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  • chrissyb
    chrissyb Member Posts: 11,438
    edited May 2012

    Yay Jenn!!!   Celebration!!!!!    Yahoooo!!!   You did good..........very good!  How's the light?   A bit bright on the eyes?.......lol

    Love n hugs.  Chrissy 

  • Trisha-Anne
    Trisha-Anne Member Posts: 1,661
    edited May 2012

    Jenn - no more chemo whoohooo!! lol I know exactly how you feel.  My last dose of Taxotere was cancelled because of se's and I had no idea that was going to happen going into the onc appointment.  I felt like a huge load had been lifted off my shoulders. I couldn't stop smiling, when I got home my DH just took one look at my face and started laughing and just said "what???!!" 

    Midnight - we really don't mind if the Kiwi girls post on here - and I will certainly keep track of the Kiwi thread - we are all sisters united in this horrible beast.

    Chrissy - Feeling for you girl.  Hopefully you'll get what you want when you see your doc this week xoxo

    Trish

    xoxo

  • Jennt28
    Jennt28 Member Posts: 1,095
    edited May 2012

    I'll do a happy dance after my nap ;-)



    Jenn

  • Linda1966
    Linda1966 Member Posts: 441
    edited May 2012

    Absolutely brilliant Jenn. So glad you have finished. Wouldnt be at all surprised if the lungs is as a result of your immune system being shot to pieces which means the chemo worked lol combined with your flu. Hope you get better soon so you can get on with life post chemo. Its a wonderful milestone and Im Hooraying here in my house for you.

    I love that our kiwi sisters post here, read or lurk etc. We are united in geography, history, sporting and lifestyle after all. Personally id love to have a united room, but failing that will be lurking on the kiwi thread as well. A honeymoon in Christchurch and Queenstown combined with a couple of ski holidays there makes me an almost kiwi haha.

    Chrissy I managed fairly well on injecting the claxane for so long. I admit I couldnt wait to get the port out so they would let me stop the injections at around 6 months, but for the most part it was okay and in my mind better than the alternative of the pills which meant such constant blood tests and monitoring.  I just had the needles and the disposal unit sitting beside the lounge chair and injected myself when the news started so that I never forgot or tried to do it twice by chemo brain booboo haha. I will admit my mum calling at 5 past to ask if Id done my injection got annoying after a few weeks Frown

  • Kate60
    Kate60 Member Posts: 523
    edited May 2012
    Whoo hooo Jenn!!! How good does it feel to be able to close the chapter on chemo - well done. You survived. I know you've had a really tough go with it, but it's all over now. Also you have great peace of mind now knowing that nothing sinister is developing. So great new all around.
  • midnight1327
    midnight1327 Member Posts: 1,331
    edited May 2012

    sorry chrissy, i did not  read your thread properly re your inr, , i thought  you said yr LAST INR, i am actually not focusing very well today, too much going on with other crap, like a pain in the A brother in law who thinks  he is GOD. sorry, but he gets on my very last reserve nerve, he is a bachelor and man i wont go into the rest. i could hit him if i was in the right mood at times. this is not  the thread for saying this. so i will get off here and go and watch tv and hope it is good news for you with everything when you go to Doc on thursday.  take care.

  • kyliet
    kyliet Member Posts: 587
    edited May 2012

    Well it looks like I will now be the last to finish chemo on Thurs.

    Jenn, so glad about your results great news. Hopefully you will sleep well tonight.

    Had my ultrasound this morning, seems to be a small cyst, they weren't concerned but we will keep an eye on it. Had a good chat to doctor about Brac testing and will definitely get it done.

    Kate, I was only chatting to onc this week about tamoxifin, he said only if pre-menopause also. I have to have bloods before starting, to check hormone levels to make sure where I sit as I have had two periods during chemo.   x

  • Jennt28
    Jennt28 Member Posts: 1,095
    edited May 2012

    Glad to hear that it looks like a simple cyst Kylie! Are you OK with the watch and wait plan? Did they offer to whip it out?



    Jenn



  • Linda1966
    Linda1966 Member Posts: 441
    edited May 2012

    Midnight, that was one of the few advantages in finding out my ex was a no good cheating piece of scum. I dont have to put up with his 3 brothers anymore. Tongue out

  • Linda1966
    Linda1966 Member Posts: 441
    edited May 2012

    How was you nap Jenn? You must be fairly over the moon

  • Jennt28
    Jennt28 Member Posts: 1,095
    edited May 2012

    Nap was good but feeling a bit breathless. Will really celebrate when this lung problem clears properly!



