Apparently I Am "Just Diagnosed." :(
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LW, you might want to message your MO/nurses through MyChart and ask about whether they are rescheduling. Ice and Houston drivers are a pretty bad mix.
By the way, I never piped in on the icing of hands and feet, but I'm a believer. I actually found breastcancer.org through searching for "ways to prevent neuropathy with Taxotere." I had a friend with IBC in the 90's (32 at the time and very much alive today!) who was the first person I knew who took Taxol. My friend had such bad neuropathy she begged to quit but fortunately, her 2nd opinion doctor, Frankie Ann Holmes, wouldn't let her. Holmes was also my 2nd opinion doc with my Phyllodes tumor in 1997 after she'd left MD Anderson--she's brilliant, and caring. She performed the first clinical trial of Taxol resulting in approval for use in breast cancer and was the principal investigator for the clinical trial that led to the approval of Neulasta. Here she is on a short podcast where you can hear her talking about Nerlynx, a drug those of us who are HER2+ can take--but it's a great overview of breast cancer: https://healthprofessionalradio.com.au/nerlynx-update/
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Oh yes Beesy - in my NW part of town they're saying maybe 10 degrees!!! I don't see how I can keep my Mexican Mini Tomato alive - and I was just eating tomatoes off the vine yesterday. Sigh.
Here's another unexpected side benefit of chemo. For 40+ years I have had a full body scan at my derm docs twice a year. Each time I have 12+ pre-cancerous lesions that they have to freeze. I've had 5 MOHS surgeries for basal cells. Once I finished chemo and got back in the routine with derm doc, she said my skin was in the most beautiful condition she'd ever seen. We laughed since the benefit wasn't worth the treatment.
Edited to say - LW, it looks like Monday is the worst day. But I've found the weather predictions supremely unreliable. Hope you can get in OK on Tuesday.
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Beesy-T-O-O, I'm in New Braunfels and then temp is sitting right around freezing with warnings about power outages if the lines ice up over the weekend. 😱
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Jana--did you get a call today from MDA laboratory scheduling? Apparently they will be closed Monday and Tuesday, so my blood work and 2nd Taxol will be rescheduled. UGH. I hope this doesn't mess things up with my already-scheduled appointments that follow.
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Minus, that is very encouraging about the basal cell improvement--even though TCHP is quite the overkill! Ha! I've only had one MOHs surgery, and it was before breast cancer, so here's to hoping that will be my only one thanks to the Taxotere and Carboplatin. Regarding your tomatoes, I saw a man in our neighborhood who has beautiful beds of flowers who put Christmas lights around the flowers and then covered them with sheets and clear plastic (you can see the lights twinkling underneath 😉). I'm assuming he's hoping to heat it up a little around those beauties . . . and I hope it works! Not sure you'd want to get out there with Christmas lights now, but in case you're extra motivated . . .
Beaverntx, you live in a beautiful place! My in-laws live in Gonzales, TX, not too far from you (it's not nearly as pretty, either). You are right that it's the ice that could be a problem state-wide. I haven't watched any news all day but looking at my phone, they're making it sound as if Monday (here anyway) is going to be the bad day. For anyone reading not from Texas, we're usually starting to plant spring flowers by now!
Also, Beaver, I'm Beesy_the_other_one because I chose my name (just Beesy then) not realizing there's a BEESIE on here and people were starting to confuse us, which is not fair to her! So out of respect for her, I added "the other one" to try to help keep down the confusion. No one has ever abbreviated it TOO before--BeesyTOO would have been better--and EASIER! Maybe I'll change it! BEESIE was a nickname for her as a child and it was for me also. In my case, my maiden name ends in BEE. She happened to choose the spelling Beesie and I chose Beesy, though neither of us had ever spelled it prior to choosing our names.
