August 2010...anyone starting chemo besides me?!
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Lady: big prayers and best of luck to you tomorrow. I wish you the very, very best.
Iowa: congratulations on your new date. That is a big jump and puts this so close to being over, I am excited for you ! My port is out April 20th.
Ckptry: I am 3 weeks on tamox and I just get hot at night. TMI but I sleep nearly nude and with a fan on every night. I am just hot but no sweats. I really thought tamox was for us HER2- girls. The entire experience you are having sounds just awful. A number of women similarly situated swear by those remote control fans Omaz told you about. Walmart online and you should have it in a few days.
I am trying to teach my old a$$ biology! I am reviewing/relearning for the nursing entrance exam. it is a lot. I am taking advantage now because not only do I have my port removal in April but I also have 2 new docs to add to the mix: dermatologist for all the mysterious crap on my skin post-chemo and physical therapist to tell me what my limits are. In addition, I have about 5 other appointments that month...ugh.
Japan: I feel so bad. I speak some Japanese and if I was not so knocked out and about by this lovely, entire bc experience and I did not have a big hole where my left boob used to be and a 3" gash where I have the dubious experience of accessing it twice a day for packing and unpacking purposes, I would have definitely volunteered to go to Japan to help. I already have freakin' bc so what is the big deal with some rads exposure?! Last night on the news they were remarking how *no one* was killed in Three Mile Island...no, not that day at least. I love the way they grotesquely twist the truth to further their, in this case, nuclear agenda.
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BTW: areas of my skin feel like aligator skin. I scrubbed my butt so hard with loofah I think I made it bleed a bit! The alligator skin did not go away either
That is just one of the post-chemo reasons for a trip to the derma. 0 -
Lizzy - Glad you get your port out in April, that will be nice. If you have questions about biology you can PM me, I may be able to help
Big science person am I!0 -
Lady - Prayers coming your way for a clear path. I hope they got all of it last time!
Omaz - I am in a show right now - a musical about Rasputin. (They can make a musical out of anything!) Then in April I start rehearsals for Assassins, a musical about everyone who has tried to shoot a president. (Again, they can make a musical out of ANYTHING.) Then in June, I start rehearsals for a play - a ghost story that a friend of mine wrote. She wrote the part for me. :-) I guess I'm back to my life...
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Lady: Just wanted to stop in and wish you all the best tomorrow. I will be praying really hard for a good path report!
I have been super busy so I haven't been able to respond to you all, I am sorry. We are going to the circus tomorrow night but I will weigh in with everyone on Thursday.
Have a great day tomorrow!
Debbi
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Hi,
Thanks for the support everyone. JSW - I hope I didn't frighten you about the tamoxifen. My mom took it without any side effects so I was hoping to be the same. One of my friends is a chemo nurse and told me women tend to notice less side effects over time. I will definitely get the fan - I woke up feeling very hot today so maybe it will help! For now I'll just try to take it a day at a time.
lady - you are in my prayers
Carolyn
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ckptry Oh don't worry, you didn't frighten me about the tamox. I am just curious to see what my personal side effects will be, it seems like here in our group we have had the whole range from minimal side effects to very severe. And I just wish the research was advanced enough to tell us if tamox is really necessary or not for HER2+ gals. As I have mentioned before I still want to have kids and at some point I am going to have to decide if I will stop tamox early to do so or if I'm going to take it for the full 5 years and then try to have kids at age 39. But then if it turns out that tamox is not even providing me any additional benefit I will be mad. So that's my own personal drama related to tamox.
In other news, last night my DH looked at my head and said oh, your hair is starting to come back. Then he said he is actually a little sad about it because he has enjoyed having more hair than I do. His hair is already receeding and thinning out on top so he will be bald sometime in the future and I think he is a little jealous that my hair is growing back. It is still really short and patchy, though. I tried to take a picture of it last night but it is still mostly that pale hair so in the pictures I still looked completely bald.
Lady I am sending good vibes your way for a good surgery and an all clear path report. I hope all goes well and we look forward to hearing from you again when it is over!
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Hi all, anyone have chemo brain damage? I swear my brain is in slow motion since chemo. Sometimes I have a hard time finding words, scary. I hope it comes back.
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Lady: hope you are doing well, woman! Let us know how it went today.
