Chemo starting April 2018
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Best wishes to everyone regardless of where you are in tx for improving SEs. Hang in there, ladies!!
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GAWarrior - lol that was last time around 8 years ago, currently I'm still totally bald but dreaming about the return of hair.
Batata - welcome to the group. Not sure which Uni in Canada you are moving your daughter into but if it happens to be Western Ontario, I live right near there and would help if necessary.
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Thanks, everyone. So far the highest temp in the last 24 hours (Granted we only took it three times) was 99.5. It was 98.5 last night and this morning. Woohoo!
Next onco appointment is on Thursday. It is with another doctor in the department as ours is on vacation. I'm not sure if he will go over the plan ahead or it's just a checkup and we'll need to see her regular MO after he gets back. School starts back up tomorrow for me with new student orientation and then classes begin a week from Monday.
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Hmm, question does biofeeeze help with neuropathy? I just read this in May chemo blog, "Biofreeze has menthol and should be rubbed into feet and/or hands twice a day."
I have biofeeze ,it just havent tried it since I had enuff going on throughout my body..
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Interesting. Here's their website: http://www.biofreeze.com/
Janice has neuropathy now in her feet and fingers. She's lost some dexterity. I'll show her that.
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urdrago, interesting. I have Biofreeze also, got it on Amazon. My chiropractor has used it for years, i may try it on left foot, also. Thanks
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Hello, Batata. Nice to meet you. I hope you can continue to gather a lot of support here, it's an amazing group. Thinking of you during your Taxol, and hope your trip goes well, you should rest every chance you get.
Frog, and Ingerp, and Inna,hang on, it will hopefully improve. When it's bad, it's really bad. I hope it improves very soon.
For all of you dealing with exchange surgery and grafting I can't even imagine. I sure hope you got pain meds, and heal quickly. ♥️♥️♥️
GAW, I hope your energy picks up soon, tiredness hits me suddenly, early evening. It gets better daily.
Leli, are you still following here? You are the originator of this great April thread, and I'm hoping you are doing okay.
Best wishes and warm hugs to all here.
(I'm so blessed to have a birthday today, and took a bike ride, so blessed)
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Djt, Happy Birthday! It’s great that you could enjoy your bike today. And yes, my PS did prescribe norco, if needed, for the exchange surgery
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DJT. Happy Birthday! Biker Chick.
I think it is sooo cool that you ride your own bike! I am going to try biofreeze as well.
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DJt..Happy Birthday!!
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Happy birthday, Deborah (djt), so glad you got out on your beloved bike!
(Thanks for the eye candy, urdrago!)
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Happy Birthday, djt
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Deborah - I hope your birthday and bike ride were great!
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Neuropathy....I tried the L Glutamine this weekend but I didn't like the way it made me feel. Kind of jittery. So I may stick with Tonic water. Somewhere I read the quinine in it can help with neuropathy. Thankfully today my feet are better but fingers are still bothering me.
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Happy Birthday, DJT! I hope you have a great day.
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Thanks to ALL FOR the best wishes, you guys are the best.
I'm hoping this week is a good one for all, enjoy every moment you can .
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Belated birthday wishes Djt. Hope you had a great day.
I am feeling a bit better. Could be the Ibuprofen talking. The sore thumb turned out to be infected under the nail, so I had to get an incision to drain the pus and fluid buildup. I was hoping for a quiet monday after months when no nurse comes to poke or pry me with needles. Well, this monday, it was a doctor with a scalpel. The thumb still looks swollen but is not throbbing anymore. I am on a 5 day antibiotic course.
Urdrago, I had my last blood draw on Thursday like the chemo weeks before that. Both RBCs and WBCs are low but the RBC has been coming up gradually in the last 3 weeks. I went to see my GP yesterday with the infected thumb. She pulled up the blood reports from last 3 weeks for us to go through. She has also put me on Vit D. Hey, one more to go for you, almost there.
I also go to see another doctor today on my GP’s recommendation about overall health and adding supplements. I will post what I learn.
I hope all of us feel better with each passing day. Keep posting updates good or bad. We are in this together.
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Thanks Frog. That was a rough deal, Dr. With a scalpel!! So sorry. I hope that heals fast. Addressing overall health sounds like a very good idea. And one to get back on track.
I think ibuprofen can help a lot. Feel better soon.
