February 2014 Starting Chemo Club

seaniebopp and others having Cytoxan/Taxotere chemo regimen -  Please come visit the chemo thread- Cytoxan Taxotere Chemo Ladies- February/March 2013 (http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topic/800978?page=88#idx_2632).  Ignore the title of the thread since this thread is still active and will continue to be active.  You have questions about this chemo regimen, please post there and you will find lots of support and hopefully answers to your questions.

Wishing each of you the best of luck here.  I know the anxiety that you feel but take comfort in knowing that there are many who have travelled this way before and can help support you and give you that extra push forward when you just feel like you can't go on.  Sending many (((HUGS))) and lot of positive, calming and healing prayers, thoughts and energy!!!  You gals can do this!!!!

jujubee83, I recognized Njmom, from another thread & read all the posts.

Remember everyone reacts differently to chemo, some ladies think it was relatively  easy. I did not.  My first  few treatments, when I started feeling better day 7 or 8, it was like getting over a bug, very hungry, wanting  to get stuff done, then felt great for 5-6 days before the next infusion. As the chemo treatments continue, it's accumulative & you do not snap back as much. 

They will give you anti-nausea meds..which can cause constipation. I think taking stool softeners are a must, but ask your chemo nurse.

I am 2 months post chemo, almost done with rads...not fun but we all stumble through it...

Good Luck to you all....

I was diagnosed in October of 2013 with Stage 1 ILC, was totally lucky with an annual mammography. My lymph nodes were clean. I had three lumpectomies before they were able to achieve clear margins. Next step was a mastectomy, but got the good stuff on the third try. I had a 17 Oncotype. My breast surgeon recommended chemo, and my onco said I could do without. I told him that I didn't want to look back three or five years now and say, "Oh, if only I had done XYZ." I looked at the odds and decided to go for the gusto.

My onco gave me a choice of CMF or TC. I decided to go with the TC, given the shorter time frame. My daughter graduates from college with her degree in nursing and I wanted to be done for her pinning ceremony in May, then we'll have a giant party.

I had my port put in on the 28th and had my first treatment on the 30th. I have to tell you, with all the stupid surgeries, that damn port is making me crazed. I got an allergic reaction to the bandage and it was very inflamed and they had a hard time getting my line started. Yesterday I got my Neulasta shot and did the Claritin as suggested. I feel some joint pain (mostly knees and hips), but at the age of 53, that's not so unusual anyway! It's not pleasant, but it's not debilitating either.

I am exhausted, but mostly feel ridiculously bloated. I got some diarrhea, a bit of nausea, all tolerable. Been drinking tons of water, ate brown rice and some fiber one bars the day before, of and after, and a good friend made me "chemo soup". She cooked black beans, fresh spinach and carrots together and then blended them together. It's high in fiber, protein and iron, so it's perfect. I warm it up in a mug in the microwave and eat it like a soup.

So good to meet you all!

Ladies:  Ask your MO about MUGard.  Here's the link.  http://www.mugard.com    My sister is a radiation therapist and was able to get me a bottle of this for free.  It made a HUGE difference in my mouth. I did not have any major sores.  Lots of time insurance won't pay for it, or your MO will not have heard of it.  The Co. will give you SAMPLES for free (which really will take you through the whole chemo treatment).  It's definitely worth inquiring about and BE A SQUEAKY WHEEL about getting it.

HI gals; I have asked a few of my chemo buddies to join this thread to help provide you with advice.  These gals are super smart and caring.  Hopefully, we will be able to help you get through this and give some resources you may have not thought about.  

Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers this week, ladies!

Hi Feb2014. I am one of kjiberty's gang of buddies. My last chemo was Jan 18, 2011! Yup I'm 3 years PFC (post final/friggin/funkin' chemo). 6 rounds of taxotere, carboplatin with a year of Herceptin and 5 years endocrine therapy.

