Chemo June 2010

Grrr

last week was everyone's emotional down week, now this week seems to be the treatment delay / hiccup week - never rains but it pours!

Lizzyanne - please don't worry about your AC now being a 3 week gap. You and I are on the same regime and mine is always a 3 week cycle; although my delay has made this one a 4 week gap.  Anyone had a 4 week AC cycle? I'm worried about the treatment missing some of the little blighters dividing away.

I can understand delays due to poor blood counts, or poor mimi's gut infection but DesignerMum you are right to be fuming. Delays and alterations due to stupid admin. reasons are totally unexceptable - go girl and put them straight!

Happy Birthday Tina, I have just celebrated with a piece of banana cake - thanks for giving me an excuse !!

Everyone have a minimal SE, maximum energy , minimum nausea , maximum happiness weekend and let's get those blood counts up! 

Thanks ladies for the "song", "cake"  and birthday wishes!

Sherry-->I really hope you feel better this round, now that you have all the meds worked out. 

D-mom-->Duluth is one of our favorite places.  We go at least once a year.  Its about a 2 hour drive. My hubby and I went there for our honeymoon (almost 26 years ago!), and my oldest dd was married at Enger Tower Park over looking Lake Superior. Oh--my middle dd got engaged at that same park, so you can see I've passed my love for Duluth on to my girls!! I've already told the kids we are going all together next year for my birthday!  I can't wait!!

I hope you get everything worked out!  I think we're all angry right along with you!!

Julia--> I'm glad you changed places!  I hope you get treated much better there!

grneyd-->We drove through Sturgis once, and my dh got a t-shirt--but that's as close as I'd like to come to the bike rally lol!  But I hope you make it there!

rs711-->only 29?  Jeez.  Cancer really sucks!  You are only 3.5 years older than my oldest dd.  All my girls are supposed to start colon cancer and breast cancer screening at the age of 34 (10 years younger than my age when I was dx with colon cancer).  You can bet they're real happy with their momma!  ;P

ummm, I think  that's everything!

Have a good night everyone!!  Hope we all can sleep

love,

Tina

Sherry - I really hope your onco's plan works for you and you don't have nausea.  I'm glad he wrote it down, too.  My chemo brain would not remember that. 

I am feeling a lot better today.  No feelings of nausea today! 

Janny99:  Regarding:<<I really didn't feel well, and when I asked her to get me a prescription for something stronger than immodium for my liquid stools (which the NP told me to ask if I needed it), the nurse told me I didn't need it and to keep trying the immodium!!! >>  Hopefully by this time your diarrhea is under control.  I too start have horrendous diarrhea about the 3 day after tx.  I take 2 TO 3 IMODIUM at a time (and this only slows it down!).  One thing that I found that works really well is over-the-counter acidophillus under the name of Flora-Stor - it is expensive $21.00 a box, but that really helps restore the good bacteria balance in my system.  Hope this helps!

Well, yesterday was my 3rd tx and went very well.  But again, waiting on SE to begin tomorrow.  BIG SIGH!  Trying to be proactive and taking my Diflucon prior to the diarrhea and the Flora Stor.  Maybe I can head them off.  The good news is that my white blood count went UP from last time (from 22.0 to 19.0).  Only ONE more tx to go!  August 11th.  Then the dreaded radiation treatments!  YUCH!

My nails are getting funky though.  Looked at them the other day (I don't wear nail polish) and instead of nice white little half moons on the cuticle bed, I have a pink/rose half moon, then a white half moon, and another pink/rose half moon starting. I'm assuming the first one is from my first tx, the white part is when I'm healing and the second pink/rose half moon is from the 2nd tx. Guess I'm going to have to start wearing nail polish!  I'm so terrible at putting this stuff on.  All over my fingers.  I know I should go get a pedi/manicure, but with all the hospital bills coming in, I really can't afford any luxuries.

And for anyone having Chemo breakouts, the absolutely BEST thing I have found is "witch hazel" (make sure it is witch hazel and NOT alcohol!).  Cleared my acne up quickly and I also use it on my almost completely bald head now twice a day.  Very cooling and soothing.  Even took care of the little sores on my head too.

Another person (very early on in this thread) mentioned runny nose due to no hair!  ME TOO!  When I go to the bathroom at work, I have to wonder if the person sitting a stall down from me wonders if I'm doing so sort of illicit drug cause I'm always sniffling!  Ha, ha!

Well, I hope everyong has a great SE free weekend.  Keep your chin up, keep in touch and remember, WE CAN GET THROUGH THIS TOGETHER!

Love to all!

