Starting Chemo February 2009?

Webbie -

Good luck on your first day of chemo tomorrow! 

Maria

Hi

I'm starting Feb. 5th with AC X 4 at 2 week intervals.   The chemo kits suggestions are great and so is the advice and questions of everyone else.  It really makes me feel less alone.

I teach HS English and will be visiting one of my students at her home tommorrow--17-year-old girl with terminal bone cancer so I'm loading up on the best short stories to share since she's bored.  Really puts my sitch into perspective!   I also have a boy in my class w/leukmeia who shared his port story since I get mine Monday. He's got a great attitude and has had so many treatments.  Amazing where you can find support and strength!

Terri42-I'm having Neulasta the day after chemo.  Onc recommended mine 24 hours after, but who knows?  I'm with you on not wanting to pack on pounds (everyday lifelong battle).  I'm hoping to stay active even if I need to take laps around the halls at school--so darn icy here!!!

Good luck to everyone as we start/keep counting down!

Just wanted to say "Hi" Grace4me - I think we start chemo the same day and looks like similar situations and regimes.  I had my drain 4 weeks post-lumpectomy/lymph node dissection - got it out last Thurs (docs orders) and since it was still draining a lot, I was worried about seroma.  Although I did feel and could see more fullness under my armpit within a day, it seems to be diminishing slowly.  Last night I got my hair cut from past shoulder length to chin length bob - although that's not a great shock for me as I tend to do that about twice a year!  Sorry to hear that you are dealing with a job change as well as bc - you have my thoughts and prayers.  By the way, I am originally from TN - grew up in Memphis - although now live in the Puget Sound area of WA.  Happy to have found so many on such a similar journey -

Tricia

i hope I am the only one here who has done chemo before.  I was diagnosed in April 08.  I knew my cancer was fairly advanced and told my doctors I trusted their judgement and did not want to know any details.  My radical modified mastectomy kind of surprised me but the chemo didn't.  I didn;t read about the side effects.. i just did what they told me and took what they gave me.  I had so few problems.  Now, in retrospect, I realize I had many side effects that were easy to ignore because they had not been articulated for me.  I continued to work and raise my kids, and do yardwork, and business work.  I taught, performed in public, got used to being bald and just carried on. 

I sincerely hope you all, we all, get through this with few headaches and problems.  One thing that really helped me is my life long mantra of simply not eating if I felt nauseated.  I went without dinner often.  I wasn't hungry and I wasn't nauseated.  I also drank ginger, sliced, slivered and boiled into a tea.

I am sorry I have to do this again so soon after treatment... my cancer is indeed advanced, but grateful that I do have the option.  We are so fortunate to live in the west where treatment is available.

i wish all well and will think of you all tomorrow as taxol starts dripping into my veins.  (I think I might have already taken taxol in my first round of treatments. 

(I hope they give me some steriods... I am a pianist and they are absolutely the best performance drug  EVER).

best wishes and good luck girls.

Wow, there are so many of us for February, it is sad yet good that we all have each other to lean on through this crap.

Terri:  regarding steroids, I sometimes take them for my asthma, and they do make me jittery.  The thing that worries me is that I get a rare side effect from them (and these are low dose that I take), so I am worried that with the higher dose, it will be worse; I get bad leg pain from them. 

I think most of us get the Neulasta or Neupogin (sp?) with our chemo to keep our blood counts up.  It is an expensive drug, and my new insurance caps my prescription coverage at $2500 per year, so I will have to go back to the hospital to have mine done intravenously so insurance will cover it.  Stupid insurance companies.

Grace & Twill:  my fluid doesn't seem to be going anywhere fast, just not absorbing yet.  I've read some women have fluid for months, so I guess I will be patient about it.  Ugh.

Web:  chemogod, lol, that's funny.  I think you can count on the steroids keeping you awake and giving you some energy, that's for sure.

Marlomom:  our dx are very similar.  I am also triple neg.  My onc wants me to consider trial S0221, which gives the chemo every week instead of 2 weeks over a longer period of time.  Still considering that, but since we trip negs have no further treatment after chemo, I am leaning towards trying the trial; at least I am fighting it a bit longer I guess.

Jancie:  I believe the steroids help with the nausea???  My onc said I could skip the steroids since I have trouble with leg pain as a side effect, but I think I will at least try it, maybe a smaller dose, to see if it helps.  I also have put off shopping for my chemo stuff, but plan to go out this weekend and get it done.  There are some nice wigs on ebay, I bought one from Play with Hair or something like that, her wigs are really nice (but shipping is kinda high, they're in Austrailia).  Your insurance should cover a "scalp prothesis", or a wig, if your doc will give you a prescription for one.  I've heard some women get covered for up to $500.

