Stage 2 Sisters Club
Comments
-
Thank you stage 2 sisters for the welcome. I've had my little pity party and now I'm ready to learn what needs to be learned to kick this thing in the teeth. Surgically I actually feel quite well one week out with the back lat dorsi scars healing nicely and the mx/TE pain pretty manageable with just Tylenol during the day. I had so hoped to avoid chemo but that is not going to be possible at IIB. I do need to be able to work through my treatment, so I'm hoping there are good ways for how best to do that. I'm in sales and often need to be out of the office at client meetings or traveling for work. I will meet with the oncologist next week but if there are any immediate thoughts anyone has for me relative to treatment, please let me know so I can bring those questions up. Placid44, I will also join the TNS thread as there may be some specifics I can learn from these ladies as well. Thanks again to everyone for your support.
0 -
Missing - I handled it poorly.
A year out and I still miss my hair every day. I ditched my pretty wig recently and people (including two colleagues, my MO and nurses) did not recognize me
Poor Nisa... LoL
0 -
Purple - I think you will likely get chemo because of the TN and node involvement, and not the staging necessarily. My immediate thought is WRITE down everything, from questions to answers and all in between. Hope you have an MO that you really like!
0 -
Thamks Nisa. You're right, I don't know exactly why the BS told me to expect chemo. I expect the reasons you've offered may be right. I have not yet met my MO. He was recommended by my BS and a friend who used him. I guess if I don't like him when we meet next week then I can still look for someone else.
0 -
On the hair thing, I had more than one meltdown about my hair. First, when cutting from long to short. Then, feeling my head tingle and get really sore and knowing that meant my hair really was going to come out. Then,the handfuls of hair in the shower and obsessing over pulling out what was loose I couldn't take it anymore. I was driving my husband nuts with it. Finally had to shave it off, did it over FaceTime with a best friend thousands of miles away who wanted to shave hers, too. It was emotional. Now, into my fifth month of chemo, my Taxol bird fuzz is falling out, which it don't mind because it's not really my hair, I am now having a daily anxiety attack over my nonexistent eyebrows and less than 10 lashes on each eye.
So, the hair thing is pretty difficult, unfortunately but for me there has been stages and you just have to take them as they come. You have to be brave, which I'm sure you already are, just gotta add to your lists of battles. Hugs
Alli
0 -
I cannot stop tugging all over my head to see where the hair comes out. I make little piles and lay them on a tissue before throwing them away. I did notice the tingling first and thought that is what it was. I feel if I have a meltdown, it will be when there is no hair.
Nisa, big hug.
0 -
my friend had breast cancer 6 months before me. she told to shave my head, so i wont freak out when it fall in chunck. i had nice long hair too. first i cut it short around shoulder lenght. on my 2nd treatment i shaved my whole head cus my mo said my hair will fall off in 17 days. yes i do miss my long hair, sometime i tried not to look at previous pics.
0 -
I waited a few days too long to shave it, was waiting to hook up via FaceTime with my friend so it was worth it. I also wanted to see if I was gonna beat the odds and not lose my hair, yeah right! I hear ya on looking at pictures, my husband said I kind of forgot what you look like with hair. Even though he walks by my wedding picture everyday, sigh. We will all get back to ourselves one day.
0 -
I just checked my calendar and noticed I had my head shaved exactly a year ago yesterday after 17 days of starting chemo and heavily hoping I would be the <1% who don't lose their hair. What was I thinking?
For those of you in Long Island, here is a link to a wonderful story that you could participate in
0 -
I'm on vacation so am on my phone. Purple, once you get a plan in place you feel better, because then you can just do it and get it over with. I shaved my head before it fell out. It made me feel like I had some control over the situation by picking WHEN it went. Be sure you have a wig and/or hats, turbans etc in place before you need them
0 -
I have a cap and pre-tied scarf you just slip on. Also got my Army cap, though will need a kerchief under it.
0 -
purple, I have a friend who was triple negative and she is fine 7 years later. She had chemo, AC/taxol like me. Like you, after the BMX was when the pathology changed for me.
Yes, I had several meltdowns over the hair. I shaved it off to avoid the hair falling all over my house. I had my last taxol on 2/24 and my hair is about 1.5 inches long. Hoping it will be longer by the end of the summer.
0 -
Ruth - you vacationing again? Won the lottery? LoL wherever you are, hope you are enjoying it! BTW, I am no longer typing on phone, what a relief!
Msjgumbas - wherever you are, hope you are well!
Everyone - nice weekend!
Nisa
0 -
I am at my sister's in North Carolina, so am having lots of fun in a hot, humid sort of way
0 -
NC is beautiful Ruth. I am planning a trip to GA end of the month. It is the week end before a treatment, so think I will feel ok, but counts will most likely be down.
0 -
Its gone. Hair was falling out pretty fast, so went to the salon. blech
0 -
Pretty amazing, isn't it? No more dealing with shower or pillow messes. One step at a time you get closer and closer to being done with active treatment !
0 -
nock nock ! hello girls i am new nocking the dors of this amasing support place! thanks god we have that and no one can take it away from us! my name is Evgeniya 36 yo single mother of 8 yo boy. far away from my Home counry and my mother... hope to make it to see my son graduate from school. Nice to meet you everyone!
0 -
Thanks Nisa, you are right.
