Starting Chemo in December 2013
Comments
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jbokland - I would post your head jewels on some of the new chemo boards... might lift their spirits.
Lisa - That white hair will turn into a color soon. I was white everywhere, including eyebrows, then it changed to brown. I had my DH shave my neck a little to even out the back for me. I have waxed areas of my body, including eyebrows already. Now that I am far enough away from chemo, my skin isn't sensitive like it was. Hang in there, send over some pics.
Oranje - I am so glad you took that promotion at work. Good luck with your interviews.
Chicopeach - I am hoping your new cream works better for you. I like your post about the wonderful conversations you have had while going topless.... what a blessing.
Ok, now I need to get by butt out of bed and walk.... it was 107 yesterday, so if I don't go walking in the AM, forget it.
Kim
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Hey December Ladies, sounds like everyone is coming along well on the hair regrowth. YEAH!!!! I'm actually kinda diggin' my new hair freedom. At least on days when I have on a cute outfit and makeup!
But, I have a question. Are you any of you talking with your MO about the ASCO study released on June 1st regarding "Aromasin Plus Ovarian Suppression Reduces Recurrence Risk Better than Tamoxifen Plus Ovarian Suppression in Premenopausal Women"?
I've been on Tamoxifen only after chemo and surgery for a couple of months. I haven't had any hormone testing, but this study makes me wonder about my treatment. I guess I'm chemo-induced premenopausal. I haven't had too many side effects from the Tamoxifen other than a bit of stiffness when I've been sitting too long. I try to exercise almost daily to prevent that.
Since my MO is very quick to say "ASCO guidelines say"...I think I need to see what he says about this report.
Hope you guys are having a great day!
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thank you everyone for the birthday wishes!! We took a very quick trip to the beach just to get away. Only stayed one night but had so much fun.
Southern bling- my doctor is actually going to start me on that regimen in about 5 weeks. Lupron injections plus aromasine. He said he learned about it at a conference he just attended.
Should get BRCA results at the end of this week. My MO and his nurse fought to get the insurance to cover it. Hopefully 4th time is a charm and we will finally get the results.
Cenri- I have 3 kiddos 2 girls and a boy. There is another lady on here (Jodi) that is about our age with 3 as well.
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beach pic
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Hollie, you look great with some color in your checks. Looks like the kids had a good time.
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the beach is a wonderful place! Deep breathing and sunshine!!! Good for you!
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Southernbling - Just so happen that my dentist was just telling me that he read in the paper about a new drug that is soon to be released. I am thinking this is what he was talking about. His sister is a bc survivor... I think she was involved in the trials. I will ask my MO about this. Thank you so much for sharing. Chemo put me in chemopause too. Still haven't had a period. Don't want one, but I hear Tamoxifen is easier than some of the other AI's.
Holli - Love the beach pics.
Holli & Southernbling - Please pass on any info. you find out about this drug.
Kim
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so far I have been on the aromasin for about 2 weeks now and minimal hot flushes. Little achy in the knees when I first get up but not bad if I keep walking every day. My MO thinks is it has the least side effects of the AIs. Just hope that the zometa every 6 months for 2 years counteracts any bone loss, at least for a couple of years. I will be starting that after my DEXA is done and Rads are finished, end of July. I really hope to be able to take all 10 years of it.
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Most of you may have probably already read the article I was referring to, and I am by no means saying I know anything about the subject, but I found the link on here along with the 10 years recommendation vs. 5 years. That's why I'm going to call my MO. Maybe this link will work:
http://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/aromasin...
This one is the 10 years vs. 5 years:
http://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/10-years...
I appreciate everyone's input. Knowledge is power after all!!!
Keep smilin', keep shinin'...
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Holli - Thanks for sharing the beach pictures. You and your children look so beautiful and happy!!! I will be heading to Orange Beach (Redneck Riviera) for the 4th of July. Hope the sharks that have been in the news are gone by then!!! Hey, I've been fighting cancer for over six months and got bit by a brown recluse so what's a few big fish with sharp teeth, right?
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Fantastic pictures Holli! Nothing like LIVING! and LOVING! and enjoying those BABIES!!!! Good for you!!
