September 2013 Chemo Group

Hi! I'm new to this and just started chemo sept.26 and now it's kickin my butt unexpectedly. But reading your posts makes me feel better ;-))

Welcome lengbong!  Sorry you have to be here, but glad you found your way to our little group.  What chemo are you on?  

tague-Congrats on the baby girl and kudos to you for helping those that cannot help themselves.  Our 3 year old is also not biologically ours.

Happy birthday JellyK...you were quiet for awhile - I was hoping you were enjoying your break and not still sick!

((((Rayna)))) I hope that you are finding some bright days

Welcome Lengbong, although I'm sorry you have to join us.  This group is great, supportive and helpful!

I'm on my 2 normal days before heading for healing infusion #4 Friday.  I think my hair is starting to look thinner, but still just above average shedding.

I'm with you ladies on letting people feel my lump - I'll let almost anyone!  Ok, probably not my teenage boys. It kinda feels like public domain after all the probing I'm still on the verge of thinking it's smaller and wondering if it's wishful thinking.  If wishing it smaller works, it is!

MamaStewart - a lot of my shaved stubble came out right after round 2 but I'm not totally bald, just very lightly stubbly now, kind of like a teenaged boy's chin trying to grow a beard, lol. Armpit hair, facial hair, & nose hair seems go have gone now too. Other hair loss seems to have stopped, but I'm sure more will go on my next rounds. Nothing seems to be growing either.



My 1st round was definitely worse than the 2nd, but I tried different things the 2nd time like Claritin & got stronger painkillers. I've had a little more energy this time, but a lot of the minor SEs (diarreah/constipation, burnt tounge, acne, dizzy spells, chemo brain) are the same.

Happy birthday JellyK.

I am new to the board, but have read through most of the comments.  It is so great to see such strong women fighting!  I am on day 6 after my 1st a/c chemo.  I am very emotional-hard to keep the tears back.  Other SE-very dizzy and heavy feeling.

Welcome Sunshine.  I'm sorry you're feeling so emotional.  This journey is a roller coaster to be sure!  

Kbeee - the no-caffeine is mostly for dehydration, I think.  SpecialK probably knows.    I totally cut caffeine out at first (not a big drinker of it anyway) but I had constant headaches the first go-round.  Now I try to have at least one a day and it helps.

I went to work and out to lunch with a friend with my big girl hair on.  LOL   I swear I still feel like an imposter with it on, though.  Might have to get out the scissors and tweak it... it's close to my normal hair but not quite.  I swear by the time I got home I was ready to rip it off and put my comfy hat back on!!!

I went to a program at the cancer center today called Look Good Feel Better. My cousin is the make up artist & a gal that used to do my hair many years ago is the stylist. We each got a nice tote full of (expensive) make up, were given instruction & pointers on what we should & shouldn't use as cancer patients and what to expect as far as skin changes. The stylist brought out several new Raquel Welch wigs. Only 4 of us were chemo gals so we had a good choice. I got a cute one that seems to fit well. I brought in a wig I bought last week that I didn't care for too much, she did trim it but it just doesn't suit me. Maybe I can regift to some one.

I have been looking through the TLC catalog & am overwhelmed with deciding if I should get a turban, hat, scarves or a halo. Even add on bangs! It gets cold here in NH in winter so I will want something on my head all the time. The wig will probably just be certain occasions.

I go for my 2nd infusion next week so haven't lost any hair yet, but did have it cut short. Are there programs like that in your area?

Ladies,

Welcome to Marianne, lengbeng, and sunshine (sorry if I didn't spell them all correct - going on memory after reading through the last few days). Wish none of us had to be here but we are.



I am so thankful for the support and just being able to log in here and read about what is going on and laugh with you. I find myself (an introvert by nature) even more inside myself since this whole thing started so I really am thankful for this thread and even though I don't post all that often I feel like I know you all through this journey. I don't post often - just too emotionally drained and you all echo everything I want to say anyway.



KJ- here with you sister. Furloughed too and while I am running short on sick leave (so yay I don't need to use it this week) I am getting stressed just with the uncertainty of it all. But thankfully our med ins won't be affected (we will just owe our portion whenever we do get paid). I was most worried about that one. Trying to stay positive too but just not what I needed right now. But my heart truly breaks for those trying to get into an NIH trial. No words but prayers.



Jelly - happy birthday to you! I love snuggling with my 2 yr old. They look so precious sleeping and makes me so happy. Then they wake up and the whirling dervish is back! Hope the pie is the best their is - you are making my buds water.

Happy Birthday Jelly



Marianne, sorry you have to join us, I also started chemo on the 30th.



