Chemo in July 2015

Bliss58

Want2Be, sounds like that will probably be my spouse. He just started a new job and is worried about taking too much time off. ha. Had my first treatment July 9th and my 15 yo daughter went with me. She was awesome! Kept me fed, hydrated and entertained, plus I was still working on my laptop and she also had her Kindle. The 5 hrs. passed by pretty quickly even for my daughter. My husband I know would get really bored really quick, because he's not one to just sit, but maybe these next rounds with less time could "work for him." ha. I still have my cousin, sister and daughter who are more than willing to sit with me and will probably be more fun anyway!

Want2Bcamping

Made it through my first session - day 3 out and doing well! Having a nice lazy Saturday afternoon.

Want2Bcamping

I should also add my husband went with me and stayed the entire session. Was very comforting having him there. Even got us lunch about half way through. I'm thankful he went through the experience with me.

melinda531

Hartrish, you're giving me hope that maybe I'll get through this first time better than I thought.....still keeping fingers crossed!

Bjsmiller, didn't think about taking anti-nausea as precautionary but maybe that's a good idea for me tonight so I continue to feel well.....thanks for the tip!

So great to see everyone powering through and doing so well.....it really keeps me going to hear the minimal side effects for most!

Bliss58

Want2B, glad to hear you've made it through the first session well.

Bliss58

melinda531, I started feeling a bit queasy late in the morning today and took another Zofran. I'm continuing to hydrate which I hear is key, resting and I'm feeling pretty good still. Keeping fingers crossed it continues this way; and for you, too!

Anonymous

Hi all. I started Chemo on 6/29. TC x4 every three weeks. Figured it was close enough to July dor this group. Hope that's okay! Will write more later, but first round wasn't too bad. Felt feverish and hungry from the steroids for about three days. Also the expected tummy upset, mild constipation and fatigue. Began to perk up on day six and have felt fine since until this morning when I noticed my hair beginning to shed (day 13)... Sigh. My scalp doesn't really hurt, but it does feel a bit weird. Praying it will only thin as I have no wig or caps yet. Beginning to feel anxious about TX #2. Glad I found this group

Want2Bcamping

Welcome Btxtwins

Anonymous

Thanks Want2B... How do you get your treatment and diagnosis info to show up under posts

FreeandFlying

Did anyone have a say in deciding which chemo regimen to pursue? Mine seems particularly harsh for my diagnosis. I'm day 3 since AC then Neulasta day after. I'm a very sensitive person and feel everything going on with my body so today was pretty rough with fatigue, headache, dizziness, heart racing and achiness. I did take Clariton. Sorry but I am dreading putting myself through this again. Nice to hear that so many of you are doing well.

Anonymous

Hang in there Free and Flying! I seem to have a similar diagnosis to yours and wasn't expecting chemo. Oddly enough, all my IDC ended up being in my biopsy tissue as they only found 10mm of DCIS in the mastectomy tissue. Alas, that made sizing difficult due to the needle ouch/fragmented nature of biopsy. Additionally, original path came back ER/PR+, HER 2-, but then biopsy tissue was sent for a Mammaprint, which came back ER/PR-, HER 2- and a high rate of recurrence. Finally remaining tissue was sent for Oncotype which came back ER+/PR- and HER 2- with a high rate of recurrence. So, even though tumor was only 4mm and nodes clear, chemo is recommeded due to high recurrence risk. And while I hate to do it, I want to do all I can to prevent it. With regards to the type, TC is pretty standard for node negative chemo

FreeandFlying

thanks btxtwins.

FreeandFlying

Thanks Btxtwins. I have 4 rounds every two weeks of AC then 4 rounds of Taxol every two weeks. I did go into this wanting to do everything possible to lower recurrence and maybe am just temporarily losing sight because of how difficult the treatment process seems to be. I had a 1.2 cm DCIS next to the 1.4 cm IDC. Margins were clear after 2 surgeries. Breast MRI didn't show anything else ( this was done to help decide on lumpectomy or mastectomy).

Here is to a better day tomorrow ! 😊

RuthElizabeth

Free and Flying, I start the same chemo tomorrow. I had a call from the social worker and asked about taking the Claritin. She said I had to wait and ask the nurse. Would you please let me know how you are taking it. I didn't pick any up yet, but think I will today. That way I have it. Good luck. I had a second opinion, and she suggested the CT, but after discussing the differences, decided on the AC. Stay strong... Ruth

FreeandFlying

Hi RuthElizabeth- I've been taking 1 tablet 10 mg starting the day of my shot. My oncologist was indifferent as to whether I should take it and left it up to me. The infusion nurses said I should just go ahead and take it for about 5 days. I'm feeling better today compared to yesterday. Excited that anti nausea medications are done today!

That's great that you receiveda second opinion. It's been such s whirlwind and things moved so fast that I'm just getting to that point of digging through literature and thinking about a second opinion. I know that AC plus T is a preferred treatment but I would like to know more.

All the best

Want2Bcamping

Well, day 4 after first session and it set me back some. Major body aches and slight headache. Wasn't expecting that. Also, my scalp is starting to get sensitive already. Sign of things to come I'm sure. I'm hanging in there and browsing the forums!

