Sept 2012 chemo

Oooo, that'll be my name once we're all done treatment...thenewnormal!!!!

Jojo - I have 1/8 "stubble" hair, keep checking everyday to see if anymore growth....How long since last chemo to "baby ostrich" hair?

thanks Jojo, I am so anxious to get my hair back

Patricia, you know I am going sister! Will dance gangnam style with you there in July 2013! Hope your feeling better soon. Muy besos!

Thx allurbad, u are giving us hope! I just posted my new wig, not the same at all.

Allurbad, yay, seeing your grow out gives me hope. I don't want to be in a wig this summer. Did you have curly hair before?



JoJo..You are one sexy mamma! You look like your 12. I need a new wig too. Mine is getting doll hairish on the ends.



Had my last taxol on Thursday and so far no bone pain and very little neuropathy. So happy. Feel good. Went on a 20 minute walk. Hope I feel this good tomorrow. I may even do the gangnam style. Whoo hoo!

# 5 Taxol on Wed.  Mild joint aches.  Great Christmas because son and daughter-in-law came with three grandchildren, 6,6,8.  Great fun with kids, but two days were plenty.  Lots of attention from two other children and one son in law.  Family is wonderful.  Helps you remember what we are struggling to live for.

Advice?  Have had 19 appointments for chemo and oncologist and oncologist nurse at cancer clinic. Except for about 3 times, I have waited 40 min to an hour and a half for each "appointment."  That's before I get in to the infusion section or to see the oncologist or nurst--more wait inside.

I will have 8 or 9 more apointments before going for radiation.

Should I tell the oncologist how I feel? I have thought about changing oncologists and moving to MD Anderson which is about 15 minutes further away.  I also would never recommend them because of the waits which I think shows disrespect.  I like the oncologist and chemo nurse, but I find that just going to the clinic now makes me angry, resentful, and unhappy.  The wait for a 10 am apt last Wed was one hour,  Shall I just keep quiet, suck it up, and give them bad reviews on line?  Am I making too big a case of this? 

amylovesbubby- You are okay, girlfriend.  Your onco is just looking out for you and trying to find ways to help your time with chemo be a little more tolerable for you.  Hang in there!!!!  You're almost done!!!!   

Thank you Hope and Amy.  Have a Happy New Year.  Hopefully 2013 will be a better year.

Melrose,, you always have been a good shepherd here.

Cindi - my dh goes to every appointment with me and he actually brought up the ridiculous wait times with my MO. MO took care of my wait time, now I don't wait more than 5 to 10 minutes.

Good luck!!

amylovesbubby-  I had minimal side effects with my chemo.  I did prepare myself for my chemo by educating myself on possible side effects and ways to help prevent or minimize the side effects.  I kept a daily diary of foods, fluids and drugs that I ate/drank/took everyday so I could figure out what was working best for me.  I iced and used Essie Three in One Top Coat & Essie fingernail polish to help prevent nail damage.  I also wear rubber gloves to wash dishes and when I use cleaning products; and also learned not to use my fingernails as tools ( open cardboard boxes/ remove staples).  Those things did help the nails since I didn't have any nail lifting and only have 6 ridges on each fingernail denoting each chemo round and some very faint nail discoloration.  The taste buds did go on vacation with every round of chemo but I would eat even though things did not always taste great.  I view eating as a means to fuel my body and give it the right nutrients, etc and not as a source of comfort.  Yes, I did treat myself now and then with a small square of Whole Foods Tiramasu but would eat that small square over a several day period.  My hair (everywhere head, arms, legs, nose, you name the place) did leave but it has come back.  I lost my eyebrows and bottom eyelashes after I had my 6th round of chemo but they came back within a few weeks.  My head hair has come in even and straight and the same colors as it was before I chemo ( black/brown/some grey.)  I am not taking any Biotin supplements which is supposed to help with the hair growth.  I use Nioxin shampoo and conditioner ( I have no idea if that helps or not).  I did have some neuropathy during chemo.  My fingers would cramp on occasion when I had them in certain positions ( like stirring something).  I would just stop what I was doing and would wiggle/move my hands and fingers to help with the cramping.  My feet also would cramp up and I would massage/move them to help with that.  My joints hurt during the last rounds of chemo and continued to do so post chemo.  Recently, everything seems to feel a lot of better-- not as many aches and pains as I had while I was having chemo.  The pain and stiffness always seemed to go away once I would get up and move around.

If you let me know you are having a bit of a struggle with the Taxotere side effects, perhaps I can make some suggestions to you as to what you can do.  Just let me know.  I know having chemo and its wonderful side effects is not easy to deal with.  Once you are finished, it will take some time for your body to start the healing process from the chemo.  Try to be easy and patient with yourself even though I know you will be anxious to do the things you haven't been able to do for a while.  No matter what it is all good.....

Hugs to you and all here!!!!

Melrose, I have been trying to walk as much as I can during chemo, I had my 5th tx and my 6th (last) will be on Wed. I have noticed with number 4 and 5 that my muscles ache when I walk. Did you experience this and does it go away? I am anxious to try to get back into an exercise routine after chemo...just wondering if you have any insight...thank you. 

Cocobean-  There have been times when I feel like little old lady and can barely move after sitting/laying down.  If I sit down too long or when I get up in the morning and then stand up, my feet hurt initially.  I have to wait a second or two to get steady on my feet since I'm afraid I'll just fall down or my legs will collapse from under me.   I know the chemo muscles aches/pains are no fun and make it difficult to want to move.  I know that I became more easily winded after the 4th round which doesn't make moving around or walking up stairs easy.  However, once you are PFC, the aches/pains and winded feeling subside.  The being out of breath may be from having low red blood counts ( anemia).  I tried to prevent a further drop in the red blood counts by eating more red meat and green leafy veggies.  I did a little research by going to the livestrong.com website and put in a search of " Foods to Increase Red Blood Counts".  

I still have some minor aches/pains which I believe is from the Tamoxifen that I started in September 2012.  My feet do sometimes ache first thing in the morning before I get out of bed.  I try to wiggle those toes and rotate my ankles while sitting on the side of the bed before I actually stand up.  You do have so much to look forward to being PFC--- getting to move more easily will just make you feel better emotionally and physically.  Just remember that the first few weeks after your last chemo will be like the weeks you have after chemo.  So try not to get disappointed that you don't feel immediately better after your last chemo.  There will one day that you wake up and you suddenly realize that you feel good and you have come through to the other side!!!!