Starting Chemo March 2015

Leighrh

Just throwing this out there.... I am certainly not trying to shill any products so please don't think that mods..... but I am a BeachBody coach.... I am not at all aggressive and I mostly do it to get a discount on the Shakeology stuff I am addicted to... LOL  but they do have some great exercise DVD's and programs from yoga to hard core cardio stuff.  When I can't make it to my Xfit gym I try to do some of them at home.  Feel free to PM me if you are interested in any of those products. But absolutely no pressure.... Just an FYI. 

wpmoon

yay Sharon!!! So happy you crossed the finish line! I hope you get relief from the migraines soon!

Trvler

Off to the spa. Oh joy.

wpmoon

good luck trvlr

BBwithBC45

Sharon, Whitney - congrats on your graduations.

Saying hello to All from my Herceptin only infusion. It's a breeze comparing to chemo

Jackbirdie

Allison and BB- good luck in the chair today. Hoping for minimal SEs.

Big hugs and mojo going out to you!

💞

molly1976

That's good to hear, BB! I have my first herceptin-only tomorrow, and then start rads on Thursday.

BBwithBC45

Katy, how have you been feeling lately? I know you had a hard time for a while. Are you getting better?

Jackbirdie

BB- Thanks for asking. My chest is almost completely clear! Yay!

I am still very fatigued, sore, with lots of bone pain. But the whole level of pain has decreased since I'm not having violent coughing spasms.

I have found I'm able to do some things that distract me again, a bit of quilting, a bit of reading, and a very little bit of gardening. So I'm not miserable like I was.

I meet with MO Thursday and so far I am still scheduled to have last chemo on the 25th. But my baby whites will have to come way up first.

ninjamary

Katy,

What was your WBC? Mine for June 10th was 3.8.

Jackbirdie

Hi Ninja Mary-

I posted my labs a couple of days ago, but I can't get to them right now, but they were in that vicinity. Low but not a crisis.

The real crisis was the baby whites, or neutrophils, which were only .8. That is very very low.

They told me they could not do chemo when they were that low. The Neulasta, if it does its job, should help bring those numbers up by a week from Thursday, which is when my next, and last (whoot!) chemo is scheduled.

Hope this helps.

Katy

Trvler

Ninja: I think mine was 3.8 today too.

Meme117

Congrats Sharon & Whitney!!

I just gained 2.5 in a week how is that possible... I'm looking forward to finding a gym next month after my last spa day.

I just ground out that the herceptin only goes right on every 3 weeks. For some fantasy reason I thought I'd get a break during surgery and rad time, boo-hoo.

Katy anything you can do to get those up?

So eating more protein will help with fatigue? I seem to crave the carbs. Feeling so tired.. Have a good night all.

Hopkins2015

I start TC this Friday? What am I in for?

pboi

Does anyone else have trouble sleeping through the night since chemo started?

I use to have no problems sleeping, even through AC chemo slept well. The trouble started with weekly Taxol, and the premed IV steroids. I relied on sleep meds to get me through the first few nights because of the steroids, then as the side effects accumulated and worsened, I took sleep meds a few more nights, and now it seems I take them many nights to get a whole nights sleep. If I don't take them I wake frequently through the night and can't get back to sleep. Anyone else? Tips? I need to wean myself off these meds!

PB

Trvler

My tip is to go cold turkey and realize you are not going to sleep for a week or two. What are you taking and how much?

I do the same thing. I take .25 mg of xanax although I still wake up a lot but I am usually able to go back to sleep. A few nights a week, I go cold turkey and deal with being tired. Some other tips for not having trouble sleeping….turn off all electronics a half hour before bed. No caffeine after 3. I drink one cup of coffee in the am. Are you done with taxol yet?

Trvler

Two more tips. If you can exercise, that will help you sleep. There are sleep meditations on the internet you can listen to. I have tried one of them and it is kind of good.

DavisD

Congratulations Sharon and Whitney! I will look forward to hearing about your recoveries.

Carrie37

I had sleep probs prior to chemo and the big C. BUT it got much worse with chemo. It was rough during some of my AC treatment ( I took Xanax) but got even worse during Taxol. I am taking Ambien now. I know I will need to wean off them but I am more concerned about sleeping now. I know some others have mentioned meditation/sleep apps for phones that have helped. In the past Melatonin has helped me and another homeopathic med called Good Nites. Someone on here warned against where you buy those since they are not monitored by FDA.

Lovemylab

Hi all

Had #3 of 12 Taxols today and this is much easier than AC for me. I take the premed steroids but skipped the post med steroids last time and this time too as I don't have any nausea! I get the Heceptin as well and infusion seems to go fine. My mouth is still sensitive to spice and a little sore and no big D but little d. Not too bad. Told the nurse today I was thinking I should go back to work. She said why if you don't have to. I guess I will see how a few more go before I add that back in. I'm still on lovenox from PEs but breathing feels fine. My daughter (20y/o) takes me to chemo and after seeing me with all these doctors has changed from premed to prevet for her major. Says she would rather take care of animals. Not a bad choice I'm thinking! She has always had dogs, cats and sometimes horses. I really miss her horses! Oh well enough rambling. Thanks for listening.

