Jan 2008--Ain't it Great?

Hello Jewels

HAPPY BIRTHDAY D1!! Chocolate cake for D1

Nothing eventful today, beside a busy day at work wearing my cute hats that i bought..not quite ready for the wig thing yet. Enjoying hat shopping.

Still having occasional sharts (d1 thanks for new word) don't know if its from chemo or eating some new foods that taste good..like harry & david's pepper relish dip with cream cheese..tasted oh so good. If anyone has tasted it..try it it is easy to make and nacho chips with that yummy...

Glad to see everyone made it thru the weekend...

love all the bald pictures, i will get mine posted this week..i promise.

It is funny how tired i get more to the end of the day at work. about 3-3:00 i fizzle out. thinking in the chemo...we will see after treatment 2 this friday.

i am really excited about wearing my new t-shirt to chemo this week. i will get photos.

smiles & hugs to everyone    xxxoo

DI  Happy Happy Birthday to you !!

Kimberly Love the pictures Ohh what a great time you must have had with the mustangs. I love horses use to have a Arabian/Thoroughbred when I was growing up and a young gal.

Paula Hope the winds did not do too much damage there. They were pretty crazy here too

KathyL I too have been looking pale. A co worker as me last week if i was sick because I looked pale. I have alway had low iron I think the past year prior to my dx when I tried to donate blood I was turned away more that i was able to give.

Vettegal I agree with you on the tiredness at work around 3-3:30  I would love to take a power nap. I will be pulling up a lounge and joining you Friday round 3 for me.

Chj27- Great Pic hope your Neulasta shot has no SE's

JulieK I hope your treatment goes better this round and the ALoxi works.

Wendy -Welcome Keeps us updated on your treatment I am interested on how it goes as Paula said I too am triple neg.

Good Evening Jewels-

So much for enjoying the sunshine today…I was rather a slug. Started feeling a bit stuffy headed…I better not be catching a cold. So, I just hung out and rested a lot. I did make dinner for the dh...since I've got the energy now and won't next week.



And my skin is starting to break out…I stopped using one face lotion the other day as it just felt too harsh. Hard to believe my skin is reacting a few days later. I’ve got sensitive skin Oil of Oley now. Is this a hormone thing? I haven't broken out in so long...are we getting to do adolesence again?



Julie- Glad the doc is being proactive and asking you to come back for an Aloxi boost to stop the horrid vomiting se’s you were having. Let’s hope that it does the trick.



Man that’s a lot of meds to head off a headache. I agree that more needs to be done to find out why and which hormones cause migrains, and how then to keep those hormones in check, so you don’t get migrains in the first place.



CHJ- Don’t you look great in your FUBC shirt? Glad all went well with your counts.



Paula-I’m so sorry you’re not feeling well. I’ll send positive energy your way…gotta be well for your infusion and your keep on schedule for that competition.



Vettegal- Stylin’ the hats today eh? I’m with you on wearing my wigs…has to be the right occasion, otherwise, I’m good with ball caps or scarves or just plain naked.



D1- I’m so glad we surprised you with the flowers!!!! And I’m very proud of you for staying out of the cake all day…thank goodness for Hersheys, eh? LOL with the Homer Simpson sound effects. Hope the dd played and played well.



wvgirl- I have always been a little anemic, too. However, I was more so the past few years, and even more the 6 months before discovering my cancer. I do believe that is a telltale sign…cancer needs blood. My doc kept asking if I had heavy flows, and I said no. Tested negative for colon bleeding. My iron was really low in late July…like had it been one point lower, I would have had to have a blood transfusion. Started 900mg of iron daily. Had my blood tested in August. It went up slightly. Tested again in late September, and it went up again slightly, and then had my mammogram and the rest is history.



Have you taken the offer for counseling? How are things going at home?



Kris-Hang in there...your dh is right. One step closer to being done. I was thinking today...I've got 9 days of feeling pretty good and then I have to do the feeling crappy thing again...but reminded myself that I'm half way to being done with chemo next week, and that helped... some.



I’ll check back in the morning ladies.

SIS Kimberly

D1 - I so hoped that your dd had a chance to shine tonight.  I had a similar experience with my ds while he played b-ball.  He would finally get in the game and be so nervous that his performance was hindered by it.  It would be painful to watch at time.

I'm sure by this time you have enjoyed each and every bite of that chocolate cake ... hope your day was special!

Carol

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU D1 - MAY GOD BLESS YOU TO SEE MANY MORE HEALTHY YEARS GIRLFRIEND.  HUGS AND KISSES ARE SENT TO YA!!!
 

