Chemo scares me more than the disease

spooks good point. They thought I could do ac without port. Didn't get one and almost couldn't finish and had calasping veins. Have a port now ...much better...never have to nervous if they can do treatment or not if they can't access

anewbeginning

Yes definitely suck on ice during adriamycin. Use Biotene mouthwash as well. I got one mouth sore and it wasn't even that bad.

I second the port. My first infusion was without one and I actually had what looked like a burn on my hand. MO said definitely getting a port. I got it in August and it was taken out in a January. I never had any problems with it.

Love the "No Hair Day" ball cap!

Infusion center provided ice chips and toasty warm blankets. My big issue with AC was not the chemo, but the bone pain from the Neulasta shot. I finally realized that Claritin was not working for me and I switched to Zyrtec. Big improvement!

As comforting as a snugly puppy is, I was told to not let my dogs sleep with me; and don't let them lick me. So many rules.

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I definately second getting a port! Mine has never used for blood draws as I have great veins so much quicker and easier just to 'poke' for a draw. (Well - it was once but that was just because I had a draw scheduled for the same day as a flush so when she did the flush the RN just went ahead and did the draw at the same time.)

I was not told to worry about being around any of my '4 legged babies' including the horses and my bunny. My Codestar couldn't really schnuggle with me - he would have squashed me as he was a Gordon Setter (the black and tan Scottish version of setters - Irish are red, English are 'spotted') so he was quite a big guy. But he was never more than a few inches from me at anytime. Shortly after I was DXd, Hubby lost his 'Baby Girl' (mixed breed) to cancer and had been hunting for a hound with no luck. The day before my UMX, I had stopped at the Humane Society and low and behold there was a black and tan hound. When I was in my room after surgery, I sent him (and Son) to see her and she came home the next day (she had to be spayed first).

I am always cold and the Center always had 'gobs' of warmed blankets. During A/C that was fine, however during Taxol I was even colder (temp averaged between 95 and 96 but was down to 94 at times). For Taxol, I had one of the glassed in cubicles (with hospital bed because the IV benadryl would send me 'nighty night' within seconds of it being infused - would wake up as if nothing had happened 20 min before end of Taxol). The glassed in cubicles each had their own thermostats so they cranked up the heat for me and still piled on warmed blankets. (I never did the 'ice' and had no issues that it supposedly prevents. We are all different.)

Gordons are not common but I love them. Cody/Codestar was my 4th. He was actually a Humane Society surrender that was a 'Pet of the Week' in the paper. I did not see it but Son did. My OT greyhound (I got her from her race owner the night after ahe ran her last race) was not going to make it much longer and I had said I wanted a Gordon again. So when Son saw Code in the paper he called me. We went out and Code came home and I had him for another 10+ yrs. (Yes he was registered and his papers were surrendered with him and I did meet his original owner.). What was really sad to me was that when I picked him up it was a Wed afternoon and the Humane Society says you have to go to a free Vet for check - Wed afternoon it is very hard to find a Vet for non emergency. The only Vet I could get him into told me to take him back - he would be dead soon from respritory infections and would kill our other dogs. Wrong - I did call an old Vet friend and he told me what to get livestock meds to use for him and not worry. He lived another 10+ yrs.and non of the other dogs had any issues at all.

I just though of something someone told their 2 legged kids - Cody was a 'long haired Rott'. Well - he was black and tan and long haired so ignorance to reign at times.

anew - You can start the Claritin as little as an hour prior to the injection, but should continue it for at least a couple of days. You will know after the injection whether you experience bone pain (I only had it mildly, only needed Tylenol) or not.  Whether you continue needing Neulasta after the AC portion will be dependent on your white count/neutrophil count after you make the switch to the subsequent regimen.