Come join others currently navigating treatment in our weekly Zoom Meetup! Register here: Tuesdays, 1pm ET.
Weigh in: What are the best and worst gifts for people with breast cancer?
Share with us: What are your proudest moments of 2024 and personal goals for 2025?
Take our poll: How are you feeling as we near the New Year?

CMF Question

1…3637394142…282

Comments

  • Harley44
    Harley44 Member Posts: 2,126
    edited October 2007

    Rita,

    I had my first treatment today... had a 'session' last week, and the therapist gave me some exercises to do.  Apparently, I did them wrong, so she gave me some pointers today that will help, and the pump machine was used to pump the fluid back thru my system, and into my kidneys where I get rid of the fluid thru urination... 

    I thought it looked yellow this time!Laughing

    I will be getting an appt. soon to see someone about being measured for a sleeve and a glove.  We are hoping to get this finished by Nov. 1st!  Since my case of LE is very mild, that just may work!  Also, as she was moving the fluid today, she mentioned that by moving fluid from my hand and arm up, the breast also gets some of this fluid, so she moved this fluid also, and I think even my 'breast' looks better.

    Good Luck!

    harley

  • ritajean
    ritajean Member Posts: 4,042
    edited October 2007

    Margaret,

    I know that several people who have done the pills have a hard time with CMF chemo.  Several of them have switched mid-stream to the 6 IV CMF chemo treatments only and have had much better luck.

    I did only the 6 IV infusions and the first three were pretty easy for me.  I had bad nausea problems with the last three.

    As for the the hair loss, very few CMF gals lose enough of their hair to have to get a wig.  I lost about 40% of mine.  My beautician gave me a different type of cut and only she and  I could tell there was any hair loss.

    Overall, CMF chemo is no walk in the park as many think, but it is quite doable.  Hopefully some of the gals who took the pill regiment will pop on and give you some more info on that.

    Rita

  • ritajean
    ritajean Member Posts: 4,042
    edited October 2007

    Just bumping up this thread so we don't lose it.  I hope all you gals are doing well.

    Rita

  • socallisa
    socallisa Member Posts: 10,184
    edited October 2007
    Hi Rita...good to see you...
  • ritajean
    ritajean Member Posts: 4,042
    edited October 2007

    Hi SoCalLisa,

    How's it going for you?  I've missed seeing you around here lately.

    Hope all is going well.

    Rita

  • Harley44
    Harley44 Member Posts: 2,126
    edited October 2007

    Rita,


    I think that my yellowish urine was due to the Neulasta shot that they gave me in the wrong arm... I think it was stuck in all my lymph fluid, and the massage and the action from the pump is getting rid of it...  I also had a backache for a few days, just like I get after the Neulasta shot...   strange.   My therapist, Beth, thought that was interesting.  From her reaction, she believed it was possible.

    Have you seen anyone about your arm?

    Harley

  • ritajean
    ritajean Member Posts: 4,042
    edited October 2007

    Oh Harley,  it sounds like you've had quite an ordeal!  That explanation sounds logical, doesn't it?

    It was not my arm but my chest area that I was having trouble with.  I have an appointment with my Primary Care Physician in two weeks.  She's the one who has to refer me.  Usually I would have made a fuss about the wait but this swelling seems to come and go and has been down the past few days.  There's always something, isn't there?

    Hang in there.  At least it seems like you are getting the proper therapy to correct and/or manage your problem.

    Rita

  • Harley44
    Harley44 Member Posts: 2,126
    edited October 2007

    Rita,

    Yes, nothing seems easy anymore.  I have now been told that NONE of my insurance referrals will be valid after Monday, Oct. 22nd, because I will start with a new Primary Care Physician, or PCP.  I JUST got them all updated, so they are current, but on Thursday, I see my new dr.    It's always something!

