Starting Chemo in May 07

Congratulations Liz! You inspire me.
Welcome Suzanne.
Someone asked a page or so ago about her nose running.. mine has been too and I thought it must be because of losing the hair there. I feel exactly the same keeping a kleenex close by.
I had DD A/C #3 last wednesday and this weekend was alittle tough. nausea feeling and tired but today I was feeling much better. I had some very uncomfortable constipation.
Thanks to all for being here.

Mary S., I'm the one with the runny nose. Really dry, red eyes, too. And Suzanne, I had achy knees too, I think due to the Nuelasta shot. Always the sorest when I laid down at night on my side, so they were laying one atop the other.

Liz, how was the hat & hair at the gym?

I managed almost an entire day at work today (I wasn't super brainy, but hey, I was there!) but driving home was sort of surrealistic. I felt like I had to just take it reallllllly easy. Thank goodness I don't have to deal with intense traffic!

A very big positive: when I got home the sun was out and shining on my hot tub and I cracked a nice bottle of ginger ale and sat in there for a nice long time just enjoying the warmth. Sometimes it is the simplest things...

Hugs,
LeeAnne

Hi everyone,

Suzanne - you're right - it sure doesn't take long to get ready anymore without hair - I never realized how much time I spent washing, conditioning, shaving, blowdrying, straightening etc. until I became hairless! People say "oh you'll be spoiled once your hair comes back and you'll be wishing you were bald again!!" I HIGHLY DOUBT THAT!!

Liz, I wear a bandana at the gym and of course my hat to run in but I am about to start playing beach volleyball in July and am afraid that I will let my vanity prevent me from playing my favourite sport! I don't know what to wear on my head that won't fall/fly off when I'm running, jumping and diving in the sand! I would be very embarassed if my bald lumpy head were exposed! I need to make an announcement to the entire league that I am undergoing chemo, I am bald and this is what I look like (revealing head) so that if it does happen, no one will freak out! Because I don't know about you guys but when I do show people my head 'au naturel' - they do have a look of shock on their faces (as I did the first few times too!) Anyways, I'm sure that I'll be so worried about my scarf falling off that it will inhibit my ability to play well...so maybe I won't be playing this year after all! The outdoor league is full of young hot bodied people (I am neither) and I would be so self concious there. It's too bad I'm such a chicken because my hair has always been such a pain in the butt when I play beach v-ball due to the wind blowing it in my eyes, etc. - playing bald would be great! Maybe I should buy a t-shirt advertising a local competitive swim team and people will think I'm a competitive swimmer! (lol)

Well, I've been whining for days now so thought I should post some positives for a change!

1. I'm going to the Look Good Feel Better class today (this means FREE COSMETICS!)

2. I had a great time with my kids last night - the three of us just hung out. We went to the dollar store, hung out by a field full of wild rabbits and a pond with geese. Then we came home and I taught them how to play blackjack! We just laughed and laughed!

3. My hubby who was supposed to be out of town over night ending up coming back home so I got to cuddle with him after all!

4. I am feeling better and think I have turned the corner on this round's SE's (fingers crossed)

Happy Tuesday everyone!
Mandy

Well I gave up on the underhair for the gym and wore a buff in the "scull cap style". It's coolmax so I think it's perfect for the gym. But it's a crazy green pattern so maybe I should get some other colors and patterns. I concluded that worrying about the underhair coming out of my cap would be too much of a bother. So buffs and scarves for the gym I think.

CindyKS--that's a great achievement while raising 3 kids alone! I am married and only have pets to take care of--no kids--and I studied all the time for 2 years. But it sure does feel great when it's done.

Mandy, I would hate to hear that you gave up something you love to do because of your baldness. I certainly know the impulse to not want to deal with it, but come on, we have to live our lives as fully as possible, you know? But I can understand if worrying about the head covering can interfere with the enjoyment of the activity. Have you tried buffs yet? They're pretty sporty--more than a scarf and there are different styles to wear them in, so you can find one that works for you. I should go into marketing, no?

BTW, here are some videos about how to wear a Buff if you've never heard of them, which I hadn't until a few weeks ago. The bloopers are funny!

http://www.buffusa.com/waystowear.html

Hey girls,

Thanks for all the links, CindyMN! I never heard of a buff before, so I learned something new today. Is it a Canadian thing, maybe? I'm down here in the 48, and not hanging out with any skiers or other west coast athletic types, either.

