Starting Chemo in JAN 2007

WOOHOO, Rebecca!!!! Congratulations. I'm pretty sure we can identify with the crying.

Good luck on that under arm area. I had to see the doctor today. Tomorrow is 14 days done for me and the area under my arm at the outer end of my mastectomy scar has gotten redder and redder and I'm having pain. The doctor says I have cellulitis there and have to take antibiotic for seven days. The nurse told me that there can be skin changes for up to 14 days after treatment. I never knew that. I think the sweating from the heat has exacerbated the irritation in that area.

Anyway, Rebecca - keep an eye on that.

And C-E-L-E-B-R-A-T-E!!!!

Cindy

Quick update before bed...

Got my hot fudge sundae after all. Mint chip YUM!

Night ladies!

Hi Girls,

Rebecca, this is for you!


Joni, the image is for you too, congrats on your garden. Way to go on going topless to the wedding! You'll be hooked in no time.

Tina, sorry MB wasn't what you had hoped. Hope the rest of your vacation in the Carolina's is wonderful!

Melia, I'm so glad you are already starting to feel better. It's amazing how free you feel after finishing chemo! I'm so happy for you!

Skye, I love the photo, you should definitely use it!

Amera, nice to see hear from you! I'm so sorry for your dad, I hope he does well with his treatments. I agree with everyone else regarding the puppy, it's just too much for you now and that's ok! Pay yourself for all the treatment you've gone through. Thanks for the info for prevent recurrence. I just received a packet in the mail about juice+ which is a way to get fruits and veggies every day. My friend that sent me the packet had breast cancer too, so I'm going to check it out.

Mel, good luck with the radiation. Did you PS tell you how long you need to wait to get the DIEP? I have to wait 5 months after radiation is finished, so December 10th is my date. I've heard anywhere between 3 and 6 months.

Caya, glad your 6 month checkup went well, sounds like you have a good plan! Ironing sheets???

Mizsissy, that is wonderful news that you are starting up a clothing business. You surely do have the talent. Best of luck!

Robbin, call the man! Also, please take the tamoxifen. I have been on it for about 6 weeks and don't have any side effects. You won't know unless you try it.

Cindy, my underarm area has been the worst for me during rads. The Onc gave me a script for silver sulver (or something like that) that they give burn patients. It's only used for open areas, which is what I have. It is very painful. Please keep on top of it.

Hope everyone else is doing fine...I'll post my update in a separate message, I think this one is getting pretty long.

love and hugs,
Lynn

I haven't posted in a few days as I've been pretty miserable and feel like all I do is whine and complain. The last 2 weeks have been really tough physically and emotionally. I do think this is worse for me than chemo was. I felt like crap with chemo, but a least I didn't really have pain. My skin under my arm is all blistered from the rads and very painful, and I STILL have the problem from the port. It will be 4 weeks on Sat. since I got the initial infection. I see the wound specialist on Monday..I think I will insist he do SOMETHING, it's really bringing me down. I take 2 percects every night to sleep.

However, I do have positive stuff to look forward to. Today is my last rad treatment. Here is a pic of the countdown my daughter made with one day left

I haven't turned the page yet to see what the last page says, I will do that when I get home from my tx.

Also, our front row tix to the Red Sox game is tomorrow night. The sox are playing Toronto, so if you can see the game through the Jays or the Sox, I will most probably be on TV since our tix are between the Red Sox duggout and the home plate. You'll probably see us best if they show the player on deck for the Sox (we think). George and I got a hotel room in Boston to spend the night as well. Then we are going to lunch with Shelley on Sat. for George's birthday.

AND, I am on vacation for the next 2 weeks and have the rest of this week off. I am so glad to have the time off, I feel I need it to recover.

So things are looking up. I'm going to poke around in my gardens today.

Joni your garden is exquisite. Your award was well deserved!

One day maybe I will have grass in my lawn . For now I just grow some houseplants.

Hi,
My hair is taking it’s time!! It has been too hot to wear a wig or a hat. I do not wear anything inside the house, but I do not feel comfortable enough yet to go “topless” outside. Has anyone’s nails fallen off? My two big toenails were black, now they are white. It is just a matter of time for them to either fall off or heal. I had my Muga this week. I got a 61. My first two were 56 & 58. I am going up instead of down. That is great news!! Now I can plug ahead with the herceptin and Diep surgery.
I can’t tell if I truly gained the extra 10-15 pounds or if it is water weight. I definitely feel and see and can pinch the fat around my waist, but my stomach is extended and feels bloated. Do I blame the fat of water?? Methinks a bit of both. The PS cannot move water into my boobs. LOL.
I am starting my every 3 week herceptin treatments today. Hopefully I will not get the nausea.
I hope everyone has a great day.
Rebecca,
Congratulations!! You’re officially done!! I know it comes with mixed emotions- it has been quite a roller coaster. Now you can enjoy the rest of the summer. Did you see Harry Potter?
Joni,
Congratulations on your Garden Award. Your garden is gorgeous!!
Jan & Caya,
I am glad you both had good 6 month checkups. How time flies!!
Mary,
I hope you feel better soon.
Nancy,
I am glad your knee is heeling.
Mizsissy,
You might be hitting a very growing market with your new project. It is great to be able to turn a hobby into a career. Good luck!!

Tina,
I am glad you are having an enjoyable trip- except for the car end of it. It is fun to get away.
Caya,
You iron sheets? You have a lot of patience!
Lynn,
I am sorry you are feeling so bad and uncomfortable. That sucks! You WILL feel better soon- I know it is hard to see that now, but it is coming real soon. I will be looking for you at the game through my tv. Have fun at the game and hotel.
Congratulations of finishing your rads!!
Melia,
I hope the lasix starts kicking in for you.

