Is There A September 2011 Chemo Group?
Comments
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hey lee ann, actually the past couple of days have been pretty good. it was just that first 7 days after the 1st chemo. my 2nd chemo is tues,at least now i know what to expect and hopefully with the changes it will be better. altho,i don't mind the weight loss,i was so afraid of gaining weight which is pretty common for women on chemo! WTH!! that just sucks!!
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sheypres, how are you doing?hope you are feeling better soon!
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kate - I had my 2nd AC DD tx on Monday and I honestly feel better this time around than after the first one! There is hope! I know the chemo makes your body swell and the Decadron is prescribed to relieve that. With TE's that SE makes them feel tight again for a few days. I use Alavert (same but cheaper than Claritin) for 1 day before and about 3 days after so no Neulasta pain either. I am now half way done with treatments! My hair just started falling out yesterday. Using a lint roller so now I have patchy bald spots! Weird, but I just want it all OUT so it can start growing back!
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Kimberly - my taste buds don't really recover between treatments but they aren't that bad. Mostly I just feel like my tongue is coated with yucky stuff. It doesn't seem to have stopped me from eating though. I've put on about 7 pounds in the 5 weeks of my treatment.
Belleeast - It sounds like your MO is really willing to work with you on the steroid stuff. I'm impressed that you lost weight. This weight gain stuff has been the biggest surprise to me since I always pictured chemo patients wasting away to nothing. I blame everything on the steroids.
khegidio - I put some vaseline in my nose and I felt better today. Nose hairs seem like such a minor thing but my nose was very dry and uncomfortable. This led to nose bleeds which were a bit disconcerting. Much better today though.
robo47 - I think the steroids are for nausea and but I thought they were also to prevent an allergic reaction to the chemo. I could be wrong about that because I feel like they hand me so many pills and I just start swallowing. I see my MO in 2 weeks so I will ask him about cutting back at least. I also got acne and I am blaming the steroids for that too. Like I said, I blame everything on them!
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PinkShirt Now - I was told the steroids were to prevent alergic reaction too. I feel so much better on my lower dose. Hopefully no allergic reactions will pop up!
Well, I just ordered 3 halo wigs. I sure hope I like them. I don't think I would be comfortable in a full wig, but I like the idea of the halos that I can wear with hats and scarves. We shall see...
I also just got my script for Ambien CR. I just took one and I'm hoping for a good night's sleep. wish me luck!
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Had a great time at the game. It was so special! There were three boys that were captains and all three of us ladies walked out on the field behind them while we were introduced as Honorary Captains and that all three of us were actively fighting breast cancer. One of the boys turned around and said "Ms. R?" I said "yes, you didn't know did you?" He said "no ma'am." He rides my bus! He just had this look on his face....of concern, disbelief...I don't know. I can't describe it. But I know he was floored. Bless his heart! All the football boys were wearing pink socks to their knees and pink undershirts under their jerseys. I've never seen anything like this before. I have heard tomorrow nights Sr. High game is going to be even more spectacular in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness.
But more importantly, there were three ladies there tonight. One lady, TB, is Stage IV and retiring in December to spend time with her family and do whatever she has to do to keep fighting. One lady is in her 30's, a teacher and is a young mother. I don't know what stage she is but she had a double mx and has completed 2 rounds of chemo. And then there is me. A 50 year old go getter who loves life and refuses to go down without a fight. I told JK that I admired her so because she doesn't feel the need to wear a wig. She wears dew rags and turbands and wears them with a sense of pride I think. TB hasn't lost her hair although she says it is thinning. Each lady in their own right is awesome and I was so honored to walk out on that field with those ladies.
Okay, so much for my rambling about that. But it was such an extraordinary feeling of unity tonight for all the men and women who are fighting this horrible beast. Bless us all!
HUGS
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Kate- My MO told me that typically the fatigue gets worse but that other side effects usually do not. Overall, I felt better after the second round than I did the first. There was one day that was really bad after the second round where I had major fatigue and muscle pain, but the PA attributed it to the Neulasta rather than the chemo. My WBC that day was super-high, so they actually might lower my dose the next time due to my response. Of course we are all unique, but I felt less nausea and light-headedness the second time around and felt like I rebounded faster. Hope you find the second one easier too.
