robink

I'm with you ewesterman...DONE DONE DONE DONE DONE, relieved yes but more so next week when the worst of my se's will be over.  I am hoping that this cycle mimics #2 which seems to be a piece of cake!  Aiming for chocolate. 

Rock, I'm with Otter.  You were/are and awesome substitute chemo professor.

Dark chocolate curing everything?  don't know about curing everything but I enjoy eating it, Ya know, it is counted  amoung the good belly fat foods as it contains MUFA (monounsaturated fatty acid).  I don't think they intend me to eat the amount that I do.

Gee Otter,

Edema now? when things should be going away.  Somewhere (i don't know if it was on this thread) in some information about Taxotere I read about peripheral edema/taxotere and either occuring a while after treatment concludes or the possiblity of lasting quite a while in some persons.

After treatment #3 on day 7-9ish I developed edema of my hands, feet, lower legs, and mast. site.  Today I mentioned it to my onco who agreed it was from the Taxoteres.  He said if it happened in round #4 and didn't self resolve OR was worse than last time he would prescribe a diuretic.

Tomorrow is the beginning of the end for me...last chemo!  It will be more of an end 3 wks after my last trip to the chemo bar and I receive my final labs and my walking papers!  Oh yeah, and I suppose a prescription for an aromatase inhibitor.

NO NO NO NO NO

#4 can't be worse or bad or what ever.  Chemo is on July 3rd, July 10 and 11 dd and I have to go for her college orientation/registration.  #2 was almost a walk in the park and since #1 & #3 were bad #4 HAS to be easy.   RIGHT???????????????????

Otter - I want that 6-8 pound weight loss.  I seem to be slowly putting on some pounds. Not happy.

Karen - I get Decadron starting the day before chemo, the day of and the day after, twice daily.  Last time (#3) I forgot several doses and wonder if that was the reason I developed some peripheral edema about a week after the treatment.

Sandym - congrats on a good finish!

RNKaren - do you see any lines or discolorations with your nails?  I've been fortunate, no nail pain.  One of my toenails was funky for a long time before chemo, I am hoping since the chemo kills so many cells, good and bad, it will kill whatever is making my toenail so ugly.

RJ62 - my face gets red and stays red for 3-4 days.  The steroids cause flushing but I think mine is related to the Taxotere as I've had others symptoms of an allergic reaction.

VBG - my onco only gives neulasta if the white count drops to an unacceptable level.  My did not so I've been one of the lucky ones! After treatment #1 my CBC was checked and since it was satisfactory the labs are now done a day or two before chemo.  I'm just fine with that.

beachmom - hurray for being done!

rosario and senora - good to hear from you

I noticed today my eyebrows looking sparse - I tried some pencil to fill in but thought they looked worse.  My lashes are hanging in there.  My head has a lot of white stubble that has been growing since the initial fallout and I have shaved it twice because I didn't like the way it looked.  Today I noticed my scalp being tender like the first time so I wonder if it's a precursor to more instense baldness.

Beachmom - I'm done next Thursday.  I hate that it's almost time but to know there won't be any more trips to the pool, bar, beach, exotic destination and be served up my toxic cocktail...woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So come on July 3rd.  Get r' done.

I'll jump on board where ever you'd like to go.

Rock: re holding our shit together too well. 

 Earlier this week I posted my melt down (don't remember now if it was on this thread or the taxotere/cytoxan thread).  I had worked very hard on staying positive for me and everyone else but Monday I allowed myself to feel what I've been stuffing inside, allowed myself to speak the words.  It was quite therapeutic.  A dear friend who has been a sounding board for me told me she was glad to hear I had finally gotten pissed off, that it was about time.

I didn't need anyone's permission to fall apart but it sure felt good to have someone give me a pat on the back for being human and vulnerable.  My friend reminded me to keep the big picture in mind, one sucky year that will eventually be behind me, that I am enduring this to assure many wonderful years ahead of me.

where was i going with this????  Oh yeah...it's OK for us to break down but we can't stay down,  we all have futures and wonderful years ahead and must tell ourselves this is doable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

catlover:

my hands and fingers are tight, hard to get my ring off.  my watch leaves an imprint on my wrist and that never happens, my operative side feels tight and anything i wear leaves a mark, and my legs which are kind of skinny look fluffy - socks leave a mark. 

glad you mentioned the face because i thought my face looked full.  is that because of the taxotere (otter you probably know the answer)?  The decadron we take doesn't help with the moon face either.

as for how #3 did me in...first of all i had a reaction to the taxotere the first night (chest burning, tightness).  the next few days i was more tired than usual then day 5,6,7  i was physically and emotionally exhausted, the brain fog was worse than the other 2 cycles, my taste was shot, and this time around i got constipated.  I reached a low point when i was ready to through in the chemo towel but i have persevered.  today i have a sore throat - dh says it's red and swollen but i am not running a fever. 

I guess that's it.

Robin

For anyone:  back to the Nioxin subject.  I am confused about which "system" to try #1, #2, #3  which one?

My brain is sooooooooo foggy I can't get it figured out.

Robin

Thinking I could manage I drove to my appointments (cancer exercise program and lymphedema prevention).  After 10 minutes on the treadmill (on which I was doing pretty good) my PT comes over, asks how it's going today after which I am reduced to tears.  Finally I have allowed myself to feel my fear, my frustration, my baldness, my numb deformed chest, my smaller remaining breast that I once considered my equalization procedure.  Allowed myself to say I am feeling very poorly today, I am weary, my taste buds are shot but I'm hungry, I'm cold, I hate the dark circles and bags under my eyes.  Allowed myself to be upset with friends and family who can't meet my needs because they are either halfway across the country or mostly because they don't know how to reach out to me.  Angry with myself for sucking it up all this time, playing strong for everyone when I wanted someone to be strong for me but I never said anything.  Angry with myself for choosing chemo therapy but knowing I would always doubt a decision refusing chemo, wondering if I had done everything to insure a good shot at long term survival.  Today I just want to be done.  I do not want to take a single dose of antihormonal medication.  I dont' want to have one more surgery but I do not want to look like this anymore.

And I want to be with my Mom but she's in Ohio, I'm in Colorado, she will never be able to travel here again due to strokes suffered after her mastectomy.

But my house isn't flooded.  Nor my forest or home burning.  I don't have bug bites, or hand/foot problems, or diarrhea or constipation.  I don't have a fever and am not nauseated.  It's cool and damp here today but I have a dry house and heat and warm clothes.

  My dh was understanding when I called and said I just couldn't do the errands I had promised.  Said go home-go to bed -I'll take care of everything.  I'm not sure why I expected him to say anything else - guess I just needed to hear the words.

Robin

Otter ; you can have my Udder cream also.  Glad to donate it to a good cause