August 2013 Chemo Sisters

Congrats shalimar and Lisa !!  Go and have a great time you deserve it.  I would be curious about the sun as well.  I live in FL and luv doing my walks on the beach. I have not done it for six months and would luv to get back into it.  I guess I will cover from head to toe for now.  I think I have talked myself into going to the beach this weekend!!!

As far as a bathing suit goes I think I will have to wait on that.  I had implants removed so I am totally flat chested.  Not by choice of course. I will start the implant journey in about six months.  So for now it will be a t- shirt not unless anyone knows of some cute one piece or tankini masectomy bathing suit that I can order online.

Everyone have a great week!!

Hi ladies; It's been a while.  My chemo ended around Thanksgiving and my hair is so damn slow.  It also seems not fully formed, more like infant hair.  I hope it thickens up, when I look in the mirror the color is indeterminable and I still see way too much scalp.  That's not my issue though.

I have this constant ache, I suppose it's right at the site of the tumor that was closest to my chest wall.  My MO says it's just nerve damage and regeneration but I've had that before from other surgeries.  This feels different, for one thing, it's growing and I want some sort of proof.  I did have a CAT scan last week by my RO in preparation for rads.  If there's any bad mojo going on, would that show up in the CAT scan?

I see my MO tomorrow for the usual labs and Herceptin.  I'm going to be a pest about this ache because, well heck, it's my body and I want some proof that there's not anything bad happening in there.

I'm glad most everyone is doing well, for the most part I am doing great except for this small concern.

I got back from the MO, blood work, Herceptin and such.  They finally decided that my IV port really is infected and will put me on antibiotics, if that doesn't work it will be removed.  I only have Herceptin and blood work through July or so, so it really isn't needed.

As to the growing pain in my side, my MO and I looked at the CAT scan and I'm semi convinced it's okay and he's sending me to a pain specialist for a nerve block, see if that helps.  He said about a third or more of patients have pain at the surgery site and when I came home and looked it up I (how pompous is this?) concur with his opinion.  Maybe, I'm still worried just because the pain is there and a constant reminder.

Has anyone else had a nerve block?  I once had a Botox injection into my elbow for some nerve problems in my hand and it was awful, the pain was still there and my fingers were semi-paralyzed for six months.  I guess I don't need the control of my ribcage as much as my fingers.

Thanks all, and to all, my best thoughts.

Wow a lot of action on here lately!

Lisa-The hair looks good. You look like you have a little more than I do but you were a few weeks ahead of me. Is anyone going "topless" yet? I am not sure when is the right length to do so. I have been swimming without a cap but I still feel so subconscious about it. I worry people will think I choose to wear my hair this way. :-) I am actively now looking for a job. I had just moved a couple months before I was diagnosed and decided to deal with this without working. Now that I am done with chemo and rads I decided to start looking. I haven't figured how to go to any interviews ( if I get one) I am not wanting to look like I have cancer, yet the hair is not long enough to go topless.

FMG- I started Tamoxifen yesterday. I have a mild headach today. Anyone know if that is a SE of it? My son has a cold so I may just becoming down with a sinus headache but don't feel like I have a cold yet. Trying not to count every little thing as the new meds but the power of suggestion is strong sometimes.

Togetherness (and everyone else!)-- you can get sew-in bra pockets that you can sew into a regular bathing suit to hold prosthetics. I did that last summer because I did not see any mastectomy suits that I liked in my size. They are not hard to sew in at all. I got mine from the American Cancer Society "tlc" website. www.tlcdirect.org, item # 7576. They come in set of 4 single sides or 2 doubles. I used one for my bathing suit and one to convert a strapless bra to wear for my daughter's wedding (I did not want to spend $80 for a strapless mastectomy bra that would not get worn very often). Worked great! You can also find mastectomy suits on line. JC Penny has them through a company called Jodee's, and of course the major mastectomy suppliers do to.....Amoena, etc.

Good luck!

