The Chemosabe March Cruise

maxgirl

Part Deux --

DS#2 has been working out of town so we'll see him for the first time in 2 months next Friday. I had told him he got his head shape from me, so he shaved his head and wants to compare. Now I have to admit to all you brave out-there bald ladies, that no one outside my home has seen me without my wig, and except for one accidental peek, my husband has not seen me without something covering my head. But knowing my son, he'll browbeat me into it. (And no points to him for shaving his head -- he does it about every six months anyway.)

Dawn: How is your father doing? Pneumonia is so scary in older people, and it must have been so hard for you to stay away from him. Hope everyone else in your family is improving, too.

Great response from the Montel show. Keep us posted. Sorry you're always having to sweat getting your meds.

MissS: Good grief -- if you'd been smoking 25 packs a day, you wouldn't have time for anything else. Did you finally get that straightened out?

Marshabel: Instead of waiting as long as I did, you might want to tell your onc about the extreme fatigue you're having. If you're anemic, it can cause a whole host of other problems -- like the tachycardia and mouth sores I had.

Angel: I loved the pix of your renovations. We're starting some this summer, and the first is going to be the main bathroom. I never thought to check to see if you could get a Jacuzzi bath in the old standard shape and length. I'm going to look into that.

Nancy: How long did the pain last with the Neulasta? I really haven't had any problems with it, but I wonder if that will change with the Taxol. It might be hard to tell which is which.

I'm putting another plug in here for doing shots in the belly. I was afraid of the Procrit which I had heard, and my onc nurse warned, could sting a lot. But we did it the way I do my Neulasta shots, and though it stung a little, it went away quickly. I also wonder if having the N shots there has anything to do with not having bone pain with it.

MissS: Congrats on being finished with the "red devil and bladder-consuming cytoxin"! LOL (And I never knew about flushing out the cytoxin either -- everyone seemed more concerned about the effects of the red devil.)

Rosebud, pmarsh, dmknanny, playwrite, MissS: Congrats to all of you for passing the half-way mark. It's great to see more of the cruisers hitting this point.

dmknanny: How did the big fundraiser go? Were you able to stay as long as you wanted to?

playwright: Some of the food you've been eating just makes my mouth water -- pierogies, and even a tunafish sandwich. I've just gotten back to eating single slices of bread this past week -- they were ripping my mouth apart before.

MissS: I remember seeing the post about velcroing your hair for the halo, but don't remember who posted it. I had mine done at the place where I got my wig, but I can't say I'm too happy with the results. Part of the problem may be that my hair got so coarse after my first tx that it was hard to work with, but that doesn't explain the uneven cutting. Next time I have my wig cleaned, I'm taking the halo back for some fixes.

musicmom: The price of Neulasta is incredible, isn't it? But I read the insurance companies are paying for it, because it has cut the number and therefore cost of lengthy hospital stays due to infections.

Your trip to the water sounds heavenly. Hope you have a great weekend.

playwriter

wow, maxgirl -- good for u for all the shout outs, i always mean to shout out to everyone, and then i get tired.
doing ok today. managed to go to groc store, and to the post ofc. tidied the kitchen a bit. that's probably all i'll be up for.
have a great w/e everyone. love and blessings to u.

jacqniel

Had a weird morning. DH and I went to the mega furniture mart to purchase a new dishwasher and fridge. As the salesman was writing us up I started getting very light headed. The sales gal went to get a chair for me, but before she got back I had to sit down on a low ledge - I was afraid I would pass out! Had to sit down while DH checked out, too. I decided that my blood pressure must have been very low - and I was hungry. My onc nurse had told me a while back that not eating or drinking enough can cause low blood pressure. We stopped and got a sandwich before heading to Target and I felt somewhat better - I could at least manuver the aisles and was just a bit dizzy. When I got home I checked my BP and sure enough it was low. A little rest and it has come back up. I am sure glad my DH was with me! Has anyone else had this happen?

playwriter

jacque, i have felt dizzy or light headed intermittently after chemo. i figured it was low WBC, i don't have a BP machine to check that....

dmknanny

Jacque,
I have been feeling lightheaded and dizzy since Thursday after AC #3 on TUesday - also quite queasy, which is new for me. The fundraiser was great - will fill you all in on details when I am feeling better - feel like I have a big hangover for the last 3 days........

maxgirl

Jacque: That's been happening to me a lot since a week after tx#3. I can never tell if when I bend down to pick up something, I'm going to get dizzy. This morning I've had a really hard time waking up and getting "with it." I checked and my BP is low again.

