Starting chemo Sept 05

Calico, sorry about your mom, I hope things go well for her. I am a total lifelong chocolate addict, and cannot break the habit even though I am overweight.
Susan, that house exchange sounds very exciting.
Sandra, sorry for your troubles at work. My sister just retired from full time teaching, she has been at the same school for a number of years, and had such a good experience. They said such lovely things about her at the retirement luncheon, and gave her beautifully written cards. I think her experience might be unusual, lots of people have conflict in the workplace.

I have no scans (pet, MRI) at all post treatment. In Canada they basically just wait to see if symptoms come up.

Linda

Oh, Ladies, I am one of you!!! I tried to post here late last year - had finished my chemo and rads when I started posting - and I was welcomed but just felt lost and knew I had missed so much between all of you that I just dropped away. I came back this morning just to check and here is Calico and Tinkermax that I met first I think when the Wagon Circle was started. I may know more of you now!!

Calico, not sure what is going on with your mother but I hope all goes well. I don't have time to post a lot anymore but maybe now I can join in because we are further along in our journey. I know when we started the wagon circle we had so many mets/recurrences and ladies were having such a hard time - they still are there but I can't remember if anyone here was put in the center. I am so glad to see names I know here. Hope you don't mind that I tag along when I can.

I am taking a med for fatigue - it has been a really big issue for me and I was just getting closer to a normal energy level, cutting back on the medicine, and then I had to have gallbladder surgery; I didn't have stones, sludge, path report said it was very inflammed. All that pain started in chemo and took me a year aftr chemo ended to get some relief. Not having stones, nothing showed up on ultrasound or CT's. I was wondering if you know others in our chemo group that have had to have their gallbladder removed within a year after chemo? I only know from the wagon circle that many are having issues with their thyroid too - any here doing that?

Sometimes I am still just to stupid mentally from chemo. I forget or loose the little simple things - drives me nuts but everyone seems to be getting used to it now but they still kind of raise an eyebrow.

Hope all is well with everyone today.

Brenda

Brenda,
Welcome back...you are always welcome here! I have had issues with my gall bladder for years and had it pretty much under control with Nexium (20mg)and my diet.
I now have to watch my diet very close and take 40MG of nexium for any relief.

I forgot to mention that my gallbladder discriminates against fat in my diet, no problem with chocolate, but anything deep fried and I am in pain...so maybe chocolate is healthy for me after all??

God Bless

Thanks for the welcome back!!

Calico, I hope all goes well for your mom and sorry she has had to join the "sisterhood" The gallbladder surgery was laproscopic so it wasn't so bad.

Maxine, Because I take the medicine for fatigue - not sure I could have worked without it - can't take anything that they give you for depression or hot flashes.

Hope all of you are doing reasonably well since chemo and are slowly moving forward. We should all soon be getting past all those "first" anniversaries. I get the rads one in March and maybe then, this little adventure will fade.

Take care. Calico let us know how your Mom is doing.

Brenda

Liezel,
I hope you have only good news to report!!!!

God Bless

Lynell,
I had digital before my biopsy and I saw how they can zoom in on areas and manipulate the view for better angles.
I think it is an advantage, also going to a breast center where they do only breast, thus experience looking at those exclusively.

Good luck, prayers and vibes....I am glad I have mine off, I could not deal with this anymore, PET scans are more than enough for me. I already are counting down again for next month....awwwwhhhhh....

God Bless

Hi Everybody,

Lynnel, my surgeon also got the digital machine last year, and he showed me the difference in the 2 pics. It really is amazing. I'll go for that if I was you!!

Thank you for your wishes Calico. The appointment went ok. My onc heard a sound on my right lung, and sent me for a chest xray immediately, but they said it was scar tissue from the surgery and radiation. She was going to phone me back with the blood test results, but she is apparently out of office until Friday, so I asked them to fax it to me. Not that I'll be able to understand anything.

I still suffer from fatigue as well. Onc said she is very concerned about it. I told her that I have a "feeling" that I have 2 years. She then shocked me by saying that I'll probably have a recurrence or mets in 2 years, but that I won't be dead. This is apparently why she has been so aggressive with all the tests, etc. I was very shocked.
Do not really know what to think...

Nicole, I go for LE treatment in my shoulder/back and boobie every 2 weeks. Luckily my therapist is a woman!! It does wonders. With the heat, I have been suffering more than usual. Like you, I am walking around with the tingily, sore arm. It feels similar to when my veins got sore in my chemo arm.

Calico, thinking of your mum and you. It must be difficult for you....

Keep well everybody.
Liezel

Peggy,
It's good to be careful. How do you distinguish between sore muscle and pain due to lymph edema?
I am not worried, I had only 2 taken. I am sore from shoveling snow, should see my biceps lol.....I definetly don't let them take blood on that side, even with the small number of SNL's taken.

God Bless

Hang in there Sandra. I do believe things work out the way they should. It is difficult to let go, but you have to look after yourself. Are you on any medication?

Thanks Calico. I can not really be upset with my onc. It is something that I have been thinking about a lot, but has been too scared to ask. I see it as a challenge. I plan to hang around for a while. I have decided to start going to meditation glasses. I tried to speak to a therapist, but find it does not quiet the noise in my head, if you understand what I mean. I have to learn how to just empty my mind of the constant worry and fear. And I am definitely looking a supplements as well. Still waiting for my test results. Hopefully they can tell me something.

Keep well everybody. Work starting in earnest tommorrow. Sigh!!!

Liezel

Liezel,

I am glad that you aren't upset, but I am upset for you anyhow! [How self-righteous is that of me?] Somehow I just don't think any doctor knows what causes one person to get a recurrance or mets, and which ones won't. If they knew this, they could target treatment so much better!

I think we all have noisy heads.. well, I do. It is getting quieter the farther out I get though. I appreciate that. There are better ways for me to utilize my brain at the moment.
*susan*

Sandra,

Taking a break doesn't sound so very bad to me, if you can afford to be without work for a little time. You have such positive energy, I can't imagine that you won't find something else if you want it.

Sorry to have closed so quickly in my last post. The kid [who has NOT returned to college yet] needed me to work on her computer.

*susan*

Maxine and Sandra,
hope you survived that horrible storm yesterday. I read about the damage across the British Islands as well as Germany. My gosh....

Thank you all for the well wishes for my mom.
She had her first chemo yesterday, she will be getting FEC and Taxol, 3 each and FOUR weeks apart.
I have no idea about FEC and have to read up on it but it seems very far apart.

God Bless

calico, I hope that your mother tolerates the treatment well. It must be so hard to have her so far away. At least she has other family nearby to help.

Maxine, carpal tunnel.... how horrid. What do your doctors think you should do about this if anything?

Finally getting colder here in Boston, but still no snow. So odd.

*susan*