2012 sisters

Halfcan - there with you for your chemo, it will be good to get #1 out of the way, don't be afraid to use meds to control the side-effects at first sign, that's what they are there for.

 Juneaubug - you have my admiration and support. Stay strong and do what you have to do to get through this time.

Ramols - glad to hear you are starting to feel better. I am doing pretty good so far, this is day 3 post third chemo and no nausea or headache, some tiredness with stairs etc. but can't complain. Hope the approval for the MUGA goes through for you. My Neulasta is 2700 a shot, I am very thankful that it is covered between my husband and my insurance plans and that is up front, nothing out of pocket requiring reimbursement.

Scorchy - rant away, hope you are more mobile soon.

Take care all, hope it is a good day for you 

Marian, when the Neupogen shots were presribed. my onc gave us a letter that was to be faxed to Pharmacare, describing the situation, and asking if they would carry the cost or part of it. It was refused, and we paid for it in full. My husband is self-employed, and we have no medical insurance other than BC Health insurance. Maybe we should get more insurance. When I read that Neulasta costs $2700 a shot, I am just grateful that we did not have to pay that amount. Would certainly not have been able to afford it. My twelve Neupogen shots came to about $2400, less than one Neulasta.

Halfcan, hugs to you in that chair, and positive vibes that the SE's won't be bad at all. Just drink lots, and rest and sleep when you can. Fresh air and a short walk when you feel up to it will also be beneficial.

Websister, so glad you are feeling okay! Yay! Hope that continues so that you can enjoy your getaway. We still don't know if we are driving or flying, and are watching the weather closely. Don't want to be caught in snow in the Rocky mountains tomorrow in that rear wheel drive Camaro. As a backup we bought flight tickets which we can use at a later time if we don't use them now. 

Teeballmom, it must have been so scary to see that man having that reaction to the chemo. This stuff is serious poison. Yesterday I was told a horror story which made me realize how fortunate most of us are when it comes to tolerating chemo. In January a 48-year old woman was diagnosed with bc. She had surgery, and by March was ready to start chemo. I don't know which drugs it was, but with the very first infusion these drugs caused a heart attack as well as a stroke. She was basically a vegetable, and remained in hospital for all these months till last Monday when she passed away. This severe reaction to chemo must be the rarest of rare cases, but it can happen. 

Juneaubugg, this girl has obviously no idea. How important is this friend to you? Maybe you should invite her to go along for your last chemo to open her eyes. When she sees that room full of people with cancer, she may just come around, and begin to realize what a life-changing experience it is, what you are going through, and what support you need from her. Don't get upset, but rather kill her with kindness. Some people just need an education in order to understand better. She seems to be one of those. 

 Everybody else, best wishes for mild SE's, and I hope today is a good day for you.

Everyone new on here, you have found a great bunch that will embrace you no matter what stage or treatment you are in or done with.  Think for many of us, even when the physical treatment may be over, we will be glad to have each other for the mental companionship we'll still desire from this great bunch.   Today was rad #12 with a 9:00 appt and a 40 min drive including that damn parking garage that everyone flies around...that place scares the bigeebees out of me.  So I pull out of driveway, my car lurches and then I have no acceleration.  I swing around at the corner and I go 5 miles an hour then no go with pedal to the metal.  Get car back into my driveway and panic..don't laugh, but I feel  so upset as if  I don't get to this appt somehow any errant cancer cells will win the battle.  My hubby at work says he will have a rental car delivered but I tell him no go as  I have an hour to be there..(I am sure they could reschedule or I could miss a day..but not in my state of mind at that moment).  In my panic, I call a neighbor and friend who lets me borrow her new prius to get there and with great luck, I was only 5 minutes late.  I got back home, got her the car back in time to get to her class she teaches, got my car to the dealer, got a loaner and now returned the loaner.  Was a throttle sensor.....$300 later and all is well.  Point is, I never freak out about day to day stuff like this, but don't mess with me and my treatment appts...to me they feel like life or death.  Can't believe I can get so nuts...I guess BC and loss of job in such a short time is doing a number on my stress levels for now.  Hugs to all and hope all our treatments KCA (Kick Cancer's Ass!!)

