For those starting TAC in March/April 2006....
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Brigette,
I have never tried Ambien, but I use Ativan when I can't sleep. I usually take a half a pill and if that doesn't work, I take the other half. It also helps with the nerves when you are feeling anxious about stuff. My doc says it is also for nausea. So it helps with the three things I need most. After I get my neulasta shot, I also take Hydrocodone to help with bone pain and that completely knocks you right out...So I use that for a few days right after treatment is over. By the last week right before the next treatment, I usually am not taking anything.
I was told I would get hot flashes too (i'm 39) but haven't had one yet.
But I did tape off my head too!
You guys all have a good day. Molly -
Paula, Hope you are handling #5 ok. Take it easy this weekend.
MarciaA. -
crazy2kayak - Thank you for the kind words...now you've lifted ME up! I've been very very lucky with the side effects, and I do have a pretty sunny disposition (and probably a good denial mechanism!) AND some great support in my 'real' life as well as here. Congrats on the great fund raising and enjoy the race - it's great that you are running. Leigh
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LuckeysMom-- Ativan and Tylenol PM work great for me. When I was really nauseated, The Ativan helped with both the nausea and I just slept through the misery. Tylenol PM is basically Tylenol with benadryl. It works for me to just help me sleep in general. The Ativan saved my life, though. I've never tried Ambien.
Good Luck. -
Thank you, all , I will ask my doc about Ativan this week. Has anyone started experiencing chemo brain? I had this scarey moment yesterday when I was speaking to a group of people and for a split second I forgot who I was and what the heck I was doing there ... it passed quickly but totally shook me up mentally. Perhaps it's a sign from our bodies that we need to slow down; I have been pushing myself way too much lately with work and know that if I don't start resting soon, the third chemo, coming up June 22, will kick my butt even harder. Uck. Hate this.
Have a great Sunday ... anyone up for Smores?
Hugs, Brigitte -
Brigitte,
I'll be starting round 3 on the same day as you, June 22nd. Don't think I have chemo brain yet, but the 2nd round definitey did me in quicker than the first. I always have a fever now. Sometimes I get chest pains when I walk too quickly, and I feel like I have a lump in my chest and food has a hard time going down. I also wonder about round 3... -
Isnt this delightful? I haven't had a fever yet, but I have the runs pretty frequently and am popping those immodium AD pills every few hours. The lump in your chest may be from stress that is affecting your ability to swallow food ... try some deep breathing to help calm yourself. I would love to touch base with you the 22nd to compare notes on how we feel; I'm trying to take a positive point of view that we will be half way through after that third one, but today all I can do is feel sorry for myself as all my neighbors head off to the beach for their summer vacations. I get very morose when tired .. am hoping this day of resting will help me bounce back to my usual self tomorrow!
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I get that lump in my throat too. Scared the poop out of me the first time. Well that and the chest pain that went with it.
Luckysmom - I got the runs toooooo LOL That was my weekend, I think I finished a whole book while I was on the pot! Otherwise number 5 has been so far so good. Just tired a lot.
Marcia - thanks for asking about me! I'm just catching up on sleep this weekend, when I'm not on the pot lol
Chemo brain... ok I lost my cell phone on Friday morning, tried calling it from the home phone, couldn't hear it anywhere. Started to get upset, decided that wasn't worth it, I probably left it in the car my hubby took to work. Couple hours later my daughter and I were making ourselves lunch. Cell phone was in the lunch meat drawer in the fridge... sigh
Paula -
I have an esophogeal stricture and acid reflux, so even calm, I get the chest pains, lump in the throat and such because the chemo makes it worse. I don't get any diarrhea, and I've always had chemo brain, even without the chemo!
All I can do is lay around today as well and doze to the History Channel. I think I over did it yesterday, but I didn't even do all that much. Aren't we all looking forward to having more gusto! -
Paula, thank you for my laugh for the day .. cell phone in the meat drawer .. too funny!
Thankfully my good night's sleep did help my perspective a bit, although someone asked me today why I am not wearing a wig and I wanted to rip their head off ...
Have a great day everyone!
