Starting Chemo February 2015

hello all. Have been busy doing all kinds of things. Check out casting for recovery of CFR which is a group that was started to help breast cancer survivors cope. It's a weekend free of worries and it is all over the country, so check it out, it originated in Vermont and we have 2 trips in nj so I put in for it and was accepted. Learned to fly fish and had a wonderful time. Lots of healing going on.

On another note, I do get fatigued so I do nap when I am tired, dr says the body needs rebuilding and sometimes I nap for 2-3 hours. Guess I really do need it. On the ARimidex for now, and have 8 more treatments of herceptin antibody, but feel pretty good, nails growing, hair growing, doing yoga and walking to build my strength. What else are others doing? Still have a pretty good appetite, might be the ARimidex?

Chloe's what is cording? I have a fairly large seroma from surgery that has been hardening, I am seeing a lymphadema pt specialist who is trying to work it out. My MO does not want me to have surgery to remove it because of the herceptin antibody preventing healing. So hoping this works out, 14 by15 cm mass on right side where drainage was taking forever. Have you tried the clariton for joint pain and stiffness, it seems to help me along with some yoga.

Hi everyone!

I'm sorry to hear that some of you are having SE's and complications. I feel essentially 'normal' now, or as normal as I ever did. Still getting warm flashes from the Tamoxifen but sleeping through most of them, and tiredness and scatterbrain syndrome I have to admit are no more than before. I am back to work flying, typically working 12+ hours a day, but have been able to keep up so far. Next week I go in for my annual mammogram. It's hard to believe what a crazy year it's been. Last Thanksgiving I was squeezing in one quick trip to the Mammo center before heading off to work, couldn't possibly be anything serious... I'm a little nervous, I think it's normal to sweat these tests now given what we've been through. Still, I don't feel anything, and I have always been the Queen of Denial. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you, I am grateful to have had you with me this last year.

Hi all. cancerversary is Nov 21 for me. I too am grateful to be alive. Definitely reassessing where I am and what I want to do with whatever time I have left. It sure as hell isn't working everyday but we aren't rich either so still figuring it out. Overall i feel really great. I'm on tomoxifen and a clinical phase 3 trial for Affinitor to see if it prevents high risk reoccurrence. I did get the real pill but So far I'm managing both drugs well. I may have to delay the exchange surgery tho because Affinitor does two things one is prevent tumors from Growing their own blood supply and the other is preventing cancer cells from multiplying by breaking the chain. During exchange surgery they would do a fat grafting which needs to form a blood supply to survive. We are asking if being on Affinitor would affect the blood supply to the fat. I'll be on affinitor for a year. I may have to wait til after the trial.

On another note I'm ready to start giving back and thinking about volunteering. I asked my Dr if I could help at the chemo center and they are checking if I can. Is anyone else volunteering and if so how?

I still am grateful to all of you in this chemo forum for helping me get through chemo. I was scared witless and your sharing helped me immensely.

Here's wishing for all our good health!

just catching up on this thread. Kind of relieved to see I'm not the only one achy and fatigued. I'm impatient and discouraged with my recovery. I was a healthy 40 year old. This sucks. I hurt so much and rest a lot.

ewr717. Looking great! My hair is growing lots too. About 3" long in some areas. Color is all back to normal.. It's so soft and slightly curly. It's been a long year!

Hi All,

I've been absent from here for so long, not sure why. Reading your recent posts has brought a nice warm feeling although I feel a little selfish now, and wish I'd been more present. You've all been so great.

Last few weeks have been difficult - I did a preventive removal of the other breast with reconstruction in November and a couple of weeks later something went wrong and I had to go back in and have it all restitched. So back to square one on recovery from that - such a pain, as apart from the constant joint pain I was doing fine, working, driving, exercising moderately etc. Then on Christmas day I managed to fall and pulled the ligaments in my foot, so am now in a cast for a week, then a boot. Aaghghgh! Don't need this!!

Have recently (last week) switched from Arimidex to Tamoxifen (Nolvadex D) as the oncologist finally admitted that the joint pain was an acknowledged AWFUL SE and supposedly I'm not supposed to suffer! Too early to tell whether there is any difference, and now with the bad foot I can't really walk anyway! But here's hoping.

I'm so happy with my hair, which I keep very short and have left grey. Such a relief not to dye it all the time and at 59, I don't mind admitting that I'm grey! I've cut it at least three times and now it seems to be growing in less curly and softer. (Photo taken early November when I was probably at my best, since chemo).

I hope you've all managed to enjoy the holidays/Christmas and that the new year will be millions of times better for us all. xx

Hello ladies! I'm back to working full time and running around doing all the "mom stuff" I used to do. My hair is back, albeit a bit shaggy. I just can't bear to cut it yet. Besides the physical and emotional scars, I've had a rough time on Lupron and Arimidex the past few months. The joint and muscle pain has been severe at times. I keep moving as it is the one thing that seems to help. I get my 10,000 steps in every day. I've been having severe pain in my pelvis/tailbone and my doc sent me for an MRI. The script said to "rule out mets" which really freaked me out. Thank God "just" slipped disc, arthritis, pinched nerve. My sister, just 45, passed away from breast cancer 3 weeks ago, so I feel like I will always be looking over my shoulder. I try to use the fear as a positive motivator, not taking things for granted.

I wish I had more time to spend on BC.org. I miss the comradery here and will always be so grateful for this board.

Hi ladies. so good to hear from you. I too am healing. Ya. I have aches and pains and energy isn't what it used to be. Overall feel grewat. Im still have trouble with the emotional scars. Getting better but I still have moments or times at night when I wake up in a panic attack about having BC (never had them before). I hear the ladies on the 10/yr success stories thread and I don't know if it will be my turn ever to post on that thread. This year has flown by and I'm so grateful to be here. I'm living life like no tomorrow. .A big thank you to all the chemo sisters. Couldn't have made it thru emotionally without all of you. Love to all.

hi gals, just cut the hair, toooo many curls for me got shaggy too, i had t switch A1 because of side effects, very bad insomnia and neuropathy. I had terrible withdrawls from going off anastrozole, fever, chills headache, sweats, my primaryand MO could not tell me if it was related to the drug, until i went back on letrozole(femara) and after 5 days they figure it was reaction my body had. So been on letrozole now for about 22 days and so far so good. Still have my seroma, but get that drained periodocally. So coming up on 1 year of no chemo june ?. So glad that is in the past. Strength is good, doing yoga, pilates, and walking. Feel great for now. Stay in touch all. Hugs too.