March 2011 chemo-lounge
Comments
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Fluffqueen01-Sorry to hear about your TE's and infection. I'm sure you were so disappointed that they did not put in your implants. Good luck on Friday!
Eyebrows-it was almost like one morning I woke up and they were there! Obsviously they need to fill in but I am over trying to use an eyebrow pencil so now I am just going without. My hair is coming back pretty evenly but I still wear my hat every where. Rads are causing my LE to get worse and I have to wear this crazy arm wrap at night in addition to my compression sleeve that I have to wear during the day. I also set up my prophylactic mastectomy surgery for Sept. I'm hoping to have my exchange surgery the last week of the year. It seems like a long time away!
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jules - I still only have about 2mm hair growth - not really even enough to rate as a 5 o clock shadow. TAC rates as a level 3 chemo, hopefully its just a question of time and it will come back.
Penny
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I have to slick my fluff down now lol
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colodisneylover - I'm sorry you're dealing with LE. Did it set in immediately after surgery or was it a later development? How many nodes were removed? How much is it impacting you? Obviously you have to wear the sleeve and the wrap. I'm interested because I'm trying to educate myself in prep for my Sept surgery. Any insights greatly appreciated! I will be thrilled the day my lashes and brow come back...
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mdg - Thanks for the information about the exchange surgery.
Huskerkkc - Gracie Lu is too cute. My hat goes off to you ladies who have a long commute to and from rads.
Fluffqueen0 - Good luck with the TE this time. It is nice to be able to look forward to new, perky foobs. My exchange surgery is this coming Tuesday..i can't wait.
PennyCookson - Sorry to hear you are losing your eyebrows..they'll come back before you know it. Mine did, and my hair is growing fast too. I think i'll be losing the wig next week after i get my new foobs i might as well have a new attitude and a new look :-)
Stilts - Yes i had 4 rounds of taxol..i guess it did it's job. Enjoy the relay Friday.
Kymn - Hope you had a happy b'day.
Tomorrow I have my first mammogram on my remaining breast since the bc dx. I'm sure the results will be just fine..
Good night All.
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Hello Everyone
Just checking in as I recover from my surgery last week. Had all my nodes out and a partial mastectomy. SO glad to get rid of my drain 2 days ago. It's funny because the stitches don't bother me at all, but the armpit and tricep area is sensitive and uncomfortable. Guess it's to do with nerves being messed with. Now comes the wait for the pathology report, hopefully next Thursday. Fingers crossed.
I've been following the nail and hair conversations with great interest. I have lost 2 toenails (hubby thinks I'm insane because I still painted my toenails, complete with "fake ones" where I've lost them,lol) and my thumbnails which look disgusting as I only lost the top 3/4. All my other fingernails are lifting, so I keep trimming them down so they don't catch...not a pretty sight. I'm sure my big toenails will follow soon. I am finally growing some eyebrows and with my glasses on and a magnifying glass I can see baby eyelashes!!! I am so vain, that I actually tried to apply mascara to them yesterday...what a mess, but still very exciting! When my hair started growing on my head, it came in fuzzy and white...not too impressed about that, I tell you. But black hair has started to grow, and it isn't fuzzy but is straight. Very weird, no? My arm and leg hair is also growing, but 7 weeks PFC, I still have no hair growing DOWN THERE. Is it the same with everyone else?
Been checking out the RADS groups as this my next step, hopefully by the last week of August RO said 4 or 6 weeks depending on path report. Is that a light from the end of the tunnel I see...? Is anyone else taking tamoxifen? When did you start? I meet next week with my onc, and I know I will be taking this drug but not sure if it starts before or after rads..
Wishing everyone a SE free day
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DONE WITH TAXOL 11 OF 12....ONLY ONE MORE TO GO !!!!
THINKING THIS WILL BE A LONG WEEK WAITING UNTIL NEXT THURSDAY !!!! TIME FOR POST CHEMO BENADRYL INDUCED NAP.... 0 -
SueBee 48-My onc told me I would start Tamoxifen after rads. But I have surgery two weeks after rads, so I'm not sure now. More things to remember to ask about!
