Anyone starting Chemo in Feb?
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Thinking about Marsha here... just wanted to say it 'out loud'.
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huh? I thought I already posted here and I find I haven't...dang chemo/tamoxifin brain!
Am thinking of MARSHA and praying all is going well for her.
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All,
Haven't heard from Marsha. Don't want to call. So we will just have to wait.
Love.
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Leah, thank you for being the relay... let's hope that "no news = good news".
Have all a nice evening: we have been watching Ken Burns' series on WWII... gruesome, but so interestingly done to convey the big picture. Ken Burns did the Civil War series for PBS, years ago, as you know, and it was so riveting. This guy should get a medal for keeping history alive the way he does.
Hoping everybody is feeling OK,
Hugs,
Catherine
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Hi everyone. Just checking in real quick before bed to let you know that I just read on Gina's board that Marsha is doing good. Cheri spoke to her earlier today. I believe she said that her computer is down right now and in the shop, but she should be back online soon.
I havent read anything more, but wanted to let you all know.
Good night all!
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Marsha, thinking of you along with everyone else. Hope you are feeling better.
Want to thank all of you for the congratulations on Jackson(the baby). He is beautiful and yes he smells so sweet. They are home and doing well.
My sis and I are back from the class reunion. We had a wonderful time. I believe I enjoy these reunions more as I grow older. I think I appreciate them more.
We will be leaving for Austin to visit my older brother and his wife.
I will be getting fill for the expanders before leaving for Austin.
Hugs to everyone. I will be in touch. Lots of running around while my sister is here. I will anxiously be checking to hear about Marsha.
My thoughts and prayers are with all of you who are going through testing. I pray for good results for all.
Love to all, Sammie Kay
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Bye all,
I am jumping out of my skin, I am so excited to be going to Italy!
I will have a computer available one I get there, so I will post as we go.. especially if there are any good pix. I can't wait. People who know me very well have told me 1) I will not know what being Italian is all about until I get there, and 2) I will leave a big piece of my heart there.
I believe I will find both to be true... I go with very high expectations and a very full heart.
Love.
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Leah, leah... Bon voyage et à bientot... Enjoy this trip and, please, please, try to post every now and then so we get the flavor of it...
Hugs and kisses,
Catherine
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Ouch, ouch, ouch!!! I got 120 ml of saline added to my expanders today(each one now has 600 ml). The last 25 ml in the left one ripped something. I cried out because it hurt so much. By the time I got home, it was really hurting. I took 15 mg of hydrocodone and 10 mg of Flexeril. It didn't help at all. My sister and I took off for Austin, but by the time we were 40 miles from home, I had to ask her to turn around and take me home. I called the doc and they told me to come in. He removed 25 ml from the left expander and it helped alot. I am doing well now. Sore and sleepy from pain meds, but not that severe searing pain in my chest. We will plan on leaving for Austin tomorrow morning and coming back on Fri. evening.
Hope everyone is having a good week. My best to all.
Twink, how is the chemo going? I hope it is not getting you down.
Hugs to all, especially Marsha and others having troubles.
Love, Sammie Kay
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Chemo....yech. Kay, I'm managing but I can't wait until this is over. I had a harder time with the 3rd Tx for some reason than the previous two. Nauseous and sleepy days 2-4.
I've been so so busy at work with a major acquisition and a long list of integration activities that are keeping me in the office for 12 hour days and on the road once a week. I'm off flying next week and again the week after. Just trying to keep my head above water until the radiation treatments ground me in November and December.
Leah, I hope you have a most wonderful visit to Italy. Hugs to everybody...sorry for the impersonal nature of my recent postings...I'm back to work now.
Twilah
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Leah...hope you have a wonderful trip to Italy. My best friend growing up was Italian, as were most of my grade schoolmates. I love Italian food....and you will have the originals there! Enjoy!
Samiie Kay, so sorry to hear of your pain. I hope everything is OK in there. Enjoy your visit to Austin.
I saw the rad onc yesterday for a 1 mo check and he says everything looks good for now. I have mammo in Nov and see the surgeon again. Rad onc will see me in April again and will order a 6 mo mammo then. Nobody says anything about an MRI.
