Class of 2009 - Sisters in the same time frame
Comments
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Renee - Sorry I'm just now getting around to answering you. For me, it took about 2 weeks after finishing rads for the skin under my boob to heal. Hope you have that good a luck!
I was glad to have some Silvadene left on Sun. Like a stupid fool, I tried to move the fajita dish when we were at the Mexican restaurant & hit the sizzling plate with one of my fingers instead of the wooden part. I held the finger on my glass of ice water while at the restaurant, & then immediately put on the Silvadene when we got home; have been using it twice a day since. The cream sure helped to take the pain away fairly soon & the finger is looking good.
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Alicia-you are on your way! I am happy to hear you are almost done with your treatment! You are so strong, and have been thru a lot these past few months. I hope you get the rest and peace of mind you deserve once you are thru this!
Hope everyone else is having a good day!
Jen
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Hola mujeres(women),
Just got my PICC line in today and I couldnt believe how nervous I was but besides them missing the first time it went well. My whole arm is numb because they gave me double numbing agents.
Start Chemo Monday and I was tell my college friend that it is all becoming real for me. As if losing my left breast wasnt real enough the PICC line was a reality check, "hey Vivian you have cancer and they are going to pump some pretty potent drugs into your body." He laughted and said, how can it barely becoming real, you have been dealing with it since August." I had no answer but have been dwelling on that for a couple of days.
Good vibes to all my hermanas going through chemo and rads today
Vivian0 -
Hola Honeybee,
I think the explanation is that so much happens so fast that we are numb for the first several months. Finally your brain catches up with what is happening to your body and the reality sets in. I am sorry you are having to go through this. My trip so far has not been as rough (no chemo) but I wouldn't wish the emotional roller coaster on my worst enemy. Even if your college friend doesn't understand, we mujeres do!
Hugs,
pam
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Thanks so much for the kind words Jen.
Yes, Honeybee sometimes denial is a great defense mechanism for us. I try to just stay moment to moment as sometimes more than that is just too much !
Hugs girls.
Alicia
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Hello ladies!
So with the tech from the Breast Health Center calling and apologizing for "dropping the ball" last Monday when I went in for my mammo, I have an ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow at 1:30. I tried to tell the tech that I dealt with last week that I was supposed to have an ultrasound, and they didn't do it. Don't forget ladies WE ARE OUR OWN BEST ADVOCATES!!!!
Alicia-your welcome! Words honestly are not enough! But from my computer that is all I can offer
Ok, so that is my vent for today:) I love you Mujeres!
Hugs
Jen
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Yeah I too still have days when I STILL expect someone to call and say "oops, that wasn't YOUR pathology report" (or something like that). I was diagnosed last June. Even my MX (post chemo) in December did not totally erase that surreal feeling that it isn't really true.
Lilah (Queen of Denial
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It wasn't real for me until I had to cut my hair. Then it all crashed around me and I knew I was in the fight for my life. Up until then, I know I was in denial. I looked normal and felt normal, so how could I be sick? Well, chemo and rads do make it real.
Honeybee1, good luck with chemo. It is very doable, you should have more good days than bad days and you will really look forward to the good days.
Hope everyone has a great evening.
Juannelle
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Hey ladies, glad to hear everyone is doing so well. Honeybee, best of luck with starting chemo. It will be over for you soon. It's hard to go through but like Juanelle says, it is doable. I didn't have to go through it this time with breast cancer, but I did have to go through it when I was 16/17 yrs. old and had stage 3b Hodgkins disease. I took 8 rounds of chemo over and 8 month period. Back then they didn't believe in giving the antinausea meds, thank God they have made so many more advances with that. And there are many more good days than there are bad days, just like Juanelle said. The bad days are few. We will be here to support you and help you when you need us. :=)
I'm having a pretty krappy week myself. Today they came in and marked me up for my final 5 boosts to my incision that will start on Thurs. You think incision boosts will be just to the incision... right? No!!! The RAD Onc marks a big circle over my breast that extends out from my incision and ends up going around my entire areola and nipple and the outer right lateral side of my right breast (my incision is on the edge of my areola). So my nipple is already burnt to a crisp and this means is will literally be fried. I was so MAD when he left... well what can I say. This just has not been a good 2 weeks for me. You would think I only have 6 txts to go and I would be happy, but NO not me I am very upset with my doc once again. I could quit, but what's the point? I will finish and do this for my family. Thanks for letting me rant for a while. You ladies are the only ones that understand.
