October 2013 Chemotherapy

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  • MsJean63
    MsJean63 Member Posts: 42
    edited March 2014

    Hi Wednesday Gals,

    I'll be thinking about you tomorrow.  I start my first of 12 weeks of Taxol.  I was told I probably won't need Neulasta like I did after the AC.  I started a heart event recorder yesterday that will last 30 days, because they can't explain the heart palpations I got with the AC.  Ekg electrodes attached for 30 days, damn i was hoping for a 24 hour holter monitor.  I wasn't given the option of dose dense Taxol, guess I'm on the east coast protocol.  I take so much comfort in not being alone on this journey.  I don't post much, but I read this blog several times a day and even get a little disappointed when someone hasn't posted in awhile.  Goodnight ladies, we've made it through another day.

    SuckBC my MO said no to L-glutamine.  She didn't think there was enough evidence to support it.  That said a friend who went through this two years ago recommended it, because her nurse told her to take it.  Maybe i'll ask my nurse tomorrow?

    Jean

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  • Headeast
    Headeast Member Posts: 619
    edited December 2013


    jean, I understand Adryamicin has some SE related with the heart. Did your MO mention that to you? I am doing Taxotere and Cytoxan because of that reason.

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  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited December 2013

    I took 30g of (powdered) L-Glutamine, 100mg of B6 and 1500 mg of Acetyl L-Carnitine to ward off neuropathy caused by Taxotere, all approved by my onc.  I came to him and asked if I could take it, it was not suggested to me by him.  Chemo-induced neuropathy from taxane drugs can be permanent.

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  • TeamKim
    TeamKim Member Posts: 568
    edited December 2013


    image


    Furfriend -- I am SO looking forward to Christmas! I couldn't taste anything, and DS was not coming home, so we didn't have Thanksgiving. To boot I spent the weekend itching my hives from tx3...... By the time Santa arrives, I will be DONE with chemo (best gift ever! that DONE!). To remind myself, I spent Thanksgiving doing my nails (needed to cover up the yellowing from TC) -- here's a photo.


    My MO suggested L-glutamine, but said no to D3 and all other vitamins. So I am sprinkling l-glutamine powder on everything and hoping that will head off the neuropathy.


    Have a good night -- and Wednesday gals, prayers for minimal SEs!

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  • wrenn
    wrenn Member Posts: 2,707
    edited December 2013


    Love the nails and love that you are almost done Kim

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  • SchoolCounselor
    SchoolCounselor Member Posts: 452
    edited December 2013


    cute nails!!! I think I'm addicted to Benadryl I can't fall asleep without no matter how hard I try!!

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  • VintageGal1111
    VintageGal1111 Member Posts: 705
    edited December 2013


    I haven't thought about taking it. I just had my third Taxol & of course they ask about neuropathy often. It does help many?

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  • VintageGal1111
    VintageGal1111 Member Posts: 705
    edited December 2013


    FurFriend2


    Side effects are less for me with Taxol, the A&C plus the Neulasta shot was rough but it was every other week so I had a few bad days but many good the 2nd weeek.


    Now with Taxol weekly my real good day is Tuesday chemo day then the day after. The rest are achey but mostly the fatigue is what gets me afternoons. (but I am anemic too) Sometimes overwhelming. I don't drive other than early morning, don't trust myself. So I am missing out on a lot, can't get to the shop when I want nor the evening auctions for my business.


    As far a Christmas, I will start some decor today. We don't have a big family, no kids, so all adults that really don't need or want any gifts. We pick one name & also do a silly secret santa yankee swap.Since we don't have grand kids our morning is with the dogs & cats & watching them with their stockings! They do get excited!

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  • Headeast
    Headeast Member Posts: 619
    edited December 2013


    VintageGal, the stockings for your kids (dogs and cats) are a great idea! I will copy you! My dogs never had stockings so this year I will paint their names on them.

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  • Headeast
    Headeast Member Posts: 619
    edited December 2013


    Getting ready to leave my house to have to last TC!


    To the Wednesday ladies: may the SE will be none!


