September 2013 Chemo Group

KJ: I forgot to respond to that. My numbers are really elevated too. They were more than twice what the high end of normal range was. My onc mentioned it and said they weren't sure what was causing it; that maybe it was just the way that my liver was metabolizing things. My ALT is usually in the 70's range and has pretty much stayed there. The only time that it has been in the normal range was the round that I fasted.

mama You get it. I have been there for them, visited them in the hospital, been there when they were in crisis. I even made personal calls to them to tell them my news. Here I was worried their feelings would be hurt if they found out through the grapevine. Very Very hard NOT to be bitter.

Off topic, Anyone else notice their toilet bowl is now acid etched. No more shiny bowl from chemo?

70charger: I know exactly what you mean. I did make those calls too, but seemingly not the people I should have. And the toilet...maybe THAT is why the newbie info page on here suggested to flush your toilet twice every time! I was actually just thinking about that the other day and wondering why they said that. I haven't noticed it myself though.

mamastewart and 70charger, I so wish you were closer, so I could share. That makes me so sad that people do not step up. If you PM me your mailing address, I would love to share some gift cards if you have chain restaurants in your area. I've honestly received more than I need now, and I will feel guilty using them for meals at work down the line. It is unthinkable to me that people do not help. My 2 friend groups who have done the most have both been hit pretty hard. My former babysitting swap bunch...about 10 of us have stayed close over the years. We've had 1 with leukemia, 1 whose husband died in a plane crash, and 1 whose son was hit by a car and killed...I guess sadly, we are well versed in helping in each other. We feel cursed in our luck, but blessed by each other. My moms group at church is the other, and I am the third among us in 4 years with BC...so they too knew what was needed. Still, no one should need to be personally struck by bad situations to realize when a helping hand would be beneficial. It has been interesting/ sad to see who has disappeared completely since my diagnosis. I guess it shows people's true colors.

I too have been surprised by who and who not have given cards, texts, gifts, flowers, or came over. This is a true showing of who our friends really are...I don't have parents and have a favorite aunt I have adored and visited for years...well, my cousins wife has bc now too and she can 't leave her to come see me....breaks my heart...I understand but still...very sad...

However I have an old neighbor from 12 years ago who insisted coming to visit and help and she did!!! She stayed 2 days and insists she is coming back whenever I need her! THAT was amazing to me and SO very special!

70charger-

You have Us!

Thanks all for the kind words. It truly helps.

Peacock girl GREAT BIG HUG!! So sorry for your loss.

Thank you 70charger!

So sorry to hear that Peacock Girl... stupid cancer!!!!!

peacock, sorry for your loss, yes stupid cancer, sometime that black cloud just wont move on. I lossmy older brother at 64 st the beginning of the summer to bone cancer, i was with him in his final days, my 86 yr father in law attempted to commit suicide a couple of weeks later and has since been in a long term facility and then well my diagnosis a couple of weeks after that so yeah s*****t happens and i wonder if someone or something is testing our strength.

Thks for the info, take care andtake the time to embrace those wonderful memories of him. Xoxo

Peacockgirl - {{{hugs}}} I am SO sorry. How sad, and I can just imagine how frustrated you are by not being able to go to the funeral.

Today we are taking my mom back to the airport. I survived a week of her mothering. :-) It hasn't been too bad.... she does constantly look closely at me and ask how I'm feeling, and several times she'd say "Why don't you lay down?" Umm.... if I wanted to lay down I would! The kids have loved having her here, though. And she just booked her trip to come back for my surgery. She'll be here for two weeks, which will be a huge help when I get back from the hospital, with getting the kids to school and helping me during the day so dh can go to work some. I'm just dreading the travel.... it's 3 hours to Dallas, and my post-op appointment is only 6 days after surgery. I don't know how long I'll be in the hospital, but the idea of driving back & forth within a couple of days after major surgery just sounds miserable!

Peacock girl

So sorry for your loss...praying for your peace...