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RJ- Just read your post. What an great experience and inspiration to us all! Glad your night was so special. I continue to be impressed by your workload throughout all of this. Definitely proud to have someone like you representing all of us.
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Kelli: That was so awesome what your husbands team did!
Kimberly: Well, ummmm.........(RJ hangs her head blushing).....you know me very well don't you! Maybe just a litte flirting! And yes young lady, I am so impressed that you gave yourself a shot. I don't think I could do it. I don't like needles and I just don't know if I could give myself a poke on purpose! You rock!
Belleast: I find the same is pretty much true for me. I'm okay chemo day, the day after and the Saturday, but by Sunday I am just so tired and worn out! I would say days 4, 5, and 6 after chemo are my worst. Then by day 7, I start feeling better. I too find that I am losing weight and not really trying to. I just don't feel like eating for the first 4 or 5 days after chemo. Nothing tastes right and I have to force myself to eat.
I only get the steriods in my IV on chemo day. I don't take any before or after chemo. Is everyday's onc different on that one?
Everyone have a great day tomorrow and I hope there are no/very little SE's!
HUGS!
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i for one am glad for pink october, it helps others put a face on breast cancer. a neighbor, your teacher,your bus driver,the grocery store worker. who knows which young person might be the one who finds a way to eradicate this terrible disease, who might be working right now for a cure, all because pink october put a face on breast cancer and influenced them to find a way to stop it because they cared for someone.
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Hello All,
RJ, the game sounds like it was wonderful. It is such a great feeling to see so much support out there.
Pinkshirt, I still have the metallic paste taste too! I wonder if it will be there until tx is over!!!
I went to doctor appointment today, first time out since hair buz. I wore a baseball hat with hair attached. I was really nervous, like it was so obvious. Made it through appointment and when I got home my 22 year old son was over. He said if he didn't know he wouldn't have even noticed it was a wig. I felt better and will try again tomorrow with more confidence.
After my shower this morning, I looked in the mirror and then I thought, I look like a mannequin!!! No hair and no nipples! Pretty funny to me
.Have a good night and nice Friday. Finally cooling below 100 here in Arizona!
♥ Sara ♥
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Hi Everyone! Still felling pretty yucky and ended up at Urgent Care today. I have been having pain in my neck above where the port is so I was worried about that. Turns out I have a sinus infection and bronchial (sp?) infection too so my glands in my neck were swollen causing the pain. So now on antibiotics for 5 days and some cough meds with codine. Other than that just pushing through. I think if was not "sick" I would be doing okay. I wonder if my recovery time from the chemo treatments will get longer as they go on? With the first I was feeling much better by day 5 and now with the second it was not until day 8. It could just be the infections knocking me down too. Anyone have any insight on that? I'm on 4x DD AC then 4x T.
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Sheypres: So sorry you are feeling poorly but glad they found out the cause of your pain and are treating it. Sending healing thoughts and hugs your way.
Sara: Congrats on your first day out. I always feel sefl-concious, but am beginning to accept that it seems people either don't notice or don't say anything. I hope it will get easier for you.
Belleeast: I'm glad I misunderstood. I knew you had a rough week the first time aroudn and thought you had gone in for your second. Glad you can get a break. I'm hoping the changes will mean a much easier time next time.
RJ: Thanks for sharing the story about the game...it was super special!
The reading specialist at my son's school sent me home a nice care-package today...really sweat. Whe also asked to do a team "Lee Ann" for relay for life and the komen walk for a cure so that my kids could take part and help support me. It is really amazing since I have never even met her but she is just wanting to be supportive.
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shepres, glad u found out what the problem is,i would say the infections are responsible for you feeling bad longer this go round.
i am on the same chemo 4 x dd a/c and 4 x dd taxol, i've only had 1 treatment and i felt miserable until the 7 th day, we can only hope it gets better as our mo tweeks our meds as we go thru treatments to give us relief.
hope your antibiotics kick in fast and give you some relief!