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Wow, quiet board this week. Everyone must be done with chemo, except us poor stragglers...
Had T #10 today. MO may stop it next week as my feet have been burning/tingling this week and I feel like I have pebbles or something under the balls of my feet. He says its Grade 1 neuropathy. He also says the risk of 2 more Ts outweighs the benefits of the last two doses for me, but it's my choice to continue or not. He even recommended not getting #10 today but I opted to go ahead with it due to my triple negative status which messes with my head. Sigh... lots of research ahead!
Urdrago, your final chemo is tomorrow, go you!!
InnaB, how are you doing after dose #2? Halfway there, you got this!
Frog, ouch! Hoping your thumb is better and your pain has diminished.
Engine, how's Janice? How are YOU now that school has started.? So glad you were able to get through her chemo before you had to get back in the swing of things.
DebAL and Maggie 2, hoping you're feeling better and healing quickly after your surgeries.
My apologies for whoever I'm forgetting. I'm thinking of all of you and sending good thoughts!
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Hi GAWarrior,
It wouldn't hurt to do the research and see what you find. It may be, as in my wife's case, the therapeutic value of 10 rounds of T maybe be close in terms of therapeutic value to doing all of the rounds and you may stop the neuropathy from getting worse. I know even if the OM hadn't said we should stop, Janice was going to. It was just getting too hard and the neuropathy and tiredness was getting worse.
Janice is feeling better. Thanks. It turned out that the OM appointment was this morning. We had thought it was tomorrow, so we missed it.:( We've rescheduled with another OM next week, but that is mainly to extend her disability. She will meet with our regular OM the week after that. She was able to do labs today. Platelets, MCV and MCH look good, hemoglobin, WBC and RBC are still a little low.
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I've been quiet bcuz work chaos..lol ..In my head my only thought, "Calogen take me away ".. so tomorrow sequence of event have change a little. One I need another ultra sound. I had some pain, which made me want to feel in my armpit.. I felt my lymph node lump again and they seem swollen. I didnt notice any lymphedema in my arm(PA asked when I called Monday.) Results for sure tomorrow morning what is going on in there..Than doc apt.and lastly my last chemo!! Struggling with how I feel about ringing the bell, kind of sad and happy..I did notice on my lab work red blood count is actual coming up finally..Otherwise I'm exhausted mentally and physically.. trying to stay positive..Something good, love the cooler weather. Fell very lucky I have the friendships on here..
Anyone notice, what appears like eczema bumps ? I've hand a couple on my finger and currently my right elbow several. Than the outter corners of my eyes feel crusty. Or little white head bumps.. inner eye top lid left side I have a bumps starting... hmmm, so strange but will ask doctor tomorrow..
Sorry to hear about ur neoupathy being so painful Gawarrior. If u use Ice or Biofreeze does it give u any relief? Also does that mean the PS/GS will move up ur date? Btw: I havent noticed much change in hair growth..
Frog, that sounds painful. Did u feel a little better after the doc released the pressure under the nail? Ur a week since PFC, congrats.
Mag/Deb- How are you feeling? Did/do u have pain medication or pain blockers? Wishing u good vibes and strength as u recover..
Wishing everyone and anyone I've missed a Happy Hump day!!
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Urdrago, hugs to you as you go in on the last chemo today. Did you already have the ultrasound for the underarm? Sending you lots of positive vibes.
GAWarrior, have a chat with your MO in reg to reduced dose. I do not know how I would have managed if I was on full dose with the state my fingers were in. Also, in your profession you do need to use your fingers a lot.
After 3 days of anti biotics and the initial incision, today my thumb feels okay, as in no throbbing pain. And its not as swillen. I do have numb fingers. My GP said to give 4 to 6 weeks before feeling close to normal. No fuzzies yet. Maybe 14 eyebrows in all.
I met up with a doc on my GP’s recommendation for dietary/ lifestyle choices. She mentioned that broccoli, brocolli sprouts and other cruciferous veggies are really good. To follow a plant based diet and the meat should be a side rather than main. She was not very keen on dairy products either. Infact she asked me to check out almond milk or some other nut milks. She said yes to tofu but not to soy milk. Nuts like brazil nuts, almonds and cashews are good. Making sure to drink enough water and fibre to have a smooth running system. She said some of us cannot get rid of toxins as well as others, so A: Don’t add too many toxins and B: Make sure that your system removes as much and there is no backlog. Seems our bodies reabsorb a lot of stuff from the guts so the more waste backlog you have the more we are reabsorbing. So keep it moving. She asked me to take some turmeric capsules but only after I am done with surgery. Turmeric has blood thinning properties so maybe thats why she asked to wait after surgery.
