Starting Chemotherapy March 2018
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Love seeing all the hair growth! Everyone looks great.
Bec-Ky - Your hair is warrior chic and pretty fantastic.
Sidalee - Awesome hair. It came through the cold capping with flying colors. Mine had a rougher time, and is frizzy, thin, and nasty but it is hair - hiding under a baseball cap.
We were at the beach last week, and I think between the heat and working out, I had a twinge of lymphedema. It was not awful but definitely noticed something amiss. One more thing to watch...it is like a science experiment.
On the Tamoxifen front, I am still having hot flashes but they are less severe or maybe I am just getting used to them. Crazy stuff.
After loosing eyebrows and eyelashes one month post chemo, brows grew back in very quickly. Lashes are a little slower but are now stubby. My leg hair is growing back in patchy. It is odd. Not sure if this is normal but any hair missing on the body below the shoulders seems good in my book. I am also taking Biotin.
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Hello, everyone
so happy to see many has completed chemo and moving on to radiation. Hairs are coming out, I started to go without hat or wig today.
Has anyone noticed joints pain or arthritis like pain?
I have been having them around my fingers and wrists, initially thought was too much cold water and not keeping them warm, didn’t connect to chemo until I googled and found out there is such thing called chemo induced arthritis.
Tamoxifen will likely make more joints sing once I start.
Good luck to everyone who is working thru chemo, you are almost there!
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Hi all! Hope everyone is doing well. I'm getting my port out tomorrow morning.. has anyone had this done yet and if so what should I expect? I have heard that it's easier than getting it put in. I'm hoping to still be able to go to radiation later tomorrow afternoon but we'll see what happens. My last regular radiation is tomorrow followed by five days of boosts, so I will be done with all of it next Wednesday.. can't come soon enough.
I got my eyebrows done today.. “powder brows" which is similar to Microblading. I'd be happy to post a pic if anyone is interested in seeing it. Feels weird to look at myself in the mirror and see eyebrows after so long of not having them and attempting to draw them in.
In other news...my period appears to have returned after a 3 month hiatus. 😑😑😑
Have a great week everyone!
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Steph74--best wishes tomorrow and congrats on <almost> being done! I'd love to see a pic--I don't know nuthin' 'bout birthin' no eyebrows. Where did you get your powder brows done? How are your eyelashes?
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Steph- yes, please post a pic. I need a solution for eyebrows… Having trouble drawing them in and end up looking either angry or worried!😂
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Ingerp—I never lost all my lashes, but there are some gaps from where they're missing. I use a dark brown eyeshadow to line them and you can't really tell.
Anyway here are my before and afters with the brows. Keep in mind they are SUPER dark for the first week after having them done and then lighten up to a more natural looking result.. and that lasts about 1-2 years before you need a touch up..
I have my wig on in these pics since it does look a little strange to have super dark brows against a nearly bald head 🤣
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Bec-ky,
Our cancers are similar....I just received my oncotype test back....scored a 22. We meet with my oncologist tomorrow to see what her recommendations are. I know it is different for everyone, but what cam I expect while going through chemo? I am seriously so scared and been crying since I found out my score
Thanks for any input.
-Meara
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Sidalee,
I want to do the cc too. It looks like it did wonders for you! Your hair looks beautiful 💗
I have heard it is pricey and may not work. How did you decide?
-Meara
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I can honestly say that chemo for me was not that big of a deal. Certainly not the four and a half months of misery I thought I was signing up for. I was tired sometimes, and it seemed like I got every side effect plus some nobody ever told me about, but none of them were very severe and none were really debilitating. It was more like a hundred little indignities that I had to put up with, not a horrible, debilitating trial of will. I'm one week PFC now and glad it's over, but I also wouldn't warn anyone away from doing it now that it's done. It's a crappy thing you have to go through, but life goes on just like it always has.
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BCSSilver Lining - I echo what Hapa said. Chemo is not fun, it is not pleasant or a walk in the park, but if you educate yourself about what to expect, including all the lovely and potentially lingering SE's, it is very doable. Research, write questions in a notebook, and don't be afraid to ask those questions and ask about alternatives, pros and cons, etc. There are so many women in these forums who can share experiences, advice, and just be there for support. Look on different forum threads, and definitely find a group for your start month - or create one. It's comforting to share the experience with people who are doing this at the same time.
Steph the brows look great! I thought about microblading but my brows are coming back in nicely - with me it's eyelashes again falling out - and I'm thinking about having eyeliner tattooed. And if I can manage to keep my fingernails, woohoo! The yucky part is growing out now and the nails keep lifting - some I have filed so short they are down below the quick, and still showing gaps.
