Stage III Chemo questions

Thanks Jan, I'm starting my treatment on June 7, pretty nervous about that. At least the sooner it starts the sooner it will end. I'm a bit sad about loosing the summer ): wish it was during the winter when I spend a lot of time at home anyway. I'm from Vancouver and love to go to the lakes and do some rowing, hope that I will feel good enough to do some of that this year as well. Where are you from? Congratulations on your daughter's graduation!

Thank you KerryMac.. that is good news!! I have a wig to fall back on if I need.. crossing my fingers I won't. I'd probably feel pretty uncomfortable having to try it out for the first time at such a big event! Knock on wood I don't seem to be shedding yet!  Hope I haven't jinxed myself now.. lol just a little superstitious eh.

Daniela, try not to be too nervous.. you will be in good hands & take your anti-nausea etc. according to directions and you will do great!  Honestly, I think we will all still have a great summer, my 1 concern is that I won't be able to swim.. I have a PICC (are you going to get one?) in and it can't get wet.. but I am going to look in to getting a cast cover which people use to keep their casts dry in the shower.  Saran wrap hasn't worked for me. I am in Lumby, which is east of Vernon in the Okanagan. Grew up in North Vancouver & also lived in Halfmoon Bay on the Sunshine coast. We'll have to get together sometime   Have you registered with the Victory program and with Pharmacare to get help with the cost of cancer drugs? If you haven't & want to, let me know.. I have the phone #'s.  Also.. the cancer society here loans out wigs and scarves etc.. my wigs are in really good shape & am able to get them trimmed to suit me.

hahaha.. keep calling those shots Colleen!!   I am so impressed with you getting back to work like you have.. must have been nice to see everyone!!  How many days or 1/2 days will you do per week?  Glad you are feeling less fatigue! The shorter the term and more effective sounds good to me!!  Do you have a PICC/Port?  My blood work will determine if I get a shot of Neupogen (which must be the same thing as your Neulasta) My Onc told me to expect it at some point!

Take good care!!

mcsushi - My face broke out horribly during chemo, too.  It wasn't quite as bad during Taxol and pretty much cleared up about 3 weeks after my last treatment. 

I worked through treatment with reduced hours as well (plus I have a job where a lot of it can be done from home).  It was tough during AC, but much easier with weekly Taxol.  I'm still only in the office about 25 hours a week until I get through radiation.  I think it really helped me to keep in touch with my "regular" life, if that makes sense.  It was nice to lose myself in the job and forget about all this bc mess for a while.  Plus I don't have the rough transition from no work for months back to full time, and I don't have to fix all the mistakes a temp would have made while I was out - lol!  I'm so thankful I had the kind of job where I could do that.

Odd.....my skin was the best it has ever been during chemo. Porcelein.....pores seemed to disappear and no dryness or oilyness etc.

Put me in the great skin during chemo catagory. 

Good luck tomorrow Colleen.. hope everything goes well for you!

Let us know!

What is happening with your hair.. I started shedding right on cue a few days ago!

Thank you janincanada.. I will take you up on that offer!

Hi girls and welcome to the new ladies,

I had 4 cycles of dose dense A/C every 2 weeks, then 4 of Taxol the same way.  Lost my hair on schedule and have hated every minute of it, especially when I kept my eyebrows/lashes until the last week of Taxol and then they almost all fell out too!  Blah! Good news is that they came back fast and furious, I'm actually plucking them already!   My head hair is SLOWLY coming in, but not long enough to go without a bandana or my wig.

I had a plethera of se's but luckily none long term, and none that made me skip or reduce my treatments.  And the steroids were bad news for me during the A/C (they discontinued them for Taxol).  I was up almost everynight for hours at a time.  The only long term se so far is some neurapothy in my feet.  Hopefully that will go away with time.  Keep an eye out for mouth sores though, call your doc/rn right away if you get ANY ulcers in your mouth and get the "Magic Mouthwash" px right away.  It does help!

Keep us posted on how you are all doing!

Love,
Sharon

So glad you're done with the "red devil".  I did find Taxol to be easier, but like Sharon I seemed to have some crazy SE's from Taxol as well.   Even though Taxol did come with it's own set of annoying SE's I did find I felt a little better with Taxol than AC and there was no nausea with Taxol.

Before you know it you'll be starting a thread that says, I am done, done, done.......

Just wanted to pop in this thread and show my support.  Keep those goals in mind whether their getting through the week or even just the day.  You'll get them behind you and get through this!  I hated the uncertainity of knowing what tomorrow would bring but I always made it through the next day and I had some tough ones.

I've got two weeks of rads done and I'll be back on low dose chemo this week.  But I'm back to work, my energy is good, my attitude is positive and I'm enjoying my life.  You'll get through this!

Let's see.  Taxol was so much easier than AC, but it gave me the gift of bloody noses, temporary neuropathy, blackened nails and took away my eyelashes (2 weeks after treatment).  I never plucked my eyebrows after dx, so they thinned out during Taxol from the top and bottom but didn't completely disappear.

What was amazing is that Taxol treatment went so much faster than AC.  You're on the downward slope to regaining your health.

I had a dry nose with the taxol. My se's we due to the steroids so I asked them to pull them. They gradually pulled them.  After that I had no Se's.  You will be to the other side before you know it!!!

thanks Pure  for encouraging words.  sandiddstn I had a double mast with implants done in  April.  Shoulder pain wakes me up.  I am still "tight" along chest by scars and under arm and have odd spots of pain and numbness.  Try to stretch and exercise frequently which helps.  Wonder if I'll ever be my old pain free self again.