Starting chemo Dec 2007

Kate--

Good luck with your first Taxol treatment tomorrow!!!

Thinking of you!

Hugs- Sal 

Hi all!  Just checking in.  I'm in my worst days after Taxol (days 3-4) and last night was terrible!  The body aches were REALLY bad!  Up every hour, taking Tylenol every 4, which did nothing!  Called Dr. this morning and she said use Motrin because the Tylenol would not help.  This morning I said "Taxol is not my friend anymore!".  The first one was fine but this one was bad.  I feel better now though not ache free yet!  I hope they don't get worse with each one.  I'm gonna go soak in a hot bath.  Just wanted to give Sal & Suz a heads up and hope yours don't get worse!!  More when I'm better!  Take care everyone!  Lori

I am going to jump in and join you ladies.

I was diagnosed 11/21 with IDC.  Never felt the lump, thank god for routine mammos and good radiologists is all I can say.  I had my first chemo treatment 12/14 and just had number 4.. 2 more to go. I have had Carboplatin, Taxotere and herceptin every 3 weeks.  No surgery yet.  I also have DCIS in a totally different quadrant so will be having a mastectomy after the chemo is done.  I am opting for reconstruction at the same time as well.  The side effects are not nice, I like the description of coffee tasting like jet fuel because it sure does... in fact alot of things do.  I hate craving things and knowing that eating them won't do my cravings any good cuz yuk... My hair came off New Years day.. my kids didn't really freak much and I have a really nice wig.  Showers are so quick now LOL ..

I cannot wait for chemo to be done though... just cannot wait.  2 more to go. Look forward to everyone's updates and to making some new friends here. 

I am ER+, pg + and her2+ as well...

Good luck,  Sal, KMK & Kate on tx today {{big hugs}} and hope all goes well.

Computer has been down for days so will catch up later. Bookkeeper is back again today (business) so its another day of paperwork and accounting, I hate paperwork .

Take care all Love & hugs, 

Suz 

Nothing to say:-)

(Hope this won't offend; if so, I apologize. Sometimes ya just gotta vent)

Love and hugs. Wishing KMK and Kate well.

-Sal 

Lori, I'm so sorry your having such a tough time with the muscle and bone pain  I hope you find something that helps for it soon. My doc prescribed percosets (they work very well)  if that doesn't work I have a prescription for Gavapentin, I think it works neurologically on pain. Hopefully your over the worst of it.

Survivor has been one of my favorites since day one. I also try to watch American Idol, just have to watch it in a different room as dh is not a fan.

Wishiwere, That sure sounds like shingles on your hand. I have never had them but dh has and says they are very painful. I was reading somewhere that we are susceptible to them due to our immune system deficiency through chemo. I hope they are clearing up and your feeling better.

Joy, I hope all went well with your mediation and you can get back to some peace and relaxation. Also hope the black power hat did its job. Loved the comment about your doc arranging a wheel chair for you . That would get them thinking.

Sal, love the balloon pics, Can you believe we are down to only two more tx's. Almost ready to do the happy dance. Hope the se's go easy on you this week.

Amy, Good for you baking your sons birthday cake. I hope he has a great day.

Do I ever hear you about waiting for the days that I start to feel good again. I haven't felt like myself in such a long time, it feels like forever. My hair stubble was so patchy that I shaved my head smooth after my last ac, its definately starting to grow in a little bit now. Just real short stubble when I run my hand over it, but you can't see it yet.

Kate & KMK hope all went well today.

Kimbly, a warm welcome to the group. Thats great that your down to two more tx as well. Hope its been tolerable so far.

Must run, time to make dinner.

Take care all, Love & hugs

Suz

Hi all.  Had the taxol yesterday and no nausea yet!  Hooray for that.  The pain, according to the doc and nurses should kick in tomorrow or the next day, but I am a bit sore in the legs today.  Lori, my doc told me if the pain got bad to take my leftover pain pills from surgery and call him if I run out. 

Amy,  Congrats on being almost done.  I  can't wait for this to be done with, although I have to say it was so much easier than I thought it would be.  I watched my bro go through this when he was 27 and it was so much worse for him.  He didn't make it, either.  I pray my parents don't lose both of us to cancer.

Kimbly,  Welcome to the group.  I'm glad you are almost finished.  I now have three more to go, I had 8 total and had my mast in November.  I still have a hysterectomy coming up, though. 

