Kiwi ladies who need encouragment, but all welcome.
Comments
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Helen....ondansetron is usually first choice for anti nausea for chemo. Not maxalon.
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Welcome to the group NgaiD!
Hooray Kruise! Glad for good news for you.
Back home fo rthe weekend. Off to ChCh on Wed, but just for the day. I had two weeks of no business travel and it was really nice. Got a bit spoiled!
Hope everyone has a good weekend!
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Morning.
Welcome NgaiD
I hope chemo goes well on Wednesday- do you know which chemo you're getting? (I had domperidone for nausea- have you had that?)Kruise, great news! Thanks for the virtual invite. I love when I don't have to cook....
Donna, I hope your interview on Tuesday goes really well. A new job with better pay would be fantastic
Well, I better get out of bed now- I really have too many lay-ins atm, my excuse was my cold, but I'm mostly over that now.
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Welcome NgaiD. I hope it goes well on Wednesday. Like KT I had domperidone for nausea as well. I also used sea sickness bands, which I think worked as well. I remember the Cancer Society nurse telling me that if I had coped well with morning sickness then I would likely not suffer too much with chemo nausea. She was pretty well spot on. Although having said that, I followed the medication instructions to the letter.
Kruise, what great news to wake up to on a dreary Saturday morning!
KT, stay in bed. It looks like one of those days.
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Wohoo Kruise that is fanblimmintastic news. I'm doing a happy dance around my office for you. Phew what a relief - I bet you wanted to kiss the guy who gave you the good news. NgaiD, welcome to this group that no-one ever wants to join, but you couldn't meet a nicer bunch of ladies. I'm sure they have saved my sanity sometimes.
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Welcome NgaiD. I was sent an email from NZ Breast Cancer Foundation about this info day on Sunday 10 July.
http://www.nzbcf.org.nz/OURFOCUS/AwarenessandEduca...
Not sure if I would go but some of the topics sound interesting.
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I got the email as well. Looks interesting.
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I'd be keen if anyone else is interested.
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All the very best for tomorrow Donna X
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Hi guys. Went for a second interview this morning and I was so nervous. But when I got back to work they phoned me and told me the job is mine. Start in one month, so I handed in my notice and will have two weeks holiday before I start. I am just so happy, but also a little sad to be leaving such a great bunch of guys. However it is closer to home and more money. So happy
Hope you guys are all doing well 0 -
Yay yay yay!!!!!!!! Congratulations Donna. The best news.
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Yippee! Well done Donna
Sounds like a good excuse to celebrate...
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Congrats Donna. Enjoy your mini break and your new job
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I'm going to the seminar thingy on the 10th. Should be interesting. Parking is going to be a b*tch though. Hate going into the city. May just catch a bus from the Shore.
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Congratulations Donna on your new job. That didn't take long! Has anyone seen the news about the NZ scientist in Melbourne who's discovered a medication for people with BRCA1 mutation?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id...
It's great that progress is being made, even if it seems very slow at times.
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Morning everyone
Friday again, where does time go?!
NgaiD, I hope you're starting to feel better again after your first chemo.
Hi Twofer, nice to see you again. I hope you enjoy the conference.
Is your MRI soon, Optimist?
How's the puppy going Kruise?
Hope everyone, Terre, Helen, Nikki, Donna & Shazza, (anyone else!) has a good weekend
(PS spoke to Karen, she seems to think all is on track re appts, so I'm going to try & relax & enjoy my break...)
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Thanks KT for remembering, yes my MRI is on Monday morning. I've bought some gel type earplugs which I'm hoping will help with the noise. I was asked to make an appointment at St Marks Clinic for results but the soonest they could do was 8 days later. Surely if my results are fine my doctor could phone me? The problem is if I don't get a phone call in those 8 days telling me it's fine, I'm going to assume some kind of bad news which they prefer to give in person. I can see the value of a prophylactic mastectomy now because 6 monthly surveillance creates all this stress! Hope you enjoy your break from treatment.
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Hi everyone from the sunny south. The week has gone fast for sure.
Mine started off petty bleak - got my pathology results which weren't good at all so after googling them went into a bit of a woe me mood for a couple of days. Which kind of scared me and the family.
But life goes on - decided to be a bit more proactive and things haven't got on top of me since. I write lists of things that need doing and as each thing gets crossed off I feel like I have achieved something no matter how small.
I am now sporting a new "softy" compliments of the cancer society. I was wearing a sock but my daughter tweaking my left "sock" in the cereal aisle at countdown was a bit embarrassing as it had moved up to nearly my shoulder blade. I didn't know lol. All my forms are filled in as well.
