Starting Chemo May 2015

Peri colace and Senekot were the ones on my list. I plan on take stool softeners the 2 days before and after next to see if that helps...I have never taken this many drugs in my life. Just spent another 80 on Biotene toothpaste, rinse and lozenges and sunblock. It doesn't help that Mom needs moisturicing and the 13 yr old needs clear skin/oil free.

Tomorrow is my first day of Chemo. I will have dose dense AC every 2 weeks. Here's hoping I'm not very allergic to the A.

t100angel -- good luck! I start next Thursday.

jo68 -- my case is similar. I opted to have chemo because it cut the possibility of a recurrence from 12% with just radiation and hormone therapy to 6%.with all three therapies.

Anyone taking Zofran (ondansetron) for nausea, be prepared to have stool softeners on hand. I took Zofran last year for nausea caused by vertigo related to my Meniere's disease and it constipates one horribly! I opted to have compezine for nausea when I start chemo next week.

t100angel:

Today was my first day. I, too, am getting dose dense AC every 2 weeks for two months and then once a week for 12 weeks. I was nervous this a.m. but everything went okay. Was told I likely won't start to feel poorly until Thursday, but maybe not even then (from their mouths to you know Who).

My head feels mildly achey and slightly foggy, but that's all. I got a prescription for Zofran 8 mg tabs for nausea and was told to take one at the first sign of feeling queezy.

Was given 250 mg of Aloxi for nausea,

20 mg of Decadron, the corticosteroid,

102 mg of Doxorubin (Adriamycin) (and peed red) and

1020 mg of Cytoxan.

Tomorrow I go for my Neulasta shot (for the white blood cells) and was told to pick up some generic Claritin and take one before I get the shot.

They were a half hour late in taking me in, but once there I happily found the nurse more forthcoming than anyone in the onco doc's office was, and they will also be much easier to reach should I need to do so—24 hour answering service with the promise that a real person will call me back ASAP. All the women who worked there were very pleasant and not in a syrupy way. They started out calling me "Miss Suprprised" in deference I guess, to my age, but I put a stop to that and now I'm just "Surprised." I appreciated the effort but if you're going to call me with an honorific I'd be much happier with Ms. & my surname. This was my only complaint for my first treatment—that and the TV for which I have a remedy—a cheap MP3 player. I think I got away okay and hope you do, too.

I ate a hearty dinner and am continuing to get down as much liquid as I can stand. Hope I will sleep normally tonight. EDIT: I didn't, nodded off sometime around 3:30 a.m.

Best of luck tomorrow!!

my sunshine48:

I'm so sorry you are feeling so miserable and feel bad for crowing about how good I feel after only my first day. I'm sure my trials are yet to come. I'm eating prunes and dates and taking Metamucil but it may turn out that that is not enough.

No one talks about taking an enema to relieve constipation. It sounds like a real turnoff to me since my mother gave them to me when I was a child and I haven't had one since. But if dynamite is required…

Sincerely hope tomorrow is a better day for you.

Hopped up on steroids. Hungry and thirsty.

Stef,  I can appreciate not wanting to be colder with the cap on. Catrrus I seriosly doubt they will have cold mits or boots at the 'spa' but I'm gonna munch on ice and keep up with the water. 

I tried to copy and paste the costipation remedies from page 7 but not working from the tablet. 

1. Water (100 oz or 3 liters) 

1a. Add fiber

2. Stool softner (docusate)

3. Stimulant laxative (senna,  bisocdyl)

4. Magnesium (as milk of magnesia, I take Mag citrate capsules nightly to counteract the calcium which binds me)

5. Miralax (peg,  just one capful) hyperosmotic (prune juice)

6. Enema is last resort but check with nurse or md.

As some of you have found out you must gradually increase these or you will have the opposite problem.

Time to go pack my spa bag for tomorrow.  

mysunshine. Can I ask a ?. Being grade 1 prob. Stage 1 or 2 I am interested in what the indicator for chemo was for you. High oncology type? Grade 2?? I get my final pathology results thurs. So am interested in ladies with sim. Stats needing chemo. I am 52.

Pat

PatRN10 - I don't know my onco type but I was told that because I'm premenopausal, it was better to hit with everything, including the kitchen sink! My tumor was 1.8 cm, started as a grade 1-2 on the biopsy but was grade 2 by the time I had surgery. Margins and lymph nodes were clear.

good plan marlanab! I do get hitting the premen. hard . I am def post men. Verified by labs so that is why I am interested by mysunshine who is in 60's. Hoping for the best but trying to mentally prepare for any scenario that comes my way with Thursday path reports.

Hello this is my first post. I had my first chemo treatment on Thursday May 14th. My daughter had her end of the year dance recital on Sunday and I was very tired. I did make it to her show. Thank God but had a very rough night and very rough all day Monday. Today I felt a little better. I have had bone pain, severe constipation, then diarrhea, it's been a rough two days. It can only get better from here.

Steflove - good to know that I'm not too ambitious! I have enough leave time in my bank but I'd prefer not to use it unless I absolutely have to.

So far for my list of stuff to bring with me I have:

iPad, iPhone, charger/backup battery, water, crushed ice/otter pops, water, blanket, snacks. Anyone have any other suggestions? I'm not sure what my "spa" offers but I'd rather be prepared in case they don't have everything that I need/want to have with me.

The countdown stands at t minus 8 days.

Surprise....take a lot of laxitives - the Zofran does a number on you. And, do not wait until you feel nauseous....keep ahead of it. I took one every 8 hours for the first 5,days....now every 10 hours. I tried not to take one last night and work up very nauseous

There's a couple of convenience stores very near to the treatment center that I'll be going to. If I stopped and filled my insulated Bubba Mug with a slushie would that be just as good as eating a popsicle during treatment? I can't wrap my head around how I'll keep popsicles cold and not all over myself while doing treatment.

Do you think a frozen slushie would work just as well though?

The mug I'm talking about is an insulated Bubba Mug, we use them when we go to Mexico to keep our frozen drinks icy on the beach.

I just keep picturing myself with melty popsicle all over me.