Starting Chemo October 2009

micheleboots

enjoyful  I have a PICC line and think it is the cats meow...They can do these if you are not having to many treatments...I am only gettnig a total of six.  It is a 45 minute procedure and most of that is prep time...I have had no problems, so far.  You  could check this out as another option.

I had a pretty good weekend after my Friday chemo.  Other than some good old heartburn from drinking so much water...Must remember to take it easy on the water.

I am starting to have mange head.  My family thought it would be fun to take packing tape to the head...Note to self...find a better kinder family to adopt me...LOL.  Thank god I love them..

Still havn't had my H1N1 shot yet...any thoughts on that one...I think I want it, but I am chicken to stand in line for 5-6 hours to get it....Did anyone else get it? 

I hope everyone has a SE free cycle...

later ladies

Michele

RaiderDee

Mary,

I have tx #2 on Thursday the 12th.  You haven't heard from me cause it hasn't happened yet.  My AC is every 3 weeks and then my Taxetere will be every 3 weeks as well.  It wouldn't be as much fun if it didn't get dragged out to 6 months worth of treatments.lol  Hope everyone is doing ok.  My life is pleasantly boring, just the way I like it so not too much to report to the group.  Good luck to everyone getting treatments this week.  Hang tough ladies.

Dee

txstardust

I'm on the fence on the H1N1 issue.  My doc isn't pressing me to get it, he was more concerned that I get the regular flu shot (which I have).  The thought of sitting around in a crowd of people waiting to get that shot isn't terribly attractive to me, either.  Hopefully my decision doesn't bite me in the butt!

Michele, the mental picture of packing tape to the head is so funny - yes, our families are SO lucky that we love them so much!  A little comic relief is ok, as long as it isn't too painful, eh?

Dee, boring is definitely a good thing sometimes, I'll agree with you on that!  Pleasantly boring, as it were.  Glad things are going well on your end.

I'm having some trouble sleeping, especially after my Eagles lost to the Cowboys .  Even though I live in TX and everyone around me is a Cowboys fan, I'm a native of Philadelphia and it was so painful to lose tonight.  I guess it had to happen!  Anyone else out there like to watch football?

Peace to all... 

nancy724

Hi Mary,

I had my last AC treatment (Tx #4 ) on friday and so far SE's  are minimal.  I always expect the very worst. 

Also, any ladies have info on Taxol/Herceptin as I start my weekly Tx's on the 20th? My oncologist said it would be easier in terms of SE's but warned of protectin my nails with dark nail polish as they can lift, discolor or fall off.  Lovely isn't it?! Also was reading that this is when eyelashes finally fall off - anyone know anything about this?

good luck to everyone doing treatments this week.  Hang in there

joanneasiata

HI MARY

Yep you've go it right, I'm doing my #2 TX this Friday so from now  till then, ill be cruising on down having a really great week till i get kicked in the butt again ,then ill be out on my back once again for another week ,good oh !!!!!!

Joanne

feistybluegecko

Hi mary

I am sorry i am a bit late to join the party, but i am just getting onboard with the site, and realise that I am an October girl. I am being treated in bangkok so it is lovely to have friends through this.

The details - first chemo - 23 october (done - phew, was sooooo scared) and next one due november 15th.  Meds are Cyclyophosphamide (Endoxan) and Pharmorubicin (Epirubicin). I am not sure of the abbreviations.  

Hair seems to be going now - and my scalp is terribly tender.  I tried to get a hair cut today to make it a lot shorter and deal with the hair loss in stages, but it seems impossible in thailand - perhaps inauspicious on mondays??

warm wishes to you all

philippa

lainieo

Hello to all and low se's to all getting treatment this week.

I had a great visit with my daughter. She made me feel so much better!

Well had the head buzzed and got a beautiful wig.  Saturday morning my husband, daughter  and I went to the wig shop. We actually laughed a lot at the wig shop. The people there were amazing and made the experience ok. There were other woman there as well, either getting a wig, or getting buzzed. It was like a mini- support group. It will take some time to get used to the bald look.  Our family does have a weird senes of  humor,  and we laughed a lot, which helps with all of this in the long run. A friend of ours stopped by the house later in the day and didn't even realize I had a wig on. The head piece with my hair and the band will be finished in 2 weeks. What I thought was going to be awful, wasn't that bad after all. If Ican figure out how to upload a picture to here I will.

