Anyone Starting Chemo Jan. 2010?

Mslrg - I am so sorry you feeling so crappy.  Though I am on different chemo regimen I understand how you feel.  I know what they mean by the cumlative affect.  I am so wiped out right now.  I just want to do is lay down all the time.  I am winded just walking up the stairs.  My stomach feels uneasy and I am either dealing with constipation or diaherra.  My eyes keep watering and they get crusty.  Hard to keep on the makeup. The fatigue is messing with my head and making it hard to concentrate.  I am PTA president for my daughter's middle school and there are some things I need to do but I just CAN'T get my head there.  I just try to remember that I am done with this chemo and will have different SE with Taxol.

Sorry so many of you are getting so much snow this year.  We have had none (except in the Mountains).  We usually get 3 or 4 good snow falls a year and I miss them.

FriscoMom - I feel the same way when I go for treatments, I'm 41 and my wig I am told makes me look even younger:) I have not yet seen one person that isn't likely over 60!  I commented to one of the nurses and she said to remember, that there are many types of cancers being treated here and you have many more years to look forward to with your type (BC) than the others.  I also tend to find a chair tucked away where conversation isn't likely.  It isn't that I am not social, I just want to avoid those feelings you describe and so I stay in my own world during that time.  Also, Taxotere is one of my drugs along with Cytoxan (sp?), Taxotere is given with Benedryl because there can be allergic reactions to the drug.  I also think the steroids I am given are because of Taxotere too...but I am not sure.  I have had a pretty easy time of things thus far and I wish you the same on T!!

Ladies, I can't remember which thread I shared this on (so apologies if I am repetative:), but a friend of mine is the 3rd generation with BC and her Gma and mother and all 3 generations are still ALIVE and LIVING amazing lives...when I first told her, her first words were, 'This is a disease you can LIVE with...' and the women in her family are proof, certainly of that, as are many, many other women!!!

Stay strong and lets get out there and throw a snowball or two (for us here in the NE and mid West!) or take a walk in the warm air for those fortunate to be in a warmer climate:)

Take care!

Leta

HiFriscomom, I am46--and like other, people tell me my wig makes me look younger than I did when I had my own hair. I also have the feelings you have shared. I was premenopausal before all this began and that is what makes this scary--our hormones come into play where breast cancer is concerned and being premenopausal is not a good thing. That being said, yes, it has to be easier going through this brutal treatment at 46, rather than 66. And no, breast cancer is not necessarily a death sentence. It is, however, a sentence of some real cruel and unusual punishment! No way to get around this disease without major pain and suffering!

I am also young - 42, and where I go I seem to be somewhat in the middle.

The place has at least 9 large pods that have a mixture of beds or comfy chairs 6 to 8 per room and you get whatever is available when they bring you in. They also have 9 private rooms which are first come first serve. Was in one of those on Wednesday and it was really nice and quiet. Plus more room for my Chemo buddy to get situated in.

I have seen younger - teenagers and older people. Where I go, most people don't talk with others, just with who they came with or the nurses.

Hope everyone is doing well today - I got my steroid sunburned face going today. Only one more day of that! 

Friscomom-I know what you mean about hearing "but you're so young" all the time.  I couldn't stand hearing it, because clearly it doesn't matter how old you are.  I'm 37 and I must have heard that from nearly everyone I told as well as every doctor and nurse that I dealt with all the way to this chemo chair.  It's hard to be reminded regularly that I supposedly shouldn't have this disease. 

11tybillion- I've got my fingers crossed for you that Taxol treats you well.  I'll be about a week behind you.  I'm getting my final AC as we speak. I'm so happy that this part of the journey is almost over.  Halfway through certainly feels good.  My doctor is giving me the dose dense Taxol and I get the Neulasta along with it.  I don't have to take Emend anymore. 

