Starting Chemo October 2012

Caitgrace - 

They always have problems getting bloodflow from my port so we play the game of tilt the head.  I rotate very slowly from one side to the other & get told to freeze when it actually starts flowing.  They've also had me slump forward or back, raise arms in the air, etc.  Did they do any of those things with you?   They've never deaccessed my port & tried again.  It has always just been a matter of finding that days magic positional spot.   If they didn't try any of that, please ask for them to next time.  It takes some time, but is much better than having to switch to iv.  I'm sorry that you had to go through all of that

Marian: Ask your doc first, but I have been juicing kale to keep my counts up. I have my third infusion tomorrow and I have not needed any neulasta or transfusions. Granted, I am on a three week cycle, but I get labs checked weekly. Kale is supposed to be one of the best things for platelets. It could be worth a shot if you are trying to avoid transfusions. I don't know if it's the reason my counts have been good, but I'm not going to question it until I know otherwise! 

xoxo

Round three tomorrow - will be thinking of you all. 

Melissa

schoolmom - Hang in there ... thinking of you!

Melissa- Prayers for you tomorrow.  I know it will all go well.

Caitgrace - I never do the blood draws from the port....just kinda freaked me out.  I dont have good veins but I only have had blood drawn once before each infusion...so twice now.  I guess the labs have been good since no repeat tests.  My onc told me my counts were all good between 1 & 2  so we will see.  The port has kinda been the pain for me.  Hard to position for sleeping at night, the seat belt in the car ( I use a small heart pillow from the hospital after my surgery), bra straps...just a pain.  My surgeon said my onc usually leaves it in 3 months after chemo to be safe that I do not need anything added on later.  UGHHHH

MarianElizabeth - gosh, sorry to hear about your hemoglobin worries and the emotional concerns of having a transfusions.  I'm sorry to hear about your father and I can only imagine that the practicality of the transfusion is easily overshadowed by the memories of your father's experience.  I hope that Poke's recommendation of Kale helps you out. I haven't even thought I needed to worry about hemoglobin - was focussed on WBC, am getting neulasta so figured I'm out of the woods?!  I haven't been requesting copies of my bloodwork and will make a point to do that tomorrow as I'm in for my last FEC treatment #3 then Toots I'm with you and halfcan getting prepared for Taxotere before Christmas. 

On a lighter note, I had an appt. today with my surgeon and while waiting I had to get changed and place my shirt, coat, scarf and hat in a locker.  A very kind nurse came in first to quickly review my file, then popped back in with her card and inquired if I had been apprised of BC supports (which I assured her I had) then she brought me the flyer for LGFB to see if I was familiar with that (I assured her I am)....... I bet she thought I needed a wig  or some sort of professional beauty help?! 

My heart breaks when I read some of the problems that several of you are having.

I feel blessed with my situation and I can feel the power of prayer as so many people are praying for me.  I lost my sister to breast cancer in 1995 at age 47 and I feel her presence with me now and always.

I am 62 and in 2007 I had a lumpectomy in my right breast and mammosite radiation therapy.  Piece of cake compared to chemo.  I was finished with radiation and back to work two weeks after the surgery.

Now five years later it is in my left breast Grade 2 Stage 2; involvement in one lymphnode only.

I started Adriamycin on Oct 2 and finished Nov 13.  One hit every two weeks for a total of 4.  I lost a tooth, lost my hair, had rectal bleeding, urine in my blood, some nausea helped by triscuits, ginger chews and coca cola. Fatigue is my biggest problem and usually Sat and Sun you can find me in bed after Tuesday infusions.

Today 11/27 I started Taxol (Paclitaxel) again one hit every two weeks for a total of four.  I slept during some of the treatment because I was given Benedryl.   I also got Pepcid for heartburn and Zofran for nausea.  Now I am drinking chamomile tea to try to get back to sleep.  I am a crossing guard and I start at 7am.  I get one Neulasta injection the day after infusion.

