Starting Chemo in JAN 2007

robin Jay lucky you to be able to camp again . I am waiting for Aug when we go for 2 weeks up north of here .
Mizsissy I am working on the weekend I really want to get out and its just working out having the truck for the weekend . DH is a little worried about me taking the camper , but I will be ok . Time will cure that as I am feeling better everyday now .
Rads are working out ok today I was done and back home in 3 1/2 hrs . 2 of those were in traffic , we call it the don valley parking lot here . the real name of the hwy is the 404 / Don Valley Parkway . Its hot here too , hot enough for me to stay inside .
Caya : glad to hear you are feeling better .
skye : after I get a hat done i will post it , i the weather keeps up this hot I will be in my basement sewing for sure .
Hope everyone else is doing fine I am going for my nappy this driving gets me a little wound up .

PS my real name is Sharon . I am thinking of retiring shorti as my teenage years are far behind me now .
I am 4 11 anyone else shorter ?????

Hi Sharon, Melia, Amera,

Sharon, I am so relieved you are really trying to come. I'd be very disappointed if you didn't...and that's also true for you Joni, Lynn, Caya & Mary!!! And Jan I'd be thrilled if you could come too!! Everyone else is welcome.

I really do like your name Sharon better. You don't look like a Shorti at all to me. You can change your name in your personal page; it's OK, it will work. Just make a big announcement and use a familiar avator. We'll know who you are. Re Sept: I think it would be nice if you could bring your husband, because I just get the feeling that he and dh would hit it offf.

Well, to celebrate, I just ordered myself a bathing suit on the web, one size smaller than what was indicated, as a celebration & incentive. I have decided that next time I go camping if it's hot, it needs to be near water and I need to live amphibiously for the weekend. That's one way being bald comes in really handy!!!!

Amera, the cyber party I was thinking of would be at the end of June or July to celebrate EVERYONE's treatment end. Maybe we could have a special thread for that night because the idea would be to have everyone post all the time. We'd probably fill up about 20 pages!!!

BTW, forgot to tell you, my hot flashes have STOPPED on tamoxifen!!! I think this is because I was already post. Well this is a nice side effect!!

xxxooo Mizsissy

Lynn - I like the chat room idea for our virtual get together. There are two chat rooms on this site and the "staying connected" one doesn't seem to be too busy the few times I've checked. We could always do a trial run and see how it works. Anyone want to meet in the chat room tonight? Maybe around 8:30 pm ET?

Today I had my third radiation treatment. It really is in and out and so the closeness and cameradery that there was with the chemo nurses is totally lacking here. As a matter of fact, everything is so streamlined, that most of what the nurses say is related to the treatment: "don't chew gum during the radiation," or "sit here until we get you." Oops sorry, you were talking just around the corner. I feel kind of like a little kid. So, I'll ask questions like, "what energy is the radiation - in MeV please?" Maybe, I annoy them, but they annoy me, because I'm accustomed to nicer nurses. By the way, I have two beams, 8 and 16 MeV, which is in the gamma radiation region. Wow! And the accelerator takes so little time getting the electrons on speed. Of course, the one I know is as big as Cornell's football field. Anyway, I'm not spending any money on treats for these nurses, and when I get back to oncology for my bloodtests, I will give those nice nurses a big hug. So luckily, my withdrawal from special treatment is more gradual. I'm going through it right now. On the positive side, I can go to treatment and be back at work in 50 minutes.
I have noticed that people are getting less interested in my well-being. Questions like "how are you?" are modified to "things are going great, right?" So that it's easier to say sure. That causes fewer obligations for the other person. I just figure, when someone else is going through this, I know what to do. So, yesterday my husband and I gave $1000 to some a family in our church. He is a former surgeon who has MS. He's totally handicapped and his wife is working as a dental asisstant. They've just sold their house and are moving to a rental home. We found that out when we brought the money by. So, I think they can use the money. It felt so good to help someone else for a change. Now, we're not rich. We have more money outstanding in doctor bills than we have in savings, but I am getting better, he is not. And money is not nearly as important as good health. So, I'm going to focus on doing a good deed every day.
I'm 3 1/2 weeks out of the last Taxol. I still have a white peach fuzz on my head, which is getting thicker, but not any darker. They eyelashes are taking their jolly good time, and the eyebrows are turning white. For some funny reason I have the best skin ever. It's so moist - I have hard time with my eyebrow pencil. I still have trouble with the tingling in my feet. That neuropathy is hanging around for a long time. Is anyone else experiencing that? I sure hope it eventually goes away. I have to wear sandals, because my toenails rub against my shoes and that hurts.
Taxol might be easier to deal with, but I prefer the side effects of AC over Taxol. At least when the chemo is over, the side effects are gone, with Taxol they linger and linger.

