Anyone starting chemo August 2016?
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thank you!!
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hi ladies hope you all are well!
Kelly-hope your surgery went well today. Rest and take it easy!
I still lurk, but don't post often. My hair has really started to come in though...and I've got chemo curl! Go to see my MO for follow up tomorrow. Thankful for you ladies here.
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Sensitivehr ...OMG...look at that hair girl...I love it and it appears curly. Thanks for sharing.
I have about a quarter inch of dark hair. I am also trying to heal my burnt and split skin on my throbbing boob. Can't wait to have radiation done but for now it's delayed.
Kelly...thoughts and prayers ...I know this is a tough time for you ..hugs
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Sensitive, looking incredible! Cali, I think both of our hair is about the same. Mine is curly on the sides and back but the top is straight and between 1/4" and 1/2" . I am using Nioxin, biotin, vitamins and dancing naked in the moonlight! lol (just kidding, but I'd probably try it if I thought it would work!)
Kelly, hope you're recovering now.
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Dara ....I think I will try dancing naked in the moonlight too..haha! If it will help me grow hair. My burnt, split, throbbing boob would appreciate naked....
Kelly...love and prayers 💜🙏
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Sensitive- love the hair!! You've always posted the best pics! Dara- your dancing naked made me laugh! love that thought! Well wait....haha.
I'm home- doing pretty well. Surgery went well and the sentinel node looked clean so far, so no other nodes taken at this time. The surgeon said there was a lot of dense tissue right under the nipple of the cancer boob, so had to do a 1 stitch incision in the nipple to get it out. whatever works lol. I had a crappy night at the hospital- got sick, roommate was barfing, cruddy nurse.....but once the shift change happened all was good. She had to catheter me once too, but luckily by late am I was using the bathroom on my own. That stupid blood clot definitely helped prep me for this. I'm in some pain and on pain pills, but doing well. Thanks for all of the prayers and thoughts - love my Aug chemo ladies!!
Cali- hang in there with the radiation- sounds so painful!!!
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Great news on the sentinel node, Kelly! Sounds like a tough night though. :-p
Lyn
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Kelly....so glad your home and things are bearable for you. Healing prayers & hugs.
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Kelly, so very glad the surgery is finished and you're recovery. Why is it they put the worst nurses on duty overnight? If I've had any problems, it's been during the night.
Cali, just keep using the Silvadene and really, by two weeks post rads, the skin really does heal up almost overnight. Mine was beyond bad and on a Friday it was miserable and Saturday is was 50% better and by Sunday it was 80% clear. Hang in. We both have reacted similarly to treatment, so hopefully this will be your experience as well.
Hugs to both of you! Hi and Happy Friday to everyone else!
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Kelly --- Glad it is over and you are doing better.
Cali --- So sorry to hear about your poor boob... I hope it gets better soon. I am going to get some BioSil (natural product for hair and nail growth). They told me to stop taking it when I started to do chemo. I also found this site and am going to try this https://wellnessmama.com/35706/castor-oil-hair/
I figure it is all natural so it can't hurt.
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Elizabeth, This was recommended to me by a bc survivor and I've been using it since I stopped chemo. I order Jamaican Black Castor oil which is a pure castor oil. Another woman I communicate with on Hair, Hair, Hair has also been using it and her hair has just taken off. The Jamaican oil doesn't smell bad, but I still mixed in a couple of drops of essential mint oil both for scent and also to stimulate the scalp. Keep us posted.
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Hi ladies- 2 of 4 drains out today. Hoping that they other 2 can come out on Thursdays appt with the BS. Hard to sleep propped up, my biggest complaint. Otherwise uncomfortable but manageable. Haven't even taken a pain pill today now that i think of it!
Hope everyone is doing well. My hair is growing, leg hair coming in (bummer!), and so my head looks better and eyebrows are coming back.
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Hi Kelly. So glad drains are coming out. And so glad your hair is coming back! As Vickie says, mine is going at a snails pace! I think my age is against me, plus my hair was never very fast growing.
Had my labs and MO appt yesterday. He's changing my AI as I'm just having continuous joint and back pain. Also, my vitamin D is continuing to drop lower so he's having me do a high strength vitamin D but said he's seen it often and he doesn't expect it stay up once I finish a round of high D. I just need the sun to stick around a little more and get out in it!
Hope everyone else is well and staying healthy. It sure seems like the bugs are all over right now!
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Kelly -- So glad things are looking up. Hang in there and soon the worst will be over.
Dara -- I have been taking extra vitamin D because of the Osteopina I have. We are on the same hormone pill - Arimidex.. I will need to see my GP soon to see if I should up the dosage too. My RO's nurse said to get a mamogram
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Kelly - Glad surgery went well and that you started getting drains out. Gentle hugs
Sensitive - Look at all that hair!
I lost about half of my hair with Taxol (started in December), so it is pretty sparse up there. Deep sigh. Waiting, waiting.
I start radiation today. Trying not to let your stories scare me too much. I am ready for treatment to be over.
Lots of love to my chemo sisters!
Annie
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Annie, radiation doesn't have to be hard. I'm sailing through so far, 8 left of 21. I fist bump a technician on my way out each day, they love it!
Emu oil is highly recommended in this discussion forum, so i tried it and liked it. Then ran out and switched to Sea Buckthorn oil, which like Emu oil is also a topical anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Lovely stuff. Just an anecdote, but they all say my skin is doing much better than most. Best of luck!
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Annie --- I pretty much sailed through my 16 sessions with no problem. Canadian Rads are a higher dosage, but a shorter amount of sessions. Make sure to keep your boob well lubed. It has to be free of product for the treatment, but in the dressing room after butter it up again. My RO's nurse suggested 3 times a day to do it. We're in your pocket.
