Best Of
Re: Starting Chemo July 2025? Gather here for support!
Hey @pershing, welcome!! If you're willing to share, tell us what part of the world you're in.
You are definitely not alone in being scared and anxious leading up to starting chemo. 💜 I think it's actually such a normal human response to something that is NEW, scary, and that one has never experienced before. I keep reminding myself, "All of this is new." Do you have someone to go with you, at least for this first one?
Great to hear you're going to try the ice mittens and booties! That first infusion felt like a lot to coordinate to me, too. All we can do is the best we can in any given moment. Let that be enough.
My infusion center had crushed ice which they brought to me in a cup and I had my sister-in-law help feed them to me throughout the chemo drugs being infused to hopefully help cut down on mouth sores. I could sort of pick the cup up with the mittens on, but was pretty clumsy, lol. It continues to be humbling and challenging for me to ask for help in this, as I've always been very independent and live alone. I am grateful for the opportunity to practice. :)
Sending positive vibes your way and hope you'll come back and share an update once you're through the first one and have a chance to let things settle a bit in the days after. ✌️
Re: Starting Chemo July 2025? Gather here for support!
Starting TC x 4 this week.
Scared and anxious. About all of it. Glad to know there are others who are with me.
I'm going to try the ice mittens and booties. Hope i can get it all coordinated.
Thanks for posting.
pershing
Re: My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer
@goldensrbest Happy Anniversary!
@candy-678 Thank you for the update on Mel and Gabby. They are on my mind and in my prayers daily. I am sorry your cataract surgery results were not what you expected. I was told cataracts grew faster with the oral chemo so I had mine done also. Things are still blurry but better. I was told that was medication and not the cataracts. I do see better but I had 20/20 vision before the cataracts. I do use glasses for fine print.
@mkestrel I miss my tortoise shell cat so thank you for the picture. She was my last cat but I had at least one cat all my life. I struggle to bend which is the only reason I don't have a cat now as I can't keep up with the litter.
Re: My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer
Goldensrbest- I guess my sight now is my "new normal". Don't we love that term, LOL. My eyes healed fine after cataract surgery, but it is not what I expected from cataract surgery. What prompted me to get cataract surgery was the glare issue- headlights, streetlights, even the sun coming in my kitchen window. Those are still there. No change. I was disappointed in that. And my prescription was so bad since childhood that I wore thick glasses. Now, my glasses are thinner, and I can see distance without glasses now, which I could never do. But I used to be able to see close up without my glasses and now I need my glasses to see close up, i.e. my hands, the phone, changing the thermostat, etc. So I see different now, but not really what I call "better". Just overall disappointed in the cataract surgery results.
Re: 17 years out - Now possible brain mets?
jenm823 I’m having the same symptoms, did you have radiation?
matty123
Re: Bottle o Tamoxifen
runor--I had a hysterectomy 2 years into Tamoxifen. My gyn was keeping an eye on my lining via TVUS periodically and when mine got to 1.8mm relatively quickly, I had a hysterectomy. Total. Ovaries, tubes, uterus, cervix. The whole shebang. And yes, I was tossed into surgical menopause. Hot flashes but not too bad since I sleep with a fan anyway. But I gotta say, I feel really really good! No longer get all the bloating even though I didn't ever have periods on Tamoxifen. And when I did the hysterectomy my doctor found that I also had an enlarged uterus and multiple ovarian cysts so really I'm glad I had it done. I'm sure you would rather not have to have a hysterectomy but it sure was a lot easier than a mastectomy!! And it's nice to not have so much of the worry of those cancers (albeit it's not gone 100% according to my doc).
lala1
Re: Anyone starting brand drug, Enhertu?
Had my scan yesterday and it seems there are mixed results. Enhertu is working well on my liver as there are fewer and smaller mets. Yay! This is only the second time that a treatment has had positive results on my liver. Other than that, it has been full speed ahead with the liver mets.
My bones are not as lucky this time. Bone mets have basically been stable since 2023, but there are now increased and new areas.
My first impression is to stay on the Enhertu since I think my liver would take me down first and I've already had ascites. But lot of the new bone mets are in my thoracic spine, and I can feel them. Not really pain, but something is going on there.
It also makes me wonder if I am dealing with two different cancers or maybe one area has mutated differently because why wouldn't they both respond the same way?
Can I give this another three months without making things much worse? I guess that is the question I'll be discussing with my MO next week.
dulcea
Re: My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer
Candy - thanks for the update on Mel and Gabby. I hope they know how often they’re thought about here. How is your sight now?
Shana - so very sorry about this rough season for you. I hope your neck injections bring long term relief and your tooth problem gets taken care of. This damn disease steals our very being.
Today is our 47th anniversary. Going out to dinner at a great local restaurant.
Here for pocket duty for all in need.
Re: Looking to connect with others for support and guidance
Thank you for the supportive comment. To complicate matters, 3 oncologists are in disagreement over whether my cancer this year is a local recurrence vs a new ipsalateral primary. And the treatment plan is different in each scenario. I want the more aggressive treatment since 2/3 oncologists say it's more likely local recurrence. But ironically, these same oncologists refuse to offer me the more aggressive treatment (verzenio); they say the size and grade of this year's cancer do not warrant the toxicity of verzenio. The 3rd oncologist (who only treats me virtually since I moved away from her city in 2022) suspects it is a new ipsalateral primary but says that if there is convincing evidence it's a local recurrence (which she feels there is not—in fact, she says my pathology report points more towards new primary), then I should definitely advocate for a ckd4/6 inhibitor. It's frustrating when oncologists do not concur. Also frustrating when one wants to "throw everything" at the disease yet the oncologist says doing so would be too toxic.
Re: My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer
@irishlove Oh love, you don't need to apologize. We all understand how this disease and treatments have affected our brains. It is just good to hear that you are with us knowing how tough things have been for you.
@shanagirl All those appointments are exhausting in themselves. I pray that they are helping with all your back pain.
Thinking of others here especially KBLs family and friends, Mel and Gabby.