Re:Drugs, Drugs, Drugs!-Penny

[Guest guest]

Hi Penny, I just finished 5 months of chemotherapy for breast cancer - 2 months

of Adriamycin/Cytoxan (bi-weekly= dose dense) and 3 months of Taxol (12 weekly

treatments).

My breast cancer was Grade 3 (8 of 9 or 9 of 9 for 2 biopsies), Stage IIIa since

I had 5 of 20 lymph nodes positive for cancer.

I had my surgery and suggested chemo regimen at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.

However, I chose to get a 2nd opinion locally here and Mpls and have the

chemotherapy here.

I opted out of the same trial that you did because I was concerned about the

possible heart damage. Adriamycin is hard on the heart all by itself, and I

chose not to take the extra risk.

Yes, I had a port installed in my left chest and chose to leave it there for the

time being as I was a very hard stick before chemotherapy and of course the

chemo has made my veins even more elusive and fragile. The port makes getting

treatment ever so much easier and helps avoid the extreme damage to veins that

chemo can cause. My port was uncomfortable for the first week or so, but then

my body got used to it and now I'm not aware of it unless I'm looking in the

mirror.

I started taking Femora the middle of November and after some initial sore

muscles seem to be tolerating it well. I'm now 2/3 the way into radiation and

looking forward to being done with this phase the 2nd week of January. I

started getting my hair back half way through Taxol and now less than 8 weeks

after finishing chemo I have over an inch of beginner hair - mostly white and

curly but starting to come in dark. My eyebrows are still much thinner than

before, but today I noticed lower eyelashes that I've NEVER had before.

Hope this history helps you a tiny bit. Best of luck!

SharonK-MN

[Guest guest]

-Hi. Sharon.

Yes, it helps a lot. Thank you. I am getting the port on Jan.

3rd..I can start treatment seven days after that. Doc wants to get

started ASAP, but wanted me to get through the holidays. I cut my

hair short a couple of days ago...I kind of like it actually..its

like a little " pixie cut " . I am still having a bit of a hard time

with this. I keep thinking " what the heck is going on? " Its like a

bad dream or something. How did you do physicaly with the " chemo

cocktail? " Was it as bad as they say its going to be? That's the

part that scares me the most...feeling sick...having menopause (does

that really happen?) I'm not worried about the " not being able to

have kids part " - - I have four...but the other stuff...my husband is

worried about that too.

Thank you for your wisdom and kindness. God Bless. Penny

-- In breastcancer2 , " Sharon K. Kirts "

wrote:

>

> Hi Penny, I just finished 5 months of chemotherapy for breast

cancer - 2 months of Adriamycin/Cytoxan (bi-weekly= dose dense) and 3

months of Taxol (12 weekly treatments).

>

> My breast cancer was Grade 3 (8 of 9 or 9 of 9 for 2 biopsies),

Stage IIIa since I had 5 of 20 lymph nodes positive for cancer.

>

> I had my surgery and suggested chemo regimen at the Mayo Clinic,

Rochester, MN. However, I chose to get a 2nd opinion locally here

and Mpls and have the chemotherapy here.

>

> I opted out of the same trial that you did because I was concerned

about the possible heart damage. Adriamycin is hard on the heart all

by itself, and I chose not to take the extra risk.

>

> Yes, I had a port installed in my left chest and chose to leave it

there for the time being as I was a very hard stick before

chemotherapy and of course the chemo has made my veins even more

elusive and fragile. The port makes getting treatment ever so much

easier and helps avoid the extreme damage to veins that chemo can

cause. My port was uncomfortable for the first week or so, but then

my body got used to it and now I'm not aware of it unless I'm looking

in the mirror.

>

> I started taking Femora the middle of November and after some

initial sore muscles seem to be tolerating it well. I'm now 2/3 the

way into radiation and looking forward to being done with this phase

the 2nd week of January. I started getting my hair back half way

through Taxol and now less than 8 weeks after finishing chemo I have

over an inch of beginner hair - mostly white and curly but starting

to come in dark. My eyebrows are still much thinner than before, but

today I noticed lower eyelashes that I've NEVER had before.

>

> Hope this history helps you a tiny bit. Best of luck!

> SharonK-MN

>

>