Calling all TNs
Comments
-
5thSib... I had the exact treatment. Started in June and just finished last week! It is very doable. AC was the worse of the two but not bad at all for me. Take your nauseau meds and drink lots! Chew on ice during A to prevent mouth sores. Eat small meals. The taxol was very easy. Did not take any meds at all during this. The biggest se for me is the nails. Right now I am dealing with soar tender lifting nails but hopefully this will clear up soon that I a done. You will do fine. Just keep checking each treatment off and counting down. It helps to get u to the end!
0 -
No one believes seniors . . . everyone thinks they are senile.
An elderly couple was celebrating their sixtieth anniversary. The couple had married as childhood sweethearts and had moved back to their old neighborhood after they retired. Holding hands, they walked back to their old school. It was not locked, so they entered, and found the old desk they’d shared, where Andy had carved “I love you, Sally.”
On their way back home, a bag of money fell out of an armored car, practically landing at their feet. Sally quickly picked it up and, not sure what to do with it, they took it home. There, she counted the money - fifty thousand dollars!
Andy said, “We’ve got to give it back.”
Sally said, “Finders keepers.” She put the money back in the bag and hid it in their attic.
The next day, two police officers were canvassing the neighborhood looking for the money, and knocked on their door. “Pardon me, did either of you find a bag that fell out of an armored car yesterday?”
Sally said, “No”.
Andy said, “She’s lying. She hid it up in the attic.
Sally said, “Don’t believe him, he’s getting senile”
The agents turned to Andy and began to question him.
One said: “Tell us the story from the beginning.”
Andy said, “Well, when Sally and I were walking home from school yesterday .....”
The first police officer turned to his partner and said, “We’re outta here!”0 -
0 -
Can someone explain whats so great about local recurrence? Everyone post different stories. Is a new primary better or is local recurrence? I'm truly confused by all the stories I read? Also is it true the farther in years from first diagnosis the better?
0 -
0 -
Hi All, thank you for your kinds words. I am going to try and catch up.
I'm in the middle of chemo and getting nuelastin shots. I went to have an MRI today and had blood work done because I've been so sick. My white blood cell count was 73k. That's right, 73k. I know, very high. They didn't say anything and I noticed on the way home. Any one else ever have such a high count?
0 -
netty46 I am no expert but local would be better if say you had breast tnc and later recurrence in the breast again as opposed to lung or brain. So much more dangerous.
Bernie I want to see a moose and a whale in the wild. I need one of those wish lists to give me more hope everyday.
Kazzie - Welcome. I'm in the middle of treatment and was never given option except when iy came time for the Toxal, They said I could have Abraxane instead. First 4 were AC. I've had just one of Abraxane and it's been hell. Good news is that it is working.
Reality - 6 is a great year& happy birthday to her. I wish youe strength with the chemo. It's so so hard for some of us.
English Rose - ONE MORE!! so lucky. Pineapple is a tip, I've never heard. I love natural solutions.
How to cope with and/or prevent mouth sores:
-eat a yogurt daily, the good stuff with none of the too sweet fruit they put in
-brush teeth after every meal and any bite of food with a strange toothpaste & brush I am too lazy to look up unless someone really want to know
-gargle & drink baking soda
-vitamins: multi, D, omega 3, flax (going to add krill sometime soon)
They gave me the pink stuff when I still managed to get one under my tongue (is huge). I dab with a q-tip
0 -
Cocker: Thanks for that... printing it off and one for the fridge - great quote.
Hugs to all xx
0 -
Thanks for all the welcomes lovely ladies.....
Is Abraxene a form of Taxol?
I've ordered my wigs & scarves, booked an appointment to get my eyebrows tattooed & bought fake eye lashes (not sure if I'll be able to put them on though! LOL)!!
Trying to make the best of a shitty situation & help myself feel a it better when it happens....
Find out treatment plan on Thursday....hope everyone is doing ok & enjoying the weekend
Karen x0 -
Hello Queen Kong - my thoughts are with you. So sorry you have been so ill.
To all: sorry I was such a "downer" Thurs. eve. I met with my PNP yesterday. She sat next to me on the bed in the exam room, with tears in her eyes - she put her hand on my shoulder and asked me to please not stop treatment at this time. We hugged, cried, laughed.....
I agreed to try the following - Carbo. one Fri. - Gemzar the next- then a Fri. off, then repeat. All at 75percent drug strength. I also discovered why I feel so awful - I usually have high bp. This time it was 75 over 58!!! I have a jug of water in the fridge that I have to make myself drink each day to try to get pressure up. We did not use the infected port, so that was a relief. My PNP feels that I will feel more like fighting again once the bp is up and the port is healed. We will see....
What really did it for me was seeing a young father getting chemo yesterday with his wife, infant and toddler - I know I am fortunate that I am 58 and my children are adults.
Best wishes to all for a good weekend-
Sherry
0 -
Hello Kazzie - Welcome - This forum is awesome - I don't know what I would do without it.
