Starting chemo July 2014
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Yay Shan you made it. So happy to see you over here. We missed you. Glad you're back stay with us.
Nancy
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hi Chaos, I'm still following this thread too. I'm doing well, have been going twice a week to a Livestrong class at the Y for cancer survivors and a family member where we work with cardio and weight machines, I've lost 8 pounds and several inches and have muscles I've never had before. One more month of classes.
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good for you puffin
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I still have 5 boosts left in rads, and the area below my incision is deteriorating rapidly. I'm using silvadene, but it just gets worse, and the pain is awful. I also have about a 2" diameter circle on my collarbone that is raw and oozing. Hurts like the dickens to clean it. Hubby came home early to work from home and I was in the shower crying and groaning as I washed. I try not to gripe to him, but there he was.
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I did get my surgery in January; the path report showed no active cancer and said that all 20 of my lymph nodes (I had ALND) were clear. Meanwhile, I still haven't started rads yet. I had to have a seroma drained from my lumpectomy boob about 10 days ago, and then I got my sim on Friday. Maybe I'll start rads next week?
Meanwhile, it's back to herceptin infusions, every three weeks! I missed the infusion room nurses.....
Re: hormone therapy -- MO has decided to take the SOFT study results seriously. No Tamoxifen for me! Instead, I get a shot of Zoladex once a month to inhibit ovulation, and I take an AI (Aromasin) daily. I haven't really noticed any serious side effects yet, but it's hard to say because my body isn't in great shape right now. I have a nasty cold and woke up with a UTI yesterday so, I'm on Cipro. Ugh. Well, I have to get to work or there won't be any decent parking spaces left.
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hi Elaine Therese!
My MO also went full on for SOFT (esp since my period came right back after chemo) so I am also doing Zoladex and AI. The Zoladex shot hurt a lot! Even with lidocaine. I had no idea I was such a baby - you'd think after the chemo and surgeries I'd woman up, but oh man. Every month for 5-10 years? Ack.
Other than that, I guess I'm 'done'. Had my implant exchange surgery a few weeks ago. So much better than the bizarre expanders. Huge relief.
Weird to be back to 'normal' life. Feels a little bit like everyone expects me to be just like I was a year ago. And in some ways, this is true. But in others...not so much. I have no idea what to do with this. I guess I am a work in progress :-
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Elaine and Raindew can I ask how old you ladies are? I was put on tamoxifen, but I am 52. At some point i will be switched to an AL .Does age make a difference in Zoladex and an Al. I see my MO next week and will talk to her. She's running all kinds of bloodwork to see if I am in menopause or not. There is a lady here on the boards who had a reoccurence while on tamoxifen. Yes I am paranoid - I admit it lol.
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Nancy,
I'm 47 years old (diagnosed at 46), am considered premenopausal. I have been put on exemestane (Aromasin). The SOFT study results came out in December, showing that "Women who received prior chemotherapy benefited the most from the addition of ovarian suppression. The relative risk of breast cancer recurrence decreased by 22% in those women who received both ovarian suppression and tamoxifen and who had prior chemotherapy, compared with those who were just treated with tamoxifen. This decrease was not statistically significant. Out of every 100 patients, the addition of ovarian suppression to tamoxifen resulted in 4 to 5 fewer patients having a recurrence within 5 years in this cohort. Women who received prior chemotherapy and were treated with exemestane with ovarian suppression had a 35% decrease in the risk of breast cancer recurrence compared with the women who were treated with tamoxifen—a statistically significant result. This translated to 7 or 8 fewer women out of 100 having a recurrence within 5 years."
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Nancy - think we are ALL paranoid. At least I am.
I am 39. So MO felt the impact of OS in SOFT was material.
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I'm 43 and seeing my MO next week. What's the diff between Aromasin and Tamoxifen? He had mentionned something about shots. He will be doing blood tests to see how hormonal I am
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dancingdiva,
Both Aromasin and Tamoxifen are supposed to reduce the amount of estrogen available to breast cancer cells, but they do so in different ways. Just cutting and pasting from Breastcancer.org....
Aromasin is an aromatase inhibitor (AI), which works by blocking the enzyme aromatase, which turns the hormone androgen into small amounts of estrogen in the body. This means that less estrogen is available to stimulate the growth of hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer cells. Tamoxifen is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), and sits in the estrogen receptors in breast cells. If a SERM is in the estrogen receptor, there is no room for estrogen and it can't attach to the cell. If estrogen isn't attached to a breast cell, the cell doesn't receive estrogen's signals to grow and multiply.
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thank you Elaine and a Raindew. I wonder why I wasn't put on an AI and Zoladex because it hasn't been determined yet if I am post menopausal. I'm confused. Guess I need to ask MO about this.
Mags I am sorry you are in pain from radiation. That just stinks. I still have 10 treatments to go. I'm looking rather sunburned now and my skin in one area has broken open a bit, but thankfully nothing hurts. Hang in there you're almost done.
Nancy
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Well, a lot happened since I was last here, blood transfusions, finished chemo, lumpectomy instead of mastectomy. .. the growths that appeared during chemo were fat necrosis and removed at the time of my lumpectomy- path report from lumpectomy showed a complete pathological response so NO cancer cells no lymph node involvement! I developed a very large seroma about the size of a grapefruit had to have it aspirated 3 times but is finally finally small enough that I barely notice it. I was scheduled to start rads but have opted against them - too many side effects when I still feel all out of whack from chemo and rads would only change my survival rate by 1.5-2% so... MO understand my position and say as long as I come in every 3 mo for testing and take my lovely tamoxifen its okay, my decision... RO has taken to sending me certified letters about my refusal to do rads... it's a toss up!
