CMF Question

Galigirl31

Glad you're staying.
I hope everybody had a good day.
-Melanie

Harley44

Thanks, Melanie,

I hope you're feeling better. This sucks, but we'll get through it!!


Hugs,
HARLEY

b445

Harley,
This group of women are special that's why so many of us that did CMF in the past keep checking in.

I hope you all check out the Wagon Circle in the Moving beyond section. it's for all of us trying to deal with the affects of cancer.

Harley44

Thanks, CY

I really wanted to get CMF, but my Onc wouldn't give me the option... I am getting 4 treatments of Taxotere and Cytoxan, one every 3 weeks! I have my 2nd one tomorrow. After that one, I'll be halfway through!!!

I'll be finished chemo on Oct. 9th, if all goes well.

Thanks for checking in... the CMF women are a very special group of women, and I come here for support!

Hugs,
HARLEY

ritajean

CY...when is your surgery date? It's so good to see you posting regularly again. I hope that means you're having more good days than bad ones.

Please let us know about your surgery. I missed a post somewhere as to its reason but my best vibes and prayers will be going into it with you.

Rita

candie1971

Hi Harley,

Here I am to check up on you...how r u doing? 2 down...2 more to go, right?

Rita, good to see you here and there (circle).

Cy, wishing u well for your surgery.

Hugs and prayers,
Candie

--------------------
life's a long song - Jethro Tull

ritajean

Candie, I am enjoying the Circle but it goes so FAST! I can't seem to keep up with everybody. Hopefully I will do better as time goes on.

Ginny, I hope you're having a ball on your vacation and will tell us all about it when you get home.

Harley, how's it going today? You just keep hanging in there!!!!

Hello to everybody else! I assume everybody is doing well since so many of the gals have been absent on this site lately.

Rita

Harley44

Candie,

Thanks for checking on me. My treatment on Tuesday went well, but I was more tired this time, and I felt kind of fuzzy headed...
On Wed., I went for a Neulasta shot, and that was SO much better than waiting a week, and getting Neupogen shots, after my wbc nose dived... that is what my onc did the 1st treatment!! I just felt kind of feverish, and like I had the flu... so I just took 2 Ibuprofen, and went to bed. I feel SO much better today!! I haven't been online, because I had so many errands to run, especially being kind of out of commission for a couple of days...

But, since I am halfway finished, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

My ps office called yesterday, and my reconstruction will start November 7th!!! YIPPEE!! I can't wait!

Thanks so much!! It helps to have such a great support group, of wonderful women here who really understand what this feels like...

HARLEY

Harley44

Rita,

Thanks! I am feeling MUCH better today!!

TWO down, and TWO to go!!! YIPPEE!! I'm halfway finished!! This chemo is the part that I dreaded the most, and I'll be so glad when it's over.... for good!!

Thanks! You are such a nice lady!!

HARLEY

lady4law

Harley
Forgot to ask, did you have trouble with the IV this time?
Well I am off for #3, last before surgery. Have no idea how many tx I will be having after.

Harley44

Jean,

No, I didn't really have too much trouble with the IV... I guess I must be getting used to it. I am just letting the nurse decide where to put it... and hoping she makes the right choice!!

Hugs
HARLEY

ritajean

Jean...are you having a mastectomy or lumpectomy?
And when is it planned? We'll be thinking about you...sending good vibes and hugs.

Rita

b445

Sending good vibes to all

My surgery and scans came back with good news! The tumors are smaller and some are nearly gone. The kidney is doing fine and most other areas are looking normal! Yahoo!
Thaought I'd share some good news for a change!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend

Harley44

CY,

GREAT!!! Thanks for sharing your WONDERFUL news!


Hope everyone has a great weekend!
HARLEY

ritajean

Cy....that is SUCH good news! I am so happy! The chemo is working and I'm so excited about this! Continue to hang in there and give it your all. You are a true inspiration to me, gal!

Enjoy your long weekend with a relieved mind! :-)

Thanks for checking in with us and letting us know your great news. You're pretty special to the ladies on this thread!

Rita

ritajean

Just bumping up this thread, gals and hoping that all of you are doing well. Melanie....how's it going for you? You've been a little quiet lately. Ginny...are you back from that wonderful vacation yet? If so, give us a quick rendition of it! Harley...have you done #3 yet and how is the hair situation doing?

Rita

Harley44

Rita,

Hi... Thanks for checking in... I had tx #2 on Aug 28th, and will have #3 Sept 18th.. I haven't been on for a couple of days, just yesterday feeling kind of feverish, and chills... it's my low wbc week! YICK!!! I was so hoping that wouldn't happen again this time!

