Starting Chemo in July 2017
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I went to support group yesterday, that was my second time to go, first time was before chemo, during chemo the support group is on my bad day so I can't join. When we talked about my chemo journey I still get emotional. BC changed my life completely and I can't go back I only can go forward to accept it. I appreciated each day in life now, I don't get mad with my hubby because I realized how much he loves me. I appreciated each moments in life now. I thanks God for each day because I treasure what I have now.
I think BC made me more humble and really in touch of my feelings. Chemo made me realized life can be so unpredictable and how strong we can be also.
This also posted in August Group!
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Hi ladies! I'm back from my AMAZING experience in San Diego... the Komen 3-Day for the Cure. I walked 11-13 miles each day (4-6 miles at a stretch), felt great and finished strong. Most significantly, it was an incredibly emotional and empowering weekend. Being around so many survivors, and amongst so many people who just showered me with love and support was incredible. I laughed, I cried, and for the first time in a really long time, I felt normal - and strangely, it was because of my diagnosis!!
Now back to the grind... flew in last night. Radiation simulation this morning and chemo this afternoon.
A note on my simulation... was told I can wear deodorant, just not four hours before, and they recommend not four hours after. Apparently new studies have shown no difference in timing of skin breakdown with no deodorant vs deodorant vs aluminum-free.
Hope everyone is doing well... skimmed through the updates...
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Jen, you are amazing, what an unforgettable three days for you, your determination just incredible.
Hi ladies - I’m so thankful to meet all of you when I was down and walked through the rough path of my life. You helped me so much and I like to thanks everyone of you.
Happy thanksgiving to you and your family!!
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Jen, what an awesome experience! I can't believe you did all that while still in the chemo phase! How many more infusion days do you have?
Paulette, I feel the same way. I appreciate each day I'm given, and try my best to stay positive and not let anything get me upset. Whenever I tell someone about my experience with BC they can't believe how upbeat I am about it. I guess when people hear "cancer" they always think it's all gloom and doom. And I thought the same thing before I was diagnosed. I learned a lot from these forums about what to expect and how to deal with the hand we're dealt with. I am thinking of joining a support group in my area as well. Maybe after rads, I'll try and find a BC survivors group. With work and the daily rads schedule makes it hard to do anything else. I've already had to change my rads schedule several times to accommodate work meetings. I'm so glad the rads center has been flexible with finding me an alternate time, even if it's early in the morning. My sessions are usually mid-afternoon, so I just take my lunch break later.
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I haven't been on her or face for almost a week. I caught a cold and the sinus pressure was causing a headache that got so much worse whenever I picked up my iPad. So I just took a break. I haven't caught up on what I've missed, just wanted to say hello.
I didn't get a headache at all today, so I thought I'd post a hello and hopefully catch up tomorrow on all the news. Hope everyone is well.
Hugs and prayers
Theresa
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Jen, I had been wondering where you were. I think you and I are one of the few still getting chemo. that sounds like an amazing weekend. I can't imagine having that kind of energy right now. Good for you. I caught a cold a week ago and have been really down with fatigue. I have taxol 11 tomorrow and I'll get a liter of fluids cuz my MO thinks I"m dehydrated. She is also cutting the dose down for the last 2.
Paulette. Sounds like the support group was a good experience. I have not been able to go to ours either for the same reason, it is on a night I'm too tired. I'm glad to hear it was good.
Theresa, I hope that sinus infection clears up soon. sounds miserable.
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Paulette...well said. I am thankful for so much this year and believe there is good that can (and will) come out of this for all of us. Beauty from the ashes is something I frequently tell myself.
Jen...you rock! Sounds like you had a wonderful time. So glad you were able to go and enjoy! I am looking into the 3 day one in Minneapolis next Aug.
Teese...Hope you feel better soon and sending you a big hug!
Sunnyjay...how is rads going for you besides the scheduling issues? That is ?what gives me the most anxiety about rads...their schedule, my schedule and how it will work! Seriously we deserve easy! How many do you have left?
Travel...Hope the fluids perk you up a bit. I have a friend who received weekly chemo for ovarian cancer this past spring/summer, she received fluids frequently and it always helped her "bounce" back.
Big news today...get my port OUT this afternoon! YAY! And Friday I have all my appts with radiologist to get radiation set up. I am 3 wks out from last chemo! Life is returning to normal. Side effects are mainly gone...some mild neuropathy in my toes (just feel in morning on my first steps out of bed and once in a while during exercising) and an extremely dry nose and feeling a little dehydrated when I forget to drink my water. Still some shortness of breath (esp on stairs) but exercising about 5x per week, running, walking, strength work and yoga. Am able to run for 30+min with out walk breaks... slow pace but just building my base up again. There is a pretty active bc support group in town. I have went to 1 event last month and plan to go to the monthly meeting next week. Trying it out to see if it is a good fit for me.
Post Chemo Life feels pretty darn good!
Wishing you all in the U.S. a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving. I am very grateful for all of you!
