Starting Chemo Aug 09

Titch I hope you do as well as I have on CMF.  I have had no fatigue, nausea or really anything except one little sore on the inside of my mouth for a couple of days that quickly went away with Biotine mouthwash.  I had my first treatment 9 days ago.  Good luck to you,  Pam

Good Morning Amazons~

Jenn3~  I am so sorry you are having such a hard time with your throat.  I hope you get some relief soon.  I have sores inside of both lips.  I have been putting Carmex on them as well as gargling with Toms Baking Soda mouthwash and it seems to help.  Sore throat I believe is a SE of Avastin so maybe that is an indication that you are getting the real thing?

Donna~  You have been in my thoughts and prayers .  I know how hard it is to lose a loved one.  I hope you feel stronger everyday.

Gillyone ~ I am so sorry about your foot.  I hope it heals quickly for you.

Manue~  I hope all went well yesterday and you have no SE

Jennsdog - I hope all goes well with your tx

Best Friend~ You are such a great friend.  Tara, we are all routing for a speedy recovery.  Hopefully this latest surgery will be a blip on the radar of your life and you can heal quickly and be strong for your battle ahead.  You are in my thoughts! 

Titch~  Thanks for all of your words of wisdom.

I am feeling well this week although like many of you I have sores insided of my lips.  I also have a sore on my finger that is nasty.  All in all though my issues are more emotional this week.  I went to a school function last night and today is the girls open house as school starts on Monday so it is nice to get back into a routine.

I bought a wig that I liked and had it cut and styled and felt good.  Ever since I have been putting it on around the house to get used to it but I cry every time I put it on.  It seems so foreign and uncomfortable.  I went out yesterday and bought another.  I am not sure it is the wig as much as the reason for wearing it but I swear I feel like it is going to be impossible to put it on and leave the house.  I guess when my hair actually falls out I will come to terms with it but right now I just keep telling my husband, I can't do this.  It feels silly to be so consumed with my hair (I did get a really short cut) when I have such bigger issues to worry about(not that I am not worrying about the big picture).  It is just so overwhelming!!  Thanks for letting me vent.

 I hope that all of you have a wonderful SE free weekend 

Hi all

I hope you amazons are all good today.  I am feeling really good, I survived my daughters sleepover party with the extra kids.  The gals were content watching Movies last night.  My hubby who is a stuntman, also entertained them with some fire stunts.  Having your own live stunt show will probably something that the kids will remember for awhile.  I was so busy yesterday cooking, cleaning etc, and thought I would be crashing.  I only had my tx the day before.  But surprising I survived and haven't crashed.  Tonight I am going out to a friends 40th, so probably tomorrow I will really crash.

Maine: I can relate to your bald head, it is not really that bad.  I also shaved mine off, only cause I didn't want the stress of hair falling out at work.  I saw my hair fall out and then it was time for it all to go.  I don't have the perfect shaped head, but I don't mind my bald head.  I do tend to wear hats, wig and scarfs when out, but will be baldheaded at peoples homes, in my car, and always at home.  Showers are great, as I said before I have saved so much money on hair products, shaving products, haircuts etc.  My hair is starting to grow back, I had really long dark hair prior to lossing it, and it is coming back with white and black hair. 

Kayel:  I found the wigs very uncomfortable, but they definitely have their place. They are tight, and I tend to fiddle with it all the time adjusting it.   I tend to wear my hats and scarves more often than my wig.  I would rather be comfortable.  But when in general public (parties, special meetings etc)  the hair is less obvious, and you I look like a cancer patient (or a skinhead).  Noone has ever suspected my wig is a wig, all assume I have had a hair cut, and the style suits me. 

Jenn:  I have only had my taste buds changed on my first ever tx and it was horrid, wish I new about the pain medicine then.  Thankfully my taste buds and appetite returned after that first tx. 

CMF for me is so far so good.  AC definitely was abit harsher on the bod and system than the CMF. 

Well have a great day everyone and hope you have minimal SE

Big huggles to you all.

I

Hi Gill

Hope u are ok and the infection is not major..... 

Hi you all:  Guess I can be an Amazon Gal now that I have had my first tx yesterday 8/27.  I have had no side effects such as naseau, but did have trouble sleeping last night even with some red wine....I had a bi-lateral mastectomy in July and after chemo will be doing radiation.  Hoping chemo keeps up this "uneventful" from some of the other stories that I have read.  I did hear from my physical therapist last week that the first one is a breeze and the second one kicks your butt...whatever, I will just deal with it with help from all of you and all of the cancer information out there.  Have to say that I was terrified and almost cried before she put the IV in my port and then I just sighed and sat back....still waiting for the hair fall out, but have been wig shopping and already cut it short so that I don't freak so much.  Good luck to all of you and we are part of a team that will make it through the pass.