Hair & Wigs and things. I hated my wig. It was too big. Don't purchase your wig until your hair had been buzzed or is really thinned out especially if you have thick hair. They did thin my hair but it wasn't enough. I preferred long scarves. I loved the ones from here (linky) because I could just machine wash & dry. Pull them out of the dryer and they won't need ironing. Remember your head most likely will be more sensitive so cotton is best. Even metallic threads can be itchy. Silk & some rayon will slide around w hen you walk so be careful of what you choose. Granted some people love their wigs. I found it itchy (get a wig cap) and hot. There are lots of videos on youtube on how to tie scarves in different ways.

Free hat/scarf stuff for cancer patients: http://www.goodwishesscarves.org/
This will be you before you know it. Linky to my hair growth. 1st photo on the right is just before surgery (did that first). 2nd from right is the day after my hair started to fall out. I cut it short, or at least it was short for me at that time. I mean look at me know . Then 19 days after 1st chemo. My hair is clean but much thinner and dead looking. Then me in my wig (wore it 2X that weekend and that's it). Me in my scarf after chemo ended followed by hair growth photos. Dates are in the lower corner: linky

Port Loved it. Took a while getting used to it once installed but it was great. Be sure to ask for a powerport just in case you need to do scans. My onc (ologist) wanted her patients to keep them in for 2 years because she said that's when you are most likely to reoccur (within the 1st 2 years). I did keep it the 2 years. No big deal.

Supplements be sure to tell your onc everything you are taking. There might be some that will not be recommended.

Side Effects (SE). Tell your onc about every SE you have even if you think it is minor or has gone away. THEY WANT TO KNOW. Keep a journal of when and what happened. You will forget by the time you go in. I just handed my list to her. I kept my journey in a word document. Don't assume you will get everything. Hell I didn't even get nausea one of the most common SE. I didn't notice an taste changes initially. They still were minor. I ate everything. I was working out at the gym the day after my 1st & 2nd chemo for 70 minutes on the elliptical/treadmill. Powerwalked outside after that because my gym is germy and didn't want to deal with people sweating on me.

Mouth Sores After my 1st chemo I got one on my tongue. My onc had me suck on ice chips during the Taxotere infusion. Never had another sore. It doesn't work for everyone but it did for me. You really need to have those ice chips though the entire infusion and some time after for it to work.

Biotene mouth wash, Floss, Soft toothbrush. Take care of your teeth and gums! Talk to your dentist. S/he can tell you more. Biotene helps with dry mouth. Dry mouth can cause more bacteria causing gum problems.

THE FIRST CHEMO yikes! Well it's a long boring day for most of us. They start injecting you for stuff and you wait for something to happen but it doesn't. You might get a little Benadryl buzz if you get that but that's about it.

FLUIDS everyone says water but actually all non-caffeinated, low salt liquids  count. That includes soup. You don't want to drink 4 gallons of water a day. That's way too much but if you include things like soups you won't mess up your electrolytes. 

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Will share more later but this should keep you busy. The song I would think of when going through chemo was this (get used to my strange dry humor. Only way to get through this is to laugh) I used to call the chemo room the "crack house": linky

Happy Chinese New Year. This was our surprise at lunch yesterday. Check out the link: linky

Hello all!  I am lucky to be one of kjiberty's friends and was invited by her to help on this thread as needed - love you girl!  We went through chemo together in March/April 2012.   You will become bonded to the ladies on this thread like no other, at least that was my experience.  It is one of the silver linings of going through all this sh*t!

I will subscribe to this thread and share what I know as topics come up.  The advice that comes to mind first in regards to chemo is you WILL recover and it WILL be over sooner than you know.   Hang in there ladies! 

I woke up this morning thinking I was feeling back to normal, but within an hour or so, had a mild headache, body aches and slightly upset stomach (chemo was on Wednesday). I powered through the day without any ibuprofen, did some grocery shopping and made dinner. Hoping to feel a little better tomorrow so I can work a full day. 

