Chemo May 2013

Itiswhatitis: My appointment for round 4 is today. I am also going to ask about the 4 treatments I get and the 6 others get and the justificaiton. (reasons I have gleaned have been micrmets in lymph node of TNBC or even just ER neg or PR neg. I have LVI (not extensive) so I am a bit nervous about stopping at 4 if 6 would be better. Some papers I read said LVI can be considered a pos node? This deserves aggressive teatment and would in my mind would warrent 6 but.....  Is 4 rounds aggressive treatment in my case with no rads?

I Was given the option to opt out of chemo completely due to 19 oncotype.... I would really rather not do six, but I will if they think its needed..I am taking in the literature I found dated 2012-2013..on the subject to see what they say. I am not sure they have seen the papers, there is so much info out there and my MO takes care of all kinds of cancer patients....He does though have a NP that is a bc specialist. So I am going to bug her about it.  Yikes..........I sure hope they can justify the 4 so I can put my mind at ease and be done!!!!!

Good luck with everything todays ladies! I am focusing on not running out of the treatment area today,, veins are getting to be a problem!

I wish I could take my sheperd into the treatment room with me so calms me. Guess I will have to settle for my DH,,LOL

Wow. You are there? I am sitting on my tush at home thinking "I don't want to go!" like a three year old.

But I will go anyway today.

Good luck today.

I did take some anti nauseous meds over the weekend, eventually they helped. I think some of my problems came from the heat. I was outside for several hours both days. I was able to stay in the shade but it was still really hot. I only played one game Saturday night and went to bed. I've been camped out at my parents since because I have been so weak and exhausted. My dog (beagle mix) was even allowed to come with. My Mom really doesn't like dogs because of their germs but let me tell you this dog is getting spoiled here. I don't know what I would do without a dog, definitely worth having one. She keeps an eye on me all the time and is just there for me.



I enjoy having my four hours at chemo with my daughter, I know I could go alone but we both like our time there together.



Now that chemo is closer to the end for me and even though I will most likely have rads too I have been thinking about my surgery and what to do. I started with one lump in my right breast, they did a digital mammogram and an ultrasound biopsy. After they knew it was cancer I was sent for an MRI. They found another lump and did another biopsy. Of course it was cancerous as well. When we did the mastectomy an they went through all of my breast tissue there was a third lump that was cancerous as well. I am rather paranoid now that my other breast may have the same issues. I had the BRCA test done and results should be back any day. Do I have the other breast removed so I don't stress on it? I just don't know. I thought about the DIEP but I just don't think I can handle that major of a surgery so am just thinking an implant and then of course having them make my other breast look the same, it is really saggy. I'm a 42D right now. Any thoughts on removing the other breast?



Here is to a good day for us all!

WoooooooHooooo ladies talked to Mo about 4 vs 6 TC and he said no to six, no added benefit for me, so  I AM SO DONE WITH CHEMO LAND Get to skip the rads due to BMX, so for me its on to the TE exchange. More appointments and another surgerly etc, but glad to be switching gears so to speak. And then the Tamoxifien........Just need to get through the next few weeks of SE from round 4 to start the next leg of fun and games. 

Could not have gotten this far without you ladies! Wishing everyone the best where ever you are in your treatments!

Time for my gallons of water and a nap I think,,,,Hugs

Gully.....yea to finishing chemo. Hoping for minimal SE for you!!!!



I am seriously going to suggest only four treatments for me. That is if they can even get me in for the forth. I am less itchy than before but every now and then still have a little heavy breathing. It passes in about 10 minutes.I ended up making my own appt with dermatologists as my MO' s office took forever to call me back. We will see what she says tomorrow am. It will be nice to get another doc's opinion.

I think the one thing I won't miss about chemo is the chemo nose.

My daughter was eating pizza from Target and I swear the cheese was rotten! Was all I could do to hold it in.

Then came home and hubby goes to eat some leftover shrimp from the weekend. He asks "why are you saving the tails in a plastic bag, are you going to make soup?" (Do people make soup with shrimp tails!). No, I don't want to smell them in the garbage (I ate mine the day before chemo) and you can use it for your shrimp tails too.

So I come In the house and he threw his tails in the garbage, with my shrimp Baggie of tails next to them! Eeeeew! The smell!



Gully, congrats on being done. I still don't feel done, but guess in another week or so it will hit me I'm not going back!



Elkatho, tell your doctor about the breathing problem.



Ukkate, you are almost there! Yeah!



Pat

Congrats Patty and Gully!

Congratulations Gully and Patty. No more chemo for you. Now to get it out of your system.



Minimal s.e.'s to all that have had a treatment recently. And to those who are to have treatment soon, low to no anxietys.



Carla

Hello Everyone,

Thanks for all the well wishes from everyone, your right Pat it still does not seem real, go back for the Neulasta shot today.