Well got to run...have to take DD's volleyball uniform to school before I head to work. Chemobrain forgot to put it in the dryer last nite. Wonder who that was?
Twink, only one more treatment to go....I am sure you will be glad. I found the carboplatin to get worse each time. Do you get flushed the next day? I had that problem. My face would be beet red for a day or two.
Well...got to run!
Have a beautiful autumn day!
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TWINK>I've heard others say the 3rd dosage really knocked them down. Their descriptions were describing what my one and only dosage did to me. I don't know how you are doing it girl, working 12 hour days and doing chemo???
((((((SAMMIEKAY)))))))) so sorry you are in pain.
LEAH>hope you are getting some sleep with all that excitement building! My closest female cousin went to Italy with her youngest using her inheritance money. They loved it over there.
I think I know who my Secret Pal is!
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Now I know who my Secret Pal is! Just received a country music cd in the mail from her. Thank you so much!!! I don't have anything by Rascal Flatts and I love em! Did you know one of the band members is from NE Oklahoma? The reason I know who you are is they give your name in the billing address area and I had already guessed it earlier this morning as I said in the earlier post!
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Well crew I had my 2nd stage of my reconstruction done on Sept 27th. It went rather smoothly. I had both nipples made and guess what they used to protect them with? the ends of two syringes. They cut them off and stuck them on top of the nipples. it is hysterical looking but a pain because they keep falling off. Only one more day of this.
Marsha hope your surgery went well. Leah keep thinking positive. Sometimes we just need to step back and regroup.
Piper
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Hi everyone!
Forgive me for the drive-by post.
DH is in Florida at his Commando Reunion and I have been keeping very, very busy! Just about to sit down to dinner, but I wanted to stop in and say good night and that I hope everyone is doing well. Pepper, welcome back, nice to see you!
Take care everyone. Talk to you soon!
(((Hugs)))
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Good morning all,
Work has calmed down, so I can come and breathe and send a nice, long chatty note to all my fellow February chemo cruisers.
Leah -- Buon viaggoio! I love Italy ... I visited Venice and Florence one Christmas holiday season with my younger sister. She had done a junior semester abroad in London and I was working in England, so Italy was close. My sister was minoring in Art History, so I had my own personal guide!
Carynn -- Sometimes it is nice when husbands go away ... but, it's nicer when they come back!!
Piper -- Congrats on your successful second surgery. Somehow my calendar keeping has fallen by the wayside. I did have a giggle thinking about the syringes on your nipples!!
Jan -- My secret pal has been much more devious -- obviously someone who's played this game before!
Terry -- I had my rads onc follow-up visit this week as well. He says that he does not normally recommend MRIs, but does recommend them for me given my presentation and history. However, he never recommends an MRI until at least one year after the end of rads. Apparently, there is still a lot of radiation damage inside that lights up on the MRI. Which is exactly what happened to me, cause my chemo onc had me do an MRI about six weeks after rads was over!
SammieKay -- I'm so sorry to hear about your painful expanders. How much more do they need to add? When is your exchange surgery? I must admit, I have to laugh hearing about 600 cc of saline. My boobs are so small, that if I were to do bilat and reconstruction, I think that 60 cc would just about do it - LOL!
Marsha, Marsha, Marsha -- How are you doing???? We miss you ... I hope that you are feeling all of our virtual hugs!
Twilah -- I'm sure that you're looking forward to getting your last chemo done. Are you drinking enough fluids? I seem to remember that's what did us all in the first time around -- we got too cocky by the third one and forgot to force liquids!
Melanie, Terry, Jel, Alyson, Karen, Catherine (and anyone I've missed) -- Sounds like we are all getting on with life, and rolling with the ride. I, unfortunately, don't do well on rollercoasters -- I even get sick on the baby ones I used to have take my son on. So, I'm really hoping for a smooth ride. The wierdness about the MRI results has tested my reserve to remain calm. I'm deliberately trying to focus on the fact that my chest X-ray was clear and my right boob was clear. Everyone tells me to ignore the results on the left breast. Of course, as my rads onc put it, now that we have these results, we have to follow them up. So, I will be checked more than usual for the next year.
