Starting chemo August 2014
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Bippy and randomchance- thinking I you and wishing you the best today!
Gatmol- baby B is adorable!
I had my port out today. My BS took it out for me. It was a long day. Got there at noon, didn't have the procedure til 3 and finally go out at 5. They couldn't get an IV in and they ended up putting it in my foot. let's just say OUCH. Now my ankle it totally swollen and killing me. Hurts more then the port site. I did stop into my work holiday party and got to see everyone I haven't sen in like 6 months, which was nice. So I've got ice on my ankle and am going to bed shortly.
Have a nice night everyone!
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ladyb...you just give the same speech I gave my husband. I cannot take on anymore, and having insurance problems or paying for cobra right now is out of the question. Tell him that his job is like your cancer treatment, you don't want to have to do it, but you have no choice. It will take a year! Plus, I told my husband that he had to keep his job until I had any reconstruction done. It's their way to help during this time, it's the most important thing they can do to help in your recovery. It must be so hard to keep going w taxol for 12 weeks straight. I am happy I am getting a break for a bit, even though the twins are uncomfortable, I am feeling stronger without more chemo this week. Hang in there. I do see my onc every week, briefly, I wish I didn't have to, it ads many hours to the day.
I did get "permission" to proceed with testing, if the surgeon can give some of the tumor for testing. I was told even though there is no "proof" that this kind of chemosensitivity testing works (which is why insurance won't pay) they don't want to stop patients from getting data they feel strongly about. I am very relieved and look forward to seeing what kind of information I get. Had my pre-op appt today, for tentative surg on the 13 th. Radioisotopes in an hour before surgery for SNB (not injected through nipple! Thank goodness) and an overnight is possible in the hospital due to the ALND and c section 1 week before. Let's hope that things work out.
Eileenpg...Two rads down, ? To go. Just one foot in front of the other until this active treatment is over. It's almost five months since I've been Dx. It has really gone by quickly.
Shout out to zjorsenthal, cassiecat,justamy,pangtidor, bippy625, beatmon, randomchance,catie, tabbygirl, strongenough, sandy, and anyone else I missed. Hugs to us all! I would never been able to get through the dayswithout this board.
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Bipsy and Randomchance - Probably won't see posts from u for a while, but know we are wishing you well at this time.
Ellenpg - Got my tattoo yesterday, starting Rads today. Ladies are so nice there.
So many posts and no time to respond right now.
Hoping all are doing better today and wishing you minimal SEs.
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Good morning. I'm 3 days PFC and still doing OK. No big bone pain yet from Neulasta and no real nausea either. Need to keep C and D at bay this time around. I got a ton of sleep last night (and Ativan helped) and I feel pretty good this morning. I guess it's all relative - I'm not rarin' to go anywhere, either, but I feel OK.
Thinking of you all and looking forward to more updates from our surgery girls.
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Yeah cassiecat =DONE I am 2 1/2 weeks out and still have fatique,swelling,and bad taste buds. I am trying to tell myself I am not going to be my old self just because chemo stopped. Crazy thinking!!!!
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Eileen, exactly. It's going to take a while for all of the side effects to fade away, and maybe some things might always be slightly changed, but we will feel better again!!!
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Hi everybody I'm home!
Surgery went very well and no problems. I have quite a bit of pain on my right side and the doctor said it was due to him having to get rid of lots of scar tissue from the chemo. Which is good because that means all that shit is dead!
All in all it was a good experience if you can call such a thing that. I got excellent care, all the staff were superb, and I had a private room all to myself afterwards. I have three drains --one on the left and two on the right. I've been shown how to empty them and strip them but I also have home health coming every day.
We did just have a very traumatic experience my husband and I. I needed his help to take my bandages off because I am allergic to surgical tape and had to get it off me. The doctor said to do this once I got home. Well I didn't want him to see what was going on underneath but he had to, it was very upsetting and we both cried. My particular surgeon uses Staples so you can imagine. I know it's not permanent though, but that was very very hard to look at. Otherwise I'm doing exceptionally well.
They gave me a camisole with pockets for the drains which I highly recommend versus pinning them to anything. Our local breast cancer place give me a nice pillow, and a seatbelt cover. I follow up with the surgeon next week after Christmas.
