Chemo starting in December 2010

Ebann I have missed you! Glad to hear your news.

On the comparrison side: I am on taxotere, but i have hand shakes too, toenails hurt, easily get 'offbalance' walking.... My nurse did tell me my once a week treatments will have culmulative side effects, so I can expect to feel worse towards the end. Strange thing... breast tenderness, reminding me of the milk letdown feeling when nursing. frown. Hope all is peaceful in there!

Lately my mood is good though, I am looking forward to spring, and my niece's wedding in June. I am trying to push myself to do things until I am tired and need to rest and not get upset.

hope, i havehad breast tenderness too!!!! i keep feeling them up and down, you know, looking for anything out of the norm.. but how crazy is that we both have it!

my nails ended up very pretty despite the shakes! lol!

nolaa!! that's no good!!!

i don't have kids, but when i had my drain (lumpectomy with axillary dissection) i know i was super careful about everything! i was so scared it would just slip right out. when the doc took it out, come to find out, it was up and in there a ways, so slipping out probably would not have happened.

with a bmx, drains or not, i would gently explain to the kiddos that as much as you want hugs, either they gotta be super careful, or not give them at all for a little while ( no kids here, so i may be the WRONG one for giving this kind of advice!)

take any and all help offered. even though my surgery wasn't as severe, i most certainly needed my husband to undress, shower, and dress me for about a week. it was more from the axillary dissection and my arm, than the lumpectomy itself. plus stitches all over, you don't want to pull them out!!

we actually were in a car accident while i had my drain in, someone hit our car and ran. i still had stitches and drain and all, 1 week out from surgery. we were actually on our way to the surgeon at the time, and nothing popped or fell out then, but again, just be careful.

maybe the women here who have had a bmx will have lots more tips and tricks up their sleeve!

OK -- Taxol is definitely kicking my butt here.  I had my first DD Taxol a week ago Thursday, so I'm at day 9. 

I had bone pain really bad Sunday thru Tuesday, then Wednesday that went away.  On Thursday, I started having visual disturbances, and mild neuropathy in my fingertips.  I expected the neuropathy, but the vision is just, I can't explain it, kind of "off" and it's making me ever so slightly dizzy.  Anyone else experience this with Taxol? 

Three more DD Taxol to go... for me at least A/C went easier. 

OK.  Time for chemo comic relief. 

I am an olive complexioned, dark haired Italian.  My cousin is a blond fair haired Italian, who has been through chemo twice for BC, once at 28 once at 33.  (And is 39 now and completely healthy, with an adopted baby girl....).

She sent me the most thoughtful care package when I was starting chemo with tons of really sweet things... including her old, very blond wig, in case I wanted to have some fun with it, go blond for a change. 

So today, I put it on for fun, walked into my kitchen to eat lunch with my family, and the laughter was deafening......   yeah, that's the effect I want when I walk into a room..... rounds and rounds of falling off the chair laughter.

OK.  Back to the brown haired wig, got to the take the kids to their music lessons.

Hope everyone is having a good day. 

My youngest were 9 years old (twins) when I had surgery in November.  They are a bit older so would understand.   They also love to climb in bed with us still from time to time.  I found sleeping in a bed to be really uncomfortable for those first few weeks, I slept much better on the couch, or even in a recliner if you have one.  That was enough of a routine change that the twins were less likely to jump on me.  The cats on the other hand, can't resist jumping on the chest of the sleeping person on the couch.....

The drains are pretty securely sewn in....however, one of mine did come out on its own, but I was one of the unlucky ones who still had drains in three maybe four weeks after surgery....  it came out just from natural movement after all that time in. 

sammolisa,

i finally slept too!!! when i told doc ativan wasn't working anymore, he told me to set a bedtime and don't take the ativan anymore. that went on for about 2 days, and by yesterday i was an absolute zombie, and felt awful. from no sleep!

a little MJ  and yeah, back on the ativan helped me sort it all out! lol! i figure if i can do that for a few days, maybe my rhythm will get set and i can slowly taper myself off the ativan.

Thanks for the thoughts on the drains.  I think the bed or recliner will just have to be kid-free zones.  And maybe my hand can be the hug and kiss zone for a while.  At 4 and 2, even when they try to be careful they are always inadvertently bumping something.  

My rib pain is getting a tiny bit better -- was out of bed for about 2 hours in the morning and another 2 hours in the evening.   I think months of coughing plus the painful side effects of Taxol, plus the neupogen pain, all coincided to make a really painful mess that is just not resolving itself.  Hurts like hell to move and twist.  Looking on the bright side, maybe its good practice for the bmx recovery.

sammolisa, your almost done! yay!!!!!

tomorrow is taxol #6, only 3 more to go! i am so ready for it to be done!!!  i am achey about all the time and it sucks! ready for a break to get my strength back then on to rads!

Re: time off between chemo and radiation:

Spartina, I was told four weeks, but then again I live in Canada and seems like sometimes the protocols are slightly different.

spartina, my onc told me last week there is about a 4 week break. to get all healed up from chemo and get your energy back. plus that's when you have alot of the scans done also. i'm sure i will find out today more, since they are supposed to set me up with the rads onc soon, if i find out anymore, i will pass it along your way!

wish me luck ladies, if my wbc dipped any lower, they either have to adjust the dose, or postpone the dose and this thing going on in my throat needs looked at too!!!!!

i think ativan will be in my future today, screw what doc said about not taking it!

Angel: So glad your counts were up!!! Boo on the strep though. That really stinks. I hope you feel better quickly!! And WOO HOO on 2 more treatments, me too!!!!!

hope everyone is doing well, checking back in with my chemo sisters. I have been having radiation, 4 down, 31 to go!!  It was 4 weeks between chemo and rads for me.  Rads are going ok, just hate the 25 minute drive back and forth from work. 

Angel, glad your counts were up, kick that strep to the curb!!

I have had trouble sleeping too, since chemo and I've been put on ativan and trazadone.  they work "ok"....guess my mnds races too much.  Thank goodness for the ativan, at least I get some sleep.

Hang in there everyone, thought chemo would never end, but it does. ((((((hugs))))))))))) to keep the s/e away.

JoAnn

Rachel2 - I just sent you a private message.