2017 Diagnosed-- A Place To Share "Whats Next"
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Pink, I've not noticed a change when it comes to insects. I've always been an insect magnet. They liked me before, they like me now. I do think I'm more sensitive to heat, though. Lots of itchy, prickly skin if I get too hot and sweaty.
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Pink, I thought it was just me! Everyone last summer was complaining about the bugs/mosquitos being so bad, but I never had the first bite. Thought I was crazy when I noticed it and linked it to chemo. Thanks for sharing ☺️
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Finished treatment last year and almost no mosquitoes bites - usually I am a mosquito magnet. I also was very heat sensitive.
This year, still heat sensitive and mosquitoes are back munching on me:( They even found my weak spot. I had one vein collapsed post chemo (it's getting better) and they just bit me there!
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Hershey- did you have rads? I've noticed when I get hot and sweaty, the areas that had rads begin to get prickly and itchy. I'm guessing something to do with damage to the sweat glands there?
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Good to know others noticed the same thing with mosquitoes. I guess that's one positive for chemo.
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Cpeachy, good catch! I did have radiation. Maybe these skin reactions are lingering side effects from treatment.
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53NANCY— wishing for you nothing but good news at your doctor’s appointment today
Annbee—. How are you doing after surgery? Hope you are feeling well and starting to enjoy your summer
Dazzlingeagle- sending you hugs.. hoping your rads are doing their job and that you will soon see positive results.
It’s been REALLY hot here. Looking forward to a break later this week. Hope everyone is doing well
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Hello! I am new to this post. Though I have been active on some of the others. I just found this one today. I was diagnosed March 6, 2017 on the right side, and March 21, 2017 on the left side. I just finished up my maintenance Herceptin treatments in late May!! Woohoo!! No doctor appointments until August!!!
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Oceanbum— welcome! Love your username. I would be an ocean bum, if money were no object.
No doctor’s appointments til Aug, well that’s worth celebrating for sure. Woot woot!!
Nice to be finished with chemo. For me, it was like getting one of my days off back for me (I did all my chemos on my day off from work mid week)
Got plans for your summer?
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Hello everyone. DazzlingEagle, I hope that exchange surgery went okay. Ambee, I sure hope you are healing well. DodgersGirl, I planted petunias and lillies, and we are actually trying a small vegetable garden this year - our zucchini actually has a big bloom! I have loved being outdoors again; last year I didn;t fell able. We went camping from June 13 - 16 at the International Peace Gardens on the border between North Dajkota and Manitoba. It was so quiet and peaceful and we had a great time.
Yesterday I saw the oncologist and she told me I am free of cancer and as healthy as I could hope to be. She ordered blood work to check tumor markets and they are down a little from two months ago. She told me if they were high, that she would be calling me back. I hope she will not do that at least until next check to see if they have gone up or down. The CA15-3 came down from 30 to 27, and the CEA came down from 4.3 to 4.1. The CA15-3 is still considered to be high, but normal range is 0 - 25. I have tried find information on line about what is considered elevated vs high, but it is also so confusing.
I guess, in a sense, there is hardly ever going to be a time that we won't have something to worry about.
Anyway, hope you all have a good week. We are headed out tomorrow for a few days to go up north to two funerals - one tomorrow and one Friday - and are taking the trailer because it doesn't make sense to go up, come home, then go up again.0 -
Hi Dodger's Girl! Thanks for the welcome! I live in Ohio so I'm not a full-time Ocean Bum. I would love to be, as you said, if money were no object!! I am about once a year for a week. Though last year, for obvious reasons, I wasn't able to go. I really miss it!!
Yes, I am SO happy to be done with chemo!! It was getting to be a drag for sure!! I finally feel like my life is beginning to return to some sort of normal!! When I did my chemo I did it on Fridays. So I took Friday and Monday off for a rest day. I found I was OK for Friday and most of the weekend. But by Monday I was completely wiped out. I didn't take any time off for my Herceptin treatments. The cancer center is like 3 minutes from my office. So I would just run down, do my treatments and come back to work. I do have to admit I would get a little sleepy in the afternoon, though.
We plan a family vacation in Sept to Gatlinburg, TN. We aren't doing our normal beach vacation because we have a new grandson!! He's 2 months old and we decided to wait until he's a little older for a beach vacation. We're all really excited!!
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Hello Oceanbum, so good to hear that you've got through the chemo days and that side effects will lessen in a short time. Havew a great summer/
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Hi 53nancy! Thanks for the welcome! Congrats on being cancer free!! That's always good to hear!! I know it's hard not to worry. I try not to. But it creeps up on me all the time. It sounds like you do alot of camping. We used to but we sold our camper 5 or 6 years ago. We had it on a permanent site at a lake for about 5 years. We really enjoyed it. Our daughters had a blast there when they were little.
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Oceanbum—. Congrats on the grand baby!! So precious.
Gatlinburg sounds cool and quiet. It’s so hot outside right now that the thought of green trees and cool nights sounds great to me.
Where do you usually do your beach vacations?
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53Nancy- cancer free— woot woot woot!!!!
