Starting chemo in August 2017

I have one infusion in July and my next infusion will be this Friday August 4. From what I read second infusion SE pretty much same as the first one, but I'm still nervous. 🙏🙏

Well, I had my 2nd infusion on Wednesday 7/26, so I'm 6 days out. I thought the SE's were a bit worse this time, but I've gotten better at managing them. It's a bit of trial-and-error.

As far as suggestions, take care of your mouth! I got a recipe for a mouth rinse from my MO to be used several times a day: 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp baking soda in a quart of water - make up a new batch every day. I also went out and got a soft manual toothbrush and some Tom's of Maine toothpaste (fennel flavoured.) Tom's is so much gentler on the mouth than regular toothpastes - they push the minitness so much and that can be uncomfortable! I've also decide that Biotene mouth rinse is the greatest invention since Post-It notes. I also got some Ora-Gel in case I get some mouth sores, although I haven't needed it yet.

Don't be shy about taking any anti-nausea meds they give you. This time I stopped taking them too soon and had to do catch-up with the nausea.

Listen to your body! Rest if you need to (and if you can!) and don't worry about confusing food aversions and cravings. Things will settle down eventually.

You'll get the hang of this!!!

I've done four DD AC and two DD taxol. Two more to go! It really hasn't been as bad as I anticipated. A few tips:

• Biotene is your friend. I've used the toothpaste the whole time I've been on chemo, and the mouth rinse as needed. I had a really dry mouth on AC, and the rinse helped a lot. I also use an extra soft toothbrush from the children's section.
• Keep wet wipes everywhere - purse, car, etc.
• I bought a container of Lysol wipes and keep some in a ziplock bag in my purse so I can wipe down shopping cart handles.
• I have a box of nitrile gloves to wear when doing dirty chores - litter box, cleaning the bathroom or kitchen sink, taking out the trash. I also have a box of surgical masks. I wear those when cleaning the litter box. I also carry some of each of these in my purse just in case. I went onto Walmart right after I started chemo, and people seemed to be coughing and sneezing everywhere. I was glad to have them to put on.
• I second the recommendation above about Claritin. Make sure it is just the regular kind, not Claritin-D.
• Between the chemo itself and my compulsive hand washing, my skin is really dry. I keep bottles of lotion everywhere. I tried several rich lotions, and I'm partial to gold bond healing with aloe. Get something good because you'll need a ton of it. I'd avoid scented lotions...smells can be difficult during chemo, and even if they aren't, the scent can be ruined for you forever.
• Keep moving as much as you can. It definitely helps with fatigue, and I think it is helping me with the taxol bone pain.
• Sleep when you can. The steroids they give me on infusion days mess with my sleep habits, so I've had to learn to nap when I feel sleepy...if I try to wait and sleep at night, I sometimes don't get any sleep at all.
• Take some kind of candy to your infusions, and suck on it when they flush your port. The saline flush can taste or smell bad, and the candy helps counter that. Honestly, the only times I've felt nauseous were when they were flushing my port.
• Don't be afraid to let your MO know if you are having side effects. They can change your nausea meds and help with other issues, but only if they know about them. I got a rash several days after ER I started taxol, and just suffered with it for about four days. When I let them know, they called in a prescription and it cleared up quickly...I suffered for nothing!
• Constipation is a common side effect for a lot of the pre meds. I tried senekot, but it worked too well. I keep a bag of prunes in the fridge and just eat one or two a day. Like most side effects, that one is way easier to deal with if you catch it early or prevent it. Best to figure out a way to get a little more fiber and do it as a preventative.

There's another August chemo thread that was started a couple of weeks ago - you may want to check it out. https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topics...

Paulette, I've had a lot of gas, too, and haven't figured out anything that has helped with it. My fiancé has been impressed with how stinky I am!

Pingpong - what should we do when our scalps start hurting? Can we use lotions? Anyone has suggestion?

I still have my hair now, after second infusion I doubt I would able to keep them.

Hi

I had my second treatment a week ago and it was more or less the same side effects as the first one. I found it somewhat easier because I knew what to expect. You have already received your second so I hope you are feeling okay! As okay as can be.

I think what I've learned most is to not be surprised by what my body does.

And we are sending positive healing energy to you, Subielover! Welcome to our community, and thanks for sharing your experiences.