Starting Chemo in March 2014

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  • princessrn
    princessrn Member Posts: 370
    edited March 2014

    hi I'm from feb 2014 chemo thread. 

    Lovemyboys... I had terrible cramping with TCH. Ask if you can have Bentyl. Hope it helps!!

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  • princessrn
    princessrn Member Posts: 370
    edited March 2014

    cancer vixen... I didn't have perjeta.  I got cramps, severe for days. I think it's the carboplatin. 

    Also the bigger response to the neulasta the more discomfort.  

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  • cancerisnotmyhappyplace
    cancerisnotmyhappyplace Member Posts: 49
    edited March 2014

    rosebud77- welcome to the group. I am sorry you have to go through this. Cancer has uprooted my life and schedule as well. Today the song by Miley Cirus "Wrecking Ball" is how I feel about what it has done to me. 

    I have a similar path as you going from a simple "this is something we can easily treat" to yesterday hearing my first scan had some abnormal findings. 

    Welcome again.  There are some very encouraging women here and great tips so far to get through this.

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  • cancerisnotmyhappyplace
    cancerisnotmyhappyplace Member Posts: 49
    edited March 2014

    rosebud77- my inlaws live near you in Solomons. That is a beautiful area. Where are you getting your treatment?

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  • Maggiemay1220
    Maggiemay1220 Member Posts: 27
    edited March 2014

    Rosebud77 hang in there.  There is no right or wrong about how you feel or when you feel it!  The ladies on here are amazing. I go wig shopping on Wednesday with my girls (6 & 8).  Good luck with your scan!

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  • maryland
    maryland Member Posts: 1,298
    edited March 2014

    The whole metastatic work-up was the worse part so far for me, I think. She did the biopsy of my breast and node right away, and even prior to that she said it was cancer just from looking at the ultrasound, so I knew it was ILC and was in the nodes within a few days of starting this whole mess. But waiting to get the results of the bone scan and MRI was torture. Then they call to tell me everything was clear but there was something that "appeared" to be a cyst on my ovary. So I'd have to have another ultrasound.. which was done vaginally… and I didn't expect that until I got there and for some reason that really upset me. I got out of there and sat in the parking lot and just cried and cried. Had to sit there for 20 min before I could drive home! Thankfully, it was just a cyst and has nothing to do with the ILC. So then I found myself saying…Great news! I just have ILC with mets to the lobes! COOL…. I can deal with that! 

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  • Lovemyboysandlabs
    Lovemyboysandlabs Member Posts: 83
    edited March 2014

    Dawn, when I called the doctor office about my stomach pain they pretty much told me the same thing. That it wasn't likely a side effect, that it sounded like I just happened to have an upset stomach so put a heating pad on it and take some Pepto. Not a good answer. I know it is from the drugs. I have had stomach issues in the past, but NOTHING like this. So the drugs are tearing up my stomach. From what I understand, your first round is the strongest so hopefully it will go uphill from here. I am still not right today and back to having no appetite for anything. I thought I was on the road to recovery, haha. I just have to start feeling better I just have to. I can take the fatigue any day, but I can't handle stomach pain.

    Rosebud, welcome to the group. I am in a similar boat to yours. I felt something in January, got it checked in early February to find that I am a Stage II-III (didn't have surgery first so they can't tell for 100% sure, but they stage higher to be safe). I had a clean mammogram on June 29, though I bet that it wasn't clean, they probably just didn't see anything through my dense tissue (kind of pisses me off because if someone has dense tissue, they should automatically get additional testing I will be on a mission to fight that when this is all over). So when I got my news, I thought I would be very early stage because I caught it early, but alas, it is more advanced. Good luck on your scans, I had to go through that too. I've been pretty strong too, but I have my moments. Who wouldn't? We will definitely come out of this stronger women, no doubt! Life can defiitely turn on a dime, no doubt.

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  • agness
    agness Member Posts: 576
    edited March 2014

    rosebud - sounds like an ordeal. You are being a trooper and getting through this though and you will get better.

    It kind of makes me feel lucky that within two weeks I had all my tests done and the confirmation that I was stage 3B.

