Starting Chemotherapy March 2018
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Becky--I think you would look great with that cut... go for it!
I haven't decided what I"m going to do once mine grows out enough to do something with it. I know getting it colored will be first on the list though! My grays seem to have multiplied while on chemo.Everyone that has started rads.. how are you doing? I'm halfway through and no side effects at all so I'm hoping it stays that way, or at least stays minimal. They called to cancel my appointment this morning though because the "system was down" and that pushes me back another day. Oh well...
My port removal is scheduled for July 18th.. looking forward to that. Not very easy to hide it when I'm trying to wear summer clothes like bathing suits and tank tops.
Hope everyone had a nice 4th of July and is feeling great!
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Hi ladies - Pic of my hair 9 weeks PFC. Beck-ky and Steph, thanks for being inspirational!! If over half of my hair was not white, I would probably be thinking of trying a day without a wig. Mine really stepped it up between weeks 5 and 7. Now it is filling in much more evenly as well - for a while I had some fuller spots, and some very sparse areas (prompting tons of anxiety of course, wondering if those would be bald forever). But I can rub my hand across my head now and only feel soft hair, not scalp. I can't wait to get it colored - want to wait until about week 12, give it a full 3 months.
13 rads down, but I have a long course so 18 left to go. So far so good, using a ton of products I read about; they seem to be helping. Happy to share the list if anyone starts to have reactions. My RO keeps saying "it's coming"...and on this one point only, I really hope he is wrong.
Can't say enough about the rads techs - they are all so awesome and supportive. And yesterday I had the unexpected blessing of meeting a couple in the rads waiting room who were celebrating their 63rd wedding anniversary - wow. Lingering chemo SE - had to file all my fingernails down again extremely short, as my right index fingernail started to lift, just like that. Hoping it was a one-time thing but going to be extra careful just in case.
Hoping everyone continuing toward the end of their chemo journey is doing well! Keep looking forward - each day brings you one day closer. Yang, really thinking of you and hoping that you are OK.
Wishing all a great weekend.
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Hi everyone!
I have been trying to catch up with where everyone is at - just got back from a week in Mexico with the family and then the 4th of July holiday kept us pretty busy. Reading everyone’s posts - I can’t seem to retain information 5 minutes after I read it. I have to start taking notes! 🤯
Love the pics of everyone’s sprouts! I have some soft peach fuzz coming in. Bare patches and about 20% eyelash loss. Not overjoyed that the leg hair is coming back. Started rads yesterday. Going to do 20 treatments with a boost of 5 to tumor bed. My RO recommended higher dose and shorter course. I have a 90 minute round trip commute every day now. 😬
My boob is a little red and kind of sore - need to keep it slathered and pick up some bras I can toss after. My RO recommended calendula instead of aquaphor, but I am going to use both. Hapa - thanks for the tips.
I have now had 2 rounds of just herceptin - I have to say it is a lot easier to tolerate than the full TCH. Follow up echo showed normal ejection fraction, but my heart did enlarge slightly and one of my valves has a little damage. Cardiologist didn’t seem concerned.
Yang - hang in there! It is hard to steel yourself for the next round when you know what is coming. It is hard to tell what they are giving you - the only med I recognize is omeprazole. They premedicated me with Ativan, Benadryl, Tylenol, solumedrol, varubi, ranitidine and zofran. I usually felt ok that day, then crummy for the next 4-5 days. I hope they can figure out a better regimen for you. You are way too young to throw in the towel without a fight!
Stay strong, you are all amazing warriors
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Attaching a pic of my sprouts and a photo from recent Mexico vacation with my family.
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Persickety- love the family picture looks like everyone was having a great time.. I'm jealous you've go so much hair already coming back. How long has it been since you've stopped chemo?
I'm so excited to be with you all and have the sprouts starting Taxol #5 of 12 done yesterday. just about to start my binge watching Friday movies...
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I am 7 weeks PFC
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Persnickety - that is seriously a great family photo!! I love how you look like you're laughing and... Just so happy! ❤️
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I am loving the hair pics. Hoping to be where Wildcolonialgirl is around my late October birthday, and even longer when I go visit my kids for Thanksgiving. :-)
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Persnickety love the family photo - so beautiful! And you are absolutely gorgeous!!
Definitely include calendula in your rads regime - there are some studies which have definitely shown it helps. I am mixing pure calendula oil in cetaphil for dry skin as part of the routine.
Glad to hear more are starting to sprout!
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Persnickety--gorgeous photo! Looks like you had a really relaxing vacation. You have quite a bit of hair coming in at the back! Mine seems to be sparse all around with a lot of bald/thin patches, but we'll see what happens. I'm more bummed that there's so much more gray now than I am about the sparsity of it!
I am taking note of everyone's rads tips. Right now I'm just using Aquaphor, but I was also prescribed Mometasone (sp?) in case I need it. So far I have zero irritation though at times my breast seems kind of tender "inside" if that makes sense. Especially if I lay on it wrong while I'm sleeping. Almost like the feeling I would get right before my period and my breasts would feel a little sore. From the outside I don't notice anything different.
Yang-- I agree with the others and feel there must be SOMETHING your doctor can do to relieve your misery, even if just a little bit! Hang in there and keep fighting!
Hope everyone has a relaxing weekend!!
