Starting Chemo July 2013

I am here Hanna and ladies.



I am not doing so well with the SE. I am super nauseaous. i don't feel good at all. I have already taken 3 of the 4 medicines they prescribed me for nausea. Including the gel you rub on your wrists. Nothing seems to be working. And on top of that i feel kind of achy and almost like flu symptoms.



I wish i had better news or sounded more upbeat. Thank you ladies for thinking of me and thank you Wylikkers for your post. I enjoyed reading it. Brought my spirit up.



I hope all you other ladies are doing well.

Yes they actually put me under I told my surgeon I didn't want to see anything hear anything nor fell any thing he said OK and I did nt til it was over



Good luck Texas hug for everyone

Gma 04

Hi Rambo50 -  a friend of mine who had cancer/chemo a number of years ago told me that she used Mighty Mouth when she had mouth sores.  Yes, it's for after the fact, but she said it really helped her.  She thought it had lydacain(sp?) in it.  

I am using Biotene mouthwash starting today to keep my mouth moist.  But a co-worker (going thru chemo now) has been using a baking soda/water/salt rinse 5 --6 times per day.  She is on chemo treatment #7 of 8, and she has had NO mouth sores.  She is getting Taxotere and Cytoxan now, which is what I will be starting tomorrow.

I hope this helps!!!

BTHO BC!!!
Sue 

well that is Day 1 chemo over and done with  YAY - so far this firecracker lives to fight another day..... 

I used EMLA cream (lignocaine cream) to numb the cannula area and i swear i never felt a thing when they put it in. My veins are small and they didnt even bother with the back of thehand and went straight for the elbow ( i had a patch there too  hah).. they also put my arem in warm water first to beef the vein up so all went well there

Took about 2.5hrs to put in the dex, granisetron, ducetaxol and cytoxan.  no SE whatsoever.. needed the loo 3x though cos they pumped so much saline thru too (hey saves drinking water ))))

it is 5 hours ost infusions and all good  have drunk some gingle cordiol  and eaten a huge slice of lasagne a friend had left on our doorstep and all is well with the world... we will see what tomorrow and the weekend brings...

Michelle69 hope your day is as good as mine... the waiting and the unknown are definately the hardest parts

i did paint my nails black,, but my onc took one look and said nothing had been proven on black nails or icing .. they did recommend nail hardeners though.. either way i am sticking to my black nails.. they are growing on me.. pardon the pun )))))

Sue x

good point Hannariggs... i have an A3 spreadsheet started for each cycle of chemo. for monitoring daily nausea,  toiletting, fatigue,apetite/taste,pain,night sweats and moods/feelings and vol of liquid  should be a good record for future cycle comparison. if anyone wants a copy i can try and PM it.

i like your water and crackers on the night stand.. hopefully i wont wake too much to drink it  .... think i need to use the biotene more frequently though

SE headaches?... i did have a mild one fromdex, but ignorable... maybe try paracetamol or NSAID... i darent say more fluids ))

Here is a sheet from the American Cancer Society regarding chemo side effects.



Easy to check off.



When I went to my next chemo appointment I would make this check off list into a one page written summary so it would be less annoying to flip through the pages when going over it with the doctor.



http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/content/@nho/documents/document/acsq-009502.pdf



Pat

Soriya123. Lidocaine cream is a prescription. Ask your oncologist to call it in for you. Put a dollop on your port site 1 hour before it will be accessed, and cover with a piece of plastic. I cut a piece of a plastic bag and taped it on with paper tape.



I'm one day post my first chemo. I had some constipation this morning when I usually have the opposite problem, so ill be taking stool softener with the steroids from here out. Felt a little nausea and noon and took the Zofran.



I have to drive back in for my Nuelasta shot 1 hour round trip. So annoyed because I asked 4 different times over the past month about getting a Rx for home like last time. Asked at the beginning of my treatment and when I asked again at 5 before going home she obviously forgot, and their pharmacy is closed. She called it in to my local pharmacy, but of course no one carries it. It has to come by mail order specialty pharmacy. I don't know what is so hard about this. I explained I don't have anyone to drive me. Hope the SE don't hit me this afternoon.

