March 2012 chemo

i go tomorrow for my 10 day followup..i will then find out my when my 2tx of a/c is and that will also be the day they put a port in arm.

as of today I have lost 12 lbs..i feel texture when i eat..but nothing has taste to it ..it seems.  Am going to ask tomorrow about this discomfort I get approximately two hours after I eat...right in the middle of my back...and the burning from middle of chest upwards.  Been taking zantac...to no avail and burping quit frequently.

i read where some of you bake or do different things...hope to get to that point soon.  Probably shouldnt been too concerned about it as I didnt do a whole lot of baking or cooking before.  hee hee

very interesting to read what others are going through and know that we are all in a "bunch" together.

Wow I actually ate pizza AND tasted it! Made my day! Gotta find happiness in the small things

Masserz:  You wear a bald head well. 

Brax:  You really are my chemo buddy!  My burning period has now passed.  I think I have now entered the relatively S.E. period until tx#3 in 1 1/2 weeks.

Galena:  You are awesome to remember everyones concerns and respond to them.  I usually can't remember more than the last two posts.

January/KatyCB:  It's interesting that you two have lost your appetites.  My appetite has increased since starting chemo.  The other day, I even ate some Apple Jacks in milk...and I never eat Apple Jacks (yuck in retrospect) and I haven't drank milk in a LONG time.  But my body now wants any and everything.  

 To the others battling fatigue:  I too have it. The first 8 or so days after treatment, I am useless.  After that, it pretty much goes back to normal until the next tx.

Hey chickies. Quick update cause I am phone posting. Day 14 and I'm starting to shed. Just strands right now whenever I run my hand through it. Going to get my wig/head covering situation worked out tomorrow I hope. Then I'm gonna get rid of it.



Gotta go - free HBO/Starz weekend on Dish so DH and I are watching movies.

Katy, I am doing Taxotere.  I have only had 1 treatment so far out of 6.  No problem with numbness so far!  Good idea to ask about it!

I plan on driving myself next time, so I hope they don't give me anything new!  That is kind of scary!  I was fine to drive home the first time, but I brought my Dad with me just in case!

Onvacation- I have done two treatments now.  They seemed quite similar.

Immediately after infusion I felt perfectly normal, then I crashed in the evening.  Then there were several days of exhaustion / nausea / no appetitie / everything smells and tastes bad / bloating / constipation, followed by a couple days of nausea / diarrhoea.  Then feeling pretty good except for hunger hunger hunger / mouth ulcers / a sniffly nose / cough.

Differences were:
Tx1 I vomited on Day 9 but Tx2 I vomited on Day 1.
Tx2 I felt my hands go tingly and numb on Day 1.  Tx1 this didn't happen at all. 
Tx1 Very little hair change.  Tx2 My hair is extremely thin now. 

I feel the need to post today as it was a rough one. day 10 of chemo cycle one and just starting to feel better, when I got chest pain...long story short...not normal chemo, bone pain and I ended up in er with a pulmonary embolism. No pity party for me, small and we caught it, but I almost did not go in because I was rationalizing that this was chemo side effects!! It's so crazy to be going through an entire new process and experience of symptoms and trying o make sense of them when we have nothing to compare to...thank you for these posts that help us navigate this journey. Don't ignore or explain away anything...listen to your instincts...I almost didn't and to make matters worse I am a physician. Obviously not a very good patient, but learning as I go. Warm thoughts to everyone out there going through this journey today...I am sending healing healthy thoughts out to you all. Amy.

triplem67 I craved pizza all last night!!!

Onvacation I am on day 11 of 2nd TCH treatment (taxotere).  I felt a little more fatigue the second time, but no headaches.  I had 4-6 days of headaches the first time, with four of the days being very intense.  I am eating pretty much like I always have.  We'll see how #3 goes.

KatyCB I have not had any signs of neuropathy.  I am on almost halfway through 2nd cycle.  I ice my hands and feet at each treatment.  It can help prevent neuropathy and some people take L-glutamine - can be purchased at a health food store.   I was going to ask onc about it, thinking of taking it myself.  I also keep chew ice during treatments.  I have had no real taste changes or mouth problems at all.  Some foods taste a little more spicy than usual.  But everything for the most part tastes the same as it always has.  I have Ativan, my onc told me to take one before bed if I could not sleep, it can make you very very tired.  She said it also has the additional benefit of helping with nausea. 

KatyCB, I asked my MO about L-glutamine because I read about it here and I found clinical trials that showed it was beneficial.  She said I could take it (I found it at GNC).  I take about 1 Tb of the powder in a drink every morning (about 10g).  My MO also said I could take Vit B6 (100 mg/day).  I could find less in the literature about that, but since my MO said it helps I'm taking it.  Also, she said that peripheral neuropathy is less on Taxotere than on Taxol. 

