Chemo in May 2014

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  • Lakegirl1
    Lakegirl1 Member Posts: 316
    edited May 2014

    Chev0814... Thank you ...that makes me feel better.  I have a couple of things to tie up at work, but will need a day or two next week.

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  • Kelly5757
    Kelly5757 Member Posts: 12
    edited May 2014

    Hi Ladies, thank you so much for the advice and great information.

    debiann I'm so happy to hear that your treament went well and some lovley gifts to top it off.

    I had my first treatment today and everything went very well. No SE so far. Keeping this short been kind of a long day. Taking care of my 77 year old Mom who has NHL and numerous other health issues. She wanted to be here with me for my first chemo but she needs a lot more care than I do. I love her and I'm so grateful to have her still here with us. She has lived far beyond her Dr's said she would.

    Hope all is well with everyone tonight. Sleep well and Gods Blessings to all.

    Kelly

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  • writinghelps
    writinghelps Member Posts: 88
    edited May 2014


    Hi, I'm Wendy. I just got my schedule today.  I thought I would start in June but they moved it up to May 20th.  I'll be doing 4 rounds of TC.

    I am glad to have the support here but wish it was for something a bit more pleasant like an addiction to puppy cuteness.   

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  • debiann
    debiann Member Posts: 1,200
    edited May 2014

    Welcome Wendy. I'm sure we can diverge and chat about puppies too, much better topic than the other crap we are going through.

    Kelly, glad your first day went well and your mother could be there with you. My husband came with me, but he's not used to hospitals. He looked so worried I sent him home. It was alot easier to entertain myself without him staring at me.

    Today is the first day after for me. I was able to go to work. So far the only SEs are to the steroids, an acid stomach and hot flashes for a couple hours after. Got the neulasta shot today. My MO asked me not to pretreat with the clariton the first time to see how I react. Anyone know how so after the bone aches start?


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  • linda505
    linda505 Member Posts: 847
    edited May 2014

    Hi debiann - I did the shot on a Thursday am and I started to have minimal bone pain on Monday and it lasted on and off thru thursday of the following week.  I was never really bad - but I did take aleve for it for a couple days which helped.    I did the claritan so I don't know if it would have been the same with or without.  I did the claritan for 10 days.   The oddest and scariest pain I had was in my sternum.  For a few minutes I kind of thought -oh I am having a heart attack -then I realized it was the same bone ache I was having elsewhere and made the connection.  Nurse confirmed on my next blood test that some get sternum pain for the shot.

    I kind of wished I hadn't done the claritan just to see how it would have gone.   Good luck to you.

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  • debiann
    debiann Member Posts: 1,200
    edited May 2014

    Linda, did you take your shot in the arm or the stomach? I was offered both but told it didn't make a difference. I chose arm. When I got home I read that you can avoid some shoulder-chest pain by getting in the stomach. 

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  • linda505
    linda505 Member Posts: 847
    edited May 2014

    I got it in the arm - interesting about the stomach thing..  I will ask about that next time.   Thanks.  

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  • debiann
    debiann Member Posts: 1,200
    edited May 2014

    When chemo is finished I will be heading back to surgery due to "close margins". I could do another lump with rads, as was the orginal plan, or mx with no rads. I am considering bmx with DIEP reconstruction so I can avoid radiation and reduce the risk of local recurrance as much as possible. I will be getting genetic counseling to help with the decision.

    If you would care to share your story, I would appreciate hearing how others approached this decision and how the surgery goes.

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  • linda505
    linda505 Member Posts: 847
    edited May 2014

    Hi debiann,

    I had a BMX with TE right out of the gate - here is my story and reasons.  I found my lump myself on the left side about midway between my collarbone and what I thought was the end of my breast tissue.  It was in a place that a mammogram would never had seen.  I thought I had a virus and a swollen lymph node.  After the results came back from the biopsy I had kind of settlled on a lumpectomy and actually had that scheduled.  While we were waiting for that date - thankfully my BS sent me for a breast MRI and that is when they discovered the mass in the right breast - should have been seen on a mammo but never was - that is when I learned I had dense breast tissue and that is when I decided that BMX was for me as I would never be able to trust a mammo again.  My BS agreed with me however she told me that there would be no difference in my outcome or chance for reoccurence with either choice.  I don't know that I truly understand that but that is what she said- apparently they are never able to get all the breast tissue so I guess there is always enough left somewhere for local reoccurence.  I had very close margins on my left - 1mm - even with the BMX and was concerned that I would also be getting rads.  My MO thought no and I got a 2nd opinion from the top cancer center in Florida who also said I did not need rads but I know that even after a BMX there is a chance to need rads.