Hi ladies-

I am new to the group.  Had a bi-lateral mastectomy about 3 weeks ago and will meet with my oncologist for the first time on Monday of next week.  I am a school teacher and hope to be starting chemo ASAP.  I am wondering if any of you can provide me insight as to what to expect with a timeline?  Given that you are healed well enough (which I think I am!) did your oncologist give you the choice of when to start?  I realize I will need to have my port placed, but are there any other things that are going to hold me up from starting?  Do I have to take a chemo class?  I really don't want to as I feel pretty educated just being on these boards.

Thanks, ladies!

I will have my 1st Chemo, on the 17, I didn't have my port place yet. I called two days ago, nurse says still waiting for insurance approval, I didn't kno it will take that long, still waiting for them to call me about that port. It seems like my 1st infusion will be thru my vain...arm? :-(

Thank you Pat n all the ladies here, I don't kno what I would do without all of you lovely ladies! Lots of Hugs from Anaheim Hills of California.

Wow!  For some reason I stopped getting email notifications of posts and missed a lot today!  

SweetheartinTX - praying your SE get better soon and that you get a break from the nausea (b/t/w - what meds did you take?)

Hannariggs - glad all's going well with you!  I'm getting more and more scared as the 17th approaches...  I'm thankful to have all of you ladies to show me the way!

I just got a script for EMLA from my onco's office and, like you said Marsha, they told me to apply it 1 hour before my chemo and cover it with saran wrap.

Hi Lark - welcome to our little bunch!  What chemo regimen are you doing?  

Nocompromises - I'd love to have a copy of the checksheet you mentioned!  Can you try to PM it to me?

DXat32 - I'm starting my chemo 4 weeks post mx. My onco said that's the earliest. We had our chemo ed session yesterday in preparation for next week, and my port was placed 2 days ago (still hurts by the way - I'm about to take a pain pill and attempt to take the outside bandages off - wish me luck!)

I'm going to need a checksheet to keep up with all of us and our treatments 

Anyone taking Glutamine for neuropathy? Do you take it throughout the cycles or full dose during the infusion week and then to maintenance dose afterwards? I had some numbing/tinkling in the fingers and lips, and hope to get this under control with the supplement. 

I guess I will be joining this amazing group of "firecrackers"! I had my port placed on July 8th, and my first treatment on July 9th. I then went yesterday for my Neulasta shot. I am getting four rounds of dense dose AC, every two weeks, and then four rounds of T, also every two weeks. Other than being tired, nothing horrible yet. I think the anticipation was the worst part. I was almost relieved to get started, just to get it over with, if that makes any sense. I know I'm going to lose my hair, and I'm sure that's going to freak me out at first, but I just keep envisioning kicking the cancer to the curb...I want it OUT!!! I am inspired by all the amazingly resilient women I have come in contact with...bless you all!

MotherT and Rambo50 - I'm on the same regimen as both of you (4 AC every two weeks then 4 Taxol every 2 weeks) and we're all starting within 8 days of each other! First treatment was yesterday and I'm still feeling fine. Just a little tired yesterday but ate well, drank lots and rinsed my mouth with baking soda and water every time I went to the bathroom. Taking claritin for the neulasta shot and had an ativan to help me sleep. The steroid had me a little wired, but the ativan helped. So far I feel good this morning. I'm not working, just driving my kids and trying to get my daughter off to overnight camp. Rambo50 I'll let know how I feel by the end of the day. I get my shot at 1:00. My nurse if I have bone pain it doesn't usually start until 24 hours after the shot and can last up to 5 days. Yuck! But it sounds like you might be able to work the day after chemo. See what the others say and have a back up plan if you're

too tired or nauseous.



Dxat32 - I'm sorry you have the added stress of your schedule. This is never convenient is it? I didnt have the same surgery, but my doctor was very helpful in working with me on the start date. They helped me get an echo scheduled quickly, (which I don't know if you need). Just tell the doc everything you're worried about and ask how they can help you move quickly. I wouldn't skip the training session. For me it was just 45 minutes with the nurse, but it was helpful. And you can ask to do it early while you're waiting for your start date. Try to take a deep breath and keep your head up until you can work out the schedule on Monday. Waiting stinks. Good luck

Hi Mother T- I agree the waiting was the worst. Hard to know what your fighting before hand.  Makes you crazy wondering the "what ifs".  I think its good to be educated about what could happened.  But I obsessed about it so much I was making myself sick before I even started.  At this point I am doing well day 2 getting my neulasta shot today.Took my claritin this morning.  Only problem is I have not had a bowel movement.  I have started senecot and myralax .  Any other suggestions?  Love and prayers to all.