August 2010...anyone starting chemo besides me?!
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Kale: as I warm up to the idea of this vegetable, I have been perusing that esoteric area of the produce dept where all of those green vegetables are lined up, much like people in theater seating, being sprayed with water occassionally and awaiting a passerbys pick up! In any case, I am noticing there is a run on kale these days! It seems that quantities are sparse in the 4 grocery stores I have been to recently. Hmm.... In any case, I have been pondering consuming this vegetable and to obtain maximum nutritional benefit, my next plan is to eat it as is. I will post my findings!
In a completely unrelated issue, I was cleaning my office yesterday and found my old "City of Angels" soundtrack and the main reason I bought this was for "Uninvited" by Alanis Morrisette. So good to hear this song again...!
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Lizzy - Glad you like the chairs, wasn't sure if it was too much....hot flashes - I was outside flossing my teeth before bed in a t-shirt and shorts while hot flashing. DD came out for about 5 seconds, said she was freezing (it wasn't that cold) and went back in. Felt great to me...0
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Lady--so happy to hear the news. I'll be thinking of you next week through your surgery!
Hair--My hair has grown but like Sweeney said--looks like an 8 year old boy style (perhaps even shorter). I would love for it to be a bit longer. I noticed over the last few days that I need to put something in it (like gel or some product) to keep it from standing straight up--not the best look! I still wear a hat when it is cold but otherwise--just au natural.
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Mommichelle: I laughed when I read your post. It made me thiink of how people with baby girls go to such pains to do something with their hair: the headbands with bows, the "Pebbles" barrett at the top of the head. Maybe we should try some of these just so people will know we are girls
I can just picture a bunch of 40 & 50-something women sitting around with little lacy headbands on.Thanks for the well wishes everyone. It's storming here today, which makes for a good, lazy day.
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Lady - As long as we don't resort to binkies...0
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Hi everyone!!
As a joke for Christmas my kids stuffed my stocking with a bunch of those little bows that velcro in baby's hair, so if anyone wants to borrow some, just ask...LOL! I am approaching the stage too, where people entertain the idea that I might have purposely cut my hair like this...sometimes want to blurt out....No, had chemo!! But it is ten times better than no hair..so I will take it, even with the gray.
Lady: I was sooooo happy to hear the positive news!! I am sorry you have to have more surgery, and at the same time as you implant surgery, but I guess in some respects it is better to just do it all and get it over with so you can move on without any more surgery hanging over your head. And hopefully the chemo will go by quickly. Keeping you in my prayers for a speedy recovery. I will be thinking of you on Wednesday!
Texas: Rads is a pain, especially because it is every day, but it will be over before you know it. Keep studying!
Adey: Yay for two more rads....you are almost there!!! My skin healed really quick, so hopefully your discomfort will only last another week or so.
Sweeney: Great to hear from you again! I totally understand the demands of working, kids, etc! Pop in any time. I often get a chance to read late at night, but don't have the time to post, so I understand.
Lizzy: I don't know what about the Tamox makes the hot flashes worse at night. I am lucky in that I sleep through them mostly, by the time I wake up I am just all sweaty and wet!. I actually have been managing to roll over and go back to sleep too. But I understand, I think I spend at least 2-3 hours a night tossing and turning.
Omaz: That is a funny thought...binkies....LOL!
Sohard: Hi!! Nice to hear from you again!
Enjoy your day everyone!!!
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Rachel: Its funny you mention using gel to get your hair to stay down. I was actually thinking that maybe if I used some gel to make my hair stand up, I would look "chic" and "fashionable"! You know, like the runway models or something.0
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What the heck is a Binkie? (am I missing out on some hair trend???)
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Binkie is short for pacifier. My office mate has two little kids so we talk about binkies a lot!
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Ahhhh got it. I definitely still have chemotherapy brain!
