Starting Chemo in December 2013

J4DC,  I have had eye troubles throughout.  It's because of dry eyes and my cornea gets scratched and foggy then I do Lotromax drops and it clears and now I'm doing restasis that doesn't seem to be doing anything and I have plugs in my drain holes.  I also use drops throughout the day to keep them moist. They just got bad again and opthamologist had me use the Lotromax again and it cleared up.  I have another appointment with him in a month. 

Jodi and Holli, good luck!!!

tomorrow will be taxol #5, almost half way through.  I also have vision issues, more so on AC, my eyes are always watery, this may be due also to the lashes I don't have anymore. 

The yoga seems to be helping me sleep better, I asked MO about the steroid dose, I told her I need it lowered, she said she had it down to 4mg last week and that is as low as she will go...so more sleepless nights ahead.  She suggested doing the deep breathing exercises on night of chemo, I will give it a try.  I filled the RX for Effexor just haven't taken any yet...it scares me, I just know I will get dingy on it, and it told her 75 mg seems high, she disagreed.  Trying to avoid all these drugs going in me, I'm sure she wants to tell me to quit playing doctor, yet I know my body and how it reacts to things, I need my head clear for work and for me.

waiting on chemo now.  Beeper should go off in an hour:( BUT!  Exciting news to share.  I have been here since 8:30 and it is 3:30 lol!  So, forgive any typos bc I am so tired!  

Ultrasound showed the internal lymph node has shrunk 50%!!  And that was just with Taxol!  Second- I will only be getting AC!!!  Just like y'all;). No F!  Reason- a recent study published in December showed no medical reason to have the F part!  MDA just started this year deleting it!  One less drug in my body which makes me happy, happy, happy!  I know it is going to suck, but one less is good!  She said chemo was still being spaced 3 weeks to let my white count build up and they do not plan on giving me the shot after chemo.  We shall see!  Shameless plug- say a prayer for me that I don't get stomach sick!  Nervous but still happy win the way the day has gone:). 

Barbara- I have my prescription filled of zofran and I am setting my phone alarm to go off for it.  I fly back tomorrow at 4 pm:(. Late flight, but hopefully it won't be a big deal.  What did y'all eat the few days after AC?  Crackers, toast etc?? Super happy to be on the exact regimen as y'all!  Help a sister out lol!  What food was a yes and what was a no?!:). Thanks ladies!!

About 2 hours.  3 counting blood work and the doctors visit.  The first time, however, I was there for 6 hours so plan on that.  Good luck! 

kjfromca, that is exactly the way my abdoman/pelvic area was feeling!!! At first I thought perhaps I didn't drink enough water and that the taxol was going to be harder on my system than the AC and I was having urinary problems....I drank 1/2 gal of cranberry juice that night!!! Slowly getting back to somewhat normal although now my legs just feel very heavy and not wanting to move...Go for bloodwork tomorrow so I will talk to them and see if either I can get something stronger for pain or if they can lower my dose or something....I have a high tolerence for pain but that many days was really hard on me.

Jodi, I believe you said you were starting AC and wanted to know what to eat...comfort foods, soft, hot, creamy comfort foods the first week was all I really wanted, potatoe soup, mac and cheese, chicken pot pie....stuff like that. The end of the second week I wanted meat and lots of it...burgers, and steak mostly and the 3rd week I was back to normal and trying to take off the extra weight I put on from eating so much!!! Good luck with yours, just stay ahead of the nauseousness and constipation and drink lots of water!!!

Got my first Taxol this morning. Was there at 8:30am and got home by 1:30. just woke up from Benadryl induced grogginess. Taxol Infused with no problems or allergic reactions. I feel okay so far. Just a little off and have A little heaviness in arms and legs but that may be due to grogginess. Praying I can sleep tonight despite all the steroids they have me. 

I iced.  But my homemade ice pouches weren't ready yet so I used pillow cases and my feet got really really cold. So I did 30 min on and 30 min off. Hopefully I will have my pouches on the 27th and I can leave them on the whole time. 

Jodi - I agree with the other ladies on food for AC. Blueberry muffins from SAMs bakery was a staple for me the first week. Potatoes and chocolate Ensure tasted good too. The second week I craved red meat. My MO had me taking Prilosec daily. I also took a stool softener daily. I had a very bad experience with constipation after my surgery so I was VERY proactive with that. Be sure to ask your MO about it though. Feel free to ask any questions!! This is such a great place for that. 

hi, ladies, thanks for your reply on eyesight issues. Feel like there is always something. 

Rhgsr, glad the taxol goes well. I found It's easier on the stomach.

Jodi, so happy for you to hear the lymph nodes shrink! Such a great news! One less drug is a double bonus! Other ladies already gave you great suggestions. Food-wise, pizza, ginger flavored drink and those small orange taste better than others for me. Miralax worked for me, but I can't stand the liquid form later on. It makes me nauseous. I ate prune, other dry fruits to keep going. Good luck!

