Chemo in Sept 08
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I did have a reaction to the tegaderm bandages.....so now I have burns on my chest. They have ordered burn cream for me........this is awful
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genia- so soryy to hear that. Who needs something like that when healing is enough all by itself.
Gentle HUGS to you. take care of yourself.
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Hiya, honey!! (Genia)
I'm so glad that you're okay! It's soooooo great to see you posting, even though I imagine it's pretty tiresome to do so! Makes me re-think that whole speak to type thing that was hot about a dozen years ago!
No Lasix for me...the docs don't think that it would do the trick, so I'm wrapping my ankles/feet until my compression sox come in. Good thing, though, is that my calves are the same measurement, but my right foot/ankle is a good two inches bigger than my left! And the bones in my right foot...OH, do they HURT!!!!
Also, my prescription for pharmaceutical grade Omega-3's was denied by my insurance, so I found a great liquid Omega-3 that gives me 1600 mg of Omega-3s in each teaspoon! (I'm supposed to take two teaspoons once per day. My nutritionist said that O-3's really help with bone pain...the best part? It's not fishy tasting, like most fish oil supplements are! Mine tastes like lemon, so I can put it on a salad if I choose to!
I hope that everyone's enjoying the spring-like weather!
Robin
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Good Morning ladies,
Glad to see Genia posting, but very sorry to hear about the burns, sounds nasty, but in the big picture you will get through that just like everything else. Gentle healing vibes coming to you, sunny warm ones with lot of vitamins E.
Good luck with legs Robin, thanks for the info on Omega 3's. I need some of that as my knees and feet still hurt a little when I get up from sitting down.
Mina, hope you feel better soon.
Take care girls
Singapore Chris
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Genia - Heal, baby, heal! You're getting down to the home stretch.
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Glad to see your post Genia! You did it girl! Sorry about the burns. It is hard to imagine burned skin on top of a mastectomy. For pete sakes...
Robin, would you tell us the name of the Omega 3 oil? And did a Dr recommend? I had not heard of this yet! I hope the swelling goes down. SOON. Who wants water ankels, that are not even the same size!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Robin - Do they know what is causing the swelling?
Genia - I am sooo sorry about the burns - so not right! Wish I could kiss it and make it better!
I finally called and made appts... tomorrow: radiation simulation, Friday: pulmonologist follow-up, Monday: mammo, chest xray and cardiologist follow-up, Tuesday: oncologist follow-up, Friday: infectious disease specialist follow-up. Radiation will start somewhere in there. Hopefully, I can squeeze working in there too. LOL
Off to a support group meeting...
Hugs
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Genia, soooo sorry about the tape. It really made me itch bad. I'm still having bad itching where the tape was but getting better every day. I can't believe you can type sooo soon, my arm just didn't feel good when I moved it like that. Get better soon
Trude
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Trude....the only way I can type is because they have a pain pump with Marcaine in it.....that is attached to my incision. So there is very little pain there.......but now the drains are a different story. Lots of pain there.....
I have NO dressings over my incision and steri strips. Everything they were using was eating my skin up. I have what appears to be burns......they have been putting burn cream on there. Does help a lot tho.......
Love you all......be home today some time!
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Welcome Home Genia!!!
Where is Winkie?
Jane, you must be on the "latter half" of rads by now, go woman!!!
Trude, has it been a few weeks for you now?
Spring...
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Spring - its been two weeks today. I still have one drain in (that is all I had to begin with) . Stitches are in till Monday.
Genia - I never had a pump .....lucky girl....only vicodin. But, it really did n't hurt bad at all,just tender. PS didn't want me moving that arm at all. Just let it rest and heal ( his words)
So much better this weeek, I am bored to death as I still have instructions not to use that arm too much......boring
Trude
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Trude, you crack me up! Soon you will be using the arm again, I am sure! I think the drain will be out soon. How much is it putting out a day? Drains were removed for me if they were 3 days in a row of 20 ccs or less, something like this! I've heard the output is less if you don't use the arm, so you should be on track!
I had vicodin too, and it makes me constipated, so I didn't want to use it. That pump sounds glorious...
