August 2015 Chemo Group
Comments
-
That puppy is ADORABLE. Thank you so much for sharing, Raven!
Yup. Creaky here, too, and I haven't started Tamoxifen yet. There's been an interesting conversation going in the Triple Positive thread about Herceptin and body aches--long story short, it's really common. After my last H infusion, I felt like I was about 90 years old for a good three days!
That said, we've got to be patient with our bodies. I mean, we just poisoned ourselves for months and months, you know? I'm looking forward to discovering whatever 'new normal' will be once I'm done with rads...
0 -
Rads sound horrible, ladies. JenPam, that hair is seriously excellent!!
My fever story:
I finished chemo at the end of October. One of the people who helped me through chemo (emailing every day, even if I didn't reply, that kind of friend) is a Swiss mountaineer. She invited me over to Zurich for the weekend "when you're well enough". So I waited 4 months, till I was feeling pretty much 100%, and then last Friday I got on a plane, very excited. I've been doing normal stuff (back at work full time, going swimming, going to parties etc), so assumed I would cope with going up a mountain (she described in as "small" but then she lives in the Alps). Well, the walk was brilliant (4 hours in bright Alpine sunshine/snow, in snow shoes which I'd never worn before - loads of fun). But when we got down I started to feel awful. By the evening I had a temperature of 39.5 and was shaking like a jelly. I didn't want to be carted off to hospital in a foreign country so my friends sat up with me all night, wiping my brow and rubbing my back. Came home Sunday and husband spent another night doing the same. Went to hospital today - have had all the tests and am now on quadruple dose antibiotics. If not better tomorrow I have to go in for IV antibiotics. Apparently it's the Herceptin, drops your white blood cell count (I thought I was past that stage...).
NOT FAIR. I WANTED TO CLIMB THAT MOUNTAIN.
(but actually, I'm OK really, just annoyed that once again cancer - or the side effects of its treatment - reaches out and messes up my life)
0 -
MsBrompton -- I'm so sorry you aren't feeling well. I am glad your friend was there to take care of you. Hopefully the antibiotics will do the trick.
It just sucks that our bodies aren't doing everything we want them to yet. Yesterday was my birthday and I really wanted to ride my motorcycle, but I've been fighting a cold all week and just didn't have the energy. So frustrating!
0 -
MsBrompton, glad you got to climb the mountain even though the SEs were miserable!
Vicki, Happy Birthday!
Raven, Sally is adorable.
0 -
MsBrompton, we can be antibiotic twins! I just swallowed the first of 20 augmentin. . . . I should say "gagged down" the first augmentin, given that it's the size of an apartment building. Thanks, flu and bronchitis, for making radiation that much more enjoyable.
I almost had a meltdown in my primary care doctor's office today. I swear it was like some kind of weird emotional trigger for me. Sigh.
Happy birthday, Vicki!
0 -
Vicki-Happy Birthday!
Raven-I'm sure in about a month I will have the same hair as your pup!
MsBrompton-I am glad you were able to make the trip. So sorry that you ended up sick. Just when you think you are in the clear, something comes up.
Kate-best wishes for a speedy recovery.
I am recovering from my exchange surgery. So I am back to not being able to exercise again. I can walk on the treadmill but that's it. It's too cold and icy to walk outside.
We did manage a trip to the mountains last weekend. My girls went snowboarding and my DH and I visited friends. My DH and I booked a trip to Mexico leaving on March 10 for a week. I'm looking forward to some quality time with him. He has been so amazing these last 9 months.
I am still struggling with fatigue and chemo brain. Hoping this passes soon
0 -
We sure are antibiotic twins Kate, I'm on the same horse pills as you! Just about managing to stay out of hospital. Grrrrrrrrr. I have one of those thermometers that goes bip-bip-bip if your fever is in "dangerous" zone, and husband jumps out of his skin if that alarm goes off. At least today it's only gone off once not 12 times...
Happy B, Vicki. What motorcycle is that? I used to ride one too in my glorious mis-spent youth.
DeeRatz, wish you a great holiday next week and swift release from the prison of chemo brain. I only had it briefly but still recall the fug.
0 -
Ms. Brompton -- I ride a Honda dirt bike. I am not super fast or crazy, but I love it. Maybe I will be able to go for a ride this weekend. I hope you and Kate are starting to feel better.
Dee - Have a great time in Mexico.
I had an acupuncture session yesterday where we are trying to address the joint pain. I will post if I seem to be getting better.
0 -
Hiya ladies. I've had life threatening sepsis, much better after emergency operation at midnight last night to drain a deep abscess. Still in hospital. Horrible, horrible, horrible.
What I learnt: if your temperature goes into the red zone and you feel lousy, do what it says on the card - contact the onco team immediately. Don't do what I did and wait 48 hours to see if it settles. And don't assume (like I did) that having stopped chemo 4 months ago and "only" on Herceptin, your immune system is working normally. I am a very lucky idiot.
0 -
MsBrompton: how awful and scary! So glad you received the needed treatment. I think after all we've been through, it's easy to think "this must be normal" and delay thinking it's serious.Hope you heal quickly and are surrounded by lots of love and care.
0 -
MsBrompton-sending healing thoughts your way. How scary for you. I'm glad you got the medical care you needed
0 -
wow, MsBrompton, I'm glad that you're okay! How scary! Sending love and light to you. Speedy recovery.
0 -
Update: I am a MILLION times better after they drained the abscess. And am on IV doses of one of those 'break glass use only in emergency' antibiotics which they are only allowed to give you if you might not survive without it. So today the biggest problem in my life was the cold carrots on the hospital lunch. Thanks for the support messages - I will be out of this place in a few days!
0 -
I've just come home from the Princess's Ballet/Competitive Dance showcase... this is what it's all about in my world.
