2005 ROCK-TOBER CHEMO GIRLS

3rd Chemo yesterday, doing fine, except I developed this awful cold; my WBC was okay so the doc ok'd the chemo and put me right on antibiotics cause it's looks like a sinus infection and she didn't want to take chances. But it's making me miserable.

The Xrays on my knee came back - the good news - it's not bone mets. The bad news it looks like arthritis...just what I wanted as an early Xmas present. One more health issue...but as long as it's has nothing to do with the BC, I can deal with it.

Nausea started this time right after chemo, but got it under control pretty quickly. Just, as always really really tired. And the cold makes it worse.

Brenda - I have stubbles to, some are even growing a little, but most are falling out on a pretty regular basis. My niece just ran her hand over my head and said "Look Aunt Lynny, I can make all your stubbies fall out". Thke kid is soooo easily amused....

Hope all is well with everyone!!
God Bless!

Lynn

Thank you for your stubble stories. I knew you'd be able to help. Upon careful examination, right after a hot shower, I actually saw what looked like a bald spot amidst stubble city! So you're absolutely right. Shaving was not for naught.

Ladies - i saw a magic word in Graycies post -
BABYSITTER!!!!!
Form an orderly queue ( behind me!)
Debbie xx

Rhonda,I also have a port. (put in on 10/26 - first chemo on 10/27) The area around the port was sensitive for a few days. I'm still conscious of it but it no longer hurts. My "bad" day was day #3. Truly, it is very doable. I know everyone is different but I felt completely myself on day #6 and it just got bettr from there. I bought a huge "Bubba Keg" from Target and keep it filled with icy cold water. I carry it with me everywhere I go. I like to put some lemon in the water too because it tastes disgusting right after chemo. I also drank a lot of ginger ale on day #3 and discovered Peppermint tea. I had chemo#2 this morning. My onc. told me not to wait with the nausea this time. Last time I waited till I was really feeling sick before I took meds. (Never threw up though) I shaved my head last Friday and my stubble is slowly falling out. Chemo this morning went fine. I'm really tired right now but I'm not sure if that's mental or physical! You can do it!! Your wig looks great, by the way!

Debbie - the word "babysitter" is like gold, isn't it!! I'm right behind you!

Hope everyone is doing well!

Good luck to you, too! The second chemo wasn't quite as bad, but I did manage to throw up on day 2. I told my chemo nurse it was because I came to see him for my Neulasta shot! He said, "A lot of women react like that to me." He likes to grab my hat and rub my stubble! Pretty soon there were three other people in the room, and we were all laughing. One of the best ways to deal with cancer, I think!

Good luck to you. I was very anxious before my first treatment. Everyone reacts differently, so it's hard to know in advance. My advice would be to take the medications prescribed for side effects. Let other people help you. Rest when you need to. Eat small amounts frequently, drink a lot. Keep a diary of when you take meds, how you feel when, etc.

I cut my hair off (ten inches!} before my mastectomy, and I got lots of compliments on it (the haircut, that is). I should have done it years ago! I shaved my head last weekend, and I haven't shed a tear yet! I can cope with all of this as long as I remember why I am doing it in the first place. I'm no braver than millions of other women who have gone through this. They make it through, so will I, and so will you.

Susan

Welcome Rhonda, glad to have you aboard........Your wig looks great and it sounds like you are prepared for what's ahead.....The first treatment is the scariest and hardest only because you don't know what to expect but with all the new anti-nausea meds they have now I didn't experience any problems with that. The tiredness didn't really hit me until about the 4th day and lasted a few days but then you start feeling better. I have only had 2 treatments so far but the second one was easier. The biggest problem I had was constipation so you may want to take something ahead of time to prevent that but of course everyone is different. As far as the hair mine didn't start to really fall out until a few days after my second treatment. Believe me you will know when the time comes to cut the hair....I waited as long as I could. Oh yes the port, mine was real sore too. Some people have no trouble but it took about a week for me to get used to it and for it to stop hurting. Hang in there it does get better....Good luck with your first treatment......Hugs, Grayce

Sorry that you have to join us on this "wild ride", but glad you found us - it's a great place to get support, tips, etc. My port hurt for about the first week, and then was just itchy for a while. I used neosporin with pain killer - it seems to help the itchiness too.

