Anyone starting chemo August 2016?
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Hi Everyone-
I have a quiet moment before PT and thought I'd check in with everyone. Cali- that would have been heartbreaking. It seems like we get away from it and then we are reminded once again. I wasn't happy to hear about Olivia Newton John's cancer returning after 25 years. Come on!
I sent this to a couple of people and it seemed to hit home and thought I'd share here. This woman I think is on the boards here as well, but good article and a reminder to not beat ourselves up because we're not where we think we should be! Our feelings are valid! https://denise4health.wordpress.com/2017/05/31/5-y...
Life- no old people have tried to hit me lately so that's good lol. My daughter is in good spirits despite the headache and going through finals. I reflect back and realize that this has been a life learning year for her for sure...she graduates 8th grade on Tuesday and she's ready to move forward.
Dara- I love that you're still working the pottery regularly. Oh- hair- my husband said I look like a munch chichi - that fuzzy monkey? So that describes what's happening on my head lol. Not sure what to do with it. I was thinking the other day- wow- a few months ago I was bald....that's wild. All that we've been through ladies- it's crazy.
Ok- so leave you on a funny note- went to the PS yesterday for my last fill, but I wasn't sure if he would do it as I noticed one side is bigger than the other (and don't we always just jump right to something is wrong lol). So first he asks me "how big do you want to be"? Umm...I don't know! You're the expert. He looks at my file, sees how many cc's I have and he says one more. Ok lol. He said not to over analyze the expanders- it'll make me crazy. LOL- my husband says I'm am crazy so.... Then he says "if you go to a picnic, and your friends think you should have bigger boobs let me know". Um....a picnic lol?
Have a good rest of your week.....thinking of you all.
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Kelly, how funny that the dr would think anyone would even look at you and say "I think your boobs should be bigger." LOL I've given up worrying about my hair. I go "fuzzy monkey" around the house, but decided I'm not happy without my wig, and since I'm wearing it for me and not for anyone else, I'm just wearing it still if I feel like it.
I'm really trying to focus on the positive in every day and avoiding negativity, even drama I encounter. A couple of women got into quite a discussion at pottery about something stupid and I just walked into the other room. I just get irritated with people who think something small and insignificant is soooo important. I think we all have had our priorities readjusted!
I really loved the article. All the points are so right on. And I loved her response to questions about how she is... "Good, I'm still here." I think I'm going to have to try that one.
I apologize for not being as good about posting. I do think of you all so frequently. I'm dealing with my sister-in-law having metastatic melanoma to the brain which really does not have a very good prognosis. Just trying to be there and listen, especially for my brother. This damn shit is just everywhere. (sorry for the language!)
Hope you're all doing OK and being nice to yourselves at least once a day!!!
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Kelly... That is funny ..picnic?? He must think your a big picnic person 😎 Thank you for sharing the article. I find myself answering parents that ask at work how I'm doing ...usually in the front office with a pile of people ..you know the personal setting ... I say "I'm here!" Seriously I'm not going to go into it with 20 strangers standing around and honestly I don't think they want to hear any details either.
Dara ...you have to be comfortable with yourself. I've got the spiky/messy look going but the growth is sooo...slow. Some days I still resemble a Q-tip if I don't use some mousse. Cancer definitely sucks!
Next week is my first mammogram since my surgery... I'd lie if I didn't say I'm a bit nervous.
Hugs
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Cali, I'm just a couple of weeks behind you, June 27. I know what you mean, I keep thinking, Oh no big deal. But then I start to get the butterflies in my stomach! City of Hope also does the 3-D mammograms, and then I'll also have labs, ultra sound, see the surgeon and also the oncologist. Fun day!
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Hi Ladies! Cali- did you have your mammo yet? Keep us posted both of you, that's not easy by any means!! I don't even know if I ever do an MRI etc again, haven't gotten to that point yet. Still trying to figure out when i'll have what hopefully is a final surgery.
I'm with you on what to say....I had someone "higher up" at work come in and talk to me, I just kept saying thank you lol. Was so nice that she took the time to see me, but yeah- I didn't have a response.
Q-Tip hair- I'm understanding that lol!! I did have mine cleaned up, wondering how the heck we grow this out.
