April 2010 starting chemo

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  • LauraM
    LauraM Member Posts: 251
    edited June 2010
    raerae7074 - I am sorry you are feeling so tired.  Have you tried taking Iron Supplements?  My hemo was 9.2 when I started Chemo and my Onc. had me start taking double Iron every night and mine has continued to go up.  I went to my local health food store and take New Chapter Iron.  Because it is a natural product, it doesn't cause constipation and it absorbs easily in your system.  Feel better!
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  • marcy4
    marcy4 Member Posts: 162
    edited June 2010

    Saralmon

    Are you getting Taxol and Herceptin weekly, or Taxol with one Herceptin every 3 weeks?  I am not sure at the moment what mine regime will be.  My herceptin begin with my next Taxol cycle as well. My chemo nurse was gong to clarify this with my oncologist for my next visit.

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  • Emme
    Emme Member Posts: 205
    edited June 2010

    Hi- I was reading on the exchange city thread, and the ladies were talking aout how much the Chemo wiped them out.  My Onc gave me the impression I would be feeling back to normal, whaever that may be, in about 4 weeks.  The ladies on Exchange City were talking more like 3 months for the fatigue to subside.

    Raerae, Congratulations on your Dr. not finding your tumor!  It keeps hope alive and makes our trials more bearable.

    I wish peace to all of my sisters here...and no SE!

    Emme

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  • JenC
    JenC Member Posts: 382
    edited June 2010

    Hope everyone is doing ok today. I had my 3rd AC on Friday and I am still a little out of it but almost "back to normal" I think. Somewhat of a sore throat but that should hopefully go away soon. The bone pain from the Neulasta shot this go round was awful. I got the shot on Monday morning and the pain is almost gone today. Back to the plastic surgion today to find out why I have a bruis under my insicion 2 months later that was not there before???? It is never ending is it? One more AC left than Taxol x4 hoping that it is easier. Thank you all for your words of wisdom and information. It has helped alot knowing you are all there down this long trail.



    Jen

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  • JenC
    JenC Member Posts: 382
    edited June 2010

    Ok so I have had it, done, cant take this anymore. Just got back from the plastic surgion and the bruising is my skin actually thinning and the implant showing through. I have to go for surgery next week to have scar tishue removed so that the skin can be stretched out to cover the implant more otherwise if the skin breaks huge infection could happen. This will put chemo off yet again for about 3-4 weeks. 1 step forward 20 back. I started chemo on April 28, 2010 and have only had 3 and they were supposed to be every two weeks so I should be done 5 by now but no, stitch abseses now this. I dont think I can take this anymore. I just want it OVER!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry to vent like this I am just really frustrated and depressed. :(



    Jen

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  • dutchgirl6
    dutchgirl6 Member Posts: 673
    edited June 2010

    Jen, I am so sorry that you are going through this new difficulty, you certainly have had a tough go of it.  I'm glad that you were able to take your vacation when you did, especially now that you are needing more surgery.  Hang in there, and you know that you can vent here anytime that you need or want to. 

    ((Jen))

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  • toughmom38
    toughmom38 Member Posts: 79
    edited June 2010

    JenC- I am so sorry you are having such setbacks!  Just keep taking it one day at a time and you'll get through it.  I know it's hard when you keep getting bad news.  I'm keeping you in my thoughts!Laughing

    Is anyone else gaining weight?  I have gained 10 lbs since April, when I started chemo!  My appetite has not suffered one bit.  Right after treatment when I am my most nauseous the only thing that keeps it manageable is to keep my stomach FULL all the time.  Even when my throat gets sore it doesn't stop me from eating.  Is anyone else having this problem?

    Jennifer

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  • JenC
    JenC Member Posts: 382
    edited June 2010

    Thanks for the thoughts.  My onc actually called me tonight and said that since I am having such "issues" that after my surgery I will resume chemo the week of July 19and forego the 4th AC treatment and start directy with Taxol but weekly for 12 weeks instead of biweekly x4 since it will be a lower dose and will cause less issues.  Hoping that the weekly taxol will be tolerated well.  I have been working this whole time and need to continue to do so.  Can anyone tell me how long the infusion lasts with weekly T and what some of you have experienced for side effects.  Just wondering if I will be down and out for a few days or if it much better than the AC.  Still in a fog from it all and not looking forward to another surgery but gata take it as it comes I guess.  I was thinking to look in the guiness book of world records for most surgeries in a year and see if I can beat it Smile  I am going for #4 next week.....  Gata keep a smile on when the going gets tough.  Thanks again for your thoughts. 

    toughmom 38 - my weight goes up and down but I to feel better when something is in my stomach for about a week or so after treatment.  I tend to eat alot of fruit though so it keeps me full, hydrated and not so many calories (the the ice cream is good to:))

    Jen

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  • SGJ05
    SGJ05 Member Posts: 73
    edited June 2010

    Jen-I am so sorry to hear about the difficult time you are having. Hang in there, you can get through this. And please vent away, we are all here to support one another.

