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The after effects of chemo.

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Posted 3/14/2007 12:17 AM (GMT 0)

I am new here and i am very glad to see so many supporters of breast cancer and all cancers. yeah I am 34 years old and i have infiltrating Mammary Carcinoma (very invasive breast Cancer) and had a modified radical mastectomy done in June of 2006.I am estrogin + and hormon + and i am 3/4 for all stages.  I had 19 of the lymph nodes removed and suffer from the lyphidema and the bone aches of all the medications i am on and was on. I am now in menopause due to the overies being removed,i chose to do this because i didnt like alot of the effects of the medications they wanted to put me on and i figured it would be better for my chances too if i had them removed because of me being also hormon +.They have me on Arimidex and calcium and vit"D" to help my bones but it dont seem like its working sad   I was woundering if anyone here has had the same as me and is going threw the same as me? Any suggestions would be greatly welcomed to me. Thanks so much

Posted 3/14/2007 1:10 AM (GMT 0)
I'm not sure what the difference is between "mammary carcinoma" and "breast carcinoma," I must confess. I had both infiltrating ductal and infiltrating lobular, had a mod radical mast. I was ER+ and PR+, stage !!b, 13 nodes removed, 3+. I am fortunate that I haven't had lymphedema to deal with. It can really be miserable. I didn't have a hysterectomy, although I am still considering it due to a family history of ovarian cancer, and the geneticist has recommended it. But chemo put me into menopause at 36, so I know what that is like. That was 12 years ago, and Effexor has really helped me with my menopausal symptoms. Different antidepressants help different women...I went through 3 others before they tried the Effexor, and it worked like a charm.

Do you have mets to the bones? Is that the cause of the bone pain? Or is it an aftereffect of the chemo? I'm not sure what you mean by 3/4 for all stages?

Glad you found us and hope you will visit often. Love your name, by the way. I have a Rottie myself, Pudge, and at 170 (and 1/2, as my vet always reminds me) pounds, he is nothing but an overgrown baby. Have a rottie/shepard mix as well. And, I must admit, a yappy little bichon frise who runs the other two like a slavedriver! I guess you can figure out how I got my screen name!


Take care,
BEV



I think you will find many women here who have similar problems.
Posted 3/14/2007 1:26 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks so much for responding to me. I mean that my cancer was stag 3 & 4. The tumor was stage 4 and the spreading into the breast was stage 3. lymph nodes were negitive. It is invasive breast cancer i have. It has not spread to the bones, they say its the after effects of the chemo and the medications. I had a bone scan done and it was fine thank god and now im going for a bone density test at the end of the month. I love rottie's. I had two of them. I gave my female to my friend on a farm while i was moving and going threw my chemo and the other one i had to put to sleep because he had cancer in his leg. I miss him sooo much. I have my name as rottielover in his memory and always will. I now have a beagal and a boarder collie/shepard mix and they are great. I am glad to hear that there are others like myself that have the after effects and its not just me not that i m glad they have it but you know what i mean. I know im not the only one but id like some suggestions on what else to do. I dont like medications if i can avoid it. Hope to hear back for you .. Thanks.
Posted 3/14/2007 1:39 PM (GMT 0)
Since I have not had chemo I can't share much there, but a dog lover I am. I have schnauzers! They are my kids now that I have grandchildren grown and married and great grandchildren. They follow me and are next to me constantly. One is sleeping under the computer desk and the other is sleeping on my bed as I write. They aren't spoiled tho. LOL Welcome!!! Hugs MK
Posted 3/14/2007 2:13 PM (GMT 0)
Pam:

 

I had chemo and had terrible bodyaches during the taxotere portion.  I had to go on vicodin for it at the time and that made me functional.  I have more aches than I used to, but I never really considered these an after-effect of chemo, more that the course I had to take of chemo poisoned my body and my body is now a little lower in resistance as a result.  I'm more vulnerable  to pains now.  I think it's also aging.  I'm 42 now, and put my knees through a lot when I was younger and deal with several areas of scar tissue.  I use vitamin E for the hot flashes and swear by it. 

 

For pains, I have several that act up more than they used to.  I have degenerative disc disease, a congenital neck fusion that started to become aggrivated last year and pelvic scar tissue from surgeries.  Sometimes the pain is unbelievable and I have to take vicodin for it, but that's thankfully available, and I don't need it very often.  joint and bone pain is something, thankfully, I don't have any more.  AC-T was tough to handle and I can't imagine going through those aches again.  Talk to your doc about managing the pain.  You shouldn't have to be in such pain if it's not necessary. 

