Starting chemo January 2009?

Jess,

I am also headed to Tennesse next week---hope the weather is nice.....Texans don't do well in the cold!

I haven't traveled on a plane since all this started and I don't really know how anixous it will make me.....have mask--will travel!

My Taxotere SE have not been too bad.  Mostly fatigue.  Iam having some mild nuerapathy - some pain in my nail beds and ichy hands.   But I have met a woman who got really bad nueapathy and having finished treatment is still using a walker for long distance and a cane for short distance and the numbness in the tips of her fingers is still there. She expects to be done with the walker in a few months, she still has trouble with turns.  Every medicine has possible side effects.  We weight the pros and cons and roll the dice.  Much like life. 

I made an appointment for a Reikie session on Tuesday night.  It should at the very least be interesting.  I am learnng so much about the none physical parts of myself as I travel this most interesting journey.  Remember the old chinese curse - May you live an interesting life.  

I have spent the day resting.  DH has the day off and he took DS swimming and to school, picked up the food for dinner and prepped it.  I have eatten, showered, watched a wee bit of TV and mostly read in bed.  My important calls can wait till Monday.  

Thanks for the  joke Bev.  I have a couple to share later but they are not quite as on point. But laughter is one the best meds so lets share away.

  Had TC #3 yesterday. Already had queasiness last night. Neulasta today. I usually had 2 good days after the chemo but not this time. Just enough to make me feel miserable. Trying to eat small meals and drink.

  Last night after 10 pm my husband decided he needed to go to the ER. He got something in his eye at work but when he got home he said he was okay. Well he fell asleep and woke up the eye was more irritated. Irrigated it at home but didn't help. So out to the ER.They didn't see anything except 2 corneal abrasions. Didn't get home til 1 am. Eye doctor today got out a piece of metal. Thank heavens he'll be okay. His Dad lost an eye many years ago because of metal imbedded in his eye and my cousin lost his vision due to same thing. Scary thing. Well I did the driving today and he is the worst back seat driver ever!! We screamed at each other most of the day. This chemo makes me such a b---- but he was no prince today either!

  jrgolomb-I have been on Taxotere with no devastating side effects. I take Decadron 4 mg twice a day the day before, of and after chemo. Facial flushing 1-2 days after- minor and brief.A fast heartbeat at times in the beginning-short term-no problems. Abdominal cramping, queasiness, bloated. Lasts about 1 week-tolerable but annoying. I started an over the counter stool softener to see if that helps.Fatigue isn't much of a problem for me but I did stop working after my 1st treatment. I can do housework with no problems but if I go up and down steps alot I get short of breath and leg pains.My labs have been good with the Neulasta. Bone pain wasn't as bad last time. We'll see what happens this time. For this week my appetite and taste won't be good but after that my appetite is great. I also developed vein discoloration at the insertion sites but from what I'm told my veins shoud be okay. I've been applying warm compresses when they get red-usually 1 week after chemo- this is an uncommon occurence. I hope this info helps.

  I asked my doctor about Tamoxifen or Arimidex. He is leaning towards Arimidex. I have to research this yet.

  I have my last TC scheduled for 3/27. I have to call radiation Monday to see when I can start. I want to start as soon as possible. This is my first major illness (and hopefully my last!) and I'm tired of lab work, doctor's office visits, planning my life around treatments.  I know this is only a temporary detour but I want to get back on the main road soon.

  I look forward to reading your posts. Thanks for helping me along this journey.

I had my last treatment today.  Finally!  Well, it's not over until I go through the side effects.  It's going to be a looooong week, as I've been feeling so tired and it took me longer to recover from my 3rd.  I think I'm already feeling the effects tonight, like someone said.  I usually don't start feeling it until day 3.

Like everybody is saying, taxotere is not that bad.  I feel queasy for about 5 days.  No taste buds for 2 weeks and just tired.  I stay in bed for a week, but other than that I am functioning ok.

Bev3 - I feel for you.  It is really hard when a family member is sick.  I had to take my 6 year old to the emergency room when I wasn't feeling well.  (He was ok)  When my 15 year old woke up in the morning and vomitted, I got mad!  I felt so guilty, but I couldn't handle it.  Well, he was ok, too.  I could really relate to the arguing!

Lisa - I hope your stiches are doing ok.  I remember you mentioning it before, too.  Wow, how scary! it bleeding.  I hope you can get it fixed, or is it something you have to live with until you finish chemo?

