Starting chemo August 2017 - would love some moral support!

PauletteK

rdeeside - did you check your heartbeat? It's warm in my area this morning was 105 , now is 97 I took the dog out didn't even want to walk this evening.

sweetp6217

redeesides: I had some bradycardia (slow heartbeat) but also excellent BP at the same time, the slowest mine got was 42 BPM and they felt irregular in rhythm. Mine began, I believe, about 2 weeks after my first infusion, but the last one was a day or two after my second infusion. It was noted by my nurses and oncologist. He told me to also inform my cardiologist who's staff called to make sure that I had scheduled my ECHO 2D w/DOP. That test, along with a couple of blood tests come before my appointment (with the cardio); the appointment is right before my last of 6 infusions of chemo. I suppose they want to know if the herceptin will have done damage to my heart so that they can decide if I should continue with herceptin for the rest of the year.

My onc also thought that I might have been dehydrated, which is possible since I had just had a two or three day stretch of Big D.

Cherry-sw

redeesides, I do not know If it is exactly relevant but I had some uneven heart rythm, like pulpitations last week after the first infusion of weekly Taxol that was given together with Herceptin. At that point I did not know whether I should attribute it to chemo or to Herceptin that is known to be hard on the heart as well as AC and that is why AC and Herceptin cannot be given together according to my doctor. Talk to your oncologist, I know they are doing regularly eco for those who are given Herceptin. Get it explained, it is a SE and should not be ignored. Cherry

SusanGA

dodgersgirl did you take those socks on and off or did you leave them on the whole time. I know I have to ice better somehow because last night PN came back in form of sharp knife in a few of my toes. I can live with it but have to keep it from getting worse. Maybe I did on and off too much first time around. Thanks for all your help. I'm like a chicken without a head. I go back and forth on the best way to do things

VL22

R - I've had the heart flutter with both infusions. As long as I keep breathing steady, it subsides rather quickly. I'm going to mention it to my MO this Thursday

PauletteK

Rdeeside - you should mention to you Onc this is something you shouldn't skip

DodgersGirl

SusanGA- just before Taxol, I had a 30 min flush. When Taxol was 15 mins away, hubby out the ice pads in those socks and out them on me. I would wear the socks for 20 mins. Hubby would then take off the socks and change out the ice pads, then put them back on my feet. Another 20 mins., then same thing and another 20 mins

PauletteK

DodgersGirl - I planned to ice during taxol maybe 10 minutes afterwards all depend how long my ice pads will last. Also how long the taxol infusion last. I'm having my hubby to help also.

DodgersGirl

paulettek- for me, Taxol itself was 60 mins. For the entire infusion, I had 2- 16 min pre-meds, with a flush between, a 30 min flush, 1hr Taxol, followed by a 3-4 min flush, then the port flush....and done.

PauletteK

DodgersGirl - then two pairs of ice pads for ice socks only give me 40 minutes I need to order more packs.

SusanGA

hats off to you Dodgersgirl. I think I took them off too long. My feet were frozen.

Reedeesides I hope the heart flutter passes.

Making sure to have fun while I'm feeling good. I'm eating like crazy. !!!!!

DodgersGirl

paulettek- the socks I bought came with 1 set of pads and I bought 2 extra sets for a total of 3.

Since chemo is over for me at this point, I find we are still using these socks for comfort after a long day on my feet. And if my feet swell, I use these socks

SusanGA

so Dodgersgirl you never gave your poor feet a rest from freezing? I think. Must have wimped out by taking them on and off. Now I have pain

Willow22

cherry, love that you posted Rebecca Katz's recipe for magic mineral broth! I just discovered her cookbooks (The Cancer Fighting Kitchen was in the hospital gift shop, and it lookes so interesting I ordered 3 of her cookbooks from the library). I've looked thru her Longevity Kitchen and Cancer Fighting Kitchen books and have numerous recipes to try from each. The 2 I've made so far were delicious (the magic mineral broth and lentil dahl), and her diet philosophy, writing style and gorgeous photos are exactly what I was looking for. I'm saving her Healthy Mind cookbook for my tuckered out days after my next chemo session, but I think I will end up buying 2 if not all 3 of those books.