    I am skinny - very little body fat and was a previous heavy smoker - quite less than 2 months before my surgery.  For both of those reasons my PS did not recommend DIEP (due to healing issues that are known for smokers or recent quitters)  for me so I went with TE reconstruction - which has less incisions and therefore less chance for healing issues.

    The surgery was not hard for me - I only took pain pills for two days but I was out of work for a month and you do have minimal movement and I think DIEP is a longer recovery.   The TE's feel strange but so far mine are not really uncomfortable - just strange.  I did have a small healing issue with the surgery which delayed my chemo and the beginning of my fills by 2 weeks but that was taken care of by my PS and all is well in that area now.  I have no regrets on my decision.  

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  • HomeMom
    HomeMom Member Posts: 1,198
    edited May 2014

    I was expecting to start 4 weeks after my surgery that I just had on Tuesday. My BS told me at the hospital that it could start within 2-3 weeks which would put me in this May group. I will get 8 treatments of AC every other week and 8 treatments of Paclitaxel? I don't know if that is abbreviated here or not. I'm making note of all the suggestions so keep them coming!

    I did buy a couple of cool wigs, but losing my hair is a real fear of mine so I will shave it off soon after I start treatment. I'm then going to have to do rads on my lymph nodes with final reconstruction surgery afterwards. Man, the last time I had surgery I was 26 and delivering a baby by c-section, now I'm going to have 3 within a one year period!

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  • debiann
    debiann Member Posts: 1,200
    edited May 2014

    Linda, thanks for story. It is reassuring to hear that the surgery is not to bad. I've considered implants too, but wondered how hard they are to get used to. Keep us updated.

    I agree, it seems hard to trust mammos anymore. My mammos were 18 months apart, one is perfectly clear, and I don't have dense breasts, and the next the tumor was so obvious I knew it was bad news as soon as I saw the screen. They tell me these things grow slow and it was there 18 months ago, just not detected. 

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  • JanetP1507
    JanetP1507 Member Posts: 46
    edited May 2014

    I had breast implants a few years ago (elective decision). My genetics test shows I do have the BRCA1 gene mutation and my mother died of ovarian cancer many years ago. I'm meeting with my BS on the 19th to discuss my test results and surgical options in detail and I have already started neo-adjuvant chemo on 4/24. Now that I have my test results----honestly, I'm leaning towards a BMX with full reconstruction as well as removal of my ovaries. I do NOT want to go through this again! So, ironically, if I'd just waited a few more years I could have had the implants for free now :P I don't know how the implants on top of the MX will be as far as feeling, recovery time, etc. (I'll be having that conversation with my BS I guess, or the PS she refers me to) but when I got my initial ones, it really wasn't bad. I took my vicodin once the day I got home but the next day OTC Tylenol worked fine. It does take a while to get used to the heaviness on your chest and if you're clumsy like me you will bang them into things for a while after, LOL!! If anyone is interested in how this conversation goes with my BS on the 19th, I can always fill you in afterward :)

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  • amyo
    amyo Member Posts: 20
    edited May 2014

    Hello - Just found this board today. I had a bi mastectomy on 4/16 and have been healing better than expected. I am getting my port inserted on 5/13 and will have my first treatment the week of 5/18. Since I am ER/PR- I will be on 3 chemo regiments for 1 year. Starting with 4 doses of AC for 8 weeks every other week, then 12 weeks of Taxol followed by Herceptin every 3rd week till next May. I was stunned to hear 1 year.

    This is my 2nd time with BC 5 years ago I had DCIS and a lumpectomy and have been on Tamoxifan for 5 years. The 2nd cancer is different from the first that one was ER/PR+. I'm only 42.

    Devastated about the hair loss issue; I know it will happen after round 2. I have to do the haircut thing in stages, currently my hair is down my back, I'm going to a chin length bob today and then in about 3 weeks a pixie cut, not sure if I have the courage to shave or will let it just fall out.

    I was wondering what everyone does about work? I'm fortunate to work from home however I am in sales and if I don't work I wont get paid commission. My husband carries the insurance. My job requires many trade shows. Very nervous about this to.

    Happy Mothers Day to all those who are mothers.


     

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  • linda505
    linda505 Member Posts: 847
    edited May 2014

    Hi Amyo and welcome to the forum that none of us ever want to join but are grateful when we find it.  The Herceptin that you will be doing for a year is a targeted therapy - I don't think it is actually considered chemo and luckily very few that get this have side effects when they are taking this alone - once they are past the other parts.   That drug, herceptin is used because you are HER2+, and for us HER+ gals it is our wonder drug.  You will find so much help here - just ask the question and someone will usually be along with some knowledge to help you out.  

