January 2012 chemo

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  • BelaT
    BelaT Member Posts: 217
    edited February 2012

    PCbarbie66, 

    I am glad you are on last one :) I have mine in 10 days 3rd chemo but 2nd AC so my final would be my 3rd.

    Good luck on last one... you got rid of this ..

    Bela 

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  • Kitchenella
    Kitchenella Member Posts: 279
    edited February 2012

    It is 4:30 PM on day 6 of my 3rd.AC and my big accomplishments so far have been breakfast, lunch and a shower.  I had a terrible "DayMare" while napping this afternoon.  Strangers in my house, some of them sneezing, I didn't have the energy to kick them out, hubby was off somewhere and I couldn't find him, someone moved all my essentials from my nightstand etc. etc. ....the ultimate frustration dream.  I thank G-d I am retired and can just crash when I have to.  I give so much credit to you young gals for muddling through.

    Peggy 

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  • CharB22
    CharB22 Member Posts: 310
    edited February 2012
    PCBarbie66 - I had very painful tingling in my feet after my 2nd AC. My MO said, "Oh, you have hand/foot syndrome" - not much to do for it except put lots of lotion on your hands/feet. It's something to do with the chemo getting in to the capillaries in your hands and feet. My MO said to call the office if they turn red. I think that means they have to decrease the chemo dosage.
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  • DianeNMil
    DianeNMil Member Posts: 130
    edited February 2012

    Hi Ladies!  Guess I jinxed myself....all of this "taxol is not that bad" crap I have been saying.  I had a scary allergic reaction last infusion on Thursday.  Felt like my throat and lungs were closing up and then complete terror....oxygen, more dex, more sudafed, fluids......breath....yikes.  Friday I had my usually dexamethasone fulled buzz and since Saturday I have felt like I was hit by truck!!  Plus the other SE I have gotten used to (the constipation, cramps, mouth sores, reflux, nausea).  I am working and trying to pretend I am fine but damn this week I just want to stay in bed.  Worse part is its already Tuesday and in two days I have #5.  Havn't recovered from #4 yet and I always cry on Wednesday before treatment.

    Don't you think its scary that when you have an allergic reaction, they load you up with drugs to counteract the reaction and give you the offending drug anyway.  Its like your body is screaming against it.

    by the way I am getting the 12X taxol Hartford Hospital CT  Dr Pat Defusco.

    cancer sucks

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  • riceandbean
    riceandbean Member Posts: 25
    edited February 2012

    is it too late to join the jan chemo group?

    i am posting for my wife who had her first ac tx on jan 25?

    just trying to find some additional support and info to help her get ready for her second go round of ac tomorrow.  is it worse than the 1st?  the same?  a bit better?

     she has had a lot of fatigue, not so much nausea to date, but a really bad headache and tender face due to the cytoxan drip rate last time out.  hopefully we will slow things down this time.  

    hair was coming out in clumps this weekend so we shaved it off...

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  • CatWhispurrer
    CatWhispurrer Member Posts: 263
    edited February 2012
    Nancy - I am not on Lyrica.   I am taking Milk Thistle which is a homeopathic remedy for the liver.   ALB stands for Albumin which mine has been okay, 4.1 or 4.3, in a range of 3.5-5.0.   My other liver values have been high.  ALT was 103 (range 10-60) and 165 (range 6-40), AST was 30 (range 13-30) and 38 (range 10-35), and ALK PHOS was 195 (range 42-98) and 174 (range 33-130) when I had it run on two different dates and different labs, hence the different ranges.   I had blood drawn yesterday but I won't find out the liver values until next chemo which is set for next Monday.   I am still having a little numbness/tingling and swelling in my feet and hands but not nearly as bad as after the first chemo treatment.
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  • CharB22
    CharB22 Member Posts: 310
    edited February 2012

    Is anyone having trouble with smells?? Laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent is soooo strong.

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  • Kelloggs
    Kelloggs Member Posts: 965
    edited February 2012

    CharB22 - yes, smells bother me.  My DH loves those plug in oil scents and I have to unplug them all for at least a week after tx!

