Chemo starting in December 2010

bambi380- my hair is falling out in handfuls and I freaked out my son this morning by pulling some out to show him!!  Going tomorrow to the hairdresser for a really short cut and for my wig fitting- but loving my hats.  

Did yoga today and it was really good.

Glad you are feeling well. We are going to kick this chemo thing in the butt!!!

Laina 

LisaMomOfFour,

are you getting AC? if so, you will be getting steroids in your IV in your premeds. They usually give ativan too so if you want to do something afterwards, tell them you don't want the ativan, although ativan is very good at keeping nausea way down. In all honesty, listen to your body, I felt perfectly a-freakin-ok the first 2 hours after my AC treatments, then it hit me like running into a wall. after those steroids wore off , it was bed time and catch up on anti nausea med time. although, I am only 29, and that does put one at one of the highest risks for immediate nausea, but just forewarning you, be careful. for me, and there are others, who, after those steroids wear off, it can be brutal. so kinda plan things out with the disclaimer that if you start not feeling well, you can go straight home. try not to overload yourself. just some caring and kind words (((HUGS)))

UMMMM... I think I am having chemo brain..... Lisamomoffour, I just re read your post, DUH! you meant you were taking them out today! not after chemo! I feel like such a dork now!!!

This 'red devil" really is the devil!! messes with your head! lol....

Well here it is 7 days after AC treatment 2.  hdangelbaby I am also on the 12 Taxol weekly treatments following 4 AC DD.  I am also hoping that the stomach issues are a bit better.  My onc did say that the weekly taxol tends to be tolerated better as you are receiving less meds more often.  Of course the down side is it is every week so I guess we shall see.

My husband cut my hair real short but left the top a bit longer (I think it is coming off today though).  It has made the mess a bit less but I am still conscious of not having a wig on.  I "assembled" my hat hair today so we will see how the golf hat look goes for me as well.  My head is sore but not awful...the end is near for these lil hairs I am afraid.  So far eyebrows and eyelashes are ok...anyone having issues with them (that kinda freaks me out to have no eyelashes).

Feeling pretty good, just go through days (like today) of feeling a bit sad.  Not sure why but my husband said about this day last round I went through this also.  Hopefully, like last round I will be 100% by Saturday and enjoy a few days before we do it all again.  I have worked since my last treatment except today as I was feeling a bit icky.

Getting ready for our grandson to semi permanently move in the middle of Feb while his dad goes to Japan for a few months.  I am hoping that having him here will keep me distracted.  It certainly did over Christmas.  But his 7:00 bedtime didnt come early enough some days I must admit.

Happy New Years to everyone...2011 is just waiting to be a great year.

Leigh

hdangelbaby and lawleigh-

Yesterday and today, I've been feeling the sadness you both spoke about.  My last round was Dec 21st.  And it's hard to talk to friends about being sad.  It is a cardinal sin to have cancer and be sad. People look at you like if you continue being sad, you will seal your fate.

I shaved all my hair off today.  I wasn't planning on it.  Just got a thought and went to the buzzer and started buzzing. A week ago, I was crying my eyes out when the first strands came away from my head so easily.  Today it felt kind of liberating.  I took a picture of myself and it looked like my father (whose been gone 33 years) was looking back at me.  I never realized how much I looked like my Dad.   

Thanks for listening.

Maria 

spartina, you are a very strong woman!! I felt like I wrote your post myself it was so identical to how I was feeling when I buzzed my hair! It truly was more liberating than traumatic. Thank god my husband loves it too. he even kisses my head when he leaves for work.

for lack of a better way to say it

my armpit hair is falling out

and that puts a smile on my face!

I am a sicilian woman, and have black hair, EVERYWHERE, and no matter how close you shave the old armpits, there is always that "shadow"

now for aboout 6 months, i don't have to shave them, and i won't have that shadow

now that's something to be happy about!

we must and i mean MUST embrace the small things that make us smile!

that's how i felt to jtbsmom. it was depressing taking a shower because all the hair...... everywhere but on my head. When we buzzed it off, it was liberating. we laughed all the way through it, although your experience will be your own and personal, and now showers are not depressing anymore. they take half as long, and so does getting ready!!

READY MADE HAIR!! WIG!!

I asked my onc the claritin D question today and he seemed puzzled by the use of it. I found that interesting. He suggested motrin or advil over claritin. I asked him again and he was adamant about it the 2nd time. At least he was not like the kids I taught and changed his answer.

 So many opinions concerning what to do.....

Bambi, I gave myself the first Neulasta shot yesterday...took a regular claritin last night (take them everyday), and Aleve this morning.

I'm fine.  But I can tell the Aleve is starting to wear off.

Try it without claritin, if it hurts, next time try it with it....I'd trust the experience of the hundreds of women here over a single Dr...but that's just me.

Just back from my first infusion... not as terrifying an experience as I expected it to be.  I feel fine now, I know that's going to wear off eventually.....  just feel a little loopy, not myself, and even though they said I could drive, I wouldn't trust myself behind the wheel right now, kind of foggy. 

