Anyone.Starting Chemo in October 2016?

Hi all,

Anybody else having daily hiccup attacks? This is so minor but just curious. Mine started 2 days ago, so 5 days post first infusion. They seem to come out of nowhere, don't last too long, but I do worry a little about having a mouth full of food go down the wrong way...they can happen when I'm eating, drinking carbonated or uncarbonated beverages, or just hanging around. I can't find a pattern.

Kate

Hi Dee and Kate,

Thanks for your replies ... I am feeling better! Dee, you made me laugh with your line about 'I don't think my boob was ever felt so much in one day let alone by three different hands!'. The crazy things we go through!!

Have a good day, everyone. Talk to you later!

Barb

Good Morning fellow Warriors! Been reading the post and agree with HKuester Cancer does SUCK. People always use to say that peoples personalities and attitudes change once they have cancer and go through treatment and I can understand why, this is a challenge like no other and only a few people will ever understand.

Barb I can understand your predicament and attitude about everything, I agree that it is a personal decision and there are plenty of articles and pictures of women who have chosen every option. I wish you luck in talking to your doctor and doing research, and we are all here ( speaking for everyone lol) to bounce any idea or thought off of.

Dee I know exactly what you are saying when you talked about meeting your team all at once and having "hands on" experience. I too had the exact same experience and even had the radiologist take pictures and draw with a marker on me. All of this was also in front of my daughter and mother. So I looked at my mom and told her that it was my first boob pictures and tattoo, all in the same day. Which I thought was funny. Mom not so much.. LOL

I also have another question that I am going to ask my Dr but wanted to know if any of you have been told that you couldn't travel? My job sometimes requires me to travel from West Virginia down to Texas. We normally fly but I am worried about that, so we talked about driving down as well. Just curious if anyone has been told not to? Not sure if I can even but wanted to check out my options before this comes up at work. Thanks

Melinda

Hi ladies,

I had something strange happen today at work and I was wondering if it was part of a side effect. earlier in the morning at work I all of a sudden felt jittery and anxious and a bit loopy. It felt like when you feel like something is going to happen but you don't know what then I had to attend a meeting with my team mates and my boss and in the meeting for some reason I put my head down I don't know why I did that just for a second and my co worker asked if I was ok and all of a sudden I started to cry. In the middle of a meeting. I excused my self and went to the bathroom and I couldn't stop crying. Eventually I came out and resumed our meeting like nothing happened. I know we all mentioned here and there that we were getting a bit more emotional then normal but this was very strange for me. Anyone else seem to know what this can be? I am 43 and not menopausal yet. can that be what that is?

Alla

2 weeks to the day of my first chemo. My hair started coming out in chunks! I knew it was coming but was still very disturbing..I went to super cuts and got a buzz ! Cried but realized i'm choosing when i lose my hair, not cancer! I don't have a wig. Just going to use scarfs,turbans and hats.

Barb- thanks for the kind words and Hugs! It does feel like a relief! Happy to have it past me. Hugs right back

Hi Lyn,

Great news about the neutropenia!

I buzzed my own head with an electric hair clipper ... I sat in the kitchen and positioned a mirror so I could see what was happening and 'took it all off'. The remains of my buzz cut are also looking a little ratty these days ... i was thinking it was time to get rid of the remaining stubble (it hurts when scarves/hats literally rub me the wrong way).

Miles, I was so sorry to read about your hospitalization. How are you feeling today?

Dee, yup, Scalp tingles = Beware of Falling Hair. :-( I was surprised that mine really didn't start falling out until Day 20. Anyone else's want to fondle Dee's boob? The line forms to the right.

Hkuester, I know the hair loss is another blow when you've already been through so much.

Regarding the FGLB class, the bag they give you has really nice, full-size products. It varies depending on what sponsors donated, but my products included items from Estee Lauder, Mary Kay and It Cosmetics, a full size bottle of Kiehl's Creme De Corps and an OPI nail polish (though the latter is a glittery bronze while I'm more of a neutral gal). I rarely wear.more than Burt's lip balm, but plan to experiment with my new goodies & hope I don't look like a clown. ;-)

DANG! Autocorrect is making me nuts today. Stop changing stuff w/o my permission, you pushy butthead. And it just tried to change that to "but the". Sigh...

No hiccups, but nasty heartburn, Kate. I've not read every note yet, but wondering how your PS visit went?

Barb, it stinks that it feels like one blasted thing after another. With the size of my breast, tender skin, the infection I got from the seroma and the badly encapsulated shoulder, radiation freaks me out. Treatment seems to stretch out for an eternity so take a deep, relaxing breath and exhale slowly...

Lyn

my onc said I could travel and I have in between treatments.

Nfullblume - Congrats .... that's one behind you!! Glad it went well for you. I think that Emend is very common ... it's like the gold standard of anti-nausea meds. That being said, I took Emend (pills for 3 days) and was still knocked on my butt by nausea and dizziness after my 1st chemo.

For my 2nd chemo, my MO gave me the Emend by intravenous, and told me it would continue to work for 3 days. It worked well for me, and then I took Compazine regularly until the end of the week as a precaution. I had no nausea and no problems!!! Hope your week goes well and the SEs leave you alone ... remember to drink a lot of water to flush everything out of your system.

Great to hear from you!

Barb

Hello everyone. My fever finally broke and I am doing better.

You all are wonderful. I enjoy reading all of the posts.

