Starting chemo Dec 2007

{{{A~}}}  Good luck tomorrow!  I know that 'Nooooooooooooooo, I don't waaaaaaaaaanaaaaaaaa go!' feeling!  Are we regressing or what?  The 2 days before I'm begging for someone to steal me away to anywhere!

Be thinking of you tomorrow and extending my 'hand' to hold in the chair!  All the best as you get through one more! 

Oh yea,  I had 21 lymph nodes removed on my left side and have had no problem so far with lymphodema.

 Suz

hi all - tired tonight - two days after tx.  Thanks to all for your answers about lymph nodes.  I am not sure if I made myself clear - you're right Sal, the chemo is killing the cancer cells before surgery.  So will they be able to tell during surgery if cancer is still present but small?  Not thinking too well tonight.  Congratuions to all at half way or through.  Suz, I had a rough time last tx, this one seems to be going better so far.  Guess  what?  We have an automatic deer feeder in our yard that throws out corn for the deer at 5:45 AM and 5:45 PM.  Tonight at that time our dogs starting barking and we had one deer in the FRONT YARD and eight deer in the back at the feeder.  That's the record.  It's amazing how they have learned what time to come to eat.         Everyone have a goodnight, I am turning in early.    Joy       

Hi friends. Suz, loved the dog on your post. Just checking in to send love to all, day 3 but headaches not so bad so far....I am hoping they don't show up this time. I too am thinking about Laura on the beach, I can't wait to hear about her trip. She deserves some RR!! We'll get to that soon !! I have a folder of medical bills also, that I thumb through when I can.......mostly I am waiting until my head is clearer so I can really take a close look. Prices are crazy!

Love and prayers to all. xo cld

Hi all!  Hope everyone is having a great day!

Joy, great story about the deer.  We live on 2 1/2 acres with county park and wet land property all around.  We see deer, pheasants, turkey, rabbits and the neighbor even filmed 2 coyotes in his backyard!  It is fun to watch all the wildlife!

So, yesterday was not a good day!  I've had this cold thing going since Tuesday and by Thursday I was pretty sure it was a sinus infection and was not able to sleep at all Thursday night.  So I called my Dr. Friday morning and she said come in...Well, it is a sinus infection and when they drew blood to check levels my WBC was 1.4 and that was after having the Neulasta shot on Monday.  I was not running a fever then so I got some antibotics and nose spray and came home.  She said if I started running a fever I would have to call!  Well, about 5:00 I started with the fever and by 8:00 it was 101.1.  I broke down and called (another long story about trying to reach my Dr. - Not good!) and they said to come into the ER!  I broke down crying and just did not want to go!!  After the run around I got about where to go (they were trying to send me FAR from my house, not my own hospital at all) and my hospital telling me their ER was closed to EMS but that I could walk in but it would be a several hour wait...I said screw it and took more Motrin and waited it out.  By 10:30 it was down to 99.8 and I was feeling a little better.  I just stayed on the couch all night and prayed that the antibotics would kick in and start doing their thing!  Got up at 6:00 for more meds and some food and at 7:00 temp was normal!  This was the first problem I've had with my blood count and I was glad it was not a chemo day as I would have failed my blood test.  Dr. said the Neulasta will continue to do it's job and she thinks I will be fine for treatment next Friday!  Hopefully so!!  It was certainly a learning experience and now I have many questions for my Dr. about how to reach her afterhours as the number provided for the answering service got me no where!! 

Enough whining!  Gonna go get back on the couch!  Hope you all are staying warm (or cool if you live where it's hot!) LOL  Lori

Lori, I'm so sorry to here you were  so sick. Its just not right to have to deal with all that on top of everything else. I hope your over the worst of it and now on the mend. Hope your able to sleep or rest a little better now. I found that it was almost impossible to get an answer from the onc team off hours. Ive been relying more & more on my gp for info I need quickly, Love & hugs sent to you and try to stay warm

Sal I sort of looked for a cancer yoga class and haven't come across one yet locally. I'm sure I heard there was one but have been too tired to put the effort into finding it. It sure is nice to hear how good a mood you've been in. It brightens my day just hearing about it  I booked the look good feel better class for the beginning of Feb. That just might be the thing to help brighten my day. It would seem Im gonna need eyelash help as mine are about 50% gone.