Hugs, Brigitte -
Hi everyone...I have had just one TAC treatment and it was really rough. I ended up in the hospital with a fever...The Dr. is going to decrease it a bit and then goive me what I missed at the end. I sure hope I do better with round two. I have felt great for the last ten days and it is sooo hard to get ready to feel lousy again. The road looks very long right now. My hair is falling out alot and by the end of the week I am sure I will have to shave it. I bought a very expensive wig but I still feel like a clown in it. Today is just not a good day!!! Did anyone have a better experience with number two than with number one. I feel scared.
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I am glad that I am not the only one that gets the lump in the throat. It has been 6 days since treatment #4. I have been taking all of my nausea meds, but still nauseated! I cannot eat and I can hardly drink anything! ANY SUGGESTIONS!! Still keeping positive though. 2 more to go and I am done!
Mindy -
Terry Jill. I get the lump in my htroat for a few days after treatment as well. It does go away a bit, but i am finding that each treatment is a bit different. Like this time the metal mouth didn't last as long - but my taste is way off - so less is appealing.
Mindy, I'm so sorry to hear that the damn nausea won't go away. Can you doc give you any other anti-nausea meds?
As for chemo brain - my doc recommends that you keep the good old brain as active as possible - including puzzles or even taking up a new hobby (anybody have the time or interest for that?). -
Terry, I am so sorry to hear it has been so difficult for you. Some do say the first treatment is the hardest. Mine first treatment i think I had the worst side effects because I had mouth sores so bad and also the hair loss is quite traumatic. I still look at myself in the mirror and find it hard to believe that it is me. I bought an expensive wig for about 1600.00 and I have only worn it twice in public. I feel like I am being stared at more with the wig than with a scarf. I am finding that with everyone of my treatments, I am presented with something new although the nausea has stayed about the same but the fatigue is getting worse.
Mindy, that is such a horrible feeling..so sorry. Can you even eat popsicles (the real fruit juice ones)? For some reason, I crave oranges too when I am nauseated.
Marcia, a while ago you mentioned you had a black spot on your toe? What ever happened with that? I was wondering if anyone else is having problems with their nails. I have one toe nail that is turning black and it is freaking me out.
As for the chemo brain.....we moved into a new house when i started treatment and a couple weeks after our dishwasher was instailled, i washed tons of dishes by hand....(took me a really long time too),... left the dishwasher empty because I had forgotten we had one. My 16 year old son thought I was crazy....
Anyone else getting pre-treatment nausea because they are nervous? I did last time and I am finding that with number 4 coming up friday, i am feeling more anxious than i have with the others.
Some days I think I can handle everything just fine and some days, I just think this is all too much. Then i watch the news on tv and think....I am so lucky. There are so many people that have much worse things to deal with in life.
Hope you all are resting well...It's 4am and I am having trouble sleeping tonight.
Molly -
MollyK - I have a really small darkened area on my Rt. big toe. So far that is the only nail that has any changes. I keep my foot rest up and recline in the recliner as I get my chemo so hopefully keeping my feet elevated keeps the chemo from going to my nails as much. The doctor says the nail may or may not fall off and then grow back. As for chemo brain. I have really noticed it this last time after #5. Short term memory is really bad for me. My #4 was so far my easiest.
Karen from Raleigh(kburns)What did you and your doc decide to do about your dosage? You haven't been on the boards in a week are you ok?
Karen from Denver (Karen1956) Are you ready for this thursday? You will be on #5 right? Good luck and be sure to let us know how you are doing.
I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THOSE LADIES THAT USED TO POST ON THIS THREAD BUT HAVE NOT POSTED IN AWHILE. I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM THEM IF THEY ARE STILL READING THE BOARDS...
Sylvie (svans)You haven't posted on this thread in a month. Are you still with us? If so give us an update.
Dawn-(Ogirl)- you haven't posted since March, are you ok?
JulieMcK- It has been a month since we have heard from you. How are you doing?
Irene4105- Last heard from you in April. How are you doing?
Shineonme- Only two posts. You still reading the boards?
As for me... Tomorrow is the day we all wait for #6. I start the evil decadron pills today. I am concerned about tomorrow because of the reaction I had while receiving the IV taxotere last time. But just when I was at my lowest and feeling most apprehensive sunday night I went out on my deck and saw a rainbow so I guess it was a sign that I will be ok. I expect to have a rotten week but I look forward to reading your updates and knowing you all are hanging in there too since we started this stuff together.
Take care and hugs
MarciaA -
MarciaA, Is the last treatment the only time you had a reaction to the taxotere?? I thought because I didn't have any problems/reactions the first time that it would be the same for every treatment.
