January 2012 chemo

Have to admit, today has been my hardest day so far... Went Wig shopping with my sister and friend and I just lost it when the "wig lady" put that first wig on me. It was so hard. It all became real. I'm so angry and sad right now.

I'm so pissed off that I went for annual mammograms since 32 and in all likelihood had that damn ILC through my last one or two mammograms, I could scream! Why do Drs not have patients with dense breast get MRI's instead of mammograms?!?!?! Even if my insurance wouldn't cover it (who knows) I would have gladly paid for it myself if it was suggested!!!! So angry right now. I want to go on CNN and tell every woman that if their doctors mentions to them that they have dense breast, demand an MRI! Mammograms are not enough...

Hello all, this is my first time posting here. I have spent the last hour or so reading through and was so relieved to find this thread for those of us who will be starting the chemo journey soon. I found out yesterday that I will be starting TC on 1/9 and I don't know one person who has been through any of this. I have the most amazing support system with my family and friends, but it just isn't quite the same as hearing from, and sharing with, those of you who might be going through the exact same overwhelming, head spinning ride as I am right now. I had 24 lymph nodes removed last week and am still working on recovering from that, so it is hard to even start thinking about preparing for chemo. It is so helpful to come here and find such great information on what I might expect once it starts.

I hope that we are all able to somehow find a little bit of calm and relaxation over the holidays before we start this next part of treatment.

 Lisa

Nancy - It seems that just as you are getting used to this mess, something new gets added or changed.  I feel your pain!  Back in Sept I walked out of my BS office all upset because I was looking at a lumpectomy with no chemo and probably no radiation.  Each week brought a new test and surgery plan.  By Nov I was looking at BMX/DIEP plus AND, followed by chemo and radiation.  How did that happen?    Stop this ride!  I want to get off!

I'm surprised that your onco wants you to wait a week after the port gets placed.  While I think that it makes sense, it seems that many get the port placed one day and start chemo the next.  My mo suggested that I could have the port placed on the same day!  I think I'm going to try to get it done next week. I go for chemo education tomorrow.

I was surprised when the doctor told me I had to wait a week to start treatment.  Perhaps it has to do with the drugs being delivered? 

Janet, I'm so sorry to hear that things changed so dramatically for you, but thank you for sharing your story.

I admit I was a hot mess when the doctor called - but now a few hours (and a Valium) later, I'm just plain pissed.  She called me and gave me this information over the phone, changing my treatment plan like she was changing the channel, and then happily (I mean, I could hear the smile on her face) suggested I was the "perfect" candidate for a clinical trial that would "change the lives of breast cancer patients to come."  HOW do you say no to something like that? 

I'm sorry for venting.  I will stop now.  The merry-go-round is just a ride, and while I want to get off I'm kinda stuck here until the ride slows down.  Of course I'm stuck on the ugly horse, too, so I'm not having a lot of fun.  But that's okay - I'm not alone, and that's incredibly helpful right now.  Thanks for listening!

I had my Gated Cardiac Heart Poll Scan this morning to see if my left ventricular ejection fraction is good enough to stand Herceptin. They are sending the report straight to the onc but I "chatted them up" and managed to see the scan and be told that it looked good and my LVEF will probably come out around the mid-60's which is great!



Now nothing in the schedule until "chemo school" on the 3rd, port placement on the 11th and first FEC and Herceptin and denosumab (and all the anti-emetics etc etc etc) on the 12th. The thought is still making me sick to the stomach - so scary and like many of you this has happened so fast. Diagnosed on 1st Dec, wide local excision and SNB on the 9th etc.



regards Jenn

I had "chemo education" today and took a quick tour of the infusion center.  Looks pretty comfortable.  I also spoke to a few of the chemo nurses and had them look at my veins. Based on their observations, I think I will have a port placed.  My veins are deep and not too big.  So, I will be scheduled to have the port installed on the morning of my first infusion (1/6/12).

I was given a calendar with each infusion marked and all meds entered on the days they need to be taken.  If all goes well, my treatments end on April 13th (which is a Friday).

bdavis - thanks soooo much for your encouraging post. I meet with my MO for the first time on 1/4. Gotta admit -- I'm really, really nervous about chemo, especially the port. I'm a big baby. I hate, hate, hate needles - I have to lie down when I give blood so I don't pass out. The thought of a port completely skeeves me. I keep telling myself that I'll be able to handle the chemo because other than this stupid cancer, I'm healthy...I need to lose about 20 pounds, but other than that, I don't have any underlying health issue. Then I read all about the SE and get freaked. Your post was just what I needed!! So, this Jersey Girl thanks you!

Hello everyone...this is my first post here on this thread as I am scheduled to begin chemo in January 2012. I have my port placement January 4 and my education/nurse visit on January 6. The only thing that might postpone the chemo would be more surgery. I had a follow-up mammogram on Dec 15 and a small calcification was found at the lumpectomy area and this prompted another stereotactically guided biopsy that was done yesterday. I hope to have those results on this upcoming Tuesday/Wednesday after Christmas. If that's fine, then I'll move forward with port placement/chemo. I'm not sure yet of the drug combinations that will be used but it's my understanding that I will have 8 treatments along with herceptin.

