January 2012 chemo

Hi again,

Checking in day 2 post treatment AC number 3 for my wife "J".

So far (thank God) things are going well.  "j" is doing better than on tx #2.  Less brain fog / curtains, still some fatigue, but some weird neuropathy in both hands the day of tx (MO doesn't know what this is since we have not started Taxol yet), and finger nails turning black (nurse sez this is the Red Devil).

"J" has had some really weird food cravings too...Spaghetti and Meatballs are the number one focus, especially day of infusion...that is all she talks about during the infusion.  Craving meat, pizza, pasta.  I told her that she needs to eat what her body is craving.  Her WBC were excellent according to the MO (6.5), so no  nadir bloodwork or neulasta for "J".  We are chalking this up to eating lots of strawberries, white beans, spinach, and garbonzos.

Both of us are super tired today.  Baby boy (in new avatar photo w/ his mommy) was up all night and inconsolable.  Teething pain getting the best of him now, 4 new teeth on the top / bottom fronts and his molars are peeking in through the swelling...poor thing.

Jealous that most of you have moved on to Taxol, but we can definitely see the light at the end of the AC tunnel.  I really like the way Nancy puts this..."eating the elephant one bite at a time".

DeniseGardenter ~ you and my wife do have similar diags!  My wife had a history of cysts leading up to pregnancy.  She thought that was what the one huge lump was, but then it started hurting.  She still is kicking herself for not catching it sooner.  I keep telling her that we can't Monday Morning Quarterback this one.  There is no way she would have known...she had a mammo the year prior to pregnancy and was told all was well and that the lumps were just cysts...turns out pregnancy really may have accelerated the growth of her tumor since it was estrogen +.

 You are all in our thoughts and prayers...daily!

I'm obviously not the only one who is now craving meat/beef! I've been feeling like I've turned into a cavewoman!



Jenn

Jenn  Thanks for the cavewomen laugh!  Me get chemo, eat meat.

Damn I need sleep  (:

I am in the crew that doesnt sleep well too.  Tired all the time, just not sleepy  ):

Hi Everyone:  I've just caught up on reading pages of posts.  Too many to respond to each of you.  My third AC was last week and all I've done is sleep...almost around the clock.  And although there's no nausea, there's been a drain of appetite as well.  Living alone as I do, once I settle into my recliner, if I didn't gather whatever I needed before I sat down, I just don't have the energy to get up and get it.  I think part of this is just an overwhelming depression as well as fatigue.

I started back to work this week as well.  I'm cleared to work up to 32 hours a week but only could put in 24 this week due to the fatigue.  Today was an 8 hr workday and it really zapped me.  My boss is so glad to have me back that he's very understanding but at the same time there is so much to be done that he kept asking me to do 'one more thing before I leave."

I think I am appearing to be too 'healthy' and upbeat and therefore am perceived to have it together.  Do I have to fake being sick to be able to leave when I am just tired to the core?  Sigh.  It is like people who tell us we're an inspiration, brave, etc.   (and look so good besides).  

Someone else posted that maybe they need to be less of a slob when their hair comes back.  I hear so many compliments that my 'hair' (they know it's a wig) looks great.  I think ...'geesh, when I used to go get my hair colored or cut, nobody ever said a word"   Now, all of a sudden, I look so great.

The minute I get in my car I take off the wig.  And skip the hats.  I just drive home bald.  I couldn't care less what other drivers think if they notice.  I hate the wigs even though they're actually all quite nice.   

Next Thursday (3/16) I have the final AC.  Then two weeks after that I'll start the first of 12 weekly taxols.  

Hugs to all of you.   I'll try to keep up.

 (Oh, the mental health situation with my daughter has continued.  I just choose not to comment on it tonight. But I have shed more tears over that than I have over the cancer!  On the plus side, she has a hearing to acquire social security disability scheduled for April 2nd....after waiting for a year.  She has a lawyer and if she's approved, it will help a lot.  If she's denied, that's another story.) 

I think of each of you daily and keep you in my prayers.   Best wishes to all of you. 

FLDREAMER - I had to laugh when you said you "may be appearing too healthy and upbeat".

I am on #2 Taxol and feel like I am coming back to life.  The more I tell people I am starting to feel good, the more they expect of me.  I have to find a happy medium on this!  I could definitely relate to your post!

One thing I was proud of, during A/C I could barely walk up the steps.  Now I am up to a mile on my Leslie Sansone walking tape.  Nothing like before diagnosis, but it is a start.  Shhh, don't tell anyone or they will have me doing too much!

Just checking in again. Im glad to see most are doing well. I just finished number 4 Red Devil.

Soon moving on to Taxol. I hear this isnt as bad. I hope thats true.

Right now I cant even hardly read ot think about treatments without getting sick.

The mental connection is weird.

I think and pray for you all often even though I dont post alot.

I seem to be on a totally different regimen than anyone else. In January, I started with 12 weekly treatments of Abraxane and Carboplatin. The SE haven't been too bad. Lost my hair after my onc said I would not loose it, only thin. Was not able to get treatment #8 last week due to low white count.



