Starting chemo February 2020
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Doing well. Has anyone had their silicone implants put in yet? My surgery is scheduled for Friday the 13th. (of course). I'm wondering how long they keep you there. My husband will be bringing me - so we're looking at leaving kids home alone all day. So hard with COVID flying around. Even if we had family in town I would be reluctant to have them come watch my kids since they go to school and activities.
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Dysonsphere- that’s what my armpit looked like, raw meat. Hang in there!
Mmorigan- oh my gosh, chemo brain double mortgage. Good thing you didn’t overdraw! I have chemo brain moments for sure. Forgetting words or just feeling confused for a minute.
All good here - went for my radiation one month follow up visi. She wants me massaging the whole area every single day because the skin is really tight. I’m back at OT too and my arm is measuring a little bigger so I might be getting a lymphedema sleeve. Tomorrow I’ll get measured again where they put my arm in water and do all sorts of measurements to see if I need a sleeve. My muscles are so tight from surgery and radiation that I’m trying to spend 30 minutes every day just stretching.
I feel like I’m spending a lot of time on “self-care” like stretching, massaging etc. It’s good, but it’s hard to carve out the time.
Still chugging along with Kadcyla and Tamoxifen. The Kadcyla was easier on me this time, so that’s great. So far the tamoxifen is fine. I do have lots of crazy dreams, very realistic, that started after I started taking it. Nothing too bad for hot flashes. Still having bad skin and tight muscles all over, but for the most part I feel good.
I’d love to hear more updates.
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Chemo brain... oh yes. I don't feel forgetful about everyday stuff, but I notice that I have trouble recalling proper nouns like people's names, places, cities. And sometimes general words. I mentioned it to someone else and my 11-year old overhead and said, "is that why you say 'whatchamacallit' a lot"? I was like... "I say that a lot?" and he was like... "uh....yah"
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It's funny because I really worried about screwing up at work but, I handle that just fine. Mostly I just blank on words. This was just a weird event.
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I was forgetful before cancer so I can't use chemo brain as an excuse lol
I'm almost done getting my right TE filled. I think I might be satisfied with one or two more fills. It has been getting really painful though so I don't know if I'll have the strength to do it two more times.
I start physical therapy on the 10th. Radiation will start once I'm done filling my right breasr and once I'm able to raise my right arm.
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what about the left breast? When will that get filled?
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After Radiation. They want my left breast as small as possible so it doesn't get in the way.
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ah, interesting. Best of luck!
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Thank you. I thought it was weird but when I went see the Radiation Oncologist she told me the same thing 🤷
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Today I went to color my hair again and I can't believe how much it has grown in 8 weeks.
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Hey all, I’d like to blame chemo brain, but I’ve always been forgetful...I am struggling with dry eyes, which has been super annoying. Also, super tight post radiation skin, but otherwise I’m doing ok physically. Teaching in the schools is a mess. Covid and classroom quarantines left and right....our numbers are rising in MN and I feel we will go distance learning for all kids in our district soon. I’ve been struggling a lot with anxiety lately. Hard to pin point exactly why...work, covid, anniversary of my cancer diagnosis, semi-end of treatment near. I ended up increasing my anxiety meds and scheduling myself with the cancer therapist at my clinic. Hopefully that helps ease my busy, worrying brain a bit!
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SE looks good! I haven't dyed my hair yet. I read something about waiting 6 months. I'm 2 weeks away from 6 months, guess I can do it now.
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No one has told me anything, I even went back to my fake nails lol
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SE - looks good. My hair is like a surprise every day, I don't know what I'll wake up to. It's getting to the awkward phase of growing over my ears and stuff, but I'm just going to let it go. It should be cold here soon, so lots of hats and lots of time at home to grow it out.
MicD- that's my chemo brain too, just forgetting random words, but it hasn't been too bad, so hopefully it'll get better. I swear my husband is worse and he hasn't had chemo.
mmorigan - are you going to dye your hair? Or do a clean up cut to shape it? I'm leaning towards just letting it go all winter and see what happens.
ajminn - I'm sorry about the anxiety. The world is so crazy right now, covid is out of control, election, cancer. It's ALOT to deal with.