    Laura- Congrats on completing your final A/C-woohoo!!

    I am prepping to start cycle #5 tomorrow, boo! I am hoping it will go as well as my last:) Still feeling wimpy about self injecting, hopefully after the first time I won't be so freaked out.

     Good Luck to all that have cycles coming up next week and to those that just had it, I hope your side effects are minimal. Hugs to all!!!

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  • toughmom38
    toughmom38 Member Posts: 79
    edited June 2010
    Jen- I know ALL about the ice cream...just got done eating some!!! Wink
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  • Emme
    Emme Member Posts: 205
    edited June 2010

    Jen- This is the place for venting! We are here for you!  I'm sorry you are having so many setbacks.  When you are going thru it, time seems to move so slowly.  Keep the faith and I will send you extra good thoughts.  Hang in there.  I'm not sure if you remember this or not but when I was having my weekly taxol treatments in January and February I had to have my gallbladder removed.  That interfered with my infusions and then a few weeks after that I had a bileoma (sp?) when the ductwork gave way and I had to have a stent put in my liver.  That put an end to my taxol treatments!  I remember feeling so uncertain.  I was afraid because I didn't have a "plan".  Eventually, things got back on track, and here I am today...having just finished my AC last week. Take a deep breath, and be kind to yourself...I hope surgery goes well for you..is it next week?

    My weekly taxol took about an hour and a half, with the premeds.

    Toughmom....I gained 10 pounds too....I'm "sure" (said in a sarcastic tone), it must be from getting my  TE fills Laughing.  I too feel better when I keep something in my stomach.

    SGJ- Good luck tomorrow! My your treatment go smoothly and you be blessed with NO SE!

    I want to give all of you this link for a free head wrap or scarf from France Luxe.  Laurie Erikson, sends a wrap or scarf to anyone who has suffered from a medical hair loss.  When you go to the site, click on the Good Wishes Program.  The fabrics are beautiful.  Just a note, If you have a big texas head like I do, go for the scarf because the wraps are rather petite in size.

    http://www.franceluxe.com/i/goodwishesscarves/GoodWishesScarves.html

    To anyone else having treatment tomorrow. good luck!

    Emme

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  • saralmom
    saralmom Member Posts: 329
    edited June 2010

    Marcy - I have weekly Taxol and Herceptin every 3 weeks.  Though I feel like I've heard others say they have had both weekly?  I dread having them both this Monday b/c it literally takes so much longer to get through - sitting there for so many hours is frustrating.

    toughmom - I've gained weight for sure.  Probably between 5-8 pounds so far.  I feel like I have been eating whatever I want - one, because for awhile I just ate what didn't make me sick, and two, because I feel sorry for myself and using food to feel better.  

    Jen - so sorry to hear about all that you are going through.  So frustrating.  Stay strong.

    Raerae - I'm being watched for a possible transfusion too.  My hemo has been hovering around 9 for several weeks, but I keep telling them I feel so much better, am not having any breathing difficulties.  They are holding off for now.  Supposedly it takes 8-10 hours to get the transfusion, so I am totally avoiding it.  But it's true that they say you feel so much better after.  My onc called tuesday just as I was leaving town with my daughter to go to her college orientation 6 hours away for 2 days, and said my iron is so deficient that I needed to stop and pick up prescirption strength iron.  Maybe that will help with my hemo too?  Hoping...

    Sara 

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  • JenC
    JenC Member Posts: 382
    edited June 2010

    Emma.  I do rembember about your issues and I hope they are all resolved by this point.  I will be having the surgery either next tuesday or wed.  I will find out today.  My plastic surgion is going on vacation and wants to get this done ASAP. 

    Thank you all for your thoughts.  I know it is just a bump in the road but as you all know these bumps sometimes feel like unscaleable mountains  Undecided

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  • LauraM
    LauraM Member Posts: 251
    edited June 2010

    JenC - I am so sorry about this latest setback, it does really suck all the things you have to go through to get well.   Just keep on holding on the fact that they can fix your issue, and maybe the change of your tx plan was meant to be.   I will be saying lots of prayers for you!

