Starting Chemo Feb 2010?

Ladies, just wanted to pop in to cheer you on..I was in your place a few months ago.  Now I am getting my last treatment on Thursday...This is a great place to make friends, get support and ask questions without feeling embarrassed....take care.

Hello, Ladies ~
Just popping in to add a little encouragement as you begin your chemo treatments.  I'm from the February '09 group, and I want to tell you that while chemo is no party, it's doable!  You CAN do this! 

The main thing for me was to stay hydrated.  I found it helped keep the nausea to a manageable level.  

Best wishes and huge hugs to all of you!
Artemis

Writer - For Constipation -- Miralex and Senokot the day after Chemo infusion worked for me everytime!  I finished 6 treatments of TAC 10/30/09 and I know that it's not an easy thing for most BUT YOU CAN DO THIS and soon Chemo will be just a memory!

Loretta

frosty1, welcome, and sorry to have to welcome you at all. We have the exact same diagnosis and treatment. I'd encourage you to start after the midwinter break. I stalled a couple of weeks on my start date, so I can schedule a college-visiting trip with my daughter in April for the third week of a cycle, and I'm so glad I did. I was able to ski a weekend, have a mini-vacation with my husband, and take care of the endless pre-chemo chores in a more leisurely fashion. The chemo's going to kill whatever's in there, and waiting a bit won't change that. Plus give time for port recovery-- I had mine put in on Monday, and if I'd been going right into chemo I would have been totally miserable. Getting a port in is bad enough as it is (although I'm much better now).

faithfulc, you don't even want to know how much Colace, Senokot and Miralax (and water) I've taken since my port surgery on Monday, and it's just now having a (fairly modest) effect. The surgery and pain meds really locked things up, so I'm going to have to really load up on that stuff (plus water and fiber) for chemo days..... 

Thank you for your words. My mom was diagnosed this past December with stage 2 ER/PR + but HER2 -, she had two tumors; both less than 2cm, though one was invasive but still grade 2, 

 Im scared and worried for my mom. 

Though we're keeping up our humor by laughing everytime we put the damn toilet lid down before flushing, and over every other new quarky piece of life 

 She's been reccomended to either take Docetaxel, or Paclitaxel? 

 We're researching now, but it never seems to be enough. 

I'm a runner from problems hereditarily (from my mom of course) and we're both going through this kicking and screaming.

 Before her oncatype test came back day before yesterday we werent considering chemo. Now, we are since she was relatively high risk at 30. We had both felt a little guilty for being so lucky. Now, not so much. We are lucky, but now it feels horrifically real. If loosing both her big huge bouncy often loved and totally taken care of breasts, now she has to loose her hair, her energy, her internal light, and I HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF HER.

Im 23. Shes 55. My best friend, and the best mother I could ever imagine. Shes the closest person to me in the world. I DO NOT WANT HER TO GO THROUGH THIS.....

I guess what Im asking.... does the devil every come up and ask you what you're willing to do for life? Or is that just your oncologist peddling chemo... 

Hi everyone - I can't believe I'm actually posting on here, but anyway here I am. I went through this seven years ago and thought when I hit the magical five year mark, everything was back to normal. Boy, what a shock when I got a phone call from the imaging center, asking me to come back in for an ultrasound because they saw "something" on my mammogram.

My husband insisted he join me for this one (I think we both knew ...) and I asked the technician to get him from the waiting room when she went through her scan and then told me she was going to get the physician. Not a good sign, right? I can't believe I have to go through this again.

After the biopsy, things weren't looking like a "normal" BC because my HER2/Neu was a 2.1, too close to negative for me to be comfortable. My first BC was ER- and chemo was FEC, not fun at all. My surgeon sent me to Yale to consult with an oncologist specialist. Of course, with the holidays, there was lots of testing and waiting for results.

So here I am, with all the results back and the HER2/Neu still shows a slight positive. This time around I'll be getting TCH (6 cycles) with herceptin for one year. After the 4th cycle, I'll be seeing my surgeon for a consultation, along with a plastic surgeon, for a bilateral mastectomy. At my age, I'm not planning on any breastfeeding, so it seems to be the logical thing to do.

