Starting Chemo in July 2017
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Proud, glad to hear it's not just me. This reduces my anxiety about the whole situation. Thanks for chiming in! Hope your rads machine wakes up tomorrow... 😉
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LoJo - so happy to hear from you and learned things will back to normal slowly. I just finished my chemo last Friday, so I'm still trying to get body get rid of the last chemo. So I have a long way to go. Can I ask you about your taste bud? Is it back to normal
Sunny and pink - I'm going to meet my MO this Thursday and I will find out what would I need to do before I meet with RO. Nervous about the new phase of the treatment and glad I reach there soon.
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Hi Paulette!
My taste buds are back to normal, thank goodness! It did take some time, but I'd say they are back to 98% or so. There are still some things I eat that all the sudden have more depth, so I think some are still turning on. So happy they came back on. I lost weight during chemo, but have gained a majority of it back, which is a good thing for me, I got a little too skinny near the end of chemo.
I hope this helps!
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It's great to read about so many slowly getting their lives back!
My taste buds are definitely different with carboplatin only-still weird, but definitely not as bad. I still have the smelling cigarette smoke all the time thing-will be glad when that goes.
I have a sinus infection and am on antibiotics, but it's not too bad. They're working. The nurse was asking me if this felt like I usually feel when I have a sinus infection, and I told her that nothing about my body feels normal, so I can't tell!
Anyone else getting lots of hot flashes? This wave of heat goes up to my scalp, making me sweat through scarves and caps more than when it was actually hot! They don't really bother me that much, but I'd like the chemo induced menopause symptoms to go away for a while. I should have a few more years.....
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LoJo thanks. How much weight did you lose? I lost about 9 lbs and I am happy to keep some of them off.
Leatherette- you have sinus infection ... I’ve been using Arya gel and ocean nasal spray, it works well for me. Even I’m post menopause and I still get hot flashes from my scalp also. I’m at home most of the time so I usually take of my cap. When I’m outside it seems to be better because of the cold air.
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Paulette: That's about how much I lost, but on my frame, that really was too much, and I could tell that it was actually affecting my muscles. Now that I can taste again, I'm probably eating a bit too much, because it tastes soooo good! So, I'm probably 1-2 pounds over my usual weight, but I know that will come off quickly now that I'm getting back to my usual eating and activity routines. I was okay with a bit of weight gain if it meant I was enjoying food again! :-)
Leatherette - Yes, the hot flashes are INTENSE. The radiation made them a bit more intense. I'm expected to get my cycles back, but who knows when. Just today I almost felt the little pangs of cramps, but nothing has happened, and I still have hot flashes. They wake me up and definitely interrupt my sleep. Going to talk to my MO about it to see what can be done to help. I have a friend who went through chemo about 10 years ago and she is now going through menopause. She told me that the hot flashes from chemo are much worse than the hot flashes she is now having with regular menopause. For some reason this made me feel better! :-)
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I have been very lucky that nothing has affected my sleep while doing chemo. I keep reading about hot flashes disturbing sleep, but that hasn't been happening to me. I don't know how I could have coped without sleep through all this.
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Hello ladies!
I agree it is so awesome to hear from those of you receiving rads. I was told 6wks of radiation last spring. I have not seen my RO since end of April when I was first diagnosed and had my initial appt with my team. 6wks seems so daunting to me. I just want to be done and move on. It's good to hear it's going well for you ladies. I have my appt with RO and mapping next week. Radiation is set to begin on Dec 4th.
Jen: so excited to hear how your weekend goes! Will be thinking of you and wishing you a wonderful weekend of memories and fun with your friends!
Hope those of you feeling under the weather feel better soon! I had a minor head cold last week. Have managed to shake it but passed it along to my hubby first.
Hot flashes interrupted my sleep pretty constantly during AC. They got better during Taxol. In the year prior to my diagnosis I had started having premenopausal symptoms..skipping periods for several months at a time and hot flashes. Anxious to see what my MO decides on hormone blockers. He has said he would like me to start on Tamoxifen and move me to an AI. We have talked about ovary suppression. I need to start looking into all of this. My brothers wife is an OB/GYN physician and her and I will be having a conversation on all of this. Also have my annual exam with my own Dr next week so will be a topic of discussion then too. My next appt with MO is Nov 28th.
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Hello all,
I have a stinky cold, so feeling not too energetic.
Love hearing about everyone's progress, thank you for giving updates on PFC and rads.
I'm just bundled up in my lazy boy with a blanket and my two kitties take turns sitting on my lap while I catch up on things that were recorded on our DVR. Some of it was from last winter.
Have a good day, hugs and prayers
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Hello all of my July Chemo Friends!
