anyone starting chemo in Nov 2005

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited October 2006
    ML-I forgot to tell you that your pictures were excellent! You look FANTASTIC, by the way!
    Love, Deb
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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited October 2006

    Post deleted by bco-administrato

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  • Margerie
    Margerie Member Posts: 526
    edited October 2006

    Nice! There is a special place for this guy. Will tell moderator.

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  • Odalys
    Odalys Member Posts: 2,103
    edited October 2006

    Oops...this is the first time spam makes it's way to our discussion. Thanks for notifying the moderator Margerie.

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  • Mary-Lou
    Mary-Lou Member Posts: 2,230
    edited October 2006
    Kim, prayers are with you. I think of you everyday.

    Debby, Daniel has grown so much this past year. He is just to cute. The picture is beautiful of you three. And the fall colors are brilliant.

    Glad to see your getting your MoJo back. Michael is taking a vacation starting this Friday. He just asked for a few dates while he was off.

    I know what you mean about reclaiming being a woman. I enjoy shaving my legs.

    And wearing my wig last week end had a lot to do with that feminin feeling. I love make up too, I will never forget not having eyelashes to wear mascara on.

    Or hair to color, spray, and curl. Takes me at least 45 min to get ready if I have those things to do. But I find that this short hair is much harder to control. If I get the curl cut, will it grow straighter?????

    It is way over my ears now, and I would say 3-4 inches on top. I'm about to change the color to a darker shade of blond for winter.

    Weight loss is 23.6 still. I missed my first meeting in three months Monday night. I have been sick with a cold. So I don't know what I would have been.

    I will report on Monday if I'm home. Not sure what I will be up to while Michael is off.

    Love to you all

    Lat56
    Anna
    Odlays
    Margerie
    Debby
    Kim
    Nancy
    & Special Kaye

    Mary Lou
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  • Margerie
    Margerie Member Posts: 526
    edited October 2006
    I wanted to report that I learned a lot today. And I have Anna to thank for encouraging me to go to a lymphedema clinic. I went today and I highly recommend to anyone that has had axillary dissection. She measured me (for baseline #'s) and found post-surgical edema. No big deal- just upper arm. She showed me lymphatic massage- a good preventative practice. Told me what to do if I ever have symptoms. Also gave me a compression sleeve for flying and for exercising. I feel so much better knowing all this information. Why surgeons don't make at least a LE cosult mandatory for dissection patients is beyond me!

    Anyway, thanks again Anna.

    And Kim- hoping you are well friend!
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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited October 2006
    Did that dude post something gross and naughty on our loving page? Jerk!
    Good night ladies! Greg wants us to replay our evening again tonight, but I just spent 3 hours playing clarinet and I am tiiiiired. I told him he can have me to himself tomorrow!
    Love and prayers, Deb
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  • Mary-Lou
    Mary-Lou Member Posts: 2,230
    edited October 2006
    I missed the post from that person. What was that all about. I also posted this afternoon, but it was lost. I was posting because my post above was missing.

    I was on the wrong page.

    Anyway, the second post was the one that didn't show up.

    I had posted this for you all to look at. It is 17 minunits long but worth watching.

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=YhuqWM3dNAw
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  • Odalys
    Odalys Member Posts: 2,103
    edited October 2006
    Thanks Mary Lou. I'll be sure to watch. BTW- do you know Youtube was created in a garage by two young guys? They just sold it to Google for $1.2 BILLION! No small pocket change. I can't even begin to imagine all those zero's in my checking account.


    PS: Yeah for Debbie!!!
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  • WandaG
    WandaG Member Posts: 27
    edited October 2006

    I started chemo with you ladies in Nov. So glad everyone seems to be moving along. I thought everything was going o.k. until today. I found a lump in the side where I had the mastectomy. Has anyone had this problem? I thought maybe it was my imagination, since my fingers are still a little numb from chemo, but my husband could feel the lump also. He immediately called my breast surgeon, but I can't see her until Wed. I'm really concerned and just wondering if anyone else has had this happen.

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  • Odalys
    Odalys Member Posts: 2,103
    edited October 2006
    Ladies, Just want to share with you my new hormone treatment dilema. As you know, I have been taking Femara since May along with Zoladex shots to keep me menopausal. Well, last month a had a period, onc thought it could be breakthrough bleeding so he ran a FISH test and score of 53 indicated I am menopausal. But this week I got my period again! Guess I'm not menopausal afterall. Now, onc took me off Femara and wants me to take Tamoxifen instead. Grrrrrrrrrr...I don't want to take Tamoxifen because it's not as effective as Femara, plus why risk all those side effects when I am waiting to have an oophorectomy. Would you believe I've been waiting to see GYN since May?! My appointment is finally next Thursday and I am going to request ooph ASAP. I'm a little scared now thinking I took Femara for almost 6 months and I am still pre-menopausal. Wow, I can't believe ovaries are still functioning after all that chemo and Zoladex implants. Stubborn aren't they? OMG the fear of recurrence never goes away does it?

