Starting chemo July 2014
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good for you mags, yay!!!
twins, my last chemo is dec 15. I'll be seeing the plastic surgeon on jan 13, so late prob because of the holidays. My surgeon who did the lumpectomy said I would prob get it done early feb. For me, that's too long so I need to discuss with MO. 6 wks to me should be max so of course I m going to have to push for this. I'm dreading it. I think when I see myself with no boobs, I'm going to freak.
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Mags, congrats on being done with this part of your treatment! Yay you!
I'm on hold for a week, again. White counts and platelets are too low to go ahead with cycle 5, so I wait til next week and try again. My tumor markers are still coming down though, so that's encouraging news.
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Wow - so that is what many of us will look like in 9 days. Wow, wow, wow. We don't have a bell at my center, so the smile is what I mean.
Had apt w/ BS and finally she is agreeing to skin sparing BMx with expanders and reconstruction, date is December 2nd. Will know if insurance approves it later this week. I sure hope so, because I have wanted that puppy completely gone since I felt the lump the evening of May 24th, and I'm glad I can get rid of the other one too. I realize we all have different thoughts and have gone down different roads, but this is what I have wanted from the start, so feeling like a big weight has been lifted.
She thinks the nodes will be clear, as they 'looked' it on the MRI from June and September. Let's just hope for a pathologic complete response, as my MO says without it, he will want to do more chemo. So I might get to 'ring the bell', then start again in January. YIKES, so happy thoughts, that isn't going to happen!!!!.
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So, July friends, with BMx w/ tissue expanders, how long till you could do things again? Get out of bed unassisted, shower, make dinner, make kids lunches, use the dustbuster?
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YAY MAGS!
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DancingDiva- I was advised to take 1000 mg of Fish oil twice per day and 1 capsule of Adrenotone three times per day. This has slowly diminished my chemopause hot flashes. I use to get hot flashes multiple times per hour now only a few per day. I've been taking both for two weeks and was advised to finish the bottle. Both can be purchased on Amazon.com or at Supper Supplements. And both were recommended by my Naturepath who works directly with the Cancer Center.
I found out I can not have an MRI due to my tissue expanders (Allergan style 133SX). I was diagnosed with pneumonia this Saturday (I had just returned to work on 10/14) and had several CT scans. When I went to the ER and told them I was a cancer patient, I got right in, no waiting. I will be off for two weeks or so. I should not have gone back to work so soon after my last chemo in September. I probably should have stayed off until my exchange surgery was completed (11/11 surgery date).
Also, I didn't take the last nuelasta shot which was a mistake. My immune system was not back to 100% (only at a 4 that Monday before I went back to work when its normally a 10).
Just food for thought.
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yay mags!!
Redheeled - scary. I went back to work full time 2wks post chemo...can only imagine how disappointed you must be :-( get well soon!!
JennKay - I am in the Bay Area - let me know if you will be stopping by on your your tour!
No date yet for my exchange surgery...PS is all backed up (apparently everyone tryin to get in before end of year so it doesn't hit next year's deductible...). So may be January :-(
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Dancing - see if you can get in now to see the PS. Maybe they are saying January thinking you don't want it NOW. If you can get your plan together, then the 13th could be your final apt and maybe they could do the surgery the next week. I agree, that maybe everyone is getting stuff done before new insurance year, and the holidays. Now, what do you think you want? You say, you might freak when you see yourself with no boobs. Would you do a bilateral (both) and nothing else? I'm doing a skin sparing, so they will put expanders in and fill them some during the mastectomy, hence I will wake up to some boobs, just not the final product.
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raindew where in the Bay Area are you from? I grew up in concord
Nancy
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Mags - What a great moment! Congratulations. It is a very nice photo! Great scarf too.
Today was steroid day. That usually means I don't sleep very well tonight; however, today was really busy... so I might. We went to the studio where I worked on the final Quail gourd, DH went up the ladders to get to banker boxes full of pomegranates to take to the infusion nurses and MO office. I cut split pomegranates off the lower branches and packed them up for the fridge. Then I went to the grocery store to get the kind of things DH doesn't buy. It took me forever because I was really moving slow. By the time I got back home, I was beat, BUT the steroids pulled through and I fixed a comfort food dinner. I dearly love that old classic green bean, mushroom soup, and friend onion casserole, so I included that, with bacon wrapped pork tenderloin, arugula and tomato salad, and peach crisp. DH is doing the dishes, and I came into the office to check on Mags - mostly.
But Blownaway - What a marathon you are running! With all of that, BC hasn't got a chance of showing up again!