Stay well everyone.
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Frog, I noticed a difference in my armpit along w/pain so my doctor order ultrasound tomorrow morning before doc. Apt. and chemo. Thanks for the hugs and appericate u sharing all the information. I'm going to use it to help with healing..
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I have been crazy busy with work and getting g ready to go camping for 7 days. Cant wait!!
GaWarrier here is hoping that your neuropathy does not get any worse. I will say 6 weeks out from chemo and still feel sand underneath my feet when I wear tennis shoes. When I wear sandals I'm okay. It's not as bad as it used to be I couldn't even walk around on my bare feet but now I can but I do have to be careful. My face is starting to come back. YES!! And my hands are doing okay except for the Anastrozole that I'm on is causing joint pain in them as well as my knees and ankles. Got to love that
Undrago Good luck tomorrow! I will be checking in on the board to see how you do.
Frog thank you for all the information. After I get off vacation I will be looking more into that. Not going to try on my vacation. LOL might even try and have a little alcohol while I'm there. Not really sure how that's going to work out with the anastrozole. But I have to take this pill for the next 10 years sooo.....
InnaB hope you're doing well trying to get through your side effects from your second chemo. When do you get your third one? How have you been feeling?
Engine glad to hear Janice is getting better everyday! Good luck getting back into the school year. Did we even have a summer this year?
Djt you need to have a birthday every day if Undrago is going to post those kind of pictures! LOL
I'll be checking in on the board tomorrow to see how everyone's doing before I head out on my vacation.
Sorry if I missed anyone!
P.S. Also sorry for any misspelled names my spell correct decided to correct my name's tonight. Ugh
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Engine, so glad Janice is doing better. That's some stress off your mind. Yes, the weird thing about the Taxol weekly vs DD chemo is that DD is 4 doses every other week = 8 doses. But weekly is 12 doses. MO says he has never understood why they came up with 12 instead of only 8 when they decided a weekly protocol was as beneficial as the DD. So his magic number is 8 and the other 4 he'd like to give to meet protocol, but he feels like they are more "optional" in a way. I actually get more chemo by doing the 12 than if I did the DD, too, so I can see his point that 10 might be plenty. Except, I'm triple negative, so the MO and I both would like to see me get all 12. Playing it by ear as to how symptoms are this week..
Urdrago, sending light and good vibes that your lymph nodes are fine and just swollen because they are fighting off the chemo or something else. I know what you mean about being both happy and sad to ring the bell. Part of me worries that the second I ring the bell, the tumor will hear it and start growing again or pop up somewhere else. Plus I'll miss my chemo nurse who makes it fun, if you can say that about getting chemo, lol. Re the eczema bumps, none here - just crusty red patches on my face that get very dry and peel off. My eyes are constantly "sticky", sometimes my eyelids stick together when I blink. Re my fingers, etc - I haven't tried Biofreeze but I do have samples from the chiropractor and running packs that you get when you do a race. I might try them. It's not super painful, but we don't want to have it get worse. Yes, they would move up my surgery if I ended chemo early. Hoping your work environment gets better fast! Please let us know how things go today!
Frog, thanks for the food info. I picked up turmeric when this started, but was asked to hold it off until after chemo, so now I'll hold until after surgery based on the blood thinning info. The food tips make sense. I want to change our diet when I'm done with this, although I've already switched to organic as much as possible. Re a reduced chemo dose (which I am positive he said prior we could do if needed), the MO now says he won't consider in my case. I asked why it was okay to drop two treatments, but not to give those 2 at a reduced dose, but he said "it doesn't work that way" (his favorite line). I know others on this site have gotten reduced doses (like you). Who knows? We are subject to the whims of the MO.
Life, yay for you - enjoy your camping vacation! Thanks for the neuropathy info. I do notice that I'm much better by the day before and day of treatment, so here's hoping... I feel bad about complaining when others on here have had it much worse. If my fingers weren't my career, I wouldn't worry so much, lol.
