warning!

Uh, I just double-clicked on my pics and saw a really large picture of my head. You can see my contacts and my pores!! Warning, double-click at your own risk!

Eyebrow pics

These are the before and after pics in the morning. Sam is driving me to work, and I'm drawing in my eyebrows. Look into my eyes...I know, so hypnotic even with less eyelashes. => Although my skin cleared up with the chemo, I got some more freckles.

More sprouts!

Yesterday, I realized that almost all the hairs on my head are growing in! I was told that once they get going, they really start coming in. I finally cut most of the hairs that had stayed on throughout chemo so that I could see the new ones coming in better. When I wash my scalp, the ones that stayed are much coarser than the very soft new hairs. It feels like the hairs on the back of my head are either longer or there's more of them. Although I thought that maybe the wig would prevent the hairs from coming in evenly, it looks like they are coming in even where the scalp cover (like stockings) is tight.

YSC sponsored me!

I sent out my application to the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program yesterday for the position of Consumer reviewer. I'm considered a consumer since I had breast cancer. Yes, the cancer is suppose to be gone now, even though I'm still on Herceptin treatment. I will represent other young women with breast cancer and have a say in the kind of breast cancer research to be funded this year. If chosen, I'll be reading grants for about a week and be in DC for 3 days with the scientific reviewers deciding where the money should go and reminding everyone that they will be helping people like me. I received a "glowing" recommendation from the Young Survival Coalition by Krysti and will have a phone interview before I get accepted.

Besides being a voice for what are the concerns of breast cancer survivors, this is a great opportunity for me as a scientist, too! So I can't say that having breast cancer was all bad. I did have very clear and smooth (read hairless) skin and now this! If I had a choice, I still wouldn't have wanted it, but it makes me appreciate all the people before me who advocated the voices of patients with cancer and other health issues.

New test for breast cancer mets

Just read this from MIT news off the YSC site :
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2009/cancer-test-0324.html

I'll look into Mena and TMEMs.

Recently, Condeelis found that breast cancer spreads only when a specific
trio of cells are present together in the same microanatomic site: an
endothelial cell (a type of cell that lines the blood vessels), a perivascular
macrophage (a type of immune cell found near blood vessels), and a tumor cell
that produces the protein Mena.

In a paper published in Developmental Cell in December, Condeelis and
Gertler, who is a member of the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer
Research at MIT, showed that Mena dramatically enhances a cancer cell's
invasiveness.

"It's an important mechanism by which the cell gains the ability
to become invasive and metastatic," says Gertler.

In the new Clinical Cancer Research study, the researchers defined a
site with these three cell types as a tumor microenvironment of metastasis, or
TMEM. Weill Cornell pathologists, aided by Einstein and MIT scientists,
developed a tissue test to detect the presence and density of TMEMs. The test
consists of a triple immunostain containing antibodies to the three cell types.
A high number of TMEMs in a tissue sample means that the tumor is likely to
metastasize or has already done so.

Oil for Hair growth?

This is a post from GA peach on the YSC bulletins. I thought that the info may be useful if my hair doesn't grow in like I want. Some women said that chemo or perhaps tamoxifen (an estrogen inhibitor that I don't have to take) may increase female pattern baldness if you are prone to it. Yikes!

GApeach:
I have not tried rogaine but I have tried a lot of things. The best thing seems to be the hair and nails vitamins from vitacost. I also used lots of different shampoos, including the nioxin but the best one I have found yet is this:
Jason Thin to Thick Shampoo Conditioner Combo, 2 - 8 oz Bottles cost $6.99 thru vitacost.

I did see this brand at the GNC store for $9.99 for the set but then the next time I went in they did not have it so I have just been ordering it from vitacost. MSM supplement is great too. I tried and liked Diametress Volumizing Shampoo and Cond by Nexxus but I really think the Thin to Thick is even better. I also love GUTS by Redken and used to use it all the time - it does give volume but I found something better than that too-

I love love love this product:
BOOSTA Spray. The only place I have found it is at the salon. There is a whole line of products. They are high but one bottle of Boosta Spray lasts about 4 to 5 months. The stuff is worth every penny. It gives volume and lift and it smells like coconut, or tanning oil. Love the stuff!