Liefie - from what I hear on my side of the mountains the weather is supposed to get warmer through to Sunday on my side of the Rockies. Today was 9 C and Sunday is supposed to be 17C. Hope you are able to get through with the car and surprise your son with it.



Aruba - enjoyed your story, I could see myself doing the same thing.



For anyone who has taken the Nuelasta shots, can you remind me about the Claritin - when to take it? My MO said she had no problem with me taking it but I am also supposed to use Tylenol and Advil, even have a prescription for Tylenol 3 if needed.



Thanks

Ok ladies...I seem to have thrush, a horrible yeast infection, bumps all over my scalp that I'm pretty sure have scabs in places, my face is constantly oily and broke out. I haven't had nausea or dizziness or aches and pains. Wtf is up with these side effects???? I get my labs tomorrow and plan on telling my MO all of this because something has to give. I can't shave my head with whatever this is all over my scalp!!



I'm sorry I'm bitching about these stupid, irrelevant side effects when you all have way worse. I'm just so fucking sick of this.



Sorry ladies.

Mrscich- I'm so sorry about all your SE's. I think we should all have 24 hrs of nothing but a bitch session. My bitch for the day is that my left side drain tube I trying to come out. I woke up around 0230 this morning to realize that i had fluid on my tank top from my drain. As I was getting in the shower I realized that my drain is about a 1/2 inch out. So I must have pulled it out. So I have been in pain all day today.

Cottontail, I'm prone to yeast infections so I have an unlimited prescription of Diflucan packets. One 150mg pill and I've take. Two of them and still have the year infection and thrush. I'm assuming its thrush. The back of my tongue is starting to get whitish and my entire mouth feels like it has a bumpy rash in it.

Thanks, Cottontail and Ramols re: Claritin, I'm going to give it a try and hope it works well, we fly out Saturday for our vacation.



MrsCich - don't minimize your side effects, it doesn't sound pleasant at all for you. Please make sure you are taking your temperature and if it is above 100.5 don't wait to get checked out until tomorrow. Your white blood cell counts is probably at nadir about now so you don't want to take any chances. Sending hugs.



Chrisrenee - hugs to you also re: drain tube

Chrisrenee - I hope that your drain is quickly a thing of the past.  I hooked my drain tube on a doorknob on the 2nd week, brought me to my knees in pain! Pulled it out 1/2 inch also.   It was not ready to come out yet, so had to tolerate it for another week, bah!  My plastic surgeon DID help me though, by taping it to my side so it didn't wiggle around, with steri-strips.  Stopped it from being so painful for me.  Maybe try that?  Or a bandaid in a pinch?  Good luck.  

Websister - good luck with that vacation!

Night all! 

Shocked2behere- I did that last Tuesday myself. I think I said every cuss word there was and even made a few up. Haha. When I go in tomorrow they will be coming out one way or another. I have to get back to work, if for nothing else my sanity. Wow, the longer I'm not working the more I have to sit around and think. And when I think the worse it gets. Know what I mean?

Chrisrenee - Exactly! (about the sitting around) My work is not the type where I can work, and do these treatments, so keeping myself busy has been the biggest hurdle, to not sink into that pit.  Halfcan - good luck.  They say "so this one goes, so the rest go", and you are starting out okay! To the Onc (should that be MO?) to see about my labs, for #3 on Tuesday. Hugs to all.

Halfcan - thinking of you this a.m., hope you were able to keep on top of it through the night.



Chrisrenee - hope all goes well with tube removal today



Shockd2behere - good luck with lab work



Marianeelizabeth - re: port pain with startup - it is still a kind of bent needle going through the skin and into the port so can hurt and sting. I find technique of the nurse can make a difference. The first one I had was the best, she had me count to three with her, take a deep breath and push up my chest as she inserted the needle, worked great. Second time no real warning and didn't let alcohol on skin dry, stung at the site throughout. Emla would have been good.