InnaB, I was thinking about how you suffer with chemo. I'm sure they did that KI67 on you to predict its aggressiveness. In view of the new TailorRx report that says some women don't need chemo, maybe you don't need those last two doses? I would think they would have checked that, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Here's the report link: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa180471... ("Adjuvant endocrine therapy and chemoendocrine therapy had similar efficacy in women with hormone-receptor–positive, HER2-negative, axillary node–negative breast cancer who had a midrange 21-gene recurrence score, although some benefit of chemotherapy was found in some women 50 years of age or younger.")
Onward to the weekend...!
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GAwarrior - Sorry to hear the neuropathy is so bad. I understand your uneasiness to skip the last two Taxol. There are so many what ifs and research is lacking for those of us with hormone receptor negative tumors. Did your MO have any other options to alleviate the neuropathy?
Udrago- I did not ring the bell following my final chemo. I just couldn't do it whenever I considered it during my final round I thought about how happy I was when I left the cancer center 8 years ago. I had vowed I'd never do chemo again but low and behold the cancer had different plans for me. Plus, I'll still be getting my targeted therapy every 21 days for the next 7 months.
I haven't notice eczema but I developed a rash on my chest following the last round that hasn't gone away. It's more annoying than anything. That plus my left arm is swollen again. I'm hoping getting my port out next week will eliminate that.
Count me in on the sticky eyes - I wake up every morning with my eyes stuck shut. Originally I thought it was because I quit using my claritan so I started that back up again but I haven't noticed any difference.
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GAWarrior, unfortunately TaylorX study doesn’t apply to me. I am 45, I had one positive lymph node, and what’s worse, lymphovascular invasion. Plus, my tumor was Grade 3. My MO said that even if I did do Oncotype DX test and it came back with the low score, she would’ve overritten it. The risk is just too great for someone like me. The same goes for radiation. LVI generally has worse prognosis, so I don’t want to take any chances with it.
Actually this cycle was not that bad, in comparison. I put it to acupuncture and will go again tomorrow and on Monday to prepare myself for the next Wednesday’s treatment. Pain was much better this time. Yes, I still had the body aches and fatigue, but I was able to take Tramadol once or twice a day only. I do have tingling in my hands and feet, but it’s minor and doesn’t bother me (yet). I had a few fainting spells thanks to my vertigo, but they started after my last AC. Itchiness Bothered me enourmously, but it did disappear after 24 hours. SE’s are debilitating, but I am determined to go through with the last 2 treatments. Then again, at some point last weekend I was sure I was dying, so we’ll see where my determination will get me...
Urdrago, good luck with your lymph nodes US! Hopefully it’s nothing.
Engine, so happy Janice feels better!
Life, great news about vacation! You deserved it, now enjoy it!
Frog, hope your finger feels better! That experience sounds very painful 😖
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Hi everyone,
Life1963: Thanks so much. She does seem much better than before. I'd like to see her counts a bit higher, but most are normal or near normal and she has just finished the antibiotic yesterday.I'd like to be able to go to her MO appointment tomorrow morning, but Friday morning is when all of the freshmen here can change their class schedules and it is always a crazy busy day. Nope, no summer to speak of, but that's ok, my wife's summer was a lot worse than mine.
GAWarrior: I totally get that. I guess the MO's come up with protocols based on clinical trials. Still it always seems like nothing is set in stone. A lot depends on how people tolerate treatment. I hope for the best for you (and everyone else on here).
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My update no change in lymphnodes, but since there pain in nodes and arm I go for Doppler today. Otherwise, I dont come back to see MO until mid-October. Flush every 8 weeks and no more blood work. Mu tumer is still measuring larger the 1 cm, I will have follow up chemo. But formal discussion will occur once pathology comes back after Surgery.
Reasoning of Doppler to check veins and no clots thru sound waves. I've never had a clot, so doubt that .
thanks everyone for supporting. I'm going to take a little nap it's been a long day..
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duffyzmom--FWIW, they asked me if I wanted to ring the bell after my final T (knowing I still had 9 months of H) and I asked what other people with my tx do. She said some people ring it after finishing T, some wait until after they're done with the H, and some ring it twice. I decided to hold off until I'm done with the H next spring (although I should be ringing one in early October for the end of rads).
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