Has anyone taken the neupogin shots to boost your count? Anyone have any SE from those shots?

Hi Everyone,

I woke up this morning to some pretty good aching bones and joints. I feel fine overall just ache like crazy in my neck, hips, and pelvis. Sometimes a shooting pain in my jaw. I know this is SE from Taxol but it is definitely better than A/C. I was still able to get out for a walk today. Anyone else achy from taxol yet?? Are you taking anything for it? Hope everyone is having aa good weekend!!

{{HUGS}}}

Brooke

Oh yeah. had to break out the eyebrow powder and pencil today. Woke up with 1/2 my left eyebrow gone. Just peachy!!

For those with upcoming first Taxol treatments, I jist wanted to give you a heads up. I had my first one yesterday. Premeds (benedryl) literally made me feel like I was drunk, so I kinda welcomed that, in a weird kind of way. :-) I really kind of missed the point when the nurse started the Taxol, that's how spaced out I was. At some point she said, well, you seem to be doing well, I think we can turn the drip rate up to normal. I looked at her and asked "what". My husband grinned.... Oh, and I iced my feet and hands for about half the time (the nurse made awesome icebags with openings just for the tios of the fingers, after I could not "take" the extreme cold from the c"coldgloves") in an effort to avoid Peripheral neuropathy.



Slept well last night, and no nausea so far, just what I think are Hot Flashes. Wow!

I took some L-Glutemine powder (in water), which, some say, can help avoid neuropathy. We'll see. I also took a Claritin to help with the bone pain from Neulasta. Oh, and one Ativan last night, to help me go to sleep, but otherwise NO meds. Feeling better today than I have in the entire last month! yay!!!



Gentle hugs to all of you

Sleepless.  I'm looking at my blood report from last week when I was in the hospital for low blood counts.  They don't give a number for 'normal range'.  When I went in on 3\1  My Immature Grans were o.o.  When I was released on 3\3 they were 12.8.  It doesnt indicate that this number is either High or Low so it must be in normal range.

What the heck are they anyway? 

Peggy 

My report doesn't list those, or if they do, I don't see the right abbreviation. I think the big ones they look at are wbc, rbc and neutrophils when it comes to Neulasta. I looked around and found on one site that neulasta/neupogen can cause some neutrophils to come out before they're mature (the neulasta kick starts them to get them up and out and on their way).

On a few other threads, we've talked about our blood work, and what we tend to hear from the nurses is that there may be fluctuations here and there on various things, but that's to be expected given what we're going through. If there's a result that is cause for alarm, they will not go ahead with chemo. I've gotten in the habit of looking at mine, more out of curiousity. If you have concerns, your best bet is to call your doctor and ask. I hope you get an answer.

Momof2inMe/Brooke - wondering if bone pain comes from Herceptin???    The first Taxol and when I had Herceptin I had bone pain - could barely walk a couple of days.  #2Taxol no bone pain whatsoever.  Hardly nothing.  I went out and raked today and cleaned up a few flower beds with gloves and a mask on - LOL.    Anyone know if Herceptin causes bone pain?   I don't want to look it up, because if I do I become more susceptible to other SEs!  Power of suggestion!

Thought I'd check in.  I had a wonderful weekend!  It was so nice since next weekend will be 'post AC # 4" and I doubt I'll feel so good.  I had a long lunch with a friend on Saturday (including a Margarita).  Then, out for ice cream in the evening with daughter #2  & granddaughter.  

Today, daughter #1 and I took a long drive to the country so she could do something pet related.  It was actually very pleasant and we had no difficult conversations.  

I took the patio cushions out of storage and put them on the swing and chaise lounge on the covered patio and even took my bike out of the shed to get it tuned up.  

I feel so normal I almost wonder if the chemo is killing anything (until I see my bald head).  And I feel perhaps this was a blessing to replace the tremendous depression I was feeling and remind me life might be normal again.... Hopefully.  

Thinking of all of you and wishing you a few days of feeling really good.  It does renew the hope. 

FLDREAMER: I ordered one of the TLC fringes. They come on an elastic band and it also has a velcro strip. It's really comfortable and makes such a difference to a scarf or hat!



I actually wore a scarf for the first time to work last Friday (with the fringe) instead of my wig and I still felt "professional" and I'm sure anyone who didn't know about my BC treatment would have just thought I liked scarves ;-)



Had a heart scan this afternoon to make sure the FEC didn't affect my heart and that I'm still ok to start Herceptin on Friday with the Taxol. The result looked good - still in the early 70's like before tx started.



The Herceptin is the only thing in this whole mess that I'm actually "looking forward to" because I know it makes such a difference to the prognosis for Her2+...



Jenn

Karen - so glad you had a wonderful weekend.  I got the patio furniture out too and it really lifted my spirits.  I have a halo too but don't wear it too often.  I find it a little less comfortable than just having the wig on.  The elastic band bothers me.