Australian Sisters
Comments
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Kate, the thing to remember is that it does pass and resonably quickly. It will not last forever. Yes tomorrow will be confronting and really drive home the fact that you have BC bu know you are not alone in any of this........we are all with you cheering you on and holding you hand.
Love n hugs. Chrissy
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Kate, I'm sure chemo school will be fine. If it's anything like mine they won't be able to teach you anything you haven't learnt on these boards :-)
I'll be thinking of you :-)
Jenn0 -
I didn't have a chemo school - why do you need one?
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Kate - I'll be thinking of you today. Yes it is confronting, but as Jenn says - you probably know more than you would have because of these boards.
My "chemo school" was actually called an induction. It was one on one, and took around an hour. The chemo nurse took me through all the drugs I'd be taking and their possible se's. And I was given fact sheets for everything. Because I was going to be doing Taxotere I also got a little bag of "goodies" a digital thermometer, moisturiser, nail hardener, a little bottle of biotene, a soft toothbrush and biotene toothpaste - and soft black gloves! Sue - did you not get any education on the drugs you'd be on? The onc went through what I'd be on, but not no great detail about it all. I was also given "the" letter that gave me priority at the ER and information on what to do if I had a fever etc etc. They also set up a home care nurse for me in case I needed one.
Trish
xox
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My onc did tell me all that plus I'm a know it all
I did get the bag of goodies.0 -
Sue, I was booked in for chemo school by your onc's staff but I didn't end up going. I had my chemo in the hospital and was given all the fact sheets but no bag of goodies.
Kate, I was very scared the day before starting chemo but I knew I just had to do it. The reality is not that bad for most people. I was fortunate because I didn't have to work and only had myself to look after so I could rest whenever I wanted to and be very gentle with myself. I am glad I didn't have to work but I understand some ladies have to or choose to. I'm sure it's doable if you have an understanding employer.0 -
Racy - I really don't remember being booked in to do anything - strange...
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Sue, they have it every Monday. I can't remember who initially mentioned it to me; may have been Choices. I don't think I missed too much by not going as Choices gave me a lot of info one on one. Plus I had the advice on this site.
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YAY, YAY, YAY,
Visited my lovely GP who has given me two days supply of Zofran. Got straight in and out and now feel much better.
I did phone the chemo suite (per instructions) this morning about the continuing nausea and they said to either go to my GP or emergency.
Since my oral thrush (white tongue) is also still hanging around after using the Nilstat since Saturday he has also prescribed some lozenges for that.
I'm a different woman already :-). Jenn0 -
GO Jenn
- I'm so pleased for you that you are feeling better and you are sounding up again, what a difference a couple of days (and drugs) make hey? 0 -
Glad to hear that you got those much needed drugs Jenn and as Kate says it's nice to hear your mood lift.
Kate, how did your chemo school go? I sure hope it wasn't too confronting for you and you will feel a little more at ease when you need to go for treatment.
I didn't have chemo school either, just turned up on the day. I can tell you, that is confronting! I was so sh$t scared it's a wonder I was able to sit in the chair long enough for the infusion. The good thing was, it didn't take too long and the nurse was terrific and sat with me most of the time. At that particular time, my DD1 and grands were living with us so at least I had her there to look after me.............but truth be told, I didn't want to see or speak to anyone. At least she kept the home fires burning and encouraged me to eat and drink which ws a good thing.
Love n hugs all. Chrissy
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Yay Jenn! great to hear you are feeling better.
Trish
xoxo
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LADIES - A little birdy told me that tomorrow is Trisha's very last Herceptin treatment for ever and ever - so I think we need to have a little party here to celebrate tomorrow night
Does 8.00pm AEDST onwards suit most of you to come along to the board and bring some nibbles to share?
I thought I would contribute a triple layered chocolate mudcake with candles and of course some top shelf Moet Champagne - what the heck - I'll make it a magnum he he.
