Anyone starting chemo in Aug. 08?

Yaa hoo for Misty's last TC tomorrow!  I will be joining the party tomorrow with Misty and Mamashift, tx #3 for me of TAC (halfway done).   Vision4utoo and Mamashift - I've been having those eruptions of heat out of the top of my bald head too!  The hats don't help any either.

Thanks everyone for all the support I get from your posts

Monique

HOORAY FOR MISTY1 - good luck with your last treatment - I am right behind you on October 10th!!!!!!  Mamashift the countdown is on for you too - 1 more to go after today!!! Goodluck and Hood1980 you are getting your last one on my birthday!!!!!!!!!  I will have my last one 2 days after my 34th birthday and I couldn't ask for a better birthday present than being done with chemo!!!!!!!!!!!!   Good to all who go this week and I hope the nasty se's stay FAR FAR AWAY!!!!!  Loves to all!!!!!!!

Okay Girls,

Back from the final TCH!!  I was there all day and actually slept through the last 90 min. of the Herceptin.  Everyone was so excited that I was done with that part of the treatment there.  They loved the brownies I baked them.  the plate was empty when we left.  I feel okay now.  I have noticed that my eyes are getting puffy-hopefully that will go away overnight so I can get to work tomorrow.

Thanks for everyone for your good wishes!!  Your day will come shortly, and we will continue to mark everyone's last day!!

~Misty

 Wow, October is here already!!!!!!!! Time seems to be flying!  Just 4 more treatments of chemo!  Hurray! 

Taxol starts Friday.

Mammashift, Vsion4utoo, and Monique, I have also felt that flush of heat on my bald scalp and sometimes I sweat a bit too.    My fan sure has helped a lot, especially at night when I am trying to sleep.

I like the idea of bringing goodies to the infusion nurses.

Bette, when your mom sees you, she might ask you about your hair being gone.  Moms tend to notice notice these things.  If you decide to tell her, this might be a way to begin the conversation.

I also had a difficult decision regarding this matter.  You just don't want your elderly parents to have to worry.  Sometimes we tend to want to protect them almost as much as they want to protect us.  In my case, my brother told them before I could give it much thought.

Hi, Bette...  With your Mother, can you possibly avoid the word "cancer," which that generation immediately associates with the people they knew who didn't survive any type of cancer 20 years ago?  (I know b'cuz my MIL has been a basket case about me, and doesn't seem to hear anything positive I tell her.)  Maybe you could say you're being treated for a lesion in your breast.  Emphasize that it will help so much if she prays for you (if she's a religious woman), and also be sure to tell her that your doctors assure you they can cure you.  I have found that last phrase also takes the awkwardness out of conversations with friends and acquaintances -- "The good news is, my doctors assure me they can cure me."  It seems to help a lot for people who don't understand the complexity of bc and feel very uncomfortable because they don't know our  prognosis.  Just some thoughts...  Deanna

Deanna,

I really liked what you said to Bette - I'm going the start using that phrase, too - "my doctors assure me they can cure me". I know it's not full disclosure of each situation - but few people know about the complexity of BC or what to say to me. And that comment helps people. Thanks!

Is the leg better?

Gail 

Jeannine, good to hear from you again!  I had a mastectomy (one breast) and will have radiation.  I think I was told it would decrease my chances of recurrence by 5-10%, so the radiology oncologist left it up to me.  I think it is because I did have a lymph node involved.  I just wanted to do whatever I can to reduce the chances. I had surgery before chemo though. I am going to ask about having the BRCA test done.

I also had a hard time telling my mom.  She worries about any little thing to begin with.  I think I told her the day before my surgery and I minimized everything, just said I was having a lump removed.  Now it really seems to help for her to see me doing well.  I am going to take her to the hospital with me tomorrow so she can see what the cancer centre looks like, and the chemo area, because she's probably imagining something horrible.  She seemed happy that I am going to take her.

There is eveidence that temporary fasting may improve the efffectiveness of chemo.  I copied and pasted some of it but there are lots of articles on the subject online.  

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Fasting May Improve Cancer Chemotherapy

Temporary Fast Shields Healthy Cells, While Chemo Drugs Target Cancerous Cells, Study Shows By Jennifer Warner
WebMD Health News Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

March 31, 2008 -- Fasting prior to cancer chemotherapy treatment may significantly enhance the cancer-killing effects of the drugswhile protecting healthy cells from damage.

A new study suggests starvation induces a protective shield around healthy cells, allowing them to tolerate a much higher dose of chemotherapy.

© 2008 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Aother articcle suggested fasting for a day or two before chemo.  Here I am thinking, well, I might as well fast before chemo since I am practically fasting afterward ..........thanks to all the N/V.

But one article mentioned that fasting helps reduce the S/E's.

Fourth one down two more to go.  So far so good!  My oncologist said I am going to have 6 weeks of radiation.  I thought he had told me 4 to 5, so that was a bummer.  I don't want to have to pay another deductable to for my insurance if it goes into January!  I also discussed with him regarding side effects and whether the chemo is working.  I thought I had read where someone said if you didn't have side effects your chemo wasn't working.  He said that is ABSOLUTELY false!  I don't want anyone worrying about anything more than what we already have to deal with.  Hope everyone is having minimal side effects.  God Bless.