    Jenn

  • Kate60
    Kate60 Member Posts: 523
    edited May 2012

    Today I was talking with an 80 yo cancer sufferer, only recently dx and already stage IV. She is on AI and I asked her how it made her feel. She said no different, but she did say she had thinning hair, aches in all her joints and always very slow moving and old. I said to her that with the greatest of respect she sounded like a typical 80 year old and that that's how I've heard many people describe feeling on AI's and they're not 80 yet. I just want to feel my correct age. 51and I'm starting to feel every one of those years but I feel that I have some really great years ahead physically speaking and don't want to be 80 years old when I don't have to be. When I'm 80 I'll accept the extra wear and tear. But I don't want it at 51.

  • Linda1966
    Linda1966 Member Posts: 441
    edited May 2012

    I know Kate. I feel the same way. Most of the time my body feels well over 80 (and the mind with it lol)

    Problem is I also dont want the cancer to recur because I failed to take the medications and treatments that stats prove, help to keep us cancer free. I have 2 more years of arimidex and will be quite anxious about my next bone scan though I am taking my calcium pills religiously.

     I met a customer today who like me has been advised by the dr's to have as much salt in her diet as possible so as to avoid prefainting spells. She went on to say that was her minor problem. Her major one is that she has something wrong with her spine and should have been in a wheelchair a few years ago. She was probably around 50 and looked vibrant and active. She said she has only taken one of her options so far when most people would have taken all the options already and landed in the wheelchair. She said she's controlling her disease (and didnt say what it was) with diet and supplements and that so far it was working for her. It opens my eyes a bit to the alternative's, however I think the balance between conventional meds like the chemo's rads and hormonals combined with supplements would be the safer way. Perhaps there is a supp out there that can help with the side effects of the hormonals. I will ask the owner of my local Healthy Life when next she's at work and let you know if she has any advice.

  • suzieq60
    suzieq60 Member Posts: 1,422
    edited May 2012

    I just scanned some old photos of Annie when she was a new baby - MY GOD!!! This printer is incredible - one photo was very poor but it has enhanced it so well you wouldn't believe what you see. It's a little grainy resolution wise but is 1 million percent on the original. I love it!!! Now I've printed 11 photos and the ink levels are holding up so that's great too.

    Jennm - sorry you're not well but celebrate the end of chemo. I hope they can continue with the herceptin.

    Midnight - I'm an expat Kiwi but longer removed than Jenn - try 49 years removed. I am and will always be a Kiwi - in fact I refuse to get Aust citizenship even though I could on maternal grounds. I didn't go back for 39 years and now I can't get enough of it - my long term aim is to retire there. I'm from Devonport on the North Shore of Auckland but my family goes back to the Maori wars in the Wanganui area. My Dad grew up in Whakatane.

    Sue

  • himalaya
    himalaya Member Posts: 10
    edited May 2012

    Is that true that in australia they cure cancer with leeches?

  • Jennt28
    Jennt28 Member Posts: 1,095
    edited May 2012

    Um, no. Sorry. Leeches are sometimes used in hospitals to help restore circulation in crush injuries or reattached fingers or similar, but no use in cancer treatment...



    Jenn

  • himalaya
    himalaya Member Posts: 10
    edited May 2012

    Leeches therapy for breast cancer youtube

    Dr.Mehdi

  • Jennt28
    Jennt28 Member Posts: 1,095
    edited May 2012

    Oh dear, I think you found the wrong person on this list. I am a cancer clinical trial coordinator and have worked in cancer clinical trials in both the pharmaceutical industry and now at the university research level. As such I can say that although leeches do have a use in the medical industry they do not have any current proven use in "curing" cancer and belong firmly in the COMPLIMENTARY medicine arena.



    Jenn

  • himalaya
    himalaya Member Posts: 10
    edited May 2012

    So.... he is a cheater, isnt it?

  • Jennt28
    Jennt28 Member Posts: 1,095
    edited May 2012

    ? - are you OK himalaya. Your last message does not make sense... Jenn

  • Jennt28
    Jennt28 Member Posts: 1,095
    edited May 2012

    Morning Aussie girls - we had excitement overnight... Very strange...