Thank you everybody for your prayers and well wishes they were felt that I know they help. I'm thinking of all of you too and wishing good things your way for Christmas, no side effects! My pain meds are working well but they wear off about a half hour before my next doses due, so have to be real careful not to move! I'll post more later today or when I feel up to it......
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Bippy, it is so good to hear that everything went well and that you are home where I hope you can get some good, healing rest. Gentle hugs coming at you!
Sandy
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Bippy, I am so glad to hear you are home and the surgery went well. Love, Jean
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bippy so glad to hear it went well!!!
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Bippy, I cried, too, when I first uncovered my mutilated boob. I had to wear a surgical bra packed with gauze inside for 4 days, 24/7. When we finally opened it up, it was black & blue all over and that 4-inch long incision... No staples for me, though, just dermabond on the outside and a lot of stiches inside, a few of which ended up coming out through the incision (yikes). I had a drain from SNB in the 1st surgery (in late May), and that armpit scar is still sensitive sometimes. RO says everything looks great, though. IDK, her definition of "great" seems to be a bit different than mine... Anyway, sending warm fuzzies for a quick & comfortable recovery!
Randomchance, you can probably feel the warm fuzzies coming your way, I'm only an hour & a half down the road.
Hope you are doing well!I have a follow up w/ MO this afternoon to go over hormone levels from labs last week (will find out if I'm actaully menopausal, or only peri) & get my 5-year hormone blocker Rx. Saw the gastroenterologist yesterday about the persistent heartburn (chemo, the gift that keeps on giving), but he opted to try meds for a couple months 1st, and if that doesn't work, he will look down my gullet into my stomach in 3 months to determing if I have an ulcer. Fingers crossed that the meds will do the trick.
A quick word about FMLA... you must have been employed at the company for a year before you can request FMLA. So JustAmy and LadyB, please, don't let your husbands change jobs until you are done! They will not be covered by FMLA with the new employer. Which means they can legally be fired for missing work to care for you. If anyone is interested, you can download the FMLA employee guide here: http://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/employeeguide.htm Probably should have posted this a long time ago.
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Bippy= So glad your home. Take care and speedy recovery0 -
Bippy...so glad you are home and all went well! Be careful and let someone else take care of you.
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Woo hoo! At 49, I am officially post menopausal... MO said the choice is between Tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor for 5 years. After talking through some of the side effects and pros & cons, he settled on the aromatase inhibitor (exemestane), and I need a bone scan to make sure I don't have osteoporosis, b/c that is one of the SE of aromatase inhibitors. Just got a call from the clinic, they managed to get me in for the dexascan on Monday, so it will go on this year's insurance, which is awesome, b/c anything I can get done before the end of the year is free, since I met my out of pocket max in May... New insurance January 1, of course, so everything starts over.
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go bippy! Don't be stingy w your pain meds. Chasing the pain is not where you need to be. Take care
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Bippy: glad you are home, hope things go well. Don't forget you may need some laxative with the pain meds.....funny after all of our diarrhea! Have a relaxing Christmas.
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Hilly Bippy I'm glad you are home safe and sound!!! I still have goose bumps thinking the drain sticking out from my chest. I talked to somebody at the medical supply and the surgeon, the camisole with the drain pockets will be on the orders of the surgeon soon after the surgery and the insurance will cover 2 camisoles.
Justamy, hang in there. Big D was my big problem, has been watery since the beginning till now. The frequency is a lot less 10 days post chemo. I wear attends usually day 4-7, the worst days. My diaper rashes are gone with the A&D ointment. Even had a painful hemmorrhoid with the big D on round 5-6, manageable with preparation H. Lomotil helped but didn't really stop my big D...:-) it's a lot better now. Just hydrate, hydrate, and hydrate.
Randomchance hope everything turns out well to you too after surgery!!!
Gatomal, love the picture! I'm so happy the twins are doing well!!!
Cassiecat, we will be having the surgery on the same week. I have been reading the forum of surgery in January 2015 and saw you there. I'm glad I will be eligible for FeMla leave, may get 6-8 weeks leave.
My knees feel like they will be broken to pieces too when I walk a lot. Even when I try to climb the stairs!!! Used to climb the stairs to the 4th flour without any problem at work but I give up now after the first floor. The fatigue stays longer after the last chemo.
It's getting cold again, we may have a bad winter again. We went to MIL in the afternoon and ate taco pizza. My treat for this month, it tasted sooooo good. Nom nom nom.
