Starting Chemo June 2014
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I have my last weekly taxol this Wednesday! Still hanging in
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Almost done Dixie!!
Congrats Islandmama!!
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Dixie - I too had severe fatigue during radiation - the good news is that I am fully bounced back as far as energy levels. Finished rads on 10/30 and was feeling relatively normal the next week. Now I am back to 40+ hours at the office and extra activities outside of work. Unfortunately I am having my thyroid out on Dec. 10th which means anesthetic and another bounce back in my future - I cannot imagine that popping out my thyroid is going to compare to what my body has been through in the last 7 months (as far as debilitation).
Tomorrow we celebrate you Islandmama! Woohoo!
Hope all are doing well - I have so much to be thankful for, although it's hard to feel grateful sometimes I intend to celebrate life this Thanksgiving.
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Thank you!!!
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well...the tips of my fingers are still numb. I'm not sure if I'm getting used to it or its slowly getting better. I am still freezing most of the time....Well, except for when I'm having a hot flash. I have dark hairs on my head that are straight and very fine...kinda like a baby chick. I have the same hairs under my arms and ...um...Well, you know. So weird that none of my hair is curly! My body hair is coming back too...All those invisible blond hairs that I took for granted on my stomach, chest, back, shoulders....they're manifesting as little bumps where the hairs are trying to poke through.
I had exchange surgery 2 weeks ago and I'm healing. I plan to go back to work in January.
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Hey ladies! So I went for my oncologist appointment last week & my oncologist was concerned about my vision problems. She recommended not doing the last cycle (3 weekly doses) of taxol but left the decision up to me. She was concerned about permanent vision loss and told me the last 3 treatment were not crucial so I decided to stop early and am now done chemo. I am waiting for my radiation schedule now which wi be next week sometime. Glad to be done chemo but a little nervous about it at the same time. I hope everyone is doing well. Congrats on your last chemo tomorrow Islandmama!
Any advice on rads? What to wear or not wear? Creams, etc? Guess I should join the rads boards!
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Canuck,
Don't sweat missing the last few. Heard the same thing from my onc about my last dense dose....by the end, it doesn't seem to be as important anymore. Good luck with rads!
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Radical, thanks that does make me feel better about stopping early!
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Canuck, getting back on radiation info - congrats on getting through chemo with flying colors!
Creams - I used the creams my oncologist gave me & didn't buy any over the counter. I am sure doctors distribute different brands, but here's what mine gave me: http://www.mpmmedicalinc.com/WoundCare.aspx I used the DermaPlex Gel every day and then 3x per day after I started getting discoloration. I used the Regenecare w/lidacaine at night when the burn was sore.
Bra - did not wear a bra after first week - I wasn't going to go buy one just for this (no underwire) so I went to Gap Body and bought a mostly cotton (maybe a bit of spandex) large 1/2 undershirts with spaghetti straps and just wore big sweaters.
My main discomfort was on my upper chest and collarbone. They were zapping from the back to the nodes under my collarbone (laying on back with arms over head it's easier to picture how this would work) and it reflected to the thin skin there.
I will not lie, the fatigued for me sucked worse than chemo fatigue, especially the last 3 weeks (I had 33 treatments - went every weekday).
It takes about 10 minutes tops - I was literally out of my office for 1/2 hour each day, including the 4 minute drive parking lot to parking lot, clothes changing, rads.
I finished 10/30 and there is no indication that I even had rads now (12/02), back to feeling good.
That's my summary!
Yesterday I got a taste of what life will be like for me now at my checkup w/my radiation oncologist - lots of mmm, hmmm, do you feel that? and then "lets get an ultrasound on that today" - rush "stat" to another location who could squeeze in the test, get ultrasound, find out today that it is probably scar tissue but should go to my surgeon so she came palpate it too. STRESS!
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Bow, sorry you already got a taste of "the new life."
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Right, Radical? I mean WTF, way to upend my whole freaking day. I guess it's good that they take everything seriously though - silver lining! I am working hard to avoid that rollercoaster of high stress/crash & trying to be even steven...I have done/am doing everything I can to prevent recurrence, it is what it is.
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i'm done I'm done I'm done chemo!!!!
I finished last Wednesday. PICC line is out. Rada starts on the 17!
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Hey Islandmama! Happy dance for you!
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Thanks Radical!
Are you in rada
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Islandmama, - so great that you are done with chemo!!
I know that we all respond differently to treatments, - but rads were fine when I did them. I went after work and it was a quick treatment. I did not feel the extreme tiredness that some people do. (I was probably more tired from rushing there from work and getting undressed and redressed than from the rads!)
I used pure aloe gel after treatment. My skin got red towards the latter weeks, - but felt ok. I wore cotton soft bra or cami.
Bow, - sorry that you had the extra stress. I wonder if drs realize what they do to our nerves!!
Sending BE WELL wishes to all here!
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I didn't need to do rads....sorry I have no advice!
