Starting Chemo June 2017
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Greetings Peachy. We will all be thinking of you during your surgery. Please keep us posted. Hoping for a speedy recovery for you.
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Greetings to all you great ladies. So active treatment has ended ..I have 3 count them 3 more Herceptin left and have my port removal on my last infusion date..July 20th ..I am so excited....I have a huge cord running the full length of my arm which is a huge pain in my ass but Im going to see a physical therapist soon to get it straightened out..all in all I feel pretty good..it could be a lot worse right? My oldest son turned 11 and will be going to middle school next year, Tom will be in 2nd grade and little miss Katelyn will be in Kindergarten. I love to watch them grow and cant wait to see what next year brings us. I feel like this is our summer do over since last summer sucked big time. Planning on relaxing and doing some fun things. I do worry about the if and when (will it return) but I try to just continue life as I have been ..Have a great summer ladies
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hhuey. Enjoy your summer. I think all of us will try to pack this summer with some good memories to blot out those of last summer. The smiles of your children are undoubtedly the best meducine
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Can't believe a year ago we were heading into chemo. Last year seems like a blur. Aside from chemo last summer I don't remember doing anything other than appointments, sitting in the chair getting chemo, and then waiting for side effects to subside. I look back and think did I really do that for the whole summer.
HHuey: I know I have the same fears about bc returning. Most days I can say forget it and just live life to the fullest. But some days seem harder than others to put it behind me. Enjoy your kids and your summer.
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Happy to hear everyone doing well! We have 1 week of school left next week and my youngest graduates from high school 😥 I’m so happy I’ve been able to participate in all the festivities, I missed so much at the beginning of this school year. She is getting a surprise scholarship- we don’t know what it is yet- but she thinks it’s one where she wrote about me and how proud she was of me 😊then in 2 weeks we go to college orientation, i havent been to tne school yet, my husband had to take care of all that in tne fall. She’s o our first to go away, they other two went to tne local university’s. I’ve been working steadily since 2 weeks after surgery so I’m looking forward to a little r&r and hopefully a vacation to go visit family.
I bought a new pair of shorts today, I lost 30 lbs with chemo ( put back on 10 now) but I refused to buy new clothes yet, just keep pulling my pants up😂. 4 more herceptin, end of July!
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Hi all! I cannot believe how time has passed. I was quite busy in May, but now it's June. Just thinking that a year ago we all started on chemo makes me so glad this year is behind us.
I have 2 PT sessions left. I am still not 100%, but I just have to do the exercises on my own to keep things massaged and moving. I have had a great PT. Couldn't have made it without her.
Peachy, Let us know how you are doing.
Wishing each of you a very special summer!0 -
Hap B. I will be on Arimidex for 10 years. Not causing me any problems so far.
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My doc seems to think 10 years is the coming thing so don't be surprised if after 5 years you find you are going to be extending. I guess it will depend on what the research is saying at that time. Good thing I have giant bones.
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My doctor says "as long as the bones can handle it," I will be on an AI for at least 7 years. If I'm not having bone density issues, I may request staying on one until the 10-year mark. And who knows, there could very well be a new-and-improved medication to offer patients in 7-10 years.
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hi all...I had my exchange surgery Monday afternoon. All went well and I am feeling ok overall. No need for pain meds at all today...just feeling a bit stiff. I think it's more the bra making me feel uncomfortable. Have to wear it for 2 weeks. Nothing I can't handle. Lord knows there have been worse things we have gotten through. Get to take a shower tomorrow which will feel good. Glad to see some good summer planning is happening.
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Great to hear, Peachy!
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Happy to hear from everyone and that you're all doing great. Keep it up!
Positive thoughts everyone.
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Peachy, Stay positive. This is going to all be behind you soon. Hoping any and all discomfort will be a thing of the past!
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Hello June ladies! I had a follow up with the plastic surgeon today and I "passed inspection" and feel good. Incision is healing nicely and I look pretty even and symmetrical. Always a concern being a uni. The nest decision is what, if anything, to do about a nipple. Nothing to decide immediately so we'll see. I started taking Tamoxifen again a week after surgery. So far it's tolerable. Hot flashes seem to come and go. Now it's just getting through the next 6 or so months of the Herceptin/Perjeta. I go in early tomorrow for an infusion. It has become very routine and thankfully, side effects are minimal.
I hope everyone is feeling good and getting on with those Summer plans.
