Starting chemo August 2014
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Jello/Jill, welcome. Sorry we met virtually under these circumstances but you are joining a wonderful group of women who are here to support you and share our journey with you. I have added you to the list.
Has anyone else developed a cough? I am on my up week and the cough started yesterday. Not sure if I am getting a cold or if this is yet another SE. I will call my MO tomorrow.
Stronghenough, love the hats!
Bippy, how are you doing?
How is everyone else doing that have had infusions this week? Thinking of ya.
-Angie
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Cassie: I had my head shaved about 1 week ago and really glad I did it. The weight of it actually started to hurt. I hated the shedding all the time. Hair was everywhere. I am now wearing scaves and have gotten use to them. I bought them off the American Cancer Website. TLC. Once I may the decision to get rid of what was left of my hair it lifted a burden off of me.
Good luck to all. Almost 1 week post #2 chemo. Pretty fatiqued at times. Walking when I can. Back at work and not sleeping on my desk. No major SE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah. Again,I love Claritin and Aleve. Plus miralax as a cocktail.
Everyone keep up the good work. This will be all over soon. That is what I constantly tell myself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Cassie, mine started shedding Thursday, to where I could pul it out easily. Had my hubby shave it, first tears. But it's, done. Now we just go forward, next step will be that it grows back
Jello, glad you found this group. Very helpful.
Feeling good on my off week. Making a pit of chili today as fall is here! My side is still so sore from after the lumpectomy. The veins or whatever in my arm are pretty well healed or stretched or whatever. But down hm rib cage OUCH!
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ladies, if anyone would like to do a fundraiser, this one is great and easy. A lady I met through also having BC told me about this. I sold 120 shirts, go to Booster.com and you can make a tshirt campaign. This is my family in out #TeamTerri shirts
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Terry1975 What a cute family!!
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Gatomal, I am so happy to read your wonderful news! Congrats ! PS, are you in fact a bad kitty, or does my Spanish suck?
Angie, I have a bit of a cough sometimes from post-nasal drip/runny nose. Could that be causing yours? BTW, thanks for all the great info re: LGFB. I am planning on going to the next local one and now I am excited!
Kellya, fun idea about the eyebrow stencil! I'm told my brows and lashes will "thin" on Taxol, so if that is like how my hair "thinned," I will need help!
Terri, I love your team pic!
Am continuing to enjoy the "head" shots Mine is on my phone so I will do some fiddling and get it up eventually.
Had my 5th Taxol/Herceptin infusion yesterday and I am still OK overall. I had UTI symptoms the other night, called the 24-hour #, and my actual onc called despite the hour - that was great - and put me on antibiotics, even without a UA. I am glad because I am prone to UTIs and I hate them so. But the meds kind of add to fatigue, so am a little blah. But very tolerable.
I have also had a low-level bloody nose off and on. doc confirmed it is from dryness. Suggested Vaseline but I am using Ayr gel instead and so far it helps.
Liver enzymes rose after first tx, but have stabilized. All in all, I am hanging in there. It even dawned on me that I could take my laptop with me and work (I am a graphic designer and work from home), and stop burning up my sick leave.
I cannot believe this, but am digging my 1/2-inch hair. Have been sporting my head in public a few times after forgetting a cover. I have not noticed any weird looks yet, which is so cool, because I know I look odd with my scalp shining through my thin hair.
Big hugs to those who are struggling with SEs. Together we are kicking cancer's butt!
Angela / tabby
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Tabbygirl - cranberry juice helps w UTIs also.
LadyB - I don't have a cough, but cold symptoms, runny nose and eyes. It is allergy season, so taking Claritin.
Terri - absolutely love the team Terry t- shirts. I just signed up for "Making Strides of Westchester" and fund raiser for Oct 19th. My sister has been doing for years, ever since she had a lumpectomy. It's thru the Manhattanville College in NY.
I noticed my eyebrows and eye lashes thinning. I really am hoping I don't lose them entirely. Could be why my eyes are tearing so much also. Luckily I work for an Eye dr and he gave my antibiotic ointment for corners of my outer eyes, because they were getting irritated.
