Starting Chemo June 2017
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Luwusu, congratulations on finishing your treatment! You look great (love your smile!).
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Happy Friday all. I went for my first infusion yesterday. Maybe I should refer to this as the "June redo" or "Junex2" chemo! I wondered if I should go to the Starting Chemo in January 2018 thread but feel like this was my true "start" of chemo and love all of your advice and support. I may pop in the Jan thread to offer advice since I do have experience to share with them.
Happy that I have the port. I put some cream on prior to leaving for my appointment and when it was accessed I just felt a slight pinch. It was much easier having my arms free.
Since this was the loading dose, it was a long one. Got in the chair at 3 and left the building at 6:30. Nurse said next time the time will be 90 min less and then after the CMF portion is discontinued it should bring total time down to ~60-90 min for just Herceptin/Perjeta. These time decreases will be the milestones I'll look forward to checking off along with the possible exchange in the Summer. Keep moving forward!
All in all, I'm feeling okay. Was up a few times overnight. Part bathroom breaks, part hot flashes and part steroids. I took an anti-nausea pill before bed as a precaution. I'll find out if I'll need Imodium soon enough I guess.
Luwusu- Congrats on finishing up Herceptin! Can't wait to post this myself. Your hair looks fab!
Julia I was mistaken for a boy a few weeks back even though I was wearing earrings and what I thought was noticeable lipstick. Oh well. This day in age earrings and lipstick don't necessarily mean anything!
Kim Isn't it funny we feel the need to apologize for our appearance even though it's out of our control and the medical professionals have pretty much seen it all? Good luck with your continued rads. You're about a third of the way there, girl!!
Good Morning America is running a story on Menopause and the lack of preparation given to women whether it was natural or chemical induced. I'm totally relating. The helpful suggestion was finding support online from others going through it. Totally relate to that too!
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HapB I had started on Tamoxifen but stopped while I'll be getting the CMF chemo. After that discontinues, I'll start back up with Tamoxifen. Feel like a juggler!
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Peachy, Keep that good attitude. All this will be behind us soon. Always use that numbing cream over your port. A pinch at times was all I ever felt. Do what you need to do to get the support you need and advice you can provide on the boards. You are a positive influence. You in no way look like a man, but yes, earrings and such aren't gender specific anymore.
My bones really do hurt on this AI. That's my biggest concern right now. I will discuss with my Onc in Feb. I feel 80 many days, and I look like I am old getting out of a chair after sitting a while. Frustrating, but I guess a trade-off for wellness and longevity.
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Finally took a pic to document my hair progress. This was taken earlier today - 4 months after my last Taxol in Sept.
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and a side view
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and from the top
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Looking good Peachy!! Can't believe someone could mistake you for a man.
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Peachy, your hair is amazing! That person who mistook you for a boy needs glasses. You are a beautiful lady!
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Peachy. Love that hair, you're looking beautiful!
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Peachy, You look amazing! That is the cutest, short hair ever. Keep positive, as you (and all of us) will continue to get through this journey. Big hugs! Rock it, girl!
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Peachy, you are looking great. I am jealous because, being younger than me you don't have the receding hairline. Other than that my hair is about the same length as yours but it has been five months for me. I can't wait til the front grows a little more so it can cover the bald spots.
Kim, I hear you on the AIs. I feel some pains too, but since at 69 next week, I have arthritis in my knees and hips I don't know whether to attribute the pain to the AIs or just old age. I have some tenderness in my back too, but perhaps I just tweaked it. Hope that doesn't become the new normal. You are right though, it is a tradeoff. The key is not to sit for too long at a time. Get up and move around before you get stiff.
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Julia, I definitely try to buzz around as much as possible, because I do feel like moving helps.
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Kim & Julia: My bone scan back in June said I have arthritis in the left foot and the knees. The pain in my left foot started about a month after radiation was finished. No pain prior to chemo. It was bad enough that I really wanted to cut off my foot. I decided to take some prescription naproxyn that I had left over from a few years back. Worked like a charm! Now I can walk and exercise again. When I had my recent follow up last week I asked about the pain. She said it could be left over from the chemo, or the arthritis is now acting up, or the Letrozole, or a combination of all of them. She did say that it will take more time for the side effects of the chemo to disappear for sure. I do find that the Naproxyn (over the counter is Aleve) works very well for the muscle and joint pain but it also helps with inflammation from arthritis.
My friend's ninety year old mother said the secret to living long is "to keep moving." I now understand what she meant by that. Once I sit too long I'm like an old rusty tin can like on the Wizard of Oz.
