Is there a July 2011 group?

good luck to you all that just had chemo the last few days!

I take the steroids 2x a day for 3 days starting the day after. They say they stay in your system for a day or two...I usually the the roid crash around day 4-5. I get jittery, every now and then my heart races to like 110 or so for a few minutes or more, I get flushed in the chest and face and it wires me at night off an on. Otherwise I feel pretty good on them, I know my appetite is good on them! LOL

Allenan that's almost exactly to the day mine started shedding like a dog on a hot summer day! It was fine, not a hair fell out, then all of a sudden the next day I ran my hand through my hair and hand hanfuls, and I did like 5x and it was the same amount every time...that's when I shaved it. 

I would say pressure in your chest after crying is probably an anxiety type pain, but please if it keeps up, get it checked, if you get lightheaded with it, sweaty, pains in your neck, arms etc...don't take a chance.

Let me know how that movie is, I was thinking of going to see it on a good day!!!

xoxo 

I definitely want to hear about movies - anyone who goes, please report back!

Allenan - sounds like you had a rough day yesterday. I hope the weekend treats you better.

misswim - get some rest. Hope you bounce back quickly. 

I'm on day 3 (if you count TX day as day 1) and feeling better than I did at this time last TX, I think. Maybe the Prilosec is helping with the queasiness, as they said it might. I'm staying close to home, though. Hoping to catch up on some work, actually. Yesterday was not very productive - several people stopped by to check in and bring me stuff.

I'm interested in the different steroid regimens. I get a hefty dose (not sure how much - will check next time) right before TX. Then I take 4 mg twice a day for three days after. They told me to take 1 in the morning and 1 in early afternoon, so that it does not affect my sleep too much. Ambien helps, too :-). That works fine, but I really crashed days 5-7 last time. That was rough. When I talked to the NP on Thurs she said that was definitely from the steroids. This time I'm planning to work from home and hoping that will be a little easier. Last time I actually went into the office those days.

So far my mouth feels ok. I don't remember when that SE kicked in last time. This time I chewed ice while the Taxotere went in and am hoping it will help a bit. I really didn't like that sandpaper feeling in my mouth last time!

Hang in there, everyone!

Has anyone heard of Hemp Oil being taken for breast cancer or to prevent.Also Metforimn threre is a metforimn site here on one of the threads has anyone been on there?.Great articale Rabbit I will hold onto it.Is the Anticancer a site or a book to read.?Feeling a little better today yesterday I had a real downer day was very emotional.I find I am isolating myself so I dont get any infections but Im going stir crazy looks like everyone on here is making the most of their days im having a hard time going out anywhwere.

Misswim: I expect my crash tomorrow. So tonight I'm going out to a BBQ at a good friend's house. Tomorrow I can sleep and do nothing all day and night.  Hopefully I'll be moving back to a better place on Monday -- getting my hair cut really short and then going to a Look Good Feel Better seminar (free makep and tips! Yay!) and maybe if I can muster the energy, a knitting group for a bit in the early evening.  I'm still trying to get the bell curve with chemo figured out.

 Snoopy73: Don't know if it will help you, but I found rinsing with Biotene a few times a day helped with the funky taste.

 Allenan: I'm still waiting for hair fallout -- just did my second week of chemo yesterday. I was going to buzz it all off morning morning but my oncologist keeps bugging me to wait and see because he said I'm on a low dose of Taxol.  I just hate waiting for the sword (or hair) to drop. I'd rather pick the moment myself.  I guess I'll have to see what my frame of mind is on Monday. Maybe a very short cut to start.  Less to vacuum up then when it comes out on it's own. I'm hoping it will mix in with the cat hair my from tortoiseshell cat.  LOL

 Rabbit: "Crazy Stupid Love" supposed to be really good.  On my to do list before the end of the summer.  I still want to see the last Harry Potter film.  Maybe during the week.

