Starting Chemo in JAN 2007

Dar; how is work going? I have worked thru this, but I have the best boss on the planet and a desk job. I am toast when I get home, haven't been exercising as much as usual since taxol started, but am going to at least try to walk.

Mizssisy, thanks for the good advice. I am 58 so probably older than you, but not as many good ideas!

Rebecca, You were right to go with Frances and I hope she heals quickly. She probably will at such a young age. I love her name; that was my mom's name. Frances Jane.

Mary, try to be patient with the drains. Mine was still draining 45 when he took it out and I have a seroma ...

Viddie, How is the taxol going?

Lynn, Hope the fogginess clears up soon. Glad at least the nausea isn't bad.

Had my 4th taxol yesterday, in bed by 7 pm. I was so groggy. I cannot wait for this to end.

Have a good day all.

Melia

Welcome gals, it's been lonely over here under the nuke machine. Hey, where's Amera? Back in her life probably.

Whew, I just slept until AFTER LUNCH; haven't done that since I was a teenager. Couldn't sleep last night and took 1/2 an ativan around 4 am. Second ativan in a week after being off two weeks.

I was worried about a friend. Talk about life never getting boring. A month ago an old boyfriend walks in the front door, and into my happy marriage of 24 years. Shook things up a little, but things have rebalanced. HE and DH were part of my pre-marital social circle and are now buddies again, and now we have a new best friend that pops in 2 or 3 times a week. In fact, they're such good buddies that when the three of us are together, I can't get a word in edgewise. Now OB is in the midst of breaking off his first, but very shaky engagement to be married in his 50 years. Had just bought a farm in Pa with her and a 19K diamond and then she changes her mind and decides she doesn't love him. Last weekend he was so depressed I was afraid he might be suicidal, and we spent the week working on him getting him back into good spirits. Then last night he announced that she wants she him to help with the farm (even tho she doesn't love him) and she was crying, so he gave in. So here we go again!!!

Yes, my post chemo life has been stressful...strange situation for a bald middle aged 58 year old chemo patient to be dealing with. Not at all what I expected....but it will be nice to have a few weeks of quiet time to ourselves.

Life is full of surprises.

Mizsissy

Hello all:

Hey Lynn, took up your advice and I am typing this in Word and then will copy over to the discussion boards. The fresh air really helped with my nausea, and so did ginger snaps, so happy sitting outside. Don’t you dare get that cold before your trip!!

Skye & Viddie, Dan & I love Vegas too, so when you go, let us know and we’ll try to meet you down there. I’ve never stayed at the Luxor, last year we stayed at the Venetian, and it was lovely with the suites for every room.

Viddie, hope your chemo goes well today, oh, and you and Tina have to remember these people actually think we are “stars”, that’s why they are staring at us. Ask them if they want your autograph, and then sign it…to my favorite “Turtle Face”….hahaha.

Mary, you are only having strange dreams because the Red Wings are still in the playoffs, once they’re out, they’ll stop; not the hot/cold feelings, just the weird dreams. Congrats to your son on making the Dean’s List,!!

Rebecca, hope your daughter Frances is okay for the championships. Lots of stress eh?

Nancy, hope you are feeling better, and as for your poll…I’m a “Kiwi”, but only on the top in the front….still shiny in other spots.

Caya, is today your last chemo day? If so, wishing you all the best. As for your comment about me putting in bedding plants, it is way too early, but I couldn’t wait any longer!! Oh well, maybe I’ll get lucky…and no more frosts!!

Mizsissy, I find out tomorrow what hormone therapy I will be on, and I also get my MRI results, so I’m a bit anxious. As my Labrador is scared of thunder, I’m usually trying to console him when we have a storm, so no sleeping allowed. I thought your after chemo comments were very good, and it was a lot of what the Breast Center said to me. The one thing that they did prescribe for me is “Tryptophan”. It is a drug/herb that assists with sleeping and relaxing. It seems to be helping, and the doctor feels it is better than taking Ativan.

Jan, good luck with your last chemo tomorrow, I will be thinking of you. Did you ever get the port? My arm is just now starting to feel better from all the chemos by IV, although my veins still look discolored.

Shorti, I’m going to ask them to give me a blood test to check whether I’m officially now in menopause. I did ask the doctor at the Breast Center, and she said that she would doubt that my cycle would come back.

RobbinJaye, got a kick out of your survey on hot flashes. I can always tell when it’s exactly 12:00 Noon, and 12:00 midnite, I get one right on the dot, along with about 20 others during the day and nite. Feel like that karate kid movie…hat on, hat off. Has anyone almost pulled their wig off when they had a hot flash in public??

Caya, I didn’t realize that it was against the Jewish religion to get tattoos. What about the radiation ones?

Mel, glad to hear the swelling on your legs is going down.

Cindy, I too had a mastectomy, with 1 node involved, and I will be starting radiation May 23. My margins were clear, but close.

Tina, after losing my eyebrows I don’t think I would ever consider getting them tattooed on!

Melia, how was Taxol #4?