This can also be tied to low blood counts, which are more of a problem as we get farther along in treatment.

GrammyNancy

Happy Sunday everyone! Beautiful day here...I'm enjoying the sunshine and flowers!

Angel, what a precious family...I can sure see the family resemblance. Bet they are very busy with activities..I love large families, think they are so much fun.

Jacque...scary about your dizzy spell. Hasn't it been about a week since your bar trip? Bet it is related to you wbc. I also find that if I don't drink often and eat something regurlarly that I have a tendence to get light headed. Take care of yourself.

Musicmom, happy to hear that emend is working for you. Your trip to Delaware sounds wonderful....enjoy!!

Maxgirl...sorry about your Mom...sounds like you have a plan and that always helps. I'm sending prayers for your Mom. Happy to hear your counts are coming back up..I don't know how you are working, be careful you wouldn't want to pick up any bugs. My bone pain from the Neulasta only lasted about 2 or 3 days and didn't show up until day 4. It really was minimal but I was always concerned that it was going to get worse (which it didn't). Since this was the first one I had, I didn't know what to expect but I will going forward (I hope). I'm one that is on the TAC protocol and I only have Decadron in the prechemo IV, don't take any before or after.

Dmknanny...hope you are feeling better soon....take care!

Hope everyone had and enjoyable weekend and here's to a week of everyone feeling well!!!!

Nancy

GrammyNancy

Bar Reservations for week May 7 - 11

Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday: Onlygirl

Hope you aren't drinking alone this week Onlygirl!
Smooth sailing!

whitecotton

hello everyone. I am so sorry I have not been around but I spoke to soon about breezing through this. Since Monday I have been feeling really tired and very sick to my poor tummy. Sorry no energy to do shout outs but wanted to wish everybody a wonderful sunday.
hugs to all.
Melissa

Keenie

Hi everyone,
It's really ironic that so many of us are feeling dizzy! I've been very shaky and dizzy the first few days after tx. Last cycle I scared by DH by falling into the shower stall during one of my midnight bathroom breaks!

I am so happy to say that I had my last tx on Wednesday, but I've been feeling really rough, so I'm thinking chemo is cumulative. I go for my rad marking on May 22 and start the Tamoxifen June 1. More interesting moments to come!

It has been a glorious day in the Rocky Mountains today. I even stuck my bald head in the sun for few minutes.
Hope everyone is recovering well.
Christine

Cynthia1962

Hi fellow cruisers,

Add me to the list of those feeling dizzy and lightheaded and shaky. I'm relieved to know I'm not the only one. It's rather disconcerting. I have my labs tomorrow so I'll see if it has anything to do with my counts. I did take my blood pressure earlier when I was particularly lightheaded and it was low, but I don't know if that explains every instance.

Sorry for not doing a shout out but I'm just so tired and fuzzy brained. I hope everyone is feeling better soon.

Cynthia

taurie

Hi all, guess I spoke too soon too on the SEs cause yesterday and today every bone in my body hurts. Felt a bit queasy today. Had a bit of confusion in the bathroom, my body doesnt know whether it is coming or going, will go in there feeling the urge, have the big C for a bit, waves of nausea, hot flashes, then the big D appears. Now how the heck do you treat that. My legs hurt so bad, and the dizzyness is here too, and jello legs. Still seemed to happen this time, day four and five.

Angel, beautiful family, they made me smile.

Terri, I think I would have went nuts if they didnt have my shot after you had an appt.

So sorry everyone is feeling this lightheadedness, but on the other hand nice to know i am not alone.

