Cytoxan Taxotere Chemo Ladies- February/March 2013

Thank you ladies for the welcome, this whole chemo thing is so nerve wracking. Picc line is in, I needed a lot of lidocain, but it went smoothly otherwise. Earlier today I saw my PS who confirmed that one of my tissue expanders is leaking...that will have to wait until after chemo. I also attended the Look Better, Feel Good program and got make up tips for chemo. I just want Thursday to come, although I am going to see my Internist tomorrow to get some adivan or xanax, just in case, I freak out on Thursday.

When you say "ice your fingernails", do you mean for the duration of the Taxotere, or on and off?

I ice my fingernails and toenails for the taxotere infusion, as well as 15 minutes before and after. I use bags of frozen peas. I also chew on ice to help prevent mouth sores.

Hi SchoolCounsellor

icing was banned by my onc.

I never iced anything Still have all my nails, no discoloration , never had one mouth ulcer although had the usually yucky taste buds and 'burnt mouth' sensation certainly with TC I think icing is overrated and a lot of hassle / pain for questionable gain JMHO !! )

The only concession I made was wearing black nail varnish constantly. My onc took one look at my nails and said you know that doesn't gave any effect !! I dud it anyway. So who knows .... Do want you feel comfortable with. And best of luck I hope your SEs, ( if any) are minimal

thank you ladies for your advice. I will feel out what to do when I get there. Can't believe the day has arrived today. I feel a sense of calm, thank you xanax😄. I have done a lot of reading and prep. Although I know one is truly never ready for this. Thanks again for sharing your experiences, these boards have been a lifeline for me. I'm take ing the steroid and the anti nausea as recommended and hopefully will sleep through the infusion. In six hours, i will be in the chair.....,, I can do this!!!!! I will do this!!!!

\Thanks ladies!

Chemo went well today....no SE so far, been drinking like a fish...will take the Zofram to stay ahead of the side effects. Decided not to ice my nails, I

want the chemo to hit every point of my body.

Will get the neulasta shot tomorrow, I already take Zyrtec every night so the DR does not think I will need claritin, I'm taking it anyway :-). Infusion center nurses were wonderful, warm blankets, juice, lots of humor, it was great. Just going to keep the fluids going to flush out the chemo. I am also keeping a bathroom in my house just for me because of the toxins. Now i just wait for my hair to fall out.

I've been burping a lot, is that normal?

I hope the big D and the burping subside, and that things improve tomorrow.

I good use some positive thoughts and prayers. My youngest is getting bronchitis, which would not be bad except that it is triggering bronchospasm and she is wheezing. I have given her 2 breathing treatments to get her pulse ox up to the point where we do not need to go to the ER. I have set my alarm for every hour overnight to check on her. Really hoping to NOT be in the ER tonight. I do not need the germs, nor does she! DH is working overnight tonight, so it's all me, which may make for a long chemo day tomorrow. Feeling a bit overwhelmed, and hoping she keeps her oxygen sats up.

Oh no kbee I hope she feels better. If not hAve no qualms about putting on a mask.

Melrose, I have that book, my mechanic gave it to. I will look through it tomorrow and see what I can do. I bought a whole box of cottinell flush able wipes so I have plenty.

I am going to take the Claritin for the shot , I am typically on both Claritin and Zyrtec year round die to allergies so we will see. I have three 10 year olds sleeping over tomorrow. So this should be fun!!!

Trying to keep things normal before the fatigue kicks in. We got this ladies.....we got this!!!

Thanks everyone so much for your thought and prayers. They worked! Erica got much worse over night, So I got up, got dressed, and got ready to bring her in to the ER, but decided to do one last breathing treatment. That did it! It brought her pulse ox up to where I was comfortable, and then I just stayed up and kept an eye on it. DH took her into her pediatrician first thing this morning, and they gave her steroids, and more meds...so we'll both be hyped on steroids today!!!

