Chemo May 2011

Also, is your tx Taxotere and Cytoxan?  If so, we also have a May 2011 thread for that, and you are welcome to join us there!

Hey Ladies!

I hope everyone is doing well and hopefully having a side effect free weekend! I had TCH #2 Thursday. So far feeling pretty good, a little bit of foggy brain today and some heartburn. No nausea-thank god for emend! So, last week I had to cut my hair, it wasn't as bad as I thught it was going to be but now I have some huge bald patches! I found this website, www.4women.com that sells these headscraves called a "BeauBeau". I love it! It is so easy to put on, no tying involved and are very lightwieght. I live in Texas so the heat and humidity is bad but it feels really comfortable on. They are a little pricey, some are up to $60 a scarf but are well worth it! I plan on getting at least 2 more. I had a really bad experiance at my local wig shop so I am feeling very negative about wearing the wig I got. But that's ok now that I got my Beau Beau. Hope this may  help some of you to feel pretty during this yucky time! Happy Memorial day weekend!

Cara 

carabear-love the website you recommended! I shopped a few wig shops and found nothing, all seemed outdated, no new inventory, so I ordered a wig from wigs.com and I actually like it! I work in a salon, so my friend is going to cut the wig more to my style (adding a few bangs). She better not make a mistake:) I am almost thinking I am more of a hat/scarf person this go around, last time I wore a wig most of the time (can't find my old wig).

Annie06 - My aunt in Georgia is an occupational therapist.  Here specialty is Hands and wound care.  I was asking her today if there were any excercises that would help with neuropathy and this is what she said:

Neuropathy: best to have good fitting shoes and socks; no pressure or stress on feet or rings; avoid most pedicures due to infection; diabetic socks may help; daily light massage of feet and arms help with circulation; watch sodium intake due to swelling; light to medium cardio exercise is good if no stress on joints or feet. Hope this helps. Let me know if you need anything! Love ya.

She stressed that proper blood flow is most important, hope this helps a bit. 

I don't post much but just wanted everyone to know that I think about you all everyday...wondering how you all are doing.  Everyone is so strong in her own way.   Felt really good finally this week and now have to start al over again Tuesday...ugh.

Take care, my sisters .

Sue 

38 years old, that sucks to have to be going up and down the stairs. So the pain medicines are not helping? Can you switch to something different? I know before I started treatment I was just emotionally worn out, which made me physically tired also. You just go and rest, can you set up a comfy area to nap downstairs so you don't have to go up and down the stairs? Once your treatment starts, I hope you will feel better. Hugs.

Hair falling out process started tonight. I thought I was really prepared, but the added discomfort had depressed me and I guess I am not ready to finish the cancer patient look.

Coolbreeze,   God knows I love contests, was bugging everyone to death to vote for me a few weeks ago when I was trying to win those Delta Sky Miles, but I do not feel up to a contest for anything today....and if I had won the miles, certainly would not even feel up to planning a trip.  But I do hope someone on here enters the contest you posted and I will vote for them.  I am quite sure this is a cold, a very bad cold, but think it hit extra hard because my counts were down, both white and red, and also I was coming off my steroid high when it hit so had not been getting much sleep until then.   I ache all over (much like the neulasta, but not the same if that makes sense), but today it seems like most of my aches are below the waist....groin, butt, legs.  I finally found  the thermometer and do indeed have a fever....not bad, only 99 today,but my normal temp is never above 97 so it is elevated.  And the HAIR....OMG, it is everywhere.   I have lost it before so it is not that it is really traumatic because I know (at least I hope) it is going to come back. but I don't remember it being such a mess last time. I like several of you do not plan on going the wig route again, but may change my mind.....I seem to have given all my scarfs and headgear away to others who needed them after me, but a good friend from another thread is going to send me hers and also I am going to check out the website carabear posted.  Mine was already short, but I am thinking Tues, I should get it cut even shorter to cut down on fallout.  Bkj66,  That was a very stupid thing for your friend's husband to ask you the prognosis, but sometimes I think men just don't get it......they are rather blunt and to the point and sometimes don't realize how things they say sound.   My onco will never give me a prognosis, he will say this is serious, or tell me how he thinks I will respond to something, but when I ask him prognosis, he tells me that he does not have a crystal ball.  Everything hinges on how we respond to the treatment and sometimes we have to feel like crap along the way, but if it works, in the long run it is worth it.  Cyborg, It is a normal reaction for you to feel the way you do....cancer and the treatments take away so much, but the good side is that this will pass and the time will go faster than you ever thought it would....it's almost June so you now have a month under your belt.....and something I have found from having to deal with this stuff is that we will find we appreciate things that we used to take for granted....like stretching without any pain, having a bad hair day (at least it is there), telling someone sure you would love to go out for lunch without having to worry that maybe you won't be up to eat, biting into something and actually being able to get the full flavor of it.You will even find your sexuality returns . Sometimes I feel like maybe I should not be on this thread since so many of you are just starting out and I am stage lV and have been doing this for a long time, but when you stop to think about it we are all in the same boat, all of us have cancer and all of us are going through treatments that we just started and having SEs.  I am on here in need of support as much as  hopefully being able to give it.  I will tell you from experience that you will get through this and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.....not necessarily for me, but for the rest of you. 