Maureen

Jackbirdie

Maureen, I am very glad to hear that it's going somewhat easier for you now. It's a much longer road, so many more weeks of treatment, but hopefully, if you tolerate it better you can enjoy bits of real life here and there.

It's wonderful you have a mature daughter as your chemo buddy. I'm sure it is very hard on her, and she may not wish you to see her concern or fear. But her change in direction speaks volumes. But let me say this: I've almost never in my life met a vet I didn't like. And conversely, there's very few doctors I do genuinely like.

So not a bad decision in my mind. Not bad at all. Keep taking good care of yourself. And don't rush back into work. Easy to get back in. But would be very hard to get back out.

Many gentle hugs,

Katy

BBwithBC45

Katy, I'm glad to read you're somewhat better. May each day get easier

Trvler

Maureen, I am glad you are having an easier time and no problem listening. We will listen anytime!

I sometimes wonder how the doctors cope with all of this. I have an acquaintance who is a brain cancer doctor and I asked him and he said most patients with it die. How on earth could you handle seeing people die all the time? I always thought being a doctor would be cool but i never thought about that component of it.

slothabouttown

Hopkins, hello! If you're just starting TC you might want to look at the June thread to find women who will be experiencing treatments and side effects at the same stage as you. Most of us on this thread started in March and the TC only women are finishing up right now. This thread can be helpful if you want to read through past posts so see what to expect with regard to hair loss, side effects. Etc. Plus as a special bonus you will find some pictures of cute kittens and puppies, kids, birds and a number of us modeling various wigs, scarves and do rags. You will also learn many clever and exciting uses for coconut oil and then (spoiler alert) there will be some interesting poop stories. Overall I think you'll learn from the group that it's almost impossible to predict how anyone will react to the treatments in terms of the severity or combination of side effects, but being prepared for anything is a good game plan. There is a thread on this forum about putting together a chemo shopping list and I found it very helpful.. I worked full time through treatments, slept a lot and ate a lot, but stayed active which I think helped. Good luck to you, and I hope if you do read some of our 164 pages of wisdom and ranting you will find it somewhat enlightening!

Jackbirdie

Hopkins- Welcome. So sorry we have to meet this way, but I hope you find in these pages good information and support. It has saved my life. Really.

Jackbirdie

Sloth- you absolutely kill me. You are without a doubt the funniest person on all of BCO!

How lucky I feel to know you, as I feel humor to be one of the most highly evolved needs of humans. And it isn't that easy to pull off. Even if you don't have c! (Please note- no capital letter there).

It made me think, if, now that Eileen has really gotten to know us, and we are STILL WELCOME despite her newfound knowledge, we could have some fun/gag awards, maybe the last night of our reunion. Nothing too elaborate, but for some fun. They don't have to be organized, can be spontaneous, and secret, or not, until the time comes. In other words, if anyone feels moved to, they could say a few words about the person, and perhaps present a gag gift? Thoughts???

pboi

Thanks for the tips Allison and Carrie! I do exercise daily and I've cut out caffeine. I take 1mg of Ativan to sleep. And like you Carrie decided it was more important to sleep. But I just finished Taxol 6 days ago and the steroids should be out of my system, so it's time to get off. Not sure if I can go cold turkey, I have 3 kids to take care of and are off for the summer. I'm gonna try cutting back the dose a little at a time. Ugh...wish me luck...I have a lot of fatigue from Taxol and expect to be even more tired now with less sleep!

Italychick

Katy, no problem for me with the gag gifts. Somehow I think there will be lots of poop related items, and definitely an anal wax kit or two. We are a twisted group, but I love everyone!

Jackbirdie

hi all- I know we've talked about this before but I need a refresher. My fingernails are not looking or feeling too good. A bit sore and aside from the "Taxotere tree rings" they are starting to yellow. I have this sinking feeling I'm going to lose them.

I have iced them during all rounds of Taxotere, and since day 1 of chemo I've treated underneath the nails and the top nail bed with tea tree oil.

Anybody else?

Thoughts?

Suggestions?

Meme117

With regards to sleep - I've been ok except for the week of treatment and week after, off and on sleep. If pain is really bad I take an oxy, if not so bad then nothing. I tried Ativan 5 mg but I was still up at 3. I slept 9 hours with 5 trips to bathroom and then laid in bed at 4 with my brain not shutting off so just got up. Today may be a napping day.

Katy my nails have red marks which may turn to black according to mo, then fall off - yikes. Yellow sounds like the nails after I keep polish on too long, are they painful to touch? I did not ice but did the tea tree oil and a strengthening polish.