Starting Chemo, November 2013 Group

still havent gotten to computer to share my life. positive side effects.....hmm....no billy goat facial hair! no breast hair! weight loss! our MOST HOPED....will be a bit before we know....that it will put the lupus and other autoimmune problems in remission.!!!!!! that would a HUGE BLESSING!!!! Out to eat w hubby! hope to write more then!

Hi ladies,

Newbie from the January thread with first AC
treatment coming up next week, looking for some help. My prescription
insurance carrier, Caremark, will not cover Emend, presumably due to the
expense. I was supposed to take Emend/Decadron/Zofran to prevent
nausea. My MO team couldn't budge the insurance carrier so they will
prescribe something else to replace the Emend.

Question: Does Emend
perform head-and-shoulders above all other anti-nausea meds, e.g. is it
worth considering paying cash for it? Or have some of you had other
anti-nausea combinations that were very successful for you?

Thanks for any help, I'm trying not to get too stressed about it. You are all an inspiration!

Lisa

I  am having 3 infusions of taxotrene-no cytoxan. Sounds like they are taking taking extra good care of you given your situation. 

I hear you about not making cancer your life's purpose. I was and will be a whole person when this is done, with cancer being an added war wound that I will feel some sadness and empowerment from. Right now though, it has taken over (first day of 3rd infusion)

VirginiaNJ - I missed you post regarding a reaction - I apologize. It must have been scary for you. I hope things go better going forward. 

I really like the positive comments people make about how things are going, and attempts to get back to 'normal' .  It feels like we are all trying to let the old life back in when we can. This, think, is a good thing. 

Bec - I applaud your cake making - what an effort! I hope whoever eats it loves it!!

I'm on TC and the zophran and decadron combo worked great for me.

Paloverde, I don't know which of the drugs I took during AC kept the nausea away.  I took Emend, Decadron and Zofran days 1-4 and had no troubles with nausea.  HOWEVER, Zofran gave me a killer headache after #3, so I didn't take it for #4.  I had Compazine on hand but didn't need it.  So, for me, I'd say Decadron and Emend were the secret recipe.  That sucks that your insurance won't cover it.  Just for a point of reference, the three Emend pills I took myself (excluding during infusion) were about $415.  (I had a $50 copay.)

Lisa, I've never seen that regimen, but being a fellow stage III'er, I'm firmly in the camp of give me all you've got!  If my MO said she'd like to do a little more chemo "just because," I'd ask for the first appointment.  And it does not surprise me one bit that you received high praises for your customer service skills -- you're fabulous with all of us!

Re my cake, let's just say it's a good thing my boys are easy to please!  Though the frosting was a bit of a fiasco, the cake is good.  I had a nice time feeling like a regular old mommy, so it was all worth it.  

Oh, almost forgot, I got my BRCA results back today -- negative.  So, very good news for my ovaries and kids!

 Dear Paloverde,

I would try the protocol that your insurance will pay for and see how it goes the first time.  It may work well for you.  I would be monitoring myself carefully and let my MO and his team know how I felt after my treatment.  I would let them know if the Protocol did not keep the nausea at bay or if I had other SE that I found difficult to tolerate.  They could then inform you insurance company that the protocol did or did not perform satisfactorily.  I am sure that if you had SE that were not tolerable that your MO would inform the insurance company that the Emend was necessary for your chemo to be tolerated.  There is often a first line drug that insurance companies want to use due to cost. The MO has the final say on what is in your best interest if the meds are not performing to his satisfaction.  I would certainly ask him about that.  I have had to pay for going out of my Tier 1 where everything is paid at 100% to Tier 3 where things are only paid at 805 as many of the things I need to have done are not performed at a Tier 1 facility.  I find it hard to do so, but as my husband has always insisted, sometimes it just cannot be about the money.  It sometimes has to be about what is best for us, our children, our family. 

