Calling all TNs

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  • wishn4one
    wishn4one Member Posts: 10
    edited July 2012

    Hi There Ladies,

     I don't post often, but I have a concern and am looking for some guidance.  I had a right breast lumpectomy (12/2/11) and 0 node involvement.  Did 8 dense dose chemo and 6 weeks of Rads which I just finished end of May.  I am experiencing some intense pain in a rib that is a couple of inches below the node incision.  If I sleep on it it is too much to bear and forget touching it.  I just saw my surgeon for a follow up to having my port out 3 weeks ago.  He checked it out and he wants me to have a chest xray done.  I am going tomorrow morning at 7:30am.  He also advised me to call my chemo doc and advise him of the issue in case he wants to do any tests.  Has anyone else gone through something similar?  I am a little beside myself here.  Thank you in advance.

  • Lady_Miz
    Lady_Miz Member Posts: 58
    edited July 2012

    wishn4one...

    I am going through the EXACT same thing as we speak!  I am waiting on radiology to call me and set up appointments for both a brain MRI and nuclear bone scan since my x-rays were inconclusive.  I understand completely about the rib pain and she is also checking out some right hip and femur issues.  I am haviing some incredible and sporadic dizziness with shooting pains in my head, hence the MRI.  The fun never ends!!!

    I am not a hypocondriac by nature so it takes me a bit for me to buckle and to call my doctor about issues to begin with.  My lumpectomy was September of '11 with 4 x DD A/C and 4 x DD Taxol, which ended January 27th.  That was followed by 35 rads w/5 boosts so it sounds like our tx plans were similar.

    I understand the feeling "beside yourself" and if you ever need to, just PM me and we can chat.  Never, ever feel like you have to face this alone!

    Blessings...

  • TifJ
    TifJ Member Posts: 804
    edited July 2012

    Jan- are you in Kansas by chance? I live in Missouri about 15 miles from the Kansas border. It is pretty bleak here as well with no rain in over a month in my little town.

  • JAN69
    JAN69 Member Posts: 731
    edited July 2012

    TifJ  No, I live in the mountains of central califoria. We don't get rain here from April to November.  The Kansas bit was that I keep seeing how dry and desperate things are in Kansas.  Sorry for the confusion.  We'd love rain, but that would be totally out of norm.  My daughter lived near Lake of the Ozarks for a while.  She's now in dry California, near me, thank goodness.  While she was in Missouri, I had to fly to see her every month, I couldn't stand not seeing their baby girl.  That baby girl enters 7th grade this year.  Oh my.  It would be great to meet up with you and anyone else we could arrange.  I keep telling Annie I'm heading her way, but my passprt has expired.  Ahh.

    Wishn4one  I have that bone pain under my mastectomy, too.  I'm about 8 months post rads and it is still there.  I've talked to my MO about it, but response is something like, "Don't worry about it."  Fat chance I'll not worry!  But I've had enough scans, xrays, and just plain radiation, that I think I glow in the dark.  So I'll wait and watch for what your doctors tell you.  I'll sit beside you while you are beside yourself.

    Inmate  Thinking of you.  This stuff has to end---the sooner the better.

    And thinking of you who are starting chemo this week.  You'll soon see the anticipation is the worst part.

    Jan

  • JazzyJ
    JazzyJ Member Posts: 124
    edited July 2012

    Oh Catwhispurrer..... Now you scared me. I am doing 4x A/C every Two weeks followed by 12x Taxol every week. I planned on having the Taxol treatment on Friday's and traveling every other week M-Thurs for work. My Onc felt this was doable, but your post leads me to believe that Taxol is worse the A/C. I thought I was almost done with the worst of if, but that's not the case?

  • JazzyJ
    JazzyJ Member Posts: 124
    edited July 2012

    Bernie - Love the lazy dog and the goats! Love all gods creatures actually :-)



    Tookybum - Working is different for everyone and highly dependent on the person and the working environment. I am fortunate to be able to work from home for the 8 weeks while going through DD A/C and planned on traveling for work again during Taxol, but I guess we will have to wait and see how my body and mind and body respond.



