Is There A September 2011 Chemo Group?

hi all, i wonder if the taxol  causes the lack of taste, i am on a/c right now and still have my tastebuds, just not much of an appetite!

nausea and vomiting have been less this go round, i think adding emend to the premeds helped!

rae,you haven't offended anyone,if you get steroids in your premeds or take them by mouth maybe your mo can tweak them. altho maybe it is all just part of the emotional rollercoaster we are on!

I think the Emend has been key to my feeling okay. They give it to me the day of my AC and then I take it for the next two days following chemo.  I feel really good those two days following chemo. Once the emend stops I slow down alot but still no nausea. 

And one more thing...  Why the heck is it that I can't taste anything, but my sense of smell is the highest it's been in my life!

I always thought our taste and smell were connected.  My kids know not to breath near me in the morning since even the slightest of morning breath can take me down.  The other day I was talking to a lady and I said, "Do you smell that?  Something is awful around here."  It took me a few moments to realize that as she spoke a little closer to me it was HER!  I'm sure her breath probably wasn't anywhere as bad as I was perceiving, but boy did I have to keep a straight face knowing that it was her I asked and her I smelt ;-).

ccjj - My SE on taxol have been relatively mild.  I don't get the shots and I have very mild neuropathy.  Mostly my hands just feel a little numb.  I just feel a little bit less coordinated and I have trouble opening jars.  My eyes also twitch which is very annoying. My hair is weird - it was falling out like an avalance about 2-3 weeks out and then it stopped.   I am left with just the gray hair on my fuzzy head. I think the sparse gray hairs are actually getting a bit longer but I don't see any regrowth of the other hair.  I still have leg hair etc but it is much thinner.  I still have eyelashes and most of my eyebrows although both are thinner.  My nails haven't really changed but I have always had soft nails.

My best tip about the weekly taxol is that you just get into a routine.  My SEs have been relatively mild - nose bleeds, a little dizziness and nausea.  I am starting to get hit by fatigue in the last round but I am managing.  So far, I just expect a few days of feeling kinda crummy followed by 2-3 days of feeling better and then I start over.  I take my nausea medicine like clockwork whether I am nauseous or not.  That seems to work for me. Hope this helps!

Rocky - I wondered the same thing about the smell/taste thing.

Rae - I don't think they change your chemo dosage unless your body weight changes by 10%.  If you have lost that much (sounds like you might have), maybe you should speak to them about it.  Of course Rocky is the exception here.  I think she said they increased hers.  I sure never heard of that because I thought they gave you the maximum dose and then backed off on it a little if you got too sick.

Maggie - I like the tip of tying the scarf with a scrunchie in the back.  I have a fair amount of leftover scrap fabric from a quilt making project.  I have to dig through that bin.

Belle - Hmmn, those teeth sound downright dangerous to YOUR health, never mind his.  I see your point totally.

I bet everyone has already figured out there last chemo date besides me.  I just charted the calendar today to see if I would be sick on Thanksgiving.  I then realized my LAST chemo will be the week before, so my tastebuds should be back.  White cell count will probably also be at its nadir, which is not so good but still a lot to be thankful for this year come Thanksgiving.  I hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in the background already.  Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

Or maybe just a flash mob, see below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXh7JR9oKVE

Shawna- The patchy stage was the worst. My husband finally got sick of my mood and sat me down in a chair and took his clippers to my head. It really felt liberating to have it all off. I felt way less gross and after a few days was able to embrace the new look and go hatless in my house. Whether you choose to clip it or let if fall out on its own it will get better. Hang in there. 

Kimberly- Glad to hear you will be able to truly enjoy Thanksgiving this year. My celebration will be New Years Last Chemo will be Dec. 29th! Do something fabulous to celebrate the end you deserve it!

CCJJ- Emend was my lifesaver as well. I was able to have no vomitting post #2 with the addition of Emend. I did have extreme fatigue starting day 3 and lasting 3 days. 

I have been experiencing sharp shooting pain in the armpit of my surgical breast. I had a lumpectomy with 11 nodes removed. I understand that this could be nerve pain or lymphdemia. Today the pain seemed persistent in one spot just above the senile node scar. It is hard to not imagine the worst happening in there. The Onc. checks my breasts at each appointment and she told me at last appointment that what I was feeling in the breast was scar tissue. I wonder if I will ever be able to feel a pain an not go into panic mode.

I also have had a nasty cough which I contribute to a cold I contracted from my little son (JK results in lots of germs) after my first treatment in Sept. It seems just as it starts to clear up it comes back. Is anyone experiencing a cough as a SE of treatment. I have had the cough a varying levels of intensity for over a month. It is really starting to send me insane. 

