Starting Chemo March 2015

neverthought

BB and Indygal - I'm on TC and only get the Aloxi day of infusion.  Other than that my MO gives me Reglan, which I use for about 5 days.  I can't get Compazine and the Reglan seems to work pretty well and is cheap.  Depending on how you look at it can be good/bad.  Can help with constipation but also worsen diarrhea.

Katy - hope you are feeling better with the Ativan!  I had a panic attack last time after waiting for what seemed like and  hour and a half to see the MO and then get my IV started.  The social worker had to come over and talk me down.

molly1976

Hang in there, Katy!

I realized the other night that in my glasses I look just like this guy from that show Community:

Carrie37

Congrats on finishing up Sloth! 👏👏👏👏👏

Katy, I'm thinking of you and praying it gets better today. I had round #2 of Taxol and Herceptin today. They told me it was a two hour infusion day. Four hours later we were leaving the office. They lie. My MO also said my D is probably from the Perjeta. Lie. I have been in the bathroom three times since I got home. Ugh. Thank goodness the Imodium works!

Bekah, I lost five pounds in one week after my first Taxol. I also had no appetite but I do today. Maybe the steroids? I neither gained nor lost weight with the AC. You and I seem to have the same regimen at the same times. I will have surgery in August too. Then rads and hormonal therapy. Ugh, long road ahead.

BB, that is total crap about having nausea and no relief. The patch finally worked for me when I was on AC. Luckily my doctor had a sample. Same thing for me with Zofran....headache and didn't seem to work. I also had heartburn and my doctor thought maybe that was causing my nausea. I finally accepted the prescription Pepcid and that seems to help. Wonder if that is related to your nausea? I agree with others...be the squeaky wheel! You are your own best advocate. Do it!

Amy, happy teacher appreciation week! I'm glad you got to visit work and you are right that it will be easier now. I am going back to school the end of the month for a end of the year party. I don't want to wear my wig since I've been doing scarves since I stopped working. We will see though.

Hugs to all!

Carrie37

Molly your post just made me LOL! Sometimes I look in the mirror and see my older brother. We look a lot alike. I feel like I could pass as his identical twin. I look like a man! 😂😂😂 I've got to laugh or I will cry. And sometimes I do both!

Angiel

Hang in there Katy! Sending you a big hug! And about Jack....I had a vet tell me once, when we had a dog with severe separation anxiety, that dogs don't have the concept of time - whether we are gone for 2 hours or 7 hours, it makes no difference to them. Obviously, I'm not a dog, so I don't know if that's 100% accurate but it sure made me feel better.

I went to the Look Better Feel Good class and it was really nice. Granted a lot of it covered basic make-up application that you may not need, but it still was nice to talk with others about dealing with such dry skin and the use of make-up & cleansers & moisturizers during this time. My eyebrows & eyelashes are getting quite thin and they showed how to create the illusion of brows & lashes. The products in the kit were great - Elizabeth Arden, Chanel, Avon, Smashbox, Lancome and Laura Mercier to name a few. And they were full sized products, not samples. I have recently ordered 3 different eyebrow pencils/powders and the one they gave out was better than what I have found. They also had a hairstylist there who was great with the wigs and scarves. I was told they keep the class size limited. There were 8 of us - 5 with breast cancer. So a nice size to sit around and visit with each other.

Carrie & Bekah, I'm on your same plan too, unfortunately. Surgery is scheduled in August with rads to follow at the end of October. I'm starting to get really nervous as I read up on the possibility of lymphedema setting in. That just sounds horrible.

DavisD

Joanna, Leigh and Katy-Hope things are settling down for you tonight. You were in my thoughts today. I listened to a Pandora station I created from a recommendation from Katy and also one with the band First Aid Kit which seemed comforting and appropriate!

Does anyone else dream of having hair or hate to see people with long gorgeous hair they take for granted? I will never take mine for granted and complain because it's too straight and thin again!

I've been having more issues with nausea and fatigue after this round #3. Hope it doesn't worsen with 4 but guess I will just deal with it.

Love to you all tonight!

Jackbirdie

Indygal- have you tried compazine?

Theresa- thanks for eating a cookie..won't you be short at your next one? Order up!

They denied additional Ativan which barely touched this hot mess. It's a legal issue since I drive myself. Funk me. She quietly told me to take one of the oxy said she advised me to bring in the sly last time when I got a Cytoxan headache they couldn't/wouldn't treat, why the heck didn't I THINK TO ADD A COUPLE OF CLONAZEPAMS!!? Because I'm a chemo-brained eejit..that's why. That way they will just sue me.

I am ramping up.....hope no meltdown follows.

greenae

Hi all!