Other than that just dealing with SEs from tamoxifen and trying to get b a ck a semblance of the life I had before though trying to make it healthier and happier t the same time...
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Chaos - I have been getting notifications, but somehow they seemed to turn off a day or two ago. Odd. I just logged in, because I thought it was odd that no one had posted in 2 days on my 4 'get notification' topics. Glad to see you back! I feel like this is my home, the others help me, with what I'm going through, be we have discussed our hinter regions ad nauseum, hence, are true sisters.
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Hi All....I haven't checked out the boards in a while. I guess I am also feeling so fed up....seriously I cannot get a break!!!
So not sure of you all remember my story: DCIS going into surgery- .6cm of IDC after (1mm above not needing chemo). Port infection that spread to my leg and landed me in the hospital for 12 days with 3 operations. Lost my job... Then my heart function dropped dramatically and was put on heart meds. Thankfully it is back to normal and restarted Herceptin...but have to stay on minimal dosage till I finish Herceptin.
What I don't think I mentioned, I had to have re- reconstruction in Feb after my implant shifted. Well guess what it shifted again!!!! I need a 3rd reconstruction surgery!!! They want to take out both teardrop implants and swap for round. My PS is not in my new insurance plan...they ok'd my last surgery which covered hospital costs (PS didn't charge) ...I am scared they won't cover it again.
Nothing can go smoothly for me... So now I'm walking around with lopsided foobs again....one points down the other points up.
I truly hope the rest of you are having an easier time of it.
Nancy- glad it was just a scare!
Rockstar - I've been on Tamoxifen since Dec 1....and am doing fine...no weight gain. However, for the first 6 weeks....I had crazy mood swings. I was fine one moment and then crazy depressed the next. I would say by mid January I evened out....just in time to get my period back...yay!! Of course it would be better for me not to get my period (ER+) back but it showed up on 1/31.
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oh JennLiza - I am so sorry :-(
I just sent you a breezy 'go girl' message on the cold caps thread...then I saw this. So horrible. Big giant virtual hug. You have had the roughest ride
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Jennliza -- Ugh about your implants! Hope your surgery is covered and you get a better outcome.
Chaos -- glad to hear that you had such a great response to chemo and that those growths were just fat necrosis. I also developed a seroma after my lumpectomy that had to be drained. Now my lumpectomy boob is settling into its new normal, which is slightly smaller than the other boob but not noticeably so. I'm actually kind-of pleased with its appearance -- there's a scar from where the incision was made, but I don't have a big dent or anything like some lumpectomy ladies have experienced.
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Jennliza ~ so sorry that things have not smoothed out for you. I have come to the conclusion that once bc shows up in our lives, things are never, ever going to be as they were "before". It has been bigger and worse for you, but I know that we can all relate to your very reasonable frustration. Good wishes and hugs to you.
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JennLiza - big virtual hug too you! I hoping the insurance goes through and pushing for a much better outcome this time around!
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JennLiza - if it isn't one thing it is another. Sending happy healing 'staying in place' thoughts!
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Jennliza - so sorry about your implants. You've certainly had a rough ride and should be excused from anymore crummy things. Hope it all works out for you.
Hugs
Nancy
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Jennliza, so sorry you are having such a rough time. I hope the insurance comes through and you have better luck with the rounds.
I'm going in tomorrow to have the stitches taken out on the left side. It looks ugly but healing, no infection. Had a spot on the right boob that opened up a bit at the surface as the bandage kept sticking to it but the nurse gave me this gauze covered in goop that prevents the bandage from sticking and its starting to heal.
Knmtwins, the herceptin is doing the same to me. When I wake up I can barely move. The fingers, elbows, knees are all stiff and achey and I feel like I'm 100 instead of 41. Cancer truly is the gift that keeps on giving.
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Finished rads today, finally!
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congrats on finishing rads Mag!
Elaine, seromas suck! Mine had to be drained 3 times, I dont have a dent where I received my lumpectomy but have a horribly noticeable one from the lymph node harvesting... I keep telling myself scars are cool lol much rather have scars than cancer cells
Jenn, so sorry you are having such a rough go of everything, just remember to breathe and that you are a strong intelligent survivor and you will survive this too sending you warm positive thoughts
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You did it Mags! I'm so happy for you that you persevered and you were able to make it through. Now let's hope it's all behind you. Get back to living your life!
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Yeah Mags! Great to hear you finished rads. How's your arm doing on that side? I had to go back for about 6 weeks of physical therapy to get my range of motion back, and still do exercises every day to keep it from tightening up again. See if you can get a pulley system that fits over one of your doors at home from PT. It wasn't expensive, maybe like $20, and has been very helpful.
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congrats Mags so happy to hear you are done! I have 5 more to go and then I'll be right there with ya!
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Chaos -- yes, I don't think my pit will ever recover from that node harvesting! The surgeon took out TWENTY lymph nodes, and my arm still feels like a Raggedy Ann arm -- like it's been sewn on in that area.
Mags -- congrats on finishing rads! Hope you recover from all the stress and strain on your shoulder.
Nancy -- only five more to go -- lucky you! I just had my second rads session today, and I'm already bored with it.
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mags!!! So happy u did it!!! Yay!😋
Elaine, raindew ,nancy, my MO is putting me on tamox for now and maybe shots if I'm still hormonal. I mentionned Aromasin and he said it was for post menopausal so he wants me to not be hormonal at all.
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thanks dancingdiva - I talked with my MO and she said even though mt blood work is showing I am now post menopausal it could be from chemo so I am on tamoxifen for a year maybe longer
Nancy
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