Christmas shopping done. I will get some zipped up nightgowns and PJ this year for Christmas gifts. :-) . Life is good, it will be a wonderful Christmas...:-)
Stay strong ladies. Hugs to you all,
Shirley
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I'm going out of town tomorrow for my Christmas with my husband's family. I'm excited to get out of the house but I'm so tired and I need to get up and get things ready to go. Fatigue definitely is getting harder each time. I'm tired most all of the time. At least my sister in law is doing all of the cooking and it is at her house so my input is minimal this year. We usually bring some of the food but this year I gave her money to just buy our stuff and she was OK with fixing it all. I'm thankful for family and friends who get that I need a few concessions and are glad to help. I am excited to see my family and have a good time. Big D is better today... I'm hoping it will stay that way. Have a good, restful night everyone. Hugs Amy
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Bipsy - So glad surgery is over and your home. Take good care of yourself and heal up.
Randomchance - Hope all went well.
Pangtidor - Sorry to hear you've had such long lasting and bad SEs. I hope you start feeling better too.
Ellenpg - It's been 3 weeks since my last chemo. Feeling stronger every day. Have been pushing myself to walk a little again. While walking I feel fine, but afterwards my legs feel like lead. Hope to push past that point soon. Up hills still tough w breathing, but will over come that too in time. Eyes are watering less and taste buds are good.
Started my first Radiation treatment today. Took all of 15 minutes. They said tmrw should be even quicker. I may regret going so early before work. I was in office by 8:15 this morning. Still get tired early in evening. With this schedule I will probably be going to bed after dinner. Lol
Looking forward to holidays and spending time with family. Hope you all have a wonderful holiday and relax and enjoy!
Wishing you all minimal SEs.
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bippy, great to hear you are doing well.
I have my surgery scheduled for tomorrow, a bit nervous, wish it was over already
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wind girl, good luck tomorrow. I hope it all goes smoothly and that you'll be home soon recuperating.
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Windgirl, Sending prayers up for you that all goes well tomorrow and that your recovery is as painless as possible... We'll all be there in your pocket...hugs Amy
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Thank goodness feeling better tonight! I've felt terrible since the weekend. Had egg drop soup.
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Drain pain!
Well no way can I empty these suckers myself, as I cannot really use my right hand. It is easy to do, but not handicapped. Thank gawd for DH, he fixed me up. If you get any node surgery, it may be a problem for a few days. Taking every pain med prescribed, it is quite painful, only the node site.......not unbearably but it sucks.
Yes, i will be constipated soon, haha, what a switch! At least the home health nurse is comin tomorrow. Tryin to sleep in the recliner, only catnappin. Sleep deprivation, oh boy.
Watchin conan and hopin all are doing well. Nice to read your posts! Thank you all for the support!
Wimdgirl, thinkin of you!
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hi!
My little man is one month already !!!
Bippy: prayers for a smooth recovery. I am glad your husband can help. I am planning on my mom staying with me, to help after dmx in Feb .
Gatomal: beautiful babies! I love the 3d ultrasounds.
Second dose of taxol tomorrow morning:( I get so nervous but now it's mostly about leaving baby for whole day. I cried the whole drive down to Boston last treatment hope this goes better.
My side effects feel like they just finally went away not looking forward to bone/muscle pain coming back.. but I've been taking b complex and glutamine to see if neuropathy would be less on that...
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nurseshark! A month already? Adorable! How is he sleeping? And you?
Wind girl.prayers for a good procedure tomorrow. Hugs.
Go Bippy w your drains. Yeah, they seem not easy to do the day after surgery with drugs on board. Glad you have help.
Glad folks are feeling better. My knees are really starting to feel this preg weight. Bought some front closure soft cup bras for lump, nodes surg from Amazon. We will see if they fit. Need a zip up soft jacket sweatshirt too. Cannot shop this last weekend before Xmas. Crazy crowds! One week to go til Xmas.
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Hey Bippy, So glad surgery is over and that you are at home and feeling good. Praying and thinking of you and wishing for a fast recovery with manageable pain or as little pain as possible. So glad DH is there to help you but also participate in your journey during those times when you may need him most. Also, glad that you have home care coming in to assist. I had node surgery with drains and it was painful for a few weeks and I couldn't empty the drain myself for about a week due to the pain around the drain site and not being able to do anything with my right hand. Stay ahead of the pain with the pain meds. While I was recovering from my ALND, my MO indicated I could take my next pain meds about 30mins before the time period is up.