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Chemo Done!!!!
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Congrats RVS! My last TCHP is on Wednesday. It can't come fast enough!
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Hapa thank you! Congratulations on your last Chemo. It will be over before you know it.
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Congrats RVS! Hapa, will be thinking of you on Wednesday!
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Whooooooo!!! Love all the finishing chemo!! ❤️
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Congrats to all finishing this week!!!
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Yesterday I decided was the day to try the warrior look and went wigless to the office, rads, and then to a casual dinner with my family. Felt a little self-conscious at first but then completely forgot I didn't have a wig on. It was so nice - particularly because it was so hot! Now if only I was ready to color it again yet!
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Good Morning Ladies, I am 13 days PFC and starting to feel better once again. So looking forward to feeling better and better as I leave chemo behind. I have my first HP only infusion next week, hoping that is easy to tolerate in comparison to TCHP. I had my surgical consult and plastic surgery consult on Monday as well as repeat MRI and Mammogram. I am supposed to get confirmation on my actual surgery date hopefully today, but they said it will be sometime the week of 8/6. The surgeon is also supposed to let me know this week if I can keep my nipples or not--the calcifications may be too close to the nipple to be safe. I was hoping to keep them though...
I still have very few eyebrows and lashes left, but the eyebrows are trying to grow back in. I guess they may fall out again before this is over. I had to cut my finger nails short to get rid of the splits and cracks and I have a big toenail that looks like it may be lifting. I am attaching a picture of my hair after Dignicap. If one were to lift the piece of hair in the middle of the back of my head, you would see that there is almost nothing under it, but I still have the illusion of a full-head of hair especially with a ponytail. Ironically, I have lost more hair in the past 2-3 weeks than I have since the big shed at the beginning. Really hoping it doesn't all decide to fall out now after all that money and time spent freezing during tx.
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Wild-
I'm about to that point too... My hair is almost to the point where it looks like I have this style on purpose... ALMOST. I'd say another week or 2 and I'll be more brave to go with no wig or cap.
Yay... Im just hoping that when I go back to work Aug 6th that I'm confident enough to go with nothing. I have to check in and weight/vitals and minor prepping people for surgery (shave etc) I just really hope it be long enough so that I can pull it off without too much attention. It's hard to go from long hair To a buzz cut. I'm just grateful it's growing though. 🙂
Here's me 6 weeks PFC
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Bec-ky your hair looks great! You're 3 weeks behind me so you will definitely be ready!
Sidalee, wow on how much hair you retained! Seems like the cap really worked for you, even with some thinning underneath (that we can't all see
) Best of luck with getting ready for surgery.0 -
Sidealee-Good for you!!! Your hair looks beautiful! So happy to hear success stories with CC! Good luck with your next phase!
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Bec-ky, it looks like you have very even growth, and the color is pretty too! I love seeing the encouraging photos!
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Aaaaand I'm done! Last TCHP was today. I have my surgical consult tomorrow so I didn't get the Neulasta Onpro, I'll just have an injection when I go in tomorrow.
Sid - wow, I'm impressed with how much hair you have left, you really can't tell anything is amiss! Good luck with keeping your nipple, I'm trying to keep mine too but its pretty dicey.
Bec-Ky - your hair is really looking good!
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Hapa, RVS and Sidalee (and anyone else I’m forgetting) congrats on finishing!!! It’s a great feeling! I’m 6 weeks PFC tomorrow and sometimes the whole chemo thing just seems so surreal and I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not just dreaming it’s over. I will have to say that I truly appreciate feeling good now and try to live each day to the fullest. I don’t know, I feel like it changed me in a lot of positive ways even though the future is always uncertain (I try not to think about that part!)
Sidalee your hair is amazing! So happy CC worked for you! And Becky your hair is growing in so dark and even all over...looks great! You’ll be ready to ditch the wig in no time! I have to say my hair has really been coming in this week..it’s suddenly much darker! But it’s still pretty uneven. I’ll take another pic soon. Just glad that it’s growing. Unfortunately the hair on my legs, armpits and bikini area are now growing in rapidly as well. Back to shaving this week I guess
So happy to see all the positive updates! 💕
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I should add.... I take 6000mcg of Biotin.
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Bec-ky, wondering about biotin...ok while doing radiation?
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Rwns - absolutely ok per my radiation onc 🙂
And many take thru chemo as well. There is also an article I read that says it can be helpful during rads.
http://www.biotin.com/cancer/biotin-enhances-radiotherapy-for-breast-cancer-patients
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Congrats Hapa and all others finishing chemo this week! So happy to hear that most of you are feeling well and bouncing back
My surgeon called yesterday afternoon and said the nipples have to go, the calcifications are too close and she said it's a risk that doesn't make sense to take after all I've been through. Makes sense. The calcifications are still so widespread that I would not have been a good candidate for lumpectomy. The good news is that my tumor is completely resolved according to the imaging done on Monday. She also said they found something on my right side near the skin at the edge of the nipple and she's sure it's benign since I had such a great response to chemo...I feel a whole lot more confident in my decision to do a bilateral now, benign or not, that would be another thing to worry and obsess over. Off with them, I say!
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Bev-ky thanks… I have some but had been holding onto them, not sure if they were OK. Good to know!
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Is anyone taking Zometa or any other bone medication?
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