Hello everyone.  My first Taxol was yesterday.  I was a little nervous but it went very well and quicker than I thought it would.  Spoke to my onc and he was pleased that I had no more se's than I did on EC.  I sat down in the chair and they doped me up with the benadryl, tylenol, decadron, tagamet, and aloxi.  By the time I got to the Taxol I wasn't nervous anymore.  They told me to tell them if I felt any different at all and I just sat and read and talked on my phone and to a sweet elderly lady that was beside me.  They kept checking on me and before I knew it they were setting me free.  I was sleepy but fine.  I came home and slept for about 2 hours and was good to go.  My friend and I went and bought some L-glutamine which the onc said was fine to take.  He said he couldn't promise me it would work but it sure couldn't hurt so take it.  I ate soup last night just in case but wasn't nauseas at all.  I felt pretty good actually.  Had some sleeping problems but all in all it was completely different than EC.  I even worked today.  The nurse told me that if someone is going to have a reaction to it then it normally happens the second tx.  But I am hoping they all go as good as yesterday. 

Jeanine...so good to hear from you.  CONGRATULATIONS on your shrinkage.  That is wonderful news.  I am sorry you are having to decide about a mastectomy.  Its a hard decision but I didn't have time to wait for my BRCA to come back to decide.  Since they originally took my tumor out thinking it was benign then I had to decide right there so I could go on with chemo.  I chose the bi-lateral in hopes that I would never have to deal with this again.  My surgeon would not say one way or the other until my mind was made up and then she told me she thought I made the right decision. 

Bette...your herb garden sounds great.  Your Tom seems to be a good man.  I wish you both well and I am glad he is there for you.  Good luck telling your Mom this weekend.  I know that it will be hard on both of you but I am sure she would want to know.  My Mom is sick also and I didn't want to worry her.  I waited a couple of weeks until all tests were done and my surgery was scheduled.  I told her on Tue and had surgery on Monday.  It was difficult but she kept busy calling family and friends.  She was actually hurt that I had waited to tell her but she understood why.  Now she constantly thinks I am hiding something from her though.  We do what we can to shield them but in the end they are still our Moms and they would want to know. 

Kim...its great you only have one more tx.  Yay for you!!!  I have also wondered if the chemo was working since I wasn't as sick as some people.  I know its killing hair cells, wbc and rbc but I have had it easier than some.  Its nice to know what your doc said.  Thanks for sharing that.

 Roya...I thought I had read somewhere else about vitamin C not being good while on chemotherapy.  I worried about even drinking juice because it has it in it.  Its so hard to know what to do and what not to do.  How much is good and how much is bad. I too am thankful for this site. 

 I hope everyone is doing well and gearing up for a good weekend. 

God Bless,

Tonya

Roya, you will be in my prayers as you begin your Taxol Tx. When you feel up to it, please report back. I have no idea what to expect. Must get one more AC behind me. I'm hoping it will be better than last week was. I was in bed for two days.

Tonight my gums and the inside of my nose are really sore. They hurt! I took pain meds, and made a slushy to sip for my mouth. It helped, but I can't put it up my nose, so that is still sore. This may be a long night .

Bette 

Hi ladies

Well I'm off to chemo #3 this aft - that will be the last FEC and halfway through chemo!!  I am a little nervous about moving on to Taxotere, a lot of the women in my support group have had problems with side effects.  I don't know if the dr sensed my nervousness but he said the in general people that do ok with FEC do ok with Taxotere.  Guess I'll just have to wait and see!

As for fasting before chemo - interesting, however I've been doing the opposite!  Having an enjoyable few meals before treatment in case I lose my appetite and don't feel like eating afterwards.  Today I'm going for Indian food before treatment!  Maybe next time I'll try fasting, although I think I would be pretty miserable.

Also there's a Run for the Cure here this Sunday.  My sister and niece are doing it and my SIL is volunteering.  I really want to go but suspect I won't be up to it and my husband doesn't want me around all those people. Guess I'll see how I feel Sunday morning.  I think it's supposed to rain and be pretty cool though.  My sister and niece (8 yrs old) got pink extensions put in their hair for Breast Cancer awareness month.

I did take my mom with me yesterday and she seemed a little better after seeing how nice the cancer centre was and exactly what the treatment area looked like.

Everybody try and have a great day and good luck with treatments!!

Hi All,

YEAH for NurseKim, Roya, Deirdre, and anyone I missed who had a "lovely cocktail" this week!  It sounds like all of us are getting through this leg of the journey. 

Alibug, Hood, and Stacy-I know the next one is right around the corner.

Jeannine-hope you are feeling better.  That would be fun to meet you and the others when I come out to Palm Desert in the spring.

Feeling pretty good today-made it through work all week and now I have the weekend to RELAX!!  It is suppose to be nice weather around here.  The tastes have gone downhill, but I will look forward to their return, hopefully sooner rather than later.  I get my counts checked on Tuesday. I have a consultation with my PS on Thursday to talk about the type of implants I will get on 11/19.  I can't believe that will be coming up in less than 7 weeks!!  I just hope I can quickly recover from this last round, so I am ready for that date.  I have my Herceptin-only TXs scheduled coming up on 10/23 and then on 11/13.  I have decided to have my port removed with the implant exchange surgery, so I will go IV for the rest of the Herceptin.  That is just one more reminder that I don't want to see anymore.

Girls, have a nice weekend!!  Do something fun!!

~Misty 

GOOOOO  Deanna!!  I love seeing you get done!!  If we keep raising a glass to everyone here who gets done a TX or finishes, we should all be mighty happy!!  By next weekend, I definitely plan on having some "cocktails" of my choice in honor of all you lovely ladies!!  Deanna, let's have good thoughts that our brows and lashes will stay put.

~Misty