This is a hard thing to be going through.  Try to make it easier on yourself.  See if the drug combo the insurance company will pay for works.  You may do well with it, but don't feel locked into something that makes this chemo thing harder on you.  Talk with you MO and see what his thinking is and what he can do for you if it does not work well.  Phenargan, compazine, there are other options not quite as expensive as emend.

Gayle

@Audra Yeah, i tend to be here more on those crashy days when I can't concentrate on much anyway. Plus, on those days, it seems I'm already miserable enough that nothing here is going to depress me lol.

Oh and yesterday --which was chemo day-- I had hot flashes off and on all day long. Drove me crazy. Today I haven't had a single one...not yet anyway.

Funny thing: I love to cook, and get all experimental, but when it comes to baking, that's my husband's forte. He makes a chocolate cheesecake that is out of this world, not to mention a strawberry cake that people beg for more of, and his banana pudding is legendary even though his recipe is EXACTLY the one from the side of the 'nilla wafers box lol...no one believes him when he tells them that. They swear he's got to be doing something extra. His meringue comes out beautiful and perfect every time. Me? I CAN bake but I don't like things that are too unforgiving like that. Hubby is a meticulous perfectionist, so baking is his thing.

Paloverde: I get Emend and Aloxi in my infusion, but no prescription for it. If it makes you feel any better--if you get Aloxi---my chemo nurses seem to have a whole lot of faith and belief in the Aloxi. They seem to think that's the best one. I have Zofran, Phernagan(sp?) and Ativan for nausea in prescription forms. The phernagan is my go-to drug; I take it every 6 hours for the first few days after chemo to stay *ahead* of the nausea/queasiness, I take an Ativan if I still feel queasy despite the Phernagan and only ever take the Zofran if I'm REALLY queasy and have already taken the others. I also take a prevacid (or store brand of same) every morning, take Zantac (store brand) if I feel heartburn or even more queasiness, and - again for heartburn mostly-- keep maalox, pepto bismol, and Tums on hand, and take them as needed. Thus far I've mostly only experienced queasiness, a couple of rounds of real nausea feelings, and  have not thrown up AT ALL through all four rounds of A/C. So for me, at least, this (giant) combination works.

You know, I went into the A/C treatments expecting to be nauseous and barfing and miserable through the entire thing, but it hasn't been like that at all. Not NEARLY that bad. Just some queasiness. Quite honestly, the worst part has been finding things to eat and drink that taste good. Nausea/queasiness has been no more than an odd aggravation. Fix it in your mind that you will plan NOT to be nauseous and don't be afraid of it, and you just might do as well as I have.

jab, it takes me over sometimes too, and I have come to understand that when I feel that way, the best thing for ME to do is just LET IT take over. Wallow in it for a bit, cry a bit, and then seek out some of those posts from people in 2007 with similar diagnosis to mine and look 'em up and see that they are still here and still doing great, OR they've mostly disappeared with no real word which I believe in 90% of cases means they've moved on with the their lives.....and I start to feel much much better. But yeah, I do go there too. I just try not to stay there for too long: it's not a happy place.

I HAVE started to get back to normal just a little bit already! I work at home and after several months of more or less being on hiatus (and paying the price for it) this week I've been a veritable POWERHOUSE, creating new designs and putting new products on my website, doing a complete reorganization of the entire thing, revisiting my pricing structure....whew! I'm tired...but now I'm tired from work as well as from  chemo lol. OHHHH and I cooked actual meals for my husband and me not once but TWICE his week. Granted, it was pork chops with mac and cheese and corn on the cob and lima beans from a can one night and lamb chops with couscous and broccoli with cheese and canned corn the other night and both types of chops done quickly on my George Foreman grill (love that thing) both nights, so we're talking 20 minute meals, but they were DELICIOUS. And hubby feels a little pampered again, so that makes us both happy.

BTW, jab, I love your quote. 

I'm skipping from topic to topic here, but Zofran also gives me a headache I think, and it constipates me, AND my onc really said I should only use it for "breakthrough nausea" so I mostly avoid it. I think I've taken maybe 5 of them total, through all this.

