Starting Chemo Feb 2010?

ugh, I feel like crap STILL!  I guess getting through the first 4 AC treatments with hardly a problem really spoiled me.  Day 6 and I ache from head to toe...mouth is still a little raw (and the mouthwash is nasty!)...and now I'm having some intestinal issues that must somehow be related.

I'm so bored at home with hardly anything to keep my mind off of it-but so glad I don't have to work right now.  I can't imagine having to do anything physically taxing.  I've been struggling to keep the laundry done and kids fed.

I was looking around the forums and found one for Taxotere and permanent hair loss...wish I hadn't!  Some study/report that approximately 6% of women had permanent hair loss...oh please let me be in the remaining 94%!

Faithfulc, the little smiling guy with the sunglasses looks really good next to your name! Congratulations to you, Leta, Lindee, Mo, and everyone else who finished over the past couple of weeks! 

I hope those feeling crappy start to feel better soon.  Looking forward to the day when everyone here can say they're finished with chemo!

Cindy 

Swiftbird-Emend is a miracle drug!!  I was able to exercise, work and eat the day after my treatment!  So glad to hear you are getting it!

Congratulations faithfulc!  I'm right behind you. I have my last TC on the 27th. Was suppose to be the 25th but the doc will be out of town. I hope to have recon in August, if all goes well.

Hope yall have a great day! 

burley--hope you are feeling better now.  when do you start the taxotere (?) ?..

my pain is finally letting up--think we will head to the casino tomorrow...feel the need to do something fun. it will be odd driving somewhere other than the clinic.........

anyone out there on taxol having mood swings???  the last few days i have just felt so weepy. ick.  really hate feeling like something else is controlling my moods.

burley--my mistake--thought you had your last a/c & that was what was giving you problems.  the ac gave me much worse side effects than the taxol is except for the pain from the neulasta..well, so far--knock wood.  i am doing radiation too, and am on a 3 week cycle until i finish radiation.  then will be doing 6 more treatments-weekly.  ugh.. this does end, right?  it is marked on the calender, but just feels like it will be going on & on & on.....

Congrats to all who have finished! Leta, MW943, faithfulc, ariesrottie, Leah,and anyone I've missed.... Isn't it great??!!  And its so wonderful to see all those little sunglass guys next to so many names--soon we all will have a little sunglass dude!

grdnslve-I had that awful awful bone pain from my waist down after every Taxol treatment. It would hit me about 3 days later and I was in bed for like the next 3 days. It was awful, and I had rec'd Neulasta thru all 4 A/C rounds and NEVER had any bone pain. I handled the A/C better, only had nausea and vomiting the first treatment--and I took Emend for every round of chemo, so that stuff IS a wonder drug!!!

So now I am feeling OK, still with the neuropathy in my fingers and toes, and occas sharp joint aches but they seem to be decreasing. Still have the damn head cold--I can't smell a thing, or hear. But my taste is back somewhat. I am on antibiotics and  have started taking Sudafed --what the hell, what's another med at this point. My sinuses feel like I'm under water, ugh. And I am constantly sniffing, I'm surprised nobody has come by and smacked me yet because its gotta be annoying to those around me. 

Met with the rad onc on Monday....I start my treatments next week and I get 33 in total (5 days/week). He said that the SE's are mild compared to chemo--some fatigue, some skin irritation and redness that they will give me ointments for, and my radiated breast may become more full and firm. ( I told him no complaints there hehe, maybe I should get the other one done too). I got my markings, 3 little (permanent) tattoos, 1 on my chest that looks like a little mole or freckle (well since its kind of a blue/black color it looks like I dropped a pen down my shirt), and one on either side.  Not too too noticable  I guess. I had read on another discussion thread about radiation that we can't wear deodorant with aluminum (so I was checking everywhere for something that doesn't contain it --like Tom's of Maine is one) so I asked the doc about that and he looked at me like I had 3 heads, said I can wear what I want, they are going to radiate me lower, so I don't have to worry about that. Maybe its because they aren't doing any nodes.  Not complaining though. I also read about not wearing a bra thru radiation and he said I can wear whatever I feel comfortable with. And I also read where some poor woman had to go have her radiation and they made her take off her head covering!  Nope, I get to keep that on too....which is great since I don't see ANY hair growth...in fact, losing lashes at an alarming rate. Like all of a sudden I get this horrible pain in my eye (I wear contacts) and damn if it isnt a stray eyelash that has fallen into my eye. <sigh>  Well, still haven't had to shave anywhere so I guess thats still an upside. And I am fitting into my capris and shorts from 2 summers ago woo hoo! Hoping to keep that weight off when I get to start Tamoxifen in June.

Burley...sorry you're feeling so crappy......Hope you start to feel better soon

swiftbird--I've kept my nails thru all this, even with the soreness and numbness. Its bad enough the lashes are going, I would be so upset if my nails started falling off too. Still have my acrylics on! and like you not gonna worry about it!  I'm glad the vit B6 and glutamine are helping with your neuropathy at least. (don't think they are doing much for me but at least its not getting any worse)..... 

So many of us are almost done, hang in there!!!  Take care and wishing all a SE free weekend!!!!               

Again, feeling slightly better than the day before...except for one damn mouth sore that's driving me crazy!  I made soup for dinner last night and my daughter burned her tongue...I told her that's what my mouth feels like all the time, and she finally understood.  I'll be so glad when I can actually taste food again.

Bone pain was not as bad last night, except for some shooting pains in my feet.  Weird.

Kudos to you girls having to get radiation too!  You're much stronger than I.