Gill: My last photo with my hair, was taken at the same time of diagnosis.

Kristin:  My oldest son is 19 and I had a nightmare of a birthday for his 13th, never invite 10 teen boys for a party, and definitely don't take them out for dinner or to a public swimming pool.  A nightmare if you have a car, which you have to do two loads of carting children also.  I had people saying they felt for me in the restaurant.  I vowed then, NEVER again.

  So as a Consequence the last 6 years, I have not had any birthday parties for my kids, I also have a 14 and 11 year old.  I always find alot of work goes into a home party.  So we opted for taking a friend out for dinner, and quite often do something out like a theme park etc.  But this year my daughter aged 11 wanted a movie night with 3 gals sleeping over, 2 other gals were here also till 9.30 p.m.  5 girls and movies worked well.  I am so glad I was able to do it for her.

My hubby and myself have been to LA and always said we will go back to US and see more, so u never know hehehe.   His speciality is normally car stunts (car jumps, car rolls, instant convertibles (taking a roof of a sedan car by hitting a pole just above the steering) but as they play with alot of explosives (pryos) he also has lots of experience with fire.  Human Torches, explosions etc.  Last night he had explosions and fireworks.  He also has a trick which the kids can actually hold fire balls and not get burnt, so the girls last night were juggling these fireballs.  Probably be something I am explaining to parents later hehehe.  My son has also been doing stunts since he was 16.  I tell you it never a dull moment, and they both love an opportunity to show off hehehe.

Welcome Domegal.  Hair loss usually starts after Day 12 - but some people are very lucky and don't lose any, depends on your treatments and how you react to the medication. 

Is anyone there doing those cold hats?  I had never heard of it here prior to May, we do have it in NZ but very expensive, and not that common here but some of May group did use them (How I found out about them).  I not sure if it did save their hair though.

Well I better prepare myself parents arriving soon heheh I have no breast in, and a bald head, I may scare some parents and 2 I haven't met hehehe. 

Hello ladies! Can you tell me please where I can purches Magic mouthwash?

Thank you

Good morning everyone (well, it's morning in Michigan, anyway),

Titch - your life certainly does not sound dull!  I'm not so sure you'd want to come to Michigan if you come back to the states . . . trust me, there are many more exciting places!  I have never heard of cold hats - what are they?

Donna - so sorry that you've been having a rough go of it.  Except for the edginess I feel from the steroids before, during and after chemo, I haven't had any heart racing or palpitations.  I hope that they improve.

Smore - mine was day 15 too and I shaved two days later and never looked back.  Figured that I could milk it for a week but saw no reason to put off the inevitable.  The first day was tough but I'm over it and even prefer to go out without anything on my head, depending on where I'm going.

Jenn - I can see why there's concern with your WBC so low.  I spoke with someone at the cancer center and I am going to request another blood draw early next week to check my WBC.  I'd hate to get to my next tx and not be able to do it because of another drop, so I'm going to be proactive to head it off early.  We'll see.  

I had tx #2 of TCH yesterday and feel great.  The gaping hole in my breast caused a good deal of concern at the clinic but they went ahead with the treatment since I am seeing my surgeon on Tuesday.  They say that it's not likely to heal anytime soon but at least the leaking of the hematoma has slowed.  Anyway, the tx went well and I even hopped on the bike when I got home.  I woke up a bit queasy this morning but it passed once I had breakfast.  I was particularly anxious about this treatment because I keep thinking that my days of handling chemo well are bound to end soon.  So far, I'm feeling the same as for tx #1 so I'm hoping to put off the yuckiness as long as possible. 

Note the new picture . . . figure that I'd better embrace the bald head! 

I hope that everyone has a great weekend!

K 

My 3rd day of tx!  Not so bad just tired. I dont' think I have ever been tired in my life so it is really bogging me down.  I have never taken a nap before and just took a 30 min. nap. Even though I could have gone longer, my 5yo kept checking on me and it was not worth trying to sleep. Once my 1yo is up from her nap, I will take her for a long bike ride and get outside some! It is supposed to be cooler today - I have been outside in about 3 hours.  Need some fresh air!

