Starting Chemo Feb 2010?

Just found out one of my friend's mom got the dreaded news. I am so sick of breast cancer! It seems to be epidemic these days. I just want to call her and tell her what to do! That's not my place but I did offer to get her in with my docs and help as much as I can. I just feel so bad for her. I remeber how I felt back then, boy have I come a long way since then. Anyone else remember that? This is a good feeling to know that I have made progress! We all have! Way to go ladies! We are going to kick cancer butt!

3rd treatment tomorrow Bring it on!

Hi ladies. I am new to this thread and have been getting comfort from reading your experiences. I had my first of 4 T/C treatments Friday, Feb. 12. Spent all day yesterday in bed feeling very achy and light headed. Am feeling better today and appreciate all the tips I have read for dealing with the SEs whatever they may be.

For all those joining and just getting going, I must agree that the fear has been worse than the reality of things, including the hair loss, at least for me. 

Although, I do still have emotional highs and lows since the chemo started, but mostly because I feel that we should be beyond chemo as a solution to this nasty thing....it just seems so archaic to me...I mean we are talking about ice caps, to save our hair!!!!   I find on my low day, day 4, which was yesterday, questioning the whole idea of chemo....why aren't their more natural solutions, because it (cancer) seems so clearly an environmental issue in our society?  I also ask, who is following all of us, from day one, asking about our histories and documenting our habits, the food we eat, and following each of us through this??  Yes, there are clinical trials, but that is to test the viability and success of drugs, not to try and stop it from even occuring in the first place!  I see how much each tx costs, and think WOW, what a money maker, who would want to stop this!!!  Yes we have health insurance, but really that isn't the point, someone is still paying for this!!

So yesterday I was sad to be going through this, today I am angry and and wanting a better solution for the future!!  Other than these emotions, I am good enough to have a housefull of children over to play in the snow today!!

Thank you for the 'soap box'!

A GREAT book was "Cancer on $5 a Day," by Robert Schimmel. I enjoyed it so much I finished the whole thing in less than 2 days! Great read...

Ezscriiibe, good luck with the port, and just remember, in a while you'll barely notice it. I was really uncomfortable in the few days after the surgery, and wish I didn't have to have it, but now I don't feel it at all, and it was quite clear on my first chemo day that I'd never make it the full year without a port. 

And you might like the haircut. I've gotten surprising raves about mine. So I guess when it comes back (next fall?) I'll shoot for the same look. 

Thinking about vmarie and rababar-- hopefully you're sleeping well right now.

I've had a rough go with intestinal issues. They're still here, although I see signs of hope-- I was actually hungry tonight for the first time in a week. Had some chicken soup, and we'll see how it goes. Last night was a big dinner with my extended family, and they were all feasting and I had a small bowl of chicken soup. I did well in the night but had a very unpleasant early morning. Over the morning it morphed into diarrhea, so I'm taking immodium and hydrating and having the occasional banana, piece of dry toast or chicken soup. I'm going to talk to my nurse practitioner tomorrow and hopefully we can figure out how to lick this now, and make sure it's not so bad next time.

the good news is that I'm losing weight-- but now I don't want to any more! I'm actually exhausted a lot, I think just from lack of calories.

Anyway, tomorrow is another day, and it's glorious here in SoCal, and I got a spectacularly beautiful weekend at the beach with my family, so life is good.

Starting CMF on Monday, Feb. 22.  I will do 6 cycles.  2 weeks on, 2 weeks off.  Days 1-14 take a pill and on days 1 and 8 get the injection...then off for 2 weeks.  6 months. 

I chose CMF due to less SE and no hair loss (only thinning)...milder on the body.

faithfulC and Writer-yes, I am taking the Avastin. 

Hello. I am new to this site. I have been reading the various discussion boards and wanted to thank everyone for all their encouragement and information. I was dx in December 09, had a bilateral December 31, and started chemo February 9. This has been such a roller coaster ride emotionally. So far I'm doing well on my treatment. I will have TC for 6 rounds. I have been looking for others who have been through this treatment.

I don't know much about how threads work on here. I have just been clicking subjects that have been on my mind. This site has been a great help. I do want to wish all of you good luck with your treatments and hope you have very few SEs.

