Starting Chemo May 2017

@lovepugs77 i got vanilla and strawberry flavor but i liked the vanilla one. I know we dont get the variety pack but you can try one and see if you like it

So today is my 6 th day after first AC treatment.I have started working full time , going to office since yesterday. In the mornings i had to push myself to get going but just want to keep it as normal as before.

I informed my HR and manager about the condition and they seemed pretty supportive about it .Also applied for FMLA

Still doesn't feel as fresh in the mornings , but i try to keep eating as much as i can. My mouth taste had certainly changed.My energy levels keep on going down and coming back.Its variable

i had zoladex shot 2 days before my chemo to preserve ovaries but started my periods yesterday.Talked to nurse about it and she said it might take some time for it to build up in system but if its get heavy should notify the doc.

Hello!

New to the forum. I've been stalking this site ever since I was diagnosed. Finally had the courage to post on the eve of my first chemotherapy treatment. To say I'm anxious is an understatement! Everyone who has posted on this site has been a wealth of information and comfort. I just want to say thank you and I'll be posting my experience as I "travel" this "Fck Cancer" journey with ya'll. Blessings and prayers up to everyone!

Welcome FurMama5, you'll find so much support here. I hope today goes smoothly for you.

moodyblues- I'm hanging in there. Day of chemo wa nerve wracking but went well. Lots of premeds as they seemed most worried about whether I'd have an immediate allergic reaction to the chemo drugs. The steroids are making me wired and can't sleep but yesterday was last dose until day before next treatment. Have been taking the anti nausea meds as soon as I feel the slightest bit of queasiness. Trying to eat. I seem to tolerate carbs easiest like toast or a buttered roll. Was told Sat/Sun is when the taxotere side effects will kick in and then levels will

drop day 8. I got my neulastin shot yesterday. So hard to try and pay attn to any/all side effects that could happen.

You are lucky they told you! I had no idea that day 7, 8 and 9 were going to be the hardest days. I spent the 3 days in bed or on the toilet. Today my hair is falling out. Lucky me.

Well ladies, there was a reason why I've been feeling so poorly. My white blood count is way down and they're admitting me to the hospital. I'll get IV antibiotics, and probably some med similar to Neulasta. She said I have zero immunity right now, so I'm pretty nervous about being in a germy hospital. Might be in there a couple days.

notanisland, I was given Neulasta by pod injection the day after treatment. Guess it just didn't last long enough! I'll be vigilant about germs coming into my room. I'll probably wear a mask myself.

I'm at the hospital, waiting to be taken up. And yes I'm wearing a mask! The good news is that I'll be in the oncology unit, and they'll know to keep sterile. And I'll be vigilant with those entering my room.

msrobin hope you feel better soon.

I start A+C next week on Wednesday. I will have that every two weeks x 4 then taxol every week x 12 along with carboplatin every three weeks x 4 with the Taxol. Time to get this party started!

Hi, @notanisland and @cdv4251992!

Thank you for welcoming me and your encouragement! I'm feeling better than I thought I would feel today, thank goodness! To say I was terrified walking into treatment for the first time is an understatement! The closer I walked towards the entrance the more panicked I became. I was a mess while they weighed me in. I know this might sound petty, but I wondered if they'd take into account the weight of my shoes, clothes, glasses, sun visor, etc. (LOL) As I stepped off the scale and was shown "my area" of the room that I'd receive treatment, I freaked out! I asked to use the bathroom where I promptly broke down into a full-on ugly cry, but quietly. I called my sister, who lives in Fla and she was able to calm me down and empower me to get up and start this fight! I could hear the nurses at the desk say, "Wow! This is going to be awhile." I composed myself, washed my hands, said a prayer and stepped out of the bathroom ready to fight! Since my "section" was empty I chose the chair closest to the window in the corner. Tammy, my nurse, was kind, funny and comforting. She explained every step and did her best to put me at ease. By the time my labs came back, my breathing was back to normal and I could actually engage w/ my fiance and hear what he was saying. The pounding of my heart in my ears was muffling his voice. My port was installed on Monday and my treatment was on Thursday, so there was some soreness, but not much pain. Tammy explained every step of my treatment and each drug as it was administered, it's purpose and how long it would take. I was able to read, make conversation, nap and meet the two other ladies who came after me.

