peachpoppy

hi with ur dorsi surgery did u have bad nerve or chest nerve pain or did your chest move when u moved your arms? Might need this surgery due to thin skin on radiated breast? and reading others symptoms on this sight??? I like to swim, standup paddle board etc....ooo brother decisions ??? thx u oxox

PP, So glad your surgery is over and you did well. Keep healing, glad you had a quiet place to go to heal. Just don't overdo when you get home. God bless!

I am so sorry your DIEP didn't work. I knew that was a possibility going into the surgery, but I did very well. I can only imagine your devastation. Hopefully, the drs will correct this and everything will go well with next surgery. If you had to pay deductible for 1st surgery, any others this year should be taken care of by insurance. Praying all gets better for you.

Hi Peach, saw your post this am and have been wondering how you're doing, and how work has been going for you. I'm about 5 months out from tx. Still hard to make it through an entire day, but definitely getting better. I've been gaining weight, not sure if its from inactivity or the tamoxifen, so I need to stay on top of that. Hope you're feeling well and having a good summer!

Hi peach, how's the job going? Are you working 40 hours? How many weeks after rads did you go back? I'm almost 7 weeks out and still feel such fatigue. Hard to tell if its getting better. Trying to be patient with myself, and hope others will be too. I think I've felt more frustrated the past month since I'm not really in tx, but still can't do much! How's your joint pain? I haven't had that SE, but my arm still swells if I do laundry or buy groceries or anything. The whole radiated area aches most of the time. Started tamoxifen last week, so far no changes. Thanks for letting me whine a bit! Figuring out how to adjust after tx has been more of a challenge than I anticipated. Take care!

peach poppy,saw your answer to the question about what is bugging you.Are you on an anti-depressant.Never thought I needed one but my primary doctor suggested I take one so have been on minimal dosage of Zoloft for seven months now and surprise,it did help.Take care , all the best.

I saw your post about stiffness, hope the OT can help ease that. Did you make your trip to FL? I'm surprised how tired I've been thru rads. Was supposed to be done next Monday, but found I have 35 tx instead of 33, and have to make up a couple snow days, so it won't be over until Friday....one more week! But I did go out in public with just my own hair on my head today, its about 1/4 inch long, coming in pretty thick and evenly, similar color and still straight so far. And I have lashes and brows now too! Good to hear the tamoxifen started out fine so far. Did you get your port removed yet?

So happy to hear that radiation is done! How are you doing? Is your shoulder still bothering you? Are you thinking about keeping your hair short or letting it grow. I went after a few stray ends (only in the front where I could see them, but I'm thinking about a visit to a real hair dresser for color and sort of real cut in about a month. From the picture, it looks like you had a lovely vacation.

Stopping by to say hi and hope you are doing well. For some reason I woke up thinking "peachpoppy" this morning.

Made it thru my first 2 tx...mine are different from how you described yours. No special breathing, and no bolus. Had to look that up, some kind of waxy substance? And so far all they want me to use is aloe. They'll wait to give me other stuff as my skin changes. Hope its enough! Glad to hear you're doing well so far!

Just checking In to see how your doing?

Hey, I see you're going to start radiation on the 7th. I'll be thinking of you. I meet my radiologist for a first consult on the 7th too. How are you feeling now? I'm not quite two weeks from the last tx, so still pretty wimpy. Caught a cold too, but so far OK. Hope the weeks go by fast for you!

Hello again. Just checking in. I had my 1st taxol tx and had bad bone pain. Am going to ask the onc if I can forgo the neulasta shot this next time. My WBC is way high. Maybe it is wishful thinking.
Is your neuropathy getting better? Have you made plans for your DIEP? I am hoping to the that also. I had skin sparing surgery so they won't have to take any skin from the tummy.
Hope you are doing well and staying safe and warm.

Congratulations! I read your journey and you have seen it all. I am right behind you and hope you continue to do well and I will be following your comments. Thank you for sharing with us.

I think my hair is growing back, yes! I always had fuzz but now I see a darker shadow all over also. I am still wearing my wig.. I will probably wear it as long a I can while my hair is growing.
I am working 4 days a week. I get treatments on Wed, so Thurs is usually a pretty long day. Plus we just moved so I have a 30 mile commute... But it's all good. Did I see that you are back to work?
I think my biggest complaint is insomnia and being tired. But how much is general running around and how much is due to the chemo? who knows. But at least I can get a good nap in during treatments!
Did you have to postpone any treatments due to low WBC? I am hoping that doesn't happen, but know it's a possibility.
(How do I respond directly to a post rather than a new message?)

Hi..not sure how to reply directly to your prior post. But the Taxol (so far) seems to be easier to deal with than the A/C. Didn't feel the best by the next evening, and just tired. But not completely down and out for 5 days like before.
I hope that the stomach issues you are experiencing go away and/or lessen... any side effect is no fun. Will you be done with Taxol in December also?

Hi peachpoppy, just reading thru your posts. I see you are done with A/C now, sounds like it was tough on you. I'll be starting it on the 19th. Trying not to be too nervous...it does end, right?! How's the Taxol going so far? How many weeks of rads after that? I went out with a friend and got a bunch of head coverings at the cancer resource center....trying to be prepared...not that you really can be! Hope you're doing better with things. Did the nulesta shots get any easier for you?

