Sept 2012 chemo

firestorm531

I met with  2 of my docs today (GYN for hot flashes and hot boob, since I was there) and met with my MO - both are concerned that an infection is trying to set in so they're putting me on antibiotics to be on the safe side.  MO also gave me fiornal for my 3 day old headache and said to take one the morning before my next round to prevent this from happening again and the GYN gave me some effexor for the hot flashes.  I swear, I look like i run a small pharmaceutical out of my bathroom!  hahaha

 Had a lovely nap and now that I've had a bite to eat, I may just take another one  

Terri07-11

Had a port put in Sept. 5 and have first chemo Sept. 11.  I fluctuate between being, "Hey, let's get this started" and crying & hoping the world comes to an end this weekend.

It's great reading all the posts and realizing I'm not alone.  The physician's assistant showed me the chemo room and it was quite overwhelming seeing people sitting there with IV's.  They do have water and snacks though.  None of the TV's were on and I'm hoping I can calm myself down enough to read a magazine.

My heart goes out to all of you that are going thru this.  I think the worst is not knowing how I will be effected.  My treatment is on Tuesday & we have plans to go camping on the weekend.  And it is with other people that are not aware of my diagnosis of breast cancer. 

I think I want a pep rally to psych me out.

jojo2373

Welcome Terri! We understand - what is your DX and chemo?

Timbek2

HI all!  I am new to this website.  Starting chemo September 20.  I will have 4 AC followed by Taxol 12 weeks in a row.  Standard stuff it seems.  Totally terrified!  Putting it all in God's hands.  Definitely not what I had planned at all for the 40th year of my life but no one plans on this nightmare that's for sure!  Love reading those who have gone before me.  So comforting.  Much love and prayers to you all as we fight together!  I am doing it for my three precious kids aged 13, 10 and my baby girl 7.  (also sweet soon to be chemo pup,Buddy, aged 1)  God bless you all!

Becki :-) 

Leaning on HIM! 

SandeeAR

Amylovesbub,  I'm sorry to just reply to your ? about a port.  Yes I have one, but see you got info on one.  I failed to click this as a favorite topic and lost it in the threads.

 I had my first chemo A/C Wednesday with the steroids.  Thursday and today, fluids and nausea meds.  Have ativan for nausea and zofran if needed.  So far so good.  Very tired, and some diarrhea.

 Hope everyone is doing well.

bearcub

Welcome Terry and Timbek! Sorry you are here, but glad you found us...

jojo2373

Welcome Timbek! Cindi - looks like you need to update the list:-)

whenlifegivesyoulemons

Congratulations Amy! One down.

I just finished up my first treatment about an hour ago.  And I feel this huge sense of relief.  Don't know if it's feeling that I'm taking action, finally?  Or, maybe it's knowing my life will begin to follow a more normal routine?  Either way, it's really great to feel just the tiniest bit of optimism creeping back in.

 My treatment plan will be 12 weeks of Taxol, with a test drug AMG386 delivered on the same schedule.  Test drug has seen some really great results, but then it's still a test drug so knowing that always leaves me feeling cautious about potential results.  Then it's 4 cycles of AC (whatever that is - too far off for me to worry much about it).  I feel so normal that I hardly can believe it.  Had a mysterious minor side effect during taxol - toes feel warm/hot.  Odd.  No one seems too concerned about it, but I'll have to monitor that closely.

Two -ish weeks to a glossy white head.  So, T-14.  Or rather, B-14. 

jojo2373

Congrats whenlife, you are doin the reverse of some of us so it will be great to have your input. I am doing the 4 cycles of AC then taxol. I recommend you read up on the AC while you go thru taxol. It's a very potent "cocktail" and the A (Adriamycin) is often called the "red devil" due its red color. But as you can read, we are all managing it with smiles (most days).

Joemommy

Hi Ladies! I found this discussion board and would love to join your group. You all seem like a wonderful, supportive bunch.

