January 2012 chemo

Just returned from my 3rd out of 4 taxols.  Two more weeks and I will be done!  YAY!

DianeNMil - I think you are right about the comments people make about our hair/wigs.  The first time someone said something about my hair/wig I went into a long story about chemo and my hair.  I think the poor bagel lady was a little surprised by my response.  I just didn't know what to say so I told her it wasn't really my hair, etc.  Now I just smile and thank them.  Today, while waiting to see the MO, I began chatting with a women sitting next to me.  While comparing notes on chemo, this women said that I was very lucky to have my hair after going through the AC/T combination.  I had to laugh!  I always suspected that other cancer patients could tell right away who was wearing a wig or had their hair.  I always look around the waiting room and try to determine who is in active tx or who was 'new' (still had hair).  I spoke to a women today who was there for her 6 year checkup.  She is doing great and contemplating reconstruction now.  She also commented on my hair and was surprised to hear that it was a wig.

JoyceNYC - Did you have a C-diff infection?  If so, how was it treated. I was sent home with no treatment other than probiotics.  I had no active symptoms (diarrhea and fever) on discharge day, so they told me to just watch for the return of symptoms.

Momof2inME - Do you think you might have thrush?  My mouth feels weird sometime too.  MO said it might be due to thrush.  My mouth gets really dry when I sleep and tongue feels like sandpaper when I get up.  Right now we decided to just let nature balance out the bacteria and fungus.  If it gets worse we treat it.

Jenn - excellent idea to take the week off. It will feel great, I'm sure.



This week has been a complete waste for me. I've really been laid out by my first Taxol, and I really don't know why. But I've been basically unable to do much outside the house, I've felt queasy and sick when I'm up and about,and it hasn't gotten much better as the week wore on. I'll talk to my doc when I go in for my next treatment next Wednesday. Maybe I need more steroids? Ugh. Today I left the house to run errands and took a three hour nap as soon as I got home. I was out of the house for half an hour!



I guess I'm one for whom taxol is not easier.



Annie

Janetanned: the tests did not confirm C-DIFF but the MO had me continue on the antibiotic Metronidazole for the full 10 days. She also had me start the probiotic Align and has me eating yogurt daily. She is going to keep an eye on my intestines during this cycle thinking that the chemo is really doing a number on the intestinal lining.

Kelly - my mo said they are not the same drug exactly. Taxol, abraxane and taxatere are all taxanes(same family) but are all slightly different(and different suspensions of course).

Some of my nails are a little loose..won't be opening a can of Coke anytime soon and very sensitive, but surprisingly not that painful themselves after this 5 of 12 Taxol.
This Saturday is much better than last Saturday so far...we'll see how I am by tonight. Last time I went down hill quickly. MY fingers tips are allowing me to type and I am taking my Lyrica like a good girl. I am sore and achy but not overall that bad considering it is has been raining since last night here in Jersey.

Seagrover~I am going to pay a lot more attention to the bags...I have become very careless and just fly through the name and DOB part, I hope you'll be O-K from the mixup how horrible and a 2 hour ride home to think about it!! Wake up call for me.

I've been back to work since the last AC and all through the Taxol and am really tired when I get home, but not as fatigued for me as the AC was. But I discovered that when I was really tired the hot flashes came on like a demon around 3-4 pm and I couldn't sleep through them either. I kept thinking I need to work harder...be even more exhausted and I would sleep..nope, just got worse,  it took 4 weeks till I finally took more drugs (that my MO was repeating to take) to sleep and then I went from 3 hours sleep to 8-10 hours sleep and the hot flashes are now down to a minimum..I can be such a block head.

PCBarbie - hugs... I'm so sad that your friend died. Unexpected like that can be so tough I think...

Diane and Janet - yay for the end of chemo in sight!

Joyce - I hope this next cycle is kinder to your system...



Janet - You are right about the exercise of course. I have still been pretty active - doing lots of walking the dog or to the local store. And my tx centre is within walking distance (but a decent walk!) from work so I walk to and from all my appts which is good exercise.



Despite all that I do find that I need to sit down at home a lot more than I used to - I used to hardly ever sit and watch tv and now I know all the home and cooking shows ;-)



Jenn

PCBarbie:  I'm so very, very sorry to hear about the loss of your friend.  We're learned hard lessons lately about not being able to predict or control our futures, and losing someone so unexpectedly makes that much more difficult.  I'll keep you and friend in my thoughts.

Annie:  This second Taxol treatment has been much better for me - far less pain, but I'm also taking some steroids this time that I didn't have before.  My MO wanted me to taper off for a couple of days after tx.  I also have Vicodin, which has been helpful.  I am tired, but not nearly in as much pain as that first treatment two weeks ago.

