Starting Chemo in Nov 2016

Welcome to all the newbies. This thread is a fullhouse! I wish we could all meet someday, 5 years or more. Good luck to all of you!

I can't believe how great I've felt the last few days after feeling so horrible the first week of Chemo. Tomorrow is Chemo #2. Hoping it goes better this time, but I think taking the Zofran will help. I did get great news today - my RO said I won't have to have radiation after chemo. Tumor was small and my margins were good. Yay! I'm preparing myself for losing my hair this week. Wish I had cut it shorter than I did in preparation. Oh well. I'm feeling strong, and counting my blessings keeps me going.

Good luck to all this week!

Cindy

So 8 days post first chemo, I had the weirdest side effect yesterday. I think I stopped the claritan too soon, first of all. I had major bone pain yesterday. It felt like the head of my femurs that go into my hip sockets were on liquid fire. It felt like when I was pregnant and my bones were spreading. Only this time, there was massive pain added in. But that's not the weird side effect. So, every month usually I can tell when I've released my egg from my ovary. There's even a name for it. Mittleschmerz. Anyway, I had and still have a pulsing sensation coming from both ovaries. It started mid morning yesterday, got super painful last night, and had lessened somewhat this morning. It hurts like a mofo, y'all.

I had labs done yesterday so I got to speak with my nurse nav as well. At first, the pain from my ovaries and my bones all crashed together to make me feel like my blood pressure was high. I had them check. Nope. Pretty good. My blood work came back great as well. So, I asked my nurse about it and she said the last bit of the neulasta could be still impacting my body. That I might be supersensitive to neulasta.

Which sucks. Because the SE from the evening of day 3 through the morning of day day 5? Sucks big time. And now to have this start up midmorning on day 8? Sucks even more.

I wasn't going to ask for narcotics, but I think I just might if this is what I have to look forward to for the next month and half. Ugh.

Twinsmawmaw I felt pretty good on infusion day, later in the day when I got home I felt jittery from the steroids and a little "wierd" later that night ..but nothing too bad... I started my Zofran about 8pm because the IV nausea meds wore off....I find if I take the Zofran like clockwork I feel pretty good. I also need to start the claritin earlier to head off the bone pain I had on days 3 and 4. And now that my MO said I can take Advil or Motrin (instead of just Tylenol) I can hopefully avoid the bone pain and headaches this time around...I go back Friday for #2.

Javamama - Yikes! That sounds painful. Hopefully you don't go through that next time.

Nfullblume - I hope you get the same good news about no radiation. Sending you positive thoughts.

Good luck today amw5! I'm on my way to my second one too.

Javamama--I felt the same way in my hips and thought the exact same thing--like I was in labor and my hips were spreading. It's the only pain I can compare it too. I took ibuprofen & a HOT bath that evening and the pain disappeared.

I'm 12 days PC and have not been able to taste ANYTHING since last Friday. Starting to bum me out. I'm starting to feel like I psychologically need to taste to add some pleasure in this otherwise depressing journey that I seem to be constantly reminded of. I feel like I'd be back to normal except for this side effect. Read that the taste buds turn over every 10 days. Hoping I get it back before my next round. Then I'll use ice chips to combat it.

Hi Shannon:

I am in remission for about two and half years now. But when I had chemo, I felt good for about the first three, and then it was very difficult for me, but this was back inn 2014. My "chemo cocktail" consisted of Cytoxan and Taxotere every three weeks for one day a week. The more of these drugs you get in your system, the more they accumulate, and the side effects can be worse after each infusion. Keep in mind everyone is different, some people breeze through it relatively easy, and some really have a horrendous time with all the infusions.

I think for doctors to make a comment that it probably will not be a difficult journey, is a false statement. They don't know our bodies, and neither do we. I wonder if they had to take chemo, how their body would respond?

Keep strong, and lean on your faith.

Regards,

Cindy

You can use your own hair, to get a wig made if you want. Locks of Love takes donations of hair, but I do not know if you have one where you live.

Cindy

Hi Hope:

The metallic taste is probably from the Cytoxan. I was on this when I went through my cancer treatments. I ate with plastic picnic silverware, instead of the metal. I drink out of plastic as well. This helped with the metallic taste. I also had burning in my vaginal area as they infused the drug, but it did go away a few hours later, but then next chemo it would come back again. Stay positive, and remember this is only for a short season of your life.

I hope this helps.

Cindy

So ever since my first chemo I have had lots of pain where my lump is in my breast, hurt to touch, was red and even hurt when I did nothing...I would have to ice it or use heat packs.....had to wear sports bras since reg bras hurt too much...

Well yesterday morning I woke up and it doesn't hurt anymore! whoo hoo!! and the lump actually feels a tiny bit smaller to me! I really hope the pain was the chemo doing its job and shrinking it!!

Is this possible??

Becky

Yes, Pamela: The steroids they give you will make you hungry for about a week, and then when they wear off you have no appetite. You just have to force food down. This is no fun. I also took a immunity build drink during my cancer treatments, and I was able to receive all my treatments. It was called Hyper Immune Egg Protein (I 26). A friend was gracious to me and bought this for me. It really did help. I had to stay away from spicy and tomato based foods, and eat really bland during this time.

Keep positive.

Cindy

Hi:

I am so sorry for the side effects you are experiencing. That Neulasta did a number on me, and I did not find that the Claritin/Advil helped either. I basically just had to ride out the storm for about a week. I was told to take my Claritin one hour before my injection of Neulasta, and then I took it every day for about a week. This was back in 2014, when it was only given by injection.

This bone pain is horrendous, but it means that the medicine is working. It almost knocked me to the floor with the hip pain. It was tough, but God was my strength.

Cindy

Hi Dianarose,

What do you mean by testing it out the chemo to see if it works? I am only familiar with neoadjuvant chemo that you get before tumor removal.

Once you had surgery, are you saying they can test the chemo on the tumor

SleeplessinCO - I hope your second round went well.

I can certainly say, I feel much better after my second round compared to my first round. I'm so glad about that. I finished up about seven hours ago. I have the injector on my tummy. It will go off tomorrow afternoon.

Tonight I'm sitting here sweating. Is that normal? I didn't experience it before.