Starting Chemo in Nov. 2011...anyone else?
Comments
-
Thank u ladies, I'll be joining u at the finish line soon enough!
0 -
Good Morning all,
Happy Mother's Day to all. Whether you are a mother, aunt, grandmother, niece, daughter - we all nuture
Enjoy the day. We rock
Nel
0 -
Happy Mother's Day!
0 -
Happy Mothers' Day to all of you mothers on here. I sent my mother flowers and a card and talked to her on the phone, but I have to say I miss the closeness I used to have with her. It was my choice not to upset her by telling her of my BC, but because of that, I don't have much else to say to her these days. My life is so controlled by treatments, fatigue, now my swelling arm, etc. Those are the things that I have to talk about, but I can't share any of that with her. She lives 550 miles away, so the day to day stuff has been easy to keep from her, but I have had to come up with excuses not to see her. And she was always my best cheerleader when I was having a problem, or in college, juggling being a mother and a student. I guess I just wish I could share with her all that I have been through without causing her any worry. She is 89 now, and has had an up and down last couple of years healthwise herself.
0 -
Bahamamom, so sorry to hear that your mom is unaware of your situation, must be very difficult keeping it from her. I'm sure u know best as to what she is able to handle, hope u have other support near by, if not we r always here for u!
0 -
I had a good day yesterday with hubby and children. I just wish this fatigue would go away. We went to the canal in downtown Indy. I couldn't walk as much as I wanted to. I am so blessed that my family is patient with me. My daughter (who is expecting twins in October!) helps me out a lot too. She either needs to rest or go to a bathroom!
My exchange surgery is Thursday. I can't wait to get rid of these TEs!!!!
0 -
Beth, glad to hear u had a good time with family, I know what u mean by fatigue. I had to borrow a wheelchair Sat while shopping for furniture, didn't care who stared, my feet/legs were killing me and I was so tired. My girls had fun taking turns driving me around.
0 -
Beth & Julie - I think your fatigue will get better. My last chemo was January 27th, and it seemed like forever before my legs didn't hurt really badly, but one day they did just stop hurting. And after that, I started walking again. I can walk 2+ miles and only get tired when I go up a hill or climb the stairs. It seems to me like I am back to the way I was before as far as energy level goes. The only thing I really notice now is that I am sleepy an hour earlier in the evenings than I used to be. I am glad you are getting out, living your lives, getting back to normal. I think the energy will just come in time.
0 -
Thanks Bahamamom--It always helps me to hear that it will get better. I try to do a little exercise each day. I have at least been doing the body test on the Wii. I don't always remember but I am trying.
0 -
Bahamamom, glad to hear it does get better, did u have rads too, heard that also adds to fatigue
0 -
Hi everyone,
Well, I'm 5 months since last chemo and about 8 weeks since radiation ended and I'm just now beginning to feel more energy. Most days I've been wiped out by about 3:00 in the afternoon. Yesterday I got more done than usual, and today I woke up early. I'm so glad to be feeling more energy. So fatigue is another thing that does end, eventually. I had herceptin May 4 and it took a week this time to get rid of the herceptin bloat. I'm usually better by the fourth day. I went to my pcp last week and asked her to run several different blood tests, a couple to check my heart funtion that doesn't show up on echocardiogram, also thyroid and parathyroid, cbc, vitamin D level, and iron. I won't get the results for another week. I also asked her to prescribe a lower dose of my antidepressant med, because my tinnitus has been getting worse and I found out it is toxic to ears. I just started taking the lower dose and so far the depression hasn't returned. I've been on Femara now of about 6 weeks, and haven't noticed any thing new.
Beth, I know you're ready to get your surgery done Thursday. I hope that goes well for you.
Jenlee, Your surgery is fast approaching, too. Is it next week?
For those of you still getting chemo, hang in there you're almost done.