My daughter graduated 8th grade- finally! We are still running between too many appts between the 2 of us (oh and then the dog started limping yesterday so I'm paranoid and ran her to the dr lol). My daughter goes to PT for her headaches and I'm still in PT for my range of motion and I do get some swelling in my arm. Yesterday she commented my arm was "thick", so she can tell things aren't flowing like they should be. I just think both of my arms look flabby lol. But always keep the lymphedema awareness going.....I'm a good example of things aren't moving like they should but I honestly wouldn't have noticed.
I know I read the posts and it takes a bit to get back to you all...so wishing everyone a good week.
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Nice to have you check in Kelly. I know we're down to the little core of us, which is a good thing. It means we're all getting on with life.
Cali, I too wonder how things went with your mammo? Thinking of you. Mine is on the 27th. Had such an incredibly busy week last week and then weekend. I participated in a big pottery open house at the studio, then an all day birthday party (which I helped with by making all the centerpieces) for 167 people. This friend is a paraplegic (from polio as a child) and then had breast cancer 17 years ago. She turned 80 and people came from all over the country! She's pretty amazing and inspirational.
I was thinking of your article, Kelly at the party. I saw a couple of people who didn't even know that I'd gone through cancer. It's hard for me when I get the response, "Oh but the cancer is gone now right?" I know they're trying to be positive, but I always flash on that tiny fear, well, it can always pop up again. I just always answer, "I sure hope so!" I'm probably at about 85-90% of the time I forget about the cancer. As the weather starts heating up here, I think I'll be going witless more and more so that may help. My hair has gotten much thicker, just not growing longer very fast. And Kelly, I still have about 5 different cowlicks! My husband and I crack up!
Hello to anyone else still checking in here. Have a wonderful week. And congratulations to your daughter Kelly! I've been hearing a lot about adolescent and childhood migraines.Hope she and you find relief pretty quickly.
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Hi ladies ... My mammogram was kind of irritating in more ways than one. Apparently my oncologist office send a routine mammo but we all need diagnostic mammograms now. They tried to get the orders changed but couldn't reach my oncologist. So they proceeded but I will probably have to come back for the more in depth one. Yippee!! It wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. Can anything be simple? Tomorrow I see my RO not sure why I still have to see him but i will be there.
Kelly ... Congrats to your daughter. Sorry you both have so many appointments and your arm has given you more problems then you deserve. I hope it all gets resolved soon.
Dara...you are keeping very busy. Some days it's like we are over this then others are like...we have been through so much I am not ready to just go back to life as if nothing ever happened. It's not like I want sympathy I just don't really know what I want. If I think of it too much I can get sad so I just bury it.
I went to another Pink Heals home visit and it was a young girl I nominated for a visit. Lindsey is our Andrews friend who just had the double mastectomy at 29. Here's a picture with my spike do.
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Cali I love your hair! I need to do something with mine, I'm still feeling Q-tip'y lol. Ok your experience is a good reminder to check the referral on the exams! I used to get diagnostic as my regular mammo each year, I had no idea I was doing anything different until they did a routine one and I was like "that's it?!" Yep- called back. That's so frustrating especially when you've been through the hellish year you have. Seems like the other Dr's just need to check in, RO maybe just will look at your skin??
Dara- it's funny, KZ1966 and I were just messaging this past week about how uncomfortable it is to respond. I don't feel like "I'm in remission", yeah- they say it's gone, but I'm not comfortable with any response at this point. I feel like we're always going to be fighting this disease...some of us are still taking drugs to do so, I don't know.
I definitely agree that I am moving along life more normally now- but I'm constantly reminded that it will never be normal again.
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Thank you Kelly ... I stil startle myself with such short hair. But I won't complain I got some hair.
My RO appointment was a waste of time didn't even check my ches...but I did find out I don't have to be as worried as much as I thought of being out in the summer heat. The Lymphodema therapist had me almost too worried and living in the Central Valley we have lots of heat which will hit this weekend. The RO said to dress modestly out in the sun and no sunbathing ....I'm good with that...wouldn't want to scare the children 😱
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I'm wrapping up my therapy too- last week I did some housework and sweeping in the back, and she happened to measure my arm and it was slightly bigger. ugh....so being better about the sleeve. I seriously can't tell so she did say to measure periodically once I'm done as you don't want it sneaking up on you.
My hair is crazy right now- need to color it, wavy and weird.
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Had my big appointments today. Mammo, ultrasound, labs, surgeon, and oncologist today. All GOOD!!!! So happy and relieved. We keep telling ourselves that everything will be OK, but just a smidgeon of doubt can creep in. No mamma or ultrasound for 1 year (yay) and 4 months for oncologist. Kelly, my hair is totally curly and still so short! Just crazy! Hope all are staying cool.
