Starting Chemo January 6, 2014

 Asb, welcome!  

This is the Brian Josephs product.  I mail ordered it, but Warrior_Woman and perhaps others were able to find better pricing in stores that they visited.  

http://www.brianjosephs.com/html/lash_brow_conditioning_gel.html

Hi everyone, I have not been a great message board participant... I seem to be getting a little sick of talking about it at this point.  I'm sure it's totally normal but I am wanting to have a semi normal day.  I have to think about something cancer related every time I reach for food, drinks, pick up my son because physically I'm still healing...yada yada yada so I have to stop talking with people about it to get a break.

Coming up on Friday I have my 2nd AC, not looking forward to feeling sick again.  Still having some digestion problems....can only eat half or less at a time or Im sick after. I lost ten lbs the first round, no bueno....I will be 70 lbs soaking wet, blah.  I tried sone alternative smoke the other night and I have to tell you ladies my upset tummy and abdominal discomfort completely disappeared!!  I was literally running out of flemings to get home because i was so ill.  I was completely shocked it worked so well especially after the horrible side affect from compazine...I think it made my treatment worse.

Sorry your hair is coming out tekwriter, just want to give you hug!

Carpevinum that just totally blows, here I am whining and you're on your 2nd cycle in a year...crazy fin cancer...you are in my prayers lovely lady.

Warriorwoman I felt like they took out my brain and bathed it in formaldehyde then popped it back in, blech.

Kuddos to the ladies heading to the office!

Thanks for the sharing and caring...I will try to keep up but the 2,5, almost 9 yr old are sucking me dry;))  xoxo

I found a place online that has it for 40. I will be ordering it tomorrow. I agree thin is better than none. I have always been complimented on my long thick lashes, I hate to lose them.

belleb

Sorry to meet under these circumstances

Ask about Claritin to help with the side effects of the neulasta shot. My chemo nurse told me to take it starting the day of the shot and for two days after. It is supposed to help with the bone/joint aches. I had one day of those about 5 days after my shot. I have read others who have taken it for 5 days. I think I might try that this next round to see if it helps.

Good luck with your first round.

lil

I am expecting the same any day now. My first treatment was two days after yours. I am also working and I think would go nuts if was not able to. I am a little worried since I teach middle school of being exposed to so much at work. I got thrush and a UTI after my first tx. 

I'm worn out and my back and leg muscles won't stop aching.  Otherwise things are chipper dandy.  

Hi everyone - I haven't been posting here much but I've been reading everyone's posts.  Hoping everyone is feeling better or is at least starting to feel better.  Had my first AC DD on 1-16-14 and while I was terrified of what was to come, I think I've been luckier than most with the side effects.  Haven't really had much other than a headache, dry mouth and some acid reflux.  Took Claritin and Aleve the day before chemo, the day of chemo and every day since so far and no side effects at all from the Neulasta shot. Of course, maybe I'm not out of the woods yet.  Everyday is something different it seems.   I'm given four anti nausea meds before the transfusion.  I know I received Emend, Decadron (sp?), and Ativan.  Can't remember the fourth one.  I've been taking Ativan since then and haven't had much nausea to speak of.  Of course, I'm starving and am eating everything in sight!!!!  Uggghhhh...just what I need.  I don't need to gain any weight.  I already needed to 20 lbs. before this crap started!!!

So I guess the next thing is hair loss.  Probably going to shave my head or at least buzz it short this weekend or sooner if need be.  Dreading that!!  Have a wig and bought a few Abbey caps.  Hope to not lose all my eyebrows and lashes.  Keeping my fingers crossed.  Good luck and Hugs to everyone!!!

Myra - totally understand what you mean about cancer fatigue.  I'm doing everything I can to try to maintain my "normal" life, and to avoid too much cancer talk.  One thing that I'm trying that will hopefully help with this is to designate bad weekends (those following chemo) as "my weekends" and good weekends (the alternate weekends that don't follow chemo) as "my husband's weekends".  On my weekends, I get to rest/relax/recover.  On my husband's weekends, he gets to plan whatever activities he wants for us, and unless I am physically unable, I will join him.  This weekend was his weekend, so we went boating, hiking, and watched football - a very "normal" weekend for both of us!

Good luck to everyone who is starting round two this week.  Thinking about those who are starting to experience hair loss, and keeping my fingers crossed that the cursed cold caps (hate them!) will do their thing for me.

 A couple of questions for the group:

- Is anyone going to individual counseling or a support group?  I'd be curious to hear about your experience.  Several people who have been through breast cancer treatment in the past recommended to me to start some sort of counseling/therapy sooner rather than later in the process, but it feels like just another thing to add to the list: cancer treatment, work/be successful at full time job, get regular exercise, cook/eat healthy foods, be a good wife/friend, *and* therapy?!?.  

