TRIPLE POSITIVE GROUP
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Willa216, I have a receding hairline and thinning on the right side only. It started when I was on Arimidix and seems slightly better since I was switched to Letrazole about 9 months ago. I have gotten creative with placing my hair to make the thinning and receding areas less obvious. My hair is unbelievably brittle and breaks off. I use Palmers coconut oil to help with the dryness. If I looked as good as Coachvicky, I would cut my hair short! I used to have super thick hair and got it cut every 4-5 weeks, now I get barely a trim every 8 weeks. I was bummed at first but now I tell myself that this is the way God wants me to look and that helps me not be so self conscious about it.0
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taco1946 congrats on hearing the end with Herceptin, yay!
Coachvicky thanks for the tip on the 1818 shea cream- I'm going to try that.
Rljes - sorry to hear you're having a tough time. I take magnesium supplements for constipation, it works great. I take 1500 mg but you can take more or less depending on how your body responds. I hope you feel better soon
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hap I was 40 at diagnosis. I wasn't anywhere close to menopause, so they gave me Lupron to shut down my ovaries and make me menopausal. My cancer was small, but my doctor said it was very aggressive (I had a lot of comedonecrosis). So she thought Lupron was best. But it caused foot pain and joint pain and severe migraines. I felt 100 years old. I thpught thoses were side effects of the tamoxifen. My GP was the one who said "you know, that Lupron can be awful stuff and worse than the outcome you are trying to achieve". She was right!
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Deni, Yes, I do think I think God brings us together to support each other, I've met so many since my dx in February. If it weren't for all of the ladies here and the support here, it would have been so much more difficult for me to get through this. I do mean that. I found courage in a most desperate time. I've had PM's of information and support at the most needed times and there have been women placed in my path in the outside world. I have been blessed.
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Thank you Elaine, yep, I am so glad for hair!
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Hi all, have been reading the posts while fighting my way back from this last EC. Just had my last wbc shot today and hopefully tomorrow I will start bouncing back. I really feel that they give you just as much as you can take with this chemo because now I feel I cannot take anymore. I start my radiation Feb 5th, back on Herceptin and Tamoxifen by the end of this month. I got my booklets on both rads and antihormonal from my doctor, red them through and just hot depressed of all these possible SE.
Tresjolie, so glad to hear your are doing fine on Tamoxifen, I need more positive stories. Anyone who is exercising while on Tamoxifen? I want to ho back to my running. What about the weight gain?
What shall I think about during the rads? I bought Weleda Calendula body lotion and body cream and have been applying it on my left breast area for a week now. I also got Body Shop’s Aloe Vera body butter and a foam spray and bought a real aloe vera plant. There is a radiation preparation class in my clinic every Tuesday and I intend to ho there next week but other than that I only had a simulation last week and got my tattoes in place, no meeting with any radiologist. Proton radiation is not offered for bc here. Shall I insist upon meeting a radiologist? What do I want to know? I was so focused on taking me through the chemo I feel I completely am unprepared for the next step.
Cherry
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Oh deni1661
You made my day. Thank you. I am finally over looking at me and asking "who is that woman?" You were so kind with your compliment. I finally have the wirey, wavy hair the rest of my family had. LOL. I hope the 1818 cream works. I found the place on line and a small jar was $10.00. You just need a little bit so the jar has lasted me.
Melaine ... we are blessed to find other women that have walked our paths.
Cherry ... I didn't have radiation and can not help. What I do know is remembering where you were when you first posted. Girlfriend ... look where you are now! Full of knowledge and strength. You have come a long, strong way.
Hap ... How about a facial and makeover? I bet there is a MaryKay Lady that would do makeup for you. I don't know if a Merel Norman Studio near you but that is a place to go to get "all gussied-up!" Even if you don't do make up it might give you a lift. Try this site: http://www.merlenorman.com/find-a-studio
Vicky
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hI all Chemo #3/ Day 8
Deni1661 - I take magnesium and no relief from constipation. I have a strange metabolism. The only thing that worked was 4 straight days of full strength of Maralax. Hello.I won't be having Rads (as of now) but I did have 4 meeting with my RO. the pamphlet said to use Green Tea - spray it on cotton pads and soak right afterwards in the changing room to drawl out the heat. I like the idea of a real Aloe Vera Plant - if I should change my mind.
Someone on one of the threads had once said they smelled cigarette smoke, when there was none. Last night I had a dream I was swimming, and their was a pocket of air - and it was full of cigarette smoke, I gagged and swam to top and air was filled with cig smoke - woke up smelling thick Cig Smoke and Migraine.
Take care, rj
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Thank you, coach, even though I feel like I was hit by the track today. I think everybody gets in this awful hysterical state when they get this diagnosis. Cherry
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Sorry for my absence, I have been somewhat consumed with family issues and my MIL's memorial service - I have not really been on BCO much. I have been following this discussion on what treatment does to us physically, as far as hair/skin/appearance. I have a series of photos - from before treatment, during, and to the present - keep in mind that my last Herceptin was in Feb. of 2012, but I am still on Femara. Do you ladies of this thread wish to see them?
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Special K - Yes please.
