Breast cancer.

[Mulesaw]

My wife recently got diagnosed with breast cancer, it has spread a little to the lymph as well.. 

Good thing is that it was discovered very early, so the doctors at the hospital are very positive regarding the treatment. The plan is chemo therapy followed by surgery to remove the remnants of the tumours. We are 3 weeks into the treatment, and the total time is planned to last 24 weeks, and then there'll be some regular controls and check ups after that.

I have applied for and been granted a leave from my ship, so I can stay at home and look after her. I figure that it'll be more needed later on when the full force of the chemo sets in, compared to now. So if she feels really sick she can just stay in bed, and know that there is someone who will tend to the horses and the dogs etc. 

So I might not comment and post quite as much as I have done earlier on for the next couple of months.

You all stay safe and healthy out there 

[PastorBob]

Praying for you and your wife.  That the treatment is successful and that the medical team is at the top of their game.  Glad you have the opportunity to be by her side at this time.  She may not need it physically at this time, but I am sure from a mental standpoint, she is glad you are there NOW.

[chuck123wapati]

I am so sorry to hear that news my friend stay home and take care of her, even on a good day chemo isn't fun. 

We will be here any time. I cant help much from here but i can give you my support, prayers and will listen if you feel the need. 

[Handstitched]

Sadly, this is something my Mother experienced back in 78'  . Very little was known about breast cancer back then, and there was very little support or awareness . But thankfully these days there is so much awareness and support .

The fact it was discovered early , the chances of recovery are high. It will be a difficult journey, but you have all of our support  on here .  I wish you and your wife and family all the very best   

HS

[Sheilajeanne]

The chemo did not make me feel all that sick during my round with breast cancer back in 2000.  I would often go home, then go out and do my grocery shopping! The third day was usually the worst. It just made me feel tired and sometimes just a little feverish. I had to be careful what I ate, though. Spicy food or anything that irritated the digestive system gave me the runs. Never had a problem with nausea or vomiting, though.

BTW, here's a tip. They used to give me a dose of Benadryl before the chemo, in case I got an allergic reaction to it. I think it also helps with nausea too. That is NOT a non-drowsy antihistamine, so I wasn't happy about being dosed with it. I take Allegra for my allergies, so I asked if I could take that instead, and after they got permission from my doctor, they said fine, go ahead!

I was scheduled for 12 sessions of taxol, but only got 6, as I started having breathing problems, plus I got an infection in my port-a-cath. I was hospitalized for awhile due to that. Unfortunately, the shortness of breath never completely went away. My oxygen sats are usually around 92 to 95 percent, but go down really fast with any sort of exertion. The respirologist says it`s rare but the chemo does sometimes damage the lungs.   Yeah. Lucky me...

 

Edited May 18, 2023 by Sheilajeanne

[toxo]

I guess I was lucky when I had throat cancer in 2000 because I was able to roll with the punches. Because they didn't find the source (they diagnosed from a lymph node biopsy) they gave me the harshest treatment to ensure they caught it A whole week of chemo followed by a break of 3 weeks and repeat. I had 3 rounds of this followed by radio therapy, every day for seven and a half weeks. I found the anti sickness was worse so stopped taking it. I have to say the oncology at Maidstone hospital was wonderful and the worst of it was when the radio machine broke down when I was locked down tight on the bed (They had to make a clear mask because they couldn't indelibly mark my face and neck as a target) and I couldn't move whilst hoisted up to within 3 ft of a very high ceiling for an hour which, I found later traumatised me to the point where I couldn't watch people being handcuffed on the TV. The worst of it was losing all my saliva and severely compromised taste buds. Some saliva is back but gravy is my God. Try eating a potato chip after wiping your mouth out with a man sized tissue. I count myself lucky, could've been a lot worse.

That's enough about me. I only tell the story to show that it's doable if you can not make a big deal of it. It's a shitty thing to happen to anyone but you being there for your wife is immensely important. I didn't have that support.