20 rads down, 5 more regular and then 7 boosts. RO adjusted the skin bolus they are using to help with a rash I have on the chest wall. Aside from that very pink but holding on.
Made my appointment for haircolor in 3 weeks. My hairdresser said he'll use a stain, which will be gentler than my usual color. Wearing wigs less - getting used to the warrior look and wearing big earrings.
Wishing all a great evening.
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Steph your brows do look great but they weren't that bad before! Wildcolonialgirl—do you remember when your hair started coming back? I've been telling myself I might see some new growth about a month PFC? Does that sound realistic?
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Steph-wow, you look beautiful! I am definitely going to look into that! Chemo or not, that’s just an awesome enhancement, and lasts so long!
BCSSilver-I’ll ditto Hapa and Wildcolonialgirl, I’m a month out from 4 rounds of TC and feeling back to normal. I had the flu like symptoms for a few days, but was back to work after several days and by day 6 or 7 felt pretty much normal. After 3rd and 4th round, maybe a bit more fatigue and anemic feeling, but I didn’t get neuropathy, fever, mouth sores etc. Like Hapa, I got annoying smaller things, but all faded quickly. Look up Tiffany’s tips on this blog...I followed her advice to the T. I was able to save most my hair with CC. Of course, results vary and some chemo regimens are tougher than others. Good luck to you...I know how scary this is. But it really is doable!
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Ingerp-yes 🙂
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Thanks everyone!
Rwns— this is my third time getting permanent eyebrows (they do fade after a couple of years so I guess it really should be called semi permanent) .. trust me they have come along way with techniques and pigments! Just make sure you do your research first on the places in your area that do them..a lot of people offer microblading and permanent makeup but are not certified. You want to make sure you go to someone reputable so definitely ask around and look at their before and after pictures to make sure you like their technique. Once my eyelashes grow in a little more I'm going to get a lash lift.. that only costs about $40 at my salon and looks amazing!! Lasts quite a while also. Now if only I could do something with my head hair at this point! That will have to wait a little bit longer I guess
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Hi girls! I am 3 weeks PFC today and just so darn excited to be at work and not in the chemo clinic at this moment! I had my first HP only infusion on Tuesday and so far it's a cake walk compared to chemo. I am really relieved since I have 12 more rounds of this to go.
My platelets have continued to drop for some reason, on Tuesday they were at 71. The NP said if they get down to 50 I can't have surgery on 8/10 so we're going to keep an eye on it and draw again in a couple of weeks. Does anybody know if there is something I should be including or increasing in my diet to help my poor little red blood cells get back on track?
BCSilverLining--thanks, I am happy to still have enough hair to look like I have hair to most of the world. I am treated at Mayo Clinic and they offer Dignicap. You have to pay before each session to rent the machine and for me it was $400/session. My mother-in-law and her sister were very generous and they paid for the majority of my treatments as a gift. That's a good thing to mention when people want to know how they can help, they can make a contribution to something that might help you feel a little better during treatment. Also during my research I learned that cold-capping tends to work a little better for people on TC than it does for people on AC so that's something to consider. Go to www.rapunzelproject.org for tips and make sure you can live with things like only washing your hair twice a week, no heat styling, etc. Finally, you have to be prepared for the fact that you will still lose a lot of hair--I have lost at least 50% of my hair volume and I am still losing some every day. It's a commitment for sure.
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I also did cold capping and it was definitely worth it. I had some bald spots but I was able to hide them creatively and they are growing back nicely. There is some stress that comes along with cold capping when you continue to lose hair every time you wash because you wonder what you will be left with. But I absolutely do not regret cold capping. I had my exchange surgery yesterday. All went well. I also had fat grafting from my abdomen because they took so much at mastectomy. My stomach looks much flatter from the 20 lbs I gained from Chemo so I’m very happy about that. Sidalee - good luck with surgery, feel free to ask me anything regarding recon
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Tomorrow is my last radiation treatment!! Whooohooo!
But I had a follow up ultrasound on my liver yesterday... To follow up on some cyst or Hemangioma that they were not worried about when they did an MRI before my breast surgery.
The results were- that the spot they saw 6 months ago was gone.
But...
They see a new spot that they are unsure of so they want a MRI on that.
Ugh. Why!
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Hi guys ,how y'all doing?, I just want to thank you all for pushing and giving that support to do the chemo I finish the 4th one I still hope that is enough but still don't know lol.
I'm glad most of you are done with the chemo and started rads already.
Hugs and kisses to all of you..