    Thanks for letting me vent my fears. Love you all.
    Odalys
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  • Odalys
    Odalys Member Posts: 2,103
    edited October 2006
    Omag- yes, I remember you, it's been a while. Is the lump next to the incision? Sometimes it's just scar tissue. I hope this is the case. Sorry you are having to worry again! Please keep us posted.
    Hugs,
    Odalys
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  • Margerie
    Margerie Member Posts: 526
    edited October 2006
    Omag- did you have radiation to your chest wall/scar area?

    4 months after my rads, I felt a tender lump just above my mastectomy scar. Freak out. Of course, this was the fourth of july! Called my surgeon- who reassured me that it was probably scar tissue, but he offered to see me that day for a biopsy. I waited a couple of days and he "wasn't impressed" with my lump, since it was soft. Biopsy showed that indeed it was scar tissue- fatty necrosis to be exact. When I had my reconstruction- they found a TON of scar tissue underneath my skin. It was from rads.

    I am not a fan of lumps and I'm sure you aren't either- good you are going to have it checked!

    And Odayls- so many women (after reading the hormone therapy threads) go thru the fake menopause thing. It is not an exact science! I hope you can get your ooph scheduled soon so you can stop the worry!
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  • WandaG
    WandaG Member Posts: 27
    edited October 2006
    Odlays,I love the "laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects". And no the lump is above the incision.
    Margerie, yes I did have rads to the chest wall and incision. It's been 5 months since I finished rads. When I had my mastectomy the surgeon had a hard time closing, because of lots of scar tissue from breast reduction 15 years ago. Thanks so much for the response. Wanda
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  • Mary-Lou
    Mary-Lou Member Posts: 2,230
    edited October 2006
    Wanda, I remember you too. I had surgery just one month out of chemo. It was nothing, still dancing with NED. But I remember the fear I had just thinking that this beast was back.

    Hope all is well when you find out. Please drop by more often.

    FYI, Vacation is going great!

    Love to you all.......
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  • AnnaM
    AnnaM Member Posts: 1,387
    edited October 2006
    Omag, scar tissue can feel pretty scary. I hope you get an answer soon. Welcome back!

    Margerie, I'm glad you went for LE training. When you compare the relative ease with which it can be avoided to the pain it can cause (not to mention the lifestyle changes!), it seems a no-brainer. I agree, our doctors should send us all for information. It seems to me that most of the medical personnel I have come across are not only fairly ignorant about LE, but some of them almost reject the possibility of any risk. It's as if since they can't fix it, they don't even want to know about it.

    Odalys, I hope you get answers on Thursday. You say you think Tamoxifen is not as effective as Femara, but I'm not sure that's the case. The head of the bc dept at Georgetown hospital told me she still prescribes Tam. for postmenopausal women, because she believes its positive effects to be more proven than those of the AIs. I know, I too was very surprised by what she said, but don't write off Tamoxifen. Besides, maybe your gyn will tell you that this is break-through bleeding and give you totally different options. I think you are being asked to wait too long for an appointment, though. Can't you tell the receptionist that your question is post-cancer-treatment-related?

    We had an 80th birthday party for my father last night and that was nice. My aunt is coming for a week's visit on Thursday, so I have some serious cleaning to do. Tomorrow is Herceptin #41 and on Wednesday I go to an all-day quilt class, I love that kind of thing. I'm making a quilt that will look like circles within circles, all out of lovely Japanese fabrics. I can't wait. I will give the quilt to my husband for his birthday. I love making quilts for him, because he appreciates them so much and also because that way I get to keep them.

    I am so eager to hear from our Kim.

    Love to all my sisters,

    Anna
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  • kim825
    kim825 Member Posts: 284
    edited October 2006
    Hi all,
    Here is the latest update. I am having a biopsy on the bump on my head on Friday at noon. My doctor said there may be a slim chance that the metatasis is not triple negative. THat would open up new drugs that we can use for the bone mets and even the lung mets. I am not getting my hopes up, but you never know.
    I see my radiation onc. today at 3. We will see what the procedure is for rads to the spine. I wonder if it is as complicated as setting up the breast rads.
    I am having a MUGA scan next Friday before starting the Doxil.
    So that is about it. My spirits are pretty good, I am just very tired. Me and Sami usually take a pretty good nap in the afternoon before the boys come home. I have so much help here and wouldn't know what to do without it.
    Today is a year that I found out about the mets. I got my port 1 year ago and tomorrow is 1 year since I started chemo.
    What a year it has been. Thank you all so much for the hugs, prayers and everything.

