September 2013 Chemo Group

What a great perspective that your friend shared, JellyK.

LighthouseLady, love the 'preachy' post. You articulated my sentiments so much better than I could. Every day is a victory for LIFE!

magpie - welcome. Which chemo regimen are you on? TC, TCH, or AC-T? The side effects vary a bit with each regimen and they definitely vary person to person. I have had just one round so far, and the side effects were generally mild.

70charger - So very sorry to hear about your friend.

ksimpson - those shirts are awesome. If there is one thing about this journey for which I am grateful, it's that it has shown me the best that humanity has to offer and shown me how much people really do care. It is something I will never forget. I hope you are feeling better and able to go for your walk today, even if only around the block.

Kimberley - I hope that you get definitive answers from your oncologist and that you can develop a clear plan that you are comfortable with.

JellyK - I love the response you posted. I especially love the "we all have your back"...I have found that to be so true.

I love the shirts and inspiration! I'm all about staying positive! My friends made hoodies that say "Jen's Rack Pack" on the front and U-KNIGHT-ED on the back, I love them. They've sold over 50!

I'm charging my phone in my car-no power for 20 hours and over 3 feet of snow. Thank heaven for gas fireplaces. My parents say this is the worst blizzard they've seen. And bonus, I had a good night with the no Benadryl, less steroids adjustment.

Take care all!

Thanks Kbee I will try this and good to know that it will go away. I really appreciate your response. Thank you and hope you are feeling good this weekend. Best K

Knightzoo- I love "Jen's rack pack". That's awesome!!!!! They have ordered pink t shirts for everyone at work, and once they come in, the guys (and one other girl) will wear them as their duty shirts until I am finished with treatments...that'll be really cool. The wife of one of my co-workers is also fighting BC, so we will make sure she is done with treatments too. She does not need chemo, but has had a ton of complications from surgery. I hope someone has shoveled you out! That is a lot of snow. We had 3 feet when I lived in Pennsylvania once. I worked for about 56 hours straight. No one could get in, and I could not get home. It was fun though!

It is absolutely perfect weather here. It was in the 50s this morning. That meant when I set out for my run/walk, I could wear a workout hat on my head and not look like a freak...yahoo! I set out to just run a couple miles, but I felt so good, I just kept running and running. I was my longest run in years. It was probably my slowest one, but who cares, it felt awesome! I hope the weather stays this way until January!

You are right, I would hate, hate, hate that. I really am NOT a fan of winter. The only reason it was fun last time is because I was working...and I was in college and had no classes (it was spring break) or other responsibilities to speak of. I had generators, food, and friends with me. I hope warmer weather comes and melts it soon, and I hope the power companies can get power restored quickly so that normalcy returns. It sounds just awful. I also hope your side effects aren't too bad, and thT someone comes and shovels you out so that you can rest.

Thank you for all your tips! Yesterday, October 4, was my first chemo. I'm feeling well today so far. But had an issue with my chest port yesterday that made things kind of unpleasant. Apparently there was a "kink" in the catheter and the IV wouldn't drip. So they had to go through an arm vein. The whole reason I went through the painful insertion of the chest port was to avoid my veins because they collapse easily and are very hard to find. But the chemo nurse was very capable and went slow and it turned out fine. Now I have an appointment in the interventional radiology dept to either have the port replaced or just remove it entirely and take my chances with the veins. Any thoughts or experiences about that? I just can't decide. This time the veins were ok, but what about the next time? I have only three more infusions, but also the three blood draws, so six attempts at my veins might be too many.

Bondsy: You're going to need your best judgment on this after you consult the radiology people and your MO. What do they think is the safest/best option for you? Interestingly, I've only had one blood draw for my blood counts; the other two were fingersticks.

Today was a very good day for me. I felt nearly normal. Last chemo in two days. I hope it won't be too hard!

Alfranco,

Could it be that you were dehydrated? When I am not getting enough liquids, I get dizzy and feel like I'm going to pass out. Since liquids taste so different during chemo then I often have a hard time getting enough in.

The smoothie idea has been good for me too. Fruit seems to be one thing that holds it's flavor for me. So the fruit smoothies are healthy and, combined with the ice and high liquid content of most fruits, help keep me hydrated.

Re: the flu shot. I got one the day before I had my second round of T/C on Thursday. No noticeable SE's from the shot. They recommended it b/c I am so immunocompromised. I am surprised and a little nervous that I am seeing contradictory advice about whether to get it. Just hope it can't hurt Expecting a tough week of SE's.

Lengbong, I had a terrible time with upper back pain during my first round. My SE's lasted 16 days, and I thought I'd be done in 10! . Nurse said it might be my muscles compensating for bone pain from Neulasta shot. Had my second Neulasta shot yesterday. I felt some back pain last night, took 2 percocet, felt fine today. Managed with Ibuprofen all day. Might head for the percocet again shortly as it is starting to flare up again. If there's anything I've learned through my many surgeries its to get AHEAD of the pain. Otherwise it takes you down. Also, rest. Took a long nap today. LOVED the post about resting and how important it is. Hard to slow down sometimes. And don't forget to HYDRATE! Get all this poison through the system! Good weekend everyone!

kjsimpson-it could have been,but I hadn't felt like that since my biopsy. I fainted after that one, lol. It is very hard to keep myself hydrated since I have never been a big water drinker. This is why I get hydrated twice a week. Thank you all, hope you have no se. God Bless.

Viji - the Neulasta shot works to create new White blood cells that are being destroyed by the chemo to help prevent infection. I think there are other versions as well. You should ask your MO. As for hydrating, I try to drink a gallon of water a day (64 oz, not sure how many liters). It helps flush the system of everything and keeps some of the SE's (constipation, etc.) at bay. Good luck!

My onc said all veggies & fruit needed to be at least steamed, for that reason. Or fruit with a thick skin is ok, like bananas. Btu not everyone goes neutropenic, and the risk is along the same lines as going out in public - if you know your counts are low don't do it.

Have had a headache all night, pretty sure it's from dehydration - even the tiniest sip of water makes me gag and I'm out of orange juice...I guess it might be worth the trip to the store though. I know that in a few days I'll be okay again, but I hate this little zone of time when I feel like complete doo-doo :-( Yesterday we went to a pumpkin patch with my sister's in-laws - a fantastic group of people - but I had to leave early because I was dizzy and sunburnt (totally forgot about the sun thing, it's been rainy for so long, lol). My kids got to stay but I literally cried on the way home, I was so disappointed. But then once I got home I sat out on the deck (in the shade) and just relaxed for the first time in a really long time. No one was hanging on me or needing something or asking about dinner plans...I just sat and listened to the breeze. It was wonderful :-)

mfm48,

I haven't been told that. Any food or liquid (even water) has the potential for bacteria. Seems to make sense that they are well washed and/or peeled. I have caved and refuse to approve the 3 second floor rule for the duration of chemo. If it gets to the floor, it goes out the door. ;-)

All,

A friend suggested graviola tree fruit/extract as something new on the scene to treat cancer. Looking it up and doing some research, I think it might hold some promise with research. However, I'm going to talk to the doctor before I consider it. Thoughts??