Randomchance, how are you doing? Thinking of you and praying recovery is going well and that you are at home resting and have the support you need.
Windgirl, praying for you and your surgical team tomorrow. Praying that your recovery is as painless as possible. Let us know how you are doing and know that we are with you during this process. ((Big Hugs)) ....
Beatmon, so glad you are feeling better. Hope you enjoyed your egg drop soup. I pray that your next treatment and SE are much better.
Amy, glad you are feeling better. I am praying that your getaway with your family is fun and relaxing. Rest up and let them spoil you!
Catie, glad your rad treatment started. Hope you are able to rest especailly with the every day schedule.
Nurseshark, a month already! Levi is adorable. Are you doing weekly Taxol? Or Dense dose every two weeks? Glad you are able to start your treatments again and praying that you have minimal to no side affects.
Pangtidor, glad your Xmas shopping is done! I am also ready to enjoy favorate holiday. I have pre-warned my family i don't have the engery to go all out like I usually do with the decorations and baking. My son has stepped in and do a lot of the outside decorations which is awesome. Inside noone as stepped in yet but maybe they will.
All Taxol is kicking my butt! I am usually fine day after treatment. Today I had the big "D", which i have not experienced since AC. My stomach has been churning all day -- not nausea but just churning. I may have to put a diaper on as Big "D" is on the war path today. Muscle aches are starting already and I usually don't experience those until 2/3 days after treatment and I am trying to stay ahead of with pain meds. I am tired yet wired due to the steriods. Will take my avitan and sleep tonight. I am one of those that will tell others that I did better on AC than Taxol. They also believe neurophaty is siting in....uggh.. With that said Taxol is kicking cancers butt. I just hope physical I can take the next 5 treatments to get the best benefit. Good think my blood counts are good and the MO says very good.
I have a weird question, for those who have finished chemo did you have a bitter sweet emotion on finishing. I think I am having / experiencing anxiety in finishing up chemo knowing that while I am on it it is kicking cancers butt. When I am off I know that we have rads and hormonal therapy but for some reason as I approach and get closere to the end of chemo I am having anxiety. HELP me walk throught this one ladies!!! Need your thoughts and encouragement.
-Angie
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Angie, I get what you are saying. I'm not finished yet but as I get closer, the more I wonder what life will be like. I have had a life during chemo, but everything revolves around chemo and BC in some way...get chemo...have SE's...start feeling a bit better...oops time for Chemo again...I haven't really thought about anything post treatment ( I still have surgery). It is a bit scary.
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ladyb= Yes,for me when chemo was done I felt ok what else is going to kill this stuff. I have had 3 rad treatments. When they are done I am done. I have TNBC and there is no hormone treatment afterwards as this type of BC is non receptive to estrogen. I will be living on God's plan for me. I think what we are feeling is normal. I just have to let it go and live my life. I can't wait to be back to my self again.
Nurseshark=OMG TOO CUTE!!!!!!!!!
Bippy=Stay ahead of the pain. Take the pain meds when you need them. You are managing a symptom not a clock. You may need to take then sooner some days and later on others.
Windgirl=Good luck tomorrow. You are in my prayers.
Justamy=Enjoy. Other people can do stuff this year. Just be a quest. They probably are thrilled to do something for you.
catie= My rads are getting shorter too. I am at 2;45pm. I don't like my time. I feel like I spend my day waiting to go. I don't want to do anything in the afternoon thinking I won't get there on time. I am on the honey do list to change to an am time. I only work weekends so there is no impact on my job.
My SE continue. Fatigue and swelling. My taste buds are now 60% back. Went to dinner tonight. Nothing tasted right. However,did not taste vile. Can't wait for that to go away. Very debilitating to to be able to eat.
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Still amp'd on steriods from yesterday. Took an Ativan @ 8:30pm and I am still awake at 11:30pm. Yesterday when I took Avitan at around 8 and I was sleep no later than 9/9:30 and out like a light. Go-figure the difference today and I am not evn sleepy. . Turning of blue light (computer) and going to try and dose off. I don't want to be drossy when I wakeup tomorow. Yesterday I feel asleep in front of the comptuer..lol
Angie
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