Togetherness - I asked my friend where she got her cute bathing suit and she said The Pink Bra online.  Hers was similar to this one:

http://www.thepinkbra.com/3s0133.html

That is a really cute swimsuit!

I spoke to my RO about the sun and yes, she did just say to make sure to use at least 30 sunscreen and apply often. Then I went searching for paraben-free sunscreen. It's odd though,Neutrogena 55 lists parabens, but the broad spectrum 30 doesn't. So does that mean it doesn't have them? hmm. I picked up some Aveeno. 

Another issue. I thought I heard that having a pap around chemo could alter the results. Has anyone heard that? I finished Chemo in Oct and had pap in Nov. We discussed my situation at length and nothing was said about this. I just realized I didn't remember getting the results back, but I have a followup in a couple weeks so I was just going to ask then. Well, yesterday I got a results letter from the office saying the pap was abnormal and to return in one year. (?). I of course called the office right away and the receptionist took a message, but I didn't get a call back. I'm thinking they just checked the wrong box, but am concerned and a bit irritated. I assume if it was really abnormal they would have called sooner, and second, does it really take 2 1/2 months to get a pap result back??? 

I saw my MO yesterday and I will be starting Arimidex as soon as I pick it up from the pharmacy. 

Beeve, I guess I finished about a month before you. I only have about a half inch of hair and a funky-looking circle area at forehead that has even less. I was so hoping to have more for the family gathering next month. Sigh.

Just stopped by to say hi, It is exciting that all of us August chemo girls are either done or close to being done with chemo and even some with rads, I have 4 more Taxotere to go I probably would have been done by now but I had a couple of delays in treatment due to low ANC & WBC'S and then it will be time to reassess and move on to Rads. Hoping everyone has a blessed day.

Shary

I left out a word amoena lightweight prosthesis.  They are not lightweight...... Lol

gavinsgrandma a great forum that I have been posting on is called something like New and future flat sister questions...... They have been very helpful since I had my implants removed.  I will definitely try again.  I just don't like my image and how I feel. You are on the end of the chemo journey so hang in there.  It does take so much out of you.  I have been having some residual effects from the treatment even though I am done. My oncologist said it could take me up to 6 months to get back to the new me.

Yesterday I went topless for the first time.  Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty I'm free (from-the-wig-during-non-working hours) at last!

Thanks Togetherness!  Sometimes my hair is straight as a pin + other times its more curly.

Lisa...Your hair looks good! I wish mine would look that good. I am going topless around the house, but I just can't bring myself to venture out with out a hat yet. I kind of feel like I am cheating now though as I do have hair...mine is just not long enough or thick enough for me to go without something. The cold weather is not helping either I guess. Lucky us here in Minnesota I lose my hair and we have one of the coldest winters!

Hi August Chemo Sisters.....haven't posted in a while! Tomorrow is my LAST chemo.....#12 Taxol after 4 rounds of A/C and multiple issues with neutropenia. I am jealous of those of you who have enough hair to go topless. Mine is coming in but still not enough to go without. I wear my wig to work but go "au naturel" as soon as I get home and on the weekends. If we go out somewhere I wear a hat. I did find some fun hats and had some given to me as well. Funny story...this morning I had to leave the house extra early and in my haste I almost left without my "hair".....would have been interesting if I got all the way to work without it! But I remembered before we left.  I must admit that I have mixed feelings about finishing chemo............I have a love/hate relationship with it. I hate what it is doing to my body, I hate how it makes me feel (and it gets exponentially worse every week with the cumulative effects of the Taxol), but I have a feeling of security that something is being done to kill the poison in my body. Since I had BMX I won't have follow-up mammograms, they won't scan unless there is a reason......I will start anastrazole for the hormone-receptor positive tumor that I had, but I also had a triple-negative tumor and once the chemo is done then it is just a "waiting game...." Time to begin a new phase of my life to "watch and wait and hope for the best."

Martha