December 2012 chemo group

Bren58, wow, wouldn't it be great if you're that close to being finished?  I'm 99.9% certain that my MO said 6 TXs but I had one positive node and my tumor was 2.5 cm.

Steiner, if given a choice, I would have chosen four as well.  Absolutely.  Re: getting enough water - for this next go round I'm going to try the NUUN tablets.  I bought two tubes at the Vitamin Shoppe the other day - lemon lime and tangerine lime.  It's not too bad.   

Nicole, lol re: seal love!

SharonS, it's amazing to think that the weight of dead hair could make the scalp so sore but I read the same explanation in the archives here, i.e. the weight of the hair in the closed up follicle.  One person described it as feeling like a sunburn and someone else said it felt like she had been hit with a baseball bat!  

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I went to the integrative doctor at the cancer center today.  She sat with us for an hour and a half and discussed diet, supplements, exercise, acupuncture, etc.  I'm going to start walking 30 minutes a day versus 20 minutes (20 minutes = a mile plus).  She cited a study about 30 minutes of walking per day significantly lowering cancer risk (30%?).  She also suggests a Mediterranean eating plan which is pretty close to the way we already eat (other than those days after chemo when I was eating stupid things to try to find something that tasted good).  She went through every supplement I take, etc. so it was all pretty interesting.  

I'm hoping I can have TX 2 on Wednesday.  

Oh, one other thing she mentioned - 

Acupuncture can help increase WBC.  I'm going to do a search on that because I was pretty surprised about that.  She's pretty conservative in her recommendations so maybe there's something to it. 

Bren58 - a hair cut for free.. score!

LeeA - That is awesome you were able to meet with the Integrative dr. So her scoop is.. moving forward, try and get a thirty minute walk in a day and eat a Mediterrain diet and you will typically reduce your rist of reoccurance by 30%? That is quite motivating. Hmm, so if I'm doing chemo, rads, and tamoxifen that should reduce my risk to under 10%. Add your suggestions and I'd lower it to under 7%? Just trying to find the right numbers to keep me motivated to eat right and move my body. Did she discuss alcohol at all? I have always enjoyed drinking and have just started to have a glass or two during my good week of treatment. I was so freaked out in September of my diagnosis I didn't touch any alcohol until my Thanksgiving dinner. I'd like to think there's a place for it in my life (moderately) where the positives outweigh the negatives.

Nicole - I'm still too fuzzy headed to be shiny. Have you lost all the hair on your head?

I'm really light headed today and having a hard time getting enough water in. I'm not peeing enough which concerns me although I have had about 20 ounces. May skip out of work a bit early today.

Hello to all! I am 2 weeks past my last treatment and have my next on Monday. I have a shiny head also! Not much peach fuzz left up there. Unfortunately, I had a very itchy head this last week and have red bumps all over it. My hands and feet wre itchy too. Anybody else have that? I feel like I stayed on top of most of the side effects this round and felt pretty good, other than tired. And I am very tired! I almost wore myself out this morning mopping my kitchen floor! And I took prilosec faithfully the first two weeks and avoided heartburn. I thought I could stop but I immediately got heartburn or acid reflux so I have started taking it again. I feel like I haven't bounced back as much this time and I wonder how it will be after the 3rd and 4th round. You ladies who are working and exercising through all this have my admiration. I feel like I am in hibernation for the winter and plan on emerging At the end of February. I daydream about sunny beaches.

Gwen, remeber it does not all have to be water. Juice, tea, coffee, whatever liquid you can get down is helpful.

Peggy - YAY on finishing your AC. You are well on way! I am really sorry that is has been so rough for you though.

Julie - I had the itchy red bumps after each tx, but not as bad after tx3. MO suggested hydrocortisone cream and it did help.

Julie - Sunny beaches sound awesome! Especially since it is only 18 and very windy here today.

Lee - hope all goes well and you can have tour treatment tomorrow.

FriendGwen - I assume this is what the integrative physician was referring to: 

Exercise Helps Prevent Breast Cancer

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=116923&page=1

We covered a lot of ground and she didn't want me to take notes so I'm not sure how this factors in with a recurrence versus an initial diagnosis of breast cancer.

Regarding alcohol - I have read that one of the best things women (and I suppose men) can do to prevent breast cancer is limit alcohol intake.  I just did a quick search and found this 2010 Medscape article: 

Studies examining the relation between alcohol consumption and breast cancer have been decidedly mixed. But a paper published online August 30 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology reports that alcohol consumption appears to increase the risk for breast cancer recurrence.

Link to full article: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/727885

Peggy- congratulations on finishing with the red devil and his dubious partner, cytoxin! I'll be starting my first round of Taxol on Monday as well. I'll be sending good thoughts your way!



To everyone else...smooth legs?! After four rounds of AC, my leg hair is still hanging strong. :- p

Runner girl - i don't think I would have lost near as much hair had I not done a pixie and bleach job just after my first infusion . I most or my " other hair " is still there . I thinki cutting our hair weakens it some .



Mt Julie - I had those red bumps too after the first TC treatment _ I think it is still somewhat of a delayed allergic reaction - I took Benadryl and the dr also prescribed a gel called clindamycin phosphate gel 1 %-they both helped .