Ana : Glad you are feeling better.

dexxy: Chocolate makes everything better. I'm convinced it's a necessary staple for living. Dark chocolate. Daily.  

In an attempt to fix a sticky "U" key on my Mac, I took it off (I've done this before a million times) and now it is back on the keyboard wobbling like a drunken sailor.  But at least, for the moment I can type with it.  I'll have to ask one of my son's geeky friends with a toolkit (I can't find mine) to see if he can get it set back on properly.  So if my posts are missing that vowel, take that as a cautionary tale to not pop keys off willy nilly just to fix a stick that can probably be blown or pounded out. LOL 

Just had my 1st DD A/C treatment yesterday, so far so good, feeling tired mostle and had had a terrible headache in the night. I got IV steroids but no precription to take them at home, also Emend, Zofran, and Ativan, was pretty relaxed as it was going on. Took my Neulasta shot today at 2 as instructed, has anyone been able to self inject, rather than travelling to the infusion clinic?? I am an RN and I guess they thought it would be OK as I am quite familiar with infections. Just waiting for the shoe to drop post chemo and Neulasta....

misswim - I can't agree with you more!  When I run my hands thru my hair, it is coming out 10-20 hairs at a time.  It SUCKS big time!!!!  And it hurts too.  It's all tender and sore on my scalp. I really intended on getting a pixie doo before this happened, but I was putting it off, hoping it wouldn't happen to me.  Yeah right!  I am shedding more than my dogs.  LOL  Good luck with the shave.  I'm gonna have to do it too.  Bwwwwaaaaa

rabbit - WOW!  I really appreciate the info you posted on "Anticancer".  It is so helpful - I printed it and intend to use it to live by.  Thanks!

Hi ladies. I've been MIA again. I'm exhausted from my 3rd treatment of AC. I have all the classic anemia symptoms (shortness of breath, fatigue, faster heart rate, dizziness, etc) and low blood counts to coincide. They were high enough on Tuesday (hemoglobin = 10.3, hematocrit = 29.3, RBC = 3.25) to do treatment this time, but I don't know if they will be next time since they've been steadily dropping with each treatment and Neulasta apparently only helps with white blood cells. I'm very sensitive to drops in my red counts, so while they may not be low enough for a transfusion, they're low enough for me to feel totally wiped. Part of me wants them to delay my next treatment so I can get some more time in between to recover, but the other part of me just wants to get AC over with. I have one more of them. Then 4 Taxols. 

How are the rest of you doing with your blood counts and how is it affecting you? I feel like I'm coughing so many times a day not because I'm sick, but because of my shortness of breath. I hate this feeling b/c I'm normally a pretty active person. 

I'll have to catch up on posts tomorrow. I'm too wiped to reply to everyone now.

Well, I just shaved the head. It was emotional but I am glad it is done. My head actually doesn't look half bad. It is hard to see myself without my hair.  Otherwise, I feel ok.

FYI---On the days I felt well enough I started using up some of my spare cotton yarns to make some chemo caps. Our infusion center has a big donation basket and thought I'd contribute. I was at Joanne's Fabrics and found a wonderfully soft yarn called Sensations Angel Hair. I started experimenting with sizes and my first try was gigantic but I set it aside and made a few more that would fit normal heads. Anyway, last night was my first night without hair and I had bought a night cap that was way too uncomfortable. So about 1:00 am I got up and put on the gigantic hat and it was so comfortable and not too hot that I wore it the rest of the night. I you knit or crochet or have someone that would make you a hat out of this yarn I highly recommend it. There are also some good chemo hat patterns on Ravelry.com

Stay cool.

kk11 - hope you are getting some rest. It is so frustrating feeling energy deplete and not being able to do the things you want.

