February 2012 Chemo
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Gritgirl, smaller is good and yes you need a break. My recovery is not going well, what a surprise. They wanted me to go back to hospital but I said wait and see. Arm is very tight, very painfull and boob is sore now. I hope they take drain out today , couldn't yesterday too much fluid still.
I have my puppy and she has been going to toilet outside, early days I think.
She is fawn colour and very sweet , had to take her to the loo at 5 am.0 -
Ali: praying you have a quick and gentle recovery. Let the puppy sleep on you. They're kind of like fuzzy hot water bottles. :-)
Susan
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susan....sending warm peaceful hugs; sounds positive if you step back to look at the much needed break that you have been given as well as the decrease in size...be good to you and know that we all care!!!!
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Ali
Sorry to hear your having pain. You will feel better once the drain is out though. The pup sounds adorable even if you had to take her out in the wee hours of the morning. She'll be good therapy.
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Ali sorry you are having such a rough time. Sending positive vibes your way.
Gayle
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lol @ firstcall - five scar general!!! love it!!!
lumpy - are you loving your new place?
Susan - so happy for you that the cancer is shrinking, and that you are getting to take a well-earned break from this brutal treatment.
Ali - I think you should post a pic of your puppy! Sounds so cute! Hope you are feeling better soon.
Feeling overwhelmed...too much going on...but if I got through chemo I can get through this right?
Now that Susan is "on vacation" from chemo, is anyone still getting chemo right now? I don't think so but wanted to check.
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christina-i am--matter of fact this friday is tx #3 of 4--taxotere and cytoxan as follow up to my lumpectomy---then a month off before RADS
ali i agree that we need pics of the pup!!! maybe this will be the diversion you need!!!! and susan is right about pup sleeping with you! they love the comfort abnd warmth and you may enjoy it as well! my roxie used to sleep against the back of my neck and i miss that!!!!!
well- i have a question which may seem really stupid--do you all find that your emotions are still all over the charts? i had an "incident" yesterday with m daughter and it really hurt my feelings! i festered all day and i am still hurt and i don't think she even knows what she did or how she did it...and it happened in front of two of her subordinates in their "office"....
today is day 3 of my 11 hour days and i have to say that i will be glad to have friday off for tx, saturday is neulasta and i am hoping to plant some flowers in my new yard- there are some beds that need sprucing!!! wrote out the rent check today for July --
and yes!!!! i AM loving the new house!!!!!!!!!!!!
sunday, my DIL is hosting a Scentsy open house and i plan on attending- will be good to do something fun! and next week is July 4th already! a paid day off in the middle of the week!!! whooo hoooo!!!!
ok- really need to act like i work here since i am punched in!
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Lumpy- I have found I am still more emotional than I used to be. My patience is a lot thinner too with my kids. I really try to keep in check and remember it's just me. BUT as others have found out, some people are just less sensative to us than they should be.
Great news today! I went in for my post-op check up with my BS. She said things look great and I probably will be ready by Monday to have the drains out. YAY! Also the path reports came back wonderful and she said I am officially cancer free!! This is still a bit surreal to me as I feel like I have been fighting and fighting these past few months, that I am not sure I dont know how to not fight now. I still might have to have rads though to reduce the chance of reoccurance but we will see. We are still very very happy!!
/does a happy dance!
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Jen, Congratulations! Way to go!
Susan
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Great news Jen
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hello everyone. I started my chemo in Feb. but I am new to these boards. Everyone is suggesting that I talk to some people for support. I did 12 weeks of chemo (abraxene, herceptin and carboplatin) but just recently had to stop because it was making me too sick. I had diarrhea for 12 weeks, last 2 weeks I had nausea and vomiting and my plateletes were low, I became nuetrapenic, needed blood transfusions, potassium and magnesium. My doctor is now going ahead with surgery in 2-3 weeks and I am looking at probably more chemo after my bi-lateral mastectomy.
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Welcome to group, Momtoncc. Sounds like you've really been through. Hopefully any chemo you get after the surgery will be much easier on you. Although this group started out talking chemo, we've now moved on to talking about surgery and radiation as well since many folks are in the middle of these things as well.
Me? I'm on a two month break from chemo and will be back on the chemo saddle again after that. Hopefully I can then head to surgery.
It really helps to talk. Feel free to bring anything up.
Susan
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Susan, I'm glad to hear that the scans showed continued shrinkage, and hope your vacation is rejuvenating.
Ali and Jenn, hope your recoveries get better and get finished, quickly!
