Chemo group starting December 2014

HI

I just had my first round of chemo the 26th November so I'm practically a chemo buddy for December since I haven't really felt the side effects yet.

I got my port implanted Nov. 10th and you'll see that this method will be a lot more comfortable then having to find a vein every time... In fact, mine is so comfortable now, I never even think about it. But the sentinel node wound on the other side still is sore.

Right after your surgery for the port make sure to have some cold packs in the freezer to place on your wound, that really helped me than just taking pain killers non-stop.

Good luck!

Good morning waitingoncupcakes, We are both up early today. (There's a FB secret group for the Nov and Dec groups…just PM me your email if interested and I will send an invite.) How's your surgery recovery going? That is a more intense surgery than my lumpectomy/breast reduction surgery. I had that 9/26 and am all healed except for a scab in a few places. Minimal scarring too. Good luck next week with chemo. I start on Monday Dec 1 along with a few others in this group so we will all be holding hands in December.

Bonnie

Hi Bonnie, did you get my PM ? I sent two. Disregard the first one. I did try going to your facebook page as well, but there was no link to send a friend request. Thanks so much for setting up the group!

Never mind Bonnie. I just found your invite in my spam box.

hi everyone - I am 41 year old with a 4 and 7 year old. We live outside of chicago - moved her 4 years ago from Atlanta. I have a rare form of breast cancer - metaplastic spindel cell. It is chemo and radio resistant - it's triple negative - grade 3 with a ki67 proliferation rate of 90%. I had my surgery at John Hopkins on 10/22 and started my first AC treatment last Wednesday - besides a killer headache, moderate nausea and constipation it was ok. We have no family here so I had to take a car service back and forth to hospital - I'm choosing to go down town in lieu of my local hospital as the local hospital misread my original biopsy. I have been to 5 medical oncologist - including 2 sarcoma specialists - as my cancer is like a sarcoma. I can be overwhelmed with fear - it's hard to be a rare aggressive subtype with small children. I can hardly wait for this to be over!

I was in the December 2013 chemo group and just wanted to let you know that I managed this past year and so will you. My kids are grown so i didnt have that however i do work fulltime and managed to work the entire time and only missed three days. I still have Hercetin and Perjeta until March so I'm not done. But hair is coming back and I'm feeling more like me. Good luck!

I plan on working through my chemo too. I start on Monday with first round in the afternoon. Going into work in the AM and working till lunch time then afternoon with chemo. I will see how I feel the next day and go in when I can. I set my own schedule and appointments.

Hi Everyone!

I'm scheduled to have my port placed on 12/2. I am also scheduled to start chemo 12/18, the choice of chemo drugs haven't been determine yet (beside Herceptin).

I am a stay at home mom, of an extremely active three year old. So I will be looking for ways to stay energized!

Looking forward to share this experience with all of you.

B

greetings fellow chemo troopers!

let me introduce myself,

i am a petless, childless, relatively content (but now anxious) 40 year old art & frame maker/restaurant server living north of toronto with a nice boyfriend (of 17 years).

i was diagnosed with IDC/micropapillary breast cancer in august. my mastectomy went very well - so far i've had almost no complications and i've healed nicely, too. i have decided to get chemo and will have 4 rounds of TC over 2 1/2 months starting sometime in december (i go for the info session on tuesday).

i am horribly averse to anything to do with IVs and veins, and the descriptions and idea of that port thing makes me want to run away screaming... so i'm scared of the whole process i'll be experiencing soon - way more than the actual poison going into me!

i hope to offer support and receive it here (and find some humour sometimes), and to keep this board abreast (HAR!) of my experiences... thanks for being here!

Hi! Thanks for starting this. I will be having 4 rounds of AC every other week followed by either 4 rounds of taxol every other week or 12 weekly rounds of taxol. That hasn't been decided yet. I believe I will start chemo by 12/15. I'm very nervous and would love to have some buddies to go through this with me.

