Anybody else starting chemo march 1st 2017 TCx4

Hi everyone. Just popping over from the March 2008 chemo thread. Nine years ago I was exactly where you were now. It's like a bomb went off in your life and your whole world turned upside down, and now you're sitting around in the debris wondering what the heck just happened ?? I just wanted to let you know you can do this. Chemo is no walk in the park but it is doable. You will find that you are a lot stronger than you think you are.

I did 6*TAC treatments on a three week cycle. A day or two after chemo you'll probably be on a steroid buzz so that's not too bad. But once the steroids wear off you'll probably crash for a few days. Those are the days you lie around on the sofa and let everybody wait on you hand and foot. But after a few days of that you'll start to feel a little better. Week two is kind of a blah week and by week three you may feel pretty normal. The nearest thing I can think of to it is getting the flu. You feel really rotten for a week then you start to feel better in the next week and by the third week you're pretty much back to normal.

The antinausea drugs worked well for me and I never had any problem that way. It was just that I didn't want greasy or spicy foods and only wanted to eat bland foods.

The worst side effect I had was fatigue and that one was cumulative, meaning each treatment it got a little worse. But despite that I still worked full-time during chemo. I had a supportive boss and understanding coworkers so if I needed to take a day or days off I could. Everyone is in a different place about working or not but I was glad I did. For me it was a lifeline out of Cancer World where I could discuss normal things with normal people and not have my entire existence revolves around doctors appointments, needles, treatments, and side effects. Mentally that really helped me.

I was worried about hair loss but for me it turned out to be no big deal. I wore a wig the first few weeks then got tired of that and just wore baseball caps with dangly earrings. I was surprised at how little I cared about being bald once it actually happened.

Some of the chemo veterans that have posted here have given you excellent advice. The one thing I would stress is to exercise as much as you can. I don't mean go out and try to run a marathon. As a matter fact there may be some days when you can't do much of anything, especially on those chemo crash days. But there are other days that you might be able to manage a walk to the corner and back or maybe do a few yoga stretches or a few minutes on an elliptical. What ever you can do will help minimize side effects and help you recover faster. If you're looking for some inspiration check out the Let's Post Our Daily Exercise thread. It's under the Fitness and Getting Back in Shape section in the Day to Day Matters area of the BCO community. The thread has all kinds of regular posters from those of us who are many years past treatment to those who are just starting out with their surgeries and treatment.It's a supportive fun thread and is perfect for everybody whether you're a fitness freak or you haven't exercised in years. No matter where you are in this whole cancer mess, we've all been there we all understand what you're going through.

Hugs to you ElizaBB! We are so glad that you found us here. We are thinking of you, and really appreciate you sharing your story here with us. We are also rooting for you to not gain any weight. What an achievement!

And welcome to you, Shelley01. We are so sorry that chemo did not seem to work for you. What are you doing for treatments?

MO said that weight gain would not be permanent if I continued to exercise (i.e. no couch potato) if I limited sugar, processed foods and fats. It is my understanding that the weight usually starts to creep on after 4th treatment bc your fatigue and side effects keep your activity much lower. He also said that eating lots of healthy proteins through food was better than supplements so I force myself to eat some type of protein every three hours and eat kale, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, etc., with animal protein for supper.

Honeybee, what has your doc said they can do for your depression? I'm praying for a quick recovery from that bc I know how serious that can be.

Moderators, where can I read about the ladies who have already done their treatments? Looking for timeline so I ca

n figure out my schedule. Have a senior in high school and don't want him (or my husband or me) to miss anything.....I look forward to loads of great advice! Hugs, E

Just did my chemo teaching and will have my first treatment on March 16th. It's tiring just reading through all of the posts about things you should and shouldn't do and things you need to have on hand. I really don't think that I can keep it all straight!! Please let me know any advice that might be helpful.

Eliza - you asked for timelines. Everyone is different, but if you're having treatment in 3 week cycles, based on my own experience the more you can schedule for Week 3, the better. That's when you have the best chance of being able to go through with your plans. Until you get a few cycles under your belt and have a better idea of how you personally will react, I would not plan on being able to do much of anything during Week 1. You will probably be able to do a bit more during Week 2, but I would not plan anything strenuous or tiring even for Week 2. Push what you can to Week 3 if possible.

