Starting Chemo May 2008

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Cris you asked about taxotere, for me it was ok. My mouth started going south on day 3. I just have this feeling of it being frozen and numb and the tongue feeling off. My taste went with it, and i have a slight sore throat, so i just stick to soft foods and soups for the first litlle while. Every time i eat something i brush and rinse with the baking soda and salt, and haven't had any mouth sores.   It seems to turn around for me at day 11 or 12 ....i wake up and things are back to normal. The last two times i only had about 1 day of aches and pains and i'm not sure if that was from the nuepogen or the Taxotere, other than that it has been very doable so you will make out just fine !!!

Having said that, I did feel kinda slammed by a brick wall yesterday, it was like it was saying i'm not gonna let you off that easy , heres one for the road !! But feeling better today.

My 19 yr old ds came home from Calgary last night ( 8 hrs away), which probably didn't help cause i was busy all day and fussing over things for his arrival . He's only home for 4 days then my dh and dd are taking him back to get him settled into rez.   Once again i got told i couldn't go,( thats the part i'm really getiing tired about )  i was so looking forward to seeing his dorm room and where he will be staying and being able to help him set up. Ok i realize he is probablly ok with mom not being there making his bed and hanging up his clothes, but it's just one of those things i wanted to be part of.  My onc feels this being the last one and right at my low period , why blow it now...so i will be a good little patient and do as he says

Sue I'm so happy that you get to bring your 4 legged babies home, they will be a good distraction, nothing like a good slobbery lick on the face !  Roxi and anyone else with aches and pains hope they have subsided. Lewing great pic, i saw it before you took it off, congrats on finishing!!

Sable, hope the first day of grade one goes great for your son, what an exciting time to send them off into the big world, but remember they are never far from home and with a mom like you how could he go wrong!

Sorry for the ramble...hope everyone has a good day

Sable--I live out in the boonies of E. Tennessee--rain moved in this morning about 8:30 and looks like there's more to come--hopefully it'll hold together long enough to get to central Ohio!  I miss dreaming....pre-chemo, I dreamt all the time.  Your son sounds like a wonderful child, and he has a great example of overcoming (you), doesn't he?    

The numbness and tingling in my finger/toes is worse this tx, but I can't bring myself to call the onc about it--during my first 2 tx rounds, it let up about day 7 or so, and left my fingers feeling a little thick, and I'm so tired of meds and se's that unless it gets really bad, I'm sticking with the B6. I'm afraid he'd order some new drug and I just can't face another one unless absolutely nec.

angels....I'm sorry you're not going to get to go with your ds.  Agree that it's a probably a wise choice, but that doesn't make it any easier, does it?     

Blessings to all,

Sherri 

Rock my Buddie my friend. Creator of Oink 101. Didn't you like to use the word Ubiquitous? The first time you used it I had to look it up to see what it meant.

Look what I found.

You had said on another thread "Oink 101 is as good note as any to leave on, right?!" So I will continue to keep you here with us with my Oink tributes. Not that any of us really needs a reminder to think of you.

Enjoy the day, Karin

Eddie,

not that this will help, but it may help you get what you are coming into....I am not sure what normal was. My body seems to not remember. So, the words " the new normal" really ring true.

Everything feels different... not bad... and waaaaaaay better than while I was on chemo.... but somehow different. I am mentally and emotionally a new person....and physically after almost 6 weeks chemo free I am still feeling odd.

 But, dear Ladies, feeling odd is far better than felt during chemo

 N 

 P.S. but if one more "normal" asks me what I am going to change because I got cancer then violent may be part of my new normal. I am working at the response " oh, I plan to start smoking again, drinking more and start sleeping with 24 year olds"  

Wow, angels...hope you had that beer and you're taking a nap right now!

eyes

My song for the day

I sing the body electric
I celebrate the me yet to come
I toast to my own reunion
When I become one with the sun

And I'll look back on Venus
I'll look back on Mars
And I'll burn with the fire of ten million stars
And in time
And in time
We will all be stars

I sing the body electric
I glory in the glow of rebirth
Creating my own tomorrow
When I shall embody the earth

And I'll serenade Venus
I'll serenade Mars
And I'll burn with the fire of ten million stars
And in time
And in time
We will all be stars

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=j7acuzKu7ag

Sable,

Glad you liked it. You got a personal hug because you asked for it.