Dad is still in the hospital, they gave him Haldol for his hallucinations, he was seeing people that died years ago, and he had an adverse reaction. He wanted to beat up security at 69 years old. They ended up giving him Ativan and tying him to the chair by the nurses station. My brother went to stay the night with him so they would put him back in a room, and since I cant go near him
But he seems better and more with it today. He is asking to come home, which is a better sign.
Well here is to everyone feeling better tomorrow, sorry for not all individual shout outs but I truely feel like crap.
Dawn

BettyeE

Put me at the bar on Tues. #9. I too have been dizzy this week and quezzy. Maybe it's someting in the air!!!
Bettye

HollyHopes

me too...having a rough go of it, but the change to TAxol last Friday was a relief. Hope it's not too short-lived! Weak, and dizzy...always now. Next tx #6 on 5/18

Hugs to all,
Holly

GrammyNancy

HOLLYHOPES....So Happy to hear from you....I've been worried!!!! Hope things continue to improve from you, I hear that people have a much easier time with taxol. Sending you prayers and hugs for days of feeling better.

Whitecotten, Keenie, Cynthia, Taurie, BettyeE prayers and hugs to y'all also that you will be feeling better real soon. Take it easy girls!

Nancy

GrammyNancy

Updated bar reservations May 7 -11

Monday:
Tuesday: BettyeE (#9)
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday: Onlygirl

Smooth sailing!

Cynthia1962

Hi all,

My white count was 1.3 today so I'm getting the neupogen shot thru Thurs. Each tx it gets lower and lower so I suppose I can expect to need the shot after the next tx as well. I hate the se's so much I started crying when she told me I needed the shots. I stopped by the store on the way home and bought some Claritin and Benedryl because last week the chemo nurse told me I could be having an allergic reaction to it. Any opinions on which med I should try?

Holly - so glad to hear from you. I was starting to worry. Sorry you're having such a hard time. I hope you start feeling better now that you're on the Taxol.

Dawn - sorry to hear about your awful se's. I hope you get some relief soon.

Sending good thoughts to everyone.

Cynthia

maxgirl

Holly -- I'm sorry you've been having such a rough time, but it's so good to hear from you at last.

Nancy -- That's great that the Neulasta wasn't too much of a problem for you. Thanks for the info about the Decadron.

Cynthia -- You might want to check with the onc about the Claritin and benedryl since they often put benedryl in the infusion. You don't want to OD! Sorry your WBC was down so far, but at least there's something to help.

Taurie -- That's the worst when you don't know which to treat, the C or the D. Sorry you're having such a rough time of it, and I hope the SEs wear off soon.

My MIL got really delusional when she had to be hospitalized in her 80's -- thought the resident was out to kill her and was screaming bloody murder. Once she got home, she was much better though we noticed she thought more clearly when she was sitting up.

Kennie -- Congrats on finishing the tx's. That is so wonderful -- color me green!

Maybe those of us who are lightheaded and dizzy are just getting seasick -- the cruise has been going on a long time.

My primary doc told me not to worry unless my pulse went over 140, and this morning it did, so off I went to get an EKG and chest X-ray (to check for enlarged heart). Everything looked OK, and he said it was probably the anemia that was doing it. I'm due for another Procrit shot tomorrow, so I hope that improves things. I hate just lying around like this.

playwriter

just a quick hi, tried to do too much today, had to come home and go to bed. pain in my left side is back, heart beat feels wonky.
love and blessings to u all.

LisaSDCA

Hey there sistahs!

Whew-boy, have I had an adventure!
It was gorgeous and in the 80's here yesterday. I didn't get to enjoy it, though. After a phone-triage with an onc. nurse, I went in to the hospital. My tiny sore throat from Sat. had progressed in 24 hours to incredibly painful; unable to speak or swallow, nearly closed off my throat, etc. My WBC count had tanked and allowed it to abscess. They wanted to keep me overnight to do IV antibiotics for 24 hours. I declined and have orals to continue with instead.
The procedure was horrific.
"Peritonsillar abscesses are widely considered one of the most painful complications, primarily the surgical draining of the abscess itself. The patient is operated on awake, surgically slicing open the tonsil and then
draining the abscess from within by placing a suction tube within the opening".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peritonsillar_abscess

I want my life back.

