Starting Chemo April 2009

AmylsStrong--I CANNOT believe your doctor said that to you about "vitamin P" and "your husband making medical decisions." Ack ack ack!!!! Let me know how your next conversation goes and how he responds to your comments. In 1995, a Subaru dealer told me to 'come back with my husband" and we've (my husband was more angry than I was) have not looked at a Subaru since, so I totally empathasize with you. My oncologist is male but is not like that all. Both my surgeons (plastics and regular) were women, and that was kind of cool.

Also, I see that our tumors were pretty similar and that you are ER+, PR- and HER2- . DId you have the Oncotype DX test? I've been curious how much the PR- made my score higher than it might have been otherwise (it was 26, and I'm doing TCx4 for chemo). Will you do tamoxifen after chemo?

 For others here who have been on anti-depressants --are there many side effects, and do they tend to make you gain weight? I've thought about going on them during the Tamox phase, since I think the early menopause stuff may make me very b---itchy (had noticed that was getting worse pre-period over the last year, and I'm 44 so am likely to go into menopause with chemo/tamox).

Thanks

Alice

Amy, I'm the Hoffberger Breast Center at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore.  I love it there (as much as you can love a hospital!) and am very confident in my medical team!

 Hi All ~~ One suggestion on the metallic taste.............. use plastic silverware instead of metal. Once I switched, the metallic taste of food was gone! Another thing that helped was eating very spicy food. Also eating a lot of yogurt with natural bacteria in it (maybe Activia is one) it helps to restore the helpful bacteria in the stomach that chemo destroys making it easier to digest food. Some of the ladies here have used acidophyillus (sp?) tabs and they said that helped. Some of you will be half way done this week, YEAH! Keep up the good work!

Nico

When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.     E. Roosevelt

Hi Ladies,

I just wanted to stop in.  I was part of the April 2007 group.  Just want you to know there will be an end to this and life DOES get better!!   I did 4 DD AC 12 Taxol and a year of herceptin.  It wasn't always easy, but it is worth it.  Two days after my last treatment I had my first grandchild. He will be a year this month.  You are at the point you will be lossing your hair.  My hair is back looking better then before chemo, it is thicker I did not get the  curls alot of ladies did. It started growing when I was on Taxol. End of April through September was the wig time then just really short first cut in December. Your  group on this thread will get you though so much. Just remember  ask for meds if you don't feel well, ask for help if you are tired, take care of yourself. I wish you all the best.

Debi

?????sssss....

Hi all,

Had first A/C on April 20th - have thus far refused to cut hair..... now my scalp hurts ( I dread combing or brushing it) and there are little lumps all over it, and I am having frequent headaches. Is this how things go right before you lose your hair?  When did it happen for everyone?  I have had so few other S/Es, so I am not complaining, just wondering....If maybe I should buzz it off and whether that would make it feel better?   Thanks, Tammy

txgal... thanks for your reply-will ask my onc as the steroids really  create havoc.

Anyone got an aversion to water -how crazy is that -just how much do we have to drink? how many days does it take to get the drugs out of the system?anyone got pain in the urethra?

Tammy -my head is hurting so much -have avoided the buzz cut til now (just a short one)but now I wake up with a headache  so I think I have to buzz tonight and hope that stops the pain and headache.

Best wishes to all

Anna 

Geri good luck with round 2 today. Let us know how it goes.

kathy 

round tow went well for me, although it was a really long day at the hospital. i meet with my surgeon who said my lumpectomy is healing well, which i already knew. my oncologist was super busy so that took a bit longer than usual. and i guess the lab was supper busy as was the pharmacy that makes up the chemo. my onc nurse called the pharmacy at one point and told them they had to do my chemo next as i had been waiting long enough, that was really sweet of her.  

the things i was worried about turned out i shouldn't have worried. my onc was okay with the weight loss as long as i was getting enough protien and vitamins and i am. i do have to take the 10 days of shots but she gave me better pain drugs so hopefully that will help.

 i am on the advastin trial and it looks like i am actually getting the drug as my bp shot up quite a bit and that is the one big side effect of it. i am on another bp med that i start taking today hope it works. 

i came home so drugged yesterday that i took a nap right away but not before telling my boyfriend  to go to the store and get me chocolate cake. i woke up and he wasn't here and i had no idea where he went. i had no memory at all of asking for cake, i don't even like cake. 

i have a little nausea this morning and the horrible taste in the back of my mouth but other than that all is well.

hope you are all doing well too! 

Today is two down for me also (A/C).  Congratulations Bombus - I have to say that I was a bit worried about you continuing chemo with how scared you were, but good for you!  We are a really brave group of people, aren't we?

My DD came with me to chemo today and it was nice to have her for company.  We went out to lunch afterwords, and I just hope I don't remember that panini tonight - lol.  I started the zantac as soon as I came home, since that was the most distressing s/e that I had last time.

The infusions went fine, but I am noticing my muscles are feeling very fatigued, so I am going to take a nap.  Will check in later.