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I'm happy to hear that you're tolerating treatment well 💗
Have you considered nipple tattoos? There are many artists that can create a hyper realistic nipple tattoo. Some insurances like Medicaid (in NY) cover it.
Also, I reallyliked headcovers.com when I was bald from chemo. Huge selection.
Stay strong sister. You got this.
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Glad to hear the good news Peachy.
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Great news, Peachy. So glad to hear your side effects are minimal too. You got this! We are now in Wisconsin where we spend the summer living on our sailboat. it is great to be back after missing last year but I do miss seeing my parents everyday. They are receiving good care and we hired a driver to take my mom to see my dad four fays a week. Still, it is harder to be gone now that they are separated (my dad in memory care).
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Hi Peachy,
Great job getting through the surgery. Sounds like 'smooth sailing' now. I just finished Herceptin and Perjeta on June 7th. All done! I agree that side effects of H & P were minimal. I kind of feel lost now that I am 'done'!
It's a good kind of lost I guess. I will keep my port until November (I have another CT scan scheduled for then). This summer I am catching up on trips I did not get to take last year. I am heading to Maine in July and Hawaii in August. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying this summer. Hugs and prayers to all,
Sue
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Enjoy those travels Suzq. You have earned them.0
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Hello ladies....
Sue enjoy your travels!!
Julia hope you're enjoying life on the water. Sounds wonderful to be rocked to sleep every night.
Cyto-destructo Yes, I've researched the tattooed nipples. I have also looked at pink perfect silicone nipples. They adhere with surgical glue and look amazingly real. May be an option.
I go in for my regularly scheduled 3 week dose of Herceptin/Perjeta tomorrow. I am getting more used to the implant as time passes. I still have a little discomfort in my armpit. I may ask for another ultrasound just to ease my mind. The last one showed a seroma consistent with the mastectomy/sentinal node surgery, not an enlarged node which is good. I feel like it has gotten smaller since the exchange surgery but it's still there.
Hope all are continuing to feel good and getting back in the game! Happy Summer!
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Hello June 2017 ladies,
Thought I would check in to see if anyone was still posting and looks like all are busy out there! The dust in here is piled high! :-)
Hope that means you are thriving and enjoying life. Just want you to know that even though we have never met, I do think of the "Junies" often and hope that you are well.
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I was just thinking the same thing, Peachy. Hopefully the fact that we don't post as often means we are doing well. I am feeling great and enjoying the summer on our sailboat in Wisconsin. Heading back to Florida in two weeks and I will be so glad to see my parents. Two of my brothers have visited over the summer to check in on them and my son has stopped in too.
As for my health, I am feeling great and doing water aerobics here in the chillier Wisconsin waters. My arthritic knees aren't so great so I can't do much walking. My orthopedic surgeon wants me to lose 30 more pounds but it is a very slow process and I hope I can convince him to do knee surgery this winter. Wish me luck with that.
My anastrozole is causing hair loss. For now I can get by with a comb over. The picture I will attach (of my in the cabin of our sailboat) shows my hair the first day after a shampoo. After that it gets fuzzier and fuller looking but it Is continuing to thin. I will talk to the oncologist when I get home. There are some threads on here about products people have used and some people have switched to Femara and had less thinning. I guess my improved life expectancy is worth it, even if I have to go back to my turbans. One day at a time, right ladies. Happy Fall to all of you.
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Glad to see everyone’s doing well! I too am experiencing hair loss from tne anastrozole, it’s really thin and sparse on top. Ive been using tne men’s minoxidil from target and I can feel a little bit of stubble so that’s a good sign. I also had my hair highlighted so that detracts from the bald spots. I work as a substitute teacher and I was hired as a tutor at an elementary school this year and I work full time now. I’m also finishing up tne a Livestrong program at the YMCA so that gets me out exercising. Finished my herceptin at tne end of July and getting my port out at the end of September.
Going out tonight to watch some high school football as I didn’t get to many games last year. My youngest started college last week, going away so we are empty nesters now. I can’t wait for some fall weather! Hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend
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Julia: your hair looks great. My hair is finally a couple of inches long and there’s a lot of thinning on top. But yes you’re right if it keeps BC from coming back it’s a small price to pay. My biggest problem is the muscle and joint pain. If I sit too long when I get up I stagger around like a drunk. Gives a whole new meaning for “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up”
Peachy: me too. How are you doing with treatments
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How is everyone? I am soooo sorry I haven’t checked in for so long. Life will never be “normal,” but many things have just moved on.
