Chemo in July 2015

hi ladies! Typing on my phone with the use of one hand so pardon any errors. Surgery was 12.5 hours on Monday and went great! Tuesday was a pretty rough day, no lies, but today has beegreat. I've been up and walking, using the bathroom, and managing pain very well with meds. My advice so far is you might be very nauseous when you first awake die to the anesthesia so don't be afraid to take meds for it. Day 1 was the worst for getting up but I honestly think it was worth it since today was so much better. I'm also trying to stay ahead of the pain with meds and it really has helped.

Hard to write and check in here but I have 3 more days in the hospital so I'll be sure to check in again. Best of luck to you all! BTW, My boobs look GREAT!!!

YAY BEE!!

yeah, Bee! Good job getting up and about so soon. Helps to get everything moving

Congratulations MissBee so glad you are doing so well. Thoughts and prayers for a pain free quick recovery coming your way!

Love,

Thunder7

update #2: paint your nails!!! You have to look at them forever and I've gotten compliments from every nurse and doctor who had seen them. Glitter polish for the win!

Congrats, MissBee! Glad to hear you're doing well with rockin' toenails.

Got my weekly Neupogen shot today so I'll be ready for T/C #8 on Monday. Mdoc - I asked again about what to do for the fatigue and my very nice PA said nothing, no drugs available. And here I was hoping to score something fun : )

I feel like a 90 year old slug.

Thanks Peabrain & Twnkltoz - had 4th Taxol yesterday & no reaction (woohoo) .. The fatigue increased immediately - 1st I thought it was all the pre-meds since I get double everything since the reaction during the 2nd Taxol .. Slept almost 12 hours & could go back to bed .. Legs feel so heavy .. UGH .. Does it get worse each week?

Hemoglobin holding at 9.1 two weeks in a row 👍😜

White counts dropped significantly - WBC went from 7.1 to 3.9 and ANC went from 5.2 to 2.3 in just 1 week. Of course when kids & husband all have the nasty sinus/cold virus going around .. Need a hazmat suit

Hoping everyone is having a nice weekend - minimal or no SE's

Mary

Thanks Erika - the heaviness in the legs is amazing ... Glad you are at the end & a little jealous LOL. My last 2 will be over the Christmas Holidays & need to start doing stuff now to get ready .. It really does suck ...

mdoc524 & adarkadaptedi, I wanted to ask you about the fatigue & leg heaviness. I'm between rounds 7-8 of Taxol and each week my legs do manage to feel heavier. I feel like my muscles are so sore, but the irony is there's no muscle tone! It's all flabalicious jelly at this point. I get scared walking for too long, especially walking on ground that's not perfectly flat. I easily trip and recently I just kinda fell on the floor from a standing position because my ankle gave out. My question: do you or did you exercise daily? It's the thing my oncologist pushes me to do the most, but is the hardest thing to do when you already feel like you've run a marathon & are fighting other SEs.

Peabrain, I had to let you know your post above cracked me up. I love that you named your eyelash. I've given Ramona a moment of silence.

MissBee123, thanks for your posts here & on the surgeries thread. I'm soaking up info leading to my surgery & those blazing the trail helps so much. Good wishes to you on a continued successful recovery.

SVGsurvive: Hi there! Oh, I exercise plenty–if by "exercise" you mean "roll around on the bed most of the day because everything hurts so bad that my only recourse is to lie down!" LOL! My onco team has been pushing/admonishing me from my first treatment to get out and take walks, etc. The reality is, and has been, that each infusion day and the following day (for me, each Tuesday and Wednesday), I'm "good" and have a bit of energy/a lot less pain, mainly because I've just been pumped full of steroids. After that, all bets are off.

DH just "forced" me to go with him to WallyWorld for much-needed supplies last night, and to get me the heck out of the apartment. We were probably out for an hour total, but I really doubted that I was going to make it. As I mentioned in a previous post, walking on even flat surfaces feels like slogging through molasses; the neuropathy in my toes feels horrible, and I'm constantly trying to not trip because I can't feel the floor/ground. I also felt weird and daze-y, like everything was blanketed in some sort of fog (the fluorescent lights didn't help!). If you've ever worked out, you're probably familiar with the "burn" of lactic acid buildup. I feel the (excruciating) "burn" after doing things like brushing my teeth, holding my phone to my ear for more than a few minutes at a stretch, rinsing dishes, etc. It's actually frightening how debilitating the pain's gotten over the course of the Taxol/Carbo treatments. I can't live on ibuprofen! And re: your ankle giving out: I feel your pain, literally! I get these sudden, almost "tickling" stabby pains/cramps(?) that render the respective area useless for a few seconds/minutes, and I've nearly fallen, as a result.

