Starting Chemo July 2013
Comments
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Hi all , thank u all for support and words of encouragement .
Lynn , I believe it is real
Hannarings , good luck with final round of red devil
JeriGrace hand in there itll get better
hugs to all -
Hi All,thanks Lynn just had my hubbie email venecia for the camo crap t shirt it's awesome! I'm with u Hannariggs last red devil but i'm sick just thinking about it,those of u that don't get much nausia r soo lucky,Emenz,zopran,steroids,nothing really has helped me. My onco says that Taxol doesn't cause nausia,i'm praying that's the case with me. Hugs to All,special big one to momx2. Angela
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Good luck on tuesdayn@ Ktyle
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lolololololol and I thought I was the only one with chemo farts. blow outs wow hahaha
momx2 I know how you feel. I miss my mom also. She died 5 yrs ago and I always find I want to talk to her especially like times like these.
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Angela-NOT looking forward to last infusion either.......I just keep thinking just one more........but I just got to feeling better. AHHHHHH! At least we will be on the downhill side, although from what I am reading about Taxol, it has its own issues and side effects. Blah! At least they say you can function on the taxol where the red devil just hangs around for days and days. I guess we will see.......but at least we are getting there. Each day brings us all a day closer to the finishline.
momx2-I too have lost my mother, but at the age of 8. I only wish I could have known her. BUT, I KNOW she is with me each and everyday and have seen the "signs". They may leave us in body but never in spirit. Keep the faith and know she loves you and is holding your hand all through this. I know mine is, or I never could have made it this far.
Time for a walk with my old gassy self........love to all.....
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I mentioned all the talk about chemo farts to my friend and she didn't skip a beat when she said,"Yeah, but you had those before chemo."
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I'm so happy for those of you who are almost done with the red devil. Here's hoping the Taxol is kinder to all of you.
My little fever sent me back to the doctor today with a warning that if my counts weren't good I'd probably need another hospital stay. So this time I packed a bag (see, I'm getting a little smarter) and headed off, knowing I would be in hot water with my daughters for not calling them. After the 2 vials of blood, they decided they needed a urine sample, then I needed to talk to the doctor, then I needed a chest X-ray, then I needed to wait some more for them to figure out what to do. At the end of all this I am barely standing upright since this is my first time off the couch in 5 days. But good news - I went home with prescriptions for an antibiotic and Magic Mouthwash and a WBC of 11! I was so happy to unpack that bag.
Small victories . . . One foot in front of the other . . . -
Amen JeriGrace!
It's the small victories that mean the most right now. Chin up, move forward and reach that finish line!
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So happy youll be home and your counts are up
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Good luck for everyone who is having an infusion this week. I know I too have my last red devil this Friday. Really hoping for either the same or less SE. I'm tired of being tired.
On another note... I need a helmet when playing with my kitten Storm. He loves his new feather toy and after work I was laying on the couch and decided to play with him. Well oopsy if he didn't decide to go use my practically bald head as a bouncy board instead of going around. 3 beautiful long streaks on my head. Can you say... Ouch!!! Dh cleaned me up and put some ointment on so I should be fine.
T-minus 15 minutes till I can say happy 38th Birthday to me!!! Just thought to share... Brag... What ever ya wanna call it
Gnight everyone.. here's for sweet dreams for all. -
Good news jerigrace! Happy birthday honey bunny! I just had my 3rd AC last Friday and I could barely function Sunday & Monday! I had gotten by pretty good until then so it kind of caught me off guard. Didn't go to work yesterday, trying to decide about today. Had been taking my lorazepam only at bedtime but needed it yesterday during day for the nauseau. How's everyone else doing? Do we still get the neulasta shot with T? R side effects with T body aches/pains? I was going to go check out our local living with cancer support group meeting last night - drove into town but felt so bad I turned around & went back home!
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Happy birthday honeybunney !
Lana I had tx #3 of AC on thursday, I feel horrible.
To top things off I'm menstruating , uhggg..
Feeling defeated today
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Happy Birthday Bunny! With many, many, many many returns.......2014 will be our year!!!
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Happy birthday Melissa from the land down under .. ......... Xxx
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Happy birthday HoneyBunny and many many more!!!!! Hope last A/C will goes easy on you.
The rest of you ladies having an infusion this week good luck and I hope you have minimal SE.