I noticed it has Castor Oil. Well this is a tip I saw watching one of those makeover shows. It seems that Castor Oil is an old home remedy for hair growth. I put it on sections at my crown at least weekly overnight and it does seem to help stimulate growth. If you google castor oil, people use it on eyebrows and even lashes. And castor oil is very cheap!Castor oil comes from the palmi Christa plant- palm of Christ. It is so interesting to learn about it and all of the uses for this. Earthclinic is a neat site that lists many home remedies for hair regrowth too.

One other thing. My dh (dear husband), I promise he is crazy, he is a red neck country boy to the core. Well he was raised with horses and he said they would put bacon grease on the horses when they had an injury and they needed to regrow hair (they showed horses) So he swore by it. He said it would regrow quickly and come in darker. So googling all of this, I found out that it must just be any type of oil that does help stimulate growth. Having had oily type hair all of my life, I never did oil trts but apparently there is just really something to the whole hot oil trt thing. So if you do not have castor oil use some olive oil. The polynesians use coconut oil and they have beautiful hair. The Indian women use oil , and they do as well. The castor oil seems to be preferable though because it has an actual stimulant in it.

Tamoxifen (generic) = Nolvadex

Hair's coming in!

Status report: I see tiny clear hairs coming through on my scalp! It's been about a month since my last chemo. I'll have my next Herceptin treatment on April Fool's Day. I'm still drawing in my eyebrows, but I know that I'm sprouting away! I kinda feel like I get the hot flashes, but my hormones should be kicking in. There's some achy feeling in the chest area, but I'm thinking that maybe it's my nerves growing in? Also, the past week, I've been feeling some tingling in my toes--neuropathy, I guess.

Yesterday, I sent out the Dept. of Defense grant review application to my sponsor YSC.

Eyebrow counts

Right eyebrow 25. Left eyebrow 30.

I had a cold last week with a sore throat and running nose, but it's mostly gone with just minor sniffling. I read that some of my chemo group have brown fingernails that are coming off! Mine are still pretty sturdy although they are a bit ridged across the middle . Maybe I'll take a pic of them.

Lab pic

Hide (front center), our other post-doc, is returning to Japan so we had a good-bye party for him.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I forgot to wear green. Does lettuce count?

Eyelash counts

15 lashes on the upper right, 20 on the upper left. I think that I can count my eyebrows too. There are little stubs that are growing out from both places.

Some thank you's

To my chemo angels, Karen and Deb! I got your notes/package this week. Karen, the card was beautiful. I've forgotten if I had written down that I liked lilacs. Deb, thank you for the homemade card and lovely beaded plaque. It goes with a beaded cross I purchased in Minnesota on my trip to the breast cancer conference!

To Cinthia, for stocking the refrigerator/freezer with food while you were here last week. I really liked the potato/beet salad and will probably make some more this coming week.

Pics of Cinthia by our apt in Columbia. It was the most snow we'd seen all winter.

Go research!

Today, I sent some blood samples to Washington University for research on genetic risk factors in breast cancer. I met Jennifer Ivanovich, who was enrolling young women with breast cancer, at the conference. When I told Dr. Wolff (med onc) about it today, he seemed really pleased so he's familiar with their study (Dr. Paul Goodfellow, Dr. Watson).

Also, at the conference the Dept. of Defense was recruiting breast cancer survivors for grant reviews. You have to be nominated by an organization for it so I asked YSC. I contacted Stacy the VP, and they are doing reviews until next week. Also, you get paid $1280! You have to read 5 days worth of grants, but the experience should be really beneficial for me.

I received my Herceptin (446 mg) today in about 30 min. It was pretty fast, and I could feel the cold saline/Herceptin go in. I talked to my med onc today, and he said that Sam and I can start "trying" 3 months post Herceptin so that's next Jan!! A whole year sooner than I thought!

Aren't these great?

These were complied by Kerry from YSC.

Costs for Chemo and Weekend Wedding

I was looking at the bill one day and realized how much chemo costs! $9,755.42 per round of chemo (taxotere, carboplatin, and herceptin)!! The Neulasta shot the next day was $3,531.35! It's a good thing I've got insurance that pays for all chemo.

This week I'll have my 3rd echo to check my heart for any effects of chemo and herceptin on it. I'll also have my first infusion of Herceptin alone on Wed.

