Starting Chemo February 2013

Shari - can you ask your doctor for a sleeping pill - getting a good nights sleep really helps.. we can face so much more if we have our sleep

My husband and I are just spending Easter together - this is treatment week and I don't feel like I feel well enough to spend the day with family - or even able to appreciate a nice holiday dinner.

To all of you that celebrate Easter - have a blessed and happy Easter.

IamNancy, thank you for suggestion, I may have to call her and see. I do know she said that if Tylenol extra strength wasn't cutting it, she could prescribe something for me. At this point I'm not sure if I should stay on top with the Tylenol or wait until the pain really bothers me. I know with the anti nausea meds they say to take it whether you actually need it to prevent nausea, wondering if its the same for pain. I just hate taking meds, but sleep is important.

I'm curious about tea tree oil for neuropathy as well, since I'm feeling it in my feet and a bit in finger tips.

Hi ladies



Just checking in. Hope you are all doing well with minimal SE's. wishing anyone celebrating a happy Easter.

Regarding the tea tree oil. My mo suggested it to help with my nails which lifted and hurt at the end of taxol tx and after. It is supposed to help heal that. I wound up losing only one nail so maybe that helped. But it really smells! Lol. Don't put it on then go out anywhere! Everyone will be wondering who smells! Lol

Hope that helps.

Have a great weekend!

Melissa

Melody46, are you sure the pain you are feeling is from neulasta? I only ask because I have had 3 neulasta shots with each FEC treatment and felt no pain, now with my first docetaxol (taxotere) treatment (and neulasta shot day after) I am experiencing what sounds similar to you-bone pain from hips down. My MO warned me that this was a common SE of docetaxol and I'm guessing because I had no problems with neulasta for three times, my pain must be from that.

Just a question, do you just rub tee tree oil into your nails? I always thought it was more of an antiseptic?

Tangles: tea tree is to help keep your nails. Rub it in with a tissue or cotton swab. Rub it on nails and cuticles. It really smells though! Use B6/12 and l-glutamine powder for neuropathy prevention. I started B6(100 mg) and B12(200) and will take one every day through Taxol tx. L-glutamine is 2tsp 3x a day on day of and two days after tx. Mix it with juice. At least this is what I have been told. Hope this helps.

melody - I get short of breath also.. scary but doctor didn't seem concerned - its just another side effect of chemo

Has anyone had a problem with really bad mouth and throat sores. Its so bad right now despite the constant rinsing with baking soda and water. I cant eat a thing other than a bit of ice cream. Im thinking I might go to ER tomorrow if its not better, it hurts a lot even to talk, my gums and my tongue are a mess and my throat is so sore and a bit swollen but not restricting breathing. Ive been lucky so far and not really had this, but every SE has been the worst with my 4th AC

kkmom - my blood pressure has been low too... hope the shortness of breath goes away when this is over..

Rdrunner - oh I hope the mouthwash works - sounds like you have it bad.. I used a salt water rinse for my mouth but it was never as bad as yours.. how is it today?

Rdrunner - don't suffer until Tuesday - try and call the MO - don't they have someone on call over weekends? the doctor won't want to know you aren't eating anything... you need to be able to eat to build your strenght up..

Hello, this is my first post, I started act chemo on February 21. I had the normal side effects with dose 1 and 2 (nausea, constipation, fatigue, etc.). The third dose was a different story, I was so exhausted I couldn't get up, ended up my red blood cells were very low, so I had three iron infusions last week, then my white blood cells tanked (.400), so I am getting daily neupogen shots. I also received neulasta shot the day after each chemo. My question is if anyone has experienced this also, I have been mostly in bed for 7 days now. I am getting frustrated. Thanks for your help.

Rdrunner your MO should have someone on call 24 hrs. Call!! With my MO if I need to go to the ER they have an agreement with the ER that Chemo Patients dont have to sit in the wiating room with all the sick people. Maybe your's has that too.

As for thw short of breath I asked me MO and she said its the Chemo. I am 9 days post treatment and still very short of breath. I hate it!! I got the tea tree oil and OMG I almost puked the smell was so overwhelming.......

Thank you, I don't think the neulasta shot worked this time, I need to ask my oncologist this week if it will work for me in the future. I had hoped my counts would not have dropped so soon, and I worry that they will continue to be a problem with the rest of my chemo treatments.

its been 6 days since my 3rd chemo treatment and I feel terrible - tired and my whole body is aching ... I felt tired the last times but by now I wasn't still achy.. I also run a low temp (100) now and again.. who else felt like this at the 6th day point?

melody - I wish you all the best tomorrow..

This is my first time posting to this lsit. I started chemo on Februaru 8,2013. I have just completed four cycles of Adriamycin and Cytoxan. I will be starting Taxol on April 10th. I am hoping someone has had some of the same side effects I have so you can possibly recommend anything that might have helped you. It seems like in this fourth cycle I have really started to feel some of the toxicity in my hands and feet. My hands especially feel like they have been sturated in water too long. They are really shriveled but also super dry. I have not lost any nails, but my nails feel really sensitive as does my skin. I cannot even open a water bottle without something between my skin and the top. I have tried a number of lotions, but nothing seems to make much difference even vaseline. My fingers are even a bit numb. I went to a neurologist yesterday and he said I do not have peripheral neuropathy. Anyone had to deal with this? Any ideas?

Also I  am having a lot of shortness of breath which seems to make me cough alot. I have mild ashtma so it seems like the chemo may have kicekd it up a bit. My  inhalers don't seem to make much difference though. 

I have had many side effects, but these are not seeming to go away and really bothersome. It is pretty hard for me to think about starting Taxol when I feel so burned out and so weak and tired now.

Thanks for listening and look forward to any ideas or thoughts.