Starting Chemo October 2012

MsTori - What a small world! The middle school that I taught at for 11 years got a lot of students from the old Carrollwood area.   Do you like St Augustine so far? Is it pretty much the same temperature and weather wise?

301724-I agree, I couldn't do both Peguin caps and ice other area. I would need a team of people at chemo with me. Lol! But chewing on ice prob wouldn't be to hard during the taxotere.



Half an- yes! During the taxotere. Mouth may still be a little sore, but not near as bad. Glad your center knows about this. :-)



Nbnotes- St. Augustine is beautiful. I'm staying with my parents. My lease ended July 31st in Tampa. Right after my diagnosis. Had my surgery in Tampa, but then came up here for chemo, so my parents could help take care of me. I miss the convenience of everything in Tampa, and of course my friends. But it's good staying here, and be near my family again. The weather is a little cooler than Tampa. And we're near the water beach. So it's beautiful. But in winter, the northern winds really whip and can get pretty chilly. I used to live here before from 2003-2007. When we are done with all this chemo cancer stuff, you should come up with your family. Also- there is a Tampa group that meets down there every once in awhile. I know a couple of the ladies. Let me know if your interested. :-)

Icing my head sounds worse than losing my hair. 

I also agree Poke and I hope you are feeling so much better.  It's hard enough to eat ice while getting treatment.  I bring a blanket for myself and still freeze to death eating on the ice.  And all the while I hope that while I'm sticking my fingers in the ice to eat the ice that I'm also helping my fingernails out along the way with the neuropathy.  So far it's not been a problem either.  And I have found that eating the ice has not caused any mouth sores or sore gums which I got the first go round with the chemo.  But I also follow up with gargling with warm salt water both morning and night for the next 10 days.  I wasn't sure which was helping with the mouth sores so I'm just going to keep up the same routine since it all seemed to work during chemo number 2.  I figure it can't hurt. 

Sorry you guys are now losing your hair.  I think mine has been gone for more than three weeks now so I'm used to it.  I either wear my wig or scarves.  I have to admit that the scarves feel much better, but I get less looks when I wear the wig.  I do get questions when I wear the wig only because it doesn't quite look like my hair.  I had such curly hair and the wig is so straight.  I figured I've lived with curly hair for so long that I wanted to go with straight while I could with no fuss.  The picture I have on this web site I have actually tried to straighten my hair for that picture and you see how well that turned out.  Even when I try to straighten my hair when I had hair it never really was straight, but now with the wig it is truly straight!  But every time I look in the mirror at my bald head it's still shocking.  I doubt you ever really get used to that.

K - first round of AC done!  Little worried though - got back from infusion around 6PM and nausea kicked in and tossed me around like a rollercoaster - Zofran.....no help, Ativan......no help.  Surprisingly, the Compazine allowed me to uncurl from my fetal position and get about 4 hours of sleep.  New day feeling a little better - able to drag myself to work and will stay as long as I am possibly able.  My chemo nurse is a breast cancer survivor also and was a gem. She told me she thought my worst would be day of infusion and next day.  I kind of thought those would be my good days.  So I'm hankering down and hoping she was right and that I don't get run over for the weekend - oh well, can't do much about it now.  Anyone feel like crap day 1 and 2 and then a little better?  Thinking I might see if I get can the big gun - Emend prescription - all I can do is ask.  Nice to see you back, Poke!  Hopefully all of you great ladies are hanging in!

Fastforward- my SE didn't start big time till day 3. But everyone is different. It's a wait and see.. Then next time, kind of know what to expect. Stay on top of your nausea meds. And drink drink drink! Also- my MO told me he gave me a 3 day IV Emmend. Guess it works and stays in system over the first 3 days, and I was also taking phenergan, then switched to Zofran, and took Ativan on top of it. I felt a little nausea, but could deal with it. But used all together. Emmend does come in a tablet too. It's given day before, day of and day after. .?? Don't know much about that one. Hang in there.

Poke et al., believe it or not the cold caps aren't that bad! The first few minutes of the first couple caps are painfully cold, but after that your scalp is pretty much frozen and you don't notice it that much. I dress warmly, have an electric blanket and the heated chair. People who have done both cold caps and icing fingers and toes have said that icing fingers and toes is much harder. I have #6 of 12 treatments tomorrow and haven't lost any hair at all. looking forward to being half done!

Has anyone heard from MrsCich lately? I hope she didn't have any complications from her surgery or anything ... 

I'm here Poke. Just lurking rather than posting. Monday was a bad day for me and I laid around all day fighting with myself because I felt lazy and useless. It was day 3 after chemo #2 so I'm guessing it was just my worst day. Hoping so at least.



Yesterday I went into work and got cleared to work at least 16 hours a week just to keep myself sane. I'm a Safety Specialist at a NASA site so I'm pretty limited to what I can do because I investigate mishaps and sometimes have to get on the test stands and such. My return was so welcomed and I'm so glad to be back for the little time I can be.



Surgery went well. Still stitched up, I get those out next Thursday hopefully. Labs tomorrow (I get them every Friday to check my counts).



So glad you are feeling better Poke. I've been thinking of you.

Tx #1 Day #8 for me today.  Still dealing with the diarrhea . . . ugh!  A little tingling in the left hand/arm but might be more to do with the nerves returning after lymph node dissection rather than taxotere neruopathy.  Tounge is getting better gradually and teeth don't hurt today.  Very tired yesterday and today but have been going into the office for a few hours each day and not getting my naps in.

Halfcan thank you so much for welcoming me in......sometimes I feel like an outsider looking in as I wait to find out my treatment plan.

Fastforward I have been browsing wig sites....thinking about going into a shop to try them out and then purchase online.  I am going to check that website...thanks

Alcb70.... I can't say about taxotere but I am on taxol number 10 of 12 today and that is one one the se's too. Numbness and tingling and also sore nails. Mine started about halfway thru but has been bearable. My tingling seems to only be in the morning then goes away. My mo said if it goes away then that is fine. It's when it is constant. She told me to take 200mg of b6 a day to try to help it. As far as the nails keep them short to avoid getting them caught and peeling off (yes they might do that!). My mo also said to soak in Epsom salt at night to help them and also put tea tree oil on them. It seems to be keeping mine at bay. U can find the tea tree oil at a whole foods type store. Good luck!

Hope everyone's handling se's as well as they can. Believe me u will be done before u know it. I never thought I'd see the end but I have 2 more weekly taxol and I am done....fingers crossed! I started chemo in June.

Poke- welcome back! So glad your feeling better. Cute pic of you and your dog. :-) hey, try aquapor (by Eucerin). Not to greasy like vasoline and really helps me.

Schoolmom- welcome. Sorry you have to be here. I pray you have a low Oncotype dx result and don't have to join any groups. :-) just tamoxifen would be great!