Starting Chemo May 2017

Thank you, PauletteK! I'm looking forward to getting on with surgery next. It's the thought of waiting for pathology after surgery that makes me most nervous! I keep in touch with some of the women I got to know through chemo at our oncology center and it really helps to email and text what's happening since we each "graduated" chemotherapy. Two of them, like me, had (neo-adjuvant) chemo prior to surgery. One, had a very difficult time through nearly 7 months of chemo including 2 hospital stays for infections, but breezed through a lumpectomy with great results and started radiation therapy yesterday. The other had a bad reaction to anesthesia and remained in the hospital overnight instead of the outpatient procedure that was intended. I saw her today on her way to a followup visit with her surgeon and she is quite uncomfortable and wearing a drainage tube due to the number of lymph nodes removed. Even among our small group of BC chemo-buddies there are such different experiences. Sharing these experiences with them and all of you has been a blessing - it helps to know that good or bad, someone else out there is going through and getting through the same thing. I plan to be around (on this thread) for the duration, letting you know how I'm doing through surgery and radiation therapy, and keeping up with your experiences and progress - because we are the "Starting Chemo May 2017" group! Best wishes to All!

Thank you for sharing your blog with us MsRobin, the photo's are beautiful.

Dodgersgirl, you are so right, cancer does suck!

ms robin - I’m totally with you, I’m going to have #6 tomorrow, I’m so nervous tonight. I met my MO today and told him all my fingers are numb so he said he is going to cut back 10% of my dosage tomorrow. He said that should help and I really hope so. I told him I don’t want to get to the point I can’t button my shirt.

I’m getting pretty fatigue and poor appetite. I’m taking Pepcid AC for the stomach gas, it helps very little to be honest. I didn’t have this problem when I was on AC. I was crying to tell my hubby not sure how much I can go on with this treatment.

beauz, I’m going to try to put something in my stomach all time hope that help my nausea on day 3 and 4. Will try to drink ensure more so my weight won’t drop. I was fine from taxol 1-4,thing turned bad on 5.

I don’t know how can we pump up our neutrophils mine dropped to 3.7, maybe soon we need to have the WBC shot? Let’s keep rest up and eat well.

Hi ladies! I’m actually sitting in my car by Lake Michigan, watching the waves roar in on a chilly, wet day. I had good weather over the weekend, but it’s been raining since then. I’m heading home tomorrow and it looks like no rain, so I’ll get up early and catch some scenery before heading out. I have dear friends here though, and I’m just happy to spend time with them when the weather doesn’t cooperate.

I actually noticed another new SE, but at least this one I’ve heard about. My sinuses are so dry and stuffy! It’s funny because half the time I’m scrambling for tissues because my lack of nose hair makes this situation an emergency! I haven’t had a bloody nose yet, but I can see how easily it might happen.

I picked up some healing type hand cream at the drugstore, and my hands seem slightly better. They still sting, and are sensitive to being bumped. With three treatments to still get through, I imagine they’ll look and feel pretty bad by then. Plus last night I had to take a compazine, it felt like someone was grabbing my stomach for a good squeeze. I’m really over all this nonsense. Uncle!

Robin - sounds very peaceful listening to the waves. Hope that will take the problems and stress away. I have dry sinus for weeks it was so bad that I had bloody nose. Now I learned that do not blow my nose and use gel and spray all the time.

I'm trying to eat well so my WBC won't drop, if it does my treatment will be delay. Oh well ..... sucks!

paulettek-- I have ACT mouth moisturizing spray on my night stand and spray a few times when I get back in bed from a bathroom trip. When we first go to bed, I spray mouth with Biotene dry mouthspray. I don't like the consistency of it but it keeps mouth moister longer

paulettek- as far as neuropathy, my finger tips are numb. One my left hand, I have had a few fingertips numb for a while due to carpal tunnel syndrome but it is more pronounced now. On right hand the numbness is going away (SLOWLY). For me, this issue is the pain in my nail beds from Taxol. It is really hard to use my fingers. Buttoning a blouse is tough. Opening a drink is hard. Sometimes even holding my phone is painful. The weirdest pain so far is when the blankets set just right on a fingernail and wake me up.

MO just shakes her head and says it is a SE from Taxol.

I still take B6,B12, l-glutamate, and biotin hoping as my nails grow out, things will improve.

paulettek- every doctor I see, I show my poor fingers with my ugly, painful purple/brown spots and ask me hen I can expect to get my hands back? Each doctor was simply said it was a SE of Taxol and the nails will grow out. Sigh. Not overly helpful!

PauletteK, It's difficult to keep from feeling low when you're in the midst of chemo, suffering through SEs and trying to "beat" additional and worsening SEs to the chemo finish line. As someone who had her last chemo treatment 3 weeks ago, my only advice is to keep looking forward towards your next milestone and ultimate goal.

