FEC-D regime
Comments
-
Yensmiles, I hope my tastebuds maintain their aversion to sweetness. I tried a few ice cream treats while in chemo and I found myself throwing them out after a few bites. Not so much because of the chocolate but because of the caramel, which I now find much too sweet. The last time I had chocolate ice cream at Laura Secords, while still in chemo, I felt a bit of a crash after, something that happens to me sometimes after dairy. I'll be interested to see what happens now.
Amazon, I know what you mean about the light headedness, I would be concerned about being in or around traffic. It sucks though that you have that on top of everything else.
Lolis, did you get another car?
0 -
lolis: Oh geez, I am glad you are OK after the accident. Have you found a new car yet?
Great pic! You are looking great! How are you feeling?
Yen: When I had/ have issues with sleep I tried different things at different times: melatonin, Benadryl, Apo-Zopiclone, Ativan or just a few yoga stretches, a pain meds and a warm or cold magic bag.
Some say honey and pumpkin seeds work as well.
What kind of Youtube video are you using?
As far as my diet goes, I try to avoid a few things now: red meat, sugar, fat and have more leafy green, cruciferous veggies (broccoli, kale etc.) mushrooms (shiitake, chaga etc.) less dairy ( only goat cheese and yogurt), more fibre plus some freshly squeezed juice a day and I try to eat organic as well.
Bicque: I remember the brows and lashes coming in stages and sections. Kind of like from the inside out and from the bottom up. Does that make sense?
0 -
Thank you :-)!!!!
I am well. No SEs or anything. I have to drink more water to prepare for next week's chemo.
We are looking at a car but nothing has been finalized yet. What a headache!!!!
My eyelashes are half of what they used to be on my right eye. My hair has been growing, it's a good growth for two weeks. I will shave it again the first week of September so that it grows at the same rate.
Hope you all are going well
0 -
hi,
I haven't posted in awhile. I finished my last D treatment 8 weeks ago. My hair is coming in nicely and i'm even getting my "body" hair back. There is some fuzz coming in the eyebrow area which is really encouraging.
Amazon - you mentioned feeling like you had a build up of lactic acid several weeks after your last chemo. I've been feeling like this over the past few weeks and it seems to be getting worse in the past week. I am feeling like an old lady... I have an appt with my doctor next week to see if i can try some supplements (such as l-glutamine and maybe B complex). My joints seem quite sore too. I tried getting back to the gym to weight train(using a beginner program) but had to discontinue because of soreness. Trying to get to yoga as that seems to help a bit. Taking ibuprofen at night and that seems to help me get through the night.
By the way, i had a PET scan which came back clear -yay! And as a result i won't be needing the axillary dissection after all. I am so relieved to not have to go through that surgery. I should be starting radiation therapy (25 treaments) in the next week or two. Thanks for posting pics in the earlier posts. It helps to see what i might expect.
0 -
haha Bicque, it's a quite a blessing to be adversed to sweetness!
i was adverse to salt too.. but now i seem to love it and have been sprinkling salt (the himalayan kind which gives me a bit of consolation) over nuts for snacks!!!
Amazon, i'll skip those drugs and hmm.. maybe try some honey to sleep better!
it's quite amazing.. i'm awake and have sufficient energy throughout the day and yet don't quite want to sleep. . am now thinking it really could be anxiety keeping me awake.. at the moment contemplating changing hospitals to a slightly less expensive one. The one i'm going to now not only charges a lot for consultant's fee, but their mark up on the drugs are about 30% more than another hospital.. so am a bit stressed on that part, though otherwise happy and healthy! the youtube exercises i follow are from TiffanyRothe. I occasionally follow JillianMichaels too.. though prefer TiffanyRothe because of her smiley face.. and it's short ten minutes exercises.. not too taxing! perfect for me! How are you doing?Lolis, glad the week's been well for you (besides the car)!
Mudwmn, your hair looks good! and yay! clear pet scan!!
i'll be starting radiation treatments soon too.. should be next week! 0 -
Hi Ladies,
How are you today?
Yens- if you Google top 10 foods high in melatonin you will get a good list and perhaps you can incorporate those foods in your diet to help with sleeping. Also there is a couple of yoga stretches that can help as well!!
Gonein40- yay for a clear PET scan.
Mud - that hair growth looks great!!
I have been so bad this week, in terms of diet. Been eating a lot of sweets (I think it was the finding a car stress). I need to eating better as of this week since it will be my last chemo. I have an appointment with the radiation oncologist on Sept. 10 to talk about the start of the rads and date to get my tattoo :-).
