April 2010 starting chemo

Well ladies, I am happy to report that I have completed my final TC today. I think this makes me first in completing chemo.  I know that some of you are still in the middle of your treatment and that a few others are not too far behind me.   I am thinking about all of you with more treatments to come and realize that although I'm finished the actual infusions, I still have a few weeks of SE's to deal with including the now debilitating fatigue I have been experiencing and worse stomach acid each time.  (which I finally got a prescription for today).  I move onto radiation in July and then tamoxifen in August. 

Shygal - congratulations on being all done with chemo -my last TC treatment is this coming Friday and then radiation about four weeks later.

Hello Ladies,

I am using this extra week to tidy up my house a bit.  I'm still very tired but trying to be productive. My kids last days of school are this week, and my oldest daughter is coming home for my son, Nick's 8th grade graduation.  I can't wait to see her.  I miss her so much.  I have been crying a lot the last few days.  She is moving to North Carolina next month.  Currently she lives in White Plains, NY.  NC is so much further away.  I just feel so weepy. It's hard.

Sara- Did you have any other SE with the herceptin besides the drippy nose?  I'm a bit freaky right now worring about the herceptin SE.  I read the thread on this site, and there were so many.  I asked my Onc last friday and he tried to reassure me that the SE are minimal unless you have a reduced heart functions. I pray I don't get the fatigue that some of the women were writing about on that thread.  A year seems such a long time to be burdened with tiredness.

Shygal and Char2010--Congrats on being done and almost done with your treatments!!!!!!! Shygal, keep us posted on the rads:) Did they make you wait a certain amount of time after your last treatment before you could start? I am just wondering because I have rads after I am done with chemo. and July 14th is my last one--WOOHOO!!

Saralmom--Good to hear you did not get sick from the saline!!!! Glad it went well and the s/e's are better than A/C, I hope they continue to be mild:)

Emme--Sorry to hear your daughter is moving:( Enjoy your visit with her!! Congrats to your son on his 8th grade graduation!!!!! 

Thanks for all your replies on the Neupogen shots, sorry it took so long to thank you!!! I haven't self injected yet because I had to wait for my insuance company to approve and ship them. How is it self injecting? I am a nursing student and should be fine with this since I have given shots, but oh no shots on yourself, so not the same, LOL!! The good news is the Neupogen did not effect my kidneys like the Neulasta, so that is great!!!

 Hope everyone is doing well this week!! I really need to hop on here more often and follow up, unfortunately with the kids out of school and chemo. it has been hard!!

Congrats to shygal and Char2010!!!

I start Taxol and Hereceptin in 2 days...maybe.  I still have this stupid cold/cough and now I am getting a chest xray before I see my onc on Thursday.  I might have to put off my treatment.  Great.

I think I might have to apply for LTD.  I am almost at my 12 weeks for FMLA since I was unable to work at all during AC.  I still have a minimum of 8 weeks of missed work (that is assuming I work through the 12 weekly TH and radiation and only take 4 weeks for masectomy and 4 weeks for recontruction.  I am out and paid time.  I have to have an income and I can see losing my job over missed time.  They just need me there too much.  I HATE this.  I am glad I have the option of LTD but at 35?  I had someone say - "your lucky!  Social Security is a given with Inflammatory breast Cancer and being at your stage (3B)!!".  That is good how?  I'm 35 and "sick" enough that SS does not question a claim from me.  Great.

Sorry ladies.  I'm mad and venting today.  I feel so alone with all of this.  None of my friends understand what's going on.  Cancer is the best weeder of friends when you're in your 30's.  Too real and too scary.

Glad to hear so many are getting near the end of your treatment, but I have to admit I am a bit jealous, but know my time will come too. I had a treatment of Taxol and Cyctoan today that I was finally able to tolerate. For the next two weeks I get Taxol alone, then a week off before beginning Taxol and herception for the remainder of my 12 week cycle.  I was a bit flushed during my Taxol but it came and went so the treatment continued.  I felt fine throughout it though. I often get flushed from nerves and anxiety and I had plently of that today. They gave me an Ativan and will do that agian next time. I took my little ones to swimmingl essons after and have felt great so far. 

Best of luck to all of us as we continue!

SGJ05 - Re the rads timing.  I know they want you to finish your chemo cycle (3 weeks in total for me) so that would have been the earliest date.  However, he gave me an extra week off so I don't start radiation until July 12 which is exactly a month after my last chemo treatment.  Depending on the hospital, there can also be wait times, so I know that some people have not started for 6 weeks after their last chemo treatment.

