anyone starting chemo in Nov 2005

Danise, welcome to our club (the one you never wanted to join.
I agree with Kim and Margerie about coumadin. I have had my port since Oct of 05 and have never needed to take it. I had chemo from Nov. 9th through May 18th. I'd only need my port flushed when I was on every 3rd week for my treatments. Now I am told to go every 6-8 weeks.

Granted, I will say the port flushing has never been my favorite activity. I am one of the people who reacts strangely to it, and gets a wacky head rush like I am about to pass out. Then, suddenly, I am fine.

Just thinking back about the Adrimyacin/Cytoxan (same thing I started on as many of us do) makes me feel icky. However, as you can see, we are all still doing well after going through it. The drugs they give you will help you tremendously.

I also had to do pre-op chemo. My tumor was somewhere between 7-10 cm. initially. It shrunk to .8mm after having all the chemo they could possibly give my poor body. Pre-op chemo is not such a bad thing when you think about it. That way, you know how well your body responds to the treatment. Also, I liked (in a strange, after the fact way) the fact that I lost my hair right away. Once I started to feel better after chemo was done, I started to look better. Then, my hair came back. By the time I had surgery, I was definitely "bald," but going without my hanky-hats.

And, Danise, as far as the cardiotoxic character of the drugs, the doctors watch you like a hawk. Any ache and pain you have will be looked into (for quite some time after treatment, too!)

Where are you in Illinois? I am in Peoria. I am originally from Chicago suburbs. Please PM me if you need too.

We are all here for you.

In other news (wow, I am wordy today). My gyno visit was ok. I just had a sebacious cyst. My doc popped it right away and showed it to me! Eew...I asked her about my raging sore throat, and she went to look at it with a tongue depressor (did I spell that right?). When she did, I shrieked and grabbed her wrists! I hate that thing.

Odalys, your story about Steven cracked me up insanely. Too cute. I miss teaching because I loved the way kids would tell me stories like that.

Gotta get going to bed. Love and prayers, Deb
Kim-you sound like you are hanging in there! Fantastic!

Gosh, I have missed coming here these past few days and look at all that's going on!

Kim, I am glad your first session went well and I am praying that all your sessions will go as smoothly. I totally agree with you about the value of taking your mind to a place you love. I still think about my virtual kitty, the one who helped me through post-surgery sleeplessness and chemo fear. Anyway, I wish you strength and ease for these treatments.

Danise, I have had my port for 15 months now and yes, I take 1 mg of coumadin every morning. I need my port a little longer since I don't finish my Herceptin treatments till the 15th. My port has been my best friend through this experience and I am very glad I have it. I got Cytoxin along with the Adriamycin, too. Exhausting, but very doable. You'll lose your hair, but you know what, mine is thicker now than it was before. Curlier, too. And it's growing mighty fast.

I understand that if I decide to keep my port I will need to go and have it flushed once a month. The flushing hasn't bothered me up to now. I was a little scared when I had a very new chemo nurse a while back, but the experienced ones make the whole thing absolutely unnoticeable.

Debbie, I'm so glad your scare was a false alarm.

Mary Lou, sorry to hear your mother was in the hospital. Yes, next time you are up here we have to get together. How's the trimming coming along for you? I have put every little pound right back on! Gotta get healthy again. Remember the English toffee that helped me through chemo? Well, our real estate agent sent us another box this year. Yikes, that stuff is yummy!

Love to all my sisters,

Anna

Hee hee.....I totally have been eating from that candy box for the last day. I also found a carton of eggnog that we never opened, and it is still good, so I chugged that down last night (not the whole thing, thankfully....).

Gotta get going, someone from church is bringing is dinner, and I don't want to be sitting on the computer when she gets here! I should at least get up and say hi!

Love and prayers, Deb

Kim, you are getting there....it's a slow road, but you are GETTING THERE! I'm really proud of you. I bet all of your sisters here are.

Time for bed! Love and prayers, Deb

Kim, I am concentrating on you and picturing you healthy and strong.

Toffee recipes? Did you say toffee? That yummy delight I can't keep away from? That deliciously fattening concoction that we got three, repeat, THREE boxes of for the holiday? Help!

I had my next-to-last Herceptin treatment today. Everyone asks me if I am going to celebrate. Why do I want to cry instead? I already miss my chemo nurses!

We will get through this. We can get through anything, right?