I absolutely adore beets and borscht.... I'd love to try your recipe if you don't mind sharing it!

Willow

Willow22

marooshka, you are so right about sniffing the orange peel to stimulate appetite! Most things taste odd after chemo (like i've burnt my tongue), but for some wonderful reason, citrus and tangy/vineger things taste pretty normal, and the sniffing the peel is refreshing/invigorating/makes me hungry.

I mixed up some pumpkin pie spice for adding to oatmeal along with tart cooked apples, and the smell of that makes me feel like eating too (and happy - I think that's what a hug would smell like 😄).

Willow

DodgersGirl

SusanGA- never felt like my feet were freezing. I knew when the ice pads were cold and when they warmed up but never felt like my feet were freezing. Maybe that's because my hands were cold!

Cherry-sw

Willow, it was marooshka who mentioned Rebecca Katz soup. I will cook it myself tomorrow, need to buy a couple of ingredients first, soups are soul food. I will look for her books in the store.

Here comes my vegetarian bortsch recipe:

5l pot, you can either start with water or this wonderful vegetable stock of Rebecca Katz. I mean you can basically save all your peels in the freezer and cook the stock of it later, saw it once on FB.

You can change the proportions, the soup has to be dense but some people like it thiner.

Sour cabbage, 1 handfull, it will give you this lovely sour taste, I use a lot

Carrot

1/2 red bell peppar

2 potatoes

1 parsnip or a bit of root sellery

1 onion

1 can borlotti or large white beans

1 can of chopped tomatoes

3-4 medium large beets

A bit of cabbage (you can instead take kale or broccoli)

Olive oil

Garlic, 1/2 chili, parsley

3-4 vegetarian stock cubes (optional)

Bring approx 4l water to boil and put in sour cabbage and diced potatoes, let them cook on medium heat.

Grate or julienne the carrot and parsnip, dice bell pepper and onion and sautee them in a pan in olive oil until they get soft, add all salt, pepper, laurel, dried basil or another herbes.

Pour tomatoes into the pan and let it cook on low heat. After 10 min put it into the pot and let it cook, add the cubes and more salt and peppar If needed.

Grate or julienne the beets, sautee them in olive oil and a dash of apple vinegar on moe heat til they are almost done.

Slice cabbage and out into the soup and let it cook.

Drain the beans and pour them into the pot.

If the water has vapourized just pour in more hot water. Let the soup cook for about 15 min.

Chop parsley, chili and garlic (I usually take a lot of garlic)

Turn the heat down and move the pot from the stove.

Pour beets, garlic, parsley and chili into the pot. Even broccoli that takes no time to cook. Stir the soup and let it be for 15-20 min

It tastes even better the next day, serve it with a spoon of créme fraiche or Greek yoghurt and the rye bread. I also like to take a bite from half of onion when I eat it, Pinnochio style.

Cherry

PauletteK

I haven't done much cooking since I started my chemo my hubby took over the kitchen. I might need to cook some great Rebecca Katz soup.

DodgersGirl - I will try to use plastic gloves on my hand to protect my left arm since I took out my lymph nodes. Thank you for the tips so I can more prepare for taxol. My finger tips are so dry by AC I don't want more damage.

DodgersGirl

paulettek- Taxol is really drying. I ended up using Josie Maran's whipped argan oil and think my skin was more moist than my non-chemo friends.

I did have red, chapped looking patches between my fingers after 1st Taxol so that is when I started covering the ice with a wash cloth and then placed hands on top of the wash cloth and that issue was resolved.

For any new readers, to ice my hands I used Stasher silicone resealable bags ( like a ziplock bag) which I filled with ice at the infusion center. Two bags were laid flat on a table; then topped each bag of ice with a wash cloth; wore 2 food safe gloves on each hand to help protect my skin; placed hands on the Stasher bags; and topped hands with 2 more Stasher bags. The ice stayed cold for the entire Taxol infusion.

I tried the method of blue ice in a tub with water but found my hands hurt trying to keep them bent over the edge of the tub.

Others have talked about using bags of frozen veggies instead of ice. You could probably try this same kind of setup with frozen bags of veggies.