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Kelliregi - I have a halo wig in addition to my regular wig. In some ways, I like the halo wig better. Scarves are more comfortable for me but I like the look of a little hair peaking out. Sort of like I just happen to think that scarves are fashionable instead of I'm a bald chemo patient.
Sarosowise - Yeah, I have a feeling that the metallic taste is here for the duration of the weekly taxol. Not much chance to recover before the next treatment. Also, your son is sweet to be so reassuring to you. My sons have done the same and it helps me to be more confident. I want to look as "normal" as possible for my sons because I think it helps them to cope. Turns out they don't really care what I look like as long as I get well. Who knew we raised such great young men!
rJbaby - What a great game day for you! It is so important to for people to see that BC affects their friends and neighbors, not just the people on the Pinktober ads. I think those of us who actually have BC fight courageously but perhaps too quietly against this disease. I would be willing to bet you see an outpouring of support tomorrow.
Hugs to everyone tonight!
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Robo My carb consumption is all part of the cancer killing plan...I lure the little bastards into the open with the sugar they can't resist, and then whammo! Haha, hello Taxaterrible! Oh yeah, and then of course I have a burger to administer first aid to my comrades in arms, the red and white blood cells...I am a fierce sugar inhaling burger chowing warrior! Or maybe more like a cancer sacking linebacker (more and more each day!) shudder to think what I would weigh with my grande girls still attached
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Morning ladies!
Congrats Kelli and RJ on your football honors. RJ you described it so well that I could see it almost like I was there myself. Thanks for sharing it with all of us. And Kelli with the husband hiding her cup, that was pretty darn good too!
Karen (Kayrem) - We all take our own chances, asking for adjustments with out other protective meds surrounding chemo. I'm sorry to hear how bad the headaches get. Just with the severity of your reaction last time and the difficulty of your FEC cocktail in general for nausea and vomiting, I would be wary of cutting back on anything. I'm not sure about this, but I don't think the ladies who were able to cut back on the steroids were having the same level of problem with nausea and vomiting that you experienced and weren't on the same chemo regimen. It's like being between a rock and a hard place, hard to find a good answer or even a better answer sometimes. You are in my thoughts and I hope it can somehow go easier for you this next round.
Cooka: - I'm trying to make sure I eat enough protein too and will maybe start thinking more about foods with iron. The Neulasta brought my platelets and white cells way up but it won't do a darn thing for the red cells and mine have been every so slowly sinking on blood work. I don't want any extra fatigue or a transfusion in my future if I can help it.
Jersey - Have you really never heard of Braunschweiger? Well, I guess it's a midwest German thing. Milwaukee is big on all kinds of sausage from German heritage. It's just a slightly spicier liver sausage (and full of sodium I might add). I am now feeding the rest of mine to the dogs and they are in heaven. Every time I hand them some as a treat now, I feel jealous like, oh, I want some too you lucky dogs. I have now lost 13 pounds of water in less than 36 hours and that was not from diarrhea. I think I still have a couple water pounds to go from the looks of my feet and ankles. That's how much water I gained from the Braunschweiger binge before chemo, combined with the chemo itself. Wow.
Rae - Where are you? We miss our resident comedienne!
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Kimberly that sausage sounds awesome, I think my craving for pepperoni pizza the other night showed up when you were posting about your water woes. 13 pounds! I forgot how much salt can impact retenion. Oh well, at least the dogs can have a party. Did you have Neulasta on all of your rounds or skip the first one? I get my first one tomorrow and am trying to decide what schedule to take the Claritin on. D you take it the night before or just the morning of? Anyway, glad you have reslved the water issue:)
Sheypres sorry to hear it has been such a rough go of it for you. I really hope you feel better, having to deal with infections is so draining.
Just a trick I found for my 'monster hair" ...I went to the online store for "Buff'"s and they have hundreds of styles in different fabrics...very foolprof, easy way o have an instant scarf, I have 5...