Good morning Jewels,

Well, I didn't have a totally se free day yesterday - I ended up feeling puny most of the morning and came home about 1 pm and climbed under the covers. It wasn't horrible - just a feeling of mild nausea, fatigue but also chills and then hot flashes. I always feel guilty when I try to explain to my boss that I just can't work because she seems to have an attitude of knowing what I should be going through. She's told me that her mother-in-law and someone else she knows went through chemo "just fine"....whatever the hell that means? All in all it wasn't horrible but I just didn't feel up to sitting there and toughing it out when I had no idea if it would continue to get worse. I ended up sleeping most of the afternoon, getting up to feed my dogs and then back to bed...

Anyway, the only other issue I'm wondering if any of you are also dealing with is neuropathy? At least I'm thinking it's got to be neuropathy since I didn't seem to have it after tx#1. My hands are red and blotchy and itchy - I kept rubbing bag balm on them as my onco suggested. But then last night I noticed the bottom heel of one foot has the same numbness and raw feeling. I applied bag balm to that for the rawness but it's not helping that tingling feeling. I've been taking 500 mg. L Carnatine daily which supposedly helps prevent the neuropathy, but wonder if I need more or if there's something else that might help. I'm going into work but feel like I'm going to have to hop around and keep the weight off the heel of my right foot.

CHJ - love your picture! We should have an album of all of us in our shirts or with our bald pates.

I'll catch up later - wishing everyone a comfortable day!

Nice to hear everyone chatting.  Sorry I have been out of the loop.  Fatigue and bone pain kncoked me out.  I'm feeling a little better to day except that I wish I could have just stayed in bed or home on the couch watching "Crossing Jordan" reruns.  I am almost out of all of my sick and annual time.  Knew it was coming and it will probably be gone after #3 on Friday if all goes like it did last time.  Thank God for supplemental insurance plans.

I haven't caught up yet on all the posts but sounds like most are doing well.

Thunderstorms and rain here today, good for sleeping, not good for the tornado victims trying to get their life back together.

Will be lurking today and try to catch up later.

Oh, and add me to the triple negative list. 

Hope everyone has a terrific Tuesday.

Jewels, we are sooo chatty!  I can't believe how much I had to read today to catch up!  Maybe more of us need to be working... hahaha!  NO seriously, it's good to read so many posts and hear how everyone is doing.  Yesterday I managed to walk for a half hour on the treadmill (you didn't actually think I'd be running I hope), and hope to do it again today.  I'm afraid to say it b/c I might jinx myself, but round 2 hit me hard for 2-3 days, but now I feel pretty good.  Nice change from my previous drama.  But I'm still scared b/c my hospitalization snuck up on me about this time last round.  That neu-nasty shot better be working its wonders on me right about now!  And yesterday I also managed to get all the kids stuff for V-Day together, make 3 batches of cookies, and pick them up from preschool.  An accomplishment for me at this stage in tx.  Today in DE it's gonna be yucky-- "wintry mix" of snow, ice, rain, temps in the 20s.  Gotta love the Northeast!  I'm venturing out only to get the kids from school I think.  Got bills to do and may just lounge around after that. 

So, glad to hear D1 had a nice b-day.  Can't believe the cake wasn't ripped into earlier though   What willpower!

Tina:  I feel your pain... chocolate tastes really bad to me, too, for about 10-14 days each tx.  And it's like my 5th food group normally.  So sad!  My dh got me an ice cream cake for V-Day (my favorite.. I told him no flowers, just cake)-- I'll be saving it until the tastebuds return.  Glad to hear the SEs are sparing you somewhat this round.  Yay!

 SIS KImberly: Sucks about the appliance reschedule.  I think you should be allowed to give THEM a timeframe for coming back ("between 1-2PM on THIS day only).  hahaha!  And I know you love wine, so double bummer that it wasn't good.  Your place with the horses sounds beautiful.  Our neighborhood was built on land that used to be a horse farm in the "countryside" of DE-- the owner still has some land here and lets the horses out each day-- we can see them from our house.  But it's nothing like what you have.  Beautiful animals...  Oh, and about the zits!  I noticed it, too-- my face has never been this bad, not even as a teen.  And they are HUGE buggers!  Someone on another thread said to put tea tree oil (the stuff we use on our nails) on the zits-- it works like magic!  I tried it last night, and my little buddy's almost gone this AM.