Viddie

Well, I'm officially done with cancer treatment. Rebecca, I too cried after I left the cancer center. I think mine is a happy cry that comes from the huge relief that I am done.

Before my rad tx today, I put the special deodorant on for the last time, then through it in the trash. I also packed up my scarves, books and the rest of the cancer 'stuff'. I'm done and don't plan on using these things again. Unfortunately, I'm sure I will know someone else who gets breast cancer and will give them all the things I've stored away.

Someone from the ACS called me today asking how I'm doing and if I need any of their services. She mentioned the Reach to Recovery program, but I said that I have a wonderful support group online.

I don't know how I would have gotten through all this without you wonderful women. Thank you so much for all your support and encouragement. I am so lucky to have such wonderful people in my life! I love you all!

Forgot to post the pics:

Here's the last on the calendar countdown Ally made me



and here's the beautiful flowers George sent me

Mizsissy, those nightgowns are beautiful enough to wear as evening gowns! You should do well. What will you call your company?
Rebecca and Lynn, giant fireworks hoorays on finishing! I've also read that it can be a huge rush of emotions when that happens. But I suspect that goes away with time. I personally can't wait to make my last rads visit next week.
Joni, that is one beauty of a garden. I don't know how you had the energy to make it look so lovely. Mine is a weedy wreck but I'm hoping to clean it out good come September.
I am having some rads problems. Nancy, my nausea is getting worse, the nurse today denied it was from rads and yelled at me for losing 3 pounds. She said to start nibbling on stuff all the time, but I've tried that and it doesn't help. I also have extreme pain in my left (surgery side) shoulder that begins as soon as I lie down at night and wakes me all night long. It goes from mild to excruciating and nobody has a clue what it is. It's in the muscle, not bone. I guess I will have to try Vicodin, nothing else has worked. It's not really in the part that is radiated and my arm isn't swelling so I don't know what to think.
I also am now super tired and have no appetite. No burning or blisters, though.
What time are we chatting tonight? 7:30 central 8:30 eastern? - Skye

Joni..Holy moly that is the garden to beat all gardens. I got relaxed just looking at the pic. Yep I could spent some time gazing at your yard!

Joni, I forgot to mention your beautiful garden. It is clear you put a lot of care and thought into it...as wells as some very good gardening experience. Are those delphiniums there against the porch? And it looks like clematic climbing on the porch...

Joni Beautiful yard...congrats!

Mizsissy WOW on the gowns and plans to go retail...I wish you luck!

Sky just wondering if the nausea has let up. Hope you're feeling better.

Lynn and anyone I forgot, congrats on end of treatments!! What a ride huh?

Debbie, Melia, Viddie, hope you all are doing well. How's the hair thing going....I still have too much scalp but what I would REALLY like to fill out now is the EYEBROWS. That would make me look less weird.

Wish me luck you all...I go back to work on the 16th and I'm so happy to get back to it.

Pat

Viddie, I had meant to sympathize on your toenail problems, are they still hanging on there? Several of my fingernails had purple blotches and I thought they might go but the other day when I took off my polish the purple was all gone! I think I will retain all 10 digit covers now, but I know it is fairly common to lose one or two from Taxol and Taxotere.
Pat I do wish you great luck on your return to work. If you're happy to be there I'm sure things will go well. As for my nausea, it seems a little better today, I was able to eat normal breakfast. It's usually worse later in the day however. The left upper arm and shoulder pain is what's giving me most problems and now I know from chat that Nancy has it too in surgery arm. Perhaps as suggested it was caused by nerve damage.
Chat was a hoot last night, wish you all could have been there.
For anyone who gets Michigan radio I will be on Michigan Talk Radio with Dan Mulhern this evening at 6 p.m.
I'm debating going topless to rads today, feeling militant. The sides are closer and closer to filling in. I can see a difference day to day now. Hope everyone has a good weekend planned. I will mostly be here writing. - Skye

Well, Pat, so far my hair is a non-starter and still at the peach fuzz stage. If I look in the 7X magnifying mirror, I can see a few real hairs making a try. I'm less than 2 weeks out of chemo. I finished Taxol on July 2. I have hopes to see progress maybe by Labor Day and comb-able hair by Christmas.

As for eyebrows and eyelashes, I can feel something along the brows but need the magnifying mirror, mentioned above, AND my glasses (for farsightedness, which also magnify) to see any of the individual hairs. There are a few fledgling eyelashes, too, I might try a little mascara next week to see how long they are. I am really ready to have eyebrows and eyelashes back.

Toenails-I kept expecting to loose a few during Taxol, it didn't happen. I lost one on a second toe after the second cycle of A/C and then the big toe next to it after the fourth cycle of A/C. My nails didn't even turn dark on me. I don't what I did, but I guess it worked.

The chat was fun last night. I laughed so many times my husband asked what was going on.

I hope everyone has a good weekend.

Congrats Rebecca and Lynn on finishing. I have 10 more rads to go. I just started to get a little pink in one spot, hope that's all that happens. At least I have the weekend off. Joni, I could really use your help over here in my garden. I just had the front yard professionally landscaped for my new house. Now I have to do the back and sides. What would you suggest for shade?

Lynn, I hope you feel better real soon. I am sorry to hear of all of you still suffering with missing nails. You know when your feet hurt, it's hard to think of anything else.

Skye, what radio station is that on in Mich?

Have a good weekend. Caya - don't work so hard on those sheets - they only get wrinkled again!