Starting chemo Dec 2007

Congrats to all who have finished since my last post!!! WOOHOO!!!!! FREAKIN WOOHOO!!!!!

Evening all!  Hope you are all well!  I'm doing pretty good, just need lots of naps but pain is at a minimum.  I have only had 1 Darvocet today and that was earlier when my mom helped me milk the drain real good then I took a shower and put a new dressing on.  The more I fuss with the area is when it starts hurting.  I go back to surgeon tomorrow and am hoping that maybe the drain can come out.  Had 30 cc yesterday but only 6 this morning so I'll see what I get tonight. So far it doesn't look like very much.

Some terrific news...Surgeon called yesterday with pathology results...No more cancer cells anywhere..None in what used to be breast tumor and none in 16 lymph nodes.  YAHOO!  I am so thankful that I had such a great response to the chemo!! 

The lumpectomy site looks great!  At this point it doesn't look any different than before.  The incision in the armpit it quite a bit longer than I was thinking though.  I don't mind..it will fade and be a reminder of how I kicked BC's butt!!  And it feels so good to have the port out!  I was surprised because I had gotten used to it but now that it's gone and even though the area is tender..it just feels so normal!!!

And who would have thought a tight sports bra would feel so good!  I bought 2 at the last minute cuz I was thinking.."I don't want anything tight around all those incisions!"...Wrong I was!  It feels good to take it off for a shower but then it feels good to put it back on to keep everthing nice and snug and little movement!

WishIwere, We had some beautiful sunshine today, didn't we!  Really starting to feel like spring!  Hope you are well!

And my hair update...I must admit it seems like mine is growing like crazy!  My mom swears it's growing overnight.  It's still mostly white but the darker ones are pretty much coming all over also.  It actually feels quite thick too.  If I was brave enough to try color yet I would probably even go without my bandana since I think if it was colored you would not see as much scalp as there appears right now (with lack of color)  For now at least, I'm happy with the progress it's making!!

Heading back to the couch now!  Take care and I'll talk soon!  Have a good evening!  Lori

Kate, That REALLY sucks, but hopefully the wait means your last tx will be a piece of cake with no SE's or other nasty surprises. I'm thinking of you.

wiw, Sorry, but you say "sideburns" and I'm thinking Elvis. Surely you don't look like a semi-bald Elvis with sideburns, because that would be really, really weird.

(Hope I made you smile)

Cindy, what else to say but ALRIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Suz, thanks for info on the mediport. I go next week, and really didn't want to stress out over it. You've put my mind at ease. Thx.

Amy, yeah, we could definitely meet up as you zip thru Maine this summer. Maybe I'll have a decent head of hair by then!

Joy, take care with the shingles. Hope you are feeling better soon.

Hugs to all,

Sal 

lori,  I am so very happy for you.  Makes it all worth it,doesn't it.  Also glad your recuperation is going so well.  

God bless, Joy H 

Lori!  So fantastic that you are doing that well!  I remember the best thing after the mast was getting those drains out on day 6~  I was elated!  It hurt me b/c it was laying against a rib, the same rib that even my bra would cause pain before BC for many years.

A~  Man, more surgery lady? Whew!  We'll be here, waiting for the great results on your update and uplift!   You sound like you are ready, but hestitant.  We'd be nutty if we weren't going into any surgery, right?  Try to stay busy till then.  Like you don't anyway!  HA!

Sal! Have you seen a chiro guy for that?  I remember years ago, when I was stomping on styrofoam from a TV or stereo or what ever we'd bought. I was trying to get it broke up for the trash and when I was done, I couldn't stand up straight.  Then after finally getting better with it with a lot of rest and ice/heat, I was stomping on the garden rake to break up some hard soil at my sisters in ohio with clay soil?  This time it didn't go away and finally I went to the docs with horrible lower back/hip pain.  He stretched something (I have no idea what) and it was like it was never there!  I couldn't even get off a floor, or out of bed without help, or stand or sit in one position for any time.  Anyway, just a thought.