    This week I have gained 5lbs, is that ok? I am now 32 lbs over my weight since all this started!



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  • SchoolCounselor
    SchoolCounselor Member Posts: 452
    edited December 2013


    Yea head!!!! I won't get on the scale anymore...too depressing!

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  • lgkgde13
    lgkgde13 Member Posts: 164
    edited December 2013


    me three! I can't stand it anymore. The extra weight and bald head is depressing!!

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  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited December 2013

    Hate to tell you but the first hair that grew back was the menopausal mustache - so I was fat, bald and had a mustache!

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  • wrenn
    wrenn Member Posts: 2,707
    edited December 2013


    smooth sailing thoughts for those in the chair today. Xo

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  • Pam358
    Pam358 Member Posts: 294
    edited December 2013


    SuckitBC - I'm taking the L-glutamine. I read about it and then asked my MO and he said it was OK. I started it yesterday for my treatments starting today. There is no taste to the powder so I just mix it in with some gatorade.


    Furfriend - I think I'm looking forward to Santa because it will mean that two more treatments will be in the rearview mirror.


    Headeast - congrats on the last TC today!


    Taking my pre-chemo Dexamethasone wasn't as bad as I was thinking it would be, I was actually able to sleep after my 12:30 dose. The pleasant side effect is that it helped with my aches and pains.


    Braving a snowstorm to get to chemo today......oh the things we do!


    Good luck today and the rest of the week to my fellow chemo warrior sisters!!

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  • lgkgde13
    lgkgde13 Member Posts: 164
    edited December 2013


    specialk - great :) something to look forward to lol

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  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited December 2013

    lg - you just have to laugh at it, otherwise it would seem a bit tragic, lol!  It came back fast too - I was surprised!  It seems a bit finer so it is easy to remove.  The good news is that my hair is now almost as long as it was when I was diagnosed - much longer than my avatar pic which was taken in April, and I have cut it a bunch - I just measured it and it is 9" from the root.  It was a bit slow to grow back because I was on Herceptin, but all of the things that were affected by chemo - hair, nails, lashes/brows, skin, etc. - are all good now. 

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  • SchoolCounselor
    SchoolCounselor Member Posts: 452
    edited December 2013


    LOL Special K, thanks I just laughed with lentil soup in my mouth...not pretty.


    Be careful Pam I saw all the snow coming down on TV!


    Head, you must be feeling ancy!!


    I had an interesting day this morning. I hopped into my car and realized that my car battery was dead. So I did what any other person would do. I sobbed in the driveway. Tried to jump it and it did not work. Cried some more. Called my mechanic, cried on the phone . Anyone see a theme here.... Long story short, my mechanic who know I have BC sent another mechanic to come jump my car. I now have a new battery...all is well in the world.

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  • TeamKim
    TeamKim Member Posts: 568
    edited December 2013


    Head -- D-O-N-E -- !!!!! Congrats sweetie! Doing the dance of joy with you... May the SEs pass quickly and mildly and leave you watching the mirror for hair growing in. :-)

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  • lgkgde13
    lgkgde13 Member Posts: 164
    edited December 2013


    Specialk- can't wait for it to grow. The few hairs I do have are all different lengths . It looks pretty pathetic. Did yours come in different color or curly?


    Schoolcounselor- sorry about your battery. I know how one little thing sets us off but happy they came to help you :).

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  • lgkgde13
    lgkgde13 Member Posts: 164
    edited December 2013


    forget to mention I starter some wheezing today along with the fuzziness, like sinus pressure issue and overall fatigue. Called MO and they want to see me tomorrow for counts and look me over. They have me on zpack as well.

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  • naiviv
    naiviv Member Posts: 535
    edited December 2013


    Hello all,


    A friend had her mastectomy with TE's today. All went well. She is now in her room resting. Here is something I learned today.