I just had my first chemo session yesterday (TCH) - it took everything in my power to go through with it! Actually I wasn't doing too well and more than anything wanted to run and say forget the whole thing ... the Ativan and counselor gave me encouragement, as did remembering why I was there.

I am 46 and a single mom to a 4-year-old boy. He is my reason for wanting to beat this thing!

I felt pretty good yesterday - finished up at 5:30pm. Today has been pretty good, too. Actually did some housecleaning! I think the steroids gave me a boost. Trying to stay hydrated and fed. Taking all the medicine as directed. So actually I am doing a million times better than I anticipated. I'm thinking the next few days will be a bit tougher.

I cut my hair the day before starting into a short A-line bob (I think)... donated 14" to Locks of Love. Not sure what I'll do next - probably buzz cut it when it starts falling out. I feel strange with short hair but seem to be getting alot of compliments! So that is nice.

Looking forward to having you all to share the journey with, and hearing your stories.

cgesq

Hi Joemommy,

i start the same regimen as you on Weds. i just got my port installed yesterday. Glad to hear you did so well on it. I have the same dual reaction...wanting to run as far away from all of this as possible, and wanting to get it over with.

Did you do the icing for your nails? If you haven't, you might want to consider it for your remaining treatments. It seems the Taxotere portion of our treatment can be very harsh on fingernails and toenails, but if you apply ice during that part of the infusion, it minimizes the reaction.

If you want more info, there is a thread on this board about icing. Check it out. I was also told to chew on ice chips, to minimize mouth sores.

Good luck to all of us on our journeys!!

Cheryl

Cindi74

Amyloves,  Can you copy the list of the Sept gang and paste it into the bottom of your original post starting the September thread?  You can edit any post you have done.  Then we will have a list of all of us at the top of the thread.  Just a suggestion.  Otherwise the list will become harder and harder to find. 

Cindi74

September Team   of the Exclusive Club No One Wants to Join

AmylovesBubby

Bearcub                                Prince George, British Columbia

Firestorm531                        Texas

Melrosemelrose (visitor from April)                    Houston, Texas

Cherioo                                Florida

Whenlifegivesyou lemons       Minneapolis

Jojo2373                             Maryland                                                                                                                            

Mycancerjourney                   Illinois

Sheerbab                              Dallas, Texas                                          

Foreverchanged72612            Chelsea,  Quebec

Amy4978                              Howard City, MI

Cindi74                                 Apopka, Florida

Terri07-11

Joemommy                            Portland, Oregon

Cgesq                                    New Jersey

SandeeAR

Timbek2

Laura_g

Runnergirl71                             Fort Collins, Colorado                 

Melrosemelrose

For those who need some info about icing:

I  finished 6 rounds of Taxotere/Cytoxan on August 7th 2012.  I iced my finger nails and toe nails at each round of chemo.  I posted the following info on the July 2012 Chemo thread.  Hope it helps:

Always clear anything you want to do with your oncos.  You will need to clear it with your onco about icing since not all oncos will allow icing during the Taxotere infusion.  At the suggestion of my onco, I am using clear nail polish on my nails to help keep them strong and also icing the nails to help prevent nail damage which is a side effect of Taxotere.  She suggested that use Sally Hansen Strong As Nails Clear Polish but I switched to Essie polish since it doesn't chip as much as the Sally Hansen brand.  Essie polish costs more but for someone like me who never used nail polish before chemo, the fewer times I have to apply polish the better.  I don't mani/pedis but some do.  I'd rather avoid the germ issue at nail salons and taking of a chance of getting nicked. 

