Starting Chemo in JAN 2007

Hi everyone,

I've been really tired today - woke up okay, then around 1:00 the fatigue just overwhelmed me - this is the nadir of the Taxotere for s/e - I know my platelets are low because last night when I blew my nose it was bloody - not just the usual little clots... so this afternoon I slept for about 2 hours, then dragged myself to get dressed, made up ( ah yes - the eyebrow pencil), put on my curly wig and went to my mother's for dinner. It was great, too bad I can hardly taste anything.
Mary - I recovered from my mastectomy amazingly well. I had it on a Monday, (with 16 nodes taken), and was out to dinner the following Sunday. Take all the drugs they give you, I had Tylenol 3s when I came home.
Re: sleeping - I have been on Imovane 7.5 mg. for about 2 years - yeah, I'm probably addicted, but all my docs don't seem to care right now, as they all say I need the rest - I used Ativan for anxiety when first diagnosed, but hardly had to use it in the past 2 -3 months. I know many of you use it for nausea and/or sleeping. I think if you need it, use it, at least to get through the chemo, rads etc. whatever...
Jan, I'm with you on the chemo fog...
Shorti - I know what you mean, I get up with great plans for the day, thinking I'm okay - but ha ha hey hey - like the major exhaustion wave hits me... have fun kayak shopping
Tomorrow we're going to our accountant for our income taxes - oh that should be alot of fun. I might need one of those ativans...
Amera - what was your hair like before BC - was it dark blonde (looks that way from your picture) - thick, thin - mine was like my avatar pic when I had it blown dry straight - but normally it was curly and pretty thick - very interested to see what I'll get - my onc. says I'll be "blonde" (greay) at this point I'll be happy to just have some hair.
Around the house I usually wear little cotton caps that are trimmed with a wide stretch lace band, (this keeps it from slipping off). At first my DD didn't want to see me bald, but I do take the caps off sometimes, and she's gotten used to it. I really don't care what other people think - when they are going through what I am going through, then they can talk. Obviously I never go bald in public, although with the hotter weather coming up, I might.
I hope everyone else is okay, hopefully I'll be more lucid tomorrow so I can respond to more of the posts...
caya

I don't know how to post a picture here - I would be happy to post a pic of my son if someone could tell me how!

I also do not go bald around the house (unless I'm home alone and I keep my wig handy in case someone comes to the door! My 11 yr old daughter does not want to see me bald - she looked once, and that was it. My DH doesn't mind at all, but I do!

He told me I still looked beautiful - my eyes are still the same he said!! Made me feel better for sure!

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He came home with four big bags of fresh; it takes up the whole crisper drawer. I guess I will be sauteing spinach this week! I am learning that I need to be very specific with the list.

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Ha! Melia, I have to be *very* specific about groceries, right down to the location in the store and color of the container. It always amazes me that my husband could live with me for 15 years and have no idea what kind of milk I've been buying every single week. LOL! Sometimes making the list takes more time and effort than going to the store myself. At least they're trying :9

Good morning all!
Mary, good luck with your surgery. I agree, it is a good idea to have someone stay overnight if possible. My husband offered and I said no - regretted it! I had to go to the bathroom about 10 times due to the IVs steroid etc, and had to wait for the nurse to put the leg thingys on and off. Also, ask for the max. allowed pain killer even if you don't take it all at once. You'll be fine and probably not in too long - home is better.
Melia, lol about the grocery shopping! My husband too would not question that I would want 4 big bags of spinach all at once!
Caya, Jan, hope you are feeling better today.
I don't wear a wig at home and after the first week or so DH got used to it. Now that I have a little hair, I'm leaving it off more and more - I'm protective of my hair! I plan on a very short cut, so people might as well get used to it. I had a hot flash at yoga yesterday and took off my scarf - nobody fainted and I felt much better. My eyebrows are back, lashes are paler than they were for some reason. Don't wear the wig while BBQing - my daughter's friend did that, with unfortunate results (she's OK, but the wig isn't).
I'm feeling very anxious - I feel like a horse at the gate who doesn't want to go! Back to work, back to "normal" life. Maybe I just want to curl up and lick my wounds awhile longer.
Peace to all.

Mary,
I do think you will find that the surgery is much easier than everything else you have been thru. I only had a left mastectomy, but had full axillary dissection (34 nodes) and that was what was uncomfortable. I took vicadin for two days and then a couple more times before bed, but as long as no one slapped me on the back or bumped me, I was fine. Are you having bilateral? What about nodes? (sorry I can't remember stuff these days). I am not minimizing how unpleasant the whole surgery/hospital thing is, just don't want you to be more worried than you need to be.
Melia
Dar ... what is next for you?

