Sept 2012 chemo

My MO wants me to wait until after chemo for the BRACA testing, which won't be until Jan. I just really need to know, it is driving me crazy.



How long does the test take to come back?

#3A/C behind me.  Almost 6 hours in the cancer clinic.  Nicer nurse this time.  She actually smilled a little.  Glad I took my laprobe, warm fluffy house shoes, and shawl.  Older lady across from me took off her bright red hat and exposed bald head.  I kept mine under wig.

Watched netflix dvd of Jane Eyre.  Read it as a child, and saw a different movie long ago.  Crunched on ice and most of the time kept finger nails on small ziplock bags of ice from my small cooler.  Ate 3 popsickles also.  Yard boy came 15 minutes late and threw me off schedule.   Big breakfast at Crackerbarrel before but service was slow which put me further  behind.  Couldn't find numbing stuff in my pocketbook and got frantic.  Two trips to car.  Everything in bag on the table and found it.  Took anxiety medicine and calmed down.

Neulasta today.  Fatigue and chemo brain setting in or is that my imagination.  No nausea, but must get up take Emend, Claridin, tylanol.  Bearcup.  How goes it  You are a week ahead of me.

Cheers and hugs to all and no SE

Hi ladies,

Second week post chemo # 2 and I am sick...wicked sore throat, fever, etc. Saw MO yesterday, white blood cells are super low and I have an infection, big bummer. So I am one some heavy duty antibiotics and now I have to get the nupegen and neulasta shots, didn't have those before. Anything I should expect with these? I know some ladies have talked about bone pain....is there anyone who hasn't had any issue with the shots?





I did a BMX, there was no cancer in my right boob, and all of my doctors did not recommend getting a double, but I am happy with my decision...I was nursing my second child when I found my lump....and I remember thinking I have no idea what my boob is going to look like when this is all said and done, so I don't even know if I want to try to match the new one with the other one, plus I worried about it coming back and everything, so I went for the double, but it took a lot of contemplating.



It's good to read about so many ladies who are hitting the halfway mark and beyond, we are getting there. I know I still have the exchange surgery and rads, but now I am just trying to focus on getting through the chemo. Here's to everyone staying on schedule, no side effects, and keep moving forward! Prayers and positive thoughts to everyone!

Cindi why did it take so long with the A/C? I have only had one but it did not take long; the Doxicrubicin IV push took awhile but the C maybe half an hour or so. 

Cocobean it seems odd that you mention both Neulasta and Neupogen and it seems unlikely you would have both as they serve the same purpose. Neulasta is a one shot deal given one or two days after chemo but neupogen is given subcutaneously every other day x 7. Mine started on Day 2 and I have now had 5. My freinds who are nurses are doing it though I could. In my province, (British Colmbia) there is no coverage for Neulasta by our Pharmacare and not usually with private either. Neupogen we pay for in part shared by Fair Pharmacare and the drug company in a progam called the Victory Program. My MO says many cannot afford the deductible that we need to pay before the others kick in. Thus they do chemo 3 weeks apart. In Nova Scotia only those whose wbc fall seriously are candidates for Neupogen as it is so expensive so every province has their differences.

I had shot #5 last night and have a bit of bone pain (pelvis) for the first time today. I am off soon for a walk so will see it the pain hampers or not. But tonow nothing at all and this does not seem debilitating. Knock on wood!

Marian

Has anyone done the BART genetic test?  I have no family breast cancer history, but in the last couple years a few cancers have surfaced in my family that qualified me for the BRCA testing.  I didn't test positive, but when they gave me my results they explained that the test doesn't successfully identify all BRCA 1&2 mutations, and apparently the BART test would get me closer to 100%.  I'm still waiting for those results because the BART test is in some sort of insurance limbo (my insurance says it's approved, but the lab says my insurance doesn't know what they're talking about - almost ready to just write the #%&! $700 check and pay for it myself because if I have the mutation I would take a more aggresive surgical approach).

It's snowing here too, Bearcub, and I'm none too happy about that.  It's not even Halloween!

Hello everyone!

  I have been so tired lately- reading posts, but too exhausted to say anything.  I woke up this morning and then an hour later took a nap.  Maybe I should start exercising too!  A good friend send me a care package with lots of meditation cds for cancer, chemotherapy, and radiation.  It also had a yoga cancer dvd- so maybe I will try it tonight:-)

CGSEQ  Wow!  Your story really solidifies my own decision.  I will have my surgery after chemo.  My surgeon only wants to take the left breast, but I have been leaning towards a BMX.  When I was 24, I had a biopsy on the right breast because of questionable cells - so both breasts have always been a problem.   I just don't want to worry.  I am glad you trusted yourself. 

