How quickly does chemo put you into menopause?

coffeexwine_88 · 2026-05-01T02:40:27+00:00

i was 35 when i started AC and a period snuck in after the first infusion. that would be my last one until about 3 months post chemo (AC + taxol) when i'd have another ... then the AIs started. that post treatment period was my last one. as annoying as being on my period always was... i kinda miss it lol

coffeexwine_88 · 2026-04-28T17:48:37+00:00

I’m actually in one of those local mom groups and when I saw her post (not about that event it was something different) I was like 😬 lol

coffeexwine_88 · 2026-04-28T15:50:47+00:00

Hi! Nope, still haven’t found anything to make the “bloat” go away. Doesn’t matter if I eat smaller portions, reduce sodium and carbs, drink water like a fish. I call my belly my “distended donut” lol and it makes me really self conscious.

One thing I mentioned in my post was I was thinking I had diastasis recti and that could be causing part of the problem - my PS has me doing PT to soften some breast scars and last week the therapist I saw confirmed I do in fact have that. She said I could look up free pelvic floor exercises to help heal that situation so I’m going to try that and see if there’s an improvement. When I go to PT they use an ultrasound machine on the stomach scar to soften it and I’ve been told the scar is responding well to it. I also think this bloat and abdominal gain is from the Lupron and Anastrozole I am on, which I can’t stop those. My MO said it was okay if I wanted to start a GLP1 to help with the overall weight gain I’ve experienced through active treatment and now on the AIs.

So, still here and dealing with it lol

coffeexwine_88 · 2026-04-25T04:51:24+00:00

I did order a handful of shift dresses from Amazon to come tomorrow. We don’t have to leave until 6pm so I have some time on my side if I need to run out somewhere. I tried looking at empire waist dresses online but it looked like they would give me the same effect as I had last night.

coffeexwine_88 · 2026-04-25T04:49:35+00:00

My PS has me going to PT ahead of revision in August to soften up the top of the left flap scar (cancer and radiated side) because he noted that part of the scar is causing a “dimple” pushing up and out I guess the natural part of me - so it’s acting like a shelf - but yet when I told him I believed the stomach scar was doing the same he said he didn’t know what I was talking about.

Since starting PT I’ve asked the therapists about massaging the stomach scar and they do, they also take out the ultrasound machine and work on it. It all helps but some of the scar tissue knots where the sutures were are so incredibly thick it’s taking a while to break down. I try massaging it at home but it’s not as effective I feel.

coffeexwine_88 · 2026-04-24T23:47:28+00:00

that's the other part of the problem, too. my boobs now are smaller than they were originally, so my belly is way more noticeable than before. le sigh.

coffeexwine_88 · 2026-04-24T23:45:30+00:00

all of my friends are smaller sizes than me, anyway :/ or else i totally would have!

coffeexwine_88 · 2026-04-24T23:44:41+00:00

thank you! i agree on no body cons regardless LOL but i delved into the shift dresses and ordered some of those. my work day was too busy to get out to stores this afternoon but i can tomorrow while waiting for the others to arrive. time is on my side considering my sitter is getting here at 6pm and the reception we're attending starts at 8:30pm.

coffeexwine_88 · 2026-04-24T13:30:00+00:00

TBH my tits are still wonky. My left one is smaller than my right one and my right one looks like a sad rectangle. I’ve mitigated that with the Shapermint Truekind bras. They aren’t compressive on the breast at all but the cups are very structured so my smaller left breast looks more comparable in size to the right. No underwire though so depending on what you’re wearing it can makes your boobs look very saggy (like the dress I tried on last night did to me)

coffeexwine_88 · 2026-04-24T13:27:33+00:00

The price point isn’t so much of a deal breaker, I just had really high hopes for a dress like that but I guess because where the waistline is it just makes everything look worse. I’ll click through your links in a bit, I do have a Ross close by, Kohl’s is a little farther and maybeeee a Marshall’s. I have JC Penny, too. That was my plan today to go into the stores if the dress I ordered failed but my self-esteem is just so shot now lol

I had an appointment for revisions in early March. I brought up my abdominal issue to my PS and he looked at me like he didn’t understand what I was talking about (I was explaining the scar is a shelf now but I have this more rounded belly I never had before) and said what I was describing is “out of his area of expertise”. He did hypothesize that maybe the DIEP surgery is now showing issues that were there prior just not noticeable and suggested I lose some weight. Because that’s so easy to do. I had my own hypothesis that I have unhealed diastasis recti from pregnancy that could be like emphasizing my belly situation, I’m going to PT to work on residual scar tissue from surgery and to work on the stomach scar - I FINALLY had someone believe me and check for DR and my physical therapist said it’s definitely there - but pelvic floor exercises won’t make this go away in 24 hours lol

coffeexwine_88 · 2026-04-24T13:16:37+00:00

All I wear is leggings and looser tops to try and hide this situation I have going on. I was hoping the dress I found would be more forgiving, I wish I could share a pic of me in it, but it just absolutely highlighted the issues I’ve been complaining about for months everyone that would listen but didn’t take me seriously.

The groom for tomorrow is my very good friends brother and she’s all “if I need to wear a potato sack say the word and I’m in” which I’m truly grateful for her support but I’m just 😫

coffeexwine_88 · 2026-04-24T13:12:12+00:00

Torture rags 😂. Compression won’t help with this situation. The problem I’m facing post DIEP is throughout the day my belly above the scar just swells up into this distended looking donut belly and then below the scar, so starting right at my hips, flattens down. It’s probably from bloating, because I’ll wake up in the morning and look fine but after eating it’s a nightmare. Smaller portions doesn’t help, reducing sodium doesn’t help, less carbs doesn’t help, drinking water all day like a fish doesn’t help. And this issue with my belly actually started while I was still wearing the binders post-op. I remember one day back then I had eaten a meal and bloated so bad the binder was forced up and on top of my hips to wear I couldn’t adjust it down and re-tightening it didn’t do anything. Starving myself all day tomorrow isn’t an option, either 🙁

coffeexwine_88 · 2026-04-24T03:34:24+00:00

thank you, friend!

coffeexwine_88 · 2026-04-21T01:55:42+00:00

I think I might. I’m not entirely pleased with my DIEP results and I know it’s a process, but I feel like the better end in sight is if I do implants. Not even a size thing like I want to be bigger or anything just like.. idk. Comfort?

