Cytoxan Taxotere Chemo Ladies- February/March 2013

wrenn, is it rash? Do you see if it is where the pores are! I had that and  head&Shoulders helped a lot!

Momat, I am reading the thread from the end up. I sued Head&Shoulders Original. I don't remember who shared that information before. It helps a lot. Also, use some Peroxide, just clean the area with a damp cotton ball. The pores get dirty now that you don't have hair. Try to wash your scalp often.

kli, are you using Biotene mouthwash? It helps with the tongue issue.

Momat -- when my hair fell out, I had a lot of bumps, I think they were irritated hair follicles.  It used Cortisone cream on some itchy spots, and used a washcloth on my head for a little exfoliation.  MO nurse told me to be sure not to use any soap or shampoo with any perfumes in it (no baby shampoo, for example), and she suggested Aveeno products, particularly the ones with oatmeal.  I ended up using Aveeno Calming Cleanser on my head, which seemed to not irritate the bumps, and dove soap everywhere else.

thank you everyone.  Great advice & suggestions.  Momat927

QuirkyGirl, I know you are right that being in one position is not good for muscle/joint aches. I move from bed to kitchen chair to recliner to computer chair to bed to recliner to bed, etc. After chemo started in late October, I just can't be in one position for very long day or night before something hurts, especially in the first week. Walking and working out at the gym helps, but sometimes (too often!) I'm too beat for that.

But now I think my right shoulder "rotator cuff" (?) problem got started right after my lumpectomy in late September, before I got my new recliner and could only sleep comfortably in bed on my right side. By the time I realized my right shoulder wasn't right, I'd started chemo and that has just made everything worse.

I am heartened that your issues resolved themselves, and hope mine will go away after chemo stops aggravating the situation. In the meantime, I'm seeing a physical therapist on Monday, and hope she can give me some exercises that might help. I'd like to think I could DO something about the shoulder pain -- which keeps me up at night and tired in the daytime -- instead of just waiting around for chemo to end. (Patience is not one of my virtues!)

Wrenn:  NEVER feel silly.  I would have floundered w/o all the tips & tricks & support from BCO.  All of us suffer from different things at different times but we sure can empathize & hold everyone in our thoughts!!

i don't think i could have got through any of it without my group therapy girls.  This has been the greatest support i have ever had and i have 4 sisters and many great people around me but here is where I feel at home. To see such compassion from women at their very worst is mind boggling. You all deserve the best after this nightmare ends. 

kli, my Mo recommended probiotics for thrush this time, but ended up getting a RX bc they weren't helping. I would let your MO know before the week-end.

Stay warm and safe this week-end, ladies!

OK question for you all-

What is the difference in having one treatment vs. 2 or 3 or 4 or 6????  Has anyones MO said why the 4 or 6???  And Wrenn- did yours say what your benefit was from having one treatment of TC??

I am actually considering NOT doing number 4...I probably will, but just wondering why each one and supposedly the magical number of how many treatments is magical..???

Audra -- I had only a half treatment for tx 4 (had the C but not the T) because I had a pretty severe allergic reaction to the T that was getting worse with each treatment.  MO said the only reason they do 4 is because originally, they did four.  So someone has to do research about the comparative effectiveness of three tx, and in the US it is hard to do that research because people don't want to take the chance that they don't get enough.  It is possible, he said, that a country with socialized medicine will undertake the study with older patients (some health insurance systems go with less adjuvant treatment for older patients) and 5 years from now we may know that 3 treatments, or 2 treatments work just as well.  Right now we don't have the evidence to depart from the normal regimen.  That said, in my case it would have been dangerous to give me more Taxotere, and seemed risky to substitute another drug when we don't know how I would react.  So risks outweighed the potential benefit IMO, and my MO said he was comfortable with that.  Hope that helps your thought process -- it is a hard decision, but you have to do what is right for you.

Hello All my Warrior Ladies!  

I was told my treatment schedule at first it was 4 days a week for 4 months then I got switch for 4 treatment every 3 weeks based on test scores.  