Renee
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Renee, sorry you are having such a hard time. I will probably be right there with you in a couple of weeks. Nobody said this would be a picnic. Feel free to rant anytime, that is what we are here for.
Juannelle
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Thanks Juanelle!!! Some days are just harder than others and you need a friend to lend an ear and a shoulder. :=)
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Renee, We are all ears and shoulders, just not a lot of boobs...
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Good one, Micheleboots!
Honeybee, we're here for you.
Renee, today was boost two of five. I finish on Friday. I'm with you on marking up the breast - they did mine with some kind of a paint pen. You know you're a veteran of the trenches when some stranger can paint your breast and you just get up, get dressed, and go on with your day! So far, the boosts have not been bad. Getting sleepy around 2 or 3 in the afternoon, though. I'm planning to do the Rip Van Winkle plan when rads are over: will sleep for a month and plan to wake up with a full head of hair - NOT a beard!
Juanelle - happy to read that rads are OK so far. Go, girl! Brace yourself for ice on Thursday night. Time to get the whiskey out again. Brrrr!
Lilah - your posts are always so nice to read. You have a great attitude.
M360 - Hope you are doing OK. Thinking about you.
Let's see, who am I forgetting - Pam, Jen , Alicia - everyone else - sending lots of love to all of you.
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Well you are a sweetie Magob! And so good to remember everyone each time... I wish I were that thoughtful (well it's not thoughtlessness as much as sheer laziness lol).
Sorry I haven't had anything to say about the radiation woes; I do of course send sympathies to all who are undergoing it. For some reason I did not have to have it and I'm glad after reading what you all have had to endure. You are all so brave and wonderful!
I am sure getting through it is like getting through Chemo. One day at a time and keep your eye on the end and tell yourself: "This too shall pass"... (Or maybe click your heels together and say "there's no place like home"....)
The effort is so great. I saw my Primary Care Physician today for a check up and he was telling me about his daughter who works for HBO... very proud of her. I can't remember what prompted this but I guess we were talking about the demands of a high powered job and I smiled and said: "my job this year has been to survive breast cancer."
I wish there were some sort of bonus at the end (monetary that is)... though I have to say that surviving is quite a bonus
Lilah
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HI girls... glad ot see everyone is plugging along !!!
Renee ~ so sorry you are having such a hard time with the rads. Just think 5 more and you will be done my friend. I know it is hard. And I am sure you are feeling the fatigue from the rads and that isn't helping.
Lilah ~ I love your job description of this year. That is awesome. I may steal that line if you don't mind.
Hugs girls, have a good day !
Alicia
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Here is a GOOD side effect of radiation: For 20 years I have had a stubborn hair or small cluster of hairs that grew on one little spot on my chin. I would pluck it and forget about it. Then get all dressed up nice and be in the car going someplace and sprongggggg, there it would be. I put a pair of tweezers in the car, it happened so regularly.
I am now 7 months post rads and no hair on my chinny-chin-chin! I know they did not radiate my chin. The only thing I can figure is the root ran down my neck. across my clavicle (to the opposite side) and terminated somewhere in my left armpit which also remains as smooth as a baby's bottom, even though they say they did not treat my left axilla.
Fascinating :-)
pam
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LOL Pam re: that hair! (And yay!) Is it possible for a root in a chin to travel that far? (Could it be the Arimidex?)
Alicia -- steal away!
Renee -- hope I didn't sound flip about the pain you are experiencing... I was thinking it over and I thought maybe I did. As Alicia said, hang in there, you are almost done and as soon as you ARE done you will start healing.
Lilah
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Lilah,
I would think Arimidex would cause more facial hair due to no estrogen. I was joking about the hair root... I think :-)
Actually my hair is getting thicker after falling out like crazy (no chemo to blame). I think it was all the stress and I am learning to live with anxiety.
pam
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LOL Pam -- oh duh! I am so dumb sometimes (good joke)! Yeah I would think so too re: Arimidex.
Lilah
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I am wondering if y'all can tell me about if you are having any pain. I had a lumpectomy in September and finished chemotherapy on 12- 28-2009. I started radiation this week and I am having significant pain in my breast. Has anyone had any problems with pain?
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Pam we must look at the good things that come from this crap...bye bye hair..
Kpage, sorry can't help you with the pain...you should ask your doc. she is the one to ask..you wouldn't want to brush anything aside that could be important..oh ya, welcome to the group...
