October 2013 Chemotherapy

VintageGal1111

Thank you SpecialK!

Each day this month I have posted what I am thankful for on my FB status. Today I posted how thankful I am for this forum, my support group, the women who *get it* !!!!

Headeast

I am getting pain on my hands. Hard to describe, they feel cold and like needles.

Any idea what this is?

SpecialK

headeast - sounds like peripheral neuropathy. Let your onc know - this is a Taxotere SE.

SchoolCounselor

Head. My ONC said not to walk around barefoot at home and to wear gloves when you go out. It does sound like the beginning on neuropathy. Like special said, call your doctor ASAP.

Headeast

Called the MO and told me to take Percocet right away and only that, no Advil and no Tylenol. My hands feel warm now and the tingling is reduced but still some strange sensation.

It is odd I feel it after a week of the chemo though.

I still have my last chemo in two weeks!

SpecialK

headeast - neuropathy is weird - it comes and goes, and can show up after chemo is totally done, so keep an eye on it. It can be cumulative, I had it after each tx, but it would resolve by the next one. After probably the fifth one, it stayed until a few months after chemo was complete.

naiviv

Hello all,

Home from #2 and feeling great so far and starving. Craving bistec empanizado and crema de malanga soup from a restaurant here called Havana Harrys. Waiting for my SO to get home from work and going out early before restaurant gets packed. Kids like the place too and reasonably priced. My daughter and I took out the blond wig, and we are going as twins. Enjoying the feeling as I know the SE's are around the corner if like last time.... Feel well my friends, smile and have fun.

Hugggs

Vivian

Special K please do call next time nearby, we can do lunch

SchoolCounselor

home from chemo. Everything went well. Blood work showed anemia, but they say that is to be expected. Sleeping off the Benadryl. About to take zofram with mottrin because it gives me bad headaches. I'm halfway there, well almost!!! Hoping for minimal SE.

We got this ladies!!!

Tinuke-my real name

uds17

Hi all!

Vivian and kcat2013- thanks for the dehydration tips. I have stocked up on popsicles and gatorade. :-) I do not want to faint like I did last time!

Hi Tinuke (I love your name!). Glad your day was okay. I, too, am tired and had slight anemia. wbc and platelets are up- I'm thinking from the Neulasta. I've also got that annoying dry mouth. I was saddened to read about your nail changes. Did it hurt??

Pam358- thanks for the wig info. The gals at my wig store told me to wash it every 4 weeks. I much prefer the idea of every 7 days as you were told- seems way more hygenic!

Hang in there gals! And to the newbies- glad you found this site. I definitely feel like I gain more than I give on here, and people are so generous with their support and wisdom. Hope I know enough to pay it forward at some point.

xoxo

Headeast

SpecialK,

Definitely something I will keep an eye on, the feeling is not something I want to feel for a long term. I don't feel it that much now, but still feel something that bothers my hands.

Headeast

How is every body doing today with the chemo?

naiviv

Move over ladies there's a new blond in town. Goldilocks and Papa Bear.

.

SchoolCounselor

Love it!!!!!!!

Viji

You are positively glowing and happy. Stay that way...

axg24

Vivian-you look awesome!

Headeast- I too had the pricking feeling on my fingertips.it was so sensitive to touch even just folding laundry so I wore latex gloves. It lasted about 3 days. it is still on and of but only last hours. Now my palm is puffier and harder to make a fist. i told my onco and she said if it gets worst he will prescribe something. Just not sure how to tell if it's worst. I also feel pulsating on my sole when I am laying down but when I do my daily walks I just ignore them and it seems to go away.

I had my Chemo 2 yesterday and I just slept through it. I had Ativan, Benadryl, zofran, emend, Zantac and forgot the name of the steriod. A volunteer from lipstick angel ame by and offered to put on make up but I was too sleepy. Bless her heart.

To all who had their chemo this week, SE is inevitable so I wish and pray for all the strength for us to beat them! My family and friends are my driving force but I draw courage from this group. I am so thankful I found you :-)

Putting on my relaxation music from Pandora now so I can catch more sleep. Sleep tight everyone :-;

mfm48

For those feeling a bit of neuropathy, or getting chemo next week, I just wanted to remind you to ice your hands and feet during the infusion. While not a guarantee, it has seemed to help a number of people on these boards to avoid the tingling feeling.

Headeast

Vivian, you look great!

Mfm, thank you for the tip. I am not sure I want ice on my hands during infusion. I want chemo to go everywhere and kill those cancer cells. I will research a little on it, though!

naiviv

Thank you guys for the compliments. I bought all my wigs from Amazon.com. I searched for Kanekelon hair wigs. The come from Hong Kong. And look quality wise just like the ones in the store that are synthetic hair. Same insides. Cost is a fraction my wigs averaged 10-20 dollars. Free shipping but you have to wait about 3 weeks for them to arrive from HK. My daughter has a mini-me of each of my wigs.

