Starting Chemo January 2015

jbehrendt

Hello to All!

I am joining the group and will be sharing the journey beginning in January. Port placement is on Tuesday the 30th. Am having 4 rounds of AC and 4 rounds of T every 2 weeks (dose dense) start date TBD. After that, a lumpectomy and 33 rounds of radiation.

I am sharing everyone's fears and hoping our journey will be tolerable and most importantly that we will be cured!! I have been told, and do believe that we must remain positive above all!

Wishing everyone a good nights sleep!

dstar

Yeah, tambeth, 5 cm is big. Do you have dense breasts? Seems like a good course to take because your cancer is so aggressive, HER 2+ but also there are specific antibody treatments to stop the protein, from what I understand. How many nodes were involved? I don't know when my cancer will seem real to me. It has all happened so fast, I am disoriented. Writing here helps me to process and accept when I am not either in denial or pissed off.

Beachbum1023

Hello everyone, I hope you all had a peaceful Holiday! I wanted to share a few of my chemo survival tips for those of you starting in the new year. I packed a small cooler to take with me to chemo, and it was easy to keep ready to go.

I packed lip gloss, hand cream, bottled water, pretzel sticks, yogurt, mandarin oranges, lemon drops, and bananas. I felt better with food in my stomach during chemo. And I went to work after my infusion. Everyone is different, but I would work 3-8 on chemo day and 10-8 the day after. I had the next two days off to rest. That schedule worked out great for my crash days. I kept that same schedule for all 8 chemo infusions. See how the first one goes, and hopefully they will be consistent like mine was. I worked retail during my chemo treatments.

I always kept frozen mac and cheese, soup, mandarin oranges, pears, and vegetables. I craved vegetables and fruits. I felt better with small snacks during the day instead of larger meals. I did not eat a large variety of foods, but I did eat well during treatment. I skipped anything salty, and passed on sugary snacks. Eating protein worked well for me. And I switched to decaf beverages.

The best advice I got from my nurses was take your meds. Don't wait until until you feel terrible. I worked with my nurses to set a schedule for my meds to keep the side effects in check after chemo and it worked great. Keep a notebook to record what you take when. I live alone so it was easier to keep track of and I could tuck the book into a pocket on my cooler and take it with me to chemo.

Hopefully the treatments will go by quickly, and you will be done before you know it. Good Luck!

SweetHope

It is 5 a.m. and I wanted to check on my Big C Sisters only to find Newbies that posted late last night. Hello, welcome to Hell. Oops! Sorry! I'm suppose to stay positive. Welcome to the best darn party in the world.

It is breaking my heart to find more and more having to go through this. That being said, I sure am glad we found each other here. I think all doctors should give their patients this address upon diagnosis. The information about the process and confirmation of feelings from people really going through this, not just printout sheets of info or statistics from our doctors, has strengthened my resolve to remain vigilant and strong; empowered by the experiences shared here. (Whew! I'm wordy this morning.)

I can't contribute much because I am still waiting on my oncotype dx (results on 1-5) and I have spent the last month in my recliner with my blankee on pain meds for ALND nerve pain and seroma in breast which are both slowly improving.

So I don't really know why I am posting this other than to say I am listening, I share your concerns and pains, I pray all our prayers will be answered, and I am sending each of you soft, heartfelt hugs.

brend

I don't have a chemo start date yet, but my surgeon said "real soon". That was Dec 17th. To me, real soon is like the following week. Just seems this is going SO slow. I'm ready to get this show on the road. Faster I start this, sooner I get done with it.

My first Oncologist appt is Dec 31st. After that, I suppose they will schedule the surgery for the port, and remove some lymph nodes.

