Anyone starting chemo in June 08

Bonnie......I am having a terrible time these past few days with my eyes.......has been the worst SE so far for me...........my eyes are so sore from the runniness........called the onc.........he suggested trying a natural tears type product......kinda to flush it out..........bought 2 different kinds but neither seems to work........tried googling for a solution......only thing I could come up with was warm compresses......tried them last night......it sure did feel soothing........but still very runny today.........are you on AC?

Went to a car show with the Dh this weekend.......was a nice time.........but very hard to enjoy with eye problems.......seems that not only are they runny and irritated.......they are also super sensitive to the sun........anyone else?

Cheers

Jax

Congrats Kellke!  Sounds like good news.  Stay on your plan of course.   Glad your scan and xrays were clear.  HunkyD

Jax,

 I think the eye problems are a SE of taxotere. Not sure though, I can't get a straight answer from anyone at my oncs office as to what exactly causes it! (Does anyone else have problems remembering how to spell like I am!?)

Donalee

Vinogal....this is just a guess, but since we know the chemo increases our sensitivity to the sun we are good about putting on sunscreen.  Is there a chance you went without sunglasses a lot on your vacay and your eyes were overexposed to UV around the water?......I don't know....just seems like the eye thing kind of creeped up on you.  Just a guess.  Hope it gets better.  HunkyD

Hunkydory,  I haven't had any Neuropathy or swelling. I worry about swelling as my underarm is numb where nodes were taken out so I measure my arm regularly. I'm weird.

My eyes are not runny but I do have a nerve jumping in my right eye.  My nail beds are fine in fact my finger nails have been growing. They look nicer now than before. My eyelashes are also longer. Maybe setting my up for the downfall. So I better enjoy while I have them. HAHAHA!!!!  I love not having to shave.  I do have a lot of dead skin from everywhere. Good thing for baby oil gel. I don't look like I have dandruff on my belly.

Keep looking at the bright side no matter how small

HI everyone:

I sort of jumped over to the beginning July thread and have not been here for a while.  6/19 I had my first  tx and 7/31 I had # 4 DD A/C  - my last of this mixture and my tumor has shrunk 25%.  

 The side effects have been minimal for me.  Tender tongue and mouth, but biotene mouth wash and paste help, also eating soft foods and chewing till mush.   I use Gas X for lower gut bloating and eat often, but small amounts - like a cow grazing -- hee hee !!!    Neulasta shots have kept my counts up and I am amazed that I have gotten this far without any real problems, but I thank God each day - and those who are praying for me.   

My next tx begins 8/14 - 12 weeks of Paclitaxel and Herceptin once a week.  Then surgery consult mid october to see if lump or modified mast or what.   I dont care what is taken off and I will not do recon,  -- and my team of doctors and family and i are all thrilled the tumor has shrunk.  They told me this pre surgery tx was 15 - 20% more successful than surgery first for my dx.   

Everyone says T and H are easier than the DD A/C, so I hope they are right.   Others have mentioned the nail problems and neuropathy.  Any helpful hints are appreciated.  

As far as eyes:  I have allergies to dust, flowers, and grass and use eye drops to flush them each morning.  Blinking often helps and IF you are on the computer a lot,  look away often and blink a few times and roll your eyes around.    The nose hairs tend to get thinner so a drippy nose is another thing to deal with, unfortunately.   And your pillow case is where  you put your face (eyes) each night - try changing it before bed each night and NO fabric softener - even on towel or wash cloth.   Sun glasses are a must, even on cloudy days or a hat with a brim. And, as disgusting as it sounds, blow your nose often.  

In a funny way, I feel like I am packing up to go out with a small child - wipes, drops, snacks, tissues, water bottle, etc...   when it is just me going out for a drive to the store.    I have a small tote bag with all these things in it in the car just in case.   

Donalee - I used to be a good speller, but lately I can't remember people's names.  They call it chemo brain or in my case add old age (age 62), craft, crs and psd.   Lady I sit next to at bingo for the past year - I could not remember her name the other night..  

Good luck to everyone.  HUGS & BLESSINGS,   Nancy 

I was dumb and didn't pay close attention to my instructions for my dexadron (and my oncologist confused things by issuing two different prescriptions) (oh, and they changed my chemo time in hopes that my neutrophils are higher than they were today). 

Is it exactly 24 hours before a taxotere infusion that you start the steroids?