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  • BelaT
    BelaT Member Posts: 217
    edited February 2012

    CharB22, Yes smells bother me too.Can't stand lot of things (like my son too ).

    Kellogs, you are such a good person to reply to all of us and so is Lago.

    Dear DineNMil, I am so sorry for the jinx, I had worst reaction of all and almost died so I know what you mean about body screaming, also hope you get strong in few days. eat whatever you like believe me that helps a lot . dont worry about nutrition crap atm. if you like the food it changes your mood.

    riceandbeans, I hope your wife has lots of support and rest. Good luck

    Bela 

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  • riceandbean
    riceandbean Member Posts: 25
    edited February 2012

    thank you BelaT.

    we are hoping for much the same for round 2, 3 and 4 of the AC.

    to date things have not been so terrible for my wife...of course i say this as i am not enduring  treatment as she is, but trying to help her cope with chemo the best i can.  

    my wife is a 39 year-old active professional and mother of a bouncing 13 month year-old son who has just learned he can walk anywhere he wants to.  he is keeping us both entertained and exhausted.

    so far my wife's se's include;  some heartburn, very minor nausea, headache, feeling like lead, and much fatigue days 1-10 after infusion.  things improve greatly after this time period.  so far blood work has been good with reduced white blood cell counts - we are told this is to be expected.

    is this pretty much how things are playing out for most?  i know everyone is so different, but so far we have seen some commonalities in comparison of se's and tx.

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  • BelaT
    BelaT Member Posts: 217
    edited February 2012

    riceandbeans, give her nexium or zantac I am taking that a lot. water too (im not doing that LOL).

    what you are saying that what I felt too. 

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  • riceandbean
    riceandbean Member Posts: 25
    edited February 2012

    thank you...what do these medications do for your se?

    my wife has been very hungry (a good thing!!!) and has been slamming water to get this stuff out of her system.  we are going to start with a lot of water drinking today (1 day prior to tx) just to get her well hydrated and help to flush the muck out of her as soon as we can.

     my wife noticed after the first few days following infusion that when she ceased her steroids and nausea medicaton she had a second round of se's...is this common?

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  • Kelloggs
    Kelloggs Member Posts: 965
    edited February 2012

    Thanks BelaT - I am no expert but I have been on the chemo train since 12/8 so unfortunately I know how you feel.  I am on TCH X6 and just finished #4 on Thursday.  This one hit me hard withe the taste and smell thing.  I have not had much appetite because everything tastes and smells rancid.  I tried Rachel's trick of swishing olive oil but just couldn't get past the taste of oil in my mouth.  I am back at work today and I know each day will be better.  I'm hanging in there....you all do the same! HUGS

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  • BelaT
    BelaT Member Posts: 217
    edited February 2012

    Kellogs,I didn't know u have been doing this almost two months :(  rest well and eat what ever you like. May be a chocolate cheese cake?

    Happy Valentine

    Bela

    HUGS 

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  • annie3310
    annie3310 Member Posts: 111
    edited February 2012

    Riceandbean - it's certainly been my experience that SEs seemed to be different as soon as the steroids are tapered off, which is day four for me. I've gone from restless and sleep deprived to sickly and sleepy. I'm not sick to my stomach, but more leaden and flu-like. I basically don't think I could do much of anything today, even with a gun to my head. I'm at day six. I'm looking forward to days 10-14, which seem to be the vacation between dose dense treatments.



    Annie

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  • riceandbean
    riceandbean Member Posts: 25
    edited February 2012

    @annie3310

    are you taking compazine for nausea?  are there any other suggestions instead of this?

    my wife had a really nasty headache and facial / forehead pain / pressure for the 1st few days after infusion.  some have suggested that this may have been due to the compazine...

    we are also going to ask for a lower dose of decahedron (sp)  this time around to see if that eliminates the angry dancing hippies in her heart on days 3 and 4. 

    sounds like you and my wife are very similar in response to the chemo therapy.  are you into tx 3 or 4 of ac yet, or on another regimen?  thank you!

