Starting Chemo in April 2014

clarrn

Timbuktu- sorry I am AC right now and then will begin the weekly Taxol.  I am not sure how to put that in there.  I will be looking at the weekly Taxol thread to see how people manage the bone pain. 

Swissmiss- I feel like it gets harder too.  One more of these.   We will do it.  Hugs!

MakeLemonade

Happy Mothers Day to all! My older son and hubby took me out to dinner last night to avoid some of the crowds.  It was nice even though I couldn't eat it all. Made a nice lunch today :-). Was exhausted by the time we got home, but glad I went.  

Sorry to all that are experiencing bad or more SE this time around :-(

I am on day 6 of my second A/C treatment. Other than the Big C (working on that one), and being more tired than the first time, I don't have too many SE, thank goodness.  Was worried about nausea but started the anti nausea meds sooner and seem to have it under control. Water tastes thick somehow, but am doctoring it up with either Crystal Light or cutting it with some juice.  Seems to help.  Not all foods appeal to me, but better than the first time, so keeping fingers crossed!

Next is to keep me out of the hospital this time on day 8 :-)  

SO glad I got my head buzzed as I could not STAND the hair absolutely EVERYWHERE - Timbuktu if your hair is starting to come out, sorry, but I doubt it will last the week :-(  You might want to bite the bullet, get it buzzed and get used to your wig.  No one can tell when I am wearing my wig - some say it looks better than my own hair - have to agree :-)

Called my mom, spoke to my other son who is too far away to visit, now time for my first afternoon nap :-). Hats (wig) off to those of you able to walk a couple of miles .... I feel like I have run a mile just going up and down the stairs :-)

jhodro

Clarrn: I am on weekly Taxol and I don't experience any bone pain. Many other SE's, that I'd generally say are more annoying than anything, but no bone pain. I'm not sure if it's different if you've already done AC or some other cocktail.

Hope that helps!!

Footballnut

hi all!

Thanks for your kind words. Now that I'm buzzed I'm cool with it. My scalp is so itchy this evening!  It's driving me nuts!!!

I feel strange that so far my SEs have been what I would consider minimal. I'm on day 12 now and I've felt awesome since last Thursday including  today. I've been walking a lot including 4 miles today

When I look at life after my first round of chemo I seemed to have had SEs for the first 8 days starting with nausea and a bit of vomiting with fatigue to being wired for a couple days to stomach cramping. Since  this past Wednesday I have felt awesome. The only new thing is the itchy scalp but once I put conditioner on it it calms down. Even when I felt wired I was still able to go out with friends. 

I hope that my SEs stay like this bit after reading what may of you are managing through I suspect that after my 2 nd round on May 21 things might change

I wish you all minimal SEs and the best of health. We will all get through this!! 

Longislandl8y

Yes Nana & Swissmiss, I agree.  Round two was worse than round one.  I called my MO and they prescribed another medicine to help.  I didn't actually take it because by the time I got it I was feeling better, but will definitely take it next round.  The nurse said she was really happy I called.  They have a bunch of tricks up their sleeves to help us, so please don't hesitate to call them.  I have been feeling so good this past week, I almost forgot I had cancer Participated in a Hike for Life yesterday and hiked over two hours at a ridiculously fast pace.  My feet have suffered big time, specifically two bad toe injuries, but that will heal.  It was very empowering to be out doing that, and also to be supporting the NY Blood Center.  I raised $150 too! I hope everyone had a great Mothers Day! Hubby and I went to an organic farm and bought organic starter vegetable plants and started our garden.  I think it is going to be a lot easier to combat the next 4 rounds now that the nice weather is finally here and spring (the season of hope) is in full gear.  Hope everyone is feeling well, and has a good week ahead.

 

 

ColdInCanada

Happy Mother's Day to all you Super Hero Moms!

YES, to the SEs being worse with Round 2. For me, it's the FATIGUE that is hanging on . I swear I could sleep all day long if it wasn't for, you know, LIFE. And my muscles seem to tire out more quickly too. I walked 2 miles on the treadmill last night, and my muscles were crying by the end. In my "Before", I used to RUN 3 miles as a WARM-UP. Now, as Lemonade pointed out, walking up the stairs exhausts me. I feel like an aged version of myself. My husband's 100-year-old Grandmother could probably take me in a race right now.

Footballnut & EverForward: You Ladies, look AMAZING. You beautiful, beautiful women! Isn't it remarkable how much bigger and striking our eyes look when the hair is gone?