Keep up on your fluids - I love water and have always kept it handy, but even for me it's gotten hard, so I keep Breyer's Fruit Bars on hand - their all fruit, no additives and you get your fluids, a sweet fix, and some fruit in you all at the same time! What could be better. For mouth sores, regular rinsing with the baking soda rinse - even when I think I'm got them licked, I rinse after every meal, just to be sure.

I had a lot of trouble sleeping the first round, by the second round I gave up and just made sure I took my Ativan (lorizapan)every night. Getting a good night sleep, despite getting up three or four times for potty runs, seems to help a lot. At least when I get back from a potty run, I go right back to sleep and don't lay there as much thinking about the "what if's".

Good luck and God Bless!!!
Lynn

I understand why you don't want them to see you sick. That reminded me of an experience a friend had. Her daughter was young when she had chemo, and she didn't know until years later that her daughter thought her mother getting sick meant the cancer was getting worse! So, make sure your kids understand what is going on so they don't have the wrong idea.

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Hello October Ladies,
I I had my Port put in yesterday which really hurts when does that go away???

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I think mine hurt for about a week.

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I haven't cut my hair yet i am just going to wait around day 10. Right??? That is just making me sick thinking about it.

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I waited until mine was falling out in chunks at about day 13.

Hope this helps--good luck!
Jane

Hi All,
I have't been on this board since my diagnosis, which seems like a million years ago... but I have hit the bottom.. and I reccognise that I need to reach out to others who might be there too.

There is NO part of me that doesn't hurt, or burn, or ache.

I am havning constant heart burn and stomach burning. Not nausea (thanks to zofran & dexamethason), just this dull burn that sometimes comes into my throat as an acid burn. I think it may be because I was on MAJOR antibiotics for a staff infection just before starting chemo on Oct 20th. But then I was, at first, taking oral cytoxin as part of a clincal trial. I could feel the burning start within 30 min of taking the pill everytime. So I went off the trial, and back to full dose dense (every two week) AC last Friday. At first the heartburn was better (also they gave me priloseac and now Protonix).. but now since about five days post my last chemo it's back big time. Is anyone else having this??? What do you do?

The rest of me is a mess too. I have a burning in my bottom that I think is hemroids (but preperation H doesn't touch it), an aching in my hips from the Neulastin shot, my face aches I don't know why, my head aches that started just after first chemo, My tounge and the back of my throat burn I don't know if that's mouth sores of acid reflux, I am completely exhasuted, and no one told me that losing my hair would HURT!

My hair comming out in clumps is traumatic enough (I can't get my hubby to shave it for me, and I really don't feel up to dragging myself to the salon), but when something brushes it around on my head, it stings like needles.

Someone please tell me, I am not alone. Tell me this gets better soon (I am only on dose 2 of 4 AC, then to taxol x4). Everything I read made me think that feeling this bad during chemo was a thing of the past. People are talking about eating steak and working fulltime... Am I just a whimp? Today I felt lucky because I was able to eat lean ground beef with rice in broth, instead of just white crackers in chicken broth.

Help,
Ishara

Rhonda: I send welcome to you also. Yes, I got a port 5 days after my first A/C. It did hurt, no doubt about it. It was worse than my breast surgery. Mine was put in by a radiologist, excuse me an "interventional radiologist." I wish it had been my surgeon. Anyway, that was 11 days ago and I am not hurting much now. A few days ago, one thing I did was to put my heating pad on the lowest setting, laid it on my chest, and napped for a couple of hours. The gentle low heat helped the bruising and pain to go away.