Today I had rad number 10. All is going very well and today I met with the RO as I do each week.....I finally got the courage to ask him what I have been scared to ask, and that is if he can see any left over cancer from all the scans and so forth since I had surgery, chemo and now radiation.....he said he feels as of right now there is nothing there that is of any concern to him and everything looks great, just doing the rads to prevent any recurrence. He said without it chance would be over 30% and with it in the single digits. I felt so good about this......I asked him why the area was still called the "tumor" area. I said....um, didn't they remove the tumor when they did the surgery? He was surprised by my questions and that they had not been asked before and i think assumed i knew the answers to these questions. He apologized that he hadn't answered these questions beforehand, but how would he know....i was too scared to ask. He said its a generic term probably tossed around too often that the area that the tumor was in is called the tumor area. Well my mind was in overdrive as it always is and i kept thinking they were still saying i had a tumor. I would have probably saved myself much worry if i would have dared to ask sooner.......
So anyways, guess the moral of my story is, ask questions.......don't fret over it.....save yourself the worry and just get the questions over with!!
Sure glad I did!!! Even went and had a margarita or two or three to celebrate the news! ha! Enjoy the evening....sleep well my friends!
Michelle
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Holli, love your pix. You look so happy
Missy, I'll bet that was a good margarita! When I met with my RO today, she called the site the "lumpectomy cavity" (not the tumor area). I like that better. The space where the cancer used to be.
I really think of myself as cancer-free right now. I don't even want to call myself a cancer patient. Just a lady doing rads for insurance
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Oranje- me too!
I went for a follow up appointment to the BS and the nurse checking me in finished my vital signs and then asked "where is your cancer, honey?"
To which I replied " I don't know, but I assume at the some bio-medical waste dump".
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jbokland, good answer!!!
Holli, ditto on the photos! So nice that could enjoy some fun time with the kiddos!
My RO and BS call my former tumor site a "tumor bed"...interesting that we all have different names for the same thing!
Missy, cheers! I hope you hold up well with the rest of your rads.
My Tamoxifen hasn't given me any grief so far...I hope it behaves itself.
Have a great week ladies!
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odd question... Had anyone experienced post chemo swelling in only 1 foot?
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Jbokland, I love that answer!!!!! As for the foot, funny you should post that. My left foot was swollen yesterday, but I was on them a lot. Gone today. Have you thought about putting pamphlets at chemo centers for your bling? I think people would love it!
Oranje - I'm happy you took the position. As I'm getting more familiar with my new position I am starting to enjoy it more.
I had #8 today. My skin is still holding strong. Looks a little tan. My breast is a little swollen and sometimes warm to the touch. RO says that's normal. I get the shooting pains through the lymph area but nothing that is too bothersome. My nipple is sensitive to the touch. I was told not to wear an underwire bra but I ignored that advice. My breasts are to big. I'll try Kim's trick of a cloth if it starts to bother me.
I'm taking Friday off from rads. I have a weekend camping and kayaking trip on the Shenandoah. I have been crazy active. Making up for the crappiest winter ever. I've been going out with friends, having drinks, dancing and flirting my butt off. My G.I. Jane continues to be a hit. Friends say I should keep it. No thanks! I'm having fun with it but will NOT keep it. I had a friend bring his clippers over and even it out. All those long hairs sticking up and shaved up the back of my neck that was in overdrive. I then used them to shave the rest of my neck and my chin :-) What is up with all overgrowth in hair in places we don't want it!
I also picked up Latisse today. My eyebrows came in fast and so did my bottom lashes. Top lashes are still stubby and look like they have split ends. I WANT MASCARA!!!
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So today was not a good day..........ugh. I just need to vent a little. I have been dealing with "butt" issues for quite some time now as we all know. Well for the past few weeks i have been feeling like something was wrong but it always hurts so just was ignoring the pain. It was a different kind of pain than the stupid hemorrhoid pain, this was like a burning sort of pain. Today i went in to see my surgeon because it started to get pussy....um, puss-ee? wth, you know what i mean! and also had blood mixed in it and was just draining. So now i find out i have a fistula and an abscess. Only way to fix it is with another surgery. My surgeon wants to wait till i finish rads, so in the meantime if i can handle the pain, he has put me on 2 different antibiotics and some pain pills. I am just so tired of this.............seriously! I just want to cry.
