Is there a July 2011 group?

Hi Valbee - the runs have stopped since this afternoon.  Yippee!  Hope it stays that way.  Doc gave immodium as a standby.  My eldest daughter (10 years old Ashleigh) has congenital hypothyroidism and feeds herself tyroxine every morning.  I do get this feeling of hunger but do not know if its the steroids reaction or truly I am hungry?    Glad you are doing so well and good to put in some exercise.  I walk every morning and evening but could only get in 1.2 to 1.5 km each time which isnt enough to even get my heart pumping but I get so tired I have to head home.

Praying for minimal or no SEs to all undergoing treatments! 

hi luvmy2kids, I too am vitamin D deficient, was diagnosed with this years ago when I lived in Australia...they Dr. there put me on 50,000 IUs once a week, then after a few months, once a month. Since I moved back to the USA over a year ago, I never got it checked again til a few months ago, it was 31 (one point above the lowest range) so my onco put me on 2,000 IUs daily. I have been reading the a lot of cancer patients show Vit D deficiencies, scary. 

I can't answer anything about the neulesta shot, I don't get that... 

to FrancesC - OMG Food Poisoning! Nooooooo. Wishing you well.  I had diarrhea yesterday too and it nearly wore me out.  I wasn't up to going to the store for BART diet, but I drank my kids gatorade and some rice cereal and I do hope today is a better day. 

to Valbee - I think I am seeing a connection between the Neulasta and shoulder/neck pain.  I thought it was me...  It is keeping me up at night.  I never had it before.  I'm gonna ask for sleeping pills and a decent pain killer next visit. 

to Paintingmywaythru - Sorry to hear you were in the hospital, hoping they got it under control for you.  You are a trooper!  Best wishes with open studio today....wish I could come. 

to all - keeping the thread... good vibes to each of you this weekend~~~~

Boy- this first A/C is a bear. No tummy trouble but I have been so tired I have done nothing but sleep. I've been awake less than asleep. More so since Nuelasta yesterday. Sort of freaking out as I have to go to work Tuesday......

Madismommy719, wonder why your onco had you stop taking vitamin D, mine made me stop all supplements except calcium and vitamin D. I'm thinking there definitely is a connection between the two, too many here and much of the reading I've done on BC states this. 

Susan, sorry to hear you were in the hospital, I missed that post for some reason, I really hope you're better now.

FrancesC, hope you're doing better too!!

We need some good news in this thread soon....

shinypop, Happy Bday tomorrow! hope it's a SE free day for you!

lovemy2kids, let me know what your onco says about the Vitamin D, will be interesting....since some here were told to stop taking it and mine pressed me to take it. I was born in Cinci

I have a big few days planned, tomorrow a late lunch with my fiance's family and my dad...then we are going to the Horseshoe Casino, I'll stay on the non smoking floor, Tuesday getting my free massage, then seeing chiro then Wed. back to the chemo to start the 21 day cycle again!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

xoxoxo 

I am starting my 1st AC treatment on Tuesday 19th. I am taking 2000 UI of Vitamine D3 and I also have a mild iron deficiency. So far the best advise I’ve read is from Cheyenna, who finished her AC x4 and Taxol x12 on Nov 1, 2010 and didn’t experience any side effects.



1.Please stay on top of your meds!!, you want to take them before you feel any pain or nausea because it is tougher to catch up after the symptoms appear. You may be very blessed and you will not have any side effects thru 16 treatments. Take what you need to take to get you through this and let the chemo do its job, don't fight it, go with it..! Remember, you are doing this to kick cancer cell ass. It really does get better....



2.Water,water,water… You want to keep your kidneys and liver flushed. Drink a lot of water while being infused. You will pee red and you want the red gone before you go home, AC is hard core ONC's call it the (Red Devil), been around for 30 years. Flush twice with the lid down. I am not sure but I think the half life on the Adriamycin is about 28 hours and the Cytoxin is about 17 hours, and its out, but lots of fluids.





3.You would also have the famous Chemo Fatigue, third chemo is the worst! It really helps to get up and take a walk and a shower. If you r so fatigued that you can’t, pop an Ativan and sleep through it, don’t fight it. Listen to your body.



4.Take Aleve before the neulasta shot and 24 hours later. Although, if you get sick it will come out in a fever, you won’t get sick like a non chemo person cause you do not have a lot of cells to fight it off. Keep an eye on you temp, if you think something is going on, and if you r not good, don’t take a Aleve or Tylenol, it can mask the fever. No fresh fruit or veggies, they are touched all the time, you never know...