I'm not, however, expecting a cakewalk.  The way I see it, none of this is a cakewalk and the minute I let my guard down and start to think I've got a handle on things, I usually get a rude wake-up call.  So, instead I'm still braced and ready for whatever gets thrown my way.

mslrg- my oh my, it sounds like your chemo is tough.  have you seen the other doctor for a second opinion yet?  that is scary to have all those horrible tastes and feelings.  I'm premenopausal too, and that of course changes all the statistics.  I am praying for you too, and hoping that your se's become more bearable. 

The cumulative effects of this stuff is definitely starting to show (and not just in my nail beds).  On my "good" weeks I feel like myself in the morning and then I try to proceed to have a normal day at work and at home with the kids. If I'm not careful, it's easy to overdo it and then I really regret it later.  I'm going to try to take it easy this weekend, but I still am headed to the zoo with the kiddos.  The weather is actually pleasant this weekend, so I'm going to enjoy it while I can.

Today is day #8 post chemo and honestly I am still tired which is annoying me very much. I feel like I should be feeling like myself by now; should at least get 2 good weeks for the 1 crappy week. I'm thinking maybe I did too much today and yet somehow I feel like I got nothing done. Am happy to report that after a week, I have felt no SE's from the Neulasta. I took my Clariton everyday and whether that is why I felt good or not, I'm not sure and don't plan on taking any chances so I will take it everytime.

Funny little story: Wore my new wig to work everyday this week(work in an elem school) and was feeling okay about it and everyone was complimenting me so that made me feel pretty good. Anyway I walked into a classroom and the 5th grade students start yelling out "Mrs. S, did you get your hair done? Mrs. S, are you wearing a wig? Mrs. S, is that a wig?" OMG I wanted to rip off the wig and say yes and freak  them all out but... I didn't. Ended up kind of laughing it off and saying "Yeah, I'm wearing a wig". Guess I was just totally taken off guard b/c so many people have been telling me they couldn't even tell it was a wig so I probably should have/could have handled it all better. leave it to kids to say what everyone else was probably thinking.

friscosmom: I am also on the younger side(36 yrs old). I guess I am fortunalte b/c the only person that has said that I am too young to be dealing with this is ME. I'm sure many people have thought it and I can sometimes see it in their eyes but thankfully nobody has said anything to me b/c I'm sure that would make me cry like a baby. I think one of the hardest parts about being younger and dealing with BC is the fear that it is going to come back and that if it does, I still may not be that old. I hear so many stories about people who know people  who had BC and are now 10 yr. survivors. That is wonderful news and believe me I need to hear stories about survivors but 10 years only puts me at 46 and I don't know about the rest of you but I really want to live to be at least in my 80's which is quite a while from now. so yes while I agree that at 36 I am probably better physically to handle this chemo than when I am in my 60's, emotionally it is exhausting b/c I have 3 young kids that I am terrified I will be taken away from.Also, I am on Taxotere and 1st time I took it alone so I know the SE's were definitely from it. They were diarrhea, cold sores in mouth, face broke outand some tingly feeling in my tongue. Not really tired at all though. 2nd round I had it combined with another chemo med and this time around mose SE's have not shown up as of yet except tingly tongue and a little but of stomach issues. Onc nurse said maybe my reactions the first time were just b/c my body wasn't used to the meds yet. Didn't have any body aches/pains at all. Good luck.

11tybillion: I think that if you said something to the young girl at your treatment place, even if you ended up crying, that it may make her feel a little bit better. Who knows, you reaching out to her may be just what she needs to know that she will get through all of this. And crying warriors are still warriors:)

well girls I am spending tomorrow and tomorrow night with all of my high school girlfriends and am so looking forward to it. I just want to laugh, feel like myself and forget about cancer for a little while. It will be strange for me to see all of them since for most, it is the first time since my diagnosis and certainly since I lost my hair. Have a wonderful weekend everyone:)