I don't want to see another doctor or hospital or freaking PROCEDURE again,ever.

No such luck, though.
Oh, well. So it goes.

On the positive side, I liked the intake doctor and may switch to him as my PCP.

Lisa

LisaSDCA

maxgirl - glad the xray and EKG showed a healthy heart, but that pulse-racing has got to be spooky. Hope the procrit helps! BTW - I take the glutamine, too. My schedule is 10g. 3x/day for the day before and three days after treatment. It can't hurt! Hope your neuropathy responds to this.
Holly - so good to hear from you again! Congrats on being through the A/C and on to the Taxol. Hope the cruise smooths out some for you now.
playwriter - glad you were able to come home and hit the sack. Sometimes we just try and 'do' as if we were our old selves - and it just doesn't work!
Cynthia - sorry you have to have the Neupogen again. I give myself the shots and it has turned out to be less stressful than going in and letting some stranger of unknown skill do it. Also, I give it in my belly, where I have some uhm, padding. If the onc. nurse thinks you may be having a reaction, don't they usually slow the drip way down?
Taurie - I'm sorry you've had a rough couple of days. We have to learn to enjoy that short break right after the infusions, knowing that Days#4-5 are going to hit eventually. Best wishes for your Dad - I know it is frustrating not being able to go to him.
Keenie - whoo-hooooo! First one to the finish line! It must feel so awesome to have your chemo OVER! Take these interim days before your rads begin to pamper yourself and build your strength.
whitecotton - hope you, too are soon feeling stable again. This stuff can just really wipe you out!

Thanks to all the ladies who posted pictures - what a bunch of great noggins we have on this cruise. And beautiful grandchildren, too! I'll try and post more regularly, so I don't get so far behind. . .

Lisa

Keenie

Lisa! You poor thing! Having to go through that terrible procedure on top of everything else is just terrible. I'll be praying you have a quick recovery from the terrible tonsils.

And yes, I'm glad to be done the chemo. But it's like it knows I'm done, cos it's taking me the longest time to feel well this time. I'm trying to stay positive and I know the Lord will get me through. But honestly, all I can think about is your poor throat. Sheesh!

Hope you get swallowing better soon,
Christine

playwriter

HOLLYYYYY! welcome back! have been SO WORRIED about u, girl. is #6 yr last?
lisa -- oh. my. GOSH. that sounds so incredibly painful. so sorry u had to go thru that. there's a verse in the bible that says he who suffers in his body is done with sin -- boy, u should just be about perfect right about now!

same old, same old, around here. pain in the left side, heartburn, tummy ache. had an enema, which helped a bit.

love and blessings to u all.

3boys4me

Evening everyone,
I'm so sorry to hear about everyones SE's. I got a reprieve this past week. I went in last Wed for tx#3, but I have hand-and-foot syndrome (sores and blisters on my feet from the Xeloda which can also affect mucous membranes), so they put me off a week so my feet could heal.

I belly back up to the bar this Wednesday, the 9th for my cocktail of Taxotere and Xeloda with my last cycle scheduled for May 30th. I feel so good during my off week that I'm so dreading getting the mouth sores, aches, numbness, nausea... well, you get it.

According to my oncologist, if everything goes to plan, I'll finish up the Xeloda on June 13th with surgery sometime in early to mid July followed by more chemo.

The good news is the tumor is shrinking :-0 and it's been beatiful here in San Diego, so I've been enjoying some sun (while using a very high SPF on my thinly covered scalp).

Hugs to all,
Lisa

taurie

Awww Lisa I am so sorry you had to go through that. That really sucks. And I know the feeling about not wanting to see another Dr, hospital or procedure.

HOLLY I am so glad we are hearing from you, I was truely worried.

Terri, they gave me a script for Nexium for the heartburn, but it was so high, pharmacist said Prilosec does the same thing. I have been taking one a day and no more heartburn.