To everyone - hope you find something to make you smile today. Take care

I survived my first night.   Was queasy last night so ate a few crackers and little later took a Metoclopramide.  Went to bed with water and more crackers and then I slept all through the night!!  My only real issue this am is the pounding headache.   Drinking plenty too.  But I am really happily surprised to have slept through.  

My port:  After the needle was in for a minute it settled down and the saline was flowing.  While the nurse continued to tell me the tons of info it seemed as if it was burning and feeling heavier.  I told her and she removed the tape in case of allergic reaction...but then she turned the flat base of needle support near my skin and it stopped hurting.  I had called my onco a few days ago to ask for the EMLA cream and he told me I didn't need it...it's only a prick like drawing blood he says.  I'm thinking he's never had a port. lol  Well, after yesterday I stopped at the drug store and asked about it.  (Marian)Here in BC EMLA is not a prescription and they store it behind the counter so I am well prepared for next time!

Hoping for an easy peasy day for all of you and me!!! 

ramols, congrats on a happy and high-energy morning!  I hope the rest of the day goes just as well.

I'm up early after Taxol #1.  Perhaps is the steroids?  Went to bed early after the treatment and slept pretty well all night, except the DH woke me up at some point all in a tizzy because I was sleeping in the dead center of the bed.  I was so loopy I argued with him about how I needed to be there because I might need room to bend my knees later.  Seemed logical at the time!  Poor guy he's been putting up with my night sweats, and my waking up yelling from nightmares, so this was probably the last straw.

My last three needle sticks went easy, so I think I can tolerate the upcoming 11 IV placements for the Taxol.  I took an Advil and an Ativan an hour prior (don't do this without getting OK from your docs), she gave me a licocaine stick first and had good technique, and reminded me to take a deep breath during the stick.

Plus I'm still so stoked by my MRI result that showed the AC almost entirely dissolved the primary tumor!  Having a happy day today.

Had my first rad tx yesterday - painless enough... end date of November 14. Also I am part of a blind clinical trial (Denosumab) Osteoporosis pill but through research they are seeing if it works to prevent mestatsis to the bones. So was at that all morning then rads.

Pinky - hugs to your friend.

Halfcan: happy you got approval for the Neupogen - its an expensive drug - I had 12 in total @ $200 + tax. And yes, a tiny amount of fluid in it. Exactly as liefie said.  

Juneau... can only agree with what 2Fried said about your "friend". And you know what... this is all about YOU ! sounds like you got your happy with DH.

Scorchy... that sucks... for me now as my Onc said I will be on tamoxifen for 2 years then likely Letrozole/Femera for the following 3. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Nothing was mentioned about the tumour also growing... but then I guess for me I don't have a tumour anymore... but will be asking that question. Start 3 weeks after rads.

Scottie - HAIR GROWS BACK ONCE OF HORMONES THAT ‘THIN' IT. Grateful for small mercies eh?

Good joke Cindy. Makes me realise how fortunate I was that my benefit package covered everything with no questions.

Websister... see you woke to a light covering of snow yesterday morning - brr !! Have a good vacation I must've missed your post about that... still using chemo brain as an excuse for all things.

MrsCich... sorry about your se's... WTF indeed.

Chrisrenee.... Hope those drains are gone soon. I did the same as shocked... hooked that tube on a doorknob and it hurt like a bitch. My nurse after that taped them to my side. Way better.

Ann: your post made me chuckle about you sleeping and your DH. Great news about your tumour.... For me made chemo more worthwhile when you know it KCA.

All of those in the BGC or just over that.... Gentle hugs and positive vibes your way and of course minimal SE's.

Off for rad # 2 today at 3.10.. day off Monday for Thanksgiving.

Peace, love and hugs to all and hi to those I didn't address individually xx