LW, they'll be able to reschedule you pretty easily. I think it's better than stressing about getting there on icy roads, and they will prioritize you. ❤️
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Beesie (the first one) chiming in here. LW, I haven't posted here before because you've been getting a lot of great support from so many people much better able to offer advice about your diagnosis and treatment plan. But I have been following your posts and since Beesy-The-Other-One mentioned me, I thought I would pop in. Yay! to your uterine biopsy being benign. And good luck with chemo!
Hope that all of you in Texas make it through the next few days safely. I'm in Canada and no one likes driving on ice here either. Right now in Toronto we are in the middle of our coldest weather of the winter so far, yet northern Texas looks to be hitting some temps that will be lower than ours, and maybe even getting more snow that us. Houston and area not quite as cold but closer to our normal winter temps, which is obviously not what you are used to or prepared for. MinusTwo, if you have any spare burlap lying around, that's what's used around here to wrap trees and plants for the winter.
BeesyTOO (I like that!) at least made the wise choice to spell her screenname with a "y" rather than the "ie". As Beesie, I too often get Bessie. And no, I am not a cow. 🙄
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Yup, here in Vermont even with excellent Hakkapelitta ice-rated snow tires, we stay put in ice storms. Last night I had a nightmare about a school bus sliding sideways down a curvy hill in an ice storm. Just hunker down and stay safe!
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Hi Beesie; nice to see you here. I have read many of your informative posts and appreciate that you have such knowledge about breast cancer and are willing to share. If I might ask, are you a breast cancer survivor or in current treatment? (I apologize if this has been answered but this board isn't very search-friendly.)
This is extremely weird weather for the Houston area; I don't regret not having to drive into town on Tuesday, but I do wonder when I'll be able to get on with treatment. I want to put chemo in my rear-view mirror.
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Hey Jana! Are you keeping warm in Woodville? My daughters live in the Austin area and they are having snow along with the icy roads. I got a notice from MyChart today that my chemo appointment was canceled; no surprise there. Nothing rescheduled yet, so I'll just relax and try to keep warm.
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LW, I'm on Letrozole but am otherwise past treatment. To your question though, I don't choose to use the word "survivor". I was lucky in having early stage breast cancer so I didn't need chemo. And because I had a MX (small IDC but lots of DCIS, so no choice), I didn't need rads. With that treatment plan, I don't feel that I have 'survived' anything. As I've posted on the board before, there are other things that I've experienced in life that were a lot more difficult for me to go through, but no one associates the word 'survivor' with those life experiences. I think if I'd had chemo and a more strenuous treatment regimen, I might feel differently, so I don't object to the word for other people, if they feel it applies to them. I just don't think it applies to me.
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We had our power restored after 36 hours without--about four hours ago. Houston homes are not built for no power in sub-zero temps! We turned off water to the house and drained the system so the pipes wouldn't burst; sadly many of our neighbors did not and many have pipes bursting like crazy as things thaw 😕. We were grateful for a gas log fireplace (which we normally delight in getting to use just for "ambience") and a gas stove that we could light manually. The cold weather is one thing, but having electricity cut to over 14 million homes is only something you'd expect in 2020-2021. Next time Beaverntx mentions possible power outages, I am going to take that as a clue that it's time to download movies to my iPad--immediately! I did it first thing when power was restored in case they shut off power later! I feel prepared for the worst now!
I hope all of our Texas friends have power and are staying warm.
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oh Beesy yes, it sounds like a nightmare in Texas right now. I hope you are all coping and have light, warmth and plenty of food!
Sending you all loads of wam hugs.
Astrid.