I have cut my hair short - not too short, in preparation of chemo. I needed a cut like three weeks ago but surgery happened then. Feel heaps better. I have also seen the wig person in town. Not sure if I am wig person as I also like the look of fancy scarves and turbans. Have ordered a couple from the states and the cancer society have a few nice ones as well on offer. So we will see.
Next week I am going back into work for a few hours a day. Routines are in place to cover me for the next 6 months but there is plenty there for me to keep me occupied while I wait for the call up. Am also going to do some physio with my dodgy arm.
My sons team came third in a Southland school Spelling competition for year 5/6 and I also won $178 in Strike on Wednesday. Plus have been walking everyday.
So apart from the obvious all is good.
Hope everyone enjoys the weekend and that any up coming tests are all good results. I have never had an MRI and didn't know it was noisy which shows how little I know. Having a CT scan was bad enough in the big donut.
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Hi Helen and all. First thanks for the welcome. First chemo done and very sick for first 24 hours. The Domperidone which we called Dom Perignon ( I wish 😆) was a no goer but settling now with 2 others. Lots of heartburn however. Oncology nurses at Hastings are just fabulous. It is true. The waiting for the chemo is the dark time. 1 down 5 to go.
Helen I too have started the shaving process. Down to a number two. Not bothering with wigs. I live rurally and beanies are the norm. Friends have been dropping around with them and I'm getting quite a collection. I'm fascinated to see what hairless life will be like as I have been extremely hairy all my life and was teased for it as a child. Will be interesting. I've also gotta say I love my new flat look too. Can't say no to 2kg off the chest 😉. However I've just got fitted for a prosthesis and a pair of togs. I miss my swimming.
Also I have found the PINC programme excellent for my dodgy arm and really supportive. Getting a compression sleeve fitted. With so many lymph nodes out we'll just have to be careful. I have been taught a lymph massage technique which I do most days.
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I had a wee laugh my 15 year old son was very keen to know how much things weighed. I only had one boob off so came home 2065grams lighter! I did ask about getting both off but was told not at this stage.
Glad to hear that you were happy with pinc as that's who I'm going through as well.
Actually a question for everyone - deodorant. I haven't used any since my op. Very stinky
Still have taping under arm so not ready yet but want to know if there are any recommendations.Thanks
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Hello on this grey wet morning!
Optimist, waiting for results is awful isn't it. Doesn't get any easier- distraction helps...
I still have a headache (?sinus) from my cold so still waiting to 'feel better' having no poison in my system - but it is really nice not having to drive to Ak all the time
Helen, you're soundly nice & perky. I'm glad things are going well. Funny about the sock, I remember things moving too. The silicon foobs generally stay in place at least. I remember when I was first diagnosed I tried out a few 'natural' deodorants- they didn't work, phewy! So I'm back to regular deodorants...you may have better luck than me tho & find something that works.
Sounds like you're going well too NgaiD. I'm glad you've found something that works for the nausea.
Have a good weekend
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I hope it goes well tomorrow Optimist.
KT I am still suffering a bit from my cold, 3 weeks on. It was the worst one I have had in years. Maybe you've got a sinus infection?
Helen, I know the feeling of having "less than ideal" pathology results. I fell off my perch when I went from no node involvement to having a "heavy node burden". I've kind of settled into it now, it takes a lot of getting your head around. As for deodorants, I used antibacterial wipes for a while and that worked a treat, but now use normal deodorant. I got a wig, but only wore to the supermarket for some dumb reason (I didn't like people staring at me). Eventually I didn't care and just wore the same cotton on beanie, after getting heaps of scarves and hats. Great that you can go into work for a few hours. Routine is good.
Good to have the first chemo under your belt NgaiD. I found the first chemo and the last one to be the hardest in terms of nausea and other side effects (although I was never sick). it's good that you've got on to something to help. I had success with seasickness bands.
I hope everyone else is fine. I am over the weather and trying to get washing dry etc.
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Thanks Nikki and KT for your kind thoughts. This morning when I woke I couldn't stop sneezing, had a headache and cold symptoms, so I phoned and postponed the MRI. It isn't for three weeks now so I can relax a bit. You have to keep still so sneezing would be no no. It's not urgent so never mind.
Helen and NgaiD, hope you're tolerating chemo okay. Just heard from my sister that an old friend of hers has just been diagnosed with BC, it seems like it's getting more and more common. I'm curious about why it's so much more prevalent now than say 40 or 50 years ago. Is it to do with more processed food, environmental pesticides etc? If it's purely genetic, then why are so many more women getting it now?