I noticed many of you ladies here have AC and Taxal. Am I the only one here that have TCH here? -
Happy Birthday, HoneyBunny! JeriGrace, glad you escaped the hospital. Momx2, you can be down, but don't be defeated! That's not allowed. KTLe, its great to have a friend who can make you laugh.
Lana, can relate to the too tired to go to a cancer program. We have a center with so many great programs but getting there...Has anyone else been to a cancer support group? I've never been sure if its for me, and just wondered if anyone had been and what they thought.
I have learned how important sleep is. I had been feeling pretty good over the weekend, even went shopping for a birthday gift on Saturday. Didn't sleep well Sunday night and yesterday I was so weak and miserable. I'm near the end of week 3 so I shouldn't feel like week 1. It was actually disturbing that there might be something wrong, but I hope it was just the poor sleep.
I have a hairless story. I'm walking my dog at the park and just wearing a baseball cap and a little boy about 5 is saying how cute my dog is, what's his name, etc. He looks up at me and pauses mid-sentence for about 4 seconds, then just keeps on talking. I wanted to hug him for noticing and then deciding it wasn't important and just going on with the conversation. The same trip I was washing my hands in the bathroom and a woman walked in and got startled. Gee sorry I'm so scary. Maybe she thought I was a guy!
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Good morning, Firecrackers!
I've just been lurking a bit while going through my bad days of cycle 2. I'm finally on the upswing today after my infusion Thursday but still needed to start the day off with Zofran.
Fasting this time made a huge difference to me for all the digestive issues - I definitely had an easier time. The chemo farts talk made me laugh - my SO is happy to be away this cycle to miss out on those, I think, but also they weren't as bad this time. More bone and joint pain though, probably from the neulasta. Dilaudid helped me sleep through my worst night (two nights ago), but last night, it didn't seem to stop the random shooting pains. As of this morning, the pain has eased up immensely and I'm just on some extra strength Tylenol for a headache.
Happy birthday, Melissa!
momx2 - you continue to be in my thoughts. My mother is here for another week and it has been so wonderful to have her here with me for this cycle. I can't imagine what you are going through and I'm so thankful not have faced this cycle all alone. Sorry you've got your period going on at the same time. I had mine through the worst days of cycle #1, and as miserable as that was, I'm actually worried I'm not going to see mine again and I'll be going into chemopause. That might sound ridiculous, but having my period is something I can see a bright side to, despite the added layer of discomfort and misery, if that makes any sense. I hope you're feeling better.
JeriGrace - I'm glad to hear that your WBC count stayed up enough for you to go home. I'm so sorry you've had such a rough time.
soriya - I'm also just doing TC (without the H), not AC plus T like most of the others here.
I probably could go into work today, but I'm going to take some rest still and spend time with my mother while she's here. I don't feel motivated to push myself to go to work since I can afford to take the time off (technically, since it's summer break, I'm not paid to go in right now anyway). Semester starts on Friday and I'll go in then, but possibly only briefly if my WBC count is low to minimize my contact with people (blood draw tomorrow).
Good luck to all of those having a treatment this week. I'll be happy to see those AC treatments ending soon for all of you facing the red devil.
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Feel like I'm back in the land of the living. Just getting a good night's sleep really helped. I woke up with an appetite, no pain except the nagging headache, and the sun shining in the window. Hoping this means I've turned the corner on cycle 2. Maybe I should just plan for 10 days of feeling crappy and then I won't get my hopes up. The doctor gave me a prescription for Magic Mouthwash and the first two places I went couldn't fill it. They said I had to go to a compounding pharmacy. Did anyone else have this problem?
I am in the dog house with my kids for driving myself to the doctor yesterday and then ending up overly tired. It's hard to explain that sometimes I just want to do something myself without asking for help. This stupid disease has already disrupted their lives so much. I am learning to ask for help when I need it (I haven't been good at that in the past) and they go with me to my appointments and treatments. I guess my stubbornness just comes out every once in awhile.
TwoHobbies, your stories make me laugh out loud. I love the image of the lady getting startled - you just have to laugh at this stuff. I thought about a cancer support group but I really just prefer all of you. One advantage I can see though is that you could get information about what's available in your area. And amen to the need for sleep!
Melissa, I hope you have a great birthday! I love the picture of your family in their hats on your caring bridge page. So glad you were able to go out and enjoy a few hours with them. You have a lot to fight for.
