Starting Chemo January 2015

thecolorpurple

hi all! I start Jan 28. 20 weeks of chemo , 16 treatments total. First eight weeks: every other week AC.next 12 weeks: every week taxol. Then ovaries will be removed. Then six weeks radiation. Then tamoxifen. Does anyone know about nausea with this regimen? I am prob most scared about that. So great to be a part of this. I know we will all help each other a lot through this journey.

thecolorpurple

mtowne, do you mind sharing what chemo agents you are on ?

cubbieblue

Hello fellow newbies mtowne and thecolorpurple!

mtowne I'm also curious what your chemo regime is.  I know the Neulasta shot can cause bone pain, but I didn't get the shot and my bones feel very achy.

Rose0766

hello January ladies, just popping in to say good luck with chemo, I'm finishing up January 13 th, I was scared to death at my first chemo treatment, the not knowing what to expect was the worst for me, it is true everyone's experience is so different, and each set of agents have their own side effects. Keep hydrated, start the day before and continue as much as you can, even at chemo. I had AC x 4 then moved on to THP x 4, I never thought I would be diagnosed with breast cancer, and even being almost done with chemo, I still can't believe it. You will get thru it , take it one treatment at a time.

Beachbum1023

Hello everyone, I hope you feel better!! I found that each treatment was a bit better than the last, so I hope that helps at least a little. Drink lots of water, and jello seemed to work for me. I also felt pretty good on mandarin oranges and cottage cheese. Or anything you can eat works too. My nurses told me to start the meds at the first sign of any side effect and keep taking them for 4-5 days. I had chemo on Tuesday and crashed Thursday and Friday, and back to work on Saturday and Sunday. The constant level kept me going all the way through and I worked 42 hours a week. So yes you can! If you need stronger meds, tell them immediately! Chemo sucks enough, so when it pushes, push it right back!

Have a great day, GO BUCKS!

tambeth

Hello again all..I had my first treatment Jan 5th and am still so tired. Sure some of it is depression I think. I know I have the first one treatment down and side effects of quesiness..not really vomiting but want to eat all the time because it makes me feel better. I had the Neulasta shot and haven't had bone pain no mouth sores. Generally been okay just absolutely tired. I bought some flavored water and have had a few of them but have not been staying hydrated as much as I should. Probably is the reason for the headaches i have occasionally. sounds like everyone is experiencing different side effects but I am praying for each and every one of us. Everyone keeps asking about my surgery but I do not have any idea when it will be. Just seems so different to me because they are suggesting I use the neoadjuvent therapy and doing chemo before the surgery. Makes me nervous but I have to stick with their plan. They say it will prevent recurrence and also shrink the tumor for surgery near spring/summer.

dstar

tambeth -- My surgeon also suggested to me that they would want me to do chemo before surgery, she said that is often the standard course of action when the tumor is large. Hang in there!

Moderators

Thinking of all of you January Chemo ladies.

Wishing you all minimal side effects and a speedy recovery

Mtowne, thecolourpurple, welcome to this compassionate and supportive group. If you need any help or have questions for us, feel free to private message us.

The mods.

JazzerciseGirl

Day 4. Saltines are my new best friend. LOL!

My nausea of day 1 was truly terrible, but subsided. Now I feel just a bit queasy most of the time, as if I have a low level flu. I've been prescribed zofran, as needed, but haven't taken today. At night reflux has been waking me up. I am happy to say that I went to jazzercise class yesterday and today, taking it very easy, and it went fine. I'm being very gentle on myself and resting lots. Moving, hydrating and eating small meals often helps lots.

One day at a time!

MM

Tennisfan

Bonjour! Glad to hear that SE are somewhat manageable and thanks for letting us know about going to jazzercise, MMCLJ53! That encourages me and my exercise plan - which I have not started yet... Ooops.

To the ladies who are planning to work, especially the RNs, would you wear a mask during public transit commute? Will you wear a mask at work or am I completely overboard - I don't want to overdo it but I don't want to take any chances either? I discussed with my boss and will be sending a note to my co-workers about staying out of my office if they have a cold and in fact, doing the favour to the entire floor by staying at home period. Before the holidays one or two people came to work sick and several of us had a cold over the holidays so...