Love, Anna

Anna, that is so wonderful about your next to last treatment. I can understand you wanting to cry. It is emotional.
The toffee sounds delicious.
Today's treatment went well. Amazing that everything set up perfectly on the first time and it was done w/in 10 minutes. I was so grateful. I told the radiologist that I hope it goes this way the rest of the week. It just happened to set up and it went fast. Yeah!! This week and then 3 more. I can't believe how much I've blown up from the decadron. My face, cheeks, neck, chin is so bloated. I must have put on 30lbs since Thanksgiving. It is making me so depressed looking at myself in the mirror. I think this is what is bothering me also. They are supposed to cut back on the decadron soon, so hopefully the swelling starts to go down.

All this talk about toffee is making me want to try some...Mmmm.

Kim- I also hated how bloated I got with the decadron. The good news is that it all goes away soon after you stop taking it. I'll continue to pray all goes well and you finish soon.

Deb - yes, I finished chemo in March and RADS in May. I still go in to the chemo treatment area once a month for the Zoladex implant and I'll be taking Femara (aromatase inhibitor)for 5 years (wow 2011). Compared to chemo, this is a walk in the park now that the body has adjusted to the low hormone levels.

Okay at the risk of sounding uncaring, I'll admit I was thrilled to finish chemo and rads and don't miss the nurses at all. I just want to put it all behind me. As a matter of fact, I got a call last week from the rads center asking me to come back for a follow up. Oops...I forgot to return for my 6 month check up.

I'm worried about Kaye. It's been a while since she dropped by. Her blog has not been updated since August. I hope she hasn't lost the battle.

Got to go now. I took an Ambien, hoping to get a full night sleep, and it's starting to take effect. Also, the alarm will go off brfore I know it.

Love and hugs to all my courageous and beautiful sisters. God blessings.

4 down and 6 to go!!

Here is the newest picture of Sebastian. I finally got one picture with his eyes open!

I will post later after I have a chance to catch up .You all have been busy.

I did see some posting about weight gain, LOL.

I weighed in last night after two weeks . My meetings are on Mondays. Christmas and New Years Eve took them both, so last night was pay the piper.

I did lose 2.2 and I'm at 212 now. I was at 203 before the holidays hit at Thanksgiving.

I just had a great holiday and got back to work after it was over. Last year was treatments, so I allowed myself to indulge. And it was soooooo good!

I know what to do, so it's all good.

I miss my dear sisters.

ML

YES, HALFWAY DONE!!! I can do this. LOL!! Thanks for all the support.
ML, so so cute!

EXCELLENT, KIM!!! You are so strong. I can't wait to meet you someday, along with all of our sisters who keep me inspired.

ML-what a sweetpea! I want another baby.....
Love and prayers, Deb
PS-my baby (ok, boy) fell out of his big boy bed today at naptime and looked at me with a stunned expression and said, "Uh-oh." Then he burst into tears. I giggled at the uh-oh and then wanted to cry right alongside him!

WOW!! Lots to catch up on!!
I've been away due to computer problems but all of you have been in my thoughts & prayers!!
LAT56

Hi ladies! I had to go to the hospital to pick up some records today, so we stopped to see my rads staff. It was so good to see them, and they were all so excited to see Daniel they gave him packs of stickers and filled his hands with candy. He wasn't sure about where he was at first and played "shy," but pretty soon he was dancing around in circles like he did back in the summer.

The best part was that there was a lady there who I had met a year ago in the "Look Good Feel Better" class. She was the one who referred me to the place to get my head shaved. She looked so fantastic (she started her rads last week). It was just really good to see that someone that went through chemo the same time as me looks so normal. Does that make sense? It assures me that maybe, I, too, look normal?

Anyway, better go and take advantage of Daniel being asleep (he didn't fall out of bed today, but he did smuggle some Nerds candy in with him. Stinker!).

Love and prayers, Deb

Kim - almost done, just a few more days. Glad to hear you have energy to go out to lunch with the girls. How are you holding up? Any SE's?

Kim, you sound strong and determined. You are more than half way there now. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Margerie, I kind of wish I could have a second year of Herceptin. It'll be hard not doing anything. I've been actively fighting for 18 months. Now what?

Sebastian is such a cutey. I'm with you Mary Lou, we can get it all back off.

I wish all of you a peaceful, wonderful weekend.

Love, Anna