April/May 2012 Chemo hang out

I found you! I guess I'll find out next Friday when my official start date is! 

I guess I'll find out soon enough. I'm nervous about the port. But I know I'd rather the port over getting stuck every time I go in. I've also been trying to eat healthier. I was walking til my surgery. Hopefully I'll get back in the groove by the end of the week.

I don't want it either! haha But, if I must, then I must. I think we are the only two from our group that has to do chemo. 

Haha. What are you doing for your head? Wig, scarves, both? I'm heading down to the ACS next week to look at wigs. I got a huge packet of info from them today. I'm also going for a haircut next Thursday to chop quite a bit off.

I know I didn't pay for a train ride!

OMG I don't want to think of a PET scan! Drinking that crap!

Did you call the ACS? They signed me up for some program called Look Good Feel Better. They teach you about skin care and makeup. They give you like $300 in makeup and skin product! They also told me to come in next week and pick out a wig. I've ordered a free scarf from a place that I can't remember the name of right now.

All the years I've been raising money for cancer awareness I never thought I'd be on the receiving end of things!

Melrose, hang in there!  

Hello April & May gang!

Stopping in here to provide some great information from the main Breastcancer.org site on Chemotherapy, including what to expect, types of chemo meds, and side effect management.

Hope you find this helpful!

--Your Mods

Hello all-From what i understand i will be starting chemo anytime now. I am abit behind schedule but either way am finally starting. Just wanted to say hi

Hi sandik- i had surgery a BMX with all nodes out on one side on feb 2nd and got pneumonia and then infection so had to wait to do chemo. I will be getting radiation after chemo.  I am not looking forward to chemo but i am looking forward to fighting this cancer more. I want to feel like i am doing something

Thank you for starting this group.  I, too, am starting chemo on 4/4/12 and was interested in finding some buddies. 

My history is that I just had second BCS surgery (re-excision) which was successful.  I had the port put in at that time (3/9/12) for chemo.  I go for echo and lab next week.

I will undergo 4 weeks of A/C and then 4 weeks of T/C, then one month off and then radiation for 6 1/2 weeks and hormone therapy for 5 years (aromatase since I am menopausal).

 Have my wig ready and going for the short cut/shave the week after chemo. 

My heart is with all of you through this treatment.

Stacie, I was just coming to see how you made out. Glad it went ok. 

Welcome Pkate and wildflower!

Pkate, Im going in for a big haircut this week, and to look for a wig. I meet with the oncologist on Friday. Glad your re-excision went well. 

wildflower, It is scary, but we will all get through it! I am way out of shape as well. Do you have a smart phone? Look for the myfitnesspal app. If you don't then it's just www.myfitnesspal.com and you enter your food and water intake and your exercise. I started as soon as I found out I had cancer. Haven't been walking the last week due to the boob hurting whe I walk. haha  We can do this and we will! My hubby is getting a book from his boss. His daughter in law had stage 4 of some kind of cancer and started changing her diet, exercising, living right. That was 5 years ago and she is in remission. I figure it can't hurt! I'm triple negative, so I can't do the normal hormone stuff. When I get the name of the book, I'll post it here. 

Hello Ladies. Looks like i'll be joining you. I'm officially 2 weeks post BMX. Saw my MO today and was told chemo is definate (no surprise there due to my age - 27). She's ordering Oncotype but were thinking just Tax and Cyto for right now. It would be the normal 4 treatments every 4 weeks. I did see a thread somewhere where ladies took it every week for 12 weeks. I may ask my MO about that.

Hi Ladies,

I just finished nearly 5 months of chemo (started Nov. 3) day before yesterday. I remember thinking that it was such a long time and how would I ever do it?  Well,I did--4 DD AC and 12 weekly Taxols.  Minimum side effects (hair loss, nausea, weight loss and loss of appetite, hyper acute sense of smell on AC; little to no SE from Taxol except a little tiredness from time to time and back pain once after tx #2--no nail problems, neuropathy, etc.)  I took l-glutamine and acetyl carnitine for neuropathy which `can come with Taxol and I iced my toe and fingernails during Taxol to keep them healthy--it all worked.  

I kept up with my high activity level all through chemo because it felt like I was flipping a big bird to cancer You know--you aren't going to GET me down!  And I worked (I teach at a Univ.) Nov-Dec as normal...but took family leave this semester and am only teaching one class instead of four b/c Ididn't know how Taxol was going to be for me.  

My hair is growing back in--about 1" long so far; it started falling out after AC tx 2--around Thanksgiving--so I really only had to be completely bald for a few months. I'm going topless (no hairpiece) everywhere again.

I wanted to give you encouragement and some tips on how to take care of some of the more serious SE--everyone is different, but I came through it and was so afraid of it before, and you can too.

I get my port out in two weeks. That was a godsend and I'm glad I had one. Never had any pain or problems with it, when they put it in or anytime else. It just stung a bit when they accessed it--but ask for cold spray and it will numb the area and be easier.  After it's in you don't feel it.

Ladies--you can do this.  That's what ladies on this board told me before I started and I was glad they did.  Now I'm telling you the same. It's just a bump in the road. Good luck to all of you.

Claire

Claireinaz- Thanks for the post.  Needed that boost of encouragement today from someone who has traveled this part of the journey before me.  If you have any other helpful tips, please share!!!

Melrose