Njmom3 I had my 1st chemo the day after my port was installed. My port surgeon wanted to set it up the same day but they didn't have a room open. I met my port surgeon less than a week before he installed it. So maybe no delay?

mazie73 I had terrible heartburn with my first chemo. By the time I was on round 5 I was on 2 heartburn meds. Do not suffer. Ask your onc what you should take. If s/he tells you some kind of over-the-counter med and it doesn't work call back. I know Prilosuc (Prilosec) never worked for me, ever, even before chemo.

Njmom3 the day after my 1st chemo I was in the gym  working out on the elliptical/treadmill for 70 minutes. My chemo was on a Tuesday. That Thursday I took the bus down to the American Cancer Society. Granted I was pretty tired about 4pm but that's because of the Zyrtec. My onc had me on that the entire time. It took my body about a week to get used to that. I was also on Emmend night before through the day after chemo. I found it made my eyes blurry so I wouldn't drive till the following week. My most "intense" days were on the weekend.

Gardengirl66 I think I lost it when my port surgeon told me I was getting my port and starting chemo in 6 days. I didn't expect it to happen that fast. I too shed the tears. I went alone to that visit because I didn't think it was such a big deal. But when my chemo nurse came to arrange all this I lost it. I am not a crier either.

Kaluha my tumor was 6.5cm including the non invasive (invasive was 5.5cm). While I did not have ILC (Some LCIS in other breast though) I was HER2+, very fast growing. HER2+ seems to be able to spread through other pathways besides the nodes. Anyway I am still here and still NED (no evidence of disease). It's been 3.5 years since diagnosis. I was 49 at the time. 

Prognosis Smognosis. Seriously my chances of getting BC in the first place was 2%. I have seen women lower stages than me with less aggressive tumors get mets and women who were stage above me with lots of nodes still NED (no evidence of disease/remission). Don't get caught up in those numbers.

The great thing about doing chemo first is they can see the response. Many say they can even feel the response. And if there is no response they can give you something else. I had surgery first. I have no idea if the chemo worked or not.

BTW I too thought I was going to die when diagnosed. I've said it many times and your are not alone. Countless women feel the same way. Most of us do very well and remain NED/cured.  BTW I do have a friend that had a ton of nodes, ILC, ER/PR+ and is still NED. 

{{{hugs}}}

 I go in for my first infusion today at 3:30 (pst). I feel a lot more comfortable now after reading all the tips and posts. On my way out to do some necessity/theraputic shopping. And the DH wants me to put together a bag for him, smh, you'd think he was the one that's gotta sit in the chair lol. I was wondering what the claritin does? 

The Claritin is used to try to prevent any bone pain that one may experience after receiving a Neulasta shot.  The Neulasta shot is a white blood cell count booster that is is adminsitered at least 24 hours after one's chemo infusion.  There is a on going clinical trial investigating whether the Claritin does help prevent the pain.  Here is the link to that clinical trial ... http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01311336?term=claritin&rank=3.  According to the clinical trial protocal, one takes one regular 24 hours Claritin ( NOT Claritin D) for 7 days beginning the day that one receives the Neulasta.  With my onco's approval, i took the Claritin for 8-9 days and did not experience any bone pain related to the Neulasta shot. However, one can still experience muscle aches/joint pain from the chemo regimen.

As for Neulasta shot, it is an expensive shot that not all insurance companies will initially cover.  If you do receive the Neulasta shot, you may want to receive it in your tummy area.  I had my Neulasta shots administered in my tummy since there is a little more body fat there and because I didn't want a sore arm.  Since the shot is refrigerated, the administering nurse may ask you to hold the shot in your hand to warm it up.  Ask her to slowly administer the shot rather than a quick push since it may sting less.  You will wait about 20-30 minutes to see if there is any reaction.  The alternative to the one time Neulasta shot is a series of Neupogen shots which are given daily and can be self administered.  Neupogen is much cheaper than the Neulasta shot.

Hope this helps.....