    Jenn

  • Linda1966
    Linda1966 Member Posts: 441
    edited May 2012

    Good morning Jenn. How wonderful to wake up and find we have our own forum. Thank you very much devs and Trish for organsing it.

  • Trisha-Anne
    Trisha-Anne Member Posts: 1,661
    edited May 2012

    Wow - we have moved :-)

    Kiwi ladies - I did ask that it be named Australian and New Zealand Forum - but somehow the NZ part dropped off - I'll ask them again.

    Hmm .. Jenn - that does seems to be a bit weird - but what on earth were you doing up so early/late?? Couldn't sleep?

    I've been progressively sleeping better, off the Arimidex for 2 weeks now, I actually didn't take if for the week before the onc said to go off it because of the bug I had, couldn't keep anything down or in so didn't see the point in taking any pills lol.  My elbows have stopped aching too :-)

    It's very cold here today - one of those lovely (not) Canberra days where there's a big frost and lots of fog - one of those fogs that probably won't lift until lunch time.  brrr


    Trish

    xoxo

  • Jennt28
    Jennt28 Member Posts: 1,095
    edited May 2012

    Hey, I just found this article about our Chrissy! As one of our newer members I didn't know about Chrissy's trip!



    http://www.mysanantonio.com/life/article/Traveling-Pants-sisterhood-provides-support-2206575.php#ixzz1aKL068uS



    Jenn

  • Jennt28
    Jennt28 Member Posts: 1,095
    edited May 2012

    I hadn't even noticed we had moved! Yes, we definitely need it to be the Australasian or Australia and New Zealand section, not just Australia... Hope they can change it.



    If Nyone wants to know what the message deleted by the mods was it was a link to You Tube video purporting that there is a miracle cure for cancer. The mods agreed that it was spam and deleted it... I have no idea why we warranted a visit from the alternatives group but it was very strange...



    Jenn

  • Trisha-Anne
    Trisha-Anne Member Posts: 1,661
    edited May 2012

    Mods have now changed it and included New Zealand.

    I gather the miracle cure was using leeches lol.

    Trish

    xoxo

  • suzieq60
    suzieq60 Member Posts: 1,422
    edited May 2012

    It isn't actually strange when you think about it. Himalaya lives in Holland and she was asking about leeches on the Alt forum. She found an Australian website purporting to cure cancer using leeches, so she was asking us about it. If you go to the alt forum you'll see her post there with a link to the Aust website.

    It is nice we've moved with our own forum title and everything - well done mods!!!

  • Jennt28
    Jennt28 Member Posts: 1,095
    edited May 2012

    Ahhh, Susie! I understand now! I will message her and say that yes, in my opinion, the "Dr" was lying about leeches curing cancer in Australia...



    Jenn

  • gerrib
    gerrib Member Posts: 60
    edited May 2012

    So glad to hear your scan results were good Jenn and Kylie. Hope your pneumonitis clears up soon Jenn.

    Great news that you have nearly finished Rx Kate

    Hope the blood thinners work or you can go on to injections Chrissy

    Thankyou for reassuring me Trish 

    Kate I am postmenopausal and on Tamoxifen. It was what was initially recommended and after research I decided to go with it rather than an AI. I have family history of severe osteoporosis which was a deciding factor for me as T has a mild bone strengthening effect. I don't know how much more effective an AI is. I have virtually no SEs. Some people think that the hot flushes are an indicator that T is working but this is controversial from what I have read and in recent report has been discredited. Can't paste the link but the paper is on the Cancer Network.

    Thanks for organising the thread move Trish.

    I find it really interesting that in Europe (Germany) the recommendations for skin care during radiation are totally different. It would be interesting to be able to compare treatments in different countries.

    Well I am starting to do some casual shifts(work) and BC is no longer discussed when I meet people in the street or friends from Melbourne ring up so must be moving on. 

     Gerri

  • kyliet
    kyliet Member Posts: 587
    edited May 2012

    Jen, I haven't got official report from US yet so I will see what they have to say. I do have a few other cysts and keep an eye (or feel) on them. 

    Its great to be on a new site, and it felt good to be in the 'breast cancer survivors' forum: it is so hard to know when you are in the have or had breast cancer mode.

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