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Good morning ladies,
Teese - hope you are going on the path of feeling well now, so sorry that you caught a cold after chemo 😐
Travel - send you all the positive vibes and prayers. So happy to hear from you
Sunny - tell us more about your rads, hows your skin? I’m with you, we get up each morning, it is up to us to be happy or sad, might as well be happy. Don’t let Cancer knock us down.
Runnermum and Jen - you two are such a runners so much determination! I envy you two.
I’m stepping into my 2 weeks post chemo, I got 80% of my taste buds back, appetite slowly gain a little, didn’t gain any weight, I still have hot flashes (only on my head) especially at middle of the night. Neuropathy still there not as numb as before. Only see little bit of hair is growing still bald, no eyebrows. My sinus is not as dry as before I still use spray. I cut Ativan and melatonin out for my sleeping for few days already.
Have a happy thanksgiving, will check back later.
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I had rads #11 out of 28 today, and so far I'm feeling pretty good. I still get some dizziness when I'm lying on the table. I think it's a combination of the techs moving me back and forth, and the fact that the table is so narrow. At first I was afraid that I might fall off when they move it back and forth. But the anxiety is getting better each day. I just try and think happy thoughts when I'm lying there. The music that is streaming into the room also helps. Yesterday was Josh Groban whom I love!! Today was some mellow folk music, which I was not a fan of. Some of the lyrics were depressing... LOL
My skin has not changed much. Even the peeling I experienced last week has resolved itself. It must be the aloe vera gel doing it's job.. I apply the aloe 3 times a day: in the morning after I shower, in the afternoon after rads, and in the evening before I go to bed. I haven't experienced any dryness, so I haven't applied any moisturizer. I have been using Eucerin as my daily moisturizer for the rest of my body, so I'll continue using it on radiated areas since everyone here seems to like it. As far as the fatigue, I noticed that I get sleepy earlier than my normal sleep time. And I have been sleeping through the night.
Runnermum, I always thought rads had to be done at the same time every day, and if I couldn't make it on a particular day they would just add an extra day at the end. I'm glad that I can reschedule if there's a spot available. I don't want to add days and extend it longer than I have to. Seeing your activity reminds me that I need to do more. My rads schedule has interfered with my gym schedule, but I really need to get back into it. My RO strongly advised me to get at least 20 minutes of activity each day... it can be as simple as running around with the kids or gardening. Since I have no kids or a garden to tend to, I guess that means I have to increase my daily steps or make time for the gym.
Teese, colds are a bummer. I still have a lingering cough from a cold I had 3 weeks ago! I hope you are well enough to enjoy the Thanksgiving holidays.
Paulettek, glad to hear the chemo SE are getting resolved as time goes by. I don't get as many hot flashes now, but I was getting it at night also for several weeks. The neuropathy in my fingers is pretty much gone, but still have it in my toes.
Does anyone have a good recipe for sauteed or pan-fried brussel sprouts? Since the turkey will occupy the oven, I will have to prepare them on the stove.
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sunnyjay-- have an easy and tasty crockpot Brussels sprouts recipe:
2 1/2 - 3 lbs Brussels sprouts cut in half
2T oil
2 T butter cut into SMALL cubes
Salt and pepper to taste
Coat Brussels in oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Put in crockpot. Put butter cubes over top of sprouts.
Cook high for 2 hrs or low for 3 1/2 - 4 hours until browned.
We really like these.
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I officially have one chemo left.... amen to that...
Happy thanksgiving everyone... i am so grateful for you ladies.
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Congratulations to those who are almost done chemo! I think there are two of u? Also happy thanksgiving to my American friends. We have so much to be thankful for now. Life, family, friends and eachother here. God bless
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Happy thanksgiving to everyone!!!!!
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Excited to be cooking, tasting and eating......
sweet potato gratin
pumpkin pie
mushroom gravy
celebration field roast (Vegan turkey alternative-good, I promise!)
cranberry sauce
stuffing
carrots, peas, brussel sprouts
I started to really fantasize about food when I couldn't eat during chemo-the concept of "food porn" is now totally understood by me.
I hope you all have a good day. I am very thankful for each and every one of you!
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Leatherette - I started cooking more now, now I actually don’t mind cooking. I’m meeting my brother for lunch .....
Everyone
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Happy Thanksgiving! Love you all
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Happy (Belated) Thanksgiving!
My DH and I went up the coast to the Big Sur area, and we enjoyed every minute of it! The dinner we had last night was amazing, and our time up there was beautiful. I hiked every day, and felt really good during and after each hike. Over the three days (Wed, Thu and today) I hiked 12 miles with a total elevation gain of 1500'+. I can't tell you how good it felt to be back on the trail, with some elevation to gain!
Today is a big day, it is exactly seven months from the day I got the call from my Dr. telling me it's breast cancer and six months from my surgery (well, it was really May 25th, not 24th... but who's counting?). I also just crossed the two month mark for PFC (Nov. 21st) and the two week mark for post final radiation (Nov. 22nd).