Went for a long walk this a.m. and felt good. Thank goodness for the good days....
Hoping everyone is doing well.
Hang in there ladies, we are in a fight and winning....
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Thanks for the commiseration on the hair. I have really thick hair, so if it sheds a little each day it won't be noticeable for a while. If it decides to come out in clumps? Well, that's different then.
I am going to go to a LGFB class early next month - thanks to all who gave positive reviews for those classes. My mom's busy trying to knit and then felt me a cloche hat, and I crocheted one that's a "newsboy" style. I'm almost done with it.Catie - glad to hear you're exercising (but do be careful!).
Yes, thank goodness for the good days. I took a walk at the beach yesterday and it was a gorgeous day. I was glad to be out there.Kellogg, enjoy the apple picking. I agree about the denial - you can almost pretend you don't have cancer when you still look like yourself.
ladyb - no cough here. Hopefully it's nothing!
eileenpg -thanks for the TLC site tip. I went ahead and did a little shopping there this morning. We'll see how I like what I picked out! Glad to hear you're feeling so much better this time around - hurray!!!
Kellya, glad you're feeling good, too. Hope the rib pain subsides.
Terri, that is awesome! I am going to check that out!
Angela/tabby, glad your doctor was so responsive to you. Hope the antibiotics help quickly! Aren't laptops great? I took mine to my first infusion and got quite a lot of work done.
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hi all, love the pics, go team terri!
Doing MUCH BETTER! normal now thank gawd for 10 good days a month! Next chemo is 9/19, then i am halfway done. Talked to onco and she recommends BMX, due to HER+ and my breast tissue being so dense, my tumors dont show on mammos. do not want to have ultrasounds every 6 mos, and never wish to repeat this! And i am gettin implants so want them to match as well. Anyone else doing this in early December?
It finally is cooler in Fla., i am so happy. My raquel welch wigs are super cute, i highly recommend her brand.
Meanwhile, i developed high bp i think from lexapro. Never had issues, it began with that drug. May wean off it and see.....happy Saturday all!
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Bippy 625 Where in Florida? Still hot where I am.
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bippy, I'll be having surgery for sure, but not sure when. My last chemo, if all goes well, is Dec. 11th. Genetic testing will help me make a better decision about what I do on the right side (both tumors and lymph node are on the left side). My breasts are very dense, too, and the breast MRI was actually very inconclusive, even after we'd seen both tumors on mammogram and ultrasound. Interesting, eh?
My joke (a little dark humor) with myself is that maybe when all is said and done I can be more than an A cup.
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hi Tabbygirl52. No good Spanish! It was originally supposed to be gato mal odoro. (Smelly cat) as we had a huge coon cat that would wake us up in the middle of the night using the litter box. We just shortened it years ago to bad cat.
I'm day three post AC, not feeling great, laying in bed, not much appetite, trying to hydrate. Mouth feels weird and coated. Doing biotine rinses. The babies are kicking like crazy and keep me up sometimes. Sorry little guys! Mommy's getting better for you. I pray for them all the time, especially when getting the red devil. I told the infusion nurse to repeat with me when she gave it " the enemy of my enemy is my friend"!
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Gatomal, I am praying for you and those precious babies, my friend!!! I hope the next few days start getting better for you...
One love,
tp4ever
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Gatomal - Hoping tmrw is a better day. How many more treatment do you have left? Keeping you and your family in my thoughts.
I wish everyone a good evening.
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gatomal thinking of you and your babies.......
bippy and cassiecat, My last traditional chemo will be in dec 2 and will schedule bilateral mastectomy 2 weeks after if the white blood count turns OK. I had mammogram&US 2 months before diagnosed. I felt a lump and only showed cyst and densed tissue . I & my FNP were trying to push for MRI but denied by the insurance. 2 months later, another lump. First lump still showed cyst on the US but biopsy showed malignant.
Jello welcome !!! Glad you have found us, we will get trough this together .
Nice tshirts Terri... Go team Terri!!!
5 days post chemo#2. This round is better than the 1st round. Has been treating myself better, had many naps and still managed to eat better.
