**NEW** Starting Chemo March 2009

Oops Bwbly - I think your Bubbly too.

Hello,  I havent chimed in for a while.  This place sure is busy.  I had my second DD AC on ue. Nuelasta on Wed  Went back Thur for 2 IV bags and antinausea drip.  I slept all day and all night.  I feel ok today.  Just real tired.  My hair is more than half gone.  I think I will cut it tonight.  I can now say I am half done with the AC part.  Hang in there everyone.  We need each other.

Carol,Bethr,Janet,Luv2sing

Thanks so much for your replies-I am english married to a greek and have lived here for 30 yrs-have a holiday complex in Crete where I work from March till sept.rest of the time in Athens.Daughter No 2 is helping me this year as she is out of work due to the economic crisis and now my crisis! I have to go to Athens every two weeks for the chemo and am terrified of what I will feel like after and if I can  return to work.etc .Its all happened so quickly think I am still in shock or denial or whatever. Have you heard about the vaccination against recurring  BC-its all in the news here doing clinical trials in Athens,

Take care xxx Anna 

Janet:  You and I are the same age, girl!  I'll be 46 in May.  I'm pretty proud of my girl.  She is the one you see.  The whitish pants are actually old sweat pants with a black leotard showing underneath.  In some of the other videos, she has the plaid shirt and black shorts.  And on the one with her sister, she has a black and white baseball-type shirt.  It gives me so much joy to see how much of her heart and soul she puts into her dancing.  She dances because she HAS to...she can't survive without it.  

cpanasci (Carol)... OMG!  I am soooo very sorry.  Again... again... I feel very fortunate I haven't had that kind of reaction.  I had read on the TC board that the second round might produce an allergic reaction, but thank God none for me.  Are you seriously feeling better now?  Any different meds for you now?  Will you be able to still do TC the next round?

Hi All,

I'm home from round 3!  woo hoo!  Nurse fumbled the IV, went to get another nurse, then finally had to call in the head nurse.  She popped it right in and on we went.  There was lots of waiting around - computers down, labwork took long time, nurses had lunch hour, etc.  Apt was at 9 and I walked out free at 1.  The actual drip took about 1 hour 15 minutes...and the rest was waiting.

Planned a nap but a well-meaning friend wants to come for tea.  crap.  Even when I said I was planning a nap, he wasn't to be diverted.  Ok tea, then a nap later will be good.   

"talk" to y'all soon!

-Trac 

BethP- My hair started just a little by day 14- didn't really start going til day 16 and I had TAC. I think you might be alright to put it off a few more days. my scalp did  feel weird for a couple days before I really started shedding at all. I have seen where others have said the pubic hair starts going first and that was true for me- so you might be able to use that as a litmus test- see if you can pull them out there before seeing if they pull out of your head.

I had committted to shave my head evening day 16 - days 14 and 15 I was careful brushing my hair and lost very few. Tried to brush my hair morning day 16 and a whole bunch came out so I just put it in a ponytail and wore a bandana until the party to shave it. Day 29? after first treatment and I am still growing hair definately thinned- but I don't seem to have patches that I can tell- tho I have shaved it down to skin twice. I started losing stubble again after second treatment.

Some folks choose the cut it sorta short but still try to hold on the hair for as long as possible. It just depends on what works for you.  I suspect if I had done that, I still might have enough hair to look okay for awhile yet. But then you get to deal with longer hairs falling out everywhere and I just wanted to get it over with.

Travelgal... Welcome!  I can honestly and without reservation tell you that the March Princesses are a great group of women.  If you made it thru 4 A/C cyles without too much nausea, I'll bet you'll do fine on dose dense Taxol as well.  I am NOT on dose dense... I am on Taxotere/Cytoxan every three weeks.  The nausea med I've relied on after each treatment (I get something or another in the IV as well) is Zofran.  Others seem to do well on Emend (although Rachel didn't).  Hopefully, others can chime in with their suggestions.

Gina... Is that your new wig?  If so, it looks GREAT!

Thanks to everyone for the input on the hair.

Gina-Your wig looks great.I love it!  I have purchased a wig and have some buffs and scarves

Hi travelgal - I'm also on dose dense treatment.  I'm in a study so I'm doing the opposite of most. Tx4 and then A/Cx4. Just had my 2nd treatment and it's pretty easy.  My onc prescribed heavy duty steriods the first time which made me feel like Wonder Woman - the steroid crash headache sucked a little but nothing Tylenol didn't help.  Took half the amt of steroids the last time and things were fine.  From what I understand, the Taxol infusion takes a little longer than the A/C infusion - I was in the chair at noon and done by 4:00.  First they give you Tagament and then Benedryl because of allergic reactions. 

For me the s/e are minimal.  I get the Neulasta shot the day after treatment and that causes bone pain for me too.  Women on here suggested taking Claritin and that really helps.  Even though the box says take one per day, take two the day of and the day after - what is one more drug in our systems.  I have the infusion on Monday and take Thursday off from work mostly because I have a lot of sick and vacation time so I figure why not use them but I really could go to work.I have anti nausea meds but haven't had to take them.