    On Wednesday, I went to see my ps about my reconstruction.  It was my pre-op visit.  He tells me that he has changed my surgery.  I am not getting the Becker all in one implant.  Instead, he is just going to put in some implants and hope they are the right size.  If they aren't, then he will have to do surgery again to take them out and put in others.....     sigh....  I am getting tired of all this!

    Good Luck with your LE appt.  The therapist massages my arm when I go for my treatment, and she hooks me up to the pump, and for 1/2 hour, I just lay there.  Sometimes, she turns off the lights, and it is wonderful!

    Hugs

    Harley

  • ritajean
    ritajean Member Posts: 4,042
    edited October 2007

    Gosh Harley,  Why did they change their mind about the type of reconstructive surgery you are having?  I"m not sure I'd like this haphazard approach that if it's not the right size, you just go through another surgery and correct it.  That doesn't sound quite right to me.

    Rita

  • b445
    b445 Member Posts: 980
    edited October 2007

    Harley, I think I'd be asking a lot more questions too! Hope it al works out for the best

  • Harley44
    Harley44 Member Posts: 2,126
    edited October 2007

    Rita,

    The dr. was in his usual rush to keep my appt. short.  Why are they ALWAYS in such a hurry, when we usually have to sit and wait for them for hours?  This time, I walked in and was seen right away.

    My ps said that he might have to do a little tweaking.... to him, it's tweaking; to me, it's surgery.  I asked him if there would be more than ONE surgery, and he said maybe.  He said that since I don't know what size I want to be, he is just going to put implants in... 

    So, I called on Thurs., and he was with a patient.  I left a message, but had to go to the grocery store.  So of course, he called back right after I left.  Seems that the Becker all in one expander & implant has some problems; it leaks, so it may be necessary to have additional surgery within 5 years.  So he said that they aren't really using them much anymore.  I had called about that very thing in Sept., and his nurse said that "maybe I didn't REALLY WANT RECONST... "   So I never said anymore about it. 

    It is always something.  I will call him again tomorrow.  What I need is to SEE what these look like, and to see what a B or a C looks like so I can know what I will look like... maybe some pictures or something.  He hasn't done A THING to help me visualize what this will look like...

    Thanks!  I'll let you know what happens next.  I may have to go to the wig shop, where I got my wig, because they also have breast prosthesis & bras there.  Maybe I can try some on, to see what they will look like... a B or C...

    Harley

  • b445
    b445 Member Posts: 980
    edited October 2007

    harley that would be a great idea. go try on the different sizes and see what would really work best for you. I've been larger than a c for all of my adult years and would love to be smaller.

    But if you can try on the different sizes that would give you a better idea what you want.

     hope you can do that soon as I know the surgery is coming up fast!

    How is everyone else doing?

  • ritajean
    ritajean Member Posts: 4,042
    edited October 2007

    Hi Cheryl,  So glad to see you're posting and I hope that means that you're doing pretty well now.  I sneak into the circle every so often to see how you are doing and read where you've had rough time with that port and infection. When do you go back for more tests to see how the chemo is working?

    Harley,  I feel better that you are going to call and get more info on this surgery.  Like Cy, I thought you needed to ask alot more questions about the replacement surgery and what will really be done.  I like your idea of trying on the different sizes so you know what will look best on you.  Keep working on them until you have the answers to your questions and are pleased with them.  It's not long now!

    Rita

  • Harley44
    Harley44 Member Posts: 2,126
    edited October 2007

    b445-

    Thanks!  I guess that is what I'll have to do, since I am not getting much help from this ps!

    Harley

  • Harley44
    Harley44 Member Posts: 2,126
    edited October 2007

    Rita,

    I am so frustrated!  I feel like screaming!  I have been to see this ps MANY times, and he has NEVER ONCE mentioned changing my surgery around.

    So, I guess it is up to me to educate myself about these implants and what they will look like, so I can just tell him I want size ____.

    Thanks

    Harley

    PS  I am just getting so tired of all this that I just want to quit...  Maybe I am just doing all this reconstruction stuff, all in the name of VANITY!

