February 2012 Chemo
Comments
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Susan, you are HILARIOUS!! Great attitude going into this - and I agree, cheers to cancer free boobs!!
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Gritgirl
Hope the procedure goes well and that you're back to your new "profession" LOL!
Hildy
Loved the shit catapult analogy too!0 -
i'm free and out from the hospital and ordering pizza. all is right with the world.
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That's fab news! Most important which pizza are you having.
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Hurrah Susan!!
And I agree with Ali - inquiring minds want to know about the pizza!0 -
tonight's pizza was pepperoni, spinach, olives, and tomatoes. now i'm all sleepy.
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Now I'm hungry!
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Man, now I want pizza!
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Susan, that's fantastic! So glad it went well. I bet you're relieved. Best luck on 'business' picking up again. I bet you've got lots of bills to pay!
Pizza, yes, that sounds great. And it's only 7am right now. Maybe I'll get one after work.
PORT Question: Did any of you have one? When did you get it out? I've had it now since my surgery last December. I saw the surgeon yesterday and she asked when I want it removed. The chemo doc wants me to keep it. I want it out. His theory is just 'in case I need it again, it's there!" WTF! I don't want to think that way. IF I ever need it again, put it back in! It's a surgical procedure and if I do it this year yet before 12/31 it will be paid in full by my insurance. I'm calling chemo doc today and telling them I want his okay to get it out. Then, gonna call the surgeon and make appointment. Opinions, suggestions, comments, your experiences ????
Have a great day, everyone. I feel optimistic today.
Daughter goes to Iowa City next Tuesday. I'm thinking positive. She wants to leave for Arizona next week also. She already rented a place and everything. We'll all be stunned if she needs any treament and has to stay here longer.
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Port, I had mine taken out two weeks after chemo because my surgeon said it might get in the way. I agree if you need it again like me then put it back in. Also your insurance will pay for it and I hated mine.
Did I tell you I'm changing my car? Well I was due to take it in this morning to part exchange it for my new car on Monday. 7.30am this morning my neighbour knocks on, " sorry I have just dented your car" can you believe it.
So been to one garage and says £ 450 and waiting for the garage where I'm part exchanging it. I have left it at the garage as my tax and m.o.t runs out tomorrow.
My new car will be ready Monday but can I still go through his insurance if it's not my car anymore. Going to take my happy pills in five mins as i maybe having root canal work done in an hour. What a day !!!0 -
i did not have a port but i would think it would be fine to take it out now and-if ever needed again-get another--besides you have to look at who pays your bills-not your MO!
checking in-too long of a day at work-heading to the drug store and grocery before home then collapse to do it all over tomorrow! it's 630 now-man i'm pooped! endof month tomorrow and we are swamped in our dept-which is good really ....
hugs prayers blah blah...susan glad you are home-seriously!!!!!!!
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today the last drain came out and my ca2729 tumor marker came back at 18.2 (normal is 0 - 38). Take that, suckers.
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Gritgirl
Whoot whoot (fist pumping) to the amazing numbers!!
FLDREAMER
I've had my port in since the end of Jan 2012. As soon as I'm done Herceptin I want it out. One of the ladies on the Canadian thread had a lot of starts and stops during Herceptin that it was in a lot longer than a year. I can't remember now the exact terminology she used but basically they had a hard time getting it out. I figure if I ever need one again they can insert a new one.0 -
Ali
Sorry to hear about the dent in your car right when you're about to trade it in! What a PITA!0 -
Susan. Hallelujah. Whoot! Whoot! Terrific number!!
Fldreamer. Could have had my port removed a couple of weeks after last chemo, but I wasn't ready. Then I started getting set up for rads so waited through all of that and a few weeks after.
I was trying to recall if you had any issues getting the port in the first place. My memory is fuzzy with our group on some details. That's the only reason I could surmise the MO suggesting keeping it.
One of the gals referred to her port as her little soldier kinda standing guard. That was a great mental image for me. And was my perspective as well.
Ali - sorry about the car troubles. Yuck. Sorry about the root canal. Those are absolutely no fun.
Firstcall - so sorry to hear about your eye. Ouch! Hope that will heal. I've heard that swimming is really good for working through all these body issues.