Overall handling the TC Bette this time - no infections . I do still struggle with hearburn even though I am on daily Prevacid . I may ask mo about taking 2 pills instead of just one daily . I don't want to end up with esophageal cancer because or chemo !!!



Thank u all for your positive outlooks - this December thread had been a real mental health booster !! (((hugs ))) Sandy

kslansky and runner - I still have some hair on my head and most of the hair on my forearms. The drugs are designed to kill the cancer, the hair loss (among other things) are just an unfortunate SE's. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

I, too, have a question.  I start my 4th treatment of TAC tomorrow.  Last night, I went to dinner with some friends and got home about 7:30.  I was so cold all though dinner and on the way home.  I even jumped in the shower when I got home just to warm up.  About 8:30, I started getting symptoms of a UTI.  It came on so fast and I started chilling.  I had a fever of 100.1, so I called the OC.  She called the doc and I got a script of Bactrim that I had to get started on last night.  This morning, the burning and urgency is gone, but I'm so tired and my bones ache, plus my ankles are swollen.  Has anyone had anything like this before?  Just out of the blue!

Grannyj3 I hope you feel better soon.



Scaryola, I too woke in the night with palpitations. Did not attribute it to steroids but I hope that's what it was. Im also having dexamethasone! I'm on Day 4 of round two. What chemo are you having?

My MO told me I wouldn't have scans as its so unlikely the cancer had spread, I can't remember if I read that scans can be bad for us and actually cause little mets? Anyway, he said they wouldn't bother scanning without symptoms and I'm happy with that.



Hope everyone is going ok, I'm stuck in the jet lag hangover stage.



Stay strong

holly

Grannyj3



I had a spontaneous UTI right before 3rd or 4th cycle of AC. Was put on Cipro for 5 days and cleared up.



Read somewhere after that that UTIs are a SE of chemo treatment but less common than other SEs.



I had to go into MO office and see NP before they would prescribe.



My feet have been abnormally cold even with socks and slippers since my 2nd AC treatment.



Hope We don't get another UTI!



Peggy

Peggy - I was wondering if this was an SE.  It was just so spontaneous.  I was put on z-pac for a sinus infection, which I had just finished up the day before this hit.  And just before that I had been on Cipro for 10 days just for the chemo.  I have relatively mild SE and now that I am half way through this, I was quite excited.  I think I will just be grateful and hold my excitement for when I am completely finished!

I'm right there with you!  I hope we don't get another UTI, too!  I hope NO ONE gets one!!!

Holy smokes Steiner18!  Where did you get that picture???  Our cats are super furry and this picture makes me cringe a little.  

Now that you mention it, I do notice that I still have some soft light hair on my forearms.  Legs, pits, head and pubes are 99% hair free, but the arms seem unchanged.  I hadn't really noticed before now but I guess it makes sense because chemo goes after the fast growing cells so I guess it goes after the fast growing hair.

Getting my bravery up to head in for AC #3 tomorrow.  I've heard that it was a tough one for some of you so I'm definitely setting some mental resolve before I head in.

Hey Dawn,

You are not alone in experiencing mild depression.  I'm definitely right there with you.  Last night I dreamed I was at a party with my family and friends and everyone was having a great time except me.  It was too loud.  It was too chaotic.  I wanted a quiet corner to retreat to and there wasn't one there.  When I woke up, I had to give that dream a 10/10 score for metaphorical accuracy.  I use humor to try to lighten my own tendency to get serious and somber when I'm depressed.  Besides humor, exercise (when I can manage it) helps a lot with the persistent low level sadness.  I'm heading to the gym for some treadmill walking before AC #3 today.  It always helps to have a little stress relief before hitting the poison recliner.  I too am reluctant to go the antidepressant route because I worry about what a whole new level of meds will do to my chemo brain.  I take each day as it comes and I still find my mood rebounding by days 10 - 14 in the cycle, but the rebound this time was not as great as with AC #1.  I'm definitely watching it, with some nervousness as I head into #3.  I might talk to my naturopath and see if she has some suggestions.

I noticed a new SE this morning and I'm wondering if anyone else is seeing it?  The nail beds on my thumbs look bruised down by the cuticle.  There is a deep purple flush to them.  I had heard of nail problems with Taxol but I haven't started Taxol yet, just 2 rounds of AC under my belt.  I will definitely ask the chemo nurses today but I was wondering if any of you have this SE?

Wishing everyone (especially me) an easy Thursday!

Donster, thanks for mentioning the Tums this morning.  My MO mentioned Tums yesterday as an alternative to the Pepsid I've been taking (I'm also taking generic Prilosec upon waking).  I used to have a big bottle of Tums but must have taken it or tossed it at some point in the past.  I'll be buying more today based on your recommendation as well as his.  

Dawn, I'm in Southern California as well and am wondering how I'm going to get my 30 minutes of walking in today.  We're members at the YMCA but I really don't like inside/treadmill walking (besides that, I'm a germaphobe!).  I'm hoping it will taper off but hey, I can't complain, CNN just mentioned wind chills of 85 below zero in Mt. Washington, New Hampshire!

Nicole, I love your posts.  You have a great attitude and like so many others here, an excellent way of putting to words what I'm often feeling - i.e. "persistent low level sadness."  Thank goodness it comes and goes.  If it comes to stay I'll have to look at other avenues.  

Wishing everyone a good day with few or no side effects!  And stay warm and/or dry - wherever you are!