Starting Chemo December 2015

WarriorCheryl

You'll be grateful for the port. The chances for infection are low - the nurses know how to look after it. The fact that it's under your skin make infections much, much less. The Herceptin doesn't have the same side effects as chemo - I did 12 months of it the first time around and it was a piece of cake. It did get a bit harder towards the end, but I worked full time thoughout the Herceptin treatments, just taking a couple of hours off for each treatment and then back to work.

Trish

xoxo

So glad to hear you are doing well Opt4Life!! That is great news!! I am one week past my first treatment and my main problem are my taste buds. I can not taste much of anything and lots of things just taste bad. I am trying to stay positive thinking, at least I'm not nauseous or vomiting but my zest for food is gone. It is a disappointment every time I have to eat or drink.What kills me as well is when people say, "well at least you won't gain weight!" "That's not bad, at least you won't eat a lot!" I don't think people understand the importance of a simple sense like taste. I know there is a lot I will not take for granted after this journey. Sorry for the rant tonight. Just feeling frustrated:( hugs to all my December Chemo sisters!!!!!

TCHP means her infusion days will be long. My first infusion was around 8 hours. Perjeta and herceptin are administered over 90 minutes each with a 30 minute wait after Perjeta. After the first infusion, the next times they can do them over 30 minutes each, but infusion still takes me about 5 hours at least.

On chemo days I have a friend who brings me lunch, which is awesome because the infusion center only carries snacks like crackers and granola bars. I just watch DVDs during infusion because the pre-med dose of benadryl makes me too loopy to focus on anything.

My worst days are days 4 and 5, counting infusion as day 1. Meals that can just be heated easily are what she will need on those days. Usually I shuffle out of my room, throw some food together, eat it and go back to my room to lay down on my bad days.

Hi all,

I start my chemo next week and am terrified. I am trying hard to be positive but the fear is crippling. I feel like I am in a never ending nightmare. From finding the lump to tests, the biopsy, surgery and port placement it has already been four months of hell. Now I begin the worst part of this battle for what seems like an eternity. Everyone here seems so brave and I feel like the biggest wimp ever! I am hoping after the first treatment I will settle down some. The unknown is horrid.

Lou53, Hang in there. I was in your shoes a little over a week ago and was so scared about starting my Chemo. I am on day 9 and I am feeling pretty much back to "normal" yeah there are things that suck, (the taste issue) but over all I am trying to be life as usual. I can tell you that I was petrified when I walked through the door to get my treatment but walked out thinking, that was a piece of cake. I didn't experience pain, nausea or anything bad. I pray you have a similar experience. It is totally the unknown that stinks. Just take it one day at a time.

Demarie, so glad your port procedure went well. I am so happy to have mine in place. I think this would do a number on our veins if we didn't have one. Good luck on the 16th too. I am sure everything will go well. I appreciate all the support I am getting on this site. It really helps to talk with other women who "feel my pain" so to speak. Best of luck to everyone starting Chemo today and in the weeks to come!!

sbf-ok - I wanted to give you a little encouragement for your mom about her living alone.

I am single and went through chemo alone. My sister (also breast cancer) is single and just

finished chemo in October. We both made it through chemo -- but we checked on each

other first thing every morning to make sure all was okay. I wanted to stay home and so did

my sister.

During AC, I made sure I had family members lined up to help my sister on her "bad" days taking

food, going to the grocery store, etc.

I write a breast cancer blog and hear from hundreds and hundreds of breast cancer patients. Many

do it on their own.

One thing for a chemo bag that is often overlooked - Poise pads or Depends. Both my sister and I

had trouble on chemo day making it to the bathroom in time! Also, Tuk pads - (rectal wipes) are

really helpful to have at home. I recommend this to all cancer patients. Chemo is tough on gentle

skin. The Tuk pads are soothing. My sister thought I was crazy when I brought her Tuk pads. Boy, was she happy I did!

Sending my best!

Hi dec gals, dropping in from the sept group to offer encouragement. I finished chemo yesterday 4 dense adriamycin & cytoxin and 4 dose dense taxol. It was tough but doable. Feel free to drop by the sept boards for tips. Best advice I can give is to take the meds, use a mouth rinse, Claritin for neulesta, eat small meals, keep ahead of the constipation, and rest a lot. For those worried about hair, you will know when to buzz because your scalp will hurt and it will feel like your hair is pulling. Plus the shedding and hair falling out will be bothersome. I felt better when I buzzed mine at day 17. And my hair started to grow back a bit at the 4th AC. Also call your MO or onco nurse with any questions weird side effects.