I usually take notes in word while I read but I didn't this time. so I can't remember everything.

I do enjoy reading about the crazy dreams... and I too am glad that we do not get hair on our backs from this Chemo... that would suck!

Defiantly suggested getting  the cream prescription to numb the port cite. I put on a glob of it and covered it with glad wrap before I left my house and headed to Chemo. The nurse said that as long as it was covered it would keep it nice and numb.

I buzzed my head and it felt quite a bit better after all of my hair was gone. I have found that using a lint roller on my head really feels good. I keep it in the fridge because the cold feels so good on my head. I take it out and roll it all over my head. It feel awesome. so If you head is tingling and burning.. You may want to give it a try. It is my favorite thing right now.

Ella: I do think that you may be "going through the Change." That defiantly causes emotional outbursts. You can ask your MO.. I am 45 and I think that the younger you are the more this change affects your hormonal levels...

The nose running is defiantly a problem I have been experiencing. The bleeding followed my runny nose. I did get a sailing nose spray that has moistened my nose and since I started using it I haven't had the bloody noses.

My head stubble dose hurt when I put on a head cover or lay on cotton pillow cases.  I have covered my pillow with a "fuzzy soft blanket" and it doesn't hurt when I lay on it.

Has anyone tried the electric razor yet? I'd like to know if it worked out. I would rather use and electric razor then use a standard one. Someone said I should use Nair but the idea kinda scares me. what if it hurts my already stinging and burning head? What do y'all think?

Is anyone else having a hard time eating? Nothing tastes good and I am just not interested in consuming food. I have been exhausted and I think if I eat I will have some "gas in the tank" to get somethings done. Any Ideas?

(((((Gentle hugs to everyone))))

Miles, I've only had one infusion so far and for sure my taste buds were affected. I feel like my salivary glands go into shock every time I put something into my mouth, including water. Everything tastes a little off and I am having weird cravings. The other day I required real, old-fashioned, steel cut oatmeal and was lucky enough to have one of my housemates make it for me, since I don't trust myself with my chemo brain around anything sharp, hot, or heavy. And after all that, it was good, but the taste was still off.

I try to get in one yogurt a day no matter what, and occasionally I use it as a base for a smoothie with almond milk and chocolate vegan protein powder and a banana. I figure if I get that down I've killed a lot of birds with one stone when it comes to nutrition. I've had a few issues with the rock and roll between constipation and diarrhea, but careful use of Immodium helps. Sometimes one is too many so I start with half at a time.

Ella, what you're describing sounds like the perfect storm of chemo and early menopause.

I had my consult with the plastic surgeon yesterday. I liked her a lot, although I've gotten to the age where doctors seem too young to be doctors, let alone specialists. We're going for an expander reconstruction after my bilateral mastectomy in late February/early March after chemo to a B cup (down from my been-too-big-since-age-13 DDs,) but if they are troublesome at all I'll go flat. Since yoga is my passion and one of my income sources, we opted against taking my own tissue since it involves losing muscle as well as fat and I can't risk the one thing I do in life that keeps me sane and fit and at peace--and that requires muscles. I got a weird compliment, I think, as we were assessing my belly fat, "I could only get enough for an A cup out of that." Somehow made my day, especially since my enforced relative inactivity makes me especially conscious of those belly lumps.

Yesterday I managed a walk, an actual studio yoga class (the first one I've attended since surgery) and meditation. This is my goal for every day, even if I practice alone at home, but it was so lovely to be in class with one of my favorite teachers and to see other people. I've been holing up at home, and although I have housemates, we all wildly have different schedules so days can sometimes go by where I only see one or two of them and then only as they're rushing out the door.

Here in Boston, the weather has been unusually mild so the walking is glorious with late autumn subdued colors. I'm averaging about 5,000 steps a day (thank you for counting, Fitbit) and trying to work up to at least 8,000. We have a combo elliptical/stair climber and I'll switch to that after the weather turns. I'm a little afraid of germs at the gym, but once I lose my hair I might give them the full cancer look with a kerchief and a mask and gloves and just do it.

Love to all,

Kate

on my way to chemo #2 wish me luck.

Alla - Scary incidence to happen at work I would guess it's a SE as well. Let your pharmacist or MO know when you see them next and they will note it. If it happens again, call them.

Hello Ladies! Whoa, I disappeared from the conversation for a few days after the second infusion -a admit it was a little rougher this time around.Today is day 7 and I'm feeling more 'myself' and eating fairly normal.

Barb & Nfullblume RE: EMEND -I am taking 120mg pre-infusion (i hour prior) and 80mg on day 2 and day 3 (capsule). I am going to ask about the injection though... I'm whimping out when it comes to swallowing (more) pills (hine whine whine)

Dexamethasone (steroid)- thinking this is making me sleepless (about 4 hours a night) while i'm taking it on days 1 to 4 Back to normal sleeping patterns now.

Elle

Dee - Good luck ... sending lots of positive energy your way today!

Geneskirt / Elle - I wondered what was going on ... sorry to hear chemo#2 was difficult, but good to hear that you're back. I found a huge difference getting the Emend through intravenous ... it really helped with the nausea. I highly recommend it!

The dexamethasone has the same effect on me ... plus it makes me jittery and hyper (I'm convinced that's what makes me unable to focus enough to read or even watch Netflix during the 1st week after treatment). Now's the time to catch up on that sleep!