You are in my thoughts,
Sherry
0 -
Dear Bernie - I am taking your advice of last week - I am going hog-wild for the holidays. I am not spending a lot of money, but selecting special gifts for people - gifts that will mean something to them and to me. I also allowed my 10 yr. old grandson to assemble and decorate my artificial Christmas tree. He did a great job and the cats are thrilled that it is up early. The love to play with the plastic ice cicles. All of my ornaments are cat and kid-proof! Thanks for your encouragement- as I shop, wrap and decorate, I think of you and your words. I am going to make the most out of every moment, holiday, birthday, etc.
Love ya,
Sherry
0 -
Hope - thinking of you today as my steroid kicks in- I have so many projects started and it's only 7 a.m. here. It's ok,though, as I do not have to leave the house today, so it will not matter when I crash around 2 with uncompleted projects all over the house. I live alone with three cats and a dog. As long as their beds are cleared, they are happy - me too! Have a good one,
Sherry
0 -
Thankyou Sherry....
And I'm so glad to read your post & know that you will try some more treatment....:)
Fingers crossed & (((hugs)))
Karen x0 -
Sherry,
58 is so young! Keep fighting.
My BP hit that low during AC. They panicked a bit and sent me to hospital for immediate echocardiogram to be sure my heart had not been damaged by the AC. That was in March and I ran the Race for the Cure in October. Ran it!
Molasses helped to recover my RBC level. I had Nuelasta for the WBC, which made me ache like crazy! But my RBC was quite low during chemo. I had to have two transfusions. I wanted a natural way to increase my RBC and my acupuncturist told me to take 1 tablespoon of molasses every morning. With in a week it started to recover! I mixed it into my plain yogurt but you could take it plain. It's worth a try.
You are in my prayers. I hope you feel stronger soon.
Theresa0 -
Gemmy - Molasses! What a great tip
0 -
I have finished chemo and rads beginning of Sept. I now have a heavy cold. Coughing up phlem. Worried that mets have spread to lungs. Am I being paranoid or should I get this checked out?
0 -
Thanks so much, Theresa (my son lives in Boulder - he loves it there) I put maple syrup in my yogurt every a.m. I will definitely try molasses!
Sherry
0 -
Hi everyone, I am having nail problems too. My last chemo was in August and my nails have been gradually lifting but one on my thumb finally lifted almost off. Bandaids to hold it on right now is all I can do. I finished 4 AC treatments and only 2 Taxotere before I caved in and could not do it anymore. I'm taking a daily vitamin for hair and nails but it didn't work I guess.
0 -
Hello everyone;
Have any of you (kinda personal)'got yeast infections? Geez...I can hardly walk. Makes me mad cause I have energy today. Onc gave me a one time pill and over the counter one time med! Just had nulasta yesterday too...never had a problem with that until now! Shooting leg pains....or could that be my first bout with the taxol I had on Thursday ? I don't know....one day at a time!
Gemmy: love the molasses tip
Suzette : I would have your cough checked out especially with the plem. I wouldn't worry as there is a ton of colds and flu going around! I've had a cough and they put me on an antibiotic. Much better now.
Happy weekend....fire in the fireplace, going to make a casserole tonight and got the new people magazine with the sexiest men in it. Who hoo!0 -
Hope - Yeast infections are awful - so sorry you have to deal with one. I used OTC cream to take care of mine. In fact, I just picked up a tube when I had my antibiotic script filled (infected port), as I know the antibiotics will cause me to have a yeast infection.
0 -
loveof critters - so sorry about your nails - I lost several toenails and fingernails - all was back to normal about three months after I stopped Taxol. I finished it a year ago - still have numb toes.
0 -
Darn - can't find the post now, but recall reading recently on this forum that someone has a bad cough and is concerned about lung mets - My humble advice - Advocate for yourself and push med profs to scan, xray, etc....I no longer have much confidence in my onc., but I really like my chemo center profs, so I stay with him. I am so glad I see the PNP three times a month and him only every 3 months. I can still see him sitting there at my first 3 mo. appt following lumpectomy and a path report that stated the tumor was triple negative, very aggressive and that I had an incomplete response to chemo. Wouldn't you think he would have done some type of scan? Nope - he said he takes the "wait and see" approach. Well, I waited and saw - a year after my lumpectomy, 6 lung lesions were discovered on a bone scan - yes - a bone scan I was having due to arm pain. a follow up CT scan and two bxs confirmed mets. My onc scrambed then - I had to start chemo immediately, even before a port was put in - he did not want to wait. Six lesions did not just suddenly appear - he should have scanned and found them a year ago! I have great insurance that pays for everything - there was no excuse to not order scans. Oh, I just love the excuse of "too much radiation" - My God, who cares after six weeks of five day a week radiation? What's another scan or two? Here's hoping that your cough is a cold or allergies - I did not have a cough. I still only have an annoying, nagging cough, but not bad. I do have a lot of pain in my lungs, though.
You are in my thoughts.
Sherry
0 -
Hopex3 - I had my first Abraxane (very similar to Taxol) 11 days ago after 4 rounds of AC. I too had horrid shooting leg pains. That's when the diarrhea started too. I think the lomital they gave me wasn't working even though they said I needed more which I did and it still didn't stop but when I started the Imodium in the middle of the night, it helped. No diarrhea today. TMI? I digress.
