Good luck Lily hope it goes as well as it can I will be thinking of you. Glad someone else enjoys Xfactor and I agree Cheryl Cole is lovely such a pretty little thing and she appears to be genuine with her concerns for people.
Thanks for all the talk about travel insurance as I have a friend living in Tenerife and we are going out to visit her in January can’t wait to be there and have time to relax and try to get my head around what we have all been through.
Glad to hear the rads have gone o.k. I start mine on the 17th Nov.
I have found as the sessions have gone on I have fewer and fewer good days as I normally feel hammered which makes me feel below par mentally too. My daughter (who is living in France at the moment) has been home which has been lovely but she had a cough and yes you have guessed it I now have the bloody cough to contend with too. Still it was great to see her and know she is happy and really enjoying her life living the alps and so looking forward to the snow it was like talking to a 7 year old the night before christmas (she is 24) became quite contagious I could almost remember being happy.
Well here’s to us all having happy times ahead once we have got through this awful testing time.
Well all, after a crap day, woke up this am scared that I have spread and then get my op for next tuesday at newcaslte for ovaries out so terrified now!!
xx
Hi All: Quickie again - don’t get poisoned until 2.30 today - what a waste of a glorious autumn day.
Angie: Thanks for the comments about bruising - have always bruised easily since a kid only got to grab my arm and I bruise. You may have seen in previous posts that my sister has lupus and we have this funny blood thing in the family so I guess that is part of the problem. Will definitely up the red meat, have noticed I am not eating so much recently and will attack the cherries - although may be wrong time of the year. I always used to find Vit C helped with the bruising but we are not supposed to take Vit C tablets, are we?
Lily: by the time you see this we wil have been done, let’s hope it is OK
Anyway, off to potter about and then lunch and then…
Lisa: Arrrgh. Perhaps the red patch is a rash, are you prone to eczma at all as that can flare up under times of stress and lets be honest you’ve had a lot on your plate.
Oh god op date so soon! I guess less time to panic at least. I’m expecting I won’t be far behind you. get out into sun this afternoons and don’t think about it.
Julia. I think vit c is needed to process iron actually hence the cherries recommendation. even the tinned ones are fine and you can get them frozen now too.
Lost of love everyone, hope it’s sunny where you are too and makes the day a little more bearable for all of you in for poisoning.
Hi,
well thanks everyone, your thoughts, prayers, karma, positive vibes all worked and they got in the port first go, hooray, and no hitches at all. I did go off a little to my research nurse beforehand and so the chemo ladies were not so keen to be the first to stab this whale in the chest today, so sat about a bit. I ended up trying to cheer up and encourage an 80+ lovely chap with bowel cancer and a kind 65 year old lady who won’t eat and has to on her tablets, who were sitting in armchairs either side of me. They were gobsmacked that I was on my 10 th visit. I have asked for a balloon on the last one, might suggest it to the team. It helped take my mind of things and had reflexology before the treatment so pretty chilled out. I needed it after having the violent trots on the evening before, and as the toilet opens onto the unit room so everyone would know if I had been in a long time. I would have come out to find a queue of people attached to drips outside and have to give them pegs to put on their noses.LOL. Double eggs on toast in the canteen followed by iv anti-sickness blocked that leak nicely! After the piriton I slept to find my drip had finished 15 minutes before and the alarm had not gone off, so felt like a quick visit. I have been told I am seeing the onc in the week of the final dose and he is referring me straight back to the cardio vascular team for surgery and then a short recovery time before rads and tablets. reminded them that I don’t know my menopausal status and they say he can order tests there and then if he needs to know. So it is all picking up steam up a bit and more surgery looming for me too, not happy that have to be awake but even a mild happy pill will make me unconscious, so realistically I will be a vegetable through it.
