Starting Chemo February 2013

My hair came back much coarser than it used to be.  When I wake up in the morning, I kid you not I look like Don King.  My hair is huge.  It takes a ton of product to tame it.  I used to have really find hair and had a lot of it.  Now it's super think and coarse.  I'm hoping it relaxes some.

On another note, has anyone had their period return yet?  My period came back this morning with a vengeance.  It's super heavy and the cramps are horrendous!  It used to be bad and I'm not sure if its worse or I had just forgotten how bad it really was.  I used to be anemic because of my heavy periods.  I haven't missed them at all and kind of looked at "chemopause" as a little reward for doing chemo.

At 45, my onc said chemo would most likely put me in menopause.   During chemo, I was having some hot flashes but noticed that they were become less frequent by end of July - two months after finishing chemo.  Apparently my ovaries had super powers because, a month later, my period came back in August.  Had those suckers taken out in December.  Diving head first into menopause has made me kind of miss my period.

My hair was fine but very thick before.  It is now REALLY fine and soft.  It's just fuzzy granny hair.  I look in the mirror and see my grandmother - this does not happy me.  I am afraid to use a flat iron on it as I'm pretty sure it will just fry.  Humidity ought to be fun this summer.  I keep reminding myself that fuzzy, granny hair is better than bald.

I saw my PCP today for the heavy bleeding, they sent me immediately to the OBGYN.  The OBGYN did an endometrial biopsy and I have to say that freaks me out a bit.  I have to temporarily take progesterone pills to stop the bleeding so that they can do an ultrasound.  I may have to have a blood transfusion and will find out tomorrow.  The biopsy results take 1-2 days to come back.  I had a little cry on the way home at the "what-if".  I wasn't ready to do another procedure to test for cancer just yet,  

LW - yikes!  I can't even imagine having a period like that.  I will pray that your biopsy comes out ok.  Could it be a build up of endometrial tissue after taking a year off?  Yeah, maybe I don't really miss my period...

No period for me either,  its been 13 months and I don't miss them 46 seemed pretty young for menopause.  I get so many compliments on my hair style it cracks me up all curly in the back and flat ironed straight on top and sides (when it wants to behave),  I wish my pretty long eyelashes would come back I sure miss them.  Wonderful to see everyone checking in

I'm not an MD, but from everything I've read, progesterone is actually an antagonist to cell growth.   Not sure why the medical community hasn't done more research about it.    I thought it was strange that they measure the progesterone receptors in biopsies, but never talk about them after that.    

If progesterone was really that dangerous for increasing recurrence, they wouldn't recommend young survivors getting pregnant after treatment.     And survivors who get pregnant after treatment have better long- term survival rates . . .  

I have had 2 doses of the meds now and can see a difference already.  I didn't need a transfusion but was told to start taking iron supplements again.    It's still heavy but not completely out of control.  I may actually get more than an hour or two of sleep between supply changes.  Keeping my fingers crossed till I get the biopsy results.  

I made an appointment today for my second hair cut!  It's getting bushy and needs some shaping up.  In the mornings it looks ridiculous, like Don King.  I've got to figure out different styles for the awkward growing out stages!

LW great news!! Hopefully you can sleep better now. Enjoy that haircut, I know I loved going to the hairdresser after a bald year, made me feel like a woman again

LW -you look great - I love the way your hair came in.. mine came in so much darker that it ever was and slightly curly - now 3 hair cuts later the curls are gone but I still have lots of body and I never had that before.. and no grey - there were a few strands of grey in the front but they seem to have fallen out - at 63 I have black hair .. LOL.. I know people think I dye it because its so dark.. for now I am keeping it really short because it still has a mind of its own and this is easier to fix.

Nancy - I love that you have no gray hair!  I'm 42 and my hair came back in with SO much gray in it.  I have to keep mine colored!  

Tangles - I think I have turned into a full fledged hypochondriac.  Every time something goes wrong I think, oh no cancer!  My husband hasn't outwardly rolled his eyes yet but am sure he's wishing I wouldn't immediately go to the dark side.  I think I'll do it from now on!  

Hope everyone is enjoying this spring!  Last year at this time, we were all bald and exhausted!  