Itiswhatitis: I had a talk yesterday with my nurse practioner, and she gave me more info

about 4 vs 6 TC after the history lesson as well of course. She made me feel alot better about all the choices I have made by the gut so far. She did admit one thing to me yesterday though that I have not heard from my MO the whole time. MY oncotpye was 19,  my MO gave me the option of opting out. He said he would support either way. She confessed that when she saw my stats with bilateral bc and focal LVI combined with my age 45 even with neg nodes she was really glad that I opted for the chemo! Back to 4 vs 6 TC she said there are not studies that 6 is better than 4 and that if I had need a more aggressive chemo in my case they would have went for the ACT. She said Four rounds and BMX should have taken care of the focal LVI and hopefully some of the stray cells that may be floating out there.

Its easy to forget, but she also remined me that the hormone therpy is just as important or more important for strongly ER/Pr+ cancers as the chemo. Trying not to dwell on this yet, because it a whole new can of worms to deal with.

My goal now is to get through Round 4 SE and on Tuesday visit with my PS to schedule my TE Exchange in Aug hopefully before school starts. Then back to the MO for the hour long introduction to hormone therapy options! Guess we still have many visits to the doc even after chemo. But at least I dont see him for a whole month! Unless I get sick in between of course

Good luck to everyone here with all the treatments this week. We are getting there one day at a time! I think we are all tough cookies! Something funny I noticed yesterday, I am very scared of elelvators and will walk up 20 floors to avoid them. Yesterday I said WTF and went right in one...did not die......must be the cancer courage

Have  a great day ladies, have to take my roids, claritian, and zantac for the day and head for the cancer center for the neulasta! Hope your days go well!

Hi all



Have been quite busy enjoying my son! He is currently getting a tatoos so I have some time. Have never liked tatoos and now we joke about getting my nipple tatooed. Husband says he is not sure how he feels about someone holding my breast! I said wtf do you think has beeni happening when I go to the doctors!



Patty and Gully so happy you have finished chemo!



Theresa mri and pet scan both showed nothing of concern in my right breast so I opted for left side only. If I had ilc probably would have done bmx as I hear that it tends to spread bilaterally. I admit in mydarker moments I worry about right side but mo continues to tell me not to worry. I actually have not quite decided to ask for the right side to be done.



Gully did I read you went to see your daughter graduate bootcamp? How awesome and what a proud moment that must have been! What will she be doing now?



Tomorrow I will have my 2nd of 4 taxols. So far no neurapathy but nail beds are very sore. Makes buttoning zippering or opening packages very hard. Actually any fine motor skills are difficult.



Funny story-i threw my wig in backseat and forgot it there. I never wear it anymore even at work. I got in car the other day turned around to back up ans screamed cuz I thought an animal was in my car'



Hope all have a good night



Lisa

Gully one of my daughters just finished her 3rd year of nursing school. I suggested ROTC to her but she declined. Not sure i could see her in bootcamp though. I too am the first one with cancer. Did have became testing negative for both but my girls will start screening early. There is ashkenazic blood from hubby's side which puts them at greater risk.



My Navy boy had no interest in college. Turns out he has studied harder than ever before! He reasons at least he gets paid to study. Nuke program very hard. He will be off to prototype school for 6 months and then ship out on a nuclear sub. That will be hard day for this mama!

Commano Barbie - he he he.  Just so darn cute!

Lisa-That is funny about the wig. Soo glad you are enjoying your son. Mothing better than that.

Lorrie-I think sometimes men are from different planets. Oh yeah...women are from venus men are from mars. They want to fix and have answers and sometimes all we want is to be listened to and nurtured. And it does get fustrating. Wishing your MIL a successful surgery. Doesn't look like you have had any me time during your feel good days. Any chance of at least a few hours for you?

Annie-You have a great attitude.



Carla

Haven't posted in a while - nothing new to update, though I'm done with all my A/C cycles - yes! Congrats to all you ladies who have completed all your chemo! <Loud Cheers!!!>

1st taxol was yeterday (3 left now). Went by without a hitch, thank goodness. I was nervous about having a reaction, but the only reaction I had was from all the benedryl - it was like I was drunk! The nurses and my husband were laughing with me over it, and we said why bother going to a bar when I can come here to get tipsy. Ha. (trust me, I look forward to having a real drink when this is all over. I've been abstaining altogether).

To put in a reply to some recent posts: Ukkate and Lisa- I had the same scenario. "no sign of cancer in my right breast but did find a 2nd tumor in my left as well as DCIS there too" (stolen from UKKate post). They had seen the 1st tumor and the DCIS on my ultrasound and mammogram, but the 2nd tumor was a surprise, only found in the tissue post MX.  

Now I'm just waiting on the results from the BRCA testing. I have serious doubts that will come back positive, but if it does, it will leave a lot to think about. And will also leave me slightly annoyed that they didn't do this test before my intial MX, so I wouldn't possibly have to go back to do this process all over again on the right side. Phew. Those are thoughts for another day, or hopefully for never.

A few pages ago folks were disussing hormonal therapy. My MO briefly mentioned that studies show 10 years of tamoxifen is better than 5 - so she wants me on 10 years (I was extremell ER positive, around 95%). I told her that someone needs to come up with a tamoxifen that is also a birth control method. She said that she could actually give me a shot at the same time, so I was pretty happy about that. I guess more info to come on that post-implant surgery and rads.

Wishing everyone a SE-free (or as close as we can come!) weekend.

Laura