Has anyone started a Dec 2011 group?

As for my tx #2, not too bad. I feel a little sluggish, or heavy. It was a later day for me - onc appt at 1, chemo didn't start until about 2:30 and went past 6. Given some of the recent experiences some of you and women on the taxotere/cytoxin thread had with their 2nd tax infusion, I mentioned it to my onc nurse and she slowed my drip (an hour and 15 minutes...). I ended up doing fine, so she'll speed it up next time. My stomach is a little heavy, but I suppose the burrito I ate on the way home may have something to do with that. Took a Zofran when I got back so that should help. Looking forward to resting up this weekend. I was really pleased at how thorough my onc was - going over every SE I had, checking my fingers, and making note of all the other things I experienced. She's mystified by the parallelogram pinkish/plum blotch on my stomach that appeared after my first neulasta shot. It doesn't itch, it's not red, I don't feel it, but it's stayed put. I'll just keep watching it.

Good luck to everyone who had tx's today or are going tomorrow. 

jeanne3, as well as the personal experiences and support you'll get here on the forums, there's more information about chemotherapy and the possible side effects of different medicines in the Chemotherapy Medicines section of the main Breastcancer.org site. Click the links to read about each medicine, and there are more links you may find helpful down the left side of that page.

Welcome to BCO, and to this awesome group of December 2011 ladies.

Judith and the Mods

Good morning ladies, so sorry to hear so many having difficulty.



Laurie i hope your count go back quickly, your great attitude has to help.



Rachel brave girl eating the burrito! I can't remember the last time I ate something that sounds that good.



Baileybump, I'm 53 and have been getting night sweats throughout treatment. Last tx my period restarted with a vengeance. Im hoping not to be revisited by that again, but the sweats continue. I do get sternum and back pain with the Nuelasta.



Keepnfaith, my port site bleed upon removal last tx. Nurse said oh it should stop soon. Hey thanks. Your daughter sounds like wonderful support.



Fsislander congratulations on your last AC. I hope you feel well and that taxol is easier for you. I had thrush last round and went into #3 with mouth sores. The onc nurse told my to start with the nystatin as soon as I felt any new mouth pain. I will take her advice.



Gator Im so sorry you have had such a rough time. So glad to hear you're on the mend.


markat sorry about the root canal. They're bad enough without having to go through treatment at the same time.



Mardibra glad youre feeling a bit better. You're working too during treatment which has to be exhausting. Im hoping to return once I begin the Taxol There is no way I could have been working with the SEs I've had on AC. I don't feel emotionally ready yet either. I give those of you doing so my utmost admiration and respect.

Moms with young children to care for the same. You're amazing.

I hope wish everyone a good day and good thoughts and blessings. It's a great day in NJ 40+ degrees and sunny. Off for my Nuelasta shot soon.

Laura

GracieG my onc never mentioned such a drug to prevent thrush. I was using liquid nystatin. I hope this works for you.



I'm curious to know if any ladies with mouth issues also had throat and esophagus problems? My throat gets worse in the evening and many nights I lose my voice. The onc said that can happen with AC.



I sure hope taxol does not pose the same.



I go early in the morning, 8:30. Wonder if the time of day has any impact on SEs. Just grasping at straws I suppose.



thanks for letting me vent.



Laura

Laura - You made me go check my persciption bottle.  The correct name of the drug he prescribed is Diflucan.  Sorry about the first name I put down!  He prescribed after I had thrush after the first treatment and when I told him it took 4 days before it was any better he told me to start taking this tomorrow and for the next 2 weeks to hopefully prevent it.  

I haven't had any problems with my throat or voice, well I couldn't speak very well when I had thrush, I'm sure my husband didn't have a problem with this!  But my chemo cocktail is Taxotere and Cytoxan.   

Keepnfaith, glad you haven't had to deal with any mouth sores. The burning is uncomfortable enough.



Gracie thank you for letting me know about the diflucan. I may ask about that instead of the nystatin.

Sounds like the cytoxan is the common denominator.