LHL, Glad you survived the mothering and enjoyed the visit. My mom is still here, and is still very much motering me. She hovered over me as I strung every single light on the Christmas tree this morning. I am glad your mom can come back for your surgery.

So I know my next question is NOT one I should be asking the day after a huge food fest, but here goes. The Neulasta shot gave me horrible nausea, just as it's cousin Neupogen did. I got Zofran on Wednesday, which has taken care of the nausea, and I thought I was home free. I have zero appetite. Zilch. I am trying to eat because I need to eat, but now when I eat more than about 10 bites, I feel like someone has stapled my stomach. Not pain, I just literally physically can not eat; my stomach literally feels overfull. It is hard to describe. Needless to say I am losing weight. Anyone experience this? Any tips? I am not making anymore ER trips, and Monday seems a long ways away. I am trying to drink a little Ensure and such. I would probably not mind if I was not skinny to begin with. I want very much to return to full duty at work soon, which means I will need muscle mass. This is not helping as I have lost 3 pounds in 4 days. MO is not there until Monday...of course...this stuff never happens midweek. I'll take any and all suggestions!

kbee - can you handle protein bars?  They are relatively small but have enough grams of protein that you won't lose as much muscle mass.  Clif makes one that has 20g. There is also a drinkable product called Juven. Here are the links:

http://www.clifbar.com/food/products_builders/

http://www.amazon.com/Medline-Juven-Therapeutic-NutritionTM--Orange/dp/B0050CXT9M/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1385759345&sr=8-4&keywords=juven

It's been awhile since I've checked in...I've been reading all the posts but with a newborn at home I'm finding it hard to actually type out lengthy responses. Baby is now a month old and doing wonderful! The toddler has been adjusting quite well to the new guy in the house, although the past couple of days have been tough since I just my port installed and can't carry him around like usual. I fought getting a port since I made it through 4 ACs without one, but after a nurse blew a vein at my first Taxol infusion, I decided to go ahead and move forward with one since I have 11 more to go. So far it is far less intrusive than I expected, I kinda wish I pushed getting one in the beginning (MO had talked me out of it).

After three AC treatments and seeing a fast shrinking tumor, unfortunately after my fourth AC my tumor started to grow again. It went from 1cm to 2cm, plus all my hair started to grow back. I don't know if my body has grown resistant to AC or maybe it was the extra week break I took to deliver my baby, but either way it's a good thing I am switching to Taxol. Now I have to only hope that the tumor stops growing with this new treatment, otherwise I think it's straight to surgery I go. My Taxol infusion went smoothly, I did ice my hands and feet (I stuck my feet into a soft sided cooler that housed two frozen pea bags, and held onto cold gel packs while wearing Thinsulate fingerless gloves) and have been taking L-Glutamine, so we will see if I get neuropathy or nail issues. I have white tiger stripes on my nails so maybe I didn't do too good of a job on the hands.

Hugs to those who need them, congrats to those nearing the finish line, and good luck dust for no side effects to those still under treatment!

So sorry for your loss Peacockgirl Try to Skype with your friend if you can't make it down.  It will help both of you.  Especially after the funeral when family goes home and life goes on.  My best friend lost her husband at 42 in February (sudden also, heart attack) - and the back to normal was the hardest part.

LHL- Why do you have to wait 6 months for reconstruction? I'm really hoping for less!

Hang in there everyone dealing with SE.  KBee, have you tried juicing to get calories and fluid? You could even throw in some protein powder.  I like to do it but rarely have fresh fruit because my kids gobble it up and I don't have energy to go to the store all the time.

I had my last taxol today - woohoo! Happy dance.  My 11 year old and my dad came with me.  She said it was long and boring - she thought I walked in every Friday and got a shot and left.  So good info for her.  They also came and talked to me about AC and side effects for next week.  I was already scared about the nausea and now I'm gonna have to argue with MO about steroid levels - I'm only getting 6 mg w taxol and he has ordered 12mg infusion day and 8 for 3 days after.  I'm never gonna sleep!  And no one ever mentioned peeing red!?!

Hugs and love chemo sisters