Chemo starting October 2017
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Hey everyone, any word on Jen's surgery
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Hi everyone.
Sitting here in the recliner in my hospital room.
Husband said doctors reported I did well. BS took 5 nodes in one side and 2 in the other. And they looked good.
That's about all I know at this point.
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Woot on the nodes. Sleep well
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Yay, Jenn - you did it! I'm glad the surgeons gave your husband a good report. Rest well and let the nurses take care of you.
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Hey Jen, congrats on your good news! Just rest, let yourself heal, and know you have a lot of friends here cheering you on!! So glad to hear this...
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Joyseeker Sara - a beautiful, majestic police horse just walked by under my window. i don't get to see horses very often here in Brooklyn so it's fun when i do. The horse made me think of you and I just wanted to check in and say hi!
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Agatha. I love that! We had a horse from our barn join the mounted patrol in Calgary not too long ago. As far as a check in I’m well. Recovering from a pretty severe radiation burn under my arm but out for lunch with a friend today so it’s a good day! Saw my surgeon yesterday. Other breast and port will come off aug 29. Seems like a long wait but I’ll be glad to have a procedure free summer!
Cheers and much love to you!
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Jen - Glad you are healing well.
Sara - It will be nice to have the summer free, especially since you are recovering from the burn right now.
I have a "burn"?? underneath my breast in the crease. Because I'm "busty" (as the radiologist said), this is kind of common. There's a big raw spot under there that kind of stings...kind of itches...and is generally uncomfortable, but nor horrendous. They gave me a steroid pack to try and calm it down, plus some Aloe Vesta moisturizer to use, in addition to the Inter-Dry cloth that has silver in it and is moisture wicking. Additionally, he is going to try to see if they can do my boosts next week and give my breast a chance to rest and heal before finishing my last ten whole breast treatments. If this all doesn't help, they'll move on to the Silvadene? cream. This is exactly why he had me go to 33 treatments instead of 20 to help try and prevent some of this. Darn my mom and her big boobed genes!
My SIL had her first chemo last week. I was at the cancer center yesterday for OT when she came in for blood draw (it's a different place than where she has chemo right now). Apparently, last week her ANC was 4.1. I think that's kind of a low starting spot. I was always more in the 8's or 9's on chemo day. So, yesterday, her ANC was .1!!! I was like...holy crap...that's low. Go home and stay away from germs! :-) Hopefully, it was just that the Nulasta hadn't kicked in yet and her numbers hadn't started to climb back up. She promised to stay home and use the UV lights we gave them and stay away from raw fruits and veggies this week. :-) #cancersucks
Hope everyone is doing well!
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petey and joyseeker, I totally sympathize with your radiation burns and pain! I finished two weeks ago today and am happy to report that the visible part of my chest (v neck tees) is no longer bright red, inviting nosy stares. My underarm is still pretty fried but Silvadene and Aguaphor are still helping. I don't need them every day. One day I'm fine and the next I'm itching and burning like crazy. I guess it all just takes time...
Moving on to the hair issues: for those of you who've braved the hair color front can you share your experiences? And the products you used? I bought Clairol Natural Instincts which is labeled semi-permanent but made the mistake of googling before I started and now I'm super nervous to do it. There are quite a few posts from women who say wait the full six months, some tell horror stories of ending up looking like a calico cat, some had zero results...I know I should have just come here first.
What say you all???
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I was discharged today around 12:30. Came home, took a pain pill and slept for a while. I was pretty pain free in the hospital just with the Tylenol put in iv. Didn't need any extra oxy. As expected pain when I move is setting in now and from what I have read Day 3 is usually the worse. Going to have dinner soon and take another oxy.
Oh and no one ever said I would be peeing blue!
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Jennifer- so glad everything went well! Time for rest and recovery
. I just finished 13/30 radiation treatments so almost halfway done. I also get my port out on Monday hooray! Finally getting warm here so happy0 -
Jennifer, so glad to hear you did well with surgery and are back home now. Here is wishing you a speedy recovery!!! And I do not think I peed blue???? or maybe I was too out of it to notice!
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Jenn - wishing u a speedy recovery. Yup, i peed blue for 2 days.
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Jennifer - So glad to hear you are home recovering. I hope the pain is manageable. Oh, that blue dye! My face had a blue tint and I peed/pooped blue. Promise it goes away ;-)
Joyseeker, Tewks and Petey - I start radiation on Tuesday. Thanks for sharing what you've been experiencing. I'm a little nervous about the skin effects. I'm not having underarm nodes radiated so maybe the underarm area won't be so bad for me? One thing my RO warned me about is that since "I'm not a tiny person" I might get what looks like stripes where my skin folds when I'm in position. Tiger stripes - yay! The fun never ends with this stuff.
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Jennifer, glad you're on the mend. You'll be sore for a while yet, but it's so worth it to get rid of those body parts that were hospitable to cancer. Off with their head!
I'm so sorry that the ladies still on radiation are feeling the SEs. Wishing everyone a speedy recovery and lots of aloe! Agatha, it'll be the end of a long journey for you. Good luck getting through it.