I'm not familiar with these drugs and started to do some research, coming across this website. I sit here, shaking my head, knowing I got through this the first time around with the help of family and friends. I didn't need to rely on support groups, either locally or online. This time around, I'm having a difficult time accepting this. I don't know why, but I am.

So, chemo starts next Tuesday. Will anyone else be starting on Groundhog Day, too??

I completed my 6 treatments of TAC on 10/30/09 and just wanted to encourage all of you Ladies starting February Chemo to take 1 day at a time-- don't be hard on yourselves when you feel you have no energy but to sit on the couch and always remember that you have support from Ladies that have been there.

I had neo-adjudvant Chemo due to the fact I had a positive internal mammary node that they found on MRI and 3 tumors they biopsied on the Rt. breast. 

I had no time to think about much of anything and started Chemo not really knowing much about SE's or even Cancer in general.  These forums have given me so much info. and support and I thank the Ladies that have helped me along the way. 

The first 3 days after Chemo infusion were my really Tired days-- didn't want to do much but Sleep!  I always made sure to take my anti-nausea meds as scheduled as well as antibiotics.  Eating very little the first 5 days because of food being hard to swallow-- BREAD was a "no-no"!  My choice of drink during Chemo was "Sweet Tea"!  After 5 days - I ate everything until it was time for another infusion -(probably because of the steroids).  Treatment #1 was the worst for me because I didn't know what to expect...  and then Treatment #6 because at that time my body was trying to fight back and regain energy and it knew it was going to get knocked back down again.  Nuelasta shots were easy for me expect for dragging my tired body to get the injection 2 days after the infusion-- didn't have much S/E at all!   

The PORT was awful for me-- everyday I felt like this thing wasn't suppose to be there and I wanted it out!!!  I was so happy to get it removed during my BMX that when I woke up from surgery 12/14/09-- I was thrilled it was gone and didn't even have much concern about losing my boobs!!!

After 3 months post Chemo I find myself with not too many S/E's.  A little bit of dry eyes and runny nose...  and if I sit in a chair more than 10 minutes upon standing up I have achey bones and joints until I start moving around.

You Ladies are Strong women and will make it through!  Keep your head up and know that we have each other for Support!

Loretta

Thanks everyone for the support! I'm feeling better today about my next "bump in the road" and just want to get it all started so I can get it over with. I know I'll be having some rough days, but with all the support and camaraderie here, I should get through this relatively unscathed. 

lbreedl: Yay! Someone else on Groundhog Day! I've already planned on watching the movie when I get back home, kicking back with a big bottle of water and some much-needed coddling from the family. I hope you'll do the same. Lots of rest is what got me through this the first time around. I'm not one to sit around all day (far from it!), but I saw this as me-time that my body needed to beat this. If you don't start your treatment on 2/2, then feel comfortable knowing you've made the right decision for yourself. 

Hi Team February,

I got the official schedule at a long meeting with the oncologist yesterday. I start TCH on Monday, 2/8. Got my chemo cut yesterday, although it's really not buzzed, just short. I'm surprised how much I like it. But sitting there and having my shoulder-length hair cut off was intense.

I also decided to take part in the BETH trial, so there's a 50% chance I'll have Avastin added to the chemo-day party. (This is not a blind trial-- I'll know before I start if I'm in the control group or get the drug.) I think it's the right thing to do, to pay it forward for those women who took part in the Herceptin studies 5-10 years ago that now mean women like me get the benefits.

The hardest thing this last week was the port surgery on Monday. It's no picnic, but it's a lot better-- today I was able to do my normal one-hour walk, so that was big.

Oh, and I went wig shopping with my daughter and a friend. What a freaky experience that is! We had fun, and picked one out. I doubt I'll wear it much, but insurance is paying, and it will be worthwhile for a few work events.

To those of you starting next week: HAVE A FUN REST OF YOUR WEEKEND! You deserve it!  

I start my chemo 02/15.  TCH- 6 doses 1 every 3 weeks.  Herceptin every 3 weeks for a year.  Tamoxifen 5+ years.  I am also going to join the Beth Study, which, if i end up getting the drug, it will be avastin every 3 weeks for a year. Not sure whether or not on the radiation, I will know more next week.