I was at the Chemo Bar today gor TC #3. Had to get stuck twice, apparently I made the first RN nervous. Oops! I got decadron and Emend in the bags bfore the taxotere and Cytoxan. Brok a record, was out in 31/2 hrs. Feeling fine, hope everyone will feel better. Gonna do some cord exercises and bike ride with all this decadron energy. Hope I can sleep tonite, cuz I sure didn't get more than 3 hrs last nite.

Hugs to all! Me and my sis Dissing Cancer Cells!

Arlene

Jackbirdie

Diane- I am still here!

Just started the T.

Listening to Eastmountainsouth. Good.

Poor Jack, but thanks for the post reminding me they can't tell time. Phew!

Molly, a great picture! The clothes alter a lot. I'd like to see you doll up and compare. Beautiful eyes. Greát head shape. Do not despair.

I'm the last man (no pun intended) standing here.

Want to go home. And take a clonazepam. Ugh. Then more steroids. And oh yes, gained 5 lbs in one week.

But Diane is right. I will focus on what I have. Not on what I don't have. I am grateful that I recognize I have had and still have a great life. But alright already, I'm ready to blow this nickel pop stand

Jackbirdie

Arlene- Great pics and great news. I am breaking the record for the longest., I hope you get some sleep

Jackbirdie

Angie- so glad you got to LGFB!

2 hour high bucks per hour quotient!

And for reminding me about Jack thinking "I'll be right back". Lie

SC_Coqui

No Herceptin today for my infusion. The test results aren't back yet. I'm wound for sound from the steroids, but other than that feeling well. If I feel this same way tomorrow, I'll be heading into the office. I have to work from home again on Monday for a non medical reason so I want to avoid working from home too much. Our house is new construction. They finished it May of last year. After one year the builder walks through the house and marks off any defects and items that need to be repaired due to the house settleing, I have pieces of blue painters tape all over my house, even my tiled bathroom floor! On Monday they'll come by and make the repairs and I need to be here.

So far so good with the Taxol. My legs feel a little heavy and I;m a bit moody (I blame the steroids for that), but that's all so far.

I took a Phenegran so I can sleep. I really hate the steroids. I wish I could do the treatment without them!

rleepac

Trvlr - I know right? I just have to force myself to eat!

Carrie - you're my twinsie

Katy - you're a mess! But we love you for it.

Sloth - I'm so jealous and I'm thinking bad things about you right now. LoL...just kidding - congratulations!

Bekah

eheinrich

Diane: I stopped at a hat kiosk in Santa Monica one day while waiting for lunch with a friend. I tried many many beachy hats on my big bald head - wasn't feeling ugly, wasn't feeling cute. Then 3 gorgeous ~20yr olds with flowing blonde hair started trying on hats. I felt like such a hag.....

Katy: best piece of dog advice I ever got was soon after we got our pup. I always felt guilty that she was alone or bored. My friend told me that it was ok. She would wait. That's what dogs do, they wait. They love us and wait.

Been feeling ok since spa day on Tuesday. Lost my appetite. This is new. I know I need to eat, but I don't feel like it. I guess it's not like I'm wasting away so it shouldn't be a big problem.

Italychick

Katy, are you home yet?

SueH58

I think Bekah's feeling better!!! So glad!!!!

Jackbirdie

I got home just after 6 pm. About 8 hrs.

Beet faced and tail between my legs I came home to poor ole Jack-

Eileen, just as you promised he was waiting..... To just love me.

So nice to be here. Appreciating my little safe comfortable house. And my friends here, who like me even though. I am. A. Mess.

SueH58

Katy, unconditional love from all of us, but especially Jack. Please remove your tail.

Italychick

Katy, dogs don't care. They are just so glad to see you. I can walk out to the mailbox and come back, and my Jack acts like I was gone all day, he is so happy to see me. They just love us like nobody else ever will.

Take it easy tonight, and I hope you get some sleep! Xoxo.

Jackbirdie

sleep with steroids always a challenge. But I have been authorized, unbelievably, to self- medicate. Feel so much better canoodling with Zack in my sweet little house. Small in size. Big in heart and the outside is bigger than the inside. For me, perfect.

Sue- I had that tail removal procedure done years ago. It was interfering with the flying of my broom!

I lean more towards magic carpets these days.

shaz101

slothabouttown CONGRATULATIONS woohoo. I hope its all up for you from here.

shaz101

katy, I was so sad reading about your day and anxiety! I'm hoping you're asleep now. Sending you lots of love.

I'm still way behind on everyone, so sorry. Bekah I can send you some of my weight anytime! I hope the new drugs have less side effects for you.

Well I had a migraine but it wasn't as severe. I took meds as the plan but they didn't help so I rang the hotline who said that I was to be admitted into the neurology ward if I couldn't get on to of it. I asked her if I could take the prolodone on top of the other meds, she checked and ok'd it and they worked 😃 I've been headachey all day but its been manageable. Here's hoping tonight will be better again. I finished the extra dexamethasone today.

