a few questions

[juanita]

I have posted on the profiles in courage and hadn't really read through this section till today. I am 42 & I was diagnosed Sept of 04, with lumpectomy on the 7th. I had sentinel node biopsy as well. I am grade 3, er & pr -, stage 1, and her2 +. I went through 2 rounds of tac and was very violently ill with my first onc. I decided enough was enough and quit him and the chemo. (He had a God complex.) I then did 6 weeks of rads and when I went back for a checkup with my surgeon he recommended a different onc (my family doc had sent me to the first cuz he was in the same network). I went to see this new onc in Feb of 05, and he convinced me I really needed to do some sort of chemo and started cmf that day. I did 6 rounds of that. I started the herceptin in June. My muga scans and echo have been really good, which is a relief because of the history of heart disease that runs in my family. I actually had four questions, but one was answered while I was reading through the postings. That was about pain at the lumpectomy site. Mine was on the side where a bra wire runs. So I experience quite a bit of pain on and off. First question: does the exhaustion ever go away? I worked through rads and the second chemo and didn't rest like my doctors were telling me to because I didn't want to be "sick". Second question: how long does the blue dye from the sentinel node last? It's been over a year and I am still light blue. And last: has anybody else had any bladder control problems after any of these treatments? Hope someone out there can be of some assistance.

[Maryanne]

Hi Juanita,

Glad to read you had decided to do some sort of chemo, for so many reasons.
I too am grade 3 stage 1, 1.1 cm, er/ pr neg. I was also very sick during chemo, did 4 dose dense AC followed by 4 dose dense Taxol with herceptin and then radiation ( will be on herceptin a total of one year. I am still very tired at times ( I work full time) but think alot of it is magnified when the depression sets in. I am working on this, as well as a cancer diet....(see Rhonda's posts on this)....and seem more and more to be feeling like my old self. I do still get breast pain but was assuerd this was normal. And yes I still do have one blue breast ( I had a mamo last month and I tech said she could see I was still sporting a "Smurf Boob") my surgeon said it would go away in about 7-9 months...Its a little over a year and it is still blue. As to bladder control, I fortunately have not experienced this but have heard a few gals at chemo complain about this. Maybe you could speak to your onc or gyn about it and see if they have any suggestions.
Well hope this helped, stay well,
Maryanne