0 -
Dear all,
Hey Nov. chemo girls..it's been a while since I checked in but I find myself coming to you when I'm feeling a little nervous. You're my chemo-homies
So I've got two more weeks of rads to go and rads are NOT exactly easy. Easier than chemo? I don't know about that. This tx is just different and I'm annoyed that I was told I'd probably breeze through them compared to chemo. I'm pretty fatigued from them although my skin seems to be holding up okay. I guess being flat chested helps, since there's less tissue to maintain and certainly I don't have a breast crease or folds to worry about (size A!).
I'm also into week six of tamoxifen. I feel like I'm still under siege from tx. And on top of it I'm a bit short of breath from time to time, so my CBC was done and I'm not anemic. My RO doesn't think it's from rads nor do my nurses-my lung is getting just a fractional amount of rads. They are making mutterings about a chest x-ray.
I'm of course now terrified that this crap isn't gone and is now in my lung. My late husband went through 3 months of rads and chemo and 2 months after he finished he began to feel short of breath and we found out his cancer had metastized. So I'm fearful of that.
But I suppose it could be tamoxifen related, or even anxiety, since I don't feel it all the time, I still sleep fine at night, and I can still do all my regular craziness-exercise activity.
Just scared all of a sudden. And sick of tx, schedules, scans, tests, appointments, weigh-ins, O 2 sats, BP checks, etc. etc. You know the rest.
XO to my Nov. gals...!
Claire
0 -
Julie-Yes, I had radiation for 33 treatments, starting 4 weeks after the last chemo. The radiation has been over for about 4 weeks now. After about 3 weeks of treatments, I started falling asleep on the couch by 7 or 8 in the evenings. Since it was happening as I was regaining strength from my chemo, it was kind of hard to tell which treatment to credit the tiredness to.
0 -
Claire, we so know what u r going through, I'm praying for u to have strength In this tough time and so that the results come out negative for anything bad.
Bahamamom, ic more fatigue to look forward to
I had Taxol 11/12, only one more to go then I'm done and my picc line is coming out too, yay!!!0 -
Claire-I can imagine how hard it must be to have new symptoms that seem like they could be more bad news coming your way. I used to always think to myself that any test I had would surely be negative, that I just would not actually have some bad illness. Needless to say, that changed with the BC diagnosis. I remember the disbelief I felt every step of the way with the BC. It is kind of like that after the BC, we can't be so naive anymore. We can't just assume we will not have a bad illness anymore, but let's try, though, not to automatically assume the worst either. Maybe a chest x-ray would help rule out any new cancer fears for you. I know you are tired of all the tests, etc., but it may give you peace of mind. I will be wishing for you the best of luck.
0 -
Claire ~ I feel like I am in a similar place as you. I have had a significant pain in my right shoulder that is totally unexplained. Of course, I immediately thought...bone mets. This BCO website is such a blessing in so many ways. I have found friends, encouragement and a place to vent when necessary. One of the downsides has been that I've noticed a lot of Stage IV ladies who started out with a diagnosis just like mine several years ago. I realized that I had to choose whether I was gonna live in an ongoing state of panic (which was my first tendency) or to know that I had done all I could do to battle this stupid cancer with every single weapon in the arsenal. I have to make a choice every day on how to deal with my many aches and pains. We are all walking this weird balance beam of "does this mean something or doesn't it?"
I don't really have any answers, but there is a thread called "If you are not Stage IV, but have questions, post here." It is a wonderful thread where Stage IV ladies answer questions for those of us in earlier stages. One thing I learned is that if your symptoms come and go...that is a good sign! Many of them told me that it was the really persist ant pains or symptoms that were the most worrisome. I totally agree with you that the shortness of breath could be caused by anxiety or by any one of the treatments you've been on.