I thought I'd let you know that I got my Flu Shot yesterday, as okay'd by my MO. As we head into flu season, thought I'd put out this quick reminder to ask you MO about getting one. After all of the treatment this year, I sure don't want to deal with flu this winter if I can help it!
Hope everyone is well and that those of you in The States are getting ready for a nice Thanksgiving holiday!
-LoJo
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Hello all of my July Chemo Friends!
I thought I'd let you know that I got my Flu Shot yesterday, as okay'd by my MO. As we head into flu season, thought I'd put out this quick reminder to ask you MO about getting one. After all of the treatment this year, I sure don't want to deal with flu this winter if I can help it!
Hope everyone is well and that those of you in The States are getting ready for a nice Thanksgiving holiday!
-LoJo
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LoJo, glad you had your flu shot now, I had that few weeks ago and I feel better hate to catch a flu this winter. Glad to hear you are getting your taste buds back, mine is still off and hoping I can enjoy food soon, I’m still having muscles pains hopping it won’t last for too long,
Teese - speedy recovery! Hugs and prayers!
Runnermum- as I said before I’m nervous about rads because of he unknown, I might be starting around the same time as you do. I’m meeting my MO tomorrow.
Prayers and hugs for everyone and keep the bugs away.
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Happy hump day to all! 😊 Just finished rads #5 and happy to report that it went well today! The 2 techs that prepped me were awesome. There are 4 techs that I've met so far, and the 2 I had today were awesome, have a great sense of humor and makes me feel at ease. They also work great as a team. Today they had some Frankie Valli music playing during my session. Last week was some funky jazz.
There is another tech that knows what she's doing (she did my simulation) but gets pretty hyper and thus makes me anxious. There also seems to be some tension when she's paired up with others. When she's alone, she's fine. But she ends up running all over the place.
I have my annual checkup with my primary doctor next week and also my post-chemo appt with my MO so I better remember to ask him if I can get a flu shot. Thanks for the reminder! 😉
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hey guys, wanted to share that I finished chemo in August and am over halfway thru with rads and realized today that my energy level is nearly what it was before diagnosis. I am really feeling like the pre-cancer me. Doing things around the house that I had put off for months. Today ran errands all over town which I haven't done since May.
Still have 10 rad sessions to go. And know my skin will probably itch and peel in the future but no fatigue and energy on the rise. There is a light at the end of this tunnel and I wanted to share that
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DodgersGirl - so three months for you to bounce back, that’s fast!! I can’t believe it ❤️ I’m so happy for you.
Sunny - good to hear that you found a tech you feel comfortable with and things are looking up.
Thank you ladies, giving us something to look forward to. I’m still trying to clean out my last chemo in my system. It will take couple weeks I think.
Ladies, shall we talk about what we should eat in the future? What kind of milk shall we drink???
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hmmm, what to eat in future? I avoid soy, and i have started drinking lactose free milk, it has more proteinmin it. I also keep ensure type drinks for those times when i sam too tired to,cook. My intention with this is to be help me get protein in diet
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Avoiding soy is related to being ER/PR +, right (which I'm not)? I love tofu, and have been vegetarian for a long time-that would be hard to give up. I drink 1%organic milk.
I already have been eating a lot more beans, and plan to make that a bigger part of my diet.
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I'm starting to think about diet, and my center offers a nutritional 1-on-1 with a certified nutritionist. Will probably meet with them sometime in December. The soy, from what I understand is for ER+. I didn't eat a lot to begin with, but soy is in A LOT of places one wouldn't expect, so I check labels for it. I'll still use Soy Sauce if I get sushi (and probably wont' worry too much about soy if I go out, just won't order tofu). I'm still trying to figure out if the edamame bean counts, or if it is only soy that has been processed.
As for dairy, this is the big one for me. I've started to cut back, and will go as dairy free as possible, most likely. My Dr.'s are all about moderation, in general. So, my current plan, once I get through Thanksgiving, is to make a very nice cheese plate every few months and enjoy it with a nice glass of wine. This way, I'm not depriving, and will get to really enjoy it when I do have it.
The thing I've noticed is that I don't miss the dairy on everyday foods (sandwiches, salads, etc.) as much as I thought I would. I'm using avocado (which I love!) as a substitute, and it works well for me. I even use avocado on my bagel on a Sunday morning. Now, when I go to NYC, I will definitely be getting a bagel with chive cream cheese, but I think the key is to not put it on everything I eat, every day. Of course, this week and next I'm eating whatever I want because I just finished major treatment and my taste is finally back to pre-chemo levels. So... eating good everything... it is on!! Including a nice glass of wine with dinner, or even a margarita! My Dr.'s were very encouraging, as long as I don't go overboard, which I won't.
