Is There A September 2011 Chemo Group?

Hey everyone been keeping up with you just have not had the energy to even reply.

Rj: great news about Colby what an answer to prayers.

I have questions I don't know if I am being whiny or if this is typical. I had THC number 4 8 days ago. I have deteriorated to the point that if I walk across the house I have to rest. My hands and feet are numb and tingly. I can't even fold more than a few pieces of laundry without tiring. I literally can do almost nothing except sit or lay around. I can't taste a thing and my mouth may as well be a pool that is constantly filling with large amounts of saliva so I am constantly swallowing. I feel like by day 8 I should be improving and I am not I am most concerned about how debilitated I have become to loss of breath from smallest exertion. Is anyone else having this is this what happens by round 4? I don't want to complain if this is normal but I have no idea what that is even supposed to look like.

Kimberly: you still have your humor which makes me smile.

For Rae and Kimberly...I finished round 4 of TC x 4 2 weeks ago.  I too get short of breath from any exertion, my ankles are swollen, my eyes and nose are running constantly.  MO and nurse both said the effects are cumulative and that I am not experiencing anything unusual.  Can't wait to feel better, the fatigue is really  hard to deal with.  And to top it all off, my eyebrows are thinning and I was told I should be able to hold onto them.  I am grateful to be finished but a little impatient with the progress of feeling better. 

You all have been such a huge help.  Although I don't post much, I do read all of them and am awed and inspired by the strength, courage, resiliency, and love shown here.

Here's the link regarding Herceptin. 

http://www.herceptin.com/hcp/treatment/adjuvant/dosing.html

Ha, I guess I really miss RJ.  Last night I dreamt I met her.  I was in a grocery store.  There was a woman in line in front of me at the customer service counter who was wearing a dress and had this tattoo on the back of her ankle.  Somehow the tatto tipped me off it was her.  I said "You're RJ, aren't you?"  She said "I'm not RJ.  I don't know who this RJ is and why people keep asking me that." But I felt it was RJ.  CRAZY dream, I know.

It looks like the average dose for Taxotere is between 75mg and 100mg and the average for Cytoxen is 500mg based on the regime of TACx6.  I still can't find any more details, but I plan to keep looking.  As for anyone else with crappy SEs, we are suppose to be feeling the meds and of course it shouldn't be a walk in the park, but nothing should feel so extreme as to concern any of us that something will become permanent.

Thanks for all the support and advice. Honestly feel like I know you all in person this group is such a comfort.

CJRT- loved reading the words "give my body a break" that sounds so wonderful right about now. I am seeing my onc tomorrow so see what he thinks. I have 2 more rounds.

Kelliregi: thanks for the link and actually have worried about the heart issues. Have had one MUGA and everything looked great that was before the toxic dump started.

Shelly: glad you finished and hope your SEs go away quickly. After we are all done and well we all need to post our healthy pictures.

Kimberly: your dream story reminded me I had a friend text me and say, I dreamed about you last night and you had long flowing hair. Next text a few minutes later, oh I am sorry I hope I didn't offend you by mentioning hair. I texted back, anytime that someone sees me with hair even in a dream that is a good thing and long and flowing well that is even better.

I avoid mirrors I am starting to look like one of those dried apple head dolls. I figure it's a good season to be an apple head doll sit me on a shelf or a bench I can't move, coloring is sort of washed out, mouth all puckered and dried, clothes look all wrinkled lack of care, and have this sort of goofy

look on my face.

Let's talk food now for those of you with nausea stop here. After chemo I can eat nothing then last time all I craved was French fries. Now it's quiche, soup, some salad. Of course nothing tastes as good as it looks but does anyone have anything fabulous they love?

sarah, so cute!!!

happy birthday,rj!

hang in there,rae!

rockym,got no idea.

hope everyone gets to feeling better, i'll be reading but probably not posting for a few days.

next treatment is taxol on the 22nd, hopefully you won't have the SE i've been having as bad anyway. i'm sure you'll get to vegas, the first week after treatment is the worse, 2nd wk feel a lot better except for the 3rd treatment it was off and on rough the 2nd wk. then it was time for the 4th, we'll see how this goes but i would think after 3 wks you will be fine.

i am dreading the taxol,the unknown so to speak! did you have stomach issues with it?

do you like your gaila, which one did u get? mine is so comfy!

Rae- Just a quick note since I realize that I mentioned this in an earlier posting but not in the most recent to you- I had a recent MRI that showed no sign of malignancy before my oncologist recommended the Herceptin-only infusion as the "break." If this hadn't been the case, she mentioned splitting up the regimen to be Carbo alone followed by T+H because the side effects would be less than all 3 administered together. As for my "break," I will be having my surgery. Sad that surgery is seen as a break! Hopefully tomorrow when you share how badly you have been feeling, your oncologist can figure out how to make the last two rounds more bearable. Hoping for a solution for you..