@38TooYoung I love it when you folks who have climbed the mountain ahead of us come in and do a bit of cheerleading. It helps SO much!  Thank you for taking the time to do that. I'm going to try hard to remember to do some of that myself .... it's all so scary going into it, and then living through ti seems like it's going to take FOREVER. Thanks for reminding us that it only SEEMS like forever.

I seem to have conquered my mouth sores with one simple remedy that I found on another thread on these boards: SOmeone recommended mixing up 4 cups of water with one tablespoon of salt water and one tablespoon of baking soda, putting it in the bathroom, and swishing with it EVERY SINGLE TIME one goes to the bathroom, even if it's just to put away some washcloths. I've been doing that, and after having HORRIBLE mouth sores for my first two rounds of A/C, they all went away VERY quickly after I started doing that, and I haven't had a single one since. Not one. My onc was impressed, and made a note.

The claritin apparently works for me too: I've had almost no bone pain, and I've had clear sinuses lol. Good stuff!

@Bec awww, you're too sweet.   Of course this isnt' much like customer service cuz y'all aren't calling me up and yelling at me if I give bad advice haha.  I worked for quite a while for a mail order artist's supplies operation and let me tell you, the "Tempermental Artist" thing is NOT a cliche! I had a pastel artist call me up crying her eyes out and saying we had ruined her LIFE because her order did not include her blending stomps. Blending stomps! Gah! lol. I loved calming people down and helping them out but I had to give up on that lady. There was just no consoling her.

I only get the decadron during the infusion, and then for two days afterwards in pill form. Are others getting more of it? Just being curious; I'm not having nausea (heck, I ate jambalaya at Ruby Tuesday's today and just had a salami sandwich and feel great,) so obviously I don't need more anyway.

Yeah, I told my oncologist at the outset that I wanted him to throw everything including the kitchen sink at it until I said "Enough! I can't take anymore" and kind of chuckled, but I think that's exactly what he's doing. I think he's awesome, but partly it's because I KNOW how hard he fought to keep my grandma alive and kicking against all odds for so long, and I KNOW that if it were not for him and some rather heroic measures he was willing to take that my stepdad would have probably died 10 years ago, and I know that he's taken a special interest in my mom and her issues --- he's got a great track record with my family, so he was really the only choice for me. I wish everyone could have such a great and caring doc, I really do.

Have any of the other ILC ladies in here done a count of how many of us there are? What I read when I was first diagnosed was that only about 10% of new cancer diagnoses were ILC and that they were mostly "geriatric" ....which we are NOT. What in the world is going on with ILC?!

@Melrose interesting about you being asked if you'd had any morning sickness and that being an indicator of your possibility of nausea with chemo. I was asked if I tended to get motion sickness in cars or seasickness, and that that would also be an indicator. I don't get motion sickness unless I try to read in a car....so they were right about that one. They also told me the other day that the fact that I didn't get much bone pain with the Neulasta shots could indicate that I won't get a lot of it with the Taxotere, either, so we'll see how they do with that one prediction.

So my last A/C was yesterday. For the first three, the first night after chemo was pretty icky; terrible heartburn, or nausea that was just enough to make me miserable but not enough to actually barf. For the last one, last night and today, I've felt AWESOME. So I guess that just as my body is getting used to that particular poison, we're moving on to the next one.

It's funny though how the whole chemo thing is supposed to be cumulative, but for me, it's actually gotten better in a lot of ways as I've gone along---I guess because I learned new and better ways to deal with each side effect as I came to it, and conquered it. Y'all remind me that I said that on my "crash days," which will be Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and maybe Wednesday as I come off the decadron. But hey, at least now I know to EXPECT that I'll be exhausted, sleepy, unable to concentrate, possibly depressed, and probably crying at the drop of a hat, AND that it will all go away in a couple of days and I'll feel human again. Supposed to go and play Trivial Pursuit with my brother and whoever is his girlfriend that week (lol) on next Friday night, so I have something to look forward to!