To everyone else,

Didn't mean to slight anyone. The cyber hug for Rock was because I promised to keep her alive on the boards. When I came across a cyber hug with an Oink I couldn't resist. This next hug goes out to ALL. Notice it is a chemo hug. Bald, no eyelashes nor eyebrows.

Enjoy the day, Karin

Eddie~ I almost forgot to tell you. I asked the other day exactly what is the normal dosage of herceptin.... I was told 1 yr or about 17 treatments. I hope this makes you feel a tad better. AND I found that if I put a heating pad on my knees on low... it helped a little. It didn't last long once I took it off though. It did make it nicer while sitting in the chair reading this afternoon.

Karin I lurv my special hug.. I'm glad I whined <wink> lol

Howdy sue! <waves> "boulder the hairless" <---- too funny. hope she sees that one lol.

Sue - That is great - "Boulder the Hairless"!!!  She'll love it!!  I think she should use that!  I only worked a half day, but it was still full, so I'm with you on the tired. 

Karin - Thanks for the hugs! 

Dana - Hey there!  Where ya been, girl?! 

Angels - Thanks for the encouragement and here's sending some back for rads.  I know you were a bit anxious about having to go away for them.  They'll be o.k. while you're gone.

Jen - My two dd's both start school on Wednesday.  My little one is going into Kindergarten.  She's soooo excited.  She has the same teacher her big sis had and today we had orientation.  We found her cubby with her name on it, the bathroom and had cookies and juice.  I love Kindergarten! 

My older dd is starting 4th grade in a public school that focuses on the fine arts.  I love this school, too and I think she will.  She has all her academics in the morning and the afternoons are dedicated to "the arts" (music, drama, visual arts and dance).  The school starts in fourth grade and they have to take intro classes to all four.  Later, they get to pick their classes.  I think this is a great school and am amazed it is supported by the public system!  That has nothing to do with bc or chemo, but what the heck!

Sleep well, everyone!

Oh Sable, I don't know what's more heart-wrenching...the kids who cry and cling or those who march bravely into the unknown!!  The latter, I think....

Christine--what a cool school your daughter's going to!!

Hey, all, I know it's not unusual to have pain at the surgical site after chemo tx's, but has anyone experienced pain in the unaffected side?  I woke up today with matching pains and it's scaring me a little!

Great day to all,

Sherri 

Helloooooooooo to all!  I have been trying to keep up with the posts, but have not posted much lately.  I had a bunch of laughs reading through - thank you for that (my crabby day was Sunday)!  Glad to know that everyone is doing well & I also miss Rock a bunch. 

Just a quick note to ask those that are on the other side of the river to hold out your hand because I am headed on over.  Tomorrow (Wednesday) is my last Taxol tx!!!!!!   I will have the camera with and plan to post a photo or two. 

Like many of you, I will be starting rads on 9/29, tattoo is on 9/10.  Although I may peek at the other site being started, I plan to hang around on this board that has so many wonderful women on it.  

Jean

Hey, that's OK, Karin (for you to be at the end of the human chain).  I'll be swimming alongside her, as promised.

otter 

Jean!  WOOHOOHOO!!!  Congrats!  We'll be waiting on the other side.

Oh Sable...I clearly remember the first day of kindergarten for all 3 of my kids (the oldest being 21 and my youngest starting 3rd grade next week).  Of course, hard not to forget my oldests first day...but that is a story for another day.  I hope he had a FABULOUS first day!!

Kristy - I also fell in that gray area and had to make the decision myself.  I had one positive node but it was a "barely" positive, if that makes sense.  There was a micro spot on one node.  Of course, we are all different and handle things differently...but I went with the decision to not do rads.  The one sticking point for me was that once you do rads on an area, they cannot be done there again.  So if there was a local recurrance, which is all the rads are treating (the local area), then radiation wouldn't be an option again.  I had a mastectomy, so most of my breast tissue is gone.  If I am unlucky enough to have a recurrance, I want to have the rad card left available to me as a treatment option.

Its hard, isn't it?..... When you have to make decisions like this because there is no definitive from the medical community. 

yeah Jean, I have #3 thursdaya nd hopefully my last chemo on 9/11, so will I be the last of the group?

I still have to go thru surgery sometime in Oct.  Not sure about rads, surgeon said no, chemo doc said yes. AHhhhh, I am so confused!

But, I see you all on the other side sitting inlawn chairs sipping some cold ones and waiting for the rest of us slow-pokes! so , thanks!!! randie