 ~Stacey

Hi Stacey - I was told 2 Decadron the day before the treatment, two the day of treatment and 2 the day after treatment.  I have treatments on Tuesday and go in for blood counts on Monday.  So once I know that treatment will proceed (usually by noon on Monday), I take the first decadron.  Then I take another with dinner.  The day of treatment, I take another with breakfast (my treatment is usually in the morning) then another with dinner that evening and two the next day (breakfast & dinner time).  I don't think there's anything magical about the exact timing, just that they want you to have 3 in you by the time of treatment and 3 after treatment to cut down on the chance of any allergic reaction to the treatment meds.  It also is supposed to reduce water retention a bit.  I wouldn't take two at the same time, but I've taken them as close as 5 hours apart the day before treatment.

Gina_M.

Thanks for your replies, Gina and Wyoming. 

Wow, I feel like this is a hefty dose of decadron they've got me on then.  I phoned my assigned nurse to be sure what I was doing and she confirmed that I'm to take 2 pills (4 mg each) twice a day starting the day before chemo (chemo's tomorrow), then taper off.  I don't know if they give a IV decadron during taxotere since it's my first one.

I suspect this is going to keep me up tonight 'cause I'm feeling pretty funny already.  I wonder if I can find a midnight showing of Mamma Mia?

Congrats, Jax, you are done with that damn AC!  I had on a blue hoodie in the waiting room and a T-shirt with a sunburst on it in the chemo suite.  I took a bed, but it was hard as rock, so in future, I'll get a chair.  You have to take a whack of steroids the night before Taxol, but other than the length of time to get it in,  the Taxol wasn't bad at all.  No syringes of the red juice and no uncomfortable feelings like that 'head dehydration' from the Adriamycin.  I have been super thirsty since I got home and I expect the real side effects to kick in over the next couple of days.  The nurse said to expect aches and pains severe enough to take Tylenol 3, so we'll see.

Good luck to you and everyone else with their treatments!

Hi all, Welcome to those just beginning the first round.  I had Dose Dense Adriamycin and Cytoxan, for 4 rounds, every 2 weeks and I am also done with it.  It was not all that bad, in my chemo fogged opinion...    

The day of chemo I took an Emend, got some stuff via iv, but not sure what all there was.  Day 2 and 3 I took Emend in the morning with Dexamethasone (4 mg) and Ondansetron ( 8 mg) also known as Zofan,   D and O around 4 pm with food on day 2 and 3.  Then day 4, O  morning and afternoon.    I was told I can take zofan for a couple more days if needed, twice a day, but did not need it.  

But on day 2 I was wired for sound.. color coordinated my undies drawer and closet.  Zoomed around like the tazmanian devil with a really high energy level.  They said to take the pills no later than 5 pm or it "might" keep me awake... 3 am is about the time I finally took a warm shower and hit the pillow.   

Is or has anyone done Paclitaxel and herceptin weekly?  I begin next Thursday - once a week for 12 weeks.  Onco says no pre meds and side effects should be even less than I had w/ the a/c.   Of course the first tx will be another new adventure and I am getting tired of "adventures".  

I heard about the bad  taste when they flush the port - forget what is good for that, ice chips maybe?   Monday I get the port implanted, so I will see how that goes for Thursday's tx.   

For 3 of the 4 tx I had, they gave me a small amount of Ativan via iv since I was somewhat "emotional" - first after hearing the tumor had shrunk after only one tx (happy emotion), then when a man arrived in the next chair with an oxygen tanking hissing with each breath (sad emotion).  My husband was on oxygen 24/7 before he died, and it is over 5 years ago --  and it brought back all the  memories of his suffering and I had to be moved to another room.    But they also told me not to be upset since this IS a very emotional time for us all and that is what the drugs are for.   

May you each have a good or at least a better day today.  HUGS and BLESSINGS, Nancy 

AKNancy -

I'm on weekly taxol treatments just completed 10 out 12.  I find taxol to be quite tolerable w/ minimal SE until recently.  I'm having a hard time with my nails ...... they are very tender but considering this is the worse SE I've had and it started late in the treatment I'm not complaining. I also have a hard time sleeping after infusion day due to the dexamethasone but I take a sleep aid and that really helps.   I'll start AC in September (15 weekly infusions) and am nervous about the unknown. 

Rover