Hope all had a good day

Bliss58

Hi all. Third day out from first treatment and I'm still feeling pretty well. Took anti-nausea before bed last night, but haven't had any today. Had a restless night though with tingling in my toes and feet and restless legs. I was a bit more tired today, and like you Want2Be, I was achy and my scalp started to ache, but only mildly, so I took some Tylenol which made it better. Hang in there everyone and hope you're all doing well. One down, 5 to go!

Want2Bcamping

Glad things are going smoothly for you Bjsmiller! I tried the Tylenol but it didn't help any. I took a Benadryl hoping that will help me sleep. (Been some issues with that). Overall thankful I haven't had major nausea. One down, 3 to go here! We can do this

FreeandFlying

Hi All,

Day 3 was by far the worst but today - day 4 I made a great comeback! Was out and about and doing stuff around the house... able to fight through the weakness for sure. Fog over my brain started to lift as well.

Best wishes and hopes for restful sleep to all

RuthElizabeth

Free and Flying

My second opinion was highly recommended. I'm not sure what my doc thought, but he was kind when I told him. She did suggest the 14 day, and I like that. But, I still don't know what I will be doing. I won't see the doc today, so who knows. They gave me two scripts for nausea. Generic Zofran and generic Compazine. I hope they help. I'm glad your feeling better today. I hope it continues. I have a bunch of notes for my nurse today. If learned a lot from this website. It's been very helpful.

Flaime

Hi All,

Thanks to Michele123 for starting this thread. I'm a retired RN with a grown son, DIL, 2 grand children and one more on the way. I've been lurking for a while on this site and have found these discussion groups to be so helpful! I will be going tomorrow for my port placement, and will be starting chemo on the 21st. I'll be getting AC 4 treatments every other week, then Taxol 4 treatments every other week. It seems like I'm just now starting to feel really good after the surgery and now... here we go again. I'm putting a chemo bag together, and have already found a few head covers that I like. I'm going this afternoon to get my hair cut really short - my way of telling cancer who's in control. I'm hoping the SE will be manageable. Good luck to everyone!

RuthElizabeth

Hi everyone. Ruth here. I had my first chemo today. Went pretty good. I didn't get a port because I only need four treatments. So when I got the Red Devil, I must say it hurt. My hand just ached. But that only took about ten minutes and when she flushed it, it was already better. I'm having my chemo every 14 days. I'm happy with that decision. I hope my counts stay up and the Neulasta works, to keep me on target. I feel fine and guess we will see what tomorrow brings. Luck and good vibes to everyone.

Listen to the fight song, by Rachael Platton. It's uplifting. Brings good energy. It's now MY FIGHTsong....

powerthruit

I am exactly one week post first treatment. I've learned a lot and good news; I am pretty much "back to normal" today. Midweek last week (wed-thu) was brutal. A couple of thoughts. First, I waited too long to take senna and a stool softener. Next time I will take it the second evening after treatment. I cannot stress how much hydration plays into all of it. Even after drinking religiously, I still had the worst constipation I've ever experienced (visualize trying to poop rocks ;-) [hope that passes the moderators] Second, in the past I had used Zyrtec for occasional sinus allergies and responded well, so instead of choosing Claritin to take in advance of the Neupogen shots, I tried Zyrtec. For some reason, Zyrtec just through my head for a loop. I could be wrong, but it "feelt" like this made the midweek hell worse. I immediately switched to Claritin and it was perfect. I take it 30 minutes in advance of giving myself the shot. I had a little bone pain one or two mornings. It was just enough to head for the Tylenol. Worked great. About Saturday I was feeling pretty good. I took myself for a 20 min walk that morning. My toenails and to some degree my fingernails feel super sensitive. For the ladies that want to go for a manicure, more power to you. :-) Personally, I don't want anything, anyone touching mine. Hugs to everyone hitting the ground running to get through treatment. The first is definitely the "experiment." Best to all!

madrew

I appreciate your comments powerthruit. I start tomorrow on the same chemo you are on.

powerthruit

madrew - it's totally do-able!!

Want2Bcamping

I too waited too long for the stool softener and am now paying the price. (Ouch!). My energy is better today as it is my 5th day out and bone aches have subsided. I think I see some light finally!

powerthruit

I just realized in my update, I did not specify the mid-week hell. To be clear, it was not nausea/vomiting. I was successful in steering clear from that earlier in the week. I felt like I was run over by a truck and couldn't move much. It was pretty awful. Sort of like a flu that puts you flat on your back and felt like it went on forever -- in reality, about 48 hrs. Once the neupogen shots kicked in, I was more or less good to go. BTW - I don't know about others, but the shots are super easy to give to yourself. (I had no experience previously)

powerthruit

Want2bcamping,

Are you taking Claritin in advance of the shots? Just curious. It works!

Want2Bcamping

I am not getting any shots. None were ever mentioned. Just doing the Taxotere & Cytoxan (plus the other premeds they do at session).

powerthruit

Huh. I was under the impression that the bone pain comes mostly, if not exclusively, from the Neupogen or Neulasta shots that activate bone marrow to bring white blood cell counts back up after chemo. That aside, if I were in your shoes, I would ask your MO about why you were not prescribed the shots. Certainly, regimens are different and I am only going by my situation, but I think it's worth asking her/him about it. It's my understanding it's pretty typical to be prescribed the shots. (maybe someone else can shed light on this one)