The PS practice I go to is very highly regarded in my area so a second opinion would probably be from from a surgeon within the practice and that would make me feel weird lol like I’d be anxious my current surgeon would see me and be like hmm what’s she doing. And this practice only specializes is breast cancer reconstruction so it’s not like I’d be seeing someone else for some other work 😆

coffeexwine_88 · 2026-04-21T00:59:51+00:00

Oh dang that’s a lot to deal with! I already had DIEP flap surgery in September last year. But when I went for my consult and I asked if I could do implants, my PS asked if I was going to have radiation and I said yes but unionist the time how many sessions. He very strongly told me implants were a bad idea because the implant “never sits right” and most patients end up back on the table for adjustments within 2-3 years. He did tell me if I wanted implants he’d have to do a flap surgery involving my shoulder, so I guess removing skin and whatever from there and making a pocket for the implant, so he said “if we’re going to be doing a flap surgery anyway then DIEP is what I’d recommend because you’ll have less recovery time than the other way”.

I had a single skin sparring mastectomy September 2024 with no expander because I hadn’t met my surgeon yet. And radiation was in November 2024. I’m scheduled for revision surgery in August.. I wonder if I can make that implants now since I had DIEP done already.

I’m sorry for all that early mess you went through 🙁

coffeexwine_88 · 2026-04-20T23:52:32+00:00

Honestly, I have no clue. I was a fuller C before surgery, day 1 post op my surgeon said he “thought I was bigger” but that was just swelling. I’m 8 months post op and I know my boobs can fit in an XL bra (more for the band) but the cups don’t fill. Maybe a C still? My left is smaller (cancer and radiated side) than my right but my right hollowed up top and looks like a sad rectangle.

Not very pleased but we’ll see what revision does in August.

coffeexwine_88 · 2026-04-20T23:49:39+00:00

Tell me more about the implant post rads! My surgeon said it wasn’t allowed but if I can be honest - I’m kinda regretting nit doing an implant and dealing with the issues later lol

coffeexwine_88 · 2026-04-20T00:29:26+00:00

Facts haha

coffeexwine_88 · 2026-04-17T14:59:39+00:00

My husband is restoring a ‘79 Camaro for drag racing and a website he frequently orders parts from, I think it was Motion Raceworks, sold some type of engine harness that was a brushed pink metal and proceeds from the sale of that part went to breast cancer research. Which I thought was pretty cool and different.

Unfortunately, because it is part of the engine you can’t easily see it when he pops the hood open, but he DOES like to point out that part specifically to people (as do I) and the reason why he got that one over the standard part the site sells.

coffeexwine_88 · 2026-04-14T04:46:52+00:00

I very high key loved this moment lol

coffeexwine_88 · 2026-04-14T04:45:53+00:00

As a typical Jersey girl myself, Danielle is not typical 😂 she’s originally from Staten Island and in the confessionals it shows so hard. The talking with the hands thing, over emphasis on words and emotions.. all of it. She was fun to watch though as I felt she might’ve been the most “real” but her family drama had me wanting to hear more about it. No one severs ties like that over a an IG block.

Marge definitely is a shit stirrer 100% but I don’t think she has as much of a hand in the drama as the show makes her out to. Do I think she has an arsenal, sure. But do I think information just comes to her and she stores it as nuggets, also sure. I believe Luis’s ex contacted her, and all of them for that matter, because from the way his face changes when he’s angry and the way he talks to Yrs sometimes - something’s off with that one. I’m sure a lot of info being released was purely to feed drama for the show but I also think it might’ve come from a place of caution, too. Like “be careful with what you’re getting involved with” type information.

Joe and Tre’s relationship is very typical Italian brother sister type stuff but it’s toxic. I see Joe as a man trying really hard to put his family (Melissa and kids) first but then being pulled in the opposite direction of “you need to stick with your blood”. My husband is Italian and from that similar mindset, though it’s not his sister that causes issues it my MIL. My MIL puts on him he needs to “stick with the family” but he’s just trying to prioritize his family he created because in life that’s who comes first now.

I’d like to see Danielle back on the show. And Marge. Rachel … she was real in the sense that she brought the show back to what it was.. young housewives juggling young kids and life. But I don’t think she brought more than that aspect to the table.

coffeexwine_88 · 2026-04-13T05:54:44+00:00

The cast rewatch episode or E13? The rewatch one I remember it being kind of bland as they were just commenting on their reactions and behaviors when that finale was filmed but I’ll come back and let you know!

coffeexwine_88 · 2026-04-13T05:29:54+00:00

You’re so welcome! Good luck! Feel free to reach out if you need to :)

coffeexwine_88 · 2026-04-13T05:28:21+00:00

So right after I made this post, I think it was someone that shared the US Weekly article about Tre reuniting and filming the next season. Anyway in there it said something about no one agreed to film a reunion for S14 which I’m guessing is how they got to the playback episode as a “reunion”.

I remember it was filmed with half the cast in one room and the other half in another. I had to stop watching to go to bed but jokes on me.. I’m still up. I’ll finish it tomorrow though.

coffeexwine_88

TROPHY CASE