February 2011 chemo pals

#6 TCH over and done.  WooHoo doing the happy dance. Start the every 3 week Herceptin next friday.  On to the second half of this journey.  After weekly treatments for 16 weeks I will welcome the extra free time :0)

So I'm happy to report that my feet are almost better. Fingers still quite sore. I am impressed with the extra energy I seem to have. I didn't fully realize how extremly tired I had been for the last 3 months until now. The AC left much longer lasting effects vs a better bounce back with taxotere. Still, both are pretty miserable.

A month ago we were all wondering if we could really do this and now we are "Happy Dancing" our way out one at a time. It's nice to see a rainbow after a major thunderstorm.  

Michelle,

I did 4 rounds of A/C and just did my 8th treatment of Taxol yesterday. I take claritin before my treatment to prevent allergic reactions. I have much more energy on Taxol than when on A/C.  I work 3 1/2 days a week now.  Appetite completely back on Taxol and no nausea. Have a metalish tasted in my mouth sometimes.  My hair is starting to sprout back in.  Constant runny nose on Taxol, alittle pain in tips of my fingers. No more dry mouth like with A/C though. I don't notice much achiness and haven't had to have a neulasta shot since I started Taxol.  My hemoglobin has been bouncing back every week. Alot of film in my eyes still and eyelashes and eyebrows pretty well gone. Raquel Welch makes a great line of wigs ... I get lots of compliments on them.  Wigs.com has got great prices.  4 weeks to go and I'm done with this chemo journey then on to Tamoxifen. I've found that the weekly treatments do come and go quickly and its nice to only have to be there for 1 1/2 hours instead of 5 hours. Stay strong ...you'll get there.

I finish up June 3rd.

I still think I'm last July 20th. Fuzzy is July also.

My last one is 6/2 also.  I meet with the radiation oncologist prior to chemo that date to find out if he recommends radiation.  Then Arimidex (5 years) and stage II of diep surgery in September after my body has detoxed.  2011 will be remembered as cancer year in my house.

Count me in-Still doing weekly Taxol down here in South FL. 6 rounds left has me finishing July 8th. Hopefully my counts will stay up. My WBC have been in the the 1 and low 2's since starting treatment and  I was on daily Neupogen injections during AC. I ended up missing a few treatments since starting Feb 17 had to have blood transfusions instead and we skipped a round due to flu-like symptoms and a possible shingles outbreak (thank god it was not). 

Currently........No hair, no eyebrows, no eyelashes, no wrinkles ;-)  (what a nice bonus)

I will have a modified skin sparing BMX in mid to late August. Hopefully go straight to implants and then 30+ rads. Still a long road ahead but at least after chemo it will be downhill!

Gayle

I think I missed a page sometime back.  I just finished filling out my financial assistance papers and I not only started with my Taxol brain in park, I think I have now wrecked myself.  My scribbles were a mess, and instead of multiplying out what 878 times 12 is (disability money), I just put that and an equal sign and a question mark.  They say if you send in an "incomplete" assignment, they will not accept it.  SIGH.  So, at the end in the bottom margin, I wrote, "I did the best I could."  And this is from a former writer and editor with newspapers.  Last time I couldn't finish my schoolwork was in the third grade, on account of I talked too much with my neighbor... remember how they put two desks together in elementary?  Perhaps it was a space issue.  I also remember when I was in first grade, I think we had reading, and we held hands as we walked down the hall two-by-two.  WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT?  But I WILL say this, some angels helped me finish my papers today, because no way I could do that by myself.  My legs and butt are starting to hurt, Taxol encases them in concrete around afternoon of Saturday from Thurs chemo.  Tomorrow I go under.  I heard Oprah spent her first day off from work in 25 years by laying around in her PJs.  HOOORAY for her!  Thatz my daily uniform!  GG   

Pejkug I'm glad TCH 4 and 5 have been a little bit kinder to you. It's so nice to be almost done. I have my final TCH on Tuesday and can't wait to get it over with-the sooner the better!

Coping with the "what if" of recurrence is tough and I think we all worry about it on some level whether we admit it or not. I worry a lot at times because of the triple positive status and knowing that I could recur even with negative nodes. I guess I tell myself that at the end of the day I've done everything possible and they'll be monitoring me very closely from now on so anything new would be caught as early as possible. I have the attitude that I need to work hard on not worrying about what is out of my control (easier said than done) and focus my energy on the things I can control like my diet, excercise, taking the medication as prescribed and getting all the right tests done...that's what helps me get my head straight when I'm worrying too much.

You MIL is really having a rough time of it but I'm glad that she's back home now and feeling a little bit better.

My SNB area gets sore from time to time for no apparent reason and the breast surgeon has no explanation for it but tells me not to worry about it-it's never been hard though. If yours stays that way you may need to have it looked at...

July 12 is my last chemo, then onto Herceptin weekly for a year.

Hi ladies -   My last chemo (TAC) is scheduled for June 8.  I am experiencing D - loose bowels from my last one and am a bit worried.  I don't seem to find too many ladies who have this - is this unusual?  I told my doc and they recommended Imodium which I haven't been able to get yet - will pick some up tomorrow.  I just worry this might be a sign of something else?  ugh  Let me know if any of you have had this happen - I always hear about the constipation but not this.  Thanks ladies!  Other than that I seem to be tolerating this ok and am just tired.  Can't wait to get this over with.  xo

Pejkug3 - thank you for your reply.  I was a bit worried and when I told my doc her nurse acted as though it was something unusual.  I just picked up a strange vibe from her and that worried me.  I guess we are all a bit over sensitive right now - your reply made me feel a lot better!  Thank you and sorry for your Big D bouts - but I'm glad to know I'm not alone!     This is day 12 for me and TAC #5 - so we are nearly at the same point. 

Lisa!  You're on the slide toward home plate now!  Good Luck this week!

Thundershowers - my onc office called in Lomotil for me.  But in my experience, Immodium works better.  I never get rid of the Big D, but it lessens the cramping.

There is always something to worry about, isn't there?

thundershowers - definitely the Big D for me all through - and it lasts for quite a few days.  I was warned that it would probably be one or the other, but also told by the onc nurses not to medicate it unless it was numerous times a day.  I think their concern was for dehydration, otherwise just try to put up with it.

sewingnut - you are sweet to remember us triplets are finishing 1, 2, 3 this week!  I hope we all do ok.

alison0415 - #5 tried to kill me too!  It was the worst so far - I am nervous about how I will be feeling after the weekend, but relieved that this is the last time!  When is your last one - is it Thurs. as well?  I seem to remember we were both on that day.

pejkug - with all you have had to deal with I am glad you are on that countdown to the last one too!  And glad to hear things are a little easier for your MIL.

lorenar - half way, yay!  The half way point was good for me - I could visualize the progress much better after that point - I could feel the last one getting closer every time I went in.

braveheart - I am sorry I let so much time go by without responding to your post - I am done with chemo this Thurs.  I still have to have surgery to replace my left TE (hopefully sometime in June), have fills and then exchange later in the year.  I will still be having Herceptin for the year as well and taking an AI beginning at some point in the not too distant future.  I am supposed to return to work on July 1 but I am not sure how that will be working out, so it will be interesting!  You are so kind to wonder where I am in the process!

Good luck to all this week - if you don't have treatment I wish you rest and regrouping!

Kathie