March 2011 chemo-lounge
Comments
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Silia good luck to you!
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I too have been super sad about the Anti Cancer author. I know it's amazing he had 20 years but it still reminds me that there is no cure.....I am only stage 1 and no one has used the word "curable"...only "treatable with long term outcomes". I try not to think about that, but it creeps in my mind...makes me panic. I always wonder how much time I will have.....scars me horribly. I plan to seek counseling once we move and join a support group. I have to learn how to "just live" with this......that seems harder than going through treatment and surgery some times. I don't want to waste time thinking morbid thoughts.....I keep telling myself that, but I do get scared.
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Taxol #10 of 12 is done....ONLY TWO MORE until GRADUATION DAY/PFC on August 11th !!!!
Probably will start RADS about Sept. 1st and Arimidex next month (?)..is there a usual time after chemo that you start the oral estrogen blockers ??? Will look forward to comparing notes with those of you starting Arimidex...mdg: you must be super-woman and a very organized person to handle bc, a birthday party, a vacation and a move...good luck with it all !!!
Hope you all are having a good week....
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mdg-I am so there with you. My oncologist has actually told me twice to "chill out" and that I have a very curable cancer. I just looked at him and told him he should never say that and wouldn't if he looked at the her2support.org site and saw the number of people with my exact diagnosis go from stage 1 to stage 4 in a couple of years. The mental component is definitely the hardest part for me, as I am having a hard time "moving forward " without worry every day. And then...I don't want to worry myself into having cancer again! LOL.
I am considering some therapy also, but I do think if I just get going with a project it will get better. And I don't care how much therapy I would have, I would still consider any ache and pain a potential return. That is just who I am.
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Hi Ladies,
Great news about the rash Maria! I had the same problem with warts. Normally my immune system keeps them in check but after my chemo I had two large one pop up on my foot. A little wart remover took care of the problem but still.
SO far the TE placement went well. My PS had lots of scar tissue to contend with due to having implants for 15 years. SHe said part of my breast tissue was like glue and she had to carefully run the knife under it to separate it from the chest wall. That is our only area of concern. I am taking pain killers every 4 hours as I do not want the pain to catch up.
Finally we get rain in Ontario!! Still bloody hot though.
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Timerdog: So glad your surgery went OK. Before you know it you will have implants! If they gave you any exercises/stretches, do the faithfully. That helped me a ton as the TE's make things super tight and painful.
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I had a re-excision of my lumpectomy on Tuesday. It went okay. Now i have to wait for pathology test results...about a week it takes to get them. Hoping/praying for clean margins. Today i travel to Pittsburgh for my monthly visit with the onco. I realize I come to dread these visits to the doctors, and the phone calls from them as it seems I'm always given more bad news. Or more things to deal with when it comes to bc. I wonder what the latest is the onco is going to tell me today. I am done with chemo but go once a month for Zometa. And I have to find out about rads. But I guess that will be determined after the patholoist test comes back. Sigh. More waiting.
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Stilts-My onco isn't having me start the oral estrogen blocker until done with rads. Not sure if everyone is the same, but he said to wait. Glad to hear you are almost done!
Divine-I hope you get the news quickly on your pathology report.
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Stilts--I'm now on Arimidex as of 3 weeks PFC (still have 11 herceptin to go) but I don't have the rads to go through. It has only been 2 days so it's hard to tell what it might do in terms of SEs. I've had a dull headache the past two days, but the weather changed here and I tend to get weather-related headaches. I'll have to wait and see.
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MrsM, sorry to hear you have to wait so long for your path report on your re-excision. I got mine the nesx day. I realize that's super fast, but it's almost inhumane to make you wait that long.
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Divine - I'm sighing with you. Hang tough! The results WILL be clean margins!!!
timerdog - glad your TE experience is okay so far...
Re: anti-cancer doctor, I think one of my reactions is that his life seems so meaningful. As Penny said, he's impacted so many people. I'm not feeling my own life has any great purpose. Feeling blah about my career which consumes so much of my time and cannot figure out if these are only predictable doldrums brought on by cancer and cancer treatments OR if I need to make a "sharp left turn" into a different career. If only I could use the Magic 8 Ball and have a clear path forward!
Wishing everyone a weekend that gives you exactly what you need (whether that's fun, relaxation, quiet, etc.)
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Just got the call from the bs nurse: all margins now clean. Praise God!
