Chemo starting in December 2010

Hi Everybody,

I have really been bad about getting on the computer. I have still been trying to work full time, and the last chemo I had made me really, really sick. I keep posted on everybody. Starting January 20th (my next treatment), my boss is letting me go on short term disability until the end of March, which is my last treatment. It will be hard to get 60% of my pay for a while, but it is worth getting some rest.

I wanted to let everybody know I received my free scarf from Good Wishes the other day. Sunflower71 posted the link a while back, and I decided to give it a try. Let me just tell you how beautiful the scarf is! And it is embroidered with a Swarovski crystal angel, and comes with a card signed by the people in their company. For those of you that joined our group after Sunflower71 posted the link, here is the link again:

http://www.franceluxe.com/i/goodwishesscarves/GoodWishesScarves.html

Also, the last you guys heard from me, I was having a really hard time with not only the chemo (horrible body and leg pains), but with the Neulasta shot. My onc even reduced the shot to a half dose last time, and I still could not tolerate it. So she is switching me to Neupogen. Is anyone getting Neupogen instead of Neulasta? Is there bone pain with that as well?

Happy New Year to everybody!

Kim

Elizabeth - I'll try the baby powder, too. I'm going to the health food store soon, so I'll check out tree tea oil. I'll try anything to get rid of this. It's driving me nuts! Oh, and I think I read somewhere about using head & shoulders shampoo. I've been using baby shampoo but I may try the head & shoulders.

Kim - I'm glad you stopped in. I must have missed that link - so thank you!! I don't know about the neupogen...sorry. I was so scared to get the Neulasta shot on my 2nd round, but the pain wasn't nearly as bad as the first time. But, I also had pain pills on hand this 2nd time, too. I hate you're having such a rough time of it. Chemo sucks! Hang in there sweetie. 

spartina - Amen, sister!! I love your perspective. 

Marcia & Karebear - How are you two feeling with the shaved head? I feel kinda liberated in a way.  

I'm feeling tired and achy today - took a pain pill this afternoon. Next round is next week (Tuesday) and I just want a few more days of feeling good to get some things done. The most I've accomplished today is dishes and cleaning the kitchen floor. Definitely not typical of my pre-chemo days. 

Have any of you taken prilosec otc? Yesterday, for the first time since last Thursday, I had acid reflux and indigestion...This morning, I took one and felt great all day! Then I got home and got the mail...a "do not pay this bill" bill...were any of you flabbergasted at the cost of 1 day of chemo? Unbelievable! Thank God for insurance.  

klynnwayman....

I'm up here in Carson City... sounds like we were diagnosed about the same time...my next chemo is Jan 20th, too. Sorry to hear about your pain with the shots, my dr. is not giving me any shots...so far, so good.  

Be sure to go to gailafund.org - they sent me a beautiful head scarf...soft, black velvet and a really nice note from the girls at gaila! 

Have a warm evening! 

Went to chemo this afternoon. Checked my blood counts wbc are low 1.6.  They went ahead and did chemo. I am to show up on Monday for another blood count to see if I need to get a neupogen shot before I have chemo on Wednesday. I did have some aches and pain. Onc nurse told me to talk Claritarin and Alieve the day of and a few days after. It did make differences. The neulasta I finds causes you to ache all over and have more pain. Here is hoping I can do chemo next Wednesday to make my full round. Did not get to finish it last time. They reduced my chemo by 20% too. I just do not want this to be prolonged out longer.

Do your best to hang in there this week you never know what next week is going to bring ya!

Good morning All!

 I took prilosec otc yesterday for indigestion and acid reflux...felt great all day. Today, I woke up, took the prilosec and now I have HIVES! I took an antihistimine since it was hours before the docs office opened up. Anybody else get hives from this? I looked it up and it is a common side effect! Who knew!?!?!?

shelmel, thanks. i do feel a bit better today. just now if i want a hamburger or something, i think i will just make it at home! but boy, it did taste good going down,just not coming back up!!!

Hi all, I'm a little late to the party but I thought I would join in anyway.  I have my first treatment on December 31st, woo hoo Happy New Year, not the cocktails that I had been planning on.  Anyway, one FEC down and 2 to go followed by 3 Taxotere.  So far so good.  The few days after were unpleasant but not unbearable, fingers crossed for more of the same.

Wow you were all so chatty today!!! I tried to catch up but kids are wrestling so I don't remember 1/2 of what I read!

Spartina: AMEN!!! I have also seen that new perspective as I watch my kids. I take things in so much more than I use to. I is funny how much you take for granted when you are healthy.

Hair: I feel so much better since I shaved my head. I had buzzed it before and just shaving that last bit off has felt so much better. I can scratch my head with out a full hand of hair coming out.

hdangelbaby: Sorry you got so sick. I found that every time we have fast food I get really sick. I don't vomit just feel awful. I made bacon and pancakes yesterday since we had a snow day and the bacon was just nasty!!! I took 2 bites and that was it. It is the first thing that tasted awful!

 gailafund.org is great! I got a nice moss green velvet scarf and it is so so soft!! I am waiting on my scarf from the other place. I can't wait to get it!!

Melissa(met her on the CT board) sent me a ton of hats!!!! She was so sweet to pass them on to me since she didn't need them anymore!!! I will have quite the collection to pass on when I am done with them! 

