January 2013 chemo group

Dea: Welcome! This is the place to be for support, encouragement, venting, laughs, and tears. All here are strong woman, like you. All the best to you during your treatment and may your SE's be very minimal!

Dea43, welcome and echoing what Sheryl said!  I see you are a triple positive.  Have you checked out the triple positive thread as well?   

Editing to add:  I see you are estrogen negative but you still might want to check out the triple positive thread.  Also, we started chemo on the same day.  Wishing you well!

smethot, there's research that shows weekly Taxol is more effective and has fewer side effects than Taxol every three weeks, and there's research that shows dose-dense Taxol is more effective than every three weeks, but I can't find any research that compares dose-dense to weekly. So, I'm guessing it's MO's choice crapshoot. I don't know if I'd rather have it every two weeks to get it over with or every week to have fewer SEs. Can I choose to not have it at all? (Dammit, I know I can, but I won't. Stupid  voice of reason...)

ywheels, you hang in there, honey. AC#3 ain't got nothin' on you!

Mandy, I love that your husband makes you laugh. Mine cracks me up all the time, and I think it's the most useful thing anyone does for me. Of course, if he'd learn to balance the checkbook and pay the bills, that'd be awesome, too...

cancernoway, I'm definitely not strong. If I were strong, I'd be saying, "8 months of treatment? No problem!" Or maybe that would make me stupid, not strong. I thought I was strong before chemo started, but now I realize I was just hopelessly ignorant.

Dea43, I'm sorry you've been dealt such a rotten hand. Taking it day by day is really the only thing you can do; I hope you're having more good days than bad days. I don't know anything about low hemoglobin levels, but I hope someone else here has some answers. If not, LeeA's suggestion to check out the Triple Positive thread is a good one; the women there are amazingly knowledgeable. You might also check the Stage IV forums or the threads for earlier chemo groups; you'll find more extensive chemo experience there, too.

Nicole, I LOVE your fantastic day! I wish them for everyone!

My happy thing today: I have reached the point in my tx cycle where I start to be able to eat vegetables again. Whoopee! My favorite thing is that, because of my schedule, I get to eat them for two whole weeks!

Skigirl and anyone else who's up tomorrow, kick some ass and take some names! (And phone numbers, too, if the bartender is good looking. )

Dea43 ~

So glad you posted so that we can welcome you properly!!!  Welcome!!!

I have a local friend who was diagnosed with Stage IV 2 years ago and she is doing very very well.  She crocheted me my favorite hat!  Through this friendship, I am learning that the Stage IV journey shares some things with all of us chemo sisters but there are unique considerations as well ~ some different challenges and different blessings. I hope that you are hooking up with some of the Stage IV forums in addition to this one.

Sounds like your kids are doing well with your diagnosis and treatment.  My 14 year old is similar to your 13 year old ~ really in her own world, while my 10 year old sounds a lot like your middle kids.  I hope that you have been able to enjoy your wee one as you go through treatment.  You sound like an amazing mama!

Glad you were able to drop the treatments that made you super sick and are managing with the ones you have. Wishing you a manageable long term balance with your meds.

Looking forward to getting to know you better.

Dea43 are you going to have surgery? If you are what kind. Why did they stage you at stage4? Do you have mets? Not being nosy just wondering. Also welcome to the boards. You'll get a lot of good info here. In my first days this board helped me get a grip on what was happening and they also helped me to realize that bc stage 4 is not an automatic death sentence.

Thanks everyone for you warm welcomes. I should have signed up here earlier. There is a big difference talking with friend and talking with people who can really relate.



Nicole, your spa day sounds pretty nice. Do you go to treatments by yourself?

I could see that time spent there as some nice relax, time to read, sleep, etc.

I have a wonderful support team backing me on this journey. Friends are anxious to take me to treatment! I keep telling them it is a waste of their time.

My husband had the pleasure of finally experiencing my day. We actually had trouble drawing blood from my port, it took a long time to get the blood report back and hear from the doctor to approve my treatment.. He got quite a nice experience. But he told me.. What a waste of a day. I agree aren't there better things we could do with our time? Of course there is. I told him it is not like we choose to be there. But it as important to me he finally got to see it.