Make sure you put conditioner on your scalp it helps and leave it in for 10-30 seconds.  Some lades have told me Head and Shoulders works.

As for the lack of sleep I use children's liquid Benadryl.  Since I"m allergic to most other sleeping aids. Also, get a wedge pillow if you don't have a recliner. For the leg pain, joint pain I found putting pillow between my knees helps. 

For the mouth issues Biotene is great and baking soda and salt water rinse too. I found getting a water pick helped out as well.  

SchoolCounselor- I found Claritin to work better for the shot then claritin.  Also for the peripheral neuropathy, the B6 300 mg seems to help me. I couldn't walk or hold things on my left side until I went rogue and took it.  There are tons of research articles saying it helps with chemo patients. University of Chicago has some good data on it.  It is water soluble so you will flush it out. 

Wrenn- vent we are here to listen and give advice.  For the rashes I just try to use a cream aquafor I think works well.  

I do themes on chemo, because the only thing I can control is where I wear and my attitude.  Trust me Chemo is no easy joy for me so many issues.  The allergic reactions, mouth sores, thrust, the peripheral neuropathy, bloody nose, ears, and stools, heartburn from hell, lack of sleep. and not being able to breathe. I get up everyday and force myself to do 15- 30 minutes of exercise. If I can't walk I get on a bike.  Something to get me going. I find inspiration in others. I see Chemo as a battle and I won't want it to win.  I call it my dark months. I have seen the damage it did to the women in my family.  I'm stubborn when it comes to letting it take me down.  There are days I can't get out of bed and get up and do the 15 minutes at least. 

 As for the costumes Amazon.  My last chemo I want to do something fun.  I would love to do the Sound of Music, but I would have to make them.  The secretary ladies at the infusion center mention Marilyn Monroe and JFK.  Since the last treatment will be hubby and me.  The Wizard of Oz people will dress up to visit some kids in chemo.  Someone on Facebook PM us asking if we would come and we are going to schedule it.  As for my other appointments I wear goofy hats.  We must find some smiles in the world of cancer.  I think I got this from my mother when she went through cancer at 33 when I was 6 years old. She always wore something funny.  I think she did it for me, but she is dead now I can't ask her why. 

I think I will need to change MO at the end of chemo. This is what happen today:

just got back from the Otolaryngology (throat doctor), turns out I'm having allergic reactions to chemo. The doctor was very nice and mention that my MO (medical oncologist) should have realized that information given the chemo I'm taking meaning Taxotere. I told him she did not believe me, hence why she made me come to him now. Otolaryngology along with his other doctor and PA both said I'm her outlier and patients on this chemo do have allergic reactions and she should have believed her patient. Every patient has different issues with chemo. He told me I should have been getting steroid before, during, and after each chemo and Benadryl with each chemo. I told him yesterday was the first time the nurse stop my chemo and gave me Benadryl. He also mention of me taking an Epinephrine injection. Great more needles. So my last chemo, I will see him immediately after chemo to make sure we aren't doing permeant damage to my throat. Then I will meet with him 4 weeks after that chemo. I thank God for the nurse who gave me Benadryl because if she hadn't done that I might have been at the ER with a track tube so I could breathe. The otolaryngology said, that saved me from further damage. Today I have a fever and sore throat, which hurts to talk or swallow, but my breathing is better. Other side note: yesterday during chemo I meet a patient who had my MO and she dump her for the same reasons, would not listen to her about her side effects and told her she was have other side effects. I think after my last round of chemo I will be changing medical oncologist. You got to love the unknowns with each cancer treatment. On a positive note I feel like I won a small victory in my treatment plan.

Keep on fighting warriors. Vent when needed, go outside and scream, and laugh and hug each day.  

Fairy-Dog:  I had a prescription for steroids (Decadron) to take 2 the day before chemo, 2 the day of chemo & two the day after chemo.  Worked like a charm - although it sure made me hyper awake.  I only had Benedryl the first infusion.  I agree, you need a new MO if yours isn't listening.  Good luck.