Starting Chemo Feb 2010?

So sorry to hear that many of us are struggling, especially Mo, that's terrible that you have to face these issues on top of everything else. We are all pulling for you!

I too have a nasty cold and hacking cough, which I hoped was getting better, but when I started wheezing yesterday my husband gave me that raised eyebrow look and said he didn't think it was better and in fact thought it was worse. So off to the ONC for antibiotics and an inhaler. Just sitting around waiting for it to take effect!

My SE's have otherwise been less than the first infusion, which is encouraging. I have felt more tired, though; on Sunday I could barely hold a conversation I felt so exhausted. I guess that is the way it goes. But I'm half way through the AC, so am just trying to keep my eye on the finish line. Hopefully the Taxol will be less of a burden.

It's a beautiful sunny day here and I hope it is where all of you women are as well. Take care!

Mo, sending good thoughts your way and hoping  you are better real soon!!

It's 58 and sunny here in Illinois.. so exciting after all the freezing rain!!  My nanny got so excited she and the baby have been gone on a walk for HOURS!!   I am feeling slightly better and more able to breathe.  Last night was really rough but am feeling encouraged now.. Was bummed to miss my Look Good session but was rescheduled for April, and the Onc nurse said I should be able to get treatment tomorrow.. so crossing my fingers.. 

My work had another lay-off today.. and one of my friends got cut.. as well as a guy in my group.. I worry about the next wave.. being the breadwinner has been a burden enough being healthy... if anything were to happen now.. I am not well enough to go looking for another job.. UGH.. my DH just tells me to focus on getting well for now.. so I read all the posts and try to focus on the ultimate goal!! 

Hope everyone is feeling OK or recovering well from all these fun things we keep getting!!

Marina

Donna, I know exactly how you feel about the head shaving. I put it off as long as I could. But the hair was really really hurting my scalp. I had heard people who were hung over talk about having such a bad headache that their HAIR hurt. Now I know exactly what that means! So I took the plunge and shaved it off and have not regretted it a single minute. The pain stopped almost instantly!

I wasn't sure how I was going to react to all the women in the beauty parlor watching me, but after it was all gone, it didn't bother me at all. I wanted them to see that THIS is what fighting cancer is all about! Doing the treatments that may change how we look, but not our OUTLOOK on life! 

By the way, Donna, my hairdresser did it for free. I had not expected it to be free, but when it came time for the bill, she made up some silly story about how if you have had a hair cut in the last month, yada yada yada, going shorter is free. . . I was dumbfounded.

By the way, almost all the other hair dressers came over to hug me when I was ready to leave. They were very sweet. They get lots of chemotherapy (mostly from breast cancer) women in there all the time, apparently.

Wow, what an ordeal, Mo!

I have no idea how forced menopause will be, but the hot flashes can get intense. One of the things that helped me a lot was a small personal fan going all the time. Even in the winter. I carried it with me everywhere.

And don't worry about mood swings. I think we've all got a carte blanche on mood swings for the next year or two anyway, right?

Mo, what a day you had!  I'm glad they stopped the bleeding and that you're finally feeling better. The chemo is supposed to throw me into menopause, but I don't know if it's as instant as your Lupron shot. My second period during chemo is 4 days late, so it may be happening. I've had hot flashes every night since chemo began and end up throwing off the covers until they pass. They started at a couple of minutes each but have now worked up to 5 to 15 minutes each. For me, the worst is that they wake me up and it's hard to get back to sleep.  I hope you're feeling great soon! Look out tall buildings!

Michele, that's crappy about the thrush. Hope it's gone soon.  I just got my first mouth issue today, a mouth sore, but mine was my fault because I got cocky and stopped rinsing with Biotene and salt water. I learned my lesson and am back to it.

Teel and CAL30, it's good to see both of you posting. Teel, sorry you had pancreatitis. I've heard that is extremely painful. At least you're finally on track now with chemo. CAL30, sorry your 3rd treatment didn't go as smoothly as the others. I hope everything is good now. Just one more to go!  

Jessica and Leta, thanks for celebrating my halfway point with me! I realize how lucky I am to only be getting 4 and to have had minimal SEs. Going into chemo, I almost put it off because I still felt wiped out from the mastectomy and the ongoing reconstruction process. Now I'm glad I didn't delay, because although I look worn out, at least when it's done, all I'll have left is finishing the reconstruction. Now I seem to be having those fears of the good breast that's left, because they'll want to make sure again that it's fine before finishing reconstruction. I've got to stop jumping ahead in my thoughts or risk going completely bonkers.

I hope those who have been feeling sick are better. Take care! And Happy St. Patrick's Day! If anybody is out pub crawling, have a Guinness for me, will ya?

Cindy 

I haven't been on here for a while, but Mo so sorry about your ordeal!  Hope you are feeling a little bit better. Maybe you won't quite be leaping over tall buildings better, but better nonetheless. Hang in there!  I am still waiting for my period--which is now like a week late. I hope when I do get it, it doesn't come like a flood, ugh.

