Starting chemo March 2013

liffeybloomer

I have been reading the Jan. 2013 and Feb. 2013 threads, which have been of great help to me so thanks to all of you on those threads. But since I will be starting chemo next week or possibly the week after, i thought a March thread might help those of us going through this together. I get my port put in this Monday, and tomorrow I meet with my MO to determine the plan and go over the regimen. I know I will be on ACT (adriamycin, cytoxin, taxol) and herceptin eventually. I'm a little nervous, but at least I know generally what to expect from the Jan. and Feb. threads. Feel free to join me here!

March chemo sisters

Liffeybloomer

Lolalou

cherish

elmrush

122012bc

cbear

soccmom13

speedy4

alcb70

beherenow

JoelleKC

Dimples68

jlynn0807

poppyj

starynights

study411

tho225

katrs

Leenie147

meni33

rivercottagegal

denise51

TXSockMonkey

BevDe

Noor1983

The_roadshow

seastars

SassyBee

KeKe713

aross

jbdayton

bestock

washingtonwoman

raehyg

NJMomof twins

Sandersmomma

Sunday1856

EmilysMom

creck

AmyJBR

pattithenurse

curly123

Felka11

Moderators

Thanks for starting the March thread Joan!

Just stopping in to provide some more helpful links, starting with the main Breastcancer.org site's section on Chemotherapy, including what to expect, types of chemo meds, and side effect management.

There are some really helpful key threads here in the Chemo forum too!

Great tips and practical advice on the following discussion board threads:

• Tips for getting through chemotherapy
• More Tips (and a Shopping List) for Getting Through Chemo
• PORT PLACEMENT: Detailed description of process
• Head Covering Options for Hair Loss
• wig advice
• Cold Cap Users Past and Present, to Save Hair

Also, Last Month's Chemo thread might be informative!

Hope you find this helpful!

--Your Mods

Lolalou

Hi Joan, I find out next week if I will be starting chemo in March. I'm pretty sure I will be but just waiting for Oncotype results. I have also been following the Jan/Feb boards for info.

liffeybloomer

Thank you Mods, and welcome Lolalou. I am pushing to start chemo next week because I just want to get this started. The waiting and anticipation is worse, I think, than the chemo.

Lolalou

I feel the same...this waiting is driving me crazy. I just want to start ASAP and get it over with.

liffeybloomer

I have my date set: Feb. 28, 2 p.m. I teach a class from 11:30-12:45 so I'm afraid my nerves may be a little wacky that day. I think I am more nervous about the effects from the Neulasta shot the next day, but I want an immune system so I'll power through that. Luckily I don't have any other health problems so I hope that will help me through. I don't know how women cope with this and other complications like heart trouble, diabetes, etc. Thanks for being with me here Lolalou. Hope we get a few more to journey here with us!

Lolalou

Glad to hear you have your date. How was it getting the port? I was reading a different post about it and I'm a little nervous about it.

liffeybloomer

I get the port on Monday, so I will let you know. I'm a bit nervous about it, but I'm more nervous about how loopy I may be for my 1 p.m class. I have a sub on standby just in case! This week I am indulging myself in good food, fun activities, and anything else I may not feel up to doing once the chemo starts.

cherish

Hi Joan n Lolalou,

Glad to join with you two!! I will having the port placement on 3/15 and start the chemo. I'm very nervous n don't what kind of medicines I might have it on me! Ya, the waiting is killing me, but there is nothing I can do......

Fight on!!!

liffeybloomer

Hi Cherish, welcome. It looks as if I'll be going through this first so I will be sure to let you know how things go. I have found the Jan and Feb. chemo threads very helpful in terms of what to expect so you might want to check those out. I went out today and bought a box of disposable gloves to wear while doing dishes, etc. along with a large bottle of stool softeners (what a lovely thing to contemplate!) and lots of antibacterial soap. I have my generic claritin ready and am about to go to CVS for neosporin, prilosec, and some other goodies to have on hand when and if I need them. I'm gonna show both chemo and cancer who's boss!

lostinmo

Hello 2013 Marchers, I am from the March 2012 chemo group and just wanted to stop by and tell you all..you can do this. Good Luck and if you have any questions just ask.