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Cooka - I took Claritin on the morning of Neulasta and then 1 per day until bone pain was completely gone. I think I took it for about 5 days. I did still have bone pain on day 3-4 after Neulasta, or days 4-5 post chemo, whichever way you are looking at it. The Neulasta does have its own side effects but at least your counts rebound and you are much safer from that perspective:)
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Wishing all of the ladies in the September chemo group positive thoughts and prayers! My daughter is having her second DD A/C at this very moment. Praying her response to the second treatment is as good as the first one! She did fantastic.
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ok,ladies, i need some advice. i am 58 ,i have been divorced 17 yrs, chose not to date until my 6 kids were raised. 2 months before my diagnosis i started dating a man 6yrs older then me. we went out to eat,see movies, auctions etc.on the weekends.
he has been supportive but he just does not get it . when i tell him the mo says i can't be around people, he's like well you can be outside around people,there is an old settlers day this weekend. i said no,i can't there will be a lot of people my immune system is compromised. so i talk to my sister who has a cold and she saw him today and he told her he was going to try and get me to go. WTH just what part doesn't he understand.
it's like he just doesn't listen, i've told him my bc likes to come back metastasize, 41% recurrance rate, i have 1 chance to kick it's *ss.i can't and won't risk not doing my treatments on time.
he is a nice guy, i like him but i have more important things to worry about right now.i don't think he comprehends that until the end the end of dec my life is going to consist of 1 wk being sick 1wk avoiding people. i have told him this repeatedly the past month that there would be no more going out to eat, movies, auctions etc. for the next few months he said he was ok with it. he told my sister he couldn't believe my dr said i couldn't be around crowds. WHAT?
my feelings are i need to tell him i can't see him anymore,i need to devote my energy to fighting this.
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Belleast: I say - you do what you need to do during your fight and if he is around after the fact.... then maybe he's worth your time! I am learning fast - that there are so many people to please and that you end up going out of your way and affecting yourself to try and make everyone happy. This is right - this disease affects you. Whatever you feel like you need to do to make your fight and recovery right is what you need to do. If your gut is telling you that you don't need that added pressure... then trust your gut.
I am learning to do the same myself. I am generally a people pleaser - and there are so many people that want to offer their help for me and my family during this time. I want accomodate everyone... but at the same time... the week after my chemo I kind of just want to hibernate. I am learning that what I feel like I need during this time is really whats most important. By listening to my body, my fight will be tougher and hopefully the end results will be better.
Good Luck...
Kate
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I agree with Kate...take care of YOU BELLEEAST. Right now our whole time and energy are to get rid of this cancer and take care of US. We are #1 right now.. If he does not understand than he may not be right for you. Do what you think is best.
The SE's have begun from Wed's chemo...I get sore on the 4 sides of my neck which kinda feels like swollen glands and hurts a little to turn the head or swallow. Mo says not to worry as long as no fever. The trunk legs have begun too---feel like tree logs to move--only way to describe it for me ..not sure if neulasta shot yesterday or taxol?? Taking claritin once a day and ibuprophen round the clock to hopefully avoid the full effect of that bone pain. At least I am not nauseated
25% done woohoo!Maggie
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thanks,kate. i'm a people pleaser,too. have been most of my life, the past couple of years i've learned to stop and think,do i really want to do this or am i trying to please someone. but it is so easy to slip back into old habits. which is why i find myself in this predictament,my sister set us up,when i told her i was going to tell him i can't see him anymore. she said oh no, he's going to have a heart attack,can't you just say he can only call you. i said,no it's too much stress having to deal with him.
you are right i am going with my gut, i don't need the extra pressure of a relationship right now. i'm like you that first wk all i want to do is hibernate,well besides dealing with the nausea and vomiting etc. unless you're going thru it,people don't understand.
also,i woke this am dreaming my hair was in a ponytail and someone was pulling it.lol the back of my head still hurts from it. lol
i'm also having a lot of joint pain today-my knees and hips esp.i'm 10 days out from treatment anyone else have this? i have this pain too up under my left rib,any ideas what it is?
my next treatment is tues 11th, i'll be glad to get it under my belt but at the same time dreading it!