Hello gals,

I thought we should revisit this again...I had a time finding the last one. I think I'd like to put this on a web page so I don't have to hunt for it; it would sure be nice if we had a page somewhere that we each could update

**************************
Aladora, Victoria,7-May WHERE'VE YOU BEEN?
Amera, Mass, AC, 22-Mar DONE, INTO RADS NOW.
Caya, Ontario, FEC-T, 10-May
Dar1, Alberta, AC, 7-Mar DONE!!!!
I82jem(Jan), NC, FEC, 11-May
Ihopeg (Ilene), Penn, TAC, 2-May, DONE SOON!!!!!
IowaCindy, AC/Taxotere, 13-Apr DONE!!!! Taking Tamo..
JoniIMB, Alberta, FEC, DONE!! HOORAY!!!
Lucy, TCH/Herceptin, Dec
Lynn12, Mass, TC, 8-May
LuckyMel (Melinda), need your data..
Melianne, Cal, AC/Taxol,30-Jun
Mer1957 (Mary), Michigan, Surgery May 2
Mizsissy, 4 cats, Mich,TC, 5-Mar DONE!!!! RADS April/May
MrsShea NO CHEMO!!! RADS starting last week
Nandy, Missouri, 2-Apr DONE!!!!
Nancy AB, 3 cats, AC/Taxol, 10-June
Ritajean, Illinois, CMF, 30-Mar DONE!!!!
Robertin, Kansas, 8-May
RobbinJaye, California, AC, 29-Mar DONE!!!!
Rsheehey (Rebecca), NJ, TAC, 2-May
Shorti, Ontario, FEC/Taxotere, 23-Apr COMING UP SOON!!!
Skydivine, Midwest, AC/Herception, 23-Apr DONE!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!
t4t(Tae), Alabama, AC DONE!!!, Taxol Started, 4-May
tcl60 (Tammy), California, TC/Taxotere, dose dense! 25-April COMING UP SOON!!!
Viddie, Mass, AC/Herception, 19-April DONE!!
Vlfr, LA, Braxane/Herceptin, 3-May, DONE SOON!!!

We are in a new phase now; it would be nice to have a page we could look at with dx details, surgeries, hormone meds etc...

Mizsissy

I am having a left mastectomy also with nodes. I could have had a sentinel node biopsy before chemo (because after chemo you can't do it) but I told them just to take all of the nodes to be safe. One part of the lobular cancer goes close to my underarm and there is one node that felt suspicious to the surgeon. The other part of the lobular that I could feel is near the center of the chest. They are going to do lymphatic mapping so they can see which nodes the tumors are feeding to. As I understand it they don't like to go after the nodes close to the lungs (center of the chest?) so as not to nick the lungs. I plan to be back outside walking after my drains are out and biking after two weeks - do you think that is realistic since I bike now 6 days a week for an hour at the gym? I am not sure when I can go back to lifting weights. My surgeon just said to take it gradually and I am afraid of overdoing it and getting lymphadema. Usually I lift weights two to three times a week at the gym.

Ativans are highly addictive, but you CAN get off them. You should try this when you are no longer getting chemo, and can exercise everyday. Exercise a great stress reliever, and will also help you sleep.

First, taper off the ativan; you may need extra weeks here:

• Week 1, 1/2 pill each night to sleep (do not skip)
• Week 2, 1/4 pill each night to sleep (do not skip)
  

Now, stop the Ativan completely, and try other methods to sleep:

• Day 15 Take a 1/2 dose of an antihistamine (benadryl, zyrtec) if needed for sleep
• Day 16 Try to sleep w/o a pill. If you need one, take a pill, but something different from Day 15 (I took a darvocet).
• Day 17 Milk and Ibuprofen or Aspirin or Tylenol, if needed. Warm the milk if you can. Milk has a lot of tryptophan which makes you sleepy. If you can't drink milk, try turkey, which has even more tryptophan.
  

Now you're done. You can take milk and aspirin for the rest of your life as needed, and it's not addictive!!!

Mizsissy

Hi Ladies,

Wow, tons of posts to catch up on.

