Ronnie,
Please see my post at #63. I traveled almost the same road as your DW, except that my lymph nodes were negative. I am now six months post-chemo and thriving. I also beat myself up for skipping my mammogram for one year, and my surgeon said exactly the same thing - they may or may not have found it earlier, but it would not have changed the outcome for me.
These next few months are the time for your wife to be very kind to herself, and to rest as much as she can.
Reassure her that the hair does grow back!! I was bald for several months, but my hair has grown back and I actually like it more than I liked my pre-chemo hair. I didn't want to face slowly losing my hair in bits and pieces, so I went to Great Clips one week before chemo and they shaved my head. In this area they do this for free for anyone undergoing chemo. Amazon has a great variety of beanies, FYI.
Best of luck to both of you on your journey.
Thanks for the information and well wishes. She had the first dose of chemo on Wednesday last week so it has been 8 days. The day she got it she seemed ok until the evening then it all when to heck....she was pretty much bedridden Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun, and Monday due to the intense nausea and extreme fatigue. She started to feel like it wasn't at least getting any worse and maybe a bit better on Tuesday and as of today, Thursday, almost is back to normal but super tired. She can't wait to go back again on Wednesday
I hear you!! My oncologist told me that just about the time I started feeling close to "normal" after every chemo round, it would be time to go back for the next one. He was absolutely correct.
Unfortunately the oral anti emetics aren't working so hot. She says she can't tell much of a difference using ondansetron or promethazine than not using them. She has been alternating and they added lorazepam, which of course adds to the drowsiness.
I'm sorry to hear this. Ondansetron (Zofran) and Promethazine were lifesavers for me, but I know they don't work for everyone. My doctor advised me not to wait until I felt nauseous, but to stick strictly to the recommended schedule for taking the meds even if I didn't have a hint of nausea, so that's what I did, and in my case it worked. I hope your DW finds something that works for her.
Luckily only 3 more doses of this combo then 4 of the taxol (which they claim is not as bad as the A/C combo) but when they all suck I guess they can only say it sucks less.
I had T/C (Taxotere and Cyclophosphamide) instead of A/C. I did read hundreds of posts on breastcancer.org about A/C - it sounds about as nasty as it can be. The "A" (Adriamycin) was referred to as the Red Devil.
I did get a bunch of 'do rags' and knit hats, beanies and baseball caps for her wearing pleasure. She still hasn't cut her hair yet, but is planning too. It is said day 17 is the key day for most to start losing their hair. Shes hoping to lose her arm and leg hair too
Nobody warned me I would lose my eyebrows and eyelashes too!! So be forewarned if this happens. They are coming back now.
Thanks again for the well wishes and we do plan on kicking cancers butt and continuing on more appreciative of our future plans.
Again, thank you to everyone for their thoughts, prayers, and advice. Step one is complete; lumpectomy was yesterday. It was a horribly long day, but the results were about as good as a person could hope for. Surgeon got all of the tumor and a good portion of surrounding tissue. Slides of the lymph nodes were negative (yeah!). Everything still has to be sent to pathology, but for now, the news is good.
We dodged a bullet (if you can claim that with any cancer) as the pathology reports show stage 1 IDC and no spread anywhere else. Oconotype shows hormone receptors, so hormone suppression (for years) and radiation are the prescribed treatment.
After reading the stories on here, as well as other cancer message boards, we are damn lucky. My heart goes out to all of those who are fighting for their lives. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
We dodged a bullet (if you can claim that with any cancer) as the pathology reports show stage 1 IDC and no spread anywhere else. Oconotype shows hormone receptors, so hormone suppression (for years) and radiation are the prescribed treatment.
After reading the stories on here, as well as other cancer message boards, we are damn lucky. My heart goes out to all of those who are fighting for their lives. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Great news to hear. Wish you guys the best.
An update:
My wife is doing very well physically.......emotionally, she is still a bit rocked. In my opinion she is handling the whole thing like a super hero. She is halfway through her radiation treatments, about three weeks left.
The hormone suppression meds are probably the worst for her; she got "neutral dropped" into menopause; hot flashes, sleep disruption, etc.
When she finishes her treatments on July 3rd, we leave for Puerto Vallarta on the 5th, where she can sleep and recover under a palapa or palm tree.
An update:
My wife is doing very well physically.......emotionally, she is still a bit rocked. In my opinion she is handling the whole thing like a super hero. She is halfway through her radiation treatments, about three weeks left.
The hormone suppression meds are probably the worst for her; she got "neutral dropped" into menopause; hot flashes, sleep disruption, etc.
When she finishes her treatments on July 3rd, we leave for Puerto Vallarta on the 5th, where she can sleep and recover under a palapa or palm tree.