October 2011 Chemo group

I think I might be leading the pack since I started 9/28 so hopefully I can help you guys with what's coming - especially the ones on the same regimen.  I'm doing A/C 4 cycles, every other week and then Taxol 4 cycles every other week.  Today (day 14) I woke up and my hair is starting to come out - just groups of strands when I comb it, or run my fingers through it.  Hair on other parts of my body are also starting to fall out...my 2nd tx of A/C was this afternoon.  I feel fine except for groggy from the one pill they give me for anxiety and nasuea.  Each treatment lasts about 90 minutes.  I do not eat there - for some reason I don't feel like I have an appetite in that room.  I do bring all the catalogs that come to my house - I save them and won't look at them until then.  I'm thinking I'll get lots of Christmas shopping done during chemo!  I've yet to see if they have wireless - good call!  I'll have to check that out.  Take care everyone!

I'm getting my hair shaved off on Saturday morning and hopefully my hairdresser can help shape my wigs.  2 of my girlfriends are coming with me...I've got to get to a place where I feel good enough (looking) to go to work.  I just don't want to be "the sick person" and I'm worried that the wig look is going to make me look phony or sick. 

thats MJ for the positive words tonight....

I am starting AC and T on the 18th...and I so needed to hear positive.

I am planning to go back to work on the 24th and I hope I wont have to talk about my illness to much...everyone has been so nice at work and I know they are concerned....but I just want to be positive so I dont break down at work.

Carla9112 Keep smiling, I took the plunge about 6 weeks ago and shaved my head also, I have 1 little tuff on the top of my head that would NO fall out so I look like Lil from the rugrats haha... I had 22+ inches taken off but its only hair and it will grow back :-) BALD IS BEAUTIFUL !!!!!!!!  

cfdr : I know the feeling of feeling like a slug, Just started herceptin Thursday and docitaxil friday, had my neulasta saturday and OMG the pain........ I feel like i was hit by a BUS, shoulders, hips, knees ankles, sheesh even my toes hurt.... Arghhhhh Did not ever pass out though, came close once but was taken to emerg and admitted I was Neutrapenic my white count was really low so admitted for 8 days until it came back up, and felt much better..... This new round of meds is Horrid but only 2 left then Im DONE.... Well done the med part, then its a mast and radiation for 5 weeks.... Hope thats nothing like these wonderful BUS hitting drugs we are being given.... Oh and before I forget Liver ultrasound came back Clear, and enzymes are back to normal.... :-)

Hi everyone, 

I had BC 8-1/2 years ago with a mastectomy, CMF chemo, tamoxifen x5 years, and a year of Femara, which I quit with my oncologist's blessings due to side effects.  I discovered a lump in August on the same side as my mastectomy.  I had a needle biopsy which diagnosed a recurrence, a lumpectomy with axillary node dissection (17 nodes removed) b/c they weren't able to do another sentinal node biopsy due to my previous surgery.  My margins were clear and my lymph nodes were clear.  Thank God!  I'm going to be starting AC on October 26th, 4 rounds every 3 weeks, then starting Taxol & Herceptin with radiation.  I'll be getting a port before chemo starts.  I let you know how it goes.  :-) 

Hi, everyone. I haven't posted for at least a week, but have been reading your posts. I was also following the T/C September 2011 group, because that is my chemo regimen, and I wanted to know what to expect from the ladies ahead of me. 

I had my first T/C on Oct. 5, and am now 9 days out and feeling human again. I didn't have most of the side effects I was afraid of, until days 6 and 7 when I had severe back and hip pain, I'm guessing from the Neulasta shot.  Although when I woke up on day 8 and felt good, I realized that I felt crappy the whole first week, kind of flu-like. My digestive issues have been pretty mild, and I attribute that to my taking a good probiotic supplement for at least two years, and eating yogurt almost daily. Or, I'm just lucky!

The ladies on T/C say the hair falls out usually on day 17, so that's a week away. I have a cute wig, very light weight and not "wiggy" looking, and my friends say it's cute. When I look in the mirror I'm very critical, so I think I'll trust my friends' opinions rather than my own. I'm more worried about comfort, so I know I'll be wearing scarves most of the time.  I went today to renew my drivers license which expires in 6 weeks, so I would still have my hair in the picture!! I will have my hairdresser friend cut it now to about an inch. I'm very excited about armpit and leg hair going away, that's the only good thing about this.

I notice a lot of you gals are HER2+, does this determine your type of chemo?

I got a port the day before my first chemo, and it's great - I didn't feel a thing when they used it.

Thanks everyone for all your sharing and encouragement!    Barb 

Day 7 here for me, and feeling halfway human again. Actually got some work, cooking, cleaning and walking done today. Days 2-3 were fine for me; #4 was OK until late in the day; 5-6 were totally yucko. Oddly enough, day 7 is when mouth sores supposedly start, yet I found my mouth got yucky immediately, and now it's actually feeling a lot better. The saline rinses really do help. I'm also doing an alcohol-free mouthwash at night (ACT is the brand) that my dentist recommended.

This is also supposed to start the low point for white blood cells, so I'm staying in all weekend. Fortunate that I work at home and have an indulgent husband! He goes out for a beer a couple times a week to keep himself sane. He's very social so it's tough for him to have me being such a homebody.