I want to thank all the women on this board. I was really nervous when I read through all the post over the month and my anticipation grew, but with your advice of exercising and drinking lots of fluid I got through my first chemo treatment. In fact when my chemo nurse excessed my port and started my reaction was "that's it?" I am extremely thankful for all your guidance. Round 1 down.

Jelly:  Happy Birthday!

Welcome to Mariannex5, Lengbong and Sunshine3: Hope we can be of help and be informative to assist you in your journeys. Ask whatever you want. Someone should have an idea.

MamaStewart: You have so much on your plate. I hope you can find some more help to make things easier. Ask, search and ask some more.

Kimberly: You are so great to take in more kids. I hope things work out the way you want and you are able to keep the siblings together. I have a cousin who has taken in kids for years. She has three from one family she's had for a couple years. She also has 7 kids of her own and she home schools them all. They are so well behaved.

Got my Neulasta shot today. So far SE haven't been bad (knock on wood). I know its coming, but still on steroids until Friday.....

Oh yeah, I'll chime in here and say don't worry about dehydration and caffeine, just don't go overboard because it could add to sleeplessness for sure. It is wonderful though as an aid for constipation for me in the morning.



However I avoided it when I had stomach cramps as its acidic; that would also go if I had a lot of acid reflux. But I switched to decaf and find that good (there still is a little caffeine in it and that gives me enough jolt).



Love my Starbucks light mocha frappachino!

Josgirl,

Glad the timing worked for you this week for sick leave too. Hoping we get back to work soon. But not seeing much movement from the electeds.



All,

I have a serious question. One of my bigger concerns is medication for pain and side effects. My parents and brothers had serious addiction issues. Drugs and alcohol. Personally, I don't because I have avoided drugs and alcohol like the plague because they were such a plague to my family members. So... I had this full bottle of Percocet left over from the port surgery. Used like two of them and put the rest in the medicine cabinet. However, for the past couple of days, I have been taking it once or twice each day just to sleep and relax from the nausea. It has been a tough second round.



No, I don't think I am an addict after two days... But, how does one keep it in check without becoming dependent on it? I have avoided taking the prescribed "lorazepam" for anxiety because I was told it is pretty addictive and I have never had it before. Don't like new drugs.



Thoughts?? Am I being overly concerned about addiction?

Thanks SpecialK!

KJ: I just had that very same thought a couple days ago "how many people finish their cancer treatment with a lovely pill addiction?" I have much addcition in my family and my kids and I lost my husband to pills. Model citizen, hard worker with a great career, good Christian man, devoted husband and father.... he hurt his back and got put on Lortabs and now he is a heroin addict with nothing who doesn't care who he hurts. I know full well the scariness of it and how easily it can take someone down. I think as long as you are keeping yourself in check and if you are taking them only when you need them and giving the lighter stuff a chance to work first if that is an option you should be okay. You just have to be 100% honest with yourself and don't let yourself go down that road. I think it can be pretty easy to get addicted, but you don't HAVE to get addicted even if you are taking them on a farily regular basis, if I am making any sense at all? You are the best judge of what you need and maybe you just need to check with yourself every time "do I really need this?" And I second what SpecialK said. If that isn't the case, find something-anything else-that can help you feel better. I took a Stress Management class last year and discovered how beneficial meditation is! I felt like an idiot for awhile (and probably only stuck with it because it was for school) but it is pretty amazing. I even have downloaded some apps on my phone with relaxation meditation stuff and I play it before bed. 

KJ - I'm really susceptible to sleep aids too, so I hear you.  My concern is that you're taking percocet for sleep, since there are other options out there for sleep that aren't as potent.  Personally I use Flexeril on days when I'm getting the steroids (I have an rx for that because I'm still getting fills on my tissue expanders), and I have a bit of a bad night the first night without it but once I sweat through that night the next night is fine.  Sometimes I can avoid the first night being awful by having a white noise type sound going in my room - a fan works best for me, or my humidifier lately, since I've had a cold.  Then of course I have to wean myself off of the fan, lol.  Sleep aids are a bear, that's for sure.  I would recommend using something other than the percocet though, cuz that's kindof a bad one - that and vicodin and oxycodin can actually be physically addictive - after my surgery I had to wean off of the oxycodin because even though mentally I wanted to be done with it, when I stopped cold turkey I got headaches and shooting pains in my incisions.  Nasty stuff.  Look into something like Ambien or even ZQuil.  Much easier to get off of and the ZQuil anyway doesn't have to be prescribed.

Oh and one other thing, I find that being on the computer or smart phone keeps me up longer - a book works better.  Or on those nights that it's my brain keeping me up, I turn on a show where I don't care about the ending - Wipeout is a favorite - and turn the volume down, take off my glasses and roll over.  The sound of the show can pull me out of a mental spiral if I need it, but doesn't keep me awake if I can fall asleep.