Getting caught up from yesterday

Galena - ok, I get the screen name now since I saw your real name but in my head, Galena is your name now, lol!  I am glad you are feeling better.

 Michelle - yay on the pizza. Pizza is my most favorite food in the world.  I tried it the weekend after I had TX and couldn't taste it at all.  I had better luck this last weekend. - on the hair/dryness, when I washed mine it just felt weird - like it wasn't even real hair - I have a feeling it is going to start going fast.

Sissydi - I have been an eating fool too since I got my appetite back - gained back every lb I lost.  Have fun at the movie - oldest DD went to see it on opening night.  It is her latest obsession - better than Twilight I say - at least it has a strong female lead rather than a whiny boy crazed one, lol.

Alice - glad you are feeling good about your hair and "the big cut" - I am just wanting to get it over with.  DH will probably just help me do mine.

Merrinell - glad you found a head covering option that will work for you!  Sounds comfy!  I agree with Michelle - you seem like an awesome person

Catherine - I just feel COMPELLED to tell people everything I have learned and I know they don't want to hear it. What is funny is when people don't know and you tell them in person and you see that crazed look in their eyes while they scramble for what to say.   

Caitlin - glad your biopsy went well...keep us posted on the results.

Connie - everyone differs but I just used regular Claritin the day before and a few days after - I don't know if it worked that well or if things would have been worse had I not used it.  The D has a decongestant that you really don't need and if you are on BP meds or anythign like I am, can make your heart race.

munnibunny - good luck w/your followup.  You may need to switch to something stronger for heartburn - I think pepcid/zantac have to be taken each time you eat, right?  I am doing Prilosec which is just once in the mornings.  You will feel better eventually   Then you too can bake and then eat too much and gain back every pound you lost, like I did, lol.  Too funny about not cooking or baking before.  That is the same thing I hear about people having a postive attitude during cancer - I am like "I was a negative person before! Why would I have a positive attitude now!"

Katy - I think it is kind of cool too about the shedding - lol - it is just so WEIRD to me that your body will do that...I keep pulling out pieces.  I am the most guilty about reading all the boards and dreading things that haven't happened yet.  

MLB - I think Ativan is antianxiety, right?  IDK - I don't get Benadryl I just get something that starts with an "E" for nausea in my iv beforehand. 

Hi Gabbi - new car?  Exciting!

Amy - oh wow.  I have a deep seated fear of PE.  Don't know why they scare me so but I do.  Glad things worked out ok for you.

Kim - y'all are getting the rain that I think we will have tomorrow and Wednesday.  I love rain but not being out in it.

Ok, I hope I didn't miss anyone.  I guess I should get up and dressed.  Labs this morning then off to the wig shop to try and look around for either a halo/cap or get some advice for the wig I have/gettting it thinned.  I also need a liner/cap to wear under - the one they gave me at the hospital was pantyhose type material - that CANNOT be comfortable. 

I have to go and see if my driver (i.e. my mother) is up and about.  My kids chauffer (i.e. my dad) came in and got them at 7:30...geez I will miss this convenience when they move across town!  I guess I will have to start taking my own kids to school except on the days I am really sick! 

Good Morning All

Lovely cool but sunny day in my neck of the woods.  Amazing what a bit of sunshine does for the energy levels.  This is normally my tired day but so far not too bad and at least I'm out of bed.  Going to try to get out and do a couple of errands while I feel like it.

I feel like I kind of ate my way through yesterday trying to find something that didn't taste off.  The only thing I enjoyed although way too late at night to be eating, was 2 eggo's with jam on them. LOL!  Had eggs for breakfast and made ham and scalloped taters for supper but it just filled the hunger gap thats it.  Also had some cashews and some pretzels.  I can't wait to ditch carbs, so sick of them now.  Fantasizing about lots of salad, green smoothies and sushi!

Amy

Wowsa, good thing the PE was caught small!  Very scary but so glad you listened to your instincts and thanks for reminding us to listen to ours!!

Ok the hot flashes have set in this morning - OH MY!!! I knew it was coming but sheesh. Just adjusted the AC in my office to 65 - everybody will be complaining soon because they're cold lol.

Morning all! Sounds like everyone had a decent weekend except for Amy! Sorry to hear about that but at least you got it taken care of. It's hard to figure out if something is serious when everything you experience is a common SE of this chemo crap. Thank you for sharing.



Well I'm on day 8 and for some reason I'm soooo tired. I actually got quite a bit done this weekend. Nothing compared to what I used to do, but for the temporary new me.



Hope everyone has a good day with minimal SEs and if you're having tx chalk it up to another one down.

Michelle - Day 8 thru 10 were tough for me. I was very exhausted. My MO said it was because that is when my counts are at the lowest. Hope you feel better soon.

 Amy - I know you must be terrified. Praying for swift resolution of this issue for you.