And yes, I think I posted on this thread anyway!  FREE of anything in the breast!  BS and tech said it's normal for me to have this tissue after going through chemopause and such.  It's just a different set of tissue and feels like lumps to me and others, so COOL!  I don't see him til OCTOBER!  WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

As for feeling good! Today is the first day I FEEL like me again! Honestly.  I went out and raked a bit and pulled and cut back old plants and did a lot really.  Probably too much, but it FEELS SO GOOD this hurt does!

Hope everyone is have a Satisfying Saturday!

{{{{{HUGS}}}}}} to you all!

Suz, I hope the rain lets up and some some sunshine comes along to lift your spirits.  It is so hard when you're so accustomed to doing everything and chemo knocks you on your butt.  I find it is hard to be patient with the lack of energy, but it will get better.  I feel very encouraged knowing that tomorrow would have been chemo day for me and I'm NOT GOING THERE!  Whoopee!!!  I also feel encouraged to know that after tomorrow I will start to feel better than I have in months, bit by bit (except for the time when/if rads knock me on my butt) .

Sal, I sure hope that you can get some relief for that pain in your butt!  You have had to put up with ENOUGH!

I believe Jeannie has one more tx on the 18th and Kate's last was postponed to this week.

Wishiwere - I am SO thrilled for you that it turned out to be NOTHING!  You must be hugely relieved. 

Amy, I will be thinking about you on Friday, hoping that surgery goes smoothly and uneventfully. 

Loriann, you are NED!  (No Evidence of Disease)  CONGRATULATIONS!

Friday was my last appt on chemo ward for wrap-up meeting with chemo onc.  I actually had two chemo oncs - the first one a man and the second one a woman.  My rads onc is a woman.  I have to say the two female onc's I have dealt with are great!  Anyway, it was nice to think of not having to set foot on the chemo ward again.  I will meet the guy for a 3-month followup in July but not on that ward.  I will not miss the smell of that place but will miss in particular my one fav chemo nurse who is a kick-ass Aussie with a great sense of humour.  I will have simulation for Rads on Thursday, and then the following Thurs is my first rads tx.  I am savouring every moment of this break.  Am missing my hubby terribly and just booked my next trip to see him but it won't be until 2 months from now and that will be the longest (almost 3 months) break in a long long time.  I sure hope they (immigration dept) get their butts in gear with his file, now that we got them the document they were holding out for.  Some hairs are starting to sprout on my head and elsewhere.  Scalp hurts but that is no big deal.

A big cyber-hug to all

Laura

Crossing my fingers and praying extra hard that Kate can have her last treatment today. Please please please please please

Jeannie must be getting psyched for her last tx on Friday!

Hope everyone else is as well as can be expected. Hugs.

-Sal 

Hello Ladies!...

Sorry I haven't posted in a little over a week... this past Chemo on March 28th kicked my ***... SE's had me in the bed nearly 4 straight days.... YUCK!!  .. am much better now...and one more to go....Am I the last one?

As you know they postoned my last Chemo from April 11th to April 18th... Almost there.... Yippppeeee!!!   Thanks for the support..

Kate.... You go Girl!!  I'm so jealous....but am glad you have crossed the finish line....!!!    WoooHoooo!!!!

Congrats to all who have finished Chemo and Best of Wishes to those about to start Rads...

Love and Kisses to all.....

Jeannie 

Way to go Kate!  Congratulations on FINISHING chemo!!!!

Conagratulations Kate!!! And what a wonderful celebration you had. Isn't it nice to know how much you are loved? Wow. I'm drolling over the thought of those cupcakes! Congratulations again.

Cindy, congratulations ... today is your LAST radiation tx! Party party party!!

Jeannie, sorry I had your last date wrong. Bummer. But next week is coming fast. Hang in there. And hope you are feeling better with each day.

Good luck, Amy, with your surgery tomorrow. Hope it all turns out the way you want. I'm sure you'll come through with flying colors (whatever that means...I hope they are pretty, matching colors).

Hope our other radiation ladies are doing well and/or gearing up for their tx's. Sooner begun, sooner done.

I had my mediport out this morning. They gave me something to relax me before the procedure... it kicked in on the way home... figures, ha ha ha. But all in all it went quite well. Another milestone behind me. Now I just need to get this sciatica to go away and have my breast implants swapped in. All in good time, Sally... have patience.