 

Maybe the bone density test will reveal something.  I don't know what you were on, but I hope they can do something for you.

Posted 3/14/2007 4:13 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Ellen, thanks for your info. The regiment they had me on during chemo was (Doxorubicin ( Adriamcycin), Cyclophosphamide I.V. (Procytox) and Pacilitaxel ( Taxol) and i was HER-2 negitive so i didnt need to be on Herceptin thank goodness. The medication they have me on is Oxycodin (Perks) for the pain but i cant take them because it turns my belly. I have to agree, i was ruff on my knees as i use to be a jazz dancer, gymnastics, skater and its a tuff go right now. I have hurniation (Discs)in my lower back and also have scoliosis due to a car accident i was in when i was 15 yrs old. My head went threw the window and my neck was injured really bad and i now suffer from migrains as well.I dont like to take alot of meds because i have a heart problem since i had my youngest son 13 yrs ago. Heart problems run in my family. What amazes the dr.s is that only one person in my family has had breast cancer but it was a 3rd generation aunt and they dont understand why i got mine at such a young age and for it to be so agresive.. I have done genetic testing to find out if i carry the gene. I pray that i dont because my 16 year old going to be 17 yrs old daughter cannot even go on birth control or nothing till the testing comes back, seeing that i am estrogon + and hormon +. The test takes 6 months to come back and i didnt find out about this test till Nov 2006.They say my body has been threw so much in my short life so far that its unreal. When i go see my ONC" she always says your still with us and you look so good for all you have been threw. I say thanks but i dont go on what WAS, i go on what is new to come. Its funny cause they say " you do know your sick right?" I say i now i am not well but thats no reason to give up. I am hoping that when i go and volenteer at my cancer clinic which im just starting that my body loosens up a bit for me that why i can go back to work and start over again. I have learned so much on cancer since i was diagnosed in June/06 and i am greatfull every day that it was me and not some older lady that had what i had. The pain we go threw for chemo is unreal and some day i pray they can get new meds to help us better. Hope to hear from you again. P.S. refuring to my animals i have a ....1 rabbit, 2 ferrets, 2 dogs, 1 cat, 1 mouse, 1 hedgehog and fish. They keep me busy as with so do my 3 children ages 13, 15 and soon to be 17. I quote i do have is"
Posted 3/14/2007 4:14 PM (GMT 0)
The quote I have is "
Posted 3/14/2007 4:17 PM (GMT 0)
The quote i have is CHEMO, MENOPAUSE AND TEEN AGE LIFE do not mix...hahahahaha!!! Thanks for the support...
Posted 3/16/2007 2:41 AM (GMT 0)
Pam, I don't think anything mixes well with teenagers!

Hugs...
BEV
Posted 3/18/2007 6:39 PM (GMT 0)
Pam

As for your question on the after effects of chemo, I still have body aches and have a tough time moving if I have stayed in one place for too long. Iam also on Arimidex which makes you ache too. I guess it is just like the saying goes "breast cancer the gift that just keeps giving"

Now on the teenager thing I have raised 2 children of my own and now I have 3 step kids, 2 of which are teenagers. I can tell you from lots of experience this is the worst faze they goe through but then they become human again. My daughter and I could not be in the same room for more than 5 minutes without being at each others throats.We are now Very close and I enjoy every minute with her. Two of the step kids are teenagers (boys) and the oldest can be such a pain, he lives in his own little world and thinks everyone else is there to serve him. I raised my kids with chores and responsibility and their mother does not make them do ANYTHING! I cant even get them to put a dish in the kitchen without reminding them. My kids automatically rinsed their dishes and put them in the washer. I love these kids dearly but resposibility is a good thing and their mother would have an easier time too if they helped. Sorry to get on such a tirade but that has been a sore subject in our house this weekend.

L&H
Bernadette

PS Im another dog lover I have 2 miniature schnauzers who are the love of my life. Bailey is 3 years old and is pure black and Baxter is2 and grey and silver. They are both very loving.

Post Edited (Brnadebt) : 3/18/2007 12:44:35 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 3/19/2007 3:26 AM (GMT 0)
We have lots of dog lovers here!  What would we do without those rascals???

BEV

Posted 3/19/2007 4:20 AM (GMT 0)
we think of them as our family .... i would never give mine up. How is everyone doing in here? Let me know ok Love: Pam :K:
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