Hopefully this will be a good week. I have good all weekend and today is the first day I am going to work that I feel ok. .

A good day to all.

 

Scoobydoo

Mary - My first T tx is on Thursday.

txstardust - I am a football fan and am a redskins fan, which are playing so horribly this year (as I am sure you are aware since we got killed by the Eagles).  I hate dallas!!!!  They are our big rival here in the DC area.

Getting mentally ready to start taxatore tx on Thurs.  I am nervous. 

Anita

unklezwifeonty

Phillippa,

Welcome to the October thread. I think you are getting what is called EC. Good luck with the chemo. If you have any questions, ask away here and you will find many caring and supportive women with experiences and tidbits to offer.

MaryNY

Welcome Philippa! I read in your first post that you are expecting a total of eight treatments. Is that correct? I thought EC was usually given in 4-6 cycles. Will you stay in Bangkok for the course of treatment or return to Myanmar and make the journey each time? It can't be easy for you either way.

Nancy, congrats on finishing your AC cycle. It's encouraging to hear the SEs of the last one were minimal. Hoping for the same for those of us who still have AC treatments to go.

Onty, good luck today with the last AC. Are you going to celebrate this evening?

It's a beautiful day here in the northeast, the high is supposed to be 63F. Going to get out for a walk to build up some good energy for Tx #2 tomorrow. 

MarieK

Hi All!

Windy and rainy here on the Northwest!  I haven't posted much becuase everything seems to be going well and good.  I'm glad to read that everyone is getting through their treatments with lots of support and little SE's.

Enjoyful I have a PICC line too and although it is a bit getting used to it is easy to access and will be easy to remove right after my last treatment.  It was put in by the IV nurse and like Michelle said took 45 minutes - mostly set up and xray for positioning.

I was having "issues" showering with it but have since found this handy dandy little cover for it and now I can sit in the bath, shower or swim with it.  http://www.drycorp.com/content/picc-line-protector-information/index.html

It has certainly made my life easier!

unklezwifeonty

Mary,

I wasnt planning a celebration but it sounds like a good idea. Maybe i shall do so after the SE's have subsided. Typing from my blackberry while i wait for the nurse to call me for vitals. Will set up hubby's laptop once we are in chemo area.

MaryNY

Onty, I found that I had a good period just after my first treatment. Enough that I was able to gobble down a nice lunch and evening meal then things went to hell in a handbasket. But I suppose it would be better to wait until the SEs have subsided to celebrate, at least anything that involved food or drink. Nice to have internet access in the chemo area. I'd bring my laptop tomorrow but the battery has died and I can't afford a new one.

DebbiD

Finished my 2nd tx of Taxotere/Avastin last Tuesday.  Anita, I see you're starting Taxotere on Thursday and are triple neg like me.  For me, the first two days after chemo were pretty good with side effects kicking in the third day and hanging around for the next week or so.  Lots of side effects, but all of them very manageable. I tire easily but have been able to do my 3 mile walk every day.  Try to do any necessary errands and chores before Thursday and eat well before then, you may not feel like eating much during the CSI days (Chemo SIde effect days ) 

Anita, you'll do great - wondering and waiting for the side effects can be nerve wracking, but once they're here, you'll figure out just how to manage them.

I lost my hair 2 weeks after the first treatment - my grandchildren think I look like a "good pirate" with my scarves and hoop earrings.

txstardust

Debbi, I've got to get me some of those hoop earrings!  I'm preferring wearing the scarves, so that might look pretty.  Thanks for the idea! I'm proud of you for continuing the exercise,I'm lucky if I make it for a 30 minute walk a few times a week.  And glad the side effects are manageable for you.  