I'm trying to get ready for an evening out and am still lamenting this extra weight I gained during treatment. I started WW but find the motivation hard. RACHEL- when u did it, how did u keep up motivation? Anyone else have any ideas?0 -
I wish I knew on the weight front. I put on about 15 - 20 pounds through chemo and have tried to really cut back the junk I have been eating. I gave up all junk food for Lent so I am being good so far...having trouble getting the exercise motivation or time.
It is frustrating, I feel hungry all the time and I am not really losing anything! I am eating, just nothing that doesn't have a nutritional value to it. I tell myself that exercise reduces chances of reoccurance, but I just can't find the time or energy to do it. Maybe once thing warm up a bit?On the SNL "Pat" thing - I actually told my husband the other day that I feel like I look like Will Ferrel when he dresses up like Janet Reno................
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Hi Sweeney--I joined WW again 2 weeks ago--I put on weight through chemo and definitely needed to get myself back on track. The weigh in each week keeps me honest
I'm a little disappointed with my weight loss so far (3lbs) but am sticking to it. My motivation is that I don't want to buy new summer clothes!!! Also, I signed up for a 5km on May 14th and am going to the gym to walk/run and gradually more run that 5km in some sort of decent amount of time (i.e. not the slowest person!). My Doc said this past week that she was not 100% on board with the WW idea as my body has gone through a lot over the last year with the rad hyst and then the bc treatment--she thinks it may take a lot longer to lose the weight--but I need some sort of motivation and weighing myself each week gives me that motivation to keep on track and go to gym (or walk outside). Not sure that I have provided any tips but....I'm in the same boat!Debbi--reason for the gel as my hair looks like some sort of fuzzy muppet so the gel helps to smooth it out...otherwise it looks god-awful.
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rachel - what kind of gel do you use?0
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"Guys, I finally did it!!!!! This is my hair photo (5 months post chemo)...notice the gaps in the eyebrows....lovely look!
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sptmm - Your color looks so good! It looks really healthy too. I can't see any gaps in the eyebrows.0
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Sptmm: looking good, woman! Your hair is coming in nicely and I have to agree w/Omaz about how nice the color looks. Very nice. Isn't it fun to celebrate our 1/2" hairdos with each other?!??! I never thought....!
I don't know if I can motivate people to eat right but, as you all know, I am studying biology. I am going to share this little excerpt that will keep you all exercising!
When more sugar is available in a cell than it requires, FAT DROPLETS found next to many mitochondria will produce fat (geez...thanks!). Then when an energy deficit arises, the mitochondria will break down the fat droplets to yield energy (keep exercising!). Excess fat droplets are transferred to specialized fat storage cells (yikes!).
SO, that is the biological disaster how fat is created! Also, the words of my gyn ring in my head "the bigger the fat cell, the more estrogen it can make." I did not realize my bc battle was going to lead me to study biology then to subsequently find out what is really going on and launch a war on my own body to try to negate estrogen production! So be it!
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Debbi---Your hair looks great....Hope mine will look similar at 20 weeks--I think mine will be slower growing...go figure because pre-chemo, my hair was so thick and grew so fast. Your colour looks great too!
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Wow tree pollen is high here. This is my first spring in Wa and I had to go find my generic allegra. MY husband has a cough since tuesday and cant speak either. I do not want what he has, I could live without speaking for a week but he can't lay down to sleep and is falling out of chairs in the night. I have to wonder if it is the pollen or a cold?
My hair is about 1/2 all over, finally has filled in a bit. I do have eyebrows and eyelashes again although they have brown in them and I was all white previously. I felt sort of invisible, like I had disappeared when all the markers on my head disappeared. It bothered me to look so blank, anybody else?
Lizzie I know exactly what you mean about studying increasing your function. I began grad school when I had all my kids still at home. My vocabulary and ability to reason increased like crazy, I loved it and sadly know most of it is gone now. Enjoy, I think you will love school and will be so good at it. You too Texas, go you!
Lady I am glad for your good news. Praying for your surgery and speedy recovery.