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Hi guys, hope you are all doing okay. I'm fighting a cold too and this is my last week of work so can't really take a day off. Can't wait for my two weeks holiday. Optimist I hear you about how common BC is now days. Wish I new the answer
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Donna, I hope you have a good last day at work and a fab couple of weeks off. Hopefully the weather improves so you can get out and enjoy yourself
Hi to everyone. I hope you've all had a good week despite the rain
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Hi everyone not so much rain here but we are struggling to get double digits in temperature. The fire is working overtime. I've been doing a couple of hours each day at work to keep me sane. I think they are doing me a favour more than me doing them one.
I've got some wigs to have a wee fashion show tomorrow- I'm still not convinced they are for me but they weren't totally horrible. I've got a couple of helpers to help me decide.
Finally have an appointment with the oncologist. Lucky no trip to Dunedin as she is coming to invercargill on Tuesday 5/7 a lets get this ball rolling.
I have a few aches and pain just hope its anxiety not anything spreading. A bit of paranoia there me thinks.
Have a great weekend and holiday. And that all colds have gone.
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Hi everyone. Hope you are all doing well and managing to stay warm! Helen that anxiety when something hurts is very common and I think we all suffer from it. It's been two years for me now and I have had so many tests I think I am a hypochondriac. Don't beat yourself up about it and get it checked out. That peace of mind when you get good news is wonderful. Yes today is my last day. I am excited and sad at the same time. I got to work this morning and one of the lovely truck drivers had left me chocolates. My boss asked me what I wanted for lunch and I said Fish and Chips, which I know is unhealthy and not part of the Mediterranean Diet but what the hell. So we are having fish and chips for lunch and no doubt I will have a bit of a cry and probably blub all the way home haha! Take care everyone. Enjoy the Sun xxx
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Hi everyone. Are you on your break now Donna? At least the rain's stopped even if it's colder now. Hope you're coping with the waiting for treatment Helen, I suppose it won't be long now. That BC seminar is on this Sunday at Langham Hotel but I noticed it says register by June 25. Hopefully there will be online links to it, maybe it's filmed.
I'm finding the threads on AIs for 5 vs 10 years very interesting. My side effects are evening out, haven't really got worse at least.
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Now have a plan. Pretty scary stuff all the same.
Met with my oncologist who seemed like a very nice person although I would rather not be meeting her. She didn't tell me anything about my diagnosis that I didn't already know except that I should have been seen sooner given my extensive lymph node activity. So we are now rushing to get started.
Blood tests and an ECG to find out that I have past damage to my heart - which isn't going to change any of my treatment options. Tomorrow I go to chemo class and then start on Thursday 7/7.
Docetaxol and Herceptin every 21 days x 3
Fluorouracil/Epirubicin/Cyclophosphamide (FEC) every 21 days x3
Then back to Herceptin to complete the 12 months.
I have a huge amount of reading to do about all the side effects so I know what I will be doing tonight. I start taking Dexamethasone tomorrow for the next 3 days and have been told to start taking pain relief so I have a build up in my system before I start for bone aches. At chemo class tomorrow I will be given more pointers on what to expect etc. Plus I have requested a referral to talk to someone professionally as I am still having trouble coming to terms with the speed of things and basically being pretty pissed off.
Brought my first block of chocolate in over 2 months as I felt I deserved it.
So that's it for the time being. Had a good study of my scars today and my surgeon did a pretty tidy job. My son split his trousers at school and I bet my needlework will not match his.
Take Care Helen
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Hi Helen, I'm glad you've finally got a plan in place
Do you get chemo in invercargill or do you have to go to Dunedin? You definitely deserve the chocolate. I'll be thinking of you tomorrow.(I love the split trousers/needlework comment!) Just remember, you're unlikely to get all the side effects, maybe not many at all.
I hope you've got this sunny weather for your weeks off Donna, sure is nice to see the sun.
I hope everyone is getting over their colds. It will be good to get that MRI out of the way Optimist.
I've been feeling really crap. My headache is still there (decongestants & steroids haven't helped) but I think it is still most likely sinus pain as I'm still a bit 'gunky' from my cold, but I'm also very tired & have had some nausea & vomiting... Rang to speak to onc nurse to see if I need to bring my CT scan & onc appt forward or not (& include head in CT) Haven't heard back yet.
Anyway- hope you all have a good day!
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