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Pink, I feel the same way, as long as I am moving I am good. If I sit down for a prolonged time I really ache in my hips. I have found recently that even short periods of time hurt me. Your rusty old can description is on point!
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Pink, Thank you for sharing that. I am going to start popping more Aleve. I don't want to but if it works, then there's a purpose for it. I hurt all night last night, and woke thinking I would not be able to walk. I did, though, and once I did I felt much better. I actually walked 30 mins today with a neighbor. Her lower back was strained, so we couldn't walk longer. It felt good. Glad you are getting to exercise again!!
I agree that we have to keep on moving.
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Pink and all, thanks for sharing. Yes, we rusty old tin cans have to keep oiled like the tin man in the Wizard of Oz. It probably is a combination of things, hard to know isn't it. I too, take Aleve, and try not to sit too long during the day. My three times a week water aerobics class is a lifesaver. In the pool, I am superwoman. I can do 60 jumping jacks in 60 seconds. On land it is quite another story. Have a grand weekend everyone.
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What's the saying? A body in motion stays in motion. Ain't that the truth?! Keep on keeping on ladies.
I'm still figuring out my new chemo. Thankful the side effects seem minimal so far. I'm currently dealing with trying to find the delicate balance between constipation and diarrhea. It's one or the other these days.
Hope everyone has a restful weekend. I don't have a team in the Super Bowl so I'll be watching for the commercials and waiting for This Is Us to air when it's over!
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Peachy, Oh the SEs. Aren't they something?! Sounds like you are doing well! You know you have that red-headed fight in you! We gingers are tough!
I am with you regarding the SuperBowl! My Falcons pain of last year makes me not want to watch, but you can bet I will be rooting for the Eagles all the way! And you are so right about waiting for the big reveal with This is Us! I can't stand the thought of it, but we know it's coming -- unless they somehow keep us hanging. They have done a super job on that. So love that show!
Stay strong, girl! You are doing this!
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Side effects continue to be manageable. Dealing with some nose issues. Not sure if it's the drugs or the season. My nose gets dry and bloody. It's not a nose bleed but when I blow, there is blood on the tissue. I use saline nose spray to try and keep lubricated and trying to keep up with water intake. As far as side effects go, it's not bad-just annoying. Body temperature is still out of whack. I think my internal thermometer is broken.
I look in on the Jan 2018 chemo thread and feel like those gals are experiencing much more negative side effects than our June 2017 group. Maybe June was so long ago, I just don't remember. Maybe it's because they are just experiencing the issues for the first time and it's all brand new so they are vocal about it or maybe it's the combo of flu season and chemo, but they are struggling. I don't post much there because I feel guilty that I'm feeling pretty good.
For the ACT chemo I was on a 2 week cycle. Now I'm on a 3 week cycle and if feels long. This Thursday will be 2 weeks since my first infusion and since I'm feeling okay I kind of want to go again this week to hurry up and get this stuff done - like making an extra payment on the mortgage. I wish it worked that way. Oh well. Patience.
One good thing about the 3 week cycle is that I can plan a get away. When I thought I was coming to the end of this infusion and surgery stuff, I was looking forward to planning a trip. Now I feel tethered again. But since I seem to be tolerating this fairly well, we may plan a road trip to Tennessee this May-once the chemo portion of the treatment ends and I'm only on Herceptin, Perjeta and Tamoxifen (ha... only!) We are music fans and Nashville and Memphis are on our bucket list and sure will be nice to get back on the road.
Also, my beau is looking into a short Northeast seaport cruise this summer. I think there's one that originates in Providence, RI and hits the little islands in the RI/Boston area and there's another originating in Portland, Maine and hits different ports up there. We are seafood fans, too. They are smaller boats which is nice but the price tag isn't that small. For the $ maybe we'll just drive the coast and pick out cute little places to stay along the way. We've been on Caribbean cruises and felt a bit restricted with their schedules and everybody trying to get off and on at the same time. We've also been on a couple of the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruises. We enjoyed them tremendously! Non-stop music and tropical locales. Not a traditional cruise in that it is VERY laid back. What's not to like?! A lot of artists have their own cruises/tropical retreat excursions these days. Little Feat does a week in Jamaica every year.
Once the chemo ends in April, I need to wait at least 4 weeks before I can have surgery to remove this tissue expander and get an implant. Not sure when I'd like to do that. It is not giving me any troubles other than feeling a bit odd and unnatural but definitely another box I'd like to check off sooner rather than later.
Sorry for the ramble. Yikes.
Hope all are feeling well and enjoying life!
