Starting Chemo January 2015

Thank you so much Cheryl! And Congrats on the new job and love that it all worked out in your favor! I will let you know how the "talk" tomorrow morning goes with my powers that be; it's sad really as in the beginning it was "Whatever you need, we are here for you. Work from home whatever it takes for you to get better"; that did not hold true at all.

I did see your picture and your hair sticking straight up and I think it's AWESOME!!!! I can't wait to be able to work out again and be ME again! I take biotin every day and have since day 1 of All of this; none of my nails have lifted from the Taxol (knock on wood) and I love my peachfuzz; it gives me hope!

And you're so right; we're tougher than any cowboy, and that statement just showed their ignorance and selfishness; funny how people's true colors come out when one is faced with something like this. Everything happens for a reason I suppose; even if we don't understand it at the time.

I will PM you on my radiation questions; thank you so much!

Have a great day!! So happy to hear you are doing so well; I Love It!!

Lara

Brandi- glad you like the results and you are improving! Sorry you have that hematoma, guessing its from the skin they took from the abdomen. You had a big surgery!! I am hoping you feel better everyday. The chemo SE are still lingering too I think. Thank you for letting us know!

Lara- hugs and strength to finish Taxol! You ladies with the AC & Taxol have had to be so strong and deal with SE for months. I was triple positive so went the TCHP route. Only 2.5 months total. The. Herceptin I continue until Jan is not considered chemo and SE not bad. I am sorry to hear about pressure at work. They have no idea of the pain, fatigue and nausea we feel during chemo and surgery too! I had to give my job up.

Stay Strong!!

PMR53

PMR and Sweethope...Update after the meeting; it was actaully quite positive and supportive and ended on a great note. No need to send the Peachfuzz Sisters Posse to have my back!

Love & Hugs!!

Lara

PMR; me too!! I was nervous but was just reassured about how blessed I am to have people in my life that even if they don't truly understand what I am going through; they will support me through it.

You'll have to post a pic after you color it!! How exciting! It's the little things in life!!

Lara

Brandi – so happy things are improving a bit for you.It's great you got time to spend with your Mom and continue to get better.

Lara- What a relief that the meeting about your job went well. No one needs additional stress when they are dealing with this cancer crap that's for sure.

Mommacat4 –I just wanted to let you know that I have also had slight pain from the lymph node removal site since surgery so I don't believe there is cancer there at all. It's a very tender area I think.Unfortunately, that's the area that took the greatest hit from radiation too. You should mention it to your MO anyway when you discuss your options concerning chemo.I am still dealing with neuropathy issues in my feet and I am now 10 weeks PFC.Wishing you the best with that!

TeriMP – That's an awesome tip about the sunscreen and your hat!!That would have so happened to me for sure too (that is if I could stand the heat in the first place).Who would have thought of that before BC!!Geez!!Sorry it happened but thanks for sharing with us. I am hoping that we are just adjusting to the tamoxifen but it is still working hard.Some of those early hot flashes made me almost crazy!!

PMR53 – I'm going to have to color my hair too!It is coming in mostly white.Let us know how that goes!!Did someone say 14 PFC is the timeline for that?

Jlstacey - A trip to recharge sounds wonderful!I hope you are able to de-stress and rebuild some strength then.I still have a lot of issues with my stomach too.I'm not sure anymore if it is a chemo or now a Tamoxifen SE.It does feel like a brick!!I'm hoping I can get this under some better control now that radiation is finished.I need to focus now on diet and exercise as I have a lot of weight to lose.

I am pretty limited right now though as that ulcerated area under my arm makes it very hard to do things. I get anxious about the weight and lack of strength but I will just wait to it is manageable to do and then hopefully go at it with gusto!That's the plan anyway!!

all a great day!

Wendy

Hi everyone,

I have read all your posts and I'm sorry that so many of you still struggle with all kinds of SEs from chemo, surgerie or radiation. Docters always seem to minimize them.

I'm just back from my ridingtrail, which was great. It was good to be away for a week and think of other things than BC. If you like to see some pictures: https://plus.google.com/photos/1089160301725135645...

Just got my last Taxotere this monday! So chemo is done, which makes me feel happy, although I'm pretty tired now.

Noor

Beachbum, Wish we had a Y close by. Before dx I lived pretty much in the indoor pool at a nearby club. Hope to get back there after rads. Our cancer center has yoga and zumba classes weekly. My knees won't let me do either.

Noor, the photos of your journey are beautiful. What a unique trip!

Noor - CONGRATULATIONS on finishing chemo. I am in awe of your ability to take the trail ride. It is nice to forget about BC for a while for sure. The pictures are beautiful!

Suladog - So sorry to hear that you have had to go through this twice. It's great you are doing relatively well - working and running. Hopefully keeping your hair helped with your recovery. I hear you on the port issue! I hated mine and the day it was taken out was the best day for me since this started.