I am still falling asleep hours earlier than usual, my fingers and limbs feel like each has a piece of lead on it. Three days since rads ended soon this will pass. I go back to med onc on April 20, hope they will remove the port. I will be starting one of the post menopause hormone inhibiters then. I read every word you all wrtie about the HI's hoping I can avert some of the SE's.
Laters Ginger
PS yesterday was my 33 anniversary. I am looking at a big bouquet of happy flowers.
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Ginger-
I hope you and your DH are feeling better soon. Your 33rd wedding anniversary?! Wow...congratulations!! That is wonderful! Enjoy those flowers.I never lost eyebrows or lashes but I am sure that the "albino" look you describe is unnerving. That is a natural reaction. My eyebrows got light and I thought I looked weird then.
I can't believe you finished grad school with all your kids still at home! Holy smokes! That is a feat for sure.I am one of those people who will still be taking classes in my 60's (god willing I am still here!). In fact, after nursing my plan is to go back to law school, a long held goal. I figured nursing will be great and it will also help me earn enough to get through law school without much debt and then I can really be an advocate for our poor, elderly folks! They are so punted around our system. I have volunteered over the years and would very much like to be an advocate for those who's voices are squashed as they get on in years.
In any case, thanks for your well wishes. I appreciate it.
Are any of our bmx/mx folks having complete feeling under their arms, back of the arm etc...? I never lost feeling and, more to this point, I had a very talented surgeon. In any case, now with this wound packing, there is one point when I am packing that I feel like I am touching my lymph track or something. In any case, my nerves are aware I am in there packing is what I should be saying but the discomfort extends to my armpit. Great...just great!
Night all-
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I would like to recommend this book about lymphedema Lymphedema: A Breast Cancer Patient's Guide to Prevention and Healing
I am reading it now and it's easy to read, full of information and tips and very practical for us.
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Lady That is great news from your surgeon & onc! It is great you will be able to get the next surgery done at the same time as your implant surgery and I am hoping you will get good results.
Ginger I also lost the majority of my hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes. At the peak of it all I told DH that I thought I looked like Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter books/movies. I noticed today that my eyelashes are coming back in and I'm starting to get some eyebrows again just at the inside ends nearest my nose.
I met with a realtor today about selling our house since we are moving to Alabama this summer. There is so much to be done to "de-clutter" the house that I am feeling overwhelmed! The next few weeks will be very busy!
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Sptmm. That's some good coverage! Libraylil
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sptmm - I'm totally jealous of your eyebrows! I'm 4 months pfc and I'm just barely starting to see some brown eyebrow hairs come in. I have a few straglers left over from before, but they are completely white and you can't see them. I had really nice eyebrows before.
My eye doctor gave me latisse for my lashes, which helped a lot. They came in really nicely. But I want to stop drawing my brows on! I may leave the house without makeup, but I never leave the house without drawing on my brows!
On the hair front - I am definitely at the point where people think this is a haircut choice. But I have had nothing but positive reaction. It looks a lot like a pixie cut - I've been compared to Mia Farrow a few times. And yesterday, a complete stranger came up to me and said "I love your hair! I want to have short hair like that. So cute." I laughed so hard, and told her how I got my "haircut."
Has anyone else had nail trouble long after finishing chemo? I have one toenail that hasn't regrown at all since chemo. I've had to trim all my other toenails a couple of times, but my right big toenail hasn't grown at all. And now, at the base of the nail it is swollen and sore and yesterday, it started oozing a little bit of whitish puss. (Gross, I know.) Just wondering if this could be chemo related. I see my onc for Herceptin on Tuesday, so I will definitely ask then.
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Lisa I'm with you on the nails. I lost most of one toenail and some of another and my nails aren't growing like my hair is. They also seem more prone to fungal infections so I have acream form the podiatrist. I'm wondering what to do about sandals in the spring, I usually love having them polished but it's probably look funny with just 8! I wanted my onc to prescribe latisse but she wouldn't - said to just be patient. I've got stubby little eyelashes and I used to have great lashes.
lizzy I lost sensation after the bmx and didn't get it back. If dh rubs the back of my arms it doesn't hurt but it feels uncomfortable. Sorry the packing is causing discomfort ; maybe some pain med or advil if it's allowed would help.
ginger happy anniversary!
