October 2013 Chemotherapy

Good luck Pam on Wednesday. Remember that I am one week ahead of you. I was very anxious and scared but felt better after I had the first one done. My side effects weren't bad. I am praying for the same for you. I will be thinking about you on our birthday! Next year will be a better one. For mine I am having a shaving of the head party. Lol Trying to stay positive aboutit. I should be nervous though about letting my son give me a crazy haircut first.

relocatedtarheel - Claritin is for bone pain from the Neulasta injection, the antihistamine counteracts the edema in the bone marrow from the excessive production of new white cells - it will not help bone pain from the chemotherapeutic agents themselves. Just wanted to clarify that.

To all of you who begin on Wednesday -- good luck, and may the SEs pass you by. I am so thankful for everyone who is posting here -- it helps so much to know that I am not alone in this.

I have a question for those who are preceding us chemo newbies.......My first infusion is this Thursday afternoon at 3:00. Among all the other instructions, MO and onc nurse never gave me any guidance about what to eat that day. Normally i stop on the way to work for a mocha and a bran muffin -- should I keep to that routine, or forego the caffeine? I don't know whether to splurge on a nice big lunch of all my favorites since I am likely to not have much of an appetite for several days, OR should I stick to a light and bland meal in anticipation of the afternoon "cocktail?" I don't want to make anything worse by eating something that exacerbates any SEs. Thoughts anyone?

Thanks Pam. I think I will call tomorrow just to confirm what is OK to eat. May just keep it to small meals with fiber to keep things moving. Haha

Happy birthday on Friday! Here's hoping the SEs don't keep you from enjoying cake! Thanks again for setting up this thread and for the support you give to all of us.

Hi TeamKim -

My onc nurse told me to make sure to eat before coming to chemo. My first tx was around 10:30am and I had eaten breakfast as normal (poached egg on an english muffin with a slice of ham.) I didn't really feel like eating but I choked it down. Well, as it turns out, I had a reaction to the first tx and ended up being there for 7 hours. I hadn't packed any snacks or anything cause I thought Id feel so sick. But, I was starving! Thank goodness they had snacks there for us and my fiancé went and got me a smoothie.

After that experience, I have since packed some little snacks (pretzels really seems to hit a sweet spot for me) plus I eat a normal breakfast and even have my mocha I have to take a Benadryl (plus steroids) at 5am before tx and then they dose me again with pre meds, so the caffeine keeps me level. Plus, who knows how long my yummy mochas will taste yummy? I figure I should enjoy them while I can.

I also recommend asking your onc for a prescription antacid. My stomach was so acidy and awful feeling after my first tx, but now that i take my little antacid every morning, it feels so much better. My nurse told me that chemo sloughs off the inner lining of your stomach, which is why we have so much indigestion and stomach issues.

1. Personally, my chemo bag has my iPad (with Kindle books and lots of music), headphones, pretzels, gum, chapstick, a bottle of water, fuzzy socks, a neck pillow, and my port-numbing cream

teamkim - be cautious about fiber - if this is your first tx you do not know which way the GI pendulum will swing - there are many of us that had the Big D throughout chemo! Do not medicate for either possibility on the first tx, or eat a lot of fiber, until you know what is likely to happen. Because I had three drugs, pre-meds, blood work, and an onc appt. every time I was routinely at the center for 7-8 hours. I usually brought coffee with me, and brought trail mix and some juice for a snack. I never felt like eating a big lunch during chemo (I arrived at 8:30 a.m. and usually left by 4 p.m.) but some people ate a normal lunch during infusion. I think it is also a good idea not to bring anything that has a strong smell. I was advised to eat something with protein prior to infusion - it takes longer to digest and you will stay feeling full longer. I would also wait and see on the antacid - unless you already know that you have issues with this, you don't necessarily want to add drugs in if you don't need them. Believe me, you will be taking enough.

sb1999 - I did not lose my eyebrows completely - I had enough to darken them with colored brow gel and look normal, I lost the bottom lashes about half way through, and the tops ones thinned by 2/3. Eyeliner is your friend - I am not sure anyone could tell that my lashes were gone, I just wore more liner and a bit darker shadow. Also, when your hair is long enough to wear in a very short style darker lipstick and big earrings help too!