Trvler

Katy: You continue to amaze me with your ability to see the positive. I honestly don't know how I would handle all of that. I do know. I wouldn't.

Sharon: I am glad you had a better result. I hope you had a good night or have a good night. I don't know the time difference.

Arlene: Love the pictures of you and your sis!

Bekah: Did you eat? I hope.

I am jealous of hair. But my hair was being a pain lately. I had very thick hair and it would fall out sometimes and then I had tiny short hairs all over my head that I couldn't get to lay down. I have to admit, being bald and throwing on the wig is easy. We went to a school function last night and I got a lot of compliments on it. I have been told many times you can't tell it's a wig. But one loud mouth lady told another 'she's wearing a wig'. Ugh. lol. The lady acted like she knew nothing but I KNOW she knew because she is friends with my neighbor who knows and 100% would have told her. Whatever.

I was supposed to have an echo today but I rescheduled it for next week. My heart is skipping beats but not like last time and if I don't have to do it, I don't want to. Today and tomorrow are my worst days so we'll see how it goes. I might cancel it altogether.

KBeee

Allison, That lady was rude and totally out of line. Even though that lady acted like she knew nothing, I would have immediately called her out on it on the spot. "wow, Cancer may have taken my hair, but I sure am glad it did not take away my common sense and good manners,. I sure know how bad it would make someone with cancer feel to loudly and rudely publicly announce that she's wearing a wig. I would have a little more respect for people's dignity and self worth." And then I would walk away and let her wallow in it and try to back track. People like that need to know that their words are hurtful and just plain rude. It may not stop them, but at least they can wallow in their words for a while. I had someone the other day tell me how awesome it must be to have a wig and be able to have perfect hair ever day with no effort (ranks right up there with "wow, you get a free boob job") I thanked her that she thought my wig looked nice, and then added that she could shave her head and buy a wig if she thought it was such an awesome thing. I said it like it was a joke, but to date, she has not shaved and bought a wig, so apparently it must not be so awesome.

ThePrincess

KBee, those are AWESOME replies! Freaking awesome hair with no effort? Yeah, that's the bonus we got. OMG

Trvler

Well, would you believe that lady HAD cancer TWICE? She had hodgkins and non hodgkins (too lazy to spell this right) lymphoma so she lost her hair. I know she didn't mean it to be mean. She was commenting on how good the wig looked and she told me she bought a cheap wig and looked like a clown. She is a nice person.

slothabouttown

Is anybody else growing "baby fuzz" hair? Seems like my shaved hair is growing, it's maybe 3/4 inch in some places but I sure don't see any newcomers. I still want to get a henna tattoo probably next week and at this point I think it would be best to shave the peach fuzz off prior. I just feel kind of bad if they're going to be contributors to post chemo hair regrowth. But I'm hoping when we do start to grow real hair again some day down the line it'll be a little more robust and "normal" looking and these little soldiers that have hung on through the war won't be missed. The eyelashes and eyebrows are still dropping. I have a bald line in one eyebrow where there's a scar from running into a fence as a kid, I'd forgotten about that.! I think the eyelashes and eyebrows missing contribute a lot more to the "cancer look." yesterday my big boss came through my office and caught me leaning back in my chair a little and told me I should go home! I wasn't even feeling sick, just having a 7th inning stretch of sorts, but I guess I look worse than I feel!? Or maybe she just wanted to leave early and couldn't do it with a clear conscious if I was still there a day after chemo? I don't know, when people say insensitive or stupid things to me it's just like tripping on a rock. I have to stumble for a couple of steps but I don't fall down. At some point a therapist or counselor reminded me, "it's all about them, it's not about you," and I find myself repeating that mantra in these situations.

Trvler

I just figure people have no idea what to say. Even when they are trying to make you feel better. For example, I was at Jazzercise today telling a friend and former BC patient who had the exact same regiment I am on two years ago about how I was nervous about taxol. She started telling me about this woman who had horrible neuropathy. Was that supposed to make me feel better? She was saying everyone is different but why on earth would she tell me about that woman to make me feel better? I know people mean well. They just don't think what comes out of their mouths.

KBeee

Allison...wow. I am very surprised someone that's a cancer survivor would say that. You are right people just don't know what to say and apparently don't think befoer speaking. I was pretty tolerant my first time around; this time, probably less so! I think the kindest thing anyone has said was a coworker this past week. When I said I was pretty excited to be going to my last AC next week, he kind of looked downtrodden. I asked what was up and he simply replied, "I hate how you have to do this and go through this. You know if I could go there and take that treatment for you I would." Now THAT is support.

Trvler

Aww..I love that, KB!