It was a beautiful weekend, in the 60's! Sam and I took a walk around the lake after church. We went to a beautiful wedding on Sat. Alex and Yeon Hee's. I usually tear up at weddings because I get all sappy, but I teared up for different reasons this time. The pastor was talking about the different stages husbands and wives go through in their marriage. In the 30's, the wife concentrates on the family while the husband tries to make an impact on the world around him. She gets mad at the husband for not focusing on the home. In the 60's and 70's, the wife becomes more mindful of herself, making friends, and going out while the husband retires and starts becoming more dependent on his wife, clinging to her blanket, etc. Well, I started thinking what are the chances that Sam and I will make it to our 70's? Not so good. It was a downer of a thought that I probably wouldn't have thought last year. Also, there was a tribute to the parents part that left me wistful.

The dancing and the food were great, and by the end of the night, I was pretty content. I guess I'll just take it one wedding at a time.

Bull riding in TX. Yeehaw!

Which of us are wearing wigs? Steph (blue wig) was my roomie.

My bull-riding partner, Eva. 2 for 1 special for the YSC ladies!

YSC board members

Breast cancer survivors at the conference!

Young Women Affected by Breast Cancer Conference highlights

Hilton Anitole





























Me and my roommie Steph The Voices: Sharing our Stories workshop panelists

Here are some awesome things I learned at the
conference:
Dr. Eric Winer's talk on current treatments
1. 3% of the time tumors are ER-/PR+. Usually it ends up being ER+ in the end.
2. Chemotherapy may not be needed for all women
3. 15-20% of all breast cancer is HER2+. Half are ER+, Half are ER-.
4. Dr. Winer boldly stated that the mortality of HER2+ women can be prevented in 10 years!!
5. Although the recurrences for triple negative tumors happen earlier, after 5 years women with triple negative tumors are probably cured. 41% chance that cancer will recur in the lung vs. elsewhere.
6. After 5 years, women with HER2+ tumors are also most likely "cured".7. Aromatase inhibitors are not recommended for premenopausal women since it is hard to tolerate and not better than tamoxifen for treatment.

Dr. Mimi Hu's talk on osteoporosis
1. Have less than 3 drink/day, and do not take steroids for more than 3 months to decrease chances of osteoporosis.
2. Chemo and steroids can stimulate bone loss. Hypogonadism due to aromatase inhibitors, oophrectomy, and chemo can also lead to bone loss.
3. For premenopausal women, tamoxifen decreases bone mineral density (BMD) while for post menopausal women, tamoxifen increases BMD.
4. For premenopausal women, take 1200 mg and up to 1500 mg of calcium, divided throughout the day, and 800 mg-1000mg Vitamin D/day.
5. Dr. Hu recommends resistance training, including pilates.
6. New treatment for osteoporosis that hasn't been approved yet: denosumab.
7. For Steph: Bisphosphonates are incorporated into the bone and are released back into the body over time. They can cross the placenta, and the effects on pregnancy still need to be determined.

Dr. Chlebowski's talk on nutrition
1. ER-/PR- breast cancer patients had the best result (significant decrease in recurrence) from changing to a low fat diet, with modest weight loss. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2006 Dec 20;98(24):1767-76
2. Women who were obese (BMI>30) had 60% chance of recurrence in other breast.
3. Walk 3 hours/week at about 3miles/hr (like walking continuously around the mall) to decrease motality up to 50%!

Talk on the environment
1. Don't microwave plastics: microwaving plastic containers are safe for the containers, not for you! due to bisphenol A leeching into food.
2. Use stainless steel water bottles when possible, not plastic.

Other memories from the conference:
--I got thrown off the bull, and my wig still stayed on. I got a bruise on my ankle, and it was fun sharing injuries with others from the bull riding.
--The pure romance party was hilarious. Free lube, vibrators, and other knick knacks were passed out to brave volunteers.
--Chicken was served with mayonnaise on Sat night. Apparently, it's not a TX thing so we don't know where it came from.
--Steph and I ate at Denny's across the street from the hotel on Fri. night. We definitely did not stick to any healthy diet.
--When my flight was cancelled on Sun due to the huge snowstorm, I called everyone I knew on the cheat sheet of YSC board members that lived on the east coast to see if they wanted to room with me for the night. It looked like everyone got out just in time. Sam went onto the boards to find out who was staying an extra night, and I ended up rooming with April from Michigan and another MDer.
--Sun night I relaxed by soaking my calves in a hot tub with some new friends.
--Great slogans for T-shirts: 1. Save a life, Grope your wife! 2. Check these out! At least once a month.