October 2013 Chemotherapy

TeamKim

Pat -- in addition to the wonderful supporters here on chemo October, check out the TC thread on the chemo forum -- disregard the date on it, it's active. Good peeps and tons of info!

peanutsmom13

TeamKim: We have alot in common. I'm from the So.Bay in SOCAL. Had 1st Cytoxen/Taxotere on Sept.16. One down 3 to go. Every 3 weeks. Upset stomach night of, but felt ok next day. Have been feeling okay since. Yesterday noticed hair falling out. Anyone out there have suggestions on handling the emotions with hair loss? How soon should I start wearing a hat. Never liked hats, but I do have one when it becomes necessary. Always wore my hair very short pixie cut. Afraid to scratch my head thinking only more falls out. UGH!  Let's fight this MF'r . I don't feel sick, I don't look sick, but greatly concerned about hair loss. I'm cancer free & the chemo followed by radiaiton is designed to keep me that way since I'm triple neg and (almost) 61 y.o.   My birthday is Oct. 2 and boy do I plan to celebrate!!! Good luck to everyone and let's fight the good fight!

peanutsmom13

YA KNOW JENNh8Ii HAVE BEEN FEELING THE SAME AS YOU. ONE DAY I'M GREAT, DON'T THINK OF MY MEDICAL SITUATION, THEN THE NEXT DAY IT HITS ME......WOW I HAD  BREAST CANCER!   NEVER THOUGHT I'D BE A MEMBER OF A GROUP THAT YOU HAVE TO BE QUALIFIED TO JOIN, UNLIKE OTHERS THAT DON'T HAVE THE CANCER AND THEREFORE UNQUALIFIED. MIXED EMOTIONS RUN PREVALENT WITH ME. NOT SURE IF I'M HANDLING THINGS THE WAY I SHOULD, BUT THEN AGAIN WHO CARES.  I'LL DO AS WELL AS I CAN AND THEN SOME. QUE SERA SERA. GOOD LUCK TO  EVERYONE AND LET'S FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT.

ML40

Hi ladies just a quick check-in haven't read any post today. Premed Nausea meds worked too well and gave me so much energy. I walked fours miles this morning instead of my normal 2.5 miles, went to the beach to meditate, went to the chemo session, afterwards bought my Pandora bracelet. Eat dinner (salmon, rice and veggies and made my favorite red velvet cup cakes. B4 I left my chemo session I asked the drs to give me a sleeping meds to help me sleep and might ask them to adjust the prescription. Dr said SE might start around Thursday, this is the one time I hope he's wrong. Thank you for all your encouragement- now I'm going to sleep after staying wide awake for 39 hours. Goodnight

lgkgde13

ML40-  Glad to hear that everything went OK and hoping for no SEs for you.

I am off to chemo this afternoon...I slept last night which I find amazing b/c I thought I would be up all night.  All of this is just exhausting!

wrenn

I hope your MO can give you an answer DebD. All I know about neuropathy is that I have it in my thigh from surgery and my GP told me to be sure to mention it to the MO because chemo would likely cause more (temporary) neuropathy. I'm not sure what they can do about it but it really is painful. Hope you get some answers soon.

Jaybird26

Ladies please I need some guidance. My MO states that she feels that I can get cmf with all of my numbers. My family some who are also physicians believe that since I am young I should get the more aggressive act. I start chemo tomorrow and still feel in the dark. Don't know what to do. Please help me if you can. I am freaking out

ML40

DebD sorry your not feeling well, are you taking Claritin for your pre-existing neuropathy? the ladies in the Sept group recommend it. Hope you get answers soon. Drink plenty of water and try to walk a little. Jay bird that sounds scary, talk to your MO again and let your MO you would like to try a more aggressive route since your young, MO should give you more reason for why or why not take that route. If you still don't feel comfortable have your family member there w/the medical background help you with your questioning (use speaker phone) I had a second opinion separate from the military hospital, which gave me peace of mind that I was taking the right chemo. Just my food for thought. Let us know how it goes

sebaroni

Good Morning! Just popped in to wish you all the best. I finished on September 11th after 4 treatments of A/C and 4 Taxol. I started May 28th. You can make it through!!!

