Starting Chemo December 2015

I haven't seen a post yet for December so I figured why not let it be my first post to the group.

This last month has been both crazy and amazing. On November 4th I was awaking from my sleep to a pain in my left breast. When I rubbed it I noticed the huge lump I hadn't felt before. Exactly 20 days later I was diagnosed with stage 3c breast cancer.

I've been in a lot of pain because my lump is pressing against a muscle so I'm actually excited (for lack of a better word) to start my chemo.

My excitement is for the end of this pain and uncomfortable feeling. i know we have a long road ahead of us but we are on the right path. Wishing you well. We will all get through this together

Add me in... Starting Dec 3rd. I'm anxious to get going on this. As you can see from my timeline, this has been SO drawn out for me. Feels like forever! The sooner we start the sooner we're done. I have to go out of town for work for the next few days and I'm worked I'm missing out on valuable pre chemo supply shopping time. That's me... always worried about something.

I will be starting on December 10th. I'm pretty nervous about the whole thing, but am ready to get started and get it over with. I can relate with you both, Pezgal and Wenrisa, as things have seemed to move so slowly since my diagnosis. I get my port put in on Tuesday. I hope we all make it through our treatments will few side effects.

I start chemo on December 7. My dr sugguested more time off of work. It's been 5 weeks today since my bilateral mascetomy. The first and second round of chemo is three different drugs. After that it will be taxol weekly. Has anyone taken time off from work? I work as a Funeral Director. I am in an environment full of germs. I am wondering how long will chemo take, how sick I will be, when will I experience hair loss, etc... My port installment was a terrible experience.. I wasn'tcompletely numb. Pretty much felt everything... I'm just wondering what's going to happen to my body and should I return back full time? Any sugguestions

I am off for chemo. My short term disability requires that I use vacation time or sick time for the first 7 days each time I go out, so I am not going in the one week out of 3 that I feel "normal." I also work with biologically hazardous samples, so it would be a lot of meetings to determine what I could still be exposed to. Plus it's cold and flu season, so I don't need to be around those germs.

Good day, I got my port about a week ago and am still getting used to it--doesn't hurt but I'm afraid to even touch or look at it and will likely need someone to rub the lidocaine on it pre-infusion. I start neoadjuvant treatment (chemo)'on 12/2. I'm less apprehensive about it due to lots of prayer and a dear survivor friend who has held my hand (literally and figuratively) since diagnosis. The best to all of us.

I'm hoping to be able to more or less keep up with my life at work and at home, and just miss a day here or there. I have back up plans in place just in case my body says differently--but for now I am thinking positively : )

Rbylake, I am following your game plan and planning to work throughout chemo as well. I telework 2 to 3 days a week anyway and figure I can manage 2 days in the office each week even if I feel crappy. I want to save my leave for surgery especially since I am possibly doing BMX and Diep.

My first round of chemo (Taxol) is tomorrow morning. Blessings to everyone else starting this week. I'm told to expect no SEs but have something in place (info, meds, proven home remedies) to deal with them.

Just ran to the store and got Claritin. The day after chemo I'm scheduled to get Neulasta shots, with reported side effects of bone and joint pain. I've read Claritin helps. I don't know of it does. At my chemo teach the pharmacist didn't feel one way or another about it. I'm usually not into taking medicines, but at this point why the heck not! I also read that spicy foods (and taste in general!) don't mix with chemo, so as my last meal (I'm going protein-ified tomorrow) I'm having a spicy chicken tikka masala, with a side of Claritin. Yummmmmmmmm

Hello ladies!!

I start chemo on Monday, Dec. 7th, with Taxol + Herceptin. My lumpectomy was on Oct 7th, so I'm ready get this started....I'm taking off work, I work with children with disabilities. I also have MS so hoping that chemo doesn't light a fire with that!! I'm also using Penguin cold caps to try and save my hair....fingers crossed!!

Good luck those of you that started this week!!

Bemba, great to see your post on a smooth start to chemo. You definitely want to get a port. I was doing everything in my power not to get a port BUT that little device made all the difference in not having to search for my small veins and being stuck multiples times (which could easily add a half hour to the process).

I just got back from my Taxol infusion and also had a pretty uneventful process today except for getting a shock from the billing clerk about the cost of AC and Neulasta. Even with a good insurance plan, I am looking at a big bill once I get to that point in my chemo plan. Otherwise, the infusion went really smoothly. I feel normal except for a little fuzziness in the brain but I think that's because my mind wants to sleep but I still have work today and want to walk on the treadmill too.

Wishing everyone God's blessings for a smooth process and ultimately a future w/o the little C (I won't give it the power of being big).

Hello all,

I had a bilateral mastectomy on October 28th and currently have in tissue expanders for reconstruction. The recovery process has gone well. My Oncotype test came back with a score of 23 and intermediate - so I will be starting Chemo in December. Tentative start date is Dec 14. Right now I am going through the egg preservation process first - so once that is done next week, we will jump into chemo.

At first my onc recommended AC treatment, but after reading some of the harsher long term side effects of adriamycin, i told him i was concerned about it. So now I have decided on doing Taxatere and Cytoxen. I have been following the boards on here for the past month or so, so i just wanted to say hello to all of you who have started this process already.

I currently have really long hair and will probably be cutting it short and donating it after my first treatment, and after it starts to fall out I will buzz it short.

I was also given the choice of whether to get a port or a picc line. One doctor recommended the picc since it is only 4 rounds, but it is a 9 week process of maintaining it and not getting it wet, and the other doctor recommended a port, but i would have to schedule surgery for that, and i'm not sure if i can get that fit in between the egg retreival and chemo starting.

Ready to get this started and done with though - it's all gone quickly, but stressful and drawn out as well it seems like.

Sac89, congrats on the first round and feeling decent. I'm right with you, my first Taxol was yesterday too and I feel awesome at work today but in the back of my mind am waiting for the crash tomorrow or Saturday. I did my bone, PET, CT scans and MRI-guided biopsies right after diagnosis but my BS provided some Valium to take the edge off of being in that tube--which helped tremendously. Good luck on the PET scan today.

I am supposed to be starting chemo next Monday but am still waiting for the go ahead from pathology on my margins - praying they come back clean tomorrow so that I may start the next part of this journey