Fight on, all you bald and beautiful warriors! -
Momx2 - Sorry you are grieving the loss of your mother on top of everything else. That's rough.
HoneyBunny - Happy Birthday to you! Hope you have something special planned.
soriya123 - I am also doing TCH.
TwoHobbies - If you think a sleeping pill would help don't hesitate to ask your onc for it, or something for anxiety. I've had sleep issues since my first cancer diagnosis.
I've been having a twitchy eye. I used eye drops but it doesn't seem to help. Hope this is temporary!
I do my 3rd TCH tomorrow.
I was able to spend 4 days at the beach last week and although it was pretty low-key for me, it was great to see something other than my living room. On Saturday I went to a swing dance ... which I really didn't feel like going, but I went anyway and had a great time! It really does seem like this cycle went way too fast. I did a lot better than I did the first round where I had NO good days, and I am thinking about returning to work in September. Monday I was tired and had a headache all day and I wondered if I overdid it.
My son is at Camp Kesum this week (a camp for children whose parents have/had cancer). I have to pick him up the day after chemo and it's an hour from my house, so 2 hour round trip. I hope I can pull that off because I have no backup plan. I've felt bad for him because the first 3 days were cold and rainy, but today is nice. At least they will get a few days of water play. The kids who were returning from last year seemed really excited about it, and the counselors had such high energy! I can't wait to hear about his experience.
Also, I finally figured out how to get my Neulasta at home. I was able to order a 90 day supply (4 injections to finish out chemo) from my mail order pharmacy. I only had to pay $100 copay for all 4 (it would have been $150 per shot at a retail pharmacy). It is so worth $25 not having to drive to the other side of town the day after chemo.
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Mellie, I vote rest and enjoy your mom.
JeriGrace, not all pharmacies compound. There are some in your area that I know do compounding. I sent you a PM. Also, thanks for the recommendation to call my eye doc about the contacts. I did, and they couldn't authorize a full prescription, but ordered me two months of trials to get me through. So glad of that.
Marsha, I hope you can safely and comfortably get to the camp to pick up your son. I know that would be a hard day for me to do it. Could there be another parent coming somewhat close to your area that could drive him part way? I know we brought home another boy one time whose mom was sick. And I was thinking about sleep medicine or anxiety medicine after that sleepless night because I think you (or someone) mentioned it before. My sleep problem is mostly when I'm working, so I may consider that when I go back. Otherwise I may not make it through the day.
One more semi-good day for me and then chemo again. I dread it as much as everyone has mentioned!
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Marsha,
Please let me know how your son liked it.
I found that link late, so didnt register my kids.
Was this the one in Maryland?
Thinking of looking at next year.
Thanks,
pat -
Happy Birthday, HoneyBunny!!! Enjoy
Glad you're feeling better, JeriGrace!
My onco said I would still have the Neulasta injection with Taxol - and I've heard from folks who said it was easier and one who said it was harder (in terms of fatigue).
I'm on day 6 post-round #3 of A/C and had a GREAT DAY!!! First class this morning - students are awesome and I really think I can pull this off all semester
Another group on Thursday evening, then one on Wednesday starting in October for only 8 weeks. I go in for bloodwork tomorrow - sitting on pins and needles right now b/c I FEEL fine, but know from last rounds how wrong THAT can be ;-) My brother's coming with me so they can draw blood and send off for his BRCA status (praying he's negative like my daughter!!!). My son's coming with me for round #4 and will have his drawn then...
My best to those of you gearing up for chemo this week - hang in there!!!
You are STRONG and BEAUTIFUL
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Hi All,just finished last ac,yah! Happy Birthday Honeybunny,there will be many more,Jerigrace happy u didn't have to spend anytime in the hospital,chemo infusion went will except i had a new nurse and that made my hubbie keep questioning everything,oh well,at least he has my best interest at heart. Got alittle info on taxol from my chemo buddy she said the bone pain was severe from the nuelasta and her white count was really high,so the doc lowered her dose(nuelasta)and gave her vicoden instead of percocet. I didnt know there was a difference.She also got an itchy rash on both hands,but no nausis,just fatigue. Hope this 4th round won't be as bad as 3rd,hang in there all of us getting infusions this week,Hannariggs we r in this together girl.Hugs Angela
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Rambo, so glad to hear about your good day at work. It sounds like your classes will be a good motivation for your healing. Good luck with blood work and fingers crossed for your brother and son. Your post today makes me so happy when I compare it with the day you found out your BRCA status.