Well, looks like we are surely and slowly getting towards the end of this thing.  Everybody hang in there!  Best wishes!

It is good to read about everyone being able to cope on the taxotere tx.  I so needed to note that people are doing okay on it.  I know the end result has been totally great-that the cancer lurking about is eradicated and the recurrence rate is definately lower than ever.  That is what I focus on when I start to get stressed.  I am so glad for this thread. 

Hello to all the Jewels out there!  It's been awhile since I have posted and had a lot of pages of reading to catch up on.  I just had my last TC tx on Friday and am going to the hospital for the final Neulasta shot.  Inretrospect with the last tx, I can say that the se's were cumulative to an extent.  The first really knocked my system for a loop, and was definitely the worst of the lot.  The sceond tx was much easier.  I even thought I would be okay to get some days of work in on the second week.  Not such a great idea it seemed since I was stuck on, of all places, a hospital set for twelve hours and came home with a case of hives.  So, no work if I could avoid it, which I have done since.  That was another thing with side effects:  Things would flare up that I had no experience with before, like hives or heartburn, and then I would freak out thinking: What in the hell is this?  When I met with my onc for bloodwork, his response was to simply "blame it on chemo."  Not so reassuring the first time you hear it...but in the end he was right.  As long as your blood levels are fine, these little things tended to clear up on their own with the help of OTC medications.

The big cumulative effect for me is the fatigue...and the heat flashes that emanate from my head and shoulders.  They're probably not as severe as what I think menopausal hot flashes would be, and I'm 43 so I don't know...maybe they are?  But I have always been temperature sensitive, and at night they feel sort of good when I'm feeling chilly.  Maybe this is also the way my body chooses to help to flush out the chemicals.

 And, I've mentioned this before, but after catching up on some of the posts, I've got to send a big shout out, kudos, stadium wave, you name it to all of you who are doing this with families, or creating opportunites to turn this health lemon into lemonade.  LisaLisa...Best of luck with your latest, and I want to see you hitting the talk show circuits!

My mom told me analogy that she applied to life, but I think also works for breat cancer treatment:  It's like a roll od toilet paper.  At first it seems to take longer to make a dent in the roll, but the more you use it on a daily basis, the roll gets smaller and smaller, and befroe you know it, the paper flies off the roll and then you're at the end.

So, here's to everyone approaching the end of the roll...it gets faster and faster each day!

Princess-Good luck, and 10 down! Great! I've PM'd you. Hadn't seen yours til today.

Eadsla and Mimi07--Big ((((HUGS!!!!)))  to you for finishing chemo! I raise my glass of (unfermented) grape juice to you two. Don't be strangers to this thread--come back and let us know about life after chemo!!!

Lisalisa--Read your blog--so sorry about your infection. Sounds painful and just one more unwanted hurdle. I know that packing thing is so hard. Let's keep sharing notes on what we find out about the Zometa or other biophosphonates. Since my chance of recurrence is high, I want to do everything I can to minimize it, and need to know more about the actual chances of the jaw problem (I do have a worrisome front cap that had become infected to the bone, so that could be an issue for  me).

BevR-LOVED the hair joke, and it's short enough I can remember it!

I'm at the chemo bar every Friday, so I'll be there with anyone else getting txs that day. Day after Taxol #2, 10 to go (which means I'm half done in calendar time--have done 6 of 16 txs). Red from steroids. Benadryl wiped me out yesterday, then steroids kicked in and I only got about 4 hours sleep. Early to bed with Adivan tonight... Having some shoulder pain on mx side. Boy do I worry about every little thing now (especially since they keep giving me chemo roommates who've recurred)

LadyJane--Kmmd's post is on the taxotere/cytoxin thread.  She basically had a horrible reaction to the chemo and encourages us all to not realy JUSt on the "atta girl" attitude and put up with the pain, cause sometimes it needs to be addressed with more medical attention.  AT LEAST that is my take on it.....Hugs all

Hi everyone. Well I finished #4 A/C. I had a low grade fever and my RBC was a little low but I was able to get my treatment. I got great news from my doctor. She couldn't feel any more lump. She is very happy the way the treatment is working. I didn't even have to get a neulasta shot this time. I was sooo glad. The nurse gave me some shot to get my energy going cuz I have been extremely tired but at least I don't have anemia. I should start getting energy in about 2 weeks. I also got a prescription for nexium because I am still having trouble swallowing food. Hope it works. About the taxotere- my doctor told me the side effects aren't as bad as the A/C, but from what I've heard from some of you, it can cause many ses. I was given a sheet with all the possible ses and my doctor said the serious ones would show up as soon as the chemo is injected. I was also given a prescription for Decadron to take a day before and day of treatment. Hope it works. My 1st treatment is Mar. 27th so I have 3 weeks to actually feel better.

