Starting Chemo September 2015; join us!
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luzeelu - WOO HOO - Thrilled for your last chemo, congratulations!
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Luzeela: Ring that Bell!!!!
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Thanks Lisa & Exercise. I gave it a feeble ring. Still haven't quite recovered from the little kid germs I've been battling for the past week.
I have a follow-up appt with my MO next Tuesday to discuss the next phase. Always another phase.
I wonder how long it will take to feel better from the Taxol. Some of you have mentioned that the effects linger a while, but I believe most of you were getting the DD, correct? How many of us had the 12 lower doses? Does that make it any easier?
By the way, has anyone heard from grey?
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luzeelu yay for finishing chemo! Way to go🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
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Luzeelu: Congratulations! It seems like regardless of DD Taxol or weekly, the SEs can linger a bit. Two weeks after AC, it felt like the SEs were gone. I'm two weeks past DD Taxol now, and the worst of the SEs (joint and muscle pain, etc.) are gone and the rest are improving. I still have some fatigue and neuropathy, and the taste buds aren't 100%. It's getting better, though. And now that we're done, the SEs will keep improving. I'm seeing my MO tomorrow for blood work and to discuss next steps.
This morning, I got a CT. The guy who was doing my IV couldn't find something, and said, "it's my first day." He blew a vein. The flip side of going to a major research hospital is that it's also a teaching hospital. The poor kid immediately got a nurse, who started an IV so quickly and smoothly I was still waiting for her to start when I realized she was taping it in place. I'm getting another CT for the rads simulation on Wednesday. Rapture. Thursday, my husband and I are headed out of town for a couple of days sans children. I'm really looking forward to it
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exercise, what a scary story! I'm so glad you and your son are ok.
Luz, yay!!!!!! 👍👍👍 I wanted to insert some of Jerry's words of wisdom here, but my chemo brain can't conjure any.
I have a cold now too, ick. I say, screw you, cancer, I'm ringing the heck out of that bell next week!
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Luzeelu, congratulations!!!
I'm headed for Taxol #8 tomorrow, at which point I'll have finished 75% of my chemo. There is a light at the end of this tunnel... just hoping the surgery is not a train coming to take me out. I'm trying to get the decision made in the next week so I can get on the calendar and start things rolling. I just want to get the decision done and move on with things.
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Congrats Luzeelu!!! Yay!!!!!
Edwsmom - I hope you are feeling better and able to eat now. Hang in there. It gets better!
Southern Charm- how are you doing?
CarolinaAmy - good luck tomorrow with number 8!
Cajun has your pained eased up? Hope you are on the mend.
Lindy- how is the acupuncture going? I'm not sure it's helping me -- at least not yet. I'm going once a week.
Thinking about and sending healing wishes to all.
Shelly
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CarolinaAmy - If I pass labs, I'll have weekly Taxol 9 of 12 this morning - wishing you good luck on #8 today, I'll be thinking of you.
Scotland - Thanks for the report from TwoWeeksAfterIstan. My neuropathy got worse this past week, so I'm stressing about whether it will go away after I'm finished....
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Hi Shelly,
Thanks very much. The eating issues are starting to get better a bit each day now. Whew. It really sucked!
I have an appointment with my BS tomorrow to get the results of my post-chemo MRI. Fingers crossed. I'd SO love a complete response. Say a prayer for me. I'm praying my heart out!
I have a ton of questions for the BS about my upcoming surgery plan. My three doctors (BS, PS and MO) are all discussing my case during the tumor board meeting today to come together on a plan. There was some disagreement about whether they were going to radiate just the lymph nodes or the breast as well and when that would happen in the process. I'm supposed to have the first surgery on January 28th (axillary dissection and breast reduction with a lot of tissue sent to pathology to see if I am a candidate for nipple sparing MX). The second surgery would be BMX with the hope that they could go direct to implant during that surgery. I'm super nervous about the surgeries and it doesn't help to reduce my anxiety to have my doctors not getting all on the same page.
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Edsmom, praying for clean scans and the docs getting the plan finalized! Sometimes you can take a Valium the night before surgery to help with anxiety. i found that out the morning of my surgery LOL
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edws- the fact that doctors cannot agree speaks to how little we really know about this disease. Praying you breeze through your surgeries!
I am better. Still hurts, but not nearly as much.
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Thanks Tigre!
If I remember correctly you're working through treatment, right? How long did you have to take off from work for your surgery?
I'm trying to figure out what to expect. My first surgery will be outpatient, but the doctor is saying it will take 6 weeks to recover from the BMX. I'm assuming that's full recovery, not the amount of time I'd need to be out of the office....
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Cajun - Sending hugs your way!! Feel better soon!!
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edwsmom,
i blocked off 2 weeks for node dissection and BMX. The first week I was recovering and needed my hubby to help me stand up, cook , and showering/drains etc. The second week i was @ home as well but I started to do a little work towards the end of the week (checking emails mainly). It's hard to say since you are having the node dissection first you might not need as long
. It may sound weird but those 2 weeks at home were nice even if there was a little pain. All meals cooked for me, I could watch a lot horror movies, and color. I had puzzles but I was not allowed to reach that far yet. I worked fairly steady after that. I worked from home most of the time in the 3rd and 4th week because i didn't want to go to work with my drains still in. I had to leave my lymph node drain (armpit) in for about 3 weeks. The fluid was too high to get it removed right away.
Cajun - happy your pain has subsided some!
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edws- i was back exercising 3 weeks after my bmx. If I weren't starting chemo, I would have gone back to work the next week. I was pain free and had full range of motion after a month, even though I had the JP drains for 3 weeks on my ALND side.