    Last DD A/C is July 31 and. Then on to weekly Taxol for 12 weeks. Praying Taxol treats me better than some of the posts I've read recently....

  • kayak2
    kayak2 Member Posts: 9,028
    edited July 2012

    JazzyJ - everyone responds differently.  I had virtually NO side effects during my 12 weeks on Taxol.  The 4 AC treatments, however, that I had on Tuesdays, would affect me on Thurs & Fri and made me feel like lying on the couch for most of those 2 days.  By Sat I was feeling fine again.  Good luck to you.

  • JazzyJ
    JazzyJ Member Posts: 124
    edited July 2012

    Kayak2 - I hope I follow your pattern... I too get DD A/C every other Tuesday and my 3rd one is tomorrow. Like you, I feel like crap Thursday and Friday, but mostly from the Neulasta I think. Anyway, sounds a lot like you, so hopefully I will breeze through Taxol like you did! Thanks for the hope.... I picked myself up off the floor again :-).

  • fishinurse
    fishinurse Member Posts: 26
    edited July 2012

    Ok-got 1st chemo under my belt-or should I say above the belt.The nurse was awesome-hooked the iv to my port/gave the decadron and antinausea medication-ran the fluid through and then injected the adriamycin into my port/couldn't believe how red it was. It also turned my urine pinkish red.then I was given the cytocin/with just a splash of ativan-good thing I had my daughter aalong as a DD! So-Bower 1/ I am home and feel tired from the ativan/other than that I feel ok,waiting to see what happens next.You will be ok/ I will be thinking of you and I hope you let me know how you are.,Thanks! Dawn

  • JazzyJ
    JazzyJ Member Posts: 124
    edited July 2012

    Yea Fishinurse!! Not as bad as the wait..... Right? Time to rest!

  • Tazzy
    Tazzy Member Posts: 1,442
    edited July 2012

    Happy for your fishinurse - make sure you hydrate plenty - flushes the red out, and generally makes you feel better.  listen to what your body say and obey.

  • CatWhispurrer
    CatWhispurrer Member Posts: 193
    edited July 2012

    Tooky - I worked part-time.   I have a very physical job and full of needles, sharp objects, on my feet and wrangling big dogs (vet tech)!   I had infusions on Mon and found working Tue/Wed and Thurs morning was doable because of the steriods, but by Thursday night, I crashed.  Friday and Saturday were the worst, especially with Taxol.  The second week I would work toward the end of the week which was my best time.   You will find what works for you after the first few infusions.

    Jazzy - I'm sorry I scared you.  I think I am in the minority that taxol was worse (me and Annie!)  Plus, I had dose-dense taxol every other week which seemed harder than the weekly taxol gals.  I had asked my MO for weekly but he said DD was the standard he used.  The taxol would hit me by Thurs when I would start running a high fever, chills, and bone pain like a bad flu. It was the only time I vomited so started taking nausea med's all the time after that. It started where I would be better by the following week (non taxol wk), but by the last taxol infusion, I didn't have any good days between infusions and my feet hurt like h**ll.  I had to take pain pills to stand on my feet so long which comes with my job.   I still have neuropathy even though it has been 2.5 months since my last taxol.  Hopefully, you will be in the majority that had an easier time with taxol.  

  • Cocker_Spaniel
    Cocker_Spaniel Member Posts: 1,188
    edited July 2012

    Look at this beautiful big scared baby. Isn't he bloody gorgeous

      

  • kayak2
    kayak2 Member Posts: 9,028
    edited July 2012

    JazzyJ - Didn't your site recommend taking Claritin to help with the Neulasta bone pain?  They don't know why it works, but it does.  Take it before you go and then later in the day if you need to, and continue for another day or two if needed.

  • CatWhispurrer
    CatWhispurrer Member Posts: 193
    edited July 2012
    Fishinurse - glad you got one done.  Good for you!  I found that the steriods kept me up the first night and was an energizer bunny on Tues, so be prepared.
  • mags20487
    mags20487 Member Posts: 1,092
    edited July 2012

    wishn4one....You may be experiencing trunkal LE from the rads.  Is it the same side as rads???  I had terrible pain in my side after finishing 7 weeks of rads. It took a few months for that pain to subside.  I could not even sleep on that side cuz it hurt so bad.  Can you see an LE therapist for an assessment?  Try not to get yourself too worked up til you have some answers.  My Rad ONC and MO both said the pain was normal from radiation induced swelling.  I pray that this is all it is for you and mmizerak as well!!