Sorry about the loses and the funerals. Hugs to you there.
My garden is doing well this year. Last year we planted before I started chemo and then ignored it for most of the season. I think I picked 3 tomatoes— gave the rest of the garden bounty to friends and squirrels/bunnies/birds in the yard. This year my zucchini plants are huge and will be picking zucchini this weekend. Cucumbers are 8 foot tall ( we grow them vertically) tomatoes are growing s are the Brussels sprouts. Flowers are in bloom and filling their containers. I sure missed being outside last season.
Again, woot woot to your great cancer free news!!
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Thanks DodgersGirl. I hope that everything is going well for you. Yes, being outdoors makes a huge difference. Our peonies are so huge, but I am not sure how to put a picture on.
Have a great week and happy gardening. And vertical cucumbers; we will have to try that. We have chain link fencing on two sides of our pergola.0 -
Dodger's Girl, thanks!! Yes, being a grandparent is awesome!! This little guy is our first!! We are enjoying him so much!! He's here tonight for Grammy to babysit!!
We go to different beaches. We used to go to the Brunswick Isles in NC and went to several of the beaches along the coast there. St Augustine, FL one year. Most recently we have been going to the gulf coast. We love Panama City Beach, FL. But our favorite is St Pete Beach, FL. We want to try Destin or Fort Walton Beach. I hear great things about them.
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Oceanbum—. Reading all the beach locations, I am ready to go. DH has agreed if BC returns, we are going to take a trip to the ocean (it’s the plan, anyway). Something very relaxing about the sound of the waves crashing on shore.
Enjoy your grand child’s visit tonight!
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I enjoyed my visit with my little guy so much!! He gave me some grins!! That warms my heart so much - it's good for the soul!!
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oceanbum—. When will you see your grandson again? Does he live close by
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Yes, he does. Both of my daughters live in town so I see them at least once a week. And talk to them at least once a day. I babysit for him once a week so my daughter and her hubby can attend practice for the "Great Seal Band". It's a local band made up of former high school band members and directors. They play concerts around town for graduations and various functions. They are really quite good. They play alot of patriotic music and marches. My daughter is a clarinet and my son-in-law a saxophone. They were in high school band together. I was a clarinet in high school band, too. My daughter plays my clarinet. She also plays flute, trumpet, violin, piano, and saxophone. She's very musically talented.
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Dodgers Girl: Don't wait, just do it! Dip your toes in that ocean.
Oceanbum: Glad to hear everything is going well for you. Lots of hugs for that little grand baby.
Nancy: What is a tumour marker test? How often do you get that done? I don't think I've ever had that. I'm always amazed at the difference in treatments and options others have.
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pink_is_my_colour: used all my vacation and sick time last year for surgeries. ☹️
Hoping to see the ocean next year.
How are you doing?
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DodgersGirl: Doing okay. Hair looks like Albert Einstein most days. It sure is taking it's time coming in. It's at a very awkward stage. Not long enough to do anything with and too short to lay down. Energy is mostly back. Still having digestive issues though. In some respects it feels like my body has done a re-boot. Too bad you don't have any vacation time left. Make sure you go next year no matter what. I'm retired, so every day is a vacation day for me. The closest ocean for me is a 13 hour drive.
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pink_is_my_colour—. I call my hair style the “Ann Burrell’ as it is curly but wants to stand up all over. I think it will straighten out as it gets longe
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I had the most exciting thing happen to me the other day. I guy I know came in our office. I haven't seen him in a couple of months. He said "Wow. You have like a whole head of hair now! A real do!" I just laughed! It was funny!! Before diagnosis my hair was to my waist. I got it cut short so it wouldn't be so shocking when I lost it. Now that it's coming back in & I think it's a little thicker people are telling me they like it short.
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Oceanbum— me, too! Had hair to my waist before dx. NEVER thought about cutting it short because what if I didn’t like it? Loved my long hair where I could wear it up or leave long and free. But after losing all my hair, am finding I look fine with short hair, like the feel of the breeze thru my hair without worrying about the wind messing up my hair, and like how quickly my hair dries after a shower. Thinking I might just keep it short for now. When my chemo curl goes away, I may revisit the long hair though
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I do like shorter hair. But right now it’s not even a short hair cut. Looks like a man! And any little bit f wind it’s sticking straight out. Every now and then I’ll catch myself in the reflection of a mirror or a store window and just shake my head in disbelief. Not a good look but have to be patient. I think the Letrozole has something to do with how slow it’s growing.
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Hi all! I had my Iron Infusion two days before I left for my beach trip. (I didn’t go anywhere last year and was so ready for it. It was sad when we had to leave) I have more energy, didn’t have to go to bed early all week, and got a marvelous sunburn on my back. (I don’t even care!) I have another infusion today and hope to feel even better.
We went to the Outer Banks in NC and got to see the wild horses on the beach. It was really amazing.
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TaRenee— what a beautiful photo. Thanks for sharing. Love the ocean and hope to visit a beach next year.
Iron transfusion?? Were you tired? Numbers low? Hope the transfusion gives you continued energy!
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