I have a red bump on my head that showed up yesterday (that's when I noticed it) and it's still there. It is not itchy just tender to touch. Wondering if it is an ingrown hair. Here's a pic. I have some hair growth (peach fuzz) this is 2 week growth. I am planning to shave it off next week hoping it will grown more evenly as I still have tiny areas with no hair.
My hair used to grow quite fast before chemo. Will see how it will grow after chemo.
In terms of diet I will try to follow the Gerson institute food list and begin juicing. I will ask the RO if there is any limitations in terms of food and supplements during rads (I know grapefruit it's a big No No from now on - it's a pitty as I love it). I am waiting for my compression sleeve to come to begin weight training.
Hope you all are doing well and happy Monday!!!
0 -
looking good Lolis. I haven't got my results from scan but hoping to have good results. I'm calling tomorrow. I have an apt with plastic surgeon again tomorrow to see what's going on with the boobless side. Oh n here's my pic from 12 wks this wed post TX
0 -
Look at that hair growth Gonein40!!!! Looks great!!!
For those of you taking tamoxifen, did you ask your MO about the benefits of taking it for 5 Vs 10yrs? I was reading the total mortality rate goes down by only 2.8% when it is taken for 10yrs.
Compared with 5 years, 10 years of tamoxifen therapy increased the risks of the following:
- Pulmonary embolus RR, 1.87 (95% CI, 1.13–3.07, P = .01).
- Stroke RR, 1.06 (0.83–1.36).
- Ischemic heart disease RR, 0.76 (0.6–0.95, P = .02).
- Endometrial cancer RR, 1.74 (1.30–2.34, P = .0002).
Notably, the cumulative risk of endometrial cancer during years 5 to 14 from breast cancer diagnosis was 3.1% for women who received 10 years of tamoxifen versus 1.6% for women who received 5 years of tamoxifen. The mortality for years 5 to 14 was 12.2 versus 15 for an absolute mortality reduction of 2.8%.
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/breast/healthprofessional/page6How long have been told to take tamoxifen? I see my MO today and I have so many questions. Wish me luck!!
0 -
Btw Footballnut is doing well, just busy with the event, in case you were wondering.
She has created a facebook page called Rocking it Bald.
0 -
Hi Lolis,
Thank you for letting us know about Footballnut, I had been wondering. Do you know if she still needs volunteers for her events?
Nice growth, Gonein40! I am about nine weeks out and it is filling in nicely, if a bit invisibly. Apparent, white hair is only really noticeable when it is contrasting with darker hair and the salt pepper mix ratio is not there yet for my hair. Either that or it really is clear. I swear, more a moment there yesterday, it actually seemed mussed. :-)
Fingers crossed for your scan results!
Hope all are well and pain free!
0 -
thanks ladies. The hair is really coming in I love it. I might actually have to cut the top a bit it's got a mind of it's own. Lol.
0 -
hi ladies,
Gonein, love the smile and hair!
Lolis, thanks, i googled on food to help me sleep!
and your hair looks pretty good too! has the red bump cleared? thanks for letting us know about Footballnut, might go check out her page! and i'll ask my dr about tamoxifen when i see him tomorrow.. Bicque, hope your normal hair colour returns soon!
have a good week all!
0 -
Someone must have been praying really hard because yesterday I had a good day with enough energy first time in weeks! Well, I finally didn't feel like a zombi and even managed to go for a short walk!
This was after a few days of feeling totally rotten when I was back on Tamoxifen. Coincidence? I am starting to think that Tamoxifen was making my rads SE much worse.
I called my MO on Monday to let her know and she wants me to be off it for the next 3 weeks and then see her for a review.
I found out that there is another alternative to Tamoxifen. This drug is less known, but apparently just effective in prevention bc. is called Raloxifene (Evista- mainly used for prevention of osteoporosis) and has similair SERM effect just like Tamoxifene, but fewer serious SE like blood clots or uterine cancer.
Here is the link to a study comparing the two drugs:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/19105706/
Also, I went to see an ENT who checked out my vocal cords to see what is causing the hoarseness and soreness.
He luckily didn't find any obvious abnormality, but concluded that the nerve controlling the cords got damaged due to rads. This is very disheartening for someone like me who relies on a good voice for a profession.
He said it MIGHT get better in 6-12 months. Good grief!
I don't know how this is going to effect me job wise down the road, but, please continue your prayers.
Lolis, gonein, mudwmn: Yay for a good hair growth!
Mudwmn: I am glad your PET scan came back clean! Keep us posted about your rads as well.