Appointment with MO went great. Since oncotyping was never done, he did agree to send it out. If it comes back low, we will discuss stopping at 4 based on side effects. If it is moderate or high, we will do 6. I feel so much more confident knowing that whichever number it is, it will be appropriate. About a half hour left of chemo infusion, and then home I go...such a better day!

SC: If OTC diarrhea meds don't work, call your MO. There are prescription things that will work. I hope it clears up soon and that your weekend has minimal to no side effects.

Hi everyone. I am a week out since my last of 4 treatments. It's been the toughest of the series and the effects are definitely cumulative especially the fatigue and muscle weakness.

I feel lucky that I didn't have the more serious peripheral neuropathy. I never iced and there were a couple of days where my fingers and toes felt a burning tingling type feeling but that went away. I did keep clear nail polish on fingers and toes. I do have a black bruise under my thumb nail but other than the nails seem to have made it thru. I did shave my head after treatment #1 since hair was coming out in clumps. It never did fall all the way out, I still have a fine stubble all over my head with some bald patches. I haven't had to shave my legs or armpits since the beginning. I walked about an hour a day through the whole thing except for one week following chemo when I felt like I had the flu the whole time. This time I don't seem to be able to get my energy level up so I think I need to give it a few more days until I go back to walking.

I did gain weight due to submitting to cravings and wanting to feel better. My plan is to cut back if not eliminate sugar and dairy since I heard cancer cells love those things. I need to ramp up the exercise and decide in the coming months whether I really want to do recon DIEP procedure. It's all been such a long process I really want to give my body a break;)

To all of you just starting or in the middle of chemo I just want you to know you will get thru it. There is so much good advice on this site I can't thank everyone enough who has helped me. If I can give back in any way to anyone just ask.

brown471, glad to hear you are done. I hope you continue to gain strength and energy each day.

ckmoss, you'll have to update how your trip goes. That sounds so interesting.

So far round 3 is treating me well. That's easy to say since it is day 2, and the "fun" doesn't usually start for another day or 2. I worked 6 hours this morning though, and I went for a 3 mile walk both yesterday and today; the weather was beautiful, so it perked me up. Maybe the worst of days 3-7 will bypass me this time... I might as well dream, right?!? At any rate, I seem to be out of that dark hole tunnel funk I was in last week. I am glad to be done with 3. Whether I end up with 4 or 6, either way, I am at least half way through, and that is nice!

I finally added a profile picture. It's me in my wig.

Hey guys, just back up from round 2, I have been sleeping for a few days, but feel a a little like myself again.

I also liked the burping stories, too funny!!!

Kbeee, glad your daughter is ok. My kids have asthma and I've spent many nights trying to decide whether we need to take them in to the ER, or try one last treatment. Like the wig too!

icing fingers - this is the first I've heard of it. Interesting. I haven't noticed anything with my nails yet.

SchoolCounselor, welcome, although this is probably not a list any of us want to be on.

Two treatments down. I'm going to try and go to work tomorrow although I'm still pretty tired. One of my managers just found out last week that her hubby has a rare incurable form of gall bladder cancer. They are going to try and beat it anyway. I feel like I should try and be there to support her.

STM, I hope your day at work goes well, and that you ar feeling good. It is always so hard to hear about others affected by this cancer beast. When I hear of those who have few treatment options, it does make me take a step back and feel more grateful that for us, this chemo is our cure. Others are not so lucky. We can weather the chemo storm and come out the other side. Perspective helps, but the reasons for that perspective are so heartbreaking. We had a little girl in our town die of leukemia this week, and a good friend of mine is not expected to live for more than a year, also due to leukemia. Uuugh. I hate cancer. Glad we have options.

TeamKim, That temp is scary!!! I hope it has come down.

I have weathered days 1-3 well, but abdominal pain is kicking in as it always does now, so that tells me it is time to try and go to sleep to beat it! Wishing you all a week of minimal and manageable side effects.

Thank you, Melrose. I have them very short and will use gloves.

Do you think I should put some nail polish? Will that help in any way? I really don't care if they fall, they will grow back, like the hair. I am worried I can get an infection through there...

Should I cover them with band aids?