Mardibra the night sweats are just so inconvenient. I create more laundry sleeping than awake.



I have been padding my bed with extra towels or blankets so I dont have to change the entire bed. It's chilly too waking like that.



And you're right about the water. I have to really force it down sometimes, but well worth it. Hope you continue to do well.



Goodnight all,



Laura

Seacret have you tried chewing on ice during your TX. I chew on ice during taxotere and haven't gotten any sores yet...just raw gums.



I think I may be starting chemopause. I'm late and am having hot flashes. Hot flashes at 30! Who would have thought!



I'm posting from my phone so it's hard to catch up on all the posts. Hope everyone is doing good!

Markat yes I've been chewing ice and the last tx had cup of ice and 3 ice pops. Nearly 20 minutes of cold mouth. Already habpve a sore throat but hoping to have kept the mouth sores at bay.



I'm so sorry about the hot flashes. It's just amazing how hormones rule our lives. I had been eating flax seed for years to keep hotbflashes and night sweats away while I approached menopause. I have to wonder now if that was a contributing factor with the bc. So much controversy regarding phytoestrogens. All I know is once I stopped in Sep. I got my period again after a year, night sweats returned and I've had another horrendous period av free starting chemo.



Please forgive my rant, I've been up all night, steroids, and nulasta headache.



Laura

Morning to all.  Have taken a few days off, but back to the boards.  Hope all are having a pretty morning.  It's gorgeous here in NH, though no good snow yet.  

Hanging in there. Second AC went well.  I think I am scaring my co-workers with my "Squirrel Crack" buzz on Decadron, so I skipped the second dose on day 2 and 3 after.  Actually got some sleep last night.  Much better, less crazed.

I missed the night sweats and hot flashes going through menopause, thankfully since I am always warm anyway.  My winter sweaters are three quarter sleeve T-shirts. Do NOT want them to pop up ever.  You ladies dealing with that get my biggest shoulder rub, bear hug!

 The sore mouth and no voice ladies---OHH another nightmare for me.  Saying my prayers on those!  Can't be a children's librarian with no voice and sore mouth.   

Keep drinking, whatever you can.  Prunes are still my friend, BIG time. Food is  a crazy obsession with me now. I can't eat much at a time, but feel like I need to eat non-stop.  Waking up at 2 AM to raid the fridge is just bizarre!!  Jello, chickenwalnutcranberry wraps, oh my!!.

Spent last evening with a dear friend from work going through 5th time BC.  Oh I love her!  We are so different, but share a heart in so many ways.  We tried on head coverings, honestly critiqued them, oh boy.  She ate my experimental chicken/spinach lasagna, and we just compared notes.

I wish I could take a little of all of your SE's for a bit, so you could have a bit of breathing space.This farmer body is not giving up the fight and for some reason the AC and Neulasta are not too bad.  The hair is falling like leaves though, so hubby says at least we know they are giving me the real stuff, not a placebo. 

HUGS to all.   

Hi ladies, hope everyone has been doing fairly well.... Hot flashes wow Yup I had those real bad when I was getting my chemo also, I too woke up soaked and thought OMG this is crazy, Chemopause YUP!! Grrrrr and talk about cotton head cant spell, thinking was a problem haha, rubber legs, and Ohh the Neuropathy was and still is Horrid.... My friend called the cotton head oldpeopleitis disease LOL I had thrush too and found that Lysterine ZERO mouthwash, No Alcohol helped alot.. I had nystatin and it did nothing and burned my mouth, also had nyrocc #3 and that didnt work either AND also causes the BIG "D"...... when I was on Decadron DH said I was like minnie mouse on Perks hahahaa gotta love em right?? My obsession with hand sanitizer, Lysol antibacterial has subsided a bit, still leary at times.... I will tell you it does get better and the SE's do GO AWAY around the 3rd week after LAST treament... I still get mild hot flashes and sweats but I am told herceptin does that.....I am 7 weeks out from my last one, hair is coming back, its funny as It seems to come back in the reverse direction of male pattern baldness, around the back first, then the sides and front but looks like I have a receading hairline and a bald spot on top HAHAHA, that did fill in though, and wow it is coming back DARK......  Stay postive my friends, and SMILE.... we are SURVIVORS

Terry, thank you so much for sharing your story and how we will all make it through. Very encouraging to read.



