospital food and was a little disappointed when they discharged me yesterday because it was meatloaf night and I was going to miss it. The taste issues was a major SE for me. Everything tasted bad and made me sick. I lost 20 lbs on a chemo protocol that is supposed to have an average weight gain of 14 lbs. As I type this with sausage fingers that wont bend, just like everyone else, I worry that I might not be here to see my son to adulthood, maybe some of the worst side effects wont go away , maybe my eyebrows will never grow back, maybe I'll spend the rest of my life looking like Uncle Fester, but then the pain meds kick in and i think... "Damn, I missed the meatloaf!"

Life is good and God is great. I'm just happy to be here.

Here's to a speedy recovery and enjoying the taste of meatloaf again, Heidi!