I wonder if some of the fatigue (at least for me) is due to the dose-dense nature of the treatment.  I know that working out is supposed to help alleviate some of this fatigue, but I have to be honest - my heart pounds so hard and fast when I walk across campus or a crowded parking lot that I'm really just plain scared to exercise too hard.  Before all of this I used to run at least three times a week - now I'm afraid to walk too fast.  Am I being illogical?  

Diane:  I envy you your rads appointment!  Mine isn't coming until May 29 - it feels like a lifetime away.  I hope all goes well for you, and that this next step in your treatment goes smoothly and without concern!!

I registered for spring classes, but decided to take the summer session (July and August) off.  I'll be done with chemo and rads, and want a few weeks to recuperate before I get hit with my last 8 months of grad school, including two days a week in an internship and increased work hours and classes.  It's nice to be able to feel like I can look ahead and little and see the end somewhere out there...

Sorry girls but I gotta bitch! I hate this stinking disease!!!! I just found out that a friend, who just finished 5 years on Tamoxofin after a DCIS dx, has had a recurrance!!! She just had a lumpectomy and is now waiting on a treatment plan. I hate this stupid, stupid, nasty, awful, rotton disease!!!!

I'm having the mild flu-like symptoms on-and-off too, but since I've been doped up on steroids and pain meds, I hadn't felt them much - until this morning.  I think I'm just getting used to feeling kinda crappy in general - and then when I start to feel closer to "normal" again I feel like Superwoman or something, and race around getting things done!  I have energy in my brain - just not the body.  Stupid cancer.

I like your Couch Command Center idea, Annie.  I'm trying to figure out a place to settle in and work on my last three research papers for this semester and I've been avoiding them like the plague.  I think Jenn mentioned something about knowing every food and home show on TV these days; I could recite the schedules for far too many TV channels myself.  I'm not lazy; my DOGAS meter is just a little low these days ("degree of give-a-sh*t").

Char, I'm sorry to hear about your friend and her recurrence.  Both you and she are in my thoughts today.

I just got back from DD Taxol #2.    I asked for better nausea med's since I was vomiting on day 5 after the first Taxol.   I also told them about running a temp up to 100.1.    My insurance had declined paying for the Neulasta shots after Taxol since I went into the first treatment with okay WBC.   BUT is it now obvious that my WBC was okay because I was getting the Neulasta shots.   My MO's office called the insurance company and told them how low my WBC is now because I didn't get the shot and I got close to being put in the hospital because of the high temp, so now my insurance changed their mind and I can get the Neulasta shots again.   I'll get one tomorrow.   I hope that helps with the fatigue and temp things going on after the first Taxol.   I'll have to see as they started getting bad days 4-7.  Annie - I was laid out on the couch for pretty much days 4-7 too.  Couldn't do much of anything - felt like a lead boat anchor was attached to my legs and the nausea was terrible until I vomitted it all up - then felt better :-(

We are all getting through them though.   I feel the end is now in sight!@!!

Stupid Taxol pain! It seems to come on worse in the evening so no choice but to take meds and go to sleep... During the day it doesn't seem so bad... So crap that we all have to go through this.



There are sooo many of us going through this - it's horrendously scary how many women, and we are just the ones that get online and find this site. This is truly an epidemic....



Jenn

char - I am so sorry for your friend. I had a unilateral mast 4 years ago for dcis so I know how that feels. It was my baseline mammo at 39.



Jenn, Nancy, Seagrover, cat,

annie- (and anyone else feeling like shit). sending you hugs and positive mojo! I think our bodies have had enough of this chemo crap!



I am already getting nervous about rads!

Good morning to all of you wonderful, amazing and fantastic ladies!!  I had a shit-painful night and watched too many reruns of "Friends" but am determined that today is going to be better in some small way.  I think I'm going to tackle cleaning out the china cabinet and getting rid of some unneeded tea cups.  Wish we could all get together and have tea one day.

Anyway...sorry, just tired (sleepy) and tired (cranky) about all of this.  Evn the bottom of my feet hurt enough that walking is painful!  And I always appreciate this safe place where we can all vent when we're frustrated.  I'm just so over this cancer thing - but still so grateful for the opportunity to fight and push forward.

Gentle hugs to each of you!!

Nancy and Denise-G - I think I've seen every episode of The Big Bang Theory at least 4 times! Funny - my Taxol bone pain comes at night too. Last night I hurt from my thighs to my ankles. I am so over this crap!

I'm very anxious now for my hair to grow back in. It didn't bother me when I first lost it, but now every time I walk past a mirror, I check my stubble to see if it's gotten any longer. I keep looking at a cancer patient looking back at me and I hate it.