    Love,
    Kim
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  • Mary-Lou
    Mary-Lou Member Posts: 2,230
    edited November 2006

    Kim, Thanks for the update. We will always have Big (((HUGS)))) and lots of prayers whenever you need them.

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  • AnnaM
    AnnaM Member Posts: 1,387
    edited November 2006
    Yes, Kim, more hugs and prayers are heading your way, every day.

    Love,

    Anna
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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited November 2006
    Oh Kim, it is so good to hear from you. I have been thinking of you so much!
    Love you all! Love and prayers, Deb
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  • seasun
    seasun Member Posts: 208
    edited November 2006
    My chemo starts this Friday. My doctor just left my home and told me that I have a one in six chance of recovery and that, "you are that one". I see him tomorrow to get copies of all tests and to go over everything also. He will also be there in the chemo room with me for when my treatment starts. I am so very fortunate to have this type of doctor support up here in New Liskeard, Ont. Canada
    - Valerie
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  • Margerie
    Margerie Member Posts: 526
    edited November 2006
    Good luck Valerie! You are right- that kind of support is exceptional. What chemo are you doing?

    Good luck on Friday. The apprehension is much worse than the treatment in my opinion!
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  • Odalys
    Odalys Member Posts: 2,103
    edited November 2006
    Kim - glad you checked in. I've been thinking of you and keep sending positive thoughts your way. Please keep us posted.

    Valerie - Good luck this Friday. You will get through it. Time goes by fast. It sounds like you're in good hands. We're all approaching our one year mark so I guess you can say we are veterans of this war now. Please let us know if there is anything we can help you with.

    Love and hugs to all my sisters,
    Odalys
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  • AnnaM
    AnnaM Member Posts: 1,387
    edited November 2006
    My aunt is arriving tonight. I'm quite excited. I have four days planned for her. She is going to go to the gym with me tomorrow morning, then we go to Winchester for the day (museum, park, old town) and home for a Persian meal cooked by my hubs. On Saturday my brother takes her antiquing and out to dinner with my parents. On Sunday I will take her to the church of her choice and then all the cute towns around here (there are quite a few, including 2 Quaker villages) and for lunch we will go to the nearby pretentious town that attracts lots of tourists. Then to my parents for an afternoon of gabbing and dinner. On Monday my dad will take her to the airport while I go to my Herceptin treatment.

    The house is almost ready. Now if I can only keep my hands off that new project I started in quilting class yesterday and concentrate instead on finishing this housecleaning...

    Is anyone in our group getting a flu shot? I read the bc.org thing on flu shots and they say the exact opposite of what my oncologist told me last year. Anyway, this year my counts are fine, so I guess I am a candidate for a shot.

    Love and hugs to my sisters from me, too.

    Anna
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  • Mary-Lou
    Mary-Lou Member Posts: 2,230
    edited November 2006
    image

    And a little scrambled
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  • seasun
    seasun Member Posts: 208
    edited November 2006

    Glad I have a drug plan as yesterday I received my anti-nausea drugs before I start chemo at 9:30 today Friday. One of the drugs cost $30 per pill. I am not "scared" of the chemo but apprehensive of the whole forecast 12 months picture. My doctor told me for survival stats - "One in Six - and you're that One." This is my mantra. - Valerie

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited November 2006
    Hi Valerie! Have you found a November 2006 chemo group? You are always welcome here (like Odalys said, we are all approaching our one year mark), but you might also like to get to know some other ladies who are going through it now.
    And, kudos on your mantra! You are never, ever going to be part of the statistics!
    This will sound soooooo weird unless you have a cat. My computer is right next to the litter box, and my kitty cat, Rosie, just really made it stink....gotta goooooo!!! Ick!
    Love and prayers, Deb
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  • kim825
    kim825 Member Posts: 284
    edited November 2006
    Ana, hope you have a wonderful time with your aunt this weekend.
    That was a sweet card MaryLou. So true too!
    Biopsy went ok. It hurt when they were taking the 3 samples. I should have the results w/in 1 week. Starting rads on Monday to zap the spot on the back.

    Hope you are all having a great weekend.

    Kim
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  • Odalys
    Odalys Member Posts: 2,103
    edited November 2006
    Kim, glad to hear your bx went ok. I admire your strength and courage. You are a true fighter. God bless you.
    Love and hugs,
    Odalys
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  • AnnaM
    AnnaM Member Posts: 1,387
    edited November 2006
    I'm praying for good results on your biopsy, Kim. Feel all the positive vibes coming your way? They're from your sisters who love you and want only the best for you!

    Love, Anna
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