Anyone starting chemo in June 08

KKing

Bonnie

Yes, my one eye seems to constantly be running which is causing my skin around my eyes to be sore.  I give up wiping it an let it run.     Nice to hear you finished your chemo....hurray.    My last treatment is next Wed.. can't wait to get it over with but not looking for ward to it at the same time.

Hope everyone else is doing well.  

Enjoy the day

Karen 

Bonnie02

KKing

You were mentioning about your skin I also had the same problem it looked like I was sunburned and peeling especially on my feet seem to be the worst some on my arms but not as bad.  Sounds like we have a lot of the same problems, hopefully mine will start disappearing soon. Do you have any radiation treatments after you are finished your chemo?

Take Care

Bonnie

KKing

Bonnie

Yes, I start on Oct 15th... 21 sessions.   The first 16 are for the breast as I had the lumpectomy and then 5 at the lump site.   How many do you have to go through???    

Karen

GramE

My feet are also peeling - try a Ped Egg, sort of like a cheese grater, but very gentle and LOTS of lotion.   The nail on my little toe has gone awol... not sure if it fell off or just peeled away.  Finger nails are harder than iron, but going flat, as the onco predicted.   I can hardly button buttons - not exactly pain, more like being totally uncoordinated.   

Wyoming

For those who skin is doing funky things, I use a loofah with a really creamy soap. The week after treatment I  have red spots on my arms and chest, looks like I'm a meth addict. My skin on my arms feels like leather. Finally skin has started to feel better. I have #5 on Thursday. One more than radiation. Eyebrows are doing OK but eyelashes are extremely sparse. Bottom lashes are almost gone. Eyes are fine but my nose won't quit running so I have a sore but it can't get healed as nose runs all the time. I have never been completely bald, always have had peach fuzz.

HunkyDory good luck Wed. I just might put a smiley face on my head so when I take off my wig at school it will help the shock!

Good luck to everyone with all treatments and S/Es!!!!!!!!

Bonnie02

KKing,      I will very probably be starting my radiation really close to your date. I have 16 treatments on the lymph nodes under my arm, don't need it on my breast because it was totally removed.

Bonnie

SuePeet

Hey Bonnie - My eyes and nose run continuosly in my third week after my treatment for about 4 days - can't wear makeup or be any distance from a box of kleenix!

KKing - seems like we are the last!  Mine being Monday - am already booked in for radiation on October 16th.  Can't wait as this represents the end of this journey for me!  3 weeks of radiation and I may end up with a firmer breast!  Shucks!  Still dealing with my wondeful cankers!  Am trying a new cocktail I read somewhere in these threads where you mix equal protions of Malox and Benedryl.  Anyone have any other suggestions?  The normal maouthwash not really doing anything!

Hope everyone else is doing great!

Kellke

Look how far we have come, remember when we were asking about what to expect from chemo and now we are finishing up with that and starting to ask about radiation.  We are marching on,  Go ladies!!!  I am so happy to see the end of the tunnel starting to appear.  Kelly

SuePeet

I am so with you!  I had to go to a "Radiation Orientation" session and I said hey I am so looking forward to this!  and the woman looked at me funny!  I don't know - being a little tired and a firm boob - hey I can handle that!

hunkydory

Looks like many of us are headed out one door and into another, i.e. rads, herception, tamoxifen...etc.  It will be nice to have these nastier ones out of the way though.  I had #5 yesterday and the magic neulasta shot today.  Bring on the bone pain!!!!! 

Wyoming, good luck with your # 5 today.  Have you flipped your wig at school?  Can't wait to hear more about that.  Your kids must really like you and care about you. 

SuePeet:  Glad you undercarriage area is not giving you such great problems anymore.  That would be the worst.  I won't hit radiation until October as my last chemo isnt until October 1.  I don't know how long they wait between that.   

Kellke: We have come quite a ways.  I remember everyone saying "its doable"  We'll it's something I don't want to do again.  I am considering options of a mastectomy on my other girl, and a laproscopic hysterectomy as a preventative measure.  I am going to meet with a genetic counselor and my onc again to get more imput on that journey.  I really don't know what to think yet but don't have to make any quick decisions really about that. 