Lolalou

Hello Cherish...it looks like we have the same DX. I am meeting with my MO on Wednesday to find out the plan. I have an appt already scheduled with surgeon to hold in case I need the port. I keep saying I case because I'm hoping for super low Onco score. I'm sure I will do chemo either way though. Must be the denial setting in.



Thank you lostinmo! I love to hear/read from other survivors.



We will beat this!!

NatsFan

Just popping in from the March 2008 chemo thread - yes 5 years ago!  I did 6*TAC starting in March 2008.  Just wanted to give you all encouragment and tell you that you can do it.  Chemo is no walk in the park, but it is doable. 

Waiting on the first one is the worst.  Once you have a tx or two under your belt, you'll know how your body will react and you can prepare accordingly. I had chemo 3 weeks apart.  I was like most people - I felt bad in the days after a chemo tx, but by week 2 I was feeling pretty decent, and by week 3 life was pretty much back to normal. 

Yep, I lost my hair, right on schedule, 15 days after my first dx.  And surprisingly, it's not as bad as you think.  You really do get used to it.  Some women wear wigs, some wear scarves, some wear baseball caps, and some go commando.  I was a baseball cap girl - worn with dangly earrings to fill up that space between ears and shoulders.  Fortunately my workplace is pretty casual, so it wasn't unusual for men and even women to wear baseball caps.  (Yes, I worked all through chemo - I have a desk job and a very supportive workplace!)  My co-workers all pitched in and gave me baseball caps, and friends and relatives gave me dangly earrings, so by the end I had quite a wardrobe of caps and earrings.  And my hair came back curly!  I had horrible limp stick-straight hair before chemo, but now I have soft hair with a beautiful curl to it. 

Please feel free to ask me any questions - lots of women who were further along in their tx helped me when I was going through chemo, so I always try to "pay it forward" by reaching back to the March chemo group to provide any help and encouragement I can.  Many many women have walked this path before you and have come out on the other side.  You can do it too.  You'll surprise yourself!

I am very fortunate that I am 5 years out and at this time I have no evidence of disease.  I decided I wanted to do something completely crazy and outrageous to celebrate my 5 year mark.  So I'm in training to run my very first half marathon this April.  I was NEVER a runner before, and I'm 57, so this is a really big deal for me.  But I'm going to do it.  After all, I went through chemo.  If I could do that, then I can do ANYTHING I want. 

Go Chemo Marchers 2013!!

NatsFan

Joan - just saw you're from Hagerstown.  We have a little cabin in the Catoctins, so we spend a lot of time in Hagerstown on weekends - we even have a Saturday ticket plan for the Hagerstown Suns.  We love it up there.

liffeybloomer

Thanks LostinMo for your support and encouragement.

NatsFan, thanks to you too. I've read many of your other helpful posts on other threads. It's nice to have women with experience in all of this sticking around to help us newbies. I like Hagerstown too, but with two children in DC it is nice to get out and get to the city once in a while too! (Both of them are Natsfans too.)

Lolalou and Cherish, the port placement went fine, but I was not prepared for how exhausted I was afterwards. I came home andwent right to bed because I felt like a Mack truck had hit me! I didn't even feel that tired and exhausted after the lumpectomy, although I'm sure I will recover more quickly from this. The only uncomfortable part is the adhesive bandage that makes my neck taut. The procedure itself was fine, don't worry about that at all, and even these minor discomforts are nothing to worry about. I had the crazy idea, though, that I could go into work this afternoon but over the weekend I decided I didn't want to worry about that so I arranged to take the day off and I am really glad I did.

First chemo is this Thursday, so I will report on that too.

liffeybloomer

I have an update for anyone getting a port put in. I am usually not allergic to anything, but I developed a bad rash and skin blisters from the anti-infection stuff they spread on my chest and I think also the adhesive used to keep the bandages on. It was quite painful and annoying, but I went to the surgeon's office today and he removed the big bandages, so I am hopeful it will heal soon. If you have sensitive skin, you might want to keep an eye out for redness and hives after the procedure and keep some Benadryl on hand.

cherish

Liffeybloomer, so glad to know the procedure went smoothly and hope will feel better. Where is your port placed and is local or general anesthesia? I'm recovering from my 2nd surgery for lymph node dissection and so far the incision heals fine but the sharp nerve pains are kind if killing me, especially in middle of night! Don't get too crazy to get back to work so soon, remember your are fighting for your life! That will be more important than anything else!! Have good rest for the next fight!