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No one seems to know why my ankles have swollen so badly, and no one is racing to the front to admit that it's Taxol or steroids. But in reading and speaking with so many women on bc.org and other places, I believe that it IS a side effect of the Taxol. My onc says that it's one of the "rarer" side effects, but when you've messaged with women and read their posts, it's not hard to put 2 + 2 together and see that it's not all that rare at all. So, I wrap my feet and ankles with an ankle wrap while I'm waiting for my compression sox to come in. I've avoided salt since 2003, so salt intake isn't a big issue for me. Aside from poking a hole in the top of my foot and pushing all of the fluid out myself, I'll just have to wait and see!
Here's the link for the O-3 (fish oil) that I'm taking... it's pretty good tasting, not fishy, and you only have to take one teaspoon once or twice per day with a meal. One of the most common side effects of taking fish oil is burping...but since I don't seem to have any of the "common" ANYTHING, I'll have to take a look at the "rare" side effects and maybe I'll see that I may grow gills and a tail! Hahaha!
http://www.carlsonlabs.com/product_detail.phtml?prodid=10025836
Genia...I also had mad burning and blisters along the edge of the Tegaderm covering...heck...ANYTHING made of Tegaderm or latex. I've been in the hospital and ER enough times since July that I'm mighty sensitive to latex type materials, even though I've never been tested.
Juli...you're an appointment-havin' woman! Are you getting frequent appointment points toward a trip somewhere?
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Robin - too funny! yes, I'd like to redeem my points for a girls weekend with all of you this summer!
Genia - wishing you speedy healing!
Trude - boring is good sometimes. Are you having great weather like we are?
So sad about Natasha Richardson.
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I'm home....yaaaay!!! Other than the blistering and itching from the blistering I'm doin ok. I ended up with 3 incisisons. One for the breast. One to take out my port.....and one where he tried to put a new port in. No luck.....he said my viens are weird! And it kept trying to thread up into my neck. So he couldn't get one back in. He talked to my onco....and he said I should be ok to get Herceptin with an IV. Guess we will see.
I'm GLAD to be home.....even tho I was treated like royalty at the hospital. I'm so happy to have this all over with. I have NO dressing on my incisions other than steri-strips. They couldn't find anything I didn't have a reaction to. Nice to know.......lol
Love you guys....and thank you for the well wishes and cards!
Genia
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Yay!!!!!!!! WELCOME HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOME!!!!! Genia!!!
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Robin....remember when I was swellling....my Dr. said it WAS the Taxotere making me swell. Actually it just went down about 2 weeks ago. So I would say that's what yours is too hun!
He told me it would go down in time....and it did. Sure hope yous does too!
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Genia - Weird veins? go figure. Glad you are home...rest well sweetie.
My original mammogram films are lost. The breast center says my radiologist has them and my radiologist says I have them. Nope... never saw them. Now they will have nothing to compare Monday's mammo to.
Also, I will only be able to have my 1st 2 weeks of radiation in Simi Valley. The installation of the new machine will take a month. Good timing, eh? The radiologist said, "If you hadn't gotten sick, you would have had 2 more weeks here." Gee, thanks.
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OMG....I hate these drains. They are really getting on my nerves. He said he would take them out Monday.....and I think I am getting blisters under my steri strips.......what will I do if THAT is happening? That's all that's covering my incisions.
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genia- The drains ARE a big pain...not literally for me but just soooo aggravating to have to deal with. I hope you aren't reacting to the steri-stips. Some people do. You need to let them know if you think the irritation is getting worse and maybe they can find something else to cover it with. I hope you get better rest since you are home. Take good care of yourself and rest as much as possible- HUGS
Juli- WHAT NEXT??? How can they lose your films..I know everytime someone took mine I had to go through an act of congress to get them and they had to be signed in and out and if they didn't get signed back in they were checking on them....UGH!!!
I forgot to tell ya'll when I went to the rad onco this past week I had a different nurse...She was trying to be all " I know it all" kind of talking and she looked at me and said now you know that we will recommend you have mamograms every six month for the first couple of years.." I said How do they do a mamogram on a double mastectomy???
She sheepishly looked at me and said..UH disregard what I just said you won't ever have another mamogram....Do these people NOT look at charts????? She was quite embarassed.
Still so far so good on the taxotere. A few mood swings but everybody is still in one piece and I am still employed BUT we do have one work day left this week. LOL
Have a great evening.
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Juli - No squeezing in work!!!! That's what landed you in the hospital in the first place.
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Hi Girls,
Genia, glad you are home, take care and I hope you can truely rest. I only had one drain, but I hated it too. I put it in a little silk bag and at least it looked better!
