Starting chemo July 2014
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maiden: congratulations! love your holiday scarf!
Nancy: glad the finish line is in sight for you
I've never had dental coverage and have had to pay for several crowns already. Such a relief that I got by with just a filling. My lip was so numbed up from the novacaine that it kept falling back into my mouth that evening at supper and I chewed it all up, I'm all black and blue and swollen on that side of my mouth, have to give Lew half-kisses.
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maiden -- congratulations! What a relief, eh? Yes, the oncology nurses are the workhorses of the chemo world -- so nice that you thought of them and brought them something.
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Yeah Maidentiredofwaiting! It is such a huge thing to get beyond chemo. I'm really happy for you. It takes awhile to start feeling better, but it's a renewal! This certainly is a marathon rather than a sprint. Congrats.0 -
Yea Maiden!
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maiden congratulations on finishing chemo YAHOO. How exciting. What a relief. I will be done in 2 weeks YAY
Nancy
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Thanks everyone! This is the no sleep steroid night so I better find something to do while not sleeping. I am embarrassed to admit I've been watching season 3 of Snookie and JWoww. They are so silly, they make me laugh. They are much more entertaining now they grew up a little.
Nancy, I hope those 2 weeks go fast for you!
Puffin, the funny thing is I bought that scarf for the dog! But it fit me so I swiped it. I couldn't find any for people that had holiday print on it. I hope you tooth and lip feels better soon. I hate going to the dentist.
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Maidentired, here are a couple of places to go when you can't sleep...
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Nancy - I held my arm straight up to make the skin over the cord as tight as possible then placed the thumb of my other hand over the cord near the armpit and pressed really hard on the cord and stretched it (and the skin) toward the armpit to make it as tight as I could and heard and felt a snap. I admit it feels kind of creepy. Years ago, I had cording from another breast surgery that ran down my rib cage. Those were easier to break because I could use both hands.
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thanks Blownaway. I may have to try that because I noticed just today when I was reaching down to pick up some laundry it hurt. It doesn't hurt otherwise. Oh the joys of all of these wonderful side effects -NOT
Well I have my radiation simulation on January 20th and my port comes out on the 21st. I will start radiation on the 27th. My onc is going to have me start tamoxifen at the same time. I am just so excited that the chemo part is almost over.
Nancy
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I had my last taxol today. I don't know about u guys, but I kinda feel wierd....almost lost now that chemo is over. My surgery date is jan 22. I need to find a good Physio. My shoulder and underarm and upper back need a 24/7 massage!
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Congrats dancingdiva on last taxol. Yes, we fight so hard during chemo, and when it's done it's like we're still standing there swinging away. Enjoy the holidays, rest, recoup, do gentle exercise - get yourself in good shape for your surgery.
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congrats dancingdiva. I will be right there with you on December 30th. I am really going to miss my oncology nurse. She is the absolute best.
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Hooray Dancingdiva! Yes, it does feel odd to finish a series of treatments that have gone on so long and been such a big part of "doing something" about a scary problem. I just has my final radiation treatment today and because I started them on the same schedule as my chemo, I really didn't have that vacant spot. This break between chemo and your surgery is just the pause you will need to regroup. Congrats to you.
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Well ladies... I had my Bilateral Mastectomy on Wednesday, Dec. 17th! NO more left boob!
I was told I was asking to sit up and was talking away in recovery, though I had dry heaves later... I did well and better than they expected.Walking around 4 hours after surgery just going to the potty.
I find the two JP Drains a bit cumbersome but tolerable attached to my clothing, yet annoying! I make sure I am keeping track for the output for them both often.
I came home the 18th, and have been resting....home health nurse came by today, and the tape they gave me at the hospital and the one she even had is not sticking to me that well after she changed the dressing on my incision site, so I will have to have a friend of mine get something different to use.
