Starting Chemo October 2012

Toots, I am also on the same treatment as you and halfcan.  Just had my 2nd on Tuesday and now day 4 and finally feeling better.  Not sure about you both but for me 3 hours post chemo FEC I'm in bed with all the SEs.  I want to feel great that I'm a 1/3rd through, but just dreading the next rounds especially feeling worried about taxotere.  The only good news was that apparently my clinic has the booties / mitts with the ice so that is nice!  Also had my first shot of neulasta, listened to all the advice and made sure I took the claritin and seem to be okay....ready to start feeling better before round 3.  

Thanks for some great links ladies with more information / research.

Best wishes to all!

Hi Toots - Claritin (yup - simple over the counter Claritin) has been shown to help with the bone pain of Neulasta. Start it the day of your shot and take one per day for 7 days. I've done this twice now and not a lick of bone pain. There is a clinical trial going on now that is continuing to study this.

Hope you're feeling better!

Hi all noranelly here I'm over my first chemo and felt quite weak and sick for first week, but since then slowly but surely feeling better an now week post chemo 10 days on I feel well which is great, however my mind is battling whether I should go back to my job teaching next week or not? Also I got really upset today and feel really frustrated as i don't feel I can carry on as normal, no Christmas work dos no going down the pub for eve to have a few drinks, does anyone else feel trapped and like life is on hold. Sorry difficult to explain, I know I should be grateful I feel well, but it was almost easier when I didn't feel well although I don't want to feel sick again! I know so confusing! I feel well and feel life should be on track , but it can't. Does any of this make sense??. Take care everyone also halfcan I am on fec then herceptin better go baby phoebe is shoving a book in my face bye

Noranelly - think we all go through the 'emotional rollercoaster' bit know I certainly do when feeling well I try and follow my mothers philosophy 'keep things as normal as is physcially possible' - she went through 3 lots of cancer, surgery, chemo and radiotherapies - got the all clear 6 months ago and I am praying hard she stays that way.......she has been such an example and if I nursed her through it all I am sure I can find the strength to do it for me! If any of that makes sense...... so glad you over the sick feeling for now.....

What is normal? Can't we just change what is normal for a new normal while on the emotional rollercoaster? Normal to whom? sorry.....just thinking out aloud maybe...........put it all down to a 'chemo-fug'!

Hugs to all x

Schoolmom, always thirsty anyway due to the diabetes just constantly have a glass or a cup of something sure I throw away more hot drinks that have gone cold than I drink but just try sipping all the time, constantly, worse for me at the moment is the constipation caused by the anti-sickness drugs......last time I had 4 days like that please don't let it follow the same path this time, can't eat or drink get so bloated and uncomfortable.............same time wouldn't want to go the other way and end up even more dehydrated!

We all just need ways to counteract everything or it feels that way...........

Hugs to all - looking hard for silver linings to the chemo clouds............x

Hi everyone! I had my 3rd round on Wed, and have been feeling ROUGH! Not as much nausea this time....but had a killer headache yesterday and have been hurting so incredibly bad. My numbers have been hanging in...and I'm grateful neulasta has been working, but seriously considering refusing injection next time. I could seriously barely get off of the couch yesterday. I got up and went to the grocery store today (briefly) but thought I was going to pass out by the time I got back. Sooooo miserable! I'm sorry, I saw that someone had asked about the taxotere as they were starting it ...but I'm getting it at the same time as carboplatin. I have read that taxotere is tough as far as se's go--but I can't say what is taxotere, carboplatin or neulasta.  I am so dreading my next round, it's the day before my daughter graduates from nursing school.  We have to travel 6 hrs by car back home & there is just no way I can get through it and feel the way I did last time. I don't want to ruin things for her. I may need to tell my MO no way on the neulasta.

I am now half way through treatment though!  I see the PS in about a week to discuss surgery. I guess b/c I've had so many surgeries....it doesn't bother me as much. Chemo was a bigger scare to me.

Well, still not feeling great, so gonna go for now. I hope everyone feels well today!

alcb70 - so sorry are feeling the way you are relating my head is splitting too - neulasta yesterday! 

Celineflower - just getting bathed and dressed wears me out - need an hour to recover............