Other days I have a couple friends that rotate bringing me along with my sister. It is nice to have company, but there are days I'd rather just not feel like I have to entertain. Not that they really expect that.

They should have some foot massagers come around during treatment, wouldn't that be nice?



LeeA are you on 6 rounds of chemo? Anything beyond that?

Dea43, I'm on six rounds of Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin and then Herceptin for the rest of the year (through December 2013).  I had my first Herceptin solo in December because I developed an infection of some sort in my non-cancer breast (right side) and had to have surgery to replace the expander and remove the offending Alloderm.  That delayed my chemo a bit so my oncologist wanted me to get started on a loading dose of Herceptin on December 12, 2012.  I had no problems with it on its own - just a bit tired afterwards.  For what it's worth (and you may have already read this from me in previous posts) I always ask them to run the Herceptin for an hour versus a half hour.  I intend to continue with this throughout the year.

Re: going to chemo - the first time my husband went with me and a friend, who I met through BCO.org, happened to be there that day for an appointment and sat with us for a bit.  She has been a great buddy throughout this (we know very few people here in California - as an aside, I am originally from Illinois but haven't lived there since summers during my college years, which was ages ago).  

The second time my husband took me and made sure my blood counts were okay and then came back home (he works most days from home).  The third and fourth times I went on my own.  I kind of like that the best but yesterday it felt like it took forever.  At one point, I was leaning forward in my chair and looking out the window and the nurses yelled over at me "hey, Lee, are you okay?  Do you need anything?"  (lol, I must have looked like I had zoned out) and I yelled back "I just need time to go faster!"  

Anyway, I'm so glad you've joined us!  There's also a Facebook group if you're interested.  Being "with" people who are going through the same thing makes all this so much more bearable.  

LeeA I did not see your post Bout the longer Herceptin drip, why do you do that?

I wish we had windows in our infusion room, that would be nice.

When my cycle hits Herceptin only I can usually plan for a decent week. Still always need a little extra rest, but not like the carbo days.

Dea, I know what you mean about entertaining. I had several people who wanted to come to chemo to support me, but I knew I'd feel like I needed to entertain them and make them feel useful. That's not a judgment of them; it's just the reality of how I'd feel. I adore them for being willing to give up their time and energy to come sit with me, but I told them we'd need to find other ways for them to help. Sitting with me during chemo was not going to be any good to anyone.

kingboo, it's great that you've found a system that's working for you. I hope it works just as well for the treatments to come.

Oliverhog, big, big hugs to you, baby girl. I wish you could be living someone else's much healthier, easier life, and I know you're tired ... but I still want you to be you. Which I know is selfish of me, but that's just too bad. I think you're wonderful, and I'm not giving you up! How could we let go of someone who ends her rant with "Pink needs to change her name"? You just hang in there, honey. This too shall pass. (And just so you know, every time I say that to myself, a little voice in my head tells me to shut the f*** up, so if you just heard that little voice, too, it's okay!)

Hi Ladies,

Welcome Dea43. Sorry you found your way here but glad you did.  The ladies on this forum are awesome.  I also found a post on here about diagnosis after/during pregnancy. There were some pretty amazing stories on there and you might find some great ladies to chat to there.

I am in the chemo bunker.  A bit afraid to post cause I'm worried I won't remember what I've posted 5 seconds after I've done it.  This round has been tough.  Had the bowel thing come back yesterday and then got intense period cramps on top of it.  I was a mess.  Who gets their period the day after chemo? Faaaark.  And it's heavy.  I am with you Skigirl, I need chemopause. Had to take a double dose of Buscopan, a dose of Tramedol and Ativan to get through it.  Also not good for one's memory.  Yesterday is a blurr.  It's the bloody steroids. The Dexamethasone (sp), wipes me out every time. My onc told me not to take it any more so I cut short the follow up dose by a day and a half.  

Oliverhog, big hugs to you and your dream dinner sounds amazing. Can I come? LOL. You'll get there to enjoy it - of that I am sure. 