Silia-My LE started a few weeks after surgery. My arm felt like it was swollen and my side below my arm pit became really tight. Sometimes I can even feel it up the side of my neck like it is swollen too. I told my PS about it and he blew me off (I have since gotten a new PS) so I asked my BS about it and he gave me a referral to a physical therapist. It took forever to get an appointment to see her because she was so booked. I was given some massage exercises to do to try to get the fluid flowing. They are silly looking but I can really feel them working. I was told at first to do them twice a day, but now I do them whenever I am sitting down and I think about it. The sleeve during the day is just plain HOT. It doesn't hurt or anything. I can certainly feel people looking at it at the grocery store trying to figure out what it is. The wrap at night is a cloth like a sock over my arm, then a foam wrap, and then 3 extra extra long ace bandages all wrapped around the foam over my arm. It really is huge but has helped me a lot. My DH has to wrap it because it's not something I could do with one hand. It is really hot too but I am getting used to it. The LE got much worse right after I finished all of my Taxol and that's when I had to start wrapping at night in addition to wearing the sleeve during the day, but seems to be getting a little better. Looking back I was never given any preventative exercises. I had 12 nodes removed. Hopefully your surgery team and docs are going to be able to give you some good exercises to do to hopefully avoid it.
Stilts-One more to go! Hooray!
Good luck to everyone tomorrow. I know there is a surgery and Relay for Life, too.
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I wanted to check in before we leave on vacation tomorrow morning. I have been super busy getting ready for our trip.
To those of you losing lashes/brows...mine grew in super fast. I did use latisse and my lashes are super thick- I have tons. In about 3 weeks they are almost as long as my pre-chemo super long lashes. I have heard you can get generic latisse cheaper - fyi. My brows also grew in really fast. Hang in there on the lashes and brows.
Happy late birthday Kim
Husker: Gracie is adorable and I think you should take maternity leave for sure!
Glad to see all of your are doing so well. I am sorry some of you have been losing nails...that is a huge bummer.
In honor of my vacation tomorrow...a song for the jukebox - Vaction by the Go Go's. I just had to.....
I can check in from my phone on vacation if I have reception to see what you gals are up to.
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My mammogram turned out good...I don't have to see the mammo machine again until next year YAAYYY !!!
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Dee Dee - love your positive attitude. Yippee re your clear mammo and Good luck on Tuesday.
SueBee - congrats on being done with your surgery!! Sorry about the ongoing nail angst. I so relate!
Maria - vacation!! Great song. Have a fabulous time.
Colodisney - thanks for the whole LE rundown. I really appreciate it. Agree that it's amazing that docs don't focus more on preventing it. I think they just see it as another SE that some of us will get - and that's not right. I brought up the topic to my onc and he recommended a certified LE specialist. I went to her recently (pre-surgery) and paid out of pocket since my insurance won't pay for preventive. I was very glad and got insights and tips but she deferred to the ps to first say what I can do vis a vis exercises before she will make recommendations...
Thinking of everyone here, especially those who aren't as vocal right now - hoping it's for good reasons like vacation... Hugs to all!0 -
Have a wonderful vacation Maria - we are all so pleased you started this and got us together, you deserve to have the best holiday ever
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Here's a cartoon for you ladies on rads:
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I thought this one from the same site was spot on too:
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Hi everyone,
Have not posted in a very long time, but have kept up on everyone daily. Just finished my rads on Monday and i am very tired and sore.
Just wanted to thank everyone on here and thank Maria for starting this thread, it has been a life savor and a comfort. Sharing all our experiences through this life changing event has made it bearable. It would be great if some day we could all meet. I feel we all share a bond now that is deeper than bc.
I will continue to to read on how everyone is doing and cheer on all the great news that you are all receiving and pray harder when receiving the not so good news, I have a deep faith in God and I will continue to pray for each and everyone of you as I have done so through out this journey.
Thanks again, Lee
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Suebee48--my son pointed it out to me. Apparently the cartoonist has someone in his life with BC. His other cartoons can be a bit off-colour.
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Pfc, pfc, ra ra ra, I'm pfc!!!
Lee - nice to have you chime in - glad you are powering through this.
Checked out the cartoons - one just funny and one educational. Very cool.
Take care everyone.0 -
Silia - congrats on being PFC -take it easy still for the first bit, this stuff takes a long time to get out of your system - but how good does it feel to have finished!
Lee - so are you done treatment altogether? - its all gets better from here
I have my last rads on Tuesday 9th, my neck is quite raw (and looks horrible) but still no other rads symptoms - I can cope with that after having so long of the whole of me feeling awful.
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Had my lumpectomy yesterday and from what he dr said, my cancer is gone! Just cannot wait to see what path. report shows. I will starts rads nxt month.
good luck to all who are dong some sort of treatment and congrats to those who just finished.
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LeAnn56-Congratulations on finishing rads! Hooray for you!
Silia-So glad to hear you are done with chemo! What a good feeling. I hope SE's are minimal this weekend.
KSMatthews-That is wonderful news!
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Silia-I am 1 month PFC and had the best thing happen last night. I got bitten by mosquitos!! They have ignored me all summer-I figure it was the chemo chemicals keeping them away. Even my sweat has smelled chemical but i guess they have passed on thru. Who knew that a mosquito bite would be a milestone!
ksmatthews-cancer free-are there any sweeter words? I hope your path report comes back soon with great results.