ICING :

• Time period for icing- You will for 1/1/2 hours in total= 15 minutes before the Taxotere infusion + 1 hour during the infusion + 15 minutes after the infusion.
• Ice- You can use frozen peas in quart size ziploc bags marked "Do no eat!!!" and reuse those bags of peas. Some have used small reusable/refreezable ice bags you can get at the drugstore in the first aid department.  I opted to use ice.  I have an ice tray that makes small rounded bottom circular ice.  I tried the peas and decided I liked the ice better because I thought it stayed colder longer.  My infusion center has ice available for me to use if I want to use it.  I always bring an extra bag of ice just in case I need it.
• Transporting ice to infusion center- I use a cooler with a freezer pack plus take extra infusion ice bags.  
• What to put the ice bags in- That is a personal preference.  Some just put the ice bags on their feet and wrap a blanket around them so the bags don't fall off.  Some use insulated lunch bags and put the ice bags in those.  My hands and feet are small so I'm using some neoprene wine cooler bags that I bought at Target for $6.99 each.  I figured I could use the wine bags later on.  I'm still able to hold an insulated mug so I can drink really cold water and eat ice during the infusion.  I have pretty small hands/feet which explains how I am able to use those Neoprene wine bags.
• Hand & Feet Protection- I wear thin sports socks on my feet when I ice the toes.  The socks keep the rest of my feet warm during the icing.  On my hands, I wear a pair of knitted wristlets/fingerless gloves to keep the rest of my hands warm.  If you don't have knitted wristlets, you can make some from men's socks by cutting holes in the toe area.  Some people take their feet/hands out of the ice periodically; however, I don't do that.
• Process- I let the infusion nurse know that i'm icing so we can coordinate when I should start the icing. Once I know when I'm going to start the infusion, I put the ice bags in the bottom of the Neoprene bags.  I put the ones on my feet first and adjust the ice bags so my toes nails are covered.  I then put the ones on my hands on and adjust the ice to cover my fingernails.  My husband helps me with this process.

laura_g

I've been following your posts and progress, just too tired to respond and post my own updates the past few days. After work, I pretty much crash.

Best of luck to you all!

Runnergirl71

Hi Terri-

 I will be starting chemotherapy the same day as you are scheduled and I had to laugh out loud at your description of how you are feeling.  I too vacillate between "Bring it on!"  and "Run for the hills!"  It is definitely the fear of the unknown for me and I know that I will feel much better after the first treatment just knowing how I will respond.  So far through this whole BC experience I have surprised myself with just how much I can handle.  We can do this!!  I will be thinking of you on Tuesday.       

Foreverchanged72612

Whenlifegivesyoulemons: congrats on getting through your first chemo! Your protocol sounds very similar to mine. I start on Monday. On the one hand, I am looking forward to watching this tumor shrink. On the other, wish this thing was taken out of me!! The doctors are hoping it will shrink fast and the mental visual of this is very, very encouraging for me. How are you holding up?

Amy4978

Welcome to all that have found us! But sorry at the same time..

I have my first chemo on Thursday, that day and Friday were okay slight nausea and headache but nothing I cant handle. Friday I also received my first neulasta shot and last night I def felt that kicking in my bones ached for most of the night and I still feel it. 

But with that said I  am a strong woman/mother and can handle it! Its no fun but we all are gonna make this work one way or another!

Enjoy your day ladies... Hope the sun is shining like it is here in Michigan!

whenlifegivesyoulemons

Foreverchanged:  I'll share some feedback I got from a couple terrific women on this site who had a very similar treatment protocol (chemo before surgery) and at the same institution I'm at (U of MN).  Maybe it will give you some peace of mind about the approach you've taken. They both are done with chemo in the last year or so, and were very glad they did that first. They both said it was powerful to be able to watch the progress of the tumor shrinking, and it really gave them the time to think through and evaluate the best surgical options, and whether, when and how to approach reconstruction. They were both part of this study I'm in and therefore had lots of imaging throughout - don't know what standard imaging protocols are through chemo, but I would bet there's an MRI at some point that will help you see how the chemo is affecting the size of your tumor.  Ask your Onc.  I'll be sending good thoughts to you on Monday.

Joemommy: welcome to the group. Glad you're feeling good after chemo - that makes it all seem more doable, doesn't it?

_____________________________________

It's the morning after first chemo, and I'm still feeling great.  Didn't sleep as long as I would have liked.  One of the nurses told me that the steriods administered during chem can make it difficult to sleep, especially that night. She suggested going for an early morning chemo infusion schedule, but of course they couldn't fit me in until the afternoon.  Working on that for future.