Silia, I think some of your doldrums are due to the bc dx and treatments. Much as I didn't want or think bc would alter my life, is sure as heck did. It takes those unforeseen twists and turns. It doesn't surprise me that you are also questioning your career (whatever it may be), I think no matter where your life is when you get a bc dx, you are going to question many things, if not everything, in your life. While we all would like to have a big impact on others like the anti-cancer doctor, I do know that we all impact the lives of those we love, who love us, and who we interact with on a daily basis. You are valuable just as you are.
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Help me please...I need some encouragement and suggestions. 4 days ago 7/25/2011 I had the 2nd Taxol treatment. My onc has me take 5 anti inflammatory pills at 9 pm and 3 am before the treatment, these pills are 5 times stronger than Prednisone. No problem with 1st treatment but this 2nd treatment is causing intense muscle, joint, bone pain. Thanks for your thoughts and help.0
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MrsM, Hallelujah! About time you got some good news! Now you can put surgery behind you and go on to the next thing. Will you be taking radiation?
Panamajayne, I wish I could say something to help you. I did TAC x 6 (taxotere, not taxol). I did have steroids before, during and after treatment, and I did have some joint pain, but nothing unbearable. Can you speak to oncologist and she if he/she can give you some medicine to make you more comfortable? Always let your doctor know if you are having bad side effects.
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Wonderful news Mrs. M!! Very happy for you. Silia, I know how you feel. I feel the same way. I just want to do something meaningful. But I don't know what. I would like to do something that in some way helps people. I will keep thinking about it. I was REALLY sad about the anti-cancer doc. Your comments really helped me. Thanks guys!
Good news on the surgery timerdog! You're almost there Stilts! We are all cheering you on.
Panamajayne, I was on that regimin. I had some bad bone pain. I took advil which helped, but didn't completely take care of it. The onc offered me stronger pain meds, which I didn't want to try. If you're in that much distress, you really should get something from your onc to help.
Had an appointment with an RO today. Went fine. Kind of uneventful. Seems like it will be standard radiation. With surgery still hanging over my head, I am not getting too interested in the radiation yet.
Has anyone had any blackouts? This is so weird. I had that last Taxotere treatment on Monday, and I can barely remember anything from the day or appointment. LIttle bits. I guess it's from the benedryl in the pre-meds and the two ativan I took before the appointment. But I've done that before and it's never happened before. Glad it was the last one.
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Yay!! Happy for you DivineMrsM!!!! Hallelujah!
pajamajayne: did the pain subside after a few days? Mine wasn't excrutiating, but I would gut it out knowing that after about day 5 the pain would disappear.
Silia: I think we are all going through some re-calculations in our minds. The bc treatment brings some of it out, but I suspect we will all find new outlets for making our lives more meaningful, even if it's only in our little corner of the world.
kay: radiation has not been hard, compared to chemo, just time-consuming.
stilts: my MO is planning to start hormone treatment a couple of weeks after completion of radiation. I am going to be on tamoxifen. Am I right that tamox. is pre-menopause and arimidex is post-menopause? Otherwise, I'm curious how they decide which hormone drug to use...
glad you're doing well timerdog!
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Oh Divine, you SO deserve this awesome news!!! I'm really glad they realized to call you ASAP and not leave you hanging... Am putting Pink's Raise Your Glass on the jukebox in your honor.
panamajayne - you will get support here. This is an amazing group of caring women so please stick around. I'm on Taxotere and haven't had the pain you describe. I would call the onc until they help you find a solution that you can live with. Sending you a hug.
Kay and Maxine - thanks so much for your thoughts re: finding meaning in our lives and supporting me with my thought process...
No blackouts for me but I do have one more Taxotere to get through. Weird. Glad you are back to yourself now, Kay.
lilylady, will send you a p.m. over the weekend -- taking me and my bald head to a pool party right now! Happy weekend to all.
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MaxineO--they use Tamoxifen for pre-meno and the AI's, like Arimidex for post-meno. The MO wanted to know with some certainty that I was post-meno (hard to tell in my case) because Arimidex won't work for pre-meno.
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Ladies, I've been AWOL awhile it seems. I am in the midst of radiation and now over halfway through, 18 of 33 total. It hasn't been bad except the 90 minute drive one way each day. I did end up spendingbtwocnights this week at my parents so I wouldn't have to drive so much. Will probably have friends start going with me when they can in the next week or so. Fatigue is not fun while driving! Otherwise have just been a little pink but RO says it will get worse. Butbif/when it does he will give me a few days off. Nice, but I want to be done!