So, I was (and am!) ecstatic that I was able to go to one of my favorite places and hike the trails I love and enjoy a good meal! Everyday I feel better than the one before! Still some tightness around my ankles and feet, but overall, it's workable and does get better as I stretch them out.
Also, my hair is coming back nicely. At the 2 month PFC mark, I'm happy with the amount. It is coming in dark and gray, mostly gray, and maybe a little bend in the hair. It's a little more than .5" long, so hard to tell how much curl I'll have. I can officially feel the wind go through my hair now, which feels incredible!
I hope all of you are doing well. I can definitely say, there is a good life on the other side of treatment!
-LoJo
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LoJo - your hair grew back fast, soon you don’t need a hat anymore. What about eyebrows? I’m going into radiation soon, how did you do on rads?
I hope everyone are doing well!
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Hi Paulette!
I stopped wearing a hat/scarf a few weeks ago, and it feels great! I just stopped caring once there was some hair growing in, even though I still had some thinner spots. Now it is filling in and getting a bit more even.
Eyebrows and eyelashes - lost ALL of them. They are growing back. Eyebrows are growing in, still a little thin in spots, but they are looking better every day. Eyelashes are about half their full length at this point, and growing more each day. Still can't curl them with an eyelash curler, but hope I will be able to by Christmas. Just happy they are coming back in!
I did fine with radiation. It got very red during week 5 and 6, but no major issues. I was very good about keeping Miaderm on the radiated area (3-4 times per day). The worst was the last few days when the skin began to chafe in the underarm area and I got a couple little blisters. This area started to feel better within days of the last radiation appointment. I'm now almost 3 weeks out from post radiation and most spots have done one big peel and I have secondary peeling happening in some spots. But, overall, the skin looks really good, and the new skin is very soft!
I'm now ready to get my port out, which is happening on December 5th.
I hope everyone is doing well!
-LoJo
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LoJo - woot woot!! I’m so happy for you, you look like a normal person now! I think you are the first one in our group got your hair and eyebrows back! I just had my mapping done today so I should start my radiation in couple weeks. I’m going to use Miaderm also, I got one tube on hand, I need order couple more so I have enough to cover six weeks.
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Lojo, at what point in radiation did you start using Miaderm
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Thanks for posting all of your good news, LoJo, and congratulations!
Here is my hair almost three weeks PFC:
I keep patting it and (gently) rubbing it. My 14 y.o. daughter says it's creepy! Oh well.
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Leatherette- are you taking or using anything? You got more hair fuzzy than I do.
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here's my fuzz at week 12 of Taxol! My daughter says it feels like a bunny... I look super tired but happy to have hair! (And it's coming in way blonder than I thought it would!)
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Jen - wow you got more hair than I expected! It’s funny how your cat checked you out. How’s your last infusion?
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Last infusion is at 2 pm!! For the nurses, I decided to order cookies from our bake shop here at work ... they turned out super cute!
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Congratulations, JenRuns! Love the cookies! Also, I started using Miaderm on Day 1. I'd put it on right after the session in the changing room, then again in a few hours, then again in the evening and one more time at bed. Sometimes I missed the evening application and only got three in. I DID NOT use it in the morning before my appointment.
Leatherette and JenRuns - Love the hair shots! I was taking a picture a week after I buzzed off what little remained. It is so interesting to see how hair grows back! It is just starting to fill in (i.e. can see less of my scalp). I had really thick hair with some wave to it. It was dark with some gray in it. Definitely more gray now, but still some dark pieces. I was actually hoping it would come in a pretty gray, cuz then I'd just keep it like that, but I think it's going to be more of a dirty looking salt and pepper, so may go back to coloring it. We'll see as it gets longer.
I'll try and post a picture of my hair when I get home tonight!
Paulette - Hang in there, the hair will come. Mine started to show up ~3 weeks PFC.
Honestly, the eyebrows were the most annoying hair loss for me... I'm very bad at drawing them in, so I'm happy they are growing back. I wish my leg hair had decided to stay away... that is growing like crazy now. It was nice to not need to shave all summer!
-LoJo
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Here is the back of my head 9 weeks PFC. There is more back there than I realized!
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Dmjmom- I can see your hair are coming back ... woot woot!!
Jen - love the cookies they are so cute, I’m so happy we finished one by one, we are going to be at the end of the tunnel soon.
LoJo - I agreed I wish my eyebrows come back sooner. I’m tired of drawing my eyebrows, I pretty good draw my right brow, but the left eye I can’t do a good job.
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Hello all,
Finally over the cold, just in time to start rads. Yesterday was a practice session and today was the first. I'll have 25 + 5 boosts. 1/30 done.
Jen, hooray, your done! The cookies were such a cute idea. Wow, we're just about done for the July chemo group I think. Anyone else finishing up?
The hair pics are such a boost for those still waiting for growth, (me). Thanks! Jen, Dmjmom and leatherette you all look beautiful!
My sisters came to stay for Thanksgiving and they made dinner for us all. Thank goodness as I was still feeling puny. But it all tasted wonderful.
Have a good evening.
Theresa
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