2005 ROCK-TOBER CHEMO GIRLS

Debbie:
Yes, I am taking granisetron, known as Kytril, it's trade name. I take it and dexamethasone (Decadron) along with aprepitant(Emend) for the prevention of nausea. I am following this schedule: 125 mg Emend 1 hour before chemo, Decadron and Kytril just before the drip begins. Day 2 & 3 80 mg Emend, Kytril and 1 Decadron in morning, followed by another Decadron in the evening. Day 4 only the Kytril and Decadron. After day 4 nothing except Compazine, as needed. So far, I have not needed to take it. I have not had nausea while taking these drugs.

During my first 2 treatments I have also been fighting a cold virus that has hung on and on. I have had alot of coughing and if the coughing gets too severe, I find my gag reflex gets stimulated and I feel like I will vomit. So far, I have been able to calm my body and avoid this event. I also experienced this after going through a emotionally upsetting experience at my job in child psychiatry at the hospital where I work. I think that the chemo has made me more sensitive in the whole digestive tract, but I have not had the unrelenting nausea that I feared when I first knew I would need this treatment. Other effects have been taste and smell sensitivities.

I consider these drugs to be miracles for me. I am glad
that your doctor has given them to you and hope you will find them as helpful as I have. My onc nurse gives me a calendar at each treatment with the schedule on it and I cross off the drugs in pink as I take them. It helps me stay on course.

I admire you for hanging in there and being a fully involved mother to your children while having this treatment. You are an inspiration to me. Good Luck!!
marymelodi

Oh Kate, I am so sorry. You will be in my thoughts and prayers. I hope they get things worked out so that you feel better and can get on with your chemo! (((hugs)))

Gosh! It is really quiet around here, everyone must be busy with Christmas preparations! Hope everyone is doing well and out and about!

My prayers are with you too, Kate!

Here's a new one for me - swollen eye lids. Has anyone else experienced this? It's very weird. I'm not usually prone to allergic reactions and such so this is a little unusual. I go for A/C #3 on Monday and I'll ask the doc about it too.

Hope everyone had a great holiday.

Hi all,
Kate, I hope everything works out for you. I wish you well.
Swollen eyelids I do not have but my eyes were burning for a while and my eye doctor was not available so I went to my family doctor and he gave me some drops that cleared it up stat. So relieved. I still have my eye lashes and eye brows and lots of stubble after 3 AC treatments. Anyone know if neupogen is the cause of having lots of stubble still? I get 5 shots of that starting on the 5th day after treatments. Makes me tired on top of the fatigue I already have! UGH!
ravdeb

A/C #3 for me tomorrow! Again, I'm a little anxious. My arm seems okay. I just have a few red dots where I was poked the last time. My veins do turn red during the pushing of the A. My arm gets very cold during the pushing.

I am not looking forward to forcing myself to eat the next five or six days, then eating like a pig after the 6th day. I'll be glad when the chemo part is done.

Tracy,
Looks like we are kicking some cancer butt this week! Good luck to you too!

oh ravdeb, sorry to hear you are feeling down... i too have noticed decreasing energy and appetite, and i only have had one infusion!! Second one this thursday.
My depression is also getting worse despite antidepressants i am taking, this hairloss thing is cruel... now the cancer is the reality, and its hitting home fast. I am finding it hard to stay positive.
But the only way out is through this, we are all in it together, and we WILL get through.
I keep saying to myself 'this too shall pass', and trying to focus on the time in the not too distant future when this is all (hopefully) behind me, and i've got my hair again, and, at least to a certain extent, my old life back.
Hugs to you, you know, when it cant get any worse, it can only get better!
Paula

I have had 3 A/C's and also still have eyelashes, eyebrows and stubble. I am not getting Neupogen instead get 1 inj. of Neulasta 24 hours after each A/C. I think they are similiar. I too am veeeeeery tired! I slept all Thursday, Friday and most of Saturday. I am so sick and tired of being sick and tired! The mere thought of food/eating makes me sick too! Glad to hear that your eyes are better! We have to hang in there! What choice do we have?
Laura (GTO)

Good luck to everyone having their chmo treatments this week!!!

I'm working to get everything done before Friday. The surgeon's office called this morning to make the final arrangements for the carotid surgery. At first they wanted me there at 7am...guess my intake of breath let her know that was way too early to expect me there!!! So they bumped it up to 9am!!

So far they're saying I only have to spend one night thank goodness!! But I know the drill: "Any headaches? Did you eat? Did you go to the bathroom? etc etc." I've kind of figured out which are yes answers and which are not!!!

Hopefully this won't be a long recuperation period so we can do the leg stuff and I can begin catching up with the rest of with my chemo!!!