Marsha, four days at the beach, even low key, sounds so much better than the four walls of the living room! So glad you could get away and enjoy yourself. And how wonderful for your son to have the opportunity to go to camp and maybe even be able to talk about his worries and fears with others who understand. Bless those people who provide these types of activities for kids. I know we're all different but the day after chemo has been the only day I could do something like a 2 hour drive. In this cycle it was the first day of school and I worked all day. Not that I would recommend that, but for some of us the SEs don't hit until day 3. Hope things work out for you - maybe you can find a friend to ride along. You know, one of those people that keep saying, Let me know if I can do anything. : ) -
Angela, I would do a happy dance for you if I had a little more energy! Big milestone for you! Your info about Neulasta is so interesting. My doctor never seemed concerned about my WBC being high. I had much less bone pain this time and I attributed it to two things - I started pain medicine with the first hint of pain and continued for 4 days and I switched from Vicodin to Percocet, which is supposed to be stronger. No wonder it's hard to know what to do when there's so much conflicting information!
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Hi everyone I hope you don't mind me popping in, I am from the August chemo group and I alway's find experience to be the best teacher. I had my first A/C & Cytoxin last Thursday, did pretty well and had Neulasta shot Friday around 2:00 PM and started fading pretty fast. Long story short, by midnight on Saturday night my shingles broke out with a vengeance!!!!!!!!! I have had them for 30 yrs 😰but they are at the base of my spine and I think between the Neulasta and the shingles my pain went through the roof. Ended up in ER, got IV pain med's and Zofran which helped. This week I see PCP and MO and I am going to discuss upping my dosage of anti-viral before next treatment and also as Jerigrace mentioned going to get the pain med's on board ahead of time to. You ladies are at least one or more cycles ahead of me and any advise or ideas would be greatly appreciated, I cannot keep up with everyone but I have enjoyed reading everyone's posts.
Thank you, Shary🌞 -
Shary - I've taken others advice & take Claritin a day or two before my neulasta shot, day of and day or two after. I'm also a little curious about timing of the shot - seems like everyone's is next day, mine is a few days after chemo - I have my chemo on Friday and my shot Monday morning - not sure if that's just cuz my chemo is on Friday & cuz of weekend? I've had 3 trtmts and my bad days seem to be days 3-5. Lana
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Trying to get positive for tomorrows infusion. Excited to get it over with but hating the whole process. Round 3 took alot out of me. I feel so sorry for my body. Knowing whats coming for it, and hoping she treats me well for the last exorcism of the devil......DEVIL BE GONE.... AND GOOD RIDDANCE!!!!! Praying for minimal side effects for all.......
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Lana, thank you for your reply, I was told I had to have my Neulasta shot 24 hrs after my infusion but we travel 3 hrs for treatment so I get mine on Thursday's due to hubby's work schedule. I think I will try the Claritin next time sure cannot hurt. When is your last treatment?
Hannariggs, good luck tomorrow, yea last one 🌟🌟🌟3 stars for bravery and I will add last one tomorrow😄I agree Devil be gone and never come back!!!!!!! I was just telling the Hubbs, I was taking a bath to ease the body aches and I told Satan "you can have my boobs, you can have my hair and you can even have my energy for a year but you can't have me and I ain't going away!!!!!!!!" Then I told the Hubbs I can buy new boobs, my hair will grow back and I will get my strength back. So my new motto now is " I am a fighter now but I will be a survivor later"
Shary😴 -
I get hot easily so I often go bald when I go out. Occasionally I will get someone who just stares at me like I'm an alien. When this happens I look them in the eye, smile and rub my bald head. They ALWAYS look away often embarrassed. I'm Stage IV and will be doing some form of chemo off and on for the rest of my life so I have to get use to the no hair look. I've come to accept that my new look is one of rocking the bald. There was this young girl, Talia, who recently died from cancer. But before that she became well known for her makeup videos on Youtube about how makeup was her wig. She didn't wear wigs or covered her head either. She made herself beautiful by using what she loved...makeup. Although I think she was beautiful either way. I feel if she could rock the bald look so can I. Rest in peace Talia, you inspired more people than you knew.
I'm fighting a deadly warrior...so I have to be an even stronger warrior. My bald head is my helmet and I wear it proudly.
Wishing you all the best...hang in there..the fight is worth it in the end.
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