December 2012 chemo group
Comments
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volleymom, darn it, sorry to hear you got the flu! I hope you are on the mend and starting to feel better now. Knock on wood*** I have been washing my hands and wiping everything down with Clorox wipes to avoid getting sick. I had a scare last week with super low neutrophils and was so worried about getting the flu or norovirus which are both circulating widely right now.
Typing this as I get my 4th and FINAL chemo infusion! It's both a sense of relief and despair at the same time. Relief to be nearing the end, despair because I know what's coming in the next few days lol. So glad to be finishing chemo though. I'd say between this and surgery that chemo has been the worst part of my treatment.
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Volleymom - I'm so sorry about your flu! Talk about adding insult to injury. It these chemo cocktails can kill off bad and good cells it would be nice if they could zap a nasty flu bug too! Sending you recovery vibes!
Chemo four (out of six) is Thursday. I've been happily enjoying my last ten days of feeling normal. It was fun being on my game while watching my home boys, the Ravens, win their Superbowl game! Baltimore is still celebrating! I'll always remember this Superbowl as my chemo bowl!
Hang tough ladies! We got this!! -
hi ladies just finished 4th chemo and day 3 not as bad as 3rd ws..so darn tired. hang in there all it does eventually get better. know last time 4th days was tiring too. Little appetite just trying to eat litely. Its onto rads soon...we should start a rads group in March.
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Just saw my MO and got the green light for AC #4. I feel like I never really "recovered" from #3. I am not looking forward to this final round, but it is the final round of AC and I can sign up for that.
I'm curious to hear from my ACT sisters about your journey with Taxol. How does it compare with AC?
Hope everyone is well. This board has grown a bit quiet over the past few weeks. Not sure if that is because everyone is getting used to chemo and it is just becoming a normal part of life or because as it gets harder we all get more quiet or ?????
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Nicole~Check out the WEEKLY TAXOL thread.
Paula -
Nicole
We started together. Glad you are finishing on time!! I had AC number 2. So I am back on the train.
Volley mom sorry to hear of your hospitalization. Hope you recover quickly. They gave me two units on the 15 Jan and things did get better. -
Soteria205 - Thanks for the taxol thread recommend.
SharonS - Glad your treatment is back on track. The only wisdom I have to share is to take really really good care of yourself with #3. The degree to which it was harder than #2 surprised me and I wished I had made a few more life accommodations (work schedule, etc) because it's been hard to keep up. Wishing you well as you go through the rollercoaster from #2.
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Nicole~AC #3 stomped my butt and mopped the floor with me. I felt like a huge gorilla sat on me. Shortness of breath, extreme fatigue, feeling faint when standing.
Oh no!!!! Here comes AC 4 on Friday.
Paula -
It has been a long week. After TC#4 I got a cold, an ear infection and a ruptured ear drum. It all happened within 24 hours over the weekend and I couldn't get to my PCP until monday. So between the chemo, the low blood counts and the infection I have been pretty wiped out. I finally feel like I am crawling out from the dark cave. Tuesday was the worst day since I started chemo. I had several meltdowns and wondered why in the world I was even doing all of this and if I could even do the last two treatments. So for all of you who are struggling, my heart goes out to you in a new way. Hopefully we will all get through through this and be stronger on the other end.
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Checking in to see how everyone is. Sorry to hear about your bad weekend, Bren, I hope you can muster the strength to get through your final two. I know for me, this last one was mentally a challenge, having to prepare myself for what was ahead.
Paula and Nicole, I hope your 4th AC turns out better than your 3rd. So far, my 4th TCH (2 days ago) is treating me better than my 3rd....but I know I still have a few more days to go before the worst of it is over.
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Hello to my chemo sisters. This thread has been a little quiet. I know that I haven't had much to say. My side effects after tx 3 have been manageable. I think the worst is the taste buds. I am hungry and thirsty for something, and the food even smells good to me, then trying to eat it is discouraging because it either tastes bad or I can't taste it at all. I think it's strange how much my appetite actually depends on being able to taste. The other problem bothering me is scaly rash on my head. If I ever wanted to just go natural, it would not be a pretty sight with my scabby head!
On a happy note, my 78 year old mom finally came to see me. She has not visited for a long time. I consoled myself with the realization that she is getting old, but the little girl in me was sad and wanted her mama. Plus she had a hip replacement in December and had her own issues to deal with. But she hopped in her car and drove the three hours to my house and surprised me. Oh happy day! -
Bren58 - What a week you've had. I'm glad to hear that you're coming out from under the dark cloud. Almost every day I think about what Nicole503 posted a few weeks ago:
"The only way out of the chemo valley is through the chemo valley"
Wishing you all the best in the days and weeks to come - and the same to everyone else.
