Starting Chemo in March 2014

Hi all! I am telling you, the best advice I read on here lately was to take a long hot bath with some bath salts. For everyone out there that hasn't done that yet, please do. I have had HORRIBLE stomach pain as my main side affect along with general body aches, and the bath made it all go away for a bit. I honestly didn't want to get out, I could have slept in there for hours. Has anyone else experienced bad stomach with this? Mine has been terrible, they have to give me something for that next time or I may just go insane.

Kiwilady,  I think this just hits us at random times and there's nothing we can do about it except just let it out. I am glad I read your post because I was going to call my insurance company, so good to know that I may need a code.

Nina, I love the passion! It just shows me that even though we don't even really know each other, we now have a bond and a sisterhood here.

Lets all try to have a great weekend! 

the bath was the only thing that saved me!   It was the onIy thing I made sure I did everyday!!  am so glad it was helpful Lovemyboysandlab:) after my first TX I got horribly constipated. And trying to go and not have the energy sucks!! (()) we can all battle this together!!!

I can't remember if I have introduced myself. I am 31 and was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma on January 2, 2014. Happy New Year!!! I was told I was likely stage 1, maybe stage 2. Fast forward to 3 weeks post-op from a bilateral mastectomy on Valentine's day, or V-day for Victory as I like to think of it, and I am actually stage 3. They found my tumor to be 2.4 cm, found a second one at 0.5 cm, DCIS in 4 blocks of my breast tissue, and 6/15 lymph nodes affected. boooo. I had a PET scan on Monday to make sure I was not actually stage 4. I got the results the following day (so to the gal who was told to wait 7 days, call them out on that!!) and the scan was thankfully clean. Never thought I would say that I am happy to have stage 3 cancer! It's all relative I guess.

I am scheduled to start chemo on 3/18. 12 weeks of AC, followed by 12 weeks of TCH, followed by 6.5 weeks radiation, followed by final reconstruction with implants 6 months after all that. plus the year of herceptin and 10 years of tamoxifen since I am triple positive.

It's been a tough week waiting for the PET scan results and some other stuff. I went wig shopping with my sisters and mom and didn't think it would be that hard because I didn't think I was too concerned about losing my hair, but alas, I totally lost it looking at wigs. The funny thing is that my problem with them is that they are all so polished and stylish and I am one to barely brush my hair, let alone wash it (it's not that gross, I swear - I have curly hair and it looks better unwashed). I just got so upset that I can't just look like myself and instead have to pay a stupid amount of money to look like someone else. 

I also got my first expansion yesterday and totally lost it. I only felt the needle prick and the pressure on the chest, but it was so traumatizing. I cried and hyperventilated, which seems to be the norm these days with me and procedures. I have my port placement on Wednesday and can only imagine what a mess I will be for that. I finally gave in and accepted a prescription for ativan...

Anyway, hi to my fellow March chemo gals...looking forward to helping you, crying to you, and hopefully doing some laughing too!

Hello ladies, I was recently dx with ILC, I am doing neoadjuvent therapy, I start on Cytoxen and Taxotere on March 14. I'll be getting it every 3 wks x 6 rounds, then a month off followed by lumpectomy and removal of lymph nodes, then radiation and 10 yrs of hormone therapy. Glad to have found this thread, the others have helped me so much to this point. It'll be nice to have someone to go through it all with (tho I wish none of us had to be here at all.) And all the helpful hints from the veterans…. One day at a time…we'll get through it.

I am going to the Look Good Feel Better Class on Monday and I think it will be a good thing. Mainly because you can connect with others in the same situation. But I hear that the makeup is pretty nice, even give you Lancôme! 

Hi NadiaT and Genny, welcome to the group. As we all say, sucks that you have to be here, but this is a great support group.

Nadia, I feel like you do. They told me that I have a Stage II-III (not 100% sure because I am doing chemo before surgery and the only way to tell for sure is with surgery) but they have officially staged me as a III because they would rather stage higher and treat it more aggressively. I too had the PET scan  and I was a BUNDLE OF NERVES to say the least. All I could think is that every symptom I have ever had from headaches to stomach issues were due to cancer. So when I got the results back and it showed only the breast cancer, I was actually happy. Imagine that, happy to have breast cancer! 

Ironically, I wrote in my husband's birthday card in January ( before I knew I had BC), that this would be the best year ever for us, I could just feel it. Can you believe that? I have to wonder if maybe it will be a good year for other reasons, aside from the illness. Maybe it will bring me closer to others, push me to do more for me, bring my husband and I closer. Also one more ironic thing, the Happy New Year balloons that I bought for my kids on NYE are STILL FLOATING. I was going to go ninja on them and cut them apart with a knife, but I decided to let them float. They are my inspiration that at the end of this year I will have a good outcome to celebrate.

Kris, I'm glad your first infusion wasn't all that bad..I'm so happy for you!  It also gives me hope for mine next week because I'm starting to really freak out.

The stomach pains and constipation are something I am worried about; I got the flu shot and my colon was paralyzed for 2 months which is why I went to the Mayo in the first place and they just happened to find the breast cancer....

I saw a post about not eating things like apples, spinach, broccoli and things like on TX but I never heard that....can you explain?  Is it because of insecticides, etc.? 

