Chemo in July 2015

Bliss58

Hi Batesburg.

Yeah, difficult to wait on the nodes, the last piece of the puzzle, but I do trust the chemo will knock them out, too! I haven't seen the postings about lymph nodes that were affected, but not any more, so not sure how that's figured either.

Can anyone farther down the road fill us in? Thanks.

Bliss58

Peabrain & MissBee123,

Looks like you are starting your first treatment tomorrow. Will be thinking of you and wishing you all the luck with few SEs!

Batesburg

Yes, good luck Peabrain and MissBee123!

Just say NO to SEs! You CAN do this!

Batesburg

I can tell you, adarkadeptedi, that my HBG and HCT weren't affected at all by my treatment as my WBCs tanked.....know I said that before, but, I am thinking if your MO is feeling confident, so should you!!! We will BOTH get good results on Tuesday (that is when I find out if my bone marrow woke up and my neutrophils have started to do some work) and get our next infusion as we continue our fierce fight!

Batesburg

What are BCPs? Sorry- a little dense.

I'm 57 years old!

Bliss58

Batesburg,
I think BCPs refers to birth control pills? Hey, 57 years young! I'm right behind you at 56.

ingersollnic

I am on Taxol and I shaved my head the night before, it has been growing and the weekend Day 17 I started losing it in large quantities.

Zuwali

I watched my mom, my dad and one of my sisters all go through various types of cancer. They all lost their hair during chemo, so I opted to just shave my head the day before I started the chemo treatments (7/9/15). It has since been growing a little - not falling out yet. But I'm glad that I did it no matter if it falls out or not. Just one less thing to worry about. I just throw on a cap and go. And, also much easier to deal with the hot flashes.

Batesburg

bjsmiller-yes, we are young (good reminder. smile) and we are going to eventually be "old"....as we kick this cancer !

theearthlaughsinflowers

kdcjjc- my second treatment is this Fri the 24th and I am wondering the same as you. My MO told me you will learn your pattern of SE but you might also deal with them differently which in turn can affect how you feel. So I've just been trying to pay attention since my first treatment on the 10th and learn as I go!

arkadaptedi- I'm not sure what you are asking about the nodes but I will share my experience... During my lumpectomy I had a sentinel node biopsy. My surgeon (she is amazing!!!!) took an extra node because she thought it felt cancerous. That was the node that tested positive. So I went back in and had an axiallady lymph node dissection where she removed "all" my nodes. Lucky she did because 4 more tested positive. 5 out of 13 lymph nodes positive bumped me up from stage 1 to stage 3B and made chemo and radiation a sure thing. It was a roller coaster but I look at it now that I am cancer free and the treatments will keep me that way

Queen_Celeste

Hi all!

For those asking about side effects after second and subsequent chemo sessions:  I will have my 4th session this week.  After my 1st session, there were a lot of side effects but they were all pretty manageable.  After the 2nd session, it was similar except the side effects were more intense.  I had the terribly bad taste and no appetitite for about a week and a half.  Interestingly, after the 3rd session the side effects were noticeably less strong.  Go figure!  Wonder what will happen after #4?  Throughout I have had no problems continuing to work full time.

My hair starting coming out 12 days after the 1st chemo session.  It was gradual for the first 2 days and then badly tangled, I could not even get a comb through it!  I had it shaved then and wish I'd done it right away.  Of course it could be different for each of us.  My nails turned yellow after the 2nd session so now I just polish them.  For constipation, I take stool softener the evening after each session and then again a couple days later if needed.  Do not let this go!  [trust me, I had a horrendous time with it after surgery.]  Take something and call your doc if necessary!

Best of luck to you!

Steph99

Started July 17th. First of four rounds AC followed by T. Curled into a ball this morning, no appetite, nauseaous.

RuthElizabeth

hi everyone. Ruth here. Just got back out of the hospital again. Sunday was a nightmare. Nausea, vomiting, severe stomach pain, chills, fever. Fought it hard. I did go in for IV fluids again today. 4 hours worth. I just can't eat or drink. Living on root beer Popsicles and a few saltines each day. Lost 8 lbs in a week. The doctor keeps saying I have a super sensitive system. I got the neulasta shot Tuesday, took a Claritin that morning and morning after. So far had no problems with it. I go for blood counts Friday before my treatment Monday, 27. I'm hoping to stay healthy enough to stay away from the hospital.