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You've got a good head of hair going Dara!! I've had one trim (clean up).
CONGRATS! So glad that went well with your appts!!! Cali- did you ever go back??
I just waiver with all of this...some days I feel I'll be fine, then I read something randomly now (not really on these boards much at all which is probably good) and then I'm like crap- worry.
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Dara....your hair is looking great. I'm glad your appointments were good.
Kelly...you really do have to keep a close watch on our arm ... It seems to react easily.
I did get the call back for an ultra sound which turned out it was the seroma I have near my lymph noid incision that concerned them after my mammogram. The radiologist said he could drain it if it bothered me. I was thinking ahhh..no I will see my BS if I want anything drained. So I'm good for a year now just MO visits and my RO wants to see me every 3 months for reasons I'm not sure of ...I feel like he asks me about 4 questions and we are done. Besides waiting an hour to be seen.
Some days it is weird to just go on about life like nothing ever happened. Tomorrow is the anniversary of finding out I had cancer. So our worlds are turned upside down then it's like now we are going about business as usual. Besides the weight gain I had from all this and painful armpit some days who would know??
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Yay for clear scans!!
And your hair looks adorable, Dara
I am with you on the weight gain, Cali. So frustrating. I am working on eating heathly meals and snacks. I hope I get to a better place with food soon.
I am doing well. Often worried about a recurrence. I should have a CT scan in August and a mammo in September. I might try for something sooner. I just feel like my breast is painful and lumpy. Anyone else noticing this?
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Annie, I have pain in the breast and underarm area. The drs and techs said the scar from my node removal was very deep and that can cause pain for many women. I also had the radiation which changes the breast tissue, and my MO said that can last for quite a while. BC the gift that keeps on giving! :-|
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We had some family photos taken a few weeks ago - 2 for the price of 1 - a Josie update (she is perfect) and my current strange hair situation
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Annie, all three of you are just beautiful and so precious! What a miracle Josie is!
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Cali- so it was a seroma by the lymph node sight that was infected months ago so BS drained it at least twice. I wasn't going to do anything until that happened. I think she was surprised last week how well that all healed up- it was pretty gross for a while lol. I haven't heard that I'll ever get a cat scan?? Wonder how they do that. It was suggested I get MRI's. They called them surveillance MRI's. Whatever, want to stay on top of this as I'm tired of reading about the recurrences! Ok- so I was trying to spell recurrences, and googled it and it pulled up:
- the fact of occurring again."a drug used to prevent the recurrence of breast cancer"......REALLY GOOGLE!
ANNIE- What a gorgeous family!!! Josie is so adorable, it really does help squash out the negative thoughts when you see that beautiful face and that you both went through so much to get her here!!I have weird pains, but I've got those TE's in.....
Lots of hugs to you all....Happy 4th!! Keep moving forward!!!
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Hi, how are you doing? You started chemo a few months before me. I wish I knew about this web site back then. I am 56 and was diagnosed her2+ grade 3+ 2cm breast cancer, R breast in Sept. 2016. Began chemo on Oct. 20, 2016 (TCH + Pertuzumab) and Nulasta auto inject after each treatment. I had this every 3 weeks for 6 treatments, with my last chemo Feb, 12, 2017. I will continue Herceptin infusions through Nov. 2017. I had a lumpectomy / lymphectomy in April, 2017. Biopsies were negative, so the chemo worked and I am in remission!!! PTL!!! I began radiation last week, I'll have 21 treatments. My father died on March 12th, exactly one month after my last chemo. He had cancer and was in Hospice Care. I had not had surgery yet so he died before we found out I was in remission. That was awfully hard for everyone.
Chemo was rough but seems like a distant memory now. It was worth it... It did the job and killed the cancer. Hopefully the Herceptin + radiation will keep it from returning. It has been a long journey. So far the radiation has been ok except shoulder a little sore. I began having UTI's after chemo (4 infections so far). I've been on various antibiotics and am taking another one now. My oncologist wants me to see a urologist if I get one more. She thinks the chemo possibly weakened my urinary system. I hope these antibiotics will work this time.
How are you? How have your treatments been, and are you still receiving any kind of treatments? I still have chemo brain. Hair very slow coming back. My fingernails still tear like tissue paper and my fingertips got so smooth that I drop things all the time. It's like my finger print ridges are gone and I can't grip anything! I'm adjusting to it. Have you had vision troubles? I'd like to know how other folks are doing through out their treatment.