How exciting to have number 6 tomorrow!!! I am so jealous. Good luck. I'm sure everything will be fine.
Molly -
Molly, All my treatments were different. I started having numbness in my hands and feet a little after #2 then #3 was more severe. Reduced the taxotere 15% for #4 and by 25% for #5. I had the flushing and abdominal/chest pressure last time during the administration of taxotere. I am continuing the 25% reduction for #6. My doc says that it is still ok as long as I can tolerate it because they don't reduce past 25%. Taxotere is cumulative. I can walk in the store for about 15 minutes and my feet start tingling. They say it can last for months after chemo. The neurontin helps. Maybe you will be a lucky one and won't have any side effects. And don't be jealous, we are all in this together and we all need each other for support. I know I have gotten a lot of it here from the people who really understand. I will continue to be on this thread until all of us get through it!
hugs!
Marcia -
Forgot to mention the nails when I posted earlier. When I finished TAC, I had 6 horizontal lines across every fingernail. They didn't come off, just broke when that line grew to the end of the nail. It was sort of like perforations. There was some neuropathy in most fingers. I lost the two little toenails completely and the big ones just loosened and turned black but didn't come off. Had to buy a pair of shoes half size larger because they were painful. There was a lot of neuropathy in my toes. 26 months later, the fingers and their nails are perfect. The toenails are finally (took three times as long) O.K. but there is still a tiny bit of tingling in the toes on the left foot. What can I say, it will eventually pass.
JulieS -
Thanks JulieS. It is comforting to know things may return to normal one day. And congratulations on your finishing TAC.Thanks for sharing your experiences.
MarciaA. -
Marcia,
i'm so glad for you that #6 is tomorrow. You are the standard bearer for all of us - at the finish line and we are all following behind.
I talked with my doc yesterday - longggg... talk, about what are cumulative effects for TAC and what are individual treatment effects. She told me that fatigue, gets worse, and mouth sores tend to be more of a problem in the last couple of rounds. Most of the other effects tend to show up earlier - and some vary from treatment to treatment. Most of that makes sense in terms of what all of us have been going through. Guess the nail thing can happen at any time.
What I din't ask was about hair - I still have arm hair. Does that mean I keep it? or will it go over the next few weeks? Anybody with experience with this?
jeannette -
I still have arm hair, but it's really thin. Of course, I was hairy arms before. There seems to be more on my right arm then my left. I'm mutant! hehehe
Marcia- good luck tommorow! Can't believe you are almost done. I still have 2 weeks until my number 6. This has been a pretty easy one for me, except the diarrhea struck me. lol
On the good side, I have an appt. with the radiation onc already, and they said I can swim!! So my summer isnt' going to be ruined.
Anyway, I totally forgot what else I was going to say.. duh... story of my days lately lol
Paula -
Mindy - I too have horrible nauseau following chemo - actually starting once the taxotere is started. BDR suppositories has helped the most. I also have compazine suppositories, kytril and marinol, but the BDR works the best. BDR is compounded at the Walgreens for me - it is Benadryl, Decadrone and Raglan (sp). I also go back in for IV hydration for 3-4 days post chemo. Everything taste so bad, it is hard to drink even water. Chemo #5 is thursday and I am expecting the worse. I can't even get to only two left, because I have to get through #5. Hope you are feeling better soon. Karen in Denver
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Karen,
I am so sorry that you are having such an ugh time with all of this. I hope that after
Thursday you can see the light at the end of the chemo tunnel.
BTW, altho I usually like drinking water, with the tatste distortions of TAC I find it hard to drink it. am trying some other stuff - altho getting tired of tea already. Sometimes I just chug it down because I need to - and tell meself this willsoon be a thing of the past. Hope it is for you as well.
Jeannette -
Finally got to drink something today that actually didn't taste too bad. (Of all things, chocolate milk) Still feeling nauseated. I am going to the onc tomorrow because of my nausea. They want to see me to make sure that I am not getting dehydrated. Hope all is doing ok. Will check back in tomorrow.
TAKE CARE!