Nicole, glad you had such a great chemo session.  

Will post again when the brain-fog dies down. Counting down til Monday when normality returns.

Ciao for now,

Jubby xox 

Must have been good day for the bar day.  I FINALLY had a fun time yesterday.  It was slower than molasses in January when I got there and I barely got a seat...all oldies and moudies.  It reminds me of hanging out at your great-grandpa's legion hall for a beer.  Everyone is old, sad, depressed and self-absorbed- wallowing in themselves such that communication is at a minimum unless they need to order up a refill.  I sat with my drip and read my book.  cool.

Then the oldies started finishing up and shuffling out (like the walking dead) and three bc sisters came RIOTING in...and I mean a laff riot.  Tracey (at 45- finally SOMEONE close to my age!!!), Meena in her 60's and another woman in her 60's (or maybe older) who's name I didn't catch.  They were all sporting short and sassy hairdo’s so I automatically pegged them as part of MY crew- just like they knew I was one of theirs because of the hat.  Tracey immediately started cutting up and having a great time and the party was on from there.  It was awesome to finally have people to talk to at the bar and to be able to ask questions and have them answered by women who are on the other side and making it work.  We all had the same surgeon, similar chemos and rads- although the ladies were all there for Herceptin (almost finished their year!!!) which I don’t have to take (HER2-).  It ended up being just the 4 of us left, with a whole discussion going on, the nurses getting involved and treatment was really fun for a change.  It was the longest time I’ve been there (they really were slow) but the time passed so quickly.  And I learned a lot first-hand about rads and hair-regrowth…with some pretty good stories. 

My fav was Tracey in rads- the woman is irreverent as hell- she should have been on our January thread.  So after she’d been in rads a while, Tracey showed up one day, did the hellos and stripped down.  She lied down on the table and placed a potato on each of her “breast plates” (as she calls her double mastectomy scars- no recon).  The tech comes walking in, looks at her and says, “why do you have potatoes on your chest???”  Without batting an eye, Tracey comes back with, “While I was here, I figured I’d start dinner”.  I laughed my ass off and one of the chemo nurse was crying.  Like I said, these are the women I wish I could do treatment with all the time!

And AC #3 is under my belt (75% done AC and 38% done in total…only 68 days to go [barring any complications]...but who’s counting???)…and I feel good.  Have Neulasta this aft (yeah) and hoping to avoid the yuckies with my Claritin and amazing good looks- bald head and all.  It’s also supposed to be above freezing and in the pluses for temperature for the next few days (that’s 40- 50 degrees Fahrenheit for my south of the border friends) and it’s gonna feel right freaking balmy!!!  And stop laughing those of you in warm locales…winter is a BIG deal for those of us who live north…in Canada or the US…spring is HUGE!!!  And plus temps are enough to make my whole damned weekend…and melt a LOT of the nasty, old snow…go warmth!!!  I actually have crocuses coming up along the warm side of my house…sure sign of better days ahead.  Way easier to stay positive in the warm weather when I can get out and enjoy being bald!!!

Hugs to all and keep fighting the good fight…you KNOW it’s worth it!!!  Xoxoxo Shannon

Hey Zorina- i am on dose dense Taxol x4- every two weeks.  I just asked the question as to what the difference was between people who get weekly taxol x12 and dose dense (every 2 weeks) x4- sounds like you answered the question- more concentrated and DONE FASTER!!!  yee ha!

Well, #4 AC has to wait till Monday. Wbc was too low to have tx. So, they unplugged me and sent me home. I handled it better than I thought I would. Come on body, keep fighting!!!

 smethot~ Love hearing about your trip to the bar.   Seems like in addition to Cabana Boys, we need some fun BC sisters ~they make all the difference!!

Skigirl72 ~ I love and TOTALLY ADMIRE your resilience at having your treatment delayed until MOnday.  May your WBC rebound wildly over the weekend, and may you enjoy the slightly longer reprieve from SE's.  I hope things are tasting good to you now.  Eat delicious food, rest often, and get in a walk or two.  You will be raring and ready to go on Monday.