Ybrooker1 - sorry you had such an emotional time of it the first tx. I hope you'll find subsequent ones easier, now that you know what to expect. I took lots of notes in the week after my first tx - what symptoms I had on which days, which OTC meds I took and when, etc. It has helped me this time to look back and realize that I'm experiencing some of the same things as before - or not! (can't count on that, but bonus!)

khs113 - funny how you can't tell what will feel good on your head until you need it. I bought a couple of caps online to sleep in. One of them is this kind of lacy blue one that I think is pretty ugly, but it's the only thing I want to wear at night, because it is soft and loose enough to not feel like my head is being pinched. I also appreciated your note about the nurse's needle skills ;-).

misswim - I know it was hard to lose the hair, but glad you feel a little better now that it is done.

lovetorun - I'm so impressed at your ongoing exercise! I was told to exercise if it feels good, but be careful to not overdo. I did have a week or more between tx when I had a lot of energy and enjoyed getting some yard work done. If you are used to training for triathlons, then it sounds like you could do a lot more than I can!

rabbit and others - Thanks for sharing the steroid info. I don't think they are prescribed based on weight, since I'm not some little thing. Probably just different protocols and/or based on the different tx schedules. Funny that I still crashed afterwards, though, while on a lower dose. Wish I could find a way to avoid that.

Izzy - I have not tried it yet, but they prescribed Bentyl for stomach cramps. I'm hoping that will help if/when I need it this time. Not sure if that would help you or not, but thought I'd throw it out there. Oh - I also had my period for about 10 days. So strange.

To those of you trying the cold caps, I am interested in hearing your experiences, even though I chose not to try it.

Thank you, everyone, for continuing to share all of your experiences. I've got great support in my life, but this is a whole different kind of support here that I did not expect to find both so comforting and so useful.  

pinkpalette you are so welcome When I saw that post in the exercise thread I knew it would help some of us here in our July group!

kk11, take care of yourself, I'm thinking of you, we all are. I get that wiped out feeling and a tad short of breath after like day 5-6 and it stays with me off and on for a good 5-6 days after, but I was told I wasn't anemic. I am starting to feel better now, day 12 and I know my wbc is tanking right now. 

Ybrooker1, glad you are done with that part of it, it gets easier each time. Not necessarily the SEs or tiredness, but the infusions and sitting there, it gets easier.  And I was a needle phobic too many years ago, when I was dx with my thyroid condition about 7-8 years ago and had to get blood drawn every few months in the beginning to get the meds right, I got over it, now it doesn't phase me at all, I could do a hundred times a day I hate to say LOL.

misswim, glad you finally did the shave! When I did it, I took a pic on my cell phone to send to everyone and I thought "OMG I look just like my dad" LOLOLOL

Izzy325, I eat organic, vanilla or plain yogurt almost every single morning with some fresh fruit, I think it's helped me a lot with preventing those problems and thrush. 

khs113, that is so awesome of you to donate those hats. My mom's neighbor has knitted me 5 now....one of them is in the pic I have on my avatar, it's my favorite, I sleep in it, it's made with very soft yarn, possibly what you are talking about.  

lovetorun, we can be chemo buddies!! I get mine on the same days as you....I'm one ahead of you though, next is my 3rd and I'm doing FEC so the SEs will be different, but we can keep up with each other. With FEC it knocks me on my butt a few hours after infusion, the first time around I felt good after day 1 for several days, then started to wipe out. This time around I never felt really good, dragging and dragging, now day 12 starting to feel almost normal again, it seems it's going to be worse with each one for tiredness.

Hope everyone has a good Sunday  

Misswim:  Glad you made it over the hair hump.  I’m going in tomorrow morning for a super short cut. I expect by next week to be getting the rest off.  I’m on Day 10, so I figure some time in the next week I’ll be shedding like mad.  It’s funny how the hair gets to us.