Omaz: I will undoubtedly be taking you up on the offer of bio help! I just found out today I don't have to take algebra...yay! Although it is part of the NCLEX so I must still study. I am just glad I don't have to take the course again. I might not have to take bio either b/c I took it in undergrad...some 20 years ago! Honestly, b/c of the age of the class, I might have to take it again and it would have to be this summer, a 1 month deal. I continue to study bio, however, as it is going to be a good basis for anatomy and physiology. I never thought I could skip over bio with my 20 year old credits, as it is very understandable pre-req, but even if they accept the class I took 20 years ago, I will still be reviewing all summer as the information is a necessary basis for the program I am embarking on. You might understand this also: last night I was reading about the many, many layers of cells and thinking how very complex they are. When I say off-handed things about not having a cure for cancer, I will be reminded of my studies that showcased just how complex the entire "cell" system is.
Iowa: I am doing crosswords each day. It is helping but today I went all the way to the grocery store and FORGOT my wallet! That is not a good sign!
I never thought I would say this but I think I am going to miss being hairless compliments of chemo! My scalp felt so smooth and my face, without my ethnic-induced facial hair, was so nice and smooth as well. I just got out of the shower and I can feel my mustache trying to make a comeback as well as my side of face hair aka my beard!!!! I am also not looking forward to waxings!
I was talking to an older friend of mine recently and I suddenly realized a benefit of having had a bmx (with her help!) which is no nipple hair!!!!!!!!!!! WHOO HOO!!!!!!!!
Time for Idol!
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iowa I believe our brains will eventually return. I also grope for words at times. It ain't pretty. I was an avid reader and still cannot get myself engrossed in anything more difficult that an ipad game. I'll start a book over and over, just doesn't compute if I put it down for a while. Crosswords, I do ok. libraylil0
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HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY EVERYONE!!!
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Sue Yes I totally have chemo brain and I don't think the tamoxifen is helping. I can tell b/c sometimes I miss mistakes on my son's kindergarten. I've been told it gets better with time. I next see my oncologist in about 6 weeks and if I'm still feeling this ditzy I'll ask if there's anything they recommend and let you know. I love to read and used to read several books a week after the kids were in bed. I am struggling there, but during AC I could only read magazines so I guess it's slowly getting better.
I towel dried my hair when I got out of the shower and when I looked in the mirror I looked like Mr Heatmiser. It stands straight up on it's own:-)
Carolyn
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knees - When my mom comes to visit from out of town she always complains about how low our toilets are. She wants us to replace them with taller ones. I used to think that was silly until now. Everytime I lower my butt to the seat my knees hurt. Never had that problem before! The 'feel like a 90-year old thing' I guess!0
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Can anyone remember how to post pic here? I finally got hubbie to take pic of my hair yesterday but have tried a couple of times but doesn't work.!
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Happy St. Pat's indeed, Deb! 60 degrees!!!!! It is so nice to open the windows and get outside!
Adey: 60 in Chi town also....hope you are enjoying it, Ms.-almost-finished-with-rads!
Good day to all-
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BTW, I heard on E! a few nights ago that Kate Winslet, Katherine Heigl and some other starlette (forgot her name) have embraced short, blonde dos!!!!! YAY! At least we won't be abysmally out of touch with trends (not like after a year of battling bc we care!).0
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Lady - How did things go yesterday?0
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Hi all, I'm home. Surgery went well. The gyn onc said everything looked good to him, but we won't have the pathology report until nest Monday or Tuesday. I'm pretty sore, but doing good other than that. You ladies are the best! Thank you for all the prayers and good vibes sent my way. I'll write more when I'm more alert.
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Bama, the everything looked good sounds like good vibrations from the gyn onc. We're all sending positives your way. Get well. libraylil0
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60 in Iowa too, very lovely!!!
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Lady That is good news from your surgery and hopefully the path report next week will be all clear! I hope you have a restful weekend.
I had my second every-three-week Herceptin dose today and my onc seemed a little surprised to hear that I was not having any problems with heart palpitations or other heart related problems. I am also excited because my hair seems to really be growing now, it seems like every day I see more of the darker stubble. Still very short and nowhere near full coverage but getting better every day. Right now it is mostly on the top and back, the sides are still just the really pale hair so DH says I will have a mullet!
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Lady: glad to hear everything went well! More prayers going your way for good path results. I am glad you checked in.