Mindy -
Hi Brigitte, I'm also Bridget, Anyway, I have resolved myself to the fact that I HAVE to take care of myself!! I make sure I get my sleep even if I have to take Tylenol PM to get it. I exercise most days (as long as I can tolerate through treatment week,) and me comes first. I have found that when I did lose sleep, I'm just not as resilient, even after the first treatment. I'm in grad school, 2 classes, clinical training 3 days a week, and I just have decided to prioritize. Take care of yourself!! Other things may just have to go to the wayside, and that's ok!!
Hope that helps! -
Thank you Bridget! Maybe it's part of being a woman, but it's so easy for me to put myself down the list .. and that is just plain stupid right now! Because I'm a morning person, I'm going into the office earlier and coming home by 2, because I need that afternoon rest, and then I jump back on work email in the afternoon ...
Mindy, I hope the doc fixes you up good! One thing you may want to think about dehydration is popsicles ...I keep the pedialite ice pops in my freezer for when any of us gets a tummy upset, to prevent dehydration.
Arm hair; wow, I never really thought of that .. I never had much to begin with and still have some (it's very light) but I have not had to shave for about a month .. my leg and underarm hair stopped growing the same time I lost my hair (a week before my second chemo treatment) ..
Hang in there everyone. I swear I love coming to this site just to be reminded that I am not alone!!!
Hugs, Brigitte -
Hi Ladies,
Tomorrow is chemo #5. Once I feel better after this chemo, I will be able to say the end is in sight. I saw my gyn today to talk about an ooph and to have a follow up vaginal ultrasound. My uterus is thinning and my ovaries are shriveling up - I haven't had a period since March - the first vaginal ultrasound was just before my last period and all this is new. He has rec that I do a complete hysterectomy as it is the same surgery as an ooph - so I will do that - actually I was going to ask him about taking the uterus. He said that I need to wait atleast one month post rads to do the surgery, but to talk to my onc and radiation onc to see what they say about timing. He also said to do this before the stage 2 reconstruction. I see the rad onc on the 22nd for the 1st time. I am hoping to have all the surgeries done by the end of 2006 so I can start 2007 fresh, but not sure if this is possible.
Minday, I hope are starting to feel better.
Marcia - how are you doing?
Paula - are you still feeling good?
The rest of you ladies, I hope everyone is well.
I will post an update sometime next week. Need to recover from #5. Karen in Denver -
Hey Karen I'm feeling beter each day since this last one actually. I never thought about asking my ob/gyn to check my ovaries or anything like that.. hmm.. I had my period due the day before my first chemo (wonderful eh??) And then I never got one after that at all. not even any bleeding or spotting. I'll have to ask my onc next Tuesday what I should do about checking the ol' ovaries out lol I'm 38, just curious how old you are? I sure want to reduce my chances of this happening again as much as possible.
Marcia Marcia! How did it go today? Wow, you are done girl! I'm so jealous. hehehe I still have about 13 days until my last one! Hope you are feeling ok, and if not I hope you a shouting out in your head I'M DONE I'M DONE!!!
Paula -
Paula - I'm 50. the reason for the initial vaginal ultrasound is that my left ovary lit up on the CT/PET scan. Turns out it was a cyst - don't know how long it was there - but evidentally it wasn't causing any problems. By the gyn's comments yesterday it is gone. My onc has said from the get go to have my ovaries out so I can go on AI instead of Tamoxifen. I am stage 3 with 8 positive lymp nodes. ILC and IDC, ER+, PR+, HER2- . Glad you are feeling good. Trying to get a few things done this morning before I head to the clinic for #5. Karen
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Hi all!
Marcia, congrats on finishing!!!! We will all be anxious to know how long it takes for you to feel "normal" after chemo is over. And when the hair starts coming back.
I have #5 next week. #4 has been so much better since my onc lowered the dosage. Am hoping #5 will be better as well. I still find myself with no stamina. I will feel pretty good, try to do something, and then I get exhausted.
Having lots of hot flashes that are driving me crazy. Wish there was a natual way to deal with them better. My onc also suggested ooph at our last appt. I had hysterectomy in my 30s, by they left the ovaries. Might as well get them out of there to reduce the chance of ovarian cancer. So....not sure when that will happen.
I do have a date for my exchange surgery...Aug 30! These expanders are huge and feel like bricks! I am looking forward to something more natural looking.
Has anyone talked to their onc yet about follow up? I am curious if they will just take blood and look for markers or if we should be getting PET scans...
Hope everyone has a good week.
Karen
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