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SE inspired me so I dyed my hair yesterday using a box. I'll wait until next year to get a cut
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SE- your hair looks great!!
Fab4mom- I debated getting mine cleaned up, but I joke that I don’t want people to think I chose for my hair to look like this haha. I’m just going to let it go and see what happens...it’s in an awkward stage right now with some crazy cowlicks.
I wanted to get my first tattoo for my upcoming birthday, but my onc said to wait until I was done with my HP infusions in January, which bummed me out. Oh well! Guess I’ll have to find another way to celebrate making it to 35!
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ajminn - what are you getting and where? I love tats I'll probably get another once this is all over
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Yeah, my hair is getting a little whacky looking now for sure.
mmorigan - what kind of color did you do for your hair?
ajminn - tatoo info? 35th birthday, you are just a baby. I had my birthday last month, 44, but didn't do anything much for it.
Anyone on tamoxifen and/or herceptin/Kadcyla have mild swelling? My OT said I'm boderline for a lymphedema sleeve (ugh), but I'm pretty sure I have mild swelling all over. I think it's from the medcine, and not lymphedema. I'm going to ask my doctor on Wednesday.
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fab4mom - a nice warm dark brown. The gray ended up making it look a little light on top. I'll take a picture tomorrow when I do something with it - before my Kadcyla appointment
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SE, it's amazing how much difference getting a simple color can make. I was feeling so down and finally decided to get a color and a cut (I don't care how short my hair is! I got some shape now!). I feel so much better.
I'm mainly worried about going back to work. I still have days where I am so tired I can't get off the couch and I can just be on the couch because I don't have to work. But a month from now I will going back to work full time and I'm terrified about that, even though I'm working from home. I have to think fast and not make mistakes and I can't imagine doing that any more! lol
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Today I sched. my Robotic Bilateral Salpingo-Oophorectomy for 11/23. I will be saying goodbye to my ovaries 😭😭😭
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dysonsphere - my energy comes and goes still. But I do find when I’m busy or immersed in something, it seems to be better, so hopefully once you get back to work, you feel better.
SE - when did you decide that? I’m so interested in the different paths for all the hormone positive people. It’s never been brought up to me to remove my ovaries.
Had Kadcyla yesterday. It went fine and I was feeling good, took a long walk and played Pickleball with my friends. Just now got hit with fatigue and chills. Chills make me shiver so bad I look like I’m shaking. Going into a hot shower and putting on warm pjs.
Covid is completely out of control here. So many people I know sick or positive. Looks like we are moving back to lockdown basically. I have let me kids participate i. Some activities, but for now, I think we’ll skip. My daughters gymnastics coach tested positive and it’s just getting a little too close to home. Plus I do think a vaccine will be available in the next few months. If I can avoid Covid, I’m going to try hard to not get it
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NJ and NY just started the lockdowns. Personally I think they've been to slow to act and not doing enough but, that's me.
I was invited to a couple of Thanksgiving Dinners but, it's not worth the risk. I'll still cook a full dinner even if it's for 2 people 😄
I'm debating a radical hysterectomy, I plan to talk to my OBGYN about it in December when I go for my annual. So far my MO hasn't brought it up but, both Uterine and Ovarian Cancer is my family (2 grandmoths + 1 cousin). I think it's just a matter of when not, if.
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Morrigan- I want to get a walleye (in memory of my dad that passed. We were super close and always fished together!) not sure where to get it...I’d also like something for my kids someday too. I’ll start small with a fish haha.
SE- I’d like to do an oophorectomy so I can stop the monthly shots, but I need to wait until my youngest is a bit older and I don’t need to lift as much (I’m assuming recovery requires minimal lifting for a period of time). I’ll prob do it in 2 years over summer break. I’ll be anxious to hear how yours goes!