CindyKS, you probably heard about the pump and the Marinol from me. I'm going to be using both after chemo this time because I've had such a hard time with my first 2 tx. The pump is about the size of a portable tape recorder, and it's loaded with anti-nausea drugs and whatever else the onc wants to put in there. Then it's attached to my port by a tube, and automatically dispenses drugs at regular intervals. If I want more than what I'm given automatically, I can press a button and get more up to 4 times an hour. The Marinol is the only drug I'll be taking orally, I think, and it's synthetic marijuana. It's supposed to help with nausea and lack of appetite. My first 2 tx's I threw up about 8 times each, and ended up having to go to the ER both times. So this time we'll try the pump and see what happens. If I still have trouble, I'll be having my last 3 tx's as an inpatient. My onc says only 2% of people end up needing a pump, so I guess I'm "special"! Oh well, what can you do? I read online about Marinol, and in several places it said something about how it should only be prescribed when all other options have been exhausted. Not sure why that is, but apparently I fall into that category now.

I got my underhair trimmed today so it's chin-length, and I love it! I'll get a picture soon and post it so you can see. I'm going to wear it to teach lessons today, I like it so much.

All for now,

Amy

Mandy, No the buff isn't loose--it's skin tight but not uncomfortably tight. I bought the summer buff. It has SPF which is great for our photosensitive bald scalps in summer. You may have to experiment with the styles to find the best style for your activity.

Hi Mar_in_Jersey. Welcome.

Hi Mar! Can't help you with the teary eyes--that's a SE I haven't had yet. But welcome to our group! We're glad to have you.

Mandy, I cracked up at your underarm hair thought!! HA!!!

That reminds me of something funny/pathetic. The other night I googled "anti-emetic pump" just to see what more I could find out about it. In all the 6 pages or so of links that I looked through, ONE was related to a normal chemo regimen rather than to people receiving high-dose chemo or children going through chemo. And you'll never guess what that ONE link was--it was MY post to you guys, telling you about the pump!!! LOL!! How sad is that?? Even on Google I can't find anybody but MYSELF who needs one.

Positive for today--one of my violin students' moms made me SUSHI!! I love love love sushi, even when it's the non-raw kind (I love the "real" stuff too). I've been sitting here eating it non-stop since I came home. YUM.

Amy

Welcome Mar.

Had tx 3 today. Feeling ok so far. I'm hungry all the time right after the tx think it must be the steroids. I've had a little heartburn this afternoon. Hope that doesnt continue. Might have been something I ate so will waite and see. I'm hoping the SE's only last a couple of days like they have with the last 2 txs.
My son went with me today so now he knows what it's all about. We took the laptop and watched Anger Management. Ended up having to bust out the headphones cause other people came in and were watching tv.
There was an older lady probably 60's that was completely bald. She said she went to her hair dresser and told her she wanted a cut, perm and color. guess the hair dresser just looked at her funny. She doesnt cover her head says its alot cooler that way. I dont blame her, Kansas is hot and with all the rain we've had its been really humid. Once I shave my head the rest of the way I'm gonna probably go bald as well. I bought some self tanning lotion with and spf of 20 or so today so my head can catch up to the rest of me. I'm really not very tan, just what little I get from wearing tshirts all the time.
Well I'm gonna take my benadryl and try and get some sleep. I sure hope it works, I'm getting tired of being tired all the time.
Good luck to all who are up for tx's this week,

CindyKS

Oh, by the way, here's my pic....with the old hair, taken outside of my beloved Portland...at the sturgeon pond at the Bonneville Hatchery. I don't have the nerve to take one with my lollipop head wig. Now g'nite!

I searched the internet and talked to lots of people who just said they had to deal with the tears. One told me of his father who he golfed with and saw the tears flowing down his cheeks. On the internet I found mention of Viscotears liquid gel and a night treatment called Lacri-Lube (makes your eyes blurry, so should use before sleep). I also saw something on Minims (steroid drops-prednisolone sodium phospate 5%). I plan to ask my onc about these today. But if I hear again that I just have to deal with it, I'm interested in the nonconventional stuff - accupuncture. I hope this helps others.

Question for the neo-adjuvant ladies: is your onc doing any tests like ultrasound or anything after the first month to see if this is actually working? Mine says he'll wait until two months and do an mri but isn't it kinda disturbing to wonder whether the cancer is getting better or worse for two months? I know we've had this in our bodies for years, but I worry a little.

Neo-adjuvant: It just means we have the chemo before the surgery.

Hey, everyone. I just stopped by to check in and see how everyone's doing.

Since the margins weren't clear on my last excisional biopsy, I'm headed to the O.R. this Friday for surgery on my R chest wall (I already had a mastectomy -- the cells are growing in the subcutaneous tissue). Hopefully THIS time they'll get clean margins and get all those stupid cells OUT.

I'm due for A/C #4 next Wednesday (I can't wait!). And I'll have radiation after that. I'm supposed to have radiation for 5 weeks, and then start Taxol and Herceptin.

Other than feeling tired, I don't have terrible physical symptoms. But the emotional strain of biopsies, path reports, boredom, and anxiety are really taking their toll. I've had to take more Xanax than I thought I would, but I guess whatever gets us through is worth it...

Hugs to you all.

sarah