    My friend had a previous lumpectomy about 10 years ago with no further treatment. She basically found lump at the same time I was dx. She had IDC 6cm and positive nodes at least 3 per MRI and biopsy and palpable. She is a triple N. Her breast tumor was large and she had her chemo first. Chemo was AC dd x4 followed by T dd x 6 . This is what I learned. For her the chemo shrunk breast tumor 90% and the nodes were no longer paplable before surg. She had sentinal node biopsy and the node was negative. So she kept all of her other nodes. I mentionion this because at times some persons ask which should come first chemo or surgery. Chemo first may be a way to spare nodes. (possibly)???


    On a crazy note....My hair is growing...I have fuzz all over my head(longer on top), privates...I feel light stubble on legs and I had 2 chin hairs that drove me crazy...(I had laser years ago but they were white already and didn't die) ...They are back... I grab hair and it hurts, not coming out like before....... Any ideas???? Is it temp and will fall again? Is it possible that it is growing back??? here come paranoia...Is chemo not working???


    V

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  • MsJean63
    MsJean63 Member Posts: 42
    edited March 2014

    One Taxol down.  Got four pre-meds.  Included were benedryl, pepcid, zofran, and dexa???.  Nurse said we can cut benedryl in half next time since I didn't have a reaction to the stuff in the Taxol and I was slurring my words when she came over to talk to me.  Took a xanax before I left the house, so that with the benedryl made me very happy.  WBC was high, but my RBC dropped, which is expected.

    Headeast-yeah we talked about "rare" heart issues with AC, but my heart scans came back good and I don't have a family history, so I went with ACT.  My obgyn was adamant about not doing the AC, my MO would have suggested ACT, until my Oncotype came back at 14, then she was OK with TC, but left the decision up to me.  One of my worst weekends trying to decided which chemo to go with.  ACT is still an accepted protocol for my diagnosis, so I stuck with it.  Only time will tell, if I made the right decision, but I can't worry about something that might not happen.  Worry about today today and tomorrow tomorrow and forget worrying about any day after that, because it never turns out as expected.  This was supposed to be the best year of my life, I retired from a job I struggled with for 25 years, was supposed to get married, and move back to my hometown.  I got BC for my 50th birthday present.

    Enough venting, you and I made it through another day and that's all that matters.

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  • MsJean63
    MsJean63 Member Posts: 42
    edited March 2014

    Naviviv-i asked the MO about hair growth today, I never lost my facial hair, mustache, side burns, lashes and brows all stayed.  Plus the hair on the back of my head is still growing, its white but its still growing, little stubble on my legs, not growing.  My MO said that some hair follicles are tougher than others and it doesn't mean the chemo isn't working.  

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  • Headeast
    Headeast Member Posts: 619
    edited December 2013


    TeamKim, yes, it is D-O-N-E!


    I did my happy dance with my nurses. My MO will see me again in three months and I will start Tamoxifen after the third or fourth week. He said to start it when I feel I don't have SE from chemo, like fatigue. He already gave me prescription.


    He also told me that the gain weight is because of the steroids, that is fluid retention and hormones because of chemo induced menopause and that it will go away.

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  • wrenn
    wrenn Member Posts: 2,707
    edited December 2013


    Congratulations Headeast. You did it. Yay. I hope the side effects are minimal xoxo

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  • lgkgde13
    lgkgde13 Member Posts: 164
    edited December 2013


    Headeast - congrats!!!!!

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  • Viji
    Viji Member Posts: 195
    edited December 2013


    Good for you headeast! Hang in there the rest of you...


    SpecialK your description made me laugh but that is the reality, see it everyday when i look in the mirror.

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  • travlmom
    travlmom Member Posts: 90
    edited December 2013


    Congrats Headeast!!!


    I went in for bloodwork and herceptin today. My potassium is increasing but my magnesium and hemoglobin is down - so I go back in the morning for infusions of both - ugh. I really hope I feel better after this.


    My MO is cutting my Taxotere potency by 20% due to neuropathy in my hands. Is anyone else having issues like this?

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  • SchoolCounselor
    SchoolCounselor Member Posts: 452
    edited December 2013


    Congrats Headeast!!!! Also great to know that the weight gain will leave. I made an appointment with a nutritionist at the cancer next week. Curious to know how nutrition will factor into prevention and weight loss.

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