I'm still losing my few remaining hairs... anyone else having that? It's blatantly obvious that I have lost my eyebrows and eyelashes now... there are so few to put makeup on/around... kinda winging it on drawing in the eyebrows since I have nothing left to guide me. I'd been using someone's suggestion of using eyeshadow makeup to "draw on" my eyebrows and it was looking great for a while, but now it looks funny since there are so few eyebrow hairs there anyway. I wonder why I'm still losing hair when it's been 3 weeks since my last tx. Dang. The new hair is sure slow to come back. *sigh* Again with the patience, Sally.

Gotta get up. Hugs to all. 

-Sal 

JeannieBell - you are the LAST one of us to finish Chemo!  We will all be cheering for you next week!  I found that my second-to-last chemo was the worst of all, for SE's and I was not well for a full week afterwards.  Here's hoping that your next will be uneventful.

Cindy - I can't believe you have finished rads!  I would love to hear how you have fared with SE's/burning if any.  CONGRATULATIONS on having FINISHED TREATMENT!!!!!  Now you can get your life back and you don't have to go back to that cancer centre for a good long while!

Lori and I are gearing up for rads.  I begin next Thursday (simulation this afternoon).  We are having a big snowfall here today so I hope I will be ok to get to the hospital this afternoon.

Sal, I am so sorry you are STILL suffering with the sciatica!  I sincerely hope they can get you some relief from this.  As to the hair, perhaps some of the ladies who also had AC and T can comment.  It could be that since you are just barely out of the last cycle the drugs are still making you lose hair.  I had also read elsewhere in other posts that eyebrow/eyelash hair can fall out twice.  My eyebrows are still extremely scant and I have to paint them on as well, I like to use a powder also.  The lashes have grown back a bit but are still only 50% at best.  I'll bet that you will see some positive changes during the next couple of weeks.  Patience....yeah, we all need more of that.  There is SO MUCH we need to be patient about!  ((((HUGS))))

Amy - best of luck on your surgery tomorrow!  Will be thinking of you!

Hugs to all

Laura

Amy, Your in my thoughts, sending you love today, good luck with your surgery.

Sal, I can't believe your still having problems with your sciatica. I hope you find some sort of relief soon {{hugs}} Congratulations on having the port out, one more milestone .

I think my eyebrows are still thinning as well, getting hard to follow the lines. I'm using just a touch of lighter eyeshadow on them now  <sigh> patience. Yeah,, and the hair, I mean really I shouldn't complain as it is hair starting (sort of) I have 1/4 inch of thin, fine, sparse white fuzz on my head. Feel like a plucked chicken at times.

Cindy, Done RADS, Whooohoooo. Way to go!                      So overall how did you fare? Would love to here from you.

Jeannie, So sorry the se's knocked you down bad last time around . Only one more and lets hope you breeze through it.

Wishiwere, I'm also having a hard time with the mirror. I don't see me anymore <sigh> again patience. We will all come back, a little different and stronger.

Laura, I think I'll be right behind you and Lori with rads. I'm supposed to have an appointment on the April 21. I met my rad onc back in Feb but she didnt give me too much info at that time. Im not sure what its like in Calgary, but here they wait till a day or two before your "sorta scheduled appointment" and then give you a real date and time.

Wow, did you ever get hit with a little reminder of winter yesterday  whats up with that!!! Tomorrow is supposed our first real nice day, I am so looking forward to a little warmth and sunshine.

Lori, How is everything healing, are you getting some of your range of motion back?

Thinking of you all Joy, KMK, Kate, Kimbly and anyone else I've missed. Laughter, love and sunshine sent to all! Suz

Good morning all! 

Well, I was able to keep my simulation appointment yesterday!  Yahoo!  It went well and I will start next Thursday and will finish on May 28th (30 tx's)!  Done well in time for the June 23rd VEGAS trip!!  Another yahoo!!

Amy, Hope everything went well and you are staying comfortable!!

Kate, Congrats on being all done!  Feels great, doesn't it!!  You did it!!!

