Has anyone started a Dec 2011 group?

Hello all!

I have been reading, just too tired and sick to post. LOL! Was supposed to have my 4th AC yesterday, but was too sick to get it. I wound up getting IV fluids from being dehydrated and IV anti nausea because I had been barfing all morning. I had the bright idea to have tacos for my "last supper" and that was a huge mistake. I will be going in today at 2:30 to try again.

I am so mad at my insurance company. I finally get them to approve the Emend and I find out that it will be a $150 copay. I guess I will just keep throwing up bevause Zofrana and compazine are not cutting it.

Here is the weird thing for me as far as the hair, I shaved my head about a month agao and I have already got hair growing back. It is blond and fuzzy mixed in with stubble that did not fall out. Weird! I have not had to shave my legs or underarms since my last treatment on Dec 28th so that is pretty good.

The SE that pisses me off the most besides nausea is the runny eyes and nose. I always look like I am crying. Anyone else dealing with that?

I just pray that this last AC won't suck as bad as #3. The good news is that I will be moving on to Taxol after this last AC treatment. I thought I had 4 more AC's. Hallelujah!! My understanding is that Taxol isn't so much nausea.

I feel so awful for everyone that has to deal with these SE. I hope it gets better soon for ya'll.

Hi all. Thanks for the well wishes.  So glad it seems you have all leveled out a bit.  It is funny how the hair can be such a focus compared to everything else going on, but yes I'll be going in to have my chin waxed AGAIN.  I think it is stubbornly growing faster!!!  And the armpits, and legs and the little forest down below, too. The cat decided it was a good idea to try to groom my head stubble this AM for me.  She's 18 years old and this was a first for her and me:>}

Back to chat.  Fever held overnight Mon. so I didn't have to go to the ER germville. Thought about going to work Tues., but didn't.  Tues AM by 9:00 it was back so went into onco. At Onco, they all kept saying "Hope you feel better soon!!!"  I didn't feel bad, just was dutifully calling in to report a temp over 100.5.  When they got my numbers they  really looked at me funny cause my WBC had tanked to nothing.  All my numbers on Treatment day #2 had been stellar. (10.4 WBC) So they  took a large quantity of blood from every place they could think of, juiced me up with some antibiotics and sent me home with Cipro and Augementin, on house arrest.  Wonderfull!!!  five more pills a day at different times, more water, watch times for food and supplements with cipro. Jeeeesh!!  So yesterday I go before the parole board and my whitey's back up to 9.1, go figure!!  NOTHING showed on the tests and cultures.  I am just a swinging bundle of random bits I guess.  Lost the whole week of school sitting home on my very large SORE bottom which no one takes seriously.

 Now if someone out there has a secret weapon against big nasty h-roids, I will pay big time!!  I am literally using up my stash of Vicodin from my port insertion, after dutifully checking with the gatekeeper at Onco.  I have been using the witch hazel wipes, buying stock.  Prep H, exterior only cause of WBC( like I'm putting anything up there in the next lifetime.)  Prescription for Hydrocortisone cream I swear swelled it all up like one of those orangutan butts, so that's out. Desitin at night helped a little but the cat started following me around and it doesn't come off without taking skin.  Burt's Baby Bee seemed to work the best last night with no undies, sleeping on a pillow case to protect the sheets.  If it was summer, I would be on the back deck with my bare cheeks to the sun. My apologies to the neighbors.

Any other wonders?? Sorry, but when my rear end hurts I am not a happy person.

Mardibra try prilosec especially at night

Had heartburn so bad thought esophogus was burstingit one treatment and cured it also glutamine helps gi

I know last AC is tough but give it a week back to normal feel good this week

Snow

I have h prob too. Dr just said prep h like he doesn't care for 2 weeks then I insisted on script and he gave hydro cortisone suppository it has not helped much, only had a few times after childbirth in my life...hope yours gets better let me know if u find cure!

Ya, a DIEP is no joke. You should have seen my face when she told me no caffeine. I love coffee so that is going to be hard for me. Also, the procedure is a tough one. For me they will take my tummy fat and make a boob so I get a flat stomach too. But I don't have enough tummy fat (really?) to make a boob that will match the other one so 3 months later I need to have another surgery to reduce the right side to match. It's a lot of surgery and it will take me into 2013 for sure. But for me I'm ok with that. Not something for everyone though.



Sorry ladies, no help to offer for the roids. That is one nasty SE that i have not run into. Sounds painful and annoying.



I'm looking forward to a restful long weekend watching my man Tom Brady kick some Tim Tebow butt! Go Pats!



Christine.

Christine - Great new about the DIEP, no experts in my neck of the woods and I was told I did not have enough belly fat for the TRAM, so I had the Lat D Flap, which is apparently all my PS does.  I am fully healed and just waiting to get done with chemo so I can have my exchange.

 Gator - mu onc gave me an RX called Pred Forte 1% that the instructions say to take days 2 to 4 post Taxotere.  He asked at my visit last week if I was having a problem with watery eyes.  I told him it was just occasional and wasn't bothering me.  Now the constantly watery nose is another story, I believe it is a common SE from the Cytoxin, as I was told by the chemo nurses to always carry tissues.