Suzan

Macy187833

Jaybird, I sent you a PM. I am also doing CMF and yes, my cancer was aggressive. I also start in October, next week to be exact. I've been away doing some other, fun stuff but look forward to participating more in this thread. 

SyrMom

Question - has anyone experience any hand/foot syndrome being on taxol ... skin issues, burning, peeling, etc?  I went through h*ll with that while on Xeloda and today felt like one of my heels was sensitive and heading in that direction.  It might be the skin is irritated due to having my feet on ice yesterday during the infusion & having just dealt with that on Xeloda; perhaps the skin is real sensitive yet.

Palameda

Ugh, drat, shucks. Went for port placement surgery this morning. Incision area of my boob had gotten hard and red over the weekend, I'd guessed lymphedema. Nope, infection. My surgery was changed to opening the girl up and cleaning it out. Criminy, I've had an infection in there for 6 weeks!!! I so thought I was healed and able for the next step! At least I was already set for surgery, but now I have to go back later for another one to get the port. I begged them to put the port in too, but no dice. Sigh.

Pam358

Travlmom - mmmmm Pumpkin Spice Latte's one of my favorites.

ML40 - sounds like a good weekend with your kids even though it was emotional. I think it's great that your daughter is doing a speech on your type of breast cancer. It's a good way to take a little control of it by learning more about it. So glad to hear you were able to still get your Pandora bracelet.

KKMattie - it sounds like you are doing well after your sugergy.  As for being scared - I think we all seem to have that in common. Some days we hide it and other days we don't.  No need to hide it here - we understand.

Jaybird - your head must just be spinning. Thinking of you as you make this difficult decision.

Denise - so glad you get to enjoy your daughter's wedding chemo free.  For some of us our ACT will be dose dense, meaning every two weeks.

Welcome PeanutsMom!

Macy - glad to hear you are fitting in some fun stuff.

Syrmom - welcome - sorry I can't help with your question.

As for neuropathy there is a supplement, L-glutamine, that is suppose to help.  It's also supposed to help prevent/help heal mouth sores.  When I asked my MO he was fine with me taking it so he must feel it will be helpful.  There was something else he wasn't convinced about so wanted me to hold off, so I know he is thinking about what he is approving and what he is not.

Last week and this week seem to be my best post-surgery pre-chemo days and I'm enjoying the wonderful Fall weather.  I am trying to be fully aware and thankful for every non-nauseaus, non tingling moment and take advantage of each day.

Someone said to me recently "You have a good attitude, it will all go well!"  "Attitude is everything!"  I just wanted to say "NO, it's not!"  Yes, attitude is a part of all of this but there is a lot more -  it's good decision-making, advocating for ourselves, educating ourselves, dealing with our emotions, dealing with the physical pain and SE of surgery and treatment, it's wanting to scream but keeping it in so it doesn't disturb others in the grocery store, it's dealing with insurance companies, watching your hair fall out and trying not to freak out, it's buying head gear we don't want to wear any, it's getting out of bed when you want to hide and a thousand other things. This surviving and thriving stuff takes a lot of work!!

And my new line for all those who ask "So, how are you?" and you know they don't really want all the details, but I don't want to just say fine when I'm not.  "I'm doing the best I can every day."

Kiko

Hi ladies!

I am also one if the newbie at October group! My chemo will start tomorrow !

I am scared it's the A/C regimen ! Have been told I am going to stay for 5 hours on my first day of chemo!

Plz keep me in your prayers.

Aibarbol

Hello Wrenn; i wanted to reply to your comment because i had my bilateral mastectomy on August 16, 2013. We have something big in common. I hope you can reply to me

sebaroni

Syrmom - Are you taking steroids the night before and the day of the Taxol treatments? That is supposed to take away the skin issues you describe.

Kiko - Not gonna lie, the A/C regimen can be tough. I spent the 1st 48 hours  after each one basically in a coma. One time I slept 32 out of 38 hours. Sure helped me get through it, though. If you have not asked your MO for Ativan, please ask about it. It will help with nausea and help you sleep off the SEs.

