April 2015 Chemo Crew... Starting in April? Please join us!

And I'll add cider vinegar to my list of self-care activities! So many things to see and do.

Day 3 yuck after A/C #2, same as #1.  But my mouth got really, really tender during the first round, so I expect the same this time.  I started swishing salt water and balking soda every time in the bathroom, biotene toothpaste and biotene dry mouth mouthwash, and biotene oral balance gel for dry mouth.  Supposedly dry mouth sets you up for mouth sores even when you aren't doing chemo.  That has always been an issue for me, and this morning my mouth feels like the inside of an old sock.    I'm now only eating soft food even when my mouth feels OK- last time toast really set off the tenderness with the scratchy bread.

I have a toothbrush sanitizer - I'm not sure my toothbrush is any more sanitary, but the heat makes the bristles really soft, which feels better on my gums. 

I'm going to add the cider vinegar to my list of "treatments" just in case I need it.     

Hi everyone! Just have to brag for a second....my brothers girlfriend put together a race for the Cure team in my honor called save second base. Somehow word got around my work and we had like 12 people join my team and turn out in the driving rain to support me. I am so humbled. What beautiful souls. My brother and I did the 5k together, walking, and then two blocks from the finish line we both tore our hats off and ran like hell for the finish line completely bald. People are so great. Love and hugs to you guys...hope everyone is feeling well this weekend!

A rainy, warm morning in Northern IL today. I managed to be well enough to participate in a 5K walk fundraiser for our local cancer center. My hubby very supportive by my side and I was able to do the entire walk. The exercise felt good. Pretty wiped out for the afternoon and took a good nap.  Hope all of you are managing and living fully, finding new hobbies outside of our latest hobby, big C, that we didn't join voluntarily. Happy Weekend!

I mostly grew up in the mid-Atlantic area in the 1960s-70s, then moved gradually north. I moved West for an internship and have been here ever since. I've had a few intersecting careers including writing, teaching, and counseling. I've taught grades 6 through graduate school and have taught full-time in higher ed for 15 years. I educate and train several different groups of students, including social service and substance abuse interventionists, counselors, and professionals. I hope to add medical professionals in the next few years as we expand our teaching collaborations. For about 9 years I've had the great opportunity to work in, and recently take students to, countries such as Cambodia, India, and the Dominican Republic (and to meet up there sometimes if they're already in country, including Vietnam). Since most of those are long flights to hot climates with lower medical care options, that's not happening this year. I'll see how I heal and recover and whether lymphedema is an immediate issue, and I'll start with shorter flights in the US and closer at hand.

I live with my partner of many years; we had our commitment ceremony before there were legal options and were married when that became possible. We have cats, an organic garden that will start yielding kale and arugula this week, and live near a hill that makes biking too much of a challenge but is great for stretching the legs on a walk. There are lots of options for healthy produce and restaurants with good allergen menus. My job has been supportive and accommodating, and my supervisor just reduced some of my administrative tasks for the next year without increasing my course load because he wants me to have good recovery time. Since I have type 2 diabetes, I will need to figure out my best post-treatment, tamoxifen-taking exercise and diet routine for the long haul, so it's wonderful to have that kind of advocacy at work. My students have also been terrific about not sweating the small stuff (at least up to midterms) and communicating with me well. I'm working on getting my summer classes all set up now since I'll be starting radiation and maybe tamoxifen at the same time. I couldn't possibly do this with work if I had kids or a parent I was caring for, or didn't have such a kind and capable partner.

My mother had a lumpectomy and radiation for a small tumor when she was 70. There's only one other relative who's had cancer, so this wasn't a diagnosis I had thought much about. On my annuaI mammogram, I was found to have new calcifications in the left breast (who knew I had ever had any? but most women over 50 do) that required additional imaging, and then a biopsy that showed grade 3 DCIS, hormone-negative, widely diffused, which meant a mastectomy and sentinel node biopsy. A contralateral breast MRI showed DCIS grade 1 plus a probable tumor plus an intermammary node plus maybe a lymph node that were affected, confirmed by biopsy. Nothing in the right showed on mammogram because I had dense tissue and it was pretty deep in the breast. So--bilateral mastectomy with SLNs on both sides, with one positive SLN on the right. As a colleague said, at least with bilateral I wouldn't just spin around in circles. I didn't opt for reconstruction and feel very good about that choice for myself. I can get prosthetics if I want them, though it's still hard enough for me to wear a shirt for more than a few hours and I can't imagine wearing a bra or something up against my chest. I also didn't get a wig and I've felt fine with my bare head or a cap/scarf. Big earrings, I'm telling you. I really don't think some of my neighbors have even noticed, although I was pretty damned stacked.

