Starting Chemo October 2012

marianelizabeth - I know exactly what you mean about the odd things we end up looking forward to - I've been calling this the "calm before the chemo" but all I want to do is just get started! I still don't know my appointment time for the 15th...

Jalessi92 - Thanks for the day 4 update, sounds like you are mostly doing okay?

halfcan - I hope your night went okay last night after your first round :S

Goldfinch - I'm sending you good thoughts today. 

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving weekend everyone. I am grateful we're in this together... 

Hi!  This is my first post.  I was diagnosed at the end of August.  Had an MRI, had a lumpectomy last week.  Just found out my margins were not clear so I need another scraping (lumpectomy) on 10/17.  My surgical oncologist told me I am a Stage 1 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, lymph node negative, hormone receptor positive and a FISH reading for HER 2 of 2.2 (borderline which my oncologist is choosing to treat as a positive reading).  I have my MUGA scan and chemo teaching session this Monday, my port will be done 10/12 and then after the 10/17 lumpectomy will start chemo if my margins are clear.  I was prescribed dose dense chemo: 4 rounds of Adriamycin/Cytoxan every other week and then 4 rounds of Taxol every other week with the start of Herceptin every three weeks for a year, then 5 years of Tamoxifen by mouth.  Other than my initial diagnosis which sent me into a complete state of crippling fear (I am married with a 10 year old son and 8 year old daughter who I could not look out without seeing their future minus me), all news has been seemingly good.  I am just really scared of not feeling well with chemo.  I am type A on the go, taking care of my house, husband, kids and working 30 hours a week in a stressful law job.  My oncologist seems to think I will sail through the chemo.  I am not so sure - everything I have read (not so sure reading so much is a good move, but I'd rather be prepared than go in blindly) seems to indicate people have all different kinds of reactions and everyone's body handles chemo differently.  I am worried because I am very in tune with my body and notice every little thing.  My blood pressure which is always around 117/74 has not dipped below 148/95 since my diagnosis.  Would love to hear from anyone who has withstood the above regimen and didn't think it was too bad.  I am so happy to find someone on the same timeline as me.  How are you doing Halfcan? We can go through this together

Thank you so much Melissa!! You really eased my fear!!! Sounds like you have a life similar to mine! I was loving your attendance record at travel softball - till now I haven't read such encouraging posts about maintaining normalcy - you are proof it an be achieved - you gave me hope and something to strive for - I thank you so much for that - it was so important for me to read - thanks for sharing

Sending smiling tears halfcan! Your last wonderful sentence about me bringing you all with me to treatment warmed my heart and soul and gave me such a lovely visual to take with me! You guys are awesome!!

Yay Halfcan!! I'm SO glad you got that EMLA! I slapped a quarter sized blob on a bandaid about a 1/2 an hr before access....and didn't feel a thing! I'm glad it'll be more comfortable for you!  Thanks for the hug! I did ok in the hairdressers.  They had a room in the back where I could have this done and cry if I needed to. The girl who did it was sweet and she kept me distracted. I teared up when the clippers started, but then we got to talking.  She snipped and styled my wig for me and I left with it on, but cried the whole way home. I can't bring myself to let my husband see me without a hat on yet.  I'm glad I did it this way because it was overwhelming to look at the floor and see every bit of my hair there, but at least it wasn't waking up with it coming out in clumps. It's amazing what's under all your hair! I have/had TONS of hair.....I have some port wine/vascular staining on my face & didn't realize that I had it on my scalp also. Does not lend itself to an attractive look, but considering I grew up in S. Florida, it may be a blessing.  I probably need to see the dermatologist during this time for a good look.  This is part of the reason I haven't wanted to use the coldcaps. They wonder if there is a reduced absorption of chemo in the cells in the scalp.  For most that may be ok...but since I'm at risk for skin cancer as well....I figure it might as well catch that also.    Hopefully things look better tomorrow.  I have a positive interest in my resume with this triage company...so hopefully this will ease some financial strain also. I am exhausted. Up til 3:30 am, and tons of stress today.  Gotta sleep.  Goodnight everyone...sleep well.   ~Andrea

Ladies,



Haven't been by for a few days, great to see all your posts and living support of one another! Such a great forum.



Got my CT scan on Wednesday and the results were not what I had hoped for. They showed a lot if spots on my lungs and a node on my sternum. Going in Monday to see the scans and talk to my oncologist about next steps, but chemo is pushed out for me at least a week.



Will need a PET scan to see if the spots on my lungs are cancerous and a core needle biopsy on the sternum nodule. The core needle biopsy will especially suck because it is CT guided - so it'll be two anxieties rolled into one at the same time - wide awake medical procedure and enclosed spaces!



Should get these tests scheduled this week and hope to have the info needed quickly. Praying for strength to get through them, patience to wait for results and energy and resolve to deal with the outcome.



Thanks for listening...

Michelle - keeping you in my prayers.