    Maggie

  • JazzyJ
    JazzyJ Member Posts: 124
    edited July 2012

    Kayak2 - The first time around I had a lot of pain in my shoulder and neck area. The ladies on this site suggested Claritin so the second time around was easy peasy with very little pain! When I told the nurses they said "yea, whatever works"! I would MUCH rather take Claritin then Vicodin!. All good in that area now. Thanks for the thought though.

  • Titan
    Titan Member Posts: 1,313
    edited July 2012

    Taxol is just different than AC...everyone told me that Taxol would be a walk in the park..and yes it wasn't quite like Ac...I can't really say which is worse...they have different se's...I guess that AC made me feel brain wise..just weird...but no body pains whereas the taxol gave me body aches but my brain was clearer...weird stuff..had a little tingling in my hands and feet but not much..took awhile to straighten up after sitting for awhile...plus taxol took longer to infuse than ac which I didn't like either.

    And yes..I worked during all the 8 chemos and the rads...not sure how much work I got done but i was there...ha ha..had a very understanding boss...

    Chemo brain is real ladies...and not to scare anyone but it does take awhile to get back to "normal"....I don't know how many times I left the house only to turn around and make sure I turned off the coffee pot, closed the garage door..that kind of thing..I also washed my son's tie, forgot to put ingredients in food that I made.....but I made it through w/o burning down the house and everybody still ate...called it creative cooking..

    Gah..I just wore a new bra to work today..that was for fuller figures but gently uplifting...man but my breasts hurt like hell..Ithink I'm just gonna let them sag..

  • LuvRVing
    LuvRVing Member Posts: 2,409
    edited July 2012

    Hi ladies!  We just got back from a long weekend in Vermont at a B&B visiting our good friends from Kansas City.  It was fun, the guys played golf and the girls walked around Woodstock and explored Queechee Gorge.  And this was after The Prouty cancer fund raiser event on Saturday.  I'm glad to be home, and I see you all have been busy chatting away! 

    Inmate - good to hear from you, so sorry about the skin mets...damn cancer!  I hope your doc comes up with a new winning approach!

    Congrats to you gals who survived round one of chemo.  Keep drinking those fluids!  And another tip for the Neulasta shot along with taking the claritin - make sure whoever is giving you the shot lets it come to room temp before injecting it.  And then they should inject it slowly.  I would call my chemo center and they'd take it out of the fridge once I told them I was on my way.  It made a huge difference.

    Hi Kathy!

    OK, I'm pooped so that's all I got! 

  • dgcote
    dgcote Member Posts: 17
    edited July 2012

    Only one RELAX. I had my first chemo July 6th my next one will be the 27th, the chemo isn't the worst thing, Doing nothing is far worse. The only problem I had was it upset my stomach but they give you meds which will help with that. Just do what you know is right. Wishing you the best and please just relax it will help a lot.

  • BernieEllen
    BernieEllen Member Posts: 2,285
    edited July 2012
  • christina1961
    christina1961 Member Posts: 450
    edited July 2012

    Wishing4one,

    I have had rib pain off and on since chemo - my cancer was on the left side and the first time it was on my left side.  I had physical therapy, and a very slight positioning movement from the therapist caused pain in my ribs that took about 4 weeks to go away. That time it was so bad that I used pain meds.  The last time  has been on the right side - it hurt to cough, sneeze, or move around - and I had a follow up xray that showed nothing abnormal.  I think it is chondritis and somehow the chemo may have caused it.  The pain on my right side is almost gone now and it has been about 3-4 weeks again.  If it didn't resolve, I would have pursued a bone scan.

  • navymom
    navymom Member Posts: 842
    edited July 2012

    Good Morning everyone.  Thinking of you all.

    Anyone heard from Lovelyface???  Been awhile.