Onty I imagine you're finished treatment by now, hope everything went well!  And good luck to you Mary, tomorrow, for your treatment.  Lovely weather up there in NY - my brother lives in the Syracuse area, I think it's supposed to get a little cooler there later this week.  It's still nice and temperate here in TX.

Marie, glad to hear you are doing well!   Hope things continue for you in that vein. (PICC joke...bad, I know!)

I'm debating whether to call the onc - I have a VERY low-grade fever (99.5) and a little drainage in the back of my throat making my voice a little raspy.  After my terrible time a week after treatment last time around, I don't want to take any chances on another hospital stay!  I don't want to seem like I'm overreacting either.  I've never been so finely tuned to the little idiosyncracies of my health before!  I guess that's something.

Peace to all!

~Shelby 

micheleboots

Well I managed to have  a 11/2 hour nap....but didn't manage to get a walk in...oh well one out of two isn't to bad..I did manage to wash my discusting floor..I guess that counts as exercise, right. 

Michele

MarieK

Michelle - Yes washing the floor is good exercise - great for your arms, abs and breathing!  If you need extra exercise you can come by and do my floors but not vacuum (PICC line humour).

Shelby - I hear you on the "fine tuning".  You've probably just picked up a bug - so many going around.  Call you GP and see if you can get something before it gets out of hand.  For the throat thing - keep rinsing and spitting!  You want that stuff out of your body!

Anyone get their H1N1 shot?  I got my H1N1 last week - Wed - and my arm is still sore.  The dr did not use my SNB arm but instead injected into my PICC arm.  My poor right arm - still suffering from the forearm vein flare from the allergic reaction to the Epirubicin from TX #1.  It feels like that vein has cement in it now and I cannot straighten it out, then a little higher on the bicep is the PICC line and then at the shoulder the H1N1 injection site swelling.

And yet I still have to say that I am feeling good - no SEs - just a sore arm!  I can handle that!

unklezwifeonty

AC #4 DONE!!! Uneventful except some port issues. The darn thing won't return blood unless I stood up and breathed deeply :-) But the chemo nurse had seen this before and was not unduly concerned.

micheleboots

Got a new BlackBerry so I am trying it out. It will take me all night to type a post. But I am having fun playin.

Enjoyful

Thanks, Marie and Michele for recommending a PICC line.  Is there maintenance involved?  I read somewhere that you have to flush it with heparin every 12 hours or something like that. 

azdiva

Hi Everyone!

Back from Mexico.  Had a good time.  I decided one weekend of debauchery probably wasn't going to do too much harm . . . So I drank too much and definitely ate too much.  I am not stepping on a scale for at least a week.  

I cannot figure out how to put up the pics!  I clicked on the image thing, and dragged the picture from iPhoto, but it won't go on.  Any ideas?

Laura 

unklezwifeonty

Dear Laura,

Hope you had fun. That is the most important part on vacation. Now that you are back home, watch your diet and drinking to get balanced nutrition and no excess drinking.

MaryNY

Onty: Congratulations on finishing the first phase of your treatment. Hope you have minimal SEs with this one.

Laura: Welcome back! I'm sure the debauchery was good for your spirits even if not for the scales.

Michele: I had a walk today but didn't wash my disgusting floors. Not sure I'll want to do them over the next few days. Before I started treatment I was reading about people bleaching their shower curtains and all kinds of stuff to ensure that their household was germ free. But at this stage I just don't care. I'm jealous of your BlackBerry.

Marie: I still admire your wig every time I see it. It looks so nice and shiny. I'm going to pick up my wig on Wednesday. I picked out a style I liked and they ordered it in a color closer to my own haircolor. I hope I still like.

Shelby: I know just what you mean about being finely tuned to your health. I noticing every little thing that previously I would have dismissed. I was told to call the onc if my temp was 100.5F or greater. Is there a nurse on call that you could talk to?

RaiderDee

Hi Chemo Sisters!

Uncle- congrats on the last AC treatment!  Hopefully the weekly Taxol will be easier on the SE side.

Laura- welcome back!  I was worried that the Federalies had you locked up in a Mexican jail and we were gonna have to bust you out A-Team style.  Now you're back to reality for a little while so ease off on the boozin.

