April/May 2012 Chemo hang out

I have done both home alone and home with help.  Help is nicer, especially if nausea is bad, because you will eat and drink better with someone around to prepare food (or go get what random food sounds good to you).  If you won't have help, try to set yourself up for success by doing as little as possible while you're alone -have food that is pre-prepared so all you have to do is heat it up, have food at home that is the sort of thing you would eat if you felt sick to your stomach (chicken soup, jello, etc).  Don't plan to do any major work - sit on the sofa!  That way, you won't find yourself too tired to take care of yourself halfway through the day.

I do NOT advise entering with the mindset that the first cycle will tell you how the rest will be.  For me, each cycle was different, 3rd dd a/c (of 4) was the worst, and I've heard other patients say the same.  I worked through parts of a/c and taxol, it's doable, but I was tired.  If you have a workplace where you sit a lot and your coworkers are supportive, it should be ok.  But listen to your body, everyone is different.

At this point, I've been on chemo since December, and I can tell you that SEs ebb and flow.  I have more problems with SEs when my life is really busy/stressful.  If I am resting a lot and have lots of help, I feel pretty good.  If the house is a mess, we need groceries, work was full of cranky people, and my son has an event I need to attend.....you get the picture.  Also, the further into this you get, the harder it is for your supporters -so rally the troops early, and get outside help lined up now, because it's a long haul.  People like to help, don't wear yourself out.  Take the free casseroles and babysitters.  Pay for a housekeeper.  It's not worth ending up in the hospital with an infection b/c you overstressed your body.

Ddac: Day 2 was usually fine for me. Day 3 - 5 or 6 were the hardest, but I felt great on day 5 and lousy on day 6 for some cycles. I found bone pain to hit max around days 7 -10, but that was manageable with Motrin. Day 1 I was just sleepy and felt weird. I tried to get laundry, groceries, etc right before a treatment, and cooked foods I knew wouldn't taste bad.



For taxol, I've found either day 3 or 4 I'm really tired. Which day depends on how busy I am day 2.

So I am trying to get an idea of how long I will be  at the hospital getting my chemo infusion, can anyone tell me how long it usually takes, and what to expect?

Kristy

I was seriously thinking about cold caps and had read the threads, but aside from the expense what decided me not to bother was hearing that you can't dye your hair during chemo. Trust me, I'll look better with my wigs than wth skimpy mousy gray hair......

I haven't posted since last week but I start chemo tomorrow so here I am. I am doing a clinical trial (ISpy2) and will be starting with Taxol (weekly x 12), carboplatin (1 every 3 weeks X 4), and abt 888 (two pills daily). The abt 888 is the trial agent. It is a PARP inhibitor that is being tested for many cancers right now.

My port has healed well and I will be taking it out for its first test drive bright and early tomorrow. Hope you all are doing well.

Anyone else having to deal with low white blood cell counts? I had my bloodwork done this past Wednesday which was one week after my first treatment. My WBC count is critically low. I was anemic going into this, so that is not good. However, I feel really good. I have mild nausea, that I am able to treat with Zofran. I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. Will my SE's be worse with each treatment? I feel very lucky that it has gone so well so far. I hate to even mention that because there are so many of you that aren't feeling well. No hair loss so far either. I just get this feeling that I am in the good zone right now, but that soon the hair will come out, I will feel depressed, and really start feeling like a cancer patient! I guess I should just enjoy the ride right now while it is good! Blessing to all of you as we go through this together!

@mcm24, I was really nauseated for about 4days straight. I cried a lot and felt really sad and depressed but I think it was because of the Reglan I was taking for the nausea. I'm 8 days after my first treatment and I feel perfectly fine. I still have my hair as well . I'm preparing for the worse but hoping for the best. I give it a light tug every morning I wake up to make sure it's still in tact. I totally agree with you about feeling like a cancer patient once it comes out. I pray God grants us all the strength to deal with the many side effects of our treatments and keep our minds at peace. I know during my "4 day imprisonment" I thought about a lot of crazy stuff!

MUGA all done.  Haircut tomorrow... chemo class on Monday a.m. ... LGFB Monday p.m. ... forging ahead and counting down to first infusion next Friday ....

Talked to my oncologist's office about a start date.  It looks like it will be April 24th and then every 3 weeks for 6 rounds.  I've put that on the calendar and I'll be finished in early August assuming there are no delays.  As for the PET scan, the hospital just called and quoted me the "cash " price of over $4,400K/ retail is about $7,400.  The insurance has already approved the CT scan w/ or w/o contrast so my bet is I will  have the CT scan unless the doctor appeals the insurance decision for PET and gets it approved.  Always possible.

Lemonheads are sounding pretty good to me right now.  I'm going to get some---- don't care about the sugar!!!!!  I've been doing some shopping to get those chemo supplies for home and to take with me to the infusion.  Since I am icing during the infusion, I found these nifty pot holders at Target that I can stick an ice bag and my hands in and still hold things while I get my chemo infusion.  As for the toes, I'm just going to put ice bags on top of my toes.  Yep, I plan to wear socks so those toes don't totally freeze off.  Cutting those nails short and painting them with clear polish very soon. 

IndigoMont11- I almost opted for the Michelle Williams cut but I thought it was a little too drastic from super long to super short.  I may still get one though since it would be the haircut I would have prior to having a punk mohawk. Lol......

Stacie-- thanks for the lemonhead tip! Yummy!!! Enjoy your relaxing weekend!!!!!

Have a wonderful safe weekend !!!!! HUGS !!!!!

LyndaMarie- No biggie about the insurance.  I'm lucky to have it and lucky it has paid for quite a bit already.  As for drains, well.... they are just drains and necessary.  I had my UMX w/o recon (2 drains) on 3/14 and had emergency surgery to correct a bleeder (1 drain) on 3/25.  I've been dealing with drains for a month but I decided I needed to be patient and get them out when the time was right.  I've been wearing some Champion zip up dri fit exercise jackets  with inside pockets I got from Target for about $30.00 each  They are super soft and comfy and each pocket can hold two drains.  I also have a camisole with velcro drain holder pockets that I didn't wear very often since I was put in ace bandages after each surgery.      I love your visual of your chemo serving the eviction notice to your cancer!!!!!  I already have visuals in my head of the chemo kicking the cancer right out of me!!!!

Peace and calm to all and wishing minimal SE's for all!!!! 

Hi newbies to chemo! I am on the tail end of my treatment and got on here to see if I could offer support.  

When they say that the first chemo sort of determines how the rest will go, for many of us it meant that the good days and lousy days will be on about the same schedule from one tx to the next. But the SE's increased in intensity each time. For me, days one and two were manageable, then days three to seven were bad. After that, I was pretty good until my next chemo. I had six rounds of taxotere/ cytoxan, three weeks apart. 

Of course, everyone experiences chemo differently, but the support and information on these boards is so helpful. Like all the ladies before us, you will get through this. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Even the most independent women need all the help we can get to make it through treatment. Now is the time to ask your friends and family, and they will be so happy to help you.

Best of luck to all you ladies! 

Barb