Starting Chemo in December 2013

DJJ....you look kick-*ss!!!  

DJJ - You just brightened up my day.  My sentiments exactly.... you rock the t-shirt.

Lorreymom - I am sorry that your friend is faced with this.  It will help for her to have your shoulder to lean on right now.

Jennifersmom - I am sorry that your mom is having such a hard time.  I found my first round of chemo was the worst.  It takes a few days to get the medicine that you need figured out.  Make sure that she takes her anti nausea meds and pain meds as directed.  Don't hesitate to call the on call doctor if you think that she is getting worse or if the meds are not helping her.  

Kim

Jennifersmom - 

I wasn't familiar with the name granix, so I just looked it up.  Sounds like the neulasta you'll have seen ladies mention.  I did notice the most common side effect was bone pain.  I'm sorry for what she's going through, it can be really hard.  I spent a sleepless night after my first shot just crying and rocking on the couch.  My MO said the first round is the most painful, because it is actually causing her bone marrow to expand as it is pushed to produce more wbc's. Next round became less painful for most everyone, tho never pleasant.

 The Claritin does seem helpful.  I know it's too late now to hear this, but next time, have her start taking it a day before she gets the first shots. Not to late to start now, tho. 

Someone mentioned a hot bath, and heat did help me too.  I don't know where your mom has the most pain, but sometimes the neck/shoulder area is the worst, and a heating pad there and a very soft pillow can help.  She's getting a double trial right now, as I haven't had Taxol, but I've heard some of the other ladies struggling with bone pain from that.  

When she's strong enough, walking is helpful.  It's not what she'll feel like doing, but if she can push herself for even a very short walk up the block at first, a couple times during the day, it can really help.  Anything she can do is better than nothing.

I know it's hard to watch someone you love hurt.  May you have grace to get through these first days together. 

DJJ, shirt looks awesome and so do you!  I'm hearing mixed reviews on the Taxol cocktail....MO said as the treatments go on, the more fatigue will come.  Sounds like some are having some pain in joints, and fatigue?  I haven't had poison in me for 16 days, and I'm still needing an hour nap, but that may be because I don't sleep more than 6 hours.  I'm hoping the weekly low dose taxol doesn't put me down as bad as AC.

Mikes girl, I know what you mean, my own mom freaked out seeing my bald head yesterday, I laughed and told her " well mom this is how you first met me!"  Still have my lashes and brows, and I can imagine without them I'd look much more like a cancer person....oh how I hope they stay because I'm not good at drawing on eyebrows, I've mastered the eyeliner through out the years, but brows NOT.  I'm staying away from the magnifying mirror...don't want a close up of me right now!  

DJJ

You look AMAZING! 

Close up of my rocking wig.. There enough of me... 

Djj-you look great. So pretty with the scarf. I can seem to get the hang of scarves. I always look like an old timey maid or something so I stick with hats or wigs

Kimmie- I have a Raguel Welch wig also. Amazing how it looks like hair is coming from the scalp but mine itches so bad in front.

Had a fun weekend at an out of town lacrosse tournament with my teenage boys. Forgot about cancer some except for my head itchy like crazy from my wig

So far my Taxol experience goes like this....Thursday morning go to MO, get pre-meds, fall asleep, wake up to go home, eat something light, go back to sleep. Wake up around 6pm eat, float about for a couple hours, go to bed. Wake up with night sweats, get chills, go back to sleep, repeat every two hours. Friday, not too bad, just tired. Friday night neck ache starts, then back and progression of pain. Saturday is excruciating....the bone pain, headache, and muscle and joint aches are killer. Claritin did not work with neulasta and it is not working with Taxol/Herceptin....My Percocet is not even coming close to even, "taking the edge off." A breeze going past is painful, I can outline my bones with a trail of pain. My teeth even hurt when I chew, I know it is my jaw that aches, but it radiates. Sunday, I wake up after another night sweat filled evening, the pain is almost all gone. A couple of lingering sore spots, but really minimal. (At least the pain is shorter lived than neulasta.) overall not a bad day. I can concentrate again. Monday is a very good day even with waking up every couple of hours at night. Tuesday is physical therapy day, and that is good also. Wednesday I start stressing out because it is almost time to hit the repeat button on my cycle, and is just don't want to. I will hit it, and am hoping the pain is from the Taxol and not the Herceptin. I can suffer through 10 more rounds knowing there is an end in sight, but a year just is not feasible. Hoping my MO can pull something magic out of his medical bag to help with the pain.....