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I have been thinking about my mother. She had bc in 1988 in her left breast. She had a mastectomy and went through chemo then. Those were pre Internet days and she went through her treatment knowing nothing about it and just did what her doctor said. Maybe she had different drugs then, but she kept all her hair and does not remember having any side effects. Maybe it's like having a baby where the memory fades after its all over or maybe in her case, ignorance was bliss. She thinks that knowing so much is not a good thing. Anyway, she took tamoxifen for 5 years after that. Three years ago she was diagnosed with bc in her right breast and had another mastectomy and also had them remove the implant in her left side that she had always been unhappy with. She chose to not have reconstruction done and is happy with her choice most of the time. She didnT need chemo the second time. She is a tough old girl. She has had both knees and both hips replaced in the last ten years plus bc. I admire her greatly.
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MTJulie, I'm glad your mom came to see you. Mine sat with me on for my treatment this Tues, it is such a good feeling to have mom around
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Hi ladies! Sitting here in chemo land having my fourth infusion. It is nice knowing exactly what to expect. I do this alone and really like the solo time.
Bren - ugh! So sorry about your week! Hang in there!
Julie - my amazing Momma had BC in 1994 at age 65. She blames it on hormone replacement therapy. She had a single mastectomy with no reconstruction and no additional treatment. She's now 84 and other than IBS she's doing great with no recurrence. My aunt was diagnosed the next year and did the same thing as my mom with no treatment and no recurrence. She opted a few years ago to have her remaining breast removed as being lopsided hurt her back. Both these gals have been inspiring me that life will go on cancer free.
Ummm, did I have my first hot flash last night or was it from the steroids? I'm 48. My sister didn't start menopause til she was 52. I haven't had my pd since December. I wonder if chemo induced menopause is the real deal or temporary. -
Gwen- I am 53 and was in peri menopause when I was diagnosed. My last period will have been a year ago in March. I was already having hot flashes before all of this happened, but the chemo seems to have ramped them up. I swear I have a hot flash about every 15 minutes during the night and end up soaked with sweat. Especially my bald head which just drips with sweat. I asked my mo about it and he said it wasn't from the chemo but I don't believe him. They are terrible, though and really make it hard to sleep at night. MO suggested doubling my Effexor. I guess that helps some. But I have been there and done that and it didn't help me. I have found that if I take my Ativan right before bed, I sleep through the night. Hate to use it very much but I think getting decent rest is important to get well.
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Yeah I took an Ativan last night and look forward to one tonight. I take them on steroid days and it helps. I'm definely starting with getting hot at night. Not sweating yet just hot around 4am. Oh joy!
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Bren58 ~ My heart really goes out to you. I cannot imagine coping with an ear infection (godawful pain!) on top of a cold and chemo side effects. No wonder you had a crisis of faith. I am glad to hear you feel like you are crawling out of the cave. And I totally get the "crawling" feeling. I'm right there down on all fours with you. We WILL get through this because collectively we have amazing strength and a beautiful readiness to lend it to each other when the going gets rough. You can do your last two treatments. I did my last round of AC this morning, and you can do it too. Wishing you alot of ease this upcoming weekend.
Steiner18 ~ Thanks for sharing your experience that round 4 was better than round 3 for you. My oncology nurse "giant sized" my saline bag this morning and my MO gave me oral compazine tablets to try to tip me towards an easier road. I had a little laugh when I read the "Common uses for this medication" which says it's used to control severe nausea and vomitting, and to treat schizophrenia. Excellent! No more nausea and no mental health crisis either! I love those two-fer meds.
MTJulie and FriendGwen ~ Thanks for sharing the long term survival stories of your moms and aunt. It is so helpful to hear stories of women whose lives went on cancer free when you are standing at the tip of what will likely be a difficult downward spiral for the next week or so.
FriendGwen ~ It's hard to say about the hot flashes. I've had them during the steroid window on all three of my treatments. I don't have them during the latter half of the 2 weeks. I chalk them up to steroids. I'm 45 and had a period in January but have not seen one yet this month. If it was on schedule it would be here by now, but I don't expect anything to be on schedule anymore. I would not mind at all having a break (either for the duration of chemo or forever) from my periods. After I had my 3rd daughter, I really had no more use for them!
I do so appreciate all of you!