KHS113: That was truly a sweet gesture by your DH.  Nothing like solidarity to get you through.  Good luck with your infusion on Wednesday.   I’m a crocheter/knitter too and as soon as I knew I was headed for treatment I started making hats.  I don’t look good in the caps without a brim, so I’ve been making scads of hats with brims.  I went out and bought cotton yarns and raided my yarn stash for other suitable fibres.  I love making the hats – fast and easy projects and I’ve been embellishing them with findings from my dollmaking and quilting days – beads, bangles and sparkley things.  I figure I may as well embellish my head with something other than hair if that’s how it has to be.  I have some links to patterns on my knitting blog (http://oitqknitwits.wordpress.com) and I have a bunch of others in my Google docs.  Anyone who wants access to the database, I’d be happy to share. Just let me know.  I’ll have to check out the yarn you recommended.  I’m making a shell-stitch brimmed cloche out of some very soft superwash wool for a friend at work who was diagnosed at the same time as me.  I love making things for other people, but I usually like to know what they like so what they get is something they will enjoy using.

K11: I’m sorry to hear you are so exhausted, give yourself a good “me” day and rest it out.  Hopefully things will be better tomorrow.

Ybrooker1: I can only imagine how awful this must be for you with a needle phobia.  It seems those pointy things come at us from all angles these days.  I opted for the port – keeps my hands free and the pinch when they hook me up is not too bad.  I think it’s good to journal this process – it’s too hard to remember if I don’t write stuff down.

I did start to have some trouble with the port last night – I was fine after chemo Friday, fine all day yesterday and was at a friend’s house for a BBQ last night when all of a sudden the area around the mediport felt like I was being poked.  No bug bites – I checked and I was covered up anyways and it wasn’t a buggy night—but the area around the port looked red and it was painful.  I iced it when I got home and called the oncologist this morning.  I’m on blood thinners for A-Fib, and the doctor I spoke with thought the port might have shifted a bit and caused some minor bleeding.  For the moment, I’m using bacitracin, ice and Tylenol and keeping an eye on it.  If it’s not better by morning, I’ll go in and have them take a look. 

It was annoying because I really felt good yesterday – the cut in my med dosages really made a difference – no headache or bone aches, less tired.  I suppose there’s always something, and today I’m tired so I’m doing NOTHING! 

Izzy325:  You struck a chord with me when you said you wanted to somehow “control” things.  I feel the same way – so much of this business is out of our control that it feels good to grab some control when we can. 

And we can’t always grab it.  After my first chemo I  was achy and tired but didn’t’ really have any really debilitating SEs.  Then on the third day the diarrhea arrived.  Lovely.  I have IBS, so me and the “D” are old friends.  Thanks goodness for Immodium.   But I don’t like to take it until I’m symptomatic.  However,  after my second chemo I didn’t quite make it into the front door before it hit me like a ton of bricks.  That was quite a moment. LOL   Trying to keep some perspective and healthy sense of humor about it all, but I believe I will take Immodium on the chemo mornings to glue myself together a little.  It can take about 40 minutes with traffic for me to drive home from chemo and I’d like to not have to race the cramps again. LOL Especially if I’m going to lose the race! 

Lovetorun: I had the weird taste thing after the first chemo.  Not so much after the second.  I was able to really enjoy the foods at a friend’s BBQ last night – I just find I don’t like hot spicy stuff too much.  I found that rinsing a lot with Biotene during the day helped keep the funky taste to a bearable level.   I am in awe of your running and biking!  You go girl! Just don’t overdo.

I hope everyone has a peaceful and restful Sunday.  Back in the fray tomorrow. Be well.

So, is anyone else experiencing "chemo brain"? I'm easily distracted on a good day, but I've been having a hard time with conversations. I had brunch with a friend from out of town and it was much easier to let her do all the talking than to even attempt to describe anything going on in my own life right now. 

I just realized that my infusion center had paperwork ready for me with information on my next MO appointment, when I should get bloodwork done and what time my next infusion is. But either they never gave it to me or I've completely misplaced it. I've looked everywhere. Since all of the above takes place this week, I guess I have a phone call or two to make tomorrow!