Had PT after rads for range of motion, tissue (fascia) stretching and massage, and some cording that had reappeared. My last session was Wednesday. Loved my PT who is a doctor and head of the lymphedema section also. I started seeing her right before my chemo in February once my surgeon released me into her care. She was a God-send! Have a lot of exercises to do to keep working through this. And I'll check back with her in the new year.
Hugs everyone!!0 -
Karen, get that port out! I can't wait to have mine out. I actually had my first port removed as the skin over it just would not heal well and got infected a couple of times. It is quick and painless to have it removed. I had to get another one a few weeks later. I can't wait to be done with herceptin and have it taken out. Your onc is nuts. It's doubtful you'll ever need another one and if you do, it's not like it's that big of a deal (compared to everything else we've been through) to have one put back in. I'd call the surgeon and make that appointment to remove it ASAP.
Sorry I have not been on much. It's the end of the semester and I have a big project to wrap up. Everything is going well. My skin is healing so well since radiation. And today I actually got a bit of a hair style. I did not think it was long enough to style, but I got ambushed at work by our hairdresser. He attacked me with hair gel and spiked my hair, especially in the back. It looks adorable! And it felt good to feel like I had an actual hairstyle. My hair feels sort of boyish to me. I hope I can do it myself in the morning. I stink at hair styling.
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Fldreamer - Once I no longer needed my port, I had it removed. I don't think I would keep it just in case. It was my friend during chemo, but once that was done, it was a foreign body that could become infected or seed a blood clot. So I just had it out. If I need another, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
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Hi, i'm having to wait till my car gets sorted before i can get my new car. What is it with this time of the year. This time last year i got Cancer, is this an omen. I have my mamo on 19th Dec, my father -in law had heart attack this week, the denist was a nightmare. Get this i go through all this pain at the dentist then he says i just gave you a filling. WTF then says i might have to take that out and do root canal. then he says i can't open my mouth wide enough and tooth is in funny position to get three fingers in at once.
well i saw red and said "i'm not coming back i'll just leave it"
What with dealing with DH mum and dad all the time and his sister, i'm ready for a bottle of wine, pizza and chocolate.
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Ali
See how the filling holds up. It might for a long time yet. If it were me and it was a way back tooth and gives you probllems in the future I would just have it pulled but thats me.I hear you about the month of December. Can't even get in the Christmas spirit even though I have alot to be thankful for.
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hee hee I am TOTALLY in the spirit. In fact I am probably spending way too much $$$ on gifts this year. I was happy waiting in line at WalMart last night to pick up a site-to-store order I placed. The line was really long and people looked grumpy. I did not do it, but I thought about turning around and yelling at them (with a smile of course) - "I HAVE BEEN FIGHTING CANCER ALL YEAR, AND I AM THRILLED THAT MY BIGGEST PROBLEM TONIGHT IS HAVING TO WAIT IN LINE TO PICK UP A CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR MY DAUGHTER-IN-LAW!!!" Truly I am a happy girl to be done with the hardest parts of treatment, and getting to enjoy life again! Family seems extra special to me right now and I am doting on everyone.
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Oh and Susan, that is awesome news!!!
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christina i am right with you---when everyone is so grumpy i just think about my own blessings-AND my struggle...and usually just smile at them.... if i think they "deserve" a knocking down i will somehow work cancer into the conversation kindof like- "ya, buddy, your hang nail/cold coffee/wait in line ain't so bad!!!"most times i refrain cuz i TRY to be a lady!!!!!
on the other hand; when i see or hear of someone really struggling i DO reflect on my blessings in the past year (you all are included!) and my slight SE's etc and consider myself one of the truly lucky ones!yes; i have gone thru the cancer wringer however i am alive!!!!!!!
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I agree! I am in the Christmas mood! Got a lot to celebrate. Mostly the end of the year 2012! LOL, And I bet Ali is with me on that! Come on 2013. Ali, its time you got a break. Hope it comes soon.
Susan, hooray! Awesome numbers.
I guess I wasn't ready to give.up my port yet either. But, I guess it will be the first deduction in January! LOL
First call, glad to hear your are doing better.
Lumps, and MLB, hang in there, the Christmas spirit might sneak in when you aren't looking.
Karen, a good PT is a blessing. I hope my insurance will ok more for me, but it looks like maybe not. Oh well.