....just trying to work out whether I am going to make church in the morning, know I cannot drive my hands and feet keep going numb and tingly and don't want that if I am driving and it comes and goes so randomly..........need to phone a friend tonight if I need a lift but don't know how I am going to feel in morning..........

hugs to all x

Loubar here..

Schoolmom - I've found that frozen smoothie pops are really helpful with both the extra hydration, a good food substitute when I can't eat and it keeps the mouth moist.  I do force myself to drink the water but find these are good and do the trick, good luck.

Noranelly - I originally wanted to work through treatment but was worried about infections etc. and really wanted to see how I did through a full round.  I was pleased by day 11 to start to feel good and almost back to "normal" and thought I could have been at work.  But then I was super suprised that my WBC were so low which sort of scared me that if I had been at work exposed to potential illnesses i would be impacting my health.  For me now, I feel by not working I can just focus on me and my health and give myself a break!  If anything as you are just in Round 1, why not see how you feel over the 21 days and then make some decisions.  I know this is a long "pause" in our regular lives but I want to feel I've done everything possible to get better.  

Anamerty and alcb, so sorry to hear about your pain from the Neulasta/Neupogen. I guess I have just been lucky so far. I know that could change anytime. I have #3 A/C on Tuesday but am so grateful that I get to go to the Leonard Cohen concert Monday night before chemo!

Anamerty, I saw your friend and colleague today at Costco as she was my cashier for the second time in a row. Nice coincidence but I asked her name this time and chemo brain and can't remember. I think it is worth asking your MO to postpone your chemo so you can go to the Christmas party.

Long weekend here as we always have a long weekend with Remembrance Day which of course is tomorrow.

Marian

day 5 of 3rd A/c...

ugg...

my grandson is coming today...he is a good distration...

i know ill start feling better soon...

thank goodness for the 3 week break in between...

wonder what the weekly taxol will be like

.........headaches, bones and joints easing thank you so much for the hint with the Claritin  - so much better so much faster than last time........

.....mouth seems to be erupting again - even faster than last time - friend suggesting freezing grapes and sucking them I suppose almost like ice pops just frozen fruit - but they are real soothing...........

......had a funny day didn't make church, got up and bathed, dressed all ready and heading for the door and had a real sick dizzy wanna pass out moment.........had a strange night, slept about three hrs.....got up wandered drank some water back to bed slept about another two, got up just couldn't break the cycle - terrible nightmares - sure its just the conflict of so many drugs floating around.............ended up back in bed for most of the day but feeling so much better for it.........

Feeling better faster with second round than first - does it get even easier with third or is it just lulling me into a false sense of security? .......then a new challenge after the FEC comes the T - no ideas what to expect with that one.......harder? easier? SEs?.......

........think it is the first time I have missed a Remembrance Sunday ever - family military background - unheard of.........

....think I am just wandering through this chemo-fug again sorry, mind just side-tracks not concentrating, think I should just head back to bed and try and make sure I am at least fitter to face tomorrow than I was today............

Hope for good times for all............hugs x

...thank you 3017254 - won't beat myself up over it, missed it but had two of the ladies phone me and make sure I was OK as soon as they got home, and last session when I missed church the minister was here to check on me first thing Monday morning - he is such a sweetie! His favourite expression 'being christian not about making church every Sunday morning but how you behave 24/7'.........gonna get a drink and some R&R x

Hap k, I am preparing for my 3rd infusion and I have had Neulasta two times so far....honestly the first time around it was the worst for me but I think that I did not take the recommended pre-meds correctly. You should take Claritin and a pain reliever about an hour prior to your injection and then continue with the Claritin once a day for the next seven days. Heating pads, pain meds and plenty of fluids, you will be fine.

I started Claritan on Saturday before my Monday first infustion.  Had the Neulasta shot Tuesday morning.  Continued Claritan every day from Sat - Sunday.  I had se from stomach issues but nothing I can relate to the neulasta.  No aches, no pains, nothing.  Weird tastes and eating / drinking issues but that is the extent of it.  Loss of appetite.  I go to oncologist Thursday and I know I will have labs the Friday before my next infusion on the 26th.  Not  sure if labs before that.