You ladies look amazing in your wigs and F*** Cancer shirts! I love seeing the pics, and hearing about the mini vacations and big time ones too! Hoping for minimal SEs for all of us as we head into another week of treatment together!

@kim I had a period with my last ac treatment, I was not impressed and it lasted like a week.  honestly one last thing I thought I had to deal with.  I have had some spotting since but no full on period.

I've had 2 cycles since starting AC :0(. MO said I may not stop with the chemo. I guess the Tamoxifen would do it though?? Anyone starting that right after chemo? I have rads after taxol and from what I understand MO will have me on Tamoxifen by then. 

I go for my 4th round of AC on Thursday and I don't think I am fully recovered from round 3. My heart races for no reason and I am out of breath just making my bed in the morning. I haven't had much physical activity these past few weeks just been more or less a couch potatoe due to feeling of exhaustion and a bit depressed and on top of that the weather has been damp and rainy so that also kept me at home. Now I am worried that this AC is taking a toll on my heart....the anxiety never ends....

Hi, 

My name is Maggie, I was diagnosed with stage 3 Her2+ in February of 2010. My tumor was 10.8 cm so I did chemo first (herceptin) for 12 weeks then A/C for 4 rounds every other week,(at which point the cancer was residual)  then I had a mastectomy, then radiation for 6 weeks. then more Herceptin for 9 months. I was put on Tamoxofin in 8/2010. Honest to God, except for hot flashes, which can be annoying but they never turned into night sweats and kept me up or anything. (I always considered them doable) I was fine. I took Tamoxofin until 11/13 when I was diagnosed with Metastasized breast cancer in my lung/abdomen area. (the doctor said this is common with my kind of cancer, and the good news is it took 3 years to spread so is not fast moving). I am going to join a metastasized group on here because what I am going through can be very scary. Being told I am stage 4. That I will be treated but never cured. The good news is, I feel like I have the best Onc in the world and she knows exactly what she is doing. She said to me that this is not a death sentence, that she is giving me quality of life. that I may need to be treated a few times but It is not going to kill me (thank You God.)  

Maggie, thanks for sharing your story.  So glad you have an MO that you trust. You have a great attitude-that goes a long way in this battle! Wishing you the best with your treatments.

Haven't had much time to jump in the last few days, but I'm reading and rooting for you all!  

Charusa, I did want to mention that your MO can order an echocardiogram to see how your heart is holding up to the Adriamycin.  I just had one last week for that reason.  Turns out for me, I'm one of the 8% who get severe shortness of breath with Taxotere, one of my drugs.  It lasted about 3 or 4 days, then stopped.  But he ordered the echo to make sure, since it could have been my heart instead.  If your shortness of breath/racing heart have been a persisting thing, maybe you could ask him for that before you do your next treatment?

No periods for me since I started. I don't know your ages - is it related to that at all? I'm 49 and was already having some perimoenopausal symptoms, so they said it'll probably send me into permanent menopause.  

Robin, one of these days we'll have to meet halfway for coffee!  Your effects sounded yukky…then I started to cheer for you, thinking okay, just a few days and it gets better… then I remembered you're on weekly cycles, not 3-week cycles!     I hope your body bounces back more quickly next time, so you can have some good days before you go again.  

DJJ & Kime - you look beautiful!  

Thanks Maggie for posting. You have a great attitude!

First chemo I had a 12 day period, second chemo had a lighter 5 day period my MO said I was probably done and 3rd chemo nothing and nothing since. I do get hot flashes and I wake up at night with my bald head sweating several times. I never sweat under my arms anymore. 

I didn't get the rash on my face this chemo but on my hands. Feel's like my knuckles are burned and raw. better than my face though