Starting Chemo in Nov 2016

I hope your second treatment went well, Gmmiph. I had my 2nd yesterday, too. It was fine. I take a subway to Manhattan but leave 30 blocks or so to walk. I stopped in at a few shops looking for holiday gifts along the way so that was a nice distraction. My husband picked me up at the end. The staff is so positive. My MO came in just to see me even though she's on vacation & that made me feel that she's really on top of my case. The infusion unit was very busy because they had to squeeze the Thursday and Friday patients in along with Mon/Tue/Wed patients so they were doing 33 infusions rather than the typical 20. There wasn't an exam room open so my MO did the exam in a supply closet. She was even upbeat about that.

Today, day 2 (or 15, from the beginning) I'm a little tired, a little woozy, very slight headache. Last night I had a slight burning sensation during urination but not worth calling in about.

LatinMixy, I hope they get the pulmonary embolism issue straightened out. I know that's scary, my husband had a bunch of PEs following a surgery 3 years ago.

We did Thanksgiving early, on Sunday. Today we're doing an alternative menu and then binge watching "Upstairs Downstairs". My son's mother-in-law loaned me the entire set. It might not hold up compared to "Downton Abbey" but I'm looking forward to it none-the-less.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Latinmixy,

I am sending positive thoughts for you.

I hope everything will be alright

Wow latinmixy! so glad you went in! What do they do for that? Blood thinners? What made your symptoms different then normal? What is syncopes?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! Enjoy your families and take it easy!

Latinmixy - Glad you are home and feeling better. Also, so very glad your husband insisted on taking you to the er. What were your symptoms? Was it due to your bc treatment?

Oh my. I had the worse heartburn yesterday, and I never get heartburn. Is this a side effect? What are others taking for this?

Amw5,

Claritin or Loratadine is taken for allergies especially itchiness of the body and rashes.

Thanks Gina and I'm glad you got the clearance for the second protocol. My side effects are some what better this time probably due to all of learned from all of you on this site. My MO recommended trying baking soda mouth rinse for this cycle rather than the Biotene--though, in general, she said they recommend Biotene. They also gave me a mouth wash called LMD, which they called magic mouthwash It numbs the mouth to help with pain but I don't think it effectively reduces the sores. They said my blood scores were good thought--the mouth sores had me worried about that.

I got an email yesterday night from the surgeon that the genetic testing came back negative. I haven't read the full report that will probably be posted to my electronic chart on Monday. (Did I alread post this? I scanned the posts and I don't think so but my thinking is a bit foggy).

New Yorkers are just type A. It's hard to get them to slow down for anything.

Hi aterry,

Yes, BCO is really a lot of help, infos and actual experiences from wonderful people all over the world.

I will also use baking soda, salt mixture to prevent mouthsores. I hate taking unnecessary meds, if possible. I've looked for Biotene and Epiceram everywhere, drugstores, malls, hospital pharmacies. None. No magic mouthwash either.

As for gene testing, I dont remember you posting it either. I am glad yours is negative, good news for the family. My MO says it is not done in any local hospitals here. If i want one, I need to submit blood tissue samples and they will send it abroad for testing and the wait is too long, which also makes it very expensive. Just the BRCA alone cost about quadruple to that of my single chemo session. My MO says it impractical. I have a long family history of cancer, and most probably I have one of the genes, whatever type it may be. Sad, as much as i want to get tested, ways and means prevent it. That's the way it is.

Keep a healthy body Yankee, that's what i envy about most Americans. They're so well equipped and health conscious, sans the carcinogens in the food, of course.

Stay strong and beautiful inside and out.

Hugs.

Gina

Amw5, you're welcome.

Latinmixy, Where can I find a husband like yours? LOL. I ampraying for you.

amw5 I have only had heartburn when pregnant up until chemo! I take a Pepcid AC.....

The Claritin is to help with the Neulesta shots bone pain...start taking it the day before chemo and take for about 5 days after...

Hi everyone,

Happy November Ladies Thanksgiving!

I'm at the end of day 3 on round 1. I've felt fine so far and went to my cousin's for dinner. I walked there to get some exercise (also a fast walking New Yorker) and I was a little slower than usually. Kind of a bummer and knocked me out a bit. But so worth seeing my family and let them see I'm in one piece after round 1. I'm home now resting up, hoping the nuelasta pains go easy on me, going into day 4 tomorrow. Praying and taking all the preventive advice I can dig up! Fingers crossed!

Latinmixy - thanks for sharing you're story. I tend to air on the side of 'wait it out and it will be fine' so I think I needed to hear this. I'm praying for you and hope all goes well on Tuesday!