Deb

OOPs a few words missing  I WILL NOT LET YOU GET IN MY WAY  and But I NEED to lose my victim mentality. 

Tina, Happy belated birthday!!!!  It is good to have another one.

Designermom, you go girl-Get those Admin and insurance guys good.  Show those bulldog teeth and don't back down.  Take prisoners not excuses!!!

grnedy560, I live about 90 minutes from Myrtle Beach and have been down just recently for The Cirque deSoleil at the Palace.  Was very good so recommend if you get to go again.  Hope you enjoy Sturgis and feel well.

Julia, congrats on changing tx locations.  Things can be totally different somewhere else.  I know because my 1st chemo tx went okay but 2nd was the day from hell.  I spent 9 hrs there and closed the place down.  I had three different nurses work on me and none of them until the last one seemed to be very competent and I did not get her help until I had been there 7.5 hrs and was thinking of walking out and heading to administration to have them find out what was going on.  My husband and I were treated as though we had the plague or maybe 3 heads.  What is so bad is I work at this hospital and they profess excellence in their care over and over.  I have been nothing but cooperative and nice with each visit but I will not go through another tx like that.  I won't tell the whole story because it is too long and pretty unbelieveable(even to me and I was there).  Suffice it to say you do have to speak up for yourself.

Joan, I can believe you are having insurance issues.  Do they require pre-cert or are they one of those that tries anything and everything not to pay. Hope you get this mess straightened out.  I have been fortunate with that aspect because most of my surg and tx and even office visits have been in network so I will probably only pay a small percentage out of pocket.  Also, love the Tshirt idea and will add "Finding Chemo, The Gift That Just Keeps On Giving.

Now,on to myself a little-went to see ONC yesterday avout swelling around shoulder and axilla on chemo IV side and sore throat and stopped up head.  My counts were very low and he was concerned I was getting upper respiratory infection so I am now adding antibiotics to mix of other pills, but I do feel much better today.  He thought edema was still from post surg changes but we will watch closely and check with ultrasound if does not improve or gets worse. 

Thankful today to be feeling better because have family reunion tomorrow with relatives from out of town.  Guess I will wear a mask and cap over almost no hair.  I am sure they will all be shocked to see me this way because they have not been around  since my dx.  Oh well, at least I should be good for a laugh or two in the family pictures.  Hugs all around and thanks for being there-Sending prayers and good thoughts out for all of us on this journey. LOL,gin2ca

Okay ladies.  I guess God hears prayers (or has mercy on stupid administrators).  I went to treatment #3 today, "loaded for bear".  Everything went perfectly! There were no delays, no nonsense, nothing to criticize  As usual the nurses were terrific.  I was there at 9:00, in the chair by 9:20 and finished by noon!  Whoo hoo!  I'm home, no SE and hope it remains that way.  By the way I finally asked my nurse what exactly she meant by "drink a lot".  She said at least five 8 oz glasses a day.

JFV-  I'm so sorry you have to deal with insurance nonsense on top of everything else.  I am reading a book called "Busting Loose" Cancer survivors tell you what your doctors won't, by Cheryl Swanson.  There is a chapter entitled "How not to pay the bill".  She said that she did not pay her cancer treatment bill until a year after treatment.  She did take steps to protect her credit rating.  In the end, the hospitals were very happy to accept a much lower payment (just like insurance companies get).  

brat352-  I can't be bothered with nail polish most of the time as I work with my hands so much it ends up looking chipped and nasty.  Besides, I want to see if my nails are getting funky as you say.  I just found this great product from Revlon called "Post trauma nail treatment".  It's a bit pricey, I think $7.  My nails were becoming very dry with a lot of ridges.  It is not as thick or shiny as nailpolish.  It is the palest pink and transparent, a little shine.  It ends up looking like your nails have been buffed.   It wears like iron, so far 10 days, no chips.  I like it.

Who knew Duluth, Minnesota was such a destination?  Though my mom talked about it so often, I have never been there.  I would like to go someday, but not in the winter.  Mom told me they put their car up on blocks for the winter, too cold to start them (1920s).

I love the t-shirt slogan idea!  I bet we could all come up with some terrific sayings!

Glad you liked the tshirts!  Maybe we can start a cottage industry!  The billing people from hospital say that my problem is common.  I am an expensive payment and they want to hold on to their money as long as possible.  One doctors office actually said I they got paid.  So, maybe the insurance company is ready to comply.  I sort of like sending nasty letters to them.