Sunday my parents invited me over after chuch and I was so surprised they had a cake for me that said Congratulations - 4 to go Love your family.  It was so sweet.  They also gave me a bag of fuzzy warm socks and an Eeyore sweatshirt.  I am a huge EEyore fan. 

Well, I have to go write a grocery list, but hope you all have a great weekend.  I'm not sure how I'll be feeling the next couple days, but hopefully not to bad. 

God has been soooo good to me.

Kate

Marie,  Happy Birthday.  Happy birthday to your little one also, Amy.  I am happy for you Marie.  I can't wait to be finished.  I still have three more.  I'm not getting the neulasta with the taxol unless my blood counts are low when I go in this coming week.  So, we'll see. 

Kate

Welcome back and happy birthday, Marie. You sound great. Sounds like you've been keeping yourself busy, whether you wanted to or not, but hopefully things are settling down for you.

Kate, I am so very, very happy for you. Welcome to the Taxol family. I hope it is as managable for you as it has been for the rest of us. And very nice about the cake and Eeyore prezzie

Wishiwere-- don't feel bad about us. I think we're all nearing the chemo finish line. Personally, I'm curious how YOU are feeling. My nurse bummed me out when I asked her how long it would be before the chemo side effects wore off and I started to feel like my old self and she said 6 months. Seriously?!! I was thinking 4 or 5 weeks.  Granted, it sounds we all have something-or-other going on after the chemo... radiation, surgery, etc... so it may be a while before we do really feel like our old selves. But the prospect of 6 months sucks.

Amy, you are such a hoot. Embrace your "trashy" TV. Me, I'm a re-run lover. I get hooked on things after all the hype has worn down or things from 30, 40, 50 years ago (LOVE the Andy Griffith show). We all have our weaknesses.

As for books to read... I started "The golden compass" which is a teen book that was made into a movie last fall... started the book, oh, back in the beginning of January and am on page 80-something. I'm a very slow reader, but chemo has made me even slower. My attention span just has diminished to not-caring status. Yes, a librarian who doesn't read. Go figure.

For my spare time, I've gotten hooked on Sudoko puzzles lately. I bring puzzle books with me to chemo and had never tried a Sudoko until a few weeks ago (again with the re-run thing... after all the hype). Gotta say, they are just challenging enough to keep me interested but not so hard that I give up.

Enough chatting. Gotta scoot.

Big hugs to all,

Sal

Amy, when I see one I like I highlight it and save it in my pictures, then I put it in my photobucket album so I can use it here. I think Laura explained it a lot better earlier (early jan post) I'm pretty lame when it comes to computers  so the simpler the better.

Yes, House is also one of my favorite shows as well. Ive just started watching season one on dvd as I missed a lot of the earlier shows.

Marie, Welcome back and Happy Birthday

Sorry to here you were having so many problems, I hope things are getting much better now.

KMK, CONGRATULATION'S on being done!

Cant believe your poor son did such a bad board crash. I hope he's alright. I wanted to go skiing as a family this winter, I really miss it. DH says no, he's so worried I'll break something (I'm a little accident prone lately). I also worry as my son (17) has been going boarding on his own this year, I can only imagine the stunts he's been trying out in the snow board parks.

WIW, Glad to here it's not shingles and the doc's looking after you. Hope the cream works and it clears up quick.

We are having an absolutely beautiful warm sunny day today (about 50 f). I went for a long walk this morning and then spent a few hours running errands and grocery shopping. I really cant believe how fast I run out of energy lately. I got home and flopped down on the couch and here I'll stay for a while. Well at least until I have to start dinner.

Hope everyone has a great evening. Love & hugs.

Suz

Hello all!  Well, once I started feeling better I had to catch up on my house which was quickly becoming a disaster area.  My daughter was off school Monday (snow day) and then yesterday and today for mid-winter break!  Boy, teenagers can whip up a mess real fast!!  I worked my 3 short hours today and then went to Target and had lunch with a friend.  It was good to get out but I'm tired now and looking forward to spending the evening on the couch!

So, let me try to catch up...

Marie, I hope you had a great birthday and welcome back!  I, too, hated the AC!  It's easier to say that now that it's done as I think we try to psych ourselves up while we are on it as a coping mechanism and a way to get thru it!  I mean it wasn't the end of the world but I couldn't watch the Red Devil go thru the IV during the last AC, as I started to gag!!  Glad you are back on the road to living life on your terms!!

