February 2011 chemo pals
Hey everyone. I'm starting A/C chemo February 8. Isn't this just the craziest roller coaster you've ever ridden? I mean, what roller coaster has sudden screeching stops, then long slow plodding sections, and then you suddenly race into the station with a side of whip-lash? Actually, it kinda sounds like the New York city subway.
But I digress. Let's all gather here to compare notes and side effects and groovy head-coverings. Anyone doing any type of chemo, but especially starting in Feb. Right in time for Valentine's Day! Boys are always welcome. You have titties too, either your own or those of someone you love.
Buckle your seat belts. It's gonna be a bumpy night.
Peace. Out.
Michelle
Comments
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Isn't it pathetic that I reply to my own post? I just wanted to mention that I'm opting for a fur hat with ear flaps. It will keep my head warm and no-one will know I'm bald!
Hahaha!
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Hi Thanks for starting this thread. I am starting chemo on Feb 1st. I will be having 4 X A/C every 2 weeks then 4 X Taxol every 2 weeks. Not looking forward to it but will do what I have to to beat this beast.....
Cindy
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oh another thing. I am having a port put in on Monday January 31... Not looking forward to that either...
Cindy
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Hi Cindy! I had my port installed when I had the sentinel node biopsy, so it was done under general anesthesia. I woke up and thar she was. Only bothered me for a few days. I just couldn't get comfortable sleeping. ANd when I coughed or laughed real hard, it felt like it would pop out! My own sick imagination, I'm sure. I really have been noticing it less since the arm pit where they did the biopsy is itching like a mo-fo.
I did whine to the nurse, do I REALLY need a port? Like, ICK! My veins are good! SHe talked me down from the roof and it all made sense. Think of it as a very blingy brooch attached right to your skin! YAY!
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I will not be put out but will be under some sort of anesthesia and of course it will be numbed. Just want it in and over with. I hate needles, so getting stuck every 2 weeks and then blood tests just grossed me out... My hand and arm are all black and blue where they have been putting needles in to do the cat scan, bone scan and muga test.. We will get through this....
Cindy
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Oncologist wants me to start chemo mid-February too, so I'm with this group. Just have to choose the protocol among three choices. I'm NOT looking forward to this but nice to have a group having the same thing, so we can hopefully stay optimistic. What kind of protocol are you all starting?
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Hi mamaoftwo! I'm a mama of one and a solo parent too, so doing the chemo is without a doubt for me. My oncologist didn't give me any options. Just basically here's what we have been most successful with regarding your type of breast cancer. Bring it.
I'm grateful that I don't have to do radiation, which means I can get through the whole process sooner. But who wants to cheer: "Mastectomy! Woohoo!!!" "Chemo! Bring it on!" Funny how perspectives change almost minute to minute. Yeah, that's that scary crazy subway roller coaster ride. Uh huh.
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I too begin chemo on Feb. 7. I'm to be on AC x4 every 2 weeks with Neulasta the day after my treatment. Then on to T x12 on a weekly basis. Had a bilateral mastectomy 12/28 and developed blood clots and was put on Coumadin therapy. Had my port put in Tuesday, 1/25 and it hasn't bothered me too bad. I have had a tightness in my chest, however, and spent last night at ER getting that checked out after my surgeon said that wasn't related to my port. Didn't find anything and sent me home but I still have a tight chest and soreness when inhaling. Anyone else experience this?
I too am prepared with "cranial prosthesis"(isn't that the funniest thing ever?) and have done some hat and scarf shopping. As I have told family and friends "I have my big girl panties on"! -
I haven't been cranial prosthesis shopping yet
- I am always glad to find some humor in this process, thank you!! I was supposed to start chemo Feb 1st, but my Oncotype was a 16, so I am running around like a mad woman getting second opinions. I feel in my bones that my chemo will just be delayed a week. I am too afraid to not get it - more than getting it, I guess. My onc. wants to start me on Carboplatin/Docetaxel with Neulasta support. Anyone else doing that? I read that carboplatin was for ovarian cancer - so that is weird to me. I have an appointment Tuesday. I really just want to shut my eyes until this is all over!! I am 38, have 2 awesome kiddos - 5 and 3, great husband, teach 3rd grade, live in Gainesville, FL.... I don't have time for life to slow down - so we'll see how this goes! I also had a MX of my left breast and am delaying reconstruction until this summer. -
Hi ladies,
I start Chemo February 3 after a long wait, surgery was December 1 so have been hanging with the January girls. DD EC x4 then DD tx4, followed by rads and then hormone blockers...
Neulasta shots arrived this week ready for my to inject the day after Chemo.