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Def some smoked salmon and cream cheese topped hors d'oevres from me for tomorrow night :-)
Jenn0 -
Oh sounds good Jenn, and ladies, don't worry, there will be no and I mean zilch, nadda, zipp NO FAT anything anywhere! . The great thing is we can INDULGE in whatever we want - and it aint going onto our hips. The marvells of such a special party xx
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Me again. I went to the chemo class. Would you believe they have had to close the oncology ward as there has been some awful gastro outbreak, so treatment will be in a standard single bed hospital room. I really DID know mostly everything (thanks girls).
I got a bit pee'd off because I was asking about sickness and I almost got the feeling that the nurse (who has never had chemo btw) more or less indicated that it was a matter of positive thinking. She said if you think you will be sick, you will be sick.
I just thought of you Jenn and how retched you have been feeling, and I thought, i'm sure she's not just talking herself into it. I had the whole family there (Sarah came - yay) but now I'm sure if I am sick, they'll think it's something I could be avoid if I am more positive. So that really pissed me off. I mean if I am really sick enough to throw up or curl up into a ball, it's not because I want to do that. I have way better things to do with myself and time than resort to that.
The nurse looked at my arms and said my veins don't look good. She said she'll see how I go on Friday but reckons if she has trouble I will need a port as it will make things a whole lot easier.
All in all, it was an OK visit, and would have been very beneficial if it wasn't for the wonderful education I have received here thanks to you guys. xxx
Apart from that, no surprises.
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Hmmm, all in my mind huh? Like you Kate I do have better things to do than think myself nauseous.... ;-/
I work full-time and intend to keep working. I took 4 days sick leave this time to see how I could get this all under control. For the next cycles I only want to take a max of 2 days leave (ideally - without unexpected hospital stays etc). I am lucky that where I work has a working from home policy and very generous sick leave.
My onc and everyone knows all this, so I'm sure that next time I will get enough meds from them and my GP. This nausea is not in my mind it's in my enteric system and medical opinion agrees...
Kate, it might be worth asking if your site follows the ASCO International Anti-emetic Guidelines ;-) You can look them up and download a .pdf slide show with the 2011 guidelines.
regards Jenn0 -
Like I said, she's never had chemo, and it was just her opinion. Great, more pressure now... must not be sick, must not be sick... Oh shit I'm sick (family will think I am jsut being weak). Rubbish!
Funny how little things can make you so mad!!!
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Kate you need to talk to the onc and make sure you will be getting plenty of meds. FEC makes you nauseous, there's no question of that. The taxols don't so much but FEC absolutely. Make sure you are given Emend, it's the big gun.
Don't take no for an answer - otherwise you'll be in emergency over the weekend.
It has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH POSITIVE THINKING!!! OMG - I can't believe a chemo nurse would even imply that.
Now - about the party - a really great idea :-) Now - what will I bring? Well - lots of chocolate of course, it cures everything you know. And any food that is brown has no calories whatsoever.
Moet - weill I'm not a drinker - but I will indulge in that.. I'll also bring the double cream brie and crackers lol
Thanks Kate for organising that.
AND!!... I have more news. My port will be removed on Friday 3 February. I'm looking forward to having that out, and then my life will be (almost) totally back to normal. Not that the port worries me unduly, but I don't want to have to go back to the hospital every 6 weeks to have it flushed. So it will be out with it! :-)
Hope you are all having a great night.
Trish
xoxo
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Yay for out with the port!!!!!
I'm sure the Moet will be the most delicious non-alcoholic Moet ever tasted ;-)
Jenn0 -
Oh, forgot to mention - I have a first appt with the rad onc tomorrow morning... It seems they like to plan well ahead... :-/
Jenn0 -
Yep, you can't be allowed to forget for one minute can you that your life has been overtaken by the Big C. But.... it is all for a good purpose.
How did you find your cancer may I ask. Did it just show up on a routine mammogram, or was there something else?
