Starting Chemo in December 2013

joan, Your Dr should be able to explain your onco score. It has a score that determines if you will benefit from chemotherapy. Mine was 21, which is interemediate. Basically, mine is in a range that may be of  benefit, but there are no trials that determine how beneficial, so it is left up to the patient and Dr to decide. I decided to throw what I can at it while I am healthy. If it were to come back, I can feel better knowing I gave it my best shot.
good luck with your first trmt next wk! Based on your onco, I think you would be having chemo anyway.

Amy, you can go to the cytoxan/taxotere thread started in Feb/March for TC chemo ladies also. Good luck today! You've  got this!!! In your pockets:)

KLI - good luck with your pick line. Yes, please let me know all the details!!

Thought I would share my happiness today, and some other thoughts.

Hubby had to go out of town for 3 days on business. I am a little nervous to be without him. Especially with an impending snow storm. He should arrive before the storm hits. I told our girls that if the driveway is full of snow, they can skip school tomorrow. Hopefully a kind neighbour will plow us out (which usually happens ... Our neighbours are awesome!). Hubby forbid me to shovel...LOL...no problem...I hate shovelling at the best of times.

Okay now for happiness. I won a free Tassimo brewer from Kraft Canada & it arrived today. It is model T45...woot! I am thrilled. Makes my leg pains tolerable today. Thank you Kraft.

Also, I had an in home fitting for mastectomy bras & prosthesis today. Lots of pretty choices. My fitter is super nice & will get me my gear before Christmas! And...It should all be covered by insurance!! Woot!!

I am having a good morning! Makes missing hubby bearable!

Hope your day is super awesome too!

Oh...almost forgot...I also have the Look Good Feel Better Workshop tonight. Going with my good friend, who is super fun. Looking forward to it!!! Hopefully the massive amounts of snow expected tonight will come after we are both home safe & sound. She is driving in her big SUV...so we should be good on the roads!

port now working heading back across the Phoenix valley to my MO. Chemo is back on for today. Thanks everyone! GL to us all with SE's!

hey 38tooyoung.... I am going to be 38 in December, and I start my treatments on the day you are ending yours.  I too got a great wig but of course still have my hair for now. Very torn on what to do, its quite long, and super duper thick... I know its inevitable just not sure if I should start cutting it or just go all in and buzz it.  It was nice to see your post.  I hope I don't have too many SE from treatments, I guess that's a dream of everyone on here.  Anyhow just wanted to say hello

So, tomorrow is my big day... first chemo?  Is the port not working a common prob discovered the first chemo?  Man!, that would be horrible, getting all prepared for something you don't want to do any way and only have it delayed and have to psyche yourself up all over again.  Plus, I am trying cold caps so I will be standing there with 80lbs of wasted dry ice.

By the way, does anyone else feel like they are sending $s like they have a money tree growing in their backyard. Between retail therapy and all the other things I am picking up just in case, and the things I have to have,... I am losing track.  Cha-ching! Cha-ching!!

I get my port in the morning. I am scheduled to be there at 9:30AM. I was told the procedure will take 1 hour but to expect to be there for 3 hours.

Joan: Onoctype scores are based on numbers to determine two things. 1. Risk of reoccurrence. 2. If Chemotherapy will be effective. 0-18 scores are in the low reoccurrence range - chemotherapy would not benefit. 19-30 scores are within the "grey area" range, also considered the intermediate range. I do not believe (could be wrong), there is concrete evidence as to weather or not chemo is effective. 31-above is considered high risk for reoccurrence and chemotherapy is effective.

Although my score was a 25, my OC is treating my number as if it were a 31. Hope this helps.

Liz

Ladies, no port problems at all with me. I got it done when I had my LX and SNB about 6 wks ago. Nurse just poked it right in and blood started flowing. Thank goodness! Sry some of you are having problems.

To donate, your hair cannot be processed in any way. Has to be all natural or they can't use it. If anyone has grey hair to donate, go to Pink Heart Fund. They need minimum of 10".

