Starting Chemo October 2009

joanneasiata

A BIG GOOD LUCK  to everyone doing their TXs hope with  minimal SEs and HAPPY THANKS GIVING to you all. We don't do thanks giving here  just Christmas ,but I'm thankful for a lot of things and haven't realized until cancer got me , my husband firstly ,and this has been mentioned but, I'm thankful that I'm the one who got this cancer  and not one of my children, my friends , parents , and life itself.AND all of you ladies here with your support and friendship ,and i wont forget GOD , who i know  carries me through this whole thing even when i feel so alone.

JO JO

jeanl151

Hi girls,

  I have a dental question for everyone. Are your teeth out of control?  Mine sure are.   After treatment #1 I got a major infection in two tooth, ended up in the hospital on antibiotics and had to have them removed.  Since #2 last week I have had 3 teeth chip.  Luckily they all have been in the back so I don't look like a complete freak!!   Now I worry they will get infected.  It's not like I am chopping on hard candy.....shall I move on to oatmeal for 3 more months!!!

    Jean

joanneasiata

HI JEAN

You poor thing ,after my sec TX  my back tooth broke in half, i went straight to my dentist and he put in a temporary filling  in hopefully that will stay in ,i don't eat any thing that it hard, the chemo does weaken your teeth and i find that my gums and the roof of my mouth is very tender so the soft stuff is good, any way good luck with your teeth  hope you don't get any more problems also rinsing your mouth out say with biotain or something just as mild will help keep the infections away .

JO JO

txstardust

I've gotten an abcess in a tooth that had a prior root canal.  I'm on antibiotics right now, and it seems to be getting better.  I know that we have to be really good about taking care of our teeth during chemo.

Today's treatment #3 is FINALLY over.  What a long day it was!  Got there at 11:00 and didn't get home until 4:00.  I'm feeling fine for now - hopefully, it will last!  The only thing that showed up on my labs was elevated liver enzymes.  I asked the nurse about it, and she said it could just be from the chemo, and not necessarily indicating a liver problem.  Of course, now I'm obsessing about it, and worried about a possible spread of the cancer.  I know it's unlikely, but I'm sure you all understand the fear.  

JustmeAlicia

TXstardust ~ I hope you are home resting and feeling as well as can be expected.

MaryNY

Shelby: Sorry you had such a long day but I'm sure you must be pleased to now be half way through your treatments.

valeriekd

Hi Txsardust My prayers are with you that night was great but I must confess today was awful until the evening(right now in fact). Fell behind on decadron and felt nauseous and slept all day except to feel sorry for myself! I am however feeling a whole lot better now! Good luck my dear!

My nose has been running for a week and think that happens as the little hairs go?

Onty  Punch the bag - I'll do one for you, too. Maybe punch the turkey just once?

Here's to the best day we can have and if all else fails there is take out Chinese food!

Love to you all-Valerie 

micheleboots

TX,  You go girl....another one down.  I hope you are able to enjoy some yummy turkey and all the extras...Since we live in the states for a few years the kids think we should celebrate as well.  I am not sure If I have the energy to do much this year.  Perhaps I will roast a chicken and mash some totoes..just to mark the day...

Saw my onc today.  All is well and on schedule.  I hate when the phone rings on my blood day and the day after.  I am always scared it is the center telling me my blood is not good for chemo...so far so good.  Treatment on Friday...will be at the half way point..It just occurred to me, that in a few months most of us will all be done...then what?  Will we change the name of our thread?  We could be the We are done chemo gals"  It is kind of sad in a sick way...

Ihope most of you will be passing on the germ infested Black Friday shopping sprees...I hear you can get the same deals on line...should check that out.  It sounds safer.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends

Michele

unklezwifeonty

Thanks Val. I'm grateful for all you gals......

micheleboots

Having fun with wigs.

unklezwifeonty

Buy it. Looks good on you ...

txstardust

Michele, I LOVE that wig!  I have been thinking that for my reception, I want to wear a hot pink wig just like that, but I don't know where to get one.  

Val, I'm glad that you're doing better.  That nausea is just awful, takes a lot out of you.  I'm still feeling good, taking the Emend and Zofran, and it's keeping things under control.  I'm just fatigued, but that's nothing unexpected.