Lisa, I know it is scary but at least it will be done and dusted to give you tons of time to be on top form for Christmas and the New Year. Sending you hugs. Operations are scarey but it has to be done, so at least i think not having too long to stew, might be better. Can you perhaps stay with your parents for convalescence afterwards, as walking the dog and getting up and down to him might be tough? Another giant thing ticked off after this and if you are really still worried about spread why don’t you ask if scans can be done while you are there, as I assume you will be in for at least a day or two. This is playing on your mind, so you need to know. Big hugs mate x . Angie are you waiting for the same op at newcastle too? Keep enjoying these no treatment days both of you. Julia I hope yours went in first go too, so that the bruising is minimised. I have been hooked on ribena through CMF, which is an easy way to get antioxidants and vit C in even if you don’t feel like eating much. I read that you need it to absorb iron too. My neuts went up to 5.8 on day 8 so not sure what they have been partying on as I felt really tired this cycle. Or perhaps they just like rest? Iron was on 13.1 and hooray hooray tumour markers went down 6 points. They had been creeping slightly up and I was just so focused on them, despite reassurances constantly. Just makes me feel more confident that things are doing what they should be. Joanne how did you get on today with the onc? Hope he was helpful. Bevy, Tenerife in Jan sounds fab, wish I had a friend there too. I too find the number of good days is decreasing but then after that they increase for good so keep chugging along and think what it must be doing to the enemy within! A cough oh no that would finish my acid tummy off. Pile lots of pillows up at night and get some Vic or those squirty capsules whose name i forget (got it Karvol ) to put on your PJs at night. I find them really good or Vic, with a tickly annoying cough. Get it checked out quick if on your chest or they will delay your next dose. My daughter has a very bad chest and asthma so there are obviously winter bugs about. I better book my flu jab for this cycle. Everyone else thanks for the kind messages and support and hope to hear from you soon. I put a new thread on, Lisa do not read the download or anyone else who does not like blunt facts, but not many stats on it. It made me gulp and think a bit and I have read really frank books. Knowledge is not best for everyone if it affects their peace of mind and sleep.
On a more cheery note, I have one more double to go. Rarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaa
I can see the finish line guys thanks for cheering me on the way
Love you all
Lily x x
woo Lily, glad it went in first time this time. Only 1 double dose to go… I think you should get an advent calender to count down the days .
Whether I have the ovaries removed or not comes down to the results from my visit with the geneticist next week. There’s no history of cancer on my Mum’s side of the family and my dad’s side is unknown so it’s possible my results will be good, but getting them within 3 months makes me nervous that they already found something so fingers crossed but not being unrealistic here.
I don’t think I’d have the op this year as I really need to take the reigns to my life back sharpish before the business me and OH built up over the last 10 years fails, not too much of a risk yet but if I’m off for another 2 months it really will be so I have to say next year really.
Anyway hope you’re all doing OK. What about you Joanne, did they change the dose for you?
Hi: Glad everything went well for your Lily, it did for me too. Think I had the head nurse yesterday, when I told her about last week’s farago, she said “we’re not going to have any of that, this time it is going to be perfect!” and it was. In first time on vein over wrist below thumb, no probs with flow or anything, had the heat pad to keep it going. I have had pain in my left side not surgery side for about two weeks, when I moved and twinged she wanted to know why. Having answered her questions, how long, does it hurt, etc, she sent for doctor who turned up in less than ten mins! Obviously when she say jump they all ask how high! He said it was just a muscle strain and to take ibuprofen and not to worry. Rather nice he went thru the results in my file post op with me and said he thought eveything was perfect except the Grade 3 but thought I had had a very successful op and everything should be fine. That’s rather nice to hear at this stage. ALso Sam (head nurse) thought I could easily postpone the chip fryer until Jan.
One thing that I have noticed is the age of other patients - last week I share my treatment room with an Asian girl who couldn’t have been more that late 20’s and yesterday a very glamorous girl on Tact 2 Trial who was early 30’s. They are getting younger!! This is scary!
Will go through all your posts tomorrow when back in office - just off the take my poor dented company Peugeot (OH used to be Treasurer of Peugeot before he retired and I get the company car - yipee!) to be mended and they have given me a replacement car - a 307 convertible! I don’t care if it is cold, if the sun shines the roof is coming down - will have to glue on wig! They reckon it will take a week to mend my car but I think I will ask them to take their time!
having a rotton few days just need to pull myself together, went to see the head of the chemo ward for chat and she said i look like what I did before chemo and when i first found out the worried haunted look, or I would put it a bag of crap!! But this time next week op will hopefully be done and will nearly be hometime!!!