Cocobean:  I hope you are feeling better!  My doctor has me on prophylactic antibiotics beginning on day 8 after chemo for five days every cycle.  So far it has worked... but I think it adds to my yucky feelings.  I have been adding Happy Belly to my diet and that seems to be helping.

Cindi:  Congrats on finishing number three!  I wanted to ask you what kind of little cooler do you bring to chemo?  Since I am having the neuropathy, I think I want to try to do some icing of my fingers this time around.  I already feel like I bring so much!  My blanket, slippers, art materials, kindle, journal, snacks,... it is kind of ridiculous:-) 

JoJo: I think we both are doing surgery after chemo.  Did your doctor talk to you about any possibility you would have to do chemo again after???  I have been trying to get a clear answer about that, but my onco seems a bit dodgy.  He sad 20% of people will need it- but I don't know why.   I would also recommend seeing some people with lumpectomies.  My support group facilitator did a show and tell at our last group.   Kind of funny that our therapist showed us her breasts, but it was so helpful!  Anyway, I just hadn't really seen one before.  She is super happy because she has feeling in both breasts.  That is the one thing I worry about getting a BMX, but oh well.

I am going out to lunch with one person from my office today.  I hope I can keep my resentment quiet about no one ever calling me or e-mailing me or anything:-(  I am just going to focus on being happy that she asked me to lunch:-)  One sweet thing is one of my friends held a "Stand up for Cancer" sign at the world series last night.  She wrote my name under who she stands up for.  I thought it was so super wonderful it made me cry.

Hope everyone has a beautiful day today with no SE!

Mariposa, I will ask her tomorrow about more chemo. I pray no more! Wondering too when the port is removed? I just know I don't want a disfigured breast from lumpectomy and more worries about recurrence. My left breast has always had mysterious spots and cysts at all "hands of the clock".

Becki do u plan to do nipple reconstruction or get tattoos? Also did you get implants during the mastectomy?

Cocobean, 

After the first A/C I felt so weak and bad that, although I wasn't supposed to go back for two weeks, they took me exactly a week later.  I had the nuelasta the day after chemo each of the three times, but a week after the first, my White Cell Count was .8 .  So, I got a strong, but gentle lecture from the chemo  nurse.  "You have no immune system working.  Get a fever or cold and you can end up in the hospital." 

They started me on nepogeon shots every day for five days, and then the WBC were above normal.  After 2A/C,  they checked 5 days later and WBC were in the normal range.  My Oncologist reduced the Chemo by 20% after the first round, so the change in WBC may be because of that.  I have the shots in my tummy.  They warm then in the hand, and I use the numbing cream under seran wrap at the location.  They do it very slow and no pain.   I start taking Claridin  the morning of, and for 8 days following and have had no bone pain, but when I looked at the research on line, only 25% get bad bone pain anyway.

Am not sure why it had to take so long yesterday.  My blood pressure was low (I think 84/45) and the nurse seemed to be concerned.  I told her that 90-100/54-60 was normal for me.  The day I was told I had breast cancer (I knew it was coming) it was up to 115/65.  Anyway,  She seemed to give me more saline than usual.  When she checked again before starting the chemo, it was up to about 90/50. They always start the saline, and send for the medicine.  I have an idea that someone goes to the pharmacy at the hospital or somewhere since my Cancer bld is a block away.  It always seems to take a hour to get the medicine.  Or else there is a troll on the third floor who sleeps most of the time and is very slow.  Yesterday took the longest.  It has never been  less than 5 hours. When I was leaving the nurse checked with my oncologist about the low blood pressure.  She noted that I was taking Ginseng (which I started for the fatigue) and apparently may raise blood pressure?  Will ask her in two weeks. 

My husband fusses about all my stuff saying that it looks like I am moving in, but darn it, I see no reason not to be comfortable.  I have a 17 inch laptop  and movies are great.  I use earphones.  I have a very small padded fabric ice chest in which I put a quart ziplock of ice, and two smallones for the fingers.  I cut the finger tips off an unmached pair of old gloves. I had room for three popsickles.  Forgot power cord for laptop, so hubby brought back along with cheese and flatbread.  Had daily paper and NYT and ipad.  Also took anxiety pill.  Was very mellow.

Back today for nuelasta.  Didn't have to wait long.  Am slowing down, and chemo brain is setting in. My pattern is that total fatigue sets in Sunday with slow recovery beginning exactly a week later.  Last time I didn't fight  it.  Watched old TCM  movies, netflix, listened to audio books.  Lucky retired me, no job or kids.  I downloaded Anna Karenina by Tolstoy after last time.  26 hours on audio book.  perhaps I can finish it on these last two A/C. 