    SGJ05 - Good luck on your next tx, I hope it goes well.

    Toughmom - I tend to gain weight the week of my tx and then level back off the next week, I have found that if I get a fresh watermelon and keep it could in the fridge, it really satisfies my hunger and is nice on my throat when it is sore. My sore throat does not stop me from eating either, my stomach definitely rules and it feels better with food in it.  My worst vice beside nightly ice cream (for my sore throat..lol)  is eating cheeseburgers from Five Guys Burgers and Fries.   I blame my craving on my low iron and convince myself that this burger will help, it does helps my stomach! 

    Will I have been fighting a sinus infection since my last AC, finally starting to feel better today!  I am hoping that they will still do my next tx with me on antibiotics.  

    I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

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  • JenC
    JenC Member Posts: 382
    edited June 2010

    Laura M. - Thanks for the encouragement:)



    My vice is Chinese Food:)

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  • Emme
    Emme Member Posts: 205
    edited June 2010
    Does anyone know how to get to the photo forum?  I couldn't seem to find it...is it me?LaughingI can sometimes be challenged...
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  • kad22
    kad22 Member Posts: 191
    edited June 2010

    Jen C. -- sorry to hear about the setback - that really sucks! Vent all you want that is why we are here, right?! Take care and good luck next week with surgery.

    I have also been gaining weight - it sucks but I feel like if I can eat I might as well. Although, after this last treatment everything I eat comes out the other end and not in a good way. I have been taking Imodian AD almost every day and lots of baths!

    So went to the PS past week to be filled and had the PA and she told me that I am already filled to a D cup- yikes - I told my PS I only wanted to be a B cup!! She told me to make sure that I am very firm with him because he likes to make us big! WinkLuckly she told me that I just have to be firm with him when the time comes for my implants and tell him hat size I want to be and the extra skin can be helped to get rid of some of the scarring!

    Have a great weekend - ((Hugs)) to all!

    Kelli

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  • SGJ05
    SGJ05 Member Posts: 73
    edited June 2010

    I have a question for all of you lovely ladies:) Did your cycles #4 and/or #5 seem to affect you more emotionally? Every since my treatment on Friday, I have been crying on and off over the silliest of things and man o man am I crabby (Yikes, kids stay away, LOL)! I also noticed that the fatigue hit me immediately after this last cycle as did the stomach issues. Anyone else notice this? I am trying to stay positive since I have only one more cycle, but it sure is hard right now:(

    *On a positive note, I did manage to self inject my first Neupogen yesterday! Hoping I will have just as much luck today:)

     Hope everyone else is doing well adn enjoying the weekend!

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  • SGJ05
    SGJ05 Member Posts: 73
    edited June 2010

    Oh yeah and I had to chime in about the weight gain. I have definitely gained weight throughout chemo., which is surprising since everything taste awful, LOL! I think I have gained around 6 lbs., yikes!

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  • JenC
    JenC Member Posts: 382
    edited June 2010
    On the weight thing.  I go up and down.  Usually loose about 3 pounds the first two days after an infusion than gain it back with a little more after that.  Oh well at this point, who cares...Smile
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  • Emme
    Emme Member Posts: 205
    edited June 2010

    Hi Everyone!  I would like to take a minute and say that I'm sorry for being so down lately.  This afternoon I was reading on the post secret website and I was reminded by one of the postcards to stop acting like a victim and start behaving like a survivor.

    SGJ- I found the further into the tx I got, the more fatigue I had...My onc told me it was accumulative.  Ohh and I would only admit this here....but I do tend to be more crabby...i'd never admit that to my familySealed..

    I hope everyone that is going for tx this week does well.

    Emme

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  • JenC
    JenC Member Posts: 382
    edited June 2010

    Hi everyone. Hope you are all doing well today. I have a question. May sound stupid but oh well. I am going in for surgery tomorrow to have the cilicone implant removed and a TE placed in. My surgion does not want to fill it much and wait until after chemo is done to start filling so that the skin can heal and not be so thin (thats why I am having the surgery, you can see the implant through the skin) What do you do until the TE is filled, get a prosthetic, certain bras? Not sure so that things look normal. It is only the left side so it will look kind wierd just leaving one basically non existant and the other one a C up. Thanks for the input.