But I feel MUCH better today! I go back for bloodwork on Thursday, but I don't know if I should call my onc, to let them know about the fever last night, since it is back to normal now... these things only happen when the drs office is closed...

Ginny, I hope your trip was wonderful! Please give us an update when you get back... I am SO jealous!!

Melanie, how are you doing??? Your last tx is on Sept. 11th, right??

Take care, everyone. We WILL get through this! I am right behind you, and my last tx will be OCT 9th!!!

HARLEY

ritajean

Harley, Oct. 9th will be here before you know it! As for your fever, I'd just keep a check on it. If it returns I would certainly call about it. Since it is gone now, I'd say that you still have a high enough white blood count to get rid of it! That's good........ Hang in there. Every day that you get through brings you one closer to the end.

Rita

Harley44

Rita,

Thanks! Yes, I feel much better today! Oh, but last night was just terrible!

It seems to be a pattern. About a week after my tx, I start feeling achey, and then, BAM!! the fever and chills start... it lasts usually just the evening and overnight... when I wake up, I feel better.

I will keep a watch on things to be sure all is ok.

Yes, I keep reminding myself that this was #2, and I'm halfway finished!! YEAH!!

Sept. 18th is my 3rd tx, and next time, maybe I should just lay low from day 5 or 6 til day 12...

My dh is here... he is usually VERY GOOD, when I told him, "I don't feel too good", he just made dinner, and I ate it... I was SO HUNGRY!!! Then, he cleaned up the dishes (usually MY job!), and I went to bed... REAL exciting night!

Thanks for being here.... I have such a great support system, with you and all the other women here... You are such a sweet lady!

HARLEY

ritajean

Hey Harley! That's pretty neat that your hubby cooked you dinner. It sounds like he's a "keeper."

Rita

Harley44

Rita,

Thanks! Yes, my hubby is a pretty good guy!

I have to teach him how to put his dishes in the dishwasher, since he thinks it is acceptable to just leave them in the sink, because that is what he did when he was growing up... old habits die hard! He is really proud of this, but I keep saying, "yes, that is good, but the sink is RIGHT NEXT TO THE DISHWASHER..." I don't get it....

Hugs,
HARLEY

ritajean

Hi gals.  It's been quite a while since we heard from some of you.  Melanie, Ginny, Carole, Cathy and iamonly 39....if you are lurking out there please pop on and let us know how things are going for you.  We miss you!

Rita

Harley44

Yes, I am starting to get worried...

Please, Ginny, Melanie, Carole, Cathy...  iamonly39 :

Let us know how you are doing!!

I know the message board went through some changes and I couldn't get on for a while, but PLEASE, someone post, and let us know that you are ok....

HARLEY

Harley44

Yes, I am starting to get worried...

Please, Ginny, Melanie, Carole, Cathy...  iamonly39 :

Let us know how you are doing!!

I know the message board went through some changes and I couldn't get on for a while, but PLEASE, someone post, and let us know that you are ok....

HARLEY

Galigirl31

HI all,

Sorry I have not checked in recently.  I REALLY appreciate your concern.  I have had a rough time starting the new school year off.  I have not been feeling well.  Very achy, fevery (sp?), not all day, but in spurts.  I also needed to be away from this board for a little while.  I kind of needed not to need it so much.  I hope you understand.  Harley, I am very happy you have such a supportive husband.  It is so important.  It has been hell not having mine be there, actually making things worse, arguing etc.  But soon this will be over, please G-d.  Tues is my last treatment.  I am trying not to think about it though.  I am having some reconstruction issue and I need a new p.s. but that's not so easy to do.

I know it doesn't sound like it, but generally I am very up about things.  People keep saying that they can't believe I'm always smiling.  I have such fabulous, supportive people at work...they go above and beyond all the time.  My 16 year old daughter has been so great, I hate to burden her, but she has been such a source of comfort, she really is terrific.

You know what? I am going to copy and paste a poem she wrote just after my mastectomies.    Hope you enjoy.

-Melanie

Vicodin  by Jessie

When we were just babes

mommy was invincible.

taking down monsters creeping

under and around our rooms

and beds

making us clothes and bows

that matched our shoes.

nothing, no one, could

ever stop mommy.

Many years have passed

and since then

she has touched so many lives.

She is a giving, beautiful person

equipped with

the most contagious smile.

One day mommy got word;

A challenge like she has never

seen had come to meet her.

Mommy has cancer.

G-d was looking down on

Mommy, she's gonna be alright.

Nothing so serious, nothing

that could cause any sort of damage

on

Mommy the Invincible.

Surgery inflicted so much

pain.

But Mommy's an angel.