Pam358 - You are right, attitude is not everything. Education is very important. Ask lots of questions and make decisions that are right for you. Remember the doctors can only personalize your treatment so much. Lots of stuff they do just as a matter of protocol. I made sure to ask about every drug they were giving and why it was necessary. For instance, I did not like the side effects of the Decadron they give to help the anti-nausea meds during the AC treatments. Since I am not a nausea person overall, I refused those. You have to be your own advocate!!

Did you all know that chemo will mimic pregnancy in terms of side effects? If you had morning sickness during pregnancy, you may have a harder time with the nausea during treatment.

I wish the best for those of you starting down this road.

Suzan

SpecialK

ML40 - Claritin won't help neuropathy - only prescription drugs like Lyrica or Neurontin will help.  Claritin is for Neulasta related bone pain, but it does not affect neural pathways for something like neuropathy.

Kiko

Hey seborani! Plz tell me something more about it ! Well my pregnancies were quite smooth not much of morning sickness altogether.

I am so scared !

Kiko

wrenn

Aibarbol, I'm interested in hearing how your surgery went and how you are feeling now if you feel like sharing.

Patalameda, I am frustrated on your behalf. What an awful thing to have happen. Seems never ending doesn't it?

sebaroni

Kiko - I understand. All this stuff is so unknown. I was scared, too. It's great that you have reached out the message boards here. There is a lot of good information to be found from those of us who have gone before.

I can tell you that if you had easy pregnacies, you should not have it as bad as those who didn't. My MO told me that women who drank have a little easier time, too. But that is not to say that it will not be hard. The best advice I can offer you is to be prepared. Have remedies for side effects on hand BEFORE you start. Know that chemo is going to dry you out something awful. Make sure you are drinking lots of fluids and eating things high in water content. Watermelon is the best for those few days after the treatment. I think it is still in stores. I highly recommend having it in the fridge.

I make chemo-kits for new patients at the cancer center and in the support group I attend. A few things that are in my kits that will make you more comfortable are: a good lip balm (I recommend Avon Care Deeply), an extra soft toothbrush, CeraVe hydrating body wash and hydrating cream and Biotene mouthwash. There are other products you will need for side effects and I think there is a thread on here that lists them all in detail.

If you are curious about my personal journey through this, you can read the blog I have to keep my family and friends in the loop. You can find it at www.sebaroni.wordpress.com

SyrMom

Sebaroni, I rec. 20mg of sterioid in my premeds ... how much is suppose to prevent skin issues?  Nothing said about the night before. 

JennH8

I saw mention of SEs from chemo?  Can someone tell me what that is. 

SyrMom

JennH8 ... side effects

sebaroni

The way my MO office does it, I took 5-4mg (I think, I don't have the bottle anymore) pills of a steroid 12 hours before treatment and then again 6 hours before treatment. They gave me another dose in the IV with Benadryl prior to the Taxol. I was very anti-steroid, but when I asked about it during the Taxol the chemo nurse said it is was specifically for the skin issues. She told me they had patients refuse them and they ended up like you with skin problems that landed them with a steroid course of 2 weeks to clear it up. When I did some further reading about the effects of Taxol, (a great website for that is the one run by the Scott Hamilton Foundation) it said it will affect the skin in the first 3- 6 hours following treatment and that is why my doctors load up their patients on steroids the night before and during the IV infusion. I have very sensitive skin, which is why I agreed to steroids during that course. It worked, I had no issues at all. And believe me, if there were skin side effects, I would get them. You may want to ask your chemo nurses about it. I know all MOs are different (even within the same office) but that is what mine did.

LiLi1964

Well, Ladies, I got a response from MO on a few things:  the reason no biopsy was done on right nodes is the Radiologist did not feel she could get anything reliably via simple needle biopsy.  MO and BS discussed further later on Thurs after I had left and it was told to me today that they want me in surgery to get node(s) removed – unclear how many but sounds like one or a few – waiting for BS office to call me to arrange.    They feel better getting tissue out that can be properly and fully biopsied so we know what we’re dealing with. Since I’ll be there and be put under, I’ll likely just have them put in a darn port right away and be done with it (if chemo doesn’t agree w/my veins, I don’t want to go in for ANOTHER surgery!).  MO is fine w/delaying chemo another week until we can get all the info possible from surgery and Cardiology.  She assured me it would not put me in any danger of relapse – not to worry about going beyond the 8 week period.  Better to have all the info before chemo starts. 

