April 2013 Chemo Group

Is this the place I get to complain? Tomorrow I will be six weeks pfc. Today I'm still in my jammies.... body aches and fatigue! I am so tired of not feeling healthy. Can I just go back to bed?

Thank you Anne11595 for checking in on me. No, I didn't go back to bed... Tried to accomplish basics yesterday -- and I canned six pints of "end of the year" cucumbers. Was on my feet a lot yesterday

Went to my new primary care physician Tuesday. She thinks the hip pain I've been having that prevents me from sleeping might be bursitis. What fun! NOT!

I wonder if multiple joints with bursitis (shoulders, hips, heel) is related to treatment in any way?

Its so good to hear from you indenial. I should have my hair trimmed to. But scared to also. Have 10 more rads left. Doing great so far. Halloween I ended up with a cyst in the middle of my chest. It was the size of a quarter and red at least 6 inches around it. Last Friday I finally had it cut out. Plus had it packed. That was no fun at all.  My chest looks like a war zone. My sister inlaw had to come over on sunday to repack it for me. Still draining a lot. So had to change bandage a lot. I wanted to cry ever time I looked in the mirror. But didn't. I miss my boobie to. I really miss my life as it was more! It seems like I have had more side effects to cancer problems then cancer it self. I do know one thing that I am stronger then ever having to go thru all this stuff. But my body better not push me much further.

I cant believe you eye brows and lashes are falling out again. My are just coming back!!!  This shit is just crazy!!!  

We have made it this far and we will make it all the way! Hope every one has been doing great.

Hi all,

Thinking about how one year ago in early December I first noticed a lump in my breast...I went to a holiday party shortly after finding the lump and before I decided to do something about it, and found myself chatting with a woman who manages research trials for new types of breast replacement implants. How's that for a giant "Guess what?!!" message from the cosmos?

I've also had to come head-to-head with our annual holiday letter. How to start: ""This has been an exciting and adventuresome year with lots of new and unique experiences..." No. "2013: not my luckiest year ever..." Uh-uh. "...a year I'll never forget." Nope. In the end, I just skirted the issue. Almost everyone on the list already knows about this year's events in the cancer category, and they've heard enough about it already.

Still dealing with the fallout from the thyroid cancer, which is the folicular variant of papillary thyroid cancer. The path report was a mixed bag: cells well-differentiated, no lymph node involvement or spread outside the thyroid. On the negative, it was un-encapsulated (growing out of it's fibroid outer surface); that plus the size and my age put the cancer in stage two, which means they want to remove the remaining lobe and do radioactive iodine (what passes for chemo in thyroid cancer) treatment. Even if I keep the other half, they still want me on thyroid hormone replacement. I'm considering going against medical advice on this. I'm feeling really done with surgeries, treatments, and pills.

The Herceptin is going well; since I told them to hold the benedryl, I have no obvious side effects. I'm half-way through! Going for my fourth echo next week.

Hope the rest of you are enjoying the holidays and doing well with your remaining treatments.

Hello everyone,

I see some familiar names on here. It has been SO long since I signed on, decided I needed a break from CANCER though I really haven't. Hoping, so truly hoping, all are well, thriving and living!

2013 was quite the year. Just a bit of an update, have continued to struggle with the treatments. 7 weeks of rads which it looks like now has become radiation fibrosis in my L lung (VS possible metastasis, word still out), which some days it seems I may hack up. I have still been part-time at work, but about to return full-time. Herceptin I receive weekly, about 1/2 way through, and am on Arimidex which seems fine other than some hot flashes. The chemo we confirmed did throw me into permanent menopause, which did not really matter to me either way. I am still deciding whether to take out my ovaries. Have been instructed that due to my cancer almost infiltrating the dermis, they would like me to wait for reconstruction for up to 3 years. Not sure about that one, I really would like to get that going.

I found once all treatment stopped, I really began to struggle emotionally knowing I had no "lifesaver" and had to trust my body to now protect itself. I worry a lot, but I try to live more carefree and be a more loving, caring, and easygoing person today. I know that at some point I will volunteer, but still not ready. Still get weepy often just remembering all I have endured, then I change it to SURVIVED! I pray that I find a way not to live in fear of recurrence, but in reticence of what I faced down, won, and hopefully will find such graciousness in it all. HUGS to all!

                                                                                                                        Heather

Hello ladies, so very glad to hear from you.  It's nice to have an update.  Not sure about you guys, but I gave 2013 the big middle finger!