Hope everyone had a great rest of their day!

faithfulc and all February sisters!   Congratulations to all who are finished with chemo and keeping the Feb. sisters who are still in treament (radiation or chemo or AI pills) in my daily prayers.   Yahoo!   It is a big effort but we are doing it with help from each other.

I am so impressed by the strong women on this board! Whoever coined us the weaker sex was so wrong. We rock! Even when we feel like crap we keep going, living our lives.

It's so interesting to me how different all these treatments & SE drugs are. I feel left out in the neulasta dept. since I've never had it. I had 12 taxols and have had 2 fec's. I am taking zofran for a couple of days after the iv. I talked my Dr into cutting my steroids down to 5mg! I'm so glad. I only get them iv as a premed to chemo iv, that's different too. Let's just hope all this hell is kicking this in the pants. I am so sick of the whole deal. I feel like crap today & am a little down too. Had a fever and was told to go to ER to get counts checked, fortunately I passed so they gave me a script for augmentin & are saying strep. Now my temp has been 96 for the past 3 days. Now the nausea is getting to me & the zofran constipated the heck outta me, it's always something!

Does Emend constipate ? Anyone? Maybe I will ask to change.

I have a plastics appt. this week to go over the surgical options. My onc said to ask which provides the best long term cosmetic outcome since survival is supposed to be equal.

When I look in the mirror I see some other person, I guess it's the almost non existent eyebrows, mine are blonde so you really cant see them now. I cant figure out where they went either since I never saw them go, or found them on my face etc. Same story with the lashes. Boohoo

I do still have very thin hair, which is coming out like crazy now which sucks because I only have 2 more treatments to go and I started this Feb 2. Groundhog day, how appropriate as I feel like the guy in the movie having so many treatments!

Sorry for the unload guys, I'm just at the end of my rope today. It's time to start praying for more rope.

Laura

Laura-I didn't experience any constipation with the  Emend.  It was truly a wonder drug!  They told me I didn't have to take it for my final 4 of Taxotere, and I haven't been nauseous at all.  Sorry to hear your down-but you'll be done soon!  Only 2 more to go-that's terrific!

I know I only have 3 more to go, but with them spaced out 3 weeks apart, it seems like forever.  My kids are just now getting out of school, and they'll be back in school before I'm done.

Feeling well enough to go to a birthday party tonight-I wish I felt good enough for a beer!  I'm definitely craving one. 

Hi ladies - Hope everyone has had a decent weekend. I had #3 of 4 Taxol treatments Friday. Felt ok yesterday until the bone pain started in my jawbone and around the back of my head. By dinner time, everything hurt. I made the mistake in my previous treatments by not staying ahead of the pain but this time I've been taking pain meds and I don't have the intense hip/pelvic area pain this time. Aside from being exhausted, I don't feel awful. I have been somewhat weepy the last 24 hrs and maybe I've been thinking about what an ordeal this has been and how much I've (we've) been through. It's not for the faint of heart. There is nothing nice about this disease or the treatments.

While I was at the pharmacy after my treatment, a man asked if I was being treated for bc. I said yes and he asked if I would talk to his wife. She had just had her first AC and she looked scared to death. I talked to her for a little while but how much can you cover in 10 minutes. I told her about this website and and how much infomation, support etc I've gotten from this thread alone. I will call her in a few days to check in. Poor thing, I felt so sorry for her. It sure brought back a lot of feelings.

Hang in there everyone and have a good week! Gina

Faithfulc, Grace and Maria - Congrats on finishing!!!

Burley hang in there, I be so much of what you are feeling is the Neulasta shot, that should be easier next round:)

Loosing some of my eyebrows and more lashes, hoping these are the last pieces to drop before seeing signs of growth again!  Thinking I am still 3-4 weeks out before really feeling, seeing any signs of growth.  Although my head has really been itching and my husband thinks that I have had growth on my head since we shaved it 17 weeks ago!!!

Next Thursday going to dinner and to see Sex and the City 2 with a group of girlfriends as a celebration that I am finished, it would have been the day for a treatment, but no more!!!!  They have kept me laughing and have sent me gifts, food, flowers every week since I started.  My one friend who is a nurse gave me the shot of Neulasta each week and our families would have dinner together those nights as well! 

Tuesday I go to the radiologist for my markings and to schedule txs....

Hugs everyone!

Leta

Congrats to all who have finished.  What an accomplishment.

I have my last one on Friday.  Like writer, I am excited for it, but also not wanting to feel the ick again.  I too have been so emotional and weepy.  It isn't like I am depressed, but I cry at everything.  Anything really kind,sad, painful, pretty, etc.  I just seem to be crying all the time. It as if my emotions are so raw and just under the surface.  Me crying all the time is not something anyone is used to. So, a really different person these last few weeks. 

I had an awesome weekend.  My and 7 of my girlfriends went away for a girls weekend.  No kids, no hubbies allowed.  It was so much fun!  Such a needed break.  At first I was hesitant to go because I have not been sleeping very well and was worried that I may get to feeling like crap while I'm gone.  But, I decided that I probably really needed a little R&R and pushed myself to go.  So glad I did.  So glad that I have my women friends.  Felt grateful on so many levels. 

Hope everyone is feeling good!

Have a great day!

V

I finished my last Taxol on 5/20!!!!  I am finished with chemo!!!!!   I am still in a lot of pain but I am so excited.  It might be my imagination but I swear I have new fuzz on my head.  Thin, pointy, colorless hairs.  So exciting!

I have to go for weekly bloodwork and on the 4th week I meet with the oncologist to go over my results.  If all goes well then I see him for bloodwork every 3 months for 2 or 3 years.

Best of luck to everyone!