Starting Chemo, November 2013 Group

I was told Herceptin every 3weeks was a breeze.  I had my 3rd treatment yesterday. I'll tell you for 2 weeks after infusion ALL my joints hurt. A week before I have to go back, I'm just starting to be able to move again without pain.   I'm suppose to get on an airplane on Sunday.  This is going to be quite an adventure. 

Quirky-Good luck at the surgeon's office.

BigT I have herceptin every three weeks but I don't have aches and pains everyone is different in each treatment but on the other hand everyone was telling me that radiation is a breeze. I have some burns where I got radiated. It's very painful after ten days post radiation. I'm being treated by a wound specialist. Twice a day in the morning and night I change my dressing.i'm using viscopaste. It's helping tremendously. Thank God for specialists. All of them, everyone has a special job to do

lisa137,

I finished chemo on 5/2/2014, I am having my port removed Weds (5/28). I had my CT Simulation for radiation about a week and a half ago, but my breast surgeon said I should have my port removed before I start radiation. I want to ask you, was your port on the same side as the breast that will be radiated? And, how many days after your port removal did you begin radiation? My breast surgeon recommended about a week.

Cannoli1 -- Yes, my port was on the opposite side of my radiation. I had my port removed on a Tuesday and was supposed to start rads the SAME day, but got rescheduled for the next day. I was a little concerned that there would be an issue with raising my right arm into position for radiation--because my port was placed pretty high up so I was worried it would be sore, but there was no issue.  It *was* a little sore, but raising my arm didn't bother it. 

Neither my surgeon nor my RO seemed to think it mattered when I got my port removed so far as radiation was concerned. I'm sure it would be a different story if the port was on the side that was being radiated, though.

Edited to add: I did NOT have reconstruction done, so whether that makes a difference in the advice they are giving you or not, I do not know.

I'm amazed how strong some of you are. Having your port removed before radiation then you have to put your arms up is uncomfortable during radiation wow! 

Phebe, I really did worry about that; that starting rads the day after my port removal would hurt, but it didn't. Actually, even though it was quite sore the day it was removed, almost all the soreness was gone by the next day anyway. Nothing at all like when it was put in.

Amazon, my hair looks a lot like yours; maybe just a tiny bit shorter. I'm not sure if I'm happy that the darker areas started coming in, or not. When it started growing (while I was still on taxotere/cytoxan) it was all white and I planned that if it stayed that way I was going to dye it lime green....but now some of it is really dark, so I guess I won't do that.

Lisa? That's great that it's not hurting! I find that my port is kinda uncomfortable. I think after a while you're immune to what we go there. I'm going to area therapist to show me how to exercise both of my arms I'm so sensitive both of my arms. The nerves where I got operated feel like electric shocks. I want to be able to move them freely 

Oh goodness!  I haven't read this in awhile as I'm doing the facebook thing....but I also have rib pain !!!!  It seems to come and go and the thing I think it's caused by is that I'm wearing sports bras that are tight!  I didn't wear anything through all recovery and chemo and now these...that's all I can think of because it got worse after PT and she moves skin and muscles around there and I didn't have radiation...I just had CT scans and they had same things as before nothing on rib area....or maybe it's from surgery?  I am thinking it's the tight bras and not used to it...

I bought several different kinds of bras and the comfiest that didn't hurt under my armpit area is a cheap-o champion brand jog bra from Target...so I wear those daily, but they are tight...

Audra: Great hair! Did yours come back dark or you already coloured it? If yes, did you use a special more natural hair product?

My rib pain came after my last chemo and stayed on and off ever since, so I wonder if that's some sort of nerve damage/ neuropathy or with the rads everything started to act up again. 

It's sure frustrating as heck!!!

I don't have rib pain (not yet anyway,) and I don't know where I read this, but I think I read someplace that rib pain is kind of common after mastectomies.

I may have to start going without a hat or scarf in the very near future just because it's too danged HOT to wear anything on my head here now. Plus, I went out on my front porch with no hat a little while ago to water my porch plants, and the breeze across my fuzzy head felt SO good!

Finished rads today!

Yaaaaaay!

It's done!

It's over!

El final!

La fine!

Basta!

Ende!

La fin!

Koniec!

No more!

I am not going to hear that lazy whine of the radiation machine any more!

Overall I am happy, but exhausted and slightly numb.

I guess the recovery process has to take place now.

I said good bye to the RT staff at my rads unit with a thank you card and box of pasties. (Even got a hug from one of the therapists!)

Now I am resting at home. I caught a nasty cold from my son, so I have to take care of it too.

I imediatelly started to take supplements and vitamins to boost my recovery as my RO said it was OK.

Here is a pic of the skin after 25 rads of 50 Gy's to the chest, axilla and supraclavicular areas, 4 angles and bolus each time.

Used emu oil and calendula cream. Yesterday I even introduced onion and cabbage juice compresses.

I was taking 6g of Curcumin C3 complex with Bioperine and 30g of L- glutamine daily plus a one multivitamin. I will continue with this regime for another 2 weeks or until healed.

Amazon!  Congratulations!!!!!!!  Your skin looks great, I must say!

So much happy news today!  

I know we talked about this but can't recall the consensus.  I'm ER+ and therefore should avoid soy.  Is that right?