Slv:  My cholesterol was high too.  I can't remember the # exactly but my mom was shocked and they told me I may have to go on meds if I didn't get it down.  I don't know if it's chemo related or not?  Though I never had issues before.  As for the shoulder, my shoulder kept locking up and coming in and out of socket.  I had a CT scan and it was just lots of inflammation still. We're closer to normal than we were but it looks like we still have a ways to go!

I'm not bald but I'm still exhausted.  Struggling with joint and nerve pain and fatigue.  I was already a little hypothyroid before cancer and now I think the chemo and radiation pretty much just finished off my thyroid gland.  Can't tell how much is thyroid, menopause or chemo.  Have appt. with pcp next week to get it checked and will address the pain with the onc in May.  If the pain doesn't improve soon I'm going to have to start to take something for it - it's just wearing me down.  Anyone else having this much of a problem?   I move like I'm 100 years old - I'm 46.  Took the dog for a walk today and was limping by the time I got back to the house.  I know these are trivial things compared to what I've (and we all have) been through but in some ways this part is harder as it just seems to go and on.  Sorry, I'm venting too.  On a brighter note, I finally broke down and took a flat iron to my granny hair.  It's an improvement - grannies typically don't flat iron their hair so at least I'm slightly less grannyish.

wow, it's nice to know I'm not alone with regard to the "everyday" pains. Along with my PCP checking my cholesterol she is also checking for rheumatoid arthritis. I'll find out tomorrow. I tried to explain it to her but found it difficult. I'm not really sure if it's joints, bones or muscles-all I know is most of the time when I get up from sitting or laying I feel like I'm 100 years old and it takes a lot of mental effort because of the pain it causes. At first I thought it was just long lasting effects of chemo (because that is when it started) but by dec. (7 months PFC) it was almost gone- but by mid jan. it was back. Then I thought it could be from my hypothyroidism (found out in nov) but my level of TSH is in normal range with meds and it is still there. 

If this is just the effect of being in chemopause I'm surprised I had never heard of women suffering from this as part of menopause. For that one month where I wasn't in pain, it was so nice to feel like my normal self-I miss that. 

On a slightly different note, I've noticed for the last couple of months my breast that received rads is quite itchy. The skin doesn't appear to be any drier, I do use moisturizer on it daily and it is not really the whole breast, just areas. Anyone else? 

Tangles, I'm sure surgery has set you back a bit. It does take the body time to heal from anesthesia. Hope you are feeling better and I commiserate with the joint pains ;-(

If any of you get an answer to the aches/pains, let me know! 

slv:  OMG - my pain went away and then came back too!  I thought I was losing my mind.  I had a LOT of pain during chemo but by last fall I felt pretty good and had a little bounce to my step.  I remember walking down the street in November and being surprised at how much better I felt and then in January it all came back with a vengence.  I know that some of it is neuropathy - the stinging (all over), burning (hands and feet) and the leg ache.  If you've ever had carpal tunnel in your wrist, the ache is like that but in both my lower legs.  And then there's the joint pain - mostly hands, knees, ankles and back. We all three had taxotere so perhaps that's the culprit.  I don't want narcotic pain meds but I'm ready to try something, anything to get some relief.  

Sometimes I'm itchy and it is most often over the irradiated breast area but sometimes happens in other areas.  It's a stingy, prickly itch.  I think it's nerve damage from chemo. But on a brighter note:  the nerve damage & pain from surgery and radiation in my shoulder and arm area is much better than it was.

It's just good to know that I'm not completely crazy or imagining it.  If the joint pain is menopause then how long does it last?  I'm in surgical menopause as the chemopause didn't last and my ovaries fired back up again.  Had them removed in December which coincides with the return of the pain.  I can't find any info on how long the menopause symptoms last when its artificially induced as opposed to the normal gradual onset.

But at least I'm not crazy... yet.

I have a spot on the side of my breast where the skin is hypersensitive to touch and was quite uncomfortable.  I bought a sunburn gel called Unburn that is 2.5% lidocaine and it was VERY effective.  It actually works better than the stuff the radiologist gave me.  Maybe this would help with the itch.  And I agree, I think the itching is the nerve endings healing and reconnecting.