    Through talking to doctors and reading up on it breast cancer patients are still so much better off than even 25 years ago. Even those diagnosed as stage 4 as medical management of this disease has come so far. They are catching it earlier many times and the treatments are much more effective. Granted western treatment could be a lot more nuanced but we get what we get -- unless you are willing to be in a trial.

    Nausea Management

    My MO prescribe dexamethasone for four days around treatment, to help with Taxotere side effects and also to help control nausea. They give Reglan also. They recommend miralax and Colace if there is constipation, but the nurse said she's seen diarrhea and constipation different weeks with the same patient at times.

    My naturopath wants me to stop the Chinese herbs on the 5 days surrounding my chemo date, switch to a simple diet like as if I had a stomach bug (simple soups, cooked vegetables, low sugar/dairy, easy to digest protein), take probiotics throughout treatment as chemo kills off the beneficial bacteria in the gut, and take Smooth Move tea (contains senna).

    And everyone says take a little exercise.

    I'll use acupuncture treatment for nausea (worked well during early pregnancy) and Ill have to dig out my Sea Bands as well in case I need them. Fingers crossed that this all helps.

    Me, my latest worry is about the risk of chemopause. :/

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  • AKJ
    AKJ Member Posts: 190
    edited March 2014

    Mine turned out to be worse than originally thought too. Depressing to keep getting more bad news with each appointment.

    Megomendy and Lorbgoo, what do you do in the preschools where you work? I work in  school as a speech therapist and am a bit concerned about the germ thing being around all those kids. But I decided that if they're sick I won't work with them. Teachers will just have to understand. If it becomes a problem I'll have to take another extended leave. 

    I took the bath advice last night and it was heavenly.

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  • megomendy
    megomendy Member Posts: 141
    edited March 2014

    Rosebud, sorry you have to be here with us, but welcome. You should scroll back over the previous posts, get to "know" some of us and probably get some questions answered. 

    Going for my Neulasta shot later. I took my Claritin. All ready. I had a good night's sleep and woke up feeling "normal". Had a craving for Cheerios, so I'm eating some dry before I take my multitude of meds. I feel like a senior citizen with all these nausea meds, antibiotics, Vit D, etc.

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  • Jmenchaca78
    Jmenchaca78 Member Posts: 19
    edited March 2014

    Just an fyi the milkshake worked wonders for my heartburn last night, calmed it down right away and I slept so well last night. My skin (face and chest) look awfully red this morning but doesn't hurt, anyone else get this?

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  • megomendy
    megomendy Member Posts: 141
    edited March 2014

    Hmm, McDonald's is now just a mile from my house. Will try to remember that if I need a milkshake. Do I have to really have heartburn?

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  • NinaW
    NinaW Member Posts: 110
    edited March 2014

    Hi everyone!

    Oh, Rosebud, we know. We really, really know. Will it help you (and maybe cancerisnotmyhappyplace) to remind you that they found additional areas of concern on my initial workup as well, but all the subsequent CT/PET/bone/MRI scans ruled those areas out? Will it help you to hear that my sister was diagnosed with Stage IV right out of the gate with lymph, bone, and liver mets, but that 3 years later, she's still here and laughing and busy planning summer vacation for her family? I mean, a decade or two ago, that wouldn't have been possible. She is still battling with her liver, but her oncologist isn't giving up and neither is she. I can never reach her by phone because it seems like she's always in a Zumba class or running around to various social functions. 

    This is scary stuff. I don't care WHAT stage you're diagnosed with - it's all scary. But once you know what you're looking at and have developed a plan, it gets easier to manage. I think the most important thing to do is not to make decisions while you're panicking. Don't go with a surgeon or an oncologist just because you're terrified that waiting for a second opinion will make your situation worse. You need to feel like everyone on your team has your back. You need your army. Stand up and demand that you get the attention you deserve. If this means waiting an extra week to see a doctor that someone you trust recommended to you, so be it. It'll be worth it in the long run.

    Also? You absolutely CAN do this. Reach out and take whatever help you're offered, whether that means medication to calm you down a little, or company during doctor visits, or help with kids/house/meals. Strap yourself in, put your head down, and just keep moving forward. 