    I run a small business and have managed to work at least 1/2 since I have started chemo and some days have made it all day. But I have only had one treatment so far.  Luckily my worst side effect days have been on the weekends.

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  • JanetP1507
    JanetP1507 Member Posts: 46
    edited May 2014

    Hi Amyo,

    Work has been a concern for me as well. I'm single so my income and my insurance are the only ones I have!! I'm scheduled for a weekly low dose of Taxol for 12 weeks to be followed by 4 additional AC infusions every 2 weeks. And of course there's the day before chemo blood draw. All these weekly appointments are making my sick time go fast! I do my best to be at work as often as possible. The oncology center works with me to schedule my appointments when they are most convenient to me, at least. I get my blood draws first thing in the morning on Wednesdays so I'm not too late for work and my chemo on Thursday afternoons so I can at least work a half day. Fridays are pretty much SE free for me, they tend to hit me harder on the weekends. I work at a University from 7-4, FT. I am on FMLA status which is great but once my sick and vacation time runs out-I'm on unpaid absence for appointments or surgeries (and I will be having surgery at some point). It is definitely a concern of mine. I've tested positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation and I'm meeting with my BS on the 19th to discuss my options. I'm leaning towards a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction -- I certainly don't want to go through this again! I'm hoping choosing the surgery will mean less time in chemo, but honestly, I have no idea and won't find out until I meet with her. After a few weeks of treatment, you should be able to gauge when your worst SE days are, perhaps when you need to work the trade shows, you can schedule your chemo so those work days won't be your bad days?  Good luck!

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  • noonrider
    noonrider Member Posts: 464
    edited May 2014

    Hi Ladies!

    I start Chemo on Thursday, May 15th. Last night I had a "Kick'in Cancer's Ass" party with my closest girlfriends. We really had a great time. Laughed a ton. A couple of my friends brought things to keep me busy while I'm sitting in the chair. I had talked about shaving my head during this party but in the end I just couldn't ask my friends to do it. I know any of them absolutely would have, it just didn't feel "right". So after they left, I did it myself. And when I was done my 25 year old son did some touchups on some stray hairs. My hair is very thin, but still I was a bit surprised to find ….I think I look better without hair! 

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited May 2014

    Hi May gals! Sorry we're a little late jumping in here, but we
    wanted to provide some helpful links, starting with the main
    Breastcancer.org site's section on Chemotherapy, including info on what to expect with chemo, types of chemo meds, and side effect management. Also, the Treatment Side Effects section is a great resource for tips to help manage any side effects you may experience.


    There are some really helpful key threads here in the Chemo forum too!
    Great tips and practical advice on the following discussion board
    threads:


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


    Hope you find this helpful!


    --Your Mods

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  • CherryHill
    CherryHill Member Posts: 42
    edited May 2014

    Hi ladies and gentleman :)

    Hope everyone is ok.

    I an on my third day after AC and its the very worst day of my life. I am nauseous, all body hurts and my heart is jumping out of my chest. I wonder if all next round will be this tough. Seriously considering to quit.

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  • debiann
    debiann Member Posts: 1,200
    edited May 2014

    Cherryhill, I'm right there with you. My first TCH was Thursday. I was thinking the same thing, "I can't do this again". But we're not giving up! Hang in there.

    I'm achey, throat and stomach burn. One tingley toe. Funny feeling in the chest, maybe just anxiety, not sure. I'm not feeling so bad that I can't handle it, I just keep wondering if it is going to get worse. Like sitting on a train track wondering if the train is going to hit you.

    But we will feel better in a couple days. In the meantime, I'm sending you all the positive energy I can muster. Be well Cherryhill.

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  • MrsLce
    MrsLce Member Posts: 9
    edited May 2014

    Holy wow!!! I'm overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of this "club" that none of us ever in a million years wanted to join...I will start my 1st TAC regimen here in about three hours ( funny how sleep escapes me these days!! Lol!) I've been trying not overthink things and staying on the positive road but I came to the conclusion that you can be positive and yet still be scared at the same time...It's that fear of the unknown I guess and seeing how this BC beast is so individualized so that you feel even less in control...Still trying hard to just wrap myself around my DX yet having trouble there too...I sincerely thank each and every one of you for sharing your journey and your stories...it has made such a difference knowing that I am not alone...I sincerely look forward to getting to know everyone and I wish you ALL the strength, resilience, power and love that you each might need to ride this bumpy road until it is finally smooth again!!