Thanks for all the support from everyone on this thread.  It is very encouraging to go into this experience with some facts. 

I started taking Claritin D yesterday and plan to continue for a few more days. 

Lisa - glad it went smoothly - I too experienced the foggy after effects - they gave me Emend, decadron, and something else before they started the infusion and I think that's what caused the wierd dull feeling I had. 

Had my last dose of the first cycle today - 10 days off now to recover.  Had the Neulasta today - been taking Claritin and so far am not feeling anything but it's only been a few hours.  Sure hope it's not as bad as I fear it will be.

Take care all.

dlcw

Hi LisaMomof4...

Wow, it is a small world...I still have lots of family in the Lockport/Joliet/New Lenox area!

...I just had my first chemo today at 9am (T/C)/ I got out of there about 1:30pm. I took a friend with me and she was such a help...always made sure my tootsies and fingers were "frozen." My husband brought my 11 yr old daughter to visit for a minute, hopefully that will help aleviate any fears about chemo she might have.

I feel great other than feeling a bit sleepy/loopy. The fam is watching basketball in the other room while I sit in the living room with a dog and cat curled up next to me! Gotta love that unconditional critter love ! 

I did use the frozen peas...hope it helps. I also put them on for a few hours when I got home. I'll keep you updated. Oh,  I also used hard as nails...

 I made some amazing knorr spinach dip for tomorrow night! A few families are bringing over enchilladas and we will all sit around and welcome in the New Year together! Just playing it by ear!

Happy New Year to all of you and thanks again for all the great answers to all my crazy questions! 

It's funny isn't it, we are all being so strong for everyone around us, and probably positive as we can, and we wonder if its ok to be sad, or others  in our lives comment on it.  Reality, we are fighting the fight of our lives and if we are sad, crying, depressed for momments or hours, I think we've earned that right.   It's the side effects, the hair, the nails, the sadness, the worry, that people around us see or question, but they can't see or feel our inner struggle of just wanting to kick this cancer to the curb.  And that's my new motto of the year, when someone calls and says, you sound down, or sound tired, not yourself,  I tell them its alot of work kicking cancer to the curb, and how I feel is all a part of the fight. 

Lisa, glad your first tx went ok...here's wishing you no S/E,  Leigh, I'm with you, I use everything all of you give for tips, and my s/e have been so minor.  I have one more that may be helpful, this time I was unplugged from the wall (battery ran the iv) and I walked often through my C/T infusion, after the premeds.*when Ididn't have the ice on my hands, toes!!)   I drank ice water alot, and the walking helped me to have no aches from sitting all those hours.  Nurse pract. said she found patients who got up and walked the halls didn't complian from back pain, muscle spasms. Don't know if this is helpful. I certainly felt the Difference. Momma, wishing you good days to come after treatment Lisa,(Samm) sorry to hear about the mouth sores, no nail issues but every few days my big toe feels funny for a few minutes, does anyone thnk that's neuropothy? 

Gonna be a warm 45 in MA!!! yahoooo...heat wave!!!!

JoAnn

Lawleigh, I DID go out and buy that Hello Kitty Purse! My husband just rolled his eyes too, haha! I told him " yes, it's replacement for my hair loss, get off my back. you wouldn't feel normal if your balls got whacked off!!!"

not a word about my purse or boots since! lol!

I'm feeling much better as the week progressed. I am finding I have that sadness around day 6-8 then as I start feeling physically better, i feel mentally better.

I got cleared by my doc to go to my absolute favorite bar that has the most amazing new years buffet tonight! yay!! Our best friends and us have gone the last 5 years, and I really wanted to go this year, being that it's just before my next treatment and I feel mostly human! He asked if it was like going to the Golden Corral or something like that. I told him "no, it's in a town called Eden ( seriously like 200 people live there), and maybe 50-70 people total come for it for the whole night. he said since my counts stayed up I could go, just no raw oysters, or med rare prime rib, or anything that has been out way long. So, my best friend in the entire world calls and makes us reservations, and she makes them for 7 pm! right when the buffet starts! so we will be the kind of first go around at the food before it gets all picked over, picked on, and/or sneezed on, lol!!

Lawleigh, I know exactly what you mean by the wind and the wig. I was out to lunch with a friend yesterday and the wind was so bad, I thought mine would come off too!

Ahhh... I wish I was in Boise right now... on 8th and Grove , eating at the basque restaurant (my husband is basque), and then going around the corner to Bardenays and having a mojito. They make the best ones ever!!! But no hard liquor.... booo!! just wine and beer!!! which i WILL  be having tonight!

Best wishes to all for the new year! next year is going to rock ladies! you know why? all of our chemo and radiation is going to be over in 2011!! on our way to remission!!!

wishing all a SE free new years!!!!

I thought you could not get denied treatment of a life threatening disease? I know I could be wrong, but my cancer center told me on day one, if for some reason I did not have insurance, that i still come in for all my treatments. she (the financial advisor) told me they will still treat me, no questions asked. You may want to contact your financial advisior ( if you have one at your cancer center) and find out. Good luck to you!