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Hi Ladies. im contribuing a bottle of Asto Ricadonna ( my favorite drop of indulgence lol) and I think I can stretch to a white chocolate mudcake if your interested hehe.
Kate, what a load of rubbish from the onc nurse. I will admit I was told that very few people actually throw up from chemo, theyre just supposed to feel nauseus. But every now and then someone like me comes along and proves them to be full of shit lol. I certainly tossed my cookies for days each time on FEC and Im not even remotely ashamed of it. Believe me that red stuff coming out of my nose and mouth 20 mins after chemo finished is right up there on my list of never to do again things lol. Equally I lived through it and would again if I have to. You may be sick, you may not be. Worrying about it isnt going to change anything except to upset you before you even start. When its time to do chemo, try to be relaxed, try to remember that its going to make it so you live to see your grandchildren marry and hopefully some great grandkids come along. Its not fun, but it doesnt have to be the most miserable time of your life either. My divorce was way harder to deal with than Diagnosis, Masectomy and Chemo combined and tripled.
Also if the nurse has looked at your veins and said they dont look good. Call your oncologist first thing in the morning, tell them she said that and insist they install a port before the first round of chemo. The first round of chemo going in my veins completely stuffed them up. Then the picc which gave me blood clots and meant nightly injections in my stomach for 6 months and finally the port which meant the rest of chemo was a breeze. i think it was only the second round of chemo that had to be stopped before it started as the nurses refused to use my veins as they couldnt guarantee they wouldnt collapse. Avoid the hassle, stress etc and see if you can get a port before they even start.
Last but certainly not least. Chemo is doable, but its not fun. We are all strong as heck. i can vouch for that. Ive met many women with BC through surgery/chemo and ongoing oncology and BS appointments. Every single one of them is as mentally strong as hercules. In fact we all deserve bravery awards and media recognition every time we make it through even one of the highlights/lowlights of BC. Dont even think about what anyone else is thinking of you. Until or unless they face what we face, they have no idea.
We are all my heroes
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P.s will be updating my stats soonish. Beesie in another thread recommended getting a copy of my pathology so Ive posted it in that thread and am awaiting her english translation for me lol. Seems im not DCIS but IDC Stage 1 or 2 blah blah
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Hi Lyndal. Thanks for that info. I feel foolish because I didn't even ask about anti-nusea medication and it wasn't mentioned. I am guessing that I will be dry? and that if I need it then they'll give me something, but I've certainly not been given any information on anything preventative that I should take before hand.
Looking forward to your white chokky mudcake - oh yes!
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Kate, I'm "only" 46yrs so not into annual mammograms yet. As my period finished in late November a spot started hurting in my breast and I thought it felt like a lump. Took myself off to my GP who said "likely cyst" and sent me for a mammo/ultrasound.
Went to an amazing all in one clinic and had the mammo/ultrasound/needle biopsy/core biopsy all in the one day and knew by the end of the day that it was cancer approx 1cm (turned out to be 7mm x 8mm x 20mm at surgery). That was on the 1st of December. Had surgery on the 9th of December and now here I am... :-(
My tumour was very obvious on the mammo so if I'd been old enough to get the annual ones it likely would have been picked up earlier... As it is my sentinal node was overtaken with small extra-capsular extension. My surgeon only took out the one node and after the results came back I refused the full axillary clearance based on recent research that shows no survival benefit for further clearance if u do rads. I also had a CT scan and bone scan that showed no further visible cancer including in my nodes :-)
I'm counting on this chemo and the rads and the herceptin all working for me...
regards Jenn0 -
Kate they gave me an Emend and a Kytril to take orally before they started the chemo infusion. They put a bag of desxmethasone through as a drip during the infusion. I didn't feel at all nauseous that day or the next as they sent me home with Emend and Kytril tablets to cover the next 2 days.
It was only after I finished those that my problem started...
Jenn0 -
Jenn I hate that you got caught up in the Govt's evil plot to save money. Im convinced they advertise from 50 so that they can save the money it would cost if all women 40 and over were included in media releases.
