April/May 2012 Chemo hang out

I left out my treatment. TCH every 3 weeks. I'm E+Pr+ Neu2+ One lymph node biopsied neg.

Will have lumpectomy then radiation and herceptin after chemo. 

Dancetrancer- I will ask about the probiotics that is a good idea.  My mom has tinnitis ringing in her ears so she uses comfortable earbud headphones and listens to the radio or music all night.  Sorry you are having to deal with that.

melrosemelrose - thank you for sharing your experience.  It is reassuring!  I have read that the more you focus on it, the worse it becomes.  Trying to learn how to tune it out!!!  Sometimes when I'm busy I don't notice it at all, so I definitely have hope that I will accommodate to it.  Thank you!!!   (BTW all, the ringing is from the carboplatin, and it is a rare side effect, so don't freak out that you are gonna get it.  Somehow I always end up with weird sh*t.  LOL)

Back from PS.  They cannot believe that I'm still putting out over 50cc.  He stripped the line while I was there and it immediately filled again.  It was funny to watch his face because I strip it 2-3 times per day, so I knew it would...blockage or not.

He does NOT want to remove it while it is producing that much (thank goodness...I want it gone, but the fluid would just build up under my skin) so they did a new compression wrap. It is now a big wad of gauze in my arm pit and then an ace bandage wrapped really high.  I'm so thankful that she said I could do that OVER my mastectomy bra if I needed to go out, since we'll have company in the house this weekend, and the one remaining "girl" attracts gravity surges.  The ride home was VERY uncomfortable, with her just down there...loose...hanging around...but I got home, put on my bra and re-wrapped over it and I can live with this for 3 days.

I'm to call them back Tuesday and report output amounts so they can decide what they want to do. ::fingers crossed:: and I hope you all have an amazing weekend.

Just wanted to wish everyone a good LNG weekend with minimal SE. This us my goo weekend before heading off for AC #4 on Tuesday. I will be doing weekly Taxol after that. So I am one more in for the long haul.

Rgina and ladybug- I thought I was the odd be addicted to coconut water. I absolutely love it. I also like to drink buttermilk diluted in water with salt. This is something I used to have as I was growing up in India. Hate the sweet taste.

Fierro- feel you pain about the drains. I hated them and couldn't wait to get rid of it. Hang in there, it will eventually stop.

Sandik- yeah half way through....

CharleneT- welcome

DanceT- don't you have only one Tx left?

hopeful - 6 treatments were recommended by MD Anderson (where I had a 2nd opinion).  They said my recurrence rate would be 20 to 25% without chemo/Herceptin.   Most HER2+ patients with a tumor as small as mine who decided to go forward with chemo are doing only 4.  My onc here wants me to try for 6.  I highly doubt I will do that, but we'll see!  Either way, I'll follow it up with Herceptin for a year, which certainly gives me a feeling of added security!  

DH would love for me to stop right now.  It's been tough on him...he has a hard time watching me go through this.  It must be so hard for others to not be able to help ease our pain!  He is the reason I am doing this though - love my life with him and want to be around a LONG time!   

Sandik;  Good luck w/your treatment and with the job interview.  I am sure you did fine

Fierro:  Stay here!  I love this group.

Dancertrainer and Fierro:  I know what you mean about our DH.  Sometimes, I look at him and I see tears in his eyes.  It makes me want to cry.  He doesn't want to lose me.  I try to be strong in front of him....sometimes it's hard.  

Hope everyone has a relaxing weekend.   

DanceT and Fierro- couldnt agree with you more. I don't think I would have the strength to o this if it weren't for DH and kids.

DanceT- I understand how you feel with stopping with the four. Especially when there isn't any clear research in < 5mm tumors. I am also getting tired and still have three more months to go.

cocker spaniel- thanks for posting. I am nervous about Taxol so would love to hear from people going through it.

I was absolutely groovy Tuesday through Thursday night. Last night I felt tired all of a sudden. I was in bed by 11 and slept until 8 this morning. I managed to get some work done, but all I wanted to do was get back in bed...where I'm typing from now.