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  • annie3310
    annie3310 Member Posts: 111
    edited February 2012

    I have compazine and Ativan to take as needed for nausea. I find the ativan more helpful and I take it pro-actively. The calmer I can be about my symptoms, the better. I'm currently right between my second and third AC treatment. So far I haven't had dancing hippies on my heart or a nasty headache, so I hope your wife soon sees the end of those.



    Annie

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  • NancyHB
    NancyHB Member Posts: 1,512
    edited February 2012
    riceandbean:  Is your wife getting Neulasta shots the day after treatment?  For me, the worst SE is of the shot - very painful headaches/neckaches.  The Claritin has helped; I take it for a week after, but when I stop the headache seems to come back.  I just hang on and wait for Day 10...
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  • annie3310
    annie3310 Member Posts: 111
    edited February 2012

    Yeah, Day Ten! I agree.

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  • riceandbean
    riceandbean Member Posts: 25
    edited February 2012

    @Annie3310:  very cool.  since iam my wife's designated bc advocate i will be asking the nurse about getting some ativan this time out instead of the compazine.

    we were told that her headache may have also been because the drip rate of the cytoxan was too fast.  they are going to sloooooow down this time.  oh joy!  more time in the infusion room chair eating graham crackers and sipping tea.  my wife seemed to tolerate the adriamycin push much better than the cytoxan drip...strange.

    @NancyHB:  my wife has not had the neulasta shot.  is this to rectify low white blood cell levels?  my wife's nadir bloodwork came back good per the onc, however, he said her wbc count was down - but normal.  will they want her to take neulasta shot if her wbc count continues to be low?  i have heard this is not fun!!!  how does claritin counteract the se of the neulasta shot (and what are the se's of the shot)?  

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  • Kelloggs
    Kelloggs Member Posts: 965
    edited February 2012

    riceandbean - I found the Compazine gave me dizziness and the other anti-nausea med I was given, Zofran, causes headaches.  It could be steroid withdrawal too.

    BelaT - yep, I'm an old pro at this chemo thing!  I jumped in this thread hoping maybe I could help someone else through it.  Truth is, we all are helping each other.

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  • PCBarbie66
    PCBarbie66 Member Posts: 84
    edited February 2012

    CharB22 ~ Sorry that happened, hopefully you won't have to endure that one again..Lotion doesn't eally kill much of the pain.  I had Hand/foot syndrome a a child...my hands and feet would itch...I'd scratch them and then POOF I'd have Mikey Mouse hands and feet.  Not fun...the swelling, burn and Itch would subside in about a day, back then my mother would make me play scrabble with her all day so she could watch me and make sure I would'nt scratch...You would think my spelling would be better or at least my vocab.!!

    Tina ~ thanx for the numbers..I'll have to see what my numbers are...but other than my WBC being high at 16.4 and RBC being a little lower than acceptable.  I didn't see any that are like yours...I'll see if I even have those tests done.  Sorry you have to wait for your blood work.  Mine is posted online the next day. 

    I go to Memorial Sloan Kettering in Basking Ridge, NJ.

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  • Lumpynme
    Lumpynme Member Posts: 747
    edited February 2012

    this might sound like way TMI;

    yesterday was my 1st AC; i did pee pink a teensy bit-i was forcing fluids...did i miss something?  i mean i expected a whole lot more pink........it was just kinda like very very early period.....

    just wanna make sure the pink isn't all stuck somewhere like in my kidneys....

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  • waitress169
    waitress169 Member Posts: 47
    edited February 2012

    Lumpynme

    Mine was just alittle pink also. I was expecting red for the red devil. Going Thursday for #3 and hoping all of us are SE free.

