August 2010...anyone starting chemo besides me?!
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No pain for me.
The real test for pain will be in 3 wks when I have DIEP, praying for little pain through that. My biltmx was painless I hope I can get through the next surgery half as well. My husband thinks I don't experience pain like most lol he watch as they tattooed me and I kept asking him if he wanted just a small pink ribbon somewhere and he just kept say no, no ,no lol I thought it was the least he could do.
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Iowa: Love the Tattoo!!! I agree, after all you went through the least your DH could have done was a small pink ribbon. Oh well, maybe some day. I have a feeling you will sail through the DIEP!
Libralil: Love the assessment of the docs! I never assessed my docs hotness, but you are right, they do each begin to have very distinct personalities after a while. Interesting, I think I will give it a try:
Surgeon: Short, curly salt and pepper hair. I would say prob in early 50s. Very nice man, love my surgeon. Good lumpectomy results considering the large tumor and margins. Very caring and sweet. Always tells me I am doing a good job, he is proud of me. Very supportive. However, I will tell you in the office he is lost without his nurses telling him where to go...a little "nutty professorish".
Med Onco: Actual oncologist is mid 50s, tall. Nice, but definitely a little rushed. I like to see his nurse practitioner. She is the same age as me, very nice, and very patient. Will sit with you and answer questions for as long as you want. Gives real practical advice...she is a woman..she gets it. Also, when talking to her you def get the impression she is looking out for you, not looking to cover her ass. Very honest about what she thinks you should do and exudes an air of trust. Perfect balance between education and compassion the two of them are.
Rad onco: Woman, probably in her early 50s. Very nice. Very much that lab rat nerd type like you described. Loves the "science" of rads and will explain it to you forever..LOL. Called me personally with my mammo and cytology results, at 7 at night so I wouldn't worry. She makes you feel like you could call her office for anything...really welcoming.
All in all, I like the team.
Debbi
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Ginger - yes, unfortunately many of us have already had one or more scares like that. I also had to have a rib series due to pain. The pain of course is gone now _thankfully!) but it scared me while it was there.
Now my left knuckle hurts and I don't know why. It feels like arthritis - but it comes and goes - cold brings it out, heat makes it better. I don't know - that waiting and "finding" I think is the worst part of cancer....
I cannot bring myself to feel under my armpits - I'm so terrified of finding something........I KNOW tha'ts wrong, but I can't do it - last time I felt that lump at my collarbone, I was zero to 60 for a couple of weeks until we found out and it was super scary. Everything I found online was bad about swollen nodes a the collarbone! =:O It turned out to be nothing.............but still it was horrible.Carolyn-about the Easter Bunny - I got up at 5:50 on Friday morning, franticially stuffed like 100 eggs with candy when I saw that they were calling for rain the next day, went outside and hid them all over the property, ran back inside totally psyched and woke my 7 year old. I told him I went to let the chickens out and there are eggs all over the place and I showed him on. He lifted his head, one eye open and said "No offense mom, but I don't believe in the Easter Bunny anymore.".
ROTFL!!! But when he saw there was candy in it, he quickly got his sisters and brother up and they were outside scrambling! They had fun - so did we! I came inside and went back to bed
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lil I'm jealous! I have a female onc and bs. My male ps is very cute w/ stunning blue green eyes, but there was a rumor he had an affair when he first started at SK (still married so I guess it was sorted out) but that dials down the hotness factor for me.
Sue good for you on the tattoo. I'm a chicken. My ps said he can do tattoos but pasties are starting to look good to me. I can suprise dh. As a matter of fact I have some star wars decals from easter eggs we made yesterday....maybe princess Leah
Happy easter all - off for an easter egg hunt with the neighbors:-)
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sptmm - I have the same set of care-givers pretty much. Physical appearances/age a little different but basically the same! I really like to see the med onc PA, in addition to the way you describe her (!) she is also fun and likes to laugh. She also puts up with me because I am a bit of a pain in the a**.0
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Posted hair at about 5 weeks post chemo and a little dark ash blond (temporary) from lady clairol.