Regarding periods: I got mine THE DAY AFTER Round 1 (I KNOW, right? Blah). It was much heavier than normal, but it only lasted 7 days, and I haven't see it since. A word of advice, although maybe you all already know this. I was told NOT to use tampons - apparently they are bacteria factories. Which makes me hope EVEN MORE that my period will just stay away until chemo is done. Cuz heavy bleeding + pads only = annoying and gross and all-around pain in the rear. 

Sunshine: THANK YOU for the response regarding the eye twitching. I thought I was going crazy! It has almost disappeared now, but Round 3 is this Friday, so I'm guessing I'll be all twitchy again next weekend. I'll take that over the nausea though. 

Well, I'm heading into my "Good Week", and the weather looks like it's going to be beautiful! I'm TRYING to enjoy it, but pre-chemo anxiety is setting in. I DO NOT want to do this again. Bah. I think I'm going to go watch some guilty pleasure TV (Ghost Whisperer) and knit something silly. Like a fake boob for myself. And then I'll embroider my husband's name on it and call it a tattoo.

Have a great night all! 

Jaimieh

well the night before chemo # 2 and I now can't sleep. . Grrr. 

My head has started itching which is a sign of things to come . I almost think the time leading up to the hsir loss is worse than when it actually happens. Once it starts I just want it gone  I did promise my kids that they could shave it. 

My hair coverage stuff is all ready. I am going to purchase a new wig but I am waiting until my hair is gone. The stinky part is this week my daughter has a solo in the school musical on my bad day. I am determined that I am going to make it no matter what. 

Eye twitching is VERY common on TC and the majority of the time goes away pretty quickly once TC is done as long as your tear ducts are not clogged. 

Off to eat yet again. I feel like a pregnant lady rather than someone going thru chemo. 

clarrn

Thanks jhodro- good to hear something less scary about my next drug cocktail

Coldincan-  lol... Love that you are going to embroider his name on it  If I had a foob I would steal your idea.

Timbuktu

I can't sleep either.  I think I'm addicted to the xanax and ativan that I've been taking to get to sleep, I'm trying not to take it tonight.

I'm dreading that second round too,  Knowing what awaits is hard.

And the hair situation makes it all too real.  As long as I look kind of normal I can deny what's going on.  But soon that will be impossible.

Can't complain about how i feel physically although I was more tired today.  It's more the dread of what's to come.  And for some reason I ate like a pig today.  Have to stop that!

I gained 60  pounds the last time I had chemo and I still have 35 to lose.  Just the extra weight causes such fatigue!  This time around I haven't been hungry at all.  But it was Mother's day and for some reason I thought food would be a treat.  Now it's 3 am and my stomach is still stuffed.

Back on the wagon tomorrow!

linda505

Morning all, Hope all you mothers had  nice mother's day - I did - my daughter came to visit and we had a very nice dinner.  The one thing that I really didn't experience yet was a change in taste or loss of appetitie.  The only thing that has tasted vaguely odd is iced tea - for some reason it tastes like fish LOL.  In general I have felt pretty good so far for the first treatment.  Constipation initially that took 5 days for me to get it resolved, achyness and fatigue that comes and goes.  The worst one, because it scares me, has been the on and off neuropathy in my hands and feet - was worse the first 4 days after treatment but still shows up now and then.  I did have one day - last Friday that I felt  suddenly like the dementors had swooped over me  and sucked all the joy and life out of me.   I believe I had hit nadir with red blood cells.  That resolved the next day.  I have tried to walk everyday and I think it helps.  I am hoping to have a good week this week leading up to tx 2.  Hope you all have many SE days and that the ones you have are manageable. 

Timbuktu

The neuropathy was horrible for me too for a few days but thank goodness it seems to have gone now on day l4 of the first infusion.  The red blood cells must be low on me too,  We can't see it but we can feel it.

Have to keep reminding myself that this is temporary.

linda505

Just reread my post LOL  - hope you ALL realize that I was wishing that you all "have many SE FREE days"  not many SE days - ughh.  I am blaming that post on chemo brain

clarrn

I was just dreaming that I was at work and then I got called in real life to pick up a shift.  Lol.  It did make me feel normal for a second  How I wish I was well enough to do 

Tinkerbells

3rd AC really hit me hard. Had a tough Mother's Day. Bone pain, nausea, the works. First 2 went very well. One more to go- hoping the last AC will be better. Anyone in the same boat? Can anyone offer if taxol will treat me better? Usually very optimistic but having a pity party this week. Trying to hold it together for everyone is not easy when you feel lousy. Praying for us all to get through this and never, ever have to do it again.