I just got new meds for the sores in my mouth. I hope it works!! 

sammolisa!!! congrats on your final AC!!! I get my last one on the 18th. And when I feel better from that I will be celebrating! Not sure how yet, as it all depends on how I feel!!

joystars, do they not do port-a-caths in Norway? Or did you not choose to do one? I know it's about 50/50 at my cancer center, but I have one, and I am so thankful I did cause it is one less thing to worry about, only one prick and that's it, and you can move around pretty easily cause it's in the chest. Alot of the older women at the center did not want it so they do the IV.

karebear76, thanks for the good thoughts. I'm making cheeseburgers tonight. sound really good. but i'm definitely doing them at home. not running the risk of the exorcism puking again! lol! although i think it was caused by heartburn, again, from the greasy fast food. but tums seem to be keeping that under control. I have this awful taste in my mouth since it happened. i think all the acid that came out somehow burned my mouth. now it tastes funky no matter how many times i brush my teeth or swish and spit salt and baking soda. tart grape juice helps, but only for as long as i drink it

msjag, i pray your treatment goes better next time, i start taxol in a few weeks also. i get real nervous when  i think about something like what happened to you, happen to me. hope you are at least with few to no side effects!!!

well, going to go try a new salad recipe, corn with roasted red peppers, green onions and cilantro. homemade cheeseburgers too!!!

way better than arctic circle, and if you are in the pacific northwest, you know what it is. a fast food chain. better than mcdonalds, by far, but still fast food, and i am swearing off it till chemo is done!!!

(((HUGS)))- angel

Hi Everybody, Just checking in before I go crash. It is good to see everyone so chatty.

Joystars, my 'baby' is now 16, but I still treasure those moments that I snuggled with her. I had a c-section with her, and we would just hole up in the bedroom and snuggle. Those times she fell asleep on my chest were so precious! Vida sounds perfect!

Lisa, I got my 4th A/C today too. Tomorrow the neulasta shot. I have been lucky and not had much trouble with it. Some aches and pains. I think the 3rd treatment was really difficult for me. Today now that I have gotten it I am so glad I do not have to see the red Adrimicin coming at my veins! Wicked stuff!

I also have the taxol 12 weeks once a week, and they are telling me it is much easier to cope with too. The nurse thought at first I would receive it in a 2 week dose and said to prepare for feeling like I was hit like a truck, but said it won't be that way if given once a week.

Today a gal from the American cancer society stopped to talk to me. She said she is a stage 4 survivor-9 years out! It was so good to hear that! She was very helpful to talk about everyday things. I have kind of forgotten about some of the things they offer with feeling so crappy, but she inspired me again to take advantage of some of their activities. I missed my look good feel good- but I got the new schedule and will go.

Ebann, so sorry to hear your chemo has slowed up a bit! Hang in there!

Oh, this might sound funny, but reading about the taco cravings and hamburger cravings made me wonder if the body is craving it on purpose? I have wanted a big juicy beef sandwich in the worst way! If you ever come to Chicagoland you must get one!

Hi Leigh,

I am going down the same road- AC, 12 weeks taxol, 6 wks of radiation 5 times a week.

I have been starting to have the same concern you are! My sister and I were just talking about hospital tests and how much radiation there is just with a simple CT scan... My radiologist talked about letting my breast being radiated while laying face down so that it is in a 'hanging position' away from the body. She said she was unsure if the position would work and she would have to see when the time comes. :-/

I am awake tonight due to hot flashes and the ativan wearing off at the forth or so hour!

Joann, Today when I received my last AC, they were going to give me the emend in iv form rather than pill form. Ironically my drug company sent me a box of emend pill form packets, so that was what I took. It must be leftovers from the change over. I am not sure I will be taking these with the taxol?

I got back the results of my brca1&brca2 tests- they are negative.  I showed one 'slight abnormality' on one of the genes that they could not identify. The ONC told me that they are the only place in the country that does the testing, and she said someday if they figure out the significance they will call me. She made it out to be nothing, and I can't worry about something I don't know right ? lol

Cathy

I'm in a similar position.... because there was a little bit of cancer in the fat around my one positive lymph node, they are recommending rads for me too, even though the RO said I was a borderline case.  I am not looking forward to it..... though my acquaintances who have been through it have all said after chemo, rads is much more tolerable, and I do hope they are right. 

For me, I am a complete worrier by nature, so anything that helps me feel mentally as if i have done EVERYTHING they throw at me to reduce the risk of any sort of recurrence, helps me sleep at night, I don't even look at the stats, which may be naive.  For me, I tolerated the BMX and TE placements just fine, so far so good on tolerating chemo, it's only the second treatment so we'll have to see how that goes.... but what this has done to me emotionally and mentally has turned me into a different person, so this is the path I need to do for myself, even if it might be overkill.   I find of all the nastiness of this disease, it's the worry, stress and anxiety that are worse than the treatments and surgeries themselves......

dlcw -- I chose to have my consultation with a radiation oncologist way in advance.... i will probably start in late April, early May, but I met with him two-three weeks ago.  Just wanted to understand what it would entail, for me, the more "knowns" i have in front of me, the easier I can deal with everything.  also could pass along the info to my PS so I better understand how rads changed that timeline, which changed significantly since they want to irradiate lymph area AND chest wall (even though they indicated may be overkill) then my PS wants to wait four months after rads are done before even considering doing the exchange surgery.  Thank goodness that I am now used to the TEs even if I don't find them comfortable, I certainly find them tolerable, and that definitely was not the case a month ago.