Hubby shaved my head on Friday. We were worried that my special need 5yo daughter will be freaked out with my bald head. She loves it. She smiles, rubs, and kisses my bald head all the time and still calls me Momma. She is Momma's precious angel.
Hope everybody is doing well today.
Hugs to you all August ladies.
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Hi Pangtidor, do you have insomnia like I do? Just cannot get to sleep. Listening to the coyotes outside. Feeling so bloated from fluids, but thirsty all the time. Take care all!
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eileen, in sunny Sarasota!
Cassiecat, hahaha, i used to be a C cup and now am a B from gravity and earlier weight loss. I am happy, b is not too big, just right for me and that is what i will get. You can get whatever you want now!
Pangtidor, i hear you. That is all too common with incorrect|delayed dx. I too found my own lumps. Mammo in March said it was fine, but such is the case with dense boobs. You and i may have same surgery date! I am getting genetic testing done oct 31, but still want the BMX, otherwise it will be mri/US on other boob every 6 mos...not to mention the worry. If you can really say any of us WANT a bmx! Congrats on head shaving. I found it much better than pulling out huge chunks all the time.
Gatomal, glad dem babies are doing well as is mommy. I think of you often and pray for you.
Everyone, take good care of body and soul during our Sept, tx! I am going on the BRAT diet next round, to minimize and SE.
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Having a hard time remembering all your names. FYI: I had a 3 d mammogram and that is how my lump showed up. Yearly routine check up. For $100.00 you can get a 3D. They only have that machine I think in 10% of the country. My Surgeon told me that I not had the 3 d it would not have shown up on a tradtional mammogram machine for at least year. Would have been much larger and much more wide spread. Just a thought for everyone whe they get mammograms in the future.
Still havng terrible time spelling. My brain must be fermenting from chemo.
Someone gave me this quote" Yes they are fake,my real ones were trying to effen kill me."
Wish everyone good day and MINIMAL SE!!!!!
Bibby I am east coast Vero Beach. Just moved here 2 years ago and LOVE IT.
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Up with insomnia again!
Terri love the shirts!
Gatomel think of you and your babies often. Hope tomorrow is better for you.
Thinking of everyone who went through tx this week. Praying minimal to no SEs.
Those going into tx this week thinking of you. I have my 3rd infusion on Wednesday 9/17.
Hugs,
-Angie
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gatomal, I think of you and your babies often. And I love your screen name.
Hope everyone has a great Sunday with minimal SEs. I don't go in again until Thursday for round 2.
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I have such a sore head today. Stopped up the shower twice and guess I should just have hubby buzz me after church. There is hair everywhere and it's overwhelming. Does the pain (probably from the hair follicles dying off) go away after being buzzed? I'm excited about attending a LookGoodFeelBetter session tomorrow. The timing couldn't be more perfect!!! Not only I don't like how I feel, I don't like how I look. Hopefully I can begin to walk the dog now that it's cooler out and see if that'll perk me up.
Have a wonderful day everyone!
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CJT, I hope you do get a walk in with your dog! Ours passed away last summer after a good, long life. I miss him, and I often think about borrowing a neighbor's dog to take for a walk.
My husband and I had some really nice walks together, too, walking our dog in those last months as he (the dog) slowed down more and more.0 -
Cjt, yes, pain goes away once you shave it, at least it did for me. I signed up for LGFB too, have to check the date. I know it was an off chemo week.
Hope you have a great fall day all! I made a big pot of chili yesterday, so yummy!
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CassieCat: I can't picture life without my silly little cocker spaniel by my side!!! She senses when I need a hug and she jumps up on the couch, hits me with her paw and then rests her head on my shoulder or chest for me to rub her. She knows something ain't right with Mommy. I haven't had the energy to walk her like I use to. I need to force myself on my off weeks when I start to feel better. She loves walking and she's been because of me!
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Terri, love the shirts! I went out & designed one yesterday, going to pull the trigger & start the campaign today.