Now that work has calmed down, I've got some time to reflect on life and think about what I really want to be doing. I see this as an opportunity to take stock and have a well-organized mid-life crisis! I'm still frustrated by aphasia and general forgetfulness. I can't blame it on tamoxifen or AIs, so it's either prolonged chemo-brain (quite possible) or the affect of being abruptly dropped into menopause. Whatever the reason, it is frustrating not be at the top of my game, so to speak.
Hugs to all,
Hillary0 -
P.S. I've noticed that my eyelashes have been falling out, two or three from each eye every day. I still have a lot left, but they don't have the lushness they had when first grown back. I'm hoping that I won't lose them all!
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Before I even go back and read a single word, Hey Broads, I am back!!! My computer crashed Sunday night before surgery Monday. I got it back last yesterday.
My friend Laura was suppose to call Leah after the surgery and she told me she did, got her voice mail and left a message. Then I get my computer yesterday and have PM's and e-mail asking if I was OK so I checked my cell phone history and my friend had called my 16 year old niece Leah and left a minute and a half message on her phone. I am so sorry, I thought you guys knew!
Anyhoo, surgery went without a hitch. SNB: this hospital does it a little different than was described to me. NO big needle going in the nipple. They use tiny little surface needles at north, south, east and west outside of the nipple to put in the dye. I barely felt it! Surgery at 1 pm, SNB comes in CLEAR. He removed my port thru the incision of the breast removal instead of making a separate incision. NO pain/soreness whatsoever in the port area. I love this guy and he is a hunk to boot.
I had quite the crowd there that day. Hubby, my 3 broads and another couple who were flying home from NY that afternoon got there in time to see me come out of recovery. I have an orange popsicle (I was starving!) and the guy is pushing my gurney down the hall and all of a sudden there is this crowd of cheering goof balls in the hallway. They make an arch with their hands and the guy drives my bed under it with a WTF? look on his face. They said I was laughing and saying "BNO at my house on Wednesday". hahaha. so by 7:30 I am at my friend Tinas house with hubby, on pain medication and having a beer. OK just one!
And yes, BNO was at my house Wednesday. 9 of us with some beer and pizza. You can't keep a good party girl down long. I feel great everyone, so relieved I can not tell you. OK going back to see what you gals have been up to all week. Love to all and
((((((((((Carynn))))))))))) I love the pajama-grams, I wore them Wednesday at BNO and everyone loved them!
Marsha
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Following Carynn's MO here with a drive-by posting...
(((((Marsha))))....I knew you'd be okay! A beer that night, wow! You're my hero! It's so nice to have you back.
Hillary, I've started to notice eyelash (or eyebrow) hairs falling out too. I'm going to restart the Revitalash and see if that fills the eyelashes in again. As for chemo and fluids, you're right, I'm probably not being sufficiently diligent with fluids, etc. I'm not taking this course of treatment seriously enough...not like the last two. I'm going give myself a good talking to though and shape up for the rest of the month.
Piper, I'm trying to imagine what the syringes on newly reconstructed nipples look like...I just can't conjure up the image. You must tell me more at some point as that'll be the next step for me, probably in January at this rate.
Hugs everybody. I'm off to the Harvest Festival in Bethlehem. An excuse to drink beer and wine all day but I'm not sure that I'll indulge. I've had a bad few weeks with business travel, meetings and business dinners...means I ate stuff I wouldn't normally, drank more than usual, stayed up too late, worked long days.... I'm really starting to wonder if this is what I want to be doing. I suppose questioning how I want to live my life now is probably typical... Like Hillary, I'm fixin' 'to take stock and have a well-organized mid-life crisis!' (cracked me up with that one Hillary...well-organized yet).
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Good morning everyone!
I've been keeping really busy since DH has been gone. Cleaning one room a night after work and doing some work on my computer. But I've thought of all you every day and have missed you all.
Marsha! Welcome back! I'm so glad to hear that you are feeling well. We've all missed you! The CG's & Peter on Gina's board have been asking about you too! I'm with Twink, a beer the same night makes you my hero too! Glad you liked the pajama gram, I had hoped that you would like the one's I picked and that they would come in handy.
Hillary - I've noticed my eyebrows thining and I need to fill them in again. Thining I can deal with, hopefully they dont fall out again completely! I hear you about aphasia. I wouldnt classify mine quite like that, but I do still sometimes get confused, or lose words occaisonally. Luckily DH and work folks have been great about it.