Aterry - I had my 1st infusion on Tuesday at MSK. I got there at 12pm and didn't get out until almost 8pm. I thought is was just typical, but you've given me hope it was due to the holiday weekend now that you have shed some light on it. Otherwise I may switch to the westchester office which is closer to me, but I love my nurse in the city.

Gina - my sisters and I are a prayer triangle, we'll be praying for you often along with everyone here in the group. When I was scheduled for my first infusion my sister sent this to our giant family who are a good bunch of prayer warriors!

Nfullblume - I'm so happy to here you're getting sometime off! I miss my work so much but the past two months has been so wild I don't think I could have kept up. Let alone take on a promotion!

To the rest of the gang - I hope everyone found some silver linings today! Prays for everyone!

Cheers!

Eileen

LatinMixy - This is good to know. I will mention it to my MO when I go in for my second chemotherapy (a/c) on Tuesday. I was able to take an over the counter item to help me with heartburn and help me feel better.

I used alum on my horribly raw tongue tonight. It helped! I read about it a while ago... Not breast cancer related, I think I was researching something to cure my salt sores from sliced tomatoes... And boom now I have chemo sores. Funny, maybe everything up to this point was preparing me for this?

Anyhow.... Buy it in the spice/ baking section. Sprinkle it on.. Tastes yuck, but works like a charm.

Hello my fellow warriors!

I started chemo on Nov. 18, 2016. I read through this entire thread and decided to post my experience. Hopefully, someone may benefit from this.

After my diagnosis, I went for an MRI and that result showed a much larger mass than originally considered. So instead of surgery first, my doctors recommended neoadjuvant chemo to shrink the mass. I will also need radiation after the surgery. The next event (more like obstacles) was getting the port. After placement, I was told I would feel slight soreness for 24 to 48 hours. Unfortunately that was not true for me. I had to research, but some people feel lots of pain for several weeks, especially if you have large breasts. So I (very large breasts) had pretty extreme pain at the site and right side of body. What saved me is wearing soft sports bras at all times, even during sleep.

My next events were getting ready for chemo. I looked at it as getting a tuneup! I was advised to get a flu shot and my teeth cleaned. I went a step further and got a Pap smear too. Well, it turned out that I needed two extractions as well! Then my general practitioner told me to also get the pneumonia shot (recommended for anyone going through cancer treatment). As you can see, my body was put through a lot before I even got the "Red Devil".

So, onto chemo. I was super nervous and scared about going on chemotherapy. Of course I heard lots of horror stories and have had family members who went through treatment. I was so anxious that my doctor suggested a mild anxiety pill. I went on a low dose of Activa ( or something close) and it helped immensely. The administration of chemo went easy and I had no problems initially. I was also given three anti-nausea medicines through the IV before the chemo started. My nurse told me to take the first dose of a prescribed anti-nausea pill that night. I took all the recommended doses and never got nauseous or sick. I also had the Neulesta patch put on my stomach and took Claritin first thing in the morning. I had no bone or muscle pain. I was told to take Claritin for five days after the Neulasta however I found that on day six I started getting a headache and bodyaches so I took the Claritin again. This seemed to take care of the problem.

I have been fortunate so far with the SE's of chemo: no nausea, no vomiting, no diarrhea etc. The only bothersome symptoms are the medicine/metallic persistent taste in my mouth and extreme fatigue (although that may be a SE of the anti-nausea meds). So far, no hair loss, but when that event happens, I will be using a wig.

Thanks to all of you who posted tips about gargling with baking soda and salt and the advice to get with the class that the American cancer society offers. My next chemo is slated for next Friday, December 2, and I am a bit nervous about the cumulative effects and enhanced side effects of chemo.

My motto of late about cancer, treatment, upcoming surgery etc. is this: I have one life to live and thus I am in the fight of my life. Take care sisters and get the rest you need. I am an elementary school teacher and will probably not work after my second chemo treatment due to all the possible infections, colds, etc. that I could be exposed to at school. Is anyone wearing a mask most of the time? My husband is a bit freaky about me wearing one nearly all day. Well that's a fight for another day!

Signing off for now, but "Let's Do This!!!

Dawn, awesome story! I, too, love to cook. I find it extremely therapeutic! Relinquishing control was tough for me too, but my brother and his wife did an amazing job. I was so appreciative of the pass! My husband is picking up the slack on Christmas night, so I get to relax and enjoy that night too!

Hope88, Good luck in your fight! Sounds like you're doing great! A lot of us are on the AC/T treatments, so you'll find a lot of support here.

I've got a short work day today. More relaxing and some hikes are planned for the weekend.

Have a great weekend all!!