April/May 2012 Chemo hang out

Stacie

Took the day off that would have been chemo. Since I am now PFC and post nadir from last treatment I had my first spa day since before surgery. Mani/pedi/massage. Called my MO and get to schedule port removal...waiting on call from RO scheduler. It is a good day.

kjiberty

Stacie and NoFear: How exciting!  Congrats!  Hope you have minimal S/E's.  It's all uphill now!  

nofear2012

Thx everyone. I truly feel a relief that I didn't expect, like standing on top of a really difficult mountain that I climbed. I am waiting to manage thru se I just hope/pray they are not any worse than last time. So I am keeping keeping on. Good luck to everyone.

IndigoMont11

Good for you, Stacie! Sounds marvelous!



I have been thinking about getting a massage; haven't since my port was put in.

kjiberty

Indigo:  I had once yesterday--$25 at our local cancer center.  It was wonderful!  

LyndaMarie

Well, I should have just gone for the fluids yesterday. My heart raced all night and I am off to a doctor appt and likely IV fluids. Hoping the constant pulsating in my ears will subside.

I also have the weirdest gum thing going on. They are a strange color, a bit swollen and tender. My teeth hurt last night but not too bad today. Has anybody had that happen on AC? I have been flossing and brushing gently using biotene toothpaste and mouthwash. Started Salt/baking soda/water rinse last night in case it is a precursor to mouth sores.

One last question for all of you who have already survived AC and neulasta. My infusion was a week ago today and the neulasta shot six days ago. My back is quite achy today. Is that likely neulasta bone pain or would that have started sooner.

Stacie - so happy for you!! Glad you are done and enjoying PFC

nofear - congratulations on last infusion! Hope you have minimal SE's and smooth sailing!!!

Lynda

nofear2012

It was one week to the day the I felt the effects of the neulasta shot. The bone pain lasted about 24hrs & tylenol took away the pain.

LyndaMarie

nofear - Neulasta it likely is then. Thanks! I have taken tylenol and hope that takes care of my sore aching back!!

vjm

Congrats Stacie for moving forward and being PFC!!!! Little steps towards normalcy. Little by little my body is returning to me - may even have to buy a new razor soon!!!! Finding aloe gel and pomegranate juice a great tonic for healing digestive tract and restoring nutrients. Can't get enough mango!!! Enjoyed a holiday with my husband for a week in Penticton - got to get on the lake and paddle my kayak, go for a bald-headed swim, and see some great live music. Next week is Herceptin number 6, but I am having some cardiac symptoms we are keeping an eye on... so far all tests negative. Keeping the faith! Thanks for creating this site and enjoy this day. vjm xo

Marcia1111

LyndaMarie - My gums felt funny last week, but it's better now.  I use the Biotene several days a week, but haven't done the baking soda/salt rinse since the first infusion.  I hope yours goes away.

stacie - Congratulations!

vjm - Your trip sounds great!

Fierro6

LyndaMarie-I have had 3 of 4 dose dense a/c, and neulasta shots the day after.  My gums haven't been swollen, but I get rough spots on them and on the inside of my cheeks.  I now rinse with Biotene every morning and every night when I brush my teeth, and haven't had a single mouth sore.

As far as the Neulasta, I get it on day 2, and about day 6, the bone pain hits.  Mine is my lower (very low) back, hips and especially my shins.   I have been taking Claritin, but I don't think I'm one of those people that respond to it.  I have one and a half days of really bad pain, and then it goes away like it was never there.  I wind up taking a pain pill or two within that day and a half, and thanking my lucky stars that I have a sit-down  job.

radioactivegirl

Yeah for beign PFC!!!  And for main/pedi and massages!!  I cant wait until I can get those :-)  I also cant wait to plan a vacation.

Oh and Chapter - I made a list of the top 10 things I like aobut chemo hair loss.  I'm still putting the finishing touches on it, but it will be posted to my blog soon.  Here is a preview:

10. Showers go much quicker since there is no hair to wash/condition/dry.

9. Save the earth by not using a blowdryer.

8. Hair doesn't get caught in your necklace.

7. If you are cold, just put a hat or scarf on for instant warmth.

6. No hair to clean up on the bathroom floor or in the shower drain.

5. No hair in your face.

4. No hair in food.

3. End the curiosity of what your scalp looks like.

2. No hair "spiders" from the dryer - ladies know what I'm talking about, the clumps of hair that somehow find each other in the washer/dryer and look like spiders when they fall on the floor.