Sno - I know your roids must be terrible, but your story made me laugh.  I went & bought some Burt's Bees cuticle cream today for my cracked cuticles, which I've never had before, but luckily I'm only rubbing it around my nails!

I had my weekly blood work done today, and it was good, so I can leave my house without feeling like I will catch every germ that every person I see has!  The Fatigue Fairy hit me today and I took a 3 hour nap.  Good luck to me sleeping tonight!

Night everyone! 

Well, I survived AC #4, let the games begin!

I am jacked from the Decadron, I cannot sleep and I am tired as hell. I have some nausea but it is not too bad at the moment. I am trying out a another nausea med, Kytril. It was a freaking ordeal to get my insurance company to approve it, but I have it. We shall see, I cannot deal with the nausea that I had last time.

Gracie - I will ask my onc about this when I go next.  Thank you very much.

Bailey - I completely understand how you feel. I hate my wig and I will not wear it because it just looks whacked. My hairstylist has styled it bueatifully, but I just can't do it. I am rocking scarves and a few hats. I learned to tie a scarf that I got from Target. It looked pretty good.  

Rachelvk - I don't really taste food either, but my sense of smell has become very keen. Not digging that too much. Everything is magnified 100 times and most smells make me gag.

Christine - feel better soon. I have Zantac 150 and I take it everyday. It seems to help although my stomach is on fire as I type. I guess from today's treatment??

I am going to watch some TV and pray that I can fall asleep!   

Gator where did you find your wig? I'm looking into where to find them along with cute bandanas, heard they don't always stay on, wonder if there is a cap to wear under it to stayk on. Only site I found so far is TLC American cancer society.

Hi ladies,



Seems several have been through the last of their AC txs. Congratulations! Hoping you recover quickly to move onto the next phase.



I've been reading the taxol thread trying to prepare. One more AC on Thursday and I'm nervous. Day 10 now after tx 3 and I still feel like crap. Extreme fatigue, sometimes breathless and 3 numb toes. Didn't even know that would happen on AC.



I still insist it's a dosing issue.



Curious, does anyone know what their mg dose of AC is? I know the risks increase with higher doses.



Mardi 20 mgs of steroids on taxol? That's 2x what I get now. Hope you feel well.



Gator, hope you were able to rest and feel well too.



My youngest daughter went back to school yesterday, miss her! House is too quiet. Too cold outside.



I wish you all a good mild se weekend.



Laura

I found a nice website over the weekend. Www.eyelineher.com.

That shows how to do eyebrows and scarfs. I'm starting taxol and I've only got half my eyelash and eyebrows left going in. Heard to wear crocs to protect toenails and teatree ointment in finger nails and toenails. I'm going to get vitamins for it today also, going in tomorrow for first taxol...

Well I'm all roid'd up. Getting ready for TCH #3 tomorrow. Saw my onc today and she accidentally said, ok so 1 more after this one right. Then quickly said oh no I mean 3. I got my hopes up for a second.



Good luck everyone! I am dreading tomorrow.

I'm back.  

 Heatherb8--I was ready to try almost anything for the roids.  I believe you about the Vicks.  My mom is like the father on the Greek Wedding movie with the Windex.  I am just about as bad with Carmex.  The Hydrocortisone cream will be saved for some other catastrophe in the family, like the next time my kid makes a camo shirt out of poison ivy (you laugh, but he did that when he was four) Burts Baby Bee diaper cream is my hero.  There is now a tube in every bathroom.  Will save the Vicks idea for next time when I am desperate.  Am dutifully taking the stool softener daily and BEFORE all upcoming treatments.  It got so bad my dog followed me in every time I went to the bathroom for moral support.  She's lucky she has any ears left, for multiple reasons. 

My AC is delivered separately.   My Adriamycin(which is red) was in three large vial syringes done as a push.  My Cytoxan was an 1 hour drip and from craning my neck I think it was 1280 mg.  I am hefty though, so you little lightweights don't be jealous of my dosage there.

 Tomorrow is #3 AC, not looking forward to four days of "Squirrel Crack" Decadron, but I guess some more floors will get scrubbed.  

Eyebrows are hanging in there, but Brooke Shields had nothing on me!!

Here's to us ladies.  Hugs for all.  Snow was good today, and the sun was shining!!!  

Good luck markat..sno..and Kelly this week..Just finishe T/C #3 today..one more to go..just waiting for the "ick" to set in..probably tomorrow eveing of wednesday..yippee!  Neulasta tomorrow, but vicoden and clairiton proactively..not gonna wait till the pain gets me too hard to control it once you get it!!!

Hang in there ladies and I so hate the steriods..I am the biggest bitch those days..my poor husband and son think I'm crazy..It's awful!

Hope those that are feeling well continue the good days and those that are feeling crappy look forward to the upswing!

heather - Here's hoping you have mild SE's or better yet....none!

Walking into fec#3 tomorrow which will end up being my final then unto taxotere. My se's so far have been minimal physically but more mentally. I like everyone else hares to be sick. I find it really hard to walk into the clinic voluntarily to make myself ill. Although like I said the se haven't been bad. I guess I am whining and should try and look at it different. On one hand I am scared that if it doesn't make you sick how can it be working??? I am fortunate to have the se's that I have had. Half way done is the good news. I hope everyone has a uneventful week.