SammieKay - I do hope you are feeling better and that you are in less pain.
Jan - Looks like you'll have a leg up on everyone when we start guessing SP's in a few weeks!
Twink - induldge today, you deserve it! Maybe tho follow each libation with a little water.
Well, off to face the day. Enjoy your weekend everyone!
((Hugs)) to you all!
Carynn
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Hmm...24 hours later & I'm still the last post. Feels like I'm home alone. Oh wait, I AM!
Just stopping by to say good morning and wish you all a pleasant Sunday.
((Hugs))
Carynn
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I'm lurking Carynn...you're not alone. Just didn't have much to say this sunny Sunday morning. I feel I'm sliding into a bit of a funk... perhaps it's the alcohol consumption after effects? I gained a few pounds and am bummed out about that. I've been reading too much about recurrence so that's getting me down too. Every little twinge and ache is so much more significant now.... Bah....I'm not good company right now. Hugs girls.
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Good morning ladies... No you're not all alone out there in the cold, Carynn... I visit everyday, too, several times a day, but for some reason did not feel I had enough time to really write. I also go on noSurrender's site, I think Gina is really an incredible (young) lady... Her "Pink Hell Month has started" is really funny and to the point... It is the Race for the Cure here today (was... at 7am... in the cold... I thought about them... from the warmth of the bed...). They were expecting 66k+ participants... Denver claims to be the city that gathers the highest numbers for that event... Competition gets into everything, and media hysteria, too... Large crowds scare me, I must say... Fortunately for this event, the weather is much better than announced: colder but dry (we lost 20 degrees F in an hour last night when the cold front came through). It's sunny and gold from the trees (honey locusts, maples, ash trees, aspens, cottonwoods... it is gorgeous righ now).
Carynn, hope you could also rest in your nice home while DH was away... How are your kittens?
Marsha, so glad to read the good news. You are probably dealing with the drains for a few days (weeks?). Hope the pain is minimal and you enjoy this new peace of mind you fought for so hard... Easy on the beer... we adopted the alcoohol free type and find it quite nice...
Twink, thinking of you and regretting we are so far apart... It is difficult to empty our head of those scary thoughts and "what if's"... Shelli's story on these boards do not help. You'll be soon done with this chemo and hopefully will forget about it the way you probably put the first round behind you. How is the family doing? Are your kids around a lot or all busy doing their things away from home? Do you walk your doggies in this beautiful corner of yours?
I am struggling with the weight gain, too... it seems to me that everything regrouped around the waist and my belly button... and yet I bike like never in my life, coming back from the grocery store with the side bags so heavy, the front of the bike tends to go up (like a horse)... I think that Tamoxifen is the main culprit... and I feel like cooking again... which does not help (tasting this, scooping that... from batters to sauces... if you add the calories...
). I have Avastin #15 on Wednesday, and this time I will fast so they can add cholesterol and triglycerids to the blood panel, and why not thyroid while they are at it... I am restarting my insurance year... the first 3k are on me... I doubt they'll give them back to me this time around like they did for 2006-07... can't ask for too much... It has been 4 full months on Tamoxifen (like for you Jan), this is supposedly the time it takes to really "soak" in it... joint pain in the morning is probably the worst part (and the hot flashes are still spectacular, but maybe not quite as many). On the hair front: eyebrows and lashes seem more or less the same (were never lush to start with), my head still feels like puppy coat... very slow growing and coming back in all directions... do not have the faintest idea of what to do with it...We went to visit Royal Gorge near Canyon City last Friday... we really like our van... It is very time consuming to organize the pictures and try to make an album for the times when we do not remember anything: Jan, I am impressed by how good you have been at documenting your trips and visits with your son. How are the horses doing?
Alyson, sorry... The All Blacks did not make it against the French team ("les bleus")... That's all they can talk about on French radios and TV channels today... I am not a sport fan... so it leaves me pretty indifferent, I must say.
Well, it is lunch time
and then I need to work in the yard, water, etc. while the weather is good.Yesterday was the first year since we adopted Zoe from the shelter... seems to me it all happenend just a few weeks ago... and yet, what a year it has been...