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one more sleep
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kpage65 - I have been having rads since Dec. 10th and yep the pain in the breast is part of it. Mine came and went intermittently until I really started to burn last week with the boosts. Now it is pretty chronic. But check with your Rad Onc just to be sure. Can you describe how you pain is? Mine is usually like a searing burning twinge in the beginning and now it is a heaviness with the burning.
Pam - good one about the hair. LOL!! I to use to have a wild hair that grew on the side of my face. It would get really long and stiff, but was blonde and I would have to tweeze it. It doesn't grow any more since I started all this breast cancer treatment. Wonder is radiation killed it... LOL!!
Hugs Renee
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Hola Hemanas,
Today I had my first Luprone injection and was just thinking I hope, I really hope after all this I will be able to have children. I was always putting things infront of that decision and when we were ready I got the diagnosis. Like Michealboots said, one day at a time!
PICC line Questions:
Are you able to have sex with the PICC line?
Can you do everything the same? I had a hard time sleeping last night, I was worried about crushing it...doesnt help that I like to sleep on that side.
Vivian
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Hello Ladies!
Just got back from my ultrasound, and the radiologist didn't see anything. But he told the tech "Man these breasts are dense!" Tell me something I don't know
So, I get to rest easy for now, then in September I have my next MRI. I have a question, I go see my onc next Wednesday and I was going to ask him about blood work. I have only had one blood draw and that was ordered by my rad onc. Is that normal? Since I didn't do chemo, I am wondering if he (my med onc) isn't ordering blood work because I don't need it. Any pearls of wisdom on this are welcome.
And welcome to you Kpage, I am glad you found this group! I too had breast pain while doing rads, and it lingered for a little while afterwards. I agree with Michele, best to ask your doc.
Hope you all are having great day!
Hugs Jen
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I thought I'd share a true and inspiring story about a pregnancy after cancer. My husband's co-worker was very young when she was first diagnosed with cancer (mid 20's). They treated things very agressively and today she is in her mid-30's...married and wanted to have children. Due to the cancer and the treatments and the high risk she faced of cancer returning if she were to become pregnant...it appeared they were not going to have children. Enter wonderful family members. She received a few offers from sisters and sister-in-laws to "carry" her child for her. And that is exactly what happened. They all went to the Doctor and they took cancer mom's eggs...and dad's sperm...mixed together and implanted into the sister-in-law. Voila...they now have a beautiful healthy baby girl (born just before Christmas)...and everyone is over the moon. It worked so well for everyone as the birth mom already had a few kids of her own and really wanted to do this for her sister-in-law. They drew up court papers etc before everything was done..to make it all legal...but it all worked and the only thing cancer mom didn't have to do was go through labor and get stretch marks! Isn't this amazing? I get choked up writing about it because at a recent staff Christmas party I got to hold the baby for awhile...and I knew at that time I might have cancer myself...waiting for the test results. It really helped to hold a live miracle...right in my arms.
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Linda,
What a wonderful story and a wonderful family. I wish every child born could be so wanted and loved. Thanks for sharing and inspiring us all.
pam
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Linda - what a touching story. So glad you shared it with us.
Sherri
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Vivian, yes you can have sex..it is covered up with a mesh sleeve so it doesn't catch on things...You can't swim, and you have to cover your arm with plastic sleeves with elastic to shower..not to bad. I don't have long showers anyhow, no hair to wash., no legs or other areas to shave..That being said, Marie one of the other ladies has sleeves that cover it so she can swim. I will try and get the website for you...oh, ya no vacuuming or shoveling, darn...whaaaa...and can't carry heavy things...not a big deal as well...you get to use your cancer card for that..another whaaa.
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Hey Ladies - hope everyone is feeling great today!
Michelle - I do so love your philosophy on things. LOL!! It makes this beast seem a little more tameable.
Linda - I loved your story about the baby. It shows that the love of family always exceeds the brutality of the anything horrible that comes our way, even breast cancer.
I finished with the compression boosts today and just in the knick of time. I am soooo sore!!! My boobie hurts to touch it, it hurts for it to just lay there and do nothing, LOL! One nickel size raw area keeps getting burned over and over because it is above the fold of the breast (which is starting to heal) and I can't seem to get it well. I got some more Silvadene burn cream from a pharmacy friend (since my rad onc wouldn't prescribe it, he wanted me to keep using the Remedy cream he gave me, it's like a lotion, but it has now started burning when I put it on because I am burnt so badly). Anyway I slathered it all over the boobie and put some gauze underneath to keep skin off skin. Hoping this helps!!! I'm really glad that is over and I'm hoping they don't have to use any positioning devices for the next boosts that I will be receiving.
Renee
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