October 2013 Chemotherapy

schoolcounselor, my weight gain is also because my focus during chemos is to elevate the blood count and was not too concerned about counting calories. My food has been filled with cLories: 3 bananas a day, two protein shakes with Glutamine, lots of potatoes and sweet potatoes for their nutirents, etc, oinc-oinc

lg - it is common for the new, but chemo-ed, hair to come in white at first, then establish some color.  I have colored my hair for an eternity because I have so much gray.  I was a blond child, but my hair darkened during college.  I have been blond again for a long time because it helps blend the gray.  This is the long way of saying I have never seen how gray I actually am until my hair grew out from chemo! It came back just as straight as it was, and my hairdresser cut it all off a couple of times right at the beginning because that hair was not at all healthy.  Plus, it helped because she shaped it so I did not look like a Chia Pet.  Here is a pic of it - it was taken about 3-4 months PFC, but I was still getting Herceptin so the growth was a bit slow.  You can see that I did not lose all my brows, but have extra eyeliner to compensate for sparse lashes.I also have TEs in this pic.  The next one was taken within the last week, not great quality but you can see my hair - I have had at least six inches cut off throughout the growing out process.

pam - I am glad - it is good for you all in the middle of treatment to see that things can be pretty normal again!

Vintage,

I have to laugh- I am on the east coast doing the west coast reg? ! I am dose dense with the Taxol as well. I am doing 4 treatments of Taxol every other week. dose dense. Biggest &*%# bag ever- wanted to throw up when I saw the chemicals, gag.

I love the stockings for the furbabies. I have a cat stocking for my cats as well. Mom always had stockings for our pets growing up. Great idea.

I have bone pain- two days after Taxol tx. Taking Tylenol and Claritin. Nausea is not as bad; still taking Zofran but am able to put it off a little longer.

Head- high five!!!

Team- absolutely love the nails. They are candycane sweet

I have been taking a B Vitamin on and off which my MO said was ok. Did not discuss the L-Glut powder. May be a good idea. Not sure about this bone pain. Hope it is tolerable.; NOT enjoying this achy achy stuff...Sorry I am rambling....

Nice to hear from you gals

Furfriend

BTW- I meant to ask about the nail & neuropathy with Taxol/Taxanes.

Should I be painting my nails because they are going to turn yellow,dark? Why does this happen and is this a common se? Two days after tx and I am already achy, achy- yea pretty much everywhere. Wondering if I am going to get out of bed in the am?

Be well gals

specialk- thanks for sharing! You look great!!! So jealous of your long hair. I haven't completely lost my eyebrows and eyelashes but they are def sparse. Wondering what color my hair will come in. I has a few grays up top but not too many thanks again for sharing

Thanks for the photos, SpecialK. It helps to see you looking so young and healthy. Gives me hope that the aging effects of this chemo will reverse themselves given time and patience.

that's right I need to get biotin now so I can start in a week. Is there specific brand that you would recommend?

It's so great to come home & read all your posts. Love seeing & hearing about HAIR! Love reading of those finishing up their treatments. And it is so "connecting" to read the issues you each are going through, how our SEs vary but how we all traveling this same long road.

SEs: I noticed some ankle edema first time today, the nurses & MO ask every week at chemo so I was keeping an eye on my ankles. My skin is horrid & my hands, eeek! Dry, old, wrinkled, no hand cream seems to help. So many SEs from A&C & Neulasta have subsided, & a few new ones from Taxol/Herceptin have arrived. The runny nose, sometimes with blood, continues (since Sept). The constipation has subsided, yay! Luckily for me nausea hasn't been a big deal but I do have the rx to take when I first feel queasy. The bone pain I get now from Taxol is mostly in my knees. Fatigue is my biggest SE, & being anemic isn't helping! I am sure you all have a long list of irritating SEs like me but hope we all get past the ones that really get us down!

back from MO...wbc is down at 1.1 and hgb is low too. No idea what neutrophil count is bc they had to do it manually bc it was low.

Feeling fatigued sigh...

uds, yes I love my min Schanuzer, I also have a min pin. They are too cute together!

SpecialK thanks for sharing- as always so informative. You look great!!! Could you clarify do you have to shave off all hair post chemo or just keep trimming it?

Hi ladies, just checking in! I always keep up with this thread even though I don't often post. You ladies are my sisters--fighting right along side by side--even if we have never seen each other!

A big whoot-whoot to those of you who have finished, or are about to finish chemo. I'm so jealous! Next week's infusion will be the halfway point for me so I still have a while to go.

I've had the stuffiness and the nosebleeds on the Herceptin like somebody else (vintage gal?) mentioned. I have been through boxes and boxes of tissues, let me tell you! My skin is really dry too. Lotion doesn't seem to help all that much.

I have a question for all you ladies who have tissue expanders now. Are you still having radiation after your chemo? I had a single mastectomy and TEs were never even presented as an option. I have to wait until I'm done with radiation. Of course, my re-diagnosis was all so stressful it was impossible to know what to ask.

By that point, I will have been lopsided for at least 8 months. Shouldn't complain, I know, but I'm a bit jealous of anyone who has something that will fill up a little of the flat chested-ness, whether it is is one side or both. I definitely plan to have reconstruction--I'm only 43.

Aargghh, I still get confused by all this and the process seems so long. On a good note, I returned to work this week after being out for 3+ months, it felt good to be back.

Hope everyone is well.

lgkde13, I think you're right. I am definitely having radiation after chemo. I'm sure this is a topic for a different thread but I was just wondering. It seems like so many here have TEs already. I'm such an impatient person that I want to be on to the next step already.

I also don't remember much from those early visits either. My BS was awesome and I know she explained everything, I just don't remember everything. My husband remembers a lot more than I did.

Macy, I have TE but not radiation. When OS and MO know you will be getting radiation they won't put TE. I am telling you, it is a pain every time they expand it, but like you said, it is comforting to see how you look normal and normal every time!

As a gift from me to me, I am getting a little big bigger than what I was, I was an A anyway. I think I will go to B or C, not bigger because I don't want for them to get in the way of my exercise and active routine once I get back to normal.

Hold on, you are in the race like all of us and you will be a winner! It is all about patience, something I am still learning...