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Hot flashes must be from the chemo, I myself have not had any but every time I go to the doctor they ask if I have, so they must be a side effect... as for my other issues, the twitches in my face, I was told are either a. The chemo effecting my nerves in my face which will go away.... b. The same thing as the numbness thing with your fingers, I can't remember the name, because my nose and upper lip are also going numb, in which case they don't know if it will go away, or c. Anxiety from all the stress from all of the side effects I have had.... so basically I know nothing.... and he did tell me that he thinks I have had more side effects than any other patient he has ever had.... that made me sad... I don't know if he was saying I am a baby or if he felt bad for me... he did say that it was my choice to have my last treatment or not... if I was older he would say to stop at this point, but because of my age he would continue, but it was my choice.. last week I would have said, NO, NO, AND HELL NO!!!! Today I said LET'S DO IT!!!!! So today I had my last treatment.....
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MTJulie - glad your mom came to see you and it was a comfort for you. She sounds like an amazing woman!
Gwen - I am 54 and went through menopause a few years ago, but still had hot flashes. For some reason I am not having any hot flashes with chemo, but my MO told me that they will come back when I go on an estrogen inhibitor later this year. Oh joy!
I was actually able to gather enough strength to go to work today. First time in a week. Glad I went because there was a ton of stuff to try to catch up on. Five hours and I was done though. Tomorrow is another day.
Thanks everyone for your encouragement! It's so nice to have bc sisters who are going through the same things and get it. Somehow I missed Nicole's earlier post about the chemo valley, but that is a great way to put it! Thanks Lee for reposting it.
Wishing all of you the strength and courage to keep going, we will get through this.
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Judaday - glad you had your last tx today. woohoo!
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Judaday~I'm so proud of you for sucking it up and getting that final treatment. YOU GO GIRLFRIEND!!!
I'm 62, and skated right through menopause just before my 50th birthday. I had no hot flashes, mood swings, or any other side effects of it. My mother and her mother were the same way. So, I've had no hot flashes from chemo, nor did I have them when I was on arimidex to shut down the hormones. I only took it for a month because surgery was delayed and they wanted me to be doing something. I will start back on it for at least 5 years after I finish chemo and rads.
Blessings
Paula -
Congrats on the last treatment Judaday!!! YOU DID IT!!!!
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I've missed two periods while going through treatment, but lo and behold.....Aunt Flo came to visit yesterday, just 1 day after my last treatment! So now I get the menstrual side effects with my chemo ones. Still feeling better at this point than I did the 3rd time around. I slept about 3 hours this afternoon and am eating okay. Taste buds are starting to go again. Feel a little weak and loopy too, but still am able to function. As far as hot flashes, I experience some flushing feelings but have associated them with the steroids I get during treatment. Once the steroids are gone the hot flashes/flushing goes away for me.
Congrats, Judaday on your last tx too! Most of us should be almost halfway done or nearing the end I'd guess by now. Hang in there everyone, we've got this beat!
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Wow! I love reading these stories of hope and inspiration and encouragement. You ladies are all wonderful. I know we all don't know each other personally but I am so proud of everyone and I'll even include myself in that. We have pushed through so much over these past few months. We have struggled with physical side effects and we have suffered with emotional ones as well. Do remember that sunnier days are absolutely in our future. Like many of you I will have radiation and years of Tamoxifen, but from what I understand the SE's don't compare with what we have endured already with this g-d awful chemo. Stay positive, stay healthy and let this experience fuel us all to be the best we can be! And yes, we should start a thread for radiation
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Hi ladies...i haven't been on for awhile. My 3rd treatement was rough -a week of side effects and then I got strep throat and felt lousy for another week. I had my 4th and final treatment yesterday but I am not rejoicing yet a sI fear the next few days. I worked a 10 hour day today and and now have the kdis and dinner and homework, etc. Ilike how everything thinks life should just go on through all of this cancer stuff.
I read each of your posts and find so much inspiration from each and everyone of you. I am lucky to have gotten to know each of you despite bad circumstances. I admire the strength that you each have and I hope I have given some strength back in return.
I wish each of you well - stay strong and let's get through this together.
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Everyone here has given me strength, and peace, and comfort to just know that I can say anything and not worry or feel bad, (remember I'm the one who started the whole sex, or lack there of, talk) ..... yes, I finished my last treatment, today, but I have a ways to go to finish this fight... but I also would not have been as brave if it wasn't for all of you... so thank you all.... I don't know you physically, but I love you all personally... thank you my dear friends!!!
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runner, I am so sorry that you have had a rough couple weeks but so happy that you had your final treatment today!!! I hope your SE's will easy this time around.
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Not sure if any of you have seen this yet, but I thought but it was really inspiring. For all of us who have had a MX or BMX
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Runnergirl2013 ~ I'm amazed that you can work a 10 hour day and then do the kids, dinner, homework shuffle the day after treatment! You are one STRONG woman!!! Congratulations on being done with your treatments. Wishing you an easy weekend ahead with lots of time and support for whatever SE's may come your way.
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