Starting Chemo May 2015

Happy birthday, Magnolia! I would probably kill for a beer or glass of wine but my liver enzymes are high from the chemo so I'll have to wait a little longer--hopefully by my birthday in October!

Shanann--I'm feeling the same way! Today is day 21 and other than a hot flash every now and then I'm feeling almost "normal" and I even have an extra day this round because I'm not having my infusion until Friday. I'm just dreading Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

shanann, I'm jealous you got so many weeks off after AC! My MO did give me the option to take an additional week off after the two week recovery from AC but I said forget it, just bring on the weekly taxol b/c I want this crap over with. I have heard the weekly taxol side effects are slightly less than dose dense, and that taxol is a 'walk in the park' compared to AC but I'm not going to get too excited until I actually get it on Friday!

me and my girl being silly tonight... On day 7 of round 3. It's taken its toll this time, save all my energy for the 2 hours she is home after day care.

Cute picture Jenga!

Just had my dose-dense paclitaxol and Herceptin. Boy, was it an extremely long appointment. Was there for 7 hours! The first dose of paclitaxel was supposed to be 3 hours and first dose of Herceptin was 90 minutes. However, ran into some problems when infusing the paclitaxel. Started off at a low rate and was then ramped up. However, upon ramping up I experienced an "allergic reaction" where I had a heavy chest and shooting pain in my back. They stopped it and gave me extra steroid and Benadryl which resolved the reaction. After 15 minutes they tried again at the low rate and ramped up and I didn't experience those problems anymore.

So ladies watch out for these reactions during your first infusion of paclitaxel (heavy chest pressure, shooting back pain, red flushing of the face, shortness of breath). Nurse said that the reaction was not really due to the drug itself but to the solvent that it is dissolved in.

Love the quote Marlanab!

Yeah the reaction was a bit scary for me because I had so much chest pressure that I thought I was going to get intubated and sent to the hospital. Fortunately it resolved with meds.

The nurse said the reaction either comes the first or second infusion of paclitaxel. She said people usually get used to the solvent after that administration.

jenga60 adorable pic!

JenJenJen, I start Taxol tomorrow so I appreciate the heads up about the reaction...hoping it goes smoothly but will be on high alert! My MO said it would take 7 hrs the first time and I was hoping she was exaggerating lol. I'm getting Herceptin and Perjeta along with my Taxol.

Karabesque, sorry you are having a hard time! We are all here for you. Have you thought about something like Ensure to make sure you are getting calories and nutrients even though you don't feel like eating much? Might help. Oh and yes my eyes are constantly watery and fans blowing on me really irritates them...so glad it's summer and there are fans everywhere...not.

As long as we're on the topic of pigs....

First post on boards but been following boards since March! Last T/C #4 yesterday and Neulasta shot this afternoon! I have learned so many great ways to take care of myself and health during the treatments. I truly believe walking each day 30-40 minutes and drinking at least 100 oz of water has helped me get through this! I followed the icing of toes and fingers during the 1.5 hours for the Taxotere infusions. Painting nails each night with Sally Hansen Hard as Nails and using tee tee oil. Did buy the Elast gel caps and still lost over half my hair (one of the hardest things for me). I used regular ice instead of dry ice and caps maybe didn't get cold enough. I will start Tamoxifen on August 1st for 5 years.

Love to read all your comments and learn about your personal experiences! It has helped me not feel so alone. I also follow the Cytoxan Taxotere board. Wish you all the best

Happy Friday! Just out of curiosity has anyone been able to eat fresh fruits and veggies without having to wash them with soap and water? My MO pretty much said to stay clear of raw fruits and veggies which sucks because the summer is the best time to enjoy them, especially the Jersey tomato. I still buy blueberries and strawberries for my family because they love fresh in season fruit (especially in the sumer) and I have to admit I've eaten a couple of blueberries after I have washed them with my fruit and veggie wash!. My MO said it wasn't worth the risk of getting a bacterial type infection. I've had steamed and grilled veggies, but getting tired of the same things. Can anyone share some recipes or ways to prepare veggies that they taste good? A lot of articles that I've read suggest to eat fruits and vegetables because they contain apigenin which improve the body's reaction to chemo. but then my MO says "No"....so frustrating!!!

shareapril, I buy organic fruits and vegetables. Way good and Soak them in a big bowl of water with 2 Tablespoons vinegar for 5 minutes, rinse good and they are good to go. This does not change the taste. I still peel thin skinned things like yellow squash, peaches, etc. I do eat strawberries after they are washed well. My MO did not say anything about not eating them. I am on Coumedin, so there are some I cannot eat. Google Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen. That will tell you what to buy organic and what is OK not to.

bbpie, welcome to the group!

sharapril, my MO also said to try to avoid raw fruits and veggies, but if I had to have them, to wash them extremely thoroughly and eat them at home. I have been mostly doing cooked veggies so I feel your pain on missing out on the in-season summer stuff and getting board of the same old cooked stuff! For fruits I try to buy organic and anything that I can peel: watermelon, pineapple, bananas, etc. I also try to avoid raw fruits and veggies when I go out and definitely stay away from any "buffet" style restaurants...too risky!