Mary, I had a right breast mastectomy and I don't think I could have been riding a bike 2 weeks later. I only had sentinal node and had trouble keeping my arm on the desk to use the mouse after 2 weeks. One of the problems is your arm is numb from about the elbow up to your shoulder. Well, mine was both numb and painful. As for the actual surgery, I had pain the first few days but nothing the perocet didn't take care of. The Dr. and nurses said to take 2 every 4 hours and not to let the pain happen. I did that for 3 days, then only took the perc at night to take the edge off. We will all be there with you in spirit!

I think I have eyebrows growing in. Also, my dh has been shaving my head about every 2 weeks and when it came back in, it was white and very scarce. This time, there's a lot more fullness and actually some color. No more shaving for me. Although I do have one more tx, so it might all fall back out again. I'm ready for hair.

Mel, I have some water retention as well. Boy, it sure wasn't fun shopping for a bathing suit yesterday. There I was, standing in the dressing room at the mastectomy shop, bald and fat. So I got a tankini where the bottom has a skirt on it. DH laughed thinking it was like back in the 50s or something. I do think they are coming back and are quite stylish, right ladies?

I walk around the house bald all the time, my daughter and dh are used to it. Dh keeps telling me how cute I look.

Nancy, lol about the nurse disciplining you. I occassionally get heartburn, not sure when, no rhyme or reason. Rolaids usually works for me.

Caya, Jan and Nancy, hope you are feeling better. Also anyone else I might have missed.

Happy Saturday!

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TPP- I never knew so many people who wanted to visit Columbus!

YOU AND ME BOTH, MARY!!! DON'T BE FOOLED...THESE ARE THE FIRST VISITORS I'VE HAD SINCE I GOT HERE NEARLY FIVE YEARS AGO..ASIDE FROM MY PARENTS.

Lynn, I love tankini's... been wearing those for a few years now.

Got my script for the Tamoxifen. She didn't say and I didn't think to ask - does anyone know if AM or PM is better?

CINDY, I HEARD IT COULD POSSIBLY, AND I STRESS---POSSIBLY, CAUSE NAUSEA SO TAKING IT AT NIGHT WAS A GOOD IDEA. HOWEVER, IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO TAKE, I DIDN'T WANT TO RISK FORGETTING IT OR FALLING ASLEEP BEFORE TAKING IT SO I FIGURED I'D TRY IT OUT DURING THE DAY AND IF IT DIDN'T GO WELL, I'D CHANGE TO NIGHT. I'VE BEEN ON IT ABOUT FIVE DAYS NOW AND I'VE HAD NO SIDE EFFECTS...TAKING IT LATE MORNING.

Yesterday I did manage to drag my bloated self out to lunch with a few of my bc sisters, and had a wonderful time. By the time we were done, however, I could hardly walk, was short of breath, and had a hard time bending my legs to get into the car. Also removed my shoes, and then there was no way I could get them back on. I was still clutching my bottle of Lasix, and waiting to hear from my internist, who called on the way home to tell me that my echocardiogram and cxr were perfectly normal, and that I could go ahead and take the lasix. So I took one as soon as I got home (afraid to take one in the car because I was expecting instant massive diuresis - no such luck!). I lay around all evening WAITING for something to happen, too miserable to eat or drink or post anything. Finally at bedtime, I took another Lasix, and I think I may have gotten up to pee one time during the night. No big deal. At 5:00 am I took two more, and went back to sleep. When I finally woke up, I was better - I can bend my legs, I can walk without being short of breath, and although I am still swollen, I'm pretty sure it's better. So...I think I'm going to live. The problem is, we still don't know exactly what caused the problem. I still lean toward thinking it's the taxol, even if the worst of it did happen AFTER my last treatment.
Lynn, oh, Lynn, I got anxiety just reading about your swimsuit shopping! You're a braver woman than I am. I think that is something I just won't be doing this year.
Nancy, I had the heartburn with taxol. I was already on Nexium for GERD, and they gave me something during my taxol treatments (sorry, chemobrain deleted memory of what drug it was), and then I added in Zantac at bedtime. That pretty much took care of it, but still I had an occasional heartburn breakthrough.
I'm going to hit Continue before this post gets snatched away. Everyone have a wonderful weekend.
Melinda

You can cut Ativans into quarters with a pill cutter; yes they are tiny. But I'll tell you those quarters are potent. My body knew when I missed 'em!

Rebecca this is terrific!!!

I've gone there & tried to edit my stuff but it won't let me yet. I'll be happy to help you get this updated.

Mizsissy