Then I start 12 Taxol, and then 7 wks of rads.  Then, life should return to some kind of normal.

Hope you feel better soon.  SE are the pits.  Hugs

Whenlifegivesyoulemons- I did the BRCA and the BART since I was only 37 + we have no info on my bio fathers side.  I had no problems with insurance covering both.  Initially they were denied, but once I called ins and they said that it was only initially denied because it was out of network yet there is only 1 lab that performs that test so I had no choice, and therefore their system had already automatically reprocessed the claim and covered it fully.  Call your insurance and ask!  I was negative for both BRCA and BART, and I was also enrolled in a study where they are testing even more genes because they have found that it in more genes than the ones they currently are able to test for.  Hopefully in the next couple of years we will have a lot more information about breast cancer.

I am feeling great!  So far #3 has been the easiest treatment.  yeah!  I really hope they continue like this.

Good luck jojo tomorrow with Taxol #1

I just wanted to say everyone in the path of the storm on the east coast, stay safe.



Have a great Friday everyone and a wonderful weekend.

Hello, all!  Sorry to have been out of touch, but round 2 of TC was a bear!  Round 1 saw a hospital stay due to fever and low WBC.  Round 2 was a trip to the ER for an empacted bowel - yikes - no fun whatsoever.  Liquid diet for a few days, but purely exhausted.  Starting the day after round 2, I received neupagen(sp?) shots for 7 days.  The warnings were for diarhea - but just the opposite for me.  (Round 1 had mild diarhea for nearly 3 weeks - go figure)

I had "words" with my 18-year-old daughter who does nothing unless asked directly.  She is pretty good about helping, but it frustrates me to have to ask for every little thing.  I guess I don't have the right to expect her to read my mind, but it would help - ha!

At any rate, haven't felt anything except exhaustion until Tuesday of this week, so have been busy catching up on all those things that I feel like I need to do, along with some minor cleaning.

In the midst of my really bad week (last week) a friend simply walked up to the front door with dinner!  What a lovely gift!  Hardly a day goes by without a card or note from friends and/or church to let them know they are thinking of me.  I am hoping to at least get to our Circle meeting on Sunday. 

Back into the "Big Girl Chair" next Tuesday.  I am thinking about wearing a Halloween mask, maybe WonderWoman.  A friend suggested that I dress as a "pincushion".  I told her that hit too close to home.

I finallly  just shaved my head this week.  I had "buzzed" it pretty short, but found that i left a trail of little hairs wherever I went and it was making me nuts.  Hopefully, the next hair i see, will stay!  With 2 more rounds of chemo to go, i am not holding my breath.

Spent yesterday on the phone with insurance, trying to understand why they paid for what and how it fit into the "plan" of co-pays, etc.  Totally frustrating and exhausting.  I try to be thankful that we have insurance.  I just wish it paid for more than it does.

Enough complaining.  I feel good today and am looking forward to a beautiful weekend in sunny Florida!  Hubby and daughter have both agreed to help put up a few Halloween decorations and hand out candy on Wednesday.  I will miss being at the front door (round 3 is Tuesday- so will probably be asleep on the couch), but at least we will be welcoming to the little kids.

Best wishes to all including a wish for no side effects this round!

Sherrie

ps.  no longer have to shave under my arms or my legs!  (There had to be some benefits, right?)  starting to lose some eyelashes and almost all my dark-colored eyebrow hairs are gone!  I'm learning how to "draw" eyebrows.  haha

Mariposa - thanks for the study link. I'm looking for more if any has them for the L glutamine or the icing for nails and hair. 

My nails are turning black and my toes hurt and I haven't even started the toxal that isn't taxol so I really want to know if it will help. I've done the mouth icing during chemo and have one big sore under my tongue but for some reason, I hated doing the icing this time.

My stubble started to fall out too and I used a sticky lint brush for a while (hint I saw in these boards) but then I gave up as I as looking like a victim of I don't even want to say and I saved it with a razor. Someone helped with the back. I used warm wash clothes to soften the hair first, a leg razor and lots of shaving cream gentle and slow with aloe vera afterwards. I hope that helps. Little tiny bit of stubble since (about 2 weeks ago but that;s it)

rsdavid - It sounds like you are having a hard time. Maybe make a list for your daughter of what you will be needing and/or want from here. I read somewhere that it's important for us to ask directly for what we need from others. Your post and attitude made me laugh. Yes, it's nice to not have to shave all those other areas. I'm totally bald everywhere.

Jojo glad that all is going ok so far with Taxol. Sorry to hear about tumor . praying Taxol wipes it out