I know I will never be NED, but I would be thrilled to get back into remission.

 I hope you are able to enjoy the holiday Monday....we are taking off for my father's later this morning, which I do not want to do at all, but it's his 89th birthday tomorrow so I have to go, already put it off a day so I could rest up.  When I told him I was going to spend yesterday in bed he said that was good, to rest up and take care of myself and that he is always behind me 100% and that I need to take care of me....and then he asks Are you going to make me a birthday cake? 

Marybe you have an uncommon strength and ability to strengthen others. Your shoulders of victory are what helps me to look ahead and say wow she ran this race before and has such strength! I have a cousin about twice my age who ran in this same race as we are in now. She got diagnosed at about 60 y/o and she is 82 now. I was told a story that her onc and most others gave her a poor "prognosis". She went to his funeral and several others and still has a schedule to keep. I truly believe that remission is yours for the taking. Just do what you did last time and kick the crappp out of this intruder. Hey Cyborg, I never said thanks...you started this thread and gave us a hangout. Don't be down about being down. Give yourself permission to feel whatever you feel then try not to hang out in the dull drums too long. Beaglesgirl if you could see my head...OMG!!! I have only shown my 8 y/o because she's the strong one. Strange thing is I really don't feel bad about the hair now, I guess it's just like you said the sick cancer patient look that sucks. Think I'll freak my DH out today and show him...nah he can't handle it. Ladys be encouraged and go ahead and be victorious too. Statistics show that we are not statistics. Glory to God we win!

{{{Cyborg}}}

{{{marybe}}}

{{{Plils}}}

{{{Everyone}}}  

I think we all need a hug today!

Hi again,

Sorry for the miscommunication.  This isn't a contest so other people can win something - this is a contest so YOU can win something.  And, you have a week to enter. The product is a water that helps with metallic taste from chemo, the company is giving away a case.  I am really hoping somebody who is actually doing chemo will win. All you have to do is comment on my blog and like them on facebook.  You CAN comment anonymously if you prefer, I allow anybody to do that.  If you don't give a name or anything, I use a date and timestamp for the drawing and you can email me privately with the information.

Having been through six rounds of chemo and a year of herceptin, I can tell you that, in my opinion, the MOST important thing you can do is drink a lot of water.  The second most important thing is eat a very high fiber diet.  The third most important thing is take care of yourself.  And, I want to let you know that you will recover very quickly once you are done.  I felt better in two weeks and just got better and better as time went on. Oh, and my hair started growing back before I was even done with chemo!  I had fuzz by my last one.

Good luck again.  I won't intrude on your thread again but I did want to make sure that you knew this contest was of benefit to you all and not a third party.  I am really hoping those who need it most will win.  My last contest was a cookbook for cancer patients, and a person who had never had cancer won it.   

Hugs to everyone here!! I think we're all feeling low, maybe due to holiday weekend. Normally we'd have something fun planned or go away for the weekend, but not this year. I'm staying in to avoid unnecessary exposure - my onc isn't giving me neulasta. Haven't had blood panel done yet, so don't know how I'm doing 6 days out.



MamaV: I can relate. I've been very sad. I just want to feel normal again. To feel happy. It will come.



But there is light at the end of the tunnel for all of us - the end date of chemo. Maybe we should post our start and end date so it gives us something to look forward to.



My start date was May 24 and end date July 26.