January 2013 chemo group

I 'third' the advice about the probiotics...I even doubled up the day before and few days after each treatment, taking one in the am and one with dinner.  For my last 2 rounds, I added something called a 'prebiotic' (who knew?) that makes sure the probiotic has enough to feed on...seemed to work for me, I never had any nausea or bowel issues.  Hope this helps!

Sure, I use Shaklee...I've used their products for years.  I started taking the probiotic when I began to travel internationally, esp to places like China and Manila where you just don't know for sure what you may be eating, how it was prepared, etc. as well as just being exposed to bacteria you've never encountered before.  While I'm very careful about eating and drinking when in a foreign place, I do like food and trying the local cuisine, so I believe the fact I've never gotten any GI issues traveling I owe to my probiotic...

Skigirl72 - my side effects from taxol have been minimal.  I have had a break, though.  I received my first treatment, and then had a couple of weeks off because of elevated liver function.  I think the break probably helped. 

Since I had heard that the taxol SE's are so much easier than SE's from AC, I was expecting absolutely nothing, which isn't realistic.  But other than a few aches and pains, and feeling slightly "off", it hasn't been much.  I do ice my fingers and toes to try to ward off nail issues.  So far, so good. 

I bought new 630 count cotton pillowcases today.  Maybe that will make my little hairs happy.  )

Bryona, I do order the Shaklee online shaklee.com. I'm sure there are other comparable (and to be honest less expensive) choices out there, I've just used their products for so long and like their philosophy that I stick to them.  I bet someone at Whole Foods could help with a recommendation.  I just know those little healthy bacteria would love to live in your gut and help you out!  

hope49, thanks for the brand name of your prebiotic.

bryona, the Disney integrative physician recomends Bifidobiotics - http://www.allergyresearchgroup.com/BifidoBiotics-with-L.-sporogenes-60-Vegetarian-Caps-p-27.html

And I just realized I failed to take the second dose and need to get my butt out of bed and traipse to the kitchen to get it.

Skimommi, wow, that's quick (re: leg veins!).  It seems like you just bought that last week!  From the TMI category, I feel like my cheeky friend is interfering with my thong underpants.  

I'm kind of nervous about starting that pill, though, because of the cayenne pepper (or capscium).  Several years ago I tried taking cayenne pepper in pill form and it darn near killed me (had to pull into McDonald's - had hot flashes, stomach pain, etc.).  I'm thinking I might add it post-chemotherapy (the Leg Veins) because, like you, it's so hard to get pills down during the Dark Days of Chemo but I sure would like to get this Jack in the Box back in its box!

Skimommi, I am getting really jack of all the pills to keep on top of everything too but somehow I manage to get most in most days. In the 3 days after chemo, I let the non prescription meds go to the wind........ Swallowing was hard for me on FEC and I have to psyche myself up to get them in. You poor thing - you're having a rough trot. My Mum is a nurse and the best thing she told me was not to throw your head back to get em down. Apparently this locks the throat even more. Leaning forward is better. I find myself doing the 70% rule with my supplements. If I am good 70% of the time, then I figure I'm doing pretty well. Although this being said, my diet has gone to crap. I am eating whatever tastes good and have put on 3kg during chemo. Sugar is supposedly a cancer no no, and I am hoovering it up like a fiend.



Probiotics do help with the gut flora. I swear by them. They're not helping with my bowel cramps, crazy bowel movements or the fact that I have trumpet bum, but I have not had a worry re thrush (touch wood) and ordinarily I just need to look at a bottle of antibiotics to get it. I had it in my milk ducts when feeding my first - a nightmare! I take one capsule with 25billion live organisms in it which is pretty potent. I get it from my naturopath. No point in me sharing the brand as it won't have relevance to you guys Cancernoway, a probiotic might help you too. The important thing is to get one that needs to be refrigerated - the others are not as effective. I have mentioned it on here before I think, but if you google keffir, it's one of the richest yoghurt probiotic sources. I make up my own with live cultures (I buy it from the fridge in a health-food store).



I've been posting on FB so some of you know the status of my Taxotere journey. One down and a week out. It's been a walk in the park nausea wise but seems to have brought on its own set of quirky SE's. My joints and knees are so sore (still) and I have developed some random throbbing in my left ear which comes and goes - bonus! And don't get me started on what it is doing to my bowels........



Re pillows..... I have a theory about the no hair thing. My ears seems to bend when I sleep which frankly is $hitting me to tears. I think hair must stop them catching on the pillow as I have never noticed this before. So my stray tufts don't worry me, just the fact that I wake up with my ears all contorted! And BTW, I am not exactly Prince Charles or Dumbo, they are pretty flat to my head so who knows why they are doing this!



Zorina, I laughed my head off about chemo-addict. No red wine for me please, I'll have a chemo round instead - NOT!!



Happy days ladies. Hugs to you all.



Jubby

I think I'm going to talk to my pharmacist about the probiotic.  My biggest fear/issue is I don't have a colon so I'm not sure what they will do to me and my digestive tract.  Since everything I've read talks about building the bacteria in the large intestines, I'm concerned if they will work for me. 

YAY, Zorrina - that is great news!

Skimommi, I'm glad to hear the Leg Veins worked for you - I noticed it was very quick, too.   LeeA, if you're worried about the pepper in it, you may want to try something that just has the horse chestnut - I think that's the key ingredient that helps the hemmorhoids.

MandyNJ - haven't heard from you in awhile...how are you doing???

Thanks, Bryona - as always, nice to be here! 

Skimommi - I have not tried a buff, but will look into it.  I know that someone (probably you) have posted the website in the past, but can you remind me?