Hope this helps - if you have any other concerns, please feel free to pm me.  Any A/C suggestions/hints you have would be greatly appreciated.

Looking good crusader1.  I wish I looked that good in a scaf.

ginagina -You look beautiful..

My hubby buzzed my hair the other day and I've been wearing a wig to work and I hate it.  It's too hot and I don't think it fits right but I ordered it online and it didn't cost much so I guess I can't expect much.  I have an appointment at a wig salon tomorrow so hopefully I find one that I actually like.  I ordered a couple tee shirt material caps from Ebay and wear them around the house and got a free scarf from francelux.org and it's beautiful.   If you haven't ordered one yet please check out their website and call Francine - they are no charge to anyone suffering from hair loss.

I always wondered what I would look like bald and now that I am, I'm not liking it very much.  I think I have an odd shaped head.  Maybe due to an excess of brain matter lol.

Dear Ladies,

Sleep?  What is sleep the first two weeks after chemo?  Rest is best.  Rest like you are the Queen of the land.

laurie41- I need my stubbles, too.  As long as I look a little better than Homer Simpson, I will not take a razor to my head.  Yeah!  Let's hear it for the stubbles.  Do not mistake stress for chemobrain.  I want my cancer markers to go down, and I have to  NOT worry about it.  As long as they don't accelerate upward drastically, that is good.

marshall2000  - I think the kitty knows that you would appreciate some company even more now.  Do not underestimate any of God's creatures - good or turned bad.

Mom_of_boys- You mean the one (SVU) with the child soldier from Africa grown up, or a different one?  Yes, it is always cruel to see animals abused.  We are charged by God to take care of them!  Don't you just love it when Elliot stands there are narrows his baby blue eyes to give the person speaking a showcase on his exposition?  It's like he's saying, "Do you really believe what you are saying?  Are you for real?  What is going on with you?"  Cutie pie Christopher Meloni.  I don't want his character to hook up with Olivia Benson's ever.

To All - Last month's Reader's Digest had an article about cancer testing, and this month's Newsweek (?) has an op ed piece about early detection.  I don't like the message in either article.  The thing about cancer is that everyone is different, and you have to look at yourself as an individual.  You also have to get a darn good oncologist that you trust and want to work with.

I think the public needs to know that you can fight cancer, and that some people are more successful in utilizing and benefiting from the treatments available than others.  I think the public needs to know that if your health is weak to begin with that you need to especially weigh in the quality of life issues - and don't let anyone scare you into chemo or rads.  Doctors are not gods and you are not a number.  I think people with cancer need to consider the effect their decision will have on those that they love the most - it's not just about you.

I think that people need to stand up to clean up our foodchain.  These poisons are in the air, water, soil, etc.  We should not genetically engineer our food, it's full of enough stuff that shouldn't be in it already.  When that goes up against the corrupted innards of our bodies, the result is not positive.  Sorry, United Nations - but boycott food from China - that place is too dangerous to accept any foodstuffs from.  They have their own people cowed, IMO.  I don't know what triggers autism in children, but something is egging it on more and more. 

I think people with cancer should not be cruel to one another, and be bitter about a dodged bullet in the proposed treatment.  Shame on anyone who has done that on these boards.  I say, shame on you.  I hope you find it in your conscience to ask God and the person you hurt to forgive you.  That is the mark of a mean spirited person, to do that kind of stuff, and we don't need those kind of mean spirits on the boards.  I'm calling you out.  Yes, Christians can do that.  Christians aren't weak and passive - get that out of your head.

I am three-to-five days out of Cycle 2.  Yes, I have the hot head woozies with a small pinch of nausea.  That's it.  Too dizzy to go many places in public without feeling like I might faint.  Feel very weak, some bone pain, lay in bed most of the time.  Hair band of head (what's left of my hair band) hurts especially in the a.m.  Eating plenty of protein.  Will go buy Ensure at store as soon as I feel up to it.  Ginger ale is better than 7 Up, IMO.  Guess it's time for that Claritin-D, huh?  God is good, and He is able.

Love in Christ,

Sessna1

Hi Michele54...I have so much trouble writing now especially if I don't have your post right in front of me...so if I forgot something or get it wrong..I apologize...I hope all my brain function returns...Now that might be the result of my A/C regimen especially with the anti-nausea drugs...I got kinda freaked out when they showed me all the different meds I would be taking but I never really felt sick..They all did their job! For my A/C regimen I was taking Emend, Zofran, Ativan and a little Dex. The infusion is pretty quick..You'll be out in two hours. My chemo day is Thursday so I pretty much relax all through the weekend.  That's why I've been nervous about switching over to Taxol...I've had my guard up and now they say I can let it down..They say this drug is not as rough..So I'm glad to hear, that especially, nausea wasn't a big problem. I'm nine days post chemo and my feet still ache..I'm scheduled to take 5 dex, 12 hours prior and 5 more, 6 hours prior...and Zofran and Ativan...but I'm nervous to let go of the Emend...Thanks for writing...I think I've needed to join you gals for a long time..