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Yes, Astrid, the state of Texas is a real mess right now. Since our power was restored after 36 hours, we've had rolling blackouts (three hours on/three hours off--1 ½ hours on/ 1 ½ hours off--which is totally doable!). I just checked, and Jana and MinusTwo haven't signed on in days, making me concerned they still have power outages, or worse, are now dealing with water in their homes from burst pipes. LW422 signed on 20 hours ago, which is an encouraging sign. Beaverntx signed on three hours ago--a very good sign since she lives west closer to my in-laws who have no power or water. Water pipes run up into our attics, which is almost never an issue for us because our weather is rarely--almost never--this cold. If homes had been able to be heated (had we had power) it wouldn't have been *as* bad, but without power to heat our homes, pipes froze in attics and broke. When power is returned, water runs down into homes. I live in a large neighborhood and I could attach photos that would make you cry. Fortunately, neighbors are helping one another to cap the breaks so that they are able to get the water back on in their homes, but the number of homes with extensive damage is heartbreaking. Honestly, Astrid, I turned on the news this morning and it's the Texans who don't live in cozy homes that concerns me. I saw a few people interviewed who lived in an apartment complex where the fire sprinklers broke and ruined all their (few) earthly possessions. Many people are suffering.
Because we were some of the first people to lose power, we opted to fill tubs to flush toilets and turn off water to the house. When our electricity was still off, my husband went into the attic when it was 12 degrees outside, and our attic was 21 degrees. We probably wouldn't have turned off the water had we not lost power so early on, but that made it more clear to us. We've lived here long enough to have lived through a few of these cold snaps (none quite like this) to know that pipes end up being the problem.
Jana and MinusTwo, we're thinking of you and hoping you are just cold and without power and not wet and cold. ❤️
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what a nightmare.
Sending love to all Texans on this forum.
Having this compounded for those going through tx right now? Could not be much worse for them.
Thinking of you and keeping in my prayers Jana and LW...and whoever else I missed in naming.
🙏💗
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Beesy you rock for keeping an eye out for our TX members. The pipes run thru the attics? Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh.
Echoing Astrid- Sending love to all our TX members-
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Beesy, I'm glad you and your family are all fine; I hope the rest of our Texas members make it through this weather with no major damage to their homes or their persons! I've been watching the news and the pictures from Texas are shocking. Winter storms are always treacherous, even for us here in Canada, and we have insulation and central heating and are usually well prepared.
Thinking of you all!
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Java - amazing you didn't loose power? We lost power for almost 48 hours. Got down to 44 in my house. Luckily I have lots of sweater & blankets. Then I lost my phone line (hard wired & DSL connection) so still no internet. And finally after one night with power & heat, the power went off again yesterday, we lost water. I had power last night and today have small trickle of water. Enough to fill the containers again to flush the toilets. Not quite enough to take a shower. But of course not for drinking or even brushing our teeth since we're under "boil" orders Thanks everyone for caring.
LW - do you have a new schedule?
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oh Jana and Minus 2!!!
My heart goes out to you. Yes Jana, you the goats minus2 and L-Dub all come over to Oz and stay with me. You are very welcome!! My doggy would love the goats!!! I feel guilty right now just down the coast on a beach holiday but thinking of you and holding you all close. Sending some warmth your way.
Quite concerned we haven't heard from LW for a bit. Gee I hope she is ok.
Should have had her 2nd chemo by now, but who knows!! The last thing she and Jana need. Ugghhh!!! And covid...I mean wtf!!! Really.😧💖
Glad to hear you've had warmth and power Jana.
Minus 2
...Good grief...what a nightmare for you! Hope it us better now and that the weather shifts.💟
Loads of love
Astrid.
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ooh. Hang on I found LW on chemo thread. Seems her tx are rescheduled for Fridays now so she won't have had 2nd tx yet.
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Hey LW I hope you are doing ok!
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Hello everyone. Wow, what a week for Texas, huh?? We were without power for almost 24 hours and then had the "rolling blackout" thing intermittently for a couple of days. Our water was off for 2 days but now we have a trickle. We used water from our pool to flush toilets and I had a stockpile of bottled water in our garage so it hasn't been unbearable. We have a fireplace and a gas stove, so we could huddle in front of the fire and have warm food and coffee.
MDA notified me that they are closed for the remainder of the week for outpatient appointments, so I'm missing an entire week of chemo. I hope that doesn't affect the effectiveness of treatment but there's no way it could have been helped. I'm waiting to hear what day next week I'll be scheduled for.