Very similar regimen to the AC then T, but due to the shortage of A they switched me to E
Scarves at the ready and wig shopping is tomorrow. Figure I will start to lose mynhair right after Valentines Day!
Good luck to all,
Jean
No port my MO prefers to wait and see if medically needed, we'll see if the good veins hold out. -
Weird structure due to typing in iPad does not always let me back in to edit...weird word swaps too.
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Jean H my onc said she might have to change my A treatment to E also because of the shortage. As long as it takes care of the BC I don't mind which one...I actually received information on both types when she met with me. I was assured they were similar like choosing different "brands
" of the same drug.
Thanks for all the posts. It's encouraging to share with others in the same situation! -
Summer, I completely agree that we have to find humor, find thing to laugh about and look for bits of silver lining wherever we can to get through this.
Jean -
Michelle thanks for starting this thread, it is great to have a group to share with.
Jean -
Sorry having posting issues this morning. Posts are losing sentences or i am overwriting them.
Neyney my onc said they were two versions of the same class of drug. Both work equally and have similar side effects. E is typically used in Europe and A in the US.
Jean -
Hi NeyNey. My chest felt a little tight for few days. I do feel the port (maybe the catheter?) when I cough, sneeze, bend over or laugh hard. Hopefully I won't do all 4 at once.
I love the "cranial prosthesis". ;-)
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Hey FebGang! How's everyone doing? I, for one, just had a sudden crying jag. I have a daughter with pretty significant disabilities, and I just lost my patience with her. UGH. I hate it when I'm the evil mom. She's hanging out in the living room right now. She has her crayons and notebooks, her panda and another indistinguishable bear we call Fred. She is watching a Signing Time DVD.
I'm sure there are so many other moms out there. Doh! What do you do when the kid(s) are acting up and you really need some quiet time and space to shake down all this cancer crap?
I mean, aside from a bottle of wine. Gotta kiss my only vice good-bye real soon. Oooh but I liked the Vicodin they gave me for pain after the node biopsy.One dose seriously kicked my sorry ass. Now I have a full prescription. Woohoo! Can I sell it on the streets of my little central New York village? Heh heh... just kidding.
I take absolutely no drugs, medications, pills, vitamins, etc. for anything. I'm healthy. Yeah, it's sickening. So being handed 7 prescriptions from my oncologist was pretty freaky. I start chemo Feb 8. I'm so confused about what all these meds are.
Getting my long, curly grey hair cut off this Tuesday. Friends and family with cameras there to document the event, and a bottle of champaign to celebrate. Donating my hair, and getting the Jamie Lee Curtis cut.
It's all happening so fast. Can I just SCREAMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!
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Oh yeah. I just bent over quickly to pick up a toy, and I really felt a hard achy gasp in my left side where the port is.
Kinda freaky.
Could they just put me under general anesthesia for the next 6 months so I could wake up and it's all over.
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Hi all
just wanted to stop in to say "YOU CAN DO THIS".... and know that we are all supporting you. I think the greatest fear about chemo is the unknown. Once you do the first one, you get the system and into a rythym. Chemo affects everyone differently, but I wanted you to know that many of us were able to work through it--a number of us have young children as well.... and with help, we were able to do it. All that said, sometimes people have more challenges with chemo, so now is a good time to gather your resources, have friends and family ready to help if necessary. It is doable, not always pleasant, but doable. We are cheering you on!!!!!
Best of luck
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Well gals add my name to the mix. I start my 1st treatment feb 4. Well I ending the year with no boobs, so why not my hair next. Whoo who I bet hubs is gonna find that o so sexy here pretty soon. I cant complain he's been the best so far. I got my port in a few days back. Not as bad as I thought it would be. I'm gonna be doing AC 4x every 2wks followed by Taxol 4x every 2wks. Thanks for the thread. I didnt see a feb one for awhile and I know I surely couldnt be the only chic here starting chemo in feb.
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Hey Paula~ Good sense of humor there. That's what we need. Get your man on these forums. We need men!
I got my port in when I had the sentinal node biopsy. Port still feels kinda weird. But thar she is.
Gonna do AC 4X every 2 weeks as well. Then mastectomy on the right breast and reconstruction at the same time. Pretty scary to have such a huge surgery. Tonsils--that''s been it for me.
I'm kinda freaking out about it all.
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I was freaked about my masectomy as well. Then I woke up and after the shock and the pain let up it wasnt that bad at all. Thats the biggest surgery Ive had. I did have TE put in and that took abit to get used to. Im just now starting to feel normal again. Well as close to it as I can with no boobs.
My sister had her port put in while she had her masectomy and it was so much easier. I was hoping to have it done a the same time, but didnt happen. Well it'll knock away at my deductible so Im sur the insurance company will just love that.