Jax:  Don't know if you are home from your shopping extravaganza but I hope you found a lot of good bargains. 

Nancy, I have seen those ped eggs on TV.  I just opt for a safety razor and am careful.  Haven't had that problem much though after all the exfoliating chemo has done for me and plus I haven't been running around outside barefoot much.  

To the rest of ya all, rest tight..feel bettter!  

Kellke

Today on my way to work there was a church with this sign in front:

"Don't count the days you have, make the days count."

I thought it was a good sign, a reminder to me not to be so grumpy at work too!  Kelly

ChocolateLover

hi everyone!

I just want to say to all of you wonderful, strong, beautiful women:  YOU ROCK!!!

I remember going to work during my first round of treatments: A/C and mastectomy (I'm at home this go around) and feeling so relieved when it was coming to an end. What an accomplishment!

I did 10 sessions of radiation in Feb/March this year before I started chemo and the treatments were a walk in the park compared to chemo! No nauseau, no fatigue, nuthin'! I hope this is the same for you all too.  My fingers are crossed....no wait....that's my eyes....ok i'm good now.

ok - I guess I'm hanging onto the past a little and need to change my avitar.  I don't really look like that now. That was me a year ago before all these treatments, so it's not quite accurate.  Now I'm bald, got acne from the steroids, i've gained 10 lbs from eating all the time, i have bags under eyes from not enough or too much sleep, and no colour because of avoiding the sun: so I'm a pastey, chubby, baggy, bald babe. wah wah wah. that's my 5 minute whine for the day. LOL. thanks for listening!

I did go to the mall yesterday and commit to some pretty serious retail therapy. Yeah, back to school sales!!!  No kids, so I can spend all the bucks on me, me, me! I got some of those cozy Uggs to wear to treatments with big chunky sweaters.  And some new hair! a cute, short, blonde wig.  it is getting chilly out now! 

Kelly - I like that sign! I also like the email i read this morning "add your words of wisdom"

Here are mine:  Gratitude is a gift. Everyday I am grateful for so many things in my life. Including this website and all of you!  You never know when something you post is going to have a great effect on someone.

hugs to all, CL

liz19

Hey Ladies,

remember me i am liz19, i haven;t post anything lately !! but i been reading everyone posting , my last chemo of taxetere is coming up also on sept. 25th , my 42nd birthday is also this month on the 21st,  i hope i still feel good on that day too, i been having mainly diarrha for a few days after treatment, then i am off too radiation also with you girls , i hope that is alot easier for all of us.  hey karen ,hunkydory, and all you ladies , i hope you all have a great weekend!!!!

                                                                                    liz19

GramE

Hi all,

It is good to "hear" from all of you.  I had # 5 of weekly tax and her on Thurs - only 7 more to go. A bit of diarrhea on the second day, but Immodium takes care of it.  My feet are peeling and look like they are sunburned on the bottom, but no pain or numbness.  

Bald is beautiful - or so I keep telling myself. I too did some retail therapy and got myself an auburn with darker highlights wig for fun.   If it was not going to be 90 today, I would try it out.  So, save it for a cooler day and shock those who I run into... hee hee...  

One of these days I want to be able to actually taste some food - anyone else have NO motivation to cook up a great meal and then have it taste like cardboard and sawdust?    Is it pathetic to add bacon bits to pb sandwiches for the crunch???    

Have a great weekend.  HUGS,  Nancy 

Wyoming

Had my 5th treatment Thurs. One to go. My onco said that I had to wait four weeks before radiation because we have to make sure the chemo is out of system so it doesn't inter-fer with the radiation. Manly the Adriamycin (sp). That means I should start radiation in Nov. as my last chemo is Oct 2. I should have 6 weeks of radiation. When I went for my blood draw before treatment my port had flipped. Doc had to come in a flip it so they could get blood. Was fine for treatment on Thurs.  Felt weird!!!!

SuePeet, For you mouth sores try this cocktail---equal parts of water and hydrogen peroxide. Gargle twice a day. Won't taste the best so I gargle then brush. You can feel the foaming. My onco says this will prevent any form of germs such as staff, strep, and cold virus. When my daughter was getting canker sores this is what her doctor had her gargle with at it worked for her and has worked for me.

