Illinois ladies facing bc
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Lakegirl I first tried prolosuc but that never works for me. I was then on Protonix. When I changed insurance companies mid-stream I had to switch to Nexium. I also had to add Carafate Solution to the mix. I've had trouble with gerd before. Fosamax also gave me gerd pretty quickly too.
Don't suffer. They have ways to treat many of the SE. Always let your MO know when you are having issues even if you think they are no big deal. You may find out it is a big deal or its not something you need to suffer with. Many of us are not big drug takers but remember chemo isn't forever and neither will these drugs to treat the SE.
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Ladies...thanks, just saw MO...40 mg Nexium it is!!! FYI, 20 mg Nexium went OTC. Protonix worked for a while...
Beige...macn cheese, grilled cheese, noodles, Cheerios, ham or turkey sandwich , chic of any kind...same diet I ate when gallbladder was giving me fits before they took it out!!! Unfortunately, ice cream is out...I'm not sure how the dairy would do....YUCK!!!
White count was 1.8...MO wants it over 2. No neulasta...this time. He thought was pretty good considering I just had staph....we will take it. Got ok for fill for leaky rt TE. Also, he confirmed the rash was from the roids...however, not willing to give them up for nausea!!!
Stormy days in IL , stay safe all...
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Lakegirl...glad you got to see the doc. If the nexium doesn't work he can try the sucralfate...I had to take those big honking pills for a while during chemo for gerd. Also, my white count got below 1 and didn't have to get the neulasta. Your counts should recover nicely before your next treatment. Good luck with the TE repair!
I remember asking Dr. Migas about all the drugs I was taking, was it okay to mix them all???? He said it is only temporary to get you through treatment, so yes, they were all good together if needed. Don't be afraid to use whatever you need to get through the remaining treatments!
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My favorite foods during chemo were mac and cheese and maid rites.
For those of you who dread starting the Arimidex, I think you can learn to find ways to deal with any side effects. My side effects were joint pain and I walked like a much older lady. I made it through the 5 years but there were times when we were contemplating switching to another drug to see if I could avoid the side effects. That is always an option so just go one day at a time and see how it affects you. I have a friend who has been on it for nearly 4 years and has had NO side effects so maybe you will be like her. Our bodies are all different and they all react differently to the same drugs. Go into it with a positive attitude and you'll probably fare better. The joint pain subsided after I got off the drug. It took about 6 months before I saw a drastic difference but I am doing well now. I know how scary the AI's seem so hang in there! Hugs to you!
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I switched to brand name Arrimidex and it seemed to help. My dr said I'm only about the 3rd patient he's had that happen with but when I asked the pharmacist she told me some people can't tolerate the fillers in Anastrazole. Not only is it different in each person but everytime I'd switch or take a vacation, the side effects would change. First it was my hands, then my ankles, etc.
But honestly, it's worth it and either I've gotten used to the pain or it's not so bad anymore.
The dr said it eases up usually after 6 months.
I think anyone who can get through chemo can get through arrimidex! I was never afraid of arrimidex because I was in charge. The chemo is scary because you can't stop it once it's in you and you never know how it's going to hit and when it's going to let up.
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I want to thank you all for the encouraging words~ I went to MO and had a meltdown....cried and cried. I think she was flabbergasted since I've been pretty stoic through this all but now I'm flipping out now that chemo's over. Going to go to bed early and start over in the a.m. You're all the best!!!
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jmg-a lady at the mall heard me telling high school girlfriend that I had just been diagnosed with b.c. and that I was doing great, but then I would just start crying for no reason. I felt this arm come around my waist and this older lady said--" I wasn't eavesdropping, but I heard you, and I survived and so will you---those tears are the C, honey, its the C".I cried when I was called and told I had it. I cried when they put the marks on my breasts for my radiation. and I cried the entire weekend after my 3rd to the last treatment. And I am stoic most of the time.
So---just remember "Its the C". when it happens. Tears cleanse the soul so you can start fresh--sleep well. Its a new day tomorrow.