JSW: I wonder why your onc was surprised? That is odd. I know I did have heart palpitations with adriamyacin. Isn't it exciting that the hair situation is getting better every day?! Very, very exciting!
Texas toast?!??! where have you gone? I hope you are ok, girl. I get nervous when I don't hear from you. I hope all is well. Perhaps you are on a cruise with Gingerbrew and Calamtykel who are both conspicuously absent also!
My hair is coming in so today it is like 65 degrees in CT, clearly not knit cap weather. I go out with a baseball cap on and the tshirt I was wearing was low cut (who gives?! I don't have any freakin' boobs!) and I thought nothing of it. Well, I am at CVS checking out and the cashier, as she is giving me my change, says I wish you a speedy recovery. I responded by saying 'wow, is it that obvious?' and she just smiled. I did not realize my tshirt was cut so low that the humongous bandage that I have to tape over the open wound every day was SHOWING and that coupled with the lack of hair under my baseball cap and she had all the info she needed!!!! It is an awkward feeling when someone notices but I am not spending another second, in 60-70 degree weather, in knit caps and shirts up to my neck! Oh, the joys of the remains of bc. I am so looking forward to enough hair so no one will know I had chemo!
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I don't even know what to say about the checkout lady Lizzy!
Did you get to the dermatologist yet?
Is your wound healing, can you tell??
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Omaz: dermatologist in April for my patches of alligator skin around my body, a dark red circle that has been on my calf since chemo ended and a black mark on my face that showed up out of nowhere early 2010 and is unlike the other moles (*beauty marks!*) I was born with. I had a dermatologist appt the week I was dxd w/bc and just never got there. When I asked my onc/aprn if my bc chemo would have killed a skin cancer she said no, it is a completely different ball game. That surprised me. Chemo kills everything, I thought, damn near including us!
The wound is gross! It is healing but I still pack it twice a day and green stuff and blood are all over the packing gauze every time I take it out. I can't believe how infected it is and was all through chemo. I am really surprised I did not die, to be honest. An infection that bad and going through TAC, which is one of the most rigorous chemo regimens, and I am still alive?! I guess my work here is not done yet...! I am surprised it did not go septic thereby causing the oft times life-claiming septicemia especially while on chemo. I don't know how I made it through...I really don't. All that heavy breathing during chemo was not the chemo at all but rather this TE and all the associated fluid around it that had gotten so big it was pressing on my lung cavity and right after chemo, when the infection really went nuts, is when I would have breathing problems which led me to believe it was chemo. What a mess.
So how is life in LE land? I hate that you got that crap. I really do. Keep working out and stretch, stretch, stretch. I was stretching last night, while watching Jersey Shore (not sure the 2 should be done together as I almost choked from laughing!), and I am feeling less and less tension in my lymph node string/strand/line (I like to think of them as subway lines!). I wish you the best. I certainly think the cording is very manageable. Be well, my friend.
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Lizzy - Man, sorry they can't just fix that area and make the infection GO AWAY! Sheesh. MY LE therapist is helping me with the cords stuff and I crabbed at the prosthetics place for ordering me a too small sleeve. They ordered me another one. Grr. It's about 85 degrees here today, I am thinking of pumping up the blow up pool out back!0
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Omaz: I am such a joker as this winter was bad and I have really been dancing with the idea of moving to FL (or Ireland as I have dual citizenship) but when you mention 85 degrees I suddenly think "CT is not so bad!" Go blow up that pool!0
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The weather here is really nice and my hair is growing in steadily. I am thinking it is time to go without caps etc. See if I am brave enough?
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Question: Some type of setting seems to have gottten changed on the board for me. Previously, when I logged in, it took me straight to the newest addition to the board, the last place I had left off reading. Now it just takes me to the top of the page and I have to page down and find where I left off. Has this changed for anyone else and is there a way we can change it back?
Hope everybody has a good weekend. My DH and stepkids just left to go out on the lake. I'm about to take nap #2 for the day
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lady - My setting changed as well, it's annoying. Might have happened when they did some updates early this week. Maybe they will fix it. How are you feeling??0
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Lady - don't know how to solve your problem. I had set up to get email notifications of new posts and now I am not getting them so something must have changed. I going to try removing email notifications then adding them.....
First two days back at work weren't too bad. I miss having my little dog by my side or in my lap though. Poor baby will be alone most of the day next week as DH goes back to teaching.
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