  • ritajean
    ritajean Member Posts: 4,042
    edited October 2007

    Harley,

    Although I didn't have to worry about reconstruction, I imagine that getting all the decisions made for it is alot like getting our original treatment plan decided after our diagnosis.  It puts us in a frustrating panic until it is done and we have to do alot of research to know the right kinds of questions to ask.

    If this is important to you...for whatever your reasons.......don't give up.  Do what you need to do to make informed decisions and then enjoy the results when it's all said and done.  

    Unfortunately, this entire journey is frustrating.  Even follow-ups are frustrating.  Hey, it's a good thing that we're tough, isn't it?  

    Hang in there and go for what you really want.  Don't buckle under if it's important to you. 

    Rita

  • Harley44
    Harley44 Member Posts: 2,126
    edited October 2007

    Rita,

    Thanks!  I am feeling better now about it. 

    I have left a message for my ps, and will follow up with some research of my own. 

    It's so stupid, because I had done some prelim. research based on the implant that he said he was going to use, and I even questioned THAT, because I heard that these all in one expander & implants can leak, usually within 5 years.  So now suddenly, my ps has decided that since they leak (gee, I wonder WHO told him that they leak?Laughing

    he is going to do the surgery differently.

    Oh, well.  I think I'll go to my wig shop and try on some prosthesis to see what they will look like.  My wig shop was a special one, for breast cancer patients, with wigs & prosthesis, and bras, too.

    You are right.  This entire bc journey IS SO FRUSTRATING!

    Thanks

    Harley

  • ritajean
    ritajean Member Posts: 4,042
    edited October 2007

    But it appears that you are getting yourself "on top of things" again, Harley.  Sometimes we just have to take charge of our own programs, I think.  Good for you.

    Rita

  • Harley44
    Harley44 Member Posts: 2,126
    edited October 2007

    Rita,

    How are you doing?   

    Thanks!  You are SO right!  We have to be our own advocates.  It really does get old, though. 

    My dh and I went to the wig shop today, and the owner, Patti, let me try on one of the prosthesis & mast. bra.  It was a size 34 C.  Before my mast., I was a 34 B, but didn't really fill it up.  The C really DID look natural, and Patti thought it looked good.  So did my dhLaughing!   

    Up til now, my dh just thought that I was just trying to cause trouble.  He thought it was perfectly fine, for my ps to say that he would decide what size implant to use, without showing them to me first.  Patti said that the ps HAS to show you what the different size implants look like, so you can decide what will work best for you.

    I left ANOTHER message for my ps, and the receptionist said that he is in surgery all day, but will call back tomorrow afternoon. 

    Thanks for helping me through all this, Rita.  You are so nice!

    Harley

  • ritajean
    ritajean Member Posts: 4,042
    edited October 2007

    Hey Harley........I'm a 34 C too.  Great size!  Glad you had a chance to check it out.  At least you have one thing you can cross off your list and you know you'll be pleased with the results. 

    In the meantime, try to have a little fun!

    Rita

  • Harley44
    Harley44 Member Posts: 2,126
    edited October 2007

    Rita,


    My ps called back late yesterday, after I called the office again, wondering WHERE he was...  Anyway, he said that he will put in an empty implant, and he will fill it with a 'sizer', whatever THAT is, and if I don't like it, and he needs to fill it a little more, he may be able to do that in his office.

    I just went to see my new primary care dr., and I like her!  So now I can check off TWO things!!!

    Take care,

    Harley 

  • b445
    b445 Member Posts: 980
    edited October 2007

    Harley be sure to check out the recon thread some of the gals there can give you tips. I hear the "fills" can be a bit painful but that's because they are stretching the tissue out. Or at least I think thats it.

    If you don't feel comfortable there stop in at the Wagon Circle. Several of the gals there did the recon. Angel just got done with her last fill.

    Hey Rita how ya doing sweetie?

