July 2020 chemo club
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I just got done with my ultrasound and they couldn't find any evidence of my two tumors -- they are just gone! I know we won't really know for sure if the cancer is gone until surgery, but this is still very exciting news.
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I wasn’t able to speak to my surgeon myself after surgery but he told my husband that the two sentinel nodes they took out were negative! One (at least) was positive upon biopsy prior to chemo. Great news! Glad to hear others are getting such good reports as well! I should get the full pathology next week. I’m mildly sore but nothing that ice and Tylenol can’t handle (and even they aren’t really necessary).Best wishes to all!
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Melbo and AnnaTheBrave....the good news just keeps coming!!! So happy for both of you. It makes the chemotherapy so worth the struggles. Heal and rest up!🤗
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Evergreenman, Iamloved, Melbo and AnnaTheBrave, I am excited for all of you. Great news!
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Wow - great news everybody! Glad surgeries went well. Continued good thoughts for you all...
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Such great news everyone!!!
I finally got my surgery date! I will be having my double mastectomy and expanders placed on the 18th! It was the last day they had available this year, so I guess I feel lucky I actually got a date. Still a little upset with my oncologist for waiting so long to refer me to the surgeon...but at least I’m scheduled!
I go on Monday for some testing and pre-op appointments. They said it would take a couple of hours. I know I’m meeting again with the surgeon who will be doing the mastectomy, but I’m not sure what else. Any advice on questions to ask??? I’m going to be making a list this time so I don’t forget anything!
This is pretty scary for me, I’ve never been admitted to a hospital, never stayed overnight in a hospital...and I’ll have to do it alone because of covid...I’ve never had a major surgery, except for when I had my port placed, and I doubt this will be as easy. My husband thinks I’m a whimp, but dang it I think it’s ok to be scared.
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Mtspacekace, that's great you have a date! No, you are definitely not a wimp. Absolutely not. The staff will take good care of you, but it's still understandable to be scared.
Trynryan, I hope all went well with your surgery today!
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Mtspacekace, you are NOT a wimp! Ask that husband of yours how he’d feel about going to sleep and waking up with a certain pair of gender- or image-defining body parts missing! It’s a big deal!
Anesthesia can cause emotional lability and memory loss, so don’t be surprised if you feel more teary than you might expect, or if your emotional expression doesn’t match your brain. And don’t be surprised if, in retrospect, you forget some things. I don’t really remember the car ride home, even though I’d been out of anesthesia for hours, and I don’t remember much of the rest of that day very clearly, even though I was functioning normally. I still feel a little off emotionally.
The nurses will get you through with efficiency and kindness. You can do it. Take anti-anxiety meds the night before and morning of surgery, if your surgeon approves (my surgeon practically insisted), and speak up if something doesn’t feel right (physically or emotionally)0 -
mtspacekece, trust your medical team they are very experienced and will do the best for you. I woke up being extremely thirsty so you make sure you ask for lots of water to keep you hydrated as soon as you wake up. Don’t be shy to ask for help. I was supposed to only stay overnight but when I woke up the next morning I felt too weak to go home. so I asked my BS if I could stay for one more day because I want to walk out of the hospital myself and not scare the kids. They finally agreed. Just do what you have to do to ensure you have enough good rest after the surgery. Will be praying for you. Be strong!!
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good morning everyone! I can share I am also part of the good news club! I had nipple sparing umx on Thursday. I had 3 lymph nodes that were negative so they did not need to take any more. That was really great news as it was positive at diagnosis! I will get final pathology early next week
It was really hard for me the day of surgery. I actually shed some tears while prepping for surgery.. I think it was more nerves than anything. I had some wonderful nurses who helped me through. My husband was allowed in the preop waiting area and I saw him briefly after surgery but that was it. Fortunately I had a very uneventful hospital stay and I am now back home. Pain has been very manageable so far, but my understanding is day 2 and 3 maybe more uncomfortable. One day at a time I guess!
Thinking and praying for you all as y ok u get ready for surgery or have had it and are recovering 💕
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Trynryan...Congratulations! This is the club I am happy to be in with you. My prayers for quick recovery and complete healing.
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Congrats everyone on such great results! And good luck to you mtspacekace with your upcoming surgery. I agree you are most definitely NOT a whimp
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anyone have issues with watery eyes? I’m two weeks out from my last chemo and suddenly my eyes — especially my left one — are watering like crazy and getting greenish gunk built up. It’s annoying and kind of gross. I started using regular eye drops yesterday to see if that helps, but I’m wondering if I need to call the nurse line and get a prescription
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So much great news! I’m so thankful everyone is moving “forward”!
Melbo, I haven’t experienced excessive dryness, but did during chemo. The only drops that gave me relief were thera tears. I hope you get some relief soon!
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Melbo, it seems everything got a little dry, even my eyes...some days they would just leak, I would use Refresh.
I met with my surgeon again today and he explained more about the procedure and I signed the consent forms... My clinic has a nurse navigator that helps get me ready for surgery...I have a strict protein rich diet, and exercise to do until surgery. We will be celebrating Christmas early this coming weekend, my birthday is Monday, and then I’ll spend the rest of the week cleaning house and getting everything in order for Friday!
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Today turned out to be a deeply scary, messed up day. The short version is that I have a blood clot in my jugular vein where the catheter from my port is. It took hours and many, many phone calls in the morning to get a same-day imaging appointment and then several more hours after the diagnosis to get the blood thinners I needed. All the while with a ticking time bomb in my jugular vein. Ugh. It's okay now. I have the medication and they said it would start working immediately. However, I had to push far harder than necessary to get the appointment because two different front desk people either screwed up their job or refused to do anything more than transfer my call to someone who wasn't answering.