I should be taking the wig off at school something this month. I'm waiting on Student Council to set it up.. My grand-babies react to me better with it off. When I have it on it takes them a few minutes to realize it is grandma.

 Have a great weekend as I will be sleeping most of it.

hunkydory

What a lazy sap I have been these last few days.  This treatment got me down a bit more I think but so far nothing serious has popped up. 

CL:  Sounds like you got some quality shopping in.  I haven't wanted to buy anything.  I have gained 5 pounds already with this chemo and hope that it stops with the last treatment. I just don't feel like I want to adorn myself with much more than tee shirts and levis.  I am looking forward to some cooler weather however. 

liz19:  Welcome back!  Congrats on your up and coming last trt and also your birthday.  Celebrate. 

Nancy:  Hope you get to try out your new wig soon.  Always fun to do something different.  I too have no taste at this point.  I really must be packing it in (food) however the last feel good week to account for this weight I am putting on. 

Wyoming:  rest up this weekend.  One more TAC for each of us.  That's weird how your port flipped.  Sounds like a lot of us will be going for rads this fall.  Chocolate Lover says radiation is a cake walk compared to chemo, so hopefully we will get through it with out too much discomfort.

Hope all of you have an excellent weekend.  Thanks for being here!  HunkyD

Gina_M

I too have gained a good 5-6 pounds over the 4 treatments.  I think it is from eating so many things TRYING to find something that tastes good (especially comfrot food), and also from drinking juices, etc, which I never used to.  They have more calories, but water isn't tasting good, most of the alternatives also don't taste good to me and hydration is critical.  Once I start feeling better, I will make an attempt to lose the extra.

Gina

Vinogal

Hey Junies.........Well.......made it home with all the shopping........had to buy an extra suitcase even though I packed 2 extra.......oops............got some great stuff for the kids and some great stuff for myself........hockey tryouts are over........my son made the Rep team..........so that means hockey.......hockey........hockey..........he is so excited though........and I am very proud of how hard he worked........

HunkyD......we have the same final treatment day...yay for us...........can't believe it is coming up so fast.......I'm not moving on to rads though......because have to have the mastectomy when I'm finished the chemo......most likely Bilat........have appointments with the BS and PS over the next couple of weeks.....to go over the options again.

CL.....congrats on all the shopping.......doesn't it feel good!

Liz19.....Happy B-day.......I'll say it now because.......well chemobrain of course.

Westie........have you picked your outfit for Wednesday yet?........really would like to say hi!

Everyone else.........congrats on being where you are on your journey........we've already made it through so much!........

Cheers

Jax

KKing

It is nice many of us are coming to the end of this treatment.  SuePeet, you are Monday and I go Wednesday.  Yeah    

Happy Birthday to you Liz and good luck with your last treatment.

Nancy... That sounds like quite the combo... funny, right after chemo the only thing for me is some spaghetti sauce and bread... it seems to be the only thing that has any flavour. 

CL.. it is good therapy to buy yourself some new things...I may venture out tomorrow and spend a few bucks.

Good luck to everyone, may your s/e be few

GramE

HI Everyone:

My son took me to lunch today and I could actually taste - scallops with leeks and ginger sauce, crab rangoon and rice.   Woo hoo - I had expected cardboard or sawdust.   Of course, having the company is even better.   HIs bride - they were married 5/24 - is off visiting her sister in Germany before she starts her new job.  

Man oh man is it hot here -- midnite and down to 84 degrees --- I will not complain too loud, because I hate snow and cold...    

May you have a great day tomorrow, HUGS and BLESSINGS,  Nancy 

hunkydory

I woke up with something yesterday I have totally avoided so far.  Mouth sores. Going to have to have DH pick something up at the pharmacy.  We don't even have any hydrogen peroxide in the house.  I have been using the biotene religiously but I guess that isn't cutting it this time.  I really think I overdid it this weekend.  We had company for a couple days. Good food I couldn't taste, drinks I pretended I could, and lots of activity.   House needs a good sweeping and vacuuming and some laundry to do.  Thank god I don't have to go scrub the laundry on a rock or something.  I will be able to push the buttons and load the soap.  Needless to say I just got up and showered and it is almost 2:00 and I am still procrastinating.  Hubby cleaned the main bathroom without even being asked.  God, I thought I was going to have to take him in for some kind of mental evaluation. They can be surprising sometimes. 