Whew, glad I've not been branded as a weirdo/pervert:) When I have to miss work on Friday I always tell my friends, don't worry I'm having my own "fun friday" and I'm going to be topless.libraylil
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You hair looks great lil!0
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To all who celebrate, Happy Easter!
To all who do not, happy Sunday!
Sptmm: finally some nice weather!
Good day, all-
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Happy back at ya Lizzy!0
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Started Tamox on Good Friday, wish me luck!
Happy Monday all.
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Iowa: Great tat!
Ginger: Glad you are ok! And that you didn't have to wait too long for test results.
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JSW: When do you move? Have ya'll found a house in Bham yet? You know you'll have to become an Auburn fan when you move
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Adey: best of luck on Tamox. Except for the hot flashes, it has been a total non-event for me. I saw my sister's SIL recently and she, too, had bc, went on tamox for 5 years and tamox did not affect her at all. Plus she is 6 years w/no recurrence.
On a more important(!) issue, how do you like those "Shape Ups" now that you have had them for some time with them!?!?!? Do you believe they work? I think they work but they keep working the same muscles so, like everything else, after you use them for a while, those muscles have adjusted. Now, what will be really cool, but perhaps not orthaepedically correct, is when they make a Shape Up where the sole changes daily to work different muscles! Of course, over time, that too will max out but it will take a longer period of time!
Stay well, woman, and have a good day-
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Iowasue Great tattoo! I am so wimpy when it comes to pain that I don't think I will ever have the nerve to get a tattoo but yours looks great.
Lil Thank you for the thorough assessment of your docs! Your hair looks good too, it is really coming in. Mine is getting better but still not as thick as I would like. I can still see a lot of scalp, especially on the sides. I'm getting really tired of hats, though!
Adey Good luck with the Tamox! Hopefully you will not have too many side effects.
Lady We will probably be moving in July sometime. Our house here just went on the market so we're not sure when it will sell but we want to get settled in Birmingham by early Aug at the latest. We'll be going up in a month or so to look for a place to live.
21 rads done, 13 to go!
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Hi all!
Thanks for consoling me about my scare. I was simply breathless while waiting.
I spent Saturday evening and Easter in bed with food poisoning. Only getting up to get to the bathroom. I was to the point of barfing while laying down. Never did that before. I spoke to the triage nurse at the Seattle Cancer Care alliance and she advised me to take some of my antinausea meds which I did. Still I barfed. Now I have eaten and drank 1 cracker and about 8 OZ of liquid. My sides and abdomen hurt like crazy and I am afraid to eat in case I would barf again.
I am SO GLAD that I waited for my husbnd to return before starting Arimidex or I would have thought the food poisoning was a SE. I will wait a few more days to begin.
My friend arrives tomorrow for ten days and I hope I feel better by then to go to the airport to pick her up. It will be nice to hang out with someone who knows me well. Like haingin out here has been!
JSW19 good luck with house hunting. I think the prices are good where you are looking.
Lizzy, I didn't try those shoes because my Birk's began giving me foot problems. A foot bed like those in Teva's work very well for me. I don't know about doing anythingmore for me but not hurting my feet scores really big with me! BAck in the day I used to wear th9ose ankle high mocassins, reddish brown color with fringe. Haha old hippie here.
Calamity sorry you are having knuckle pain. Trying heat sounds good to me, and a little arthritis would be the likely suspect at your age. Maybe you were using it in a way it didn't like and is letting you know.I have some in my knees. I had a torn miniscus and just didn't want to hear it when the Doc said I also had arthritis and even showed me the little peaks on my bones. I suppose we all get some and it has to start sometime. I know what you mean about not wanting to do checkson myself. I found my lump when I had an itch while watching a video. I totally mindlessly reached across with my left hand to scrach the outside of my boob. There it was, a hard area that I had never felt before.
Have a good week my friends, no lumps or bumps and sunshine everywhere!
