Nervous!

Hi Beadi,

I'm soo sorry that you are going through this; but you have come to the right place for support.  What kind of chemo will you be getting?  Everyone is different; but for the most part I found it to not be as bad as I expected.  There are so many anti-nausea meds now that if one doesn't work, you can always try something else.  In my case, I never threw up.  I would have my chemo on Tuesday and by Friday morning, I felt very tired and run down.  It's hard to describe, I guess I just felt yuk!  I would sleep most of Friday and Sat.  By Sunday, I would feel more like normal and by Monday I would feel pretty good.  Chemo is doable for most people.  I hope this helps.

Come to the boards often and let us know how you are doing.  You will get through this.

God bless,

Chris 

Beady - I second the comment ... chemo today is not the stuff of our nightmares. The wondering, the anticipation is the worst. Once I had my first treatment "done" I was much better. Everyone reacts differently, but I can tell you that I am most tired and just kinda crappy between day 3-7 after chemo. I have come to describe it as crappy, medium crappy and regular crappy.



The drugs are important. My oncologist has routinely said - much easier NOT to become nauseous than the control it after becoming nauseous. I have finished 5 rounds of chemo (FECD) now and have never thrown - deep breathing and relax, and, take the drugs as directed. I only have one more session to go - yippee !!!



The other important thing - water water water water ... drink lots of water. Your body will scream for it in my experience. And, ensure that you do eat. Sometimes you don't feel like it and food doesn't always have the same taste - but eat. Your body needs to have the protein and such in order to be strong.



Chemo is do'able - absolutely. Remember - it's a short term issue for a lifetime!!! A friend of mine who also had breast cancer said to me - chemo is like Buckly's Cough Syrup - it may be awful sometimes, but it works !!



So - off you go ... you'll do great. Come back and let us know how you're doing ...



Laura in Victoria

Beadi

    I don't know if you have joined yet but we have a Feb 08 club for people that are going through the same thing. Just look for the one thats 08 there is another on there for 07. There is alot of support and a great group of people. I will be starting A/C on the 21st for 4 rounds and then TX/herceptin for 12 rounds. Just Herceptin after that for 40 weeks along with rads. Good-luck to you on your 1st treatment. I forgot to add were on the before during after chemo. page. Takecare

                                            Bridget

Hi all,

I've been a bit nervous lately cause i'm starting  chemo next week i'm going to have 4 treatment of AC , once every two weeks and another 4 treatment of T after AC, also once every two weeks.

so my combination is AC + T = 8 sessions

can somebody tell me what to expect....thanks a million!

Love

J.

Hi Joelle,

I am 75% done the same treatment as you.  I've done my 4 A/C and 2 out of 4 Taxols.

To be truthful, I found the A/C harder to take than the Taxol.  It would kind of knock me out for 4-5 days post-treatment.  Nausea and acid reflux were my big problems.  The anti-nausea drugs helped - so do take them - but they cause fatigue and a weird 'out-of-it' feeling.  A/C really knocked my blood counts down so I felt tired and weak.  I'm trying to be really careful to avoid exposure to germs because my immune system is compromised.  My hair also began falling out in large chunks on day 15 after the first A/C.  I had it buzzed and am wearing a wig now.  Wigs are not fun and for me, the hair loss has been the worst day-to-day effect of cancer.  But I'm used to wearing it now.  I got one that was real close to my natural hair colour so I like myself when I go out in it.  I tend to wear hats around the house.   For me, Taxol has been much easier to take.  No nausea, only minor fatigue and a bit of muscle pain after treatment.  But totally manageable.  I wish you all the best.  It's tough at the beginning, but in a few months you'll be over the worst and feeling much better.  Try to remember that on your bad days.

Lisa  

Hi Girls, I wanted to thank you so much all of you Beadi, Lisa thank you for your great tips!!!

I have one question , will I be able to take the train after my first AC treatment?

because right now I live in NY city but I would like to take the train right after the chemo to my parents home in Maryland and its 3 hours away from NY.

the reason I would like to go there it is because I live in a residence for girls here and we all share bathrooms and kitchen and its a bit scarry to have to share all these things when the immune system is down, even though i clean everything before i use it, I was thinking about going to rest at my parents place and not needing to worry about my comfort.

please let me know if you girls have any ideas on how i will feel after my first chemo cause i need to take this train for the next 3 hours.

Love to all

Joelle

Hi girls

I just had my first treatment of AC  (Red Devil) treatment this morning, it was scarry but i feel better now regarding the fear, physically I feel estremely lethargic as if i hadn't slept for days, I have Zofran and Emend with me for nausea and so far no nausea.

they also gave me decadron in my I.V prior to my chemo.

I wish all of you good luck and right now i'm unable to go anywhere I m slimply K.O in bed!

Love to all!

Joelle

Hi girls I'm finally done with 8 rounds of chemo AC+T every two weeks, i'm starting radiation in november can't wait for the hair to grow back....can anyone tell me when will it grow back? also does anyone else need to be 5 years on tamoxifen? i'm only 30 years old n i'm a bit concerned about all this.

 Love to all

Joelle