I hope everyone has a great night, and a wonderful weekend, if I don't get back in here til Monday when I'm crashing and depressed and my husband is at work and I'm home alone with the dogs and cats all day boohoo.  Love and hugs to all!

Lisa137,

Sometimes I think that this board is like others where people post about problems more than triumphs.  It really is helpful and cleansing to post concerns and questions as well as posting when I feel weepy or over whelmed.  This is where I know others will really understand and feel that they will be able to give me insight into what to expect.

I have been cooking and baking a lot the last few days.  I baked peanut blossoms, banana bread, and made fudge to give to my doctors, nurses and others who have been helping me along this journey.  They seem very thankful for the treats and I get to do something semi creative.  

I gave cookies to the pharmacy staff at the hospital.  I went to have my perscriptions filled prior to discharge and they were so very nice.  I had just had my head shaved and I was wearing a new hat.  The clerk commented on my hat and AI told her that my head was cold.  She asked why and I told her.  The staff asked to see my head and I showed them.  The pharmacist, pharmacy tech and clerk told me that I looked beautiful and had such a nice shaped head.  They said that my eyes (which are blue) really were more beautiful and really stood out with my shaved head and that if my head wasn't cold, that I really should not wear a hat.  Their comments made me cry.  When I went to take them treats, the same staff was there and they remembered me.  They asked how I was doing and told me how great I looked.  They wished me well.  I told them how much their comments meant to me as they were complete strangers and just the idea that they said such kind things really helped me adjust to my baldness. 

I took cookies to the surgeons office.  Her staff is always so busy but they take the time to be kind and just talk to me.  They remember my name and remember all of the bumps I have had along the way.  They comment on how well I look and much of the staff hugs me on my visits.  My surgeon has alway been very supportive of my needs even though she did not do my original mastectomy.  She makes room for me in her busy schedule if I feel I need to be seen and showed up at the hospital during my last stay even though it was not her day to make rounds.

I took cookies and cupcakes to my plastic surgeons office.  She did not do my tissue expanders but was the second plastic surgeon I consulted.  She took care of me during my recent hospitalization and has been caring for me since.  She was at another hospital 60 miles away at a conference when I was being admitted to the hospital.  I requested her when I knew I was going to need a plastic surgeon during my hospital stay.  She asked who was requesting her and when she was told it was me, she left her conference and came right to the hospital to care for me.  She was not on call that day and she still came to care for me.  What physician does that?  I don't know her that well as I work nights and do not see her in the hospital that often, but I felt she was caring, experienced and had a gift, so I wanted her to guide my care.  She treats me with such care and concern that I am hoping she will be the second surgeon when I have my DIEP .  She continues to have privileges at the hospital where I will have my DIEP.  Microsurgery is such as specialty that there are not a lot of plastic surgeons in our area doing it.

The medical doctor, or hospitalist who supervised my medical care, was just the perfect physician to be my physician.  She was so very kind and empathetic.  She was never rushed.  She would come into my hospital room and sit and talk to me.  I often was weepy while I was in the hospital as I hadn't been sleeping, was on all of the steroids, was loosing my tissue expander and had quite a bit of pain.  She would just talk with me and ask what I needed and let me cry.  She never said " don't worry.  It will be fine." or dismissed how I was feeling.  I found out she is dealing with her own cancer and she has a best friend undergoing treatment for breast cancer.  I made a basket for her with fruit, an insulated drink mug, cookies and ginger/ honey tea bags.  I wanted to give her some of the things that help me through my side effects and make my days easier.  I did not tell her staff who the basket was from when I dropped it off.  She knew anyway.  She called me the next day to check on me and told me she had an idea the basket was from me and told me how much she appreciated it.  I was near tears telling her how her daily visits helped me and how I believed God placed her as the physician supervising my care as she was just what I needed during that time.

The people in CAT scan were so very kind too.  The tech assistant held my had while the radiologist placed drains near my tissue expander.  The radiologist took his time and explained everything he was doing and took me out of the CAT scanner to show me the pictures he was taking during the procedure.  I know it doubled the time it took, but he did not seem to mind.  He knew how important it was for me to see what he was doing.  The techs and the nurse took the time to just talk to me and came to my hospital room the next day just to see how I was doing.  There was no falseness in their concern.  I was able to relax a little during the procedure because they were there. 

