August 2010...anyone starting chemo besides me?!
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Lizzy - I was told that BRCA affects both breast cancer and ovarian cancer. My grandmother died of ovarian (even after she had had her ovaries removed), my mother had breast, I had breast, which is why I took the test. It came back negative.
I just realized this week that my neuropathy is GONE! I had some remaining numbness and kind of dulled feeling in a couple of toes and fingers, but I can feel everything normally this week. Yay!
Has anyone else been told they should keep their hair this short? I've had 2 or 3 people tell me I should keep my hair like this. DH disagrees, but I'm not sure how I feel. I'll definitely let it grow a little more before I make a decision. It is really easy to take care of, though. I wash it once a week. :-)
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Lady: I thought of you tonight as Joy Behar interviewed Kathy Bates. I learned through this interview she is an ovarian cancer survivor. She said she had to keep it quiet because unlike breast, cervical etc..., in Hollywood ovarian could have been a career killer. She says now she is much more open and has recently done some PSA's on ovarian. Joy Behar made a good point in that if you have ovarian, you are lucky to find out and to find out early as there is no test for ovarian. It may sound silly but I had no idea there was no direct test for ovarian. In any case, it is a crappy dx but at least you found it, found it early and had the ooph which led to the findings. Today it may not seem so great but I do think you are lucky for catching it early and there may yet be a silver lining here
Lisa: all I know is since I have had no hair, and now this military buzz style, when I see women on tv with long hair, especially curly hair, all I could think is it looks uncomfortable and annoying. Like a few nights ago I was watching a show set in some humid, down south climate and this woman had all this curly hair and I was getting uncomfortable looking at it. I will let you know in a few months if I am going to stay short but I say do what feels good for you. I know men generally like longer hair so wear a wig once in a while! I saw a woman at Macy's a few weeks back with a super short cut and it just looked fabulous. I suppose if I can find a cut I like, I may keep it short. BTW, the easy-to-take-care-of thing is what is really leading me to consider staying short....and the savings on coloring, highlighting and shampoo!
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Lisa that is great news about your neuropathy. It gives me hope too. I am still numb, numb numb.
I have this fatigue from rads going on. I feel like I am filled with lead and move sluggishly about. I begin my 10 boosts tomorrow and go to a pt for a LE check on wednesday.
I hope everyone is doing well. Lady Bama I always keep you in prayer. I hope everyones colds and such are retreating. I just heard on TV that you can get strep throat from your dog. Now I want to know where is your dog going that he is exposed to strep? I will not give up sleeping with my pal Harry.
Seriously my dog is the least of my worries.
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Lisa - Great to hear your neuropathy went away, YAY!! Gives me hope too. Yes, many people have said I should keep my hair short. DH thinks it's really cute, DD likes to rub my head and instead of a baby eaglet apparently now I remind her of a puppy (much better!).0
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Nice pic Sue!0
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Lisa: Post a pic and let us see your hair. For that matter, everybody who has hair post a pic and give the hairless among us some hope that we WILL have hair one day. I've still got the GI Jane look and I'm 3 months out. But at least my entire scalp is covered now, I was worried for a while I was suffering from male pattern baldness.
How do you post pics? I never can get them to work.
I'm feeling better today, thanks for the good vibes.
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I can't post pics from my pc either. I don't see the browse choice in the insert menu. I only get the image URL choice. I use IE and Firefox.
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Lizzy Ditto what Lisa said about BRCA and OV CA. Having a BRCA mutation increases your risk for both breast and ovarian cancer. Here's some more info: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/BRCA
Hair I am only one month post chemo so I still don't have much hair yet but I have read some of the other threads about hair on these boards and it sounds like a lot of women end up deciding to keep their hair short after chemo. It seems like once you experience how easy and low-maintenance short hair is then it is harder to go back to having long hair! Before all this I liked having my hair between chin and shoulder length but I wonder if I will end up keeping it even shorter than that. And I agree with Lady, it would give me hope that my hair will return if I could see pictures of some of you gals with your hair back!
Lisa Good news on the neuropathy going away! Hopefully that will be the case for everyone!
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Lady..hope you feel better soon. Nothing like adding some flu to all the other stuff!
I had the testing done and it was negative. I had the testing more so due to my young age with two cancer diagnosis rather than family history. If you test pos....increases chances of ovarian issues.
Sleep....I finally had about 4 hours sleep last night...woo Hooooooooo! Hoping it will get a little easier as I feel tired and have a headache....my body doesn't do well with lack of sleep.
Hair...I am 14 weeks put from chemo and my head is covered with hair..it isn't terribly lo g but it seems to be coming in thicker now which is nice. I will try post a pic!0 -
all - I may stay with the shorter hair, I loved long but always had it in a ponytail with the kids anyway. However, I won't be keeping the mousy gray crew cut I'm starting to sport now - how soon before we can color?
Carolyn
Lisa -wanted to add you have a beautiful face so I think you'd look great either way. I think guys would get over the long hair thing if they ever had to mange it themselves for a week;-)
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Hi all!
I've been having some weird symptoms and I'm wondering if I'm in menopause. I turn 42 next month. First, my last period was in August, right after my first chemo; then it never returned. I had hot flashes on the chemo and steriods, but they tapered off in December and early January and even during the 3.1/2 weeks on the tamoxifen, I didn't really have an hot flashes.
However, about three weeks ago they started up again suddenly, as night sweats mostly. I have sudden vaginal dryness which I've never had in my life before! My eyebrows, which when they finally came in after chemo, came in thick and dark like overnight. I shaped them and they've pretty much maintained their shape and I don't see tons of new hairs growing back. Of course I'm using this Present Moment oil on my face and it is citrus based so it could just be lightening my brows- they are definitely a lighter color.
