Starting Chemo February 2009?

Apple and "sue from fl" (and anyone else going today)- Good luck!  I'll be thinking 'bout you.

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I don't know how to post my chemo schedule. I'm Taxotere/Carboplatin/Herceptin every three weeks for six cycles, Herceptin every week & then once my "big chemo" (TCH) is done at the end of May I'm continuing on with Herceptin every three weeks until next February. After the big chemo I will also be having rads...not sure how long for that though. How do you shorten all that?? lol webbie....can you update me & make sense of that??

Kerry...aggressive cancers suck! I'll be telling myself that too.

Michele....we'll celebrate with boiled peanuts when we're done! lol

xpectmiracles...I don't know how to post pictures yet but I can't wait to see yours!! 

Kathie....you stick with us as long as you want! 

Good luck today apple (love the poem!) and Sue (fromfl)!! And anyone else going...Denali, is today your day too?? Mine's tomorrow.

All of us & Chemo....kicking cancers butt since February 2009!!! 

Home from Taxotere #3, so all in all 7 treatments down, and ONE TO GO! wohooooo!

Onc. says that these last 2 tax. are gonna really wipe me out. Oh joy oh bliss.

Think I'll do a poem too... Apple u crack me up. Maybe we should all do a poem to sum up our chemo day.

A Taxotere I go and steroids follow too

Hi Ho the Merri-O no sleepin I will do

I'll never get a break, cause chemo really sucks

Hi Ho the Merri-O I think I'll go feed the ducks

Ey... I tried.

Hope everyone's having a not-so-bad day. Remember to drink up and take your laxatives!

Jaimieh~ I'm glad you posted this afternoon.  I *thought* I saw a new poster (you!) yesterday? But, I couldn't find you (later on) to welcome you... I plead chemobrain.  Regardless... WELCOME!

Thanks for the welcome--I've learned so much just from reading here.  I wore my new wig to the office yesterday and one of my student workers (who is young enough to be my grandson) told me I look "hot"!  Wouldn't you know it--62 yrs.old, bc, and now I'm hot??

Thought I'd pass this along--there is a great bed jacket you can find at the Jockey outlets (maybe online too).  They're velour, button up the front, have a hoodie and I found them for $10. Even though they are "bed jackets" they look like warm up jackets. 

And a question--how much Claritan do you take before the Neulasta shot to try to head off the bone pain?

Thanks.  Helen

my friend today who has lymphoma

fournd that she won't need a comb a

brush. spray  even styling gel

fortunately she's feeling well.

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we'll do chemo together sometimes.

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the  nurse i had  today was Bryce

he was extra kind and nice

he brought me a pillow and a drink to sip

his service was excellent and i left a tip*.

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really!   (*1 dollar) ha ha

susan13, i'm doing the light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel snoopy dance for you!

has judy posted about her mom? i hope the operation went well. 

TwillNW, i especially related to your hair poem. i didn't buzz either. just watching it all fall out in the shower. mourning and saying goodbye-and-come-back-real-soon-y'hear to each strand. somehow i'm getting used to it. i'm also getting used to the wig. i've designated my office mate to be the official "um, your wig's askew" notifier. i also have a mini-mirror on my desk, just to make sure.

today after work, when i got in the car and took off my hat (i always take my hat off when i drive), whoops, off came the wig! so i plunked both back on my head. when i got home, i told the menfolk, "scuse me, i've had a wardrobe malfunction" and scampered to the bedroom for my comfy cap. 

does taxotere also make your hair fall out, or keep it from coming back? i'd love to think that after my last AC on march 18th, that my hair might start growing back. wishful thinking, i'm sure.

I am a newbie.  I will be starting Taxotere (docetaxel) Cytoxan and Adriamycin in about 2 - 3 weeks.  Can you please tell me what to expect.

I think the "drugs" are getting to me and messing with my head.  I know the steriods screwed me up royally mentally and I still feel like they are lingering in my system even though I haven't taken one since Saturday.  On top of that I started my period so I've got those emotions running like crazy.  Since I became perimenopausal about 2 years ago my hormones rage like crazy during this time and I was hoping that I would just skip this month and go straight into chemopause and of course at my age, they would probably never start up again which is fine with me.

So bottom line my emotions are nuts and my body feels weird.  Then my hubby leaves to go out of state today at last minute notice and won't be home until Saturday (work required) and even though I am glad to have my home to myself, I am all weepy eyed and sad and I really don't know why - I have no freaking clue!

I feel so strong as though I can kick ass and take names (ooops, wonder if the mods are going to catch that one) and then other times I just feel totally vulnerable and realize how darn bad cancer is and am I taking this seriously enough - am I facing the reality of what could be my fate 2 years from now, 5 years from now - even 10 years?  I feel as though reality is not really going to hit me until my hair comes out and then it is "you have cancer and you will remember this every second of the day, you won't be able to just go to the barn and see your horse and forget that you have cancer, it will be in front of your face 24/7/365"

I am not sure I could hang on like I am without you gals here on this site, every single one of you!  I know that "here" I can spill my guts and tell you how I feel when I can't even begin to explain all of these emotions to my own husband and best friend as I feel they won't understand at the level that y'all understand what it feels like.

buddy1 - I almost missed your post!  That happens when I am posting at the same time and someone else and before I get my LONG winded posts submitted someone jumps right in front of me

Are you going to do Adriamycin and Cytoxin together and then Taxotere afterwards?  How many treatments and what is the spread between (i.e. every 2 weeks, every 3 weeks?)

There is a good thread in this forum about preparing yourself for chemo, the things you will need to purchase, etc.  It is one of the top 3 threads listed in this forum.  Please do take the time to go through and read it.

Everyone reacts differently to AC other than it is a given that your hair will fall out in 14 to 17 days after your first treatment.  MicheleS is the puking queen here and myself on the other hand, I have a cast iron stomach and only got nauseated for one day and never threw up.

Some people have major problems with the Neulasta shots (given to increase your white blood cells) and have awful joint pains and others it doesn't phase (like myself).  But then again, how you react on treatment #1 versus Treatment #2 and Treatment #3, etc. can be totally different.

It is a biatch but everyone here says it is doable.   A couple of responses above you will see where I posted about my emotions being all over the place - and so far that is the only real SE I have had but I can't stand how I feel right now mentally.  Some days I am up and other days I am down and that is one thing that you can probably expect to happen to yourself as it seems to happen to most everyone here.

Send a PM to Webwriter so that she can get you on the schedule at the top of this thread (page 1) with your treatment schedule so we can keep up with you! 

((((JUDY)))))    Know that we all care for you and wish to comfort you in your loss. Please post when you can. We will listen.

Judy - I too want to share my deepest sympathy for you and your family. What a great lost to you at this most difficult of times. Take comfort from those who love you and find the strength to help yourself through this time of grief.