ER-, PR-, Her2+ Roll call
Comments
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Southamptonmom, I definitely experienced breast pain while on chemo, and the chemo did it's job perfectly!
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Southhamptonmom.... I thought the pain I feel off and on in my BC breast was all in my head. Glad you brought this up.
Joint pain. I have been dealing with joint pain too. mostly in my feet and hands. I have found walking, doing Pilates and yoga help with it.
have a good weekend everyone..... I am getting ready for chemo #4 this Mon.
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I have 4 more months of Herceptin to go. Fortunately, I have had no SE from it. But I'm wondering, if anyone else's hair is growing back really slow? I've been comparing mine to others on the Hair, Hair, Hair discussion and mine is so short for being 22 weeks pfc. Now that my hair is back, I notice that I'm suffering from"hair envy"! I'm even staring at guys' hair! lol
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Bump
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Pamonymous, so very happy to hear that you had a complete pathological response to your chemo! I've been off the boards for awhile, busy enjoying my Summer, but I was so happy to see your good news! From a fellow IBC chick to another, keep your chin up through rads. Since they aim so much of it at your skin it can get rough toward the end and don't be surprised that your skin will continue to "cook" for a bit even after you finish rads. It has a cumulative effect so it's still going even when you finish. The upside, you heal up pretty quickly once your done cooking. I'm very fair skinned and I was able to make it with out any skin breakdown until I began my boosts to my scar line at the very end. Make sure you're faithful with your lotions and if you do begin to have skin breakdown, stop what you are using and ask your radiation oncologist for a water based cream. If there is any petroleum in the product you are using (like Aquafor) it will cause your skin to breakdown more once it's begun. The RO gave me Biafine to use once I started to have skin breakdown. Also, being very fair skinned myself, my skin got pretty bad and the pain from moving my torso and stretching it etc. was helped a ton from Neurontin. It's a drug specifically for nerve pain. I had some on hand that I used right after surgery for nerve pain in my arm from the axillary dissection and it worked wonders over vicodin for the radiation pain. Good luck with rads!!
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Hi,
I am here. DX on June 13, 2011. I had my mastectomy on July 12th and will be having the drains out today. I was presented with the option to have surgery first, so I went for it. I will be starting chemo in August. Not sure after that.
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Thanks so much, Holly!! I have just started week four and it's been ok. The people are very nice and always good to see so that's a big bonus. I work from home while everyone is off at work/school, so am happy to see anyone during the day that doesn't walk on four legs and sheds - we have 270 lbs of dog (3 big ones) and 2 cats.
I bought Miaderm and have been surprised at how it really has worked - and thanks so much for the info about petroleum! Miaderm is water-based. I have had times when I've been pink but the miaderm does back that off.
What was really surprising was the fatigue, which came on fast - at the end of the second week.
But just a few more weeks! We'd like to go to someplace in the Southern hemisphere this winter to get some summer in this year, though, haha!
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Scrabblelady - I think my hair is growing back pretty slow and I am suspicious that it's the Herceptin. I figure that I should be happy it's back!!
I go for a treatment tomorrow - I have lost count but I'm at #10 or 11 of 18 herceptin treatments. I think I should be done in January. I have a lot of joint pain and it seems to increase with every treatment - which sucks, but seems like the more I keep moving the less uncomfortable I am.
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Scrabblelady - I am 26 weeks PFC and I hear you on the hair. I was looking at the pictures on that thread the other day and there are definitely some women whose hair is longer than mine at 22 weeks PFC vs. my 26 weeks. For me though I compare it to the hair on the top of my head, which came in last (I looked like I had male pattern baldness for the longest time) so it's much shorter than my hair in the back. Going to get my first PFC haircut next week to trim up the back so it doesn't look so mismatched.
Pamonymous - You are so very welcome! I thought it was odd that my RO didn't say anything to me about the petroleum based products before my skin started breaking down. I was using Aquafor at their direction two to three times a day. He didn't mention it to me until I had the breakdown and told me to stop using it at that point. Miaderm is probably a very good way to go! I've heard wonderful things about it, but it was a bit too pricey for my budget especially for the amount of "lube" I was using, lol.
Yay for already being half way through! Hopefully you get that much needed trip in the Winter to help make up for lost time!
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Ugh, Holly, I know what you mean! I put off ordering the Miaderm until I was a couple of weeks in to rads - I know, I'm a dumb@ss.