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It has been a long time since I checked in. Dixie1 - my rad ends Dec 23. I'm not too tired (more awake than my time in chemo) but my joints ache and I too have neuropathy in my hands and feet still. My radiologist said the joint aches should go away (I feel 100 years old when I wake up) but the neuropathy is a problem. My feet feel like I'm walking on spikey pillows. My hands feel like I have thin gloves on and my fingertips are hypersensitive. I was on the roof a couple of weeks ago cleaning the leaves off and was having trouble gauging the pitch because I couldn't feel my feet. I'm a climber so heights don't bother me - not feeling my feet bothered me. Playing guitar has been a challenge too - my fingers really ache after an hour. Other than THAT, my hair is growing back the same salt and pepper I had before. My daughter is disappointed it's not a different color - ha! Hope everyone is doing well, growing hair and getting through the last of their treatments!
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hiking,
My hair is growing in DARK with grey flecks. I would've preceded my old copper with no grey! Oh well, I guess bc should give me some grey hairs! Why not? It took so Mich away!
My finger tips still have some numbness...it's my feet that are weird. They don't have any numbness anymore but they swell! If I wear shoes (even sneakers) all day...doesn't matter if I'm standing or sitting, my feet actually swell! They even LOOK puffy! If I go barefoot or just wear socks, they're fine. I have no idea if this is a chemo thing or I'm just getting old. Lol
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I too feel like I'm a hundred! My back is sore all along my spine from top to bottom. My hips and shoulders hurt too! My fingers and toes feel like they've been slammed in the car door
My tongue is numb and I have chemo cough still. Will be 3 weeks post taxol this coming Wednesday. I start rads next week!
Merry Christmas everyone!
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Merry Christmas Island mama! I hope you get a few less aches and pains from Santa....I hope we all do!
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Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all of you - you deserve the best!
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Back at us Canuck! Merry Christmas to my chemo sisters!
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Happy New Year to my June friends! Hope everyone has wrapped up treatment and are all ready to bring on a healthy 2015! Had my thyroid out on December 10 due to some irregular cells indeterminate for cancer (none found) and my port out on December 31st. The last shit reminder of a shit year gone! I have a survivorship class on the 12th which I am looking forward to and then no doctors until April. Hair is growing, I posted pics on the hair, hair, hair thread
Thanks for your support last year, hope all of you are doing well.
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Happy New Year everyone! I'm in rads still
23 more to go! Will be done 2 days before my 36th birthday0 -
back to the oncologist today after not seeing him since the end of September. I'll tell him that I still feel like I have shin splints at night and in the morning and that every morning my body is sore like I'm 80 years old. I also tell him that my toenails are still sensitive....but overall, I have the feeling he is just going to tell me all that is normal. If that's not the case, I'll let you all know!
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Radical, I also feel very achy like an old woman, it's very hard to get moving in the morning! What did your oncologist say? Tomorrow is my last day of Rads!! I'm done!!!!!
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Ok.....My onc said the "old lady aches" could stick around as long as a year from when I completed chemo. Lovely....but normal.
He also said I can expect my period to be back sometime between now and June (that's when it stopped last year) and my hot flashes to stop.
So...Good news/bad news I guess...
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radical - makes aches and pains are slowly improving. I finished chemo November 26. My period came back 6 friggin weeks later! Totally unfair
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Hey ladies! Not checked in here for a while. Looks like most are close or have finished treatment.. YAY.
My period never came back yet and I guess now it wont since I am doing the hormone therapy. I can't say I am sad about that lol
I finished rads just before Christmas and I almost fully healed apart from looking very tan ..lol still going for my Herceptin every three weeks till end of June and on Arimidex and Lupron shots (start the shots tomorrow I think when I get Herceptin).
During my rad simulation they found nodules in my lungs.. most are in the right lung on my BC side. So I had a repeat CT scan to check them last week. Nurse Practioner told me at my rad follow up that they have shrunk a little since the rad sim at the end of October so that's good news. Should find out more from my onc tomorrow. Also had my latest heart muga scan, for the herceptin , a bone density scan to check my bones were ok for the hormone therapy...and lot of labwork for clotting disorders too so last week was like the early days of diagnosis.. lots of tests and at the hospital a lot.
I hope you are all feeling good ! 2015 is going to be a FANTASTICE year, right!?
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Happy Valentine's Day ladies! To All the Single Ladies (me included) (cue the music)! Hope everyone has love today...and every day!
jdmac - your update sounds just like mine except for the shots and the lung issues (hope those are a false alarm). I've started Exemestane instead of Tamoxifen - I never got over my joint aches and pains from radiation so I don't know if the Ex is exacerbating it or not (it's a side effect). Still need naps at least every other day! It's amazing - they hit me like a wall...I just have to nod off for an hour or so and I'm okay. Starting to look like a short-haired Judy Dench with my new hair growth!
Hope all is well with everyone! We have been through a lot!! Love to all!
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