Very curious about icing.  May need to look more into that.

Off to acquire my faux locks. Might look into a second one if cost allows.  Would be nice to be able to have some fun with this, especially since friends, family and coworkers will all know it's a wig.

Joemommy

Thank you for the welcomes! Just waking up today and so far okay. Felt a bit queasy last night before bed so I ate some saltines, drank some water, and took an Ativan. That did the trick and I was able to go to sleep.



Cheryl- good luck to you next week! Sounds like we have the same diagnosis too. I didn't get a port - I have good veins so I'm hoping they hold up. I didn't try icing yet - thank you for posting the info, Melrosemelrose! A woman getting a herceptin infusion across from me had finished the TC - she said she used tea tree oil on her nails and then clear nail polish and had no issues. Might try that since it sounds much easier.



Good luck to all! We can get through this!

firestorm531

It's official, all anti-nausea meds have left my body...even yawning makes me gag, so much fun! The fiornal worked for my chemo headache, but it's back again this morning...I'm nibbling crackers in the hopes it'll count as enough food to take all these colorful little pills.



I hope everyone else is having a better day

bearcub

Welcome to all the newbies here, oh my the list is getting long. Sounds like we are all managing our SE.

I have felt actually pretty normal, I am on my last day of nausea meds so am half expecting tomorrow to be a lossy day.

Good luck to those starting this week, and happy sailing for those of us in the thick of it!



Neta, how is the hair, what day did it fall out!

cgesq

MelroseMelrose,

I was told that the taxotere portion of my treatment would be 3 hours....Does that make sense?  It seems too long to me, but the onc nurse said thats what it would be, at least for the first session.  The entire session is scheduled for 6 hours!  Yikes!!

How long were the first sessions for all of you???  How long were the taxotere portions??

Thanks,

Cheryl 

Joemommy

Hi Cheryl,

My first session took 5 hours. They had to do alot of premedicating that can be done on your own in advance the second time (the steroids and antihistamine). The taxotere has to be given very slowly at first to make sure you don't have a bad reaction. Then they gradually speed it up. I think they said they do that the first two or three treatments. So it won't always be so long!

stride

Hi, I am in the fourth round of TAC chemo. I just wanted to say good luck to you all and share one piece of advice. If any of you feel bloating, indigestion or an indescribable feeling in your gut (not nausea, but makes it hard to eat or drink), ask your doctor about taking a strong acid-blocker like Prilosec and using Gas-X or some other anti-gas medicine.

It seems like a lot of doctors do not do a good job of warning their patients about these symptoms, and it sometimes leads people to become dehydrated. So just put this in your back pocket as you begin your treatment. You need to drink a lot of water in the first few days after chemo, and this can help.

jojo2373

Welcome to all the new sisters and hope everyone feels well today. It's a stormy day here in Maryland.



Whenlife - thanks for posting the information. I too am doing chemo before surgery. My first surgeon gave me no option but rush to surgery. I chose to travel almost 2 hours to a cancer research hospital for a second opinion and they gave me both options. I struggled at first but for me the choice became clear. I needed to know firstly that my chemo was effective and leaving the tumor would give me that knowledge quickly. My tumor and largest lymph node were measured by ultrasound and now I will be re-evaluated prior to my 3rd treatment for "shrinkage".

Cherioo

I am with you Amy , we are on the same schedule. I have been doing great . Today I have just been really tired and my kids have been great helping me around the house clean .



Anyone having trouble with dry mouth ?

Cherioo

I am with you Amy , we are on the same schedule. I have been doing great . Today I have just been really tired and my kids have been great helping me around the house clean .



Anyone having trouble with dry mouth ?

Amy4978

Well I woke up sore as hell from the neulasta I tried to get some stuff done but it didn't help! This neulasta is giving me major pain in my bones.... how long does this last? I've pretty much been in bed or on the couch all day... feel like I was given a tranquilizer!

Cindi74

Amy, did you take the Claridin before and after for a day or so?