Is There A September 2011 Chemo Group?

Well my hair is pretty much gone like most of you.  It was coming out by handfuls so I had a friend buz it with guard.  Wow, now I look like a chemo patient.  You ladies seem to be taking it well, one more step in this process!  I think it is incredible for you to post your pictures!  I can barely look in mirror!  I had to get a lemon sized seroma drained on Monday, on antibiotics and it is still kinda red around scar.  I go back Friday to get drained again.   I finally feel better this week though and I am trying to get caught up and ready for next poison session Monday!!  Have a great Day!!

Sara ♥

Kimberely - I'm already having night sweats (have been for about 2 years now) so I guess I won't wish on the hot flashes...

As far as how I post pics - I found that www.photobucket.com automatically assigns every pic a URL or HTML code.  You just copy that code, click the tree icon above and paste the code into the top field.  I'll try the FB technicque too.

Hair started falling out today - 16 days post tx #1.  I took a lint roller and it was coming off nicely but there's still a lot left.  SO glad I buzzed it - I would have been grossed out if it was still long.  The "ahem" hairs are also disappearing....I read somewhere "Chemo gives the best brazilian"!  hahaha

Good luck to all with your treatments & best wishes for SE free days!

Well, I made a big mistake by consuming too much sodium last night and for lunch.  I had a craving for Braunschweiger before my taste buds went out again.  I must have drank at least 1-1/2 gallons of water today trying to flush the chemo out.  Well, I am taking the fluids in but nothing is coming out, maybe 2 cups for the whole day so far.  So I thought, hmmm, sodium.  Wonder how much sodium was in that Braunschweiger I have been eating.  Well, went to the fridge to look at the label.  I figure I had about 5200 mg of sodium in my diet in the last day (last night to right now) with just the Braunschweiger alone, plus some salt on the mashed potatoes, plus brushing teeth with baking soda, plus saline with the chemo.  With all these prescriptions laying around, I sure wish I had a water pill but that is not in the arsenal.  Oops, oops, ooops.  Well, I will know better next time.  I should have stuck to the ice cream.

Pinkshirt,

I had kinda had sore raw nose, i just used neosporin and it completely cleared it up

Sara ♥

Checking back in to catch up... LOVE the pics of all the bald heads! I am SO glad I buzzed mine, it was addictive to keep rubbing it and I have a cute knit cap to stay warm after the shower and to sleep in. I coughed up the big bucks to get a wig here that I could actually try on and buy only because the insurance will cover 85% of it. Everyone loves it, and it is nice to have the option to wear hear if I feel like going out with the kids and not getting second looks. At home and for short errands, though, it is au natural and the kids think it is pretty cute (my 3 year old sees my wig on it's stand and says that I have a head "like Daddy" but if we are leaving to go out she says "are you gonna wear your hair?" lol. like it is a pair of shoes. I love it!!

PinkShirtNow -- I found that Vaseline applied outside my nostrils helped alot. they also sell something with a similar texture in the baby aisle called little noses allergy blocker and it makes all the dust, etc stick to the cream so it doesn't irritate your passages.

Kimberly -- Happy Extremely Belated Bday!! let me know how the boobs turn out! I am really curious to offer to make them for the ladies in our Breast Cancer Coalition here at the military hospital. For now, I am getting friends together for a HOliday fund raiser in December. My mom is helping me crank out products, lol. As for the postponing treatment, I was in a funk and I agree  it would have been a ridicilous thing to consider. We found a much cheaper place to move into, and the landlords are very understanding and will let us start moving stuff  in as we want to over the next month and a half. My dad also sent us some extra cash to help with the move, and so things are looking like they will be tight but okay.

khegidio-- Love the wig, it looks amazingly natural, but I also think you look Gorgeous without it. I am so proud to see my face with my hair gone, makes me feel tough, lol but maybe I am just weird

2nd ddAC Tuesday and Neulasta yesterday. All my CBC was great after #1 (yay) and so far I have less fatigue and SE than tx 1, so that is awesome. Keeping fingers crossed. I am able to pull the little nubbies out of my head now though, and it actually makes me laugh because they are so tiny. I can't imagine if I hadn't shaved my head. I might freak out. This way, it is just super funny to me and my husband! Just tidbits here and there, but I give it a few days before it is all gone. 

Stay strong ladies!!!

DaintyBamf and Maggie: glad thing went well with your treatments yesterday. Hope your SE's are mild this week and that you will have less bone pain Maggie. I actually had to take hydrocodone for mine as Ibuprofen didn't seem to make a dent in mine.

 Everyone Else: Thanks so much for being happy for me for the help I started getting. You all are just an amazing group of positive and affirming women, Thank you!

Good morning ladies!!!

