Chemo in May 2014

Hi Lespring - I haven't been given anything for pain from my MO nor was I given anything for pain for my port placement.  I was given pain meds after my BMX but only used them for a couple of days.  My port was painful for a couple days - felt like someone had punched me hard many times in the shoulder - a week out from placement I hardly felt it and now I only notice it because it is a bump - no pain.   I did not get EMLA cream for my port.  The nurse sprays it with a little numbing freeze stuff when she accesses it for blood or treatment and it hasn't hurt at all.   I am not sure what chemo regime you are doing but pain wise I would describe mine as more achiness - kind of like when you are just getting the flu and you start to get achy.  The bone pain that I got from the neulasta shot was minimal and handled with tylenol - I did take claritan starting the night before the shot and for 10 days - don't know if it helped or not.   The worst bone pain was in my sternum and shoulders and that came on about 4 days after the shot.  I would say in the 15 days since my first treatment I had some sort of manageable pain for a total of 5 days - and not all in a row and not all day long on those days.  

Treatment day and shot day were really non events for me - everything went smooth and the nurses keep a close eye on you the first time to make sure you are doing ok.  Tell them anything you feel or any sensation you have during treatment so they can make note of it for the next time - they can tweak the premeds and things to make it easier.  They have a wealth of information and experience and all kinds of ideas.  Thank goodness for the chemo nurses.  Don't hesitate to ask for pain meds or anything else you think you want or need.  The MO will either say yes and give them or tell you why not and give you something else.  If he/she doesn't - then ask for a new MO.  Remember they are working for you and you need to be as comfortable as possible.  

I'm stuck on traffic and will be quite later than my appt this morning.  Think they'll start without me?  

one round down, yeah lespring! What chemo cocktail are you getting?

Ok, so I'm home. Like someone said in a previous post, this first tmx was anti-climatic…mostly…they did have a hard time accessing my port because it was full of clots. Took several minutes of "blowing it open" (nurses words). They weren't happy the dr. put tegaderm over the port because it pulled all the steri strips off with it. Anyway, it finally got going. Got through all the anti nausea meds, and the steroids, and both chemo drugs (Docetaxel and Cyclophosphamide) The room was FREEZING and everyone was shivering and asking for warmed blankets, and then I realized I was HOT and sweating. I didn't think anything of it but the nurses came over to stare at my face, "No. No she doesn't look flushed to me." "Nope, me either." After some discussion it was determined I was just having a hot flash (which I told them) and not an allergic reaction. I have every confidence that if I did have an adverse reaction to something, they would be on it! LOL 

I got through all the drugs without any other sensations. Nothing. They unplugged me and I went down to the lobby to wait 1/2 hr for my husband. After about 10 minutes of sitting there it suddenly felt like someone punched me in the stomach. I made a run for the bathroom and didn't know which end to put down first. Oh I was miserable. I thought I was slightly better, went to wash my hands and turned right back around to the stall again. Everything finally calmed down about the time my husband was due to arrive. He had already filled my meds so as soon as I arrived home I took an Ativan and went to bed for a couple of hours. Woke up and was able to eat dinner. Two hours later and dinner has stayed put. Thinking I'll take the alternating nausea med to stay ahead of things. 

Tomorrow is an important day for my daughter, with a big awards ceremony at school. Hoping I feel as fine as I do at the moment so I can attend. Will go to the onco clinic in the afternoon to get my neulasta shot. Also start taking oral decadron tomorrow. 

So thankful today is behind me! Especially thankful port is not really bothering me now that we have the tegaderm off! Thanks to all of you for your support. 

Lespring sorry you had nausea and trouble with your port the 1st day!  I had derma bond glue and no steristrips over port wound so I did ok when they took off tegaderm! I'm still red from procedure tape thou!  Hope u feel well enuf for your daughters big day! 

Tomorrow is the big day...tell me again why I gave to get sick, when I feel fine, to get better???  WTH?!?!?

I was just thinking about this again (the comment we get frequently "you are so brave") before I read your post diebiann.

I am not sure what would be better.  Probably just "I'm sorry" and leave it at that.  I know they mean well but the word brave doesn't exactly fit.  Brave fits if we all had decided to go on n a Quest, ya' know?  We didn't choose this.  I think there is another word that fits the situation and relays what our friends are trying to say.  But someone started with brave (and survivor) and it's stuck.

Maybe the word is persevere?

"Wendy, You have such perseverance."

Meh.  Maybe not.

Now I am on a quest, to find the right word.  ;-)   

• Hello All.  I am lucky to have found you.  I had my port put in yesterday...agree that it is UnFun!  I am very sore today and taking pain meds and icing it.  I can hardly wait to take the bandage off tomorrow and see what it looks like.  I start Cytoxan and Taxotere on Monday.  Having the same fears everyone else discribed.  It is a comfort to know that it was anti-climatic for most.  Has anyone seen or considered icing fingers and toes to protect your nails?  I understand that they can be damaged, split and become painful with Taxotere.  I am very lucky that I had Rx for numbing cream, steroids and three anti-nausea meds ahead.  I have prepared by purchasing over the counter remedies for every possible known SE.  I hope to not need a single one.  I had not heard of the Biotene mouth wash.  I will look that up and get some.  Has anyone used Ginger capsules ahead and after to prevent nausea?
  

glad you are feeling well lespring! 

I was having some mouth issues, the first couple days I thought it was the usual bad taste, mouth sores, but some smart ladies on one of the other threads told me it was thrush. Called my mo today who suggested magic mouthwash, doubting it was thrush. I insisted on being seen and thrush it is, caused by the steroids. On diflucan for two weeks plus started probiotics. Read on the internet to open the probiotic capsual and sprinkle the powder directly on the tongue. OMG relief finally! The awful tasting furry dog has left my mouth.

