Starting Chemo September 2015; join us!
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Grats to everybody who's been finishing their treatment lately!
Lookin' good, Cajun!
Tkemp, it was a bit of a shock for me too when I pulled a cats worth off my head. *hugs* I've always had massively thick & long hair. Now that it's gone, swimming feels amazing (head to an indoor pool and try it!). Hot flashes are way easier to manage. Hats are cute and popular in the winter! Showering doesn't take nearly as long and I don't have to clean up hair balls. My 17-month-old son loves to pet my soft head/skin. My husband glared at me when I suggested I might keep my hair short from now on.
I swear the mood swings are hard. Random crying - especially after Lupron shots. But for the most part, this is a blip.
2/12 Taxol infusion today. Hopefully it goes faster & I don't turn quite so red. *keep thinking: 8 down, 10 to go*
On the 6th Day of Chemo, my MO gave to me...
6 Bags of Taxol
5 New SEs!!!
4 Nausea Meds
3 Shots A
2 Saline Bags
And Cytoxan with some Steroids!0 -
Lisa - uuuuuugh, I'm already anemic. It makes me look like death.
Tkemp- I'm a twin mommy too! my identical girls are two, they are hilarious! Are yours identical or fraternal ?
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Hi Lisa, my BRCA buddy!
You're getting there, keep counting down! Hope it goes easily smoothly for you today. 0 -
Annie, the steroids make me look pregnant. Super flattering, lol.
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Annie, that milkshake looooks sooo good right now, having hot flash. Caught a nasty cold.
At least it's hump day!
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Artista928 Don't worry its not like at those dumb restaurants where they sing happy birthday to everyone and its is this obnoxious ten minutes. The one other time I have seen the bell rung was months ago and everyone clapped. When I first went in I thought the bell was lame but I walked past it through all those delays and I was so ready yesterday. So happy to be done with TCH. I still go back to the Cancer center for infusions for one more year but glad to see taxotere in the rear view mirror.
I didn't ring the bell obnoxious either. I just had my husband take a picture and then gave it a small ring.
As a little side story My family took a CLIMB support group class. It really helped my kids deal with a parent with cancer. If anyone has kids that are 5-18 they might really benefit from it. You go for dinner and then break up in groups and your kids work on coping skills while the parents talk about how to parent through cancer. It helped eveyrone a ton.they toured the hospital and my kids knew all about the bell. They were dang excited for me to ring it. Hence the shirt and the pictures.
I have two friends who are stage IV I pray for them daily and I don't think either of them begrudge my little moment. My counselor told me "Everyone owns their own journey we all play the cards we are dealt" It sucks and I support them, we text, we go to coffee and We visit about this s#@$#@$@# and then we move on and laugh and talk about other things in our lives.
Southern. I love love love love the hat you are wearing in the picture and as I will be bald for some months May I ask where you acquired it?
Shopgirl :They didn't even test me for KI67 on the Her2. I regret that Not sure it would have changed things but with all my other odds against me It would have just given me one more things to fret about.
As for doubting your treatment and wondering I am doing everything I can. I think it is just part of the Cancer growing and grieving process. When my friend passed and we had the same doctor I went in with all of these questions I hadn't had before. I wondered if I should have done things differently, If I should do something different with the surgery coming up. I went back to my socialwork/Counselor I read way too much on the internet and got myself all upset.
Yesterday I looked my MO in the eye and aks " Have we treated this as aggressively as we could have?" He said " I can tell you unequivocally yes" So I calmed down, rang the bell and moved on.
I pray everyday for each of you and send all the energy I can on your healing journey.
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Nice Pic Cajun! Oh man 3 toddlers... i'm beat just reading that!
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I think they want oral antibiotics because a) I can continue at home and b) being an infection in the gut the best/fastest absorption is with the oral.
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thanks exercise. Big congrats on being done.
Canjun looks warm & sunny in your pic. Your babes are too cute. They def have your smile.
tkemp welcome! We are a great group of ladies to hang out with. Hair, schmair, it will come back in the spring for all of us, like newly hatched chicks
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The poop fairy has turned on me viciously! I hate her with every fiber of my stomach cramping huge big D agony. *shaking fist at laughing fairy*
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Okay, I can't help it... One more! Baby boy (15 mos in pic) right before I shaved my head. 3 toddlers is a crazy amount of work and a crazy amount of fun! I'm trying so hard to keep up and keep going with them. I don't want them to see me sick or feel anxious. And if I'm honest with myself, I will acknowledge that if I die, I don't want to be remembered that way.
Skittle are you feeling better?
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Oh I see. They had me continue at home with IV for 10 days but my infection was in my TE area (cellulitis).
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Adorable Cajun!