I will start going to a support group on Aug 25 for 12 weeks called Time to Heal, run by my oncology social worker and my nurse navigator. It is designed for BC women after their treatment is over. 15 in the group. Supposed to be very good and is part of a research project that will track us for 3, 6, and 12 months I think. Includes light stretching/exercise, healthy snacks, discussion, etc. Since I was not able to find a support group during treatment I am looking forward to this. May be more beneficial since all other "supports" (doctors, treatments, etc) will be done, at least on the daily/weekly basis I've been used to.
On the fun front, I am getting my long-awaited puppy ( a Yorkie) on Monday. going to call her Gracie, as in Amazing Grace. Have had that phrase in my head for months as I've travelled the BC path. So excited! She will be 9 weeks old and 4-7 pounds full grown. Will try to send a picture Mondsy night.
Divine...congrats on your good news!! Maria, don't overdo! Anxious to hear about North Carolina and the beach house and the new house and the birthday party and...0 -
Maria and fluffqueen - Never look at sites that show people getting recurrence. Its not representative. The thousands of people who move on from this and never hear from it again do not go back to the sites.
I am stage 3 but was really helped by whichever one of you ladies said that it does not matter about the stats, its what happens to you that matters. I figure we do what we can to make ourselves as healthy as possible and then there is no point worrying. If its not going to come back in a year or two I will feel pretty silly if I spend the next two years whinging and worrying. If it is, well then I don't want to waste any of this time worrying, I want to enjoy it.Silia - Divine is spot on when she says we don't all have to have a big impact on the world, we all have an impact on everyone we come in contact with and thats enough. Spreading happiness can be made up of lots of tiny little things. I sometimes think of the letter reportedly written by a suicide victim who threw himself off a bridge. It said " if one person smiles at me on the way I won't jump". That is so sad, but demonstrates that we can make a difference just by reaching out to the people we come in contact with.
Timerdog - hope you keep the pain under control, its odd to keep hearing you all talk aout the heat when we are in the middle of winter (not that Aussie winters are that cold)
They started me on Arimidex a week ago - 3 weeks into my 5 weeks or rads. Slight nausea and a bit of a headache but they say that will settle in a couple of weeks as the body gets used to it.
Divine - so pleased about the margins, great to get some good news.
Panamajayne - the ladies are right - ask your Onc for help, we are all with you in thought - you will get through this.
Huskerkkc - my neck is red and itchy from rads - RO has given me a steriod cream for the itchy bit and says it will be quite raw by the end (only 7 more to go) but has not said they will stop at all. I think I'd rather just carry on. I can cope with sore skin, its not like chemo where all of you feels lousy. So glad you get your puppy soon - gove her a big cuddle from all of us and have lots of fun with her.
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Off to dinner with DH - married 34 years today
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penny: Wise words from a wise woman. Happy Anniversary!!!
husker: congratulations on your little puppy!
pasmith: thanks, I guess its tamoxifen, then. I will definitely need to investigate side effects
all have a great weekend!
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Penny - Congrats on you anniversary!! 34 years is fantastic. I am so glad you're on our thread. You bring great wisdom and I thank you.
husker - Cannot wait to see a picture of Gracie! Love how you came up with her name.
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Congrats Penny! Hope you enjoy your anniversary. Silia is right. I am so happy you are on this thread. Just missing some of you mummisms though. She really got quiet lately.
Kristy, congrats on the puppy! I am so jealous. Can't wait to see a picture.
Have a great weekend everyone!
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Whew...accomplished something today !!!! (getting the pictures of Relay for Life Luminary posted on here)...not bad for a 57 year old wiped out BC patient with a foggy brain and neuropathy in her feet. Will be thinking of you ALL on August 5th when I'm at the relay with some co-workers. Will probably do just the Survivors Lap instead of an all nighter like last year (pre breast cancer diagnosis)...what a difference a year can make !!! Hope you all have a relaxing weekend !!! 0
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awwwwwwwww that is awesome!!!!! Best of luck to you Aug 5th!
Hi to everyone, I pop in and read the threads here almost daily, but keeping up with my July group is taking up most of my forum time
I'm always thinking of everyone on the forums and praying we all kick some BC ass!xoxoxox
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Stilts, LOVE the pictures with all our names on it! Wonderful! So sweet of you!
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stilts: You're awesome! I love it!!! I hope the relay goes well. Just the survivor's lap is plenty for this year!
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