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Melbo, saying that sounds frightening would be an understatement from me, I think! As if cancer by itself isn’t enough to deal with, then there’s all this other stuff that gets thrown at you in an attempt to treat the cancer. I’m glad you have medication to treat the blood clot.
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Brittonkb, one more chemo infusion for you! I am excited for you that the end of chemo is in sight. Yay!
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Melbo...Wow!! Very happy to hear you are ok. What a scare indeed! I would have come unglued dealing with that! Prayers you never experience it again. Do they know what caused it?
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Melbo, sorry to hear that but glad it turned out ok.
I received my pathology report and achieved PCR. I couldn't believe it given my preop MRI shows there was still enhanced area remained. It turned out there was no cancer cell.
It's my day 8 post lumpectomy. My wound looks healing ok but the breast is still a bit discomfort and feels very firm in it. Is this normal?
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Evergreenman, I am very excited to read the fantastic news about your pathology report! That is awesome!
Yes, the discomfort after a lumpectomy can continue for a while and there can be a feeling of firmness. However, confirm with a nurse or doctor to be sure. I have had previous lumpectomies and most of them healed very quickly with minimal discomfort. It varied, though,depending on the size, location, etc.
Wishing you all the best as you continue to recover and another “CHEER!” for your fantastic news. 🥳🎊🎉🙏🏼
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Melbo how scary and I hope this is resolved quickly!
Evergreenman Congrats!
I received a call from my surgeon yesterday with my pathology report, I also achieved pCR! So happy about this. I’m almost a week out from UMX and tissue expander. Feeling pretty good, dull pain and irritating drain which will hopefully be removed next Monday
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Yay for PCR! That's very exciting.
Basically the catheter from the chest port caused the blood clot, it's a known potential side effect, but I don't think it's that common. I will have to stay on blood thinners until the port comes out. Since my lumpectomy is scheduled for 21 Dec my oncologist is trying to decide if they should just take the port out then or whether they should leave the port in and just keep me on blood thinners.
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Evergreenman and Trynryan congrats on your cPR!👏👏👏 What wonderful new to receive after the trials of chemo!!
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Trynryan, that’s fantastic news! I am excited for you! 👍🏻🥳🎊🎉 Wishing you all the best as you heal and recover.
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Shar - Thanks! I’m definitely looking forward to the end of chemo, and especially the 3 week break before meeting with radiation!
Evergreen & Trynryan - congrats on such good news!!
Melbo - How scary! I’m so glad you were able to get to the bottom of it and know what you’re dealing with.
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Melbo. That whole thing sounds terrifying! It can be so hard to have to be your own #1 champion for yourself within a medical system. Way to go for doing it and not backing down, speaking up for yourself and being assertive in all the ways that you were.
It obviously shouldn't be so hard to get the right medical attention, and it always stinks to feel like you are not the #1 priority for your doctor/nurse -- I have had this experience too.
I admire you for advocating for yourself. I think sharing stories about how much women end up having to fight to be heard in busy, complicated, overstressed medical settings can give us all more confidence the next time we need to speak up to get the quality of care and attention we deserve.
Sharon
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Now that most of us are done with chemo curious to know how everyone is doing with the residual effects. Is your hair coming back? Neuropathy lessening? I have notice not much for hair growth 6 weeks post chemo. Fingers and toes still tingling and cold feeling. I can taste food like before and can drink my water and be satisfied. I worry about the hair because of taxotere but will try to be patient. From what I have seen hopefully 4-6 months out I might be able to ditch the wig and caps. Please share how you're recovering. 🤗
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iamloved — I am only three weeks out from my last chemo, but I have already noticed several improvements - most noticeably food and water taste okay again. I have some scraggly looking hair trying to grow in, but it’s very short and extremely patchy at this point. My nails have gotten progressively worse though and now all of my fingernails and most of my toenails have red spots under the nail and ridges on top. Hopefully I don’t lose any of them.
I am going to have my port removed tomorrow. Apparently it was too risky to leave itin place since I have to stop taking blood thinners two days before my surgery. I’ll get to use it one more time for herceptin and Perjeta infusions tomorrow morning and then I’m walking to the surgeon’s office to have it taken out.
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I will add my pCR to our growing list! Cheers, all! Only a 3mm area of DCIS remaining at the original tumor site, which qualifies as pCR and has the same recurrence rate as any other pCR, so I’m thrilled. Went over pathology report with BS yesterday and will meet with MO tomorrow, I suppose just to confirm that I’ll stay on HP through twelve months. I have a consult with radiology on 12/23 and will probably start radiation in January and hormone therapy after that.
Melbo, I am so sorry for what you’ve had added to your plate and relieved to know the port will come out so you don’t have to think about this scary thing again!
As for remaining side effects, my nails look like hell but don’t hurt anymore. One or two of them I think might lift as they grow out but I don’t think I’ll lose them. I still have hypersalivation, which is annoying and gross, and an occasional eye twitch and ringing in my ear, but those are decreasing. I can feel I’m still anemic—leg muscles are sore and I’m just tired—but it feels like it’s getting better. I think I might be starting to grow new eyelashes bc I keep feeling little sharp pokes in the area I didn’t lose all my hair but it looks like I’m starting to get some new hair. I’m taking pics every month so I will be able to notice it thickening.
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