 The IV nurses came and cared for my port daily.  They took extra care of the skin around my port by using skin prep to help prevent blisters and sores.  They positioned the needle to prevent drag on my port and made sure I was having no issues.  They came daily even though they really did not need to. They go around the hospital starting IV's and changing sites and dressings on all patients in the hospital. I walked the halls a great deal and they would stop and talk to people without concern for time.  Sometimes I just helps to talk to someone and they did not seem rushed or impatient.  I really appreciated the care and the time they gave me and noticed that they did the same for others.  The IV nurses are not in the office much, so I have had a hard time getting the cookies to them.

I really don't know how else to thank he thank you I made people who give of themselves like that.  They expect nothing in return.  They are just kind and understanding.  They were right where I needed them.  I cannot imagine getting through that 10 days in the hospital without them.

I am really blessed to be able to work in a place like that.  There are people who are so kind, empathetic and just plain nice in every department there.  Granted, there are some real unkind and uncaring people there too, but those are few and far between.  I hope all of you are lucky enough to encounter the kind ones.

I still have to give treats to the CAT scan staff and the IV nurses, but I will do that this week.  I want them to know that they are appreciated and that they did make a difference.

Long way to a post about baking...

Gayle

ellischestnutgirl, thanks, that's something of a relief.  I thought the coverage decision would be binding on all the AC treatments, I didn't realize the MO could make a case to appeal it after the first treatment.  Others have made great suggestions as well, and I'm going to keep my fingers crossed for a good result using the meds the insurance does not exclude.  I've never been a person who has a huge problem with nausea, but I had a pretty terrible time the evening following my surgery, and being just a month ago that recollection is still very fresh.  Thanks again!

smrlvr- I'm not done yet....next Thursday the 16th....but thanks- I cannot wait and I have a page long list of questions for the 'after care' for my Dr...

when am I allowed to color hair when it grows in? when allowed to be in sun? when allowed to exercise hard? when hot tubs? etc....

As I am wondering how long the chemo poison stays in our bodies?  Do we try to get it out sooner or is it good to have it in there to kill cancer cells?  LOTS of questions and the scans and checks and how often , etc...

I scheduled a trip to Colorado in March over spring break- maybe already told you all this, but I will see the surgeon and PS then....it will be 6 months and I was supposed to see them in 3, who knew?  I have been so in the throes of the chemotherapy I hadn't even thought of it..

I looked  at a thread the other day and it had a lot of stage iv people and it scared me...so I get about this site being terrifying at times...I do not want to go there. 

I slept 9 hours last night!  feeling awesome!  Haven't had more than 6 in forever.  I actually woke up after 6 exactly and went to bathroom then went back to sleep...it was amazing! 

I think the almost normal or light at the end of the tunnel is peeking through for me...I am planning and hoping and getting excited to be normal and go do things and exercise and be outside and go to my daughters games...!!!  I hadn't felt that way in the round 1-3 really as was sooooo tired and shocked I think by the chemotherapy and how it screwed up my emotions and hormones and my body! 

So feeling extremely hopeful and happy and grateful to be alive and have a future!  I really think we are blessed!  We have something to fight this with, we didn't just have a heart attack and die in our sleep or get hit by a car...right? We are being molded and made stronger and have more character and will be a light to others and able to help new BC girls and be strong and courageous for our children to see great examples!  

About the amend...I think I LOVE it!  I get it every time just day of infusion and I have had minimal nausea.  I had a lot and even vomited with my 3 pregnancies!  The Zofran gave me horrible headaches too and I only used it the first time...I now use Phenergan the first 4 days after every 6 hours religiously and have had zero nausea...so I think the amend works, they told me it stays in your system for 4 days!  These insurance companies suck and I hate that they or the stupid government wants to control the Dr's and what they know works!  It is ridiculous!

