April 2017 Chemo

Hi everyone,

This second round has been much much better than the first. Just fatigue which I think comes from some of these medicines. I dI'd get a sore throat both times. I use biotene with mint to rinse my mouth. I don't like the baking soda, salt water mix. I do have ice chips when getting the red chemo drug.

Stay positive DazzLing Eagle that is great chemo is working.

I always freak out when reading reports. Try not to read them now.

I have to get a bone scan next week somewhere along the line before surgery and now it never happened. I wil, worry all week. Scan anxiety.

Hope everyone has a good evening. I care about all of you

Hi all, I am one month out from my last chemo and still have bone and muscle soreness all over which doesn't seem getting better or worse. This week I start having the same kind of dizziness I had when I was on AC chemo and also a sharp pain come and go at one spot of my head...I know they are probably all caused by chemo and the lupron I am one. But I am still very worried I have some kind of mets.

Thank you for reading my post!

Dodgersgirl, I haven't used the ice chips but I did have some sore throat issues for a couple of days after treatment and went away. But it is much worse now and hasn't gone away. I'm going to ask for ice chips next week, thank you! My nose has been running, as well, but now I get nose bleeds a few times a day. I didn't really get bad mouth sores but just some weird feeling like having scalded my gums/tongue. My WBC was 2.37(L) and the Absolute Neutrophils were 1.15(L) which needed to be 1.5 or higher for chemo.

I haven't done a bone scan and am wondering if I need one. Lots of questions for the oncologist when I see him now in two weeks. Stephilosph, that is great you finished chemo but sorry to hear you are still experiencing bone and muscle pain. Your surgery is coming up I see. I'm very anxious to get done with chemo and onto surgery. Be well today, ladies, sending lots of HUGS!

Barbara

momojcbc- I noticed a shrinking of tumor after my 2nd AC treatment. Even RO had a hard time feeling one of the masses that is at a lymph node

Hoping the tumor continues to feel smaller as the weeks pass by.

Best wishes for the PET scan. I had mine the end of March. The test takes a while but isn't difficult to do.

Hope you have a great werkend

I'm new to the group and I'm pretty much on the same page as all of you. Started chemo 4/3, taking the devil's dose (name fits) for the first (4) treatments and it's rough......the mouth sores, the OMG feeling......dying on day 2, 3, 4.............. Why suck on ice chips......why not just drink water? Remember, I'm new here and have no idea what all these abbrev's. are ...............help.

Good to know and thank you for letting me know. No, the mouth sores just are forming every day, but I'm sure gonna try ice chips. My sister shaved my head almost two weeks ago because it was just time, it was coming g out in strands and I just couldn't take it anymore ...... she shaved my head again last night, this time without a guard. I'm almost completely bald and am trying to embrace it, I wear hats a LOT, but my boyfriend and his daughter will NOT allow me to wear them, around them. They rub my head and tell me how beautiful I am without hair, they are so sweet to me. I have my 3rd AC on Monday, not looking forward to it, but am...... ya know what I mean?

And thank you for this site: https://www.pinterest.com/lubmyboys/wraps/

I've been finding the head covers and wraps and turbans quite depressing, and this provides some modern, fun options and considerations...

Hi whirlwind, I've been scrolling through your posts because I noticed that our treatment plans are almost identical (despite the fact that I am almost 25 years your senior!). I too will have neo adjuvant chemo, probably starting in May. The only difference is that I will have 4 treatments of A/C over 8 weeks, 1 every other week. I read your most recent post (written after your first chemo treatment) and I'm so sorry that you suffered so badly with nausea. I hope the additional 3 treatments of A/C went better. If you have any advice on what to do to improve the days after, I would appreciate it. I know that we each react differently, but I find myself wanting to be armed and knowing what to expect. Also, since I will be seeing my MO's Nurse Practitioner on 5/5 for chemo counseling, I want to be able to address all concerns.

Now that it's already end April, you're probably done with A/C and on to Taxol, once a week for 12 weeks. Feeling any better? I hope so.

My daughter is grown and on her own and my husband is still working, but I work from home so I am able to spend a lot of time worrying about what's to come. I am terrified, but I know this is how I must fight the dreaded BC and I want to kick butt!

Hope you are doing well. Lots of Hugs and Thanks

P.S. A Belated Happy 40th birthday! I was DX'd less than 2 months before my 65th, when I will be in the midst of A/C treatment.

notanisland,

Hello, and thanks for the Birthday wishes and hugs!!