Juli, take it easy and remember you health is the most important thing at the moment. Try not to do too much. That's a bit of a joke with your medical schedule! Hope your films turn up.
Bettysgirl, sometimes people just have to learn the hard way, that nurse won't ever say that to anyone else without looking at their records first. Good job you could take it.
Today one of my sons is 18, so we are all off out for dinner.
Take care everyone.
Singapore Chris x
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Genia, Ditto, the drains are so aggravating. I had 4 total, 2 out at 6 days, 1 out a week later, the last one a week later. I felt so good to ditch that last one, BABY it was like FREEEEEEDOMMMMM!!! That's when I felt I was really getting better.
Julie, where will you go for Rads after 2 weeks? To another location, or are they making you wait a month? I hope not.
Happy Bday to Chris' Son!!! woot!
Betty's, so with implants, do we get an MRI every few years now? I honestly don't know what the deal is. I just know I am not having a mammogram. That nurse, pooh. you got her though. Miss all high and mighty. OH well.
TGIF!!! Hair news: my "strawberry blonde" henna lasted longer than the last one. Still no gray. yay!
Spring.
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Genia - How ya doing this morning? Did you get some sleep?
Beverly - I'm not sure of the exact location, but I think it is about 15 miles from here, which means I will miss more work time with a longer commute. My mom thinks she will have to drive me when fatigue sets in. I can't imagine that the fatigue gets that bad! One question for you though...did rads affect your breathing? I worry about my lung issues.
Happy Friday! Happy 1st day of spring!
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Genia, my surgeon just had me put gauze pads over my incision and use a sport bra to hold in place. I had to find one that fastened in the front but Walmart had them.
I itch all over my back ever since the surgery. Can't figure out why, gold bond helps but not perfect.
Drains - bah humbug.....pain in the a**. I can't wait till Monday !!!!
Trude
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Juli, I never got that radiation fatigue thing. I slept 9 hours a night, exercised nearly every day and worked part time. Maybe some of that helped? I had 2 days of tiredness (fell asleep early those nights), but it was not chronic fatigue. Maybe if you take it easy it may not "hit" you?
Genia, report in hon. I had stitches in my Mx incisions, and no tape or strips. Just that compression bra thing that opened in the front. When do you go back to see the PS?
Trude, the drains are the worst of it. You'll feel better when those babies are GONE!!! You'll be saying Yay for Monday!!!
Spring.
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Not feelin so chipper today......kinda down in the dumps. Guess that's fairly normal......I dunno! For one thing....this itching is drivin me nutso. It's all over my chest area....looks and feels like I have been burned. I'm sure things will get better in a few days....just today is not one of those days.
love to all
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Genia - Can you take Benedryl for the itching? Maybe you can sleep the day away.
My pulmonologist said my lung function is 60%. He doesn't think I should start rads for a couple weeks. Just love it when I have doctors who disagree with what to do with me. If he is not happy with Monday's chest x-ray, then I think he will pull the plug on the rads.
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Hi All! I have been AWOL since I am working on my thesis. It is very time consuming and is giving me headaches.It is due on Sat and if I had more hair, I would pull it out! I tried to keep reading all the posts, but it is hard to keep up!
Genia-Glad your surgery is over! I also had a reaction to the Tagaderm. The drains were Ok, had them for 2 weeks. Each day you feel better and better. Just take it easy!
Chris- My son turns 18 on Wed also! Not sure what the plans are, as he just got back from Aspen. He was there with the Shining Stars who take kids with cancer skiiing for a week. My DS was a Senior helper.
Juli-Are you still having shortness of breath? Your appointment schedule gives me a headache!
Spring-I am too scared to try the henna! How long does it last? I do have some gray
Trude- Keep up the good spirits. Having the drains out feels so good! It is such a weird feeling when they pull them!
Hope everyone else is doing good! We should make a list of what supplements we are taking and why. And of course, if they WORK!
Missed everyone!
D
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Genia, I think that a couple days after surgery we all crash and have that blue day. Hang in there. Totally normal. Get a lot of sleep and rest, and I bet your mood will rally.
Priz, Henna is not permanent, and washes out pretty quickly. The first one I did washed out in a few days. This one has lasted a week, but it is fading. SO MUCH BETTER than the gray!!! I am going down kicking and fighting on the gray!!!
Jules, call me nutz but I am thinking you should wait too. You've just been through the RINGER woman! I know you want it all over with though.... Genia's doctors were fighting over her too!
Spring.
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