Starting Chemo in April 2014

Congrats SwissMiss!!!   Whoot whoot!!

Congrats, Swiss! Definitely worth celebrating! I'm with you in the chair today for my next to last chemo. But I continue with Herceptin until April.  Hoping for mild SEs.

I'm listening to music and the lyrics right now are applicable to us: "My life is like a lemondrop, I'm sucking on the bitter to get to the sweet spot. I know there are better days ahead."

Congrats Swissmiss one part of your journey is done!!

Congrats Swiss!! So good to hear you're done! I started 4/8 too and my last chemo is next Tuesday. Then on to rads on 7/30 for sim. Looking forward to moving on to the next thing.

Congrats to you too Sunshine! Soon you'll be well on your way!!

We'll definitely all have to stay in touch!!

Congrats Swissmiss!! and Congrats to all upcoming graduates.  We are all fighters and survivors.  I hope for minimal SE for all.

Congrats to those that are finished or finishing chemo soon!   I think the light is at the tunnel for most of us!

I had my second last treatment yesterday with NO reaction to the Taxol this time.  Last chemo will be on July 29 but will then continue with Herceptin every 3 weeks until June of next year.  Will be done the chemo portion, but won't be "done" Haven't even spoken to the onc about any of the anti estrogen stuff yet.  

Had my consult with the radiation oncologist this morning.  Will be doing the simulation on Aug 1, then starting radiation the week of Aug 18.  Probably for 5 weeks ... he wasn't definite yet as he has to see the simulation.  He is very nice though, I like him a lot.  Was hoping to start 2 weeks after the last chemo, but he likes to wait 3 or 4 weeks as the skin can still be very sensitive to burning before then.  Makes sense.

Funny thing out of that consult ... because I am through menopause, I have to have a pregnancy test done.  I laughed at that one as nothing has been going on in that department while I have been having chemo.  But that is the standard of care, so I will go and pee in a cup.  Too funny though :-)

Also had another PT session with the lymphedema therapist.  She got rid of the little bit of cording that I had a few weeks ago, but I still don't have 100% range of motion back and am still a little tight.  Getting there ... going back the week after my last chemo and then again after radiation starts.  Depending on how I am doing, I might keep going back during and after radiation until I am 100%.  Radiation can increase the risk of developing lymphedema, so doing all of this proactively.  

Then went and had the Neulasta shot.   Everything is being done at my hospital center, so it is all convenient.

Even though I had a bad night last night due to the ton of steroids I had yesterday and the hot flushes that I am developing, I still feel very energetic today.  That will all change tomorrow when the steroids wear off :-)

Lemonade - good luck with rads girl! 

Holly - yes getting the te at same time.  The plastic surgeon said if I do not need rads after surgery and things go smoothly,  then exchange surgery is about 8 wks later!! Im so excited for you that yours is so close! Hugs!!!!!

Clarn,  So sorry for your disappointments.  My heart goes out to you.  But I love the way you are already thinking ahead about switching gears and possibly switching to nurse navigator.  They are so helpful to us before and during treatment.  It takes a special person and I'm sure you've got what it takes in spades!  Hoping the heart issues turn out to be nothing. Hang in there.

Thanks for my Lol of the day - loved your description of the 11 lb. lecture coming from the 300 lb nurse!  Priceless!

I have only one more Taxol to go next Thursday.  Can't wait!!  Two weeks ago my white counts were too low & had to skip that week.  Last week they were up considerably and this week they were amazingly high.  Go figure.  I'm just grateful.

Yep, I have that Taxol bloody nose too, but only when I blow it in the morning.  And Yep, I've got that baby chick white fuzz stuff going on too.  I really can't call this stuff hair, but at least something's growing there!

Hugs and good wishes to all those with surgery coming up.  So happy to hear that it's better for you Footballnut!

Paula

CONGRATS SWISSMISS!!! WOO HOO!!!  I am not too far behind you in the race to finish with Tuesday 7/22 being my last one.  My daughter made me a sign as well! Stay tuned...

Saw this on facebook and promised to share it here. 

xoxo

Woo hoo! So many of us are heading into the last round or 2 - so exciting! It seems like a short time ago we were all just starting out and scared out of our wits! Look at us now -Super Heroes, all of us.

Swissmiss - Congrats on being DONE! Hooray!

Nancybel - I believe you just finished up too, yes? AWESOME!

Holly - I have the white "chick fuzz" too! If it all grows back that way, I'm going to look like someone's Grandma for sure. Eeep. :O

EverForward - YES to the muscle fatigue. We have a 2-story house, and that trek up to the second floor almost kills me. I have to stop and rest half-way. And every time I say a little "thank-you" to the landing for being there.

Footballnut - I had the bloody nose thing too - that Taxotere is a PAIN, right? I was also getting headaches EVERY DAY. My MO told me to take a Claritin the day of chemo and about 5 - 7 days following (and to continue for more days if I need - which I usually do), and it completely cleared up the headaches and the nosebleeds. That man is a GENIUS, I'm telling you! I hope things are going better for you!

clarrn - I am SO SORRY for all the stuff cancer has stolen from you. I do thing you would make a marvelous Nurse Navigator. Mine has been super useless - I've heard from her ONE TIME before my surgery and nothing since. It's definitely an area that could use some fresh faces who have BEEN THERE. And as for the nurse lecturing you on your weight gain? What can you do but laugh? Honestly, you were in good shape BEFORE. You were healthy BEFORE. And those things didn't keep the breast cancer away. I'm pretty sure the 11lbs you gained during chemo aren't increasing your odds of recurrence. Some people are just CLUELESS, right? GEEZ.