Nancy, glad you are getting your taste back.  Mine is still out to lunch somewhere. 

Hope you other gals getting treatments this week do well.  HunkyD

KKing

HunkyD

Have you tried just rinsing with baking soda and water, that use to help me.   Hope it clears up quickly for you.

K 

Wyoming

HunkyD good luck with mouth sores.

I agree with you about Hubbies, just when you want to strangle their necks they do something unexpected and you go AHHHH.

I crave Chinese egg rolls even when my taste buds are in the toilet. Nothing tastes good but it doesn't stop me from eating. Good thing I'm working so I can't snack all day. I can't buy Halloween candy or I will eat it and I LOVE CANDY!!!!!

Good luck to everyone this week.

GramE

For those with mouth sores - be sure to change your toothbrush often.   And use a soft one - I got a child's size.  You can also rinse your toothbrush in hydrogen peroxide to clean it.   I had one round of mouth sores, got the Magic Mouthwash prescription and then got a rash from that...   Be careful with hydrogen peroxide as one possible side effect is black hairy tongue -- IF you use it too often.   Try rinsing with plain water after eating or drinking ANYTHING.   

Good luck and may this be a week free of bad side effects.   HUGS,  Nancy 

Vinogal

Second to last treatment tomorrow..........hoping to meet Westie there as I know it's her LAST treatment........yay!........good luck with the mouth sores HunkyD.......I don't have any tips for ya......sorry........sadly.......I continue to eat.......more than ever........started to put the pounds on......but have managed to take the few back off......very hard.........be glad when this is done.......2 more weeks for me..........good luck to all this week.

 Westie........oh Westie.......where are you?......I will tell you that I will be wearing a blonde.....short bob wig........and my husband......who likes to think he's handsome.......wil be with me.......let me know how to recognize you.....so I can say congrats on getting through!

Cheers

Jax

Westie

Hey Jax,  I'll be at the Centre from 8:30 til about 2:00 tomorrow.  Chemo at 10:15 (I think).  I'm tall and I'll be wearing a pink baseball cap.  I'll be driving myself there and back for the first time tomorrow.  (Not the last though, I have 30 rads to do in October.)

Hope everyone is feeling good/better!

Vinogal

See you in the morning........I'm there the same time........wish it was my last one too.......

Cheers

Jax

SuePeet

Hey everyone - Had my last treatment Monday - only one week of nausea left to go!  Yeah food tastes like crap - I can't eat dairy of sugar as my mouth slimes up so I actually loose a good 12 pounds during the first week and a half then gain most of it back when I can eat normal again because there are too many food commercials - so I make a list - Still have my frozen McCains cake!

Gina - have you tried Crystal lite lemon lime - I just put a bit of powder in my water and I can then drink it - I can also drink some powerades to get the electolytes in.

I will certainly try the peroxide and water - I normally start getting the mouth sores near end of second week and they stay to the end of the third and are gone the day before my next treatment which is probably why I am still down a few pounds!

It's funny what works after one treatment doesn't work after another - I used to eat salad but now lettuce tastes like dirt until near the end of the second week!

Going to try chili tonite! 

Got my shcedule for radiation they have me booked in for 8:00 in the morning - since we have to get there from out of town that means that we have to get up a 5:00 am - am trying to get them switched!

Whats with all the shopping!  I went out last week and charged up my credit card!  98% of what I bought was blue!  Oh well is my favorite color!

Chees all!

Gina_M

Hey Sue - How long was if from your radiation simulation appointment till you got your radiation schedule?  I went in on Friday, Sept. 12 for the simulation and hoped I would get my schedule then, but they told me they will get back to me in 2 weeks.  So again I have to put all my planning on hold!

The info they gave me said radiation "orientation" would be scheduled within the first 1-2 weeks of treatments.  Seems a little late to me - didn't you already have yours?  Aren't we going to the same place?

Gina

Westie

Done and done--AC and Taxol---4 of each DD.  Last time for side effects.  Yaaay!!!

It CAN be done.  Hang in there!