I went for a bone density scan two weeks ago. I broke the machine. LOL went back on Friday, guess what,.it broke again! LOL this time they were able to fix it though, so didn't have to come back again.
If I forgot anyone, I am sorry.
To all, much love.0 -
good appt at MO today-cut m eloose for TWO months now instead of 6 weeks! i have nothing else to do with my time!
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lumpy. woohoo!!!! go shopping.
today i logged into my online medical file because they'd added a new medical condition.
Acquired absence of breasts.
i couldn't stop laughing. i guess i did buy their absence. :-)
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˙Ha! Acquired absence of breasts is a medical condition--who knew? I would think it's more a required absence of breasts.
Crazy few weeks are finally behind me--I did a craft fair with my daughter this weekend, followed by a gift-making workshop for the kids in our church on Sunday. Very proud of the kid--she's in a leadership program at her karate dojo and part of the program is to find ways to give back to the community. So she did her craft table as a fund-raiser to benefit a couple local charities--made all sorts of jewelry and raised $131.00.
Oh yes, and my BIL has been up visiting since the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, finally left today. He's a very good and polite guest, but it's nice to have the house back.
Husband has had several interviews for internal positions at his company, but I think some were just courtesy interviews. One woman was all over him, saying she wanted him for a new project she was starting, but now has backed way off. Gotta wonder if she's been told not to hire him. It's making me so stressed and anxious.
Going in for pre-surgery appointments tomorrow as well. Fortunately so worried about hubby and job that I barely even think about the upcoming surgery. Not sure if that qualifies as a silver lining, but there you have it.
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Hildy, I know what your going through with DH job. DH lost his job two days before we got married and then lost his hair through stress. Second and third when I was about to give birth. Last time this June after surgery but he's working again.
You will be ok Hun, sending you hugs0 -
Hildy, ((hugs))
I like "required absense of breasts" LOL
LUMPS, YAY!
Grit, you must be feeling better if your laughing! Otherwise you'd be going, LOL ouch, LOL ouch!0 -
Gritgirl
Required absense of breasts?! Well that's a term I never heard before for sure.
Lumpy
I see my MO this Thursday and am wondering about my cut loose date. Good for you!
Hildy
Such a stressful thing I know waiting to find out if you're DH will be kept on at his place of employment. Fingers and toes are crossed for you both!
I'm hoping the spirit catches up with me. I think I'll lay out a few Christmas decorations and make the place look a bit festive, mabey that will help. I was speaking to my realtor and we're not listing the house until after the New Year. She said anyone listing now reeks of divorce and is subject to low balling.
Just want to update you on my friend that has recently been DX Stage IV. Her TX right now is Tamoxifen only. This kind of surprised me actually but I asked the opinion of the gals on a Stage IV board where even if you aren't at this stage yourself, you're free to ask questions. Apparently its a very common course of TX to see if Tamoxifen can do the job of either keeping things stable or reducing the TM's before they bring out the big chemo guns. So they're going to start her immediatly and retest in 3 months and see where things stand. Keep her in your prayers will you?
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Lumpy, I am so sorry to hear about your friend.
As my oncologist explains to me, with metastatic cancer, they start with the basics first and move on from there. She tells me that the cancer will learn the various types of chemo and so they don't want to throw everything at the cancer at once. How people respond is entirely dependent on the biology of the tumor and the biology of the person. Hopefully she will respond very well to the treatment and have many, many years to come.
Here are the organizations that have been the most helpful to me.
- Imerman Angels- they match a cancer fighter up with someone who has a similar diagnosis who will act as an angel to that person.
-Sharsheret - a support organization for Jewish women with breast or ovarian cancer. They will also help folks who are not Jewish, like me. They have a telephone support group called Embrace for those with metastatic cancer.
I stay away from the metastatic online support groups for a few reason 1) many on those boards are often suffering from cancer progression after cancer progression and that scares the bejeebies out of me; 2) some folks on those boards have simply decided they are going to die and spread that attitude wherever they can. I get most of my support from the two groups above and here.
I treat myself like I am going to live and am very active in treatment decisions. If you want, I'd be happy to talk to your friend. Cancer sucks. Metastatic cancer really sucks.
Btw, I don't use the term Stage IV because that just automatically says I'm dead to me, and I ain't.
Susan
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