Hello Evgeniya!
I am browsing the 'how to tie a head scarf sites.
0 -
Evgenya - Welcome! I am sorry to hear you are going through treatment far away from home and from your mom. We are your BC sisters so you have come to the rigth place. Just recently another Aussie joined us. Maybe you two can connect privately as well? At least you have same time zone and season in common!
Missing - Yesterday I bought a $13 straw little hat at Target that is perfect for summer. Something to consider if you want variety
0 -
Purple, I am triple
neg stage iib also! I found the chemo
very doable! I worked straight through!This was my routine, I had my 4 A/C treatments every other
week! I would take them on Thursday, I
had to miss only this day due to amount of time for infusion. I never really got sick, after the first
infusion, I spent most of the following Sat & Sun just laying around the
house! But by Monday, I was back to
work! My biggest issue through it all
was getting tired! But I was able to
power through! My second, third and
fourth A/C gave me NO trouble at all, I actually didn’t notice any
problems! I Never lost my appetite,
however, I did not have a “want” for anything, so if someone said, what did I
want, I could never say, however if it was just given to me, I had no trouble
eating! The one tip I was given that
seemed to really keep my side effects in check was drink, drink, drink!!! Water and Gatorade, and it had to be Gatorade,
no other power drink!! I kept Gatorade
with me at all times!!With my last 12 taxol treatments, I only missed half a day
of work for the treatment and nothing else!!I did shave my head as to not have to watch it come out and
mostly I just wore caps! I’m not a wig
person and found them very annoying and hot!
I only wore them for special occasions which were very few while I was
in treatment!The rads gave me absolutely no problems! Not even the sunburn effect!
I’m praying that treatment will be nice to you as it was to
me!0 -
Hi all new comers - glad you found these lovely ladies! They are all great!
Ruth - hope you are having a great time with your sister... I've never been to the east coast, but would love to travel the whole coast. Enjoy!!
Nisa - I'm home for now - bummer! Shooting all of last weekend was a blast, riding 4 wheelers & even a go kart... felt like a kid again. Now getting ready for a long motorcycle ride this weekend. Go, go, go... that's the way I like it!!!
Very dear friend had brain surgery this am - 3cm mass above her left ear, just inside the skull. She is doing well, but Dr's believe it may be malignant, just based on appearance
but hoping for the best when final pathology is done. They did full body scan before surgery and this looks like an isolated growth - fingers crossed!!!!Hugs to all!
0 -
Chemo round two. Was more tired yesterday, not so chatty, but I was conscious of the possibility so watched it. Light headache today like last time. Only light nausea. I was fine last round until Saturday. Trying to get the hang of the head scarf thing. Haven't found a scarf to tie myself, that I like the way it look when I tie it. lol
0 -
Missing - I can't remember what chemo you are getting but I am hoping it is 4 cycles so you can tell yourself you are 50% done and the count down begins. My cycles were alike in some ways ( e.g, chemo on Mondays and SEs went from Thursday thru Sunday) but I didn't always had the same ESs. Hope you can rest and that friends and family can help out
Msjgumbas - hello! Your travels sound fabulous. Hope your friend got back biopsy results with good news! I'm working on an August plan for a trip alone with one of my kids before he departs for college. He is not nearly as excited as I am about this, lol.
Purple - you doing ok?
Nettie - how much hair do you have now? Did it come in curly?
Hugs to all!
0 -
Nisa, I am halfway done with the 4 rounds of a/c and then do weekly 12 weeks of t/h. I do have help and last time it hit me on Saturday. Blows that my Saturday is shot, but at least I don't miss work as much.
BTW, updated my avatar with my main girl Oreo. She thinks I look great. You can tell by her smile!
0 -
Here is my Oreo, and his brother Henry.
0 -
What cute Oreo's!!!!
Missing - you do look great!!! Stinks about your Saturday's but good that you can keep up with your work.
Nisa - your son will love your trip - even though he'll never really show it
That's such a lovely age... mine are 21 & almost 20... these years seem harder than when they were little!! They are exhausting! That's why I'm planning so many trips - need to get away from them for my sanity!! My friend did not get good news. Don't have the final pathology report, but it is cancer. Apparently the Dr's know enough about it to know it is not curable, but it is treateable. She has an amazing attitude so far - with 22 staples in her head!!! Looks like 8 rounds of chemo & rads but she won't know everything until Wed. Wish she didn't have to go thru this - she just turned 42 while she was in the hospital. We are too young to be dealing with all this garbage! She has an amazing attitude right now - I hope she stays positive and fairs well!!!
0 -
I am so sorry about your friend's diagnosis. Although I wouldn't wish a Stage II BC diagnosis on my worst enemy; things like that are a reminder that there are people with tougher battles to fight than ours.
0 -
Thank you Ruth - very true. I'm just glad they have someone to lean on who somewhat understands. Not a place I want to be, but glad I can hold her hand or answer the phone at 2am.
0 -
Ruth, what cuties. What would we do without our furry babies.
Mjs-Sorry about your friend. Ruth said it just right. My kids are 21 and 24. I agree that they can be tiring. I'm actually going to Atlanta to visit my oldest before these four rounds are up for a few days. It will be when my counts are low, but I should be feeling my best. She does not live close so has not seen me much during this nasty business.
Kat
0