I am very nervous about the hair loss and the feeling of fatigue that might come. I'm in sales and have a fairly rigorous daily travel schedule and I am the face of my company when with customers. I hope the hair loss isn't a distraction when I'm making my sales presentations. I also hope I can keep up the pace.

I know we are all in the same mess with similar and sometimes completely different but valid fears/concerns. Best of luck to everyone.

Hello and welcome NCbeachgal!

Hopefully you can enjoy the next few days and worry about this whole chemo thing next year .

Also, hopefully no new surgery is in order.  Enough is enough already! Iwill keep my fingers and toes crossed for you.

Janet

Happy Holidays everyone. It's nice to have a little break from doctors for a week or two. My power port was inserted in my left upper arm on wednesday. Thursday and Friday the site was very tender and there was no way to position my arm for pain relief. This morning when I woke up there was a big difference. A lot less pain and a lot less swelling. It looks like chemo will now start after New Years because of the research drug I'll be taking with herceptin.



I met with the PS last week and I really like her. Looks like early summer I'll have new foobies.

Still a little weirded out about looking for wigs and deciding if I even want one. I'm sure I'll change my mind several hundred more times.



I can't ever remember having a personal friend having breast cancer. Last weekend my dearest friend had an abnormal mamo and found out it was just a good scare and all was fine. Today I had another close friend come to me and inform me she was diagnosed this week with breast cancer and is scheduled for a BMX Jan 4th. I spent a little time with her this morning and begged her to get on this website. Without the experiences shared by you ladies I would have truly been out of my mind. Reading what's shared from the heart in these forums is what relieved so much of my fears and kept me moving forward. My friend is experiencing that initial paralyzing fear. She thinks she's not going to survive the year. All I can do for her is to be a positive example right now. She doesn't want to hear/believe that she can survive this. I've been praying for her all day.



On a good note I had a wonderful Christmas with my family this afternoon, celebrating earlier than usual because my DH will be working tomorrow. Still have a great day planned for tomorrow with my DS and my mom and a couple of close friends. I think something just landed on my roof...LOL... Goodnight alll.

Hi everyone. I'm part of the Dec group, but my second treatment (of six - AC and Taxotere, all at the same time) is Jan. 5, so I figured I'd get to know all of you along the way as well. Feel free to visit our thread. I'm almost two weeks out of my first treatment, and aside from a plunge in my white blood count and red blood count that landed me in the ER (much less serious than it sounds), I have been doing very well. Take your meds as prescribed, check these threads for tips about other things to deal with side effects, and don't be afraid to ask your onc any questions you have. Good luck.

And happy holidays! 

Hi Ladies Iam starting on cytoxan and adriamycin on 1/5. It will be 4 rounds every other week. Then 12 weekly taxol and herceptin then herceptin every 3rd week for 40 weeks. Trying to figure out the best way to handle these tx but have to wait and see. Had a port put in 12/23 and happy I did. I will take any advice .

I am joining this group.  As with CharB22, I am triple-negative so have to have chemo.  I had a lumpectomy on 12/7 and am still sore as I developed a huge hematoma that hasn't gone down yet.  I see my BS on 1/3 and my Onc on 1/4.  I was shocked this past week when I got a letter that I would start chemo on 1/9 with NO prior appointment with the Onc or nurse to answer any questions.  I called and insisted I needed an appointment before starting chemo and met with a nurse.  She looked at my veins and then said she thought I needed a port.   As with some of you, she said the port could be put in and used the same day.   I said "NOT."   I am not even healed from surgery over two weeks ago so am not going to do chemo on the same day as getting a port.  I want to know that I am healed and well before starting chemo.  I said I wanted to wait a week.  I then called my BS to see if I could schedule the port and they have tentatively squeezed me into the schedule for port surgery on 1/6.   They still have me scheduled to start chemo on 1/9 even though I told them I wanted to wait for a week after port surgery.   I guess they aren't listening to me.  I will tell my Onc when I meet with him on 1/4.    My other concern is this big hematoma I have.  They wanted to check for Von Willebrand's disease and platelet factors but weren't going to draw blood until 1/4???  I said that wouldn't give enough time before port surgery or chemo if we waited that long so they got me in last Friday for the blood draw.   I tell you, they seem to want to rush everything, except when I was first diagnosed.  It took them 3 months after I found the lump to get through all the tests and results before I had surgery.  I was the most horrible wait EVER!  And, because I'm triple-neg, the tumor grew from under 1 cm to 1.8 cm when it was removed.  Thankfully, it hadn't spread during all that wait.   Thanks everyone for being here and sharing.  It is a tremendous help!  I am sure I am going to have lots of questions.   I am getting DD (dose-dense) treatments of AC (8 cycles) and T (8 cycles).

Kitchenella do you have any special tricks to keeping the wig in place and comfortable on you head? I wore mine yesterday and couldn't wait to get the damn thing off:(