Hi, Nadia and Genny...... Genny, I will be starting the same chemo as you on the 13th so we will be really closely together on this!

 Thanks!

Good morning, gang! And welcome to the n00bs - I'm sorry you've been stung by the cancer bug and have to have chemo, but at least you picked the very best month ever to start :-)

Lovemyboys, aren't baths AWESOME? And the salts really, really help. If you find you're developing dry skin from the chemo, definitely think about taking an Aveeno oatmeal bath as well. Your skin will feel brand new afterwards. In fact, let's all just all agree to live in the bathtub from treatment to treatment. Nothing bad ever happens in the bathtub, unless you're Glenn Close in "Fatal Attraction", but she absolutely had it coming to her.

AKJ, I passed on ACT for the same reason. With left breast radiation, that 1% benefit from ACT just didn't look appealing at all. I know we're nowhere near talking about rads yet, but when we get closer, definitely check to see if you can get your rads in the prone position. It eliminates the need to block the heart for the most part.

Made my call to the first oncologist, and I'm all set to party with Captain Chemo on Wednesday, March 11. I hope the Captain is a gentleman. I hope he treats me well and doesn't make me cry. I hope he knows that if he makes me cry, I will not hesitate to punch him the 'nads because I hate crying and I'm clearly a little temperamental right now, lol. 

Also, look at how cute Mom2B is. Look at her. You have the best husband, because he takes you to wineries. He's also obviously incredibly smart!

Going to the salon on Sunday to start the process of saying goodbye to the 22" of hair on my head. I'll post pics of me including the wig once my stylist has cut it and made it more at home on my head. Have a great day, everyone! xoxo

My MO and Chemo Nurse only conditions on eating were no restaurant salads. They were fine with me making my own if I washed everything properly. Sushi is ok, from a reputable place only. Made fresh, no supermarket takeout versions. Otherwise they told me to eat as per normal, as my stomach/tastebuds can tolerate.

Welcome to the newest additions. So glad you found us here, wish you didn't have to and hoping for the best for us all.

Mom2B - you look fantastic. Thanks for sharing your pics with us.

Nina - good luck for chemo next week and would love to see the pics of the hair cut and wig!

I'm going to try and find a Look Good Feel Better class around here, do you just call to register? Also, seems like I might need to jump on the bath train, since it seems to be doing folks a lot of good!

I was told no food with added antioxidants or probiotics, glad to know about the sushi, at this point in time I love it. I did not know about restaurant salads, that makes sense, though, I think I will avoid that.

Hi, I am really happy to have found this group.   I too had my first round of AC this past Tuesday, March 4th.  So far, I haven't really had any terrible side effects...just some fatigue (but not too bad) and some stomach cramping which seems to be alleviated by taking a tablet or two of Senecot S which my Oncologists recommends as a stool softener.  Like you, xrayalli, my breast cancer journey has been a confusing one.  My lump was found by mammography in November and was confirmed to be breast cancer right before Thanksgiving.    I had a lumpectomy and a Sentinel Node Biopsy on December 20th and although they did not expect to find any node involvement....of course they did.  3 out of the 4 removed showed cancer.  So it was back to surgery for an Axillary Dissection where they found 3 more nodes infected out of 17.  So what started as an 8mm tumor turned out to be a lot more problematic with node involvement.  My pathology shows very slow growing, non aggressive cancer so they believe it's been there for a long time.  UGH!  So that is why they are going with the ACT.  Such a crazy journey.

I am now anticipating my hair falling out about a week from Tuesday.  I keep going back and forth on the wig.  I cannot decide if it is worth it, but I think I will go for it.  I imagine most of the time I will be wearing hats and such, but I am sure it will be good to have a nice wig for when I actually want to look halfway decent. 

It will be nice to have women to share with who are going through the same thing at the same time.  Good luck to all of you beautiful, strong women!

Hi MedicMom....are insurance companies truly mandated to cover a wig up to $350?  I wasn't even going to try to get reimbursed because I have heard it is so difficult.  I do not see why they cannot help. I am going to give it a go!  Thank you!

Hi March gals! Sorry we're a little late jumping in here, but we
wanted to provide some helpful links, starting with the main
Breastcancer.org site's section on Chemotherapy, including info on what to expect with chemo, types of chemo meds, and side effect management. Also, the Treatment Side Effects section is a great resource for tips to help manage any side effects you may experience.

There are some really helpful key threads here in the Chemo forum too!
Great tips and practical advice on the following discussion board
threads:

• Tips for getting through chemotherapy
• More Tips (and a Shopping List) for Getting Through Chemo
• PORT PLACEMENT: Detailed description of process
• Head Covering Options for Hair Loss
• wig advice
• Cold Cap Users Past and Present, to Save Hair

Also, Last Month's Chemo thread might be informative!

Hope you find this helpful!

--Your Mods

So I had to send FMLA papers to my doc through my nursenaviator and btw can I have my results from my PET CT please. They called today. I need more scans. Some findings but not bumped to stage 4 yet.   Thankful I got the info so I can get the additional scans before my appointment with my MO  next week. Think I am due for some good news. 

Sorry for the accidental triple posting!