Overall, I was already eating pretty healthy before this (lots of fruits and veggies, mostly fish and chicken if I did eat meat at all, and lots of water every day). I'm not a big sweets person, enjoy a nice dessert when going out here and there, but for me, I don't really use sugar much (even in recipes that call for it, I generally don't use it because I don't like sweet). The big one for me is definitely dairy, and I think I can work it out.
All-in-all, I feel like the stress of do I or don't I can become more of a problem than just eating the piece of cheese or ordering the glass of wine. So, while I will definitely be conscious of what I'm eating, if it is causing massive amounts of stress, I will need to re-evaluate, because stress is no good!
Look forward to hearing others thoughts on this topic!
-LoJo
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thing is, sounds like you were eating pretty healthy before diagnosis and think i was as well.......
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I actually dont drink that much milk, and I eat small meal so I get hungry easily, so I get hungry before bed time so I drink milk to get through the hungers. Maybe I can try almond milk or rice milk.
I don’t think I eat enough vegetables and we love to go out for lunch. I told my husband we will need to make some changes. Vegetables will become bigger portions on our plate and meat will be minors. Lunch at home will be more often and I need to think about what to cook for lunch.
Even I’m Chinese, I only eat tofu once in awhile. Maybe every other week.
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proud - This is true, for sure. The dairy is the big one for me. I've also cut back my alcohol a bit, but I do enjoy a nice glass of red wine 3-4 times a week. Maybe a margarita once every couple weeks, and a beer on occasion (this one will be harder once I'm back hiking a lot, because seriously... a cold beer at the top of a mountain on a warmer day tastes so good!!).
It's funny... I eat pretty healthy, but my diet was the first thing I evaluated when I got diagnosed. I guess in some way it feels like something I can control! But, overall, I'm happy with my diet, and will make cheese a special thing, which means I'll probably enjoy it a lot more!
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I just had rads #8 out of 20 and things are getting better with positioning me on the table. So my anxiety is slowly decreasing. But today I felt a little panic. During the treatment part, something in the room crashed. The technicians calmly told me to remain still. So I knew the machine wasn't about to fall on me. Haha... It turned out one of the panels on the edge of the machine decided to come loose and fell off. Crazy!
I started noticing my skin peeling near my collarbone and cleavage areas. I've been putting the aloe on the breast area and armpit only. When I met with the RO earlier this week, he mentioned that I should also apply the aloe right under my collarbone up to my shoulder since rads hit that area also. When I noticed the peeling, I realized those were the areas I had not put aloe on from the beginning of my treatment.
He also told me that I didn't need to apply the aloe to my armpit since that area isn't being treated since lymph nodes were removed. Doh! I had read other people's posts saying the armpit was affected throughout the treatment, so naturally I applied aloe there to avoid any adverse reactions. Regardless, I'll probably continue applying it in the general armpit area because it cools the area and feels good. 😛
What's everyone doing for Thanksgiving? I'll be spending it at my parents' house with my siblings and their families. We're all local so we don't have to travel too far. We all pitch in with what to bring and I'll be making roasted veggies, and possibly mac & cheese. We'll see how much energy I have next week.
Hope you all have a good weekend!
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Hi sunny,
I can’t believe one of the panel came loose and fell off while you have radiation! How scary!
Beside aloe do you use other cream?? I’m going for my radiation consultation next Monday. For thanksgiving this year, we are going to celebrate on the weekend instead of thanksgiving because some of my families are traveling this year. So it will be a quiet day for me and my husband.
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Paulette, I'm the type of person that can doze off when I'm lying down and it tends to happen during rads. So I was drifting off when that panel dropped and I stayed awake and alert the rest of the time!
I'm only using aloe for now and I'm not having any issues. I was advised to use 98% or higher pure aloe until they tell me otherwise. They monitor my skin each day and I meet with my RO once a week. if I need something different for my skin they'll give me a sample of a cream or ointment to see which helps. This way, I don't spend too much on products I will only need for a short time. (That's what they told me.) I'm applying the aloe 3 times a day - in the morning, after treatment, and before bed. So I'm sure I'll use up most of the bottle.
I have sensitive skin but so far I haven't had any irritation. The peeling is so minor, like peeling off dried Elmers glue from your fingers.
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when i started having burning during rads, i yelled BurnRed loudly, peer instructions off a pal online who,said speak up early. My rad team gave me ah bunch of sample creams and sahid try them and we will give you more of whatever you like best, It all worked out well.
Well chemo yesterday was smooth but it seems all my appts will be late day, so gonna just deal. Next is this Fri so i dl need to work out my driver
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So, I got through my mastectomy and have now finished chemo. No rads or hormones in my treatment plan. The next step for me is planning (or not) reconstruction, and finishing up my year of herceptin.