Good luck to all of you. My prayers and blessings go out to all of you. I'm petrified for my next treatment. But just need to get thru this one first.

Hang in there friends....

ksusan

Sorry both of you are having a hard time. Try small sips of ginger ale or salty chicken broth.

mdoc524

Welcome Zuwali, Step99 and Suzanne50 ... sorry you have to be here but glad you found us as we fight this and win together. Steph99 - so sorry you are having some tough se's with the nausea - hope it gets better soon.

Ruth - so so sorry you had to go into Hospital again - are they going to maybe tweak your dosage or try some new meds too help? Hang in there - thinking of you - hope 2nd round goes better for you!

Thinking of all here - stay strong!

Mary

madrew

7 days out from my first chemo round and woke up feeling pretty good physically and mentally. Little bit achey, mouth starting to get sore but still manageable. I even walked a 5k on the treadmill this morning! And then I go get my blood drawn today and visit the Dr. He's very worried because my WBC (neutrophils) was shockingly low. Kinda brings a girl down when reality hits you in the face.

Cheesequake

So sorry to hear it's getting rough, Steph99 and RuthElizabeth. I hope they get it under control for you.

My first TCH was Friday (7/17) and I think I'm being so vigilant about SEs that I'm finding things that may not even be SEs, or are so mild it's not a real problem. I've had a couple tiny pangs of nausea, but haven't taken any prescriptions. A little food or water (or medical marijuana in the evening when I want to go to sleep) takes care of it just fine, so far. Just starting to have mild diarrhea today and feeling a little bit run down. I've had a bit of a skin reaction (a few pimples and red dots around my head, neck, chest and back) but those could easily be attributed to the sudden heat and humidity in the last couple days.

Hoping like crazy that this is as tough as it gets, but I think I know better....

Flaime

Going for my first round of AC chemo tomorrow. It has really helped to read about others who have already started their's. I think I'm as prepared as I can be for any SE. I feel like I've been stocking a pharmacy. LOL Hopefully the SE will be minimal, but I have to admit, I'm a bit nervous not knowing how I will react to treatment. For me, starting chemo makes it all a bit more real. Thoughts and prayers to everyone. We will get through this!

knittingPT

Hi Everybody! I did my chemo in Nov 2014-march 2015. 4 rounds of AC and 12 of taxol. I am seeing some questions on here that I might be able to answer so here it goes.

(1) Lymph nodes and how they count them. I initially had a clump of three that were biopsied because they looked suspicious on MRI. They came back positive. I did chemo first and then had my lumpectomy/axillary node dissection. 5/10 nodes removed had cancer (after the chemo) and the scans "looked" clear at that time so MO was surprised they had cancer.

(2) Neupogen/Neulasta: I had neulasta after every AC. The first round I hurt like hell after that shot. Pain in my neck, my shoulder blades (?? weird place . . . I've never had pain there before or since) and hip joints for about 2 days after the first shot and then it would wear off. I took Claritin for 2-4th rounds and that helped. The doctor also told me that the pain was from all of those cells pushing through the outer lining of the bone at once rather than coming through as a trickle like normal. My blood counts would come back up within about 3 days. During taxol, I didn't need any shots until my last two rounds. Then I needed neupogen They gave me one shot after round 10 and two after round 11 and 12 (after 12 to get me ready for surgery). I didn't have pain with the neupogen.

(3) Other side effects of AC (like constipation) pretty much stayed with me and worsened over time. I highly recommend prunes and beans and other fibrous food. (If I ate ANY meat at all I was paying for it, Cheese was also problematic . . only fruits/veggies during AC for me!) I had to use a stool softener as time went on. Luckily, as soon as I was done with AC this problem disappeared and my body remembered how to digest food :-)

(4) Random stuff: I had lots of skin reddening from the steroids and the steroids had me all ramped up too. I did not need them during taxol but during AC they made me feel crazy. In general, I got more and more tired throughout the chemo and by the end was completely exhausted. I was able to work until the last two rounds of taxol and then my treatments kept being delayed due to blood counts (hence needing the neupogen shots). I decided at that point to stop working because re-arranging my patients' schedules was getting too stressful. I have stayed off work during surgery/radiation so that I could focus on healing and not worry about other stresses.