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Peachy: I'm still having runny nose and watery eyes on and off. Took my car in for servicing this morning and there I am in the waiting room tears running down my face and blowing my nose. (No, I'm okay folks, I'm not crying! Then the hot flash will hit and I'll have to take off my hat and expose my bare naked head. Soooo embarrassing! But, hey, I did manage to get past that next Candy Crush level.) At least my nose isn't bleeding anymore. Nurse practitioner said it's probably still some of the side effects from the chemo. I'm not very patient either. Slowly but surely, it just takes time. I didn't think my hair would ever grow back but if I catch my reflection in just the right light I can see some hair. Three weeks apart seems to be the norm for infusions. I'm guessing that's because most of our body cells regenerate on that time schedule. The only cells that don't are the hair (ha ha who would have guessed that one) and our digestive system (uh, huh) which regenerate minute by minute or day by day? I'm with you on wanting this to all be over with. I'm not a big fan of changes in life but cancer has been a huge change all at once. I'm still getting use to it. You will too. We all will.
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When I was working in my journal page yesterday I thought of all of you and the support we get from one another. Here's how the page turned out.
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Wow, Pink, such a beautiful work of art! It is outstanding!
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Very nice Pink!
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Peachy - So glad the three week cycle gives you time to have a little fun. I found that was true for me. I enjoyed the third week so much. The nose is definitely the drugs. Dries everything out. The trip possibilities sound great. And PINK - wow!
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Pink, Wow. There are no words to describe the talent. That is amazing. What I love about it is some of the ladies look the same (with different hair color) and others are different. It's kind of a reflection that we are all the same in this yet with our subtle differences (staging, treatment, SEs, etc). Love the messages surrounding the ladies. Just beautiful!
Peachy, I occasionally still get bloody noses when I blow. That was one of my constant SEs through chemo. I am thinking now it is more relevant to cold, dry air. It's nothing like it was.
I even noticed my joint issues started abating a lot over the weekend. Maybe my 2 months on Letrozole is settling in and my body is adjusting? My hot flashes are not awful anymore, but I am still on Effexor. When I see the Onc next week, I want to see if I can come off the Effexor. I want as few pills to take as possible.
Today is officially my halfway point with Rads. Will be 17/33. Woot! Skin is holding up well and I am not exhausted, so I am grateful.
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Thanks for the encouragement. You ladies were my inspiration.
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Hi all,
Checking in - glad to see everyone posting so I can read updates.
Peachy - you are so strong to go through a second round. Sounds like it's the right treatment for you and you are tolerating it pretty well (all things considered). Your hair looks so healthy!
My hair is slowly coming in - very short GI Jane look right now. I have naturally curly hair (since birth...lol) and I think it looks like it's starting to get fuzzy...*sigh*...I always wanted straight! Just glad it's coming back in. I have about 6 more Herceptin treatments left and I just was able to add Perjeta in to the mix here (late in the game) but I took the opportunity to throw something else at it.
Pink - what an inspiring piece of artwork! Fabulous.
You ladies rock. Wishing you all well.
Sue
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KimPossible over the hump you go!! Glad your joints are feeling better, too.
Julia I've added a neti-pot rinse in the morning and in the evening and it seems to be helping my nose. It feels good to plan some travel. I'm determined to live a bit this year and do stuff! I will also have to get down to FL to visit my folks in the Spring.
Lilsuzq good to "see" you! Glad you got to add the Perjeta to your treatment. Another bit of ammo! It's expensive ammo, for sure. I just saw the bill for my first infusion and nearly fell of my chair.
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Hello ladies. I've read your posts, you all are doing awesome and look beautiful. I'm in the same boat as most of you. My chemo days I had some bad days but most of them weren't that bad. I felt guilty posting because I wasn't feeling as bad as some. But now I feel like the chemo kicked in! I finished rads on February 1. Skin is intact and wasn't that bad. My body now feels very stiff in the morning, hands swell during the night, every bone in my feet hurt as I walk to shower in the morning. But once I get moving it all goes away. Im still working daily, but once I get in my car after being on My feet for 8-9 hours my body stiffens up again. I feel like a 90 year old lady who can't climb steps and waddles when I walk! I started tamoxifen today. And I see surgeon next Monday to set my hysterectomy date. At first my MO wanted to just take out the ovaries but he said a side effect of Tamoxifen is uterine cancer. So he wants it all removed. Oh what joy! On a positive note my hair is coming back. It was gray but I couldn't take it anymore so I dyed it! It's a little over an inch all over. And very thick!
I was diagnosed on March 24 of last year. It's been a long year but the light at the end of the tunnel is finally here with the treatments. Now I just wonder how long before these side effects go away!
Take care ladies!! Thinking of all of you often!
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