JulieK:  Hope the change in meds is better for you.  Just curious, what are they doing differently this next time since you seemed to be on everything already?  Your IL snow is heading my way today, by the way.  My step-bro lives in Chicago and he's expecting his first baby any day now.  I teased him when he found out originally a Feb. due date that he'd better be prepared to deliver the baby himself, knowing how Chicago winters can be!  Hope I didn't jinx him...

CHJ:  So glad to see you made it to tx yesterday-- great pic!  It's cold here, too.  I might have to put 2 hats on the dome today

Wing (Wendy):  welcome to the group.  Ditto on what everyone said.  We're an amazing group.  I look forward to hearing more about you along our journey.  Let me and D1 know your other tx dates, too so we can post them and shout out when they come up.

Kris60: Rest this round!  It seems to be the one lesson we're all learning to head off bad SEs.  And yes, many of us have noticed the weight gain (sadly).  Cause can be many things, I think: the drugs for SEs, the chemo itself (taxanes can cause fluid retention, hence wt. gain), the fact that we eat to not get nauseous, the fact that we are not as active or exercising as much b/c we CAN'T-- we're tired!  I think it's the paradox of BC... we're not supposed to gain wt., but everything does it to us anyway.  I just keep telling myself to do the best I can and I'll get it all off later when chemo's done.  Sorry to hear about Aunt Flo, too.  I'm hoping mine will stay away this month-- can't we get one benefit from chemo, please?  My damn body's so regular though it's amazing I don't have 50 kids the way I ovulate!

Paula:  Hope you get well soon.  Don't let it get you down for V-Day celebrating... just make it a low-key thing this year.  And celebrate big later on. 

Carol: Man, you drink like a camel, woman!  I thought I was doing good getting 70-80oz/day.  LOL!  So cool about your friend's "surprise".  I say, everything happens for a reason.  Best of luck to her!

CarolC: I had some tingling of my pinky fingers and toes with round one.  So far this round I have not noticed it (yet?).  Are you doing Taxol or Taxotere?  Taxol, I think, tends to be the bigger offender.  And your boss seems to be a bit of a B!  Why do people think they are "helping" by "supporting" like that and pushing you?  My OM at work is the same way. Like unless you drop over dead, "it's better to just move forward" and work to the bone.  Let them experience chemo just once...

Ok, and my question for the day... anyone noticing their heart pounding?  Yesterday I noticed it 2-3 times while I was just sitting around doing nothing.  It wasn't painful, just weird.  Like when you can feel your pulse throbbing in your head, and then it just goes away.  The freak nurse that I am, I took my pulse and it wasn't that much higher than it usually is.  If I could've, I would've checked my BP.. but I can't at home.  If it keeps happening, of course I'll call my onc, but just wondering if it's a chemo-thing or if my heart's gonna explode!  My MUGA before chemo was great and I have no hx of heart problems.

Catch the Gems later. Now that I've gotta caught up on posts, I gotta go get some stuff done!

Wow, this is a chatty group these days!

I went down this morning and joined the Neulasta club.  We'll see how I feel in a day or so.  Right now I feel OK and am supposed to be working from home, once I get it in gear.  I'm drinking like a fish, hope to ward off the dehydration problem I had after the last tx.

I'm sorry to hear about those of you having skin problems. When I had chemo in 1995 & this time also, my skin is so clear & smooth. I thought it was the steroids (of course, I have the "glow" today from yesterday's tx).  

KathyL - I hear you about the weather.  We had an inch or so of snow overnight, and we're supposed to get the wintry mix this afternoon & evening & possibly tomorrow (which is why I went for my shot early...).  I hate that stuff.  But I'll just be vegging at home.  It's a good time to stay warm in the house.

Hope everyone has a good day today!

CHJ 

Sis Kim,  I agree the materialistic stuff mean nothing to me as well.  But I guess if you focus on things that are important to you (as it is to others, like materialistic items), then you can accomplish it, if you put your mind to it.  You know like wanting a better job and seeking it, wanting a new car and etc.  But to me those things dont bring you happiness; happiness comes within. 

I spoke to the Nurse and she just put in a request for the MRI to be approved, and other day I would be mad and upset but now I just laughed because of her delay!  I just give all this to God the almighty one.

I hope you all feel better with your SE and sorry I cant walk with your experiences right now, but eventually God will allow me to share all mines with you - Plus later you Ladies will be able to help me with mine.  God bless ya!

Dana 

Yesterday's infusion was uneventful and I'm feeling okay today.  Next infusion dates are 3/4 and 3/24.  I go in for the Neulasta shot this afternoon.