    Cancer is a foreign planet, but it IS possible to breathe the air here. I hope you're only visiting, but if you have to relocate for a while, your life will go on and you'll adjust. It's not as comfortable as your old home, but it also isn't automatically horrible 24/7. 

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  • Kris103
    Kris103 Member Posts: 57
    edited March 2014

    Jmenchaca78 - Yes, I got the facial and neck redness the days before and after my infusion. When I went in for Neulasta and asked my onc nurse about it, she said it was most likely from the oral dexamethasone, and not to worry about it. That matched up to when I had it, since I take oral dex the day before and the day after. It's also in my pre-infusion cocktail, but I didn't notice the redness much that day.

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  • Mitzro
    Mitzro Member Posts: 48
    edited March 2014

    So glad you are getting a fun girls weekend xrayalli.  Enjoy it! 

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  • Mitzro
    Mitzro Member Posts: 48
    edited March 2014

    Nina W ....you sure said it girlfriend!  I love your words of encouragement.  Cancer is definitely the club we did not want to join, but I know we'll come out on the other side stronger and wiser because of this journey. 

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  • Jmenchaca78
    Jmenchaca78 Member Posts: 19
    edited March 2014

    just got my Neulasta shot, crossing my fingers for minimal side effects, also skin is back to normal now no redness steroid probably was the culprit

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  • Generation3
    Generation3 Member Posts: 45
    edited March 2014

    Kris103,

    I'm starting taxotere on 3/13 and am quite concerned about neuropathy. I saw that you were icing. What did you use and how did it work? I have  a friend who had an electric cooler that covered her knee when she had a replacement. I thought I would use that on my feet then use ice packs for my hands and change them out every 30-45 minutes as needed.  How long did you keep the ice oin place? Any hints would be greatly appreciated. Hope the neulasta shot went well and you're not suffering bone pain today. Wendy

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  • CaliKiwi
    CaliKiwi Member Posts: 98
    edited March 2014

    My chemo nurse also told me that the redness would be from the steroid. Today is my first day steroid free and the first day I don't look/feel like beetroot!  Nausea is doing pretty good today too. Totally manageable with small frequent meals. Yay.

    Downside my menstrual cycle decided to come along with cramps. Seriously. Devil

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  • NinaW
    NinaW Member Posts: 110
    edited March 2014

    Boo, Kiwilady - it's completely unfair that you have to deal with your period on top of everything else! I'm so glad that your other symptoms seem to be easing, though. Hope they let you enjoy what's left of the weekend.

    Generation3, I did a search a while ago about ideas for how to handle icing, and a poster on one of the threads mentioned that she used a soft-sided cooler for her feet - she put both of her feet into the soft-sided cooler, and then put cooler ice packs over her toenails. That sounded pretty awesome to me, and it's what I'm planning on doing. Hey, it's way cheaper than those booties, and you can reuse it later!. I bought a bunch of those flexible ice packs and my plan was to wrap them around each of my feet, then put both feet into the soft-sided cooler.

    Still working out what I'll do for my hands. I'm going to experiment with cutting one of those flexible ice packs into smaller pieces and putting a piece into each finger hole of a large glove, and then additional pieces of the ice pack where my palm will go.

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  • megomendy
    megomendy Member Posts: 141
    edited March 2014

    Hey, if there is less bone pain after Neulasta the older you are then I
    am glad I'm 56. Got my shot today and yes, it was painless, very thin
    needle. In and out so quickly. Took my claritin.

    Jenny577, omg, the first time I had a vaginal sonogram, I was totally shocked! Never knew there was such a thing.  Then a few years ago, my daughter who is now 26 was at the gyn and he wanted to get one done on her, and afterwards when she told me I was thinking she'd be upset and she's like "It was fine'. She wasnt even fazed.

    When the MO recommends probiotics for nausea, does that mean yogurt? What else has probiotics in it?

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  • CancerVixen
    CancerVixen Member Posts: 28
    edited March 2014

    I'm starting to feel normal again! Put makeup on and did my hair for the first time in 10 days. Stomach pains are easing but I have a new side effect.  I woke up with pimples everywhere. All over my face, scalp, chest, a few on my arms and legs. Is the chemo trying to come out of my pores? Anyone else have this or heard of it? 

