May 2010 Chemo

sacphotomom - My scar under my arm from my axillary node removal is always much sorer after chemo.  I think it is the swelling from all the drugs they give you.   I had immediate reconstruction after my mast. and so I don't have any soreness there.    How are you feeling after AC #4?  I have been feeling like crap the last two days, my stomach has been acting up and I have a wicked sore throat that seems like it might be a sinus infection.  I am off to the doctor today to see.  I really didn't sleep well last night because of my stomach and throat so I am having a feel like crying day.   I hope your tx went better then mine.

Here's to hoping that Taxol is much better on my system then AC!   I hope everyone else is having a SE free day!

I called onc Monday morning and explained this never ending horrible fatigue.  She didn't want to do anything and said to see how this week goes.  I told her if I don't have any good days before the next tx, I don't know how I can go on.  But I agreed to see how this week goes as my next tx isn't until next Tues. 

I have to say, things have slowsly improved so maybe I'll make it.  I was able to tag along with taking the baby to the beach yesterday.  I wouldn't have even made the drive the day before. 

fotopet, then I shouldn't worry about protein. I'm 7 months after my second surgery. Nothing to heal.

Yay for veggies and fruit!

Paxton: beautiful pic of you and your baby. Hoping today was a better day for you.

LauraM: sorry about your throat..hope it clears up...I too am looking for easier SE's on taxol..we can only pray.

 My 4th treatment is tomorrow. I am happy and depressed as well..I know by Saturday I will be flat out on my back in bed crying and saying I am not going to do this anymore..Trying to put myself in a happy state but with no hair no boobs and exhausted most of the time it is kinda tough.. Oh and yes  I got an infection where my incision is..Have been treating it for 1 month nowl PS says harder to heal because of the chemo.. and to top it off I am still growing hair on my legs...hey  can't I get one break..... 

Paxton - great pics - glad you got out!! 

Kim - I'm ALMOST there... I would have done it today if I didn't have 8 more days on the base.  I told my DH I was thinking about telling them I can't take my hair anymore, and that I need to shave and come to work out of uniform (in civilian clothes)... we'll see how much guts I have tomorrow.  I'm so proud of you!!!   And, of course, leave it to you... the positive side, as always!  Thanks for inspiring us! 

Fotopet/JennyB - Hi, I'm Leanna, and I take Ativan.  Nothing was working for my headaches... so, I take 0.5 mg and they work!  And, the help me sleep - bonus!!   

Njgirl - stubborn leg hairs you have.  I still have about 30% on head, but most of my pubes are gone and leg and armpit hairs have not needed tending to in about 10 days now!  LOL.  Oh, and the chinnies.. gone long ago - hoot! 

Sacphotomom - If that's the same video - the gloves, I think I saw it way back when I was ignorantly bliss!!  It is really good!  A nurse friend sent it to me.  Sending you ((HUGS)) hope you feel better. 

Latte - I will PM you, sweetie! 

Well good thing I went to the doc yesterday, I ended up having a full blown sinus infection that knocked me for a loop last night.  Started antibiotics last night, my throat is a little better but the congestion and junk in my chest really sucks.. I started rising my nose with saline this morning (should have started that a few days ago!) Hopefully I will be better for the weekend.

Paxton - Great pics!  Your baby is BEAUTIFUL!

Fotopet - I am in awe that you are working!

Kim - I hope you feel better this morning about shaving your head.  It was hard when I did it too, but the thought of all that hair falling out gave me the creeps.  Shaving my head made me feel a little more in control!

Sacphotomom and Njgirl - I still have to shave my legs occasionally too.  I agree that we should at least get some perks out of this Chemo!  I

Sacphotomom - I usually go for a walk every morning and some days I have a really hard time too, mostly because my legs are tired and achy.  I have not been able to go this whole week because of this sinus thing, hoping I will be better tomorrow so I can do a little bit this week.

Have a great day! 

I wanted to tell you something. I called the number at Franceluxe.com for "Good wishes" - you find it in the pinned topic "Hair covering options for hair loss".