Good luck to all who start chemo this week, my thoughts are with you all.

Judy

Just got back from my "Pre-chemo" meeting with the oncologist (and echocardiogram) so I got some clarification that may be able to help some of you:

My treatment consists of AC 4 times every 2 weeks then Taxol 4 times every two weeks with Herceptin which continues for a year (I'm HER2+++) - most of this is pretty much the same or similar to everyone else.  Along with the chemo - the nurse explained you may get an appetizer cocktail IV (thought that was funny) with the steroid and anti nausea med (this anti-nausea med is in addition to perscribed pills) - I am also getting the Neulasta (this is to help maintain a steady bloodcount level) the same day as opposed to the next day which is also standard.  I asked the nurse about the use of Claritin with the Neulasta and she said that where she had previously worked they highly recommended taking Claritin - I figure it can't hurt.  The nurse also explained that you shouldn't feel sick - call if you do!!!  I almost forgot - the steroids should not cause weight gain - yahoo - see there is a light in every tunnel!

As with everything - I think the unknown is the scariest!

Apple - I appreciate your uplifting posts - keep playing that piano!

Jancie - my hospital actually has a free wig program so ask around!

Hi, all you February Furies--

I'm butting in from the May 2008 chemo thread to say it looks like you're all ready to start this adventure.  It's interesting how we all ask the same questions...   Even though it's really none of my business, there are a couple of things I wanted to mention.

One is that, as you've already figured out, the steroids (dexamethasone, trade name "Decadron") are given mostly with chemo regimens that include Taxotere or Taxol.  The steroids have several purposes:  they help prevent allergic reactions to the Taxotere or Taxol, which are pretty common; they help reduce the fluid retention that occurs with those two chemo drugs; and they do help a bit with the nausea.  From what I've read, the dosage and schedule of the dexamethasone we're given during chemo is not nearly enough to cause weight gain.  And, we need to be sure to tell our onco's or their nurses if we decide to alter the steroid dosage schedule we've been given.

Second, most docs give Neulasta the day after the chemo infusion, if they use it.  A few (like mine and Terri42's) give it on the same day as the infusion, because they think it works just as well but poses less of a hassle for the patient.  That's controversial, but I'm living proof that it works okay that way.

Third ... and, apple, let me first say that I hold in high regard anyone who has already been through all this and must do it again ... but, I think it's not a good idea to "not eat" during chemo.  My onco, her nurse, and my chemo nurse also thought that was not a good idea, as did the people who put together the big chemo booklet I was given at my first treatment.

Chemo does all sorts of nasty things to us, including mess up our digestive tract, damage our skin, hurt our muscles, kill off our developing red blood cells, suppress our immune system, etc.  We need to keep our bodies nourished during that time, so the chemo damage isn't made worse by lack of necessary nutrients.  It is not good to ask our metabolism to shift over to "starvation mode" while we're struggling through chemo.

So what I think most of us did during chemo was eat very small "meals" very frequently (i.e., snack a lot), selecting things that tasted good, were comfortable with a sore mouth and tongue, and that packed some punch nutritionally.  I had several people emphasize to me that we should not lose weight during chemo.

That's IMHO, and YMMV of course.  Do whatever your onco or his/her nurse advise you to do.

Hugs all 'round...

otter 

well Webbie... are you puking yet??  Do tell how today went when you have time!!!

Michele

Well, I'm back... having had my first set of taxol and avastin.  so far so good.  I feel perfectly normal.  The woman across from me didn't have it so good.  She was on the phone crying the whole time.  poor dear.  she did perk up when I told her I liked her vest.. she had needlepointed a panel with a lovely horse head in it and crocheted into the vest.. very cool and she like talking about it.

they told me my hair would probably only thin, as I'm having a lower dose of taxol every week... probably for two months.

Good luck everyone.  I had the red devil the first time around and faired quite well, except for several infections i was problem free.  hope you all endure.

Hi all, Day 2 after chemo & I don't feel much other than tired.Keeping hydrated with water & Gatorade-never tried Gatorade before seems to help if you"re feeling dizzy.This will be the first time I've had chemo every wk instead of every 3 wks,so far SE are less than I had before.Thank goodness.Went for another walk with husband this afternoon.Then came home & hit the couch.Hope everyone else who started this wk isn't having too bad of a time.I'm sorry to see that the list has gotten so much longer,but I'm glad to have these forums to feel connected to others going thru the same thing.

Carol~  Keep us posted!  SOunds like you are doing well.

Jancie~ I bought the most BORING wig!  More boring than my regular hair... I wish I had had the guts to go all out like you!

Webbie~ So glad you are doing well.  Please keep us posted (esp about the timing of the fabled "wall".)  OK, off to get my port.  I feel sick just thinking about it.  I'm such a weenie...