Hello all you brave women! This is my first post, but I have been reading these boards since my diagnosis in early August. I thank all of you for your candor, information, and bravery.

I start the AC part of my chemo on Wed. for 4 rounds, followed by weekly Taxol for 12 weeks. Now that chemo is not that many hours away, the nerves are beginning to creep in. I had my mediport placed last Tues. and have been in pain ever since. My FOOBS were still very uncomfortable when I got the port placement, (I went direct to implants, no expanders,) so maybe that's why my port area hurts so much? I don't know how some people access theirs right away, I hope the numbing cream works for me. Is anyone still feeling a lot of post-surgery discomfort? I am so impressed that most of you have been living somewhat "normal" lives prior to chemo & even during, I have been pretty much stuck in bed/recliner for these 5 weeks post-surgery. I haven't even driven a car since before the surgery either.

I was going to ask about what foods to eat before & during chemo, but you wonderful ladies already answered that-this site is so helpful! Good luck everyone, I hope you all have a side effect-free Tuesday!

Off to the hospital for port placement. Wish they would knock me out for this. This just doesn't get any easier on my nerves. Another day another appointment, I'll make it through just like all the rest.

tomorrow is a busy day for everyone as their are so many of you starting. I will be thinking of you all and praying for no SEs.

Today is day 7 post treatment 1 of AC and really feeling great. I had about 5 days of fatigue and slight nauseousness. It could be worse I know so thankful but having anxiety about next treatment.

I had IV antiemetics and took zofran that night and 3 days post chemo and that def helped me.

I had eaten oatmeal for breakfast the morning of chemo and drank tons of water throughout. That is one advice that I keep hearing make sure you stay hydrated!

I haven't lost my hair yet or any hair but my scalp is sensitive. MO said it should start thinning day 14. So I guess I have one more week of hair. My hair does look terrible though wondering if it does that to make it easier once it falls out.

Hang in there everyone we are here for each other.

SpecialK - that for continued advice and support. Your posts are so informative.

Hey Suck It BC (love that name LOL)

we're almost on the same schedule & course.

A&C for 2 months then T&H for 12 weeks. (I have to continue Herception for a full year)

I haven't even looked ahead on my calendar to see what falls where for BD, holidays & chemo. What can ya do? Can't change it so just go with it.

All the best to you!

VintageGal

Vintagegal - thinking of you today You infusion center sounds wonderful...they should have that at all places....it would be nice to have that available to calm anxieties...love that

bellyboo - my anti-nausea med instruction was to take a different drug only if the first one tried did not work. Ask the nurse for clarification. My understanding of Zofran and Compazine is that they work by different mechanism so they can be taken on top of each other. I was told to take Zofran first (same evening as my chemo, so not sure why you can do that), and if it did not work to start on the Compazine. If that did not work to try Ativan. Zofran did not stop my nausea and gave me a wicked headache, but Compazine was great. I did not have to try the Ativan.

Hi everyone,

My mom was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in mid-August and is just about to begin chemo in the coming week. It's been a harrowing past few months to say the least. Through this time, a constant source of strength and inspiration has been a blog of one of my friends who is a young mother of 2, fighting stage IV colon cancer and currently in the middle of chemo. Her blog entries are incredibly honest and powerful. It is impossible not to be moved and inspired, and I hope that everyone going through chemo (whether directly or as a caregiver) can check it out and also draw strength from her beautiful writing. Sending good vibes to all!

http://julieyipwilliams.wordpress.com/about/

Just checking in, today is day 5 after my first chemo. I went to work and felt pretty good, kinda tired after lunch. I'm having intestinal issues too, but it's not constipation. I feel crampy and belch sometimes, I had some Tagamet at home and that seems to help some. It's good to see everyone getting on with their treatment, my next one is 10/18, hope I sail through that one too! Good luck ladies tomorrow, you will do great!!!!