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Ok - first pic was taken just prior to diagnosis
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Next pic was taken two days after TCH #4, and I have had 5 surgeries and lost my left expander, so I am half flat. I am at a wedding, had to buy a new outfit the day before because of swelling and I am wearing a wig.
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This was within the first 90 days after last chemo, still on Herceptin.
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This one is a couple of months later, I look less swollen and brows and lashes are making a comeback.
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This one is a couple months after last Herceptin
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End of that same year
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2014, two years after last Herceptin, on Femara. To my eye, looking very close to the pre-treatment pic
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hap - thanks, I have a lot to be happy about!
This is from a month ago. I will be 62, and I have been on Femara for 7 years, and I have had 17 surgeries, the most recent was a year ago. I posted these pictures so you all can see that things will get better, it is a process and it takes some time.
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hap - thanks, you are sweet! This is exactly the reason I put the pics up - you will recover, don't judge your current look as what you will be permanently. Look carefully at these pics - you can see the wrinkles and dark circles under my eyes, and the puffy face - you can see the strain of treatment, but then you see it fade away too. I see a big difference between the one with the pink and orange scarf, and the one following in the black top with the round necklace, and there are only a few months between them. I know it is hard to be patient, and I was worried about the treatment impact - yes, I am vain I freely admit - but things did improve. I think getting out and doing things that make you happy is important too, and surrounding yourself with people who care about you helps a lot!
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Hi All,
I am new to the group as I was recently diagnosed in August 2017. After my diagnosis, I craved to learn as much as I could about this vicious disease which brought me to this group. Thank you for all the informational, positive, and inspirational posts! This group has helped me navigate through my cancer journey thus far. My final chemo treatment is this Friday! I am looking forward to completing chemo treatment and heading to surgery 2/28. My question for the group is how many of you had a PCR in tumor and/or lymph node with neoadjuvant chemotherapy? Those with a PCR, was your HER2 expression and KI 67 % high?
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Welcome FaithHopeLove. I am happy that you found us and this site was helpful. Best wishes on Friday. I always ate a good protein meal the night before and took little snacks while at chemo. I did not like the carb snacks at the Center I went to. Remember to move after your chemo. Walk as much as you can.
Dang SpecialK ... you are gorgeous! What great pictures. Thanks for posting them.
Vicky
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KB870 - thanks, I am glad you found the photos useful - I did hesitate, but thought they may provide some help/hope for those much closer to recent treatment.
coach - thanks!
faith - welcome! I had adjuvant treatment as Perjeta had not yet been approved when I was diagnosed and treated, so can't address your question, but there are a number of folks on this thread who had neoadjuvent - I am sure they will be along to answer your question about Ki67% and Her2+ level with pcr results.
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Hi FaithLoveHope!
I did neoadjuvant chemo and it got rid of all the active cancer in my breast and compromised node. However, the surgeon did find a tiny pocket of DCIS, which was surgically removed. Yes, my cancer was highly HER2+ and my Ki67% was high. Hope the rest of your treatment and surgery go well!
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SpecialK, great pictures and I do agree you do not look sad on any of them and Inwonder whether my eyes will have the same expression they have right now. And you got your long hair back, I swear, if I ever will get back my long caramel-colored wavy hair.. ok, they are like salt&pepper/caramel-colored but I intend to dye it to my light brown caramel)
FaithHopeLove, I have high score for overexpression of Her2 which usually means high KI67.
Stayed in bed the whole day today with a throbbing pain in my back, this EC just wouldn’t let me be
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Hello, I was just diagnosed with HER2 positive and estrogen/progesterone positive breast cancer. No staging yet. They said it was grade 1. I posted elsewhere on the forum and got no responses so I am thinking I posted in the wrong place. Can anyone give me hope? It sounds like a very bad thing online.... The mass is 8 mm. Going in to meet with breast surgeon for the first time tomorrow.
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SpecialK. Thanks for posting the pictures, it sure does show that there is a great possibility of looking ourselves again after chemo. You are beautiful and I love that smile. I never would have guessed your age by the pic's you posted. Sorry to hear about you MIL, times like these are difficult to navigate. Thinking of you and your family.
Melanie
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SpecialK - Thank you so much for sharing your pics; they are indeed encouraging. You look great throughout. But are right that these show how well you "bounced back" after treatment both in terms of puffiness and your gorgeous hair! I cannot believe you are 62!
I myself am 54 - diagnosed 10 days before my birthday. Neither young nor old in the BC world. I used to be able to "pass" for at least 5 years younger, but feel like the chemo and surgery have aged me a lot in the past few months. Looking forward to finishing chemo and moving forward. Meanwhile, I'm attending a Look Good Feel Better workshop later this week and hope to pick up a few tips.
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SpecialK...absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing. It is truly an amazing transformation from treatment to post treatment. Don't get me wrong, you did not look bad at all, but you rebounded back to pretreatment. You have given me hope. I am also very sorry for the loss of your mother in law. Sending prayers up.
Welcome newcomers. You will always get a response here, this group is wonderful. We will all be with you on this journey.
Hap...look good, feel better....you got this ❤️
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