My surgeon heard some cardiac issues when I was in for a checkup last week. He wasn't concerned, but my MO had me do an ECG before my third TC this week (it was unremarkable) and I had an echocardiogram after the infusion and should have results back by mid-week. I feel fine. So far I'm having lower side effects in this round, other than fatigue. I took today off rather than grading exams, and ate more carbs than normal (thank you, steroids), and will go get slippers without a toe box for my sore big toe nails when I'm ready to drive myself around. The port (on the seat belt side) still hurts, especially after treatment, but soon I hope to be through with it and have it out. That will be a lovely day.

I wasn't able to concentrate enough to read from the biopsy in early January through beginning chemo in April. I'm happy to say that with lots of meditation and mindfulness, I now have the attention span to read again. Such a pleasure.

I've loved all the personal bios from everyone. You all amaze me, you've accomplished so much! It's very impressive. My life to date has been pretty ho hum. Sorry this is so long - hard to synopsize a life.

Family: I'm the fourth child of six children in my family, three girls and two boys. We are all still close. Except for the oldest, my brother, who lives in San Francisco, we all live within an hour of each other. My sisters and I vacation in ME every year for the past 21 years. My brothers and mother also come and stay. I had one living grandparent - my mother's mother, and she came to dinner almost every night. She was a big part of our life growing up. Tragically, my father died of a massive heart attack while running when he was just 57 years old and 15 days after I became engaged. My mother was only 56. I still miss him and wish he had been able to see us grow and meet his grandchildren.

School and Career: I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up, and money was not plentiful for college, so I went to Katharine Gibbs Secretarial school, which was like the "Harvard" of business school at the time. I got a job as an administrative assistant, first at a tech company, then a high-tech start up. If you've read the Steve Jobs book, this was the same time they were developing the Mac, and it was very much the same - work hard, play hard. It was one of the most fun and rewarding experiences of my life. I also started college at Northeastern University at night classes. In 1989, Hewlett-Packard bought the start up for which I had been working. It was such a different culture. I also got my Associates Degree in Business Administration. In 1993, HP "outsourced" my job, and I was a free agent. The best financial services company in the world hired me as a consultant, and then offered me a permanent job. On June 12 of this year, I will have my 20th anniversary with the company. I've been in multiple positions within technology, but primarily running/supporting IT products. I can't say I've always loved my job, but I like working, and I'm dedicated to it. I had continued to go to night school to get my Bachelors degree, but took a loooong break after baby #2. I *finally* went back in 2012, and I am happy to say that I completed my Bachelors Degree of Business Management Magna Cum Laude in 2014.

Travel & Entertainment: With money in my pocket from my first job and living at home, I realized a goal of mine to travel to Europe. My sister and I went to England, Paris, Venice, and Rome on "Frommer's Europe on $25 a Day". We had a wonderful trip, and I've been fortunate to return to England twice with my mother. My work has also sent me on several business trips, and on one of them to California, my friend and I extended it and biked around and went to wineries. When we came back, we started a wine tasting club with our friends that lasted for about 4 years. These years reminded me of being in college, but if you had money. We had good wine, champagne dinners, went on weekends to Nantucket - got very drunk and probably flirted too much. I still love to travel, but haven't done as much in the last decade or more due to family and job responsibilities. I also still love to "party" as in entertain – cook and bake and have friends and family over.

Love, Marriage, and Children: I met Chuck when I was 16 and he was 19. It was not love at first sight, but he was very persistent. We had a couple of break ups, but in the end he wore me down :-) He was/is an AVID bass fisherman. He would go fishing every day and all weekend days A LOT. As his mother would say, "you knew this when you married him" :-) We got married and bought a small starter home about 20 miles northwest of where we both grew up. Chuck is an electrician and had been employed as a contractor, but I got him a job at the same start up for which I worked as a building electrician, and he's done that ever since. After about five years, we started looking for a larger home, and bought one on the street where I grew up – just several houses away from where my mom still lived, and we are still there.