 I didn't have a lot of diarrhea, but what I had was enough to make things a bit irritated down there...TMI, I know, but if it helps someone else I figure it's worth sharing. I got some witchhazel pads that helped a lot. Start of the next cycle I'm getting some Tucks medicated pads, and spending the big bucks on Charmin.

Taking a deep breath at the realization that the worst of it is (hopefully!) done for this cycle. We can do this! Hang in there!

When I was first diagnosed, I found this site and read and read and read. It helped so much (and also made me a nervous wreck) I started my tx 9/22, first round 4 times every other week (A/CL)  and then I get to start Taxol every week for 12 weeks.  Have had two sessions so far; there are some things that seem to be going well (no mouth sores, yay!) and others not as well as I had hoped (nausea on days 4 and 5 is exhausting). Am also having to inject myself with Neupogen shots for a week after treatments and the bone pain I have had a few times is the most unbelievable pain I have ever had. And who thought that after all the surgery and poking and prodding that the thing I hate the most is giving myself a shot? My poor husband has had to help because I just can't find the courage to do it myself any longer (actually after the second one, I wimped out pretty quickly).

While this is a club no one wants to be invited to, I am glad you are here.  It has normalized this whole process for me and made me feel less alone. I have the best support system anyone could ask for from family and friends but at the end of the day, no one but someone who is experiencing this can truly understand what it feels like, both physically and emotionally. I thought I was completely prepared for the hair loss, had hats and wigs all ready, but the first time clumps of hair started to come out in the shower I was devastated. I feel better now that a few days have passed and people have not responded strangely to the wig which made me feel better.

I admire each and every one of you!  Just remember to breath!

Has anyone had CMF?  I'm starting Monday, in New York.  Onco promised it's chemo-lite, very mild side effects.  But i'll be flying in and out and I'm really worried.  My onco score was 14 and all of the drs in Chicago tell me to skip chemo.  Just the one dr in New York, at Sloan, said i should have it as she found the micro mets and lymph invasion.  Everyone in chicago seems to do TC but Sloan dr thinks it's too harsh for me.  Help!  I'm going crazy trying to figure out the right thing to do.  The hospital social worker said I'd be fine flying in and out but what if i get sick in chicago?  I have little faith in the hospital here since they missed the micromets and the invasion.  How can i count on them to find any other problem?

Good Morning All,

Welcome to our new members! So sorry you have to join us!

I am out of the hospital and feel very good this morning! The doctors are not sure why my counts dropped so low this first time. They are going to put me on a preventative antibiotic next time around day 5 so I hopefully can avoid the hospital next time.

Now I start hair watch. If I am like most of you it should start dropping in 5 or 6 days.  

Hi ladies, thought I'd pop in and say hello.  I finished chemo 5 weeks ago and i know the road seems long but it is all doable.  Feel free to PM me with questions I'm here for you sisters.  Suggestions for those just starting.  Ice your feet and hands during Taxol/Taxotere, helps with the neropathy.  Also I didn't loose my eyelashes or eyebrows because I applied latisse every night.  They are coming back in full force this week.  If you can, walk a little every day, and drink more water than humanly possible.  I was adding some organic blueberry juice to my water to give it some flavor and also add  nutrients.  #3 is the worst, it wiped out most in my group, just be prepared.  I know there's a ton of info out there so ask as many questions as you can.  There is no dumb questions. 

Keep being beautiful strong women

Where do you get Latisse?  What is it?  So glad you dropped by to give us more info.  All info helps!  I don't understand the drugs.  Is T taxel or docetaxel?  What is A/C?  Cytoxen?  Guess I'll pick up meds today to start taking on Monday before chemo on Tues.  It's kind of my understanding they are giving me all this poison to hopefully kill the cancer before it kills me. 

Wow.  My neice told me to believe in magic and I could get through anything.  I just got a beaufitul sparkly tiara & scepter (like a princess) from UPS from my neice!  Isn't that wonderful!"  Can I still be a princess at 63?  People have been wonderful.  I feel so blessed.

Hi everyone - Day 14 for me too and feeling pretty normal now.  I'm going to the LSU-UT football game tomorrow - I sure hope I make it.  I promised my daughter.  It's parents weekend for her sorority and me, her dad and brother are going.  I hope we have fun and I don't pass out in the "nose bleed" section seats we ended up with.  I more worried about my wig blowing off up there - I'm sure it's windy!!  Oh well, I am DETERMINED to make it a fun day.  We never get together and since I got sick I started thinking I wanted to do more with them.  My ex-husband has been wonderful throughout all of the cancer "stuff".  It's almost as if we're still together.  I guess when you have kids together there is always a special bond, plus 20 years of marriage.

I have one more week before next treatment and I'm doing better emotionally.  I hate to have all of that crap pumped in me again but what are we going to do.  I plan on beating this thing and to do that I need the poison to kill the cancer.  Just have to stay wrong.

 I'm so happy to hear that the ones that were in the hospital are back home.  I sure hope you're feeling great really soon.  Meanwhile,I hope the rest of you have a fantastic weekend!!

Hugs and prayers for all of you!