Jenn3: You are a trooper! Keep it up.  I just brought my kids into the pediatrician for their yearly check-ups and he suggested that they go ahead and get a flu shot.  Thought that was nice of him - he said the H1N1 virus will be out in October.  Good luck with that!  I hope that mouthwash is working for you. Not eating food would drive me nuts!  I am thinking about you. 

Kristen: Good for you and the hair thing. I hope I will be as brave, but not sure if I can without the hair.  I should have another 2 weeks of my own, although I would prefer to have lost it before the kids at work come back to school?

Well, hope everyone is doing well and has great weather wherever you live.  I hope I can keep up my energy this week-end before returning to work MOnday. My best friend is driving in (5 hours away) to help my DH and I for a few days! What a blessing.  My  mom even suggested that she may fly in next month to help with the next tx?? I will keep my fingers crossed!

welcome C. You and I have similar stats and the same treatment plan. I have 3tx of DD AC so far and generally have been doing pretty well with SEs. So good luck, you are among a great group of ladies.

Hi, I am new here.  I had my first TCH on Aug. 21.  My onc has put me on weekly dosages instead of the one biggie every 3 weeks.  Kind of a pain to go every week--just when I started feeling better, it was already time to go back.  But I guess the tradeoff is, according to the onc, lesser SE's.  I hope she's right. 

My WBC's weren't really that high to begin with--only 6.6.  Does that mean I am going to get hit hard????  Is there anything to do or to eat that will help the bone marrow produce more WBC's?

Dizziness and a feeling a bit queasy have been my worst side effects so far, mostly on days 2,3, & 4.  My hair isn't falling out yet, but I expect that to happen next week from everything I'm reading.

Weety911 - 6.6 WBC isn't that bad.  The normal range is 3.5 to 11.0.  If your onc is worried about your WBC they can give you a Neulasta shot.  According to my onc not all people have a problem so he doesn't put them on it unless he has to. 

Since you are going weekly did you get a port?

Hi everybody, day 4 after my first treatment (taxol/Herceptin) and feeling good, a little tired but didn't have to take a nap! My oncologist called me on Friday night at 8:00pm to see how I was doing, she is so nice. My treatment is considered moderate, we shall see! Thursday was a long day, got in at 10:30am and left the cancer center at 4pm!!!! I was very emotional went the nurse put the needle in my port... sitting in that chair like my mum and my aunt... I never thought I would be in that situation! Since my diagnosis in June, the all situation still feels surreal sometimes !!! Am I going to wake up from a bad dream?

Karen09 - I'm glad you're feeling better. I was so chilly too yesterday but we had a storm here in MA so we all had to dress a little warmer but I had on two extra layers!!!

Kim09 - I'm going to look for that book. I love your new picture.

Tdoehne - So glad to hear from you. Like you, I'm getting so tired of doctor appointments and surgeries. I got a schedule for my treatment at the cancer center so now I can plan ahead of time.... I hope!

victoriasecret - welcome to the group, unbelievable women here!

Jennsdogs - Hoping to go for a little hike in the woods today! I'm learning, trying to slow down!

Jenn3 - I'm glad you're were able to eat something. You're going through a lot!!! I've got sanitizers everywhere in my house, in my car and in my bag. I'm a walking advertisement for those antibacterial soaps.

Titch - Your life is definitely not boring. Your husband is a stun man, super cool! My husband is a full time musician and has a recording studio so life can be very hectic with all those creative people around!

manue
Dx 6/5/2009, IDC, 1cm, Stage I, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2+

Hello ladies - could you help this FEC girl please?

Anyone else had pain in bottom and really sore hips 8 days after neulasta shot?  I can't figure out if it is that or something else.

Another nice soothing drink is Barley Water - I am not sure if you have this in the States but it makes a nice little change from wonderful ginger ale.

I have the sore mouth just now and have never eaten more ice cream ever - this has its compensations......

For ladies with unhealed bits - I have been dressed wtih Honey dressings and it is miraculous the amount of skin you can grow in under a week.  The honey takes down inflammation and solves something called overgranulation.   In 3 days last week, I reckon I got at least two more inches of skin on one side.  I was so thrilled.  The name of the honey dressing is Activon Tulle - primary wound dressing with active honey.  The manufacturer here is Advancis but I don't know who makes it in the States.  It is put on under a Mepilex dressing. This is commonly used in the NHS here.  I really thought I would have no chance of healing during chemo, but hey, I do!!  Hope this helps you too.

warm hugs -