Starting Chemo June 2017
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Peachy, Because they have me on Effexor (75mg), my hot flashes are all but gone. Seriously. Not sure if I will come off of that when the HT starts. I should know when I see her on 11/28.
LTWJ, Today is the day. Thinking of you!
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LTWJ Hope all went well with your surgery!
I'm scheduled bright and early Monday morning. Ready or not...here it comes!
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Hugs for you Peachy and LTWJ. You will both get through this!
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Peachy and LTWJ, you are in my thoughts! Sending you both lots of healing and restful vibes!
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Peachy and LTWJ everything will be okay. You'll both do great. Hugs.
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Finished number 16 out of 20 radiations this morning. Phew it went by much faster than I expected. Next week will be sleeping in and doing some things for myself instead of trudging off to radiation.
So far only mild itching and a few tiny blisters. Some pinkish skin on my chest. Really no fatigue, at least nothing compared to chemo. Manged to clean two bathrooms, groom one dog, and grocery shop. Good bye to fatigue at least for yesterday.
Also my nails are looking awful from the chemo. Looking like I may lose a few of them and then this morning my toe nails started looking bad as well. Oh the continuing joys of chemo.
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I got home yesterday.
Pain is noticeable when I move but no problems when I don’t. I itch all over but I think that’s from the meds. Oncologist just called and they found idc in both breasts so she was glad I had both removed. Everything is clean so no radiation, now I just get the Herceptin 12 Times.
I also am changing oncologists and have already set up my first apt. Things are look good!0 -
Great news LTWJ.
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Hi All, I am home from surgery. Surgeon and plastic surgeon said everything went well. Sentinel nodes came back clear. Yay! I have some tightness and aches from the tissue expander but not too terrible. Just have to take it easy and do my exercises. Will find out if I need radiation at my follow up appointment on Nov 29. One more box checked.
LTWJ, glad you are feeling ok. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Pink -- glad you are feeling the energy for all of that!
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Great news Peachy, especially about the nodes!!!
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Great news Peachy and LTWJ!! So glad to see those words. Happy Thanksgiving all.
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Peachy & LTWJ; great news.
Woot Woot! Done radiation treatments. Radiation went by fast. Thankful it's done because I've picked up a nasty cold. Can't imagine trying to lay still with a cough. Now on to the healing.
No real skin issues except a bit of rash and the itching. Got some hydrocortisone cream for the itching. Fingers crossed RO is wrong about skin getting worse next week.
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Ring that bell, Pink!!! Now rest up and kick that cold.
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Congratulations Pink! Rest up and heal up!
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Hip, hip hooray, Pink!
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Hope everyone enjoyed a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving! It was so nice to eat all I wanted (except sweet potato souffle was too bitter) and be with my family.
Glad to hear that Peachy and LTWJ have completed their surgeries, and Pink is done with Rads! Y'all seem to be doing well! So glad Peachy no LN involvement!
Pink, My nails still look bad, almost 4 weeks after chemo. I still have a bit of neuropathy, too, but it is definitely better. My two big toenails look so bruised under the nails, but the rest of them are totally normal. So don't feel alone.
I have lost half my eyebrows and half not so far. Looks weird. Also, part of my eyebrows are starting to let go, too. I was prepared this could happen post chemo, so I wasn't shocked. Hair is still coming in pretty quickly. The color is still a mystery to me. It looks more brown than my red, depending on the light that hits it.
Hope everyone continues to feel great and get continued good news. Hoping you don't need radiation, Peachy. I see my ONC Tuesday as a follow-up, LN removed Friday morning. I hope I get an appt with my RO to get the start date on Rads in January. Ready to wrap up this phase of my life...aren't we all?!
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Congrats pink on radiation being completed!
Peachy, awesome news that sentinel nodes came back clear!!!
LTWJ, Glad that you got it done and that you did what you felt was necessary! Thinking of you during recovery.
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I went for my follow up with plastic surgeon's office today. I had my drain removed. yay! Nurse said incision looks good and my range of motion is great. I see the plastic surgeon next week for a fill and discuss final sizing. I have no real pain in breast area, more tightness than pain. My arm is actually bothering me more. I have stinging/stabbing pains in the back of my arm and near underarm. It almost feels like a painful band-aid removal but not a quick rip - more a slow pulling. I still have steri-strips under my arm from the incision for the nodes, but it isn't the strips causing the pain. It's the nerves acting up. Hope it dies down.
Kim I hope your follow up went well today.
I see the breast surgeon tomorrow for my follow up and will get the full pathology report from the mastectomy. Fingers crossed there are no surprises.
My eyebrows and eyelashes are starting to come back. Actually plucked a few eyebrows that were filling in low. Eyelashes are still stubly, but coming along. Nails are doing well.
I feel the tingles of neuropathy in the 3 middle toes of each foot. More annoying than painful during the day. I feel more burning at night when I get into bed and the corner of my big right toe seems to feel super sensitive at night.
Hope all are doing well.