    The cancelled my chemo this week to see if it will help get the old port incesion to heal. So far the new site look pretty good but the old site is back to being nasty. they will decide every week just before if I'm going to get my chemo. They did order the CT and Bone scan to check progress though. i was afraid they would hold that too but they didn't. So hopefully that will get done before Thanksgiving.

    Love to all

  • Harley44
    Harley44 Member Posts: 2,126
    edited October 2007

    b445

    I don't go on the RECON. thread, because all the women there have had a different surgery than I am having, and it makes me feel strange...  I am not getting expanders.  Just an implant which the ps said would be EMPTY and then he will fill it during surgery with a 'sizer'.  If it is not the right size, he will add more later.

    Thanks

    Harley

  • b445
    b445 Member Posts: 980
    edited October 2007

    Wow, Not sure is Angel had the expanders But I don't think so. I'll ask her if I see her around.

    You must be getting anxious thatonly only a week and a half away!

  • ritajean
    ritajean Member Posts: 4,042
    edited October 2007

    Hi Cy,  So good to see a post from you.  I'm doing fine.  I hope they get that old port site to heal up for you so things can go on and am glad that they're still going to do the scans to check progress.  I've been lurking on the Circle and checked out your posts there so I've been keeping tabs on you.  :-)   Hang in there. 

    Rita

  • Harley44
    Harley44 Member Posts: 2,126
    edited October 2007

    b445,

    Yes, I am kind of nervous, since I don't LIKE CHANGES!  I have no idea what to expect now.  My ps "thinks" he knows what size I want, but we have never REALLY discussed it.  I thought we were going to talk about all this at my pre-op appt., but they were in SUCH a HURRY!, that I just sat there, petrified... 

    I called and the ps gave me some info., and he apologized for being in such a hurry at the pre-op...

    Thanks!  If you find out something, let me know!

    Harley

  • ritajean
    ritajean Member Posts: 4,042
    edited October 2007

    Hi gals!  Ginny and Melanie....I hope you are doing well.  We haven't heard from you in some time now.  Please post when you can so we can stay in touch.

    Harley...have you got all you ducks in place now for your reconstruction?  That's the toughest part.....getting the plan and feeling confident about it.

    Cy...hope you're having more good days than bad ones and that you're not working too hard.  Enjoy the challenge of your work but take some time just for you, too.  (That's easy for me to say.  I'm probably about as close to a workaholic as they come!!~ LOL)  Check in often and let us know how you are doing.

    Rita

  • Harley44
    Harley44 Member Posts: 2,126
    edited October 2007

    Rita,

    Hey, there...  Thanks!  I "THINK" it is all ok with the surgery, to go as planned...  If I want a bigger size, he said that he can do an "enhancement", probably in his office.


    Hope you are doing good....

    Have you seen the lymphedema therapist?  Were you going to see an LE person??

    Hugs

    Harley

  • ritajean
    ritajean Member Posts: 4,042
    edited October 2007

    Hi Harley,

    I see my primary care physician this Friday.  She will have to refer me to a lympedema specialist if she thinks I need one.  It's really funny.  The area under my breast that I was concerned about has  very little swelling right now.  I am still going to have my primary care doctor look at it and think it might be a good idea to see a specialist about it.

    Glad you're all "ready to go."

    Rita

  • Harley44
    Harley44 Member Posts: 2,126
    edited October 2007

    Rita,

    Good!  I am glad that you are going to see a dr. about the swelling.  It DOES seem that whenever I get in to see my dr. about a problem, it goes away by the time I get in to see her!  lol

    I am STILL waiting for a call from my dr., with results from my thyroid test.  She was SUPPOSED to call today to tell me which dose of thyroid hormone to take tomorrow... I was advised to stop taking it til I heard from her, and I am upset that she didn't call me.... why do we seem to sit and wait for a call back FOREVER??

    Take care,

    Harley

Categories

Join Us on Zoom: Upcoming virtual meetups. Read more...
Give your account some personality! Add a profile photo.