Beachbum - thanks for the suggestion! As soon as I get over my radiation treatment, I am going to start working out. May need to start gradually at home at first as I can't believe how much more out of shape I have become. Yikes!

Suladog, What a punch in the stomach, to find out after 25 years that you have another BC in the other breast! Are the SE's from Herceptin or left over from Taxol? Very inspiring that you are working and running.

Beachbum, I really don't have a good excuse for not going to yoga. The wellness center is within walking distance! I just keep telling myself to wait 'til Rads are over. I wake up exhausted! I drag myself to the couch and get on my iPad 'til I need to get ready for Rads. Once home, I take a nap, watch TV, then go to bed. What a waste of life!

I was a military wife, raised five kids, while working full time plus I did volunteer work and shuffled those kids to karate, swimming, ROTC, dance, play practice, soccer, football, track and field, and cooked large dinners each night. Boy I sure miss that, but glad I didn't get BC back then, there was no time for it!

Can I blame my sweet family because they are spoiling me rotten? I haven't had to do any housework or cooking since last November. So now I'm soft and fat. But, I promise, in July I will get serious about getting fit.

Can they do those injections in your knees? I'm sure you won't mind being poked with needles again ;0)

Wendy- I am coloring my hair (what there is) at 14 weeks PFC because I am going to Maui and that way I can take my wig off and just wear a hat! No time line really. My folks bought us tickets for my birthday and because this has been a terrible horrible year. I went to SO and my lumpectomy is healing up fine. She said see you on the other side of Summer! I will get MX then. No Rads.

Suladog- I know the feeling. Getting BC a 2nd time is a punch in the stomach and shocking. We will get through it. I finish Herceptin in January also. I will start an AI soon.

BeachBum and Sweethope- you ladies have through hell. Be gentle on yourselves and start slowly. Your poor bodies took a beating. I know mine has. I had to start walking to the end of the block and then finally able to go all the way around. I get the summer off per Doctor and then instead of Uni I am thinking Bilateral. My chances are better of not getting reoccurrence in the left. I am not sure what my choices are for reconstruction as I had rads on left 2006. The tissues are damaged I guess.

I am taking the weekend off from BC. Lol and going to the lake.

Hugs to all!

PMR53

Beachbum and SweetHope, you both have been through hell and back. Don't let the exercise issue get you down. You will come out of it great. I know with all the inner strength you both have you definitely have the ability to bounce back once you are fully able to exercise properly. I also hate the weight issue and the fact that I can't lose or gain any weight until after all my rads are finished. They were very specific about that because I have already been measured but haven't started rads yet. I am not satisfied with my weight either. That the reason I haven't posted any pictures of me.

I have a Y just up the street from me. I will check into that exercise program once my rads are done or close to being done.

Noor46, congrats on finishing and the pictures of your trip are wonderful. Thank you for sharing.

Suladog, I am sorry you have to go through this again. That's one thing I fear but I guess I should just live my life and cross that bridge when I come to it. If it never happens again in my lifetime I have no regrets right? I wish you the best of luck and I am praying for you.

Pmr53, that's a great gift. Take full advantage of it. And enjoy the lake.

How are the rest of the ladies doing? Brandi, tennisfan, cherylfg, please forgive me if I failed to mention any other ladies.

Bonsoir lovely ladies, and thanks to Cat for asking how am I doing :0)

Well, I think chemo is finally catching up with me, so I've had to sit to catch my breath during tennis, and also realised through reading some of your posts that I may have been experiencing more SEs than I thought: I've been trying to get rid of a frog in my throat for weeks, also am experiencing the bloody nose in the morning, etc. I just did not know those were common SEs until I went on a website to check Taxol SEs and a bunch of things above-mentioned were listed. Oh well. Four more to go, so what may not kill you...

One interesting thing I wanted to report is that I was asked to see a lymphoedema physio for prevention. I thought it was quite nice of the rads doctor to have the physio call me for an appointment (I've had nothing but a fabulous experience with my medical team so far).

So it turns out that albeit I have absolutely no symptoms and no other apparent issues, the physio suggested strongly that I wear a "light" compression arm and gauntlet for sports, anything requiring effort from my arm (raking, carrying boxes, etc.), and also for taking planes. She listened to all my medical history in great details, measured my arm and will be seeing me every three months first and every six months after a while. She made me remove my watch from my left wrist and also asked that I do not wear any rings on the left hand. Has anyone had such drastic advice given to them too, as a preventstive measure??? I am waiting for a custom fit compression arm, and said that when I do any new sport, for example jogging, I need to take it up very slowly. Weirdly enough I want to resume boxing/kickboxing (with no sparring, just the exercise lol) in the fall and that is allowed, but no burpees, no chest presses, no push ups, no downward dog yoga position... Only very light weightlifting. I understand that just as with PS, there are various approaches to preventing lymphoedema but I am finding all this a bit... Restrictive? I will nevertheless follow those new rules but am curious to what have you ladies been told? I was seriously considering finding a crossfit gym so I guess that will have to wait :0(

Also, many thanks to Beachbum or PMR3 (of course I cannot remember now) for talking about IMRT. I think it is standard in my hospital but I will nevertheless enquire to see if this is what the plan is for me (I think it is because it requires a lot of prep and that's what they have hinted to, plus my rads MD is an IMRT specialist). I had no idea about this type of trestment before it was mentioned here so I am very grateful.