Just a question about the hair thing please? When you buzz cut it, did shampooing it afterward increase the loss. It hasn't yet but this morning the back of my head feels pretty naked!!!!

hugs,
kate

Ravdeb,
so sorry you are feeling awful. I'm sure this will pass in the next few days. I get my third FAC tomorrow. I had a terrible three days on day4-7 in my first round. My gut felt like it was filled with toxic sludge. I was bloated, my belly felt tender, I had heartburn. Even with laxatives I was not going regularly.I felt so tired and crappy,and yet I couldn't sleep.I felt like life was not worth living and even told my husband I would rather be dead than feel like this.I walked but very slowly and it did not rejuvenate as it usually does.
So after discussing with Doc 1.my steroids were continued longer and tapered off. 2.I took something for my stomach,a PPI-Pantolac 3.I increased laxatives from time I had chemo and continued until loose stools 4. I took Amitriptyline for sleep every night
My second round went soooo much better.No gut rot, constipation and half the fatigue.
This won't help you this time but discuss with your doc your symp, maybe a different strategy will help, next time.Your treatments will soon be over. Your cancer is probably feeling crappy too!
A quote for you that I found helpful
"Obstacles are like wild animals.
They are cowards but they will
bluff you if they can.If they
see you are afraid of them...
They are liable to spring upon you;
but if you look them squarely in
the eye, they will sink out of sight."
Focus on the end , you will get your health back. You are sick today from all the chemicals. Soon it will pass.
If your spirits don't improve though perhaps you should talk to a counsellor or consider anti depressants. You usually sound so upbeat I am sure it is your chemo making you so low
Hope you are feeling better soon!
Mary-Anne

for those with bald heads...baby oil works a lot better than lotion. i rub on lavendar baby oil each morning and it smells good. i agree that being completely bald is weirder than it falling out. i actually get sad now and again because when i shaved it, it was my choice...but now, that it's just shiny smooth, it's not really my choice anymore. i heard hair can grow back on taxol...is that true?

is anyone starting taxol anytime soon? i start next week and i'm getting nervous...the whole unexpected. AC was really not bad for me and it makes me nervous...was it doing it's job? i had a little bit of naseua and fatigue...that was it besides the hair loss. i hate that we don't know if chemo is doing it's job or not. so sick of everything just being left to faith and chance.

paula...definitely exercise if you're feeling down. i've been riding the bike every day for 30 minutes and i make it part of my routine. i feel too old and lethargic if not....i hear that working out also helps with the acid refulx, naseua, etc. maybe that's what helped for me.

good luck with everyone who are coming close to the end of ac. it is the best feeling ever to tell that red crap goodbye

-amy

I start Taxotere after xmas. It sounds bad from some of the posts. But AC sounded bad too. I tolerated pretty well so am praying same will be with tax. Not saying I feel great but not too bad. I have gained 7 pounds since Sept. I can't stop eating. I hope I can slow that down. I have been a good weight all my life ,now I hve my first serious roll...go figure, cancer and I gain weight.

Brenda,
I am stage 3, from your post you are stage 1,are you also post menopausal? Is your tumor low grade? Are you her2+? Are your hormone receptors +? All these things factor into the choice of drugs.My tumor was unfortunately 9cm. So the docs threw the book at me which I am more than happy to do.
It wouldn't hurt to question your onc and he/she will likely tell you their reasoning.Remember that in medicine it is many times a judgement call, they weigh pros and cons of treatments and decide what is the safest thing to do. If your tumor is not aggresive then they are less likely to aggresively treat it, as the drugs are not the easiest on our bodies and the last thing anyone wants is to survive cancer and end up with some damage to a vital organ which wasn't really necessary.
Hope this helps , fists up
Mary-Anne

tda866,
Here is a joke for you, it has coarse language so don't read on if you might be offended but it just might make you laugh and cheer you up, I hope.
this guy walks into a bar,he sits down and has a drink.
He says,with a lisp, to the bartender, "this is the best bar ever, a round of rum and cokes for everyone, this is the best @##$%^#$ bar ever."
He has another drink ,then says,with a lisp to the bartender,"this is the best bar ever, a round of rum and cokes for everyone, this is the best @##$%^#$ bar ever."
He has a third drink, same thing.
Then nature being what it is he goes to use the washroom.
When he comes back he says " this is the worst @#$% bar ever, I hate this bar, this is the worst @#$% bar ever.
The bartender says "Why, not five minutes ago you were loving it here?"
Well, he says, with a lisp, when I went in the bathroom a guy pulled a gun to my head, and said, "if you don't give me a BJ I'm going to blow your brains out."
"Well, what did you say?"
DO YOU SEE ANY @#$% HOLES IN MY HEAD?

I LOL when I heard this ,hope you do too.