Thanks RitaJean-- I picked up my bottle at RX today. But not to start until my skin heals over. Dr. Migas just wiggled his eyebrows about Brand name vs. generic. said it should be the equivalent. I said where is it made? some third world country and he said probably. I said-- Where they may not know a grain from a gram......So, I got generic, but you can bet I will make him give me the brand name if I hurt.......Redheads and pain are not friends.
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Well said Redheaded 1, very well said.
Blessings
Jackie
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Well, I was sitting in a meeting after my MO appt today...it has officially started...the hair is falling out!!! This sucks!!! Also, must have caught the cold from my 6 yo...feel like crap!!!
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Hair falling out is traumatic.
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Yeah the hair thing is so surreal. Better get that lint roller out.
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True beauty is more than skin deep.
Love the person, not the appearance.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie0 -
Illinoislady...thay is perfect for today!!
Did I say hair started falling out at a meeting at work??? Then, went to buy a hat and got rear ended in the parking lot at the mall??? SERIOUSLY??? Kids weren't with me, thank goodness and very minor...just really irritating. It was just the topper to a crappy day!
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Hair falling out is painful and upsetting....so when I saw the quote come into my mail-box list I grabbed it right away. We use so much to identify ourselves, and hair is a pretty major one. Hard at this time to remember the things you are not --- because these things have been such a big part of us for so long. Hair, clothing, breasts --- we present ourselves to the world......and now part of the presentation is missing. Its often traumatizing.
We really aren't those things. No matter how much it hurts to see this part of us have to disappear for a while -- you are going to be back, hopefully, BETTER than EVER. You are going to be YOU through all of your treatments and the side effects, and it is very possible to even be a better you for what you will get through and best at the end.
I'm thinking of all of you and hoping that since you must have this experience that you will be able to use your strength to hold onto the inner you. This is, however un-pleasant, an interlude, and will be over in a while. Let the inner you take over and when the time comes to look back, you will see a strong determined individual who got the best of it at one of the worst of times.
Blessings
Jackie
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Lake girl--you had one big bad day, that is too much to have to deal with. Hope it is all better this morning. Hair is something we are so connected to. Knowing it will come back is small comfort now, though. You have a good attitude and your spunk will get you through.
At least, today is Thursday and then we have a weekend. I was hurrying to try to get my garden in and it is late because of Rads. So I got out my little tiller, and for some reason, I could only rototill a row and a half, and then it conked out and I rested and it rested, then I did another row and 1/2 and it rested and I rested, and long story short, I only got 1/2 of what I wanted done. Yesterday, I was still planting Peppers and eggplants when it started to rain, but I was determined to get them in and I did, albeit I was a little wet by the time I got the last one in........ then, it rained really good, so I was spared dragging the hose to the back of my lot .........You just look really hard, and there will be a Silver lining..... (sometimes it is just someone holding a door open for you!)
Happy Thursday everyone.
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Redheaded!-what a sweet little lady! The kindness of strangers does wonders for our souls. When I was going thru chemo I got a package in the mail, a church group from back home who know my sister, not me, crocheted the most beautiful and comfy prayer shawl for me, I used it all winter!
Lakegirl-you had enough crap for a year, let alone one day! But now it is over with and today will be better! I found that once all the hair was gone I felt better, didn't necessarily look better though
when I got buzzed it was quite a shock, but I got used to it shortly and it is way quicker getting ready for work without having to worry about fixing your hair. I got several turbans and scarves and would match them to my outfiit for the day, the gals at work always wondered which "cover" I would wear. Hang in there you can do this!Have a peaceful, pain free day everyone!
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Hello! I was wondering if anyone had experienced anything like this. I am done with my chemo; it's been a year now. But, I am noticing my eyebrows appear to be falling out. Again. They'd never come all the way back and now they're falling out again? I wonder if this is from the hormone therapy?
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Yes laurie it's probably from Hormone therapy. My eyebrows filled in nicely then the thinned on Anastrozole. I started painting Minoxodil on them 1X a day. The thinning stopped. BTW I notice you are triple positive. Are you sure your tumor is grade 1? Usually with HER2+ its grade 3, sometimes grade 2 but you are the first I've seen with grade 1.