Lots of hugs to all of you! You will get through this. Just take it moment to moment and know that all the bad things do pass eventually if you can just hang in there. You are in for a wild roller coaster of a ride but you will learn a lot about yourselves and other people too!

JustLikeSamantha

Took Claritan ahead of time to no avail. I could handle the bone ache if the Neupogen had done what it was prescribed to do, HOWEVER, after 4 injections my WBC's were dangerously low so it didn't seem to be effective in a timely manner. Have asked my doc if the timing of the injections should be changed. Waiting to hear.

FreeandFlying

Hi Ladies,

For those of you who are node negative, estrogen positive and HER2 negative and stage 1: what were the stats you were provided in terms of reduction in the rate of distant recurrence with and without chemo? Based on my oncotype I was told 20% with no chemo and with chemo that would be reduced approximately by on third.

Thank you for your input.

FreeandFlying

adarkadaptedi, Michele123, dchavy and RuthElizabeth;

My oncologist is adamant that I do taxol after AC and says she has never had a patient do AC only. It looks like you are doing AC only. Were you given options? Im working on second and third opinions because it's very difficult to forsee enduring 7 more treatments. It feels incredibly wrong

Any information would be much much appreciated

Thank you

RuthElizabeth

hi everyone. Mary, my onc to,d me he is going to make some changes to my next chemo. I will be anxious to see how it goes. I'm hoping to keep up my strength from now till Monday's chemo. I go for an echocardiogram tomorrow.

I am triple negative, so will only be doing the AC. 4 rounds every other week, God willing. So far, I haven't had the aches and pains. More nausea and diahrea. It really odd to hear how we are all so different in the SE.

I think if I could eat more than saltines and Popsicles, I would be much better. When I drink, I get those severe stomach pains and then wind up back with ice chips. No mouth sores. I'm trying to rinse a few times a day with biotene. Hope it helps.

Hang in and good luck. Ruth

Peabrain

Here's my blog entry after my first day of chemo. Let me know if this is an annoying way to post in this forum and in the future I'll spend some more editing time.

Hugs everyone!

(Note: rated PG-13 for mild grossness.)

It starts in a poofy chair, I'm guessing Lazy Boy recliner. You stretch out, get a pillow and blanket, get comfy. No heated blankets - going to have to work on that. That's going to cost them at least a star on my Yelp review!

Find a nice juicy vein and install the IV line. At the treatment center, nice nurses in red uniforms (they are working for the USC Keck Hospital, after all, no blue) do this for you. I'm not sure how you'd do it yourself at home. We'll set that aside.

Take a bunch of vials of blood from your arm and test them to make sure that you have enough red and white blood cells and platelets to join the party. First time out, this is no sweat.

Get the party started with Emend, a nausea blocker that keeps your brain from telling the rest of your body that you are nauseous.

Follow that up with Decadron that also reduces nausea in some other way. I think it's some form of steroid. The bonus in this appetizer is that they have figured out how to administer it without inducing rectal burning. So cross that side effect off the list. Go ahead, just put a line through it because we are not going there.

Next is another drug that, you guessed it, prevents nausea. They REALLY don't want to have to relive those high school party days. This one is named Ativan and has this awesome side effect where it eliminates all anxiety. About everything. And makes you a little sleepy.

We skipped Pepcid today, and I am a little unclear if they opened up the Benedryl, but I think that went into the mix too, just to keep your whole system damping down any other reaction it might think of having, aside from nausea. Which, come to think of it, don't you take Benedryl to help with sea sickness?

Add Kytril, cause that prevents nausea, and we wouldn't want to leave out any of those drugs. Right? It blocks your digestive track's serotonin response, which I never knew I had.