FWIW - my cousin, who is 3 years out from breast cancer and doing very well, told me to drink tonic water during taxol, because the quinine helps with aches and pains.  Honestly, I haven't started it yet, but will. 

Happy Wednesday to all!

So I talked to the pharmacist and to my infusion nurse about probiotics and they both told me not to take them.  Since I don't have a colon, they wouldn't do me any good and would probably cause diarrhea and make things worse instead of better.  They told me to take a daily vitamin for women (I already do) and my MO prescribed Magic Mouthwash that is Nystatin/Doxycycline/Oxycodone mix.  Tastes like ass covered ass.  I think the thrush is leaving though, but they were worried since my tongue started bleeding in spots.  It's not got the white gross spots anymore so that is a good thing.  I was told to eat yogurt (again, something I do anyhow) so hoping for good things.  Now if I can get a good nights sleep and not cough my head off all night, things would be back on track.

Lee - as always, thanks for the laughs.  You are hilarious!!!!

Zorina and Skimommi - I'm so happy for you being so close to the end.  You guys rock!!!!

Wheels - Awesome blood counts!!!!  Here's hoping to no Neulasta!!!

Skimommi - Bless your little girls heart.  I think it is awesome that she is trying to help you out and knows what you "need".  It does suck for us all that the things that were once normal now turn our stomachs to think of, even plain water.  I get those little MIO's and use them in water to make it drinkable.  Have you tried those?  If not, they are pretty good actually and if you and your little one make it together, maybe she will see that you are drinking water and won't be so upset.  She sounds like an amazing little cutie!  Squeezes to you both!  As for your friend, I agree she should have just let it grow and not said anything to you about it.  You have given her "permission" many times so to ask was insensitive especially at this point.  I'm wondering though if she is trying to be so mindful of your feelings she missed all the original signs.  She seems to really be on your team 100%.  I'm wondering if by trying to do all the right things, she "over" tried and missed stepped.  She doesn't seem like the type of person that would intentionally hurt you....ever.  I can tell you from this last weeks experience, I have been so emotional and have taken every single thing that anyone has said to me so literally that I feel like I have lost my sense of humor and my sense of reality.  I told myself yesterday that I wasn't doing it anymore and I was going to have a good day and you know what, I did.  I got out of the house and enjoyed some sunshine.  We went to the grocery store.  I did my laundry and some housework and it all felt so good.  But last week if someone would have asked me something like that I probably would have popped them in the mouth.  Or told them "hell no you can't grow it back, WTF about me, you said you would be here for me".  But today, not so much.  I think the most insensitive thing that she could have said to you was BTW when will you start growing hair again.  That is the million dollar question isn't it.  And for us, it isn't going to be like people who just shaved it.  Ours is going to be a process and while we are looking forward to that process we have no idea what to expect or how long all of this will be.  But you know what, it is going to happen and we are all going to go through it together.  We, the Bellas, are all here together, with the same minion hair and the same growing process that we know nothing about yet and the same support for each other....Always!  We are a strong group of women and nothing is going to get in our way. 

skimommi, I read your post about 1:00 am when I couldn't sleep.  and as I was trying to fall asleep I thought about it a bit and my takeaway on it is that this is yet another reason why I've never bought into the shaving one's head for someone else practice.  

By saying this I don't mean to step on anyone else's toes - I know it's done all the time by family members, friends, etc. but as I was thinking about how you were feeling in response to this particular situation it hit me once again that no matter what - this is one journey (ack, I dislike that word in relation to cancer) we ultimately take alone.  

When a celebrity cuts her hair for a friend it usually ends up being about that celebrity.  Sure, it draws attention to the seriousness of cancer but it doesn't change the fact that, as you stated, it's the friend who is the one without choices.  

This is a long road and hey, it does get old.  Some of the women who have finished with AC and moved on to Taxol won't be finished until the summer months and this is a January chemo thread.  As an aside (and IMO), if a person ever wants time to stand still - go through chemotherapy!  I can remember times in my life when I'd say "gee, the month has just flown by!"  I sure haven't been making that proclamation since the start of 2013!

When you hit the finish line, Melissa, it will be your finish line and  when they disconnect that last bag of Insurgent Killer the true joy will be yours.  You're the one who has logged in all those hours of feeling like you've been hit with a bag of @ssholes and no amount of head shaving and knuckle bumping can change that.  

Perhaps I write this from the perspective of having always been a bit of a loner.  I was an only child and my dad, who was a teacher/coach, always had old sayings to share along the way.  I'll never forget confiding in him about my boyfriend acting like a jerk and his advice was simple and to the point.  He said "just remember the old adage:  'All going my way, join my class - all going the other way - kiss my ass!'"  

Daddy dearest's expression came to mind as I was replying so I thought I'd share and no, I do NOT think you should tell your friend to kiss your ass!  LOL!  My dad relayed it to me as an attitude that we must sometimes take on in order to maintain our true focus.  

Sometimes people bail - partially or all the way.  And it's great to have folks along for the ride but when they start making it about them it's time to remember who's in the driving seat.

This: "when will I be able to grow it back she asks" sounds like code for "this just isn't fitting into my schedule like I thought it would, Melissa."  And that's okay.  Hopefully she's learning lessons along the way in terms of not biting off more than she can chew or "don't write a check bigger than your ass can cover!" :-)

I'm glad you shared your feelings about it because it made me use my (nude) noggin (thanks Jubby) a bit today (that's code for "uh oh, I might be procrastinating on getting to my to do list!).

Hey Shannon!

<<[hopefully- knock on wood]>>

^I sure do knock on a lot of wood these days.  

Congratulations on being at 63% finished!