Other than that, I am prepping for a big end of chemo bash on July 11 (I think there will be over 40 people at my house!). Rest assured, it will not infolve much from me as I tend to think that I am "normal" but I do realise I still have limits and i get tired easier now. So the next day I am off to a cottage with my family by a lake for a whole week off, doing literally nothing. NADA. It's in the woods with no one around so we can only swim in the lake, talk,read, eat and sleep. Can't wait as I haven't taken any week long vacation since my BMX in th fall and that was no vacation lol.

I have also started shopping around to take advantage of summer sales to buy a few things for my new condo, mostly a new couch and a washer and dryer set. I am only moving in by September but it's fun to look around for options.

So all in all between weekly chemo, rads in august and moving in september, I am really torn: I want the chemo and rads weeks to be over with soon, I want to move in and decorate my new home, and at the same time I want the summer to go slowly... So I am really trying to take it one day at a time, but as I am one of those hyperactive people (no coffee for me lol) it's hard to stay in one place and not to plan too much ahead of time.

Speaking of planning, I did book a 10-day vacation with my family in Mexico in the new year, especially to spend quality time with my mom while she is still fit and can still travel.

I keep repeating to my family and friends how lie is beautiful despite this thing. One of my goals during this ordeal was to be a great role model for others. A week ago my best friend called me to let me know she's been diagnosed. We always do similar things, six months apart. We're starting to think we have a weird karma together... But the positive is that she is not as scared and uninformedas i was at the onset, and she is going into lumpectomy surgery barely three weeks sfter diagnosis, can you believe?!?!? I am so happy for her as I had to wait three months, so I am hoping that going in fast will save her from at least the chemo part!!!

Bon, I first thought as always that I have nothing to say and ended up (again) writing you a novel.

Have a good week, ladies - there is not one day when I don't think about you, and about the fact that we are slowly but surely coming across the finish line :0))). I still have to take herceptin IV until next april, but 30 minutes every three weeks is really not chemo to me!

A bientôt,

Marjo aka Tennisfan

Hello All,

Noor; what beautiful pictures!! What peace that ride must have given you. I miss riding and my horses and pray to get back to riding soon. What breed horses are those? I would guess Belgium, warm blood type breed? Thank you for sharing those with all of us. And Congrats!!!!

Tennisfan, we are on the same path and time line; I have 3 more Taxol/Herceptin; then 5 weeks of RADS. I don't know when I will start RADS however I am praying that the medical team in Flower Mound is as great as my crew in Plano. I am scared to death of the Lymphodema as I had 16 nodes removed on the left side during my double mastectomy. I still don't have allot of feeling on that side.

Thank you, all of you, for your words of encouragement, support, understanding and being the amazing ladies you are!! I think of you daily and pray for you all as we go through our fights and battles.

I am exhausted, today, Mondays, are my toughest days after Taxol; achy, so tired I can't move, the bottom of my feet hurt so bad and sometimes feel they are on fire; mouth and throat sores as well as the dry bloody nose. I'm so tired of being sick and tired!! Only 3 More To Go!! Thank God!!!

Suladog; I am so sorry you are having to go through this again 25 years later, I can't even imagine. You are in my prayers! I am thinking treatment has advanced in 25 years which is wonderful for all of us; and will hopefully continue to advance to wipe this out.

Sweethope; thank you for all the great information and knowledge and suggestions; I have learned so much from you!

jlstacy, mammacat, PMR, brandie and anyone else I missed, I apologize as my brain is not what it used to be! But you are all in my thoughts and prayers.

Have a great evening,

Lara

Lara, the horses are friesians, from the north of Holland. I usely ride an arabian horse, but since I have been riding much less the past 6 months, I chose a friesian, because the are much calmer. My DH and I organise ridingtrails for a living. So this week was partly vacation, but also a bit of work.

I came to America several times, but never have been able to ride a horse when I visited. Would love to ride a quarterhorse again.

Sweethope, you always have plenty of good advise. The thing that surprises me is that a lot of you ladies get ALND + rads on the axilla even in lower stages than stage III. In Europe this is not standard, most people get either ALND or rads. Having both raises the risk of LE a lot.

Tennisfan, good to hear from you again. I'm very impressed that after all treatment you still can play a tennis game. Take good care of your arm because you don't want to develop LE!

Noor