October 2013 Chemotherapy

Hi ladies!

It's been a while since I've been on the boards, but I've been thinking about you.

Pam- congrats on being finished! I understand what you're saying about not feeling elated- I'm the same way. I think it's because I'm still bothered by side effects.

school counselor (my chemo twin)- I, too, have been so tired over the past two weeks. I am also retaining a lot of fluid, which I feel makes it even harder to move my legs. Do you have that experience, too??

Take care!

xoxo

GOOD for YOU! FurFriend2! And cute pic, I really like your hat!

YAY Pam, good for you! I have to continue Herception for 9 months after my Taxol is done so I don't think I will feel any big elation either, since i will still be in the chemo chair. But it is a step forward, & something we've conquered & can put behind us!

Tomorrow is my last round of chemo and I am so anxious about this that I could not sleep last night.  I was dreaming about every SE that I have not had all showed up this last time. I am meeting with my MO prior to treatment and last time he said we would discuss my future mammo's, and treatment plan going forward.  I know I am not starting Rads until the end of March.  What questions did you ask your MO's....   I feel somewhat unprepared for my appointment. 

On a positive note my hair seems to be growing a little bit.  I think I will go out this weekend and by that Nioxin and start using it after I make it through Hell week next week. 

#kickcancer #bringonspring

Last treatment cheers trvlmom!!

2 months out from one (and only) chemo infusion and i have peripheral neuropathy. It seems like side effects never end.  This makes me more impressed with how you women handle this stuff since my treatment was only a quarter what you endured.  I salute you.

Smrlvr, I think I am too old to keep up with all the action on the November board.  I read but by time I get to the bottom I forget what I wanted to say.  I also feel a bit guilty for avoiding many of the side effects that you guys are suffering. I actually don't feel like a "chemo" person sometimes until I see that even with one treatment you know you've been poisoned and just hope that the poison got some of the bad guys. :-)

lgkgde  congrats, bet u r glad to get that over with & move forward!

70charger- yes this was the happy surgery

trvlmom, my questions to my MO after chemo were more about vitamins and suplements allowed so I could be back to normal with my strength and energy. Turmeric, zinc and magnesium, etc.

Lgk, congratulations!!! I have mine on Jan 31st (Friday), double exchange. I hope it doesn't hurt. I am planning on going to work on Monday.

Vintage, when I had my BMX and TE both surgeons were present: OS and PS. One took C off and the other fixed whatever was needed, put TE and closed. At least this is what they explained they would be doing. For fills, I went to my PS and he did the fills every three weeks, one day before chemo infusion. He said otherwise it would be every two weeks. 

The day of the fill I took Percocet two hours before the fill and even with that it hurt. The worse one was the third fill. After three days of the fill my back hurt, the PS told me that would happen and it is because the muscles are being pulled. 

I was an A and I actually like it that way. They filled them to be a B and I think I will like them. I dont want to have to change all my wardrobe because of boobs.

hi Kim, sorry this is happening to you.  I started taking B12 even though i had my levels drawn and they are high normal. I asked my internist about l glutamine and he said it wouldn't help.  I bought some alpha lipoic acid today and will start that tomorrow.  I forget where i read that it would help. I seem to be ok with it most days with only a couple of days when it hurts to walk.  That taxotere is strong stuff but  i think this will clear up.

I actually feel pretty lucky that i escaped with minor SE compared to you guys and was surprised to develop the neuropathy. I also noted that my MO referred to my cancer as metaplastic carcinoma lately in reports and that type doesn't really respond to chemo anyway.  It was a feature on my path report but i have always thought the IDC was the official dx. 

Anyway i think we will all be doing well in the not to distant future. Right?    

All the best to you and the other soldiers here.

woot woot. I just finished Chemo!  I have my regular herceptin the next 2 weeks and then I start dose dense herceptin every 3 weeks after that until October.  Next step is a mammogram and radiation.  

#overcomer  #kickcancer 

Vintagegal-  same thing here.  Breast surgeon and plastic surgeon in same OR. PS took over after breast surgeon done.  I think I read somewhere that if you are small and wanna stay that way they might go to implant.  Not sure about impact of rads on the timing of TEs and implants.  I had fills every week and was done with fills before chemo.  I think I had 8.  The first 2 were painful and after that I was ok. The TEs were uncomfortable but if I didn't have chemo could have had them out much sooner.  They seemed like a walk in the park compared to chemo!!

Honestly the side that is sore and painful now is the non-implant side bc I had lift for symmetry.  If feels like someone rippedy nipple off and put it back on. It is swollen and sore.  Implant side I have no pain.

lgkgde13

 thanks! I appreciate hearing from you. It will be interesting to hear what the BS has to say. he was the one who twice said to me *we don't do mastectomies, we do lumpectomies*. Kinda weird when I think back on it but at the time I thought he meant just in my case but.....maybe it isn't a procedure he prefers?  I know the hospital in the next city does some procedures they don't do in Dover where the hospital & Cancer Center are. I may end up seeing another surgeon, who knows.

Travlmom -- Congrats!!!!  You did it!!!!

Wrenn -- Here is an article about l-glutamine and taxol-induced neuropathy.  Hope it clears up for you

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11350883