Thanks for the good wishes; I hope everyone is safe and warm tonight.
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LW - yup - a wild ride. I don't think a weeks delay will be critical. In any case, none of us had any choice this week.
I ventured out today for the first time in a week to get my 2nd Covid vaccine shot. The ice is off the middle of the streets but still some piles on the sides. The house down the way still has a 4 ft snowman the kids built on Monday. It's beginning to look more like a volcano, but amazing to me that it's still there. I've lived in Houston for almost 50 year and never seen snow or vicious cold last more than overnight
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Hey -2. I'm glad we are back to "Houston Winter"... 76 degrees today!!
I'm having my second chemo tomorrow at MDA main building. I'll have to get there early to figure out where the heck I need to be in that maze. My hair decided to start shedding today, dang it.
Hope everyone is doing well.
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LW - my house was 82. Eeek. RE: hair - I was told to do a buzz cut and not totally shave my head. I did that after my 2nd Taxotere and it worked out well. Find a nice soft "cap" that you can wear. It kept the hairs off my clothes & my pillow. You can remove all the pointy little hairs with a lint roller
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Thanks, -2. I guess I'm going to have to call my hairdresser or my daughter and get that buzz cut after all.
I have a couple of soft knit caps I ordered from Amazon; I was hoping not to need them but so far I am 0 for 10 with "cancer wishes." Hope you are doing well. Our poor yard is going to need re-landscaping after that stupid extended freeze. Everything out there is dead.
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I spent most of today trimming & pruning dead mushy plants & bushes. Ugh.
I really found a buzz cut better than a total shave. Maybe more hassle but not so itchy.
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Well, I called my hairdresser and she will cut my hair on Saturday after the shop closes so no one else will be in there. I'm not going for a buzz yet... more of a pixie I think. I dread it but I see the writing on the wall.
I'm off for chemo #2. Hope it goes smoothly today.
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LW, I really understand your emotions. So many of us have been there. I literally fell apart the day I lost the eyelashes (after chemo was all over, which is common with TCHP). I appreciate hair and eyelashes so much more now. A real bonus that came from this is that I never thought I could wear short hair, but it turns out I can and love it. I would have NEVER been brave enough to have done it pre-cancer and it turns out, I was wearing my hair the wrong way--for my whole life. You have to try to find the positives in this big mess of negatives. I really learned a ton about wigs and ordered two--one was great looking but less comfortable. The second looked so much like my hair and was so comfortable (there are things to look for) that my surgeon who's known me since I was 35 said after my BMX that he didn't recognize me when he walked into the surgery because he assumed I'd preserved my hair with cold caps. When I ditched the wig when my hair was ¼", I had friends who were then surprised because they did not think I'd lost my hair during chemo because the wig was so good. If I can help you, I'd be happy to help assuming you're interested in a wig.
For what it's worth, I think you are smart not to buzz. I let my daughter shave my head and to do it over, I would chop it short and not completely buzz it. Hope chemo is smooth sailing today!
ps Minus, you were so smart to deal with the mushy plants before it is going to rain for a week! I was not so wise.
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Hey Beesy. Yeah, I think the pixie will be a better choice for me. I don't like to think of short buzzed hairs being all over everything...I guess it seems like slightly longer hair will be easier cleanup but I'm probably wrong. The fact is, none of us wants any of it but here we are. I'll be a pixie-head (at least for a few days) on Saturday.
I had kind of a weird thing happen at chemo today; posted it in the February 2021 Chemo thread so I won't clog this thread with the redux.
Thanks for posting about your experiences; I did buy a couple of wigs so we'll see how it goes. I hope you are doing well these days.
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LW - be sure to have lint remover rollers on hand. They work great on your head for those short hairs, and on your pillow. I slept in a cap so didn't have the issue in bed, but the rollers worked great on the cap too.
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