Belle...the first taxol I woke the next day with bad tummy pain...no nausea..and had some constipation for a couple of days.  The next time I took senna when I got home and in the morning and did not have any trouble.  I have had heartburn so I just took prilosec 1 a day.  I am going to Vegas for a franchise confernece for the Kid's store I own.  We are getting an award for having one of the highest percentage increases over last yrs sales. Won the same award last yr.  We moved to a large location in May and are doing really well!  Good timing as my husband is in construction and his work is non existant.  My son has taken over the helm while I am out...have not worked since diagnosis.  Too much yucky stuff in there and sick kiddos.  I really miss it.  Really excited to get that award with all that has happened this year!

Maggie

Good afternoon ladies.

Hope you all let us know how things are going with the Lysteda, accupuncture, MO appointment, echo results, surgical decisions.

Maggie, boy do we all understand how hard mirrors are these days.  I think it's harder to take the baldness and booblessness on top of the fatigue and SE from chemo.  I agree that distractions of getting out and having a good laugh with someone you care about are the best remedy to get us through this. 

SCPMadi - Thanks for sending picture.  Your son and daughter are still at such a cute age.  Don't be afraid to send pictures that are a little larger though.  My eyes are getting worse and worse and it's hard for me to get any detail on the small pictures. Eyes are watery, vision blurry, and the left eye now has a twitch, sometimes.  I'm sure I'm not the only one.

RJ - LeeAnn has been kind enough to send instructions on how to post pics to people on this thread.  Maybe someone who has already received instructions from her could do a copy and paste off their PM and get the instructions to you.  It's lucky I don't have a digital camera or phone that takes pictures or you'd be seeing pictures of my feet and ankles every day, hey girls, can you believe this?  I'd be taking pictures of the 1-inch indent at high ankle/mid-calf sock line that I saw yesterday after I took my socks off.  Don't wear socks often, working from home, and the size of that indent was freaky. I have to give in and get some Jobst stockings.

Hi all, I'm here, just not posting as much because I have decided that being unconscious from drugs beats nausea, pain and moving in general. This TAC round has just been really tough and I hate to just complain. I hear that old..."if you don't have something nice to say then don't say anything at all"...phrase going in my head. 

RJ: Instructions sent...so happy to hear about Colby's progress. My prayers continue to go out for a miraculous healing for him. 

SCPMadi: So cute! Such a fun age! 

Kimberly: The eye thing started for me today! What in the world!? Had to chuckle at the idea of pics you would post, but am really sorry to hear about any crappy SE's...uggh

Maggie: Congrats on your award! Now you'll have even more to celebrate with the end of chemo and your award coming so close together...I hope you will whoop it up like crazy!!! You deserve it!

CJRT: surgery doesn't sound like much of a break...how are you doing? I know your little ones are much younger than mine and imagine it must be tough to keep up with them. I know the surgery options and all have been on your mind and hope you are doing well.

RAE: I literally can't taste anything anymore! It has been 4 days since my last chemo and the last little bit of things I could taste...I can't anymore. 

OK...sorry...I am a little cranky...the aleve/claritin isn't doing anything this time around for the bone and muscle pain, my head is a big fog, my vision is blurry, and my stomach feels like its full of mud....I obviously need to go back to sleep. I was thinking...ok...after these side effects I'm half way there but now...half way seems really far away from where I want to be Sorry....I hate to be such a downer  

HI Everyone!  Been out of it a bit out of it.  Felt really yucky after my AC infusion a couple of weeks ago and just started to feel really bad for myself. Been reading but no energy to post.  Took me a while to come out of that then I got really nervous for my first Taxol.  The infusion was yesterday and it has so far been a walk in the park compared to the AC.  I am having some stomach issues but at least my head does not feel like it is in a vice all the time.  I am just hoping the pain part does not get too bad but if I can get through this with only pain and no nausea and massive headaches I will be okay. Only 3 left to go!  So excited to be done by X-mas and then will have a break before Rads. Hope you all are doing okay this weekend!

ccjj- I have finished 10 of my 12 weekly taxols.  It hasn't been too bad - the fatigue is the worst part but not debilitating. I have very little sense of taste, heartburn (prilosec works), minor nosebleeds, constipation (senna works) and a bit of eye twitching.  I actually think the weekly taxol sounds easier than having it every few weeks.  I think the dosage is less but just more constant.  I usually feel a bit crummy for the first 2 days, then I crash from the steroids on day 3 and sleep most of the day.  After that, things get better and I feel pretty good until the next treatment. And, yes, I still have eyebrows and even eyelashes.  The carboplatin weeks (every 3rd week) are the roughest weeks for the fatigue.  I also get a little weepy on carboplatin weeks.  I actually haven't had the AC yet - that is coming up next.  My friend who is also going through treatment had AC followed by weekly taxol and she said the taxol was much easier on her.  She worked the whole time but did not have carboplatin. I know everyone is different but I hope you will find the weekly taxol tolerable enough to go back to work.