Thanks for the good thoughts, ladies!  I am glad to be halfway through, for sure, Mary!  Right now, I'm sitting by a nice fire in the fireplace, watching WE TV (my guilty pleasure).  

Have a great night, everyone! 

MarieK

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends! I hope you have a lovely day!

Michele - the wig looks great.  It's nice to have something for special occasions isn't it?

Today I bought some big hoop earrings to wear with my wigs.  The funny thing is when I took my wig off I looked just like Mr Clean!  Note to self - take earrings off before wig!

 I had a bit of weepy day yesterday - must have been coming off the steroids, last day of Neupogen or maybe even hormones....

It started off with my PICC line dressing appt.  Everything looks great and is healing nicely.  BUT I have to have this dressing changed 3 times a week!  Not what I was expecting.  I started to cry - do you know how hard it is to book 3 times weekly appts into an already busy schedule?  I'm sure you can guess.  Seriously once a week was bad enough but I all of a sudden I felt like a "sick" person with this constant reminder of nursing care.

But that's not all the crying I did that day.  I was out in the backyard when FedEx tried to deliver something to our house and so I didn't hear the doorbell and they left a doorknob label but no package.  I called my husband crying because I had missed his wine delivery.  He said no problem just sign the thing and leave it out for the next day.  He told me it was nothing to cry about and that made me cry more!

Well a few minutes later DHL (another courier co) delivered the wine we were expecting.  So I called FedEx and it turns out the delivery was not for us but for our neighbours.  I started to cry because I had already signed the doorknob label!

 I know it makes no sense but I was crying at the drop of a hat.  I'm not usually so emotional or teary but Tuesday was my day to make up for it.

Today I did not cry at all.  Got my carpets cleaned, walked the dogs, did the kid taxi thing and had a great dinner!  It was a good day!

I hope you all had good days too and if not today maybe tomorrow!

Good night,

Marie

RaiderDee

Happy Thanksgiving to all my chemo sisters!  I just want you all to know how very thankful I am to have all of you to talk to and to laugh and cry with.  You're a great group of ladies and for all of you I AM THANKFUL!  Have a great day and be well.

Dee

lainieo

happy Thanksgiving. Can't sleep.

Michele love the wig. 

Marie hang in there. I had my melt down day on Tues. It is crazy, but passes and then you feel just fine. Yet another thing we do not have control over. Maybe those melt downs helps us in the long run to relieve some of the stress we are under. We are all trying to keep it so together, so once in a while it is ok to let it all out. 

TXstardust hope SE's are minimal.

Everyone enjoy the day, family or what ever makes you feel good!

micheleboots

Marie,  cry all you want...some days are like that.   Tears are good for the eyes.  Gotta clean those tear ducts every once in a while.  I use to have days like that before chemo...at least we have something other than hormones to blame our weepy days on.  I find I cry when people do nice things.  Like two days ago on the show, "The designer guys" ( Canadian decor show), the designer guys made over a Look Good Feel Better/ wig salon at The Princess Margret Health Center.  I cried...Don't know why. I also sometimes get weepy when my DH says something sweet, or I catch him looking at me.  I know he is feeling sorry for me or appreciates me.  That is one good thing to come of this crazy cancer thing.  My husband now appreciates me and in fact it has brought us closer together.  Ok now I feel weepy...must stop typing.

I wear large hoop earrings often as well, but I have had to remove them a few times when I realized I too look like Mr. Clean.  Marie you remind me of myself so often..

Now for the important question,  when can we come over to sample your wine?..I'll bring the cheese.

TX,  the wig is a cheap Halloween wig.  I have seen them on line as well..would be good for the honeymoon as well....just be sure to keep away from lit candles...poooof.

Michele

clariceak

MarieK  - I just noticed you were in Vancouver Bc, one of my favorite cities in the world.  Glad you're feeling better.  I've been weepy and sad which I attribute to steroids, but it's still not fun.

Is anyone else given the choice of Taxol once a week vs twice a week?  I've heard that once a week isn't as hard on your body, yet psychologically having a hard time thinking about sitting in that chair every week.

Jean:  sorry you're having dental issues. I didn't have time to have all my work done before chemo and my teeth start aching at day 5 or 6 during my cycle.  They decided to put me on antibiotics automatically on day 5 and that seems to be working.

