Starting chemo July 2014
Comments
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happy belated birthday Puffin and Pink. Puffin that's my kind if birthday lol. Pink I'm sorry you were in bed on your birthday.
Kitkatmo I hope the taxotere goes easy on you good luck
Elaine remember when you're doing chemo you get to eat whatever you want lol.
Tomorrow I start weekly Taxol. I am a bit scared/nervous as I know some have allergic reactions from it. I will be starting l-glutamine in the hopes of avoiding any neuropathy.
Hope everyone has a great Monday
Nancy
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Belated happy birthday to Puffin and pinkninja. I am still down with what they're calling pneumonia though I'm not sure I'm buying it anymore. After all the antibiotics I've had, there's absolutely no change. And nothing grew in the cultures. We had houseguests this weekend, sweet friends who drove 8 hours each way just to spend a day with us and didn't need to be entertained or taken anywhere, just content to spend time together. And they brought me a lovely gift, a soft blanket with cows on one side and hearts on the other, which Rose promptly expropriated. But she shares it with me.
Awakened at 7:30am by a 4.3 earthquake, and today is monsoonal, rain, wind, chilly. Steroids today, tomorrow is my last chemo, DH is coming to see me ring the bell.
Still praying for each and every one of you. All my best.
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Mags - Glad you get to ring the bell and so sorry you're still feeling poorly. This is no fun at all, but at least you're moving in the right direction!
JennLiza - I called my insurance company and complained about the bills I was getting for OON doctors. These were lab techs, pathologists, etc. in the back rooms who I can't screen to see if they're in network or not...I was so frustrated! I asked the insurance lady if she had advice and she told me that even though those doctors were out of network, they'd cover as in network if the facility was in network. That made my day! Very good news because we all know those bills are huge!
Florida is still miserably hot and sunny - sunny is nice but 90 degrees in October is not comfortable. There's supposed to be a cool front soon, though, so highs of mid-80's. Perfect! That's the reason we stay through the brutally hot summers...
I have a hysterectomy Thursday morning, so all extra prayers appreciated. I've had to do so much research on cancer and chemo and reconstruction that I feel like hyster info is slipping through the cracks! My doctor I've seen for years and I trust her. It's all robotic so just one night in the hospital.
Now running around like crazy woman to get everything done since I'll be laid up for at least a week. Hard not to drive for a week with two kids and all their activities, but I promise I'll take it easy.
Oh - almost forgot. I have slight fluid retention on my right arm from the BMX. They took 2 lymph nodes from that side. I had a great lymph massage this morning that insurance completely covers. It was very relaxing and I highly recommend it.
Best wishes to all!!
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Happy Belated Birthday Puffin and PinkNiinja! Pink, sorry you had to spend it in bed but hopefully they were some good movies?
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Elaine: yes, my appetite and taste buds have come back!
Had first rad today. I wasn't expecting to have to hold my rotator cuff arm up for so long, thought that was what sim was for, arm went numb after 30". They're reassuring me rest will be more like 10". Did OK with the breath holding, just needed to remind myself to relax now and then before my shoulder touched my ears!
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happy bday ladies!!
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Happy Belated Birthday Puffin and PinkNiinja! Coyote I'm here but not as much because I feel so tired that don't even check my emails.
Eliane I'm getting better my counts are 9.5 today so no transfusion for me. Tomorrow is my # 5 chemo and I can't wait to be done my last one will be on nov4 th eith the help of God.
Mags congratulations on your new beginning
Praying for all of us .. Be well !!
XO
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#5 (this past Weds) has me feeling like crap physically. On top of that, since then I've broken up with my boyfriend of 6 years, my cat is sick, and my car broke down.
So yeah. Bad week on this end.
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Mags - I didn't know that there are earthquakes in OK. Glad to hear that you can go forward w/ final chemo. The final round of se's.Wallegator - I don't like surgery no matter what part is being cut on. I hope all is uneventful. Prayers for you.
DH and I were discussing the weather earlier today. Living in a location has a really long summer, it is easy to forget that it is fall out in the real world. You can tell locals from tourists in February because tourists are wearing shorts and locals are wearing parkas at 65 degrees. Here, hot starts over 100 degrees. Chilly is below 70.