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Peachy, Yay for getting that drain removed and having a good range of motion! Sounds like you are doing very well overall. Though I only had LX, I remember lots of sensations with pain/pins and needles, etc. My BS told me those were the nerves regenerating. They rarely happen now, though I guess much of that will change after Friday. Not looking forward to a disruption in my armpit again, because it healed so well! I still hope and pray the worst is behind me (as in chemo).
My neuropathy in fingers is getting better. It's still hard sometimes to get my necklaces on/off and one bracelet unless I concentrate.
My big toes are both still bruised, but I can see the discoloration growing out. Glad that it is winter, for the toenails to be unpolished. Having to keep my fingernails polished, since they are not grown out with their ugly discoloration yet. It is way too much work to paint my fingernails weekly. Ha! I had to "pencil" in my brows for the first time in my life today. It felt awkward (probably looked that way, too.) Eyelashes are half there/half gone. I decided not to wear mascara, since it would look weird. Makes me look so washed out and sickly, when I feel pretty well. We were near 60 today, so I didn't even wear a hat. Que sera!!
My ONC is going to start me on Letrozole instead of Tamoxifen. I need to find out more about that. She said she would only change me to Tamoxifen later if there was the indication that I was not fully in menopause. I had an endometrial ablation more than 12 years ago, so I haven't had a period since. She will just keep a 4-6 week check on my FSH levels, etc. She doesn't want me to wait until after my radiation to start it, she wants me on it after this surgery (as in Saturday).
My DH and I were educated today on how to deal with the drain. Didn't have that with my LX. The nurse was very thorough, so I am sure I can handle it. If not, my neighbor is a nurse and I am sure would assist. Just hope my DH can handle it!
HapB, How are you doing?
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Peachy and Kim, good to hear you are both doing well. Hope things continue to settle down for you so you can enjoy the holidays. I had 25 women at my house today for a salad bar pot luck lunch and book club discussion They bought flowers for me and all signed a card, Nice gals.
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Prayers for healing HapB. We are all thinking of you.
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So good to see updates from you ladies! I also finished chemo in early November but didn't really feel "done" until PET scan was completed last week. Thank the Lord the AC+T worked! The tumors in my breast were "dramatically" shrunk and no new spots of concern appeared. Praise God! My onco was very pleased with my progress and thinks I'm in great shape for surgery. 2 more weeks until DMX and reconstruction.
Head hair is growing back - but around the sides only, so that's a lovely look. I think I'm down to 1 or 2 lashes left, so going very heavy on the eyeliner to compensate!
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Julia, How fun! Sounds like fun times are returning for you!!
HapB, I pray you will do well on your heart medication. You've been through a lot! They are removing all the right side ancillary nodes early Friday morning. Becuase mine weren't clean, they want to be sure.
Curly, I've got the same hair pattern as you it seems.
DH calls it "male-patterened baldness." He has the same look. Definitely more are on the sides than on top. My lashes are cra-cra. Right ones almost all gone. Have upper left but not lower left. I just think that's all so odd this long after chemo.I got my FSH levels last night from bloodwork yesterday. My numbers throw me into the post menopausal category. When I picked up my Letrozole this afternoon, the pharmacist said it could cause hot flashes, hair loss, etc. I replied, "Things I am already dealing with," then I laughed. She said it is a good new drug, but it hasn't been around as long as Tamoxifen.
I will let y'all know how I am doing over the weekend. I am sure all will be fine. Ready to get the port out, too! I will take the bitter with the sweet to get this thing out.
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Good to hear from you Kim. We'll be thinking of you with that procedure. I had 11 or 13 nodes or something like that taken out. I can sure relate with the hair issues. It doesn't seem fair that we lose brows and lashes AFTER we are done with chemo. I am using eyeliner to compensate for the lashes and fill in the brows with my Lancôme product I purchased at Ulta. It stays on until I take it off so I don't have to redo it every day with the little angled brush. As for my hair, it is coming in slowly, except that I have receding hairline at my temples. I think I had some of this before but my long hair covered it up. So I am still wearing my turbans. Also I have a funny cowlick I never knew about. I also think I have more fuzz on my face than I used to (you can see it down below my ear). Oh the joys we pink sisters get to experience. But yes, life is returning to normal for me. I see my surgeon today and I am hoping to arrange to get my port out soon,
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Good luck tomorrow Kim. You'll do fine with the drain. It's a little cumbersome but manageable. That said, I'm glad I only had one. When having it removed, I said to the nurse I don't know what I'd do if came home with four drains and she simply said "You'd just deal with it" She's right. We get thrown into all of these weird situations and yet somehow we just deal with it and move on.
My follow up with breast surgeon yesterday was uneventful. I really didn't learn anything new. Glad there were no surprises in the pathology. Turns out 4 nodes were removed, not 3. All clear. When I asked her opinion on radiation, she said the radiology oncologist will opine on that. So that appointment isn't until next Friday. Trying to be a patient patient but I thought I would have the radiation question answered yesterday. I did sound like she was leaning toward yes based on age, multiple tumors and the fact that there was residual cancer after chemo in the breast. Sounded like a yes to me but we'll see what the RO says.