I am nervous about the hair loss, too. Will probably start cutting more off this week-end. Had my 10" cut to donate and it's shoulder length now. I cut it this way now so it would match closely to my wig.

Just got my neulasta shot. I don't want to wait for pain to set in before taking meds-any thoughts?

OTD and emg, good luck in the Big Girls' Chair tomorrow. Will be sending positive thoughts your way! Keep us posted.

Robin, so glad you got in today!

((HUGS)) to all~

emq, I guess you start Friday, not tomorrow! My MO told me to start with Zofran, but I also have phenargan and Lorazepam; they will probably infuse you with anti-nausea also. So far, I haven't had any...I think Zofran can cause headaches.

Good luck!

Hi All,

I was diagnosed on 11-12-13 with Stage III invasive ductal carcinoma. I had my port placed a couple weeks ago and it has been very overwhelming since then with appointments and more testing. I begin chemo on 12-6-13 and am ready to begin but also very scared. I am 38 years old and I have 2 boys that depend on me. I am just scared I won't be able to be there for them as I have always been. I have the most wonderful husband that is willing to do anything and is planning on helping with everything but it is hard to possibly not be able to do the things that a mom does. I know what is best for them is for me to get well but I just worry. These discussions have been so helpful for me. It is interesting to have all this feedback on symptoms, hairloss and others treatment in general. It actually makes me feel a little less scared on chemo on Friday. Thank you and good luck to everyone. God Bless.

Atlbraves and Robin you are on your way sounding strong that is great!

Onetexasday I will be starting tomorrow with the cold caps as well sounds like a cold day!!! I practiced with it from our freezer and is was brutal it will be twice as cold tomorrow. I kept getting my hair stuck in the velcro today it is so dirty (2 days no washing) it was a little better. Let me know how it goes.

Emq2 good luck with the port.

Sounds like we might need to stock up on avacados.

Hang in there everyone we will all be on the other side soon and sharing SE. Courage to all.

Altbraves - I have the same no cap thing and its annoying.

Becky- I'm a single mom with a middle school student at home and my other child away at school. You can do this!! Post divorce I never thought I could manage raising kids without a husband but I was totally wrong. This will be strange new territory for awhile for all of you but kids are very resilient and they will adjust. It will probably be hardest on you more than anyone else. Try to cut yourself some slack that this is new and be reassured that a new normal will appear and it doesn't have to be all bad either!

First chemo tomorrow. This will be interesting,. Am I the only one here that doesn't have a port? I am really nervous about my poor veins. I will ice the IV spot after chemo in hopes of helping my vein. This is like going into labor, I may have a game plan, but all hell could break loose and my game plan could go out the window. With that in mind, I will take all the drugs and pain meds possible for a few days. I will keep you posted. I wish us all good health and strength to win this battle.

Kim

Kim - I don't have a port either. Everytime I get an IV, they miss on first try, but get it on second. It is like 2 IVs everytime. I meditate and go into my happy place when they insert them...seriously helps!! Scares the nurses because I am so quiet & still. LOL. I have started to tell them..."I'll be okay, I promise. You do your thing & I'll do my thing". I also Ice the site when I get home to cut down on bruising. Repeat catheters is tolerable every 3 weeks right now (although I had an additional one this week for my CT scan). I am considering a port for when my chemo goes weekly. But that won't be until late January & I want to be port-free over Christmas. Still time to consider it. Nurses are pushing it cuz I have poor veins too & only one arm they can use.

Tip: Keep your hand & arm warm until they try to catheterize. Ask for a warm blanket to wrap your arm in when you get to the chemo area. Wear warm mitts (not gloves...gloves isolate the fingrs and makes them colder. Mitts allow each of the fingers to keep the others warm. Kind of like huddling.) on your way there. Warmth allows the blood vessels to expand & make catheter easier.

Wondering if anyone has had an IV in the leg? I asked the nurse about that...she said it was possible, but didn't elaborate further.