Amy, Enjoy your house cleaners this week. It is a little addicting. Ive had molly maid in three times now and its so nice to have someone else deal with the deep cleaning and disinfecting. I just have to learn not to clean before they get here. I also hope your son is better soon. Poor dear, nobody likes being sick.

Wishiwere, Joy and Cindy hope your all keeping well, warm and on the upswing. Hope Laura is safe and on her way home. Love and hugs my friends.

Suz

I add my sympathies to the huge hug for Lori. Why does the bad stuff happen after-hours, on the weekends, when you can't get a hold of your regular people, etc etc?? As if life wasn't complicated enough already for you. You hang in there, honey. Brighter days ahead for us all.

Cindy-- congrats again. What a week for you!!! Keep it comin, eh? Good news! Good news! Good news! Can't get enough of it.

Sounds like several of you have had the hereditary gene test done. You're braver than I am. My general surgeon kinda wants me to have it done, but I don't forsee myself simply having things removed (aka hysterectomy) if I found out I was positive, so I don't see the point of knowing (and simply worrying about it) for me. I'm not brave enough. But my sister had it done, after I was diagnosed with BC, and she came back negative, so maybe I'm being a big baby for nuthin. You ladies are so brave. Congrats on going thru with the test and congrats on those that came back negative!

The yoga class, since a couple have asked, is AWESOME. Mostly because of the instructor. She's warm, caring, gentle and incredibly encouraging. She looks like a happy little female Buddha, always smiling with crinkly, happy eyes and a kind, soft voice. She encourages us to release our tensions; to acknowledge our pains and troubles but then "release them into the clouds for the time that we are together." She comes around to help with poses and takes the time to compliment each person... "Yes, yes, beautiful" "Yes, very good, what a lovely pose" etc etc. Since it is a class for cancer patients (and recovered patients and friends, etc.), I assume that the class is a little slow-paced compared to a normal yoga class. But she encourages us to move as we need, stop as we need, stretch farther/less as we need; in other words, "listen to your beautiful temples and give them what they need." There is a lot of gentle stretching, and quite q bit of simply laying still, relaxing, and focusing on your breathing... I could fall asleep. She ends each session with a poem about yoga/energy/life, and then salutes each of us individually. Have I conveyed the right setting? She's MARVELOUS. It has been great to keep my mobility going, but also simply to focus myself for that one hour 1/2 each week and let myself heal.

So who wants to come with me?

Things in general going well for me. This is my low wbc count week-- usually hits Mon, Tues, Wed-- so I'm pacing myself. Now that I've got the routine figured out, it'll be a whole new ball of wax next time. Life is so annoying *snicker*.

"Ball of wax".. what the heck does that mean, anyway? *ponder*

Blessings to you all, you beautiful temples of loveliness:-) 

-Sal 

Hi Everyone.  Long Week.  My taste buds keep slipping in and out of consciousness.  Nothing sounds good, so I've pretty much been living on peanut butter toast and tea.  Today I feel really tired, but otherwise ok.  This chemo went a bit better.  They gave me a steroid beforehand so I was not sick Wed or Thurs.  I was really sick Friday and a bit saturday.  Still off and on icky feeling, but much much better.  Tomorrow night I am supposed to go to that look good feel better thing.  I hope I feel up to it. 

How is everyone doing?  I haven't had a chance to go back and read any posts yet.  I hope you are all doing well. 

Kate

Hello all!

Kate, I'm glad the chemo was better even if it was a "bit"!  With my AC, I took steroids for 4 days after treatment to boost the effects of the anti nausea meds and while I did hate the steroids I was never really nauseous.  Not sure which would be the lesser of 2 evils.  Tell your Dr. exactly what you told us here and maybe they can tweak something and next time will be even better!

Amy, you asked about what we are doing when we're done!  I'm going to Vegas baby!!  Already booked for June 23rd-27th!  Of, course this was all planned before I found out about the BC but it has been something to look forward to...that and my trip to Disney World in September!  I'll be cutting it close for the Vegas trip...if the scheduled plans hold, I will have surgery (lumpectomy) the very end of March/very beginning of April, heal for a bit and then 6 weeks of rads.  As long as I can start rads by May 1st, I will be done before June 23rd.  I actually hope I can start on April 28th!  My Dr.'s have said I should be able to make the trip so I'm thinking positive.