The worst chemo se I had was burning in my throat and stomach. My pharmacist suggested I ask my mo for a script for sucarafate, a liquid that will coat the soft tissues and help prevent the burning.  Mo agreed and told me to pretreat with this next round.  So hoping this will work.

Hi everyone, got my first treatment and Neulasta shot in and it was rather anti-climactic, as some have experienced. I put myself through more needless stress prior to it than I ever experienced during the actual event! Sorry that your port was so sore Lespring! Glad the reaction is going away and hopefully your next ones will be as easy as mine. My port was not sore at all even right after the surgery, just the collarbone area higher up where they threaded the catheter under. Not sure why, maybe since I'm fairly lean there wasn't much "clearance" for them to work with and they had to brutalize my muscle in that area more. Anyway, that only lasted a day and a Vicodin took care of it in the meantime. I was apprehensive of how it would feel when they jammed that rather big-looking needle into the port, but aside from the light prick at the skin (which didn't persist) it didn't hurt at all. So that was a big relief.

I was afraid I would be hit with waves of nausea or some kind of reaction when this stuff hit my veins, but it was really a non-event! I didn't notice any taste, or any odd feelings at all. However, that night I got REALLY bad acid reflux which somehow also triggered hiccups! I've been suffering on-and-off every since then with hiccups. That's the worst thing I've had, other than slight nausea every so often for which I take the "as-needed" nausea pills they gave me, in addition to the regular Dexadrone (or whatever it's called Dex-something...) I take for three days after the infusions. So far I can't complain much, just really the hiccups. I wish I knew what to do about that. I've tried all the tricks - water drinking, holding breath, etc. Sometimes they work, but mostly not. It's not so much the annoyance as the pain, after having it for a couple of hours you start to get real sore. :-( I remember someone else on the boards saying their husband had experienced severe hiccups as well. Have any of you ladies? 

Here's to hoping the rest of my treatments (and yours!) go this easy, but I'm not necessarily counting on it. I'm sure the cumulative effect starts wearing your down eventually, but I'll take each day/week as it comes and enjoy what good days I have. 

Jason

Thanks for sharing that, SharonDe. Unfortunately, I'm already on Prevacid (a close cousin of Prilosec - I took that too once but it doesn't work for me as well) and have been for a while as I have GERD normally anyway from a hiatal hernia (leaky valve at the top of the stomach). Since it doesn't appear to be working with this added drug influence, I'm not sure what to do. I took some Tums to counteract the acid but all I can think of is to ask for a script for a stronger drug like Nexium and hope it works better than the Prevacid. Otherwise I'll have to just chug Mylanta or something every day when I get hit bad with it (it's mostly an hour after meals). Not a fun thought. The hiccups are really horrible (got them right now as I type this!) and it's beginning to make my chest/esophagus sore. Wish there was something I could take for that - muscle-relaxant maybe? I'll call and ask. 

Thanks, LakeGirl, I'll ask my onco about that. My Dad and Mom are both on Nexium and it works great  for them. I don't really want to go on that if I can avoid it because it leeches calcium from the bones and I  am involved in athletics and don't want the potential added risk of bone fractures, but if I have to to get relief from this I guess I will, and just try to take supplemental calcium to minimize the side effects.

jasonalun, excuse me if this is too elementary (and you may have already tried it), peanut butter for hiccups?  That always works for me for normal hiccups. Not sure if it would for what seems to be gut issue induced hiccups. 

OMG avoid your favorite foods? What do you eat then? I start my first infusion May 30th. How soon after your appt has anyone felt their first "symptom"?  My doc told me to start taking the anti nausea meds after my appt and for every six hours thereafter.  If you take Claritin for the shot neuawhatever, how long do you take it?

I'm trying to figure out what my work schedule should be and thought I would just stay the course and see how I feel. Right now I have Mon/Tues off and if I have my treatment on Fridays I will feel the effect possibly on Monday and have to drive to the docs office for the shot on that day. I'm thinking about moving it to Thursdays and having off Sunday and Mondays so I can go back the next day for the shot and if I feel less then stellar, it will be on my day off. good grief.

Hi Homemom - what chemo regime are you doing - knowing that will help with someone doing the same letting you know how they did - but everyone is different.  

I have treatments on Tuesdays and shot on Wednesday.  I feel pretty good until Friday - then pretty useless from then until the following Tuesday.  Saturday and Sunday being my worst days.  I didn't have any issue eating - some things tasted a little off so I didn't eat them.  i also made sure I had a selection of items on my plate to eat just in case.  I tried to make sure I had plenty of protein.  Peanut butter is my go to in the mornting.   I also have some protein shakes here to use if I don't have an appetite.  I had two days where I just didn't feel like eating so I had those.   My water tasted fine but I also mixed half flavored vit water with water sometimes.  I avoided really spicy things - tried to eat more bland items - I found the things that were spicy were the things that tasted the most off to me.  I took Clartin for 10 days starting the night before the shot - so the night of chemo.  I did have some pain the 4th day after the shot - but it was not bad - was mostly in my sternum and shoulders.  I am gonna ask them to give me the shot in my stomach this time to see if that lessens that pain as suggested by someone here.  Remember everyone reacts differently - so I think alot of this will be trial and error - don't hesitate to call your Mo's office about anything.  I found the nurses great about giving me suggestions on things to do and thing to avoid.