I'm not sure if its just my state of Qld, but while they advertise free mammograms through Breastscreen Qld for over 50's on the television, if you ring them they confirm that anyone over 40 is entitled to the free mammogram. I knew this because my sister knew it from a friend who had BC so I went along when I was 42. If I had listened to the media I would have left it till I was 50 (cause I didnt have a lump or breast pain) and I think its fair to say I may well have been past any medical assistance by then.
Check it out in your state and if its from 40 and over, tell every single female you know who is 40 and over to go and get their free mammogram. It saves lives, I feel it has sure saved mine. BTW, every female friend I have over 40 has had their free mammogram and are on the register to be checked every 2 years. So in addition to saving my life, maybe I will help to save a friends life as well by sharing that knowledge around.
Im glad your feeling better now Jenn.
Trish, getting that port out is another huge milestone. hugs and congratz
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And it WILL work Jenn.
You and I are very similar, in our dates and diagnosis. Almost the same dx and our surgery dates were the same. I am a few years ahead of you (I'm 51) and I too had a sore bruised sort of feeling spot radiating from deep in my breast. Turns out that was exactly where the cancer was! The feeling got stronger and stronger over about 6 months or so. I still only got the dx after going for a mammogram cause I figured I was over 50 and it would be routine. Fancy that something so tiny could be letting out symptoms to us.
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I started my mammos when I was 40. My stepmother died of bc - she had IBC and was misdiagnosed for months before they realised what it was. Everyone kept telling her it mastitis. Even though she wasn't a blood relative, I don't really know my mum's history. She was from the Ukraine and came out here after WWII, and most of her family was killed during the war. She died when she was only 50 - nothing cancer related - but did promise my stepmum before she died (and she was only 4 years older than me) that I would start mammos straight away.
I rocked up to Breast Screen ACT - and they didn't bat an eyelid at my age. Had one done every 2 years.
Now that we girls have been dx with bc - we have to have a yearly mammo, and I'm pretty sure it can't be done at the Breast Screen services.
I was actually due for my 2 year mammo and had booked the appointment when I found my lump under the shower. I wasn't unduly worried (I'd had a scare 8 years previously) and I know I have "lumpy" breasts. I thought that as I was already booked in (appointment was for 2 weeks time) it would be seen to then. When I went in for the mammo, one of the questions was "Have you noticed a change in your breasts?" When I answered yes - they strongly reccommended I go to a diagnostic facility as it could take up to 6 weeks to get results from there. So - went to my GP, he had a feel and didn't think it was anything to worry about, but wanted to be sure and sent me to have a mammo and US at the Canberra Hospital.
They were amazing. After the mammo I had the US and they said the lump defenitely had to be biopsied. They also found clusters of cells in a different part of my breast. I had already had a core biopsy 8 years ago with that scare, so knew what to expect. But this was different, very painful as they had trouble getting a specimen from the lump as it was so hard. Their whole attitude to me changed and I think deep down I knew I was in trouble. They also put a marker in where the lump was - and I didn't think that was good. The radiologist told me I'd need to see a BS as the lump would have to come out no matter what the outcome.
2 days later my GP rang me with the awful news. I've since had another mammo and US - and it was the same radiologist. He remembered me - and when I asked him if he knew it was cancer when he did the US - he said yes, he was 99% certain then. He also asked if he found anything at that mammo and US if I wanted to know straight away - and I said yes. Luckily nothing was found.
The clusters of cells they found at the US was ILC - so I ended up with 2 different sorts of cancer in the same breast, so a lumpectomy was out of the question, a mastectomy the only way to go.
I was lucky that they had lots of mammos to compare my breast with - going back over many years. There was defenitely nothing on the one done 2 years previously.
I didn't have any symptoms - this lump just popped up by itself. The BS said that sometimes that happens and the tumours grow in such a way you can't feel them until suddenly they are there.
Trish
xoxo
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