 I had the most pleasant experience. The lady on the phone was very very nice, and asked me to choose three patterns, in order of preference, as they didn't know which they would have available. She said it might take up to 3 weeks to send me the head-wrap. That was about a week ago. Yesterday I got this email:

"On Monday we sent you a beautiful It's a Wrap in our silk print called El Gato. Affixed to one of the tails of your It's a Wrap you will find a small Swarovski Good Wishes fairy as a symbol of hope and Good Wishes from our team.

Please know that there is a small village of us in Washington State rooting for your recovery.

All my best,

~Linda"

Brought tears to my eyes. The head wrap should be in the mail at the end of the week I think.

Day - That is awesome!  What a nice story.  It is good to know that there are people out there doing things just to make other people feel better.

Patricia48 - I hope you SE's go a way soon!  My onc had told me that I would be getting more and more out of breath with each AC. 

Sacphotomom - I called my Onc. and they were out of the office and told me to call my primary care doc.   I haven't had to call before about being sick...just figured I should call onc first just to let them know.   I sure hope Taxol doesn't beat me up so bad.  I have more blisters starting from the hand and food syndrome that I am not suppose to get with AC but I got anyway....Atleast I am half way done with Chemo.. I keep telling myself that by September I should be back to my normal routine.

Hi All - I had treatment #3 last Friday and it was the worst yet.  Not too bad, just worse than the prior ones.  I felt flu-ish all weekend.   Was tired from the Nuelasta yesterday, so am just starting to feel normal again today.  The best news is that so far my overwhelming appetite seems to have calmed down.  Phew! 

Day - what a great story!  Amazing how a little thoughtfulness like that can go a long way.

njbhwgirl- I hope you are right and in 5 years, the caps are FDA approved for 1 less side effect!  I am doing the caps like Drim, and so far, so good.  My sisters have made it their mission to make sure everything goes smoothly in the cap department- they are on it and take charge on chemo days.  I think they might actually feel worse than me if it were to fall out at this point.  Hope your treatment goes well today, too!

patricia48 and sacphotomom- good for you to keep up your walking.  I haven't been as good about it, and I know I need to since it also helps reduce the risk of recurrence.  It's just been so hot!(whine, whine, whine).

LauraM - so sorry to hear about your sinus infection.  Hope you feel better soon!  Those are never fun, even when you otherwise feel ok, so tht just stinks on top of everything else.

Nanaof2- I am thrilled to be 75% done, but 50% done is great, too!  You are on the home stretch!  I am actually surprised at how quickly it has (mostly) gone.  The only bad thing is that means summer is also slipping by....and in MI, we like summer to stick around for a while

fotopet - sorry you are swamped at work, but at least it keeps your mind off chemo.  We were busy at work right after my first treatment, but kind of quiet this week, and I think its better when we are busy.  Less time to feel the SEs.

Leanna9- Hope your hair makes it til the 30th!  My chin hairs are still hanging on.  I can't believe it; I am desperate for those suckers to fall out!  I lasered my pits and legs a few years ago, so they are pretty barren anyway.  But those darm chin hairs...ugh!  I tried to laser them but it didn't work.  Now they are withstanding chemo...it's kind of embarassing to have chin hairs with super staying power!

paxton - great pics.  So gald you are on the upswing!

Hugs to all!  GG

Hi everyone,

Things have been crazy here, with work and the kids summer schedules.  I am sorry to hear about everyones tiredness, mouth and throat sores, and still needing to shave.  I agree we should get at least  one perk out of all of this. I don't have to shave my legs everyday like before chemo, but still need to every 5 days or so. 

Paxton; great pics.  So glad you pushed yourself to go.  I love the beach so to celebrate my last chemo tx we are leaving for Cape May Court House for vaction the next day.   I just hope my SE continue to remain at a minimum so that I can actually enjoy the trip.

Those of you who are struggling with the shaving your head, I found it was the best thing I could have done.  It was the one thing that I had control over and if you make it into a fun party atmosphere it makes it easier.  That was how I got through it.  Now I love look.  No wasted time doing my hair.  I can save at least a half hour or more a day getting ready.  Plus with it being so hot here it sure is much cooler.  I do have a wig but I only wear it from special occasions.  I ususlly just wear a baseball hat.  I haven't worn any scarfs yet because I thought they would be hotter than a hat.  I have actually gotten more compliments on how I look in a hat than I ever did with my longer hair, so guess what I plan to keep my hair short when it grows back.  Good luck to all you who are still struggling with the decision to shave your heads.  I will keep you in my prayers.