Yes, the nausea was pretty bad on the first few days, but by the third day (sat the 22nd, my birthday!!) I was feeling better. I was soo tired, but most of the nausea was gone. I was in a chemo fog of fatigue and feeling wierd until a few days after that. I never got mouth sores, just fatigue. I had bloodwork on Tuesday 04/25 and the results were good. No Neutropenia for me yet. I have more labs on Tuesday 05/02/17. As of today (10 days post chemo) I feel back to my old self. My hair has started shedding today. I get a few strands with each pass-through of my hands through my hair. Even though I was nauseated, I never vomited. For that, I was thankful. Some things that helped me is of course my oral compazine, and they added Ativan to the mix to take when compazine is not quite enough. I also chewed ice chips, drank ginger ale, and munched on saltines. I pretty much lived on that stuff the first two days after chemo. For the next chemo I am going to get a certian kind of mints called "Angel Mints" that chemo patients swear by, because peppermints sooth nausea, and I am also going to get ginger candies. My second AC chemo will be on May 10th, as my dose is every three weeks. I have a total of 3 more to go, then I move on to 12 weekly Taxol infusions. I wish you well on your first chemo!!

~Kelly

Edited to add: Also, I drank a lot of water before, during and after chemo. That helps get the poisons out faster.

Thanks DodgersGirl!!

DodgersGIrl, Thank you for sharing your experience in such detail. I think you know how much this helps. While learning of the challenges and issues that others go through may or may not apply to me, I feel better prepared to face whatever comes. I'm pretty sure that I will have a problem getting good sleep - I haven't had a full night's sleep since DX.

Breastless Beth, I'm so sorry about your recurrence. One of the things I haven't yet allowed myself to dwell on (there's so much to think and worry about up to this point in diagnosis and treatment plan) is how this diagnosis changes life forever. When meeting my MO yesterday he didn't sugarcoat the fact that there are no guarantees, that there's always a possibility of recurrence and that diagnostic tools are good but far from perfect. I had a palpable lump and very dense breast tissue as far back as August 2015, but mammogram and ultrasound found nothing until 3 weeks ago. It sounds like you were monitoring yourself and caught it early - in the same spot! I'm glad you aren't having bad SE so far, and thanks for the tip on the need for head coverings within 2-3 weeks of first treatment. I'd better start shopping now.

Whirlwind, You sound like you're doing so much better! Thank you for sharing what's working for you. The stress and anxiety of the past few weeks has destroyed my appetite and I've lost 10 pounds simply from eating less. Of course, I could stand to lose those 10 pounds and more, but I'm sure that weight loss is discouraged during chemo, so I'll take advice from you and DodgersGirl and stock up on the types of foods we eat when we're down with the flu - crackers, ginger ale, clear soup, ginger tea - for those days I'm just too nauseated. Thanks to you and Dodgers Girl for the tips on the oral rinse - after hearing that you both have had no problem with mouth sores, I'll be sure to use it. I'm feeling a little trepidation over having my 4 AC treatments scheduled every other week (instead of every 3 weeks like you) - because by the time I'm feeling normal again it'll be time for the next treatment. Ugh.

Thank you dear ladies for walking me through this. Just receiving a response from you makes me feel better. I know that people care, but it's especially helpful and meaningful when support comes from those who really know what you're going through - and strangers at that! I don't consider you strangers anymore. Wishing you the Best with Lots of Hugs and Thanks

Hi All -

I had my first round of TC on Wednesday. I was not able to sleep for 4 days after the steriods and felt just miserable. By Friday, I have broken out in a painful acne rash (all over my chest, neck and back). Ugh! Anyone have experience with this and is there anything you have done for it? Also, my throat has been sore and I have a persistent metallic taste in my mouth, so even water is tasting kind of funny right now which makes it hard to drink Anyone know if there is anything to do to get rid of that?

Thanks!

DodgersGirl - Thank you so much I will try the lemon. I am trying to be diligent about the drinking, but hard when it tastes awful. I think I am going to call my MO tomorrow and ask about the rash... they may recommend the same thing.

pambc010417- what kind of chemo are you getting? My chemo nurses told me I didn't need to ice hand or feet while on AC but should do that during Taxol.

My plan for icing is: I bought a large rectangle plastic tub that we will fill with water and "blue ice". I will have my hands in double layer food safe plastic gloves with Velcro bands to seal around my wrist. I gave extra blue ice bars that we will have in a cooler that we bring with us. For my feet, I bought the coolingsocks I found on Amazon and I bought extra cold pads designed for them. It is supposed to cool the feet. Not sure if I will need/want my toes in ice too so may buy a larger tub and keep ice water in it too and then put my feet in large room ziplock bags sealed with Velcro.

I have painted my nails dark blue or dark purple and will continue doing that. Biotin is supposed to be good for nails but I haven't looked into taking that (yet?)

I am taking B6 which is supposed to help prevent neuropathy