Starting chemo Sept 05

wonderful news Nicole!

Good Luck with WW.

Tina

Hi all

Interesting reading about the hot flushes – they drive me mad. I have just added ‘Exefor’ on my list ready for when I see Oncologist in October.

“What if” – I still find they come and give me a sharp kick from time to time but I quickly push them away and try and look forward always with a positive attitude.

Ben Joyce has not seen much improvement yet and currently has a chest infection – still sending positive vibes his way.

My handbag loss has been a very big inconvenience and the knock-on-effects have been very annoying, however I am not doing anger or anything like that, just dealing with what has to be dealt with.

I am now more or less back into work part-time. I still get very tired and still do not sleep throughout the night which can be annoying – however I am a survivor and for that I am truly grateful.

Herceptin tomorrow, oh the joys ;-).

Maxine, how were the mamo results?

Speak soon.

Sandra from the UK.

Hello Ladies!

Checking in to see how everyone is doing. My summer has been fun filled and hectic. I am so grateful that I was able to enjoy it with my new sense of normal. I tire more easily - but I was able to keep up with the kids and fit in more fun and travel than I thought would be possible. What a difference a year makes!

Leanne - YAHOO! I was thrilled to read your posts and see the word NED! My thoughts and prayers are with you constantly.

Brenda – I’m a little late with this – but welcome!

To the rest of my September sisters – even though I am not addressing you individually – please know that you are always in my thoughts, especially those that are still going through treatments. Bless you all.

Hopeful1

Peg...I love your pic...I have to ask....is that your natural color or are you coloring your hair? Mine came back in a LOT grayer than it was before...and I have a feeling once I color it, it won't take as well as it use to! I had to have a new drivers license picture taken last week...I think I look like my 80 year old mom! (and I just turned 50)...time to lose my license (once I color my hair, that is! lol!

Peggy, I love your ribbons!! How amazing!! We'll all be with you!!

With everybody having anniversaries, why don't we do a Roll Call and update everybody.

Here goes:

DX - 16AUG05
Right Mas 07SEP05, Infiltrating Apocrine Carcinoma
6.5cm Stage 3, Grade 3. 2/2 LymphNodes, er/pr- Her2/Neu +++
23SEP05 - Start Chemo 4 x FEC, 4 X Taxotere
23FEB06 - Last Taxotere
10MAR06 - Excission of Right Axilla 0/13
11APR06 - 36 x Rads, start Herceptin
15JUN06 - Final Rad
10AUG06 - Annual Mammo Left Breast. Clear. NED NED NED

Love,

Liezel

Sandra,

Thanks for the postcards they were great, My kids were very excited.

Don't forget anyone who would like to send/recieve a postcard PM me with your address and I will send one.

Thanks
Nicole

Peg, I love your ribbon blouse!!!!!

As most of you know, I didn't come to join until after my treatments. I have just reached my first anniversary from diagnosis. I was sailing along pretty smoothly and then all of a sudden I have really gotten into this funk. I haven't been sleeping - miss that estrogen- and has worn me down emotionally, mentally and physically.

Maybe some of you gals can give me real swift kick in the rear and bring me back to the present. Here goes: We never got clean edges and by the time I got to the Medical Center to see the surgeon and then the oncologist, the oncologist said I was at the end of the time period that was felt chemo would be effective. I had my port insertion the next day and my first AC treatment that next Monday. I know that while my nodes were negative, the tumor had invaded the lymph and vascular structures of the breast. When I mentioned this to the oncologist on my last visit months ago, he was very surprised and said he didn't know that. Me, I am sitting there thinking Holy S-----!!!! So here comes my anniversary and I can't get my attitude back in shape. Did you guys experience any of this? Am I having Post whatever syndrome here?

After the happy thoughts on the thread, I hated to bring up a downer but I don't understand why all of a sudden I am not coping well - this isn't my normal me.

Any thoughts would be most appreciated. I know you don't know me well but ------/ I have been told over and over that I had early stage BC and the "good kind" IDC with DCIS Stage II, Grade II, no nodes, ER/PR+. HER2- The kind they like to see- and no I don't have a reason to feel this way
especially when others have more aggressive forms.

Well, not I have just said it and got it out of my system -all of a sudden the not clean edges and the invasion of the lymph and blood vessels is worrying me. Before in treatment I didn't think about those things. Help.

Brenda

Brenda,

maybe you could talk to the nurses at the oncology unit to get a referal for a counciler (sp) the only thing I can offer is I try not to think about it or it will be the only thing you can think about.

The possibility of it coming back is something we all live with but I for one will not let it rule my life. This thing has taken 12 months from me and I won't let it take any more.