Sal, hope your sciatica goes away soon!  Stupid nerve!!  I hope your hair starts back real soon!  It seems mine was on a real roll but has slowed down now.  It's not falling back out though!!  I have maybe 3 eyebrows left on the right eye and 2 on the left!  Using shadow to pencil in here also!  Seem like eyelashes are just starting to pop thru the rim but nothing that the mascara can grab onto yet!  Guess we all need to have patience!!!

WishIwere, Hope you are doing great!  I got a kick out of your story about your brother!  Heaven forbid the males might end up with a numb spot!!  LOL  Do you have rain today?  We do here and our temp has also dropped for the weekend!

Laura, Hope the snow has not been a problem for you (other than the fact that it's spring and should not be here!)  How did simulation go for you!  One of my tattoo's hurt quite a bit!  I don't know how people can stand it long enough for a real tattoo!!  LOL  Once again, we are on the same schedule.  I will start next Thursday also!  How many tx's are you having?  I'm sure I'll see you over on the April rad's board!

Jeannie, You are almost done!!  Hang in there!  I, too, lost my nose hairs!  I think that is what made my sinus infection worse and left my poor nose scabby on the inside for so long!!  I just looked in with the magnifying mirror and they are starting back now!  I use the magnifying mirror alot lately....looking at hairs on head, checking eyebrows and eyelashes, checking nose hairs, looking at incisions...all sorts of crazy stuff!!  LOL  Started having to wear reading glasses last year but when looking at things on myself, the mirror works way better than glasses alone!!  LOL

Cindy, Wow!  You must be feeling great!  All done, what an accomplishment!!  You did it!  Hope you do some great celebrating!!

Suz, I hope you are doing well and have a great day with sun and warmth!  It really makes a difference in the way we feel...especially right now!!  I was (*see below) also sporting the white fuzz and had the chicken look going!  It was killing me!  My range of motion is actually pretty good.  It's weird because it's not the incision that hurts at all..it's the nerves that were disturbed and that numbness that was left behind that is bothering me.  The numbness makes it feel like my arm is all fat...like when you have a cavity filled at the dentist and it feels like your mouth is all fat...well, it's like that from elbow to armpit!! LOL  It has gotten a bit better and sometimes I feel stabby pains and a burning sensation that Dr. said was normal and is the nerves repairing themselves!  Hope to see you over on the April rad's board, but if not there...here!

OK, to explain the * above to all!  I know a wrote awhile back that I would never be able to wait the recommended 6 months to color the hair and I was right, I couldn't!  It seemed like I had quite a bit of hair back....not long of course, bit quite thick in some areas....and I thought to myself..."If this was not white it would look like I had hair and I could start going without a hat or bandana"!  So, I bought some Loving Care haircolor.  It only lasts 6-12 shampoos and has no peroxide or ammonia.  The directions said for resistant grey you could leave it on for 45 minutes.  I was afraid to try it that long as I had heard the scalp could be tender after chemo.  I did leave it on about 35 minutes and it turned out OK.  Not as dark as I wanted but at least a bit of color.  It stained my scalp a bit for a day but that came off with the next shampoo.  So, it won't last long but I have enjoyed going past the mirror and seeing some color there.  Even though there is hair there, when it is pure white it still looks like I'm bald!  It did not bother my scalp at all but nothing ever has and I have done plenty to my hair over the years on my own..perms, frosting, colors of all sorts..etc. so I may have got better results with the full 45 minutes but at least it is a change for however long it lasts (which at 6-12 shampoos, won't be long).  My MIL uses Roux Fanciful and said to try that.  That is just a rinse you put in that shampoos out at the very next shampoo.  Maybe I'll try it because I am ready to ditch the hats/bandanas/wig and with even a little color on the hair at least I don't look bald! 

My surgeon wrote me off work for another week which was fine with me since I have 3 appointments plus the 2 radiation treatments next week and would have ended up with a crappy check and having to leave work early 4 days anyway!!  My radiation time slot is 1:00 pm until the 22nd when I will get to take over the 8:30 time slot that some lucky soul is vacating!!  So I will head to radiation in the mornings and then straight to work.

Take care everyone and hope all are well and enjoying spring!!  Hugs all around, Lori