April 2011 chemo

pawprintgirl24 - - - you are "allowed" to have all these feelings!  Even though it is hard to deal with since we are all about being strong and all that #*@.   (Just think pressure cooker!)  My VT dtr left last night and I had a hard time holding the tears until they drove away to the airport.

I read part of an article in Oprah mag about a study that showed that people with cancer who do express their feelings have less trips to the doctor.   

determined3 - I had little pain with my port, just uncomfortable.  The tight feeling in the neck finally stopped for the most part.

Yee ha!

Pawprintgirl and others: Is it the Herceptin that's causing leg cramps? 3 days out from first TCH, and only feeling a bit peckish with heartburn, and feeling good enough to teach teenagers all day...and I get home to have the fiercest leg cramps. I walked the driveway and the stairs a bunch, and that helped some, and DH's leg rubs helped some, but I felt all night like cramps were a twinge away.



My sympathies go out to those of us having it hard. It sure is good to be able to share on here.

pawprintgirl24 - I'm the last person to comment about my port and pain. It still hurts, I'm icing it a couple times a day.  And after a MX and TRAM, my port hurts the most.  But after an hour of some super anti-coagulant, we finally got a decent blood return yesterday, so it does not look like I need a 3rd port surgery.  Real test is on infusion #2 (may 2nd).

Thanks for the comments about food.  Yes, the big concern is bacteria and resulting infections.  What's challenging is that my husband usually does a large garden every year with incredible amounts of produce and I can't imagine not partaking.  But I'll be good for as long as I can.  I've gotten the most benefit out of going to plastic cutlery instead of our daily stainless.  Since I've done that, the metallic taste and weird mouth feel have decreased.

Off to bed now chicas.  We get to do it again tomorrow!  Hope you all sleep well (fingers crossed for my Ambien CR to work like a charm).

Thanks for the support Christine47 - doc rxed cipro.  I, too, never tok any meds prior to this - now my cabinet runneth over! 

CarlaB76, I love the Goethe quote - thanks for the reminder.

Hi Rowan47. Welcome to the club no one wants to join! I'm based in Auckland. Hopefully things are starting to settle down in Chch!



I'm on day 4 post chemo and feeling better than yesterday. We can do this ... at times the end seems so far away. 1 AC down, 3 to go. Then 12 x T after that. I've been reading the AC to Taxol thread. Taxol seems much more doable with less side effects.



Really having to force food down! I'm not hungry at all and have been feeling so blah. Rang my onc last night who upped my nausea meds! Very grateful.



Today is Easter Friday in NZ. My girls can't wait to get into the Easter eggs! Here's to a better day ahead!

The first week hasn't been so bad. I was very happy when the steroids wore off. That "high" was not fun! Having trouble getting my Neupogen shot, having it at home and it is taking forever for my insurance to approve it and get it to me. I have been house bound for 2 days and will be over the weekend because of low wbc. The Big C got me and I am in misery. I think this has probably been the worst of all the SEs. I DREAD going! Colace is my night in shining armor, I just forgot to get it going soon enough. Next time!!

Heartburn continues but I find it isn't as bad if I eat very slowly and not too much. 

Thanks Linda...hubby likes it...He said he has a new lady lol

Hey ladies, feeling like sh** again today.  Went for bloodwork, apparently it's okay.  I'm just hoping for one feel-good day.  Just one!!!

Got a wig too yesterday and a nice headwrap thingie...nice and soft for summer.

Dr. said no more neupogen shots (i only had 3) and I'm breathing better.  Just feel like I got hit by a truck, and went drinking all night last night.  I know I'm not dehydrating (drinking tons of water)....and my mouth is off-kilter again.  Had to take nausea meds again today.  Today is day 7 post-chemo.

Today is the first day I'm thinking to myself: wow- I have 15 more weeks of feeling like this?  wow.  I don't know if I can do it.  I'm hoping for a better day tomorrow and maybe I'll feel like I can really do this.

Thanks for listening,

Kg.

KG and Windlass

Sounds like both of you could benifit from some type of distraction. Do you have hobbies that you could resurect from before your lives got to busy to incorperate them? For me it is gardening and it has been a life saver by giving me something fun to focus on besides feeling like shit.

Annie: Your wig is very cute even if it is darker, it looks great and so do you.

Of coarse we can do it! To put things in perspective for myself I think about the size of my tumor, less that 2 cm, compared to the rest of my body that is perfectly healthy. We just need to get through this treatment so that the remaining healthy cells don't pick up any bad habits from that sneaky,evil little bastard that was hacked out of us.

Remember- the majority of your body is healthy.

Hey ladies,

Today is a new day, and feeling better already.  Okay, so maybe I can do this.  I think I was just so sick and tired, of being sick and tired.  And it was a really yucky day yesterday, glad it's behind me!

Yes, we can do this!!!!!  Today I want sunshine and rainbows and butterflies.  And I want to feel this good all day.

Kg.

Hi, everyone: So today my hair is officially falling out, 16 days after my first A/C chemo. That's despite spending $1,000+ on Penguin Cold Caps, two big Igloo coolers, 200 lbs of dry ice, and $250 to pay someone to go with me and my husband to South Boston twice to help us put them on. I have long, beautiful red hair (nearly waist length, like my avatar), so this is breaking my heart. I spent more time crying this morning than I ever thought I would. Thanks for all the encouragement here. You gals are a life line.

Windlass -- I am so sorry to hear about your hair loss.  My heart aches for you.  I actually contemplated doing the cold caps but then decided it wasn't worth it for me because I don't have long beautiful hair.  I can only imagine how sad it makes you.  Thinking of you....

I just got back from our local ACS gift closet, and they gave me 2 wigs, 4 hats, 4 bras, and 2 fake boobs!  What a nice service they provide!  My husband went with me and helped me pick out the items.  I'm not crazy about wearing "cranial prostheses" or foobs, but I'm sure they'll be nice to have when we go out to dinner or whatever. 

Hang in there, everybody.  Thinking of you all.  And I hope everyone has a nice Easter weekend. 

Popping in from March...

Windlass - I'm so sorry about your hair - especially after all that effort and expense to hang on to it. I didn't have gorgeous long red hair, but my hair has always been thick and glossy and I've worn it long, and I was really bummed to lose it.  With the fourth round of AC finished, and T-DM1 in the future, I'm hoping that I will start regrowth in the next few months. It won't be that long before you're there, too, even though I know it seems like it. 

To those of you who have mentioned feeling depressed - I don't know if it helps, but I found with each of the four AC cycles that a heavy, lifeless depression would kick in beginning Day 3, and not begin to lift until day 6 or 7.  Don't know what contributes to it: the AC, the Neulasta, the steroid withdrawal, all three? but it was like clockwork and pretty awful each time.  I look forward to the end of i!