Footballnut

hello all

Beautiful day today and it was such a great weekend. My DH and I volunteered at a BBQ at Erin mills Mazda this past Saturday in support of the cdn breast cancer foundation. It was awesome. I met atleast 3 survivors with great stories! Do inspirational!

The gm of my company really pissed me off last fri When I checked my wmd he sent me a request at 7:30 in the morning to connect with him on linkedin. For those of u not familiar with this it is a networking tool for business. When u send a request to connect with someone a default message appears which can be changed. He didn't even bother to change it. I haven't heard from him since starting my std then receive that. I may not have minded as much had he changed the default message to atleast say how are u doing? I got do mad!!

Other than that my scalp drive me wacko last night with itching. After applying a cold compress it seemed to calm down instantly. Day 13 today and STP have my hair. Fall out already !!

I drank a cup of non sweetened cranberry juice this morning. Ugh ! That was disgusting! I plan on drinking a cup 4 x a week and it will NOT be fun!!

I hope that everyone has a great day today! I'm off to walk then go boob shopping!! Lol

Tinkerbells

I find cold helps scalp itch- keeping room frozen at night works. Keep head exposed as much as possible during day. What is cranberry juice for? Unsweetened sounds tough!

Tinkerbells

completely agree with rbc comment- since I got period before round 3, my counts were low and I think that's what knocked me out this time.

Longislandl8y

Ms. Caruso sorry to hear you're having a tough time.  Pity Parties are definitely allowable, and we can depend on each other to sympathize and offer support.  You will be feeling much better in just a couple of days.  My 2nd infusion two weeks ago was tough and I'm already getting a little anxious thinking about next week's.  You should let your doctor know though because he/she might have something they can do for your next infusion.  My doctor ordered me decadron for my next, hoping to ward off the seemingly endless days of nausea that Zofran alone didn't combat.  The only other thing that has helped me is fresh air.  I have noticed that when I'm outside in the air my nausea lifts a bit.  I hope you have a good day and show signs of improvement with the SEs today. 

Swissmiss

linda505...I love your reference to dementors.  It is about the best description of how I've been feeling lately.  Running the risk of sounding overly dramatic, it seems like the joy of life just was sucked out of me after my third round last week.  Fatigue, nausea, aches, the bald head, everything is just taking over.  

footballnut...what is the unsweetened cranberry juice for?  

I'm hoping one more day of lazing around the house will get me going on my "good" week.  Best to you all!

Golfingirl

Hello everyone! I'm back.I tried to get caught up on all the posts. I hope everyone is hanging in there.

I had round two on May 2nd and am back at work today. Pretty similar to round one for me with more nausea. I didn't pass out this time but almost did on the same day at about the same time. Cold sweat, extreme nausea, profoundly weak. Felt like I was dying. So scary. Lasted about 30 min until it started to settle down. But it did. Very shaky, weak. Had some water and chicken broth. Spent the next three days in bed or on the couch.

But I'm up and about now. I actually walked the Race for the Cure 5K on Saturday with my husband and best friend. It was tough but I did it. Ran a marathon last year. Strange to barely walk 3 miles now. Glad I did the walk though. Very inspiring. I ran it several years in honour of my mom who had breast cancer.

Anyone else out there experience the presyncope (feeling like passing out) or heart arrhythmias or dizziness? That's by far the worse side effect for me. My oncologist will send me to a cardiologist to wear an event monitor to monitor my heart rhythms. I'm a Cardiac Intensive Care nurse so I understand all of this quite well but dhaven't heard of anyone else experiencing these side effects. I was told they are very rare.

Thanks everyone!

Laura

Footballnut

hi there 

A friend  of mine suggested that I start drinking cranberry juice years ago since she said that it's good for the digestive system. I've also read a lot about the benefits of cranberry juice so I thought that is give it a try

Eeeeew!!!

Lol

Timbuktu

When I was on CMF two years ago, i would sometimes get the feeling that my heart would stop,  They took out the floricil as that can effect the heart and put me on a Holter monitor and gave me a stress test.  They both were normal so they put the floricil back in the mix.

Once they gave me IV steroids and my heart when crazy.  I thought it would explode. It was very painful and my blood pressure shot through the roof.  It passed with the steroids.

Now, on day 14 of my first TC infusion I feel really exhausted.  Things have been ok until now but this is a little bit beyond the pale,  I'm trying to sleep but it does feel more like passing out and I can't sleep because it's a frightening feeling.  I'm guessing it may be my hemoglobin is down..