GInger
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Hi Ginger - How is your numbness doing these days?0
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JSW: UAB (Univ. of Ala. at Bham) is a comprehensive cancer center, the only one in the state of Ala., so you'll be able to get some great care when you move. I always used St. Vincent's (main) hospital, and they too have great docs. Most of the docs and hospitals in Bham are great because there is competition among the best so it keeps them on their toes! There are also some nationally known chefs and restaraunts in Bham, which is something most people don't know about the area. It's really a pretty cool place to live.
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Still numb but the pain has died down almost completely.
Now. following the day of vomiting I have diarrhea that is uncontrollable. Lovely, discription will not follow. Any hints on what to take besides Imodium would be good. I have tons of drugs but don;t know which ones will plug me up.
Hugs GInger
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Hey all- I have gotten on and read through the posts but didnt have time to actually post yesterday...
I just wanted to share 2 things- COMPLEATLY DONE WITH RADS- THE BOOSTS WERE A BREEZE! the gals over there were so nice i got a couple of gifts and a cert of compleation and a card where everyone signed it
Second i had to go to the laundry mat last night and as i was sitting waiting ofr the clothes to dry a woman walked in and complimented me on my "haircut"! She said that i looked good with that look and could pull it off!!!! So i gues my hair is thick enough to pass as a hair cut and not a re-growth!
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Congrats Texas on both accomplishments!! Finished with rads, and now looking like you cut your hair short on purpose!!!
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TR- Congrats on "real" hair and finishing rads!
Ginger- Healing vibes.
Lizzy- I don't have shape ups but have had MBTs for years, love 'em. They help with foot and back pain. Yay for the clean brain. (c:
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MBTS???
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http://us.mbt.com/Default.aspx?lang=en-US
I only buy them when I find them on sale, like at Footwear Etc. (c:
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Adey - never heard of them, will have to check those shoes out.0
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Is there some sort of mind blowing stomach virus going around? This has been the worst I have ever had, virus or food poisoning, bar none. After 12 Imodium I am finally stopped. Nurse at hospital said oharmacist said I could take up to 14 in 24 hours if necessary. It was beyond necessary. Now my husband is feeling like he has a bad gastrointestinal upset. I asked him to please sleep with a bucket at his side tonight.
I am so glad I didn't start the Arimidex or I would have thought this was a horrible side effect!
My most favorite good to my feet shoes ever were Mephisto two strap sandals. Followed closely by my Teva's of the trail sort, which are super from day one.
My friend arrived for a ten day visit today. I hope she doesn't get sick too. Unless this actually IS food poisoning and my hubby is just having a bad tummy day.
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Hi all --
Well, it seems as if "it's back" - my cycle's started up again. I feel so bloated I'm ready to explode and I feel like I could get my period at any moment. I have all the signs and symptoms of having ovulated about two weeks ago and now I feel like my period's coming......I must say that I was sort of happy to be in menopause.......and now that I"m not, well, UGH. I'd rather have the hot flashes and night sweats than a period again, but that's just me. Plus the increase in estrogen is frightening to me........
Meeting with the osteopath on Monday and hoping he can recommend an integrative oncologlist who might be able to give me some truthful options such as the lupron shots, etc.
Hoping everyone is having great Spring weather! We've been having hot and rainy in NJ, although yesterday we had some great sun, finally!
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Good luck with the osteopath Cal, I know you are concerned about estrogen, as many of us are! Were you talking earlier about kale drinks? I am thinking of getting a 'masticating juicer' so I can make those. Do you do that?0
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Omaz- i also am thinking of getting a juicer
my worry is that i buy the dang thng and never use it like so many of my other kitchen gadgets!Who owns a juicer and how often do you really use it?
kel- i had 1 period since chemo, and no more
its prob the tamox keeping it away, its so weird cuz i feel like i am ovulating, bloated and everything with nothin else and its not in a reg pattern like it should be...0 -
Lady I'm actually getting really excited about our move to Birmingham. It really does sound like a cool place to live and my surgeon and med onc have both said I will get great care at UAB. That is one thing that Tallahassee lacks - a big university hospital.