5.Taxol is a piece of cake compared to AC, Taxol does not hit your white cells or red like AC, you will have much more energy, but it is also are very famous for bone, joint pain and the dreaded neuropathy. Take glutaminein powder form,1 tablespoon 3 times a day in about 4 inches of water the day after infusion for four days and B6 and B12



6.Never get mouth sores. Gargled w/ the salt water and baking soda 3 time a day. Do it all thru chemo everyday. For very drying nails used nail oil, not hardener, you want them moist.



There is light at the end of that long tunnel we will get there! It’s not fun but doable, and we will get there!

Good morning everyone.  Thanks for all your good vibes and prayers.  Day 7 for me today and I am feeling much better without the runs already (YIPPEE!!!) and just a little bone aches from the neupogen shot yesterday. Shinypop - Have a very Blessed Birthday and a great time with your loved ones!

The sun is out and I am heading out for a short walk.  Have a great Sunday everyone! 

OMG  ewa-swimmer I hope you get better soon and have better days ahead of you.

Today is my 11 day after chemo and everyday i feel better, beside being a little tired im pretty good ,,thanks to God for that , I just hope everyone feels better and of course it is a light at the end of this tunel.

Yay Frances!! Seriously, my eyes are welling up... I'm having a rough morning so far, and just reading that you're feeling better lightened my mood a bit.

I hurt all over this morning. I went swimming yesterday, so some of it might be related, but I think it's the Neulasta. I made myself get up and walk this morning again. Now I've just taken a compazine, claritin and Aleve. I think I can start on my Zofran today (third day after infusion), too, and I plan to do so just in case. My tongue also feels swollen and irritated this morning. That's not terrible though; I can still eat and drink.

Ok, has anyone noticed weird dreams? I was dozing yesterday evening and kept waking up because of something I'd dream. A couple of times, it was something ridiculous like getting ready to eat and then sticking my hands into the trash can to pull something out. YUCK. (My subconscious reminding me to wash my hands constantly, perhaps?) But had others where I felt like someone kept trying to cover up my face, and I'd freak out for a moment thinking I couldn't breathe! 

These all stopped once I turned off the light and TV and went to bed, but still... I was almost afraid to try to go to sleep!

ewa-swimmer, I sure hope you are feeling better, temp down and getting back to normal. Can you tell us what the symptoms were for cellulitis? Or did you just start with a fever that turned into this? I'm just hoping to educate myself and others in case it happens to us. 

I have had a slightly swollen gland in my neck for days...been on cipro and just wondering if this is typical, because the immune system is compromised, it may stay swollen a while, my temp has been subnormal for days so I think I'm ok. 

Valbee...I had the worst nightmare a week or so ago, it was completely unlike me and freaky so I'm guessing this is a SE of some sort.  

Thanks, rabbit and Frances. Nice to know I'm not losing it!

Dear ewa-swimmer - sorry to hear this.  Go back to your dr on this again. Its not right! 

Hi ladies. I thought I'd pop in here since I started treatment (AC X 4, then T X 4) at the end of June, so I'm on a similar schedule as the rest of you. I'm on Day 20 since my first cycle and currently on Day 6 of Cycle #2. I've been experiencing a rapid heart beat for the last 3 days and it's bothering me to the point that I can't relax and I can only sleep a few hours at a time. I thought it was the steroids they gave me to combat the nausea, but I took my last one on Thursday night and I'm still jumpy. Any suggestions? It makes me nervous knowing that cardiotoxicity is possible with adriamycin.

kk11, I know I had some palpitations and rapid heart beat the first several days of my FEC and even up til the 2nd week off and on. My onco told me it was probably more the steroids, that they do stay in your system for several days after taking them, hence the "steroid crash" for me around day 5-7, I take steroids for the first 3 days. I was told that the palpitations have more to do with the electrical system and that the chemo SE for the heart is more for the actual muscle and it doesn't do anything to the electrical system. I've had palpitations and once in a great while SVT, very rapid heart beat, off and on since my thyroid dx 7 years ago. 

I would definitely say something to your dr. but I would not stress too much over it. Let us know

bcisnofun,  I feel lazy from day 1 to day 14 for the most part LOL sad....off and on, I think we have the right to get sad and it's very normal. Are you PMSing? I started mine a few days after my first treatment and it was a roller coaster ride for sure! How long ago was your port put in? Mine irritated me for weeks! 

bcisnofun - my port was uncomfortable for a while after it was placed too. It did get better for me. As for feeling sad, it's been 3 months since my diagnosis and I have been relatively upbeat until yesterday. I think the fact that my hair is starting to come out is really hitting home now. This whole cancer business can get depressing.

rabbit - thanks for the info. I just don't like the jittery feeling, but it makes me feel a little better to think it's steroid related and not likely to be a heart issue. I'll give it one more night to see if I can sleep and then I'll call my onco.

 I've also had a sore throat since the middle of the night. It's just lingering. I really don't need that on top of everything else. Anyone else have that as a side effect?