January 2016 Chemo!

DizzParkMom, Jen and LoveMyVizsla,

Thanks for the helpful information and how to on icing. Off to Amazon I go

Thanks! I wonder if insurance would cover these. I'll call on Monday and see. In the meantime I found these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003L4WOKG?psc=1&... a bit less expensive but they might not stay cold as long...

congrats on your move MissBee and on finishing AC! I have my last AC Coming up Friday and am so excited to be finishing this phase. It's sad I treat chemo like an enemy sometimes and have to be reminded that it is killing cancer cells,but I swear every time I think about it I almost feel sick lol.a friend and I were out and about yesterday and drove past my cancer center and I swear I started feeling nauseous lol. But you are solo right about hydration. I didn't hydrate as well as usual this last treatment and I do believe that made this last one worse than the other two. So this round coming up I'm gonna be drinking up

I'm doing Taxol, too. Drinking 120 ounces of water a day, alpha lipoeic acid, acidophilus, magnesium, biotin - although the ALA I'm not taking every day since MO hasn't approved it. I'm not doing any icing, like the cap, the hospital doesn't endorse it, so I figured I'd just see what happens. So far, so good, and I'm almost at the halfway point - just did 5 of 12. No neuropathy at all.

My nails are fine. My surgeon is going to smack me in a couple of weeks because I asked her about whether or not I had to take off my acrylic nails and she said yes and that I had to go to chemo with no nail polish on. Otherwise, I could wear nail polish on the off days. Well, no one else said that to me, so I'm just stubborn enough that I was like, "I'm waiting till someone ELSE tells me." No one has said boo. I saw my nails last week because I broke a nail and everything looked pink and fine.

As for blood counts, I just checked my labs to see if any newer ones were up, but the last ones were right before the 4th dose. My WBCs had dropped a little 3.4, when 4.0 is the minimum "good" range. Everything else is still in range. I haven't had any Neulasta, or anything like that.

I get no other meds besides steroids with the treatments. No nausea that I would attribute to chemo.

My sister has been a nut about researching foods, so my diet is pretty good.

Trying to think of other factors... I gave up caffeine and diet sodas (I miss Coke Zero!). Cut out sugar for Lent, and want to keep that up. I work out M,T,W - Thursday is chemo at 715am, and then through the weekend I'm just too tired right now. Also 3 days a week for PT I wind up getting a 30 minute walk in across the hospital and to the train. Friday afternoons I clean the house, and it's up and down the stairs in my sister's house a million times, so I figure that's workout enough. I'm usually in bed by 530 lol that night.

My huge pita has been lymphdema-ish (not technically lymphadema because too soon after surgery) issues. My arm has been wrapped up for a week now. The minimum they'd had to quit wrapping was 2 weeks and that's when I should get mine off. *whew* It's been such a drag. I'm wrapped from my fingers to my shoulder.

Jill: I'm sorry about the job position. I know everything happens for a reason, but that doesn't make things suck less. *hugs*

MissBee: Yay for being done with moving!!! And super yay for being done with a round!!!!! I totally agree, water and exercise make a huge difference. I think it helps get all the crap out faster or something.

I have always wore nail polish to chemo, nobody has said anything about it. When I was talking to my oncologist about, she said it would cover any nail damage

Today we all went for lunch to celebrate my husbands birthday, I'm sharing a picture so you can see him, I do not look like his mother! I tried wearing a scarf again and actually liked it

Jill you look gorgeous and you certainly don't look old enough to be your hubby's Mum. Gee.

I wore the frozen mitts for the hour (approx) of the Taxotere infusion. Jen I have hot, sweaty hands and did find that I needed to get a "fresh, frozen" pair partway through. They just didn't stay cold enough for the whole time.

I wore dark nail polish for each treatment. Was recommended by my breast nurse.

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Babysat 2 of my Grandchildren yesterday. I got so many cuddles and smiles. They are such a joy.

Jill

Looking great, and so not his mother. People are crazy. Rock on Girl.

Hi

I love reading everyone's updates. I'm so sorry to hear your bad news, Jen. It sounds like you're in good hands with your doctors.

I haven't really rebounded from round three of TC and round four is this Thursday. I had an allergic reaction to the Iron infusion, and ended up with hives and chest/throat pains from swelling. The chest pains didn't go away after a steroid infusion, so they sent me for a ct scan to rule out a pulmonary embolism. Thank God that was clear, but it did show I have early arthritis in my spine. Sigh. The allergic reaction came back the next day albeit less severe, so I was playing catch up trying to take steroids to get it settled down so I could finally eat. I went back to teaching a week ago and as a result I sleep a lot.

What are the symptoms of thrush? My tongue is white, but I don't know if that's the only symptom I should look for.

Jill - what a ridiculous person to ask that question!? You do not look like his mother at all, and you look fabulous, bald or scarfed:)

Whew this 4th AC knocked me harder - but I also might have been doing more since I had it Thursday and Friday and Saturday were busy, so I didn't just hang around the house. Falling asleep all over the place today, though, going to head to bed. Lost stamina in the last 30 mintues of the Oscars:)

Best to all this week -

K

Anyone have issues with their eyes lids being swollen and red?

I agree with the eyes, mine get red, puffy and watery a few days out. 

LovesToFly, I agree with the others, you rock both looks and look nothing like his mother!

Jill..you look fantastic......a beautiful pair you and your husband make and you absolutely can rock any look! I am day 5 out of last AC and feel crummy.........dizzy, nausea and overmedicated....ugh. This too shall pass.......ordered my mittens and footies for the next phase...onward and upward

Jill: That's the same dose of steroids I'm taking with Taxotere/docetaxel. My PT for my feet seems to think that it is responsible for my increasedflexibility and lack of swelling. As for the insomnia, I just ride the mania and get housework done. LOL.

Hey Jill! I am also on the same dose of steroids while taking TCH. I just started the steroids again today. I take the first dose with breakfast and the second dose no later than 3:00. Although I didn't take until 7:30 today I usually don't have insomnia and if i do my MO said to take lorazepam .5 mg instead of my Zofran at night. Lorazepam also works for nausea, vomiting, sleep or anxiety. I only had to do that one time and I think it was on day 3 and I took a later dose. Withdraw wasn't too bad for me! Treatments are on Tuesday and I am good on wednesday and Thursday. Friday and Saturday I am usually really tired though, Round 2 was worse than round 1.

As far a weight gain, the jury is still out. I know it can and I think it has. I have gained three lbs. and I an starting #3 tomorrow. In all fairness my eating habits haven't been great, but i haven't backed off my exercising at all. Still with my trainer and everything. I ate whatever during round 1 and during a snow storm. I gained all the weight then. I did a little better for round 2...lol. I know 3 lbs. doesn't sound like a lot but I am still pissed!

that's the steroid dose I'm on too. I take an Ativan the night of chemo since I also get steroids in my drip that the day of. And I reserve the right to take anotherAtovan the next night since I've had full steroids that's day too. By the second night it's no problem to go to sleep for me.

I think some of the weight is water weight. I notice my face gets puffy on the steroids and then there's a night ( 4th or 5 the one after chemo day) when I pee like every hour. I keep thinking it's my body releasing the end of the steroids and all the water I've retained. I had gained 3 pounds between my first and second infusions but it came off already