Starting Chemo Aug 09

Good Morning Ladies!

My 1st tx went well yesterday.  It took 61/2 hours which made for a long day but going yesterday my husband and I both thought we might finish our books but I do not think I even finished half a chapter, lol.  There were so many people to talk to.  It was nice to fiinely get started.  I came home nauseated and took the compazine.  By dinner time I felt better and I was really hungry.  Our sitter brought my family a crabcake dinner.  I ate it all and dessert!  Delicious.  I slept well!  Everything went well.  I go for my neulesta shot today.

 YoYo~  I am so sorry for your loss.  My thoughts and prayers are with you and your husband

Jenn3~ Thanks so much for the tip to contact Laurie.  She is so nice and I will pick out my free scarf today.  I also got a wig the other day.

I had a good chuckle the other night.  I was reading the messages and saw TMI mentioned a couple of times.  I could not figure out what that was.  It finally came to me in bed.  Thanks for passing that info along.  I also was not thinking about the hair "down below"

I hope that everyone continues doing well.

Hi everybody,

I am on Day #3 and feeling pretty darn good.  Slept a little better last night. And I am planning on throwing on the sneakers and the IPod and going for a walk!  Speaking of music.....if anyone out there needs some inspiration and a feeling of strength from within please listen to the song "Stand"  by Rascal Flatts. That is now my Chemo song.  DH put it on for me when the first bag of chemo started dripping in, too.  A few tears and then that feeling of let's get to it and beat this thing.  Please share if you have other music suggestions that you especially find uplifting and positive.

And, yes this is a family of Packer Backers.  I married into it 24 years ago.  My Father and most of my friends are Bears fans of course.  But it makes for some interesting messages on our answering mahine depending on who wins on Sundays.  We have been to see the Bears play the Packers several times in Chicago and have gone to Green Bay a few times, too.  Last December we took Navy son to Jacksonville for a long weekend to see the Pack play there.  It was our last little family vacation before he went to bootcamp.  Sweet memories.  Cus ya just don't know if you get another chance so enjoy your kids while you can.  Oh shoot, now I am getting all teary.  Sorry. 

gotta get that Ipod going.........Have a good day everyone

Navy

Welcome Tania - sorry you have to be here, but you will bring a wealth of knowledge to the Amazons. (My husband and I spent from October to March in NZ - you have a great country. PM if you are interested in swapping any info).

I had Tx3 AC yesterday and everything went well. Then went to the look good feel better class. Lots of great makeup and I chose a wig - all free!! Make sure you sign if not already done so. One word of warning, I found the actual class times were different from those posted on the LGFB web site, so make sure you call and check.

Hair loss - head first for me, waiting for other loss to happen.

I got up at 5:30am today - I'd been awake for hours (steroids perhaps?). So I went on brisk 30 minute walk (felt very virtuous) and then called  my mom in England (well she's my Mum really), as the 8 hours time difference reduces the window of opportunity. So feeling great and ready to tackle the day.

Have a good one ladies.

I woke up this morning with a drippy nose and couldn't figure out why until I looked at the inside of my nose because it felt kinda weird. - no nostril hair.  Poof!  Overnight...it was gone.  Haven't started to lose it anywhere else, but assume it's coming (or going) soon.  Today is Day 8 from my 1st treatment.

MCK - I have had a runny nose since starting tx. With nose hair or not, apparently it is a SE of chemo. I just checked with the onc doc yesterday.

Thanks for the welcome...Hi to everyone,,,,,

Gill: It will be the steroids keeping you up, for me it was usually up to 4 days after the tx.  Fatigue will set in cause you are so tired, I hated waking up at 2 am and brain going non stop, when all I wanted was to go back to sleep, was very productive writing lists of things by 4 am. especially cause I was working during the day, I was really tired. Most of my SE were from the steroids, on my final tx I mucked around with steroids and had a worst experience.  Lesson learnt, take the steroids at exactly the same time as prescribed.  In NZ we have our first steroids whilst on chemo, and have steroids for 3 days after tx.  I have had no probs with nausea the whole time of chemo. It sounds like you had a nice long stay here in NZ.

