January 2016 Chemo!

Hi thundergal. Welcome to group. I see I will be having same chemo routine as you. I am also just going to use my veins. So hopefully will work out ok for us both. I asked my onc if we can just see how it goes without neulasta. So will just monitor labs. I'm sure I will have to get at some point Sorry you had a problem with tissue expander and had to remove. Have a merry christmas!!!

Hello everyone,

I am starting chemo on Wednesday December 30th. I am scared. I told myself not to think about it until after Christmas. It's Christmas night and everyone is in bed and the reality is sinking in. I know this will pass and I will get through this but it is so overwhelming. Anyway, thanks for letting me vent. And thanks for the support. Now that Christmas is over I will be checking in more frequently. Love and pink hugs to all of you:)

Judy💞

Welcome and good luck with it Judy6. Chemo is far from pleasant but it's doable. Wishing you minimal side effects. Hugs, Donna.

Enjoy that new gear LoveMyVizsla. Wonderful gift.

Hi all. I'm Jill. Starting fec-d (fluorouracil,epirubisin, cyclophosphamide x3, docetaxil x3) on January 6. I too am going with veins. I don't want a port because I don't want another surgery, and I don't want to picc line because they are a pain in the butt!! In one month, today, out from lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy.

I definitely plan to keep my nails painted dark! (I usually do anyways)

I am actually very very worried about what I'm going to eat. I'm gluten intolerant and vegan, and I also work hard to eat healthy and maintain a healthy weight. I really really like the way I eat, I am so worried that I am going to have food aversions and not be able to eat what I normally eat, and not really know what to eat instead I don't want to eat so little that I lose weight and I'm not healthy, but I don't so don't want to start eating junk all the time because that's all that I can tolerate, and gain weight and be unhealthy

Good to "meet" you LovesToFly. My nails are doing great. Very strong.

Ask your infusion centre about icing your fingers (and toes) during the Docetaxol infusion to help prevent neuropathy. Wishing you well.

Thanks for that list LoveMyVizsla. Funnily enough many of them are foods that I felt I could "get down". Found I am eating foods I never normally eat like ice cream. I have never liked ice cream my whole life. I did ask my Oncologist whether or not I should avoid certain foods. He said, "While you are having chemo, eat whatever you can get down. Eat anything, it's better than nothing". Glad he said that as I have had huge issues with taste and nutrition from my first infusion but certainly understand your concerns LovesToFly as we all want to maintain a healthy diet. Thai, chilli, spice seem to work quite well for me too.

I cut my hair low today, not bald yet but I have a little afro now . I chose to not do cold caps. I'm soo scared and anxious for next week ( I start on 1/4/2015 @ 1pm), I wish chemo was over already 😣 getting butterflies in my tummy....

I start on the sixth, I am also quite nervous. I cut my hair from shoulderlength to chin to ear. I don't think I'm going to cut it again, I'm just going to buzz it. I was planning to do it the night before chemo started, but it turns out I have to do a CAT scan that night! I guess I'm going to do it shortly after chemo, I just want to do it before it starts falling out.

HI, Miss Bee,

Appreciate like everyone else you starting this thread. It is so sad you have to go thru it once again. I may start chemo in January as soon as MRI results are in. Expected date is Jan 18th. Have to say I am bit overwhelmed by the diagnosis and the fact that will start chemo right away.

So smurfette just wondering how exactly you did the ice to fingers and toes? Also wondering what things I should buy and have on hand before first treatment? I have a ton zofran, phenergan and zantac my onc called in for me to have on hand. I also have wig, scarfs and hats. Just trying to get ready. thanks!

I also got Biotene mouthwash and toothpaste as recommended. Mild sensitive skin facial cleanser and moisturizer because I normally use antiaging ones with retinolthat I heard might be too harsh on my skin during chemo. Eyebrow pencil and stencils. Lots of dark nail polish!

I was supposed to have my head shaved January 5, the night before my first infusion, but it turns out I need a CAT scan that night so I won't make it. My hairdresser was going to do it for free, because I don't have clippers, so I'm going to have to reschedule. I might just do it right after New Year's, days (weeks?) earlier that I need to, but I just want it gone already. I'm so upset to be losing my hair, I just want to be done with it and move on

Hello fellow warriors!

Miss Bee, thanks for starting this page - I have also been watching for a Jan thread and missed it!

Starting Jan 4 with dense dose AC every two weeks x4 followed by Taxol every two weeks x4.

Planning to cold cap - nervous about that.

Had my port put in on the 17th - we did the awake version- not a big fan! Healed well, though, have been skiing every day since the 27th big hurrah prior to chemo.

Thanks for all of the tips on ice and nails and tucks and stuff:)

I found a great cookbook called "the cancer fighting kitchen" for those worried about food.

http://www.rebeccakatz.com/the-cancer-fighting-kitchen/

kdettwiller good luck! Also, don't be surprised if things don't move as quick as you're anticipating. I found my lump at the end of September, got diagnosed at the end of October, had surgery at the end of November, and I'm starting chemo at the beginning of January. There were a few little delays but for the most part this can be a pretty typical timeline I'm learning!

At the beginning I expected to things to go much faster, it was a bit of a disappointment to realize that I would have to wait a bit between each step, but I tried to make the most of those times and enjoy my friends and family and having a normal life before becoming a cancer patient! Not that being a cancer patient can't include a normal life, but let's face it there's lots of times where we just don't feel so normal! In that time I took my daughter to a Taylor swift concert, went to zip lining, hosted a couple events, and spent as much time as I could having fun with all the people in my life. Tried to turn all that waiting from a curse into a blessing!

Hello,

Im starting chemo the end of January or beginning of February. I had a 2nd surgery on the 29th to remove the rest of my nodes, my right nipple and port placement. Thought the pain wouldn't be as bad as dm, but these nerves n ligaments are soooo sore.

Can anybody tell me what this snap on my hip is for? I cannot remember what it's for and offices are closed. I'm going to cold cap and want to research treatments and need a 2nd MO in LA. I'm in StL, now. Also, fighting cancer w a healthy diet and supplements. Love sharing info on that. Is there a thread for that? We should creat one, if not.

Have a Happy New Year's Eve🎉💗🎉