Yeast infections - I was was prone to these before chemo so I stay on top of it with yogurt, the good stuff with all the Lactobacillus acidophilus on a daily basis. I prefer Brown Cow mapleor grass fed if I can find it. I also found this great product called Yeast Guard which really helps if I feel a little irriatated. I hope that one time pill works for you.
Suz - yes, get the cough checked!
Reality - I couldn't agree more. You do need to advocate for yourself, knowledge is power and we can't just blindly trust medical professionals. How are the lung mets now? Going away? You can't get a new OC? Why am I angry right now? They said I couldn't have an MRI til all my chemo was done and I kept nagging for one and finally they gave me one which showed good results, just this past friday. I may not finish the rest of the chemo now which is killing me and go ahead with the surgery to see what the pathology is before continuing with more. I wanted this before I started the Abraxane.
A port can get a yeast infection? omg.
loveofcritters - so sorry about the nails, sounds painful
Gemmy - my BP runs low. When I was in the hospital last week they'd take my BP two or three times in row til they got it higher because they said the charge nurse didn't like such low numbers. What? I'm glad to hear your ran that race!
0 -
Netty - having been fortunate or unfortunate enough to have dealt with a local recurrence this May, 3.5 years after original diagnosis... here's how I understand it...
The main "good" thing about local recurrence is that it is not metasticized cancer, which means it is surviveable and operable. I had a lumpectomy and radiation to treat it. Since it chose to stay local and not spread to the rest of my body, this is a positive sign that it does not have the characteristics of a metastisizing cancer... I hope.
The bad thing is that it means that in spite of all the chemo I suffered through with my primary diagnosis, some cancer cells are resistant to AC/Taxol, which is the most powerful chemo out, according to the specialist I consulted. And the really bad thing of course is that cancer cells have been hanging out in my body for 3.5 years, up to who knows what.
A new primary, which still sucks, is a better overall scenario, because this means that hopefully the last tx wiped out all of the previous cancer and this would an unfortunate but treatable new cancer.
0 -
Queen Kong - So glad your scan turned-out well. I will not have one for awhile, so I do not know how the mets are doing. So sorry I was rattling on during my infection post - I don't have a yeast infection in my port, just a regular post-op infection. Ice helps with the pain from the infection and the antibiotics seem to be kicking in. It's the antibiotics that cause the darn yeast infection - so far I don't have one - will keep my fingers (or maybe legs, lol) crossed!
I know what you mean about chemo - I look at the IV bag and feel so guilty about what I am doing to my body. It is so ironic - I am killing my body to try to stay alive. Just does not make sense. I will be patient and do this carb/gem deal that onc is encouraging me to do, but if scans show the tumors in lungs are still growing, I will seriously consider stopping chemo. I know, easy to say now....
I am currently without a car, but searching for one. I have the money to get one - just not the motivation. I look on cragslist and send my adult son to check the cars out for me. I am seriously considering changing oncs. when and if I get a car. The only other onc center in my area is a very curvy, hilly one-hour drive away, so I will most-likely wait until spring to change oncs. as we have winter weather in the Adirondacks through early April.
You are in my thoughts Queen Kong,
Sherry
0 -
....Queen Kong - addition to previous post - My onc is a nice guy, but simply stretched too thin to give patients the individual attention they need. He is a professor at a college in VT. (2 hours from my town). He also works in a hospital in Vermont three days a week and travels to NY every Thurs. and Fri. to run the clinic here.
0 -
min - so sorry about your new primary. I know exactly what you mean about the resistance to AC/Tax. I did AC tax last year - post op path report stated, "incomplete response" to chemo, so those live cells were still traveling through me. So, only a year after lumpectomy, I have lung mets. My body is now rejecting Carb/Gem. Dosage has been reduced, but I am thinking that it really does not matter as I bet my next scans will show that the carb/gem, especially with reduced dosage, is not working. I do not mean to sound negative -I just know my body - I know that the lung pain, fatigue and shortness of breath are increasing. It's ok, though. At least I am trying what all the med profs are pushing me to do - when it does not work, then I can say "I quit". I really feel that my body is trying to tell me to stop. I truly believe I will find piece when I can stop chemo and just live every day to the fullest.
Sherry
0 -
Queen Kong - I agree! Brown Cow is awesome - especially the cream top one!. My little town does not have many stores at all, but it does have a great health food store - they carry Brown Cow.
0 -
The Wonder of it all:
1. IF the sport of choice for the urban poor is BASKETBALL.
2. IF the sport of choice for maintenance level employees is BOWLING.
3. IF the sport of choice for front-line workers is FOOTBALL.
4. IF the sport of choice for supervisors is BASEBALL.
5. IF the sport of choice for middle management is TENNIS .
6. IF the sport of choice for corporate executives and officers is GOLF.
THEN THIS AMAZING CONCLUSION:
The higher you go in the corporate structure, the smaller your balls become.
Therefore, one might conclude, there must be a ton of people in Washington playing marbles.0