Texas Yay for finishing rads! I have 11 to go, only 3 more regular ones then 8 boosts. I had a CT yesterday so they could make the plan for the boosts. And that is awesome that you got a compliment on your hair! Mine isn't quite thick enough yet for me to feel comfortable going "topless" but I am getting close.
Ginger I'm sorry to hear you've been feeling so sick! Hopefully you will be feeling back to normal soon and you can enjoy your visit with your friend!
Cal I just got my period back this week too, it started on Sunday. At first I was happy that my body was getting back to "normal" but then I very quickly got to the point of "ok, I forgot how annoying this is!" I haven't started tamox yet since my onc wanted to wait until after rads so I guess we'll see what that does to my cycle. I hope you are able to find a good onc that you can talk to about lupron and other options.
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Good day chemosabes and radicals:
I have some sort of head cold. I am going to have to go to the doc but I am going to wait another day or 2 and see if my body can fight it off. Oh well...could be worse! At least the weather is getting nicer!
JSW: congrats on being nearly done with rads...almost there! As for cycles, no sign of any of that here. No pains, no bloating etc... Oh well...perhaps it is gone for good! OMG...funny story: I was in a meeting a few nights ago and I was having hot flashes. I was fanning myself with some of the literature I was given. The woman conducting the meeting asked me if I was ok etc... and I explained hot flashes and I will be fine. She then remarked I look way too young for hot flashes and I responded "very long story" so she moved right along! Of course, I was wearing a tank top and the humongous dressing for the hole that I have to pack where my left boob used to be showed...I think everyone started coming to their own conclusions!
Ginger: young hippie here! Seriously...my stepsister and I besieged my father to take us to get those moccasins back in high school! For a while those and Timberland boots were in! So weird! I cannot believe I wore those and actually walked in them...there is ZERO support!!!! I also wore these sneakers called "Balloons" which could be purchased at a shoe store called "Thom McCan" or something to that effect. In any case, again, zero support.
I am so glad your scare was just a "scare." Very good news. Now the bad news is that stomach virus/food poisoning you are suffering with. I hope you and your DH are feeling better and forbid it is a virus and your poor visitor gets it and for this reason I hope it was food poisoning.
Teva makes great shoes. I have had a few pairs over the years and an orthopedist put me on to them years ago.
As for the numbness, sorry that is still there but the pain being gone is always nice. I am pretty numb on the outside of my right thigh. I don't know if that was chemo or something else and I don't have diabetes so it is definitely not the very common diabetic neuropathy. I realized it just a few nights ago when while minding my business eating salmon at the bistro table in my kitchen, my little cat Bibbers was busy trying to get my attention and she was giving me little claw taps to the leg with her double paws! I did not feel it so much and realized later, somehow and someway, I am somewhat numb in that leg. To hell with it I say because there is NO way I am going to go asking questions about that now! Forget it! I cannot deal with any more new stuff/new docs/new dxs period. Not for a while.
Ckptry: how are you feeling these days? I hope you are feeling better. I also think, and to condition yourself, you should ask one thing of one person each week to condition yourself for accepting help. It is like any other kind of training, after all!
Tex: CONGRATS on being done with rads! Also very nice that you can now get compliments on your short hair and no more stares of sympathy!
Adey: now I remember...you got Frankenhusband shape-ups, right?! I was not familiar with MBTs although I will check them out. How are you feeling these days? Getting used to tamox?
Omaz: how is it going? Is the dosage, taken once daily, seeming to help? I spoke with the APRN yesterday about hot flashes. She said a mild antidepressant might help. I am going to consider it b/c those hot flashes are keeping me up all night. A masticating juicer, I think, is necessary with things like Kale. The other option is to use a traditional blender and chop it very fine. Masticating juicer = much easier!
Kel: good luck and I hope you do find someone creative enough to give you options. I just think that is the very least we can expect of these docs.
Well, I hope you all are enjoying some Spring weather and being good to yourselves. If I was not sick, I was going for my first facial in months on Friday. I am only pretty sure I will be rescheduling!
Good day-
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