These implants are sore. It's been about 3 weeks but I need to wear a support bra around the clock for 6 weeks so I'm hoping they'll start to feel less like foriegn objects by then. I've already got rippling on the cancer side b/c the skin is so thin, but in the scheme of things I'm not to bothered by it. It's cold and windy here today - where is spring?
Carolyn
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Nails - When I was reading about taxotere in the beginning before chemo it said that the nail problems can occur after chemo ends.0
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Lizzy and ckptry I just had a lumpectomy and lymph nodes removed but I also have a weird sensation on the back of my arm on the affected side. For the first few weeks post-surgery it bothered me a lot but now it just feels uncomfortable if it gets rubbed, like ckptry said. My surgeon said it was due to the nerves in your arm being so close to the lymph nodes that they get disturbed when the lymph nodes are removed.
I have spent the whole day cleaning/decluttering and packing up things to go into storage so the house will look nice when we put it on the market. I feel like there will be nothing left to pack once it is time to actually move! I am exhausted but I feel like I made good progress today so I'm happy. Tomorrow I start rads and I'm hoping to get the house cleaning finished before I get too fatigued from rads - I hear the fatigue is worse towards the end of rads so hopefully I still have at least a couple of weeks of good energy to get this stuff done!
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Lady - that's awesome news! I think I told you before - my aunt is an ovarian cancer survivor....11 or 12 years now.
Texas - I hope so (re: the more "natural" approach). It's all so scary --I have a constant awareness that it "could" come back and that is frightening.....
Meanwhile, as we approach this time of year, does anyone find themselves thinking about the "ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY" and all the steps that happened when you first got diagnosed? We're coming up on April - I found my lump in April. Mammos and ultrasounds in May....breast biopsy in june, blah blah blah. I don't know - I almost dread this coming up time of year in a strange way. Does that make sense? It sort of reminds me of the whole beginning part of this. What really hurts about that also is that when I look back on the surgery and such-all of that, it's not like I think of it as highly traumatic (in retrospect) but rather that my dad was here at that time.
I get so sad sometimes about it - the other day I woke up crying and sat in bed and just sobbed. I had dreamed I lived back in my parents house when we were growing up and my dad was there. I hope this eventually gets "better" =-- right now I just miss him so much. It was so hard to sit in my adult Sunday School class today - he used to sit with me. It just hits at various times!Meanwhile....we've been working hard on our taxes - we are late getting them done this year and may have to file for an extension through the accountant. We're trying to get all the records together of stuff we sold over the year, ---when breast cancer "happened", I stopped keeping track of stuff the way I should have. Now we're scrambling.
By the way, did you know you can deduct not only your medical costs but 19 cents a mile for cancer treatment and medical? My cancer center is 18 miles away - but I never realized how often I was THERE!
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Jaw I also have the weird sensation on the back of my left arm. Glad to know what this is. it seems to heip temporarily if I gently massage with lotion. It has gotten better. Almost has the feeling of chapped skin, but under the skin. Good luck with rads. I completed 13 on Friday. So far so good, ,no skin problems. Libraylil
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Nails: One fingernail and one toenail have fallen off completely. The rest are black/brown/bronze, weird color and I've been told that means they are "dead" and will fall off eventually. I finished chemo in Dec., so 4 months PFC and the nail problems are just getting going. Chemo ... the gift continues!
Sptmm: Hair looks good! NIce and full. How did you get the pic to post?
Brows/lashes: You are lucky if you didn't lose these. Being bald is bad, but with no brows/lashes, you really look sick. I'm like Lisa, I don't go anywhere without some eyeliner on and my brows drawn on. You just don't have a face without some eyebrows!
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Hi Lady, I posted this earlier - here it is
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