Starting chemo November 2012

Txjunebug you can buy flavour water from wall mart i bought from shoppers drug i m n canada or u can check any drug stores

Those of you having problems with taste....that's just how it is.  Don't feel alone at all. My husband was buying me everything under the sun to try to find something for me to eat. It changed from week to week...sometimes it was mashed potatoes, some times it was a chicken pot pie, most of the time it was nothing.  That Red Devil crap just trashes your taste buds.  What ever it is you can eat, just eat that and don't worry about what it is.  Experience talking here.

I keep favour water for my worst initial 10 days after chemo i drink regular water. Cant eat spicy food due to sores. Right now for the last 5 days my head is full of pimples very itchy when i scratch them it bleeds

Chemo is full of surprises

Txjunebug ~ Too bad we couldn't split this SE.  Mine is like a faucet since round 2!  I've been through more tissues in the past month...

I think the Red Devil is Adriamycin (A in the ACT).

Luv, the red devil is doxirubicin, it's brand name is Adrimyacin.  It goes in red, and comes out red.  I just finished my fourth and final dose of it last week.  Thank the good Lord!  My side effects were not terrible, but the fatigue was killer.  I am eight days out and just starting to feel normal again.  

I start weekly Taxol next week.  I won't lie and say I am extremely jealous of those of you finishing up.  I won't finish chemo until the end of March, and then I will do five weeks of radiation in May.  Sometime in there I'd like some foobs.  Being bald and boobless is starting to get to me.  

I've had a rough couple of days with depression.  Cried over everything yesterday.  I think having to go back to work today helped some.  

Anyone else having aches and pains? I'm not used to this!

I just found something that tastes good - to me at least.  Cream of potato soup.   I grated some sharp cheddar into it, but it was good without cheese, too.  Yum!

Round 3 for me tomorrow.  Steroid wired.  Headachy.  Faucet for a nose.  Cleaned, baked a gingerbread upside cake (even though I won't eat it), did a load of laundry, finalized three reports, working on the fourth. I can see it's going to be a relaxing and peaceful night.

Congrats on getting ur last chemo!!!

Sick-

Was that painful. I always imagine eye things painful. Hope u feel better.

polotici...don't worry.  I was having 4 of the red devil coctail every two weeks and not every 3.  Just when I would get back up it seems I would get knocked down again.  It made me so sick during the infusion that I would have to be knocked out and given phenegren...which gave me bad leg shakes.  Needless to say I had a couple of big melt downs, lol.  Once my nurse navigator called to check on me and I totally came unhinged on her.  Crying and really having a huge pitty party, I felt much better when it was over.  The point being no matter how bad it is, the result is what you want.  We shrank a 5cm tumor to just 3 tiny little dots.  I did 4 treatments of taxol every two weeks after that.  Just put your head down, cry when you need to but keep on walking!!!

Finished final chemo treatment and cold cap treatment today! I did not get a port, and while I endured the IVs for four treatments, my veins held up well, and I don't have to have port removed. It was a good decision for me since i had an infection after lumpectomy.



Onc is doing a follow up test due to the muscle pain I have experienced during #3. Also prescribed Percocet for pain during this round.



While I'm still holding onto hair, I have bald patches on top and sides. Onc recommended hair extensions if it bothered me. He loves and endorses the cold caps.



Onc said all symptoms will be gone in three months.



Hugs and prayers to all you brave gals! May your symptoms be minimum throughout this journey!!



Ginny

Tylm, I have been struggling with that decision too. Since I also had 6/8 nodes and other issues I have really struggled with whether to do rads before or after surgery. As usual there is no clear answer but the RO when I saw him in December, said that studies showed you could go either way but you have to decide yourself what you are comfortable with. i.e. if I fear the cancer recurring during the gap between chemo and surgery to rads after then maybe I will choose to do rads first. I found it all very difficult. I saw the PS Thursday and after a good discussion and examination and what can be offered to me, I made my decision to go with mx, axillary dissecton (this was already planned) done by my BS and then the PS will carry on with immediate reconstruction with T/E. He will do a fair fill right then so that after I am healed and go on to rads (ASAP after healing) there should still be some elasticity. So I felt good about the decision but I guess naturally a few days down the road I am having little niggling doubts. Crazy how BC can make us so fearful. But my MO will put me on Armidex right after chemo so there is a protection there. My breast surgeon also seems to think this plan is OK.

My MO called yesterday and she wants to PS to do the surgery as soon as he can after chemo - like 3 weeks. She feels that my blood counts are good and clearly does not want any long gap.

I guess it is time to look for a thread for surgery since my old September srugery thread is pretty much ended.

Sorry to hear of your final TC tx, Tlym. I had the same treatment and experienced no nausea at all. My biggest complaint has been the constant leg and arm muscle pain throughout. Onc is going to test liver enzymes which I'm praying are fine. Nulesta shot on Monday which will kick my ass with bone pain for 48 hours. Are SEs different between nulesta and neupogen shots?



I tested negative for BRCA gene, but was preparing myself for the very difficult decisions you are all faced with. Good luck with your decisions Tlym, marianliza, and txjunebug!!!

Loafer - don't forget to take Claritan before the Neulasta and for a day or 2 after - makes a big difference with bone pain....So glad your finished Chemo - celebrate!!!