Anyway, I'm wondering if I'm in menopause. I guess I can get a blood test to find out? I am sorta hoping it will be a good thing - to reduce my overall estrogen (which I'm working to do through exercise and diet) and because having a period was always a horrific experience for me - they were SO heavy and long! My nutritionist wants a full hormone workup on me anyway so I'm hoping to get what he wants tacked on to whatever bloodwork I have so insurance will cover it.
Anyone else having similar symptoms? My last treatment was November 22...........
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Ginger -- strep is actually in many places. Many people carry it in their throats or membranes for long periods of time, just like we all carry bacteria, but it never "flares" up until your immune system is down and it takes over.
Not to worry-- strep is all over, probably least of which is the dog. So keep your immune system good and hit the doctor if you have sore throat. It's easily treatable!
Within 24 hours of the antibiotic you are no longer contagious.
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Lets try this. If you go to this link, there is a pic - probably need to copy and past it:
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ivMSFXTIS76l1yNFszzK48NJyu1K1nxN4Y6l_SLM6wY?feat=directlink
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Hi, I am getting my herceptin infusion right now, my onc office just got wireless this year.
Just got my prescription for tamoxifen. My onc nurse said that I have to be without periods for 1 year post chemo and then I can switch to femara (AI). So that means I will be on tam until December. I asked about the dose, everyone seems to get the same dose, 20mg, and she said they did clinical trials that show this was the best dose for everyone. Hummm. She also said that if you are estrogen positive and stop having periods during chemo and if they come back its best to make them go away again with some other meds. Any advice for me for starting the tam? Did any of you start slowly?
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Oh yeah, I also asked about what else I could do to prevent relapse. She said weight in normal range, eat healthy, probably not drinking at all is turning out to be best, take the anti-hormonals, exercise.
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Not as thick as I'd like this is 10 weeks post chemo
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Coming in Sue - nice eyebrows too!!0
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Sue- I am so jealous! (c:
2 months out and barely some fuzz, two and a half eyebrow hairs, and about 12 eyelashes!
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Adey - but you're not counting....0
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The hair I can wait on but I do miss my brows and lashes. I went to a Look Good Feel Better thing yesterday and they drew brows on me... I felt like Groucho! Happy Fat Tuesday. (c:
16 rads down, yay.
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Adey- those eyebrows are very thin for me, I am one with caterpillar brows normally. Yes my brows are super thick and they just about got down to nothing and as soon as they were about gone they started to come in, I should post a new pic. with my massive eyebrows.
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Massive eyebrows.... she says dreamily.....0
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Yeah I still just basically have two spots of brows. I can see the new ones a-comin but they are taking their time and apparently can't remember what it means to have color.
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Iowa: you have a lot of hair! Nice pic
Adey: counting lashes? I can barely see the money in my wallet! You must have some good vision, woman.
Omaz: tamox has been a non-event for me. I have been on it 2 weeks and all is well. I totally thought the 20-mg-1-size-fits-all was weird also. I just dumped the pill in my chops with my morning vitamins and synthroid and down it went....with the help of chocolate milk!!!!!!!! He he he!!!
Brows and lashes: one brow is kind of sparse, the other not so much. Eyelashes have been fine, thankfully. Truth be known, I do have some good, long lashes!
Gyn visit: she was cool, quick, easy going, near my age and all went well. She simply told me if the pap is good, I will get a card in the mail and see you next year. Oh yea, she also said BRCA+ should get oophs. We also talked about fat cells and their desire to make estrogen and the exercise connection to knocking down estrogen is intense exercise. She likened it to a track runner in high school with very little body fat and intense workouts. She said they will have very little body fat and therefore their bodies don't have the opportunity to make estrogen. Geez, I can't wait to finish nursing school as my new avid interest is in the human body and how it works! She also said tamox is well worth any SEs as it's benefits far, far outweigh the SEs for us bc girls.
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Onc nurse said today that tamox reduces whatever risk of relapse you have after your earlier treatments by 50%.
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Medically we all had a pretty expensive year, no doubt, and the following is a reminder about write-offs and how much your medical expenses would have to exceed as percentage of your income etc..., as follows:Deductible medical expenses include payments to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent disease. They are deductible to the extent that they exceed 7.5% of adjusted gross income, or, if the taxpayer is subject to the alternative minimum tax, 10% of AGI, said Stephen Dale, a Walnut Creek attorney and member of the Special Needs Alliance, a nonprofit group made up of attorneys specializing in disability law.
So, if you have $50,000 in adjusted gross income, your medical expenses can be deducted if they are more than $3,750 or $5,000, respectively.
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For the second time in two days, I typed a long post and I got kicked out when I went to submit. Anyone else having problems?
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Lizzy - the exercise connection is more than reducing body fat; exercise reduces circulating estrogen as well. The studies I read weren't so much about reducing body fat (although that in and of itself is a seperate risk reduction). It was about reducing estrogen through exercise and helping to restore hormone balance (progesterone to estrogen, etc etc). It can reduce a recurrence up to as much as 35%. For tamox, as far as benefits outweighing "any" side effects, I would argue that. It upsets me when medical professionals make blanket statements without ever having to have gone through it themselves. While tamoxifen greatly benefits most women, I can testify that I will never, ever EVER go back to the place I was with the side effects I had in early January. If God takes me out of this world earlier than I would have chosen because of BC then so be it, at least I will have quality of life...I will not go back to where I was on that drug. I know I'm the exception but I also found out that I was not alone in my tamoxifen torment when I did some research on line. For example, some people are majorly allergic to something as simple as amoxicillin; so while it benefits MOST people, it doesn't benefit ALL people.
I'm hoping that I am in menopause now and at some point next year I can go on something for post menopausal women. But until then, having lived inside my own head and my own body with tamoxifen, I just can't and won't do that again.
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