Fab4mom- Covid is so out of control! My kids have all been “exposed” in the last month and tested (negative), which has made life hectic. Then this week I found out a para in my class was positive and now I am a “close contact” and am in quarantine along with most of my class, so we flipped to distance learning. It’s just a matter of time before the entire district goes distance. We have 12 teachers/paras out and no subs to be found
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I decided on taking out my ovaries since the beginning when I found out my cancer was hormone positive. I mentioned it to my MO and she said that it was a good idea and she was planning on bringing it up.
I'm getting an ultrasound next week to check if the uterus is okay to stay. I feel weird not feeling my cervix hence why I prefer to leave my uterus lol
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ajminn - love the walleye idea - it's unique and personal
covid - yep, school still going strong in our district but now I more and more people getting it. Doing Thanksgiving on our own here and I think we (huge family of husbands) cancelled big X-mas get-to-gether plans yesterday.
I'm home from hospital. Had my implant surgery this morning at 7:30am. Was home by 2:30. Went fine. I have bruises all over my boobs and they look very different than they did with expanders in. PS did a bunch of fat grafting to fill in area above the boob so that the transition to rest of my body is smoother and more natural looking. Lyposuction from my belly up to my chest. The fat grafted area on my chest looks good right now - but I'm hoping I'm swollen because overall they look way huge, but I've only had a peek. Just a peek at my belly too, which is wrapped in a foam and elastic tight wrap thing I have to keep on for a week. It is sore on my belly and my husband remarked that there is now a difference in my belly fat - but we'll see. Again, I've hardly had a look. Some burning pain around incisions when I first got out of surgery. Helped with pain meds. Now just soreness lingering wooziness and a headache.
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Awesome. I'm glad surgery went well.
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micd- glad surgery went well. It takes some time for things to “ settle”. I feel like now (10 months out) my implants have settled and look semi normal. I hope recovery goes well!
Our entire school district flipped to distance starting 11/30. Too many cases in our county/schools as well as lack of subs. No determined return date. We will likely be doing a small thanksgiving and Christmas. Even getting together with immediate family is hard for us since I come from a family of 5 and there’s 9 grandkids...it’s just too many people from too many households. It’s a bummer, but so is the rest of 2020!
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micD - great news that surgery went well. How are you feeling now that you are a few days out? How different are the real implants versus the expanders. I hope it’s going well. Up in our area, school never went back. We missed the window when it was relatively safe, and now it’s awful. My kids are doing ok with it, but it definitely stinks.
Ajminn - no holidays with anyone for us this year. Just our household. My parents live nearby, but my dad is in poor health, so they are going back to much stricter quarantine, as are we. I see my mom outside now, when the weather cooperates. I wish our school had been able to go back for awhile, and was just now switching to remote. We have a very cautious school board and they just figured out a hybrid schedule that would work, and now we are raging out of control with cases. I think I’m pulling my kids from most of their activities, it’s just so bad right now.
I’m ok, sometimes I feel great, and then weird fatigue and chills will hit. Or today I got a horrible back ache, I had to sit down and take Advil. I think it’s passing. It’s just frustrating to feel normal and then bam, I feel crappy. Overall life is pretty normal, and I am keeping up and keeping busy. Just with more breaks.
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I'm 3 days out from the implant surgery. Took a shower, so got naked and had a long look at things for the first time. Breasts are very yellow and blue and bruised up, but the overall shape of them looks much more natural now, especially with the fat grafting, and they blend into my body better. Not like the expander that just stuck straight out. I poked just a little and they definitely feel more natural than the expanders did too. But they are tender. Just tender though - not the uncomfortable tight underwire feeling that the expanders gave me. I felt burning around the incisions when I was in recovery room and they gave me versed. Since then I've just alternated ibuprofen and tylenol and never took the Norco. Belly is still tender too. First followup with PA is in a week. Then with PS in another two weeks. After that, I hope to be cleared for exercise, etc. again.
I'm impressed he was able to take fat out of one place (and I can't really tell where) and put it somewhere else and have it look "smooth". I wonder how it works if I lose weight (dreamworld) - can I burn that fat off too???
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