WishIwere, I hope you are finding some relief for your hands and I hear you about the $30 copays!!  Better safe than sorry though!!  Hope your shoulder injury turns out to be an easy fix also!!

Amy, I know what you mean about missing your kids.  My DD is almost 16 (June 1st) and in the "terrible teens" (actually, she's a really good girl MOST of the time) and since she was on break she spent the night with my mom last night!  The house seemed so quiet and boring without her...even though I was watching all my shows, I still missed her!  I don't think we will ever outgrow that...comes along with the title of "Mommy"!!

Sal, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the 6 months timeline is off base!  It may take that long to feel totally back to normal, but I can't help thinking that we will feel a little bit better each and every day as we move past our last chemo's, surgeries and radiation treatments!  You go girl, with the Sudoko's!!!  I hate them!!  I usually love puzzles but those are just too hard for me!!  I did get a new game for my Nintendo DS called Professor Layton's Curious Village and I am having fun with that!  You have to solve mysteries and look for clues while solving word, math and logic puzzles!  You collect hidden coins, painting pieces and "gizmos" along the way to aid in solving the puzzles and finally the mystery!!  I took it to tx last time and it helped pass the time well!

Kate, so glad to hear you are doing good so far on the Taxol!  I still think it's better than AC but just make sure you stay on top of any body aches/bone pain and you should be A-OK!!  My niece is also a huge Eeyore fan and just interviewed today for the Disney College Program.  If she gets in she will be there from September thru December.  As I've mentioned, we already have a trip planned in September but if she gets in, I will try to go again in early December to see her (and sneak in another trip!).

KMK, WAY TO GO!!!  So glad another one of "us" is done and can't wait till we are all there!  We are all nearing the chemo finish line and will continue on from there with whatever is next and soon we will be back living our normal, happy lives!!  So, take that you stupid breast cancer!!!

Suz, Glad you had a nice day to enjoy a walk!  I can't wait until we start having those days here in MI!  I'm looking forward to my 2 mile walk down my dirt road to see the pussy willows, the local llama's and to hear the frogs "singing"!!  New motto..."Better days are coming"!!

An interesting story...if you all remember my post after my first Taxol I talked about how my toes felt and Sal passed along some tips from her massage therapist.

I stated that they felt the same way my feet feel when I'm going to get a blister (like from walking around Disney for hours)...not the pins and needles feeling that we've all heard about. 

Well, this past Tuesday when I stayed home after having a terrible Monday night (body aches), I took a nice hot soaking bath and when my feet "pruned" I noticed that 3 toes (2 on the right and 1 on the left) had big white dead skin peeling off, just like a blister would do.  The skin peeled right off from the tip of the toe down the back of the toe to the first joint.  They weren't sore or anything either. 

Then last night as I was watching my shows, covered up with the blanket, one of my toes kept catching on the blanket.  I figured it was just another dried piece of skin off one of the ones that had already peeled but when I looked it was peeling off a new toe. 

Upon further inspection, I realized that ALL of the toes except the big ones were all peeling off in the same area...tip of the toe, down the back to the first joint!  I can't wait to talk to the Dr. about it!  Has anyone ever heard of this happening.  I didn't find anything about that in my books.  I need to do a search on this board and see if anyone else experienced the same thing!  It was pretty gross but I'm just glad they don't hurt!  I just thought that was weird!  So another mystery SE!

Well, I'm gonna quite blabbering on and head to the couch!  I got "The Brave One" with Jodie Foster from Netflix today so I'm gonna watch that!  Hope you all have a good evening and a great weekend!!  Lori

  You must be feeling MUCH better than A/c aftermath to get all that out!  Good job!

so sorry about those peeling toes though!  They sound like they'd be painful, glad they aren't!

Rest well tonight dear friends!  The weekend is upon us!

KMK-- congrats on being done with chemo!! One by one, we're all reaching the finish line. Did you do anything special to celebrate? I'm already making plans for my big day.

Lori-- ouchie on the peeling toes. I have noticed that my skin is much more dry and sensitive... I've got a few band-aids in places where it looks like I got a paper cut, but no such cuts happened... I think my skin is just cracking. And I have 2 fingernails that are "coming loose"-- don't know how else to word it-- but they don't hurt. Weird. You tape your toes on and I'll tape my fingernails back in place   (ewww)

Energy zapping quickly. Gonna go lie back down now.

Hugs, Sal