Starting Chemo March 2015

Jackbirdie, you look great! And a smile to go with it. I always try to put on make up to make me feel better. Just adds a little color to perk me up. Earrings do ward off evil, no voodoo doll needed! I have been making jewelry to pass the time, and I love it. Keeps me busy I guess.

I'd buy that book, Bekah. Just sayin.

Katy, looking GOOD, girlfriend! I'll have to get tips from you on the eyebrows, being that my beauty-whatever-it-is isn't until May. So far, my hair's still hanging in there, but I expect to look ghastly. I mean, I'm hitting the SE mega woot lotto and that can't last, what're the odds, so I figure I'm going to be pulling a Karen-on-crystal-meth look rapidly. Rainbow dreds. That's what I need to be looking for. If I'm going to look like hell, I might as well own it, am I right or am I right?

I love all the pictures. I will try to post some but there won't be any lovely natures shots from Illinois. lol.

Katy, I wasn't having trouble getting them to upload from my computer but getting the photos to load from my phone onto my computer. Maybe I will just email them to myself. I just can't get the cloud figured out yet.

Still feeling jittery and having a little trouble keeping up with the posts but trying to hang in there.

I haven't ordered it yet (some of my royalty $ is supposed to drop into my bank account tomorrow), but I'm looking at this one: https://www.etsy.com/listing/159035852/purple-lila.... Totally too young for me. Totally do not care. i'm looking at a brown one with pink highlights too, LOL. In my defense, I've also got a perfectly respectable hat, halo wig, shampoo & forms and a head scarf in my cart at TLC.

Ooh! I need a sombrero!

My daughter has ordered cosplay costume pieces from etsy before, including wigs. Actually, I've ordered author swag for contest prizes from etsy before, now that I think of it. Convenient when you want customized items, but don't want or need a thousand of them.

Floating at Harper Falls, NC last July 2014 while camping with my daughter "on the road." So peaceful

sorry everyone, going on 48 hours no sleep, and can't make much sense out of anything, so I won't try. Having a few small issues not worth mentioning. I'm going to dump the medicine cabinet down my gullet tonight, with docs permission, because i am at high risk for manic episode, not to mention infection with low baby whites.

I'm sure I'll be better tomorrow.

Everyone have a pleasant sleep and shopping free night.

Xoxo. Love you all.

mysunshine48, the only anti nausea drug that I might be getting differently is one called Aloxi in my chemo transfusion. I don't know if it is making the difference for me, but I am taking no anti nausea meds and I have no nausea. Wouldn't hurt to ask when you get to that point. I consulted with four oncologists, and I went with the one that said to me she wouldn't recommend a course of treatment unless it was warranted, because her first job is "do no harm." Plus she spoke with me about Adriamycin vs. Taxotere, and other options, and presented a strong case for my chemo regimen. She also consulted with UCLA and USC about my case. Other doctors were much more gloom and doom. My oncologist has a straight up tell me no lies approach, and I needed that factual context.

I got my power port in my right jugular because my lumpectomy was in my left side. It hurt for a day and then I forgot about it, other than to scare myself running my hand over it thinking its was another lump. I believe a couple of women on this forum have a port in their arm, so they can speak to that. By the time chemo came around, my poor right arm had been stabbed so many times I knew I was going to look like a junkie. Plus I will have Herceptin infusions for a year, one every three weeks. I am really glad I got the port since my arms are free during chemo treatments, and so far mine have taken 6 or 7 hours. It will really depend on how many chemo infusions you will need I think. I am doing six rounds, plus all the Herceptin treatments, and blood draws the week after the Neulasta shot. So I would be getting a lot of stabs all in my right arm.

Interview several oncologists. You will know when you find the right one.

Stay as strong as you can. I am working out (rode 110 miles last week, walked ten miles), working full time, and spending quality time with my grandkids. I can only think that my strong physical health before diagnosis is helping me get through this process with minimal side effects. I ice during chemo transfusions, feet and mouth. My mouth pain is nothing and I am using normal toothpaste. I also do magnesium bath soaks for 20 minutes for four or five days after chemo. I also take lots of potassium and magnesium because chemo depletes these substances. I cut out all other supplements the week around chemo because I don't want anything to interfere and I hope I never have to do this again. I do that because I'm not sure about antioxidants and their ability to interfere with chemo.

If you want any more information, I can share with you anything I do. I'm not saying that what I am doing will work for everybody, but so far I have only taken Claritin for the Neulasta shot and the steroids, and I have no pain, nausea, etc. I don't even have to take Advil.

Stay strong. You can get through this!

But I am almost bald,lol!