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hi ladies,
I'm still here! Mostly am trying to piece my life back together and regain confidence at work. I have this month 'off' before starting tam at the end of the month...10 years! I think I am as scared of this as I am of chemo..anyone else starting it soon?
Pink and Puffin - happy belated b day to you both!
Mags - hoorah for finishing :-) so many of us crossing the line now. Thrilled for every one of you.
JennKay - not thrilled for you. Sorry about the BF, cat AND car. Jeez, hope you get a break soon :-(
Coyote - the first post I read was your lovely note about this group as a whole. J couldn't agree more...you guys actually got me through chemo. Worst time of my life so far, and I don't know how I could have done it without you. No one else understood. I will be grateful for that till the end of my days, and while I hope we all move on to wonderful post tx lives, I also hope we check in occasionally :-)
Anyone heard from boxofrockstar? Has she had her baby?
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Hey, I'm still here, still pregnant - thanks for asking! 2 weeks ago I would have sworn I was about to go into labor, but it turns out he's very stubborn. He'll be here next Tuesday come hell or high water, though, because they won't let me go past 39 weeks.
Happy Birthday to Puffin and Pinkninja! Pink, I hope you were at least able to enjoy some cake at some point? I've been pretty lucky with the SEs, so I'm able to eat, too, but then that's not the greatest because all I want is carbs. So I've gained more weight than I was supposed to, which makes me more uncomfortable. Not a crazy amount, but every ounce feels like it counts now. Still, I'd rather have more weight to lose than feel sick, so I'll take it.
This is the longest I've gone without chemo since I started, which is awesome, but I still feel the fatigue like crazy. I don't know how long it takes to leave the system; I assume a while since the hair regrowth isn't said to start for about 3-4 months. We got a loaner wheelchair and its been a lifesaver for longer walks. I can just make it the 8 blocks or so to pick up my son at school, and by the time I come back I'm done for the day and can't go anyplace until my husband is home and can wheel me. Wet tissue is the perfect description.
Walle, good luck on Thursday! Take it super easy and have as gentle a recovery as possible. JenKay, ugh! Bad things come in 3s, right? Something good has to happen soon. Mags, sorry you are still down, but congrats on finishing!! Feel better, and ring the hell out of that bell!0 -
Coyote -- there are lots of little earthquakes in OK, apparently thanks to fracking. I don't notice most of them myself.
WalleGator -- good luck with your hysterectomy! Yes, try to take it easy if you can. Even just with chemo, I drive primarily around town and leave the highway driving to DH.
JenKay -- sorry to hear about your BF, cat, and car.... All that on top of SEs; hope you get some rest and time to just chill.
Best wishes to Mags, mommymel, and anyone else getting in the chair today! Congrats on reaching the end, Mags!
Today, I just threw in the towel on these sad-sack eyelashes. No more mascara for me; I just glued on my fakes in the bathroom before work, and now I barely can feel them. Alas, my wig clip isn't doing much for me today; it fell out while I was teaching my 9:00 am class, and my fake hair kept getting in my face while I was talking. What a fraud I am -- fake hair, fake eyelashes, and eyebrows, drawn in with eye pencil!
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thanks for the bday wishes. I'm finally starting to feel a little better so maybe the transfusion worked. Still very fatigued and achy all over over. I go in tomorrow to check labs again and I hope they are better.
Mags, so happy you are finishing up!!! I can't wait til my last one.
Wallegator, I had a laprascopic hysterectomy last December and found so much info and support (like on here) at www. Hyster sisters.com. There are forums to let you know exactly what you'll need and I felt like I was very prepared. There's also a forum for everyone getting hysterectomies in the same month, like here, which was awesome. Do you have a support wrap? I thought I wouldn't need it so I waited until after to order it but I wished I would've had it the day I came home. Also, as weird as it sounds, you will use the heating pad on your belly not ice. It makes it feel so good. Don't forget to take stool softener several days prior so you don't get constipated cause if you do, it will hurt like $&@! Get a small pillow that you can hold against your tummy if you have to cough or laugh, it helps. Also, when you come home from the hospital, make sure you have the pillow to put between the seatbelt and your body. There's tons more valuable tips at the website. Il pray for you. 🙏
I've also been doing lots of research about what type of surgery to have and I'm leaning towards dmx.