I'm thinking it may be in January when I start chemo. Right now, I just don't have a clue yet.

tambeth

dstar---the mass is large enough that i felt it underneath my breast on my right side when i found it. The calcifications and the mass they say is in the upper right quadrant so that was the bottom of the mass that i was feeling! I have a history of dense breasts and was not too concerned at first when I found the mass because I have no family history of breast cancer. I had a negative biopsy of a spot near the mass in 2012 but had such anxiety that I skipped my mammo last year and said I was not going back. I thought I was so damn smart. Thought " well, i have dense breasts and mammos are basically worthless with dense breast tissue so I am not gonna go through that again." There are several lymph nodes affected. They don't know for sure how many but they will be removing all of them. I asked them why they were taking all of them and they said "they are diseased so we don't want to leave them." I am not sure about the protein antibody unless that is the Herceptin medicine they will be giving me since I am Her2 +. I know how you feel about the anger and De Nile is not just a river in Egypt as they say! Prayers and Hugs to you my friends.

Cherylfg

Well, no port for me! At least not yet. I developed a crazy rash while I was at the clinic and they were worried it was a reaction to the lidocaine cream. I've used it in the past without a problem so I don't know what was going on today. They didn't want to add more lidocaine to the mix. The rash was centered on my chest, shoulders, and upper back. It seemed to spread within minutes. So they sent us home with instructions to take Benedryl and call if it gets worse or isn't better by tomorrow. I am rescheduled for Friday morning and have to take Benedryl and Prednisone before the placement, just in case. They are also going to use a different numbing medicine. I asked to have the same nurse because the one I had today was great. She was really reassuring and I felt much better about the surgery after she explained it in detail.

It turned out to be a good thing because my husband has come down with a bad cold. He felt increasingly worse while we were at the clinic. Now he can rest and recover this week and then it will be my turn.

JazzerciseGirl

I am so glad to have found all of you! I have been feeling unbelievably frightened, sorry for myself and alone. Just reading your posts makes me feel like I've found my peeps, my sisters. I am not alone! I'm sure you all know what I mean about feeling alone. Don't misunderstand, I am incredibly well supported by my husband, coworkers and friends. But they don't really know what it feels like to be inside our heads - being diagnosed with a life threatening disease, having someone cut you open to remove pieces of your body, and then preparing yourself mentally for chemo.

I've had a lumpectomy and they had to do a resection 2 weeks later since one side of the the margin wasn't clear. Now my nipple has an issue. It is not perfusing (pinking up) like the other one, and is brown/pale. Next week I have my chemo class Monday, see the surgeon about the nipple Tuesday, get my mediport Wednesday and have my first chemo Thursday. Seems like a lot, and I am working hard on staying positive.

I look forward to getting to know you all, and to helping support each other as we go through this. Thank you to everyone

goldenpawsKim

Hello ladies. Can't say I'm happy to be writing on this site but happy I found this site for all the tips, support and guidance. So good to feel like I'm not alone!! I start chemo (TC) on January 8th. So nervous. Totally overwhelmed w all the information we need to know. I'm also using the cold caps to try & save my hair .... so I have a little more to do than some of you. I'll be doing 4 treatments, three weeks apart. I was lucky enough that my oncologist said I didn't need a port .... she said no point for just 4 times...thank God. Hope everyone continues to share their experiences to make this bump in the road a little more smooth. Take care everyone.... here's to a happy & HEALTHY NEW YEAR for all of us.

Kim

dstar

Wow, we are becoming quite a tribe; welcome to all! First I want to say to Beachbum: thanks for all the encouragement and survival tips. You are my hero for not missing work during chemo. I am gonna do what you did, sounds just right. Hope you are well on your way to recovering from the treatment that squashed your cancer cells out of existence.

Cherylfg, that sounds surreal. Hope it goes better for you next time! My port site is healing and the pain has diminished considerably. Someone plug me in to the chemo wall and get this over with!

Tambeth that is just so hard. Seems like everyone with a large tumor either has 1. dense breasts 2) ILC or 3) both. I was also misdiagnosed in 2013 though I already had a thickening in my breast. Now I understand that even biopsies can show false negatives. Man. Why are mammos and ultrasound sold as this great diagnostic tool when so many are missed? What are the statistics? Moderators, care to jump in? Why do I hear more (from authorities on breast cancer) about the stress of false positives than the suffering caused by false negatives? Makes me mad.

MMCLJ: we are your peeps. Sorry about the margin. That is stressful! Hope you can keep your nipple.