Lolis: Is the redness any better? Have you figured out what might have caused it?
I will be thinking of you this Thursday for your LAST chemo!!!!
I believe it must also be Football's last week as well.
It's good to know that she is OK, just busy with her band.:)
Gonein: How did your app go with your PS?
Yen: Have you tried any foods with your sleep? Is it helping?
I understand the anxiety that you might have. I always felt that my anxiety level went up when my treatment was changing.
Here is an update of my hair growth at 5 months PFC. My hubby's latest comment: It's still too short (my hair used to be long) and it needs one colour. (Now it has three colours: henna orange, brown and white).
0 -
ladies I'm so glad things are looking for you. We don't like set backs but sometimes they are hard to avoid. Amazon I'm keeping you in my prayers and thoughts. You have endoured a lot in the last few months. Hope you all are having a great day.
0 -
yay Amazon, good to hear of your energy! your hair has grown!!! thst's fast!!! i wish mine will too... it's spurting at the moment.. like an old car engine trying to start.. a few odd strands magically grows an inch overnight while the rest have yet to catch up...
i feel oddly more ready for bed.. and will do that in just a little while.. after having my herceptin today.. maybe it's the "stress" (as in activity and being out and not so much of feeling anxious) that makes me tired from being out almost the whole day.. as i did my consultation/marking session for the radiotherapy sessions that will commence on Tuesday. Did anyone of you got "tattooed" as in real permanent tattoo in 5 different spots on your body? it's to secure the spots for accuracy for the radiotherapy. I only knew about it..and still questioning my wisdom to insist on temporary markings.. of which they just used a pen (normal pen) and then covered it with plaster and asked me not to scrub it during showers as it'd have to stay on for the month to come..
0 -
and thanks for the link regarding the drugs! will definitely check it out!
hope your voice recovers speedily.. perhaps days instead of the months.. what is your profession, if you're okay with sharing that?
0 -
Hi Ladies,
How are you this hot hot day?
I had my last chemo today yay!!! Came home to my sis's and they had organized a surprise party for me, so surprised and had no idea.
My MO mentioned that there has been a trial which results will be discussed in December at the annual meeting in Texas and it was about using aromatose inhibitor med and an ovary suppressant instead of tamoxifen I believe and she will decided based on this meeting if the premenopausal women will be switched over. I will also check the link that Amazon shared.
I think I will have the permanent tattooes in case anything faints away or something. I have tattooes and I wouldn't mind these dotes, just another reminder of this battle.
Here's a cool picture about last chemo.
.jpg?1409254159)
Hope you have a great day!!
0 -
lolis: Soooo happy for you! You made it!
I liked the cool button you posted. You must be so relieved it's over!!!
I hope this round will be a manageable one for you as well.
Please, share any info regarding the new study or what your MO might be recommending.
Yen: To answer your question: teacher
Re: Tattoos: I got 6 of them. They are very tiny as if they were marked with a very fine tipped pen, but they are unfortunately permanent and therefore a constant reminder.
I just realized today how much PTSD from bc I have when a cicada sound in my backyard reminded me of the sound of a radiation machine! Lol
I hope everyone is doing fine, and even if you are not, please, let us know how you are doing.
0 -
Hi Lolis, congrats on being finished with chemo! How wonderful that your sis had a surprise party for you, what a lovely way to celebrate.
Yensmiles, I was talking to my radiation therapist about the tattoos and having them removed and she mentioned that they could come in handy later as a reference point to determine where the radiation had been. I never actually seen mine.
Amazon, your hair is coming in nice and thick with a bit of length on top. (I am a long time short haired person.) I like the curl too.Mine seems to be coming Iin straight, though perhaps it is too soon to really tell.
Hope all are well and pain free.
0 -
Thank you ladies.
I hope the side effects are okay time again.
I was feeling good until I found that a co-work is 25w pregnant and my heart broke....i can't stop feeling sad about the fact that I will never be pregnant again!!! any one has any tips on how to get over it? I can't let go and hate this BC for it. If it were for it I would have a baby in my arms now, instead I have to wait 2-3 years......
Sorry for the rant!!
0 -
I see my MO on Dec 4 so hopefully by then the meeting in Texas has been completed and will report on the findings.
My SEs have been increased hot flashes
I was given a dosage of 20mg of tamoxifen and asked to take half a pill for the first 2-3 week and then switch to full pill. The MO said no CT required unless I don't feel well.
I am wondering if I should get a PAP test prior to starting Tamofixen as a baseline. I had one last year.
Amazon - did you give up coffee when you started Tamoxifen? What grade do you teach?