I had an oncology massage yesterday. It was heavenly, even though today I'm sore where she dug in. Afterwards, I was perplexed as to whether I should tip her. Normally I tip masseuses, but it felt kind of odd to do so in a hospital setting.... And I didn't tip my acupuncturist.
I ended up splitting the difference and leaving her $10 (the bill was $75) and hoped I neither offended her nor cheated her.
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Hi Girls, Just wanted to thank you for your prayers and positive vibes. Today my oncologist called to tell me the PET scan showed no cancer!!!!! There are tumors on my stomach wall but they are not cancerous. So now I have Gall bladder and tumors to remove but I will take that over going through chemo & radiation again !
Jenn glad things went well with surgery and they got it all. Take care while healing.
I can't believe I will be done next Friday. Next week 5 boosts. My skin is holding up well, using Aquaphor. I could not wear a bra or even a sports bra or anythng with a band. I could not stand anything rubbing on my skin. I just wore camisoles under my clothes. I am large busted but I just covered up my saggy boobs with sweaters, jackets or vests. At home I just wore my husbands white tee shirts.
Have a good night everyone, Happy Healing
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Ow wow, no cancer, that’s outstanding!! What a huge relief...you must be flying!
Aquaphor is great and so are men’s tees, aren’t they? I’m pretty much living in them, two weeks out and my skin is still sensitive but really improving.
I know gall bladder issues can be a challenge but nothing like the winter we’ve all just gone through.
Sleep well, hugs to all!0 -
Woo hoo DKK! Great news.
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Hi Jennifer,
Just checking in to see how you're doing.
I am day 14 post surgery and still have both drains in. PS said maybe they can come out Monday. Both the PS And BS were surprised at my follow- up apps yesterday that they were still producing so much fluid but no concern. They just won't allow me to excercise or sign up for physical therapy until the drains come out.
I am still taking ibuprofen for the pain but it is very manageable. Gave up the Percocet two days ago. Still sleeping on my back with a wedge and can't wait until I can sleep in my side.
DKK- Congrats on your scan. I have one scheduled for next week and hoping all is clear.
In the meantime, my Oncologist is bringing my case before their review board, is recommending me for a clinical trial, has started me on letrozole, rads scheduled for May 1.
This is just a bump in the road. Same old frustration with waiting and getting a new plan in place.
I am so happy for all of you making progress and keeping your plan on track
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DKK - YAAAYYY!!! that's the amazing news that your findings were benign! No surgery is easy but I'm soooooo glad you aren't dealing with "C" there.
Lisa - I hadn't thought about tipping a medical masseuse. I think my instincts would say no in a clinic or hospital setting, but it never hurts to err on the side of generosity. I might need it coming up because of some Modor's Cords I developed under my breast after the lumpectomy.
Simbobby - Side sleeping will come soon and it will be glorious. Keep on healing gently. How are you feeling about the clinical trial? Nervous or excited?
I'm going away to visit friends in Philadelphia for a long weekend before I start radiation on Tuesday. It will be nice to get away before the "lock down" of daily rads for 4 weeks.
Did I tell you guys that my eyelashes and eyebrows have started coming back? It's like one day they absolutely bald and the next there were teeny little lashes. Still nothing but fuzz on my head 9 weeks post-chemo, but it will happen.
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wonderful news DKK!!!
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The brows eyelashes look great, Agatha. Mine are finally back in. You're right, though. One day they were non-existent and the next day there they were! I think it took them about 5 days to get long enough to ditch most of the eyebrow pencil and liquids.
Monday, I meet with the PS to get released. I am hoping that he'll release me to get in a jacuzzi or hot tub. My back could really use it.
Yesterday, I went through all my bras and swimming suit tops. Sent most of them to Goodwill because I lost an entire cup size during reconstruction. Ordered a new swimming top from Lands End that isn't as low cut so that I can figure out some sort of padding. That is the downside to getting immediate implants, but a decision I'm still happy with. Once I lose more weight, my chest won't be as small in proportion.
Last night I went out bra-less. It felt kind of strange but this is my new reality and the only upside to this whole BC mess. But I'm taking advantage of it. I've always hated wearing bras anyway.
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Agatha, I think you look great, lashes and brows are really there! And have a great time in Philly. You’ll certainly have glorious weather for the weekend...finally! And good luck with the rads. I think I was the oddball reaction with my skin issues. Everyone else seems to be flying through inscathed and I must admit I am a tad envious... we’re returning today for an open house and I’m really curious to see the radiation treatment from the “other side” and find out just what it was that I was going through for so long. The whole process really is fascinating.
On a down note, my eyebrows are suddenly MIA. I’d heard it could happen with taxol so I guess it’s my luck that they’re going again.
Oh well, they do come back.
Lisa, I hear you with the smaller boobs. Picture this...I have one B and one C. The C will be replaced with a smaller implant sometime over the summer (I’ve had implants for 30+ years) but meantime it’s no bra less tops for me 😉
Hoping everyone continues to feel better and that we all have a warm spring weekend!!0 -
So much to comment on!! I haven't checked in in a couple of days.
