Chemo in May 2014

Hi Homemom- yep I took 10 days of claritan - that is what the nurses told me at the center to do - but I have chemo every 3 weeks -so I actually have 11 days off it.

Homemom - I do the same - I make a list of questions and when I go in for blood work or see the doc I got my list ready - that way I don't walk out forgetting to ask something.  My PA laughs when I pull out the list - First appt for treatment it was two pages long LOL - but they answered all of them and didn't get upset about it.  

Today I went for my post op appt with my BS. I have this glue over the incision for the port. I asked her if I should start putting neosporein on it to break down the glue and she told me absolutely not. I thought later, will this glue keep the numbing cream from working?? 

Chev0814 Awesome to hear!  Me too so far.  Someone on the discussion board recommended Ginger capsules three days before and after. I did that an believe it has helped.  

Homemom I didn't have glue,but had the steri strip still on. Cream still worked. The needle will go in the middle of the port. Mine was just below my incision. I would ask your MO about it. 

Good thoughts to all!

lespring, was that one down and three to go?  Only four?  I am sooooo jealous.  I have six TCH.  Six never really seemed like a big number before... but now its huge!  I feel so good now, i can't imagine going back and doing it again.  Anybody have any strategies for how they mentally prepare themselves for round 2?

btw, how is everyone's hair doing?  I was told that on my regime, day 15 is typically when hair starts to fall out, and it happens suddenly.  For me that will be Friday.  So what happens, I wake up to a pillow full of hair? 

Yes, the regimen I'm on is 4 cycles, treatment every 21 days. I think it doesn't matter, 1, 4, 10. They're all horrible. 

I also was told day 14 for hair loss with my regimen, which puts me at Weds next week. My scalp is starting to feel weird, but that could be my imagination! I don't really care about my hair (which is why I already shaved it off) I have really crappy hair and am hoping it comes in better this time around! Curly, more of it, a different color, I don't even care. I just want it *better* than pre chemo. LOL

I wonder how they decide what drugs to use. Some of us look like we have the same dx yet are being adminitered different drugs.

HomeMom, I think it is quite the science.  I think it depends on BC type, stage, lymph involvement, Her2 status, age, whether it is a recurrence, and possibly regional (I think doctors on the east coast treat more aggressively than doctors on the west coast).  I am always surprised to see those with no node involvement being treated with chemo but usually they're Her2+.  But not always.  So then BC type, age and whether it's a recurrence might factor in.

I was offered the other treatment that is dense dosed and every 2 weeks and involves 3 drugs and a port. Did I say I don't have a port? I have mixed feelings about this b/c I don't want one but I had nodes removed from both sides and they stuck me in the arm today. It's probably fine because I only had a few removed and I have not seen any lymphedema symptoms so far, but I digress.

My MO said the dense dose is more effective, but has more side effects.  I think it's recommended more often for more aggressive cancers.  Mine was not aggressive and small and only in 1 node.  So that may have something to do with why she recommended TC for me. Although mine is also a recurrence and I'm 47 so who knows?

Wendy

Writing, that makes sense. Very interesting. My MO said I am young enough (53) and healthy enough to go every two weeks. I know I will with the A/C but I don't know with the Taxol if it will be every 2 weeks, I think it is. I will have 4 of each and then rads on my arm pit area since they found it in 3/29 nodes. Amyo I will go to the PS just before I go to the MO for treatment for the same thing - TE fill. My MO did tell me it was aggressive treatment. These doctors I have leave no stone unturned so I feel like I'm in great hands.

Chemo treatment plan training completed today.  First cycle on Thursday - 6 cycles of TCH plus Pertuzumab followed by 6-12 cycles of Herceptin.  The information from all of you here is great and really helpful. I am ready to take control back and start to kill this disease in my body. 

In my case, I am only 43 and have 6 & 8 year old girls.  Technically, they say my nodes were negative, but there were micro mets. MO said it was totally up to me, my onco is 6. But, when presented with...If this were your mother/daughter/wife....he said he would tell them to do the chemo.  He says he wouldn't want to look back and okay the "what if..." game. 

I hate every minute of the chemo and get mad every time I even think about losing my hair (my scalp is tingling as I write this).   BUT, I will do whatever it takes for all the time in the world I can get to be here for my girls!!!  

Lespring...she just sees you as her mommy, keep your eye on the prize...the fun you will have as a healthy family...

Unfortunately my daughter doesn't know what a mommy is. She is 9 years old. She has never known a mommy or daddy. To her we are  no different than the hundreds of institution caretakers she's had throughout her life. I just lay down more, and there is better food. I wish it were different, but its not. Had I been diagnosed prior to our adoption we wouldn't have been approved. Its a horrible situation to bring a child from a traumatic background, drag them to the other side of the world where they can't understand the language, learning to bond with a family, into one with medical crisis, having outside caretakers (about the biggest no-no there with international adoption because they kids need to learn who family is. Every new person in the door is a new potential parent for them.) It is awful, and tonight of all nights its really getting to me. I'm usually a pretty positive person, but this one area is the one that I absolutely hate.

I had my Neulasta shot today.  So far so good.

I have a question that you guys may not be able to answer because it seems most of you have ports.  When I got to my first chemo infusion yesterday and they found out I didn't have a port and that i had lymph nodes taken from both sides (3 and 4 for a total of 7) they weren't sure what to do.  I was surprised.  In the end she stuck me on my wrist on the side where 4 was taken but no cancer was on that side. 

Today I have some swelling in my sternum.  I think the nodes were all taken under the arm.  (btw, for what it's worth I had a BMX with no reconstruction).  Is this lymphedema?  I had a little swelling there right after surgery but it went away and wasn't too large.  This is much bigger, but not too bad, but not sure what I should do about it and of course it's 9pm where I am.

writinghelps - I would ask your BS for a referral to a LE specialist and get that checked out - it may be just carry over swelling from your BMX - but better safe than sorry.  I know you don't have a long treatment schedule so a port might be overkill - but with have nodes removed on both sides I really think you should consider one.  The surgery is really only a couple of days of manageable pain and they can do it just a day before the next infusion if you have a hard time getting one schedules earlier.  They can do blood draws from it also - if you get a power port- and that will also reduce your Lymphoderma risk.   I had nodes removed on both sides and a long treatment schedule with the Herceptin - but knowing what I know now I would have requested a port even if I wasn't going to have Herceptin.

Lespring - are you taking the Claritan to help counteract the bone pain from the Neulasta shot?  If not, call you MO and ask if you can.  Just the regular Claritan 24 hr - not the Claritan D.  I use it for 10 days starting the night before my shot - I do have one or two days of some slight pain - the worst being in my sternum and hips - but it is manageable with an Aleve and doesn't effect my quality of life those couple of days.

Day 2 after treatment #2 and I feel pretty good - so far just tired last time I was good until day 3 - then was pretty much out of commission for days 4-6, Day 7 start feeling better and days 10 - 20 felt about 80 like me.   Hope you all have minimal SE days while we battle this dang BC