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  • rachelvk
    rachelvk Member Posts: 1,411
    edited February 2012

    lumpynme - I also was suprised at peeing more pink than red, and it disappeared after two or three bathroom trips. I had heard it was much worse, too (I didn't mention that before in case my experience wasn't the norm). Just keep drinking the water, though, and try getting a little exercise like a walk to keep it moving.

    riceandbeans - No one seems to know why Claritin works, and apparently there's no research, but you've got a bunch of women here ready to swear that it does. For nausea, I get Aloxi with my transfusion, I take Emend for 3 days, and then I have Zofran and Compazine if I still need it. I did need to throw all of that at my nausea after #3, but I still made it through without throwing up. Other things to consider are sea bands (what they sell to prevent sea sickness - apparently it helps with nausea in general), and ginger-flavored things, like ginger ale and ginger chews (you can find them at gingerpeople.com or possibly some health food stores). It's good that you're helping your wife out like this. Feel free to ask us anything - and she can join in for more support. Usually the SEs get harder as we go on - but knowing how she reacted the first time is a good way to prepare for the next treatment. Just keep giving her more time to rest. 

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  • Judy67
    Judy67 Member Posts: 361
    edited February 2012

    Hey guys, trying to catch up on posts after being off for a few days.  I've notice most are on ac, I'm on TCH like Kellogs.  I am a week away from tx # 4 and enjoying this week of feeling fairly normal before the SE's start again.  I have been very fortunate in not having problems with nausea and don't have to take any meds after tx but the day after Neulasta shot (day2), the back of my neck and base of my skull get swollen and so sore.  Also, day 4 I get a terrible headache that Advil doesn't completely kill.  I have also noticed smells bother me more like garlic and popcorn. 

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  • riceandbean
    riceandbean Member Posts: 25
    edited February 2012

    @rachelvk:

    thank you so much for your help and willingness to answer my questions.  i feel like i am on the sidelines half of the time...wanting to get in the game anyway i can.  i would trade places with my wife in a heartbeat if i could...

    tomorrow we are going for bloodwork at 8am, then meeting with the onc, then onto transfusion room for ac #2.  we are going to ask for a lower dosage of deca (steroid) to see if that will help the come down on days 3 and 4.

    we bought lots of garlic and strawberries tonight in hopes of boosting my wife's wbc count through diet and avoiding the neulasta at all cost.  

    the suggestions for the sea band and ginger are great...i am going hunting for some tomorrow after tx along with some good chicken noodle soup.  my wife will be hungry (she has a very high metabolism and eats non-stop - which is a good thing).  although she can't taste much having a full belly helps her to feel better...the rest of the time i am going to be chasing our 13 month old son around and trying to keep him from running outside to play in the snow...day 10 of tx #2 can't come soon enough.

    thank you to everyone here!  i suppose this is my way of getting / feeling involved or like i am doing something to help my wife.  

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  • rachelvk
    rachelvk Member Posts: 1,411
    edited February 2012

    riceandbean - Glad to have helped. You might want to double check on dietary restrictions. Every MO seems to have a different list. Mine was pretty adamant about avoiding fruits and vegetables that can't be cooked or peeled, because of the higher risk of bacteria. I only mention that because you wrote about strawberries. I haven't been perfect, but I've tried to avoid things like salad and berries (except I did buy blueberries once - couldn't resist). Other women haven't been given the same directions, so go by what your doctor says. You'll get thorugh it. And chicken noodle soup does it all the time! Also, exercise is very good (it keeps the metabolism up, which helps the chemo get through you faster), so even if she's not feeling too great, she should try to walk a bit.

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  • Jennt28
    Jennt28 Member Posts: 2,021
    edited February 2012

    Hi everyone,



    Day 13 after my last FEC and woke feeling like not enough oxygen in the air :-(. Off to my centre for a blood check which showed slightly lowered haem but not enough to do anything about.



    However my WBC was only 1.4, my neutrophils only 0.81 and my liver function levels are all in the 150-180 range when they should be below 40-50!



    So I picked up my work computer on the way home and will be working from home for the rest of the week.



    Has anyone else got raised liver values? Those are really worrying me...



    Jenn

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  • seacretgardn
    seacretgardn Member Posts: 269
    edited February 2012

    Riceandbean, after my first AC it was suggested that I ask for additional fluids during tx, I think it helped a bit p, at least for the first day or two. Being well hydrated is so important. I hope today goes smoothly for your wife.



    Jenn my enzymes have also been elevated a bit, onc says it common with chemo, but of course, we worry.



    I hope for a good day for all, Laura

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