I just got annoyed every time I went to the site and saw the price - only because it's a "captive audience" of cancer patients and we have plenty of money issues already, thank-you-very-much!!
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It could be Herceptin slowing your hair growth down... it could also be whether you had Taxol DD every two weeks or Taxane once a week. When my hair was growing back and I was watching those hair threads, we all figured noticed that those of us on Taxol DD were definitely slower with regrowth. My hair did not even start to grow back till I was 8 weeks PFC (I had Taxol DD) but the ladies who had once weekly Taxane saw their hair regrowing WHILE they were on that leg of the treatment. Hang in there ladies -- it WILL grow!
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Hi all just wondering if most everyone has gained some weight? I have gained 15lb this year of bc and it all came on during the first 4 months and none has come off. I have ONE last herceptin July 29th. I am hoping it is herceptin related and that once I'm done with that some of this weight will come off somewhere along the road. I hate weight I can't get off and have never had this problem before.
I really hope the bone/joint pain goes away fairly soon after I'm done also !!! Just other day I woke with a new joint issue this time in my thumb. I now have bad trigger finger of the thumb, painful and annoying.
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My avatar picture was taken today and you can see the length - some of the hair in the back of my head is four inches or so now. I am on herceptin but got a break from it for two months while I had my bmx. My chemo/herceptin timeline was Oct-Dec A/C every three weeks, Jan-April Taxol every week, herceptin every three weeks, bmx, resumed herceptin about mid-June and currently doing 6.5 weeks of rads. My hair started growing back in Jan on Taxol and Herceptin.
I gained weight, Sue, and it's coming off more slowly than it came, for sure. High stress levels make a hard thing (weight loss) even harder.
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I lost 15 pounds on chemo (nothing tasted good so I didn't eat as much) then gained it back when I was done (taste buds came back!) -- now I've lost it again with a good, low carb diet. I've heard it is hard to lose while on Herceptin. I know it was hard for me but I'm not sure if it was the Herceptin or just the reaction to getting my taste buds back
I finished H in September 2010. Could not lose a pound until this April... but to be fair it was the consistent low-carbing that did it for me.0 -
Hi Everyone!
I am a 42 year old mom of 4 amazing kids and the wife of 19 years to the love of my life. I was a stay at home mom for 15 years. I decided to go back to school when my youngest went to kindergarten. I was in school for 4 years and graduated in May 2010 with my RN. Started working in October 2010. I found my lump on my own, had a mammogram and 2 biopsies (second one for questionable spot seen after MRI, found to be benign). I was diagnosed on June 3rd, 2011 with Stage IIa ER/PR negative and HER 2 positive breast cancer. Tumor 3.5 cm, 0/2 lymph nodes. I have had 2 lumpectomies, second one with clear margins. Will start chemo soon...
I have already learned so much here! I am coming out of hiding because I am looking for someone to talk to and hopefully someone w my diagnosis (or close to it) that will be starting chemo soon. I am petrified! Thank you to everyone here!
Michelle0 -
Michelle -- try searching for a Starting Chemo July 2011 or August 2011 thread... or start one! I found a group going through chemo at the same time as me that way. I am sure there will be some in such a group with the same pathology (that is what happened in my group -- some were the same, some different). All in all the thing that is nice is to share with others the experience itself (no matter the diagnosis)... most treatments are pretty similar.
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Michelle
Hi I am doing chemo right now pretty close to your diagnosis
I'm doing neo adjuvant chemo, 2.2cm-3cm stage IIa as well
and her 2 +....I was petrified as well it is scary,but take a deep
breath ,I think we create more worries and fears in our heads than
we really should,or at least I do,lol
Just wanted to say good luck:)0 -
Lilac and 5babiesmommy,
Thank you both! I will look on the chemo board and see if there is a group there. 5babies, did you join a chemo group here? Do you have 5 children?
Did either of you do the Taxotere/carboplatin/herceptin? Most of the time my outlook is pretty positive. I had an easy time with both surgeries.
Thanks for your advice!0 -
Hi Michelle
Yes I have 5 children from ages 16 down to 2..