Goldenpaws, super glad you get to do a little less chemo. Good luck keeping your hair, seems like you may have a shot! Let us know if the cold caps work. I will be bald in 9 days but I put my serious gold hoop earrings in and got my berry lip gloss out. My aunt gave me a pretty scarf with pink roses on it. I refuse to let this treatment steal my femininity, such as it is. Plus, I got natural fig scented deodorant for my Mx side. It has nice oils for my skin and scar. Time for a ice pack!

Have a good night.

Tennisfan

Bonsoir and welcome to all the new ladies! Anyone else having issues with typing from an ipad? I have now lost three posts - but maybe I should write shorter messages! So after a few days at a cottage in the countryside, my family and I gathered for yet another holiday meal together. After a glass of bubbly I decided to show them the first wig that I bought, a short bob with bangs. Not only was it a great success but everyone in the family tried it, including my brother in law and my seven year-old niece. I think that this really helped me de-dramatise my upcoming hairloss, especially in front of the children. I also took the time to go visit a few wig shops during the past two weekends, to see what suits me and what I feel comfortable with. I finally settled on something with bangs again, which I never thought I would if my friends did not encourage me. So I urge you to try something different than what you feel like, since you are already in the store... And you never know what might come out of the experience!!!

Also, I promised the kale chips recipy: the secret is to pat dry the kale leaves thoroughly. i use a salad spinner and it is perfect. So after removing the "spine" from the largest leaves, I simply tear them into two-inch pieces, drizzle a little oil (less is more), and toss with my hands. You know you have enough oil if you have enough to "massage" each leaf to ensure that the back is also covered. If not... Add a little oil (like you would drizzle on top of your salad). Add a little salt (start again with less is more and add to the second batch you bake if you feel the first batch is not salty enough). Bake at 350F for 12 minutes (you can go to 15 max). The leaves are dry and crisp the minute you pull them off the baking sheet. If they are still moist you did not dry them well (then they steam instead of drying), put too much oil (still tasty but chewy) or did not bake them long enough. My family including my niece and nephew went through the equivalent of two bunches of kale when I brought them out to taste (two bunches of kale make approximately one large ziploc bagful). There are plenty of variations but we prefer them natural (lightly salted). You can also try a little lemon zest and chili powder sprinkling in the ziploc. Yummy!

On the port topic I am a bit wary because there is no talk of that yet and I am afraid it would stop me from... playing tennis (yes, I am that stubborn). So I asked for IV instead and they said ok for now but when comes the last string of 12 weekly treatments I hope they can still find my veins... Fingers crossed!

To all of you who are going through port placement and chemo start in the new year I will be drinking your words as you will start before me.

Be strong, days are already longer, then will come the spring, and then we will all emerge from this!!!

I am down in Florida for 4 days of sun soaking (with lots of SPF) before entering the dark side lol.

I look forward to reading your first days into this especially if you are doing ACT like me.

Thanks for the support and for sharing!

Marjorie

P.s. I agree that this site and breastreconstruction.org were definitely the most helpful information given to me by my plastic surgeon and should be shared with all new breast cancer patients. i am thankful he sent me here although his practice is in Canada where I also live. I am also very grateful for all the stellar care received so far from my other practitioners

PMR53

Hi All!! I am reading all your posts and want you to know, we are all going through this together. Appreciate all your tips and concerns. Everyone of us is on a different path but the same journey. Ugg. I did not choose this. I don't know about you all but I have been going through the 5 Stages of Grief. I think I am getting close to the last one. Acceptance. Hard. All the crying is slowing down. My MO gave me Ativan. It helped and need less now. My Port is Jan 5th. First Chemo is Jan 12th. 4 or 6 cycles TCH with Perjeta. Will depend on Sentinal Node outcome. Sentinel node check with Port Placement. Heads up and let's face this storm. We can do it together!!!

I have a question to all of you. Are you telling everybody and talking about it a lot? Or just telling family and close friends?? I am a private person and really have not wanted to share with all. Certainly not on Facebook I want to carry on a somewhat normal life ( will see after Chemo starts). Oh and taking at least 6 months off work. I work in the health field and there is no way I can work. Really bummed about that.