That night

she walked without aid,

nurses in awe...

"She is completely incredible."

Only a few days later they

told her she could leave

and come home to her family.

Making up for lost time

never felt so important.

Welcomed home with

open arms, flowers, chocolates,

get-well cards, full laundry baskets

and full pill bottles;

Mommy sat in her room to let

the healing begin.

Mommy beat cancer.

A week or so later,

mommy went back for a checkup.

Mr. Doctor found more.

more cancer

more pain

more surgery

more Vicodin

more reasons for mommy to leave us

again.

Lymph nodes.

but again,

mommy had G-d watching over her

Mr. Doctor caught it before

her lymph nodes woke up.

Mommy is tired a lot

but her smile

has yet to stop illuminating

a room.

There is no doubt in my mind

that she will prevail,

because not only is she

the strongest woman I know,

she is

My Mom,

Mommy the Invincible.

b445

Hang in there Melanie. You'll start getting you energy back soon and one more step in this journery will be over.

Harley, maybe ask about taking some tylonal the day before you have started not feeling so good in the past. My treatments were weekly so it didn't matter for me. Fact is the current treatments are weekly too!. I do start feeling rotton two days after wich happens to be Friday afternoons. So I start work early knowing I may not make it through the whole day.

Hope everyone is making the transition over to these new fangled board layouts

take care, hugs and prayers for a better day

Harley44

Melanie,

What a lovely poem!  You must be very proud of your daughter!

I couldn't have children, it wasn't part of God's plan for me. 

My husband is very good to me... We've been married 21 years!  Sorry your husband hasn't been supportive.  It's hard when you are going through this bc experience, I get so crazy sometimes, angry one minute, and just emotional the next.  I am sure he doesn't know what to do when I get like that.

Sorry you are having reconstruction issues.  I am also having some concerns about reconstruction, which is scheduled for Nov. 7th!  I hope everything works out; I'm sure it will all work out.

Hope your last tx goes easily!  It will be over..... YEAH!! 

I'll be thinking about you on Tuesday! 

Hugs,

Harley

Harley44

b445,

Thanks for the advice.  I have been taking Ibuprofen, since Tylenol does nothing for me; it's a placebo...  lol  But, the problem is that it never happens on the same day.  After the 1st tx, my really bad, feverish, achey, chills day was on Wed. evening, but after the 2nd tx, it happened on Mon. evening following the tx.  So, no rhyme or reason at all.  I had my txs on Tuesday, so the days with these flu-like symptoms happened the following week. 

Thanks, I think I'll try starting them on day 6 after tx. 

HARLEY

ritajean

Melanie,

Thanks for checking in!  Just think!  Next week at this time, all those horrid treatments will be over and you'll be on your way to mending.   Hang in there.  This phase is about done and as Cy says, you will begin to regain your energy.  That's when you'll start to feel more like your old self.   As for your daughter's poem........how lovely, emotional, and sincere.  Thanks for sharing it.

CY...aren't these changes terrible.  I wish they'd just change a few things back.  I now have to get help again with my avatar and hate always getting to the first post in a thread and then having to go to the end to catch up and respond.  Gripe, gripe, gripe!!!  :-)   Hope you are do well and hanging in there.  I'm happy that they've seen improvement.  That means the chemo is indeed working which is what we like to hear.

Harley...you hang in there, too.  Your treatments are going by pretty quickly and you haven't had many side affects (or you're not complaining and sharing) so we'll hope that you tolerate the last one just as well or better.

I'm off to a craft festival today.  Love those things...and the junk food that goes with them.  Have a good day.

Rita 

zap

Hi:  This new board has me so confused.  I am worried my font will be huge as it appears now.  If so, please know I am not seeing- impaired.  I was going for "Illinois Women Facing BC" and ended here.  Saw "Rita" and felt immediately at home.

 Melanie, I just loved reading what your daughter wrote.  What a dear she is.  I so understand that worry that you are grateful to have her and yet you do not wnt to burden her.  My girls are older and one is even a young mom.  She is going about her life and loving it and I am so happy for her.  The other one worries so about me and wants to be so involved in the whole journey.  I just want her to be happy and to have a lovely life with the least amount of strife because of me that she can have.  Sometimes I even get annoyed with her as she appear too focused on me.  That is probably not a good thing for me to do.  I find with her that I just tell her what is going on, as she does better when knowledge is power, and then I try to live a normal life.  Life is getting more normal for me now as it has been one year since this all began.  Thank you for sharing that poem! We are lucky aren't we?

Have a nice day and I'm glad I found this.  The chances of getting back are remote as I lose "threads"  and I do think that is what they are called.

Susan