I am doing taxol and herceptin first I'm on 7th weekly
doses will do 12 then move onto FEC 4x every 3 wks I am really nervous about that one I hear its rough I hope I am the exception lol and do well,it makes me nervous because I've seen it done the other way around where the FEC is first then taxol and alot of women do the AC soooo I wonder why mines different just trusting my onc. Taxol and herceptin have been really easy on me so far(knock on wood) lol started losing my hair around the 4th week really thin right now ,just a matter of time before I say screw it and shave it all. Need to get a wig first tho lol..I'm not the type who can say yea I'm bald look at me..although I wish I was! Anyway if you have any questions you can always PM too:)0 -
Michelle - these forums are absolutely the best. You'll never be alone and there is so much support and information here for you, anytime! I also found a forum where all the ladies were going through chemo at the same time as me - it was really helpful.0
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5babies: I have 4 kids, ages 17-10, 3 girls and one boy. My chemo will be different from yours and you are right, I wonder why there is not one protocol that they follow. I went to the American Cancer Society near my home and they were so incredibly nice! They gave me a wig that looks very close to my own hair. I am not so worried about being bald, but I think I will have to wear a wig to work. Are you working outside the home? I will figure out how to send PMs!
Marjie, Thanks for the kind words and encouragement! Your dx is nearly identical to mine! Nice to see you are a year out! Your hair looks very cute in your avatar!0 -
LOL I just posted my hair update on the Hair Hair Hair forum but I'll put it here too!
You're right Michelle - our dx are almost identical!! I was lucky enough to get clear margins first time in surgery (thank goodnes). Has your port settled in.....you will be so thankful for it believe me! My chemo is similar to yours but in Canada the protocol for me was FEC (x3), T (x3) and Herceptin ( x18). I also had rads after I finished chemo. I'm about half way through herceptin. Happy to help anytime you need somebody
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Michelle
I am not working right now I'm staying home with the kids which is really nice but at the same time makes too much time for thinking lol which can drive ya crazy!
But I try to keep myself busy for the most part. I didn't think the hair thng woud bother me ,I had my hair cut into a short boy cut few weeks ago and it already has bald spots and yes I've cried like 2 different times now over it lol I was positive I would be ok turned out I was wrong but o well it has enabled me to try some cute short cuts I otherwise wouldn't have:)0 -
Marjie
I'm having FEC too which I believe AC is more common over here,wonder why?!
So FEC is the norm in Canada? Have they had alot of sucsess with it..and since they use it more there ..have you ever heard of them doing the taxol first then FEC? Sorry I'm so dumb with all the different meds they use for this stuff,there's so much and different reasons for this or that..it's all so confusing!! Lol
Thanks:)0 -
Marjie -- looking good!
Michelle -- I did ACTH (the ACT was all DD every 2 weeks; the Herceptin started with the Taxol and was every 3 weeks for a year)... lost my hair right after my second AC... but had it cut very short just before, so at least it was just short pieces falling out. That was hard. But I had already bought a really nice wig and I just popped it on when I went out and I enjoyed having new hair. I had no SEs from AC except some fatigue... but for me the Taxol was difficult. All over body pain after the first one (I took Advil prior to infusion after that, which helped -- instead of waiting for pain I took it prophylactically). I also had some neuropathy in my feet (so I just took it easy toward the end of that TX). Foods I loved (like steak and coffee) I could not bear. And I had to avoid raw fruits and veggies (due to natural bacteria and low white blood count). But after I was done my pains faded and my hair grew back. It was not as horrible as I thought it would be. Don't get my wrong, won't get my vote for things I'd like to do again, but with the ancillary drugs they give you these days (and a good wig) it is possible to get through it and still live your life.
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Pamonymous and Marjie - Hair is looking great!! One of these days soon I'll get around to posting my hair pics. Waiting until I can get a more recent shot to add to the collection. 0
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Michelle - I am having my third TCH tomorrow. It really hasn't been that bad, and I hope it continues. I have treatment on Thursday, Neulasta shot on Friday, and then don't plan on anything for that first weekend. The first weekend I definitely felt flu-ish, took anti-nausea pill and went to bed. After that, I just felt better every day. The Neulasta gave me leg pain, but only with the first shot.
With the second treatment, I was up and moving around, but slowly and carefully. There have been other minor issues, but Onc says 'its cumulative' so i am expecting it to get worse. However, i have worked throughout except for doctor's appts. So far, it hasn't been as hard as I imagined it would be. I hope you are the same.
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Your hair looks great, Marjie!
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Glad to hear you're doing so well, Wendyspet! I think you'll do just fine.
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My hair 7 months post chemo
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