I'm in a very angry state, as I suspect strongly that I have developed lymphedema. Thanks, rads!
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Mom2ncc, welcome. Sounds like you have been through a lot. I too, have had the big D train pull in to stay, had transfusions, have magnesium and potassium Ivs and the fatigue that goes with all that fun stuff. Only thing I didn't have was nuetripenia. I did TCH x 6 and Herceptin. Hoping I start to feel better. I also had a BMX, but should not need more chemo or RADS.
Hildy, I hope it not LE! Grit, I hope your chemo break goes well.0 -
Quick answer - to Christina
Yes
Longer answer -
I had #10 of 12 weekly Taxol today. Had AC dense dose which started in February (of course, right? :0).) and ended April 4th. Had a 3 week break then started the Taxol. I am thankful that I did/am doing it over 12 weeks and that it is Taxol not Taxotere. So I have 2 more to go ending on July 11th. Lumpy and I are holding down the fort chemowise as of now from the initial Feb list as far as I can tell. Susan will be having a much needed BREAK!!
Yay Jenn! Congrats. So thankful for good path reports following your surgery and continued good recovery.
Lumpy - this chemo pause has wreaked havoc on my emotions although it's crazy unpredictable and not at all consistent.
Oh Hildy, that stinks. I do forget if you have a lymphedema physical therapist; if not you MUST go to one. I have been seeing one since shortly before my first chemo due to cording & high risk of lymphedema due to #nodes removed in axillary excision. She is amazing. I have a sleeve that I wear - because it's preventative, it's not all the time - my call depending on if I notice any swelling, long travel time, plan on wearing it whenever I fly, wear it more often when I run now (mainly due to summer heat which causes swelling in just about everyone on planet earth - rings have always fit tighter in the summer and loose in the winter and fit normal the other two seasons). There is great information on this site and links to a website that is highly recommended by the women who have LE. Hang in there !
Gotta run right now - I'll try to respond to others in the next couple days.
Hugs to all !!0 -
lumpy - mmm scentsy stuff smells so good!!!
I am definitely still moody and emotional at times. I don't find myself getting offended so much, just changes in my mood frequently. Up and down, happy, worried, angry, happy again. This week moreso than normal. I hope #3 go smoothly for you, with few SEs. When is #4?Jen - SO happy for you that your path report came back all clear!!! That is fabulous!!!
Momtoncc - welcome! I'm so sorry you had such a rough time with the chemo. Definitely not a walk in the park for anyone but it sounds like you had it especially rough. I'm having a unilateral mastectomy in August. Many here have already had surgery or are also waiting for it. I hope the side effects improve as time passes for you.
Hildy -
what's going on that you think you have lymphedema? Have any of your doctors seen what is going on yet? dltnhm - so close to being done with chemo! July 11th sounds far but I bet it will be here before we know it. Wow you have had a really long road with the chemo.
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http://s1050.photobucket.com/albums/s408/alison68/
can only get photo on like this!
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jen....how exciting!!! i can feel the joy in your post --and i can feel the un easiness about the other shoe...let the joy shine through!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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ali the puppy is darling!!!!!!
christina- my #4 will be july 20th ....i see the light at the end of that tunnel!!!!
our relay for life is the 13th-14th
the rads still have me a bit frightened...cannot pinpoint exactly why tho....
sposed to be high 90's and thunderstorms next few days here- had hoped to work at planting some flowers...may just stay inside in the ac and chemoslug it all weekend! hey- i do deserve it after the mega move i pulled off ....
anyhow- at work now and really should get something productive done!
may not be back online til monday-have to figure out the new internet system at home first!!!!
hoping everyone has a great weekend!
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Jen really great news enjoy the feeling!
Couldn't load the photo so put it on my profile pic, puppy looks better.
My arm is very painfull and I can't straighten it so still taking painkillers. It is a horrible feeling not to be able to feel the top of my arm and armpit. I think it will stay like this as I've had all my nodes out, a small price to pay if all the cancer has gone. My other arm is now getting back to normal so at least I can use that.
On a sad note, my friend's son went to the docs with two lumps on his neck. They said it was cancer but in the blood, can't cure him but he will be on meds for the rest of his life. ( 19 years old ) my friend is putting on a brave face but is very worried.0 -
momtoncc
Welcome to the boards, shame you didn't find us until now though. Sounds like you had quite the experience with your chemo regimen, at least now you can move on to the next treatment phase while getting a much needed break from chemo by the sounds of it.. (((HUGs))). It is great to talk to others that are or have gone through the same TX, SE's and being able to vent in general about everything BC. Its hard for our family and friends to understand what we go through emotionally and the best part is nothing is TMI here!
