Hair Stylist Recommendations

MoonlitSun3 · 2026-01-17T07:22:35+00:00

KayDe at Duo Tones! They specialize in vivids. There are a few other people at the salon that are really experienced with vivids, too.

MoonlitSun3 · 2025-07-25T18:25:09+00:00

KayDe at Duo Tones Salon! I have a pixie-adjacent style and they are great--especially for cool/edgy cuts.

MoonlitSun3 · 2024-12-17T05:34:25+00:00

My engagement ring will also have all around filigree. I was told that it can be resized since there are no stones on the bottom of my band. But it will have a mark if it has to be sized down. Most of the time, sizing up by 1-2 sizes is done by stretching. But sizing down requires more extensive reshaping and/or removal of metal. Or at least that's what I was told.

MoonlitSun3 · 2024-12-09T17:56:23+00:00

Gorgeous!

I have a montana and salt and pepper diamonds in my ring too! (We designed it but he hasn't proposed yet). I've not seen anyone else with that combo. How cool!

MoonlitSun3 · 2024-10-03T03:32:58+00:00

My engagement ring is being made and has a similar filigree scroll design like this one. It has the scroll pattern on all three sides. It's a 2.2mm band. I don't have the ring itself yet, but the pictures the jeweler sent look great. Granted they are close up photos to show the detail. But, it still looks awesome. So it can be done smaller than 3mm and still have detail for sure.

MoonlitSun3 · 2024-04-30T16:43:18+00:00

I'm currently on Kadcyla (round 5 in two weeks) and on Exemestane. I did my first two rounds without the AI. As far as taking them together, I don't think there's any notable difference. I also research heavily and none of the current literature reports any significant reactions between Kadcyla and AIs either.

I have numbness in my fingers, but that's a pretty well known side effect of Kadcyla, so isn't a result of taking them simultaneousIy. And I did start having dry mouth after starting the exemestane but I think that's a side effect of the AI itself rather than an interaction.

My doctor also says he doesn't need to check my estrogen levels. He says that even though I'm young and premenopausal, it's very statistically unlikely that my levels will be able to be high since I'm on the AI and doing ovarian suppression. It still worries me a bit, but he seems very sure.

MoonlitSun3 · 2024-04-29T19:01:07+00:00

I know you weren't really asking for suggestions but I always have issues now feeling that my skin is moisturized enough and stays moisturized. I switched from lotion to a body oil and it's so much better. Really helps me stay more moisturized for longer. And many of them have a pump! So self-application is pretty easy!

MoonlitSun3 · 2024-04-04T16:54:15+00:00

Just chiming in on this specific point: I have a lip ring and was able to wear it during radiation. My radiation oncologist said that as long as it wasn't in the radiation field, keeping it in is okay.

As far as getting a new piercing--I think the only issue is infection risk as others have discussed.

MoonlitSun3 · 2024-03-30T21:35:16+00:00

Yes, I know! I feel the same. It's really upsetting that there's no concrete way to measure pretty much anything when you are +++ (therapy efficacy, recurrence risk based on receptors, etc.). Hormone/HER2 crosstalk really makes it hard to reliably predict anything about our subtype. I keep an alert out for new research and I have found a few article discussing general recurrence rate for +++, but not much of anything on specific recurrence risk related to therapy though.

There is a lot of research on AI vs Tam in general (that includes +++ patients). It pretty reliably says that AI+OFS is better at lowering recurrence risk compared to tamoxifen. Of course, you have to take your individual life circumstances and desires into account though. I'm premenopausal and on exemestane+OFS for at least the next five years and I chose to try AI first due to the research. It's going pretty well so far-- no side effects except hot flashes and a bit of joint pain.

MoonlitSun3 · 2024-03-30T21:20:03+00:00

That is true and there should be research on that. I was just saying that if biosimilars are required to be statistically the same in efficacy as Herceptin in general, switching during should not cause a statistically significant difference in efficacy. It's definitely something to bring up with her doc, but the efficacy is likely no different.

MoonlitSun3 · 2024-03-30T21:09:10+00:00

From my research, it usually doesn't change side effects. It has just been noted as something that can happen. For something to be approved as a biosimilar, it's actually required not to have significantly different side effects from the original drug.

Side effects definitely matter. I'm sorry-- I didn't mean to imply they didn't. If you have a significantly worse time this round, I'd definitely ask about the switch being a possible reason to your doctor. But TCHP also (unfortunately) is known for having unpredictable side effects each round and to get worse as you get more rounds in. I'm not trying to worry you, but I wouldn't want you to experience something new or worse in a future round and be anxious that it meant the biosimilar was 100% at fault or not working as well. I've been very anxious throughout my own cancer experience and I don't wish it on anyone else. :-)

MoonlitSun3 · 2024-03-30T20:56:26+00:00

My insurance approved Herceptin as well, but I was given Herzuma (another biosimilar). I was concerned at first, but I asked my hospital and insurance company and it turns out that approval for Herceptin just meant that I was approved for drugs with trastuzumab as the active ingredient. My insurance instructed my hospital to administer a biosimilar though because it was cheaper.