Abit of advice on this site I read which I now live for, if you are working thru your treatments, have your tx on a Thursday, Fri you will be running around with lots of energy, Sat and Sun are fatigue days, then Monday you are ready for action.

Yasmin:  I hated the taste bud changing, thankfully it was only on my first treatment.  The steroids made me extremely hungry, wanted to eat.  There were some foods/drinks I could not stomach at all, one was any dairy food and the other was coffee.  Thankfully it was only for the first 3 weeks.  I don't normally drink ginger beer / ginger ale but started drinking lots during my treatments, it really soothed everything.  Another thing I seem to drink alot of was Orange juice and apple juice......  This also help minimise constipation which is a very common SE. 

Jenns:I can relate to the hair loss, mine started falling out on Day 12, and it came out all day in clumps, I already had my wig ready, so that evening my hubby shaved it to a number one, I had really long hair and it was getting everywhere.  It was initially very strange having no hair.  I wore my wig everywhere and many people thought I had a haircut.  But I found the wigs very hot and very uncomfortable, I was also concerned it was not on properly so forever adjusting it, not a good look when people don't know u have no hair.  So I started wearing hats and now I very seldom wear my wigs.  I also now tend to take all headgear off and do the oh natural look, like when driving, or when at home or even at friends, I would rather be uncomfortable. 

I also have a port, they are brilliant.  I had my first tx without it, and all others with it, definitely recommend getting one.

Maine:  Hope u get here one day, you will love it, NZ is very beautiful.  I have travelled around abit overseas but only been to LA in the US and enjoyed it, it is very different to NZ (next time I will travel further).

Yo-yo thoughts are with you and your family.....

I am currently of work for a month (been 3 weeks already) recovering from my masectomy surgery, long posts for me are not the norm, cause normally I don't have the time, but I normally pop in and read many of the posts and add small messages.  But at the mo I have lots of time........

Had my 2 tx today.  Was a little worried about the blood tests since I was in the hospital last week for my WBC's being to low.  But there was no problem.  I go in tomorrow to get my neulasta shot.

PauldingMom - I didn't think to check with my doctor regarding going into the pool (it was a private not public pool).  I didn't have a probelm and it felt great to be able to have fun with my friends.  I did put on 30 sunscreen with UVA/UVB protection.  There is no way I wanted to take a chance with sunburn.

Jennsdogs - I did not have a problem my port when I went swimming but the port is under my skin and the two surgical scars had healed.

In reading about everyone's experiences with getting ports it appears that there are a varity of ways the doctor's do it.  For me, it was considered outpatient surgery and the surgeon knocked me out. He may have done that since the port is connected to a vein in my neck and maybe he didn't want me to flinch.

Yesterday, the nostril hair....today the arm hair!  It's Day #10 for me and my arms felt strangly smooth when I put my body lotion on after my shower this morning.  Look Ma...no arm hair!  I've never had dark or very coarse arm hair, just a little blonde fuzz, but it's gone!  And the really fine blonde hair on my face is gone too.  I noticed how shiny my face was this morning when I was putting on my makeup.

I suspect I'll be bald by next weekend if this keeps up.  So far, haven't lost any "down there" hair or anything on my head.

Wow I didnt check the boards for 4/5 days and now I'm sooo dizzy just trying to remember who what where...

Yo-yo sorry for your loss...

Everyone else I hope your all doing better..... Sooo funny about the hair below....

For those exercising I really recommend it. I'm day 12 from Tx 1 and feel like the old me (with the exception of the furry tongue and the no appetite. However I've been riding my bike for more than an hour and its really made a difference... kinda put a pep in my step.

I am still having a hard time sleeping which is wierd cos i'm on no meds right now.

My next treatment is Aug 31 and I'm hoping to be like Jenn3 with it being better than #1 For now I'm just grateful that the hair is intact and I'm living a semi normal life.