My next drug is Cytoxan begining Jan 22.  Then it is 7 weeks of radiation; life should be normal in April.

My oncologist is giving me one drug at a time; I have a port; and I had open heart surgery many years ago.  I had a hysterectomy in 2008 because I had a cyst on my ovary which turned out to be benign thank God.  I have migraines but I only get one the day of infusion.  I think the steroid has made my severe neck/shoulder pain disappear at least for now.

I pray we all make the right decisions with the information we have on hand at the time. A happy holy holiday season to all of you and your families.  It is a geat time to have breast cancer--so they say.  Good luck and hang in there and thank you for sharing.

Melissa, good luck!  The caps are going fine.  I am at day 24 today and my pic is from Monday day 22....so good so far.  Started shedding this last week but nothing major.  No clumps.  Take care all.

Toots - so strange how different docs say different things.  Mine says only clear polish on finger and toe nails for duration of chemo.  They want to be able to see if the nailbeds darken (so far mine are good).

Chemo #3 for me on Thursday, Cytoxan/Taxtotere.  #2 was pretty rough on me - kicked me down for a full week and even came back to hunt me down for Thanksgiving and the day after.  Grr.  Hoping this round goes better.  I'm still not sure if the doc wants 4 rounds or 6 rounds.  Maybe I'll find out tomorrow.

Chemo #4 is December 20th so that holiday is shot.  My in-laws will be driving out for just two days (4 days driving for a 2 day visit) and I'm going to be a mess.  Not fun!  Not fair!

Had my first Taxotere yesterday.  Feeling good so far, but not to days 3-5 yet.  Had to pre-med with Dexamethasone (didn't have to do that with AC).  Gave me slight abdominal cramping, nausea, and lip tenderness -- so strange!  Also didn't stay up all night, but rather, felt very tired.  Guess it shows we all really do experience different side effects!  Just hoping the Dexamethasone keeps some of the worse Taxotere side effects at bay (that was the reasoning my MO gave me -- and to avoid allergic reactions).

I'll try to keep you ladies who are a week behind me updated on how things go.  Anyone who has been doing Taxotere already (see some of you have been doing it from the get go in combo with Cytoxan) have any hints or tips on how to keep eyelashes and eyebrows?  Also, I didn't ice my nails, but have heard that painting them with a nail strengthener can help.  Anyone have luck with nail polish and not icing?  Any tips are appreciated.  Hopefully starting now will not be too late!

Excited to be officially past the halfway mark.  #5 down, 3 more to go!  Spoke with surgeon today, and she thinks we will schedule the surgery about 4 weeks after last treatment.  Excited that things are moving along now -- can't wait for this all to be in the past!

Well wishes, positive thoughts, and minimal SEs to all!!!

I've had 3 of my 4 cytoxan/taxotere treatments. Fourth - and last! - is next Wednesday. I've been using cold caps and have my hair - a little minor shedding and a spot in the front that got frostbite the first session - but otherwise good. Have iced fingers and toes the last two sessions and chewed on ice. So far no neuropathy and nails seem to be fine. I've had remarkably few SEs - a little heartburn this time - and fatigue. All in all, I've been amazingly lucky.

Hoping others are doing well and that we all have minimal SEs through the holidays.

thx toots! 

i am going to ice my finger nails but not my toe nails... not sure i can bring myself to painting them black lol but i can see the logic in the nail polish helping to keep them from cracking and peeling

I am told that day 5 of taxol (taxotere ) is the worst one... so maybe you will just have a crappy boxing day! 

Went ok yesterday.. my blood counts are excellent ... my body did a great job in protecting me..thru what im told is the most "dangerous" of the two poisons..

now lets see how my hair does thru taxol.. lol

Good Morning Ladies!

I had treatment #4 yesterday...only 2 more to go!!   Jalessi- I sure hope they figure out what's going on. Sometimes your heart rate goes up with fever &/or dehydration.  I hope the MUGA scan results are ok, and I agree that you should have a chest xray with sats that low. Keeping my fingers crossed for you.  Melissa- I wanted to comment that your profile pic is beautiful!