Terry, Hillary, Jan(et), Melany, Vegas (hou hou... where are you??), Tink (how are you doing, did you start your Taxol tx? how is your little girl doing?), Belinda, Alyson, Piper, Phyl... big hugs to all on this lovely sunday.
Catherine
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Twink - I hear ya girlfriend. That was me last night. Had a great day, got a lot done around the house. Finished working on my laptop and sat down to relax. I ended up reading about recurrence, those we lost, even Funky Winkerbean (if you dont know, dont ask, or google it). Anyway, allowed myself to wallow and thru a big old pity party. My critters were concerned and lined up to watch me (which was actually pretty comical). Anyway, after a good cry, I had some Ben & Jerry's and watched an episode of Entourage which was pretty funny & turned out to be about friendship. It made me think about my friends and my cyber-sisters and I felt immensely better; & today I'm back to normal. I dont know, I think we all need to allow ourselves to have those moments every now and again. Cleansing, I think. (that or double choclate fudge has healing power!)
Sending you a big hug!
Catherine - looks like we were posting at the same time! Sounds like you are doing well. Dont even go there about the weight gain. You just saw my ice cream post! The Race for the Cure here is next Sunday here. I'm so looking forward to it. Since I'm the "official photographer" for our team, I should have some nice pix to post.
Well, back to the race. Talk to you all soon!
Carynn
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Carynn and Twilah -- Stop reading about recurrence! OK, I've got to stop as well.
However, I've been doing some searching with Dr. Google. At soccer today, I asked a dad (who's also a pediatric oncologist) about why taxol would cause long-term joint pain. We couldn't come up with anything. So, Dr. Google points me to articles about joint pain and aromatase inhibitors. Apparently, estrogen acts as an anti-inflammatory on joints -- this is why pregnant women have a higher pain tolerance. Women on AIs exhibit high levels of joint pain.
OK, but I'm triple neg -- not on AIs.
But, I keep forgetting that I've been thrown into chemopause. My poor little body isn't producing enough estrogen, so my joints are hurting.
Well, I feel better knowing the cause. I guess I feel better knowing that it's not directly due to residual chemo in my body. But, if it's lack of estrogen, then this is something I'm going to live with forever. I guess this might be the real impetus to getting me off my butt and into the gym.
My eyelashes are continuing with their lemming-like fall off my eyelids and onto my cheeks.
Hugs to all,
Hillary0 -
Hillary- Lemming-like! LOL!
I wonder why we are all reading about recurrence and mets? Maybe since the 3 of us are trip neg it's in the back of our minds, or maybe that's what everybody does once tx is done, and we're trying to get used to not seeing a Dr on a daily basis.
Twink is an advanced student. I just watched "The Breakup." Waahhh I wanted them to get back together. I need to go rent Sleepless in Seattle, or some Disney movie with a nice predictable happy ending!
Well, DH will be home tomorrow nite. I made a big pot of chili today (cuz it's always better the next day!), and I think it's time to go sample a bowl.
Have a great nite all!
Carynn
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Happy Sunday evening.
You are all not alone in reading up on recurrence. Count me in - I have had my share of the blues after the readings too.
I am having terrific joint pain on Femara (an AI) so you are not alone there either.
Our Race for the Cure is on the 20th. My daughter works at Applebee's and they have a team that she is on. They are holding a fundraising basket bingo on the 15th. All my family and co-workers will be there.
I got all my girls at work a pink ribbon pin to wear this month. They got me a keychain that has a pink ribbon and is engraved "You did it!" They have all been so good to me....I didn't have to work a single Saturday since Feb and starting chemo. Will go back into the rotation this month. They never complained when I was out or when I have to leave for a doctor appt. They will never know what that meant to me.
About weight gain...Twink I think it is the carboplatin....does it make you want to eat carbs? Wonder if that is how it got its name??? I have lost about 5 of the 10 I gained. But it is soooo hard to do.
I am also battling bladder infections. Don't know if my immune system is still a bit affected. But tonite I feel some burning.
We are taking DD to California University (California PA, near Pittsburgh) tomorrow. So we leave bright and early around 5:30, no later than 6 am. Hopefully it will be a nice day for walking the campus. Then hurry home, as she has a volleyball match tomorrow evening and needs to be back at school by 4:00.
