Starting Chemo in October 2015

very nice. My son say to me dad 2.0. , he has yet a little bit more hair how I.

Hi everyone! Been offline for a few days but I'm back. I finally ventured out to synagogue this weekend after avoiding it since starting chemo. I've been afraid of getting sick again. And because my husband is the rabbi, I'm in a sort of public position there, so I always get bombarded by people (they all mean well--it's just a bit overwhelming). I also really didn't want to have the answer the same questions over and over again. Most people were lovely and respected my need for a little distance, although there were a few who didn't get the message about "chemo etiquette" and bombarded me with hugs.

And the post-mastectomy bras and silicone prosthesis I ordered from the cancer center boutique arrived right in time for the formal wedding I'm going to this afternoon. It's quite comfortable actually and I feel and look almost "normal" again. Grateful for the small things!

On to chemo #3 on Tuesday...good luck to my fellow Tuesday crew and, of course, to everyone else as well!

Whoopee for going to synagogue, Durhamgirl. I'm not the wife of a pastor, but I do sing in the choir. It's been disappointing that I haven't been able to attend church or rehearsals much since I started chemo. Sometimes I'm just too tired to fool with it. But I have had a burst of energy the last 2 days, so I dragged myself out of bed this morning and went to church. Even sang in the choir, too. One of the best things about singing in the choir is that we're in the front of the church, behind the pastor. It limits the number of people I'm exposed to and there's not shaking hands. Win!

Wow Kim. That seems crazy. Your oncologist still recommended chemo? And yes I'm day 5 in hospital after my first chemo. Questioning it and wondering how I will get through the next 3.

Just popping in from August chemo....

I was scheduled for 4 rounds of TC, but I only did 3 because I was getting really bad neuropathy in my fingers. It's normal to feel tingles for a few days, but when it doesn't resolve after several weeks, that is when you and the docs have a talk. There are MANY options if you start having bad side effects, and if you are doing it prophylacticly like me, you can stop if things aren't going right. (By the way, my neuropathy completely resolved itself after a few months!)

ALSO, my hair didn't fall out until DAY 30, so don't do anything too extreme until you are sure it's going to fall out! Once it started coming out, I got it cut into a cute 1' pixie so I could try out a cute short cut. I'm 8 weeks after chemo--finishing radiation next week-- and it's starting to grow back now (so don't get discouraged!!).

You can do this!!!!

I don't have this thread saved as a favorite, but you can private message me if you have any questions. Good luck.

Thank you homeschool4us! I found that exerpt to be very profound. I think we can all see ourselves in some of those statements.

thanks homeschool, that is beautiful!

Mamabexar, i start DD Taxol next friday (dec 4).nice for you side effects are minimal!

If you could give your chemo side effects a rating on a scale of 1-5, 1 being minimal to nil and 5 being the worst what would it have been? Also if you could do the same with Taxol, i wiuld love to see the difference for you so i can anticipate some relief possibly. Dont forget to include the fatigue!

Thank you!

Kim

Kimmer, Weekly Taxol is the only chemo I am getting, so I can only rank that. I do get Herceptine every 3rd week but I can not tell any difference between week with or week without. My worse SE's might be a1+ or maybe a 2 with fatigue. I don't pay much attention to the things like minor nosebleeds, hair falling out or minor aches and pains. They do not influence my life style very much. I found that going out without hair almost a plus. People are nicer, smile at me, hold doors etc. And it is always nice to see the innate goodness of most people.

I was most concerned about nausea as a SE. So my MO made sure I had plenty of meds on hand. I only needed 1 on day 2 of first chemo. I don't know your age but I am sooooo much older than every one in these groups that it may not be correct to draw comparisons. I just spent a year of the past year and a half, recovering from a total knee replacement. If I spend another year being treated for BC, that could be conceivably 20 to 25% of my remaining time on this earth. So I have opted for gentler but still prudent treatment.

I can not evaluate my own brain fog so I have no real assurance that any thing I have just said makes sense. I do hope so. You all have become very important to me. Best wishes.

thanks mamabexar

Hello,

I'm about to start carboplatin/abraxane too. I'll be going once a week for 2 weeks then labs and then two weeks on- labs until a scan shows activity again.

I just finished 4 rounds of A/C. I was diagnosed in August.

Hugs to you

homeschool4us...how do I find you on Facebook? Do you use a different name? I'd love to keep up with how everyone is doing after this crazy journey...

Good luck to everyone going in for treatments tomorrow

homeschool....I had horrible mouth sores the treatment before this last one. Then I read where someone had said if you suck on ice cubes during the whole infusion, you won't have mouth sores. So last infusion, I sucked on ice cubes from beginning to end of the infusion. I did not have mouth sores at all after that. I have my ice cubes ready for my #5 AC tomorrow. I also found baking soda rinses to be helpful. I must say, that week that I had the mouth sores was the worst SE I have had. It was all I could do to suck down some mashed potatoes. Now, I still have the metallic taste, but at least I can eat and chew.

Good luck to those getting treatment tomorrow!!!

I didn't do ice the first time, but I did the next 2 times. I got mouth sores all 3 times. The last time wasn't as bad because they weren't on my tongue. I should say that I have had trouble with canker sores all my life so I am obviously predisposed to getting them for some reason and the chemo just makes it all the worse.

On my bucket list- see the northern lights

Can you see Northern lights in the summer? I'm about to be a grandmother for the fourth time in early January. They are all three or less. I love being a Grandma and want to be as close to them as I was to my Grandma. That's why I'm fighting cancer for them. I suck at making gravy. I honestly never thought about becoming proficient at it. The parks are definitely on my list.

I reallynever thought about having a bucket list before BC. Maybe once when I saw the movie.