February 2014 Starting Chemo Club

JBokland - love the picture, it is great that you rock the bald, very brave. I am wearing hats and scarves mostly, and can feel the stare. Sometimes I want to ask if there is anything to stare at. But then, I live in a very Asian neighborhood, and a 6 foot women with a hat is I guess worth staring at.  

Luckily I started working (and I did my taxes, don't say anything, Nina ...), so I don't have time to think too much. It gets me out of bed, I have to get dressed and put make-up on, I have to face my shaved head and put something on it. And I have human contact at work, that really helps. At home, I would be by myself until my family comes home at 5, and that just gives me too much time to think, slump and get depressed, I tried. It's been a hard week though, after chemo. My brain is not at its best, I have either a sinus thing going or a side effect, or a combination of both, my eyes are watering and my mouth is sore. Even though I sucked on ice during last chemo, my mouth is sure, and the taste buds are off. Oh well, enough whining. The fatigue lingered for almost a week this time, I hope it won't get a lot worse.

Re friends: I did not want to put the BC on Facebook, and initially I only told a few people, as it looked like DCIS "only". Now, pretty much everyone around me knows, especially since the hair is gone. I keep my peeps informed with a group e-mail after each chemo, and that keeps the communication open. I also tell people that I do appreciate calls, texts, e-mails, but that sometimes it might be a few days for me to get back to them. Kindness has come from unexpected directions - my SIL, who I barely know, has been sending me little friendly care packages with funny cards, it's soo sweet. Our realtor has brought us dinner, etc.

Everyone have a nice weekend.

Alexandra

Eye flickering? Sounds like "fun", perhaps yet to come! Thanks for the tip on the artificial tears, need to get those.  I know that in the big picture, I am lucky I have no digestive issues either way, no nausea as well, but I do have all these little side effects that accumulate to make my life sometimes just a tiny bit miserable. I hope that they will slowly go away until the next time though.

Definitely can say that the eyedrops in the morning and before bedtime make a big difference in the amount of  that I have. 

Also rinsing with the Biotene seems to help my mouth quite a bit as well also. 

jbokland most people don't know what to say. You have opened up the conversation with your bedazzle making it about living. Most associate cancer is the door to death... and as you can see more of us don't work through that door.

The watery eyes and the nosebleeds are getting to me. Thank God I have my last TC treatment this Thursday! Can't believe it's been 12 weeks already. We're having a big graduation party for my daughter on May 17th, and I was hoping I might have a little hair by then, but I don't think it's going to happen.

My surgeon has a support group that meets twice a month. I went to my first meeting this past Thursday. It was really great. What wonderful and brave women, and so supportive! One woman was very nervous about her second opinion down at Sloan Kettering, and when she got to the hospital, three women from the group were waiting to go into the doctor's office with her. I think I would like to go again. It was sort of nice to have "me" time.

gatorgal89

I've finished my four dose dense  Taxols. I understand exactly how you fell about your first Taxol. I felt the same way. My MO told me not to worry very few people have the reaction and more than likely you would already know if you are the type to have reactions ( such as food allergies or reactions in the past to medicines). I found the nurses to be great they were right there by my side. In fact they did not let on that the Taxol had started so by the time 15 minutes had passed it was over and I didn't have time to worry.

I found Taxol to be easier than AC. I felt more normal and recovered much quicker. I had some aches but two Advil took care of the aches.  Best of luck

Hello fellow club members. Just got home from my first Taxol and so far just super thirsty. I was dizzy during treatment, but that was the Benadryl before the Taxol started. My doctor was great with me when I shared that I had anxiety about starting the new treatment, just like when I started AC. The nurses were awesome as usual. It definitely was the right thing to do to let them know how anxious I felt.I hope everyone is doing ok today.

I was on the same medication regime over a year ago, though mine was stage 2 cancer.  I just got my port removed in January. I chose to cut my hair and get my head shaved prior to it falling out from the chemo, because it was the one thing I did have control over!  Happy to say things are going well, have a follow mammogram in 2 weeks.

Congrats Prin! Wishing you very little SE's!

Number 4 of 6 tomorrow.  Only 6 weeks to go after tomorrow.  I can see the light at the end of the chemo tunnel.  I tried a different anti-nausea drug last time and it made me confused, spacy and anxious.  So dizzy I could not even read.  So I guess it is back to Zofran, headaches and all.  Have a good day everyone.  

ddgm. Phenergan too?did you try that

Ddgm1003 there are more than 2 anti-nausea drugs. Ask your onc to try some of the others. They are more $$ so they don't usually order them at the start but if the others aren't working for you or are making you ill they should be able to order them.

Taxol tips:   I did plenty of research on how to manage the SE best and they all pointed to icing your feet and hands during the treatment.  I actually first learned about it from a oncology nurse I met while on a business trip.  She said they have all of their patients icing.

Physiologically, it makes sense to me.  You ice the capillaries and they 'clamp down', minimizing the amount of taxol that travels to the fingers and toes.  I have been doing it since I started (3rd treatment today). 

I begin the icing about 15 minutes before treatment, and let it go another 15 when the infusion is done.  I bought some fancy gel mitts and booties that were expensive but find ziplock bags with crushed ice works just as well, if not better.  For the feet I wear thin socks and slip on some stretchy knit slippers to hold the ice bags under my feet and over the toes.   My fingers are in a bag of ice/ ice water.

My MO suggested icing too. He recommended holding a frozen bag of peas and sinking your fingers in. I guess you could do the same with your toes. I don't start tax till 4/25

On my upswing after my 3rd AC last thurs. This one was the worst. Felt like crap from the first night, was hoping that would mean I would feel better sooner but no, like always day 3 and 4 post chemo was awful. Did the gravitational pull of the earth increase 10 fold this past Sun and Mon??????????  Prob had a lot to do with the fact that my 4 yo was sick for the whole week before and was almost hospitalized the day of my chemo because it was her sixth day with a fever over 102, when it rains it pours!!!!!! Developing blisters on my palms and the balls of my feet are beet red and seem like the might blister. Calling MO tomorrow, looks like one blister may be an abscess, Bleh. 

Despite all that my very supportive, couldn't live without BFF told me that her 8 year old wants the guests at her birthday party to make donations to the cancer center I go to instead of giving her gifts. I am speechless!!!!! What a precious kid!!!

Igodie. Seems like we are on the same AC schedule. My last one is next thurs too!!  Then weekly taxol. 

Prinessrn congrats on the 1/2 way mark!!!!!

Jbokland how are those feet??? Hoping what I have isn't the beginning if hand and foot!!

((((Hugs)))) to you all

Tang, could be the steroids, could be the chemo, also, since I don't know how old you are, it could be the sudden and crushing onset of menopause thanks to chemo.

Last chemo today! Can't believe it's been 12 weeks!!! Here I am in the infusion center. How is it possible that I aged 12 years in 12 weeks?