Barbara, hope your treatment go smoothly tomorrow. I am right behind you on taxol, #5 this Friday and the last one on May 2nd. Counting down the days! 

Jodi, great news on the shrinkage!!! The first week after AC I hardly had an appetite so my staple was Dark Chocolate Ensure's so I could get the nutrients and calories.  I also stayed on top of constipation.  For me I had to use Miralax, Colace and Senekot  I also had to take Zofran for 9 days after AC.  Nausea was bad for me, but tolerable. 

RHGSR, Yay! The Taxol went well.  One step closer.

Chicopeach5, My last Taxol is right before you, April 18th.  I just put a big red X on my calendar for yesterday.  36 days left, Taxol 7 tomorrow.  CAN'T WAIT!!

Neuropathy seems to be much better.  My acupunturist gave me a Complete vitamin B to take and I swear it's working! But my feet are still so tender.  My MO says it's not the neuropathy just something that the chemo can cause and it may take a few months to go away after chemo...WHAT???? It's going to be summer and hiking...I WANT MY FEET!!!  Are we done yet??

had first Taxol yesterday. Infusion went well. Had Nuelasta at 1. My legs are starting to ache. Not sure if it isTaxol or Nuelasta. Never felt it with AC. Anyone else had the lower extremity discomfort so soon after infusion? I'm also a little nauseated. I was hoping that wouldn't be a problem with the Taxol :0(

Holli

holli,charusa, sorry you are in pain. I had pain mainly in my neck, shoulders and upper back. I took long hot showers and it seemed to help. Maybe a heating pad will help. The only problem I had with my legs was the heavy legs after 3rd TX. It is much better now. I still get tired easily, but not so short of breath and getting much easier to get around overall. I hope you feel better soon! Take the 24 hr Claritin if you haven't already...for the Neulasta shot.

Taxol postponed for at least one week. MO wants me to document neuropathy again to see if it recedes. If not, I am done with Taxol. If it does recede, we will assess week by week. He is also calling my BS to get my BRCA testing moved up to ASAP rather than May. If Taxol stops, Tamoxifen would begin, if BRCA + ovaries will come out and no Tamoxifen, AIs instead. I have read that tamoxifen is not as effective with lobular, and AIs are a better choice. He said it is not definitive/proven at this time, but is not opposed to me removing my ovaries and changing course with the hormonal treatment. Would just need to get it done sooner as I am most likely done with Taxol. If BRCA+ would most likely need to remove other breast at some point. Debating two surgeries vs 1. Would like to have use of abdominals back when facing an MX. Ovary removal would come first to keep tx moving forward. 

Robin, sorry about the neuropathy. it 's a lot to think about with surgeries and more treatment. Hopefully talking with your doctors and new tests will help you to make decisions. Lots of hugs sending your way. 

Holli, I had lower body pain three days after taxol, but it was managable. I took decadron, Zofran 2h before taxol and no nausea after taxol. They also gave me benadryl and pepcid iv at the center. 

Djj, the foot pain sounds aweful! I will be thinking about you tomorrow. Good luck! You can do it!

Take  care, everyone!

congrats with finishing the chemo. 

No one in my family is BRCA but someone is always person one somewhere. With the poly cystic ovaries there is some concern. I have a younger sister and younger female cousins, I also have a 22, soon to be 23 yo daughter. My info will be beneficial for all of them. 

DJJ, hope your foot issues resolve. 

To those with pain, I definitely had lots of it with first the neulasta then the Taxol, I do think some of it was steroid withdrawal related also. I was taking Claritin, it did not work for me. I got approved by MO to try my naproxen, which helped with some of the pain..I was also approved to take my Percocet along with the naproxen. While not all of the pain was alleviated, some of the edge was taken off. Make sure you work with your MO to find what works/helps you. There is a lot of trial and error....

Jackie, I am currently getting the Herceptin and will be through the end of January next year. I am triple positive which usually is not found with lobular. Just lucky I guess. So I will need hormonal therapy in addition to targeted therapy. 

Kim, congratulations on finishing chemo! Happy dance for you!

Robin, I hope you get everything resolved soon. I had a hysterectomy 8 yrs ago and it really wasn't too bad for me. Of course, I wasn't going thru chemo! It took me a while to not feel fatigued, but other than that, not too much pain or dis-comfort. No big incision. Dr did it laproscopically, with an incision thru my belly button, removed vaginally...hope that's not TMI. Take good care of yourself.

kimie, I had my MO get me some Nasonex and I used saline spray a lot. Hope you feel better soon!

jackie, DJJ, I hope you all get some relief soon, also!

Hang in there ladies!

Have a good week-end.