For all you ladies in warmer climates, or if you swim a lot, you can get a free swim hat from www.nammuhats.com. They will send a free swim hat to anyone undergoing chemotherapy. Just click the link on their front page and send them an email. They will send back a code so you can order the hat of your choice and pay only shipping. Mine arrived in the mail on Friday and I love it! It's made out of swim suit material, stretchy and stays very cool on my head. I haven't gotten it wet yet, but it will be good for the scout canoeing camp out next weekend, and I think it will be great under other hats that might not have enough coverage on their own.
I'm very excited about my LGFB class tomorrow! I had to find one in Tuscon, an hour and a half away, but I think it will be worth it. I am a little disappointed by the lack of scheduling choices, though, as the late afternoon class I had originally registered for, which I could get to after work, was cancelled. There were no choices on weekends or evenings, only Monday mornings. I know it's free, and I appreciate it, but if you're going to offer it, there needs to be an effort to make the classes accessible to people who need them, which more and more now includes women who need to keep working to keep our benefits. After tears of frustration, I talked to my boss and decided to just take the day off so I can go to the Monday morning class. I'm glad I'm over the hump for this 2nd treatment and didn't need any other time off this time so I had a little accumulated again. The timing is perfect, because I think my lashes and brows are thinning.
All in all, I think I can safely say that this 2nd tx was easier than the 1st. I definitely learned from the 1st and was able to make changes this round. I will make more changes next round, which I'm already starting to dread, now that I feel better. I did develop thrush this time, got the miracle mouthwash and it's working wonders, but it cost me $60 after insurance and is only good in the fridge for 2 weeks, which means I will be pushing it to use this batch for next round.
Gatomal, congrats on your great news! You and the babies are in my thoughts.
SueBe, how are you doing? Check in, please!
Hope everyone is enjoying a beautiful weekend!
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I did it!!! My husband buzzed my head this afternoon. I have to laugh...I look more like my baby brother!!! LOL!!! I'm excited about my LGFB class tomorrow afternoon. Now that I'm bald...I need all the help I can get!!! Not feeling very feminine today. I have a wig but I'm not thrilled with it. Maybe I'll have a better outlook tomorrow...I've only been bald for an hour & a half!!! Too much to digest at once I guess.
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CJT: My hubby shaved my head last Thursday and I have not worn my wig yet...hats are so much easier and cooler. The head definitely feels better and you will get used to it in a few days.
Today is day 10 and I have to say I have felt great all Weekend. Yesterday my baby sister came to my house( a 3 hour trip) and we went Trout fishing all day then ate what we caught with fresh green beans and fried taters( yes that's a word in MO) from my mom's garden( she sent us a bunch of stuff with my sister). Today I went to church wearing my scarf and was asked by one of my kids (children's church) if I was bald. I thought I would be horrified if that happened, but it I laughed and told them my husband shaved it while I was sleeping (I told them I was joking). My church family was very supportive and have been since day 1. Now lasagna for dinner. Yay for good days in the middle of this junk!
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yep, I've been taking advantage of the good days too, more this time around, although if I don't take the nausea pull, I feel car sick even when not in a car, so I take it every 6-8 hours and feel good. Feeling tired tonight, but not bad.
Our LGFB class is about once a month. The last one was at 4:00 and I wasn't going to drive all the way back for that, it was a chemo day. This one isn't til like oct 13 or 14 but is at 1:00 and is my last off week which is good. Then I go weekly, ugh. My brows are thinning but I can still see where they were so don't need the stencil yet, although I did make it.
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I've been trying to find t-shirts that I like for each chemo day. For my first one, I had a shirt that said "I'm not strong for a girl. I'm just strong." I bought one for my daughter too, and we both wore them that day. For round 2 I have a "fight like a girl" shirt. I found this one tonight for round 3 - for some reason it just makes me smile.
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Hi StrongEnough,
I am doing fine. Getting ready physically and psychologically for my next next infusion this Friday. Everyone keeps saying things get worse with each infusion fatigue wise. I am hoping that is all I will be feeling.
I am so glad you have activities with the Boy Scouts. I was a Big Sister to a little girl. She moved away a couple of months ago. I wish she was around to do fun stuff with while I rest and recover.
Hope you and everyone have a peaceful week.
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