When I was first diagnosed, I had been suffering from severe, unexplained vertigo for about 4 months. I finally told my docs and they rushed me into a brain MRI. I was fully prepared for the worst...brain mets. Turned out my brain was TOTALLY FINE. The vertigo left the moment my cancer was removed and none of my medical team can explain it. Once I recovered from my MX, it was just gone. My point is that tons of weird stuff is going on with us because of the cancer and the treatments and the stress. Don't jump to conclusions, if you can help it. I'll pray for you my friend
SAN
0 -
Beth- Let us know how your surgery goes tomorrow.
0 -
Dear all,
Thank you for your kind words. It seems my shortness of breath is probably anxiety-related (end of semester worries, appts, graduation ceremonies, and grading), and drinking more caffeine than I normally do. My o 2 sats were 100%, my BP 120 over 75 (that's rather high, actually) and my pulse rate was 54 yesterday. Since when I make the effort to slow down my breathing consciously I'm able to breathe just fine, and I'm sleeping fine at night, etc etc my RO is not concerned. No chest Xray at this time.
Sandyland, the IV thread scares me unnecessarily so I stay away from it. But what about your shoulder pain? Can you get an xray to rule out your fears?
I think we are all pretty remarkable at what we are able to endure and stay relatively cheerful and happy, in spite of our constant worry about recurrence.
Hugs,
Claire
0 -
Claire, I'm glad your shortness of breath is nothing serious. I've been having a similar issue. Sometimes I feel like I don't have enough breath and have to force out the last words of a sentence. Yesterday I went for a hike I've done many times before. I'm in pretty good shape but I was breathless when I got to the top, which has never happened to me. I started Tamoxifen two weeks ago and and I'm wondering if it's related. I'm also still retaining fluid from Taxotere so it could be that. Who knows? I see my onc next week so I'm going to ask.
I agree with everyone here. I'm a lot more in tune with my body since my diagnosis but I have to really make a conscious effort not to let each new symptom or sensation make me worry or become anxious and sometimes it's hard. Sometimes I don't say much as I don't want to be always complaing and I'm afraid I'll lose credibility, but all the little "stuff" feels very real to me. I guess sometimes a symptom is not very specific and doctors just can't give us an answer or a reason so they tend to disregard it. That's way it's great to be able to come here, as everyone understands and is going through the same stuff.
I hope everyone is doing well and for you ladies still doing chemo and hopefully nearing the end, my hat goes off to you for sticking with it. Good luck! xoxo
0 -
Julie -We're counting down the days with you until your last chemo next week. 6 days to go!0
-
Tipnas-
I like your new picture. Looks like your hair is growing. My hair grew back salt and pepper and really wavy and thick. Eventually, I will dye it but not yet.
Susan
0 -
GrandmaV, thanks!
A little disappointed today, had my mammo/ultrasound done to see how much my tumor shrunk after all that chemo, but not much change is what I got, I guess it's better than it grew, right?0 -
Hello everyone!
I had my surgery yesterday. It started out rough for me and my hubby. He has texting a woman from church and I felt it was inappropriate. I got it out of my system yesterday on our way to surgery. Not the best time but it worked. He cried, I cried and then we cried again. It was very emotional. I was crying going into surgery and coming out. I also got very sick this time. In recovery, the nurse gave me a lot of morphine and on the way home, everything came out. My sugery was over at noon but I stayed because I didn't want to be sick in the car on the way home. I have a motion sickness patch behind my ear but it didn't help much either. Oh well, I guess it was time to purge!
I hurt from surgery pain. Probable the stretching of my arms and the incisions but, those horrid TEs are gone, the PORT is gone and the pain is manageable (spelling okay?)
I resigned from my job on Tuesday. I didn't get along with my director anyway so it is a good healing for me. Also, there is a possibility that my husband will transfer jobs from Indiana to North Carolina. I have always wanted to live in the Carolinas!!!! This has been an exciting week for me. Our twin grandbabies are due in October so I will be traveling quite a bit in the next couple of months. Our son is getting married on June 9 and our other daughter is getting married on May 26th.
