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

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited September 2015

    I'm in week 4 of Tamoxifen. I was already having hot flashes, so I can't blame it for that. Shifts in hormones make some people irritable and sad. So far, so good for me.

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  • GingerChi
    GingerChi Member Posts: 252
    edited September 2015

    Wow Susan, that had to be scary!

    Renee: sorry you're having pain from rads...hope that resolves fast without alot of skin breakdown!! Hope the new meds play nice together and you have a smooth transition.

    Oh gah, the hot flashes! I'm not on Tamoxifin, but will be on AI's soon. I can hardly wait. Hot flashes already wake me up through the night..I put a fan right on me, then I get cold. lol

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  • KBeee
    KBeee Member Posts: 5,109
    edited September 2015

    Ksusan, I had nausea with tamoxifen, but no dizziness. That episode sounds scary.

    Addie, I know you all know how panicked I was about eyebrows. Mine came baby this week. Today is the first day since May that I did not draw them

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  • mamajencoz
    mamajencoz Member Posts: 52
    edited September 2015

    eyebrows. .. so my hair is coming in nicely. . More grey than anything.. it seems this past week that my eyebrows and thinning! The brow hairs that held on though it all are jumping ship. I finally broke down and bought a pencil. . I hope i can stay in the lines a bit.. dont want to be looking like im asking a question all the time.. eyelashes are coming in thin...white.. and spriggy. No lashes on the bottom yet. 6 weeks post chemo..

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  • Jackbirdie
    Jackbirdie Member Posts: 4,693
    edited September 2015

    Kbee- cause for celebration indeed!

    KSusan- please pay attention to those symptoms...sounds scary.


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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited September 2015

    Thanks. Might have been getting up at just the wrong point in the melatonin cycle. Might be lingering ear junk or an otolith out of wack. If it happens again, I'll see a doc.

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  • Scarlett152
    Scarlett152 Member Posts: 175
    edited September 2015

    Ksusan, I had dizzy spells for a while after starting tamoxifen. They are less now, but still happen. Hope u feel better

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  • lovlilynne
    lovlilynne Member Posts: 405
    edited September 2015

    Thanks all for sharing about on-going neuropathy, I was going to post and ask if I should still be experiencing it, but Arlene answered for me. It's really been bugging me now - my feet especially. My toes and ball of my foot continue to be numb. It feels weird - when I rum my toes together, it's like I can't feel them, but I can and it's sandpapery? I don't know how else to describe it. My finger tips are ever so slightly better, but still numb and tingly to the touch.

    I find that my hands get numb when I sleep - this happens when I sleep on my side. It's not like when the circulation is cut off and you get pins and needles when the blood flow is restored, but I have to change position, and then the numbness goes away. I notice that my hands are sore - as if I had been doing repetative movement with them - I first noticed it when I was painting, and I thought it was from that, but it didn't go away, and it's in my left hand also, and I don't paint with that hand.

    When I first get up in the morning, I can barely walk. My feet are so numb and it hurts. My RO gives me grief every week about taking at least a 10 minute walk every day, but when I walk the numbness gets worse and I feel like I'm walking in cardboard boxes or wearing flippers.

    I don't know about you guys, but I think I've been given at least 10 copies of the article by Tara Parker-Pope on how cancer survivors who stay active live longer. I really do want to exercise regularly, but I know, from past experience, that the only time I can do it reliably every day is if I get up at 5 AM and exercise before work, kids, etc. My alarm goes off, but sleep is winning the battle over exercise these days.

    Lynne

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  • DizzParkMom
    DizzParkMom Member Posts: 316
    edited September 2015

    Got a promissing neuropathy treatment tip from naturapath yesterday. It's called sock hydrotherapy. You warm up your feet in foot bath. Put on icy or cold wet cotton socks and then put dry wool socks over the wet socks. Then, jump in bed and cover up completely. Blood will rush to the feet and the increased circulation is supposed to improve the neuropathy. I just started last night...we will see how things go after a few days. Figure it's worth a try. Nothing to lose at this point. Oh, and I might try it with my hand too.


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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited September 2015

    Thanks, Scarlett.

    Lynne, could you do 5 minutes of pedals (on your back, "bicycling" in the air)? I wonder if that would be more comfortable and help with circulation without adding pressure.

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  • greenae
    greenae Member Posts: 540
    edited September 2015

    Advice given to me Re: feet is to fill water bottles with water and freeze. I roll them under my feet before sleep, for about 45 minutes. It has helped a great deal. Heat makes it much worse for me. In the first couple of months after chemo, even showering made it act up. After I finished showering I would stand in Cold water for about 10 minutes, to stop the burning. Those first few months I tripped many times because I couldn' tell where my feet were. It has gotten so much better this past few weeks. My last Infusion of TC was May 38th. I hope yours improves Soon!

    Hugs!

    Arlene

    I also think returning to Spin class made a difference---the first class was pretty uncomfortable 2 weeks ago, but last night's was great

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  • KBeee
    KBeee Member Posts: 5,109
    edited September 2015

    Lynne, I developed carpal tunnel after Taxotere and it first showed itself with me having to shake my hands out when I slept because of numbness. Keep an eye on it. It was a quick surgery to fix it, but annoying nonetheless to haev more surgery.

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  • littleblueflowers
    littleblueflowers Member Posts: 2,000
    edited October 2015

    well, now my nails are starting to lift off. I'm so glad it waited 2 months to happen, because right after chemo was not emotionally prepared to deal with it.