Ali
Very cute puppy! What did you name him/her?
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She is called Tessa, 4.30am she woke up and she went to the toilet. Fed her and let her run round the garden chasing the cat. Put her back to bed at 5.15 am she cried for five mins then went to sleep till 7.30am. The vet told me if she has slept for 6 hours then she will need to go to the toilet. I have tried keeping her awake passed 10.30pm but she is out for he count.
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Thank you to all for the welcoming words
My name is Patty, I guess I should of mentioned that in the first post.....the doctor has scheduled the surgery for July 27th so that will be the next step other than still going weekly for the herceptin. Has anyone here had a double mastectomy? How was the surgery and the recovery? I am nervous about it.0 -
Hi Patty
I had a uni mastectomy or UMX to my left but I know others will chime in. There is some good advice on these boards about how to prepare for surgery and of course recovery. Alot would recommend a recliner chair for sleeping in for ease of getting up and down because you will have discomfort after surgery and it would make life a little easier for the first couple of weeks. Have a table nearby where you can reach anything you need and take things out of your cupboards to the counter that you need on a regular basis because reaching overhead won't be an option. Let anyone who is willing prepare and freeze some meals for you or do some yourself in advance, you are not going to feek up to cooking. Above all, don't try to be a hero and take whatever pain meds are prescribed to you. I took tramadol for 2 weeks after surgery and then was fine after that with tylenol. Oh and baby wipes were a godsend to me because I couldn't shower until day 5! I had a nurse come every 2 days to change my dressing and she called in advance on this day so I could shower and she was at the door right after and was able to put on a new dressing for me. As far as clothing, I know I lived in pj pants and had a few large cami type tops that I could step into and pull up rather than attempt pulling anything over my head.
Do you live alone or do you have family to help out?
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Hi Patty,
Welcome to our wonderful group! I just had a double masectomy on June 18th. The anticipation was WAY worse than the actual surgery. After the surgery, I had a On-Q painball and some other good meds and I didnt feel any pain. I was in the hospital for 2 days because my hemoglobin was really low and needed a transfusion. The drains are annoying but not painful for the most part. I still have both of mine in but hope to get it out on Monday or Tues. The recovery isnt too bad but I do have a wonderful husband to help me out. I still sleep in the recliner as it is hard to get up and down but I am getting much better. Rest as much as you can, listen to your body. I've read a lot and watched a ton of tv. Also take the meds as the dr recommends. I still take the pain meds the dr gave me as my body heals a bit more. Havent had much pain at all as I keep ahead of it.
The showers are rough but I was able to take them as soon as I got out of the hospital but with help. They wore me out!
My brain still doesnt work at 100% but I feel pretty good for the most part. Feel free to ask me any questions or send me a message.
Good luck with everything!
Ali- puppy is too cute!
Hugs and cool sunbeams to all!
Jen
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Middle daughter's prom tonight, omg she looked like Audrey Hepburn. She wore a black lacy dress to her knee's and three quatre length sleeves. Her hair is long and brown and had it in curls. She has pale skin so she looked amazing in her dress and pink sparkling shoes.
The dress is such a classic I want it too.0 -
Welcome Patty, myleftboob had some good suggestions. I had a BMX and it is Doable, not easy, but you can get through it. I could not shower for 3 almost 4 weeks as my ps won't allow shower while the drains are in. I had three removed by week 3 but one was in for almost 4 weeks. Jen, glad you are feeling better, hope you continue to heal. Ali, I am sure you DD looked beautiful. What a good memory! Much love to all.
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Ali - the puppy is adorable. Your description of your daughter is an amazing word picture - I can 'see' her all the way across the pond :-)
Be certain that you also see a lyphedema specialist for prevention especially since they removed all of your lymph nodes. Have they presented you with a post-op pathology report regarding all your lymph nodes? I had an axillary excision, but not all of my nodes - still the regeneration of nerves in that area is something that is different and sometimes I have strange sensations on the back side of the underside of my arm. Have been reassured that over time this should resolve.
For anyone with an axillary excision:
Forgot also to mention that my PT for lymphedema prevention said not to allow deep tissue massage in that arm, that area of the underarm and back on the underside of the arm. I love a good massage but want to guard against anything that will send me towards lymphedema. PT said just enjoy the concentration on all the other parts :-)
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