Now I am going to whine alittle.  I have been doing great up until Saturday.  Very few SE, other the hair and heartburn from the steriod.  Saturday the plams of my hands and bottoms of my feet got very itchy but no rash.  Then later in the day I started to get a rash on my arms. It would come and go during the day.  Saturday night I started to get stabbing pain between my shoulder blades and feeling like I had something stuck in my throat.  Of course I went to the computer to check symptoms.  These are symptoms of heart attack in women.  So I decided to wait and see if it got worse.  I also took a benadryl to take care of the itching.  Sunday I woke up and felt alittle better so I went to church and did a little shopping for father's day.  i got home around 2 and by 3 was in the ER.  I started to have chest pain with the back pain.  They were great at the hospital.  Keep me isolated as much as they could and also gave me a mask to wear.  The did blood work. chest x-ray and cat scan.  Everything came back fine, so they thought maybe it was from the Neulasta shot.  Did anyone else have pain that long after the shot (2 weeks and 2 days)?  So they sent me home.  Felt well enough on Monday to go to Hershey Park for the day.  I still had the rash and by the end of the day my hands were now swolllen.  So Tuesday morning I went to see my onoc and he thinks it is a reaction to the taxetere.  It wanted to switch my T to an A.  I told him I want to stay on the T because of the effect the A can have on the heart, plus I have done so well on this cocktail that I don't want to take the risk of having more SE, especially being sick, I hate to get sick.  He decided to let me try the taxetere again tomorrow and see how it goes, but any sign of a reaction he will stop it and switch.  I said OK.  I did double check with him to make sure it isn't real dangerous.  I really love and trust my onoc.  I think i will be alittle more anxious tomorrow when I go for treatment to see if I make it past the 15 minute mark with out a reaction.  Has anyone else had to switch from one drug to another in the middle of your treatment?  If so how did it go? 

I wish everyone a wonderful rest of the day.  Hugs and prayers to you all.

BArb

Redbarb, that is how I got in the hospital, 14 days after the 1st treatment, thinking I had a heart attack. I think the story of this is a few pages back. Anyway, I guess it's a Taxotere thing - the pain was in my shoulder blades too radiating towards my chest bone, but very very sharp, I could barely breathe.

As for the switch, that is what my oc was saying too, that if I get again adverse reaction to Taxotere at infusion time, he will switch me. I have the appt and chemo this Friday. I DID have a reaction at the 2nd treatment too, but if he says he wants to switch me, I'll say that I won't have chemo anymore, or at least not with his office. At least with this regimen I know how it is and what to look for. 

I think it might be correct, and I didn't eat that many ice-chips during the Taxotere - it was about 3 1/2 hours after starting the chemo and the ice-chips were almost melted anyway. Maybe that is what gave me that horrible burnt mouth.

I am enjoying my last days of feeling "normal" before the next tx.

The wrap came in the mail today. It is absolutely beautiful, silk and soooo soft!

It was accompanied by a card that has more than a dozen signatures and well wishes.  Isn't it amazing how something like this can lift your spirits?

Hi All,

Sorry I have been missing in action. Haven't posted since May, but I have been reading everyone's posts...this May group is aweome...everyone is so supportive!  Well, I am officially done with chemo.  Went for my 3rd TC infusion on June 14th but was told by my oncologist that at this time the percentage benefits from chemo do not outweigh my allergic reactions to Taxotere.  Unfortunately, Taxotere and I do not like each other!   Have a consultation for radiation on Monday.  I wanted to tell everyone that I am wishing all of you the best.  My two tips are Positive Mental Attitude and drink lots of water.  Thanks so much for all your support.  Will check back in with everyone soon.  Love Sunflower

Good morning!

I haven't been on for 3 days, busy with work and end of school stuff w/kids, and I feel so behind!! My daughter graduates from 6th grade today and moves on to Jr. High! Crazy how fast thing go. I'm sure to be a crying mess at the ceremony tonight.

Thank you to all who responded to my anti-depressant question. I will talk to my doc about it at my next visit. Honestly, there are times where I just kind of "don't feel". Not overly sad or happy or ANYTHING. I just am...... So, maybe that'll help.