Hope this helps
Nicole

It is a very sad day here in Australia with the death of a truly great Australian, Steve Irwin - The Crocodile Hunter.

Everyone is shocked and saddend at his death, I feel most of all for his beautiful Daughter Binidi. Steve was such a family man he will be missed by many all around the world.

Nicole

Brenda – I had those same feelings before my last oncologist visit. I couldn’t understand why I was more fearful now than I was a year ago. I had 1.5 cm IDC, grade 1, stage 1, er+/pr+, her2-, no nodes. I did get clear margins from my lumpectomy – but it took 3 tries. The nurses at the breast center were wonderful – and got me through my treatment with the same sort of things that you were told. I had an excellent prognosis – and I made it through with very few problems. My docs didn’t order and type of scans because they didn’t think I needed them. They were very confident that I was stage 1 and that I didn’t have to worry about any further progression. A year ago – I took comfort in that and didn’t think much about it. Now I can’t seem to stop wondering if I should request the scans just to make sure. I talked to my oncologist about my fears. Yes – my tumor was grade 1 – slow growing. That should be a good thing – but my thought process jumped to “well if it is slow growing – that means that it has been there a LONG time – which means maybe it had already spread to other places …”. Because I didn’t have the scans – every ache or pain I have makes me wonder if it has spread. He told me that these fears are very “normal”. Apparently the timing is normal as well. He told me that many people have this same anxiety as their anniversaries roll around. He tried to assure me that since I was very aggressive with my treatment – I didn’t have to worry about progression. I still wonder if I’ve done enough. I still have my ovaries – and recently I seem to be consumed with the fear of ovarian cancer. All of my doctors felt that having them removed was overkill – but I just don’t know. He did tell me to think about the scans – and if I want them – he’ll order them. I’m still on the fence on that one.

On a lighter note: When I walked into his office for my last visit – I had this wave of nausea come over me just from the memories of my chemo visits there. I told him about it and his comment made me laugh out loud: “Don’t feel bad – I’ve had women throw up when they see me at the mall.”

Sorry for the long post. I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone in these fears. I’m sure most of us have them even though we might be afraid to voice them – for reasons that I can’t explain.

So consider this a swift kick for both of us! We have some sisters on this board who have been through much worse than I can even imagine. I'm going to focus on the positive and try to realize that I am one of the 'lucky' ones.

Bless you all!

Leanne, gosh, so much on your plate. Good Luck, and enjoy your holiday. You have just made up my mind for me on the Zoladex. My onc really wants me to go onto it, but I have been refusing. Think I'll stick to my guns on this one...

I am going through the same recurrence fears. Saw my onc on Friday, and she insisted on Colonoscopy, Bone scan and CT Scan. Had the Colonoscopy yesterday. How weird. They give you drugs so that you can't remember anything. It worked so well, I can't remember being driven home afterwards or much of last night. This morning is also a blur. I dressed my son for summer, and it just started raining! I phoned his school and asked them to change him into something warmer. They must think I have lost it!

Anyway, all seems fine, but waiting for biopsy results. I am having nightmares of bugs crawling in my stomach. The other scans are on Tuesday. Seeing onc afterwards.

Feeling very emotional today. Maybe still a delayed reaction from the drugs. All I want to do is crawl into bed and sleep... Might just do that later...

So sad about Steve Irwin. His poor family! Like I said to my husband, he went doing what he loved, and was passionate about. Absolutely the best way to go. He probably did not even realise what happened. I wouldn't mind going that way. I'll probably be lying on a deck chair on the beach with a Jodi Picoult book and lots of chocolate wrappers around me, my son playing around me and DH fishing a few feet away. Now that is heaven to me....

Thanks. This has been a better week. I have been able to sleep at nights (I can't sleep and then I sleep - think that is menopause) so has helped me mentally and emotionally.

Greetings everyone. Yes, it's been a little over a year since all of this started...and I too worry. I just had my three month checkup yesterday and all the blood work was good. My onc uses markers to help monitor everything and doesn't really believe in scans unless something appears to be out of wack. I had a MRI a few months ago on my remaining breast and everything looked good. I wonder, however, how they can really check the chest wall where I had my mastectomy...I would think a chance for a reoccur would be greater there. Oh, well. I will have another bone density test in December, since I'm on Femara and will also have more blood work. Sleep is also and issue with me...but only because I have a year old dog who thinks it's breakfast time between 4:30 and 5 a.m.!!! lol!! Silly dog! Well, I need to grab a bite to eat and get back to work. I do feel a sense that I need to be doing more to help myself...diet and exercise wise...but it's hard! Talk soon. Janet