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JennK - Sorry to hear about the trio of tribulation. Trouble does seem to run together.
ElaineT - So earthquakes are a fairly new phenomenon there? Interesting. I'm from Washington State, so earthquakes are part of my DNA. Oklahoma has tornadoes and earthquakes, yikes.
Off to the studio this morning!
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Well, I have some good news and some bad news. Bad news first: no chemo today. Good news: they can't find anything wrong to be causing the shortness of breath. They did blood work, chest X-ray, and echocardiogram. No sign of pneumonia, no fluid around the heart, no congestive heart failure, nothing. But they don't want to take a chance that chemo would make it worse. So I have an appointment with the MO on Monday early (saw he PA today) and he will make a decision whether to go ahead or not.
Other good news: it means I can eat! Cousin is making one of my favorites for me, chicken enchilada soup. Yum. Silver linings.
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Mags - hopefully, despite not having an answer, that's all good news. You know what's not wrong. Maybe it's just another chemo side effect...? Eating is good. Glad you're getting a favorite!
PinkNinja - Thanks for the website help and other tips. I feel like I'm trying to get so much done before Thursday that I haven't THOUGHT about surgery, so those are definitely useful ideas. I do not have a support wrap. I assume that goes around the belly? How fast was your recovery? They are planning, if all goes well, to do laprascopic too. You give me hyster help and I'll give you DMX help! ( : Mine was June 20th. Happy to answer any questions you have. I had cancer in both breasts, real small, but because it was in both I just said take them off. It was more important to get out the cancer than save the boobs, to me. I didn't want to second guess myself in a year.
JennKay - It's a lot of crap to deal with, but you can do it. It's no fun, but if the BF was meant to be he'd be around. New beginnings, and all that.
Coyote and others - thanks for the well wishes. Got my parents coming to help with the kids. Pick up from bus stops, take to baseball and lacrosse. Get me home. Got to get a last minute gift for son's friends birthday, and a class pumpkin, and a appt with the reconstruction surgeon...then I'm off to the hospital! Thanks all!
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JenKay: so sorry about your bad week, hope at least the boyfriend break-up was your idea, though that's still tough.
Walle: will be thinking of you on Thursday, hope everything goes well with your surgery
Coyote: after our 40-50 degree high days the last couple weeks, it hit 63 this afternoon and yup, out came my shorts.
One of the gals at Yoga today said people need to take the word Fear (F=False, E=evidence A=appearing R=Real) and change it to (F=feeling E=excited A=and R=ready). Let's turn this whole experience into "feeling excited and ready to put this all behind us."0 -
I'm up for air, but not 'good enough' to read the boards yet. Hope all is well! Sending good thoughts to everyone. Maybe tomorrow, I'll be up for reading them.
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JennKay - Six years is a long time but I hope this is more of an opportunity for you to move forward in your life rather than a loss. You have so much going on right now to focus on. I wish you lightness of heart and hope you don't look back but move on without regrets.
Mags - I hope you get some answers soon so that your treatment can progress. Enjoy your soup - do you rent out cousins???
Walle - My ooph (I think that means complete hysterectomy) was a laparoscopic breeze. The next day, I was fine to go home with just mild pain pills. Did it on Thursday and was sitting at my desk at work the following Monday. I hope you have as easy a time as I did.
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What kmtwins said, my post was sort of meant as an explanation as to why I haven't been posting. I'm too exhausted and wrapped up in my own crap to keep up with everyone and I always feel bad if I don't acknowledge everyone else's posts.
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mags so sorry you had to skip chemo but you get to eat good stuff yum
Walle good luck with your surgery. Hope all goes well
Jenkay sorry about all the crap. Hope good things start coming your way.
As for me I had my first dose of taxol and it went well. We shall see what happens in a few days. Taking my l-glutamine in the hopes I don't get any neuropathy. That stuff tastes weird.
Nancy
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Mags -- hope you're enjoying some good eats! I also hope they tested for pulmonary embolism -- my DH was short of breath this summer, and they didn't find the clots in his lungs until they did a CT scan (didn't catch it on a chest X-Ray -- they were small). But, since they did blood work, they probably looked for indications there.
kmntwins and JenKay -- you guys shouldn't feel like you have to "keep up" -- this board serves all sorts of purposes -- if life sucks, feel free to vent, complain, or whatever. Everyone has challenges and obstacles in life; no one can be on top of everything, all the time. You should see my house right now; people come over to bring meals and other stuff, and I feel so embarrassed about how it looks.