Hope everyone who has treatment this week is avoiding/managing s/e.

Geri

anadou ~ The advice I got here and from my onc regarding fluids was "Drink until you think you're going to float away". Chemo is extremely hard on the kidneys so the more you dilute it with fluids and the faster you flush it out, the better. Fluids can include almost anything except caffeine. Try adding Crystal Light packets to the water or diluted fruit juices or Gatorade. Do you get an extra litre of fluids when you get chemo? That is also very helpful. Perrier with lemon or lime is good as well as the flavored vitamin waters and and ginger drinks like gingerale. For the first three days after chemo I drank 7 or 8 16oz bottles of water and at least 2 24oz bottles of Gatorade daily. It sounds massive, I know, but I was sipping constantlty and really had no dehydration or constipation problems that plague so many chemo patients. If you can find Biotene products where you are, I highly recommend them. They help a lot with the taste changes. Remember that this too shall pass. You're tastebuds will recover and SO WILL YOU!

Nico

Blessed are the flexible for they shall not get bent out of shape.  Author Unknown

Paula - I am SO sorry to read this report from you. Did your doctor say that shingles is a common SE? I have never read anything about that! Have you ever had it before? It sounds like maybe so, if you knew what it was that quickly. I wouldn't even have thought of it!  Hopefully the Valtrex will work quickly for you.

As for the DH, sometimes I ask my husband if he is trying to master the 'wrong things to say' skill. I know he tries but.......

One thing that has helped me TREMENDOUSLY is a relaxation CD that I use every morning (almost) to relax and get into a better state of mind. I got it to prepare for surgery but am using it for chemo also. It only takes 20 minutes, but it makes a HUGE difference in the rest of my day! When I was preparing for surgery, I used it morning and night, but now just once/day. The link is here if you are interested:

http://www.amazon.com/Peggy-Huddlestons-Relaxation-Healing-Instructional/dp/0964575752/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241124310&sr=8-1 

Let me know if the link doesn't work. It would be my #1 suggestion for anyone going through this. I put it on my IPOD and take that 20 minutes to fully relax and let the tensions and anxieties drain out of me. I don't know how i would have made it this far without it, especially in the early days when there was so much uncertainty. I know there are many other relaxation CDs as well. Might be worth a try. I am a believer!

 Be well!

Amy

I had my first 1 of 4  T/C chemo treatments yesterday.  I did not have a port put in but I am going to get one befor my next treatment. My hand hurts abd so does the enjection site. I have experienced some fever and nausea and blurred vision.  But for the most part I feel pretty good. Oh yea and my taste buds are shot. I will remain in great thoughts and will not let this get the better of me. 

Hi everyone,

I'm a newbie here!  I was looking for those with experiences with neulasta and wound my way to this forum.  It is heart-warming to hear everyone's stories through the roads you are traveling and that we all share.  

I was diagnosed on January 14, 2009 with Stage 1, node negative, er-/pr-, Grade 3.  I had a mastectomy on 2/19/09 and started chemotherapy on 4/2/09.  I'd like to say that I had a palpable mass which (of course) a mammogram did not pick up.  An MRI found a 2nd 1x1 mass.  Furthermore, the surgery revealed Paget's malignancy of the nipple and a 4th mass.  The mammogram picked up none of these - how nerve-wracking is it to have confidence in the mammogram?  Anyway - the fact that 80-85% of women who get breast cancer have no risk factors - well I think this should be printed in Gold on every mass marketed pink ribbon!  An informal poll of my friends reveals that this factoid has not yet reached critical mass in our collective understanding of breast cancer risk.  I was not doing regular self-exams and admittedly would have been fanatical if I'd paid attention more to these statistics.  Okay - off my little soapbox and relieved of some emotional stress (!)

 My chemo treatments are 4 cycles of taxotere and cytoxin and just finished #2 last week.  My WBC dropped to .9 after #1, so this time I had the neulasta injection.  For bone pain, my oncologist recommended 1Claritin and 1 Aleve on Days 1, 2, and 3 of chemo.  I had NO pain whatsover.  Today, however, (Day #8) I have had bone pain and started back on the claritin/aleve regimen.  It has definitely decreased the pain.  I'm wondering if I would have stayed on it if I'd still have no pain?  I'll try that next time.....

 Does anyone know of any serious long term side effects of neulasta?  

I look forward to our little April Chemo Club and send you all healing thoughts.

Shawn 

i shaved my legs today for the first time in a month, i was tired of having more hair on my legs than on my head.  

I started chemo on April 16. Will have 4 rounds of TC at 3 week intervals. Twenty four hours after chemo will have shot of Neulasta. Following chemo will have 25 rounds of rads and then will start on an AI for 5 years. My head is tingling and my hair is starting to come out now. The first week following chemo was difficult - roving back, neck and shoulder pain as well as headachy and flu like symptoms. The skin on my neck is dry and itchy - looks almost like a sunburn. Cycle 2 begins on May 7. Also having a port put in next Wednesday.