Congrats to shygal and Char2010!!!  Rest and recover from the chemo.  Be kind to yourself until you get back to normal....*what ever that is,,,it's been so long)

Raerae---I had a bilateral mastectomy on March 31...4 weeks was not a long enough recovery time.  Try 6 weeks. It sucks to be young and not able to work.   I work for my dad at the family business.  We have a machine shop...I get a 1099 so technically I am self employed.  I haven't been able to work thru the treatments, surgeries, complications and more treatments....I have been dependent on my husbands pay,,,,and things are getting further and further behind here.  I don't have any disability....I am so glad that you have that to tap into.

SGJ05-

The neupogen shots are easy to give to yourself.  I give them in the leg or the belly.  Let them warm up and they won't sting...You can do it!  Good Luck!

Tomorrow is my last AC....my counts have to be up this week. I am so excited to be finishing up this portion of my journey.

We have a new cancer center opening this month.  I went to the open house on Tuesday.  It's a beautiful facility.  I feel so blessed by the care I am receiving.

 Turn your face to the sun...it is always nicer in the light.

Emme

Kelli - I totally know how you are feeling.  The AC got worse and worse as I went on, and I just felt so down and not normal all the time.  I really didn't believe anyone when they told me the Taxol would be easier.  I think b/c I was so used to feeling so crummy I couldn't imagine feeling better.  But I've had 2 Taxols now - weekly - and it truly is not causing me any side effects.  I'm not feeling sick or even tired.  I am so pleasantly surprised to feel normal.  The only annoying thing is having to go there every week, and I have to say the Benadryl is super annoying (knocks me out).  I guess my point is that I bet it will be easier than you think, and we need to throw every gun at this beast!

Kelli,

I have only had one weekly Taxol this past Tuesday, but I agree with the others. I have done my regular routine and felt fairly well. I have taken my kids to swimming lessons each afternoon, and attended my kids Two Pitch Ball Tournaments today. I have had a hard time with reactions to my other treatments and like you, have felt like giving up, but I am determined to put up the best fight I can against this thing because I only want to do this once. Who knows the change in drugs might be all it takes to make you feel a whole lot better. 

PS When I would cry to my husband about not wanting to go back, he would simply say you know you will go back and I knew he was right. I think sometimes the frustration and anxiety just seemed to get the best of me and crying about it was the best way to let it all out.

Kelli, I sent you a PM. susiesue

Hey ya'll. I'm five days past my second AC treatment and I feel so much worse than after my first treatment. Will it keep getting worse each treatment? Do you have any suggestions for getting through this? I just feel nauseated and sick, even with the nausea medicine (Zofran).  Its so hard. How did you do it?

I'm on dose dense AC, followed by 12 weekly T, and I'm in the double blind Avastin trial. 

Mitymuffin - I had the same plan as well.  Like Susiesue, my first AC was the worst as far as feeling sick - but the fatigue got worse with each tx.  By the end of the 4 AC's, I wasn't really having nausea, but I was barely able to walk from the couch to the kitchen or upstairs without feeling lightheaded and fatigued.  I had different meds than you, and maybe they worked on the nausea - I had Emend for 3 days, and then Compazine and Ativan as needed.  I used the Ativan at night also for when I was having sleep issues and nightmares from the chemo.  I took compazine more often during the day.  However, even with all that, I still often just felt "off" and nothing tasted right, etc.  I feel much better now on the weekly Taxol.  

Sara 

HI all.  I just finished my 3rd AC yesterday (of course on my last day of vacation:() and am not feeling to bad today just a little tired and aheadach.  This is the best one yet of course I am setting myself up for the worst to come.  Only one left than I start the DD T for 4 cycles.  Hoping that those go better as I see those of you who are on T have found it much more tolerable.  Hope you all have a good and SE free weekend.

-Jen

Well, I'm done with the AC!  This last tx wasn't so good.  I had a headache with this one, something new!  I'm very tired.  My onc assured me that I would feel like my normal self in about a month.  I am due to have a MUGA on July 1st.  I think that by the end of July I will start with the herceptin treatments.  I am having those infusions for 1 year.

Can we talk Expanders for a few?

I am getting fills every three weeks.  I am currently filled to 700.  My expanders can go to 850 and the plastic surgeon said he would push it to 900.  That will put me at a full B cup.  I really wanted to be a C cup.  I am 6' tall and on my frame a B cup isn't enough.  The plastic surgeon said he could go in and put in a larger expander and continue to fill until I get to a c cup.  I feel like I have been thru so much I should get what I want for an end result.  I should mention that 5 years ago I had a breast reduction from a G Cup to a C cup.  What do you ladies think....is it worth having to have another surgery...am I just being vain?  So many decisions....UGGGG!

Congrats to all of you finishing up this leg of our journey.

Emme