I cut my hair short about 6 days after my first treatment. I had my second treatment yesterday and I still have my nice, short, compliment producing hair. I didn't realize how I must have looked old with my long hair in a bun. Every morning, first thing I look at the pillow to see if it is coming out. Not yet. I did get a free wig at the volunteer shop in the hospital where I work and have my treatment. I also received turbans, a nice scarf, and a sleep cap. They were all donated to the volunteer center, I hope by some one who has survived cancer. I'll never know for sure, but I sure hope the person who donated all these things had a happy outcome. When my turn comes I will do the same and donate back to the same volunteer center.

Chemo isn't easy, but it is something you can do. All the advice you've been reading really works. No one has mentioned popsicles yet. I learned this week that if you suck on ice or popsicles during your treatment and during the day after treatment, you cool the tissues in the mouth, thereby reducing the demand for blood flow to the mouth tissues at the very time the chemo is most concentrated in your bloodstream. That way the chemo has less chance to damage the mouth tissue and fewer or no mouth sores are experienced. I have not had any problem with that yet. And, popsicles taste good and are a way of getting more fluids into you. Drink as much fluid - of any form, but no caffeine - as you can. Don't let the chemo sit in your bladder. It can give you cystitis - a bladder infection. NO fun to get that. A little fruit juice in water gives it a better taste.

I have used the baking soda and salt rinse. I also purchased a product called Biotene. There is a mouthwash, toothpaste, and gum for a dry mouth. These products do not have alcohol, which can bee too harsh at this time, and they are anti-bacterial. The gum is helpful to get a refreshed feeling during the day. I have kept working and it helps me keep my mouth moist, besides drinking water. A moist mouth is less likely to smell.

I have found now that I like the water to be closer to room temperature. I only use a couple of ice cubes, not a full glass like I would have done 3 months ago.

Take any and all anti-nausea drugs that are offered. They work really well. There could be some side effects to those. Some people on this list have mentioned them. I myself may have experience a rare side effect last week. I had pain reminiscent of my gall bladder disease from 8 years ago. I knew it couldn't be gall bladder, but suddenly remembered that my family doctor told me my pancreas enzyme levels were high just before the gall bladder surgery and that I had also had pancreatitis. Since then there were no problems, and I forgot all about it.

But, after finishing the anti-nausea meds last week, I had the same kind of pain and told the onc nurse about it. They had me come back for blood tests and sure enough, elevated pancreas enzymes. We don't know for sure whay that happened. I started doing some research and found dexameethasone could cause pancreatitis or a flare-up of someone had the disease in the first place.

My oncologist was unsure about whether to continue treatment yesterday, but I told her I wanted to beat the cancer, and so I took dose 2 of A/C. We will do a blood test on Monday to see if the pancreas is involved again. I am praying that last week was an unusual coincidence, and that cancer treatment will not have to be altered or postponed.

Meantime, I am obsessively monitoring all side effects. So far, day 2 after treatment #2 and I feel pretty good.
It's not a picnic, but it is something I can get through.
marymelodi

Hi Ishara
Sorry you are going through the mill a bit. As my huby says - you have to have down times to really appreciate the good ones.
Dont suffer in silence - get back to your oncologist and let heim know. Mine said they can control any symptom but only if they are told and given the chance. i have been lucky - only tiredness so far.
Have you a friend who could cut your hair? A lot of your friends are just sat waiting to be given the chance to help you in some way - believe me. ( it makes them feel like they are actually doing something rather than being sympathetic!)
As for the burning bottom - that rang a bell! I got that day 19 and 20. Thought i was going to have to mention it to onc on day 21 but it disappeared as fast as it came. I wrote it in my notes to see if it happens again - if so i will mention it.
Get things checked - i was on antibiotics from June through september for staph and i havent got the burning ( the chemo makes me burp for britain but we wont go there!)
Take care - keep letting us know how you are doing. We are friendly if a little odd at times - blame chemo head!
Love Debbie

I love your lint brush idea and I'm going out to buy one! My stubble gets in my shirts when I put them on and I itch from it!! It flies around the bathroom when I get out of the shower, too! It's better than long hairs flying but still!!!!!
And I remember you saying that your eyes were bigger looking after you shaved your head. That is soooo true!
ravdeb