Thanks for your concern spoke to onc yesterday and basically broke down he was really concerned about the effect that cmf has on me and said i should have been in hospital but as i have an adversion to them i was stubborn and wouldnt go he said he seen a rapid deterioration in me and that gues what no more chemo i know i should be over the moon but i feel ive not only let myself down but everyone else too so really low just now but onc says my body cant take any more. So go back next week to discuss thing in more detail and my radiation so looks as if i will be finished for christmas thank god and I can pout this behond me and look forward to the rest of my life again.
Joanne
Sorry i can reply to your ppost much but i can only see small piece of my laptop screen due to crack but will hopefully catch up when i go to my daughters xxx
Joanne, sounds like your body had all it needed to me. It’s not like you haven’t already had as much as a lot of us get anyway.
Lisa… It’ll be OK, why Newcastle? Don’t they do the op at Carlisle? Gosh you’ll be done and home in no time I’m sure. Here if you want to chat I can kinda sympathise with the fear as I’ve got it just in case!
Hi,
well I am going to say hooooooooooray for Joanne being finished with chemo. You little devil, you found a short cut and didn’t tell Julia and I about it. I guessed that is what they would say. If you remember, months ago I said I was going to stop early and my onc said it was ok to stop at 6 if not coping with it, so I would have made the same decision if like that. You take care and don’t dessert me just yet. Thanks Lisa and big hugs for Tuesday and also Monday night when you are wobbly. Just go with the flow and get it over with, it will be another thing not to worry about. Will you stay with your parents rather than on your own for a bit. Don’t forget the oohs and ahhs getting up and down out the chair, you might need some waitress service for a few days. Find some nice books to read or dvds to watch for when you get out. Angie thanks too I like the advent calendar idea. I am feeling quite chilled until the runs start later this week and the eyes go. Well should be used to it by now I guess. Julia fab that yours went well too, just us and Bevy left now, all hobbling to the end of the marathon. That head nurse sounds like the person to have for the last 2 goes. Great timing to have some attention and positive news from the doc. So pleased for you, that should see you through to November on a high. Car sounds fab why not drive off with it and forget to go back. Nicky road tested wigs in a soft top car and got to 60 mph without her wig flying off, if that helps.LOL.
I am feeling quite settled, just waiting for the payback from the drugs but know it shouldn’t be too bad if I am careful an do nothing and eat just carbs. Everyone I know is so excited that I am near the end it is carrying me along with it. yesterday I looked really ill so have been fussed a lot and rung up and bought pressies. Funnily enough I felt much worse last week! Not that I am complaining. Not much sleep for me after a steroid breakfast this morning. I might start another giant jigsaw to see me through the night shift. How long does it take to sleep normally again and please tell me rads don’t keep you awake too. James Bond film out soon, so counting down to watch him again. Watched Casino Royale tonight for the millionth time. Thats probably why I aam wide awake now!! Hi everyone else, hope you are ok
Lily x
never thought about the ooohhss and aaarrgghhhs. Might stop wiht them a few nights but really feel for them at the mo wiht my aunty as she’s alone with 4 kids so my mam and dad take the brunt again, then have paranoid little old me!!!
Angei thanks for support too, not having op until Wed but have to go in Tuesday. have original appointment at Carlisle but they dont do the key hole option there, wish i was being in whitehaven as with dad there and no everyone.
Nearly the weekend, love to all. gonna try and ealry night to rest up as wearing myself out
xxx
Hi: Am going to try to do proper catch up with everybody but may fall at the last fence as there is so much on here I haven’t read yet. Here goes:
Bevy: Hope you are OK. Just picked up the bit about cold heads – around the house I usually wear a towelling turban which covers my ears as well. Very cute!
Nicky: have you tried Bio-Oil? That is also very good for scaring etc. I used it for a while and my scar has nearly disappeared, I also used on my bald head which kept the skin in good nick.
Glad to hear the news about travel insurance next year - I definitely need some warm and some sun – was thinking about April/May time before everywhere gets too hot – I am very fond of the right bits of Majorca so that may be the spot. Can’t face more than about 3 hours in a plane – any longer and they would take me off in one of those coats that do up around the back!!
Lily: My blood test form for next time 8a is the same as before – could this be something to do with your rads as you are going into that fairly soon?
