January 2016 Chemo!

MissBee...I was told the same by my MO. No scans unless there are symptoms

MissBee, told the same by MO. No scans unless there are symptoms.

At the moment I'm seeing both my Onc and my surgeon every 6 months. So I see one of them each 3 months. I have bloods done before each visit but my Onc did say that they are not greatly beneficial to me. I will have a mammo on my remaining breast and an ultrasound before each visit with my surgeon. Both my Onc and surgeon carry out physical exams each visit.

It was well over 3 months before I saw any substantial hair growth after my last TC. (January 12th) It's now an inch long and very grey.

I'm glad to hear that I'm not alone with the hot flashes.

About the scans, I agree it's scary that th won't be scanning you. It's kind of crazy because as a stage 4 patient, I'll be getting scanned a lot. If it helps, between scans, the rule I've been given generally is that I should report to my MO any pain that lasts for 3 weeks.

Just chiming in on scans. I know I'll have anxiety either way. If I don't get scans unless I have a symptom then i'll worry what if. I'll also have scan anxiety before any scan if I get them. Can't win with this stinking dx.

My MO and BS have both said, 1x yearly I'll have scans, with 3 month check ups in between.

At this point, not sure I really want to know, but that's me Because if they find something then back to treatment, and it would suck to be in chemo (only choice for my TN) and have no progression symptoms, but that's just me.

Follow up visits still seem so far away when I don't even feel close to being "done" yet. My boss was treated at the same hospital as me, and he goes back pretty often, but I'm not sure what they're checking or how. I know tests are being done. But it's not like he has BC, so it's prolly a whole different world in my part of the hospital.

I thought I had BC when I was 9, convinced, obsessed. I don't want to rattle that part of my head again and worry about some other part. I guess taking the best care of myself I can, and Jen's advice is good - pain that lasts longer than 3 weeks. And gracietoo as well, if you have a suspicion, make them check. I'm in a FB group with some BC survivor women, I think I'm the only one currently in treatment, and at least one has had a scan done recently based on symptoms reported to MO. Scan came back clear for first person. It may be that MOs won't scan as a matter of course because of insurance, but if you give some kind of reason, it will get done.

That pesky RAD51C defect means I have to go in every 6 months to get checked for ovarian cancer, since I refuse to get a hysterectomy. Idk why I hang on to my estrogen so strongly, lol, since it so obviously wants to hurt me. My sister told me that our mother had one, why not just do it. I told her then we should do it together if it was that easy.

I feel tainted already, I guess is what it boils down to, and scans or no scans - it's out of my hands. Then again, I haven't been informed one way or another, so I'm predicting how I might feel. I imagine *sucksville* is what it will amount to either way, like Jill says. (not an exact quote, but my personal distillation

Lollipop: It may just be that it's taking your body longer to get the chemo out of your system? Maybe drinking extra water, checking on liver detox stuff may help push things along? Idk, it always makes me feel better if I'm doing something about something that's bothering me. Like Smurfette said, it does take awhile for some people, and it's only been 6 weeks. We were/are being pumped full of a ton of poison. Those poor little follicles may just need more time.

MissBee: You look so awesome, and I'm so happy for you being done!!!!!!

Jen: I remember that grossness with the drains. I don't look forward doing it again with multiple ones. I didn't have any in home care and no in between hospital visits because I was in Louisiana, so BF and I were pretty much on our own. We were told to try to squeeze and press the snot (well, not like that) down the tube to work it out. How are you feeling? Did you have recon yet, or is that separate?

Lovesmyvizla: I still have 6 weeks left, if I'm lucky and don't have it delayed again. I'm still here with you in the chemo boat. I have two more FACs. I uber on the way home, and this last time I swear I was hallucinating. I think the Oxy I took for my hands must not work well with the rest of the pre-stuff that goes with the chemo. With Taxol it was so easy, just up and run back to work.

Jill: Woot woot for hair!!!!!!! That's the way mine was looking during Taxol. I shaved it before FAC, it's starting to come back now. My lashes started marching back. I have 1 brow hair on my left side and 2 on my right. Lol. I had to learn to make brows fast. Thank goodness I had the stuff. Oh - about brows and lashes, someone here mentioned Latisse for it and I checked with my PS, who said it was fine after chemo. She wrote me a script for it. She said during chemo I could try it, but it might irritate my skin and might be a waste of money. But the brows and lashes are the last thing everyone says comes back. Then again, it's a PITA. Cancer has added wayyyyyyy too much time to my makeup routine. I'm glad to hear rads are going well so far. How much time did you have off between chemo and your first radiation?

I'm so tempted to tell them to shove rads. I'm just so tired of this. And I started off with such a good attitude, I looked back at my Oct. posts. I was so chipper! Lol.

I complained about a pain in my head and my MO sent me for an MRI. I know I get mammograms every six months for the first three years, but my lump wasn't detected on a mammogram, so I'm going to get an MRi once a year too.

I would so love to skip rads too, Frill. If my surgeon got clear margins and it wasn't in my nodes, why do I need rads? I know why, rhetorical question.

(((hugs))) Jen. So true. What is, is and it's better to know.

Jen, if you nodes were clean, did they explain how you got mets? I was here thinking since my nodes were clean that I'm golden, but maybe not so much. My husbands cousin has had BC with mets for 15 years and is still going. They keep finding new treatments for her.

I had lymph node involvement which is how it got out of the breast and into my bones. The chemo has now killed the cancer in the lymph nodes. Just a little too late...I'm very optimistic for a long life

Congratulations lol! They certainly are a treat.

Me too! Back of neck and back of knees. When they are at their worst, I am sweaty from the knees down. Weird

MissBee and Jen-I am right there with you all...Hot Flashes...head and neck. They have gotten worse in these two weeks post chemo..you all too? I went thru early menopause several years ago so it's not that....will these subside as time goes and body regroups post chemo? Wonder if the 90 degree temps in Dallas with my wig everyday is a contributor..lol lol:)))))

Today is the day, my last day of chemo!!!! So so happy, even though #11 of Taxol has been a little rough, I know I have to get through this one and the side effects, this feels like a big milestone. Next is surgery July 12.

Thank you ladies for all of your help and support!!

P.S. My hot flashes have pretty much disappeared since I started Effexor.