Now we need some color. Let's add something that makes you nauseous just looking at it. See the Caution - Radioactive symbol all over the packaging? The friendly nurse dons her protective gear, because she doesn't want any of it on her, not a drop. Take both syringes of Adriamycin and slowly push the bright red liquid into your IV. No, slower. Because it's cold and your entire bicep starts to ache with the cold. The list of side effects gets more interesting. This stuff is so good it'll take hair off your chest (or anywhere else you left it). Make sure to get your fill because it's a limited time offer! Your heart can only handle a certain amount of it during your entire lifetime.

The cherry on top is a vicious pit bull of a drug called Cytoxan. It attacks fast growing cells whether they are innocent or not. Cancer, stomach lining, hair follicles, taste buds, it's on them, savaging them, taking no names.

Finish the whole drink with a palate cleanser, an IV flush, just make sure that everything went all the way in, nothing left hanging out in your arm.

Excellent! Let's get this party started. Only, guess what? I'm nauseous. Not party rager, puke in the potted plant nauseous. Just mildly. For that I am left alone for a few minutes an they talk amongst themselves and peer back at me. The doctor comes over. I get more Ativan and a prescription for it.

I still feel a small back of my throat nauseous, but with so much Ativan in my system, I couldn't care if I needed to.

OK, who needs a refill? On tap for just three more times and we'll be introducing new seasonal drugs.

Stay tuned for more fun with different drugs tomorrow.

FreeandFlying

Peabrain I like your blog. Very good.

RuthElizabeth you should not ever have to go through what you experienced during your first chemo round. I hope your pre- meds are adjusted and they give you a lower dose of AC and closely monitor your blood counts. Ask a lot of questions until you feel comfortable. It took me until day 10-11 post AC to feel healthy and normal again. Hope you are well hydrated

RuthElizabeth

Free and Flying, I agree with you. Doc says he is going to make some changes. I hope what ever he does works. I feel pretty normal today. My husband is worried, I go for fluids, have the rest of that day and the next and then bottom out today. It makes me feel like I have to get everything done on that good day. I asked if I might have overdid it, but they say no. I do struggle with the hydrating. Was thinking maybe I could try Gatorade or even pedialyte. The fluids cramp up my belly and then I get those horrible pains. Then just want to shut down and cry. I did so extremely well with my double mastectomy surgery. Thought I could do it all. And BAM! I'm not depressed but also don't want to get so knocked down that I may. So far so good.

I enjoy reading everyone's posts. Even the awful ones. It makes me feel so comforted. I spend a lot of time alone. It's hard, especially when you don't feel good and are scared. My kids have been great, doing what they can. Husband works and sleeps all the time. He is not dealing well. And I don't have the energy to help him. Hope that doesn't make me a bad wife either. My mother in law is coming to stay this weekend. Good and ok. She will probably drive me nutzed trying to do too much, but will also help with cooking for my husband. I know that will help.

I'm a hairdresser and miss all the company. Haven't been well enough to really do much. I think if I could, it would be so much better. I'm getting there.

I will ask lots of questions Monday to see what they changed. I surely hope it helps. Good luck everyone else. Bless you all for being my family of friends. Ruth

JustLikeSamantha

My oncologist has agreed to have a look at the timing of my Neupogen regimen in hopes of better results next time. Being an assertive consumer of medical services is so important.

inkster

Day 15 and the hair is starting to go. My scalp started being crawly last week and hurt over the weekend, so I figured this was coming much sooner than later. From what I've read, it's right on schedule - I'm never on time, so this is new.

I gotta admit this part is a bit harder mentally than I thought it would be. I do have a stack of lovely head covers, but I don't want to need them. Nope. Ah, well.

Hope everyone's SEs are behaving and wishing the best to Flaime and others just starting this journey.

Want2Bcamping

Day 13 here and my hair is starting to go as well. Will only be a matter of time before clippers come out. Going to be hard to do but I keep telling myself hair will come back.

Bliss58

Queen_Celeste,

Thanks, your info about chemo SEs after the 1st treatment. That's just what I was wondering and very helpful. So, it seems subsequently, they might get worse before they then get better, but as we all know, we're all different and anything can happen!