April/May 2012 Chemo hang out

Krazycatlady, argh, sorry you're in the hospital! Hope you feel better really soon.



Sandik, maybe I can google your news story - I'm trying it! If I can't find it, what are the call letters for the station?

Found it!!! Wow, that's awesome! Thanks for sharing!

Krazycatlady---so sorry you're in the hospital! Keep us posted and feel better!

Sandik--Great story! Thanks for sharing! Enjoy your niece's wedding!

Pkate - thanks for the information ....I get my first Taxol on June 6 and have been nervous not knowing what to expect.



I put the cream on my port before I go for my appointments and it is usually 2 hours before they start the infusion and I never feel a thing....so maybe they are off on the time it takes to really work.



I hope everyone is right and SE are much easier with Taxol. Best of luck to you!

wow sandik, you've got a busy week ahead of you.  Hope the SE stay minimal and do not interfere with all that you need to do! 

slak, I know, I read that about aluminum, too, in the cold cap stuff...that's part of the reason I stopped using antiperspirant.  I don't feel like I have a choice, now, though, b/c I surely don't want to encourage more underarm thrush!  Hopefully this will not have a big effect on my hair retention.  I really don't know much more about the connection than what you said.  The only other thing is some people feel that there might be some connection to aluminum to breast cancer...but really...there is no hard proof, so I never gave it too much credence.   Heck, come to think of it, the Carafate I'm taking for the heartburn has tons of aluminum in it (we have to watch my kidneys for aluminum toxicity...uggh)...so I think if it were gonna do something major I'd see it by now.  At least that's how I'm justifying it to myself!   I think I'll email the cold cap people to find out more, now that you got me more curious!  Will report back what I find out, if anything! 

For those who have lost posts...ugggh...that really annoys me, too!  I've gotten into the habit (usually) of highlighting my entire post, clicking control C, so I have it copied on my clipboard.  If the page loses it, I can then come back and paste what I saved.  I don't know how many times I've had to do that.  

I have read that some of u talk about "crashing" will u describe that to me. Cause for 2 treatment cycles on the 8th day post treatment it feels like the bottom has fallen out. I am shaking, wore out/depleted & only want to sleep, it that crashing?. It has lasted for up to several days, then I come back @ a little but.

I am on AC which I just finished - starting taxol next week Wed.

Good Morning Ladies,

Geez, skip reading for a few days and so much has happened.  It's been a busy few days with my job and even though I work from home most of the time had to do the commute on Tuesday and was pooped when I got home, but everyone loved my short haircut.  Doing good so far - 8 days post first TCH, the only thing bugging me is this horrible dry mouth/taste, dry skin and dry nasal passages.  I've developed a total adversion to anything sweet - had some red velvet cake/cupcakes and they tasted gross (so sad:):)

Have my first of many Herceptin only infusions on Friday - going to take a long lunch hour from work, do the infusion and then go back to work, hopefully this will be easy and no SE's of any kind?

vballmom - hopefully you'll get sprung from the hospital today, hope you are feeling better.

fierro - congrats on the no drain

dancetrancer - glad the indigestion is subsiding

Hope everyone is feeling better.

Sandik - Great interview and your photography they showed in the background is beautiful.

rgina - I feel fine after my Herceptin only infusions.  They give me benadryl prior, and that makes me a bit sleepy - that is the only issue you may have, depending on how Benadryl affects you.  I just wait a little bit before I try to drive.  

You know it must not be bad if I do well with it.  LOL 

 dry nasal passages - a touch of baby oil via a Qtip fixes mine right up.  Slightly drippy at first, but only for a moment or two.

dry skin - I constantly moisturize.  Especially feet and hands which can be prone to issues if you do not keep them moisturized.

Glad you hear you are doing so well - it's amazing to me!  Especially since you do not get a Neulasta shot.  Wow.  You are a lucky gal.

For all with taste issues...here is an interesting web site.  It's put together by an oncologist who also is a trained chef.  You can search the recipes by issue.  Click the "therapeutic tab" and in the drop down box you can choose an option like "stimulating taste".  It will pull up some unique recipes he has designed towards that effort.  If anyone tries a recipe, let us know how it was and if it worked!

Cooking With Cancer 

Melrose - I got Herceptin last week with my Taxotere and Carboplatin and that did take 1 1/2 hours, this week and next week is Herceptin only and they said it should only take an hour this time - hope they are right, if not it will be an extra, extra long lunch hour! Good idea on avoiding favorite foods, when red velvet cake tastes nasty that's some serious messed up taste buds.  Another odd food thing is that my entire life I have hated cereal of all kinds, but I bought some multi-grain for the fiber and I love it - go figure.

Dancetrancer - thank you for the cookbook link - just briefly glanced at it but some of these recipes look wonderful and I've always loved to cook. 

Melrosemelrose: Congrats to you also on your son's graduation, big milestone.  My onc doctor is startig me on neurontin for the muscle and body aches so hopefully I will be able to attend my daughters graduation on June 9.  While I was in the hospital they gave me antiobiotics and a few neupogen shots and I feel way better this week.  Only bad thing is my hair is starting to come out.  Although its short already I'm thinking of just getting it cut lower cause my scalp is sore.  I may do that today then when the rest comes out it won't feel so bad.

Dancetrancer: I will be walking tall for my babygirl thats for sure and thanks for the well wishes, the same goes out to you we will make it thru.  I wasn;t feeling bad just chills most of the day, I tried to sleep it off, didn't work

IndigoMont11: You have me pegged right, I still attend monthly drills, and thanks

vballmom: Hang in there my neutrophils were very low when I was admitted and came up pretty good over 2 days.  My Momo goes to her prom this Friday and I'm really excited, then to graduate the next week will be the topper.  I plan on doing something with her, just the 2 of us, when the chemo treatments are over.  She is my rock, and I know she worries about me.  Between her and my mom I don't know who I worry about more.

Stacie: I'm a fellow military vet, but not a total vet yet.  I'm trying to finish my 20 years for retirement, I have 2 more years to go.  I will most likely get med boarded out within these last 2 years.  Thank god I'm only Army National Guard.  I've been getting all of my treatments thru the VA