As an example, I love going to my beloved Washington Nationals baseball games. During Week 1, I was pretty much unable to go to games because of fatigue and a general feeling of not caring much about anything. During Week 2, I could usually manage going to a game, but most times I lasted only about 4-5 innings before I'd have to leave. By Week 3, I was usually well enough to stay for all 9 innings. However, chemo made me very sensitive to heat, and on hot days during the game I used to have to go to the First Aid station (which was air conditioned) to sit for an inning or so just to cool off. One time I didn't do that and passed out from the heat, but it turned out that the usher who assisted me was a 10 year survivor so she knew exactly what was going on! We also learned other coping strategies - since I knew I only had a limited amount of energy, my DH would drop me off at the entrance then go park the car, or else we'd take the Metro subway that let us out right at the entrance. That way I didn't waste precious energy walking the 20 minutes from the parking lot to the ballpark - I could save that 20 minutes of energy and stay a bit longer at the game. You'll develop similar coping strategies for the events that are important to you.

Do what you can, but don't be surprised if you do have to miss a few things and if you have to leave other things early. That's just the way it goes with chemo - it's not something that you can just tuck neatly into the other parts of your life. It will be the defining presence in your life for a few months, and everything else will revolve around it.

Hello all, I have been lurking for a couple of months and this is my first time posting. I was just expecting radiation, but after meeting with my MO and going over pathology report, I guess I will be joining this group. I am scheduled for port and echo cardiogram on the 15th and chemo education session on the 21st. I will start chemo the same week as education session not sure which day yet.

Poodlelover, I am on the same the chemo regimen as you AC x 4 - Taxol x 12, you will start earlier, so I will be watching for your updates.

iztmpek and Poodlelover,

Spent a long time today posting a reply that didn't go through for some reason.

Got my port on 3/2 was sore for two days and pain on Saturday but it was manageable. I had my first dose of ddAC yesterday. Medicine prior to chemo and then at home helped me not to have many SE. Woke up with nausea but took my zofran, ate some prunes and saltines with a large bottle of water and went to work for a few hours. Ate some cheese-its and drank another large bottle of water with lemon and one cup of coffee at work. Had to go for an appointment with RO team at 1230 so work cut short. Appointment ran over and they called to push back my neulesta shot.

My nausea isn't too bad if I stay on my zofran every 6 hours. Heartburn is a little bothering, I am not used to having it. Not too tired. I would have liked to have a short nap but steroids have me awake.

I will do 4 doses every other week of the ddAC then 12 of the Taxol. So same as iztmpek but opposite of poodlelover (if I am reading correctly). So, I will follow along to see how the Taxol does for you. I will have BMX and hysterectomy (due to precancerous scare in uterus last year), then radiation, then hormone therapy. I am at 8cm and definite at least 3 nodes involved.

Carolina_girl,

I found this list extremely helpful

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topics...

I did 3 shopping trips from the above the forum list.

First I bought stuff for my chemo kit and for the house:

Chemo kits bag (put in a zip lock, travel sizes):

1. mints, gum, lemon drops (your fav)
2. Lotion
3. Hand sanitizer
4. Tissues
5. Lip balm
6. Feminine/baby wipes
7. Binder, pocket, card holder, and dividers

Stuff for house; clorox wipes, baking soda, biotene mouth rinse, tissues, extra toothbrushes, extra thermometer (marked with my initials), baby or flusable wipes, saltines, yogurt.

Second trip I bought wigs. I was going to try to cold caps,but my insurance doesn't pay and not an expense we can afford. My grandmother knitted me some caps. I am going to get some wraps.

Third trip I went when I got my scripts for emla, steroids and nausea meds plus got these items off the list.