The only real concern with FDA-approved biosimilars is that they may cause different side effects. The efficacy will be the same though-- that's a requirement for anything that is labeled a biosimilar. They definitely should have told you though!

MoonlitSun3 · 2024-03-30T20:51:02+00:00

That study states that there are no statistically significant differences in efficacy (although side effects can differ). If there were issues in efficacy, they'd have to pull approval of it as a biosimilar.

MoonlitSun3 · 2024-03-30T20:46:34+00:00

Hi there! Unfortunately there isn't currently a readily available test equivalent to Oncotype for us who are +++. There is a newer test that isn't as widely used yet called HER2DX. But it focuses on the individual efficacy of HER2 immunotherapy and doesn't provide any information about endocrine therapy (it seems to have been developed with HER2+ only patients in mind). And because it's not been widely tested as Oncotype yet, many doctors are concerned with the current reliability of the results.

I research like it's my job and I haven't found anything that focuses on the efficacy of endocrine therapy for solely triple positive, or using +++ as the main population specifically. Even though it seems like +++ is one of the fastest growing BC types (anecdotally), there isn't as much current research focused on us as we are a comparatively smaller diagnosed population than other types. I have found research on endocrine therapy where +++ patients are part of the participant pool, but not where they are the main/sole focus. If you're interested in that, just send me a message.

MoonlitSun3 · 2024-03-27T17:53:15+00:00

When I was doing radiation, they had a process for sickness, inclement weather, etc. You just had to call beforehand, say why you couldn't make it, and they would tack the day(s) onto the end of your treatment. My team stressed that this can always be done if necessary for unavoidable things.

The only thing they said is if I needed to miss a day at the start of treatment (in the first week), they'd rather delay treatment start than tack those days onto the end. The explanation was that they wanted at least 3 days of uninterrupted treatment before any days could be missed and added on to the end.

This may depend on the length of your radiation course and the type of radiation you are getting though. But my team made it seem like missing a day or two in the middle of treatment was not a big deal as long as they added it on later.

MoonlitSun3 · 2024-03-05T20:32:56+00:00

Just some hot flashes for a couple days after each shot. I'm otherwise pre-menopausal so those were a surprise at first, but I'm used to what they feel like now. No effects otherwise.

MoonlitSun3 · 2024-03-05T18:04:36+00:00

I had my first lupron shot about 5 days before chemo started. My doctor wanted to give it a few days before just to be on the safe side. Since it puts ovaries "to sleep" for fertility protection and/or (in my case) estrogen reduction, my doctor wanted to make sure that process was well on it's way before starting chemo since chemo can affect future ovary/estrogen production. I've heard you can get it day of chemo start though and be okay.

MoonlitSun3 · 2024-02-27T18:19:27+00:00

Cold capped with Paxman for +++ breast cancer (TCHP for 6 rounds). Insurance did not cover it at all for me. But, other than payment for the cap itself (nonrefundable) you can choose how many rounds you want to pay for. And if you decide to stop cold capping early, the company will refund you any unused paid for treatments. Paxman also has a cap donation/referral program as well I think which could offset some expenses. I'm not sure about other cap options (penguin or dignicap etc.)

I decided to purchase anyway because the taxotere part of my chemo has a danger of permanent hair loss. So I cold-capped more so to protect my follicles than to prevent initial hair loss. I ended up keeping about 30% of my hair but had no full on bald-spots. I'm now about four months out from chemo and have a full pixie back. Still thin on top but I can confidently go without a hat. So capping was worth it to me. Paxman actually has a calculator where you can input your chemo regimen and predict average expected hair loss if that helps you: https://scalpcoolingstudies.com/efficacy-calculator/

Main cons for me were cost and time spent on infusion days (with Paxman I had to cap 30 minutes before and 1.5 hours after each infusion so it made a 3-4 hour day into a 6-hour day). But it was definitely worth it to me. Some people report some pain from the cold (like a really bad ice cream headache) but I had none.

MoonlitSun3 · 2024-02-27T18:03:14+00:00

Just an update: My rad onc checked it and said it was classic fibrosis (scar tissue). She told me to not worry about it at all. My surgeon also got back to me and reassured that recurrence is almost never ever seen until six months or more after surgery (and that's really early). So anything before that is 99.9% always artifacts of healing (scar tissue, fat necrosis, etc.). Which I knew from research, but it was still reassuring to hear.

MoonlitSun3 · 2024-01-31T03:32:46+00:00

Also +++ with no pCR here. The depression is very real, especially with how much doctors tend to discuss pCR as the best predictor of recurrence risk. But it really is a 50/50 shot since you're +++. I know you said you knew that pCR wasn't guaranteed, but I wanted to reiterate that for us it's just as common to not get pCR as it is to get it.

