melody's Cancer Blog
October 28, 2009
i didnt shave my head when my hair started falling out,actually i woke up on morning with dread locks and i just cut them off one at a time.now i have these blond wisps of hair on my scalp,should i shave it- will it grow back faster??
October 20, 2009
Im so sorry i couldnt come here ,for soo long.I’d come on and start to cry…..
But I have good news! I lived through the chemo yahooo happy dance!Yes the doctors kept making mistakes.
Big ones! like giving me heperin after begging for 3hrs,not to.My mother lost her leg,because of an allergy to heperin.
I took it,because if not-no more chemo.
And I of course am allergic to it too.I almost lost my arm.
They put it in my chemo port.so my arm blew up,and i had a blood clot go into the back of my head. also one went into my lungs-plomonery embolism..So 2 weeks at the hospital.
I am now on cumadin.
BUT THE BIGGEST NEWS IS-
I just got the results of my scans finally…
I AM NED! no evidence of desease.the tumor on my overy
was 2.7 centameters now..5 Millameters!
So lets see..my 3 monthes left to live..its been 7 monthes
and Im stilll alive and kicking!
An even bigger prize is that I will be the first in all of quebec ..if not canada to recieve aromatise theraphy for leiomyosarcoma.They told me it was my last gun against this cancer,and if I use it now,and it comes back there is nothing they can do…So im scared SH__tless!Am I doing the right thing??The only women I have found alive with this cancer,are all on this clinical trial,for aromatise theraphy-they have lived with this cancer for 4-5 yrs now.
Thats longer than the year they have given me.
I pressed my dear doctor for facts..in the past year and a half they have had 4 cases of leiomyosarcoma(lesser stages than me.)they managed to stabalize 2 of the cases with this
aromatise theraphy.( a very mild chemo) a pill once a day-side effects -sore bones-ostiporosis..fatigue..but thats nothing in comparison to gemacitabine and taxotore!
So yes I have won my battle so far..I know the war is still there though.Now what do i do??Do I take the aromatise theraphy now or wait??What do you all think??
xxxoooSending love and hugs to everyone!xxxooo melody
hi, melody. so good to hear from you! i have been thinking alot about you lately and wondering how you are doing. that reaction to heparin sounds awful. blood clots are nothing to sneeze at. and especially ones in your lungs. so glad you beat that little monster down. as far as the aromatise….gosh, that really is a tough call. i think if it was me and i was doing as well right now as you are doing, i would wait until i really need it…especially if it is the last treatment i had available. that said, i would definitely need to know if the chances of the aromatise working lessen if the cancer happens to worsen if you wait. if that is the case, i might not want to wait. tough decision to make. let us know what you decide. you are beating those darn odds, girl, so you just keep on trucking. cancer can be beat and you are just the one to do it. i am praying for you. keep the faith, debby
Wow Melody! What a ride you’ve been on! I too have had a clot in my lung…not a fun thing but I’m glad they have you on the thinners and are watching that.
A big congrats on the NED! How wonderful. My favorite guy, NED. I hope you are celebrating and doing something grand.
As for the aromatise therapy…I’ve never heard of this…I’ll have to look it up. It’s a hard call but I’m sure your doctors and you can figure out when/whether to begin that.
I’m still over the moon happy for you girl. You deserve it.
Hugs
Teresa
Melody, I can’t explain how good it is to hear from you! Thank you for the comment regarding my mom, I know you are battling more than just cancer…the lack of research and treatment options haven’t stopped you, and I’m glad they are trying something that will hopefully work. You are in my prayers and I know you will find the strength to keep fighting. Lots of love,
Alyssa
I have been thinking about you and wondering about you for a while now as a fellow sarcomian ( I just made that up lol) Anyways, I am glad to hear that you are doing well and also I finished chemo and radiation and had another spot in my lung show up and they removed it with surgery and I am doing well now. So I guess we both beat the odds and thus far have lived through the dreadful sarcoma. Please keep us updated as I was worried about you when I hadnt heard anything in a while. Also, did you get my message about the sarcoma alliance website? It is a great site for support for people with sarcoma and also informative.
Dearest Melody,
I am a cancer survivor of Leimyosacrcoma. I had a tumor in my left thigh when I was 28 and it went undetected for almost 4 years.
It was a high grade (stage 3-4), tumor size 4-5 cm, by the time they found it. Prognosis, grim. That was in 1991.
Melody, I wish I could advise you on what to do. The GREAT NEWS is, if I read correctly, there is no other evidence of this anywhere else in your body. I can tell you that no one knows your body like you do. Trust your own instincts.
Are you familiar with the Leiomyosarcoma Direct Research website? The site is: http://www.lmsdr.org/
Have you gone for second and third opinions?
Believe me, I know you’re scared. Please know you will be in my thoughts and prayers. Keep the faith. Keep us posted.
God Bless – Hope (Sue)

bericherry@hotmail.com




I wish I could tell you a definite answer, but I can’t. What I can tell you is that my stepmother finished chemo about 6 months ago and her hair is about 3 inches long now, curly, and very stylish. I hope yours grows back quickly and that you feel great very soon.
Peace,
Kathy
I started getting peach fuzz toward the end of my fourth and final chemo treatment and it grew about 1/2 inch a month but it seems to go much quicker. I had brunette/auburn thick hair with alot of body. It came back in grey and very curly, I am a year out and my hair appears to be shorter than it is because of the curls, it is much longer when it is wet. (I have a photo that was posted about a month ago on my blog)
I’m sure you can make the wisps look cute until it grows longer – I know curly hair takes so long to grow. Enjoy wearing stylish hats and scarves until then – I hope all is well. Lots of love and prayers to you.
My last chemo was 10 Sept, and I am still bald. Just the tinyest of peach fuzz is starting to come back. Shaving doesn’t make it grow in faster, it just evens things out. I am hoping for some hair by Christmas. I still wear a wig when I go out, but it is very uncomfortable and I would prefer my own hair.
How are you doing otherwise?
Regards,
Jane
I think you are beautiful. The hair is one part of you!
I had my last infusion of chemo 6 1/2 months ago and currently have about 3 inches mostly, an inch at the temples. Be patient. I kept hats on for a long time. Now I gel it up and it is spiked all over! I guess I am getting use to it but honestly I long for my long hair again and have dreams about it sometimes when I sleep. I understand. It seems like forever.
Dont know about shaving it but it took me about 5 weeks after chemo ended for my hair to start growing back…my hair has always grown fast tho…everyone is different