0 -
Yay MsBrompton - hope you're out of the hospital by now!
I'm in bad shape from the radiation...burns, blisters, overall pain...but only one more week to go. *ohm*
0 -
One more week - the light is at the end of the tunnel JenPam.
I finally escaped from hospital today. I don't recommend sepsis - I ended up on 6 different antibiotics and am pretty exhausted but I think no long term harm done. And the bad news, I can't skip my Herceptin dose after all, so they've booked it in for tomorrow. RATS!
0 -
MsBrompton - that sounds awful! I'm glad you're doing better!
JenPam - One more week and you're done! YES!!!
0 -
MsBrompton - Sepsis sounds terrible! I am glad you are home and feeling better.
0 -
MsBrompton, glad you've escaped! The hospital is a terrible place to be. I get Herceptin this week, too, and am hoping for fewer muscle aches and pains than last time. . . .
JenPam, you're almost done! Looks like we're rads twins, of sorts. I have my last zaps on Wednesday (thank everything holy!), and I'm pretty sure that means I start Tamoxifen on Thursday. We'll see what my MO says. Are you using Silvadene? I've heard good things about it. I itch like crazy, but fortunately no blisters (yet). My RO says I'll "peak" next week. . . .
0 -
Kate, I have Silvadene, but it doesn't seem to help that much. The best topical ointment for me has been aloe gel with lidocaine. Yay on finishing today!!
0 -
Went out of town this past weekend Saturday to Monday. We drove from San Diego to Sacramento (8hrs, about 510 miles) to visit my uncle's family, then on the way back stopped in S San Francisco (2.5 hr from Sacramento) few hour to visit a friend & had lunch, then Sunday night stayed half way in the Santa Barbara area (~ 4hrs from SF). Even though my sister was the one driving, & I was just sitting in the car.. I don't think I've ever felt so tired on a few days trip.
crazy
0 -
I had quite a Pilates class last night. There ended up being just two of us at the class and as we were chatting before we got started I mentioned that I was being treated at the local cancer center. That totally opened the door and my classmate told me she had breast cancer three years ago. She had double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction (no chemo or rads). By the end of class this almost stranger was showing me her boobs and I was admiring her nipple tattoos. I think we freaked out the instructor a bit (she's in her 20s). The sisterhood is strong.
0 -
Haha I've been there VIckiRides, disclosing my own BC and finding my long-term friend has had it too, years ago, and not told me. It's a weird bond, isn't it, finding out you'r both in this club?
Tiredness, well. I think I'm a world expert on THAT.
Hang in there everyone, we are not through this but we're stronger together!
0 -
MsBrompton, how are you feeling?
I still have a cough (thanks, bronchitis!), but all my labs are (allegedly--I haven't seen the report) back in the normal range. Small miracles!
Down the hatch with the first Tamoxifen last night. So far, so good.
0 -
Aaaugh, tamoxifen. Poor you. I am glad I'm estrogen negative even though they say you do better if you're positive because of the tamoxifen. Hope you escape the side effects.
I'm completely exhausted after my sepsis episode but really not too bad considering. Apparently my liver took a hit so will be off alcohol for a few weeks, but I was never much of a drinker. So long as they don't ban me from chocolate I'lll survive :-).
0 -
Very Cool
Vicki did she say where she got her tatoos. I am hoping I do not have to fly to vinnie
0 -
Hello friends, it's been since January, apparently, that I haven't visited! Wow. Just wanted to check in and see how everyone is doing ... I'm going to have to work my way through all the posts I've missed!
I am still doing Herceptin every 3 weeks. Next week I go in for preventive oophorectomy/salpingectomy, which will be laparoscopic and (supposedly) pretty easy to recover from. My surgeon told me that some women have "post-menopause" symptoms after having their ovaries out, even if they were already in menopause! (Which I am.) I guess maybe there are some residual hormones floating around. I'll just have to see how it goes. I know this is a necessary next step. I have work-related travel in April, so will have to schedule DMX/reconstruction for May or June. I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but it's either DMX or radiation, and I've already missed the window for radiation, so DMX it is if I want to go by the "gold standard". Anyone else had a DMX since KateB took the plunge in December?
0 -
exercise_guru: Her plastic surgeon did the tattoos. She used (and highly recommended) Dr. Mistry in Boise. I took my daughter for a piercing a couple of months ago at Imperial Body Art in Meridian and while I was there I spoke with a tattoo artist. As soon as I said mastectomy tattoo he pulled up photos of some nipples that he's done and they looked very good.
0 -
Hi Mom2ABoy! Good luck with the ooph. I'm officially in menopause & will begin taking Femara in a couple of weeks. Today is my last day of rads!!!!!!!!!!! *cue VERY happy dance* I thought it would never end!
0 -
My MO doesn't believe in testing my estrogen levels, doing scans of any kind, or even doing labs more than once a year at this point. My RO agrees. I'm basically NED unless I present with clinical symptoms. Here's the rule: any weird pain/sensation that lasts for longer than ten days means that I call and see one (or both) of them. I guess I'm okay with that. Part of me would love to have scans and tests, but a much bigger part of me says eff that crap, I just want to be done with this.
I looked at my actual lab report from last week--my WBCs are still really low, but she considers them "normal." Whatever. I've become obsessive again about hand hygiene since my little bout with the flu and bronchitis a couple of weeks ago, so here's hoping that I don't run into any more trouble.
The good news? My hemoglobin is 11.9. No wonder I can breathe again!
I finished rads last week and started Tamoxifen. So far my only SE is the return of hot flashes, though they're tolerable.
How's everybody else doing? MsBrompton, are you back in the land of the living?
Mom2aboy, when is your BMX?
0