Got back from Onc and she said my tumor markers were up and my D levels are still low.  She said she would keep an eye on things and I shouldn't worry.  Of course now I am terrified.  One answer is the chemo is killing the cancer and it is getting dumped in my blood stream, the other answer is a false positive, the other answer is things are getting worse.  I hate getting this info and being told not to worry.

Last visit she told me that taking Taxol would make me unable to work and I would feel like I was being hit by a truck.  This time she told me Taxol will be easier, no metallic taste, no nausea and less fatigue.  Just a little bit of pain. 

I agree gin2ca  FINDING CHEMO THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING that is definitely todays theme

Bon-Oh you have me roaring!  The thought of all of us reuniting in Duluth, wearing wacky pink t-shirts and burning wigs.  Now THAT would make the news!

Latte- I'm so sorry about your port trouble.  Let's hope that they have fixed everything and it will be clear sailing from here on out.

JFV- I swear some Oncs need to be prayed for too. There is no need to "vomit" all the worst-case scenarios.  Most of them will not even come to pass.  Try to not fret about it, distract yourself.  Someone once said "you don't get extra credit for worrying ahead of time".  So true.

im gearing up for next fridays last AC, im running a fever but i always seem to do this at this point, my low i guess, i hate the waiting, i wish all well to you, what a mess we get ourselves into..lol when this is all done we all need to meet in the middle love to all, i need to lay down and not stress,, who me? stress? HA!!

Hi all-please note the new picture. You probably can't read the little sign I made but it says: Last Dose Adriamycin/Cytoxan July 21, 2010. You can see the nurse pushing the red devil on my right. Woo Hoo! Taxol next- x 12

dsa-deb: my hair is indeed coming in. I asked my onc about it and he said it does happen sometimes. He also said when it does happen, his patients are concerned that the chemo wasn't strong enough, which he stated is not the case at all.

It looks like I have  a five o'clock shadow! It feels really rough, which has taken a bit to get used to. My family has been teasing me that if they have an itch, or need a pedicure, they could do it on my head.

I had a different nurse for the 4th dose (my regular nurse is on vacation). That nurse said that even though it's starting to grow back, it will be an extremely slow process because of the continued chemo. I also noticed leg hair (no arm pit hair), and facial hair (peach fuzz if you will, on the sides of my face). It figures that the facial hair would come back first! I'm going to be ticked if I start getting chin hairs again already lol!

Isla: Your picture is beautiful-baldness suits you!

Isla and Laurie,    I love the pics!   Laurie,  you are just a couple of steps ahead of me on the same program.    I am 11/days after first treatment .... expecting hair loss very soon  {sigh}   I've made arrangements for it to be shaved by my hairdresser and have gotten some cute caps and scarves to get me started.    Good luck on the next step down your road of recovery!

Ladies I like Duluth in 3 years with the Tshirts!  I actually already gave away my wig.  I can't stand it so I wear scarves only.  I can burn some of ,my post mastectomy bras! 

We paying our own insurance for many years.  My hubby was a self employed roofer.  We were paying over 1000 a month for insurance with 5000 deductable.  Hubby took a parttime job so we could purchase group healthinsurance.  We switched insurance during my diagnosis because the deduction from his pay check for the exsisting insurance would have been his whole paycheck.  Funny thing is we went to a sister company and we all figured there would be no preexsisting problems.  HAH!

OK why I am suddenly italics I do not know.  I agree with those of you who say I shouldn't  worry.  and my Onco does have diahrhea of the mouth.  Worrying does nothing but make me and everyone around me feel worse.  But, as you all know it is easy to feel  discouraged when you are already  feel ill.

I enjoy all the new pics.  Youlook great.  As I didn't shave my head I sort of look like a middle aged gut working a comb over!

Best wishes to everyone who is making it to the AC finish line!

Joan

love the pics girls, i still have all my hair, but not sure if i lose it if i could post it, id not look near as good as you two!!!! next friday last tx of my AC i pray all goes well!!! im worried about it. i hear the last one is the worst???? love to all and no se's

Chey

Love all the new photos.  I think a Duluth reunion sound faaaabulous.  It's in the middle of the country, "new" for most of us, probably would love a bunch of wacky tourist women!

First day after treatment, so far, so good.  I was a bit nauseous, but now the Zofran is kicking in and I am better.  It is scorching here in NYC, hottest summer in history.  I long for cool, Autumn and Winter walks in the park.  I feel like a shut-in in this AC.

brat352-  The scene of shaving your cat had me wondering. I was thinking "yeah, like this cat is going to go for that".  And, it appears I was right.  Back in the days when you had to put flea powder on a cat,my mom and I would put the cat under a fish net and powder through it, or we would get scratched to smithereenes!