1. Save money on shampoo and other hair products.

I am still struggling with AC . . . but do find that the more water/powerade I drink the better it is.  I am also able to drink tea and apple juice, but nothing else sounds good to drink making it harder as I am getting sick of water! although adding a couple drops of lemon juice does help.  I also have a lot of heartburn so I am taking it easy on the acidic foods . . . I cant wait until I can eat spaghetti again.  But mac and cheese has been one of my staples . . . and I am also  on the "if it sounds good, eat it" diet . . . the only problem is that one day something sounds good, then it doesnt sound good the next day.  It drives my hubby crazy, but he is starting to get it.

Sorry if i am rambling, but I am on day 2 of my last ac and am still struggling with the ac hangover . . . not to mention I had a major breakdown in the BGC and I cried through the whole Adriamycin push.  But I am headed in the right direction now and I hope Taxotere is better.  My doc doesnt reccommend any supplements and has even said no vitamin c or vitamin e as they can reduce the effectiveness of the chemo . . . but I may do b6 and glutamine anyway.  So hard to know what to do. 

CSMommy

Stacie - congrats on the PFC! What an awesome feeling that must be.



Nofear - congrats to you as well! Hope the SE are kept to a minimum.



Radioactivegirl - love the list! My husband always calls the little hair spiders my "wookies". I had long hair, and I had a ton of those around the house. I brushed my wig out the other day and had some loose strands make their way into the bathroom sink & thought "Oh, yeah, I remember those days".



As for the Nuelesta shot, I'd get mine on day 2 and it would hit me on day 3. I was able to deal with it with Tylenol, but it just masked the pain a bit. Looking back, it really was kinda awful.



Today was my Taxol #3. Everything seemed to go well, although I got wicked loopy about halfway through the infusion, I'm sure it was the benadryl/Ativan combo. I told my husband I felt like I had just downed 10 shots of something. Came home and slept it off, and now I'm not feeling too bad. I had some concerns about my liver function, as last week my levels were a bit elevated. Today they were the exact same numbers, which is apparerntly a good thing, since they didn't go up at all. We'll just keep an eye on it. Of course my mind always steers towards the worst case scenario, but my MO talked me down.

bcbarbie10

Im starting Taxotere this tuesday. With AC, i always had constipation the first three days. Will this be an issue with Taxotere too?



Radioactive, i love the list, esp #8 😃

IndigoMont11

Hi all, I'm *still* trying to shake off the SEs from last week's tx. Barely got out of bed today. At least the body aches and stomach cramps are better this evening than for the last 3 days or so. Called MO and the nurse said 99.8 is not a fever (it's on the warm side for me) and basically to hang in there and keep drinking water. I am, but geez.

IndigoMont11

Bcbarbie, I had some constipation with A/C but so far, the opposite with taxotere. It wasn't horrible though; I mean, only a couple of times a day. Hoping it's over by now.

IndigoMont11

Radioactivegirl, thanks for sharing! I like also no windblown hair sticking to my lipgloss. :-)

dancetrancer

Uggh, Indigo - hope you feel better soon!

Hugs to anyone else who is suffering SE's this week - hoping it passes soon and time moves fast...we need a fast forward button for chemo!  

spicedlife

Amen to that Dance.........I am doing T/C and have only had C  I now take Miralax every night and the day chemo I do it morning and night.    It has worked like a charm

LyndaMarie

Went in for IV fluids. They also checked CBC and found that I am neutropenic [my new word of the day]. My WBC is 0.7 and my hemoglobin is 7.4. The bad news is I am essentially on quarantine as my counts are so low but in reality I am just too tired to care. I have to go in for blood transfusion tomorrow.

I took tylenol for the bone pain and it did help. Just took some more. Going to continue the biotene and hope for the best.

vjm - sounds like you are doing well and enjoying pfc! Good for you!!

CSMommy - I always felt completely high after they hung the benadryl. Many shots is right!!!

Indigo - Hope you are feeling better soon!!

Now for the exciting news of my evening. I just ate bug popcorn. My daughter made a popcorn snack which tasted good. My son went to make more and found bugs in the popcorn bag. Alot of little bugs in the popcorn bag. Gross. Hope they don't carry germs as I have no immune system!!! LOL

Lynda

IndigoMont11

Omg, LyndaMarie! My DH would be on the phone to that popcorn company for you!!



I replaced my thermometer because the other day I found an earwig aka pincher bug, inside the case. The thermometer wasn't working right anyway but after that I just couldn't put it in my mouth again.



I hope you feel better soon too. Hugs!

