TRIPLE POSITIVE GROUP

Elkatho & Karen I'm thinking about you both. Please keep us posted as soon as you feel up to it.

Moonflwr sad about your DFIL, 90 years! wow what a full life!

Hi ladies! Got my port in today! It hurts more than I was expecting, lot of shoulder and neck pain! Start date is next Thursday morning! Any words of wisdom will be muchly appreciated!

Angie

barber - not everyone used Emla, but I did and swear by it.  It is a lidocaine cream (by prescription - get it before your first chemo) that you apply an hour prior to your appointment and then cover with a piece of plastic wrap.  I always asked for the freeze spray as well.  I have a very tiny port and it was difficult for some of the onc nurses to access - using the Emla and the freeze spray made port access painless.  When they flush the port sucking on a mint helps with the weird taste you can get in your mouth.  Also, you can hold your breath for the flush if you don't have a mint.  I found that soft, easy to digest and/or bland food, was best.  Try to keep your protein up - fortified cereal like Cream of Wheat is good, and red meat and leafy greens when you feel up to them to try to keep your blood counts is a good place.  Are you getting Neulasta?

Had my first Herceptin only today. It was so nice to walk in with only my purse and not have to drag in the big bag and the cooler with ice and frozen peas! And I was only there for 2 hours instead of 8.

barberchic I forgot to use the Emla cream half the time and to be honest it didn't work all that well for me. Depending on who does it you won't feel a thing otherwise it's over before you realize. Bring something to do. It's a long boring day. You expect something to happen and for most of us nothing does. I read, played video games etc. If you have an ipad/laptop and your treatment center has access you can even post while you're there.

Bren58, what a pleasant change that must have been!  

You've been my beacon through this - i.e. "Bren58 just made it through five and now six, etc."  

I remember that day when you thought you were going to start chemo and didn't (we were sitting in PF Chang's when I read your post) and now you're at the Herceptin solo phase!  It's been a long, long winter but now it's Spring!  

cypher, I did not do cold caps but did ice my fingers and toes and have had no nail issues. I did not have long (or great) hair to begin with and did not think I would be able to tolerate the cold caps.

Lee, I can't believe you remember that! Hang in there you are not that far behind me!

Cypher I agree. Going for Herceptin was a breeze but still a PITA to show up every 3 weeks for a 30 minute infusion.

Granted I met this gal and her husband just as I was doing herceptin only. Because we had the same onc we had the same schedule so I would sit with her. She lived farther from treatment so she did the Herceptin only alone. I showed up after all her surgeries too. She did chemo/herecptin first. She is hormone negative, HER2+… sadly she recurred 2 months ago. I was sitting with her again as she did chemo. She had me laughing about a pinterest story and making grilled cheese in a toaster by turning the toaster on it's side… she set her toaster on fire. She's a real riot.

barber -  I don't know if you spoke with your onc regarding taking 24 hour Claritin (not Claritin D) an hour prior to the Neulasta injection, and for several days afterward.  It helps to relieve the bone/joint pain associated with this medication.  The antihistamine helps control the edema caused by the expansion of the bone marrow to produce white cells.  Here are a couple of links to studies.  I took it prior to Neulasta, except for the 3rd one - I felt the difference.  I took it about an hour after the injection but had more pain than usual, so it is important to take it before.  They are now also studying Claritin and NSAIDS for pain - that is the second link - I think a number of people on this thread tried Aleve.

http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01311336

http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/search/view?cdrid=742027&version=HealthProfessional

Lago, mine takes a lot longer b/c of the trial.  It's also just depressing.  Ugh I'm sorry about your friend.  I hope she's doing ok.

Barber, I don't know if your onc definitely said you're having neulesta -- I didn't have it.  They checked my blood counts mid cycle and then the day before.  I guess if they go down, but don't go down TOO far, you may not need the neulesta.  Very common to give it but I was glad to have been able to skip that one.  Otherwise, lots of water!  Lots of protein!  Ice fingers and toes.  And presumably you know about hte cold caps if you wanted to keep your hair.

Thanks cyper I remember getting Nulasta but I thought it had to do with blood count, I didn't think it was ordered before, At the beginnin I didn't get it but after a while I got it alot(well weekly) but it was always depending on my counts. So it sounds like I was thinking right this time. Wow

Feeling good....I was home at 1pm yesterday and slept all day ..between snacking. Taking a few days off work...to heal both physically and mentally. Over all everything went well. I was light headed during the wire placements for the lx but my breast coordinator was by my side cooling me off. Thinking of all the women that went through this before me helped. Honestly the procedures themselves were not bad. I think everything caught up with me...stress, work, not eating due to surgery, getting up at 4am. I only say this to recommend having some stress free time before your procedure...May be easier to say than do. The shots around the nipple stung but I counted back from ten for each time and the stinging got shorter each time. BS removed one node and I should get the results by Tuesday.



Karen I will be thinking of you...keep us posted.



Navymominohio...glad to hear you are with your son! My hubby is catering me:)



Special K thanks for the links

Lee I don't remember the norms from that but 23.5 sounds high, I don't remember anyone that had numbers like that. Cuz we would all play liars blood report with our paperwork and no one was ever past 5.0 I kind of remember being in the 1's most of the time so I guess that's why I go Nulasta alot, and the lowest number won, how silly---yes I made up the game for that, but everyone played so it gave us one thing to do.And we used to have races to the bathroom and we had to unplug at the same time--didn't win on that much. LOL

My DH doesn't know how to iron. This is a man with a BS in mechanical engineering and an MS in industrial design. He sends his shirts out. Grew up in family of 3 boys. His mom never taught him how to iron.

Once in a while he'll ask but I don't have an issue with that. I mean he cooks and does dishes. When I was working full-time he even did laundry (I folded it though) and cooked more than I did. So hopefully that will happen again. Still job hunting. Seriously he does some things better than I do and I do some things better than he. No reason to make him do it if I can do it better and more efficiently and visa versa.