February 2014 Starting Chemo Club

Love, hugs, thoughts and prayers heading your way!!!!!

tangandchris although I do take a multivitamin, D, Calcium, biotin and a few other things it really is best to get your vitamins from food. Even my rhuematologist that treating my osteoporosis cut my calcium supplement down to only 600. She feels it's best to get it from food. The suppliment companies are making a fortune on stuff we just pee out.

Add more veggies to your diet especially green leafy ones. Should be about 1/2 your plate (and I'm not talking about potato or corn). But we all know the number 1 thing is exercise every day for at least 30 minutes.

Yes better than chips but both high in calorie. Cheese is such a dense food. I found if it's a somewhat firm cheese use a cheese slicer. It will seem like you are eating more than you really are.

I tend to snack on popcorn. I take loose popcorn and cover the bottom of a paper lunch bag. Fold the top a few times and tape it shut then put in microwave for about 2 minutes or till it stops popping. No salt, no butter, no nothing. Works for me.

lgoldie we all have our issues. Remember a triple negative remaining NED for 3 years has a much better chance of staying NED than any hormone positive. Hormone positive can recur 25 years later! So there is a bright side to triple negative. 

Your immune system had been challenged and it's going to take some time before it gets strong again. I rarely get sick but after chemo I got a bad case of shingles. Then another strange rash 3 months later. Then 3 months later the worst cold I ever had. I was coughing so badly and for weeks I was starting to worry about lung mets. (Expectorant finally cleared it up). All that and I didn't have rads just a year of herceptin instead. You just have to give your body time. 

You will get back to work. Remember no one's last words have ever been "I wish I worked one more day." Now go heal and keep up with that zofran. You will be back before you know it.

And if you want to call me go ahead. Just don't do it at some weird time in the middle of the night. Tomorrow I will be in and out. It's the Chicago Marathon and one of our ladies from the Illinois ladies thread is running again this year. I need to be out there with my sign to cheer her on as well as Imerman's Angels team.

jbokland your body has been through a lot. Remember it takes a bit of time for your body to get its resistance back. You may catch colds a bit more easily, etc. I got shingles 4 months PFC (and I didn't have rads or adriamycin). I had just turned 50 a few months before. Bit young to get shingles.

Hello! So nice to read of those that are feeling better and trying to make the most out of everyday

I'm getting there too, and I never thought I'd really believe but I do think walking helps. I'm walking dd to school in the morning and I'm feeling better mentally and physically. The other day when I was walking, I lifted my head up to the sun and it felt so good. I was thinking that it was only 4-5 months ago that I was in the throws of chemo-land and that I thought it would never get better. I felt so grateful and thankful to God to have that feeling. I'm still having ups and downs, and I suspect I will for awhile...but I get more and more glimpses of light and it feels good.

Hello ladies,

Very refreshing posts. Still in the midst if rads here. I was feeling better then had my surgery and now rads so I'm on a downward swing. I know it's temporary but it's still mentally and physically exhausting for me. I'm glad to see the light by reading your posts!!

Xoxo

Julie

My hysterectomy went well, and the doctor said he looked around while he was in there and saw nothing unusual.  (smile) and sent everything to pathology.  I had more extreme nausea/sickness than I have had with any of my other surgeries, but a few shots of phenergran (sp) and we were on the road going home.  I pick up my new prosthetics next week.  Went from a 34G aka 36DDD to a B!  And I was videotaped during a 'paint a butterfly' event where the art work is being auctioned as a fundraiser, and because of my part in the video, they have asked me to do the 'ask.'  I have not seen the video yet, so will see it for the first time next Saturday.  I plan to get the port out in November.  Love you all for being my isisters through this ordeal.

I so wanted to be a C. I went from a barely  34B (could only wear Olga and Calvin Klein Bras) to a 24D! Never say "a little bigger" to your male PS. A man's idea of a little bigger is different than a woman's. He said I would be a large B small C. No more Ogla's and Calvin's for me.

I get very nauseous with surgeries. If they can remove the gas it helps. Also the pain killers also make me nauseous. I was a mess after my BMX. Not quite as bad after exchange but still nauseous. 3rd surgery the anesthesiologist got it right. I felt fine afterwards. You need to tell them you have the issue. And that stupid motion patch isn't the solution.

I did not do lat flap. I didn't have radiation. exchange was 3 hours

So not mets right! This is a good thing. Keep us posted regarding the neurologist

thinking of you gator girl! ((hugs))

MO took me off of tamoxifin for a week. I started having bad dizzy/vertigo Monday, headaches, naseau and ringing in my ears. She said to stop for a week to see if it stops. I've only been on it a month and up till this point I haven't had any se's. How are ya'll doing on your hormone therapy?

jbokland "steriod" might be the reason why so many of us do better on Aromasin than the other AIs. I believe it has a bit in it. 

Macintx,  I was basically on the same treatment schedule as yours, minus the Tamoxifen, but I lost my eyelashes twice too.  I also had more eyebrow loss after Taxol was done.  Lost the eyelashes for the second time then too.  Brows came back first, probably because I put Rapid Lash on them twice a day.  I have continuing watery eyes from clogged tear ducts (started 3 weeks post Taxol), so I don't put anything on my lashes - some use Latisse.  However, lashes are back to 80% growth.  They will grow back!