I saw the oncologist and thought I was losing my nails from taxol but it looks like a fungus. Has anyone gone through this? She wants me to see a podiatrist and I will make an appointment soon. I have had this before and used Vicks on the toes. It really draws out the fungus and clears the nails. I also found a natural soak on the internet but I can't remember the ingredients. I may try this before seeing another medical person!
The weather is Indiana is beautiful today. It's supposed to be 83 degrees and I have company coming over to visit. I need some good visits right now!
Take care...
Beth
0 -
Hi Julie, I'm sorry to hear that your tumor has not shrunk as much as you expected but as you say it hasn't grown. You've got a good attitude. Hopefully the surgery will give you more information and a better picture of how the chemo worked. Good luck with your last chemo on the 22nd! I hope you get time to rest and heal and enjoy your family before your surgery. take care xox0
-
Hi Susan, thank you. My hair is growing back quickly and is a bunch of tiny curls but no grey. I would like to get highlights but I'm a little leary of the chemicals, so like you not yet. I was actually complaining about how curly it is and then my daughter reminded me that for 6 months, I wished everyday that I had hair. So now I'm just enjoying it.
How are you doing on the Tamoxifen? Have things settled down? I started 2 weeks ago and have found that I'm a lot more emotional. I remember you said you felt that way in the beginning so I'm hoping things will settle down. take care
0 -
Hi Beth, glad to hear the surgery went well. Hopefully with the port and TEs gone, your pain will ease up and you can get out and enjoy some of that Indiana sunshine!0
-
Beth-Sorry you are feeling bad. Hopefully, your healing will be quick and the pain will lessen. Your husband's texting a woman from church reminds me of my husband's emailing an old friend from high school a while back. I know how you must have felt regardless of how harmless I am sure it was. This is a time when we really need our husband's attention and support. I am glad you told him how you felt about that.
For those with hair growing back issues, it seems like mine is taking forever to grow. I thought it looked salt and pepper colored, but I showed it to the radiation doctor the other day who assured me that it was brown with an auburn tint. I guess she is right, but to me it looks dark and white or gray. Also on the top it is so short, not even a half inch, but the sides are more than an inch. My last chemo was the end of January, and I was so tired of waiting for it to grow that I am trying not to get too upset about the color. I have never colored my hair, but I am not going to have all that gray. I never had any before this.
I have a new issue and I just discovered that it is indeed related to the chemo. I have floaters, small black dots before my eyes that move as my eyes move. At first I just thought it had to do with my eyes, and I read that it could be completely harmless or the retina could be detaching. Then I got a little curious and wondered what could make the retina detach-needless to say, I worried that some brain tumor was pressing on the retina. Anyway, I just googled "can floaters be caused by chemo?", and sure enough there were several articles about this. Anyone else have this problem? I am seeing an opthamologist on June 1st.
0 -
Beth, I'm so glad to hear your surgery is over, Congratulations. Are you all done now? Hopefully you'll heal up fast.
Bahamamom, I've had floaters for a long time, but they have gotten worse. My Onco told me to wait six months after chemo to have eyes checked, as any change in eyesight may correct itself. He also wanted me to wait to see an Ent for the tinnitus after six months too, to see if that goes away on it's own. I'm almost 5 months out, so it will soon be time to get those done. I just hate to think about going to more doctors.
0 -
Hi everyone
I just started physical therapy this week as taxol pain has never really stopped for me. I didn't get typical nueropathy numbness just pain, they wanted to put me on Nuerotin or lyrica but I insisted to try to work it out in PT, took a month for them to agree. My first session was a blessing and they really pinpointed my problem areas. I've been moping around too long! Now I'm really looking forward to getting fit again.0 -
FL Islander, nice job taking some positive action with that physical therapy. I had some rough nights of breathing recently and I decided to get a light adjustment from a chiro and he actually did get a couple of cracks in my lung area that I feel helped. My ong nurse wanted to give me meds to acid reflux for this but I resisted and tried the chiro first. My little body can't handle anymore drugs.
0