Thank you for reading and would love to hear your thoughts

Pmr53

RV6gal

I joined this thread because my start date in December was so late ( Yesterday) and thought I would be going through this much closer to the January 2015 group. Welcome to all the new members here since I last came on.

Sorry to hear about the rash Cherylfg, hope it is getting better. I asked about a port yesterday as the nurse said my veins are "tricky" and I have less options for good veins. I have had these issues all my adult life so I want one to make it easier for me. Not sure if that will happen before my next chemo yet. Other than that, it went well yesterday. I felt a bit queasy about an hour after I was done so took my additional anti nausea drug. That helped. I even picked up a wig at the cancer centre so I'm ready for the loss of hair. If I don't like it later, it can be changed. If I really like the wigs I will get one of my own later. Day 2 goes well also. I am continuing the anti nausea pills just to be sure. I have eaten and found it to be ok. The nurse told me that I am going to get real tired around days 5-7. In that case, I better get some stuff done arounds here while in still able.

Good luck to us all and Happy New Year

RV6gal

Pmr53 just saw your post after submitting mine. Sorry you have had some struggles but glad you reached out for help. To answer your question about who I tell, I really kept it to a need to know basis. Work had to know of course as I am taking the time I need off. I was bummed about that in the beginning but now believe it will allow me to focus on getting well again both physically and emotionally. My immediate and some distant relatives as well as really close friends only. I don't say anything about it on facebook. I have seen others groups here start a facebook group which is kept private. Maybe that would be a good idea for us?

Beachbum1023

Hello Tennisfan, I am so glad you had a few sunny days to enjoy! We have snow flurries today. Your wig shopping sounds quite successful and fun! I went longer, lighter (blonde), and with bangs. And I get a lot of compliments on my new look. And the bangs will be handy if you lose your eyebrows on chemo. My girlfriend suggested the bangs when we went wig shopping as she is a BC survivor almost 2 years.

I also had AC/T and surgery. If you have any questions that I may help with please do let me know! Good Luck, I'll be thinking of you.

tambeth

After being all geared up for starting A/C tomorrow I have come down with a fever / beginning flu and now my MO says I need to reschedule my first treatment from tomorrow to Monday, Jan 5. Have had the port in for almost 3 weeks. Disappointing but none the less I may end up sicker than what I would have been with the treatment if I have a fever. Just another bump in the road. Trying to stay positive but have learned my lesson about overdoing and being around everyone maybe time to pull back and take care of me to make sure my treatment isn't delayed again

Beachbum1023

Hi RV6gal, I'm glad you are feeling ok, but try and get some rest. I always felt good the day of and the day after chemo but I would crash on days 3 and 4. And drink a lot of water to hydrate and flush out the chemo. I always drank 2 to 3 bottles of water during my infusion and had small snacks to nibble on. I always felt better having something in my stomach, and kept the meds on schedule before I felt nauseous.

Good Luck, I hope you feel well straight through!

Beachbum1023

Hi Tambeth, take care of yourself first, you have a lot on your plate with chemo. I finished the same 11/25. Drink lots of water, it will help flush the AC from your system. I drank about 6 bottles of water everyday through chemo. My nurses suggested eating fruits and vegetables, and protein. That always worked for me, but everyone is different. Good Luck, and be good to yourself!

Beachbum1023

Hello PMR53, when I had my port put in I was looking for a way to make my seat belt strap comfortable. I tried different pillows but it just didn't fit right for me. They were too big, too stiff, too small, just too something. So I settled on a very cute plush stuffed puppy. The strap goes right over his neck where his collar is. It solved my problem, was small, but most of all amusing every time I got in my car! And I need all the laughter I can find right now. Good LucK!

Moderators

Hi January Chemo gals!

For you, and all who join in the following month, we'd like to point out some 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

dstar

RV6Gal-Glad to know your first day of chemo went fine! Hope your side effects stay under control. Well, you are one treatment closer to finishing, and that is a wonderful. Let us know how you are doing in the coming days. I read some of the posts the moderators suggested and found them helpful.