I completed round 3 of AC.

unklezwifeonty

Dear Marie,

I hope you are feeling better today. I was feeling weepy and low for the last 3 weeks and my oncologist finally started me on celexa yesterday

valeriekd

Hey Onty I also take celexa -its been  very helpful -started it way before this stuff but its a good med.

Feel like p@@p again today - Family went off to t-giving w/ friends- wanted the to go and wanted them here but cloning is still too (un)ethcal an issue,

Have a good one ladies-Valerie 

MaryNY

Feeling your misery Valerie. I'm feeling like p@@p today too. I'm going for a walk, maybe that will help. Also feeling weepy like you Onty. The littlest thing sets me off. I know this will wash over and will probably feel OK in a few days but it's miserable right now.

joanneasiata

I'M with everyone one the flow of tears ,watching TV , nice things that  people do for me sets me off ,when my  16 yr old son told me i was beautiful , being in supermarkets and people are kind to you when they see you have cancer . and yeah the look in my husbands eyes when he is just looking at me , and now I'm crying !!!! 

Well ive got 7 sleeps to go ,your going to hear my screams as they are dragging me into the car to go to the cancer care center for No 3 TX  OF F@#*&^%$ FEC.

Sido

Happy Thanksgiving!  We just stayed home and watched movies because it was so bleak and cold outisde here in central Illinois.  Tomorrow morning is my 3rd (and penultimate) tx, which is fine since I never do the "black friday" thing anyway.  I'll pretty much stick to the internet for most of my shopping.

Time to pack my chemo bag for the morning.  I hope everone had a good holiday.

unklezwifeonty

Dear Jo, Mary, Sido, Val,

Good luck my babes.

valeriekd

Thanks Onty Good luck and love to you.

micheleboots

is doing #3 as well today...yahoo...half done chemo..

JustmeAlicia

Good luck girls with your treatment today, I hope all goes nice and smooth.

Thinking of u all ~

Alicia

Piffken

Hello Everyone,

Happy Thanksgiving, I hope all of you are feeling well enough to enjoy the day with friends and family. Mine was good, the only downside was the metallic taste in my mouth. It's sort of like it is during the cold when you can taste sweet and sour but not really the flavor. Spent all day cooking and preparing delicious foods and couldn't really enjoy them. On the upside though - at least I do not have any major problems with nausea and vomiting.

MaryNY - I completed treatment number #3, would you please update my smileys? I will go for round 4 of my AC treatment next Thursday and am really starting to get nervous about the Taxotere part of it which will start right before Christmas.

I feel like I know what to expect with each AC treatment now, so I feel safe getting them (crazy, I know) but every new step makes me really nervous. Anyones experience on Taxol/Taxotere vs. AC would be appreciated, just so I know what I'm in for. Hugs to all of you. Piffken 

txstardust

Piffken, from what I've read on the board, the Taxol/Taxotere is easier to handle than the AC, and some people even start growing their hair back during treatment.  Maybe that will be the case for you!

Onty, I'm glad that you got some help with the depression.  I also started back on my bipolar meds - I could feel that depression creeping back in, and that's a dangerous place to be.  

Michele and Sido (and anyone else I missed) - have an event-free treatment today!  Here's hoping for minimal s/e's.

I'm doing ok after my treatment on Wednesday.  We went to my fiance's parents house for my second Thanksgiving dinner.  I was able to eat some, even this absolutely delicious pumpkin cheesecake.  I was afraid I wouldn't be able to taste it since lately sweets are kinda bland, but it was soooo good!  Of course, I woke up at 1 a.m. with terrible nausea, but did not throw up, thanks goodness.  The meds took care of it.  So, today I'm going to take it easy.  I went to bed at 5 in the evening last night!  Didn't sleep straight through (woke up with the queasiness a couple times), but got lots of sleep, and I plan on more naps today!

Take care everyone!

~Shelby 

lainieo

Good luck to  all today!  Hope everyone feels ok and treatments go well.

Piffken

Hi txstardust,

Thanks for bringing up the depression - what did you do to manage it? I can feel myself falling into one from time to time - I hate that feeling. I can feel it coming on and can't do anything about it. I used to take Lexapro a few years ago but still had many of the same symptoms, so I didn't think it was too effective for me. Any tips, I really don't want to be in that place - especially right now when it's so important to keep up a positive attitude. Piffken