If all goes according to plan, tomorrow will be my final infusion - #6. I'm excited about that. We have a bell that looks just like the one Mags rang today.
Because my cancer is triple negative, there are no additional specially focused meds for me to take. No taxol, no Herceptin. Good in some ways, but scary in others.
I'll check in around 3 am!
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Yay Mags! Congratulations!
Maidentired- I had terrible bone pain with the first infusion of Taxol and took percoset for 3 days. The achiness was enough to keep me awake and feeling really terrible at times. The good news is that my MO was right when he said that the first time would be the worst and that the achiness should subside with each subsequent treatment. I needed no pain killers for the 3rd and 4th infusion. I had dose dense Taxol...
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Coyote: yeah! hope you get to finish today, I'll be listening for your bell and watching for your photo too.
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Go go go Coyote! Cheering you on to the finish line!
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We are heading out to St. George in a few minutes. I'll try to send a post from there on my phone. Sometimes it works!0 -
YAY coyote - way to go
Nancy
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redheeledwoman -- OY! re: the pneumonia. I feel like I've dodged a bullet, working and not getting sick so far -- especially since some of my students have been sick. (My favorite: the student who has mono...who keeps visiting me during office hours to update me about his mono. No, really, he can just email me about his illness -- no need for personal updates!) Hope you feel better soon!
Coyote -- congrats on your last infusion! Another July chemo woman, graduating and moving on.
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Yay, Coyote. Doing the Happy dance with ya. Congrats and moving on!
Redheeledwoman, hope you are feeling better. I am working also and attempt to stay away from everyone that is sick and I am OCD now at work with the wipes and hand sanitizer.
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I'm in the chair! All systems go. Thank you for all the good wishes.My MO is really pleased with my response and lack of life threatening side effects or neuropathy and I didn't have to take Neulasta. She didn't use these words, but she thinks I'm a tough cookie! I think I am the recipient of many blessings and prayers.
I'll get a photo of DH and me ringing the bell!
Redheeledwmoman- Prayers and wishes for a quick recovery!
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go Coyote go!! You are indeed one tough cookie - who is so talented too (beautiful work btw)
Redheeledwomen- hope you mend soon. I also skipped the last Neulasta after the last infusion, so thank you for the cautionary tale.
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go coyote!!!
Team July racing towards the finish line :-)
I have my appt back with my MO in two weeks to talk about hormonals...tami or OS+AI. Either way, 10 years. I am pleased to have this tool in my arsenal for sure, but wow, long time. The tami board here has me scared senseless...any July warriors start this part of the journey yet?
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The bell makes a beautiful sound!
Coyote with her wonder DH at the bell ringing ceremony.0 -
Go Coyote, Go Coyote, Go Go Coyote! Congrats on ringing the bell and you are one tough and talented cookie! Your picture is beautiful.
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I'm loving all the bell ringing stories, and I love your wig. So carefree! I can't beleive you gals who are all spiffy for chemo. As it is chilly there, I go in sweats, only wear a bandanna and look a mess.
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Congrats, Coyote! My last one will be Nov. 5 - I'm looking forward to having a big smile like you do!
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Coyote, you like Great! So happy you're done.
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Congrats to Coyote! What a nice picture of the two of you!
kmntwins -- Don't ask me why, but I wear my wig at chemo, too. Maybe it's because I go out to lunch afterwards with my chemo buddy, and I just want to blend into the background of any restaurant we visit.
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Coyote - What a nice looking couple! It's so supportive of him to be in the photo with you but I guess he's been right there all the way. You would never know by looking that you've been through such an ordeal - you are one tough cookie!I saw the bell at my center but I guess I won't ring it until June/July when I finish my 3 week intervals of Herceptin infusions. Oh well, maybe the last but not the least....
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Blownaway - that is an interesting question, does Herceptin preclude us from ringing the bell. It is an antibody, not chemotherapy. Maybe we get to ring the bell twice, althugh I don't think my center has a bell.
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knmtwins - I was scheduled to do 4 infusions but before my 4th infusion, my onco decided I should do 2 extras since he felt I was doing so well. When I came back for the 5th infusion, he wasn't there and I saw a different onco who decided that my bloodwork and side effects were too bad to do anymore infusions and that 2 more were not warranted anyway for stage 1 tumors so basically said I was through. I wonder if they got into an argument....anyhoo, I never had an opportunity to ring the bell.
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Coyote, major congratulations, and may I say, what a fine looking couple you are! Onward and upward!
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