LyndaMarie

Can't blame the popcorn company for this. The popcorn was in a ziploc bag that clearly was not closed properly. That said, the DH is going to have to go through the pantry with a fine tooth comb. Bug microwave popcorn is one thing, but now we have to check cereal, pasta, baking supplies, etc.....

Lynda

Melrosemelrose

IndigoMont- Hope you start feeling better soon!!!  I had my 5th round this past Tuesday and doing so so.  The Zofran I take to prevent nausea is what causes my light case of "C".  So I'm eating those little prunes to help with that plus lots and lots of water, liquids, etc.  As usual, burping is one of my side effects.  So I continue to burp like drank way too many carbonated beverages.  It's still funny around my house since my son always hears me no matter where I am in the house and says"  Mom,  I heard that...... I heard you....." and bursts out laughing.  Got to find humor and laughter every day through this!!!!

Wishing everyone minimal side effects as we continue through chemoland!!!! 

luvBngGma

LyndaMarie-I wondered if this pulsating in my ears was related to chemo (oh, wait, I guess everything is related these days, isn't it?). Hope ours goes away soon, so annoying.

Had my first Taxotere this week, and body aches , bone pain, and wobbly legs. I done think its from the Neulasta, as I didn't have it before.

Hoping MO is right, and it only lasts 3-4 days.

dancetrancer

Lyndamarie - good gracious hope you feel better soon.  I've been told the transfusion helps markedly with the fatigue, etc.  No more bugs for you, of any kind!  Take care! 

Melrosemelrose

luvBngGma- One of the side effects of Taxotere is body aches/bone pain.  Hope you feel better soon!!!! The info below is from the chemocare.com website founded by Scott Hamilton, the former Olympic ice skater and cancer survivor.  It gives you a little info about Taxotere side effects.

http://www.chemocare.com/bio/taxotere.asp

The following Taxotere side effects are common (occurring in greater than 30%) for patients taking Taxotere:

• Low white blood cell count (this can increase your risk for infection)
• Low red blood cell count (anemia)

Nadir: Meaning low point, nadir is the point in time between chemotherapy cycles in which you experience low blood counts.

Onset: 4-7 days
Nadir: 5-9 days
Recovery: 21 days

• Fluid retention with weight gain, swelling of the ankles or abdominal area.
• Peripheral neuropathy (numbness in your fingers and toes) may occur with repeated doses. This should be reported to your healthcare provider.
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Mouth sores
• Hair loss
• Fatigue and weakness
• Infection
• Nail changes (color changes to your fingernails or toenails may occur while taking Taxotere. In extreme, but rare, cases nails may fall off. After you have finished Taxotere treatments, your nails will generally grow back.)

These Taxotere side effects are less common, meaning they occur in 10-29 percent of patients receiving Taxotere:

• Vomiting
• Muscle/bone/joint pain (myalgias and arthralgias)
• Low platelet count (This can increase your risk of bleeding)
• Increases in blood tests measuring liver function.  These return to normal once treatment is discontinued. (see liver problems)

Infusion-related Taxotere side effects (symptoms which may occur during the actual treatment) include:

• Allergic reactions (rash, flushing, fever, lowered blood pressure).  Happens rarely, usually occurs in the first or second infusion.  Frequency is reduced by premedication with corticosteroid starting one day before infusion.  You will be monitored closely during the infusion for any signs of allergic reaction.
• Infusion site reactions (uncommon and generally mild, consist of darkening of the vein, inflammation, redness or dryness of the skin, or swelling of the vein).

Not all Taxotere side effects are listed above, some that are rare (occurring in less than 10% of patients) are not listed here.  However, you should always inform your health care provider if you experience any unusual symptoms.

radioactivegirl

oh no Lynda -  that is too bad about the popcorn :-(  Hope your dh gets it all cleaned out asap!  what horrible timing.

vjm

Ps Stacie - my end date was June 15, 2012  Thinking of you all... so many s/e's and challenges. Keep the faith ... rich from the journey. xoxo vjm

Marcia1111

Yesterday when I was getting my infusion, My DH picked up something on a table with freebies from the drug companies.  I was wondering if any of you have one or have any guesses as to what it's for.  It's from Neulasta and it is a rectangular flat pillow with two short velcro straps at the top.  I thought maybe it was to go around my arm, but I have fairly thin arms and it doesn't fit, so I don't think that's it.  Any ideas?

luvBngGma

Marcia1111--I was given something similar, but it was foam, and was to protect port site from car seat belt. Sounds a little different , but could be what it's for, tho the connection to Neulasta isn't clear.