Positive happy hopeful day to you all!

Good morning ladies! 

I ordered my temporary breast prostheses from the Canadian Cancer Society yesterday. They will mail it free of charge. This is actually part of the Peer Support Programme that connects bc patients to a support volunteer who has had the same dx and treatment. I am quite excited to chat with somebody about their experience and exchange my pinned sock for something that actually resembles a breast! They can also give advice about places to get free wigs in your local area. Here is their number for any Canadian ladies who are interested: 

1-800-263-6750

BTW, when I was talking to the Programme coordinator on the phone, my hubby just came home during his lunch break. He overheard her asking me about my breast size. I told the lady I used to wear size B, but now with a different bra I could even go down to an A. Then my DH jumps in saying: No, you are more like a C!!! I said: No way! Have you seen me lately? Yes, I have. Which side are you talking about? ... We talked loud enough for the lady to hear our married couple argument. Then she cracked up over the phone. 

@Gayle -- I'm never upset or depressed by any problems or concerns or anything that anyone in this group posts here, except for when it's something I WISH I could help with. I always want to fix everyone's problems for them, and I can't, lol.  No, it's some of those other areas of these boards that get me doing a little too much wallowing and not enough being positive sometimes.

When my surgeon turned me loose pending my 3 month visit, my husband baked a chocolate cheesecake--really for the surgeon and his nurse, but we told them they COULD share with the entire office if they wanted to, which I think they did. My husband then agonized (in a joking way) for days, mumbling occasionally that they probably threw the whole thing in the trash, and such. We went by there one day and picked up the cake carrier that he'd dropped it off to them in; husband brought it in the house and set it on the table and there it sat for several days and finally I moved it and when I did it rattled a bit.... SO I said to him, "You didn't look to see what was in it?" There was a thank note inside it, personally signed (with his first name only) by my surgeon. My husband felt much better after that lol.  I don't know if he will try and do anything like that for my oncologist's office; he may have to do cookies because there are so MANY people who help us there. If he could pick and choose, I reckon he'd make something special for my oncologist, for the financial lady who has helped us so much, for the nurse who gives me my neulasta shot and manages to get my stubborn port to give up some blood each time around and who never fails to make us laugh; also for my favorite chemo nurse just because she's such a sweetheart and always so caring and upbeat. Truly though, everyone there has been so great that they all deserve at least a cookie. We'll have to think about it.

@VirginiaNJ So far I'm not wiped out at ALL from my last chemo. I guess that probably will come tomorrow, but it really is almost as if my body has somewhat gotten used to it. Figures, now that I'm about to switch to the new chemo, doesn't it?  I just keep my theme song in mind: "I get knocked down, but i get up again, and you're never gonna keep me down..." lol. I'm gonna keep my fingers tightly crossed that I don't have a reaction like yours, BUT because you did have such a reaction, I will know to be extra vigilant in watching how my body  handles it so I'm glad you shared your experience, even while I'm so sorry you had that experience in the first place!

wallymama: If I were you, I'd worry  less about the mask and just wear GLOVES all day long and change them frequently and never ever touch my face without having JUST changed gloves first. Germs stick to just everything, and you know they're especially sticking to money and credit cards! I'm sure that you ARE very uncertain; I definitely would be. Just do the best you can and don't push yourself too much --hopefully your co-workers will be understanding and help you out, and dammit, if you find out you can't do it, then you just can't do it and you'll just have to find another way. There's almost always another way. Main thing is: All anyone can every do is the BEST that THEY can do, so there's no point stressing about it, because that'll only make it worse. Don't overdo it!  Also, if you do go for the mastectomy, if you're like me, once you get your drains out, you'll bounce back from THAT much more quickly than you think, especially if you can get off the serious painkillers and onto something like tylenol pretty quickly---and you most likely will be able to. That whole thing isn't nearly as painful as it seems like it would be. FACT: If I had to choose right now between having another BMX and recovery period from it, OR, having another core needle biopsy in my surgeon's office, I'd take the BMX every time. That biopsy HURT! The BMX was honestly more awkward and inconvenient than anything else---physically anyway. So if you need to take more time off NOW and less THEN, that wouldn't be such a horrible thing. Only thing to keep in mind is that after the mast you'll have some lifting restrictions for a little while, but if you're only doing one side....

