Starting Chemo September 2015; join us!
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Wishing all of you a Happy Thanksgiving and that next year there will be much to be thankful for!
Xoxox and hugs to all!
Octogirl
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Southern the rest of 10% percent is probably something bening like a cyst
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Congrats flower! yay! Tomorrow will be the first time ever I'm with my pet alone on TG. Will be weird. Last year went to my friend's fam's house then years before it's always to Irvine Ca to visit pop and bro. In hiding this year so no go. Happy TG to everyone!
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This is part of the pathology report:
FINAL DIAGNOSIS
PART A - SENTINEL LYMPH NODE #1, LEFT AXILLA-
ONE LYMPH NODE WITH FOCAL FIBROUS SCARRING AND PARTIAL FATTY
REPLACEMENT, NEGATIVE FOR METASTATIC CARCINOMA.
PART B - ADDITIONAL LYMPH NODE, LEFT AXILLA-
ONE LYMPH NODE WITH FOCAL FIBROUS SCARRING, NEGATIVE FOR
METASTATIC CARCINOMA.
PART C, D - LEFT BREAST, WIRE-GUIDED EXCISION AND ADDITIONAL TISSUE
FROM LATERAL MARGIN-NO RESIDUAL VIABLE CARCINOMA IS IDENTIFIED.
And dear ladies, yours is going to read like this too, just hang in there and finish all your treatments!
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Alright Flower!
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woot, woot, yay Flower
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Yay, Flower!
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cinque omg that's scary to fall down stairs. I will think of you and make sure I hold on to railings
MLisa great positive attitude about hair!
Flower yay on lumpy.
I am getting dd taxol #3 at reduced dose along with reduced steroids. Mo said I could have ended today & not done infusion it was my choice since I am having neuropathy. I wanted to do the dose and he wanted to reduce it from 375ml to 220ml which is a 60% reduction. We are going to see how it goes with this one then if too bad then no #4. Or if ok then I can do reduced amt for last dose.
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Shopgal: how bad is the neuropathy, and does it resolve at all between infusions? I'm just over a week out from DD Taxol #1, and still have it in my fingers. It was briefly in my feet and tongue, too. Any discussion of going weekly, or the risk vs. benefit of quitting?
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Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! My family are all starting to trickle in, should be fun. Turkey day is my most fav holiday. I have so much to be thankful for. I often try to think what I've learned from all of this. I haven't figured it all out yet, but I know I'm grateful for so many things.
Cheers!
Hazel
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I am so happy for you Flower. This treatment really works. Good news and a good booster to all of us to contine on and finish our life saving treatment.
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Flower-- So good to hear from you! You gave me hope when this all started for us. So very happy for you!
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hey Scotland. Neuropathy comes and goes. It was more consistent with #2 on the level of being bothersome. I had previous permanent nerve damage in my left arm from herniated discs in my neck from a car accident 5 yrs ago so I already had experience with numbness on that side which is where I have most of my discomfort now. The neuropathy feels like shriveled fingers and tingling in my hands and tingling/slight burning in my feet. Also the lead leg feelings.
Mo & I didn't talk weekly since I only had 2 left & just want to be done. I do want to get as much dose as possible. I don't think I could do weekly; it's hard enough to push to go every other week. Kudos & hats off to weekly ladies. He suggested the lowered DD and the steroid was kept lower at 8, and not the 20 that was given at the first dose.
The b vitamins help a lot. Esp the b6. Keeping moving and active is best since it is really hard to get up from a chair & get moving with the heavy lead legs.
Happy thanksgiving ladies. You all have helped me wih dealing more than you could ever know. I can't imagine going through this without your support.
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Shopgal, I'm taking the Bs and moving a lot. Most of my fingers are consistently numb from the last joint to the fingertips. Still functional for most things, but annoying. No lead legs yet.
I get #2 on Tuesday, and will talk to my MO about lowering the steroids. She has me taking 20 the night before, 20 the morning of, and then a bag before Taxol. It's a ton. She knows I'm going to ask. We've discussed my love of steroids already.
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I'm sending everyone to my mother's for Thanksgiving. I'm staying home. I don't want to risk the crowd before day 14.
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today I had an opportunity to pay it forward. I was in the waiting area before chemo & noticed a young woman who was with her mom & looked scared. We got talking about the weather & she complimented me on my beanie (Walmart). It turn out she just started treatment (1st) and had questions about hair coverings & eventual hair loss.
As I talked with her I remembered how I felt at my first chemo. I told her chemo was doable, but tiring. I even showed her my bald proudly and told her that at her next to last treatment she would also have an opportunity to help someone else who needs it. I told her where I went for my wig (free) & where I got cute inexpensive hats and soft buffs online.
She may have needed support and comfort today, but she gave more back to me. She made me feel better about not wanting to go to chemo today. Just being able to give kind words to someone who needed it before thanksgiving made me feel grateful for so much. I looked back at how far I've come in 6 months and realized that I have been doing what I thought I thought I couldn't do back then. I am surviving. My is today is the day that I really feel like a survivor.
Thank you to that young woman.