Thanks for the good wishes, yes it was good to have the comments from the doc, just makes you wonder if everything is so perfect why am I being poisoned? But we all know it is preventive so get on with it. The car is fab – bright cherry red – only problem is there is no handbook so I don’t know how to get the roof down or open the bloody boot! However will ring dealer and act the dumb broad and get instructions. I have already told them to take their time mending my 207!
Lisa: Don’t seem to have a lymphodema problem at the moment although surgery arm is a tad bigger than left arm and hurts like hell if anyone grabs it! That qualifies for a quick slap!
Good luck for next week, I’m sure you will be OK
Angie: Am going cherry shopping at lunchtime to see what I can find – good thing I love cherries. Asked my ace nurse who did my chemo about Vit C pills and she said they should the OK so long as not too high a dose – think I will stick with the cherries.
Joanne: Don’t feel you have let anyone down – particularly yourself. As they keep telling us – we are all different – and you have had a difficult time. Just be grateful that you can now rest and get your life back to something resembling pre-chemo. Anyone who gets thru all this s**t with half a brain working and a body that looks almost human has really climbed the mountain and achieved so much. Don’t do yourself down!!
Love and hugs to all - have appointment with onc on Monday and then two weeks with no hospital - hooray!!!
Joanne, you must listen to your body and if it has had enough then that is totally correct for you and the poison has done it’s business! well done and just try to now rest and be gentle with yourself to become strong again.
Julia thanks for thoughts on cold head I too have a turban but I guess it is just the weather turning colder has had an effect. Roll on the hair growing back!
Lisa and Julia, my surgery arm is also a tad bigger than the other one and feels more solid but hopefully this will calm down once the chemo is finished? and it can start to repair a bit better. I just carry on doing the exercises.
I had some of the bio oil but unfortunately can’t stand the smell of it at the present time so I have a few aloe vera plants that I break the leaves off (poor plants) and scoop out the jelly like substance from them and smear that on my scars (not sure if it will help with the healing but it feels nice and cool) or and the leaves grow again.
Lily so relieved to hear you had a slightly better time you have really been through it again just treat yourself very gently we are nearly there now! thank goodness.
I have my last chemo next wed. not looking forward to it at all but at least it will be the last time in the black hole! and then hopefully I will regain some strength before the rads. I have found the good days seem to be fewer now.
Angie just rest up and hope you feel stronger soon,
My onc thinks i should have the flu jab before completing chemo have any of you had it? sorry if this has already been asked I lose the plot sometimes. I was just concerned feeling so hammered with the chemo wouldn’t I be better to wait until I finish? would appreciate advice.
This is the advice from Breast Cancer Care nursing team:
'As many of you know, when you have chemotherapy your body is less able to fight infections. For this reason it is usually recommended that during the flu season people due to have chemotherapy have a flu vaccination before they start their chemotherapy. For those already in the middle of their chemotherapy treatment it might be best to check with your oncologist or chemotherapy nurse about what they advise. The flu vaccination is not a “live” vaccine, meaning that there are no safety worries about having it at the same time as chemotherapy. However because your body needs to mount an immune response to the vaccine to give you protection against the flu virus, it might be less effective to have the vaccine at a time when your immune system is not working as well as it usually does. It might be helpful to have the vaccine at a time when your immune system is most recovered and your chemotherapy nurse would be able to let you know when in your chemotherapy treatment this would occur for you (typically towards the end of each chemotherapy cycle).
If you would like to read more about this, I include a link Cancer Research UK’s website which contains more information:
Thanks Ann, I will get the flu jab now as I am due my last chemo next wednesday and when I was out yesterday several people in shops were commenting on everyone being ill so I was getting a bit nervous.
wow this thread gets longer, must mean everyones feeling a little brighter, i really hope so!
Lily 2000
thank god, you had it a little easier, im trying to think of something nasty to say to stop you getting emotional.(but cant think of anything ) but im so pleased it went well,
i found near the end of my chemo’s the side effects werent quite so awful, so im hoping yours are the same, maybe our body gets used to living with that horrible yuk inside it. im waiting to dye my hair, but like you am waiting for a bit of length and i think i will also have a reddish colour, my wig was them sort of shades and everyone said it looked good. are your eyebrows back yet? ive just thought how come you have this hair growth while still on chemo?
i only have about a week left to clear shop out, and i really dont know whats next from here. i am just hoping while im out and about i will hear of something, and just act on it then, im all for living in the moment just now. my sister goes for her results tommorow, to see how badly her liver is affected, she has secondaries there. im really hoping for a positive outcome.