Tambeth, I wish I could teleport and either do a little cheerleading dance for you, be my silly self and make you laugh, or even maybe just bring you a hot cup of something, wrap you in a blanky and leave you with a heartfelt hug! You NEED to turn your mindset around - your little cells need to feel upbeat to conquer this! We are here with you - can you hear us? Go Tambeth, go Tambeth!!!

Now, I am also thinking of proposing this group challenge - should those who feel up to it post, every day, what exercise/physical activity (even if a 10 minute attempt) they've done? I thought that it might motivate us?

Let me know what you think...

TF trying not to focus on her "clear liquid diet"

Cherylfg

Well, day 4 did not start off well for me. I woke up really nauseous. It seemed as though my anti-nausea meds were not working quickly enough. I sat in the bathroom for a while with the window open and the freezing air seemed to help quite a bit. I took more meds and was able to rest a bit. Days 1-3 were really not bad so I was surprised to feel worse today. Has anybody found their SE worse a few days later?

The other big problem I have had is constipation from all of the meds. I've been taking stuff to help with it but the constipation has been an unwelcome side effect .

I feel more awake today. I slept a lot on days 1-3. Today, other than some nausea, I feel more normal. I think a lot of the fatigue was from combination of Ativan and Compazine. They worked really well at suppressing my nausea but they also knock me out. I'm back on Zofran, which doesn't make me tired.

How is everybody else doing?

cubbieblue

Hi Cherylfg,

Sorry to hear Day 4 is worse for you.  Constipation is a problem for me as well.  I plan to ask my MO what is safe to use when I see him on Tuesday, but in the meantime, would you mind sharing anything you have used that you found effective?  Compazine knocked me out as well, and I have a prescription for Zofran but have been a little afraid to try it because I read that it can cause migraines, which I have a history of suffering from.  Anyone suffer migraines while on Zofran?

dstar

Yes, go Tambeth, GO! MM, glad to hear from you, thanks for posting. Glad you are making it through, one day at a time!

It's a great idea to post daily physical activity. That will help to keep me motivated. I intend to wear a mask at work, at the non profit where I work, we share large rooms so it's kind of a petri dish. Working from home will be my first choice if anyone has a cold. Today is the day I start my "mild bleach" wipe down of my house.

I have not had a colonoscopy, but imagine the liquid diet is sort of like drinking those yucky barium shakes before a CT. Those have the same effect for me, it's the xylitol. Ugh. Hope everything is found to be as it should be in your test tomorrow, tennisfan. And then I hope you have some days free from medical intrusion.

Have a good day, everyone. I am off to walk my little terrier.

lovesBostons

Hi Ladies:

Cherylfg, I was warned about constipation by the treatment team and recommended Senokot.  I do tend towards these problems, even without chemo.  I am on the Day 4 as well.  Took one Senokot last night and one this morning and it has worked.  You may want to try it.  I hope you feel better as your day progresses.
Kudos to you MMCLJ53 for going to jazzercise.  I am not nearly as ambitious as you but am going to try to get motivated.

Hugs to all,

Tennisfan

Cherylfg, hopefully you are near the end of cycle 1 of SEs. I read a lot of postings where people feel the worst either on days 2-3-4 or alternately 4-5-6 so hang in there - you are so close to two weeks of quasi freedom!

Now, after my first surgery, I cramped so bad after 3 days (from constipation) that I had to stop eating and tried every "natural" trick and product in the universe to clear my system. Ît only stopped at day six.

This time, I took a glass of prune juice the day before surgery, the day of, and the day after - et voilà! A nurse told me to start with half water and half prune juice and that it would work like Drano. As it did not, I moved to a small glass of juice alone and it worked perfectly. I am normally totally regular (I never thought I'd be discussing this with strangers in my LIFE) but I bought several bottles of prune juice in preparation for the meds/chemo cocktail SEs. I find that it works better than anything else I've tried and it's only juice... Some people prefer to eat dried prunes before bed. You can even pre-soak them in water during the day. Once you adopt it, funnily you will end up liking the taste - beats belly ache agony a hundred times over, promised

RV6gal

I have been walking every day and using small weights every second day. Today I'm going to try beginners yoga. I still feel a lot of upper body tightness from surgery. I like the idea of posting here and keeping us all motivated.