Ok now its the Big D. I am bleeding. Bought preperation H wipes and ointment, but it wouldnt work, cause it didnt stay on long enough, since I was going to the bathroom so much. Broke down tonight and bought the Imodium. So far so good. I thought I was good today, went to the bank and Walmart, almost passed out in Walmart, ended up in the bathroom there. I gotta learn to slow back into it, dont push.

Keenie, wish I could say I was done. Congrats girl, but dont leave us yet, you gotta be here with us now to pull us through.

Max, even with the new chemo meds I have the fast heartbeat, and the chest pains, its stupid cause I wont tell the dr I feel like I am a big baby when I call for everything.

Oh and my skin hurts today, anyone get this?
Dawn

Anonymous

Holly,
So glad to hear from you! I'm glad the Taxol seems better so far. that gives me hope for next time.

Lisa,
I can't believe what you've been through with your throat!
That truly sounds horrendous. I hope you're feeling better soon and merrily lounging amongst your flowers.

Max,
I've been taking the glutamine, but need to step it up and get serious. I have a difficult time remembering to take drugs. I have never been one to take anything with any regularity or at all, really. Cancer sure changes all that. I went to see the dentist the other day to get an RX for Floride from him and they asked me to list current meds... I laughed! I must have about 10 different rx's at the moment... mostly on an as needed basis.

I know what you mean about hating to lie around too much. It seems that is all I do and I am so out of shape now it's terrible. I need to force myself to get out and walk no matter what, but then something always seem to prevent me.

Terri,
Interesting that you mentioned pain on left side. My face always hurts on the left side. In fact, my pain is definitely more focused on the left all the way down.

Keenie,
Congrats on being done with chemo. Sometimes I wonder if I am ever going to get to utter those words.

Cynthia,
My cancer nurses told me I could take Claritin, but I'm going to wiat and see how I do on Taxol before I buy any. My white count gets lower every time, too. So does my red count for that matter...

Melissa,
Thinking about you, too, and hoping you perk up soon. It's kind of sad to think about how vivacious we all seemed in the beginning and now we all seem to be getting bowled over like pins in a bowling alley. I guess the important thing is we get back up!

My son's last leg of flight got canceled Saturday night and he was stuck in Atlanta all alone!

Anonymous

gRRRR.... I keep hitting hotkeys and messing up! Son #1 is here now and we're trying to have some fun. I think my appearance is a bit hard for him to take since he has not been here all along. We have both been sleeping like Rip Van Winkle, so I'm going to see if I can grab him for some cards!

Thinking of you all..... hang in there. We're a bunch of tough cookies!

Miss S

Cynthia1962

Lisa,

So sorry to hear about your throat! I hope you heal quickly and without complications. Boy, what a thing to have to endure. {{hugs}}

I've decided to start taking glutamine, but the highest amount I can find is 5 grams per teaspoon. How does this compare to the one you're taking?

Sorry for the confusion with my last post - it's the neupogen that I may be having a reaction to (bone pain and tachycardias, arrythmias). I've decided to try the benedryl because I'm told the claritin takes awhile to work. I just hope it doesn't make me too drowsy. I'm also making an appt. with a cardiologist just to make sure that's all this is.

Dawn - Sorry you're still having the side effects with your heart. It can be frightening when the heart is involved. I hope they can figure out what's causing it.

Christine - I hope you feel better soon!

Betty - Good luck tomorrow at the bar.

Cynthia

Cynthia1962

Well, shoot, I'm pretty sure I have thrush. My tongue has been white since chemo and it hasn't hurt or bled so I wasn't sure it was yeast, but now my throat hurts and sure enough it's all white and icky, too. I've been taking probiotic capsules pretty regularly since I started chemo, so why do I have thrush?

I feel like such a baby complaining about this when some of you are having a much worse time of it. Please forgive me. It's kinda of funny actually (and maybe I'll laugh some day) but I was so glad I avoided getting thrush on my boobs while nursing my babies, and here I've ended up with it in my mouth. Ick!

Cynthia

playwriter

hey, ya'll, what does a hot flash feel like? i'll wake up some times, and just be covered in sweat, or i go from cold to hot to cold.
and, forgive my laziness, what is the glutamine for?