- How do you deal with the deluge of people offering to help with something when you a) don't really need help and/or b) don't know what would be most helpful?  My MIL came out and stayed with us for a week after my first treatment under the guise of *helping* take care of me, and really just caused me a lot of unnecessary stress by (among other things) watching TV 24/7 (we only have one TV and it is normally on for less than an hour a day) and trying to tell me stories about all her friends who have had cancer -- one woman who had it FIVE TIMES -- not what I need to hear.  Is there a tactful way to just say no to family/friends?  

lawyergirl

I teach middle school so I have tons if colleagues and parents that want to help. I really didn't know what I needed help with. One of my friends has organized meals for my family through a website called takethemameal.com. I get to choose the dates I think will be most helpful and people who want to help can sign up online. I have meals coming twice a week through the end of my chemo. It has taken a lot off my mind. Even if I don't feel like eating I know my family is being fed, and most of the meals have lasted more than one night. I don't have to worry about food and my friends know that they helping.

Wow...just got caught up on everyone's posts. It's so wonderful to be able to "talk" to other women who are experiencing some of the same things you are (or might be). It's been almost 2 weeks since my first treatment and I'm feeling pretty good. The first week was crazy, something different every day, but things have calmed down and I'm cautiously optimistic that I will be O.K. till the 28th then I can do it all over again! Yay! (please read that as sarcasm). Today being day 13 I guess I can expect my hair to start falling out any moment now. I will miss it...it'll be cold without it...but I've done it once before, many years ago, so I guess I can do it again. 

God Bless All and remember...this too shall pass. 

I wanted to thank whoever for the recommendation for the lash and brow conditioner.  I'm definitely buying it!  The thought of losing my eyebrows and lashes is almost freakier for me than even my hair for some reason.  

lawyergirl- I've seen a counselor twice since diagnosis.  She works at the cancer center I'm being treated at.  The first time she helped me come up with a strategy for telling my kids (ages 10 and 7).  I found that to be really helpful.  The talk, which I was panicked over, went well and opened up good conversations with them going forward.  The second time I saw her was last week.  It was also really helpful because I just vented all my negative, terrified thoughts toward her.  I keep myself so "together" almost all the time that it was nice to be able to let it all out!  I found it helpful but if it just sounds like one more thing to add to your list I would not do it!  

katiegrey- So sorry you're feeling bad!  Hope it goes away quickly.  I'm due to start my first AC this thursday.  The waiting is so d*mn hard!

katiegrey

So sorry you are feeling like crap. 

Lawyergirl - I use the website Lotsa Helping Hands to help organize those that want to help. It also has a place for me to post updates. That way I don't have to tell the same story over and over again about how my treatment is going. 

Bird lover - My hair was to the middle of my back. I cut it shoulder link before my surgery then a pixie cut before I started chemo. But once it started coming out it (14 days after first AC) was better for me to shave it instead of having handfuls come out. 

hi ladies! This is my first post to this thread but I've been reading and following it from the start. Thank you for sharing all your experiences and suggestions. It's helped me to prepare mentally and emotionally for the next few months (as much as one can be prepared). I start my first TC treatment this Friday. I'm set to do 4 rounds 3 weeks apart, then tamoxifen for 5 years. My oncologist sent me for a second opinion last week. I think he wanted me to feel comfortable with his recommendations. Although it's a stage 1a cancer (on the threshold of a stage 2 at  2cm/ 1.5/ 1.5). I'm 37y/o and my oncotype score came back a 32. It a high recurrence risk. 21% with tamoxifen and cut to 14% with chemo added. The 2nd opinion MO actually recommended dense dose with TCA for an extra month. He said i could go that route if I wanted to go all out, but my local MO thought that it was unnecessary and we were being aggressive enough in treatment. Since there is no data to suggest a benefit of one over the other for 1a cancers, I decided to forego the extra risk and go with my local MO's recommendation. Has any one else come across this?

So jealous of who is feeling good enough to go to the gym!  Waaaah!  I still have my effin drain, 6 wks today...cant get my fluid down.  My port site was getting much better until my two yr old head butted it today, wowza!

Went to shave my legs today and noticed I barely had stubble from Saturday's....I have super thick hair so very unusual, suppose the mop is next.  Weird!

Feel better Katie, hope its not a tummy bug...I had a cyst burst 6 days after and was doubled over in pain for a day.  It had nothing to do with chemo.  

Welcome ladies!  Lots of good tidbits for SE here:))