OK, Now my turn for good news!  So, this morning I had the heart echo, which was uneventful and I should hear something on that in a week or so. Then it was on to the surgeons for the ultrasound of the tumors. The surgeon asked how I was, how far thru chemo, etc. and I answered and also told her that the oncologist said she can no longer feel the tumors by physical exam.

She had already talked to my surgeon and had heard that good news and was anxious to see what the ultrasound showed. Last month the measurment on the tumor in the breast was 1.3 and today she could not even find it!! We could not believe it! She thinks she catches a glimps of the tumor marker they put in during the biopsy but can't even say for sure. She said there is nothing to even measure at this point! That is fantastic news and will make my surgery so easy.

She then looks at the lymph node and it has shrunk in half. It went from 3 cm last month to 1.47 cm today. Also a great sucess and she is so pleased with the way I have responded to the chemo!

A funny story - Before the ultrasound, as she started to do her physical exam on the lymph node she got a funny little look on her face and said "Ok, when Dr. "Oncologist" told me she could no longer feel the lymph node, I was a bit skeptical and thought she must have just missed it, but she is correct! I can't find it!" She just thought there was no way that it would not be able to still be felt by physical exam. She was very excited about it though!

I am very happy with that good news and am also feeling better with this stupid sinus infection.  My nose is for the most part staying clear and I can actually breathe thru both nostrils at once!  LOL  Just staying positive that my counts are good on Friday so I have no delay in my Taxol!  Anxious to compare it to the "AC" and expecting (read: hoping) it to be easier!

When was Laura coming back!  I'm anxiously waiting the details of her trip!  You know, living vicariously and all!! 

Hope you girls that had tx last week are having an easy time of it!  Take care and talk soon, Lori

Hi Everyone,

I've been reading posts and rejoice with good news -great news that Cindy is done (I do have envious feelings on that-can't wait till that point) and of shrinking tumors and clean biopsies. Also sending prayers and good thoughts of you having bad se's.

Amy my nutrionist told me to have a bowl of "Total" each morning-day's worth of iron in each bowl, something like that. As far as amusement what about the presidential debates? My mom lives with me in the winter and she has on the election channel 24/7 and I crawl in her rocking chair and snooze when I can. I wish I could send you some warm AZ sunshine. We are hosting superbowl so there is a lot of hupla going on. Any football fans? There is a slight chance of rain Sunday but I hope not. I want the visiting Easterners to have a chance to warm up. My winter problems so far included 8 inches of rain on my pool cover so I had to buy a pump to syphon off the water. I can brag now about my weather because summer when it reaches 110 for many many days I am awfully quiet. Forgive any poor grammar or spellings - I have been up since 3 am thanks to the steroids. I go to treatment #3 this morning. If you pray, please pray for me not to have a reaction again to Taxotere -otherwise any good thoughts my way would be appreciated.

My friend who begins her dose dense chemo next week sends her thanks for the advice. She is beginning next Thursday. She seems happily overwhelmed with all the help, love outpouring from friends, family and church though in shock as well.

I hope you all have a great day,

KMK

Ok Amy, if my co-workers ever see this they will freak out. But you wanted some photos to break up the monotony. Here's a keeper. A picture my co-workers sent to me, of themselves at the library, to cheer me while I was recovering from my surgery...

And yes, that is a rubber chicken that someone is holding. You can't see it, but he has on noses & glasses too.

Don't ask.

-Sal 

Okay, first pics try!  This is my little sis and 2 of her boys who are 8 hours from me and couldn't be to help in person but send care packages throughout the last few months

This was their way to share the support they wanted to offer.  The girl who was their hair (dedresser) had leukemia at age 8 (she's 24 now) and had gone through the hair loss with over 5 years chemo off and on!

Okay, so the next trip is figuring out how to shrink these things!  Sorry!  Man, I shrunk them to forum size and they are still huge!  What am doing wrong?