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Thanks Robo...guess what? I got weighed today and LOST two pounds...too bad it was all hair:)
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hey kimberly, i love braunsweiger,a little mustard on a ritz cracker mmmm. dang, now i'm going to be craving it. i better resist,thank goodness i can't go to the store! lol
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Thanks everyone... Feeling a bit better but I think it's just cause I am not coughing as much. The pain in my neck and shoulder is still hanging on but I am hoping that the antibiotcs kick in and and that slows down. I forgot to mention that I went out without hair for the first time. Did not even want to put on the wig and just put a bandanna on my head. I was amazing that I really did not even care when I was out. I did notice that everyone at Urgent Care and the Pharmacy were REALLY nice, like scary nice, to me. Oh well...there has to be some perks for going through all this! Stay strong !!!!
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belleeast, Okay, so I'll agree you need to take care of yourself and put yourself first by all means, but do you like this guy? Is he going to stand by you during this (forgetting the fact he doesn't get the immune system stuff)? My take is that he is a NORMAL guy who doesn't think first or even think about others at times He's probably thinking... I like belle and I want to have some fun... what a bummer she doesn't want to go out... I'm kinda antsy and have things I'd like to do... I want to do then with her so WTH... she should come with me.
See, I don't even have a set of balls on me, but I do know how guys think (unfortunately). If you really do like him, you may need to write it in a note and then leave it be. Sometimes guys can't comprehend what is being said to them. All they hear is blah, blah, blah most of the time.
The fact that he is talking to your sister to get things off his chest is interesting. If he's close enough to you that he can chat with your sis... well, that kinda says something. Don't get yourself all pissy because, had he not spoke to her, you wouldn't even know and why the hell is she passing this information to you???? How about someone confides in you and it goes in one ear and then just gets stuck in your head... done deal.
Again... "he is a nice guy, i like him" that is a plus, but once again "he told my sister he couldn't believe my dr said i couldn't be around crowds." I say WHAT???? as in why is your sister sharing this with you. It sounds like she is a bit insensitive. Don't get me wrong... I'm sure she is looking out for your best interests, but why is she telling you stuff you already know? If you rent movies with him or take hikes/walks, etc. this chemo shit will all be over soon and you'll be digging having a guy there.
Okay off my shrink soapbox. Good luck in whatever decision you make.
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rochym,thanks for the input, he has been friends with my sister and her husband for years thats why he told her that. she had mentioned he said he was going to try to talk me into going this weekend with her not knowing i had already told him the dr said i couldn't be out. when i got upset she tried to make the excuses for him telling me he just couldn't believe a dr would say that,didn't quite appease me like she thought it would! lol
i just don't know,i've been thinking about this for the last couple wks, he has a few other quirks i don't like. truthfully ,if it wasn't for my sister and her husband the relationship probably wouldn't have lasted this long. i'll wait and talk to him in person after my next treatment.
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Yesterday I placed the order my full wig. I went with my friend who decided she wanted a wig too. She bought a long, sexy gorgeous one. Normally, she has a very short style so her hubby was pleasantly surprised. It's funny, but we are about the same size and even look a bit alike, but her wig looked rockin on her and when I tried it, it was like a coat on me. Good thing since I'll be sporting my locks with a lighter style and with red and blonde streaks!
So, last night was the night. Whisky in hand, I wet my hands and kept wiping until the hair was almost gone. I felt like I was in total control. My husband was kinda excited and I let him use his beard trimmer to buzz a few hairs. He wasn't gentle enough so my daughter (9 year old) offered to help get the back and sides. She did such an excellent job! I feel like I'm teaching her how to handle the tough things in life with pride and a smile.
It's amazing, but I've never really looked at my face that much with all the long locks I've had for so many years. I have to say (without be conceded) that I liked what I saw. I think I've been hiding behind my hair and now that I'm exposed (literally), I am pleased with my ears (my dad always had a thing for well placed ears :-)) and the shape of my face. I have blue eyes and they really stand out without all that hair. Okay, the Jack Daniels had me seeing everything in a new light. Chemo #2 isn't until Monday so I'm enjoying the buzz (or should I say both buzzes) both last night and tonight!
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