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DH is cooking Thanksgiving for me and the the kids. We are keeping it small and staying away from germs too. My counts are still just nasty low.
I haven't posted much but Tried to read how everyone is doing. Towards the middle to the end of Chemo I think it just gets exhausting.
I was exhausted all week. I am just getting out of bed today. Its been a week. I don't want to discourage anyone but really give yourself some time PFC ( post final Chemo). I just cried my eyes out wanting to get going with things but the reality is that this is a cumulative exhausting experience.
Be kind to yourself Ladies. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
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add me to the crowd that is that is staying in. My counts are too low to do much else. I did cook a green bean casserole which I'm very excited to be eating. Plus I have little energy and forced conversation would be tough. So grateful to spend the day with family and so grateful for all of you ladies for carrying this burden with me. Xo!
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Finland doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving so today is just a regular day --- but I hope all of you in the US have a wonderful day :
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I honestly do not know whether it's SE from the new chemo (FEC), or from the new anti-nausea drugs two weeks ago, or low white cells, or what, but I haven't been able to shake off episodes of sudden overwhelming fear and uncontrollable sobbing. In between I can rally, sort of --- managed to keep a positive face while my older son visited Tues evening to Weds evening --- but a few hours after he left, I broke down again just before bedtime, and now this morning I woke up in tears
Skyping with my therapist Tues only helped briefly (she is recovering from pneumonia so we didn't meet face-to-face). Husband has been understanding but then mystified and then criticizes that I "worry too much" --- as if I haven't been desperately trying to "trust and let the doctors treat me". I honestly don't know what to do A new self-help book I ordered finally arrived, hoping that will help, as I gave up reading the last one I posted about awhile ago. This one is The Mindful Path to Self Compassion by Christopher Germer.(Sorry for always posting unhappy stuff lately)
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Hey Tessu I started on Fec and was good. Not doing so well on Docetaxel lots of crying. I think our bodies are tired and weve been through so much and we have more to go through. Its bloody hard but hang in there we're going to get through this. I love your posts they have helped me alot. When Im angry sad depressed and everything in between I wonder is it just me...but itsnot its every women that has to go through this shit. Lots of love you darling all the way from Australia xxx
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Artista and Annie - I join you in a quiet T'Giving at home today. Today is my tough third-day-after-Taxol, so I'm thrilled to have zero duties as either hostess or guest. I had planned on roasting a 5 lb turkey breast as a wimpy nod to the holiday; really struggling with SEs this morning and not sure I'll have the energy to do even that.
Tessu - I've been surprised by suddenly breaking down in tears many times over the last few weeks. I almost lost it in the grocery store Monday! I mentioned "the weepies" to my MO Tuesday; she just nodded and smiled in an understanding way. I agree With Cinque: it's so helpful to hear others' struggles so we don't feel as though we're the only ones having these feelings and SEs.
(It may not help him, but you can tell your husband that your friend in Minnesota rarely cries, is not naturally a worrier, and is still overwhelmed and weepy on chemo! This is not our choice or even our normal temperment. IMHO, this is another difficult to cope with SE.)
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Been stuck in the hospital with neutropenia then my creatinine level suddenly jumped up to dangerous levels. Finally coming down- nausea keeps me from keeping the anti hypertensives down. Just hopefully, I will get out today. Happy Thanksgiving to all
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Grey - Ugh, kidney issues are no fun. Good wishes for discharge today, keep us updated.
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Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends here. Weird not being in Irvine with my bro and dad this year as that's the tradition. But, next year!
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I'm another one who's choosing to stay in for a quiet day. We usually get together with a bunch of friends but I'm not comfortable with that this year. Not only would I be concerned about picking up a cold or whatever, but I'm not exactly pleasant to be around anyway, what with my drippy nose, runny eyes and general fatigue. I'm going to roast a turkey breast prepare a couple of other simple things (mashed potatoes & gravy of course) and that should be just fine. I'm thankful that the Taxol doesn't seem to affect my taste buds like that awful AC did!
Hopefully a year from now I can look back at all this as an aberration or a bad dream or something. I sure do miss my REAL life and I hope I can get it back for a while, at least. I doubt I would be willing to go through all this again should I have a recurrence. I feel like it's aged me 10 years as it is, and I'm not so young anymore.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Hope you all get to have as good a day as possible.
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Hi All, It's been awhile since I posted but I have been following all the stories and am continuously inspired by the strength, support (and humor) from this group. I hope however each one of you celebrate Thankgiving, it is a happy one.
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You women give me strength. Thank you
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My husband says the same thing about me worrying too much....NOT HELPFUL. Because I'd rather worry about leaving my kids motherless than enjoy the day?!? He barely talks at all to me about my cancer and never asks how I'm handling things. He doesn't ask how the infusion went afterwards or what it's like. He doesn't pray with me. It feels very lonely & I cry alone. I've realized that even with people around you, cancer is a very lonely and isolating road to walk.
Grey, I'm so sorry you're in the hospital again. Big hugs to you!!!
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Cajun - Please know that when you cry, we are thinking of you. And so many here are praying with you.
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