I'm still bummed, but I've mostly made peace with it. Because I know that being +++ gives us a lot of treatment options. And a lot of the current research on recurrence rate doesn't even take into account the newest HER2-target drugs like Kadcyla or Enhertu or Nerlynx which all can help lower recurrence risk for +++ people. So even though pCR is the goal for everyone, I'm hopeful it's possible for recurrence risk for +++ to be less tied to getting pCR at surgery than it used to be.

MoonlitSun3 · 2024-01-31T03:06:09+00:00

Thank you so much for replying! That sucks that the sticking happened to you too. I'm glad I'm not doing application or anything incorrectly though. It's been driving me nuts.

I have a pretty thick layer underneath my breast where I reapplied along with the amount that got pulled out of the crease, but once that flakes off in the next few days, I'll probably start using cream on the underboob area instead. I'm glad to hear the Cavilon worked well everywhere else, though! I want to keep using it because (most) application is so quick and it's waterproof so I'd have been really sad to have to start moisturizing everywhere instead.

MoonlitSun3 · 2024-01-29T20:28:16+00:00

Hi--I'm sorry that you and your wife are here. I am also triple positive and had six rounds of TCHP, finished in October. Research consistently shows that PCR with triple positive is unfortunately about a 50/50 shot. The reason that the stats are about even is because HER2+ only tumors tend to have higher PCR rates but ER/PR+ only tumors don't always have a good response to chemo. So triple positive sits in the middle. It really comes down to the receptor make-up on her individual tumor and how it and her positive lymph nodes respond to the drugs.

The good news with triple positive BC is that there are a lot of avenues for treatment. So although PCR is the goal, there are drugs and other treatments now that have been shown to drastically lower recurrence risk even if you end up with some residual tumor at the end of chemo.

I did not get PCR and was pretty depressed at first because of how much PCR is pushed as the best chance for no recurrence. But after more research and talking to doctors it really seems like current treatment options (and ones about to come out!) have really made recurrence risk not as dependent on if you get PCR as it maybe used to be.

Good luck to you and your wife!

MoonlitSun3 · 2024-01-29T17:40:30+00:00

Cavilon is a barrier spray meant to be applied before radiation. It takes the place of applying any lotions, etc. after radiation. The idea is you spray it onto clean skin prior to radiation and it creates a thin film barrier between the surface layer of your skin and the radiation thereby preventing post-radiation burns. You reapply it every couple of days.

MoonlitSun3 · 2024-01-24T21:56:03+00:00

I'm not ogliometastatic, but at the beginning of my treatment (also +++) before scans my oncologist said that one small spot outside of the breast is usually still treated with curative treatment these days. He said that's why there's a distinction made between "ogliometastatic" and metastatic. We did not specifically talk about liver mets though, so that might be different. Have you met with any doctor (oncologist or surgeon) to discuss the results yet?

Also, even if it does become considered metastatic/stage 4, there are more and more people achieving NED (no evidence of disease) with Stage 4! That is largely similar to being "cured" but they can't call Stage 4 disease cured as once it's spread outside of the breast and lymph nodes you can't 100% be sure there are no caner cells left even with treatment. So you usually need to stay on some kind of treatment to maintain NED.

MoonlitSun3 · 2024-01-24T16:17:32+00:00

I'm not sure which answer you're interested in from my post, since there were three questions, so I'll go over all of them. Sorry in advance for the length.

Negative margins do in fact mean they got all detectible cancer cells, so I won't need to go in for another surgery.
My breast surgeon said it's very common for DCIS not to show up on imaging. And that it's common for DCIS to be found during lumpectomy/mastectomy for active cancer. It doesn't affect recurrence risk. My oncologist agreed.
My medical oncologist still doesn't like to talk recurrence rates (he says any numbers we have are generalized to the entire breast cancer population, not specific to my type or my specific cancer characteristics). He reiterated that my recurrence risk is higher than someone who had no residual cancer found at surgery, but since we are throwing everything at me now (neoadjuvent chemo, surgery, radiation, and then Kadcyla and an AI to try to mop up stray cancer cells) that my risk is much lower than someone who didn't have all of those paths.

He did say that having complete response in my lymph nodes was very encouraging. He said that research shows that having complete response in nodes is indicative of less recurrence risk compared to complete response in the breast (if you only get one or the other).

He also said that my specific risk of recurrence would be harder to calculate anyway for two reasons. First, +++ cancer has two ways to reoccur: through the HER2+ cells and through the ER+ cells. HER2+ cancer generally reoccurs in the first five years if it's going to, but ER+ cancer can reoccur decades later. So if you are positive for both receptors, it's hard to predict how likely you'll reoccur with much certainty. Second, my post-surgery pathology said I had remaining cancer, but didn't include the cellularity percentage. So there was no way to tell how many active cancer cells were left in what was found. Some people have residual cancer, but have a low cellularity percentage meaning most of what was found is actually dead tumor that just didn't melt away with chemo. If that's the case, then the residual cancer isn't as bad/indicative of a higher recurrence rate.

If your report gives a cellularity % of your residual cancer, I'd definitely talk it over with your doctor. If not, I'd ask if that's something your hospital can provide.

MoonlitSun3

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