My hair is already growing back, so I don't think I have to worry about permanent taxotere hair loss. My neuropathy seems to be dissipating. My 'big C' resolved itself.
Why am I constantly on the verge of tears/panic attacks?
Why am I not feeling grateful that things aren't worse than they are?
This is not how I thought I would feel at this point. I wonder if I am just afraid that I am not mentally or physically prepared to rejoin "normal life", but have to/will be expected to.
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Leatherette, we have been through a horrifying experience. And it is not over yet. It is still a long road out with just our appearance getting back to normal, much less the neuropathy, the future surgery, and so many now doing rads. And our bodies let us down. We were healthy and then suddenly.....wam. Everything changed. We put on a brave face, and put one foot in front of the other because we have no choice. But inside, something is off kilter.
I have 2 more taxols. people say: are you going to celebrate, have a party? friends want to make a big deal of the last chemo.
I have no enthusiasm for celebrating whatsoever. The last chemo is still followed by a week of symptoms. Worsening nail beds, numbness, dead taste buds, etc. And there is no timeline for recovery. My hair and eyelashes won't miraculously reappear. It will take months for my nails to grow out. And I'm one of the lucky ones. No rads. Just a small surgery to switch out my expander.
So what I'm saying is there is nothing wrong with you.
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Leatherette & Teese, I have similar feelings. Whenever I feel I am getting back to my pre-bc self, I only have to look in the mirror or under my shirt to realize things are now different. I have to really think about what I put in my mouth, how much weight I can carry on my surgery side (to not aggravate Lymphedema), and how much I can do in a given day before fatigue sets in. The other day I tried to go shopping and, in less than 10 minutes of walking around, I started feeling dizzy and overwhelmed.
Other than my mother-in-law, I'm the only one among my family and close friends that have been/are going through this. So none of us knows what to do. My MIL lived 60 miles away so I saw her maybes once a month amd she was always in good spirits. I know as much as my medical team tells me, and always follow their advice. But they don't tell us about the emotions we would go through. We have a nurse navigator that's supposed to guide us through all this, but she was only there when I needed help with my surgery decision. I haven't heard from her since. But I'm so happy to have found this site to help me through all this. My friends have been a great support and always check on me. But no one outside of here knows what we're feeling.
I am trying to "rejoin normal life"... Especially this time of year I sing with different choir groups for various Christmas concerts and masses. Even though I feel well, I know I'm still recovering and have to finish rads. So I've had to pick and choose what I can and can't do which is hard, because my old self wants to do it all. Singing is my passion and Christmas is "the most wonderful time of the year", so it's tough to have to say No to things I've been doing for the last 10 years or so. But it is what I need to do for myself to heal.
I know there will be those who don't know what Ive been through and will probably think I'm being lazy. Since I'm "so young" (at age 46) and don't have kids, I should have the energy to do what they (in their 60s with grandkids) should be able to do... It can be hurtful, but I don't play the cancer card. I'll just let them think whatever they want. It's not worth my energy to have to explain why I do what I do.
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Leatherette - I was thinking this morning what else can go wrong with my health, I think we are still in he emotionally roller coaster, I cried when I was think about few months ago I was healthy and strong. I think I need to stop think about he past and look ahead instead.
Sunny - that's good your RO will provide cream, I wait for my consultation and find out what I need to get. Believe me I'm kind of nervous of uncertainty. Normal ... today we went to farmers market and I felt good just able to walk the blocks. No way near I can do what I did before I DX. I was telling my hubby 2/3 of my feet are numb I’m just happy I able to walk. Enjoy your singing, I still worry to go into a crowds and I told my husband we might able go to church in couple weeks. My wbc should be normal by then.
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Sunnyjay, thanks for articulating what I was talking about in more detail. I am also 46, so get that, too. We are young, just doesn't always feel that way now. And I can totally relate to the trying to do something because you feel normal, then getting dizzy and having to cut it short. I love singing, too!
Travelhound, I agree that we have been/are still going through a horrifying experience, I just thought I'd be a little happier, not more freaked out, after I had my last chemo. And since I didn't get the taxotere this last round, I actually feel much better physically. I think I have "being strong" fatigue.
Paulette, I agree we have to look forward-it's just that looking forward is a little scary, too. We will never be the same as we were pre-bc, but we can still be pretty great, right? I also feel like there is some wisdom I am supposed to have, to take better advantage of what I have, live in the moment more, attitude of gratitude, etc., but that hasn't presented itself at all! I'm just impatient. I just spent a week trying to get physically un-constipated, now I am just mentally so.
So glad we have each other to work through this with. Even the most awesome well-meaning people can't relate if they haven't been through it. I know I didn't know shit until this happened to me.....
Be well, ladies!
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