Don't Stress!!

Audra: Yeah I don't want to go to stage IV place either, and my IIIc diagnosis is just a little too close for comfort. I can't avoid it entirely; I have a friend who has been stage IV for almost 3 years--she was diagnosed IV from the get-go, at 27 years of age. It's some scary stuff...

It's great to hear/read you sounding so upbeat and hopeful and ready to get back to real life! I knew you could do it!  Can't wait til I can say "This is my last treatment!" I've got a ways to go yet -- I think we figured I'll be finishing in April, but when I consider that really I've been dealing with this since that first visit to my surgeon back in August, April doesn't seem so far away. Course then there will be 6 weeks of radiation and maybe more surgery and 10 years of something else, but hey.... chemo only til April.

Oh, and I read that once you've had adriamycin, you can't have it again, so even if my cancer comes back at some point, at least NO MORE RED DEVIL! I am DONE with that Woohoo!

@Amazon I've just been mostly going flat, but I don't want to always do that...and I'm sort of unsure how to proceed. I have gone out a couple of times wearing super padded bras (I call them bras of steel because if you poke one it dents and you have to un-dent it from the inside lol) and stffed them with socks. My husband says I dont' go far enough with the socks "Looks like you're wearing a couple of pimples on your chest." lol. I see my surgeon next month; I believe he'll be writing me prescriptions for bras and foobs at that time. Honestly though if I could get SKINNY, I dont' think I'd mind just going flat all the time. It's so *comfortable* going braless!

Hi all

Glad your all having better days. The end is in sight for some with Chemo and some are done! Yea! Now to transition back to the old life. A friend of mine who had cancer told me she couldn't help tell people she had cancer even if they didn't ask. I'm sure we will all go through our own adjustments.

Gayle - I love your generosity in taking in baking to the medical team that took care of you. It is  a very personal Thank you. They will remember it and you. 

Audrea - Ask those questions and let us know what you find out. I too am not ready to be naturally grey.

Wallymama - good luck with your work, but be careful. The last thing you need is to get the flu!

Speaking of flu, I seem to have caught the bit of one my husband was nursing. It is the weirdest thing. It starts with your jaw bone hurting and then turns into a sore throat. nausea ( and I need more of that!!) and bone pain. Just as I thought I was through the worst of round 3. Oh well. My husband has been sweet and making all the tea and toast I can handle.

I hope you are all having a good Saturday. It is again freezing rain here but at least warmer (-4). 

JAB

hi everyone: I have not post for a while but come to read daily. I had thrush and watery eyes and runny nose. So I got medicine for it. The doctor was going to prescribe something for depression and I told him I'm going to contine walking. He said that's a good plan. I want  to vent! I'm so sick and tired of being sick. I also have to take medicine for my pooping area. I had dry mouth so I bought medicine for it, It sure helps. My underarm is swelling and very sensitive. i hope its not lymphadema, that's where they took all my lymph nodes. The reason why they took all of ithem is the surgeon didn't want the cancer to spread there. I still have a bit of cancer underneath the ribs and ithey couldn't take it out cuz it's close to my heart, that's why I have to have radiation. Emotionally I'm feeling better today. Every time I'm going for chemo that's how I am. The unknown. Will start Herceptin and taxotere on Tuesday. For those who is already on that infusion how is that? I know I have to take pills one day before chemo. It's called dexamethasone. I take this pill for 4 days. Please post on what you think.

Pat: It's great that you were able to go to the cabin, relax there for a while and catch a fresh breath. You sound like a very dedicated parent. Your life has probably been full of self sacrifice thus taxing on your health.

BTW: why do you need rads with your dx? Stage 1, no nodes? And how many rads are you going to do?