Hi Peachpoppy. How are you?

Compared to the AC, for me, Taxol has been a piece of cake so far. No nausea and getting my appetite back. Trying not to get to carried away by wanting to eat again. My skinny clothes fit for the first time in about 6 or 7 years! (why would anyone keep clothes they can't wear for 7 years?????) Anyway, I had my fourth Taxol today, it kind of hurts going in and I seem to get bad abdominal cramps about 1/2 or 3/4's of the way through, but all that is gone by the time I leave. I take Claritan before I leave home, so I can skip the Benadryl and drive myself (I don't like asking people to take me or sit with me. They could come clean my house while I'm gone tho!). I am having to inject myself with Neupogen a few days after treatment, but my blood counts all look relatively good. I think that my hair might even be starting to grow back in (and my eyebrows too) It kind of looks worse than bald, but I see a definite fuzzy halo when the sun is behind me. Truth be told, I just avoid mirrors. If I don't see myself, I'm generally OK All this sound good, don't know why I'm feeling so sad and down on myself... My opinion is more treatments and lower dose equals less side effects. Generally. JMHO

Hi Peachpoppy, I was thinking about your today. Are you doing ok after the last 'chemo crash'? Just wanted you to know I am thinking about you. Jan

Hi Peachpoppy, how you feeling? You still tight? I am. Went to the physical therapist and she did some scar work so the scar won't stick to the chest wall. She says my range of motion is improving. Did not help though when I went outside afterward to go to work and found I had a flat tire. **SIGH** lol. Hope you are feeling ok this weekend, and wanted you to know I'm thinking about ya!! Laurie

My tightness is the same as yours. Much worse at the end of the day. I go back to work on Monday, hope I make it the whole day. You have chemo Friday, I have Herceptin Friday. Finished chemo a month before my surgery. Oh, my insurance didn't cover my wig either. I think that's awful. Hugs!!

I'm so sorry to hear that. My surgery was the 15th of May. I am going back to work next week, I hope the 2 pt appointments I have this week and the exercises start doing some good real soon!! Keep in touch!

I also went wig shopping. It took me two times to go into the store and to visit with the people there. Losing my hair is such a big worry for me... funny I wasn't concerned about my breasts, but I want my hair! They were so nice and informative. I knew nothing about wigs and they helped on everything including synthetic vs human hair... I discovered that synthetic (although looks great) will only last a few months before it starts to show wear which (depending on treatment) could result in having to purchase a 2nd wig!
I think I'm going shorter to preserve the life of the wig (if I need one) and will be cutting my hair beforehand to make the transition a little easier to bear. ??? But then I found out my insurance will not cover any of the cost, so now I may need to find a wig from a different place. Heartbreaking since it was such a big step to look at them in the first place!

I had one positive node which has determined the chemo.

No shape yet on the reconstruction. They were able to inject just a little bit on one side at the time of surgery, but you can't tell it. They didn't have much skin to work with! But no injections to start until all of the incisions are healed.

Trying to go off of the pain meds didn't work at all..I have cut way down, but quitting alltogether was not a good thing. So still waiting and trying and waiting for this last tube to slow down!

Thanks for the scarf site--I will check it out!

Hi, there peachpoppy! Since you are near to me, I decided to start following you! I've read some of your journey & we have some similarities. I noticed that you are going wig shopping. I did that just before my hair started falling out. The Amercian Cancer Society can give you a name of a location that provides free wigs if you want to try it. :-)

i read that you have all of your drains out! woo hoo! I am jealous that you get a nice shower...ohh I can't wait!! I got 2 drains out last week, and hopefully the last one out Tuesday.
I meet with oncologists in 10 days to decide treatment. I think it will be chemo and they have talked radiation also.
Do you have any follow up treatment?

Hello Peachpoppy!

I would be happy to share my experiences with you, but just remember that they are only MY experiences and everyone's is different! You may find yours will be totally different than mine.

Yes, your full range of motion can come back, but it takes work. Stretch, stretch, stretch!! PT is a great way to start, but yoga works best for me. I started yoga during my treatment and it not only improved my range of motion, but also reduced my body aches and fatigue. I've kept it up for 5 years now.

As far as numbness goes, I do have some nerve damage/numbness on my side with missing nodes (17 removed). I'm not sure if that is from the surgery though since I also had radiation on the same area. It isn't too bad, mostly numb in the morning, but ok during the rest of the day. I've learned that going to a massage therapist on a regular basis for lymph drainage massage also helps with any "heaviness/tightness" in my arm. It helps keep the surrounding nodes clear so they don't get backed up.

I hope some of this helps. I certainly don't want to scare you in any way! You're always welcome to ask me anything. Best of luck to you!

Hi! Surgery went well.. i got home on Saturday. I should have been able to come home Fri, but didn't get pain meds in time, and it was a 5 hour drive home!
I had the sentinal node on both sides, and then they took the entire chain of nodes on one side. That arm is numb in the back and I'm having a little trouble moving that arm. Did I read correctly that you had some of those issues as well?
I will also start chemo in a few weeks, but I don't know how many (if any) of the additional nodes were positive. I am hoping to get path reports this week.
I'm glad that there was no cancer in your right breast! yeah! Wow, and outpatient surgery--you rock!!

Good luck today Peachpoppy. Sending you happy thoughts. XOXO

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