My mastectomy specimens were examined for hormone testing and it is verified that I am Triple Negative – all mastectomy tissues came back exactly the same as the miniscule biopsy tissues.  So we are certain what we’re dealing with there. 

My blood work I had done prior to when chemo was to start 9/26 is showing I am “mildly” anemic (no surprise there).  She will watch that closely as we get chemotherapy started.  All other functions looked well (finally some good news!). 

So, looks like I’m back in for surgery – I don’t know when.  But I am on the schedule to begin chemo 10/10 barring any delays w/surgery scheduling. 

Chatted w/my family doc and she is not of the same mind as me regarding not using Adriamycin.  She said I need to make sure I listen carefully to what Cardiology can do to protect my heart and then I need to think long and hard about following the recommendations of MO – she seems much more concerned w/my cancer than my heart (makes me wonder if there is something I don’t know here????).  So, that’s right, I’m on the fence again as to what therapy….AC/T or TC.  I’ll see what Cardiologist says tomorrow.  Then listen to what MO says after she gets recommendation from Cardiology.  This is all so much to take in; I find myself having a little pity party too often and keep having an annoying and unrealistic thought go thru my head again and again – “I want my old life back” – even though I know that is impossible.  

So, I’m conflicted once again.  Thought my decision was sound but now I’m worried how my family doctor was really concerned I’m making a poor decision.  I’ll keep an open mind and listen to what is put in front of me this next week and decide as best I can from that. 

ML40 – so glad you got thru that first chemo relatively well!  Search and Destroy!!!!!

Deb – see PM I sent and I’m watching for your reply. 

All others – I’m sorry but this thread has gotten so big, even in the last few days I’ve not posted, I wish everyone beginning chemo the best possible outcome and may your SE’s be minimal.  To all those dealing with the emotional issues, may calm come over you as your time draws near.  To those who’ve had set-backs, my heart goes out to you (and I see I have company in that arena).  And may we all remain strong and positive and know we are among friends here that we can endure what comes our way and reach out to one another to help us thru the bad times! 

God Bless!

Jaybird26

Chemotherapy here I come tomorrow at 12:00. Just don't know if it will be ACT or CMF. I hope that everyone is doing the best they can with what is on your plate. I hope you all sleep well and have sweet dreams about what you want to do whentthis is behind you. Janet

wrenn

Good luck tomorrow Jaybird. I hope it all goes well

SyrMom

Sebaroni ... thanks, I'll look into the steroid info.

lgkgde13

Just checking in after my first AC treatment. It will be dose dense every 2 weeks. So far slightly nauseous. Popsicle did wonders for that. Drank alot of water yesterday and today and still have some dry mouth and taste changes. Trouble swallowing a bit bc mouth was dry. Head feels a little odd but tolerable. Nothing that I can't handle so far. I go back for Neulasta tomorrow. One down and 3 to go we can do this ladies!



See many new names on list, hang in there everyone. I will be thinking of you.



Jaybird -will be thinking of you tomorrow. I have to admit it wasnt as bad as I thought it would be today.



Lili- thinking of you. It is So hard with all these twists and turns. Hang in. I believe that Knowledge is power and u seem to have that and from you posts a great sense of calmness about you which is inspiring.

mc_in_nc

Hi -  I started my first treatment Sept. 17th and scheduled for treatment two on Oct. 8th.  So far, I've handled everything ok, no nausea.  I did have crazy insomnia  thet first few days after chemo, but I think it was caused from the nausea meds more so than chemo?!?!  One tip... if you are taking the nuelasta shot the day after chemo, start taking claritan the day before, day of, and 2-3 days after to ease on the aches and pain.  I did not do this, but learned of this from another chemo patient and will plan to do so next week.