Pain is still about a 6 to a 8 and the Percocet helps but its not too too bad.. just burning sensation if I move my left side too too much and trying to be cautious. My fear is pulling these drains, so I am trying to be real careful. I have family here that's been helping me out so I am glad for that.
Just wanted to say I did OK, I am home, and hoping to heal up soon!
Hugs to each of you here!!!!!
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good luck AJ!! Hope all goes well. I'll be there in a month!
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AJ62 - Is there any way you could safety pin socks to the inside of your pjs and slip the drains into the socks? I feel so bad that you are dealing with this through Christmas. I got off light and reading other's posts is giving me survivor's guilt.
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Blownaway ---
I have safety pins and have pinned them but they are so bulky and 'hang' still its annoying to me. I cannot find any tape that is sticking well.
I was told to keep the bandages on a few more days and none of this tape is holding well at all. Good thing I have just a few days.
Today I am itching worse and taking Benadryl for that now.......itching is healing! I am to wait a few weeks for the Aveeno lotion -- I do have a prescribed cream that my surgeon had a pharmacy make for me here in Florida that works well and takes away pain and itch.
Soon as I can I will use that.
Dancingdiva -- You will be just fine!!! As you see, we all have done well......I have faith you will too!
HUGS to each of you ladies !!!
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And big gentle hugs to you to AJ. Be really kind to yourself and be super lazy. It's so easy to over do when you start to feel better. Restraint is you friend.
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magdalene51 I want to say thanks for such a wonderful job you have done with this topic. I started the Dec. Surgery topic and feel I have let those gals down compared to you. My problem was, my BMx was on the 2nd, so I was out of it for a while, so took a week or two off and wasn't adding the ladies, nor was I as creative as a previous month's where the 'owner' would post a comment with a bus graphic for the ladies who had surgery on surgery day. I'm sure they don't care, but it makes me appreciate so much more how you have kept us going. Thanks!
dancingdiva… - Woo Hoo!!!!!!!!!!
My husband's aunt just got a diagnosis of BC from her mammogram. She is meeting with the surgeon on Christmas Eve. I'm going to tell her about this site, it has been so helpful to me. Have a wonderful holiday season my July sisters!!!
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mags, going to have to agree with twins. U were always here for us.
gonna have to join the January suregry thread now. It's like I'm leaving family 
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Coyote: congrats on finishing rads!
AJ: Sounds like you're doing well, hope you get the pain under better control soon
dancingdiva: just because you're joining the Jan surgery group doesn't mean you have to totally leave us, check back and let us know how you're doing. Even though it's been 2 months since my last chemo I still have this marked as a favorite and keep tabs on how everyone is doing0 -
Puffin: You are right on. My chemo and rads are complete too, but this is home base and I'll always stop to add and get support. We aren't done yet. This fight goes on and on.
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You ladies have been so wonderful, and though I check in I don't always post, because you always look out for each other even when I'm not around, and that's what's been so beautiful to see. Puffin, is right, no need to leave the thread when chemo is over, mine's been done two months yesterday. You have been a vital part of my journey, and remain so.
I am still in limbo. I had my rad sims, then waited while they made a plan and resubmitted to insurance. Apparently they denied proton therapy, and the called me in last week for a practice run. Something didn't fit properly, though so they are making a new plan and it will be after Christmas before it is ready.
I am questioning whether I will actually be able to go through with it at all. As I may have mentioned, the arthritis in my shoulder is very advanced. The bone spurs and erosion in the joint make moving and holding my arm in the position they need it for rads is indescribably painful. By the time they were done last week, I couldn't move my arm, the tech had to move it for me, and I yelped in pain. I just don't know whether I can do that every day for six weeks. It took days to recover with ice and pain meds. Even now, my shoulder hurts, and it's been four days.
DH, however, is determined that I will do them regardless of the pain, not because he is indifferent, but because he doesn't want to lose me. With rads my chance of recurrence is still over 40%, although I think we all know how meaningless those numbers are.