Home today as SE's are gently making themselves present, compazine working so far. I go for Neulasta at 2.

Take care,

Vivian

SchoolCounselor

Headeast,

My doctor i against icing, he want all cells killed. That is why he recommended I keep my hands and feet warm at all times. I would check with your MO.

I hope all of you chemo gals from yesterday are having minimal side effects. I have to go to the mall today to fix my iphone and will walk the mall for 30 minutes to get in my exercise...we will see. Trying to do some of this before the bad days kick in!

naiviv

Mine told me the same about Icing.

Nail care, I asked how to try and avoid nail loss.

ONc suggested a lot of sandal wear (I am in Miami, especially if your feet sweat) and not to wear shoes that may be too tight or damage a nail, she said this helped to avoid the nail side effects on the feet. and to protect hand nails during cleaning and from getting hurt or lifted.

She added mani and pedis should be done at home and she told me ok to add bleach to foot bath if I am soaking feet, she says it kills a lot of potential fungus nail infections. Or to use and orange stick with cotton to clean around and under the nails with a 10 % bleach/water solution. If I see a nail not looking too healthy she told me use stronger solution on nail. She oked Vit E from a capsule to use on cuticle and nails.

She also told me to clean all my mani /pedi utensils in bleach.

V

axg24

Vivian-I get my neulasta shot at 3 today too. I took Claritin yesterday and will do for the next few days to help with bone pain. I hardly felt any pain last time so I hope it works this time around. Are you taking it too?

Schoolcounselor- SEs are still not kicking in for me too so you're right i should do walking today. I only walk on my street from corner to corner because i sometimes get panick attacks when i am in the midst of a crowd and i'm by myself. so i stay close to home and enjoy the different rosé bushes, carnations and smelling the pine trees and newly cut grass. :-)

TeamKim

Chemo #3 yesterday, great CBC counts beforehand -- better than my counts before tx#1 & so far, so good on the SEs. This cycle I had steroids day before infusion, with infusion fluids and day after infusion to help with Neulasta fevers and the rashes I get from Taxotere. Took an Ativan last night for possible sleeplessness, but slept great! Go for Neulasta this afternoon -- that's when the problems started last time. MO has me starting Motrin - Tylenol alternating every three hours starting before the Neulasta, also to counteract the reaction I had with the fever. Also taking Claritin as before. So many meds -- I had to make a chart to check them off and set reminders in my iPhone! Chemo brain -- just can't remember. Lol

I haven't had any mouth sores or neropathy -- during infusion of Taxotere, I suck on Popsicles and ginger ale over crushed ice to keep my mouth cold, and I put on some fingerless gloves and keep my fingertips on bags of crushed ice. I don't do anything with my feet, and I did get some burning on the balls of my feet a few days after tx 2, but only lasted one day. I am also taking L-glutamine powder throughout chemo, which I am told helps neuropathy. My finger nails have turned yellowish, but I am keeping them short and painted, so switched to some colored polish to hide the staining.

One more chemo -- Dec 12 --- seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!! (Or maybe the light of 6 weeks rads waiting for me!)

gavinsgrandma

SpecialK, thank you for responding to my post, turns out my insurance will cover my Neupogen shots here locally my MO office just needs to cancel the auth in their office for the shot, which does not effect my chemo orders there (as they thought) and issue the auth here locally. I am awaiting a call back from my insurance company this morning so we are still working on it. My ANC was .9 yesterday so no Tx today, kinda bummed because with needing the shot and the holiday next week I will now be 3 weeks behind schedule 😕 Best wishes for everyone today dealing with SE'S, I pray they are minimal and that everyone has a blessed Friday.

Shary

naiviv

AXG,

I take claritin every day for allergies. I also take 800 mg advil before shot. I felt pains last time day after shot, especially in my thigh bones. Hurt so bad at night I took a percocet and still couldn't sleep, but was better the following day.

Feel good today, also going for a walk. lake around Hospital has a walking path.

V

Macy187833

Hi ladies, hope everyone is doing well! Yes, this is my support group too. There is a support group in my area that meets once a month but I'm always busy with something that night. One time it was on the night of chemo so I wasn't really up to going and sitting through that.

Chemo #3 went well for me yesterday, going for the Neulasta shot this afternoon.

I had the nicest thing happen to me. I love to work out and have been trying my best to keep up with it throughout treatment. I like to run outside but the weather has turned too cold here-especially with me feeling not my best. So, I returned to a local Zumba class that I used to go to. The instructor has a daughter who has leukemia and as I followed her struggle on FB, she actually played a role in deciding on my treatment center!