Kimberly -- Does your onc know you're using EmergenC?  I'm sure there are different opinions, so if s/he is okay with it, I would keep taking it, but I was told to avoid Airborne, EmergenC etc. on the theory that the high level of antioxidants in them can possibly interfere with the chemo.  It seems like every time I go in I have a new lists of things that I'm asking is it okay to use.

On the acne thing, the onc said to ask the dermatologist when I see her on Thursday whether she thinks it's the Herceptin or the steroids.  If it's the steroids, I think I'll just tough it out for the next four treatments.  If it's the Herceptin, I'll probably see if there's something I can take since I still have almost a full year on that stuff.

Hope all of you are having a good day.

CHJ- Glad you’re doing well today. Like I pondered…is my skin stuff the lotion I had been using or the chemo? I don’t know. I’m hoping the lotion. And isn’t that glow pretty? My hubby calls in my radioactive glow…what will he call it when I really am doing rads?



Kathy- You must have been posting at the same time as I was this morning. Tea Tree Oil…really? I’m willing to try it. And good for you getting on the tread mill and doing everything you did yesterday…you must be feeling good.

I’ve felt like my heart was pounding…like anxiety or panic…but I didn’t actually feel those feelings. Does that make sense? Steroids maybe? Steroids feel like an overdose of caffeine to me…My blood pressure is normally pretty darn low, and has been fine at my check ups.



Oh Duh… HER2+ is Herceptin, not negative. Oops…Sorry for the misinfo ARDeb.



Dana- Good for you just letting the nurse’s slip go on by…



Hey Jenn- So glad you checked in…we were worried about you. I’m sorry the se’s are keeping you down…but totally understand the fatigue. I’m impressed you’re still working even if it is only 5 hours a day…and taking care of your family. SHERO!!!! It is annoying that you can’t do what your normally might have done prior to bc…but it’s only temporary. Welcome to the baldacious babe club…it’s rather freeing isn’t it?



CathyCa- I didn’t ask about EmergenC…it’s just vitamins…I’m seeing him on Thursday, so I’ll ask. Geez…I’ve been using that a lot.



D1- OMG that cake sounds soooo good, and I am not a huge chocolate fan…I have a small amount of dark chocolate once in awhile…actually not really a sweets person. I prefer warm sourdough with butter to sweets…and crunchy salty things…though not too salty.



Oh man…I appreciate you paving the way, but this news is not good. I’m already spacey…I swear I have ADD sometimes.

Tx #3 in a week…oh yeah (NOT). No neuropathy symptoms or itchy skin…dare I say, yet? Only one more to go thought, D1…WHooHoo!!!!! I’ve got 4 more to go yet…whah!!!!!



Thanks for the reminder about not trying to be SuperGirl without the cape. I’ve done nothing but hang out the last two days…OK, I did do some light exercises (leg lifts, sit ups, and bicep curls) for about 15 or 20 minutes, and I am meeting some gals for appetizers at 5pm tonight (probably no wine..but I’m willing to taste just to see if the buds are back yet…got to be an optimist…but I really have rested all/most of the day today and yesterday.



Depression after chemo…we don’t need no stinkin’ depression…let’s eat chocolate cake instead…chocolate releases good endorphins!!!! And, it goes great with a good Cabernet.



SIS Kimberly

OMG D1!  That cake sounds like Heaven doubled.  Except for the orange thing, I'm not sure about that.  I'm such a purist when it comes to my chocolate.....but I'd be willing to try a piece.  In the interest of comparison & all that.

SIS Kimberly, don't make me too much of a SHERO.  My wonderful dh (look lower case) has been doing most of the cooking & housework.  I do have to pay bills tonight.  Since I do it all on line & dh is legally blind I have to keep up this chore.  Thought I would try a couple of hours at the office tomorrow if I can.  If not dh can bring payroll home &  I can do it from here.

Better go get the bills paid & help one of the boys with a problem on line.  I'll check back if I can, but also want to watch the Dog Show.

Hi Jewels -- Man, we're a chatty group!! Hard to catch up with all the posts. I've been down for the count today fighting another migraine. My dh has had to give me two shots to get thru this one. Hoping it goes away completely soon.

We ended up with about a 1/2 inch of pure ice/sleet - it snowed a little today, but not much accumulation. My dh and son were out of school today and they've already called another snow day for tomorrow. They're a little more excited than I am about it!  I was actually supposed to go to school today and meet with my principal, but the roads were too bad - I live about an hour away from my school. I've rescheduled for tomorrow and really hope I'll be able to make it!

I'll have to save my shout-outs for later - can't really think straight right now. Take care, Jewels, and don't overdo it!!

Julie