Starting Chemo in March 2014

Mine got so low...below their .5      It was .47.     Hey, guess what...it went up and chemo proceeded as usual.  I had to wear a mask out and hang around house.  I get a Neulasta shot after each chemo but he Nadir )or low point is about 2 weeks out...right when I am getting ready for my next dose dense chemo.  I notice my mouth is a wreck this time, worse than last.   Been doing everything right...think its the WBC.  I don't know about everyone else, but I WANT my chemo on time to get it over with....but God's will be done.  Ps   My liver has been CRANKY from the chemo and enzymes going UP.   Perfectly fine before chemo...(little fatty liver) cause I am 55 and a little fatty.  Ha   Leah

I'm just really nervous. I can't believe how bad my cold has become again. I sound like a barking seal! And I still have green congestion. I think tomorrow they check my levels again. I hope so. Really nervous. Don't like what it could mean if my WBC are down. 

Awww, jmg, so sorry, it's just not fair....go ahead and cry, sometimes ya gotta do that, I hope things start looking up for you.

Sinsin, hope you get feeling better too, my husband has it, coughing and hacking dowstairs, I've moved upstairs for the time being, I'm wearing a mask when I have to go near him....uggghh... I hope he keeps it to himself. Good luck tomorrow.

Goldie, hang in there.. hope you keep getting your chemo on time, I know I've only had it once and I've already circled the day on the calender of my last one.

Hope all the rest of you are having a good Sunday, this is the first day that I feel like my old self, got 11 days till round 2. Anybody else getting just Taxotere and Cytoxan without the adromycin?

I had a lumpectomy mid February.  Two nodes removed and clear of any cells. I am getting a Mediport put in this Thursday and starting chemo TCH ( Taxotere, Carboplatin, Herceptin) Friday. I am a stage 1 with no other signs of cancer. I was told to do chemo because I was positive for Her2 in 10% of the 1.2 cm tumor removed. I will take Herceptin for one year and Tamoxifen for 5 years. I feel good about moving forward, but still nervous that this is the right path. I am hoping to do 4 cycles of chemo instead of 6. Does anyone know why 6 cycles seem to be the norm suggested?

LLK, actually 4 cycles of TC is standard. Some people do 6. My oncologist and I have been discussing if I should do 6 instead of 4. So far there are no studies that prove that 6 is better than 4 when you consider the added toxicity. 

Nisa,

I had an slightly enlarged spleen on my ultrasound and the spleen is responsible for your WBC. So my concern is that my counts are low because it may be still enlarged and therefore indicative a bigger problem.

Nina and Alli - Thank You. My 17-yr is such opposite of the 13-yr old that I forget at times that she will come when ready. She came in and slept w me each night of my hubby's work rotation last week but didn't want to talk. Just said she likes my mattress more. :-)  and the journal is an awesome idea. Pretty perfect. Going to go find one ... or I will when the stores are awake!!!  

I live in Arizona...since 1970...the skin cancer capitol of the World..literally.  I have been having pre-cancerous lesions burned.cut.frozen off since I was 27.   I am amazed at how many have popped out since chemo started.  Asked my onc if I can go to dermatologist  before Thursday (to get some looked at/frozen off and she said Yes, as long as no cutting)  Surprised.  I hope they heal or I will look like a meth addict.  PS That is my birthday.   Sigh.

Hi and HUGS to everybody--

Had an insurance snafu which, for the purpose of not wanting to get my blood pressure up, I will not detail right now. However, after some delays I'm back on track. I'm getting my "power port" tomorrow at noon, and chemo will start next Wednesday. I begged to start it this coming Thursday, but they said my port site needs to heal. But the problem is that I realized "Oh no- that's officially April, and I like the fun folks on the March Chemo discussion board!" Gosh.. can I stay here? I'm starting April 2nd, so that's still pretty close. 

If anyone can tell me what the whole power port thing will be like, go for it. But I realize it's late, at least for east coasters, and heck- I will certainly find out soon enough.

Hope everyone had an decent, fairly okay or even GOOD weekend. I'm teaching my daughter how to drive, so some of my weekend involved scary moments.. In fact, once or twice I found myself thinking "Chemo will not be as scary as this." Seriously. She drifted over into a right lane on the interstate, without signaling, then over-corrected back across two lanes. I wanted to kiss the ground when we got home, and after surviving that, I at least had a couple hours of not worrying about upcoming chemo- It can't possibly be as bad as teaching a teenager how to drive!  

Take care everybody.

Txplanner, I have a power port. The first week after it was inserted it was pretty uncomfortable and sore. But it was very manageable. It definitely made chemo easy.  I actually had chemo the day after it was inserted. My surgeon made it accessible so that they didn't have to insert the needle, just use it and remove it. It was pretty painless all around.

And of course you can stay here! April be damned!

Today is my first day of chemo! Ready to kick cancer's butt and get to work on getting rid of this!

NINA...you are AMAZING. I have a 16 year old daughter who is having a hard time talking about this whole Breast Cancer thing.  I am going to try this journal idea!  The maybe even 2-3 times a week idea is superb.  THANK YOU!  It also might be really nice to have down the road.  LOVE IT!

I am on day #6 after second round of ACT and yesterday my mouth started feeling sore on the left side.  I was near my MO's office and she prescriped something they call the Stanford Mouthwash that you swish and spit.  Kind of numbs and heals the area.  Another friend recommended L-Glutamine that you swish and SWALLOW to coat your mouth and throat and gut before you eat.  My MO said that was all good as long as I take B6 with it.  So I am going to try both.   I am not feeling terrible just not great.  She says that is very normal considering where I am in the cycle.  Not really looking forward to round #3 of ACT one week from today.

Hugs to all of you that are having treatment today!  Go get em!!

It works best taking glutamine before mucositis develops, on the day before receiving chemo, 5-10 grams, swish and swallow, three times daily for 2 weeks.  If you don't not wish to swallow the glutamine, you may try holding it in your mouth for as long as possible to allow for local absorption.  You may try following that with a table spoon of coconut oil.  Hold on mouth for 20 minutes and swish, then expectorate. 

Hope this helps,

Sandy 

I am a medical assistant for a family practice/OB doc and I miss him and my job!   Tomorrow is my 56th birthday and Thursday is AC #3.  I found 2 to be much easier than 1.  Keep diarrhea under strict control, swish baking soda/salt water a million times a day and I use Nystatin, too.   I had no pain from Neulasta, but got a cranky liver from a  bit of fatty liver.  Oh, new SE rash on face and arms and hands. Been out walking around neighborhood and live in sunny Az.   Seeing derm tomorrow.  Never got constipated   Leah

Day 5 post 2nd TCH: I am glad to report that Tylenol in combination with the Claritin really helped against the Neulasta bone pain. My crash was not as deep as the first time, but seems to linger longer. Today, I have a hard time just getting up, and I had a 2 hour nap after a 10 hour night, perhaps it's the RBC that was already low prior to the chemo? Not sure, but this does not feel good. Having nose bleeds, too (yuck). My MO gave me Iron to take once per day, starting tomorrow, to increase the RBC. Does anyone have any experience if that helps with the fatigue? Thank you.

Alexandra