PinkShirt - About the nose, has anyone mentioned running a vaporizer in the room or a saline mist spray product for your nose?  My neighbor has one of those washable ionizers to help take dust and allergens out of the air.  That might help a little too.

 Maggie - 9 hours, sheesh, but glad this one is going better for you so far.  About the constipation, I told the doctor about the recipe for prune juice and Milk of Mag.  He recommended a bowl of wheat bran soaked in prune juice in the fridge, let it absorb, and then eating that.  Whewee, what recipe sharing we have on this site?

Dainty - So glad you were able to find a new place and have so much consideration and support from family and landlord.

RC - You know I have been pondering my night sweats for a long time,  Before the cancer diagnosis I had been wondering "Is this just from the hysterectomy or is it from cancer (night sweat sign)?"  My night sweats seemed to have eased up somewhat since surgery and chemo, except for post surgery and post chemo sick sweats, which is really making me wonder if it was more the cancer than hormone changes.  Of course it could be just because I have no hair on my head.  Still a mystery to me.

Lee Ann - I too had to give in and take a Percocet on days 4-5 last time for the bone pain.  That was just to be able to unload the dishwasher.  For a mother with a family, I can hardly imagine.  I don't know how you ladies with babies, toddlers, kids, and teenagers do it.  Wow, especially the young ladies with babies.  I am always glad to hear when you ladies receive an outpouring of help from somewhere during these difficult treatments.

BlueJay, Cooka, Kelli and all the ladies getting Neulasta this time who skipped the Neulasta your first round, I'm glad that you will be so much safer from getting this shot. I have to give myself the shot today, which believe me I have never stuck a needle to my own skin in my life.  I figure it's a gateway drug experience.  Next I will be shooting Insulin or Vitamin B12 or something.  Well, I just tell myself diabetics do it all the time and to stop being such a baby about it.

RJ - Great honors coming up for you.  Sounds like fun.  Fess up, you were flirting with the coach too, weren't you?

Rae - Proud of you for dining out topless, very bold, but I can tell you have a lovely face even under the purple and pink get up so I am sure you looked okay.  When you speak about your daughter and her trying to stuff the lint roller in your purse...now I wonder where do her kids get their sense of humor?  Ohhh, and glad to hear you didn't need to evacuate the restaurant at lunch.  Maybe things are looking up?

Karen (Kayrem), Jersey, Kate, Rocky, and apparently a darn lot of you who are using the Valium or Ambien....I am glad it helps you to get the sleep you so desperately need when you are sick.  Lack of sleep would just make everything harder on the body and soul.  I only had insomnia once, the very first day I took the steroids pre-treatment, and that was only for 1-hour of tossing and turning and looking at the clock. The idea of Jersey waking up bald and her shoulders all hunched up in the morning, ooohhh.  I do figure when I get to day 4-6 and look at myself in the mirror sick and bald, it is going to be a little worse on the spirits than last time.

Well, for me, I am still not peeing much.  I am praying for pee or even diarrhea to get some of this water off me, praying like a farmer prays for rain.  I gained 10 pounds from 9 am yesterday until 10 pm last night.  I am drinking coffee this morning and hope that helps.  Last round I only had maybe a cup all day because it was hard on the stomach..  Well, something has got to give here.

PinkShirtNo- Ask your Onc if you can cut back on your Decadron. Mine cut my dosage in half and I feel soooo much better!! I was having a pretty serious SE with my blood pressure going through the roof, but I feel so much better and well balanced with my lower dose. I know we all react to our meds slightly differently, but I haven't noticed any extra or new SE's from taking less Decadron, at least not yet. If anything, I'm feeling better than I was after my first treatment. No SE's yet (knock on wood).

I hope your 'roid rage passes quickly!

Gentle xxx 

PinkShirtNow, OMG I never thought of the steroids doing the "roid rage" thing.  I was so worried that I would be higher then a kite (I was way buzzed off of Sudafed a couple of months ago) and when that didn't happen I was happy.  My personality has changed a bit since cancer.  I have less control over what comes out of my mouth (and I am quite outspoken).  I usually tell people that another SE of chemo is Tourettes ;-) so I get away with a little more on the loose lips.

I love your "don't move my water" gig!  So funny.  Maybe I can say the steroids are messing with me, but I only take the 8mg the day before and 8mg the day after.  Not sure how much they give me in my IV.

Kelliregi - Don't you hate it when people move your stuff!?!  I have enough trouble remembering where stuff is when I put it someplace!

 Rockym - the chemo SE of tourettes is so true.  I usually have the same thoughts but I can resist verbalizing them when I am not on steroids.  Kind of like my filter is out of whack.