Good evening, I am so glad that my first TC chemo infusion went well today.  I did take a pre infusion Claritin and a Xanax to smooth things over.  No reactions to the Taxotere. Yeah!   The nurse sat with me for 20 minutes to make sure that I didn't have a problem A bit of a headache towards the end of the afternoon but tolerable.  I appeciate all of the ideas and support from everyone on this board.  It has made this journey manageable.   I enjoy reading stories about our new "normal" although we each have our own story.  

Also, an unexpected perk today!  Since I was there through during the lunch hour I was able to order a great lunch.  I hope that you all have that same opportunity.  It felt good to be looked after.   The nurses were all so kind.

I keep you all in my prayers.  Take care, BB

glad to read that everyone is coping well so far.  welcome new members! 

i'm done with week 1 on TH.  days 3-4 were the worst.  had mild muscle pain which resulted in some restless leg syndrome that kept me up for a whole night.  was my fault for trying to tough through it without tylenol.  i won't be making that mistake again.  also have a constant runny nose and some mild acne, which is annoying. 

taste buds don't seem to be the same.  food just doesn't take as good.   you would think this would keep me from eating more but have managed to pack on a few pounds already.  argh.

i've been trying to hydrate like crazy but getting sick of flat water so i stumbled upon coconut water.  it tastes great, isn't too sugary or sweet and is all natural and chock full of electrolytes & potassium.  my friend also gave me a good tip - put 2 bay leaves in water kettle prior to boiling.  the aroma is great and really enhances that cup of tea!

have to go in for round 2 at 7am tomorrow.  hope my chemo nurse doesn't mind that i'm not much of a morning person.

DH is short for Dear Husband. Took me a long time to figure that out. I was seeing it on another forum for kids/parents looking for colleges, and constant references to DS or DD (Dear Son, Dear Daughter). Not sure the genesis of this curious mixing of Victorian sensibility with modern technology, but there it is.

Mofend, that's pretty funny (although not for you) about being punished by doing the right thing! We have SO MANY things to take and do and remember, and they're not always going to work. In my case, I've been better about brushing and flossing than usual, and am rinsing with Biotene two or three times a day, and so far so good. I have a constant metallic feeling, almost like my mouth had been burned by hot soup, but it's mild and really doesn't bother me. Taste buds aren't what they were, but they're better than in week 1. And no sores.

FYI, if anyone else gets hit with the intestinal stuff like I did-- I talked to my nurse practitioner today, and she said I should keep taking the Benefiber the whole way. I was taking it at first but quit once the diarrhea started, because with diarrhea you don't want any fiber. She said the nutritionist says this stuff is not like normal fiber supplements-- it helps whether you're constipated or have diarrhea. So I'm back on it now. And I'm going to meet with this nutritionist before round 2 to develop a plan for how I can get through it better. If I learn any good tips I'll pass them along.

My appetite returned today (day 9)-- not only was I hungry, I was starving. Now I'm waiting anxiously for our chicken and potatoes for dinner. I may pay the price later tonight, but I was so happy to have no pain all day, and to be hungry and eat something good! 20 minutes of misery twice a day is nothing like the 24/7 issues I was having. So that's a relief. And I'm going to buy a new pair of jeans this weekend to pay myself back for the rotten week-- my pants are all hanging on me now.

Welcome to the newcomers-- I'm sorry to see our ranks swelling, but you've come to the right place.

And what's up with the runny nose? I thought that happened later, when we lose our nose hairs. I have a constant drip. Is this something we'll have all the way through chemo?

Welcome to all our new sisters.

EzscriiibeMy Onc never told me about claritan, I read it here on the threads.  Before my consult with my oncologist I wrote down all my questions including a list of over the counter drugs that I wanted to take if necessary and she was OK with claritan so I went ahead and took it the morning before I got the Neulasta shot.

So glad I have a port, it was so easy for the nurse to set up the infusion, while I was there a man who didn't have a port had so much trouble, they restarted his IV at least five times at the end of the day he scheduled a port.

I have to get MUGA scans and they can use the port for the isotopes.  Now I hardly know its there.

Writer - I also have the running nose, guess we already lost the nose hairs.   Stocked up on lots of tissues.

beth3172- you are getting your Herceptin separate from the TC?   I get all three together.