Hello everyone!  Thought I would update you all on the latest scare in  my life.  My husband and I went away for a late anniversary get away on Thursday.  This morning at 5:30 AM we were jolted out of our sleep on the 8th floor of the Renaissance Hotel in Onna, Okinawa, by a 7.0 earthquake.  I jumped up, stood on the bed, and hollered at my hubby that the room was swaying and we we were NOT on a cruise!!!  He grabbed me and flung me to the floor next to the bed and held me close while the building bounced around.  After a few minutes it stopped and we immediately tried to call our daughter on our cells.  She was at home with the dogs.  Finally the call went through and she did a walk around the house while we stayed with her on the phone.  The single casualty of the shaking was my Royal Dalton "Balloon Lady".  She was the only figurine I owned that someone had not "accidentally" dropped through the years!  Oh well, we are all alive and no one was hurt!!!  I kept thinking about the earthquake in Haiti and how many people died who were in hotels.  There is not major damage to the island.  We have had 3 aftershocks, all around 5.0, but no tsunamis.  I am safely home now.  Thankfully the Japanese really know how to build buildings for typhoons and earthquakes.

On to this dreaded battle with bc.  So many of you struggling and I have no words.  Somedays it is enough just to get myself through it.  As I lay on the floor during the earthquake, I wondered have I started this battle just to lose to an earthquake?  Then I thought, well I wouldn't have to have anymore chemo!  I have too strong a will to fight and live.  That was my epiphany as I lay there in my hubbies' arms.  I am not a quitter and if I live through the earthquake, I will go to chemo again this next Wednesday!

Have any of you had a HUGE problem with follicular rash on your head?  I get it on day 7.  The first time it only lasted 7 days and I had just a few spots.  This time it was horrible.  Someone mentioned sores in the "nether" region.  I have them there also.  I bought tucks pads in case hemorroids became a problem.  Didn't happen.  However, I decided to try them in the "nether" region and they really help.  Not sure what to do for my head.  I tried Vitamin E oil and triple antibiotic cream.  Anyone have any idea?  My head really hurts, then gets crusty, then itches. 

Take care all.  Ms. LRG - I hope things go better for you in the future.

To all of you younger women, I am sorry that this is so difficult.  I have learned through my 49 years that many people just don't know what to say and instead of staying quiet, they try to fill the silence.  And it never seems to come out quite like they want it to.

Hi Grace--wow,I have to say the obvious, as I'm sure I am not the first (and won't be the last) --this will be one anniversary story you can look back on in years to come where the 'earth moved' for you! Glad you are OK, sorry about Balloon Lady. I'll look for the story later when I put on the morning news (it's 3:00 a.m. in California--so tomorrow night where you are, 17 hours ahead!). So is that what you call that itchy, scabby stuff on the head, follecular rash? Yup, I've got that too!  I feel like I've got fleas! I'm not sure what to do either, I just scratch like a dog that needs a Revolution treatment, which is probably not the best idea.

Yes, this is a dreaded battle. We belong to a sisterhood that none of us signed up for. There are so many who have been diagnosed even since we began our own treatments, and it just seems to me that medical science could have come up with something more effective and less cruel than the current standard of treatment: cutting, poisoning, and burning (surgery, chemo, and rads). And what a trade off: My onc told me that my chemo regimen can cause leukemia, and the Tamoxifen I will be on for 5 years after chemo can cause uterine cancer. Trading one cancer for another cancer is not my idea of a cure! It's really depressing.

friscomom,

I too hate the infusion center. I'm 48 and have been ironically told that I look younger bald. I don't think its the hair as much as my skin.  For same  reason chemo has really made my skin softer with fewer wrinkles. It helps not having to deal  those nasty facial hairs as well. (I'm surprised Hollywood has not discovered this as the newest a/c chemo beauty treatment, plus no Brazilian wax needed) There are patients of different ages of adults in the UCSD center. Some in better shape and others not doing so well.  I did have an elderly man come up to me and say god bless and good luck. What I find very disheartening are the patients in the private rooms with the beds. I asked the nurse and she said most of the folks are getting chemo for the full 12 hour session and tend to be in much worse shape.  I peeked in the room and saw a women who appeared to be in her 20's. Thats rough.