Had my Neulasta shot yesterday. Taking Claritin. So far so good. Chemo was Thursday. Feeling good. No nausea. Fingers crossed.

Did notice core swelling yesterday - resolved this AM. Anyone else have this?

Positive thoughts and prayers for all!

Michelle, it is living support of one another and reading the latest posts, I so much recognize the need for us all. But you are facing yet another round of anxiety producing tests. Thank goodness that at least these scans and biopsises are now so high tech and thus safe. Another what I call "hurry up and wait" for you and I hope they go smoothly and they rush the results for you.

mrscich, with your 4 y/o's birthday and all those S/E, you are amazing. I so hope the meds you have gotten kick in sooner than later.

alcb, thanks also for your sharing as I will doing the haircut soon too but I do have short hair to start with. I wonder if though, it will be any less traumatic?

halfcan, the power port implant was very fast and way less scary than I had anticipated. It was late in they day, about 4:30 PM by the time it started. The vascular surgeon did give me Fentanyl and Versad but I felt well enough to play Settlers of Catan (a favourite board game) last night. I did not sleep that well and found it strange that I could sleep on the port side but not the other. A raccoon tried to get in our cat door at 0230 which did not help but at least is making me smile today - that he was not successful!  Any more on the infamous Neupogan saga?

Marian 

Kmfrost- I am not a medical professional, so keep that in mind. But it is my understanding that for us "triple positives"- hormone receptor positive and her2 positive, Taxotere, Carboplatin, and herceptin is the standard choice of care. Also, adriamycin carries a greater risk of heart damage, especially when combined with herceptin, which is a necessity for her2 positive. You are 28, and your doctors would probably like to minimize your risk of heart disease for the long life you have ahead of you. However, I don't know how your stage or node status affects the choice in chemo drugs. There is a triple positive group in the Her2 positive section of the board, you might want to read on there and check people's sigs for someone whose diagnosis matches closely to yours, and find out what treatment they chose and why.

Sounds like most of you are receiving neulasta for your chemo.  Any of you having to self inject neupogen?  I don't know if the chemo is making me hyper sensitive or I just hate having to inject myself, but I am finding it painful and unpleasant to inject myself with the neupogen.  Anyone have any pointers on a good location for the injection or something to numb it?  I iced the area first, but its still painful and I dread it every day.

 kmfrost - way to be proactive!  It appears there is a tendency for the medical professionals to brush us young pregnant/post partum people off when we have these concerns.  They assume we are either too young to have bc or any lump is just some result of changes in our body due to pregnancy. This way of thinking caused my diagnosis to be many months delayed.  Hope you figure out your treatment plan soon.  Right now I am a few days out from my first dose of AC, and to be honest, I'm feeling pretty normal.  I am HER2- though, so I can't give any advice on the best plan for you.

fight4two, I will be doing the s/c Neupogen and don't look forward to the self injection but hope to get a friend to do it if I can or maybe my husband. The cancer agency does the first one. I am still on a waitlist for chemo but my oncologist is hoping for the 15th. I hope you can find a less sensitive place to do the s/c. Hope all is well that wonderful baby!

Hi ladies.  I'm 43 days post op.  I started on the September Chemo forum and got bumped to the October forum due to complications.  Was ready for my first chemo on September 27th.  PS delayed my chemo until I healed.  My right incision wasn't healing right and had to get debrided.  Found out I had a seroma in that area and got my friend back (the drain).  Going back on Tuesday to get the stitches out and hopefully a fill (will be my first).  I'm not excited about starting chemo, but I want to get it going so I can start the next chapter in my life.  I feel this whole thing is dragging on.  Still feel tired all of the time and not sleeping that well.  I'm getting ancy about returning to work, but can't until I see how my first round is going to go.  I got 14" cut of my hair last week and am really enjoying my new short hair, a lot easier to take care of.  I'm buzzing it about a week after my first round.  Hubby is on board as well has my brother, both are buzzing their hair .  Hoping to start the week after next.  God bless and hope everyone sleeps well tonight!!  

So, now that I have a date set for starting, it's really sinking in.  I keep thinking "8 more days left for my long hair" (planning to cut it all off the day before chemo starts) and it makes me want to cry all the time.  Why is this the hardest part??  Everyone says "it's just hair, it will grow back" but they don't understand.  Long hair has always been a part of who I am.  I wore a scarf on my head to work yesterday and only 2 people commented.  Maybe it's true that people don't really notice.  It wanted to slide off, how do you keep the scarf up on your head?  I can only imagine if you were bald it would be even slipperier.  Maybe I'll try a hat on Monday and see if anyone says anything.  I'm not a hat person at all, so I figure I better start getting used to the feel of it now.

Marian, I had to self-inject Lovenox (anti-coagulant) for a month - twice a day. Thinking about it was much worse than actually doing it. It stung - sometimes for as long as 30 minutes afterwards - but I figured it was all helping me get better.

 Day #3 post first TC chemo. Except for weird core swelling - reconstructed breasts and belly - I feel fine. Fingers crossed it lasts!