I had a meltdown last night from all the steroids I believe. I could not stop crying. Could.Not.Stop.

They gave me extra so I wouldn't have another reaction to the Taxetore, and I just lost it when I got home. Plus every time I had to blow my nose I had a nose bleed, I think that may be from the Cytoxin. I finally took an Ativan and it did calm me down. I think I will take one the morning of my next treatment and see if that helps. no sleep for me last night, I was still wired up, so got up super early and was the first one there for my Neulasta shot.

Rachel, I take Claritin for a few days after the Neulasta, just to be on the safe side and figure it can't hurt!

Hi all - I haven't posted for a while because between treatment, my 4 young kids, and an attempt to work (struggling with that), I just collapse at the end of the day too tired to type... but I do read everyone's posts, and I really appreciate the feeling that I am not alone!!

I did want to ask anyone doing TAC every 3 weeks - is it crazy to think that towards the end of treatment I could take a test, or will my brain be completely fried by then? I am a military reservist, and to get promoted I have to take a series of tests by Jun -- I have 6 left and my thought was that I could sign up to take one the day before each treatment (that would give me maximum healing time). It looks good on paper, but before I commit I was hoping that someone who is farther along than I am on TAC (I've only had 1 treatment) could tell me if the side effects last longer (I know they get cumulatively worse.. I'm just hoping I'll be OK by the 3rd week after each treatment..).

Sorry for the long question - I'm just a planner and I need to lay some things out for the next few months... of course, BC does not lend itself well to planning...

Thanks!

Rachel

Rachelslife - I just had my second treatment, so I'm not much farther ahead than you. Are you doing Taxol or Taxotere? So far, I'm doing fine. Except for a fever 7 days in, I have avoided most of the SEs. And by the end of my first three weeks, I felt like I was pretty much back to normal, just with the paranoia of staying away from germs. Supposedly the SEs can have a cumulative effect, so there's no saying what you'll be like around tx 5 or 6, but maybe go with your plan for the next tx or two and see how it goes. I'd say the best thing is to keep living your life (short of making expensive plans or other commitments that could be bad to break), and if you have to adjust, you will. The more we can try to be and act normal, I personally think the better we all feel. I'm looking forward to playing in the orchestra for Pirates of Penzance next weekend and the weekend after that - will I make all the shows? No clue, but they're willing to cut me some slack.

Good luck! 

Hi Ladies..first time I've posted on this thread..but I see some of my fellow chemo friends from the other Dec group..So thought I would join over here as well..I finished my second treatment Dec 27..3rd one due Jan 16, 4th and FINAL Feb 6th..if all goes as planned!  After my first treatment I did not receive the neulasta shot and ended up with an all inclusive 4 day/3 night stay in the hospital  due to neutropinic fever..I certainly do not recommend it..nasty IV antibiotics..so beware of the fever!  Had mouth sores the first time too,, didn't get them the second time..Got the neulasta after the second treatment and it did it's job..no fever, no hospital..I too am dealing with a bit of night sweats, but seems as if my periods did stop this month..after my first treatment two days later I started my period..talk about insult to injury..awful.  And those steriods...man they make me so irritable and mean..I really hate them..

I'm glad I found you ladies too as the other group..it really helps for me to be able to get real with ladies who totally understand.  So I thank you all for sharing your feelings, side effects, etc.

Hope you all have a great Sunday!

Heather

heatherb8 - LOL I know what ya mean abut the steroids, did I ever ROID RAGE, my poor DH and son Im so thankful they didnt pack up and move far far away haha..... Im so glad they are done and I dont need them anymore whewww... Im no pro and not a dr or professional by any means but hubby is the information highway and loves looking things up. If anyone has any wuestions feel free to ask I am here and will help any of you the best I can... BIG HUGS ladies xx