Join us in the "staying connected" chat room tonight around 8:30 pm ET if you can for a trial run...

I'll try the chat room tonight, that would be 9:30 Central, if I don't forget! :-)
Congrats to everyone finishing. We all know what that means, even if others don't. Robertin, I've noticed the same thing; people wanting me to acknowledge that I'm just fine now. And I do feel better than I did during chemo so that's something. I also agree that the Taxol side effects are worse..they linger, echo, and make hair and nails fall off weeks later. That's just evil.

Something else odd...yesterday was the first time I'd been at the chemo room on a Wed so different people were there, including lots more ladies with short post-chemo hair. Their hair all looked the same! Grayish, with a matted texture, like the gal in the TLC catalog in her "before" shot on the makeup tip page. I've seen people farther out and their hair looked normal, so there must be another big change along the way. Hopefully it happens mid-hair rather than as more fallout. - skye

Robertin,

Enjoy your best skin ever. Hell, with a nice wig or scarf who cares!!

Those radiation gals may seem a little more callous but they have more patients to deal with. I actually liked the radiation people better. I was doing better, I wasn' t a problem, so they didn't treat me like a problem. Over in chemo they treated me like a CASE. I wasn't a normal person. I was a person with problems--not the fact that they were inserting deadly chemicals into my system had *anything* to do with it!!!!

Good luck with radiation everybody. It's not quite the slice of cake you might have imagined, but it will be over with soon!!!

xxxooo Mizsissy

If we all pool our collective chemo brains we might be OK.

Two of my rad nurses threw confetti at me and gave me a diploma on my way out of the treatment room today. It was kinda neat. The women I've met at rads are really great. I will miss seeing them. There is just something about having gone through this that instantly connects folks I guess.

I took the kids for icecream tonight and also got a pedicure on the way home from rads. DH and I are going out to dinner tomorrow night. I think that's really the only celebrating we'll be doing and that's okay with me. I would love to go on a trip but honestly, I'd be the one planning it and I don't have the time or energy at this point. I just want this behind me.

One interesting thing...I have had my surgery, chemo and rads at 3 different places. I am now really confused about who will be ordering mammos etc from now on. I assumed it would be the surgeon but the chemo nurse told me it would be the onc, and the rad dr told me I should go through them. That last one makes no sense. I thought that after my 1 month follow up with the rad doc, I was done with them. She did tell me though that I should wait 3 months for another mammo. I have an appt with the surgeon next week so I will ask her. She's the one I trust the most. So confusing. Sheesh!