For all the ladies beginning Taxotere....I can tell you that I have used a nail strengthener that is clear, sporadically, and my nails have been fine.  They do get a bit sore, and dark after treatment, but that is more the nail bed than my nails.  My sister-in-law said that it caused her to have horizontal lines each treatment, but never turned black or fell off. As for eyebrows/lashes....my eyebrows are fine (although I have really thick eyebrows and could stand to lose some of them), and my lashes are a bit thinner-but still there.  Hopefully I didn't just jinx myself!  I get Taxotere with Carboplatin, so I can't tell you (correctly) what to expect with just Taxotere. I did have nausea yesterday when my Taxotere was running and that was a first. I get Taxotere, then Carboplatin, and then Herceptin, so I know I hadn't gotten anything but my premeds which includes 4 things that can help with nausea.  She slowed the Taxotere down and that seemed to help along with sipping ginger-ale.  Since it was the first time this has happened, I tried to think of what was different, and I had only a couple pieces of lunchmeat before my appt. I usually have more on my stomach going to treatment  (to include dry things like toast).  Hope this helps!!

Someone commented that they were getting ready to face "the wave" of post chemo crap.  I thought that was a very good way to put it.  Besides being a FL native and loving the beach.....it really fits this "stuff".  You hit this wave you have to work through, and then you get back to the point of treading water...trying to save up your energy before you get smacked by another wave.  I guess if you think of it that way....NO WONDER WE'RE TIRED!   Hopefully, when this is all done, we'll pull ourselves up onto the beach in a comfortable chair, with a good book in one hand and a margarita in the other just watching the waves.  Maybe then we'll be able to appreciate them.

I hope everyone is well today! I get my neulasta today (ugghh-I tried getting out of them, or the dose reduced, but Mon my WBC's were 3.4 and I was running a low grade temp), so I'm getting ready to get smacked by the Big Kahuna tomorrow. I did get cleared to take advil (yay), and I'm gonna try Allegra since the Claritin didn't work.     Love and strength to everyone!    ~Andrea

"illness is the night-side of life, a more onerous citizenship. Everyone who is born holds dual citizenship in the kigdom of the well and in the kingdom of the sick. Although we all prefer to use only the good passport, sooner or later each of us is obliged, at leat for a spell, to identify oursleves as citizens of that other place.

        -Susan Sontag from her 1977 book "illness as a Metaphor

Siddhartha Mukherjee, in his book "The Emperor of all Maldies, a Biography of Cancer," has this as her first quote and I think for us, it is a good one.

Marian

Sonson, I am halfway through taxotere carboplatin herceptin and I also experience muscle fatigue and awful eye twitching. Funy mentioning the stairs, I was trying to explain to MO how I sometimes have to pull myself hand over hand on the railing. Admittedly, not avid exerciser, but I try to walk what I can most days. Im also working, taking

only a few days after each treatment for now. Ive only been using clear polish on nails. Beds of thumbs, index fingers are beginning to darken. Im going to try dark polish. Still holding onto eyebrows, eyelashes. They were pretty thick, we shall see. This last treatment ive also had terrible heartburn. Last two days water even sets my stomach rolling. Better days ahead. Have a blessed day everyone.

......good morning all........sorry to hear about all the bad bits people going through and hope things improve soon.......always glad to hear the good bits - the silver linings coming out of all our clouds.......

....you may find my minnd wandering somewhere don't quite know where won't be around much........last combo yesterday morning at 9:30 have slept for about 3-4 hours got up drank a lot and eaten a little and just slept again, funny regime, bed at 8pm, up at midnight, bed till 3am, up again at 5:30am............will head back to bed after this post!

..........nails painted black looks a bit morbid but wonderful daughter-in-law was wandering around superdrug and found some nail stickers sparkly and white with snowflakes on, put them on over the black so now they are looking rather seasonal..........

........must go mind wandering through the 'fug' take care all and lots of hugs x