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Bec-ky-Sorry you have this extra worry on your last Rad day...kinda cuts the celebratory mood a bit. Hope you still celebrate and don’t have to wait long for results. Sounds like you have a very conservative and thorough team. Virtual hug!
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Yang! I've been thinking about you a lot, glad to hear you were able to push through one more round. I hope you are beginning to feel better, keep us posted on your next steps.
Bec-Ky, sorry you have the extra worry to deal with, hopefully they get it checked out ASAP and it's no big deal. Congrats on finishing radiation!
May, I do have some questions, I will send you a message, thanks!
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Hi all, looks like most have finished up or about to finish treatment plans. Ive joined the April chemo boards as im still going to chemo in process to consult for surgery. Later will be radiation.
Its been awesome to see so many with new hair growth. I have fuzzy hair very light color growing slowly now that im on taxol infusions. Bit eye lashes and brows are falling out .
Bec-ky. Hugs, sorry u have to wait again for answers..
steph- wish i could do my eyebrows as well as urs look..
Thanks for all your support. Will be checking in on progress..
Have a great weekend..
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Sidalee,
Thanks for the thought, the 4th chemo was also rough on me same SE's bad stomach pains and acid but I got better after a week now the 5th should be this 24 Tuesday but I have to adjust to 31 because I don't have the funds yet to pay for the chemo and haven't talked to the MO yet if 4 chemo is enough.,yet is there a difference between 4 and 6 chemo cycle?
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Hi ladies,
Ingerp my hair started to come inbetween weeks 5 and 6, although I had some stubble before that. Give it time, I saw better and more visible growth each progressive week.
Bec-my congrats on rads and hope all is good on results, you do have a thorough team and that is a plus.
Congrats also to the cold cappers! Sounds like it is generally positive well done. For our sisters still finishing chemo keep the faith, it is one day closer each day.
Three more full rads and then on to the boosts this Thursday. Hugs to all!
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I feel like if they really thought it was a cancerous spot in the liver ultrasound.. They'd have just went ahead and scheduled a biopsy...
But that's just me.
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Becky--I'd think the same thing. What will the MRI tell them that the ultrasound won't (other than maybe a more enhanced picture)? Hope you don't have to wait too long to get it scheduled... as we already know the waiting can be the most excruciating part of all this. But like everyone else said, it sounds like they are being thorough and doing what they need to do to confirm it's nothing worrisome. Congrats on finishing rads.. I'm hoping to be done on Weds though so far now their machines/computers have gone down twice so you never know...
Glad to see everyone is overall doing well, finishing up and moving on to the next steps. xo
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Bec-Ky - I am sorry you have to go through this. That really stinks. I know how you feel. I was to have a follow up liver MRI for what they thought was a hemangioma in January but somehow ended up with a tissue expander that is not MRI compatible. Still trying to figure that out since they all should be MRI compatible in my opinion. MRI is supposed to be the gold standard for liver imaging but I may have to settle for an ultrasound. If it is not one thing to worry about it is another.
May07 - I agree on the cold capping, even though a month post chemo I experienced significant hair loss along with my eyebrows and eyelashes suddenly falling out. I now have a thin cover but it is not like Sidalee's. Hers is pretty amazing. Incidentally I used the Latisse for a little over a week, then started to develop a line just above the eyeliner area of the lid. This is a common side effect that is supposed to fade with time but still it was scary enough for me to abandon that route.
My eyebrows and eyelashes grew back about 2 weeks after I lost them a month post chemo. The eyelashes are a little slower, but I have baby ones.
The battle with Tamoxifen continues, after a month of use I am down to a few hot flashes a day, but the night sweats are something crazy. In the world of SEs it could be worse I suppose.
Sending everyone positive thoughts!
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Anyone with any insight on why yang needs 6 AC chemo... Instead of 4 like we do here? Her dose is the same....
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No idea why she's doing 6 instead of 4, maybe because she'd not doing taxol? Doxorubicin can cause heart failure, and it can show up years later. 6 rounds seems like a lot. And hormone positive cancer will benefit significantly from tamoxifen, which she mentioned as part of her plan.
Edited to add: here are recommended chemo regimens for breast cancer, they specify 4 rounds of dose dense AC: https://www.cancertherapyadvisor.com/breast-cancer/breast-cancer-invasive-treatment-regimens/article/218154/
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Here is additional insight...looks like 4 is just as effective with much less toxicity, so no clue why 6.
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Thank you Beck,Hapa and Becca 953 for your insight.. I'm just very confused and trying to think about the 2 remaining chemo just yesterday I'm having acid reflux again then stomach discomfort then felt nauseated and throw up, then today again feels something blocking in my throat and something on my chest
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