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Thanks Minnesota_LisaFR I've had a hard time with this, so being able to talk to others going through the same thing should help.
DL cygnet great attitude about hair loss, I just cant seem to get there. Hopefully soon. Thanks!
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cajunqueen15 , My girls are fraternal. They looked more alike when they were babies. Everyone always asked me "How do you do it with 2?" But I didn't know any different since they were my first and they always had someone to play with. Your girls are adorable
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Shopgal2 Being healthy and alive is def more important than my hair. But I was hoping I would be the one that didn't loose it.... I know it was silly to think that was going to happen......
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SouthernCharm- prenatal vitamins? were you taking them b4 diagnosis? Because when I asked my MO if there was anything I could take that might help to preserve my hair, "he said don't start taking anything you had not already being taking?" Wish I would have thought of this.
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tkemp I miss my hair a lot. Sometimes I get phantom hair pangs. Now that it's cold I really miss the hair on my neck. I alway thought my hair was my best feature; it was beautiful and thick. Looking back now I am more than my hair. Buzzing it was cathartic; I let go of it along with my cancer. Tough, but aren't we all tougher than we ever thought. Tough gals fight hard. Oh yeah and kvetch about our SE's. Lol. No one understands but us and anyone who has been thru it. It's the secret club you never want to be in but are thankful for the people you meet along the road.
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cajunqueen15 My last date is Feb 12th!
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Thanks, ladies!
Tkemp, that's what I always said! I Wouldn't know what to do with just one, lol. I also rely heavily on Scripture to get me through the dark days and hours. As Paul says, I count it as joy to be tested so that my faith will be stronger and persevere. This is a hard road and it is definitely a marathon, not a sprint, both physically and emotionally. I will be praying for all you ladies tonight.
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Cajun, somebody asked me if I prayed/believed in God after finding out I had cancer. I told them God believed in ME. He keeps giving me the hard problems and keeping the easy ones for himself. X-D
Losing my hair made the rest of me look even fatter. Swimming the pounds off. Or just chillin' in the hot tub with my cutie!
At least now I kinda look like his mom. Toe heads!
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love that, Lisa. And what cutie!!!!
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All those babies are adorable!
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I got a Neulasta shot today after my first DD Taxol yesterday. They said they would look at my counts and decide whether I need it in two weeks. I was high all day from the steroids that were in the infusion. I felt great and had a good night's sleep last night. About 3 PM I started to crash and now am in my pjs and I am hungry! I have not had a reaction to the Neulasta so I'm okay with it. Hope I can eliminate it next time just to feel like I'm moving along and not continually adding drugs to my system!
I do not think my center has a bell but I will ring one in my own head for sure!
Sending good vibes to all of you!
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I saw the ocular plastics guy today and it's official I need stents in my tear ducts
The left one is almost closed. If he gets to it before it closed it's outpatient and a week of healing, if not then it's much more involved. The problem is timing, we're supposed to be away next week for the holiday and my next chemo is 12/2. They can do the surgery on 12/1 but I'm not sure if that means I have to postpone chemo for a few days or not. Healing takes a week or so, as a bonus I will look puffy and bruised for my DD's 15th birthday the following week. No family pics this year! 0 -
southern, that's some smooth skin! I've gone from looking 30 to 40+ in a year.
Mom - can you MO advise about whether chemo would need to be postponed? Sorry you have to go through that.
I have been going for 14 hours. Train ride, park, lunch, errands, made a fort and a slide for the kids, fed everyone a second dinner, then my son couldn't sleep because he is teething and busted his lip at the park. Finally, all is quiet. And I feel like their grandmother!!! My hips hurt, my back hurts, my eyes are dry like I've traversed the Sahara, and I have a mouth blisters. Bruises everywhere. I feel like I'm 80!!!!
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hugs to you cajun - I don't know how you do it, but then again you're a lot younger than I am and I know I had a lot more energy at your age! Take some quiet time for yourself - you deserve it
I'll call my MO in the morning and see what he wants to do. The plastic guy left me a message at 5pm , can't do anything then...
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Hi everuone! I love seeing everyone's babies!
Mine is turning 3 next weekend.
I'll post a photo.I'm gearing up for chemo #4 tomorrow (out of 6).I've been really anxious about it the past few days. I woke up this morning crying, having really bad dreams. The thing I hate the most is having nearly a week of feeling just about normal and then starting the cycle over again knowing what's ahead.
I had really bad C last cycle so I need o be really vigilant to prevent it this time.
Has anyone already had their surgery? That's what's up for me next after the chemo. I've started to get scared about the recovery from surgery. It would help to hear from those who have been there and done that.
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We had some family photos done just before I shaved my head. Here's my baby boy.
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