Thanks for listening to another story about my poor butt........and here we thought this was a breast cancer forum! HA!
I had rad 11 today....still no redness but some tenderness. At least that is going well so far!
Good night ladies.........sleep well!
Michelle
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Michelle, the last thing you need is more "pain the the butt". Really hope the antibiotics (which I guess are cipro and flagyl) do the trick. Just a warning if one is flagyl or metronidazole do not drink ANY alcohol while on it. It can cause a severe reaction.
You are two day ahead of me in Rads. Noticed my nipple is getting some tenderness and now a bit puffy under my axillary incision. Pink at the collar bone. Counting the day until July 16Th
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missy - UGH!! I hope they are giving you a ointment or suppository to manage the pain! Are you going to see a colorectal surgeon?
I bought my Latisse this week. I paid $170.00 for the 'larger' bottle. Geez! Hope it works. I've spent more money on beauty products since this ordeal started Clarsonic, moisturizers, cleansers, miracle grow for my head! --I've always been just a soap and water and a little oil of Olay girl!
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Barbara, that is excactly what i am on and I definitely won't have any alcohol while on it. He also gave me a RX for Dilutad? sorry about the spelling. I have so many pain meds but i'm scared to take any of them in fear of getting constipated and ending up back at square one. I take 2 colace each day so that should offset anything, but still scared. Also fear another surgery down there. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. I'm debating on going to a colorectal surgeon, right now I have a general surgeon that I just love but just don't know what to do.
My lashes and eyebrows are coming in nice...even put on a little mascara today! I'm an oil of olay kind of girl as well......all the "stuff" out there is such a mystery to me. My hair on my head has started to stick straight out.....not sure what is going on with that! May need to get some gel or paste to tame it!
Have a great day everybody!
Michelle
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Michelle - So sorry about your current med prob. I think that it would benefit you to see a specialist, maybe they have some new procedure to help you. Sending a hug your way.
Ok, I have been EMO as my 17 year old would say, emotional these past few days. I think I have cried more than I did when I was going through chemo. My DD who is 19 is have some emotional problems.... school, self image, mean friends, family. She started seeing a therapist which is great, but I have to be honest and say that I really don't know if I like the therapist's advice. I think that I really have control issues with my youngest kids and I need to learn to let go and let God. However, I prefer to blame my EMO state of mind on the Tamoxifen.
DJJ - Have fun camping this weekend. We are going camping this weekend too.... Father's Day weekend all the men bring out their toys.
Kim
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Missy, sorry to hear about this. You do not need this PIA right now (or ever).
I lost another fingernail today. (7 of 10 still holding on . . . ). The good news is I lost it when I hit my hand on a lane line during masters practice. I am still swimming! Rad #4 in the books and crossing my fingers. It's very early of course but so far I don't notice any reaction on my skin. Trying to do a lot of backstroke laps since that should be perfect for stretching the radiated muscles.
Also, I've officially lost all of the weight that I gained during chemo, and swelling seems to be way down or gone. No more elephant ankles!
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waiting in rad 2 now. I am 4 weeks PFC. When does the hair turn color?
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Michelle, sorry for your problems. Hope this gets worked out soon and you feel better. As long as you're in the doctor mode, why don't you go see a specialist and see what they have to say.
Holli, great beach pics! I love your girl with the freckles! Glad you had a good time. We are heading to the ocean tomorrow until wed (cape cod). My kids are big (ages 21 and 24) and just want to lay on the beach and veg, but my great niece and nephew (ages 2 and 4) are coming this year for a few days and they will be fun at the beach. Hopefully back to sand castles and chasing waves. I miss those days.
I will be missing 5 days of rads next week but RO said it was ok. Didn't want to miss or cancel the vacation. Will come back early, thurs morning instead of sat. Looking forward to the healing of the ocean, although probably won't be going in as the water temp at this time of year is in the 50's.