For me, surgery comes next. But the best part of my treatment so far came soon after I completed chemotherapy. I had a 3-D mammogram and ultrasound of my left breast. Radiologists compared the scans to a 3-D mammogram and ultrasound taken in April prior to biopsies, which confirmed 2 cancerous lesions in my left breast (either 2 tumors - one relatively large and the other smaller; or, one large irregular shaped tumor, estimated at 4cm X 3cm when palpated). A biopsy also confirmed that an abnormal looking area in a lymph node was also positive for IDC. Well, none of the areas that looked suspicious for abnormal cell activity in April were apparent on the post-chemo mammogram and ultrasound. The lymph node and smaller section of the breast tumor appear clear. The larger section of the tumor shows something, but my surgeon thinks it could be thickened scar tissue or dead cancer cells. This doesn't mean I'm clear of cancer; only surgery and pathology will tell - but I'm thrilled with the results I got from chemo, and my surgeon is ecstatic! It also played a huge part in my decision to have a lumpectomy.

I'm telling you this because I never imagined such a good outcome from chemo on what was, at the very least, Stage 2B IDC. Despite the SEs - which are gradually showing improvement - for me, chemotherapy has been worth the difficulties. I know it's hard to appreciate that now, but I hope it encourages you to power through and not let the SEs get you down. Best Wishes to you and all our BC sisters.

Well, another treatment canceled this week due to my worsening neuropathy. I’d like to say I was deeply disappointed, but my worsening SE’s made it a blessing. Still, that finish line just keeps moving away from me, and that is indeed discouraging. The night before treatment has grown to be a night filled with sleepless dread. This week I may have been out of town enjoying my getaway, but the SE’s were piling up and I really felt awful. As I lay there in bed fretting before treatment day, I actually wished for this delay, feeling I just couldn’t take much more. I got my wish.

Even though my dosage was reduced by 20% last week, the neuropathy was worse. I have to keep shaking my hands out, and my feet feel like walking around on blocks. I often walk a little like a drunk, with some mild stumbling going on. This is more neuropathy than they wanted for me, and I was cancelled. They also didn’t like the red blotchy stuff going on with my hands and feet, and I think this contributed to their decision. I was given methylprednisolone tablets for this part, and while I feared it would keep me from sleeping, it didn’t for the first night. We’ll see how the rest goes.

Even though I’m only one day into my break, it is a relief to feel better already! The neuropathy is slightly less today. And I cooked! This is a rare feat these days as I battle constant mild nausea. I have raring to go since yesterday afternoon when we returned from the center, and have accomplished no end of household tasks, errands, etc. It definitely feels good to feel better! Obviously I needed this break.

msrobin58-- I hope your "pause" brings you relief very quickly.

My last chemo was 8/16. My toe pain ended, for the most part, about 2 weeks ago. Fingers are still sore but they are getting better. Purple coloring, I think, has to grow out.

Ms Robin - I had my infusion yesterday , my heartbeat increased during premeds I think it was due to anxiety. I finished my infusion, it was such a long day. I could able to sleep on and off last night I think my body just tired.

My neuropathy (numbness)is not bad today, actually is better. I’ve been soaking my hands and feet with epsom salt, now I even use treetea oil on them also. And I ice my hands and feet during taxol even they might not last for 3 hours.

Well ladies, I’m done with chemo! I went for my treatment today, and my MO decided to stop my treatments instead. WooHoo! Even after my break, the neuropathy was not really any better, and he said three more treatments could cripple me. Well we don’t want that! He also said as long as you get 80% of the treatments, that’s enough. I was frightened at first, citing my Oncotype Dx score of 66, which is my chance of recurrence without chemo. But he showed me my new recurrence rate, after chemo, which is 12%. I can live with that. That’s practically the risk factor for the general public.

I went up to the infusion center to thank my favorite nurses, and to ring that darned bell. I rang it very hard, crying all the while! Next week I meet with the radiation oncologist, and will probably start in December. He wants me to start Arimidex right away. I’m not thrilled with this, but I knew it was coming. I’m also to start taking calcium, and had a bone density test today, since it leaches calcium from your bones. Chief side effect is an increase in hot flashes. This news made me laugh out loud, because I already have an abundance of hot flashes! Ugh.

Onward ho!

Congratulations, MsRobin! Thank goodness for a great MO looking out for you and your best interest. No one ever said to me that chemo could "cripple" but I'm starting to believe it. Since finishing chemo a month ago, I have developed aches and weakness in my legs. Very strange since my legs never ached this much during chemo. Hopefully, it's just due to lack of regular exercise, so I'm trying to build up strength before surgery. But so far, no relief, and with surgery less than 2 weeks away I can't take any blood thinning pain meds (and I probably wouldn't want to).

But getting back to your next step in treatment - I hope radiation therapy goes well and treats you gently.