I have to tell you ladies that are working throughout this ordeal, you have big kudos from me. I don’t think I could have worked through my chemo at all. My new Escape has not arrived yet, it was suppose to be here on Monday. I’m just heading off for my walk, hoping to make it 3 kms today. It’s nice out about 18 C (18*2 + 32 =68 F), but there is a cool wind.

Hugs to all…..


Joni

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Joni and Caya

It is a very common misconception that tattoos are against the Jewish religion. The reality of it is that this myth was mostly created by Jewish mothers who did not want their children to get tattoos

The most commonly cited evidence is a passage in the Torah that forbids tattooing, but if you read it, the type of tattoos specifically forbidden are ritual tattoos done in the context of polytheistic worship, and the law is actually just an extension of the injunction against idolatry. As such it does not apply to the kinds of tattooing we do today…for decoration or for medical purposes.

My own mom always said that you could not tattoo because the "body was a temple" and any changes made to this divine perfection was disrespectful to G-d. (which by the way is NOT what is said in the Torah…see above!) She would go on to tell me that if I ever did change my body like that (add to or subtract from my divinely bestowed self) I would not be able to be buried in a Jewish Cemetery. Extending this logic, we can see that it would include things like earrings and medical appliances as well. I do not know ANY Jewish moms that would tell their children not to get their ears pierced or get a pacemaker because they could not be buried in a Jewish cemetery! By this logic it would also be against the Jewish religion to violate the body of the deceased in the name of organ donation! I hardly think that something of that nature would be considered sinful by anyone!

I actually got a lot of this information directly from a Rabbi (I have also done some personal research on the subject)...Just a bit of trivia from this humble (tattooed) Jew

YAY Caya! Congrats on finishing. Glad all went well. My onc said the same as yours, no need for ovary removal, I'll be on Tamoxofin for about 2 or 3 years until I'm confirmed post menopausal, then switch over to AI.

Joni, hoping your MRI comes back with good results.

Congrats Caya!!! Best of luck tomorrow Jan!

Caya, I am so happy for you! Good job! And Jan, good luck tomorrow. Someday I will get there too.

I did book my four day mtn getaway for July when I finish. I made sure to find a nice hotel, good location, room service, right in the village and just a couple of blocks from the lake. So I have that to look forward to.
Melia

Caya, I'm so glad for you that you are done!
And yeah, Caya and Joni and anyone else, Vegas reunion would be so fun! -
Mary, so sorry about your BIL. Keep us posted.

Skye

Melia - My first baseline mammo showed calcifications so they suggested I come back in 6 months. When I did the area had changed so I was scheduled for a biopsy. I never felt a lump. The needle biopsy showed DCIS. I had a partial mastectomy and the path report showed 2 IDC tumors and another invasive tumor in addition to much more extensive DCIS than the MRI and mammo showed. No clear margins. So then on to a mastectomy and SNB. Finally got clear margins with that.

You know what scares me? For all three of us it came on fast. I worry about the other breast and am actually thinking about having it removed. I asked my dr about that and he said I have such a low chance of spread to that one that he wouldn't recommend that I do it, that the surgical risk is actually greater than the risk of cancer showing up there. He did say I could have it done if I actually am losing sleep over the worry, but that he thinks it is totally unnecessary. So I am going to finish chemo, give myself a little time to recover, and think about it. Have you ever thought about it?
Melia

Did anyone get redness around where the drain goes in? My dh thinks it is just irritated from moving around, but it hurts and it's a little pink. How do you know if it's infected?

Also re mammograms, I had mine in 1/06 and nothing showed up, diagnosis 11/06 although I had some suspicions in 8/06. I felt a lump. With lobular and dense breasts, the mammogram doesn't reveal this type of cancer. So from now on, I'm insisting on breast MRI's for the other side.

Even though my bc was in the right breast, I chose to have both breast removed. It was a very hard decision but my mother's history told me I would be a fool if I went any other way. Actually be "flat" chested isn't so bad. I wear chamies instead of bras and feel fine with it. I really have no desire to have reconstruction either. I yam what I yam. Would like some eyebrows and lashes though!

Melia,

I had a clear mammogram in 2004, then didn't get one in 2005. Noticed my right breast seemed to be shrinking so went to ob/gyn in August 2006, he didn't feel anything but sent me for a mammo. Had that in Oct. 2006, they didn't see anything either but did notice my breast was smaller compared to 2004. Called me back and still didn't see anything. Radiologist was not comfortable since shrinking breast is pretty rare and did an ultra sound and saw a small area of ILC. Had MRI which also showed small area and maybe more. Had mastectomy that had 7.5cm multifocal ILC. I'm getting my left breast removed in December with DIEP. ILC has a higher chance of mirroring in the other breast.

Melia, I had a clear mammogram in March and then found a lump in October. The lump didn't show on mammo but did on ultrasound. Scary. My surgeon thinks it might have only been there for 6 months as it was very fast growing.

I know I should still be doing self breast exams but I am scared to find something else. I figure I'm still in active treatment and I will resume them when I am done.