  • borntosurvive
    borntosurvive Member Posts: 194
    edited July 2012

    Fishinurse: Congrats on getting that first chemo out of the way - one step closer to the end.  Rest and hydrate!!

    I was talking to a friend of mine who is also a cancer survivor.  She saw her genetisist for her results and was told that they're working on a BC vaccine!!!  It should be ready and public in 10 years.  Apparently it's in trials in the US.  Has anyone else heard of this?!  They'll look at giving in to TN women to prevent recurrance rates.  It essentially would eliminate BC?!  Sounds a bit to good to be true or is this what we've all been waiting for?  I live in Canada and we seem to get things after the States.  So just wondering if anyone has heard of this too?

  • kathyrnn
    kathyrnn Member Posts: 366
    edited July 2012

    Finally caught up on the posts (that will teach me to not take off for a few days!



    Fishinurse - glad everything went well and hope Brow did as well.



    Bernie - you posted that picture in honor of Cocker's wee little sh*t, didn't you, lol



    Luv - glad you had fun. How did your son make out?



    NavyMom - also looking for Clowngirl, Hope and we haven't heard from tnbcRuth since she thought she was having a bout of pancreatitis.



    Had a lovely weekend. Spent all day Friday in the sun blue shell crabbing. Saturday was a family get together, both my neices were home and we had a great time. Sunday as housework and poker at night, and yesterday I went and spent the day with my neice.



    Hope everyone is doing well.

  • Tazzy
    Tazzy Member Posts: 1,442
    edited July 2012

    CS - that dogs face is just priceless.

    Titan... the amount of times I have left the house, driven half way up the road and thought to myself `did I shut the garage, did I turn this or that off` and turned round to check... I have heard it can take up to 5 years to return to `normal`.... Whatever normal is these days. There are times though when I use it to my advantage Wink

    LuvRving... glad you had a good weekend... you are one busy lady eh?

    Bornto... heard nothing about a vaccine but wow can you imagine. I mean they have one against cervical cancer so why not....

    Thinking of all you ladies - hoping you are having a truly wonderful happy day with minimal SE`s.

  • kathyrnn
    kathyrnn Member Posts: 366
    edited July 2012

    Oh.....I forgot.....I'm BRACA negative!

  • BernieEllen
    BernieEllen Member Posts: 2,285
    edited July 2012
    This woman has her bridge club every Thursday night and after a peaceful game or two with the ladies, she goes home to fix her husband dinner when he gets home from work. Well, one Thursday, she's playing a great game and she has an incredible hand when she notices the time.
    "Oh, no! I have to go fix my husband his dinner! He's going to be so angry if it's not ready on time." And she dashes out of her friend's house, her great hand forgotten on the table.

    When she gets home, she realizes she has very little time, not enough time to go to the supermarket, and all she has in the cupboard is a wilted lettuce leaf, an egg, and a can of cat food. In a panic, she opens the can of cat food, stirs in the egg, and garnishes it with the lettuce leaf just as her husband is pulling up.
    She watches in horror as he sits down to his dinner, and then she realises he is loving it! "Mmmm, darling, this is the best dinner you have made for me in forty years of marriage. You can make this for me any old day, mmmmm!" And that night they had sex for the first time in months and it was great!

    Needless to say, every Thursday from then on, she made this dinner for her husband. She tells her bridge cronies about it and they are all horrified.
    "You're going to kill him," they say, or "He's just yanking your chain," but she continued to make him his cat food dinner and then, afterwards, they would bonk like fiends.

    Two months later, her husband died and all the bridge women the Thursday after the funeral attacked our new widow for being so callous. "You killed him! We told you that feeding him that cat food every week would do him in! How can you just sit there so calmly and play bridge knowing you murdered your husband?"

    The wife stoically replied, "I didn't kill him. He fell off the mantel when he was licking his ass."

  • navymom
    navymom Member Posts: 842
    edited July 2012

    Oh Geez, Bernie.....Thats a good one.  LMAO!

  • fishinurse
    fishinurse Member Posts: 26
    edited July 2012

    OMG Bernie.Hilarious!