I just had my 3rd of 4th AC on Thursday. Once again I vomitted all day Friday.  Still can't figure out the med sequencing. I think my system does not agree with the decadron.  Once I take that its all down hill from there.

nkrun - We are on the same schedule...I had my third of 4 A/C on Thursday as well.  You should ask your onc about the vomiting...you should not have to endure this.  I get Aloxi, Emend, and Dex in my IV then the A/C.  I have Emend, Zofran and Dex to take on days 2 and 3 as well as Compazine "just in case" I need a boost.  So far I ate after Chemo, had a great day and made dinner on Friday and am up today, cleaned the house and am finishing the laundry before I take my daughter to cheerleading.  I feel a tiny bit queasy and a little tired, but my onc told me that if i was vomiting that I should call them to get on another path of meds.  Take care of your self and I hope you get to feeling better.

Tammy

Hi girls:  I'm on the older side of this disease, I'm 70.!  Diagnosed after my 70th birthday and just before our 50th wedding anniversary.  What a bummer!  Have always enjoyed good health.  Learned that we older ladies are in the high risk group for BC.  New to BC with no family history and new to posting but have been reading for 2 months since I started my chemo.  I'm in between my 3rd and 4th AC with taxotere next for 4.  Doing okay with the AC except for fatigue, bone pain, neutropenia and rhinitis every time but somewhat nervous about the taxotere and the SE.  I don't know how you young ladies do this with jobs and families, my hats off to you all!

tamatar Thanks I will ask about the meds. I think its the decadron that is causing the vomitting. I have to say I'm a little jealous about your activity level.  I think I slept 40 of the last 48 hours. Hoping for more energy today.

Vegasdiva - sounds delicious!!!!  Did you get those shakes this time around?

nkrun- I too am on AC.  My third one is this Wednesday.  I don't have the vomiting.  I take the Zofran and a promethazine (like compazine) as soon as I get home from chemo.  Then I take those two again 4 hours later.  I too have the trouble with the fatigue for almost 7 long days.  The decadron is also given to help the nausea, not cause more.  However, decadron causes terrible stomach acid and so the doctor gives me zantac twice a day during the steroids.  He originally had me on them for 7 days, but it makes me feel wierd so I stop them after day 5 now.  Hope you find relief! 

Hello Sisters,

I hope you are all busy feeling well and enjoying the time with your families or watching Olympics. The hokey game was great.

Bubbalu and rcames- Sorry you had to join us, but I'm very glad your SE are not that bad.
Babbalu, 50th wedding anniversary, wow, sound like a great achievement. What a bummer!
I'm day 3 after my last AC. My nausea is a little better than after my #3AC, so that's great. I still have queasy stomach and my throat is like burning, but is better than 2 weeks ago. I'm taking it very easy, as you advised, resting and watching TV. I'm taking Zofran and Compazine plus the mandatory Emend and Decadron. My blood count is good too. I hope next days won't be much worst.

VegasDiva - I love chili, thanks for the recipe.

Emme - I am so sorry for the complications, but glad you are feeling better now. Good luck with your surgery.

Wish you all well!

For those of you who are trying to make a decision regarding tamoxifin ( I don't want to scare anyone, but just want you to be aware of what can happen.)  My mother had breast cancer when she was 41 years old--this was in 1986.  Tamoxifin was a new drug then and she took it for nearly 11 years.  In 2005, she passed away from uterine cancer.  Please be careful taking this drug--make sure you are regularly checked and report any unusual bleeding.  They now do not recommend taking it longer than five years because of the risk of uterine/endometrial cancer.  Personally, I am having a complete hysterectomy instead of taking tamoxifin.  Good luck to everyone as we make these difficult decisions on our journeys.