Starting Chemo March 2015

Went to the LGFB program last night and really enjoyed myself. I ended up being the model since I had the least amount of eyebrows to work with. I have eyebrows, they are just very blond. I have to say, seeing myself with eyebrows for the first time was really funny! I never have been brave enough to draw them in myself. I felt a bit like Groucho Marx. I'll post a pic but first I have to post this one before my 48 hours is up! Here is the chicken waterer with nipples. Too bad it is not as funny as it sounds. I can't get the picture to be smaller from the website I am purchasing from so sorry it is taking up so much space.

Theresa- reporting in with prune fingertips. Worse on left hand. I've been obsessive about hand washing and running my hands under too much hot water...grrrr.

Katy damn! I've been trying to avoid hot water since I saw the post on it. Not prune today after chemo 3, but thumb, index and middle fingers have rough skin right now. Ring finger and pinky finger seem to be okay, but those two fingers aren't as close to the heat source when I cook. Other than that and my stupid bee sting, which is way better, all else seems ok. I feel the mouth thing a bit, but have been coconut oiling my mouth every few hours, so hope that helps.

Stay tough in the chair today, everybody! Thinking of all of you!

Carrie- yes cross stitch. So easy. It's an Audubon with only 2 colors. Even I can do it!

So sorry about the stomach issues. I swear you sound undermedicated! I take clonazepam (in same class of meds as Ativan, lorazepam, Xanax, etc) for a myriad of issues right now, a contra steroid, to help sleep, to help my nerves, to help stay in the present and not worry about the future, and in combination with pain meds. I intend to avail myself of every aid to minimize SEs. I am not an addict and am also not a hero. Again, so glad your mom is there. ..please give her a hug for me.. This is so hard on the caretakers too..

I;m having an issue with the water also , it actually hurts to drink it, my throat feels numb and gross and it feels like what i eat and drink is getting stuck half way down. I was constipated for days and now I can't stop going, that area is hurting and I'm wondering if there is any part of my freaking body unaffected by this and I realize there is not. I'm trying to drink more , I get told about it every time , I have never been someone that drinks enough liquid and I know it's not good. The feeling in my mouth is horrible, everything tastes off. I'm dreading my next appointment. I know I'm probably repeating myself but I know I'll be forgiven.

TerryM- nothing to forgive. So sorry you are suffering so. The baking doda swish helps me a lot with the mouth and throat issues you describe. Don't worry about repeating. So I will repeat this. Keep a glass and the baking soda in the bathroom. 1 to 2 tsp in warm/tepid water and swish away. 4-5 swishes ea time and try to do at least ten times a day. Every time u go into b/room for any reason, stop snd do it. 30 seconds. Worth it.

A big hug for you.

Katy

a lovely couple you make, Bekah! Best wishes and congrats on fulfilling this milestone!

Bekan, Love the pic of you and hubby. Congrats on the last AC! May it be gentle on you!

Katy, Love the orange hat and shirt!

As always, beautiful pics!

Well, I had one heck of a morning. Yesterday afternoon, I called the onco triage nurse line to let them know that the bug I picked up over the weekend is getting worse quickly and is starting to settle into my chest. They didn't call me back until 4:00, and they assured me that they would pass my message along to the doctor and have him call in an antibiotic. By 7:00 last night, CVS still hadn't received an order for the script. I figured I'd be OK through the night and would call first thing in the morning. NOPE.

I ended up having to page my MO this morning before the office opened, because I couldn't breathe, and I still feel like an elephant is sitting on my chest. He apologized for not calling in the antibiotic last night and recommended I go to the ER for shortness of breath. 4 hours, several thousand dollars, and a CT later, I was released home with - oh, wait for it - an antibiotic. To add insult to injury, DH's phone got stolen in the ER. Ugh. I can't even begin to tell you how pissed off I am. If the doc had done his due diligence and had just called in the script for me last night like he was supposed to, I could have avoided the whole miserable experience today.

I think I mentioned before that my MO makes me feel like a bit of a bother when I bring lists of questions and grill him about side effects, treatment options, etc. My background is in clinical pathology, so I have a really good grip on diagnostic medicine. I feel that an informed patient is a better patient. I hate his, "Just lie back, Sweetheart, and let me dictate everything" approach. Let me tell you - from now on, when I feel like I need something and can't get the triage line to call me back, he's getting a page. Every. Single. Time. If he won't watch out for me, I will have to be more proactive in watching out for myself.