PauletteK

DodgersGirl- I'm going to try frozen peas if it works I will let other know. I know we don't want ice directly over our skin it will burn our skin so the wash clothes sound good.

Day four is here ..... 🙁🙁🙁🙁

Clearpath

DodgersGirl - thanks very much for the Taxol icing tips - I start Taxol in October- one more AC to go first.

Is anyone else waking up in the middle of the night with a bad taste in their mouth and needing to eat something? This has happened to me the last three nights. A friend suggested Belvita breakfast biscuits and that seemed to help. I wish I could sleep through the night though.

PauletteK

clearpath- I used to put some salty at my bedside so I can eat middle of the night. Last couple AC I can sleep till 5:30 am so I will have a hard boil egg then I take my drugs.

SusanGA

thank you Dodgers Girl. I will try not to wimp out and keep them on.

You guys are making me so hungry. None of the delicious stuff you are talking about is on my food plan so I'm out of luck. Not having good luck these days with my blood sugar. It is not my diet so much be the steroids and chemo.

I am feeling so good today that I almost feel like the chemo is having no effect. Just that little now and again tingling. Thank you God. Enjoying our beautiful Georgia weather.

One question. I have great nails so far. I painted them a dark color and put on repeated coats of OPI envy. For those of you who did this did you remove the polish and begin again or just polish new growth? I have acetone free remover but don't want to upset the apple cart.

Paulette...day four....hugs.

Have a great day everyone.

DodgersGirl

SusanGA- I painted my nails dark blue or dark purple (OPI) for the entire 20 weeks of chemo. I would add a coat to cover the growth once a week. Then about every 4-6 weeks I took all polish off and started over, swapping out between the blue and purple

I also use OPI Avopkex nail and cuticle replenishing oil a couple of times a day.

My nails were in great shape until Taxol 10 of 12. Now they have purple-brown spots under the nails which is from Taxol per MO.

Cherry-sw

PauletteK, I cooked Rebecca Katz Magical Mineral broth today, I am very satisfied. I did not add kombu and junipers but sage, rosemary and half of my own grown chili. It turned out spicy, sweet and earthy. i highly recommend. Marooshka thank you for the advice.

Paulette, you chicken soup is next, I got the dates and goji but no bei qi. The fortune cookie (one of three) my youngest bought there told: Patience is the best remedy for every trouble. Very profound. My daughter's said something like that if she will go to college she will be a millionaire. Just imagine we did not picked each others cookies.

KByTheLake

This afternoon I scratched my head and ended up with a handful of hair. Here we go!

I'm having my head shaved tomorrow

Leatherette

SusanGa: I have been removing and re-applying the OPI nail envy as their directions say. Two rounds of TCH and no nail problems. I am using acetone free remover. Actually, my nails have never looked better. Barring changes, I will keep using nail envy post chemo.

Also, I agree on the food posts-I can't eat any because I am vegetarian, but they sound very wholesome and flavorful. Enjoy whatever you can eat that tastes good and is hopefully healthy

rdeesides

KBytheLake - I'll be thinking of you for the head shave. Just remember, it will grow back!

Paulette and Cherry - I made homemade miso soup today and it was very easy and I think also very healthy.

PauletteK

Rdeeside- did you put some tofu in your miso soup??

KBythe Lake - I know it's hard to buzz your hair but I found it easier for me. Hair will come back after all the treatment.

Cherry - I'm going to make some red dates soup tomorrow also, I hope I have energy to cook.

Today is my down day, I only could able to walk a block this evening, shorty of breasts.

marooshka

willow22: on day 4 or so I had an intense craving for oatmeal. So strange for me! I mixed in almond milk, dates, banana, cinnamon, toasted pecans, brown sugar and salt. Licked the bowl clean! I only recently could drink actual tangerine juice, but the zest is still magical. Glad chemo hadn't ruined it as the thought of the meal I ate at chemo is so off putting and I didn't even feel bad that day.

Leatherette: the mineral broth is vegetarian. I froze a bunch in batches and have simmered it with black beans or sweet potatoes etc and blended into soup. It was also great with zucchini noodles, carrots, parmesan when I can do cheese.... again, it turns out a tad sweet but blending in other veg or simmering with dried mushroom rounded it out.