I just had my first weekly Taxol (along with Herceptin and Perjeta) and I feel JenJenJen's pain...was there for nearly 8 hours! But that's because it was my first...luckily no allergic reaction so the rest of them should be much shorter. Gotta say, so far the rumors are true...MUCH better than AC (no icky queasy feeling and not so fatigued)! But I'm still cautious as I know side effects can pop up at any time and I'm only 24 hours out! But I am enjoying feeling normal for now...I'll take what I can get!

I eat fruit and vegies....I wash them all with clear water and a little vinegar. My taster is off but I can taste them.

I started chemo on May 12 but have only just discovered this board so thought I'd join in. I've been on Taxol, Herceptin, and perjeta for stage 3, HER+ cancer. It's a three-week regimen, with all three drugs the first week, then two weeks of just Taxol. It has responded very well, so they're going to have me see the surgeon for a follow-up in a few weeks to see whether to proceed or switch the chemo regimen to AC or AC+T or just keep going as we are. For those of you who are switching to Taxol, I can tell you that it is probably kinder than some of the other drugs (and I really appreciate all the info here about AC/T; forewarned is forearmed). In any case, while hair loss is part of it, the gastric symptoms aren't as severe, I suspect. I've swung between diarrhea and constipation but that may be more from the Herceptin, I'm told. I haven't had nail problems or neuropathy (yet). I've had acne (bleh) and some mild skin ulcers, but that also may be more from Herceptin. The steroid pretreatment keeps me energetic on the day after chemo, and then I crash for a day and a half or so. I've really had a hard time with the benedryl: not only does it knock me out, but it also makes me a bit loopy. I mentioned this to a nurse a couple of weeks ago, and was very happy to find that they could substitute hydroxyzine, which doesn't have either effect. And it's taken orally, so that shortens the total time for the IV infusions.

What else? Taste buds definitely affected for a few days after chemo, not the whole week, thankfully. The worst part is that water tastes terrible; marginally better if I add lemon juice. As for the rest, it's sort of like having a blanket over one's taste buds. We have a soda stream, so I've been making a lot of citrus seltzer, which is fine. Or I drink iced tea. I crave salty food, not sweet except for fruit. For the constipation, I force feed fruit and vegetables; since it's summer, the farmers markets are in full swing, and I feel much safer with their fresh produce than with what I get in the supermarket. Going for a walk is also good to shake loose the constipation--but then there is the problem that one can be caught away from home and need a rest room quickly! Fortunately, I live in a big city, so there are a lot of restaurants around to duck into if need be. But it's embarrassing, to say the least.

One side effect that no one told me about was the physical pain involved in losing one's hair. I'd cut it short when it started falling out and bought a very nice wig and a sleep cap. But the wig hurt so badly, and then when I took it off at night, it hurt even worse, and this went on for 4-5 days before I decided I was either doing something wrong with the wig or having a massive allergic reaction to the wig cap. I went back to the wig store, where they were very kind and explained that this was normal. They buzzed my hair to 1/4 inch, and the pain went away over the next day or two. I mentioned it to a chemo nurse, who said, "Oh, didn't anyone tell you that would happen?" No! I also had severe dandruff around this time, which I had never had before and which fortunately went away after a few days.

I'm a freelancer, and my income definitely has taken a hit; the diagnosis was so overwhelming that it was hard to focus for a while. And it's been hard on the family; my husband wants to help (and does), but there are many ways in which one has to be alone to process this whole thing, and it's hard on him when I don't share all my thoughts. His mom also died of breast cancer, as did a colleague with whom he worked closely, so it's a disease that has touched him greatly in the past. We also have a teenage son, and the diagnosis came right before he entered into the end of year high school madness of finals, AP exams, and so forth. So in the beginning, we tried hard to keep him on an even keel.

Anyway, it's a journey. Thanks for sharing all of your stories! RA in NYC.

Karabesque, sorry you are having such a hard time, hope today is better for you. I had your symptoms after my first found of FEC (I'm not sure which regimen you are on). If you are still not eating, perhaps try small meals every few hours. That helped me, as did Ensure. Ultimately, I ended up in the hospital, and the decision was made to reduce my dose by 15%, and that has made a huge difference. Perhaps you can discuss a reduction with your MO. I also had burning watery eyes, and for two days had to wear dark sunglasses, even on cloudy days, and indoors too. That was also fixed with the dose reduction. I was concerned that the dose reduction would mean a reduction in the cancer killing ability, but have been assured that is not the case.

Shanann, sounds as if you and your fiancé are really looking out for one another. I'm sure he knows the cuddle time will come back when the worst of it is over!