My eyelashes are falling out again too....but only on one eye....go figure. And I keep breaking out on my trunk with red spots, kind of like a pimple/boil, but without a head. I think this goes back to the immune system too....Have had this since radiation began. Just one or two at a time.
Well, I had a busy weekend, cleaning and laundry and grocery shopping.
My secret pal sent me the most wonderful aromatherapy bath salts with essential oils....one was lavendar. And a wonderful Lindt dark chocolate bar....mmmmmmm! Such a luxury! I am sleeping with the fresh lavendar she sent me a couple weeks ago under my pillow. Smells heavenly.
Marsha, so glad you are doing well and such a relief you no longer have to worry! It was all worth fighting for!
Well...need to get to bed early...drink a glass of cranberry juice too.
Love you all,
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Good Monday Morning to all. I've been lying in bed awake for an hour or so and finally decided I might as well get up and start my day. It's going to be a long day for me...I catch a X-country flight at 5:30 tonight and won't arrive at my destination 'til midnight local time (3AM EST). I am looking forward to this trip though as I'll get to see my father, sisters and brother (and their families). I haven't been out west to visit since the week I was diagnosed (got the call on my cell phone in the hotel parking lot on January 18th).
I plan to work from home this morning. Actually, I plan to pay bills and organize paperwork this morning, pack my bags and head into the office for a few hours before the chauffeur picks me up. Is anybody else finding the paperwork associated with treatment a little overwhelming? I'm probably too much of an accountant but I try to match up the bills with the insurance papers and then figure out whether I've been charged correctly, keeping a running tally of my deductibles, copays and out-of-pocket. I've ignored the pile of paper for 2 months and now it's threatening to take over my favorite seat in the family room. I think I'll continue to ignore it for awhile, this week at least, and just take care of the essentials, like power and water.
My daughter, Sarah, turns 18 in just over a week. We're planning a little weekend get-away with Meg, my 16 year old. My sister-in-law will meet us in Montreal for the weekend and drive back here for an extended visit. (Pat, my SIL, is a retired nurse and was the person who stayed with me through the bilat surgery and recovery. She's a godsend.) Why Montreal you might ask. A few reasons... It's my home town. Sarah will be of legal drinking age there. It's not too far from here but is so different we'll feel like we're in another country. Well, we will be in another country... My husband has restarted his grad studies and he's in class most of the birthday weekend. So that's the plan for now. Here's a pic of the three of us taken last weekend in New Hope.
I guess we're all a little involved in the thoughts of recurrence. I must remind myself that several women have told me the worries fade with time. They become secondary to the day-to-day. It's been a bad week but I do take heart that I'm not alone...honestly. Catherine, I wish you lived closer too...we could have doggy socials and then...you could cook,
while helping me brush up on my french. The family is good. Busy, but good.Hillary, Carryn, Terry, Jan .... just hugs. I hope Marsha is healing well and not drinking too much beer. Kay, I hope your expander pain is under control now. Piper has yet to tell me how the syringes work on the nipple thingey....still having a hard time with that image. Leah, oh Leah....I'm sure she's having a most wonderful time. Everybody that I missed...hugs.
Be well,
Twilah
P.S. Aha! My SP is 'not-so-secret' now. A card full of hugs arrived at just the right time...how did you know I needed a bunch of those this weekend?
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Ohhh...carboplatin...carbs... so that's what's going on
Actually, by the end of the day, I have so much air (read gas) in my abdominal area I'm swollen up like a balloon. I really haven't been paying enough attention (or, at least, curbing my cravings) to what I consume. So...I'm up a few pounds Terry. I seem to be able to float within 5 pounds...up and down, if I apply some discipline. The trend has been upward lately.
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TWINK>have a grand time on your trip! So nice to hear of others able to take a trip after treatments! Your daughters are absolutely beautiful!
CARYNN>I happened to catch Men of Honor on tv this weekend and I cried! I could really feel his struggle to become the first black Navy diver after dealing with what my marine son has been through this year. I had seen the movie before but this was the first time it made me cry.
I've noticed in the newspaper that when they mention if a well known person has died from breast cancer they say so and usually will say if its a reaccurance just a few years after having already dealt with it once. That pushes it right in front of our faces, so how can we forget even if for a short while?
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