Nicky 08
im really really really jealous, everyone organising holidays, its not fair! my hubby struggles to get long periods off work because hes self employed so thats why we get so many mini breaks. i think you said you were going to france, dont get eating too many frogs legs.
ive been lymphodema clinic today, theyve ordered me such a sexy bra, i certainly wont me feeling the cold this winter, theres only a little wobbly flesh thats not encased in the armour. but hey, who feels sexy anyway with one boob! so might as well go for comfort. hope you feeling ok on your new meds.
everyone else, sorry i cant write individually, by the time ive read all the posts ive forgot what youve said, but im thinking of you all, live life to the full on the days you can, enjoy, and let the bad days take care of themselves.
Hi everyone,
woops earlier I realised that I forgot to take my steroids this morning!!! Panicked a bit and then thought well nothing has happened so far, so it must be ok. Then got the most terrific pain under the ribs for about an hour and panicked again and now I am fine. Weird, some sort of indigestion pain maybe. Anyway I can’t take 4 steroids at this time or I will never sleep so taking my chances!! Had a nice day seeing an old work colleague in the morning. Later on I popped into the town for a browse about with daughter 2 and Grandson and bought him a cuddly Scooby Doo, his favourite right now. It is a nightmare shopping with him and all the Christmas toys everywhere, which he wants when he sees them, so we were very limited which shops we dared go in. I have been trying to convince him that they are just there ready for Christmas presents! He is not quite old enough to understand that you add them to your list. We should all be excoted about Christmas this year as we will all be off chemo and mostly through surgery and rads. Hope 2009 is a good one for all of us.
Julia I found out it is just a hospital change of policy with the new forms so not anything important. i agree I can’t sit on a plane too long. The seats were a bit snug last year without my extra bits from this! I will be back at work and need to wait until the high season unfortunately. No cash as my wages just dropped through the floor. Hope all goes well with the onc, just routine I assume. I see mine after number 8. Ypu have to have a drive with the hood down!! Enjoy the next couple of weeks before our final dive and it has been really good having you to travel alongside these more testing last ones. Thanks x. Bevy another one through the finish line next week, oh I am glad for you. Keep yourself well so you get it done on time. I asked about the flu jab and told to get it at the end of this cycle or after the last one, can;t decide which but hubby works in London so he could easily bring it home. Let me know how you get on as I can’t go for 2 weeks. Lorraine my hair has been growing since I came off epi as it grows on CMF. It is now 1 1/2 inches all over with longer bits that stayed from the cold cap so no wig wearing at all throughout this - hooray. Although I bet they are nice and warm in this cooler weather, my ears almost fall off at might unless I pull my hat right over them!! I kept eyebrows and eye lashes right through, thanks to the cold cap I guess. You can be nice, it only gets me in certain weeks, this is waiting for side effects week and trying to wotk out whether it is the runs or being bunged up about to strike. Very unpredictable. If you still have quite a few books to sell you might find a stall or some other place to sell them which has less overheads. Another avenue would be the internet from home. I think something will wing its way to you. Perhaps you should sell nicer bras for people with this! I will be hoping that your sister does not get worse news and that they can do something to help her. I did not realise that she had so much going on at the same time, poor thing and more worry for you too. What a terrible shame.
Nicky hope you had a lovely time and no doubt have been testing le vin frequently. Lisa gosh your family are going through it as well, I hope there is some hope to help your Auntie, I was not sure from what you wrote and with 4 children to care for too, must be so difficult. You concentrate on yourself a little and check you have everything you need for next week. Who will look after little dog while you are in? Are you going to keep busy this wekend or having a nice night out? Thinking of you x. Angie are you ok? Gone a little quiet so hope you are just busy working.
Well I think I might sleep tonight without my lkittle buzzy pills to keep me up
Hugs everyone and thank you for being you
Lily x