Kitty, with that kind of sense of humor you'll do just fine.

PauldingMom from chemo July 09 made me a honorary member for Triple J's.

 Sheila

In my first session of chemo, I lost most of my hair on my head (I had shaved it to a number one when my hair loss started), but not all fell out.  I was definitely more bald than not though. I maintained my eyebrows, nose hair and eyelashes, but they thinned heaps, and if I shaped eyebrows, hair did not grow back where they were removed.  My arm hairs also thinned. Anywhere I shaved normally, legs, underarms and pubic hair, did not grow at all whilst on chemo, it was great.  Pubic hair went away totally.

A positive, I have saved lots of money in hair products, haircuts and hair removal since being on chemo. 

I also did the look good feel better course here in NZ and that is wonderful for giving ideas on managing hair loss in the face (eg eyebrows and eyelashes).

Titch - I loved reading your post... it really makes it all worthwhile and reminds us of the positives!!!

Went shopping for a wig with my sister yesterday... I was trying to have fun with the all process but it was hard. Got my schedule with my oncologist on Wednesday and I should start chemo next Thursday if my plastic surgeon give me the green light! Reading all the posts I'm sometimes overwhelmed with so many feelings - I hope I can be as brave as all of you, AUGUST  AMAZONS.

Titch - You have quite a story 

Good Morning All,

I hope all of you are doing well. I am doing ok. I have been having some stomach issues the past 2 days but other than that I am doing OK. I am still waiting to hear if I have a stomach infection. I noticed last night my nose was runny and irritated. I took a look in the mirror and realized about 75% of my nose hair is gone. I haven't noticed hair loss anywhere else although my leg hairs aren't growing as fast as normal. My legs are super soft and smooth and generally I have to shave every day. My throat is so much better as well as my tongue. My tongue is still a bit irritated and I still don't have my taste buds back. I long for the day when I can taste food again. My acne like rash is beginning to heal up a bit..thank goodness! I was starting to get embarrassed with the way my face looked. Tomorrow my friends and family are throwing me a hat party. It was so thoughtful of them to plan something like that for me. I was not very excited about it when they first mentioned it to me but now I am looking forward to it.

I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend. Hugs and Take Care All!

Yasmin

Titch - You are an inspiration. Thanks for sharing your story.

Jenn3 - I hope you are feeling well after TX #2. So happy to hear you were able to make it to your daughter's event. I need to figure out how to tie scarves. I am sure sometime in the next couple of weeks I will likely have a shaved head too.

Kim09 - I hope you too are feeling well after second tx.

Karina - How are you feeling after first treatment? I hope all is well.

Reni - So glad you are working out! I am going to try to push myself to workout today. I have been having issues with daily diarrhea so I haven't worked out since Wed. but plan on doing something today.

Luddy - I am sorry Day 4 was tough on you. My worst days were Days 4-6. Hang in there and I hope you feel better soon.

MaineCoonKitty - So glad to see you have not lost your sense of humor.  You made me giggle with your hair loss post.

Linda - Hang in there. I hope you are feeling better today.

Manue - I too tried my hardest to have fun shopping for wigs. It got better with every fitting. Take Care.

smore - Wishing you regain your energy soon.  I have had the same issues with taste buds and thrush. My first tx was the same as you. I too was able to go to work all week. It was a nice distraction for me.

Hi August Amazons,  I'm visiting from the starting June 09 thread and the TCH thread.  Soon there will be a Sept 09 group and you'll be the old timers.  Stay strong!

smore, just read your first post.  We are on the same chemo regimen.  I wanted to let you know there's a really good thread that started a couple years ago and is still active--taxotere, carboplatin and herceptin.  It's been very helpful to me.  I had tx 4 last Wed and this weekend is my draggy time.  Weeks two and three between treatments are usually fine.  You'll get through it!

Also, titch, the woman who started the starting chemo June 09 thread is also from New Zealand.  Just think, if we had all been dealing with this 20 years ago how isolated we all would have been!

Becky