On the constipation topic, I was concerned about that since I have had issues with it on and off in the past so I took a senokot the night before chemo and then the night of chemo and that totally worked for me.

I found that my worst day was day 5. It really got better after that although small issues continued to develop. For example, I felt my stomach issues got worse - gassy and heartburn. Completely manageable though.

Take care everyone

Cherylfg

Thanks for all of the advice. I've been taking ducosat with sennosidea in a combination pill, along with Miralax. The nurses recommended that combo but it took a few days to work.

PMR53

Hey all!!

Well it looks like Contipation is the issue. I had that issue this week but not from treatment, it was from pain pills after Sentinel Node Biopsy and Port Placement last Monday. I drank Smooth Move Tea. It has senna in it. It works wonders. So glad to read your posts and wish each and everyone of you a great Sunday and easy week. I am packing that chemo bag. Tomorrow morning is #1. My husband bless his heart is taking off work and driving me. Plan on a long day.

PMR53

thecolorpurple

hi tennisfan and all other members. I love the idea of the exercise challenge/group log. I think that would motivate me a lot. Thank you all so much for your shares about side effects and ways to prevent them. I also appreciate all of the discussion about pros and cons of working. I am a psych RN, I work nights as a charge nurse. I only work two twelve hour shifts a week and desperately want to continue . My name is Kristin by the way. I am 44 and my sister just finished her chemo and rad for ILC stage 2a. We are BRACA negative. I was just down in Louisiana taking care of her post mastectomy a little over a year ago and here I am with more aggressive cancer and a very aggressive treatment regimen. I cried and cried over my sisters diagnosis, but feel so positive about her prognosis and mine. I know we will kick this cancer, all of us. Look forward to talking to all of you much more! Love, Kristin

SweetHope

Cubbieblue, yes...zofran gave my husband a severe, six hour migraine. And he was on dilaudid at the same time.

JustKeepSwimming44

Hi everyone, I started chemo Dec 30 but the remaining will be 2015 so decided to chime in. I have AC×4 and T×12 then 35 rads and Herceptin as part of study every 3 wks for 1 year. First chemo was uneventful. First three days I felt tired and generally yucky and hard to sleep at night. Days 4 and 5 were my worse days. Felt like a bus had hit me. The off week i caught a cough/cold. Have slept a lot. I walked a few days which helped me fee better and did yoga once. Unfortunately winter weather is keeping me from walking. Next chemo is Tues 1/13 already having anxiety even though 1st went o.k. Took Claritin 24 hr night before nuelesta shot and 3 days after and had no issues. Still waiting for hair to fall out. Freaks me out but I know it's coming very soon.

Beachbum1023

JustKeepSwimming, Congrats on your first chemo in the bag! I celebrated every victory no matter how small. I had AC also, and that same bus got me too. But, the next round was a bit better. I planned my sleep, drank a lot of water, ate jello, and anything else that wasn't tied down. I had a huge appetite and ate small meals with the help of my nausea meds. And popsicles helped a lot. Cold food seem to taste and feel better.

Have you arranged for wigs, hats, or scarves yet? My hair looked really dull and wouldn't curl, then my scalp tingled and itched. So I went before I lost any hair, and had my regular stylist shave it. What a huge relief that was for me. They will shave heads for any cancer patient for free. And they also wash and set wigs for our local wig loan organizations. I had control of when I wanted to lose my hair so I made the decision that morning and went. For me it was very powerful, I felt that I had the first punch! I shaved mine off the Monday after week 2. I had a wig made to match my hair so nobody knew, they all thought I had a trim and new color. So that helped me immensely. I love my wig, easy to keep looking great, and 2 minutes to do my hair. I have plenty of other things to worry about, so a huge relief.