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Geez, more rain---potted up one Patio Tomato and swept the maple tree crud off the sidewalk and ran for the house......Got the crème they ordered from Doug's Pharmacy--glad I was home, it would never have fit inside the storm door. Came in a big Styrofoam cooler shaped box with two ice packs and instructions to refrigerate it upon delivery. the tube is about half the size of a travel hairspray ???? not a lot---says use 1-2 pumps 2-3 x daily. Called pharmacy and she said it should last 10 days....30 grams .Misoprostol/phenytoin/lidocaine. So, we shall see. lets just say looking at this and looking at my two tubes of X clair crème---both the same price....and Nurse told me on day 1 education that X-clair was quite expensive, no not really too bad. But hey, I AM WORTH EVERY PENNY. And I did not have to pull hose around to water this tomatoe plant either.
Everyone have HAPPY THURSDAY- After tomorrow---we get a weekend!!!!!
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lago - Geez, I hope the hair on my head isn't going to go too?
Yes the HER2+ -- very strange. I had a swollen lymph node in my underarm and a lump on my breast. Initially they removed the lump under my arm, biopsied it, and it was PR+ ER+ and HER2+. After my mastectomy they told me that the cancer within the breast itself was ER+ / PR+ but not HER2+. Maybe that explains the grade? I read it from the path report after my mastectomy. My oncologist said that the initial cancer showed as PR+/ER+/HER2+ and that is how I would be treated. Hence the Herceptin.
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Well it might thin on your head too. My hairline is receding so I also use the Minoxidil on my head. It can take 3-6 months to start working.
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My dcis was HER2+, but my other 3 invasives were HER-. My final grading, 2a was based on the largest of those.
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Guess What---- my open skin is HEALING. Saw nurse at 2:30 and she couldn't believe it. I couldn't either since I got up and thought, this is either better or worse, not sure which.....then the expensive cream arrived in a Styrofoam cooler on ice...... I appliled it at 12:00 --Nurse said this stuff is GOLD.....
Only have to do my soaks 3 times a day and apply the crème afterwards--she sees me Monday a.m, but said if it continues to heal---she won't see me till my follow up with RO on the 18th of JUNE.--you should see how ugly it looks where it is peeling---people talk about their hair standing on end---my skin is sticking up about 1/2 inch in places.
Doing a Happy Dance --in the puddles.
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Yea for the healing skin, redhead!!!!! Hope it continues to heal quickly with this new cream! Thanks for sharing your story about the lady in the Mall who reached out to you. There are so many caring survivors out there who just automatically reach out to their "sisters." Also, the rain pattern in the area has been crazy. It has rained all around us and we haven't gotten a drop in our area. I wish we'd get a little because I am watering my flowers every day now.
I took the name brand Arimidex for the first 3 years. Then when the generic hit the market, I switched to it. In my case, I saw no difference at all in the two....except for the price.
Hang in there, Lakegirl! Take it one day at a time. You have your crappy day out of the way for this week so tomorrow should be much better. Hugs to you!
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Redheaded1 ...congrats on the healing!!!
Trying to get 2 little girls to bed!!! Tomorrow is last day of school, way too much excitement!!!
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Redhead all my mom's doctors said the redheads heal well, hardly show scars. Yep my mom is a redhead. So maybe in the end you will look more fabulous than us non red-heads!
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Eyebrows - Well, I went out and got some Rogaine for Women today, so I think I will try a small amount on the eyebrows with a q-tip once a day and see how that works in a couple of months. Good idea lago, thank you.
So, call me Andy Rooney soon?
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Laurie
Andy Rooney?
Now that's funny!
Diana
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Our attitude is something we can control. We can establish our attitude each morning when we start our day--in fact, we do just that, whether or not we realize it. And the people in our family--all the people in our world--will reflect back to us the attitude we present to them. It is, then, our attitude toward life that determines life's attitude toward us. Cause and effect. Everything we say or do will cause a corresponding effect. If we're cheerful, glad to be experiencing this miracle of life, others will reflect that good cheer back to us. We are the kind of people others enjoy being around.
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Wiggling my soon to be bushy eyebrows.0