Birdie you can search neoadjunct chemo, which is chemo before surgery. My tumor has shrunk so much that you can't feel it anymore. So at least the chemo is effective against it. The response doesn't change the surgery option. It's still a mastectomy once I get to that point.

Hi Birdie56, I will be starting chemo first on Monday; 8 weeks of a 2-drug combo to be followed by 12 weeks of Taxol, which will take me to the end of April if all goes as scheduled, to be followed by lumpectomy after that, hopefully in May. I'm told this treatment could shrink the tumor by 20-30%. I'm 48 and pre-menopausal, and otherwise pretty healthy. I think about the hair loss a lot now, and I want to take it all off the day after XMas.

Hey Sauterelle - I don't know if the Claritin is working, but I know I haven't had any of the joint or muscle pain they talk about. I figure if it ain't broke don't fix it, so I will continue to do it for upcoming treatments. I started taking it the day before chemo (2 days before neulasta) and continued for a week. As far as appetite - mine is well. Maybe a little too well! I'm like a machine eating food. My stomach is growling right now! Everything still tastes the same and I'm shoveling it down. Don't know if that's from the steroids, the holidays, or making up for lost time (not having an appetite for the last few months due to stress), but food is not a problem for me.

I'd say overall my only complaint about SE's this first go-around has been headaches and tiredness. Only one night after work (and a big dinner of course) did I have unbearable tiredness where I had to go to bed at 7pm. Yesterday I felt pretty good, and its been a while, and got a lot of stuff done. So one week of feeling blah, one week of good? I hear SE's are cumulative, as in they last a little longer each time, but hopefully not too much. I think this would totally be doable to do while living alone. Make sure lots of drinks and snacks are around and just keep remembering that this is temporary. This is temporary. This is temporary!

Now, let me go find a snack.....

Welcome to you proctor1725,

We look forward to hearing more from you. The Mods

Another 48 year old here. Strange coincidence. I had my first treatment today and feel nothing from the chemo.

I had my port placed yesterday and that was an entirely different story. It was a long day. I met with my MO, had the chemo teach, then they brought me over to the surgery room for the port. It was a quick procedure and relatively painless but they sent me home without any pain meds. Within an hour I was nauseous, writhing in pain, then vomiting. I vomited all night from the pain and coughing and didn't sleep at all. I thought for sure they wouldn't allow treatment this morning because I was such a mess, but my vitals were okay and they just gave me a bit of pain meds beforehand. They accessed my port with very little pain and it worked like a charm.

I slept during most of the infusion. When I woke up I asked if they had started and they said I only had 10 minutes to go. I spent the rest of today eating, walking slowly, and keeping active. I am actually enjoying the fact that I fell 1000% better than last night.

rbylake - I'm on AC for 4 3wk does and then 12 weeks of taxol.

I had my first infusion of AC on Dec 10th. First two days are normal other than 1 night of sweating and some tiredness later in the day. Everyone keeps saying wait for the 3rd day but I'm going to stay positive. I had my booster shot yesterday. Trying to keep a normal life other than all the hand washing. LOL I've turned into a freak!! Trying to eat really healthy which is a lot easier than what I thought. I want to fight this so much it makes everything so much easier. I saw my ocon doc before my first chemo treatment and asked him why I needed 2 phases of chemo and what my chances of reoccurrence were. I had a 3.1 cm tumor, grade 3, no node involvement. If I do nothing, 40 - 50 % chance of reoccurrence. Holy shit!! If I do the plan he wants, he can reduce this down to 7 to 8%. So now I am not afraid of the chemo anymore. It is my 2nd chance at life. I have 4 grown children, 2 grandsons and 1 due in January. I want to see them grow up.

For many of us this is so new and scary. Ask questions. No question is stupid. Sometimes I feel foolish asking, but my care team is excellent!! They answer everyone of them and never laugh at them. It's better to make decisions based on education than fear. It will bring some peace & calmness. That's what I found anyway. I found a lot of information on this website which helped me form questions for my care team. Be a warrior!! I'm looking forward to seeing how everyone is doing. We can do this!! Think positive.

Cancer does not have a face until it's yours or someone you know. Anthony Del Monte