I hope you feel better soon, and try not to worry, you have already been there done that!

Beachbum1023

thecolorpurple, I had the same chemo, and I never vomited once. A bit of nausea but take the meds for it, when you need it. I started them the day after chemo and kept a regular schedule for 16 weeks and it worked. If you feel it doesn't work, request another to help you. Don't suffer. Try some popsicles, jello, cottage cheese, fruit - anything that makes you feel better. I ate can after can of cold mandarin oranges, and cases of water. Good Luck, one step at a time!

Brandi999

I'm also a nurse. I'm nervous about working but there are bills to be paid. I work nights in home health so I don't have exposure to large numbers of people and my job is not strenuous. Also my onco gave me permission to drink Spark which has caffeine and a bunch of vitamins. It also has almost no sugar. Anyway, I don't normally do caffeine so a little will go a long way. I was reading through another thread where a bidet was recommended to help with irritation caused by diarrhea or constipation. I got one today that hooks up to a regular toilet and the prices range anywhere from $30-$90.

JustKeepSwimming44

Thanks for the tips and encouragement Beachbum1023. I went to a wig shop with my husband but ended up overwhelmed. We both cried in the car after. .Seemed to make the whole cancer thing very real. . .as if my BMX doesn't make this real..lol

My mom gave me a bunch of head scarves for Christmas. My brothers friend makes wigs for cancer patients but I haven't had the courage to call yet. So much to absorb and deal with in such a small amount of time.

TeriMP

Hi everyone,

I am new to this thread, my name is Teri and Iwill be starting chemo on January 15th. I had a bmx on Nov 12/14 with clear margins and no lymph node involvement.

Originally the oncologist wanted to do ACx4 and Tx12. Unfortunately my mother and grandpa on my dad's side had leukaemia (both passed away; my mom was quite young at age 31). We both agreed the risks are too high with that treatment option so we are now going to do TCx4 (this option will increase by chance of reoccurrence by 3% so the trade off is worth it).

I never thought I'd be dealing with cancer at age 30; the similarities between myself and my mom (other than the disease are spooky). We were both diagnosed at the age of 30 both in the month of august and my BMX surgery was on the anniversary of the day we buried her. I like to think this is her looking out for me.

As many of you have stated I too am looking forward to starting chemo as it means an end date is in site. Just need to have my reconstruction surgery (was suppose to be done at same time as mastectomy but my PS broke his hand 2 days before). Then my husband and I are going on a looooong vacation.

---

thecolorpurple

thank you so much, beachbum. Your encouragement and tips mean a lot. I will follow your advice on the anti nausea meds. Do you remember what your regimen was for the ant nausea meds, which worked best for you, how often you had to take them, etc.?

RV6gal

Teri, welcome to this thread. You sound very positive and that will go a long way in your treatment.

Justkeepswimming44, welcome. I am on day 14 post chemo#1 and feel just like you - I'm just waiting for the hair to fall too. I keep reaching up and pulling to see if it comes away! My head is a bit tingly but so far its still hanging in there.

fyre999, that's good that you won't be exposed to a lot of people while working. Paying the bills is important but working through treatment can help keep some more "normal" in your life too. Any word yet on your chemo start date?

I am checking in with my exercise for the day. I found this website that calculates distance (daftlogic.com) so I figured out how far I walked today. It was approx. 2 miles in about 1/2 hour. I didn't get the Yoga done that I wanted but will try tomorrow.

PMR53 - Wishing you an uneventful Chemo#1 and little side effects!

Wendy

spookisgirl

Love the exercise idea! I have asked for a vivofit for my birthday and intend to make use of it. I figured it could help keep track of things and keep me from feeling like I am doing nothing.

I am glad to hear everyone is doing ok! See the oncologist for the first time tomorrow, so I hope to get some answers and to know what I will be dong for chemo and when!

Welcome to all the new ladies!

Brandi999

Hi RV6gal! I start chemo Tuesday morning (1/13). It also happens to be the 5th anniversary from when my honey and I became an official couple.

TeriMP, that really is spooky! I hope it all means good stuff.