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  • caltex_catlady
    caltex_catlady Member Posts: 136
    edited June 2010

    Hey JenC:

    I haven't had reconstruction yet (after a bmx), and, while I usually go "flat" around the house, I do wear prostheses of some kind out in public. I have what I call the "business boobs" that are the expensive (though paid by insurance) ones, but they're relatively heavy and uncomfortable (was I really that huge?), even though they're supposed to be the "lighter" version of silicone. BUT, I just got some new microbead foobs from the Cancer Society catalog (http://www.tlcdirect.org/products/sku-8139__dept-34.html) that I can really recommend. I guess they'll be my "casual boobs." They look like nothing when you first open the package, too flat and soft, but they look pretty good in a bra. I have some bras with pockets that can use either kind of prosthetic, but you could probably stuff them in a regular bra.

    I ordered a couple of sizes smaller than the business boobs, since I thought I might want smaller than those and didn't know just how lightweight these would be, but I think I'll order another pair in my real size. They're really comfortable and light and seem to mold well to the right shape, so you might be able to use them as fillers until your expanders fill out so that you're not lopsided. I'm not sure how you would determine size, since it will change over time as you get filled.

    The tlc catalog has other kinds of breast forms you might look at to balance you out. Since I had a double, I don't have to worry about weight of the forms, but it might be harder to balance the weight of real tissue on one side and one of the forms on the other. I think some of the forms are weighted to some degree for you single-side gals.

    And remember that there's never a stupid question around here. One of us is bound to have experienced the same thing or be wondering about the same question.

    Karen

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  • JenC
    JenC Member Posts: 382
    edited June 2010

    thanks Karen, I am definately going to check into that.

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  • DancerMel28
    DancerMel28 Member Posts: 122
    edited June 2010

    Hi girls,

    sorry been a bit quiet on the boards - been a busy couple of weeks!  Round 3 has been bearable - no nausea like the second round so that's been a bonus!  Been fine weeks 2 & 3 except for the bloody nose thing - new SE that's shown up not sure what's going on had to have an extra blood test last week but i think everything's ok there so who knows??!??

    Gearing up for LAST one on Friday!!!!!!!  Just have to convince the Onc that I don't want to change my regime (know what the reaction is, I handle it fine, I can manage the SEs - don't want to change at this late stage).  Not sure if she's going to insist on a change or if she'll be okay with my deicision to continue with T even though I have areaction during infusion - we'll see what happens on Friday.

    So then after the the SEs wear off - I've got surgery at the end of July to look forward to (just to fix my scar that occurred from the wound infection - nothing major) then Rads.  So looking forward to being done with this chemo stuff!! Maybe I'll feel well enough to start tackling the weight thing (dreading seeing what the scales say on Friday - have steadily been increasing each treatment but I figure if eating keeps the nausea away then I'd prefer to put on some kilos).

    Hope everyone is well! Smile

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  • Char2010
    Char2010 Member Posts: 532
    edited June 2010

    Dancer - I finished the fourth round of TC on June 18th and I had an allergic reaction to T each time.  Just stuck with it and the nurse set with me each time ready to give me shots (which she ended-up having to do).

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  • DancerMel28
    DancerMel28 Member Posts: 122
    edited June 2010

    I was wondering how you got on Char.  I'm hoping I can continue with T - just don't see the point of changing when there's only one left. Spoke to my GP about also - he said that he sees a lot of patients react to the 3rd and 4th ones (of any type of chemo) anyway regardless if they react to begin with, so i figure there's no guarantees that I won't react to the alternative anyway!

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  • peacelovedogs
    peacelovedogs Member Posts: 57
    edited June 2010
    Has anyone had a reaction to the benadryl that they give before Taxol?  Last week my heart started racing and I felt like I was going to jump out of my skin.  The nurse said it happens sometimes with benadryl and there wasn't anything she could do.  FrownI was so uncomfortable for about an hour.  Now I am nervous about my treatment tomorrow.  I am going to ask my onc if she can prescribe something like ativan or another relaxant to help in case that happens again...just wondering if anyone else has had that?  I have used benadryl for YEARS and never reacted that way before.
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  • Char2010
    Char2010 Member Posts: 532
    edited June 2010

    Dancer - I did fine - just the reaction each time they started me on T - they ended up giving me something extra to stop the reaction and then restated the T but on a slow drip - so I was there longer than usual.  I agree - I would not want to switch either.  Good luck.  How are you doing with the side effects?

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  • saralmom
    saralmom Member Posts: 329
    edited June 2010

    Raeann - I have a slight reaction to the Benadryl - I get crazy crazy resltess legs.  Can't sit still.  So while I'm completely groggy and would otherwise sleep, my legs won't stop moving.  So annoying.  Although I will say it was better this week than the other weeks.  

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