1. MOM
2. Imodium
3. Prunes
4. Claritin (for SE of neulesta)
5. Gentle shampoo (I got one that was organic and free of dyes, SLS, petroleum, paraben, etc.)
6. Gentle soap

I can tell you how I laid out my binder if you want, but don't want to overwhelm you. I have my tote with my travel chemo kit, a travel pillow, a lap blanket, book, deck of cards, large water bottle and binder that I took to my first chemo. I carry it and a small purse. But my purse has a pull out that I could put in the tote. Next time I will pack lunch. I am there for 5 hours. I get lunch but my sister or whoever goes with me doesn't and lunch at the cafe is not cheap. Plus selection is limited to processed foods. It would be nice to have some fresh.

We took the printed list from here with us each time and checked off as we went. It was nice to have the visual aid and a second pair of eyes. My husband went with me the first time and my sister the second and third.

Hope this helps and doesn't add more to the keeping it straight.

I also make an easy homemade lotion in my crockpot. I use coconut oil, grapeseed oil (can use walnut or almond instead if you prefer), and natural beeswax) 1/3 each. I cut the beeswax down a bit. Pour in molds for lotion bars or pour in containers to put in purse or in bathroom. Easy peasy.

hi all and good luck to everyone starting chemo this week.

Colly, you asked about nausea. We're all different but for me it was like how Nats so aptly described in her posts above. I took Zofran and it worked for me but there are several drugs your doc can prescribe. If one doesn't work, you can ask for something else.

kbt, that's a good list. A book was really important as tx can take hours.

Couple comments: If chemo makes you bald, you may lose ALL your body hair, including your pubic hair and the hair in your nose. You may pee sideways (pubic hair points the flow downward) and your nose will drip (no nose hair to stop it). I had those little packets of tissues stashed everywhere.

Don't be surprised if your taste buds change. I am a coffee drinker but couldn't abide it for a week after a tx. Thus the weak tea with milk & honey. I tried some packaged drink mixes for variety in hydration. They were OK but what I liked one day I didn't like the next. Was fortunate that ice-cold water tasted good to me.

Last, this saying is from one of the March 2010 chemo group. It's inactive but we got each other through a lot.

Murphy's Law of Chemo SE Management: "If you don't have something on hand, you will need it exactly when you cannot go out and get it." Corollary: "If you buy it in advance, you will end up not needing it at all."

Hi Elizabb, I just finished 6 rounds of T/C on 2/23/17. And my 6 treatments were def. doable. I have a 13 yr old and a 2 yr old and was able to keep up with them. Of course I was always out of it the first 3-4 days after treatment but it was the hangover feeling your described. The bland mouth taste and joint pain. The worse treatment was #4 but that's cuz I caught a cold. I think you will be ok for your sons graduation as long it's not within the first 4 days of treatment. Good luck to you and everyone else.

Hugs

Colly, Hope your GI settles and you are able to heal!

Denise, Soothing wipes are a blessing!

Jsut9802, Let me know how you do on your ddAC, have been thinking about you and your port. I had some minor irritation and one day of "pain" with the port, but luckily it is not too bad and gets better each day.

I thought I would breeze through my "off" week, since I had my ddAC on 3/9 and had a good weekend. I am having a rough week. Weekend was able to celebrate my son's birthday and have been stopped in tracks to "rest" Monday-today. Throwing up even when not nauseous and then diarrhea back and forth. Staying on top of my meds and on schedule but after the weekend, it seems my body had other ideas and says what anti-nausea meds?

anywho hoping tomorrow and weekend is a better! Cancelled a camping trip with my scouts, other leaders going in my place.

Poodlelover, I stayed up & played games on BCO when I couldn't sleep. Thus the high post count LOL.

Sorry for all the digestive issues. It's not legal here but I know people who used marijuana and it helped.

If you can't get relief, call your doc's office. Someone should be on-call 24/7.

bratmobile, I have a friend who craved (and ate!) super-spicy food during chemo. IDK how she did it.

Honey and Poodle, was following as I had same issues. Thanks for the feedback!

port area is still not fully functional. I'd like to get back to playing volleyball (missing another week tonight) or at least working out harder at home besides walking...but it's sore the stretch even. I don't know what the heck I did to it!!! Hoping the muscle relaxes or something soon!