MJ1966 - Welcome! I'm sorry to hear you've had such a tough time. Chemo is nasty business, isn't it? I'm super impressed you've made it this far! Way to power through it all when faced with side effects that would have caused many women to quit after round 1. You're seriously a super-star in my books!

Tomorrow morning at 8:45am, I will hit the chemo chair for the LAST TIME (after that it will only be the Herceptin Chair, and I'm cool with that). And I'm EXCITED. Practically GIDDY. Bring it ON. Because no matter what the SEs bring me this time, there will be no next time. I WIN. Woot! Woot!

Thinking of all of you who are heading into the Chemo Lounge over the next few days. We're almost there Ladies! 

Brigadoon,  Motivation went out the window shortly after I started chemo.  I get it.  The onc nurses tell me that my high resting heart rate is a big factor.  I sure hope it goes back to normal once chemo ends.  Waiting on tests is never fun.  Waiting for results is nerve wracking!  I hope your scan gives you good results!  New puppies to cuddle will be fun to look forward to!  Great Danes are awesome.

Hugs, lilyrose

Good morning, everyone.

Clarrn - I was reading through your posts, thinking how much you have to deal with, then saw you were in the hospital!!! Your positive attitude is amazing.

MJ - welcome.  This is the place to vent.  Hoping things improve for you.

Congrats on your last chemo today, Cold!!!

Lilyrose - I hear you on the fatigue and weird nail feeling ... Life is so odd these days.

Brigadoon - thinking of you as you await your scans, and also picturing you frolicking with two Great Dane puppies.

Longisland - I like that: there is no room for drama!

It's a weird feeling as I get closer to my last infusion on Tuesday.  I can't seem to focus, or relax - yet I have no energy.  My daughter asked me if I was getting excited about it and my answer was No.  I don't know how I feel - the only feeling I'm sure of is "Unsettled".  Maybe part of it is that I have other things in line immediately following the chemo.  MRI & Bone Density scan the next week, followed by mtg with Radiation Oncology to set things up there.  Maybe after those appts. I will be able to relax a little during the few weeks break until radiation begins.  As for right now, I'm just kind of existing for the next few days.  Trying to stay upbeat but it ain't easy.  I think my hormones are messing with me as well.  

clarrn - You are a hoot! I have very fond memories of my own Grown-Up Potty chair. How wonderful that someone else gets to enjoy one too. And even now, when I hear the word "commode" I giggle a little. Thanks for sharing your photo and making me laugh today! I hope you're feeling better!

Well, I MADE it Ladies. I made it through the final chemo round. But the day was not without its blips. For the past few rounds the oncology nurses have been warning me that Round 6 of carboplatin is when reactions can happen. I asked my MO about it and he assured me that while they CAN happen, they are not common. The nurses are wonderful, he said, and they know what to do, so don't worry about it. Total foreshadowing there.

So, I marched into the chemo lounge this morning with a SMILE on my face. Seriously, I could NOT stop grinning, knowing that after today I don't have to do this again. We started with Herceptin for 30 minutes, then Taxotere for 1 hour, and then carboplatin for 45 minutes. Unfortunately, half way through the carboplatin, I got a little nauseated. I thought it was because I had just eaten lunch and maybe I had eaten too fast. A few minutes later, I started to feel...WRONG. I hit my call button, and with only ELEVEN MINUTES remaining for the carboplatin, we stopped. My face, neck, and chest had turned a lovely glowing RED, and I felt AWFUL. The nurses were AWESOME, as always. They did a saline flush, then some Benadryl, then some Hydrocortisone, and THEN some Zantac, and THEN some more saline. Then there was a 20 minute wait, and I totally zonked out for a little while. 

My nurse informed me that typically they don't "challenge carboplatin" once there's been a reaction. But because mine was a minor reaction ( I would hate to see what a major one looks like - oy!), and because I had so little left, my MO wanted to try to finish it up, but at a slower rate. So 11 minutes became 22 minutes. And guess what? I took it all like a CHAMP. And then I got to RING THE BELL. Now THAT is an awesome feeling.  I walked out of the chemo lounge much more tired than usual; which was expected, considering how many extra meds I had pumped into me! But I feel like a Super Star. If I had ever learned to tap dance, I would have tappa, tappa, tappa'ed my way out of there.

Isn't the sign amazing? My son made it.  I'm keeping it forever.

In other news, my daughter was diagnosed with Strep Throat this afternoon, and my son appears to be following in her footsteps with a fever and a sore throat developing this evening. *big sigh* When it rains, it pours, right? The worst part is not being able to go near them. Mommies are supposed to snuggle with their sick babies - it helps them get better. And I CAN'T. AAARGH! NO FAIR. *stamps foot* And my husband (and Mom - the traitor!) thinks I should be quarantined to my room until the children are better. WHAT?! I can't even argue with him about it too much, even though the idea SUCKS. Because he's probably right, the big Smarty Pants. 

Ah well, I am FINISHED CHEMO. And that's really all that matters here, right? One more visit to the Dark Place, and then I'll shake the dust off my feet, straighten my crown, and walk away like a boss.

Cold...CONGRATS!!!  I love the sign, definitely one to treasure!!!