Starting Chemo in December 2013

Congrats Oranje mama!!!!

Yay! Ornje_mama!!! WOOHOOO and done!

Holli, I hope all went well.

Mikesgirl, noooooooo eyebrows thinning again.  Mine better hold on.  When I cleaned out all my cancer stuff I threw away my expensive eyebrow kit.  I didn't want to see it anymore!

Here's some pictures from my hang gliding adventure on Saturday.  "It's a bird, it's a plane, nope it's the lady that kicked cancer's butt!"

hi ladies!! I thought my pockets felt heavy today !! :0) I posted part of my blog post so I don't have to retype. Thank you all for the support!!

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So - the surgery went well lasted about 1-2 hours....

BUT

I ended up in the PACU ( post anesthesia care unit) for 4 hours instead of the one hour we thought. My Oxygen saturation kept dropping. They'd wean me off the oxygen and I would drop to the low 80s ( they like it above 95%). So guess what? I was admitted. I'm on the med/ surg floor. They have me on oxygen and the monitor. Supposedly this is a common reaction to anesthesia. I didn't have it during the first surgery. But with that surgery I was on oxygen for at least the first. 3-4 days. So...if I had haf a reaction then it wouldn't have been detected because I was already on oxygen.

Holli, oh so sorry you ended up admitted, hope your oxygen levels pop back to normal. I would guess they already checked you for blood clots and hopefully none were found.  Sounds like they need to change your anesthesia for any future  surgery. 

djj,looks like you had fun!

holli, hoping you get out soon. Better to be there than have problems when you get home, although I know that's not where you want to be.  Keep us posted. 

Going to see my grandsons today:). It's been a while.

Happy Hump Day!

Holli, sorry to hear this.  I hope your mom/others are being helpful with your kiddos (and that they are not too freaked by this).  I remember your mom being less than perfectly helpful in the past and hope that you have the support you need right now.  Sending healing thoughts your way!

DJJ, I love it!  Superwoman!

I haven't started Tamoxifen yet, but it's coming.  My BC was only weakly hormone + (15% ER, <5% PR), and this is only what was known from the core biopsy since there wasn't enough cancer left to test at time of surgery .  Apparently any amount of positive counts as "positive."  My docs are not in a rush to get me on Tam - same reaction as with surgery and rads - no big rush as long as I'm getting Herceptin.  All my docs agree on that.  I've been trying to get on track losing weight before the Tam starts.  I've lost all the weight I gained with chemo, plus a tiny bit more.  It's so hard.  Every little bit counts, I guess.  Very slow going.  Worries that starting Tam is going to set me back.

There is a blog that I've read from time to time by a lady whose Her2+ BC returned as mets.  I don't check it constantly but checked yesterday and saw a post from a little while ago.  Her big goal was to make it until her son's graduation.  Well, her son graduated as valedictorian of his class, and she was not only there, she is, miraculously, NED.  She continues on Herceptin/Perjeta for now.  Her story was too good not to share! 

http://www.butdoctorihatepink.com/2014/06/dancing-with-ned.html

Kim you can either post it here or email me at missy6758703@yahoo.com

Oranje Congratulations!!! WHOOOHOOOO! another one done!!!

Holli....hope you are home by now and resting comfortably!

Weight.....omg......hate it! I had to lose a good 30 pounds before this all started, ended up losing about 17 when i was going through my first butt surgery, but found unfortunately once i started to eat that it sure came back on fast! ha! Now i'm right back where i started but have lost a few in the last week or two.  I just need to get off my butt and start moving but some days that is easier said than done.  I'm just going to take it real slow, and when it comes off it comes off. I'll just rock these size 14 jeans the best I can!! ha!

Hi ladies.  I was just reading this and what I posted yesterday isn't here. ( I must not have hit submit.)  Kimfromca, I am Aruba bound in a week   RHGSR, I hope you are all healed soon. Okay, so yesterday I had the best day since being diagnosed.  I woke up and the depression had lifted.  Almost like magic.  I have been in a bad place for a couple months.  I got up and had ambition for the first time in a LONG time.  I took all the the cushion covers off the furniture.  Washed them and hung them on the line.  Washed 4 loads of laundry.  took my daughter shopping for a couple hours.  Came home, de-pilled the covers which tooka while.  After all the furniture was put back together, I made home made pizza.  Also, when i was getting ready to go shopping, my daughters said my hair looked cool.  I decided to take a selfie and try to embrace my new look.  Here it is. 18 weeks out from chemo.  Have a great day ladies!

Mikesgirl - You look beautiful.  Don't forget to take blow up pool floaties if the ocean is waveless... Everyone had them in the Virgin Islands, but don't know if the water is waveless in Aruba.  They were really expensive there.  I hope you have a blast and take lots of pictures.  

Michelle here is my victory picture in Sioux Falls.  

Have a great day ladies.

So jealous of the hair that you ladies have!

Kim, you look awesome!

I've started a wig countdown.  I only wear my wig to work, and whip it off the moment I get home. I. hate. the. damn. thing.  I swim in the mornings, and since the kids' swim team practices have ended, I don't have to worry about embarrassing my kids, so I've started going topless to/from the pool, and have done some other weekend errands, etc topless.  Starting August 6, I'm taking 2.5 weeks of vacation (my wig is definitely NOT coming with!!!).  And, I've decided post vacation, I'm going topless to work, regardless of how short or spiky my hair is by then.  That will be 22.5 weeks PFC.  I've got coverage now, it's just *really* short.  So, only 6 more work days of wearing my wig in the office.  woo hoo! 

Here's my "lovely" wigged self . . . only 6 more days of this!!!

mikes girl!! It's great to "see" you. You look beautiful. Your hair looks so thick. 

hey..Michelle, curls are great! That's what I've had pretty much my whole life. And I'll probably be joining you with gray curls after mine grows some more. It looks like you have a lot (a lot more than me!) and remember don't brush it. Put a nice curly hair conditioner (sulfate free) in and leave some in after showering and just finger it into shape if you can. It's probably tough since you've never had curly hair. It will probably return to straight eventually so embrace it now girl. Curly is cool!

Oranjemama, the wig looks great but you also looked great without it and your blue eyes and pretty facial structure showed up without it. You'll get there. At least yours is coming in brown. I'm sooo gray, but you know what...I think I'm ok with it.

Ladies, you all look beautiful to me, bald, short hair or with wigs.

  Amazing the number of compliments I am getting on my short gray/white hair. Definitely going with the Jamie Lee Curtis hair style. Just need more hair on the top and front of my head now. When my hair was chin to shoulder length I need to wash it every morning or it was flat and limp. Now I can skip a day of washing and still have fluffy hair.

MO's nurse is working on getting my zometa dose approved since it was denied last week. She is trying to get it approved as reclast for my osteopenia. That will work for one dose but not the 6 month one. Hopefully I will be able to get it Wed as scheduled. I have a port blood draw, then RO 2 weeks FU, followed by MO 3 month FU then the infusion. WOW next week will be three months PFC. Can I lose the 6 pounds I have gained since then by Wed????

Just a status update:

Completed 12/33 rads today.  B

reast slightly pink, some mild burning under my arm.  I am concerned about some lymphedema, I noticed my 'bat wing' area a bit swollen.  I am wearing the compression sleeve I got in my preventative LE treatment and doing my massages.

This is my hair 7 weeks PFC...although its thinner in the front.

My Sassy Head designs are taking off.  They are now at my local hospital breast cancer shop!

jbokland... I misread your post.  Sorry.  I thought you were done