Running a 5k is quite a feat given what these chemicals do to us.  I want to push myself too but I wonder if it's really the best thing to do.

merg

Hey Ya'll. I went to the Look Good, Feel Better workshop today. It was ok. I was the only one there so I got individual attention. The makeup was a mix of high & low end brands. So I go tomorrow for some lab work. Next week is round 2. I am dreading it, ALOT. So I am going to enjoy this week. Have an easy day today Ya'll. P.S. I love your name, Everforward!  

Longislandl8y

Exercise is a wonderful thing.  IF our bodies are up to the task.  If they are not, then it becomes an additional stress which will hurt us.  If we listen to our bodies we know when we need to lighten up or stop.  That's what happened on my hike Saturday.  I got to a point where I knew I had to stop.  I had the little stubborn voice in my head trying to push me to finish, but I was feeling dizzy and over exhausted.  Sometimes just a walk to the mailbox or around the block is all we can achieve.  And that's okay.  We have a serious job on our hands right now of taking care of our bodies through this onslaught of disease and poison, so please let's not push ourselves too much.  What I'm doing is exercising on my two good weeks,  trying to get in three days of solid exercise a week.  The other days we rest.  We eat right when we can too.  And when we feel like crap, we do whatever it takes to help ourselves feel better.  For me, it's doing a complete 180 of my normal diet/exercise lifestyle.  And that's okay too.  We need to baby ourselves to get through the SEs.

mmtagirl

That awkward moment when....

I put on my sporty Rachel wig and realize I look just like Phyliss Diller in red hair before heading out to a mother's day bbq....

I still have to brush off the 1/4 in hairs from my face each morning that seem to survive my bald head.....my bald is no longer beautiful....

I BELCH really LOUD out of nowhere in the stairwell at work and hope no one could hear me.......

I left my purse and all it's contents in the work cafeteria and don't recall I even brought it with me until it is returned.....

I lay down on the couch at 6pm after dinner, wake up at 7:30 and go to bed for the night at 10pm and still don't want to get up in the morning.....

I feel as old as the elderly sitting beside me getting my weekly lab work done.....

Yep, that has been me the past 24 hours....and, I too, used to run 3 miles for a warm up.  I feel like a shriveled up old lady now....even with the very smooth skin (one good thing from the chemo!)

7 days past round 2.  Getting off the Taxotere helped with the GI issues and food tastes moderately better.  However, it's either the change to Adriamycin or the cumulative effects but I am MUCH more fatigued mentally and physically this round.  And, chemo brain is real!  My muscles do feel much more achy and weakened than round 1.  But, I am not in the hospital at the same time I was for round 1 so this is a very special silver lining!

linda505

MMTagirl - I know some of this is really not funny but you made me Laugh out Loud and I can soooooo relate

mikishelley

Mommy Q - I am over at St John's Clayton/Clarkson.

I made it through the no WBC scare! I was sure I would be headed straight for the hospital, but instead I isolated myself in my room and washed my hands like a surgeon. It worked.

Footballnut

longisland so true re exercise

Mmtagirl same as Linda. You had me laughing. Not at you - just how you expressed everything. I am with you!

Gotta laugh at everything as much as possible

I started reading stuff on the internet today and got myself down. I know - stay off it!!

LovebeingNana

mmtagirl - I am with you. 

Mikishelley - I'm glad you didn't have to go to the hospital. 

Footballnut - I am making myself stay off the internet - except here - no good found there. 

So after round 2 physically I am actually feeling a bit better than at the same time after round 1. BUT I AM AN EMOTIONAL WRECK!

This is day 5 post round 2 and I worked today and didn't have to take anything for headache or anything else. I called my husband though and could not stop crying which really is not like me. It takes very little to get me going again….just sad and overwhelmed. I feel like I have no control. I had some of this after round 1 but it's worse this time. 

linda505

Lovebeingnana - I had one of those days yesterday - cried for absolutely no good reason multiple times and I was physically feeling good.  This stuff messes with our hormones and I guess it should be expected but dang.   I know crying releases stress hormones and toxins from our bodies so I really think it is our bodies way to get rid of this negative stuff so I just let them flow when they start.  I do actually feel better after a good cry.

Day 14 after my first treatment and headed in for my blood tests today - will be curious to see where my counts are.  Day 7 they were all normal.  Looking forward to having a good week before my next treatment on the 20th.   Here is to few and manageable SE for all - and many many SE days.