I always knew I wanted to be a mom, but I wasn't sure about starting a family with Chuck so involved with fishing. I finally decided that I would become a mom even if I would basically be a single mom. I had Russell in a completely drug-free birth. He's my "average" baby - everything was totally by the book with him. And, I'm happy to say that Chuck fell in love with him and has been a very hands on father. I was fortunate to find an awesome family daycare for Russell, and returned to work when he was 9 weeks old. I wanted to have another child, but with at least 3 years in between them. Unfortunately, I suffered from secondary infertility (could get pg, but not stay pg), but after over a year of heartbreak, got pg with Tess. Russell was 5 and going into kindergarten when she was born – also in drug-free birth. We also started an addition to convert our garage into a living space for my mother, and she moved in with us when Tess was a baby, and has lived with us ever since. Tess also went to the same daycare at 9 weeks, and by now I had become friends with the owner/caregiver, who was the same age as I. Her husband and Chuck also enjoyed each other's company, so we ended up becoming good friends, and they are like extended family to us now.

In January of 2005, I got a + pgy test – with my history of mc, I didn't think I would carry to term, but Gwen was born two days before her sister's 4^th birthday. Long story short about her – they found a cyst in her brain at my US, and she has PHACE association, but she's basically fine. My bf, Dawna, who is the daycare provider and my bff, was at Gwen's drug-free birth.

Russell turns 19 tomorrow! Tess is 13, and Gwen is 9. Although I worked full-time all through their childhood, they are my priority in life. I have been beyond thrilled to be a mom.

Hobbies & Interests: I love to read, and started a book club at work over 10 years ago. I like wine and wine tasting. I love the beach and one of my favorite things in life is sitting at the beach reading a book. I've always battled with my weight, and I found I liked aerobics in my early 20s. I like walking and biking now, and when I'm more fit I run, but I don't love it. I'm struggling now with boredom and lack of time for fitness.

Lynne

I hope everyone is having a nice and few SE kind of Sunday!!

AC#3 hit me the hardest so far....I just generally felt worse. But here I am at day 5 afterwards and am feeling muuuuch better. The nausea has been gone for a couple of days now. I had a couple of sores at the back of my throat, but they're gone too..I've been swishing Biotene and saltwater/soda. To be honest, none of it has been as hard as I thought so far. I'd heard horror stories and have had nothing nearly as bad, thank heaven!!

Enjoying hearing everyone's stories...here's a little of mine....

My family is from Alabama, but due to my dad's job, I grew up mostly in S. Illinois in the 60's and '70's. We moved back to AL just after high school graduation when my dad passed. I've been here since with the exception of when I was married. While in college, I met and married my future hubby who was in the Army, and traveled as an Army wife. We lived in Germany for a awhile. Have been divorced for many years now. I have a grown son..not married...who moved back in to help out during this crazy cancer/chemo ride. My mom passed 8 yrs ago...and I cant tell you how much I have missed her during all of this!! But I'm thankful for my son, and my other family and friends who have been an absolute Godsend!

Thanks Kbeeee! It's so good to hear of people like that! Your friend sounds awesome!

Hi guys. I have a comment and a question. I am taking CMF chemo. One of the "benefits" is that, while your hair thins, you don't lose all of it. About 18 days after my first infusion, I realized that if I were on any other regimen I would be shaving my head. It's incomprehendable to me--it must be totally devastating. My deepest respect to all of you.

My question is: did your MOs give you any "choice" of regimen or did s/he tell you what regimen you were to receive? It seems most folks are on TC or AC. I get 6 treatments (other CMF'ers receive 8), but they are not as harsh. Just curious as to why more folks aren't taking CMF. I realize it's an older regimen but, to my knowledge, just as effective (at least for early stage cancers).

Have a great week ahead!

My new look! I had it shaved today. So bizarre, I have never seen my bare scalp before!

All the brave bald heads look great! We are strong. My sunshine: any salon will shave it for you and they do it at no charge. At least I have never known them to charge. Just be careful about folliculitis, infected hair follicle. Most of us have had that experience, not fun. They recommend like a 2 or 3 for the blade, so that there is still some stubble and not a smooth scalp which can become irritated. Remember it will grow back. And it comes back thicker. In my case, I sure hope so. I have super fine hair kinda looking forward to thicker hair. Gotta' embrace the perks!