I finished chemo August, rads in October and started taking Femara in August.  I have definitely had problems but I am working through them as best I can.  I have a lot of cramps in my hands...either the thumb or the pinky side.  I have had foot cramps before but the hand cramps are so very painful.  I have a lot of "zingers" in my breast which I attribute to radiation.  The Femara has aged me about 10 years.  I am so stiff when I get up from sleeping or sitting or getting out the car.  My hair is growing...got my first trim yesterday; so while my hair is still short, it has some shape.  I don't have the guts to go "topless" at work yet, but I started going topless 2 weeks ago on the weekends.  I came to the conclusion that old women are invisible to the world so it just doesn't matter if we have hair or not!  (Sigh)

So, I am exercising every day which helps and I will be retiring this year and moving closer to my children so that is something to look forward to.  This $hit has really changed my whole attitude about work and life, I think for the better. 

What did I get out of this in exchange for losing my sense of well being....1) I found out that I am a beloved mother and wife 2) I cut back my work hours and put myself and family above my career 3) I stopped over-functioning for under-functioning people.

But....I still gave 2013 the big middle finger.

Love, MsP 

Good to hear how everyone is faring! MinusTwo, you are almost there... sending lots of good wishes

I'm doing OK. I seem to have recovered from chemo but I swear I have some kind of resurgence of chemo symptoms about once a month or so (things like numbness/tingling, digestive issues, increased hair loss, etc.) but it only lasts a few days and gets more & more mild each month. And I might just be imagining it all LOL.

After 9 months without a period I finally had one a week or two ago... but my gyno thought it was more likely breakthrough bleeding & I'm still not ovulating.  

I have a host of medical issues going on, and it's been confusing to sort out which were pre-existing, which are due to chemo and/or tamoxifen, etc. Just went for another round of blood/urine tests and saw a few specialists this week, so we'll see. Hoping it's nothing major and/or cancer-related!

Hair is about 3 inches! But super curly (was before all this too) so looks much shorter. I've had a love-hate relationship with it, can't wait for it to be LONG again!

Finally feel like I've mostly recovered from my mastectomy, only get mild pain now & then when I overdo it. Glad I decided against reconstruction since it seems I've been having enough trouble without extra surgeries!

I can't believe it's 1 year ago today that I sat in that chair getting my first chemo.  I remember that day vividly.  I was anxious to get the show on the road and just wanted it done.  As most of you can agree it hasn't been an easy journey but here I am 1 year later and feeling good.  Tamoxifen isn't really my best friend right now but hey a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.  The SE's are killing me.  Hot flashes, joint pain and weight gain.  I decided to get my hair highlighted but I still haven't been brave enough to get it trimmed yet.  I had my annual mammogram a couple weeks ago and I got the all clear.  So now it's time to just sit back and enjoy this beautiful spring weather that finally decided to make an appearance. 

Here's a recent picture of my hair growth.

I hope all of my other fellow April chemo gals check in.  Thinking about you all.

Irene - I still have this thread on my favorites and I still check BCO regularly, but I hang out in "after it's over" threads. Sorry to hear you'll have another surgery ahead. Good luck.

Good to hear from you all. I was thinking about this group today after hearing about comedienne Tig Notaro, who was diagnosed with BC in both breasts in 2012. Apparently during a performance she took off her shirt and showed what her chest looks like after a double mastectomy and no reconstruction. Very brave.

I'm still "half flat". After my recon failed due to an infection during chemo, I never could stomach more surgeries and the thought of going through the whole process again, especially as I heal so poorly. I don't wear a prosthethic, just loose clothes, scarves, and vests. Winter is easy, but I still haven't a good plan for those hot summer days. I think most people don't notice, or if they do, no one has ever said anything.

So far no reappearance of either breast or thyroid cancer. A genetic test showed a variant of "unknown significance", which my MD says means it probably indicates something bad, but they just haven't figured it out exactly what kind of bad yet (my interpretation of her much more technical phrasing). No surprise considering the aggressive nature of my cancer.

Irene, hope your surgery goes well and fixes the problem.

My last check-in with this group -- have a new incidence of BC, ER+PR+, not HER2+ like before... that is good. I had a lumpectomy six days after my "four-year" cancer-versary The good news is no chemo this time. Good luck to all as you go through your annual scans and living life!

Lynn - sorry to hear about your recurrence. Good luck the rads. Please do let us know how it goes.

Thank you all for your well-wishes. I've survived the lumpectomy and 20 days of radiation. I am now on 5 years of Femara for it.

I had another lumpectomy on Friday for a large seroma that was left over from my surgery/radiation in 2013. Feeling foggy still, but doing OK. Awaiting path results, but don't expect anything bad (fingers crossed).