Lolalou - yap, it looks like we have similar DX. I did the lymph nodes biopsy during the mastectomy surgery; however, it only got the tissues no nodes, so I have to do another surgery for nodes. It came out just ONE nodes founds but thx god is negative! My oncologist told me that I have options to take either 4 cycles due to no node involved or 8 cycles of "standard" treatment. Of course, it will depends on my condition after it start. I also got 2nd opinion from my surgeon that there is no options just do the 8 cycles because of recurrence. To be honest, I really hate to have options from doctors! It only got confuse me but nothing else.....



Fight on ~~~~~</p>

liffeybloomer

Cherish,

My port is on the right side, same as my lumpectomey and snb. It was local anesthesia with relaxants. Didn't feel a thing and had a tent put up around my face, so I couldn't see anything either. It's this rash that is really bothering me. It just seems to be getting worse and worse. I ended up taking a two hour nap this afternoon and when I woke up, it seemed like it was redder and had spread more. As for what to do for chemo, just my humble opinion, but with a 4cm tumor, I think the eight cycles would be better too. Thanks for your encouraging words.

GrammyNancy

Hi girls,

I'm a March cruiser also.....six years ago....and doing well!  The waiting is the worst part...the hair loss stinks...!....but it is all doable!  I would be happy to answer any questions you have.  This board was so helpful and the group that went through this with me are forever in my heart.

Hang in there...drink lots of water...and never be afraid to ask a question!

Hugs to all....you can do this!

Nancy

liffeybloomer

Thanks GrammieNancy. I'm a little nervous about first chemo tomorrow but I have a supportive husband and sister who will be there for me, so I won't be all alone this first time. I am most nervous about whether I will be able to work. I teach at a community college and have a reduced schedule, but I still have one class a day Monday through Thursday. I keep telling myself that all I have to do is get through an hour and 15 minutes, so I hope I can!

Lolalou

Good luck tomorrowliffeybloom!



Cherish my onco dx ended up being 17 which he said is in the low category. He still recommends chemo and based on these results and 3 cm tumor he is recommending 4x TC every three weeks.



I'm going to try and work from home the whole time. I am a little nervous to do chemo truth be told.

NatsFan

Good luck today liffey - the first is the worst because it's unknown.  You're going to love having your port - no fumbling around trying to find a good vein in your poor arm.  Be sure to drink a ton of water!  Also, be ready for the steroid buzz - sometimes oncs forget to warn patients about that.  You can do this!

mdg

Hi Girls!  I just wanted to pop in and say hi!  I was were you are about 2 years ago.  I use to hang out in the March 2011 Chemo Lounge on here.  I know chemo is scary....believe me!  It was NOT that bad for me.  It was easier than I thought.   I hope you girls are just as lucky.  I was able to get up with my young son and get him off to pre-school every morning.  I was able to exercise 5 days a week through all of chemo.  I never had to take any meds for nausea because I never had any.  I won't say I didn't have any side effects, but the one's I did have were manageable.  I just wanted to let you know that 2 years after chemo and diagnosis, life is great.  I know it's hard to believe that life can be normal again, but it really does happen.  Just know many of us have been where you are and have gotten through it - you CAN DO THIS!  Hugs my dear BC sisters!  Sending prayers for you all!

liffeybloomer

Thanks for your good thoughts everyone. I am a little nervous about today - ok, well I'm a lot nervous if I'm honest. But I am more nervous about the aftereffects over the next couple of weeks and particularly the neulasta shot tomorrow but I know I can get through this. I have a great deal of family and work support. The college where I teach is even sponsoring a Relay for Life team in my honor so that feels pretty good. I have my cream for the port, a comfy shawl and small pillow given to me by friends, my chemo bad with lemon drops, tissues, and other necessities, now all I have to figure out is what shirt to wear so that the port can be accessed easily. I'll be back with an update over the weekend for those of you behind me.