I go for my bone scan tomorrow, really scared, really scared. Honestly, I have been crying on and off all day; thought I was done with all of that. I should not have mets but how do you know until you have the scans?

Thanks for the kale chip recipe.

PMR53

Thank you Beachbum 1023 for the port tip. Never thought about that one.

Dstar- praying for you and a clear Scan. So scary. I cried too. I did it December 23 and had to wait. Hard.

RV6gal. Thank you for responding and talking about your chemo. I think you are right on the need to know basis. No more Facebook. My husband and were thinking of deactivating the first of the year. Please tell us each day how you feel if you can.

Goodnight All.

Beachbum1023

Good evening Dstar,

I hope you feel better. At least the bone scan is pretty easy, and it will be over soon. You will feel so much better when the results come back.

Have a great New Year!

RV6gal

Beachbum1023- thanks for the great advice here. I felt pretty good today but am noticing some water retention and a bit of a red rash on my face. I didn't overdo it today and am making sure I am as much water as possible -9 cups today. I will remember the port placement advice which I hope to get soon. The plush puppy idea sounds adorable!!

Dstar - I felt just like you do now before my bone scan and then before my abdominal/chest scan. Each time I would imagine a new pain only to find out it the scans were clear and that pain/symptom would go away. The mind is very powerful so I am trying to use it mostly for positive thoughts. The nurse I had for my chemo yesterday reinforced that for me as she felt it was the ones with great attitude and positiveness that did well. I decided yesterday that I will strive to be part of that "group". 😊 good luck with the scan tomorrow and I hope you don't have to wait too long for the results!

PMR53 - I will definitely try to update daily. I saw on a previous thread where they put the whole cycle and their experiences and I thought that would be great to do a just before my next chemo on Jan 19. I will try to remember to do that then. I found the other members post very helpful so far.

Tambeth, sorry to hear your A/C was delayed. Luckily it's not too far away but will give you the time to get better and ready for it.

Tennisfan, I too use an iPad and it does give me a lot of trouble as well. Sometimes the actual typing is quite a bit delayed and I laugh as I see what I typed slowly show up on the screen. Then I have to slowly correct it also. LOL Enjoy your time in Florida!

Goodnight to all

Tennisfan

Actually, today was really fun as my friends took me to the beach. I longed for just taking the sun in and having a nap but I love napping on my belly so my friends suggested digging a hole for my boobs in the sand and it felt awesome!!! I have been sleeping on my tummy for more than 40 years so this is quite a change. Today was a precious moment of bliss while I laid face down for the first time and napped peacefully for over an hour inthe sun. Life is great, I love my life and I can do anything!

RV6gal

oh Tennisfan! That sounds wonderful! I was a tummy sleeper myself so I can totally relate to how much I miss that. It actually has some bearing on my awful sleeping patterns now I'm sure.

JazzerciseGirl

Happy new year to my new friends! We are going to get through this new year together.

How is the recovery going for those that have had surgery? I'm doing OK. I think the healing is going fairly well. I have a very large area of scar tissue that probably isn't leaving. Most of the pain has subsided, but I still have neuropathic pain on the skin between the node incision and the lumpectomy incision. It's mostly when my bra rubs the skin, but at 38G I have to wear one outside my apartment. Fortunately, it's getting better each week.

PMR53: We have somethings in common. 53 at the end of our sign on names. Mine is because I'll be 53 in January. I also work in healthcare, I'm an RN, and won't be able to work during treatment. I'm disappointed because I love what I do and I know staying busy is good for our bodies and souls. I'm going to have to find other ways to remain useful during treatment.

Beachbum1023

Hi RV6gal, I hope you are still doing well. Enjoy the New Year!

RV6gal

Yes, thanks Beachbum1023- I am still doing well. I'm still taking the extra anti nausea pills although not as often. I tend to start getting heartburn and then I take one and it helps it go away. I was able to get some household chores done today along with a 30 minute walk but definitely feel more tired. Food still tastes ok which is nice. Thanks for thinking of me☺️. Happy New Year Everyone 🎉🎉🎉🎉

Tennisfan

RVgal, was just thinking about you - good to hear you are still doing fine!

Bonne année!

Marjorie