You are all in my thoughts these days, thank you for doing such an awesome job of taking care of each other.
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yes nobody is allowed to leave lol. I am still doing chemo. Boo. Glad to see everyone is doing well
Nancy
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Mags, I was able to negotiate with my rads planning group to let me put my hand kind of under my head instead of up over my head and they were able to still aim the radiation where they needed. Even that modified arm placement still screwed up my shoulder and I'm back in physical therapy again.
Is anyone else having chemo brain problems? I went with a group birding yesterday, and when one of the guys came back I said "sure glad you were able to find that Song Bird" and they said "you mean Song Sparrow". When I told Lew about it, he said, Oh, you do that all that time, sometimes I really have to think about what you're trying to say. He says if I start calling something by the wrong name it's like I get stuck on it and keep calling it the wrong thing. I was aware of catching myself sometimes using a wrong word but didn't realize I was doing it so much.
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Puffin, because of the location of the tumor, the RO wants that side fully exposed, and in order to do that, the arm has to go over my head so that I fit into the ct tube. I think I will call the MO and tell him I'm just going to forego rads. DH will not be happy with me but he doesn't comprehend the pain level.
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Mags, although the CT scanning radiation equipment is really wonderful, it is not the only game in most towns. Perhaps there is another kind of equipment at another treatment center that could accommodate your situation. I'll bet that the majority of radiation gals online here are not using CT equipment. Don't give up!
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Congrats on finishing taxol, dancingdiva!
AJ and kmntwins -- hope your recoveries continue to go well!
Coyote -- congrats on finishing rads!
Mags -- only you know how much pain you can take. I hope that MO or someone might have some ideas for doing rads in a less painful way, but if not....none of us really know what foregoing a particular treatment means for our future. It does sound as though rads might be extremely painful for you, and might not be worth enduring for an unknown.
Well, I finally have a surgery date -- January 12 -- for my lumpectomy, one day before I'm supposed to resume teaching. Thankfully, I won't really be doing much on Tuesday, January 13 -- just handing out the syllabus in one class. It's still not clear which lymph nodes the surgeon will be removing. Before chemo, the MRI and PET scans suggested that one lymph node was compromised. I got an ultra-sound guided, fine needle biopsy of the node, and it tested positive for cancer. But, there was no surgical marker implanted so we could keep track of its location. Well, now the most recent MRI and PET scans show nothing in the nodes, and the surgeon is trying to figure out which nodes/how many he should take out. MO assumed that he'd take out the previously-compromised node and some of its neighbors. The surgeon assumed that he was going to take out the sentinel node and some of its neighbors. After I talked to him, the surgeon said he was going to survey his BC surgeon buddies about this issue. Uh, OK. I'll bring this up when I have my appointment with RO on Wednesday.
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mags I like Coyote's idea of seeking out radiation using different equipment. Don't know if that's possible but definitely sounds like something worth looking into. I totally get the pain intensity though. Hope it all works out for you.
Elaine YAY you have a surgery date. Even though you have to work the following day I think you will be fine. I was out of it for the day of surgery, but ready to walk my dogs the next day (I didn't - they each weigh 75lbs, but I felt like I could lol). I will definitely be thinking of you.
Tomorrow is taxol #11. This past week hasn't been the greatest for me. Not sure if it's because my body is tired of taxol or it was the neupogen shots I had to get. One week from tomorrow I will be done. My body is sooooo ready to be done. My eyes are always blurry.
Hoping everyone is doing well.
Nancy
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I just finished taxol #11. I only have 1 more to go. I can't believe it. I have a little favor to ask. My blood work is unpredictable. Would you all mind sending some mojo my way for good blood work on the 30th? I will seriously burst into tears if I can't get chemo (now which of us would ever have said that months ago lol) on the 30th. I am so ready to move on.
Thanks and may you all be healing from surgeries and chemo side effects
Hugs
Nancy
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