Hope everyone has a great week.

Wow was I behind on reading this and I thought I was keeping up.

   Sorry to hear about all of you with S/e I still don't have any, just sad emotions on one weekend.

        I have only 2 taxol to do, and have told the radiolgist that I am done!!! They say it only increases your chances a small amount........................I just can't go there.

            I just loved the joke, and that story about a 33 year old dieing of a blood clot after port removal, I just schudlued mine for Apeil 13 Monday.............now I am a little scared, the nusres all talk about it like it is nothing.

     Still working full time at school , I am now back in a two year old room and tryed to be super woman lifting all 12 children up on to the diaper cahnging table.......well how stupid was that, I thought my chest was going to rip open, so this week I changed them all standing up or had them climb up on the table. No more pain!!!  My daughter will be home for spring break from college would not allow her to go on a spring breck crazy thing....next year she may not listen.

           She is getting all four molars pulled on wednesday next week and as all 18 year olds think.she will be out parting that night..............is that soooo funny, I just said oh yes, you will be fine!!!!!

                My head is spinning with everything I read, good luck to all that are  already done!!!! Yah!!!

            And hear is one about the wig I left work early to go get my nails done and a pedicure, this is the same place I have gone for years..............I know they have all been curious about my hair but I keep saying oh I just got it done, so this day my girls says Oh I just love your hair is it a wig, I said yes and she said oh don't you like your own hair.................Well that sorta ruined my relaxation that I paid $60.00 to have!!!!! I just said it is a long story and she said Oh I am so sorry for asking....................... I really sorta got mad!!!

               I have cut my ist wig short and just ordered the same one again, and wore it today, sorta nice to have it long again and no one seemed to notice Yeah!!!!!

                  I alos wonder why some people do 12 weeks and others do 4 of taxol??  Thank you for the information on drugs after chemo to lazy to look up now but will Before my chemo doctor tells me.        

           I will try to get on this more so it is not so hard to caugh up!!!! Have a great week!!!  Pamela 

I am doing much better today.  Tired but not exhausted.  We able to food shop and chat with friends on the block.  The weather warms and suddening you see everyone again.  It is a good thing that I am OK with my hair loss and all that since DS announces loudly to anyone who comments on how I look or my hair that it is a wig and then tells me to take it off.   The new wig is comfortable so far but I have mixed feeling about it.  I don't look like me to me in the mirror.  The cut makes me look a bit younger and a big fatter I think.  Rounds out my face or something.  But I don't look in the mirror much so it is not a big deal.  I was thinking today about how some people seem so sorry for me that I lost my hair and how the most at peace happy people I have ever seen are Bald Buddest monks.  There always seems to be such peace an beauty in their faces, though I should not speak in generalities like that.  I wish I could exude such a state of being into the world.

Misty - loved your Walgreens story..!!!   I can't imagine how free you feel to go bald.. I can't do it..maybe it's because I'm so darned unattractive bald.. lol.  Congrats on making the switch... even if you were thrown into it by accident!!   That's a great story...  

Pamela - I know you got mad at the salon girls but you know what I thought?  I thought the fact that they said "don't you like your own hair" was a good thing.  They didn't look at you as SICK, they looked at you as choosing an upgrade on the hair. And that's huge.  I'm thinking your face, the rest of you looks pretty good, healthy... if you looked sick or like an obvious cancer patient, they wouldn't have put it that way or even brought it up... so I'm thinking .. take that as compliment girl... ! BTW, were you watching Idol, I can't remember...  I think Adam is awesome... didn't you like him?  He may be the one to beat.  I am hooked on that show... not quite on board with some of the TOP 13 but still hooked....

Steroid question -

For those of you on AC and/or Taxol, do you take the steroid (decadron) only in your IV drip, or in drip PLUS steroid pills?