@SVGSurvive - Thank you for thinking of Ramona. Here's hoping for her swift return. : )


As for exercise, I am with @adark adept and doc. I just had my 8th T/C today. I save my steroid boost for getting paperwork done, bills, thank you notes, stuff that piles up as an adult and then I crash for Tues afternoon, Wed, Thurs. Friday I exercise by going to the MO for Neupogen shot. I shuffle from the parking lot all the way into the building, do three stadium steps instead of the ADA ramp and the pull open the very heavy entry door to the MOs office and back after the appointment. I am unsteady on my feet and have jello legs, so I hold tight to my DH's hand. (My human walker) My pulse rate sky rockets to 120 thanks to the anemia. Over the weekend, I feel somewhat better and am happy to go on short outings for a change of scenery and slightly faster shuffles. I push myself to accomplish these gargantuan tasks and would be miffed if someone else were pushing me to do more.


Before surgery and chemo, I kitesurfed and hiked and was generally somewhat overweight yet outdoorsy with a nice low pulse rate and muscles.


@Twinkltoz - Thank you for the glimpse of the future! I am comforted and reassured to hear there is an eventual (even soon) return to life and strolling.

So happy for those of you that are finished with chemo! My last Taxol is Friday! I can't wait to be done!!! My daughter might come have lunch with me to help celebrate. Haven't taken her there yet. We will all be glad that chemo is over. It's been super hard on her, she's 8 years old.

The fatigue is really bothersome. I feel like sand bags are tied to my extremities. I laid down for few minutes today, and the next thing I knew, it was three hours later! The fatigue and lack of motivation to exercise is not making me feel any better about having gained weight since starting chemo. Funny thing is, for the first several days after chemo I can't sleep at night!!!!!

On the bright side, the hair on my head is growing back! I look like our daughter did when she was a baby! Lots of soft hair on the top of my head. Lots of gray hair coming in too!!!! Yikes! I have been lucky that I have no neuropathy, although I do get the strangest pains that come and go. Feels like an electrical current.

Mdoc-I too have horrible hot flashes, mainly at night. I bought the fabulous pillow topper that MissBee recommended. It's great. I also bought a cooling towel from Amazon. Also helpful, but by the time I get it out of the linen closet, get it wet and wrap it around my head, the hot flash is over! They seem to be more predominate at night. I wasn't menopausal before chemo, but my MO hinted that it might push me into menopause. We'll see what happens after chemo is done.

SVGsurvive-love the description of your legs. Sounds exactly like me! :-)

MissBee-hope you are doing well!

Big hugs to you all!

Re: exercise, you all made me feel much better w/ your honesty. Thanks. I persecute myself when I can't do it, but when your body is shouting "wtf?!", you gotta listen.

mdoc524, it's Hot Flash City for me as well. I'm 42, and my last period was on the day of my 1st AC infusion. They're short, happen mostly at night / when laying, but have also happened at the drop of a hat in the car, at work, in a supermarket... I've done nothing to prevent them or ease them other than to have a fan w/ a remote control next to the bed. Oncologist says between those and the sexy zits on the sides of my mouth/chin that I'm hormonal and likely getting my early menopause. I guess we'll find out after chemo if this sticks?.

gargengirl09, congrats on your upcoming Taxol finale! I'm having sleep troubles as well, even after popping Ativan nightly.

Is anyone able to get uninterrupted, 8 hour chunks of sleep regularly?

Zuwali- chin up! You can do this. I believe it's okay to feel blue, to cry, to play the "woe is me" card, as long as you can balance it out with the positive, too. It's not easy, far from it. But you've come a loooooong way, and you will get through this. I just got home from my first Herceptin-only infusion, and it's a cake walk compared to chemo. No steroids, pre meds or side effects. It's really a nuisance more than anything- but it works! So I'll take whatever they throw at me (I needs rads, too, more than likely) to prevent reoccurrence

Miss Bee- you inspired me to get a pedicure before surgery! I was loosely planning on doing so, but you sealed the deal. Hope you are feeling better and stronger with each day.

To all my fellow Hot Flashers- I wish I could make them stop! They tapered off for a bit during round 5 and 6, but still make their presence known. I have no idea if this is forever or not? I'm 43 (44 on Thursday!), and will be on tamoxifen eventually, which will induce menopause, correct?

Pea- sorry to hear about Ramona. My deepest condolences.

Twinkle- hooray for hair! I think mine will begin to reappear soon.

To all- it's so good to see so much humor here. We're dealing with some serious shit, and it just makes me happy to see that we can find some humor amidst the chemo haze and misery.

I'm throwing a No Mo Chemo party (and a NED party- my new favorite term!) on Thursday (coincidentally, it's also my birthday) and can't wait to surround myself with friends, and to thank them for all they have done for me. I will be a blubbering mess while doing so, but will be so happy to celebrate.

I shall toast you all, too