Theresa..I'm going to increase my magnesium, look into soaks and start taking potassium. Pre chemo I ate at least two bananas per day and often a couple different berries just for breakfast with cereal! Now, to be honest I eat very little. I force myself to eat three small times per day which isn't enough but I have no appetite and even when something tastes good I can't think too much about it or I'll get nauseous. The diarrhea comes if I miss a dose of Imodium. Thanks for your always helpful insight. . I think we're getting the same regime except I get Perjeta too.

Sharon your horse and her cat are beautiful! She has a TB looking head but can't see her body?? I still have one old grey Arab mare who was a rescue. She's very sweet but can't ride her any more. When the farm my DH works for sold off most of the land and barns I had to get rid of my young horse. He was a bay TB and a beautiful mover. I miss riding so much but had to stop when I started having multiple spine issues in2012' some day again......Thanks for sharing the pics

Katy I feel so guilty downplaying the seriousness of manic episodes. I'm a MH professiona so l I know better. Please get back on track. We love you and you're witty and creative without being manic you've helped me personally nd I appreciate it so much. I do love your headboard

Hope everyone else is sleeping like babies! Diane

What I'd like to do with the top of my head, ha! Horses center me. Thanks for reminding me Theresa!

Katy, I'm envying your bed right now. Just, yanno, don't tempt me? LOL. we've replaced everything else to buy what we genuinely wanted over the years, but we're still using the bedroom furniture we inherited from my husband's parents after we married 20+ years ago. Unfortunately for me, I owe the IRS tons o' money so no major purchases until taxes are paid and my med bills are caught up. Sucks to be me!

LOVE the horse pictures! Scare me to bits because they're so big, but beautiful, beautiful creatures!

Shepherdstown...Trying to think how far that is from me, but my brain hasn't woken up yet. About an hour and a half east and a little south? We're close to the Great Allegheny Passage, up higher in the mountains. If you're a hiker, couldn't pick a lovelier spot between the Passage, C&O canal, and Rocky Gap's trails, not to mention private trails like ours. Scenery's just gorgeous and the hills give you a workout too!

Hm, how did I know my MO was good? I asked several BC survivor friends. Same with my general surgeon (for the port) and my breast surgeon. Checked physician reviews online too, if I remember right. But I had to be fast, since my BC was so freaking quick. Nightmarish quick. I knew I was racing the clock and had to have my team in place, pronto. I burned up the phone lines talking to people about about such-and-such and so-and-so in WV, MD, and PA all three. The perk about living in the boonies -- I needed to drive 1.5-2.5 hours for a breast surgeon, no matter where I went. Which surgeon I used was just a matter of picking which direction. I had my choice of the best in 3 different states, LOL. Luckily, the most highly recommended MO was less than half an hour away.

Lovemylab, I think under profile, you have to click the button that says you agree to have your dx and sig info public rather than private to get it to show up? Pretty sure that's how I did it. I wouldn't let anyone pressure you about work, though. I'm still working...but I work from home, self-employed. Makes that much, much easier. I'm slower, mostly because the fatigue wears mightily at how mentally sharp I am (still not blaming chemo brain yet), but working vs. not working is a matter of what is comfortable for you and what YOU need. My writing mentor told me that and he was right. I'm working because I want to, because it gives me a creative outlet and is both challenging and fulfilling to me...and I owe the IRS great pots of $$ so that new release happy money dance will be quite well-timed, I must say. Stupid estimated taxes. Stupid math. LOL. Still, if I haven't felt up to pushing the new book faster through production, we could have and would have found another way. If you want that LOA and can afford it, don't let anyone dissuade you. This fight is all about YOU and what works for YOU. Not anyone else.

My port...There was never any question about my getting one. I blew several veins during dx and staging tests alone. Both of my arms, wrists, and hands were all marked up terribly. If you look closely, you can still see where the bruise from the last blown vein was -- it was that bad. I was so relieved to get my port, you just can't know!

Arlene, one of my friends from back in grade school became a pharmacists and a BC survivor herself last year. She's been mentoring me through SEs with insider tips, so I could get ahead of SEs before they took me down. If I remember right, she said that one of the possible SEs of zofran was headaches. My MO gave me both zofran and compazine, said to try the z first and if that didn't float my boat (or stay on top of nausea) to either add or switch to the comp. I noticed headaches during my first round, but very minor so stuck with the z (only) because it was working fabulously. This time, so far, no headache. Maybe I was just being a nervy nutter first round, who knows, but your z could be your headache culprit.

thanks everyone! I think I got it fixed! I told my MO THIS is my job now. My real job is pulm RN and those patients can have some nasty infections. My PCP said no way should I be there! So glad I listened to her.