Shelby- watch that fever closely, we don't need you ending up in the hospital.  Take good care of yourself or better yet, have someone else take good care of you.  Feel better soon. 

Michelle- I would be envious about your Blackberry but I'm so bad with tech gadgets that the only blackberry I want had better be in a pie.

Mary- good luck with your treatment tomorrow.  As always, hoping for little to no SEs for ya.

Any one I left out, have a great week and let us know how you're doing.  I will be checking back in towards the end of the week after treatment #2.  Hang tough and be well.

Dee

one-L

Michele, my Onco said she would  give me the H1N1 shot when I do chemo on Thursday.  She said I definitely needed to get it.  I need to do something to my stubble, but am not ready to turn my family onto it.  They would probably have too good  a time.

Onty, I hope you don't have  heavy duty ses.  May they all be gentle.

Mary, I don't know about your clinic, but I can get a hold of someone at my clinic 24/7.  So far I have not had to give them a call.  It would probably be an answering service, but at least  they would call me back.  I can also call my surgeon, he will  always call me back, because I have called him after hours.

I picked up my wig on Friday and it is natural  hair.  I really like it, but I need to get a curling iron to curl it.  I also need to get another stand, the one I have is not sturdy and I can't work on the wig on the stand at this time.  It is  such an ordeal, know  what I mean.?

I am wearing lots of scarves also.  I really like the scarves.  I have some that are already tied and some that I have to tie.  I think I will start a new trend at work, it certainly beats  getting up and dealing with hair at 4:30 in the morning.

Have a great week for all  of you that are between treatments and for the ones getting treatment, hope it all l goes  well and we all have an easy time with the side effects.

Juannelle

unklezwifeonty

1L, Dee, Mary, Others,

Thanks for your wishes.

valeriekd

Wow what an international crowd we have! Everybody sounds pretty good - r we getting used to this a little bit? Seems like there is less fear. Still wondering about Jean tho. Please mention if u see her on other threads - Thanks- Be well - Valerie

Sido

Valerie,  I thought I might be getting used to it but today I got hit a little hard (and oxymoron?...) by fatigue.  I feel such a profound drop in energy when I need to eat something and some tummy issues that green grapes have helped but are still there.  Going upstairs requires a good sit for a few minutes afterward and I'm having a lot of joint pain.  I'll take a half a percoset and sleep through it and hopefully feel better tomorrow.  My orthopedist also thinks that I need an MRI on my knee, which is killing my walking program.  Ugh.

I wish I was walking on a beach in Australia!

Be well all, Sido

joanneasiata

SIDO

Your

WELCOM to come here we live right on the beach its not  busy through the week its a great place to go to when your having a sad day and sit with your toes in the sand and cry cry cry its just great and then have a little swim and go home feeling so refreshed , and were also got the bush behind us and there is a lot of tracks to walk on when you have lots of energy and i never do these days 

WELL I DONE IT i shaved my head and you know  what, I'm looking really sexy I'm so hot now, i want show you any pics yet cause you'll all be very jelouse , so maybe  later OK ,No ,I'm really looking like a man now ,i didn't know that my head was this small bugger its makes my body look even bigger oh no, oh well SO  WHAT thats what i say.

Laura is it good to be home ? its good to have you back here with us  hope you had a ball .

Sounds like everyone has settled into their new little rutines  LOVE to you all 

JOANNE

Piffken

Hello Ladies,

Sorry I haven't sent any updates lately. Yes, MaryNY you are correct. I just completed A/C #2, which is the reason I haven't been posting much. #1 went almost too well, so I had high expectations for #2 as well and it really got to me. I'm hoping that the upcoming treatments and side effects won't be more intense with each one.

I just tell myself I am half way through with this part of the chemo, starting to worry a little bit about the Taxotere part and what I might be in for. Just starting to lose my hair and will shave it all off tonight, it is coming out in patches. Time tolet go for now but at least the weather is getting a little cooler here in FL, so it should make it more comfortable to wear my wig and hats (found a cute wig that I'm actually looking forward to wearing - for a little bit at least.)