Jbokland, love your answers! I hope the nurse smiled after this one! What?!...miracle grow for your hair, I want to try it. That's one place I haven't looked yet...our local garden store! Lol! Trying anything to encourage this hair to grow. It's so slow, still see shiny scalp through it. But it's coming so have to be grateful I guess.
Jodi, I'm 7 weeks PFC. Hair is white and soft fuzz still for me with a little bit of color showing through on the top only. I was pretty gray before but colored it so I don't really know how gray. You are a redhead so it will be interesting to see what color yours comes in. Eyebrows and lashes are coming faster but then they have less growth to do to look more normal than head hair. My regrowth is slow so hopefully yours will be faster. How are the new living arrangements working out? and how is the family adjusting to being there?
Kim, emotional daughters...ugh it's tough! You'll get through. You know the saying I made up when I was first diagnosed and was crying...alot..."every tear you shed leaves room for strength to enter". We are all very strong!
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Starting chemo in 2 weeks - TC X 4.
Have no idea what to expect and am so glad this thread exists. Am also planning on trying cold caps
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orange mama - I'm swimming some too, and feeling guilty/nervous about it. But your comment about the stretching it provides is encouraging! I'm starting to feel some tightness.
I'm doing the treadmill every day, and wondering about the arm swinging I do naturally - am I damaging the skin under my arm by rubbing so much? Do you ladies move naturally, or do you hold your arm out away from your body as you're walking…?
missy, honestly, you have all our sympathy! what a hard thing to add in to this time. it would make me feel so much better if I knew you could go out and enjoy a huge margarita, but I see that's off the books for a while. maybe a big chocolate shake with whipped topping??
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Count it all, my RO said not to worry about any other stretching exercises as long as I'm swimming. It's better than anything else I could be doing. I am smearing myself with aquaphor in a big square over the whole of the radiation site. RO said to err on the side of applying more generously. I wash off immediately after swimming and apply calendula lotion 2-3X per day.
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Michelle, I'm so sorry!! What a pain in the butt!!! I agree that you should see a specialist. Maybe they know something your surgeon doesn't and can fix this so that you won't have to deal with it anymore.
Kim, we all deserve to have crying spells. We've been through so much I think we'll be on an emotional wave for a while.
Ornje_mama, Congratulations on the weight loss!!
Lisa, I'm missing rads tomorrow to head out. I have two buckets of frozen margarita's in the freezer and am mixing a pitcher of "Super Fruit Cooler" up, mostly alcohol with muddled cucumber. Yum!
It's funny to me on how everything is so different now. I got a certified letter from an attorney in Virginia. I had a business 4 years ago and now someone wants $54,000 from me, from work I did FOUR YEARS ago. It's an absolute load of crap and their just looking for money and if it goes to court they'll lose. Pre-cancer me would have been stressed out about attorney fees and freaking about it going to court and what if there was a slim chance I would lose. My post-cancer reaction.....Haaaa Ha HAAA haa haaaa...."Let me write you a check, just don't cash it until Friday"...Haaa Haaa Haaaaa.
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I had to rush off to the PS to have the final 50cc fill to my left TE before they do my Rads mapping on Friday. UGH...its now 800cc and it's little friend on the right is 700cc. I did not want to be in my wedding dress lopsided (Its a halter-ish styled dress). Now my bigger worry is the mapping will determine that I will need to deflate the right before the wedding. I heard someone else compare their delated TE to a rumpled potato chip bag!
I wore false eyelashes all day to 'practice' before my wedding. Somehow I managed them in proper alignment and they did not end up attached to my eyebrow.
Small victories!
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That was me about the potato chips lol! My left one was reduced from 600 to 300 and it looks fine. The right one was reduced down to 150, and it looks better. You can't tell in clothes. The only reason they deflated me was because of the middle chest lymph node situation.
Hope everyone is doing good! I had number two today. I now see where some of you said you had PFC blues. Granted it has been a very stressful June so far with my dad and the move and all. But, I really can't wait to look somewhat normal again. Just eyebrows would be nice. They are coming in with color, but this hair growing is slow and frustrating. I bought the Nioxin 3 step from ulta for my scalp- Can't hurt!
I had my first taste of alcohol since Early November. I ordered a margarita but only had about 1/4 of it. DH drank the rest. Lol!
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