Yes, those random Facebook postings can really have a good impact sometimes.

Long story short, I returned. She (instructor) asked if she could share my story on FB with the Zumba family of ladies. It's a small town with a lot of the same women who attend. I don't know any of them well since we are new here. She wrote the most beautiful post about my struggle. I literally cried when I saw it. It was the most beautiful thing someone has ever written about me. She explained that when the going is tough for her in the care of her daughter (who as had a long battle with leukemia and now another syndrome)--that when I came to class with resolve and a smile on my face (I'm always happy to be able to workout), that I gave her strength too. Just wow!

On a lighter note, someone here said they were going to back to work in a few weeks. I'm also returning to work the beginning of December after being off since August.

2timer

Great about going to work -- I've been working since I got back from surgery. I thought I'd be able to make it through chemo but I'm really starting to feel the fatigue from the AC. Working on disability papers now. Off for two weeks in December (required) then part time until March (unless I feel much better). I talked to my Onc about it and she agrees but insists that even though I'm at home I should try to stay as active as I can. Taking walks, working on an elliptical, etc. She says that the more active I am the better I will do on chemo and I will recover better after it ends. I took that to heart and thought that perhaps I should try to soldier on but the disability specialist at work mentioned the importance of having options. I agree so I'm going to take a break.

Had AC #3 yesterday. They had a young nurse doing the iv's and she failed 2 two of them. And they hurt. Finally she called an older lady that used to be a phlebotomist and she did the iv like the old pro she is. Why this women didn't do it in the first place was beyond me but I didn't say anything and tried to encourage the young nurse. But I hate being hurt for nothing and I have a big bruise on my hand. Anyway, my blood counts were okay but my white cells were very high because of the neulasta. I asked her (hopefully) if maybe we could skip the next one but she said no. Everything was pretty much as before and I stayed busier than usual the rest of the day -- I think that was due to the steroids. Only one more AC to go and then on to DD taxol. Forgot to ask about the 12 week taxol, if that was an option, since I've read that studies show it was as effective as dd with less side effects. However, the thought of doing chemo 12 weeks in a row as opposed to 4 times in 8 weeks is making me think of not asking after all. I feel pretty good, never had problems with aches, nausea, just the fatigue that has been getting worse over the last couple weeks. Hope everyone is tolerating chemo better.

smrlvr

Deb - I understand completely how you feel about being a loaner. When I was first DX I wanted my life back; now that I have started chemo and don't feel myself I don't even know what that is, I just want to stay home! protected. I know by the end of thanksgiving weekend I will have lost my hair, which is another reason I will want to stay home. But eventually I will have to go back to work.

2timer - since you are on AC #3, are the side effects the same after every treatment? My first infusion was on Monday and I have had a headache and nausea all week, finally getting better today.

I hope all you brave ladies can have a nice thanksgiving, with minimal side effects.

lgkgde13

ok so I was having a down week...emotionally and I guess bc I was still pretty fatigued. I think depression might have set in a bit. Today though I woke up with resolve to get out of house. Of course feeling better so that helps. I went to the movies by myself today to see hunger games catching fire. I really wanted to see it and no time this weekend since we have kids and then treatment on Tuesday. I am a little bit proud of myself.

Thinking about everyone and hoping SEs resolve quickly.

SchoolCounselor

I have not been to work since early sept. In fact I just got a call from work asking if I thought I would be back in February. I said unlikely because my exchange is 6 weeks past my last chemo. There is no such thing as part time at my job. I also am in a school surrounded by sick people. I am also starting the Livestrong program in January. It is a 12 week exercise program for cancer survivors and I am really looking forward to it!

I want to return as whole as I can.

I got the neulasta shot today , took Claritin do while I can feel it in my bones it's not so terribly achy.

I went out for three hours today, which included walking the mall, buying boots and picking up some things from Trader Joe.

I am pooped, I have also lost my tastebuds,fun!!!

I too am enjoying being alone, but when I find myself slipping too far I call my therapist, for a quick chat and then I am okay again.

Hope you are all planning on having a great weekend. What are your plans for thanksgiving?

VintageGal1111

DebDylan & all

Awh sorry....

I know where you're coming from. I am finding I push myself (force myself) to be social. I want to just be home, resting when I have to, puttering around, cooking & baking when I feel ok. I have a couple friends & my sister who do what they can, text, email, stop by, ask if I want to hang out but for the most part I don't care to do anything. I don't think I am depressed, not feeling like that but like you just not wanting to be with people.

I do think part of it is that as well meaning as our friends & family are they really *don't get it*.