I'm so tired I can't believe it. No nausea, just exhausted and no appetite.

LinnieB--I hear you.  I am just exhausted.  And it's been a week ago yesterday since my last treatment.  

Hi all!



I too have had tinnitus (ear ringing) for probably 25 years now. I had my ears checked back then and was told my hearing was fine and the ringing was just something I would have to learn to live with. I know that's probably not what you want to hear (I sure was disappointed at the time!). But I did learn to ignore it most of the time. It has only seemed loud when I'm exhausted, take certain medications and/or am sick. I noticed after A/C #1 that the ringing did seem very loud. I was able to block it out by the time I had tx #2. It didn't seem worse after that tx, and now I notice it if I think about it, but not much at all.



About anti-nausea meds: I am given decadron, emend and zofran pills right before my infusion, and then take emend, zofran and decadron once a day at 8 a.m. and zofran again at 4 p.m. for 2 days after treatment. The emend is pretty expensive - the 2 pills cost me $35 out of pocket - but since I haven't had nausea *knock wood* I am not complaining. I also have compazine if needed but so far, I haven't. I heard from someone that emend and zofran were similar meds and so combining them seemed strange. I asked my pharmacist and she said, in fact, that they are different types of drugs and act differently. She wrote out for me exactly what that means - I won't write it all here but the bottom line is, the combination has worked well for me so far.



About the "crash" - for me, by day 5 I've been off the decadron for 2 days and that's when that fatigue kicks my rear end. I don't know if the fatigue is as extreme for everyone, but it's as tired as I've ever felt without being ill or being asleep. My glands around my jaw get really tender by the, also.



Fierro, I won't finish until probably the first week of October, so I'll be around awhile too!

IndigoMont11- Oh my....I'll check out your next post on the other thread to see what I can expect.  On another note, I didn't realize you were going to have Taxotere and that you'd be still having chemo into September.

Indigo - thanks for the feedback on the tinnitus - I know it can't be cured (major bummer), BUT, hopefully I can learn to ignore it!!!  It's a mind over matter thing.  It definitely seems worse when I am tired, etc. 

Pamelahope- You may have planned your chemo on the right day so that you have the weekend to recover from the your side effects.  if you can, you should have someone go with you to your chemo treatments, especially the first chemo treatment.   The first treatment usually lasts longer than the other treatments since you are learning the chemo procedures and process.  It always helps to have your husband or a gal pal with you for moral support and to help  make the time go by a little faster.  Also, since most of us, if not all of us, receive additional anti-nausea meds during the infusion, I'm not sure how you will feel after the chemo round.  I was very sleepy after both of my rounds of chemo because I took some anti-anxiety (Activan) meds in my IV in additional to anti-nausea meds and could not have driven myself home.   Everyone reacts differently to chemo so it is hard for anyone to predict what your side effects will be.  My onco did ask me before I started chemo if I had morning sickness while I was pregnant with my two kids.  I told her that I may have felt a little queasy for a week or two in the beginning but never had any nausea.  She told me that it was an indicator of how I might feel after a chemo treatment.  So far, I've not had any nausea.  I will also tell you that I have not had any problems with constipation or diarrhea because I am managing those through diet.  I received a copy of "Eating Well Through Cancer" book by Holly Clegg & Erald Miletello, MD which has recipes & recommendations during and after treatment.  The book has made my food choices a no brainer and has shopping lists, food menus and recipes.  Let me know how else I can help you.....  

Hi everyone! I start neoadjuvant chemotherapy on June 1. Even though I will technically be starting a day late for this thread, I hope you don't mind me joining in.

I will be having ac every 2 weeks for 8 weeks if I can tolerate it or otherwise every 3 weeks for 12 weeks. Then I will have taxol and herceptin weekly for 12 weeks.

I am getting a wig from the American Cancer Society but I also ordered a couple hats and a couple scarves from tlc in case I don't want to wear the wig. I got my hair cut short this week to help with the transition. I am going to shave it off once I get started on treatment and my husband is going to shave his head too, in support of me.

I really find this site to be helpful.