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  • beachmom14
    beachmom14 Member Posts: 5
    edited May 2014

    Just wanted to let you ladies know that my scalp was hurting really bad this past Friday, I have read on other discussion boards on this site that Nioxin helps and let me tell you they are right.  I cut my hair really short on Saturday and have been using this product since Saturday night and what a relief it is on my scalp.  It is a three process scalp treatment well worth the money.  I ordered it from Amazon.  :) 

    Happy

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  • debiann
    debiann Member Posts: 1,200
    edited May 2014

    Welcome MrsLce, so sorry you had to join our group.  Its good to have a place to go where people understand.  As supportive as family, friends and co-workers have been, I think sometimes they are overwhelmed with the thought of what we are going through and can't really talk about it. 

    I hope your first  infusion is going well!  My first was on Thursday, felt good Friday, tired Saturday, crummy on Sunday, but today is Monday and I'm back at work.  Not myself, but getting through the day.

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  • jasonalun
    jasonalun Member Posts: 16
    edited May 2014

    Hi debiann, so happy that your first treatments went so well! Hoping they are all so smooth. I start mine Thursday and I hope mine goes the way yours did so I don't have to miss any work. I'm the sole breadwinner in our family and my work doesn't provide short-term disability so if I run out of time off, which I don't have much of, we could be coming on hard times. Hopefully I can keep on trucking through this though. 

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  • jasonalun
    jasonalun Member Posts: 16
    edited May 2014

    Welcome, MrsLce! Sorry for the reason you're here but glad to have you! You have almost the exact same dx as I did except the grade; mine was grade 3. I am still trying to get my head around this as well - a 44 year-old man and I got it - so I know how you feel. I hope this forum encourages you and helps you cope through the tough treatments we have ahead. It's been helpful to me already and I haven't even started my treatments yet.

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  • linda505
    linda505 Member Posts: 847
    edited May 2014

    Hey debiann - glad to hear that your first tx went well - sounds pretty much like how I reacted to the first one except you were one day earlier than me feeling good enough to make it to work.  I did improve each day - but had some set backs here and there too.  I am 2 weeks out from my first treatment tomorrow and I feel pretty good in general and looking forward to feeling good until the next treatment.  Wishing you all few and manageable SE

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  • linda505
    linda505 Member Posts: 847
    edited May 2014

    Hey Jason - just went back and read some of your early posts - welcome to a place none of us want to be.   I found my lump very near where you described your.  To me and my GP it wasn't in my breast tissue so it must be something else - but he sent me for all the test anyway - thank God and here I am.  Hope your treatment goes well for you.

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  • noonrider
    noonrider Member Posts: 464
    edited May 2014

    MrsLce nice to meet you. Like everyone else, I'm not very happy you have reason to join us, but if there's a place to be, this is it! I have IDC 2cm, stage 1a, grade 2, ER/PR+, HER2-. This was just supposed to be radiation. "No big deal". And then my oncotype came back, and I can't take tamoxifen, so chemo it is. I start on Thursday (May 15th). I had a party over the weekend and shaved my head. I wanted time to get used to seeing me (and get used to all my weird head bumps!) Tomorrow I'm having my port placed. 

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  • CherryHill
    CherryHill Member Posts: 42
    edited May 2014

    Debiann,  thanks for your kind words, it really helps to know someone truely feels for you.

    I dont know if I am imagining, but  in the eyes of my friends I often read "Thanks God its not happening to me" instead of compassion or inderstanding. I bet some of you saw it too..

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  • debiann
    debiann Member Posts: 1,200
    edited May 2014

    You are right Cherryhill, it is exactly what they are thinking, but its not their fault, its how people react to the news of any disaster. It's why we keep getting the "you are so brave" line, because till it has happened them, they can't imagine bearing such a situation. I am not brave, I didn't run into a building to save someone, I had this thrust upon me and I had no choice but to find an inner strength I didn't know was there. Our reality scares the shit out of others. 

    Have you shared your DX with any women whose mother had BC? Their reaction is the hardest. You can see them relive the entire event, and you know they are being confronted with their biggest fear. 


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  • noonrider
    noonrider Member Posts: 464
    edited May 2014

    Do any of you watch the show "Mom"? There is an episode from last week where their friend is diagnosed with BC and the difficulty in knowing what to/not to say. It was pretty cute, and I could see so many of my friends in the episode. 

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