Colodisney-thanks for the LE info. Iwondered why no one has mentioned it because I think most of theladies had their surgeries before chemo. I am so sorry you have it. Like Silia I have been doing research on it to see what if anything I ca do to prevent it. It sounds like your LE person is on the ball.
Husker-I have shown Gracie to my sister because she wants a puppy. She is absolutley adorable. How's the potty training going?
Maria-have a great Vac. I bet you will look fab in your swimsuit.
Girls, I have been lurking daily but not really been in a posting mood-mostly because i have to write myself so many notes about everybodys news that by the time I am done with that I have lost my enthusiasm. So i have missed a couple of anniverseries, some birthdays, moves, ect-so sorry about that. Hoping the chemo brain heals itself soon. I am still struggling with super easy Soduku puzzles-and i used to whiz thru the 5 star ones.
Having my BMX on Monday. Trying to get the house and yard in order. Got a CT this morning-hoping to be able to pick up my report this afternoon. Only 1 guy working on Sat so he may not get to it. They stuck my port 4 timew before I told them -NO MORE! It is a bruised and bloody mess. Rads people needed it for the type of scan i got. I told them if they couldn't use my arm we were going to have to reschedule and i would come in already accessed.
Hope eveybody has a great weekend. I will post next week after surgery. Apparently i will be doing some serious recliner time so maybe i can get current and be a better BC friend.
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Lilylady, Best Wishes for your surgery. Hope everything goes smoothly and your recovery is quick and easy. Looking forward to hearing how everything went next week.
Silia, CONGRATS! I am still on a high from finishing chemo. Still feeling the effects of it. No doubt I will just be feeling normal and it will be time for my surgery (Aug. 17). Still, the feeling of being done is wonderful. Hope you are enjoying it.
KSMatthews, Wonderful news on your surgery. So good to hear. Hope you're feeling well.
Maria, Just wanted to chime in and thank you for starting this thread. It helped me immensely getting through. Enjoy your vacay! Best wishes on finding a new home and with your new life. I am sure it will be fantastic.
I feel the same as you Lilylady. We are a big group. It is hard to keep up with everyone. I apologize to anyone whose anniversary or finish I may have missed. I think we all realize that we all wish each other nothing but the best whether we get a chance to express that or not. It is pretty amazing how I feel about our whole group when I've never met anyone. I feel like I know everyone and have for years. It is quite a bond we've formed.
Have a great weekend everyone.
I wish I could come up with a good song for you Silia. How about With A Little Help From My Friends? My son says Ringo is his favorite Beatle. LOL
What would you think if I sang out of tune,
Would you stand up and walk out on me.
Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song,
And I'll try not to sing out of key.
Oh I get by with a little help from my friends,
Mmm,I get high with a little help from my friends,
Mmm, I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends.
Do you need anybody?
I need somebody to love.
Could it be anybody?
I want somebody to love.
What do I do when my love is away.
(Does it worry you to be alone)
How do I feel by the end of the day
(Are you sad because you're on your own)
No, I get by with a little help from my friends,
Mmm, get high with a little help from my friends,
Mmm, gonna to try with a little help from my friends
Do you need anybody?
I need somebody to love.
Could it be anybody?
I want somebody to love.
Would you believe in a love at first sight?
Yes I'm certain that it happens all the time.
What do you see when you turn out the light?
I can't tell you, but I know it's mine.
Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends,
Mmm I get high with a little help from my friends,
Oh, I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends
Do you need anybody?
I just need someone to love.
Could it be anybody?
I want somebody to love
Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends,
Mmm, gonna try with a little help from my friends
Ooh, I get high with a little help from my friends
Yes I get by with a little help from my friends,
with a little help from my friends0 -
Congrats Sillia! So happy for you.
ksmatthews: great news on the surgery, I hope pathology comes quickly to soothe your mind.
Good luck on the surgery lilylady, I hope it all goes well.
Sorry about the LE, colodisneylover. I am surprised how quickly it set in, but it sounds like your dr. has a lot of ideas for helping you out.
Still plugging along on rads. I've had 12 so far and no SEs as of yet. I feel tired, but that could be one of a million things. Our cat has been diagnosed with kidney disease, and we are really hoping to get a few more years from him. Right now, we are having to give him fluids at home. I am pretty comfortable with the IV, given my vast experience in the past few months!
I hope you all have a great weekend!