Thanks for letting me rant. I'm just wheezing, tired, and really disappointed right now.

And WTF is up with them sending us to urgent care or the ER if their office is open? The absolutely most germ ridden places in the universe! I mean, last I checked, every chemo infusion gets billed to my insurance to the tune of about $58,000.00. I think with that price tag they can damn well see us for illness, especially if it is during normal business hours. When I got my bee sting, they did the same thing to me. Oh we're open, but you go to urgent care. Yeah, right, and sit there with everybody in with the flu and who knows what else. Luckily my primary care doctor saw me on an emergency basis.

I just want to repeat, I went to my primary care physician and had him write me prescriptions for an antibiotic (Keflex), a topical steroid, and Valium so I could have them on hand. And what did I get prescribed for the bee sting? Keflex and a topical steroid. I'm thinking of going back for anti-fungal stuff, and also for a non-codeine pain reliever. I meet with my oncologist next Thursday for a status update, and you can bet she is going to hear about my being sent to urgent care during their normal business hours. Quite frankly, that behavior really pisses me off! Guess our little "wimpy" concerns aren't worth their bother if they can't hit our insurance for $50,000 or more. IndyGal 35, I am ranting right there with you.

TerryM, I think swishing the coconut oil in my mouth is helping me with my nasty mouth. Not sure, but it certainly isn't hurting.

Wow. I go away for awhile and I come back to pages of conversation! Awesome. I'm still catching up.

I got my new port! It's on the right side where my tumor was (as it's all healed now) When I got to pre-op the nurse told me the failed port would have to be taken out by the MD who put it in. Yeah, how stupid is that? At this point I didn't even argue, just give me a new one and I'll have THAT SURGERY at another time. When I got into the OR the doctor came over and asked me if I'd like for him to remove the failed port. YES! A doctor with common sense. I wish he were my oncologist.He and some other doctor did just that after they installed my new equipment. Driving a car is so much easier now. Being a passenger sucks though. I can't win. (ha)

I got chemo today...one day after my surgery. (woo hoo) I'm a week behind schedule, but 3 of 4 AC treatments are in the bag. I don't know about the rest of you, but after all AC treatments I'm starving. It's like I haven't eaten in over a day. Maybe my body knows that there will be no nausea for a day or more, so pig out while you can. I can and I will.

Will try to catch up on posts tonight.

Love...

I feel like sending Diane a tube of my prescription steroid cream, I swear. Saving the drugs for what? That rash looks painful. Diane, I would just go to my primary care physician or insist the MO do SOMETHING!

I'm on steroids and about ready to chew my doctors office out today. Then this morning the grandbabies were here and my granddaughter Ella decided running away from grandma and trying to fall down the hill was so fun. So I chased her to keep her from going over the edge and fell down and skinned my knee and toes. Needless to say, dad came and got them toot sweet.

This might be my week to take a bite out of that sh*t sandwich. Bee sting, skinned knee and toes. But hey, I ain't puking yet! And I can poop! I feel like a damn old person. Got my teeth and I can poop, all is good.

I need a glass of whiskey. Oh wait, can't have that either. There are the liver enzymes to consider.

And the Neulasta shot this afternoon, whoopee. Not at my best right now.

Theresa- ROFLMFAO. You always make me laugh. If you're this good and funny on a bad day, you must be H on wheels when you are firing on all cylinders.

Luv ya!

KT

Katy, love you too. Where you at in your infusion, almost done for today?

I read the most hilarious post on here about a woman who was trying to wax her butt and vagina hair. The wax didn't come off and then she put her leg down. So her butt cheeks stuck together and she was like omg, what if I have to poop? So she tried getting in a hot bath tub to melt the wax, and then her butt stuck to the tub. So then she had to rip her ass off the tub and then saw that the kit came with a bottle of wax remover. So then she said shit, and shaved everything, said at that point she could haven amputated her legs and not felt it. I laughed for half an hour.

Gotta love the humor in what we woman do to be pretty.

wow Katy, you certainly didn't need that to happen! Big hugs, and just get through the day!