Nancy -- hope the Taxol SEs are mild for you; mine usually hit around Friday, mostly mild D and some achiness. But, nothing like AC.
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Walle- wishing you a quick recovery from your surgery.
Jenkay- so sorry you are having a crap week. Sending you ((hugs)) and hoping this turns out to be a good opportunity rather than a disappointment....it's hard though- let yourself grieve and get ready for wonderful things to move into the room that has been made in your life.
Mags-you are so so good at finding the silver linings...am glad it was a yummy one and that everything resolves the way you want it to. Thinking of you.
BoxofRockstar- you are so so damn Rockstar!!! Hats off to you- handling the pregnancy, taking care of the little and dealing with chemo all at once. Excited for your little bundle of happy to make his appearance!
PinkNinja and Puffin- happy belated birthdays to my Libra sisters!
And ps- i am exhausted, cautiously happy and trepidatious all at once. Last infusion of taxol today. And i'm officially done except for the installation of the foobs. Yay! Oh no! Aaaagh! All at once....good night!
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ElaineTherese, I learned today that the CT with dye they did at the ER last week was to rule out a pulmonary embolism.
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Mags -- Glad to hear that. I was surprised about how difficult it was to find PE; oh well, it's given DH his own health condition to monitor, and it has added to our wide-ranging pharmaceutical collection.
BoxofRock -- Are they talking about inducing you if your baby doesn't show by 39 weeks? I was induced with my daughter; it was a pretty painful experience until I got my epidural. (I'm such a whimp for pain.) Well, here's hoping it doesn't come to that for you. Going into labor on your own might just move things along quicker.
I'm supposed to be in the chair today for Taxol/Herceptin #5. Waiting on my numbers. Just 7 more to go!
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Yep, inducing on the 21st if he doesn't come before then. It's not looking like he will, either. His brother was born at 38, but this guy seems to like it on the inside. Will definitely be getting an epidural. With the first I thought I'd try without it but I'm a wuss about pain, too, and ended up asking for one. I'm not even going to try this time; I was totally happy with my first experience, and I feel like I don't really need any more hurt in my life right now!
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haha Veruka - totally understand that group of last chemo sentiments. Perfectly described!
Nancy - I gave up the lglutamine because I just literally could not stand to drink it. Something about the combo of taste and texture made me want to be sick...and there was enough of that from the chemo. So I ditched it after first tx, and never had neuropathy or fingernail problems. Not sure if I was just lucky or what.
Mags - stay strong!! We are with you!
JennKay - keep us updated on your situation, even if you don't have time to respond. Agree w ElaineTherese...it would be a shame if we all stopped posting because we feel pressured to always respond to everyone (I get it though...I think about every one of you, so of course feel like I'd like to speak to everyone...)
Finally...boxofrockstar - go lady!!! Can't wait to hear about your new arrival. I can't imagine how hard the pregnancy/BC combo must be, but so happy for you in advance (one of these things has an awesome pay off...)
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Mags: good to hear you don't have a PE
Veruka: congrats on the end of infusions!
Elaine: hope #5 goes well for you
Got my genetic test results back today, negative for the 2 BRCA's,
which is good. Had 2 tests that came back Uncertain Clinical
Significance, meaning there is currently insufficient data to determine
if these variants cause increased cancer risk. If those tests are
recategorized over time as more data is available, I'll be notified.0 -
Puffin - Thrilled you don't have BRCA! Yay!!!!
Blownaway - Thanks for the encouragement. I love to hear that it went so well for you, so fingers crossed! Sounds like you had an awesome recovery!
Veruka - Congrats on the end of infusions, as well. Such a relief.
I'm out of touch for a couple days. Thanks for all the well wishes and many hugs to all of of you to get through the week and weekend.
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Puffin, I go in to find out my genetic testing results tomorrow. I'm not optimistic given my family history and the fact that I'm so young. I'm already resigned to the fact that the ovaries are gonna come put, but I'm ok with that- no breeding plans, and I'm just old enough to be 100% sure about that
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