BTW Im doing 4 Neulasta shots as well. Dont know if Im to crazy about that, but I have a good doc, so if I dont wanna do it she said I can stop it. I will see when it happens.
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hay all i'm gonna start Chemo during the 3 week of Feb. on Feb 2nd having a port put in and a Heart scan on Feb 4th havin a bone and ct scan. I also had all my hair cut and i already feel bald.. but im hoping that the hair from my neck down leaves FIRST!!! and then at least i can be happy about NO SHAVING!...
Im not sure what the meds are called but there are three of them i'm havin chemo every 3 weeks for 6 treatments then 5 solid weeks everyday of rad. and im worried bout Chemo and how it will make me feel but im gonna think of it as just really bad LIQUER...
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Hi there 1surviving. I agree on the hair below the neck going first, lol. No shaving would be a plus! My sissy went thru this and she said that was the only plus, no shaving.
From what I read you will love having a port. No vein trashing. I find with each day its less noticeable. Heck by now I hardly feel it. I was able to somewhat sleep on that side. Good Luck!
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Paula welcome to the Feb chemo gang.
No shaving definitely on the find a bit of silver lining list, along with easier hair maintenance.
Jean -
Hi all~ Just changed my screen name to charlottesmama. Same icon for now. Charlotte is my daughter I adopted in China 8 years ago and I'm her mama! And she is my guiding light through all of this. She has NO idea what's going on, as far as I can tell. She's very developmentally disabled, and struggles with a lot of issues. But I am trying to explain things to her in small bits. She seems to get that I'm not going to work, but to the doctor instead. I don't know how she'll handle me being "sick" from the chemo.
I am so lucky that I live just around the corner from my mom, who is single and retired, and we're in a small town. I'm a solo parent and she helps me out a lot. We'll be pretty much living with her through this whole nightmare.
This coming Tuesday I go to a local salon to get my hair cut super-short. My mom's bringing a bottle of champaign and a friend is going to take pix. I'm donating my hair to "Hair that Cares". They gratefully accept grey hair. Then I get the Jamie Lee Curtis cut. And a funky fur hat.
Wednesday I get a dental check-up. Thursday I see the therapist. Friday I go in for echo and blood work pre chemo. Busy week.
The next week is chemo.
I'm really scared.
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Charlottesmama- I adopted my daughter from China too. October, 2003. She is now 8. I think she is very attuned to what is happening as my husband and I have not been filtering our discussions about my situation, though we always try to stay optimistic and positive, especially around the girls. I have a 6 year old biological daughter too. At that age, I don't think they understand all the words we use - even the word "chemotherapy" is confusing to a child.
For those of you who are working through chemo, are you planning on scarves or wigs? I found a great website - www.4women.com that has beautiful scarves.
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Off to get my medi port in this afternoon. I have a cold but they said they can still do it. Suppose to start Chemo tomorrow but we will see what they say about my having a cold and wether they will start it or not.
Have a great day everyone.
Cindy
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Hang in there Cindy!
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Whoa gang. I've been reading posts from the December 2010 chemo group, and from the January 2011 group. I'm all over the shop with fears, reassurances, should I do this, should I do that?
I guess we can never really know until we start. I'm questioning the Neulasta business, because I have time (I think) to rebound from the A/C and am very healthy (other than having f*cking breast cancer!). I will ask my Onc again. Maybe we can do A/C every 3 weeks and let by WBC's do their own thing. I know that drags the whole process out.
Anyone else questioning the Neulasta? I'm doing chemo PRIOR to surgery, so that may be why they want me to hurry up and wait. Gotta love "hospital" time.
I think I'm having sympathetic and mental pre-chemo food cravings. I stood in my kitchen yesterday and ate a pint of yogurt. Polished it off. Bought a new quart today and ate about 1/3 of it. I seem to be craving protein, which is what I usually crave if I crave anything. Not pasta or bread (though I'm a baker) or rice. And I don't have a sweet tooth (baker AND pastry cook).
It will be interesting to track how my tastebuds change, since food is such an integral part of my life. Well, it is to everyone, doh!
I go in Thursday morning for ECHO and blood work. My mom is going with me, and then we're going shopping for food and stuff I might like to eat/drink and all the extras like Claratin, poop meds, Tylenol Extra-Strength Fast and Furious, and other stuff. It will make us both feel better that we can do this together before I feel like crap and need my mom to just take care of me (and my daughter).
*SIGH*
Steri-strips from port placement and SNB are STILL stuck like hell! SNB armpit still itchy, but getting better. Now port in any storm is getting itchy. All healing, so good, but grateful for Sudafed.
Off to bed or Anthony Bourdain. Wish it was "with". LOL!
Goodnight gals,
Michelle
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