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  • jmg58
    jmg58 Member Posts: 185
    edited March 2014

    Just dropping in to thank you all for the recent encouragement re my nerves.  I'm glad to hear that mostly things have been going well with most of you...I'm using this weekend to get organized for chemo this week -- getting shopping done, etc.  I will write in more detail when I get back to catch up with all of you more individually.  I care how each and everyone of you are doing.  :-) 

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  • mom2Bnegativex3
    mom2Bnegativex3 Member Posts: 221
    edited March 2014

    Vixen, FABULOUS that are you are feeling great! Ugh, about the pimples! 

    Sorry. Megomendy, yes yougurt. there are supplements but I don't think we should take them. 

    Kiwilady, grr on the monthly:( You should get a pass!!!

    Jmenchaea, (()) here is hoping for no bone pain. YAY on no more redness!

    AKJ, yay on the relief of the bath. I would also go get massages and they say those are beneficial for us. Just be careful of the arms the lymphodes were in. my body as all up in knots so it felt so great and like my own little getaway. plus it would help with fatigue and pain. 

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  • AKJ
    AKJ Member Posts: 190
    edited March 2014

    I was thinking of a massage. Finding someone that I'd feel comfortable with sound like a challenge though. I'm so glad you feel better Cancer Vixen! Please everybody tell me that I'll start to feel normal sometime before they zap me with poison again.

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  • Macintx
    Macintx Member Posts: 118
    edited March 2014

    MaggieMay, I already take Clarinex for allergies, so since it is in the same family as Claritin, they said to just keep taking it as usual and see what happens.  I don't know if that is why I didn't have any bone pain, but most people say the Claritin does make a difference!

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  • Kris103
    Kris103 Member Posts: 57
    edited March 2014

    Generation 3 - The ideas for icing that Nina talked about would likely work pretty well. For my feet, I brought along a couple of packages of frozen peas, a small towel and some toeless yoga socks. My onc nurse gave me a small plastic basin that I could fit both feet into, and I layered with peas, socked feet, peas, and towel on top. Probably didn't need the lower layer of peas, but my feet are what I'm most concerned about. It worked remarkably well.

    For my hands, I wore fingerless knit gloves and had a quart size ziploc freezer bag with small ice cubes (I've got trays that will do 1/4 inch a side) that I could put on each arm of the chair and kinda dig my fingers into. Yay for short fingernails! The downside was that I was constantly wanting to use my hands for other stuff, like getting ice chips to chew or messing with my tablet when the wifi would crash. The ice bags didn't last as long as the peas, so changing out mid-way is probably a good idea if you can. There's probably a better way, but I just don't know it yet.

    I don't think most of my nurses had seen anyone ice before, and they seemed a bit surprised I'd done the whole 1.5 hours. Admittedly, I was watching the clock like a hawk at the end. Luckily the Cytoxan still had to go in while my toes and fingers warmed up slowly. Hmmm ... gotta wonder if a Polar Bear Plunge would be easier?!?

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  • Lorbgoo
    Lorbgoo Member Posts: 213
    edited March 2014

    I use to work at a preschool as the art and music teacher. So I saw the entire preschool. I saw over 100 kids 2 days a week. I worked 4 days. I am just scared to go back because little kids are always sick with something! I hope they take me back next year. Not sure what I will do to occupy my time now. Prob just exercise!!!

    Does anyone else not work? I think I need a hobby now!

    Lori. 

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  • Lorbgoo
    Lorbgoo Member Posts: 213
    edited March 2014

    oh I just got finished telling my kids. They all seemed fine. My little one was so cute and the only one that asked questions! 

    I went wig shopping again today. It is hard to decide what to choose. I am going to call my insurance on Monday to see how much they pay. 

    Lori

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  • Lorbgoo
    Lorbgoo Member Posts: 213
    edited March 2014

    I had to get a vaginal ultrasound too. I also had to get the procedure where they go into the uterus and collect cells and biopsy them. It was only because I was bleeding In between periods. The biopsy turned out normal. Thank goodness. 

    Lori

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