PennyCookson

Hi Ladies

I am from the March 2011 chemo lounge and wanted to say Hi and good luck.  By now Joan knows that chemo day is not bad at all, its the anxiety before thats worse.  You just have to manage this bit and before you know it you will be out the other end and rebuilding your lives.  You will have SEs but its all manageable, just take it a day at a time, drink lots, exercise if you can - it really does help.  There will be times that it all seems too much emotionally, particularly at night when it all goes round in your head, I used to mentally go to all the lovely places in my life and in the morning it will seem better.  And surprisingly, there will be lots of things about this whole process that just make you laugh.  These forums are great support - you can talk about anything and your chemo sister will really understand.  
Penny

liffeybloomer

Hi girls, everyone is right when they say the anxiety ahead of time is worse than the chemo itself. Having the port was great, highly recommend that if you have to have lots of chemo. The staff was terrific, although I was more worn out by the end after talking with the pharmacist, the financial counselor, the social worker, the nurse and I forget who else. My sister stayed with me and took notes for me, so that helped too. Only side effect I've noticed so far is pink pee!

NatsFan

You go Joan!!  Ah, yes, the Red Devil coming through.  Drink tons of water to help flush it out.  One down!!!

elmrush

So glad to find a place where there are women going through the same anxiety and procedures that I am facing.  I will begin Chemo in March 2013.  I will be having a port put in on March 7, 2013 followed  ACT (adriamycin, cytoxin, taxol).  The anticipation and not knowing how your body will react is scary.  I have been off of work since my mastectomy on Jan 31, 2013, not sure if I will be working during chemo or not and will go through the first couple treatments to see how I react.  Are any of you planning on working through treatments?

liffeybloomer

Hi elmrush and welcome to our group. I agree that it is the not knowing what to expect from SE to be one of the worst worries, but we will get through this together and with the help of our sisters from previous March threads. There are also lots of other good threads here like the Jan. and Feb. chemo threads for some help and advice from those who are going through it now.

I am planning to work through chemo, but I am on a reduced teaching schedule and I have a very understanding work place and students, so that makes my situation easier than some others might have. You might want to read my earlier posts about having my port placed if you haven't already. I expected a completely easy, no pain procedure (which was probably my own ignorance) and while it wasn't bad in many ways, it was a bit more taxing than I expected. The procedure itself was fine; don't worry about that at all. No pain, no sensation at all and over in about 20 minutes. I just developed an allergic reaction to the integuseal put on me and I got blisters from the adhesive used on the bandages. i have never had allergies, so it was a shock and unexpected to me. Once I got the bandages off and some anti-itch lotion and neosporin on the blisters I was fine. Although I was more tired the first few days after it, and I didn't expect that either.

My first chemo yesterday was actually pleasant and dare I say fun? My sister and husband were there with me at first. My sister stayed with me while my husband (somewhat overprotective these days) was finally convinced to go back to work. We kidded around with all the people who marched in to give us information, so try to take a lighthearted view as much as is possible. I didn't have any effects while the chemo went in, except that the steroid decadron immediately went to work clearing up my rash from the port placement, so that was great news! Still don't feel any effects yet, but I understand that the first couple of days are easier. I get my neulasta shot today at 3:30 so we will see how that goes.

Keep checking and posting and we'll all help each other!

122012bc

Starting chemo 3/13 recommended TC for 4 treatments. Wondering if I should get a second opinion. How much do treatments recs vary? Why only 4 treatments? It seems foolish to be conservative at this point.

cherish

Liffeybloomer - thx for the advice and the posts. It comfort me a lot! Having the great supports from family and work are the most treasure!! You are very lucky girl!!



122012bc - I got my 2nd opinion from my surgeon. It depends on the size of tumor. You might want to read my earlier post about my treatment option from onco. I have same type of surgery like you on 1/11. My total tumor size is 8.6cm ( 4.5 cm noninvasive and 4.1cm invasive), clear node. 4 T is fine to me but 8 T is safer. I think I'll go with 8 T' with Liffeybloomer stand by me, I'll try my best to go through all. Regardless how many times. We are all here for you!