I'm done!

One chemo down!! 3 more AC to go then 12 taxol after that.

I was nervous but the nurses were excellent in reassuring me. Talked to me each time a new bag was hung up on the IV pole, etc.

We got in the infusion room just as lunch was being served. We were given sandwiches, chips, a dessert, and a bottle of water.

Their snack room also had more sandwiches, water coffee, chips or pretzels plus other snacks.

I ended up getting a headache but they were quick to give me Tylenol which didn't help so she asked if it could be sinuses so she had me to take one of the Claritin and that did the trick.

All in all, it wasn't as bad I imagined it to be.

I have to go back tomorrow for the Neulasta shot.

Now to watch for the side effects.

For those receiving Neulasta -  if you take Claritin (10mg loratadine) at least an hour prior, and continuing every 24 hours for at least several days, it can help with bone pain some experience from Neulasta.  Many experience bone pain because Neulasta (or Neupogen, if you do the shots daily at home) causes an expansion in the marrow from the stimulation of the drug to produce additional white cells.  The antihistamine in Claritin is thought to subdue the swelling caused by this expansion, thus reduce the pain.  Ask your oncologist if you can take this drug - here is a link to the trial:

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01311336

Also, you may experience more bone pain from the first injection - this makes sense because the marrow has never been expanded in this fashion previously.  On subsequent injections of Neulasta, one may experience less bone pain because the initial expansion has already taken place - much like a tight pair of jeans or new pair of shoes - once broken in they are less tight.  I forgot to take the Claritin prior to my third Neulasta injection and did experience more bone pain, although fairly minimal, even though I took it about 30 minutes later - so start with the Claritin at least an hour, or even a day before.  This is especially important for those receiving taxane based chemotherapeutic agents - taxanes (Taxol or Taxotere) can produce their own level of bone pain as a side effect so it is important to minimize this if you can.  Many find that pain meds don't do as much as expected to relieve this pain, but I was ok with Tylenol and a very warm bath.  Good luck!

akitagirl, I was signed in at 3 but after waiting for the shot, then getting that and having to see a nurse practitioner because I had redness reaction to the chemo. Took me 50 minutes completely.

I have to drive an hour one way to the treatment center. So 2 hours of drive time is crazy.

They just gave it to me in the back of my arm under the skin. I won't lie, it stung.

I woke up nauseated this morning but was able to stave it off with crackers and ginger ale until I could take another zofran.

Anyone develop a rash after chemo? I have a little bit of a rash. It's not raised or itchy. I called my PS first because it's on my left foob. They said it may be reaction to the chemo. So when I got to the treatment center I told the nurse and after they gave me the Neulasta shot, they had me see the nurse practitioner who said it was probably from the steroids yesterday and to take some benadryl for it

If it's not improving by tomorrow, I'm calling the PS to have him look at it.

Hello to all,

I have triple negative, stage 1,0/3 bc.Just saw my oncologist -starting chemo on dec 17 - 4 weeks of Taxotere and Cytoxan. Really nervous regarding all the side effects, but now the reality of loosing my hair has sunk in.

When will the hair start to grow after the first chemo ? Hopefully my chemo schedule will not have any glitches and my last chemo date is Feb 18,2015. And Feb 17th is my 20th marriage anniversary !!

My oncologist said my hair will start growing two weeks after my first chemo - is that right ??

Do any one of you have experience of Taxotere and Cytoxan - what should I expect ?

Take care, and thanks for all the support and advice.

Hi all. On the subject of hair loss, any advice on wigs? My insurance won't pay for one but I think it will be worth spending the money for one that looks good. (Anybody have good luck with ordering one on line??) I want a wig to wear to work so I don't get so many questions and, since I work with kids, they won't be scared to see me bald. On Saturday I am getting my shoulder length hair cut short in preparation...at least getting ready in the morning won't take so much time!

Port placement tomorrow, then chemo. in a week. Great to hear from all of you.