Needless to say, this experience was not the "Boogey Man" that I made it out to be. Today, I was able to wake up and walk my dogs, as usual, do some laundry and sort my recycling for pick up. I do not have much of an appetite, on a scale of 1-10 my nausea is a 1.5-2, but I know I need to eat something, I think I'll have a grapefruit and yogurt.

I'm happy to answer any questions that any first timers may have. I don't know very much about what to expect in the long run, but I'm happy to share my experience as it happens.

Hope all you lady warriors are doing well and have a very blessed day!

Hello May ladies! I had hoped to be more supportive of others here, especially since I started early in the month. I felt I could "lead the way" so to speak. But then I got sick, and I've only been able to tell you my travails. Still, I suppose there's value to be found in precautionary tales.

I'm still in the hospital and probably will be till Monday. My counts have climbed slightly, and no fever yet today, so that's improvement. I also managed to eat a few bites. Yesterday it was almost nothing.

They removed my port today, suspecting it as the source of infection. It was almost three weeks ago, and yet I still had some redness there despite a round of antibiotics. The infectious disease doctor took one look at it, and just knew. I'll get a new one on Monday, on the other side. The doctor who did my procedure today says she has much better results putting ports on the right blah blah blah vein instead of the jugular. I think they originally chose the left so it was opposite of the affected breast and future radiation. She pooh-poohed that.

I've definitely learned about the nadir our counts reach on days 7-10, despite the Neulasta. For my own peace of mind, I'll be hyper vigilant at that time, remaining in isolation, even eating the neutrapenic diet at that time. I don't want to do this again. I'll be spending Mother's Day is the hospital, for goodness sake!

babybiko, if you read some of my earlier posts, you may get some idea of what to expect from your first treatment. It was definitely much better than I thought!

Ladies, I had my PET today, praying for excellent results!

Furmama58.  Glad that once you took a moment, that you felt able to do what had to be done, thank goodness for sisters!  Your words make me feel better about my upcoming chemo.

Mrsrobin58.  Sorry that you're there for Mothers Day, but am very happy they found the problem.

Hi Everyone,

Well, it's time to join the chemo-of-the-month club, as I have my start date now. So hi, soon-to-be-friends! I would normally read through a bunch of the previous posts and get to know you, but I'm beyond exhausted, and I haven't even started treatment yet! So please forgive me. I have fibromyalgia and a bunch of other chronic illnesses, and I just did a road-trip to visit a dying aunt, and I'm trashed.

First chemo is Monday May 15th. They installed a port--in my arm, to my surprise--last week. I hate it! It's on the inside of my upper arm, and rubs on my boob and gets in the way all the time. It hurts, too. Long story why the BS put it in the arm instead of my chest, but I may opt to have her get it out of this arm and give me a chest port if this one continues to be trouble.

Chemo cocktail is CMF, cyclosomething, methotrexate, and fluorouracil, plus Herceptin. After the CMF, which will be 4-6 cycles, radiation will start. And herceptin goes for a full year.

Usually my type of cancer gets a different cocktail, but they come with common SE of neuropathy. I already have moderate neuropathy in both legs, and can't afford any more. Thankfully, my MO realized that, and recognizes that I have tons of other things wrong with me and I take tons of meds, so he chose the "old school" CMF, which if I remember right, is not quite as effective as the more modern stuff, which is why I'll need more cycles. MO is pretty concerned that I won't be able to tolerate the chemo tho, and that scares me because of the aggressive, nasty cancer I picked.

I'd been feeling pretty OK about everything until the last few days. Having this port poking me in the side all the time and having a massive bruise and pain... well, it's all becoming too real now. I'm making last-minute preparations for starting chemo on Monday at the crack of dawn. I have no idea how my body will respond, and I hate to be pessimistic, but i have a gut feeling I'm going to be sick as hell and flat on my back for a long time. But you never know. I'm already so used to feeling like shit most of the time that sometimes I don't think I'll notice anything at all from the chemo!

Sorry to be so morose today. As for the discussion of hair loss (I glanced at a few posts), I saw the COOLEST thing in my Facebook feed awhile back. It's whole-head henna tattoos for when you're bald! I live near the beach (I see there are some other eastern NC people here, I'm in Carolina Beach) and if I remember right, the beachy tourist shops around here advertise henna tattoos in the summer. I bet I'll be their first head tattoo. But I'm always too freaking hot, and wigs and head coverings are not high on my list of cool summer outfits, so a pretty henna design seems like a great solution.

TTY'all later.