For all you ladies struggling with the baldness and newly shaven, I shaved my head (by myself because I didn't want anyone to see me) right after my 2nd round of chemo. It was traumatic, but I look better bald then I did with that horrible thinning hair. I had previously bought 2 wigs and couldn't wait to try them...but after only a few hours of wear, I developed a horrible headache. I can't stand anything tight on my head! I even went back to the wig lady and she adjusted them, but I still find a wig very uncomfortable. So I have my scarves and my hats and caps, I use a scarf and tie it around whatever cap or hat I am wearing, color-coordinate to my outfit for the day, and I have received many many compliments. I don't think I could ever go out in public bald, so kudos to you ladies who have the courage to do so.  Although the free meal at PF Chang's is very tempting....

So yesterday I finished my 4th and final round of AC yay!!!  I am halfway done!  My Portacath which has always been very positional, was even worse yesterday--unable to get a blood return, or flush it unless I lay on my side with my arm over my head. The nurses were hesitant to run my AC thru the port, so they tried to stick me peripherally twice with no success (they even tried to use my "affected extremity--right arm").  So they eventually managed to get the chemo in thru my port, using blood drawn from the unsuccessful IV start for my bloodwork. Which was great except my hemoglobin is dropping (10.6 from 12.1 last time). Then the doc wanted to send me for a dye scan of the port to check it all out so today I went to radiology, and they accessed my port, injected the dye and guess what! My Portacath is fractured and cannot be used. (so now I am freaking--if the port is fractured then where the hell did yesterdays Adriamysin go??!!!  They assured me it stayed in the vein and didn't leak into my tissues). So I have to meet with my surgeon again and discuss options. This Portacath has to be removed and I think the surgeon wants to put in another one. But the oncologist's office is thinking I would do better with a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter). And since I have hated my port from day one, maybe a PICC is the way to go, especially since I only have 4 more rounds of chemo to go. Does anyone out there have a PICC line? and if so, how do you like it, any problems??  

Other than my Portacath problems, the side effects seem to be about the same...don't feel too bad today, just tired and achy. The reflux seems to be a bit better--the time release Prilosec works wonders! And even though I still have tachycardia my Muga scan came back ok with an ejection fraction of 69%, which is only 10% less than my pre-chemo muga, and since I have done nothing but sit on my ass for the last 4 months, I figure that is still pretty good. 

For all you ladies just who are behind me, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Never thought I would be halfway finished, and still (for the most part) feeling pretty decent.

Take care ladies, and Happy St Patrick's Day to all.  I can't have a green beer this year, so maybe i will have a green tea instead, it's full of antioxidants right?  LOL!

I agree with you Burley, I also have a hard time keeping a perfectly positive outlook but I am so thankful that I haven't had any really bad issues.  I do have side effects - nausea, constipation, headaches, painful feet, etc.  But I guess all in all, it is not as bad as it could be. 

This morning I had a mental pity party.  I want to be one of the 100 year old ladies on the Smucker jar on the morning news.  I don't want to die of some disgusting cancer.  I hate cancer.  What is it?  Where did it come from?  I hate it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (Side note: I made an appt for the psychologist at the oncologist's office for tomorrow.)  : }

Debbie and Retrtevermo- hope everything went well and goes well on you 3 rounds... You guys are 1 ahead of me... Was up all night from the dexe also.... Make me want to eat all the time..... Wishing you little or NO SE!!!! HUGS to you both and who ever else is having treatment this week.....Girls let me know how it goes... Keeping my fingers cross today for no reaction to Taxotere...Bring on the BENEDRYL

Michele-----Thanks for the kind words about BALDNESS... Its working... Just got to get used to the wig... No one will see me around my house without something on my head...:) Got to get ready girls ... Enjoy this beautiful weather..

Courage and Strength,

Donna

I'm afraid to scare some children  I did whip off the wig in the car coming home the other day.

 I envy those of you who fall asleep from benedryl.  Makes me even more agitated.  My doc has me take my dexe before noon, supposedly so it won't interefere with a night's sleep.  I haven't had one of those in ages....

 Off to the onc

Ladies, we are going to make it to our 90's and die of something other than BC!!

So thought I'd share.. not sure if anyone had this reaction yet.. I'm standing at the Natural food store, trying to buy something to help my baby's cold.. YES, I was kind enough to share it with my DH and baby already!!  And two women were discussing how her Sister can't do anything with her thick curly hair.. SO.. I so wanted to take off my wig and say something.. but I didn't.. at least not today!!!  One day I'll be brave enough..

On a more positive note.. my blood counts were fine and I was able to get treated yesterday.. so far so good on the side effects other than the steroids made me very aggressive and I guess my Mom said I was ready to rip her head off yesterday.. oops...  My exam went well with the Onc.. he said he feels improvement.. I'll take that.. another exam in a month and we'll decide if to scan then or wait another month.. He is hopefull that the improvement in my breast should be indicative of improvement in liver.. but only a scan will tell.. but hopeful is GREAT and makes it easier to go each week for treatments!!

Take care everyone and no SE's..

Marina