Here's a website for do it yourself stuff
http://www.diynatural.com/archives/
0 -
Also I found this other posting on stage III forum
https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/67/topic/824043?page=1#idx_
And this one about diy natural deodorant.
http://wellnessmama.com/1523/natural-deodorant/
Have a good Friday ladies
0 -
{{{Lolis}}} I had to read your post twice, didn't see a rant (not that there would have been anything wrong with that! BTDT), rather you telling us how you felt. You mentioned waiting 2 to 3 years, is that for a chance at ivf or adoption or...?
I bookmarked the link you shared for diynatural.com, lots of really interesting information on there, thank you for sharing that.
Does anyone have a good site listing food that are prone to cause cancer and one that are not? It seems there is always news saying this study or that one have shown that this food or that combination causes cancer in mice, sometimes followednup by a further study indicating that it does not so I was looking for recommendations from someone more knowledgeable than I. Or me. (us?) As well, does anyone have any thoughts or information on eating to repair or mitigate damage caused by the chemotherapy?
0 -
lolis: (((hugs)))) I understand how you feel.
It totally sucks not to have that experience of being pregnant,but you are still young and maybe it's just a matter of time. BTW, pregnancy brought a whole bag of health issues for me like vericose veins, back pain that I still have to deal with daily.
You have a wonderfully supportive family, so even if you had to go with surrogacy route you still have a chance to have your own child/ren.
Bicque, all: I came across a post by Salina888
here on bc.org that I thought was very informative regarding prevention:
0 -
Thank you for that link, Amazon, lots of good informqtion in that post! I have added that thread to my favourites.
0 -
Thank you ladies! Don't know why I have such a soft spot for pregnancy. I know it brings a lot of health issue with it.
Bicque - the wait of 2-3 years will be to be safe if a recurrence happens.
There is a website called foodforbreastcancer.com that has a list of recommended food to eat and food to avoid. Also, Gerson institute has a good list. I am planning to go a raw food diet and juicing after rads are completed and have more cabbage (as it is good for ER/PR + breast cancer) and do some detox juices with beets. I have a website about juices that I can share.
0 -
*hugs* Lolis. it's such a blessing to have a wonderful sister and surprise party awaiting you after your last chemo session! yay! i checked the link you shared and liked it on fb too.. so i will remember it and can check healthy tips there.
Being a teacher is wonderful, Amazon!
Bicque, i chosed the "temporary" pen markings..so now there's5 all over my body..it's staying on quite well, as they put plaster over it.. i guess i don't want to have a reminder of this challenging period in my life when all the treatment is over.. hence chose temporary.. though am finding it a tad inconvenient... i check the markings frequently to make sure it's still there.. in case exercise/bath removes it..
Amazon, i felt a bit nauseated when i was on the ct machine.. it makes noise.. now i'm wondering what kind of noise the radiation machine will make.. though you've given me an inkling.. cicada-like!
0 -
lolis. Congrats on being done your chemo !!!
0 -
All: Do you like your MO? Does s/he spend enough time listening and explaining things in detail?
Are they up to date with the latest research?
Canadian ladies: Were you given an option for temporary markings instead of tattoos?
Who is staring rads and when?
0 -
Hi Amazon,
I do like my MO, though I did see another Dr. at most of my appointments. I laughed more with the other dr., she was younger and more outgoing and we chatted more. She did answer my questions, anything sge couldn't answer, she got back to me.
I don't know if they were up to date with the latest research, I find the language used in the reports somewhat difficult to follow so I'm not as up to date myself. I imagine as I change my diet and lifestyle, and interact more here, that I will become more current. I read a bit on coffee on foodforbreastcancer.com through twice along with some other comments before determining that coffee in moderation was not neccessarily bad for my type of cancer. Given that my MO is the director of the Mt. Sinai breast cancer clinic and a senior researcher, my guess is that she is up to date. (I didn't know till you asked, began to wonder and googled her, so thank you for posing the question :-) )
I was given the option of temp markings, but I suspect that if I had asked it would have been an option. To tell the truth, I spent more time asking the technician if I had a choice in what style she would give me, so perhaps it didn't occur to her to mention temporary ones. With the scar and divots left from the surgery along with random freckles, I've never seen my tattoos and it always surprised me that the therapists could. (Also, there is a fair bit of real estate involved, though a lot less than at the beginning of the journey)
Best wishes to anyone starting rads in the next little while. If you are at Princess Margaret, the out patient pharmacy sells Lubriderm for a few dollars less than the Rexall at Mt. Sinai.
0