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited October 2015

    Cutting my toenails is like making a drift of nail dust.

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  • KBeee
    KBeee Member Posts: 5,109
    edited October 2015

    Ack Jen, that's horrible! I hope new ones are already partially grown in.

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  • Addie29
    Addie29 Member Posts: 307
    edited October 2015

    Jenn you aren't alone some of mine are getting ready to fall off as well. Hang in there lady

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  • GingerChi
    GingerChi Member Posts: 252
    edited October 2015

    When does the crapfest end?? 2 months PFC and the nails start to go? AACK! I keep slathering tea tree oil on mine, so far so good, but sounds like I need to keep that up for months!

    Lynne, my neuropathy is better in the mornings and gets worse as the day goes on. It will be interesting to see what happens after next week when I'm DONE with Taxol, and no more steroids. On the days I'm on steroids, its very mild.

    Hang in there everybody...I'm sorry there's so much crap going around to be delt with right now. Sending cooling vibes to you girls dealing with rads!!!


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  • ThePrincess
    ThePrincess Member Posts: 424
    edited October 2015

    Ginger - yay for only one left!!

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  • GingerChi
    GingerChi Member Posts: 252
    edited October 2015

    Thanks Princess!!! I can see the end in sight now!!! :D

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  • littleblueflowers
    littleblueflowers Member Posts: 2,000
    edited October 2015

    Biggest spider I have ever seen in my life was in the exam room I use for changing at rads today. They are lucky I didn't notice it until I had my shirt on, or I would have run screaming out into the waiting room topless.

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited October 2015

    Damn it, Jen, you were supposed to let that radioactive spider bite you so you'd have superpowers! Including the superpower of not getting LE from a spider bite! You know your insurance doesn't cover the cost of the spider if you don't use it!

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  • Stephmoen
    Stephmoen Member Posts: 563
    edited October 2015

    haha littlebluflowers I'm the same with mice! Going on day 10 no final results from pathology I think I'm going to screa

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  • gkodad
    gkodad Member Posts: 188
    edited October 2015

    I miss a few days and Ksusan decides to post the picture of the month. I love the coconuts.

    I have some serious hair growing - Yahoo! Eyebrows and lashes are coming along nicely. My chest is bright red and itchy but so far that's the worst of it - RO says "it looks pretty normal for this stage....it heals." Two more regular treatments (today and tomorrow) then boosts next week and I'm done. For those afraid of rads - it's no fun, but compared to chemo, it's very doable. My underarm is tight and slightly swollen - it feels like I might have a small hamster caught in my armpit, but hey...comparatively speaking, that's not so bad.

    image


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  • DizzParkMom
    DizzParkMom Member Posts: 316
    edited October 2015

    Gingerchi, what day next week is your final infusion?

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  • Positive_spirit
    Positive_spirit Member Posts: 218
    edited October 2015

    So sorry that so many of you are dealing with such lousy stuff from SE to exam room problems to tough decisions! Ack!

    Tomorrow, I am going for a breast cancer retreat for the WHOLE weekend in the Berkshires. I have set up 6-7 people to rotate through in taking kids to swim class, getting them through weekend, feed them, and be with them until DH comes home from work at 9:30pm at night. Never done this before and am rarely away from kids (except for short conferences). Nervous. Argh... but this retreat is for healing. It's a gift to myself. I already had some awful "pink October" moments - requests for donations, pink ribbons, sigh... My 10 year son told me that he wants me to do what is good for me. My DH told me that I had to go and everything would be fine at home. And my 7 year old daughter cried and was later excited because my friend with take them to the Big E (fair).

    http://www.bjbbreastcancerretreats.org/

    Here we go....

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  • Jackbirdie
    Jackbirdie Member Posts: 4,693
    edited October 2015

    Positive- have a great time! I can't wait to hear what you take away from the retreat. That is so awesome!


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  • KBeee
    KBeee Member Posts: 5,109
    edited October 2015

    positive spirit, I hope it is a great retreat!!!!

    Ginger chi, we all need to collectively toast when you are done!

    GKO, awesome hair!!!

    Steph, I hope you call and pester them every day.

    Jen, spiders.......eeeeeeeek!!!

    I am not sure who invented Mepilex dressings, but that person is my new hero.

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  • littleblueflowers
    littleblueflowers Member Posts: 2,000
    edited October 2015

    Positive, the retreat sounds awesome. Don't be shy about sharing any new wisdom with us!

    Gko, I want your hair! How do you get it to lay down?

    Mepilex? Hmm...would it be good to protect radiation burned hide over a 10 hr shift of bushwhacking with a pack? Cause that starts Monday. Nervous. Not sure I can hang with my crew! Because, you know, cancer treatment. Yeesh. Come on body, make it up to me!

    Ksusan. Rats, I totally forgot to let it bite me. But since I'm the radioactive one, the spider probably would have gotten supernpowers, not me.

    Steph, that's total bullshit. Call them every hour. And maybe try to get your other Dr's to look up the results for you? I've had good luck with that. I got results from my RO on this last scare, because my BS doesn't give results on the phone.

    Oh god, my first social outing since cancer tomorrow. Yuck. I hate this.

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited October 2015

    Good point, Jen.

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  • Italychick
    Italychick Member Posts: 2,343
    edited October 2015

    littleblue, what answer would you expect from me except that a tiny bit of coconut oil makes my hair lay down lol?

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