Cytoxan Taxotere Chemo Ladies- February/March 2013

Thanks for the birthday wishes. Had a great time! My DS and DIL announced that they are expecting their second child at the end of November! Whoo-hoo!

I hope you all are feeling good.

 I am ready to kick this BC to the curb!

Nana - I didn't have a headache but I'm sure someone else will pop up.  Do note though that you can have different SEs each separate infusion.   Good luck going forward.

Nana, I had my first infusion on Tuesday but did not have a headache.  However, today which is day 4 I cannot bend over to pick up something without getting a very painful headache at the top of my head that pierces my scalp.  When I stand up straight the pain goes away.  Wondering if this might be the start of the hair fall out?

I did not experience headaches, but my sister-in-law did.  They slowed down the infusion and that stopped them....something to ask about?

yes1924, I finished 4 TC's on Feb 11th. I tolerated it very well. I am self-employed so worked around my appts and "bad days". I found that days 4-8 after chemo were the worst for me, in terms of achiness, fatigue, etc. I never had nausea, but had heartburn after #3. Whatever SE's you do experience, be sure to tell your MO right away, so you can stay ahead of them. Most of them will probably be very minor, but when you have 5 minor SE's at the same time, they may seem major!!!:). There will be many people here that can help you through whatever you experience. I found that my fears were worse than the reality.  Make sure you get plenty of rest and stay hydrated! Eat small meals/snacks throughout the day. Stay away from spicey and acidic foods, at least until you know how well you will tolerate them. Try to stay active,  but don't over-do it. Good luck!

Received third TC on Wednesday. Did have headaches first infusion from steroids and probably the chemo. Took tylenol and ibuprofen which helped some. First infusion brought severe bone pain in legs about three days out, requiring narcotics for pain control. Haven't had that as severely since, thank goodness. Both times, about a week out got severe sinus congestion. Now using Nasacort daily hoping to lessen this SE for next week and my last infusion. Have some tolerable GI issues day 1-3. Taste is really off 1st week. Use mints. No nausea or throwing up ever. Working full time? Might plan on days off third, fourth, and fifth day after infusion if you can. Good luck everyone. XOXO

Thanks so much ladies, headache was better today and overall I was ok today. A couple bouts of dizziness but I think that was because I hadn't eaten in a while….I have to do better with that. I use don't really have an appetite. 

mmtagirl sometimes I have pain like that when I have sinus congestion/headache.

Hello everyone. I was thinking about all of you today and wanted to say hello and see how everyone is doing. As some of you know, I finished chemo early February. I finished radiation April 1 as I was in a trial of higher doses of rads for 4 weeks rather than 6. Wednesday, my port will be removed.  

Yesterday, I walked my first mile and a half since my cancer dx. Not exactly Rocky, but I was happy. My hair is slowly sprouting though I still wear a headscarf out most of the time. I am hoping to have enough hair by my daughter's college graduation May 10 to go without a hat or scarf. I still feel tired, at times, and have a few other subtle side effects, but am really feeling better. Most of the effects seem to be cognitive. I notice I make more mistakes, am more forgetful, and can deal with limited stress, but am hoping that too will begin to improve. All and all, I can feel myself moving out of the darkness. I know that bc is stealth and I know it can return, but for now, I am good. I guess this is my way of saying that there is hope and to hang in there, please. I am thinking of you. Love, momat927

jmg58, Hello!   I remember dreading each treatment and toward the end, the third and fourth, dreading even more.  It is understandable.  I remember feeling a bit more in control as I knew what to expect I thought and then new side effects surfaced and surprised me.  In other words, dreading your third is pretty normal I believe.  Still, I found I could handle certain parts of the side effects better than I imagined.  Other side effects, well, I did it though not always as grace under fire.  Bottom line: Just know your experience is very normal.   You mentioned "undefined" issues.  I don't want to pry, but I learned that this site helped to clarify even the most atypical situations for me.  I am glad I visited here again to check in.  I remember when I was most terrified.  This site was my life boat.  Good luck, momat927

ccduke, my last Chemo was 2/11. I noticed hair growth towards the end of March. It is just now filled in on my head where I don't have bald spots. I am post-meno, so never had much hair anywhere else anyway. I am anxious to get rid of the wig and scarves, too. Seems like it's taking forever! I guess my  hair is about 1/4" long now. My goal is to go "topless" by the first of June, unless I am meeting with a client; then, I will wear my wig. I hope you get good news on your blood work!

I hope the rest of you are able to enjoy the week-end with few SE's! Hang in there:)

Hi, SharonDe, I'm glad it didn't go that badly for you.  Hopefully, the heartburn will get better; that's one of the SE I haven't had.  

I had my third TC yesterday; was pretty tired; came home had soup and got sick all over the hotel.  First time for that; nurse said she thought it was more from the soup than the chemo...maybe just too strong a soup or something right after chemo (cream of potato?).  Anyway, was pretty miserable and had bad racing heart today.  Got three bags of fluid and now feeling better~~!!  Laying around drinking water like crazy....

ccduke, I guess I don't know the whole story of what to expect; so after the last chemo we have a blood test to tell us how we've done/some sort of cancer reading?  I didn't know anything about that...!