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thanks, tiger! Nothing like a bone mets conversation to make you grateful for the reduction in pain.
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Cajun: Glad you're feeling better!
Edwsmom: I had a UMX and ALND in August, and ended up not going to the office for two weeks. I can work from home, and getting dressed for the office with drains was almost impossible. Some surgeons also restrict driving for a week or two. I had little pain, so I wasn't on pain meds and my head was clear. I haven't done reconstruction yet. Three weeks after my surgery, I went on a three day backpacking/camping trip. I was fine. Reconstruction is a longer recovery. I'm planning on having a MX and double reconstruction in the fall.
I saw my MO today for my two week checkup. My CT yesterday showed my lung nodule unchanged, which is best case scenario. It's probably not cancer! Had it been a met, they would have expected it to be changed by chemo. I'll get another scan in six months. She also put me on 2000mgs of vitamin D. The research is promising (it may lessen the risk of breast and colon cancer recurrence), but not conclusive. But I'm in or approaching menopause, and should probably be taking it for bone health anyway. I'll start AIs a couple of weeks after I finish rads
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Everyone is different in recovery so hard to say how much time to set aside. I needed my bro's help for a couple days after sx. After that I was fine taking care of myself and off pain meds less than a week out.
Scotland- Yay on lung nodule not changing! I'm hoping the same for mine when I'm done with chemo. MO said even if it's gone that it still could have been something else. The only way to know for sure is to do PET and well mine is too small to have done it.
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scotland, that's the best news I'd heard all day!
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luzeelu- I am getting the 12 weekly doses. Every week my blood count is lower, so last week MO lowered my dosage.
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Arista, mine is also too small to do anything but watch. Barely detectable. Just big enough to be seen and drive me crazy. When do you get another scan?
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I finish chemo 3/1. Doing Taxotere now once every 3 weeks. Dose #2 is next Tues. Not sure if it's after chemo or after rads. Hopefully after chemo. I like you hope it's still there or else you are left in the not knowing for sure if it's gone. But if it's gone she'll still treat me like stage III because there is no evidence it is/was IV.
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I got the CT between chemo and rads, and am glad I didn't have to wait. Fingers crossed for you!
Thanks, Cajun!
I swear I can feel the beginnings of eyelashes.
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I was getting blood work done last Friday and kept asking me what was wrong, because I was blinking like crazy... I said my last 6 eyelashes just fell off into my eyeball. Lol.
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Completed weekly Taxol #9 of 12 (??) today. Reviewed neuropathy symptoms in detail with MO. She was very sympathetic and said "I would love to get you through 9 or 10 treatments if possible." She made clear it was my decision and she supported whatever I decided. She said it is very common for women to only be able to make it through 9 or 10 and that many of those patients have fine outcomes. She emphasized she doesn't want me to have any permanent, life-changing debility.
I told her I could live with my current level of neuropathy in the interest of maximizing my cancer treatment. She kept today's dose at last week's level today (15% less than previous 7 weeks). She also recommended B12 which I'll add tomorrow. I hope I can make it through at least one more treatment without serious neuropathy.
Good luck to everyone struggling with tough surgery decisions. It's a bittersweet privilege to be the ultimate judge with hard choices before you. I have no idea what my choices will be post-chemo and read your options with great interest.
CarolinaAmy - Thinking of you and hoping your infusion #8 went well today!
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Minnesota, fingers crossed that your neuropathy doesn't get worse. Mine seems to be fading, but it could be months before it's gone. And it may not. But I can live with what I have. With dose dense, I found that it got a bit worse with each round, and that it resolved less and less. Fifteen days PFC, and I still have a good bit. I'm eager for it to go.
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MinnesotaLisa I feel for you with the neuropathy. It's a tough, stressful call to decide whether to continue with treatment, reduce dose, or end early. I hope you get relief with adding b12.
CarolinaAmy so good to hear from you. Cajun sending healing your way. Hope you are beating those taxol pains. And aww about the lashes. That sucks that they all left at one time.
Edwsmom glad you your appetite is better. Scotland yay your lung node and for baby lashes I sprouted top lashes last week. Noticed tiny bottom lashes this week.
Arista good to read you are ok. We will be cheering you on when you finish. You will be done before you know it.
Shelley I like you new avatar. Cute.
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Such a lovely disease this is. Still dealing with SEs from the AC, which I finished 3 months ago.
This morning, I removed 2/3 of my right thumbnail, which was barely attached anyway. The bottom third is new growth, so at least there's that. But what a creepy thing to happen. I was quite surprised that it didn't hurt, at least, but it's still creepy. The left thumbnail will depart soon as well, I fear. And possibly a portion of the nails on my index fingers, which are very sore right now. The rest seem to be hanging on.
I found these little finger "condoms" so slathered calendula cream on my distressed nail bed and covered it with the condom. It's annoying, but I don't want to wear a band aid.
This is just too weird.
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I start rads officially tomorrow. I went back today for port films (X-rays) to check that the rad plan is good. And I got to practice again with the active breathing because I am having left sided rads. I really struggled with breathing thru the tube because I had problems due to stuffy sinuses. Plus my mouth was really dry. My mo came into the treatment room in between films and asked if I wanted to take a break. She said I did so well last week at the sim and asked what was wrong. I think they knew I was having a mini panic with not being able to breathe. They did adjust the angle of the breathing tube which worked much better. The only thing that sucks is I am marked up with green sharpie which my tech told me not to scrub off too hard before tomorrow. Wtf that's what I thought I got rad tattoos for? My chest looks like connect the dots roadmap!
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