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Kelly...so glad your healing well so far...yay
Annie....tomorrow is my final radiation of 33 I did great up until last week I did all I was told so I guess sometimes the skin just has enough ....but you will do great. Keep up with your lotions and potions.
Dara...being back in my elementary school health office has put me in the line of fire for all these bugs!
Tomorrow if machines all work I will have my final radiation...I meet with my RO and my MO so we will see what they decide is next...
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Kelly, hope drains are being taken out tomorrow.
Annie, I also did great right up to the last week, but I had the lower dose, larger numbers (36) of treatments. And 2 weeks post tx I was pretty much healed. The lotions and ointments really do help. Just check with your RO about what you are using. Some ROs have specific do's and don'ts.
I saw my MO for 2 month check. I've been having so many joint pains he decided to change my AI from Anastrozole (Aremidex) to Aromasin (Exemestane). I was fine with the change until I showed up at the pharmacy and my co-pay for the generic is $379! And that's for a 1 month supply! My other one was $7. I got it and will try it for one month, but since I go back to MO in 1 month, I think I"ll ask for a change again. Can't figure out this one is so expensive. The druggist said the insurance had already paid $275 of the price! I think I"ve only paid $125 total for all of my surgery, chemo, and rads combined!!!
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Sorry, I've been detained yet again. I know I sound like a broken record--I have felt like one, too. To recap, I had bilateral mastectomy Dec 21, 2016 and went back to see my surgeon 15 days later. One look and he was not happy. Necrotic tissue on my right side. He did a "procedure" right then in the exam room. Removed all the stitches on that side and packed and dressed it. Fortunately I've not had much feeling so I tolerated it well. He ordered a wound vac and a week later I went back to his office (it's nearly 3hrs one way) to get it started.
Fortunately our little local hospital is able to do dressing changes for it in between visits to surgeon. Our DON is actually specialized in wound vac therapy so I am in good hands.
Next visit to see surgeon and (you may have already guessed) there were two more places not healing well on my left side. So now there are three wounds. Two that my DH is acting as RN for and cleaning and redressing in between hospital visits for wound vac care. On those days the sweet nurses take care of everything. DH has always had a queasy stomach about bodily functions so this has pushed the envelope for him. But now he can restart a beeping wound vac (that's the alarm that goes off whenever therapy has stopped) and can change out a canister (of nasty vile STINKY stuff) quick as the nurses.
We are now one month down the road with wound vac (and other dressings) therapy. I AM healing and, according to local nurses, spectacularly. That's good to hear because I was told we can't even think about radiation therapy until this is all healed up. I did call my new oncologist (to recap: other MO kicked me to the curb and stopped chemo way early in November) and he was upset to hear of complications following surgery but did start me on the "5 year pill" during this interim time.
Last hospital dressing change there were "bumps" under the top dressing--all new--this upset the nurse. She called my SLGD (sweet little girl doctor) who was seeing patients in the clinic to come see it. Nurse thought it might be start of an infection and took swabs for a culture. My SLGD came from clinic (I have dressing changes done in ER at hospital--fortunately everything is under a common roof) and she agreed to the culture but she thinks I've developed a skin sensitivity to the adhesive top dressing. To be sure, though, she will be called over to see how it looks for my next two dressing changes. I have phenomenally bad "luck" physically, but I am so blessed with the people who are taking care of me. In fact, with the exception of the first MO, everyone has been awesome.
On January 21, I got a call from my middle brother (I'm oldest of 4 children, only girl) to tell me our baby brother (59) had had a massive heart attack and passed away. It was totally unexpected. I have BC and my next oldest brother has end-stage COPD so a death in the family is not out of the question. But our baby brother. Absolutely heartbroken.
So we've had a funeral and our lives go on . . . for now. But things will never be the same.
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What a challenging time you've had, Barbara. Losing your brother so unexpectedly is heartbreaking. I'm very sorry for your loss.
Lyn
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Barbara....so sorry for your loss of your brother. 😘
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Barbara, I am so sorry for your loss. In the midst of all your troubles, this is heartbreaking.
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Barbara- tears when reading your story this morning....I just don't understand - enough is enough! Lots of love your way.
Annie- so good to hear from you- think of your often and the baby- when you can another baby pic!
On top of the cancer crap, I've been dealing with a teenage daughter....she's a wonderful kid, but dealing with chronic headaches, now gets dizzy, anxiety, etc etc. It's added another "layer" to the household and definitely added to the stress. We are working on it, but just feel like we need a reprieve! So....I finally feel like I got some luck on my side, something to celebrate after my follow up with the BS this am. I had a complete response to chemo! 4 tumors! I didn't ever really think about that option- I knew I was going aggressive with a BMX, and just wanted to have chemo kill anything floating out there. Wow....I'm still in shock. The surgeon said my MO will be doing cartwheels next week lol.
So finally feels like something good has happened. When did I ever think I'd truly be happy about chemo.
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Wow, ajbclan...that's amazing news!
Lyn
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Kelly ...so happy the BS gave you such good news ...whoot whoot
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Thanks everyone! I think because I'm still so uncomfortable with these expanders and I still have a drain- I'm still focused on trying to sleep at night lol.
Hope everyone is doing well!
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Before I left work for my last radiation the office staff surprised me with a little celebration 🎉
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Kelly ...I bet sleeping is uncomfortable... So sorry! Hugs
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Great photo, Cali! It's wonderful to have your co-workers' support!
That sounds yucky, Kelly. :-(. I hated sleeping on my back when I had the PICC line for IV antibiotics.
Lyn
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