Hi,
Sorry I missed the chat room. While I was posting on word and reading all the posts, two hours flew by and by the time I read about the chat room, it was too late. Maybe I should read first, then post. But then, you forget what everyone said and have to re-read. Gotta get a system down. I just had my 7 th taxol/herceptin tx today. As usual I fell asleep during taxol treatment. Got home and slept for 3 more hours. Woke us at 6, had dinner, did some stuff and starting reading and posting around 8:00. I hope you all had fun going live.
Melia,
Only 5 more, Yeah!!
Nancy, only one more and you’re done- cause for celebration next week!
Caya,
I am so glad you are feeling better!
Dar,
What do you mean by “So I used the "hair glue" and went.”? What did you use over the hair glue? Did you go topless? I think I am missing something. Maybe I am clueless. I am glad your fellow worker is so supportive. That makes it so much easier.
I am with you. I do not think anyone of us want to be on the journey. I would rather be on a beach in Bali. LOL
Amera and Mizsissy,
Congratulations on your last treatment!! I hope you and your DH’s go out to celebrate.
Amera,
I can understand it is a little scary when you are done. I still do not understand why they can’t give us a CA-15-3, or CA 27-29 blood test every six months. They say that the cancer markers might not be reliable, but shouldn’t that be our choice? What is the point of having markers if they do not use them?
I am posting slowly, over 2 hours with word (phone calls in-between) and I just saw that you are having a nice celebratory dinner out with your DH tomorrow night. Enjoy!
Sharon,
I like your real name. I hope you had a nice nap
Melia,
Your vacation plans sound nice and relaxing.
Lynn,
I think some people are tired of hearing about us. Shame on them! How have your treatments been so far? How is your hair?
Mizsissy,
The cyber party sounds like a great idea. I love your flowers. I am so happy your hot flashes stopped. When you are ready you have to show us a picture of you in your bathing suit, of course, only if you want to!!!!
Rebecca,
Four years should not be old for appliances. I guess they are making them that way now- just not fair!! I hope your washing machine gets fixed bt tomorrow.
Robertin,
It would be nice if the technicians could be nicer. Maybe they will once they get to know you. Then how could they not be nice? Maybe they need some ice breaking.
Viddie

The chat was so much fun. We do need to do it again. Took me a while to figure it out, but then it seemed easy.

Nancy, have you had to miss any treatments b/c of blood counts? My wbc are often so marginal, am always a bit anemic too. The dr delayed the start of taxol by a week to give me time to recover after ac, but I have slipped thru the taxol every week. I worry every tues when I have blood drawn that I won't "make" it but they email the results, so by the time I am back at work, I can see what they are. I would hate to have a treatment delayed now, am so anxious to finish, but I have no control. I am getting awfully tired. Are you feeling it too viddie? Everyone else, how is the fatigue on rad? And Rebecca, what is bolus?
Love you ladies,
Melia

I got locked out of the chatroom too. I signed in late as I didn't realize you guys were doing it until 9:40 eastern time. Then, I couldn't post on our normal board. It said I was logged in but I wasn't. Very aggravating. I lost a big post yesterday... sorry if I've ignored any big events. I really didn't... they were just lost in that post.

Melia, the only time my blood counts delayed a treatment was my 4th AC. It's funny that you asked because my dream last night was all about not getting my last taxol today because of blood counts. Lets hope that's not the case, I wants this over with and my DH is in such a good mood and I ask him what's up and he says everytime "It's your last chemo'!! He's not been happy for a good long time because he has a horrible job and is miserable. He is a project manager for a manufacturing company, before that he worked as a technical writer for military vehicles. In one year he put in over 1800 unpaid hours because he is salary. Our youngest daughter wasn't sure what her daddy looked like. We never saw him and taking a vacation was iffy up to the day we planned to leave. It's awful to live that way! I wish he could find a job that wouldn't give him a daily stroke, but I know in this day and age that is very unlikely.
I slept 4 hours last evening as I told you and I was back in bed at 10:30 slept all night and my DH woke me at 8:30 what is wrong with me???? I hate being so exhausted.

Nancy, I think the steroids they give us with the taxol ( I get a bag before the taxol, along with a pill and a benedry) make us retain fluid. I have stopped weighing myself. I figure I have august and sept to lose wgt before our daughter's wedding on Oct 6. Good luck today, I hope it goes very very well. I will be thinking of you. Post how it goes! I am exhausted too, almost wept when I had to walk a block on tuesday. I have stopped the gym and will start again after I am done. I just have no energy. I can do my job because it is a desk job. It has actually been a godsend as it keeps me occupied and I think depression would be more of an issue without it. I am so glad I kept it quiet at work with the exception of my bosses, so it is just not an issue.

Have a good day all.

Melia