I don't know how far cancer treatment has come, I was lucky with my treatment, my hair didn't fall out. People that were likely to lose their hair were given thick "cold caps" which were kept in a fridge while getting their treatment and it seemed to work. They forgot to give it to one woman one time and her hair fell out so you can ask about that.

I wish you both best wishes for the future and I know this will all be a bad memory in the months to come. Good luck.

[Sheilajeanne]

Hair loss depends on the chemo drug used. My oncologist told me I'd lose my hair, and I did, after the 3rd session. I was able to get (borrow) a very nice wig from the Cancer Society. A friend of mine who was a hairdresser didn't even realize it was a wig! 

The up side to the hair loss was it happened during the COVID lockdown, when no one was able to get a haircut. Me...I didn't have to worry!  

Wigs are ridiculously expensive to buy, so if your wife thinks she would like one, see what the local Cancer society has available. 

Cancer treatment, especially for breast cancer, has improved a great deal in the last few decades. My grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer in the 1960's, at the same age I was diagnosed. She died from it. So did my husband's mother (late 1950's)

My cancer never would have been caught in time without a mammogram. Even the oncologist, using the mammogram as a guide, had a hard time feeling where it was in the breast. I won't say the treatment was a walk in the park, but it was light years ahead of what we used to hear about 20 years ago, with nausea, vomiting and radiation burns. I had some minor weeping of the skin with the radiation that lasted about 10 days. Even that wouldn't have happened if it weren't for them changing my treatment schedule due to COVID. They condensed what should have been a month long treatment into just 7 days.

Will be keeping  your wife in my prayers!

 

Edited May 18, 2023 by Sheilajeanne

[Mulesaw]

Thanks to everyone for your encouraging comments, it is really appreciated.

So far the treatment is going smooth, Mette has had her hair cut short. That way she reckons that it wont be such a big difference when it starts to come off. Whereas it would have felt strange going from shoulder length to zero (her description).

The nurses at the oncologist department at the hospital are incredibly friendly, and there are a bunch of volunteers from different clubs that are knitting and sewing and crocheting hats and scarfs etc that are free for patients to take and use. Also the Danish welfare system subsides getting a wig, so there is an allowance of almost 900 US$ if you want a wig. If you want to buy scarfs, the allowance is about 225 US$ as far as I remember.

She got a vein valve installed (if that is the proper phrase) before her second round of chemo. The idea is that it is much easier to inject the medicine in that instead of going into a vein in her arm every time. 

So we are keeping our fingers crossed and just cherish those small moments with nice weather in the garden and walking the dogs etc. so we have something to remember when the going gets a little tougher.

Again thanks to you all.

 

[Sheilajeanne]

1 hour ago, Mulesaw said:

She got a vein valve installed (if that is the proper phrase) before her second round of chemo. The idea is that it is much easier to inject the medicine in that instead of going into a vein in her arm every time. 

Yes, the chemo is very tough on the veins! It's probably a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) line, and it ends in one of the large vessels just above the heart, so the chemo gets mixed with a large volume of blood as soon as possible, and doesn't have time to damage the vein.

That's great about the subsidies for wigs and scarves. I paid full price for my cap - it's amazing how cold your head gets when there is no hair on it! The wig was a free loan from the Canadian Cancer Society. My hairdresser trimmed off the few remnants of hair I had left, so everything remaining would fit under the wig. I offered to pay her, but she refused to take my money. 

Edited May 24, 2023 by Sheilajeanne

[toxo]

22 minutes ago, Sheilajeanne said:

Yes, the chemo is very tough on the veins! It's probably a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) line, and it ends in one of the large vessels just above the heart, so the chemo gets mixed with a large volume of blood as soon as possible, and doesn't have time to damage the vein.

 

I remember that picc line. Didn't like it at the time but blessed it many times over afterward. There was two Macmillan nurses feeding the tube into my right arm and I decided that it wasn't something I needed to watch and so turned my head to the left. They said sorry, you have to look this way else instead of going across to your heart it'll make it's way up to your ear.

As said, it was an absolute boon because it meant that the second type of chemo came in a tube that plugged into the picc line and I could go home every day.