Hard to believe chemo was finished more than a year ago. I have had three haircuts, but it is just a curly mess! No complaints. It is hair! My joints ache like I am 90 in the mornings. Once I get up and move around for a few minutes, it typically works itself out. That is the Letrozole for sure. Hate it, but I have to do it.
How is everyone?
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Kim: I was wondering the other day how you were doing. Good to hear from you. I check in every now and then but not as often. That’s a good thing because it means we’re all doing well and moving on with life. I had my first real hair cut three weeks ago. Never thought it would take over a year but as you said it saves money.
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Kim and Pink, it's nice to read your messages. Sounds like you are both doing well. That is very good news!
Ahh yes, hair and achy bodies. I've kept a short hairstyle since chemo, but it is a wiry and coarse mess. I don't remember my hair ever being this way. No amount of conditioner or product can tame it. As for aches and/or pains, I seem to have more muscle tightness than joint issues. My MO says it is unrelated to my AI, so I'll continue taking the Aromasin for now but will discuss a possible switch when I see her again in 4 months. I'm with you, Kim. Hate the pill, but I'm high risk so will take it.
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Hi ladies!
Good to see some familiar names!! I am coming to the end of my herceptin and perjeta infusions. I have 2 more to go. Last one will be Dec 27 and then I can kick off a new year without having a date with the chair every 3 weeks. Very excited about that. Last January was quite a bummer. I'll have to decide when to have the port removed. I've asked a lot of people about timing and have gotten a wide variety of answers. Everything from take it out right after last infusion to keep it up to 5 years if it's not bothering me. The last nurse I asked said she sees a woman that has had her port for over 20 years. She just has it flushed periodically. That seems a little extreme to me but maybe she's superstitious about taking it out. The standard response seems to be keep it for a year. Unlike the other decisions we have to make along the way, there really is no deadline on port removal so I guess I'll make the decision when I make the decision. Same with the nipple. No rush on that. Been looking at the silicone stick ons as a first step. Maybe Santa will bring me one. Ha!
All in all the H and P have been tolerable. I think the Tamoxifen is responsible for the more annoying things. My internal thermometer is definitely busted. I'm cold one minute and then hit with a hot flash. The other night I was trying to remember if the front of my neck ever sweat before. LOL. I recently saw a product advertised called Embr Wave. It looks like an apple watch but is a temperature control. If you feel warm, just adjust it to "cooler" and it tricks your body into being cooler. Same for when you have a chill, just swipe it to the warmer setting. I'm thinking about it. Designed by MIT engineers. It's not cheap, though. I think it was just under $300. But if it works it could be worth every penny.
Leg cramps can make me squeal in pain. I've watched my calf muscle move like there is an alien under the skin. Yeow. And sometime my hands cramp. Nurse said take Magnesium supplement but not too much as it causes loose bm's.
I've had 2 hair cuts. One was to get rid of the tennis ball look from initial regrowth and the second one was because it got to be too long to be short and too short to be long. I'm getting to that stage again--the Bob's Big Boy look. So I've got to decide if I'm going to power through and let it continue to grow. I look so much like my mother now. She asks if that's so bad. LOL No, it's not bad...but very startling to look in the mirror and see your mother and not you.
I've been working in a different office since September because my building is going through some construction. It dawned on me the other day that the people in this office only know me with short hair. They have no idea what I still consider to be the "real me" looks like. It made me feel kind of sad. I guess I'm still trying to hold on to my before cancer self more than I thought.
Anyway...enough of my ramblings. I hope you all enjoy the holiday season and continue to push forward. Let's try to stop in every so often and check on each other.
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How nice to hear from several folks in November and December and great to hear that all are doing well. So glad to hear that you will finish your treatments this month, Peachy. I am hoping to have a knee replacement this winter but otherwise am in good shape. Had my eyebrows done (hybrid brows). They need a touch up every year but I may be able to get more of my own to grow back using RevitaBrow and so need less touching up. I am glad to see myself when looking in the mirror. Not many problems with the Arimidex, thank heavens. I will post a recent pic so you can see my eyebrows. I got used to my shorter hair and am keeping it. Happy holidays to all.
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Wow Julie! You look beautiful!!!
Vickki
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