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This will be short but thanks for all the good wishes!! Yes, little help from my friends is perfect! I Also struggle with keeping up and mentioning each person's specific news. I try to give myself permission to make some generic comments and trust (as Kay said) that we know were all wishing great things for each other... We need to not have our thread create any stress for us!! Lilylady, can't wait to hear from you post surgery! I haven't been getting many bites yet my dp is eaten alive. Hadn't occurred to me it might be the chemo - ha!
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Stilts - Hope the relay went well last night.
LeAnn - Glad you are done with rads..good luck to you.
Lilylady - I wish you good luck with your surgery. It seemed my entire body smelled like chemo chemicals. The chemo was even coming out through my eyes...I would often have this white discharge in the corner of my eyes after my treatments..YUK !!!
Colodisneylover and all of you ladier suffering from LE I am sorry to hear about it and hope you find relief.
Silia - CONGRATS !!!!!
Kay1963 - "With a Little Help From My Friends"..I love it :-)
Ksmatthews - Glad your lumpectomy is behind you and all went well, I know the path report will be a good one.
My exchange surgerey is Tuesday..Wish me luck ladies and say a prayer for me.
To all of you ladies who i didn't mention..good luck to you and wishing you all the best.
Love you all.
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Thanks Deedee and good luck to you!
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The Relay for Life on Friday night was a WONDERFUL experience and kind of gave me a much needed boost right now...walked the Survivors Lap with husband, daughter and some co-workers cheering me on !!!! The Mayor of Burnsville, MN. (location of the relay) gave the speech...she is a two time cancer survivor (latest was breast cancer) and definitely inspiring....so glad I got a chance to get to know her as we talked quite a bit as we were walking. Our March 2011 Chemo Lounge Luminary was on the track and they were lighting them all at dark about the time I was leaving for the night...quite a sight...lots of people/teams walking all night.."because cancer never sleeps". Believe me, you were all in my thoughts. Will try to post some pictures from the event soon!!!
Getting a little philosophical about my PFC day on the 11th...should be done by about noon...or in approximately 98 hours !!! Not planning to celebrate (might be bad luck) but consider it the end of another chapter in the BC part of my life following the chapters titled "WHY ARE THEY CALLING ME BACK IN FOR ANOTHER MAMMOGRAM/ULTRASOUND?"..."BREAST BIOPSY FUN (OUCH)AND WAITING FOR THE RESULTS"..."1/27/11-I HAVE BREAST CANCER".."2/2/11-BILATERAL MASTECTOMY-WILL I EVER BE READY TO GET THESE DRAINS OUT!!!" ...
Made an appt. with a nutritionist...he works a lot with cancer patients and was recommended by one of my co-workers....6 year survivor...Stage 4 Lung Cancer...he's doing great!!! Will pass along some information after my appt. if you are interested...
Congrats to Silia ...PFC !!! and others finishing chemo or rads...thinking of those with upcoming surgery, too !!!
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Stilts-I woud love to hear what the nutritonist will say. I am ready to embrace new eating habits but not be crazy about it. I am so glad the Relay lifted your spirits. It was an honor for all of us to be on your poster.
There are people i would like to see-like a nutritionist and a LE specialist and maybe a physcial therapist that my insurance company is balking at paying for. I have an appt with a LE lady that I will pay out of pocket. Until I return to work seeing most of these people will be out of reach for me. Disability pay sucks-but I am sure glad i had it available so I could be off. Not sure when I will return. After the BMX I still have appts with 2 more surgeons and Rads to do. If no further surgery I might go back when I start Rads. I have 5 weeks VAC that has to be used before Dec 1-it is twice what my diasability pays so I am going to use it. Or I might wait for the weather to cool off.
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Stilts, I forgot to say thank you for including me on the poster. Glad to hear the Relay was such a good experience. I was in the middle of chemo when they had it here and not feeling good enough to participate. I think I will next year though. So glad you will be PFC on the 11th, good luck. I think our whole thread will be done at that point. Such a great accomplishment for us all! GOOD LUCK and hope you get no SE's. Mine seem to be lesser from this last one, maybe just because I know it was the last one, they're not bothering me as much. I'd like to hear what the nutritionist says too. Thanks for the offer.
Lilylady, I can't believe your ins. co. is giving you a hard time again. Mine has been good. If the doctor recommends something, they don't question it. Keep fighting them! I am lucky I was on short term disability and the pay did suck, but I am switching to long term now and that is actually much better! I am very thankful for it. Best of luck with the BMX and the other possible surgeries.
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Dee Dee - Best of luck for a smooth exchange tomorrow.
Can't wait to hear from lilylady once she surfaces after today's surgery...
Stilts - so glad your pfc status is drawing close! Do post photos whenever you can from the Relay.
Need a nap now. Take care everyone...
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