Every Side Effect....

Jewls2u

Hi I am new to these boards. I found you looking up side effects...I have blurred vision, and necropathy, bone pain, no taste buds, upset tummy, the trots or constipation depending on the day, baldness, nose bleeds, bruising, tired, cranky and just plain meh. 

I am currently coming up on #6 of a 12 course round combined with a daily dose of a research medication called Sutent. Then I get a little break, on to 15 courses in round 2 of A/C and then mastectomy and radiation. I looked ahead today at where I am right now, how I feel and how far I have to go and just began to cry. I am really a one day at a time person...keep you're head down and just keep moving but today I looked up and got so overwhelmed. I don't know how I am going to get through this. 

How do you get through this and function? I hear about how zen you are supposed to be to help heal from cancer and I don't feel at all zen....more like a deer in the headlights. 

Sorry to whine...no one gets what this is like and I just needed a place to cry for a minute...

dblh1227

Welcome Jewls2u............whine, cry, stomp your feet all you want.  We have all been there, done that......its your turn now!  I can't be of any help with the chemo stuff as I am only doing rads (although rads is kicking my butt right now!!).  As everything gets moving the time will start to go by quicker.................

Just wanted to welcome you and there are many, many smart patients and survivors here.  I am sure you will find the help and/or answers you need!

Hugs,

Heidi

Elizabeth1889

Jewls2nu:  I am sorry for all you are going through and for the miserable side effects.  We all have our most definitely non-Zen, why me, kicking and screaming days and that is all right.  Please do not feel bad about whining.  This is the place where everyone understands.  Sending hugs to you.

lovetosail

Hang in there Jewls2nu - you'll make it.  For me, exercise really helped with the stress and with my energy level - I'm talking just nice brisk walks around the neighborhood.  Drink lots of water and try L-glutamine and vitamin B9 for neuropathy.  good luck!

pumela115

Hi Jewls,   I can sooo relate. I almost quit chemo twice. I came to these boards so many times and all the wonderful ladies helped me so much. It is so hard to go through, but i kept thinking if i quit and it came back i would be so mad at myself. Try to keep in mind it is temporary and before you know it you will be done. If you can make yourself take little walks it really does help. I know you don't have the energy but just try to go a short distance. The fresh air will make you feel better. I'm also from Seattle and finaly we have some sun, try to enjoy it even if only for 5 or 10 mins. Where are you going for treatment? I also told my onc and his nurse's i wanted to quit and they helped me through it. My onc also let me skip one week because i was so tired, of course he made me make it up at the end, but it still helped when i felt i couldn't do anymore. What part of town are you from? If there is anything i can do to help you through it, let me know. We are all here to help you with whatever you need. Hang in there, it does get better.

Pam 

MrsMot

Jewls, you are not alone.  Remember that. I too am in the midst of chemo.  I just finished #3 and have 3 more.  I ended up in the ER last week with a nasty allergic reaction to the taxotere chemo I take.  I woke up with hands double in size and hives all over.  I was in pain and itched.  Well, the dr has me on a steroid that is really helping.  I feel good for the first time.  I have already had all the surgeries (two lumpectomys and one bilateral mastectomy) and now I have brand new martian boobs (I had DIEP surgery...no implants).  I have all the same side effects you described...except the blurred vision.  I might be on a different chemo then you too.  I am on taxotere/cytoxin.  Taxotere is rough.  

You hang in there and take one day at a time.  It will get better.  Sending you big hugs!  YOU WILL get through this and survive!!!  

Lena

This just sucks so bad, Jewis2u. Looks like you're going to be able to share my title as the Queen of Side Effects! ::::places crown on Jewis2u's head::::: I didn't have your specific chemo regimen, but during my 6 rounds of TAC (taxotere, adriamycin and cytoxan), short of the blurred vision, I had everything you have, plus chemo brain and depression (which I never COMPLETELY recovered from: I'm still barely holding what's left of my brain together with Wellbutrin and Ritalin). The AIs I ended up going on a few months later -- because I got a blood clot from Tamoxifen! -- were "better" ONLY in the sense that they didn't wreck my GI tract or make me bald! Oh yeah, and then I ended up with blistering second degree burns on my chest from the radiation treatments too (on top of the fatigue and coughing, naturally). So I know how horrible it is to have every stinking side effect the damn books can throw at you! 

I'm not zen at all, though, and I don't care -- I am what I am, and I'm not what I'm not. I'm not brave or positive or anything else except just plain old pissed off and depressed because I feel like I lost my life even though I'm not actually dead yet. Don't worry about "whining" -- this is the place to do it, since we all know it's necessary to vent. "Normal" people just don't get it. I hope they never do, if you know what I mean, but people who belong to such forums as BCO do get it.

I hope you somehow manage to be able to take off your Queen of Side Effects crown. 

Ceeztheday

Jewls- You are not alone. Hugzzzzzzzzz.

Forever_mummy

Is there a contest?

I'm in!

Waiting for mri, because they expect neulasta may kill me. Well, just the pain... The knowledge that someone is suffering is not really helping. Hope, they, the doctors, can help for side effects. I hate pain more than anything!

But it has to be worse before it gets better.

Moderators

Hi ladies,

Popping in here to provide some good info from the main Breastcancer.org site on Treatment Side Effects, including causes, and tips to manage them. Hope this helps!

--The Mods

Forever_mummy

After second chemo I feel that more damage is from neulasta than the treatment? But I can't find any details about neulasta on the site...

Lowrider54

4ever mummy - it is on here some place...Moderators?  I don't get it so I am no help, sorry.  You can ask the moderators to help  you too - they really are great - if they don't have something up that we need, they will find it and put it up! 

Wishing you the best!

LowRider

Forever_mummy

Thanks!

And what are you up to? ;-)

I'm trying the search, but that's too much and only mentioned, and I'd like to know everything!  I can't search only in topic title... and by keywords... I'll never be able to go through this!  http://community.breastcancer.org/posts/search?search_builder%5Bkeyword%5D=neulasta&search_builder%5Bauthor%5D=&search_builder%5Bsource%5D=category_3&search_builder%5Bdate_range%5D=&commit=Search

My friend (small office, we have chemo the same days! Same cycle!) can do without this. I feel like testing rabbit with that neulasta. Despite the hair loss! Ha!Ha!