Paxton- I love your pics and I'm so glad you were able to go to the beach. The beach always makes me happy! Kim- I hope you are feeling ok about shaving your head. I agree with Laura & Redbard, it really was the best thing in the end. It was one of the hardest parts of this process for me but once it was done I honestly felt so much better & the crying stopped. I've just embraced it, owned it, and came to the conclusion that for now - this is me and it could be worse. Leanna - I'm hoping your hair holds out for you till you are ready to do the deed!

Sorry for all those that have to shave & pluck. LOL I too may have to shave my legs in the next few days, seems so unfair. I guess a few pubes have tried growing back too because now I have three ingrown hairs down there and they hurt!!!

NJB - I hope your infection is healing. Sacphotomom & Laura - I hope you guys are feeling better too. And Redbarb- OMG, that sounds scary but I'm glad everything turned out ok. I hope you don't have to switch treatments at this point. Drim - Hooray for no more period issues!

Patricia- I LOVE the convertible story! I could just picture it - good for you hahaha

Day - Isn't it nice to have angels looking out for you?

Sunflower - CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! That's very exciting. I hope your radiation journey is a breeze. Keep us posted.

I hope everyone is able to enjoy this beautiful day! Well, at least it's beautiful in NY anyway...

Thanks for all the info about the rest of you having effects.  I had my 3rd treatment today and got through it without any reactions.  I was so glad.  I told the nurse what she had to do.  I told her to give me the benadryl and pepcid before the chemo.  she said she saw I had a reaction but nothing was in my chart.  Then i told her to slowly infuse the taxatere.  I told her I didn't care if she kept it on 50 the entire time just to make sure I didn't react.  She started at 50 then 100 then 150 and then 200.  She never bumped it up to 300 which was fine with me.  I am having heartburn right now so I plan on taking some tums.  I took a pepcid earlier.  I also have to take my claritin because I go  for my Neulasta shot tomorrow.  I am more tired tonight then I have been the last 2 times.

Jenny B: Good luck next Wednesday.  I feel the same why about being done.  I was told that my hair would start to grow back about a month after I am done with Chemo.  Good luck at the pulmonalogist.  I will be praying for you.

Summer38: Congratulations on your daughters graduation.  I remember when my child graduated from 8th grade and I cried for 3 days the day before the day of and the day after.  It is so hard seeing our babies grow up. 

Packjen: I hope you find relife with the atarax.  You'll have to keep me posted.  The benadryl has worked for me to help me sleep, but I'm alittle worried about what I can take with the pepcid, steroids, tums, etc.  I was never a big drug person and look at me now.  Boy how things change in a hurry.

Mel: I am with you about not wanting to switch.  Those where the same reasons that I didn't want to switch.  When do you have your 4th treatment?  I wish you luck.  Keep us posted when you go back to the ono.  I was very happy with my ono that he would let me try to continue on the T.  If we have to switch then I will delay my last treatment because I am scheduled to go on vacation the day after and I am not going on vacation not knowing what the SE will be.

Thanks for all your support.  I feel truly blessed to have found this site.  You guys are all fantastic!

Good night.

Well guys, I sported my brand new wrap today when I went to do a little bit of grocery shopping. The friend who drove me said I looked like a Gypsy - I was wearing also some gorgeous silver-mesh hoop ear-rings.

Anyway, tomorrow I am supposed to have the 3rd tx. I have strong doubts that will happen. About Tuesday evening one of my lower incisors started hurting (one of my two foci of possible infection that I couldnt' treat in time before this BC rollercoaster started), so I started taking Bactrim - I have prescriptions "in hand" in case something like this happens. Soooo... even if the docsays it's ok, I will tell him I don't think it's ok. I definitely do not want to have a tx with a tooth infection going on.

On the good side, it gives me a few more days to enjoy not havibg all the nasty SE's.  And enjoy time with my boyfriend (he gets back home from his extended drill on Monday). Our first year anniversay was when he was gone to camp, and we couldn't celebrate it before he left because I was so sick and in so much pain, so we WILL have time to celebrate it when he comes back before I have my next tx. Somehow I am grateful for this tooth infection, lol.

It's VERY hot in Oklahoma, and these mosquitoes are something else!