I seem to be already on a lower dose of the decadron than you guys are on.  I take 8mg the night before and 8m right before the infustion.  I'm not a very big person (although I will be much heavier if I keep gaining weight at the rate I am going - again I blame the steroids).  The nurse did say we might cut back if I still feel like I need to but there is a reason I have to take the steroids and that won't go away. I guess I may just file this under SEs suck and live with it.  It's only 48 hours out of my week so I can deal with it, I suppose.  Hope my husband can!

So much catching up to do...

I finally had a decent nights sleep.  Asleep at 10 ish and didn't wake up until 4:45 am.  That's the longest straight sleep i have had in 2 weeks.  I took an ambien.  I still think I am going to ask about the time release version.  I thought the insomnia was a SE of the decadron (I too am taking it the day before, of, and after chemo as well as getting a dose during chemo). I don't know how long the decadron stays in your body but I am beginning to think it is a side effect of the chemo in general.

I kept my 14 month old son home from day care today and we had such a fun day.  We went to a children's museum called Imagine It.  It was so much fun to watch him get into everything and have a great time.  I tell you what though... I am EXHAUSTED! He is such a great age right now. 

shelley2011: Good luck with your treatment tomorrow.  I hope all goes well.  I'm sure it will. 

rjbaby69: I hope you and your friend have a great time at the game tonight.  I'm sure it will be a blast. 

Sarasowise: I got over it quickly really because there is no choice. I was very attached to my hair...but I certainly can't fathom not still living my life while I am fighting cancer.  I am sure you look gorgeous and strong.  Maybe it will just take some getting used to.  Good luck on Monday. 

Pinkshirt: I haven't lost my nose hairs yet... but I hear its a coming.  Sounds like I shouldn't look forward to it.  I am sorry you are having a rough time with that.

daintybamf: Thanks for the comment.  I actually don't mind the bald look.  I have not worn it out yet - although today I did go out to the museum and lunch with my son, sister and niece sporting the scarf.  I actually wasn't very self conscious. I probably won't go 'naked' until all my stubble falls out. It's very thin in spots. Maybe when I am totally bald I will try sporting that. 

So for those of you who have been through 2 or more rounds of chemo... are the SEs progressively worse? Or are they the same each time around?

Kate

saw mo today,discussed my se,told her i felt worse after taking just 1- 4mg steroid,said not to take them they were for nausea and some people feel good and have energy while taking them but not me. eliminated zofran because of headaches and not working well for nausea. is adding emend to premed mixture, ordered a nausea patch put on the night before chemo,leave on a wk unless it causes headaches. then she will order emend pills.

she is going to get the process started for brca test said if positive they would recommend double masectomy and ovaries removed. most triple negatives are positive but some are not! hopefully i am not but i'll cross that bridge when i come to it.

i lost 6 lbs this past wk,to me that's a good thing, she didn't think so. i told her i have plenty to spare.

i really like my mo ,she really listens and cares, she spent 50 mins with me.

when they tried to draw my blood from my port it wouldn't work,i thought crap here we go again. but they injected it with something and waited 50 mins and the clot cleared,thank you lord! next chemo on 11th then see mo on 20th, she said she usually sees pts every 2 treatment but because of my rough go this time she wanted to see me after the next one!

of course my counts are down so no crowds for me,guess i won't be going to the weeney roast this fri.

Kate - So nice to hear you were able to have an enjoyable day out with your son.  I don't know if side effects will be better or worse this time because I am only day 2, but at least I have less headache this time as I skipped the Zofran.  I still had headache chemo day, probably from the Emend and Aloxi but it is gone today.  The fluid retention, well, that was my stupidity with the high sodium food intake, compounded by the Taxotere and steroids and saline but it is going down.  Lost 7 pounds of water today.  Amazing.  The tops of my feet still look like rising bread dough popping out of the pan.  Maybe by tomorrow this will go down too. Now if I had been eating smart like Kelli, this definitely would not have happened.

PinkShirt - Do you ever recover your tastebuds when you are on the weekly regimen?  Mine took at least a week to come back after last chemo, so I am wondering if yours ever recover with the weekly schedule.

Sarasowise:  Sorry to hear about the seroma.  I probably should go in for an aspiration because I am collecting fluid, but I am crossing my fingers that it resorbs spontaneously. 

Sheypres:  You young women with young children impress me so much, it's such a 24-hour on-call activity.  I yell at the younger barky dog when I am trying to nap and she is being barky "Knock it off.  Mom needs to sleep."  I am sure you are not getting the rest that some of the rest of us are, can't just shut the door on kids when you wish you could have a nap.  Don't be hard on yourself about the TV time.

Shelley:  A great visual picture of you sliding into home.  Just a couple more girl.  Good luck tomorrow!

Gave myself a Neulasta injection today.  Had a lot of pre-injection anxiety about this but it was a piece of cake to actually do.