My beau thought the surgeon could've just gone over the path report with me over the phone and saved us a trip into the city. Traffic on the way home was worse than horrible. He being more of a country guy makes city traffic extra brutal. I think the combination of that and not really getting any new news on the next step aggravated him. I told him this whole process is frustrating even when you do get answers. Answers don't always bring peace of mind anyway. I tell him I'm never fully satisfied with any decision. There is always a little second guessing I'm doing the right thing. Trying to get through the best we can.
Took him a few hours, but he got over the traffic trauma and we're going to a movie this afternoon. Quite a ride, this cancer!
I get an expander fill on Tuesday and follow up appt with MO on Thursday.
Love the brows Julia! Mine look different each day! Depends how quickly I fill in. Some days I look like I'm shocked because they are so high. Ha.
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Peachy: Glad things are working out for you. You're on your way.
HapB: Twenty years ago when I moved to this cold snowy city (I swore I'd never live here) I couldn't imagine why. But here I am. This is the best city in Canada to have cancer. The Cross Cancer Institute is one of the best in north america. God works in mysterious ways. Turns out he was right on with this cancer diagnosis for me. He has a plan for you as well.
Kim: I went on Letrozole over five weeks ago and so far no problems. The first couple of weeks I had some muscle and joint pains but not sure if that was left overs from the chemo. As far as the hot flashes go, I haven't noticed a real difference. Maybe a few extra in the night but mostly tolerable. Throw the covers off, put them back on, one foot out then take it back in, turn up the ceiling fan, turn down the ceiling fan. I've found lately that if I don't wear a head cover I have less flashes in the night.
Ladies: While putting on eye shadow this morning I took a look and woot! woot! eyelashes are coming in. When I looked on the weekend there was nothing, now there's at least 1/8 of an inch. Leg hair coming in strong, no armpit hair, yeah. Mustache and beard looking good, no, just kidding! Although those pesky chin hairs are back! I also noticed some facial peach fuzz growing along the sides. I did have a little before but maybe I just don't remember how much? Head hair is coming in, slowly and because it's white and fine barely noticeable. But it is there. If I look at an angle I can see fine eyebrow hairs coming in.
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Julia, Looking good! You know how to shape brows! I am like a 3 year-old trying to color.
I, too, noticed some light-colored peach fuzz on the face. Oh well.Peachy, It is a wonder why they did make you come all that way. I, too, will be thankful for just one drain. My neighbor, a nurse, has already offered to assist as necessary. Yeah. On a positive, good-bye port! I am trying to focus on that!
I will be fine. This time tomorrow, I should be sound asleep. Pink, Glad that has Letrozole has been uneventful for you. I agree. When I wear my sleep turban, I typically get too hot. Too funny about all the hairs! Did you notice your top and lower lids stick together slightly when the eyelashes are gone?
Better get going. Thanks for the well wishes!
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Wonderful to hear everyone’s updates! I had my bilateral mastectomy and Diep flap restoration on Nov. 20. I was home from tne hospital the next Monday. I had 3 drains, my husband was awesome taking care of them. They were ready to be removed on thanksgiving but of course no one was open until Monday. Got them out, saw my plastic surgeon on Wednesday and got clearance to drive already! I felt great all week,even sleeping in my own bed already. My hair is starting to come in, my husband is in awe. Last night I slept without my cap and today I feel like I’m coming down with a cold
Going to meet my new oncologist tomorrow. I was never comfortable with my original dr. After 2 rounds of chemo he declared my cancer gone, because it was no longer palpable. Even I knew that he could not make that call and it annoyed me every time he said it. After finishing chemo with bad neuropathy, that he refused to acknowledge except by giving me a prescription for OxyContin, and after my failed lumpectomy, when I had my next apt with him, he never looked at me. I had an echo to check for problems for heceptin and he hadn’t even looked at those test results. I decided I needed to change drs as I had zero confidence in him now. My dr office said to say I wanted a female dr now but then none were available so I have another guy but at a different location though. I only need to go every 3 weeks for tne herceptin. Did everyone start the Letrozole before finIshing herceptin or anything? I finished chemo 9/15 and my original dr just kept putting things off after every 3 week apt. I’m eager to get things started, to get closer to tne finish line. See my breast dr on Monday, she already said no radiation necessary, let hope that stands. Celebrating my birthday tomorrow, hope this cold is short lived
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HapB, no it’s a center called Texas Oncology. We have 3 of them in our town and 4 drs at each. The chemo nurse was far more concerned with my weight loss (30 lbs) and neuropathy than tne dr was. He gave me a prescription for OxyContin which I laughed at and Cymbalta. I asked if these meds just made me not care that my feet and hands were numb and his answer as “ I hear they help”. I was done with him then. My last apt he was supposed to tell me the results from the echo and he had never even read them. My husband had to ask for them. This new dr has much better reviews.0
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Happy birthday LTWJ. Great to hear you are doing so well and so glad to hear you have a new doctor.
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