The hot flashes seemed to of subsided this week. Last week they were intense it should have been my cycle week. Hopefully not a permanent side effect. Not that I miss the period but I am not sure I am ready for the post menopause side effects either. 

Had a long conversation with my husband about potentially booking that Disney trip. I think we are going to go for it. I love the idea of something to look forward too. Plus my kids deserve the trip after what is going to be a very long winter. 

Hi everyone...been either running or having pity party last several days. Reeaaalllly sorry to hear about all the struggles with SE's getting worse. Go for my second tomorrow and am totally dreading it. Already can't taste anything, have no hair, have to drink nasty mouth and intestine treatment daily and hurt in all my joints...just don't want to deal with any more.  Am glad to hear thought that some are not having bad SE's the second or third time around. 

Shawna: great restraint!! Would totally have wanted to do the same.

Kimberly: Flash mob sounds like a fun way to celebrate

Belle: Tough spot and hard when they just don't get it.

My last Chemo is January 10th...bummed that the holidays will all be affected this year. Wish I could start the new year done with all this, but I'll find something to celebrate in the new year. Sorry...being a downer, just really dreading this super long road. 

lee ann, praying your se are a lot less this time. i dreaded my 2nd,too. but my side effects were less, less vomiting and nausea. be sure to tell your mo about your se, there is no reason to suffer so, hopefully the mo can help!

Pinkshirtnow... thank you for the info on weekly taxol SE. The neuropathy issue is kinda scary to me, but so it goes.

Interesting on the hair situation.  I am also at that patchy stage. It doesn't really seem to be falling out much anymore. Its cut super short so not really bothering me, but I thought it would all go on its own. Now I'm curious to see what happens to it. Weird.  Still only comfortable in wigs and hats in public. The patchy look with acne on my scalp is not helping the self confidence much these days. Although that seems to be clearing up. 

SCPMadi... so glad your booking your trip.  I think I am booking this week.  Its just so expensive that I am having problems pulling the trigger, but I know I will. It really will be nice to have it to look forward to. Kids will love it.

So happy for all of you that will be done by the holidays!  I would love that. End of Jan for me. We will all be done soon and hopefully able to give support to those on the "starting chemo in Dec" board.

RJ - Are you in the emergency room from too much chili?  What up sister?

Zit on the nose.  Zit in the armpit.  3 zits on the undewear line.  Zits on the scalp.  Zits on the back.  Good lord please I am 50 years old.  This is not right. I shouldn't have to slather Clearasil at my age.  I find it ridiculous.

My total lack of ability to kick this head cold is driving me nuts. I woke up this morning feeling yet again fully congested and coughing like crazy. I am stocking up on Vit. C and rest for the next couple days and hoping be gone by round 3.

Kimberly-I too have started to develop little red pimples on my head. I am assumeing it is from the hat friction. I started washing my bald head with Head and Shoulders it seems to have helped a bit. Selson Blue also has some anti acne ingredients in it.

At least the sun is shining and it is a absoulty beautiful, perfect fall day today. Got stop to enjoy the little things!

Take Care

Hi everyone -- I know I haven't been posting very much lately, but I am still reading along. 

My third TC treatment was supposed to be today, but my MO postponed it a week due to all the problems I had from the second.  Plus he's going to reduce the dosage of both drugs by 20%.  He just kept shaking his head, saying "You are having all the rarest side effects for these drugs!"  To which ... what am I supposed to say?  "Sorry for being so special?"  Believe me, I never wanted them.  Plus he put me on another antibiotic for the nasty-smelling/tasting sinus problem I developed this time (I told him the drugs were affecting my sinuses the first time, and he just chuckled and pretty much said that was impossible).

 Okay, will stop ranting now.

Anyway.  I'm just glad for the reduction -- I think it will really help.

hi bluejay, so sorry you have had a rough time, vent away,rant away. we don't mind,all of us do it sometimes this is the only place we really can.  i hate it when drs dismiss our concerns,we know our bodies not them.

i hope the antibiotics help and the reduction does too!

Thank you, belleeast!  I have felt before that my MO didn't really want to hear about SEs that were not among the most common, and it was terribly frustrating.  So finally I took a little green notebook that the Audubon Society had sent me for a donation (*g*) and started writing down the side effects as they occurred.   I should have been doing this from the beginning, but it's never too late to start.  It gave me a base and helped to remind me of problems to report.  A simple thing, but it made a difference.

*hugs* and