Tewks - I am sorry I can't help you with the color issue. I am just now starting to get baby fuzz, so no hair for me to try and color and I don't know anyone really who did. Someone on here though (I can't remember now who) said they tried something and it didn't take. I wish we were going to have spring weather. We had beautiful weather the last two days. Tonight it's going to storm big time and then tomorrow the temperature is going to drop and it's going to turn to snow. Some northern parts of the state are expected to get 6-10 inches! Luckily, we are only going to get about an inch I think here. I'd sincerely love the spring weather to stay put!!
Jennifer - I am glad you are healing.
Agatha - I am glad it helps to share what's happening. I am not getting tiger stripes. I'm not small either, but I never was told about any striping. weird. I am getting fuzz, eyelashes, and eyebrows back. I really think the Nioxin and Biotin are helping to stimulate that growth. I went a month and a half without doing anything and only got a few sprouting hairs. Two weeks after starting the Nioxin and Biotin, I have growth. So I recommend it if you can do it.
Lisa - I think tipping was a good thing. I really should see about a massage. If nothing else, for my hands and feet. Still dealing with the neuropathy - though it's getting better a tiny bit at a time I think.
Simbobby - I am glad you are healing too, even if it's a bit slower than you'd like. Hopefully, the trial will be a helpful thing!!
DKK - Awesome news on the PET scan!!! What a total relief. Isn't it funny how our perspective can change to, "I can totally take that on now that I've been through chemo!!"?? :-) I can totally understand the not wearing a bra thing. I don't really like not wearing one since I'm large busted, but I can't stand wearing one right now. My nipple is even starting to get sensitive. I bought a camisole, but I don't feel like it holds me in very well. I'm not working, so most of the time its not a big deal to go braless. But I do have a professional conference next week. That's when I'm going to be worried. Hopefully, between the steroid pack and switching to booster treatments next week, I'll be healed enough by Thurs. & Fri. to get away with wearing a bra for two days.
The "blister" under my breast is - I guess - really a yeast infection that is open and sore. I think the steroids are supposed to help and this cloth. The aloe cream is for relief I guess, but it doesn't absorb, so I don't know that it's good for it to sit there all day under my breast. It doesn't really seem to be getting better. I imagine that I will need the silvedene cream. I don't know if I should say something today or wait until Monday after I've had a rest and more steroids. I tried to find a camisole to help hold me in. I bought one that is ok. The "shaping" ones were way too tight. I might stop at Walmart and see if they have this one I saw somewhere else in my size. I don't care most of the time, but I feel weird going to church or my son's school without something. And I definitely don't want to go to my professional conference next week looking like a dumpy slob. oh well. I'll figure something out I guess. And this is really a minor inconvenience compared to chemo...so I can deal with it.
Have a good weekend girls!
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petey I’m on my way out so this is short but please ask for the Silvadene now. It’s an antibacterial cream that’s used on burn victims and it the one thing that helped me the most. Two + weeks out and i occasionally still use it.
It’s used to prevent and/or treat infections...
Let us know? Good luck!
Oh, and please don’t send snow this way 🙏🙏
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Peter. I put galaxal base cream in the fridge, smear it thick on an abdomsl pad, then apply it to my breast. I secure it with a sports bra and leave it all day. I put a fresh one on at night. I have a large “radiation injury” under my arm. I’m a week out of my last treatment and it really progressed in the last few days. I called the NP. She said it was normal and to give it a good two weeks. So. This is what I shall do. I’m on my third large tub of galaxal base
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Here’s my hair progress 8 wks PFC. Still drawing on brows. Baby lashes coming.
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I got the Silvadene cream. Oh lordy that feels good!! It's so cooling on it!!! So glad it's a huge jar!
Sara - I was going to get ABDs at Target yesterday and they didn't have them. I have been to Walmart and Walgreens (twice) since then and forgot to look both times. Pooh. Sunday or Monday I'll get some. It's going to be crummy weather tomorrow. Thanks for reminding me!
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Happy Monday everyone! Petey, im so happy you got the Silvadene and that its helping. Im still using it to relieve occasional burning and its a godsend, isnt it?
Joyseeker, you have hair!! Im so glad you can see some progress there and im sure what we’re all being told will come true...that it does grow back!
Hows everyone else doing? My eyebrows are again hit and miss, but ive become accustomed to thin light brows...so be it. They, too, will return.
I hope everyone had a great weekend. NJ had at least one warm, actually rather hot day and today we’re in for heavy rain all day (translate that to read water in my basement).
Kinda weird to not hear from everyone...0 -
Looks great Joyseeker! Petey- so glad you are feeling better with the silvadene! I am using aquaphor for now but I have a big rash that developed this weekend and it itches. Maybe he will prescribe that for me. Well just got the Zoladex shot today. It is supposed to suppress my ovaries so that I go into menopause. My MO wants me to take the post-menopausal hormone pill - Arimidex. He said because I am close to menopause age (48) and the reoccurrence rate goes way down. I don't know why but very nervous about it. They keep saying I will get hot flashes(already do) and mood swings (wonderful). I guess i have to look at it as doing everything I can to prevent reoccurrence! Hope all is well with everyone. Have a great week!
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