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Dear HValley, Welcome to the community. We are so glad that you reached out and we hope that you will stay connected here. PM us if you need help with navigation. The Mods
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" It's like my finger print ridges are gone and I can't grip anything"
i haven't read anything on why that would be, but I've had a similar experience. My job involves occasionally being asked to use fingerprint readers (nothing criminal lol), and post-chemo the process has yet to work for me. They try and try but I either have no fingerprints or they are unreadable / unrecognizable.
Best wishes with your recovery.
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Welcome Hvalley! The boards are a great support and you might find more specific answers to your questions on others as well.
This board was started as we were all doing chemo at the same time, but our journeys have been different - with different surgeries, some doing radiation, others doing hormone therapy etc. There's a "hair board" that some of us have jumped on once in a while too....right there with you on the hair growth! I've also taken biotin for the hair and nail growth- something I found on the board as well.
Wishing you continued smooth recovery...so sorry about your loss, I went through that just a couple of months before my diagnosis.
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Welcome Hvalley, Sorry you didn't find us when you were going through chemo. It's amazing how much talking to women who were right there with you helped all of us. And here we are months later still checking in on each other. I also recommend the hair thread. We all have different experiences, but it's just nice to know there are those out there who really understand. I too lost someone. My sister passed from bc three months before I was diagnosed. It's always tough. Hang in, it really will get better.
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Hello to everyone from our "graduating class" 😊. Haven't logged in for a long time so I know I've missed a bunch. Having my first mammo and U/S today 6 months post radiation. Is it normal to be as jumpy as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs? My last herceptin infusion is July 19, so I guess there is light at the end of the tunnel. I hope everyone here is doing respectably well. It's a long and winding road we all take towards recovery. Wishing all of you the best outcomes possible. Wendy
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Roofcat, I had mine last week and was a wreck. I thought I was just fine, but then found everything irritated me. It was a HUGE relief when they told me the mammo and us were both clear. I have a friend who is a 17 year survivor and she still gets so nervous every year with the tests etc. Good luck.
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Roofcat59- let us know how your mammo/us went! Glad you checked in. Dara- good to know that even 17 years out, your friend validates our emotions. I messaged my MO over the weekend, I think because of the "now what", and reading about reoccurrences. Asked about CAT scans, she said only if there was a spread of the cancer, that they'll go by more on how I feel and don't want to expose me to the radiation unnecessarily. I will have "surveillance" MRI's ever year or two I guess. Now I feel bad getting irritated when my mom was so paranoid! Insert foot lol.
Finished PT today.....went over my exercises and she measured my arm. Looks good- just need to watch the heat, exercise, altitude, etc like Cali indicated. Don't ever discard any weird pain, itch, etc on your lymph node surgery side.... lympodema can creep up without you realizing it.
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I was also a bit paranoid prior to my yr appt that I might be developing lymphadema. My SNB site was painful and I often felt like I couldn't even sleep on that side. I may have a tiny touch of lymphadema, but the US tech showed me the scar for that incision and how deep it went. She said if one has a deep scar left after surgery women often feel pain for quite a while or even years. The heat we're experiencing now doesn't help. Supposed to be around 108 by tomorrow! Yuck!
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Hello all... I know I was a bit uptight just before my mammogram last month and when they called me back for the ultra sound I got more anxious. Thankful all is well ..besides my sore seroma. Dara your right this heat hasn't helped. Got to spend last week at my parents place in cool Montana. This is my sis & I
Hvalley....Welcome ...the hair growth moves along very slowly...mine has curl which I never had.
Annie....what lovely pictures and your little miracle we all love to see. Prayed so hard for her 💜
Roofcat....keep us posted on your mammogram
Kelley...that's interesting when you goggled recurrence 🙄
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Cali, you look awesome! What a great picture. Hope all are surviving this brutal summer!
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Cali you look great! My hair is doing the same! Now we're getting humidity this week in Calif which isn't the norm....should make the hair even more interesting. Anyone getting compliments on the hair? "You should leave it like this"....how bad was my hair before lol?!!
Got to spend last week with my cousin up in gold country in northern calif. Only draw back was the drive. Was a girls trip, just me and my daughter. We went out on a couple of "adventures" looking for "secret" swimming holes.....realized the 1st day we had been in the car 4 hours lol- mostly off road. Was fun though.
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