Starting chemo November 2012

Hi Stranger!  

I'm supposed to go on 4 cycles of AC, followed by 4 cycles of Taxol.  Merry Christmas! I guess it's time to start snooping on the October thread and post wisdom here.

Talk to you soon.

Hi Ladies. I started on the October thread, but I'm jumping over here as my chemo start date has been pushed to 11/2. I will be doing 4 cycles of TC and using Penguin Cold Caps.

Michellej1980-do all ladies in the UK use cold caps? I just tried one on today for the first time (at room temperature). It was surprisingly heavy and will take a bit of practice for my husband to get the hang of fitting it snugly to my head. We still have another week to practice, so hopefully we'll get it right. Kind of nice to have the distraction of the cold caps to keep my mind off the upcoming infusion. A bit worried about the SE's.

Best of luck with keeping the hair, ladies.  I wish I could keep mine, but I don't think I'll be able to swing it because I plan on going to my chemo sessions alone.  

Things that I plan on looking into prior to chemo: (1) claritin use for Neupogena, (2) Juicing

Are either of you getting Neupogena shots to help with your WBC count?  I remember reading in a few threads about women taking claritin around the time of the Neupogena injections to help with bone aches... definitely need to ask my doc about that and do a bit of reading.  

And the juicing has been recommended to me from a couple of ladies who have already gone down this path.  I've found that since the diagnosis I've lost the motivation to prepare meals.  I'm still hungry and want to eat, but the desire to spend time in the kitchen cooking something up has waned.  Nor, do a lot of meals actually appeal to me anymore.  I just want someone to whip up something nutritious for me, but being a single mom to a 6-yr old that isn't going to happen.  As a result, I've been eating a lot crappier than usual.  Not exactly what you want to be doing while prepping for a battle - I should be making myself as strong as possible!  I'm wondering if throwing the foods I should be eating into a juice might be a good option for me.  I'm meeting up with a dietitian to discuss what I should and shouldn't eat while on chemo and will look into a juicing class at an integrative cancer care clinic (if I can afford it).  Hope my kid likes juice!  

Let me know if either of you are interested in my finds.

Hope you're surrounded by love and ready to rock this.

Hi girls -



My MO said no to the port seeing my veins are fine and ultimately it's only 8 iv's. I going to check out what the mods have to say about side effects he didn't mention Claritin. I am starting with A/C, U?

TLYM-

My first treatment is nov 8. I was supposed to be back to work today but because of frakenstorm I am home with my kiddies wish I was independently wealthy

Sneaky-



This is the one part of treatment I have no clue about. Are u having the nauselta shots? I heard those were painful. I am trying to look at it as no reoccurrence as opposed to the hair loss. I don't want to loose my hair but I would rather know I did everything I could to have to go thru it again. I will be devastated if it doesn't grow back tho.

Dakota - I've been buying a lot of lottery tickets lately.  I think my chances of winning big are better than me finding a sugar daddy at this point in my life 

My MO signed me up for Neupogen.  I haven't looked into this enough to know why Neupogen instead of Neulasta or whatever else there is out there.  Lots of reading still to be done....

As for the benefits over risks, I totally understand about looking at the big picture, BUT if there are options out there to prevent an unnecessary side effect, especially one has heartbreaking as permanent hair loss, then I want to ensure I've explored them.  My MO really suggested that permanent hair loss is associated with other cocktails than the one she wants to use with me, but I won't feel at ease about this until I totally research all the pros and cons of each treatment.  

And the TE is going to drive me mad as well.  I suspect we're stuck with them until we're fully recovered from chemo.  I guess at my next PS app't I'll ask that he make the foob match the real thing as much as possible.  I'm in the process of having a custom prosthetic nipple made too.  Hah, the things I never imagined having to shop for....

Anyways, sitting in the waiting area at a fertility clinic right now.  My MO suggested I look into options of storing eggs because I'll likely be infertile when all this is over.  It'll likely be a waste of time seeing as I don't have a partner anyways, but she thought it was best that I at least talk with the doc to ensure I knew what my options are.  I did picture having another kid when I was dating someone about 9 years younger than me, but since the cancer thing came around he's gotten more and more distant so I think I should accept where I am and just be happy to have 1 amazing daughter.

Sneaky,

I did the PCC's with AC/T and had only the right mastecomy.  If you have any questions just send me a private message.  I did still lose about 70% of my hair.  The AC is much harder than TC for hair loss.  I didn't have to wear a wig but my hair is very thin and I had to cut it very short to hide the bald spots on the crown and back.  Taxol takes about three hours to administer so it is a very long day in the caps.  50 minutes prior, during and four hours after so about eight hours of changing them out.  My hair is filling in now 14 weeks out.  It is expensive, not just the rental but the dry ice here was about $80 per time and you have to treat your hair extremly gently for six months. 

Sneaky-I was given the choice of AC-T or TC regimens, and after much agonizing, chose to go with TC. While I was doing my research, I read every single page of the cold cap users thread (took me countless hours!), and I think I only found one person on there who considered herself successful with saving the majority of her hair while receiving AC-T. Most othe rladies had heavy shedding, as reneerodin. The cost is high (about $2000) and it's not an easy protocol-washing hair in cool water-max. twice a week, special shampoos, icing between infusions, etc. I honestly do not think I would use cold caps had I chosen AC-T. I have not heard of permanent hair loss or neuropathy with taxol, only taxotere, but I may be wrong. I am thinking of using the frozen peas but wondering if I will be miserable with a frozen head, hands AND feet! BTW, not exactly lucky with the clinical trial. I still have to pay for the caps and bring my own helper. The benefit is they have a cold caps freezer in the infusion center so I won't need to bring coolers and dry ice and, hopefully, nice nurses who will cooperate with the timing of my cap changes. I will also have the steadfast emotional support of my MO and a study coordinator but no physical help as the caps are not yet FDA approved.

Naranelly-



Good luck !!! Let us know how it goes!!!

Noranelly - I hope it goes smoothly for you.  Let us know how it goes when you have a chance.  What kind of chemo ?

TLYM - Saw your posts on the cold caps forum.  So happy that the caps that were in transit have been found and you'll get them in time for freezing.  But what a bugger about having to pay for them while in the trial... I really thought that would be covered, but at least having the freezer there will help and the nurses will probably be more supportive.  I'm 90% sure that I won't be able to use the caps.  And like you said, most people's hair thin a fair bit with the AC-Taxol. At least I feel a bit better knowing that the incidences of permanent hair loss seem restricted to Taxotere.