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Dhanno
Dhanno Member Posts: 104
edited July 2018 in Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After

Friends I will receive my post lumpectomy pathology report on 4 July . I am expecting chemo as my tumour was 2.5 cm IDC .

Though I am mentally prepared for chemo but I have to confess that there are times when I get very nervous and start crying . Is chemo that scary as it is made out to be by most of the people ? Are there any fellow BC warriors who did chemo and now feel that life has become normal as before ? Please help me become strong because I do not want to faint in front of my breast surgeon when he reads my reports on 4 July .I want to be strong at that moment

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  • GAWarrior
    GAWarrior Member Posts: 398
    edited June 2018

    Dhanno, you can do this if you have to! Going through chemo isn't the most fun, but it honestly hasn't been nearly as bad as I thought it would be going in. Keep in mind that everyone's side effects are different - you may breeze right through it! Right now, I'm done with AC (Adriamycin/Cytoxan combo - the stronger chemo) and working my way through 12 weekly Taxols ("chemo light"). I haven't missed a day of work since I started in April. Hubby and I go out to dinner, we hang with friends, I go shopping and I've managed to mostly keep up with my running and exercise schedule. I get tired, sure, and there are a couple of days after each infusion that are worse than others, but you learn to give your body time to rest during those days and to do things when you can. Try to keep as positive as you can and don't let cancer (or chemo!) get the best of you.

    This is a short period of yuck in your life and then you'll be done. Reading the tips that are pinned at the top of the chemo section helps a lot! Join the monthly chemo group for the month you'll start. You'll get and give regular support that will get you through it - the ladies (and one gentleman) in my April group have been awesome!

    Look at it like this - each infusion you conquer means you're kicking cancer's a$$ that much harder. I'm triple negative and I'm weirdly excited for each chemo infusion because I can see it working and I know I'm doing all I can to keep this from returning. My PA couldn't even find my 1.8cm tumor at my last check. :) That's all I need to hear to say "bring on my chemo", lol.

    You are strong - you can do this! Sending hugs and good vibes!

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  • Dhanno
    Dhanno Member Posts: 104
    edited June 2018

    Thank You GAWarrior .There is so much of awesomeness in your reply .I have read your reply at least ten times. It was so good .God bless you .

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  • GAWarrior
    GAWarrior Member Posts: 398
    edited June 2018

    I'm so glad I could help. :) I won't lie, there are yucky days, but it hasn't been all that horrible overall. You'll get through it, if you have to and you'll find tons of support here. Hang in there!

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  • BigPeaches
    BigPeaches Member Posts: 266
    edited June 2018

    Definitley read over the chemo tips thread, lots of great ideas in there to help you battle the side effects. You can do this, just keep reminding yourself that with every side effect, means the drugs are kicking the cancer's butt too!

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited June 2018

    My chemo group here was the best support ever! Be sure you join a thread for people starting chemo when you do so you can go through it supporting each other.

    Compared to what I was expecting, it was pretty easy. The first chemo is scary because you don't know what to expect. After every chemo, I went to a bookstore and out for an early dinner with my partner, then walked on a slow treadmill at the hotel (wiped down with a Clorox wipe first), took a bath, and hung out sleeping and reading until morning, when I went in for my Neulasta injection. I'd have a day or two feeling pretty alert from the steroids, drinking a lot of water, and taking Claritin for the manageable bone pain. I'd feel a little crummy and have a slight temperature at my nadir, then begin to improve. I had no nausea or GI problems. Steroids kicked up my blood sugar a bit and made me puffy during treatment. Some of my nails lifted but didn't drop off. I still have some lifted areas in some of my nails and some pain in my big toes that responds well to a CBD cream. My hair came back (I was warned that there was a 6-10% chance it wouldn't with Taxotere). I had a little neuropathy on the bottom of my foot--it resolved a couple of months after I was done. Honestly, I had more trouble with my port (which was painful during treatment, and the area still gives me some trouble that my scar massage therapist works on monthly).

    I hope it is an easy process for you!

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  • hapa
    hapa Member Posts: 920
    edited June 2018

    I've done 5 of 6 rounds of chemo and I have to say it has been more mentally challenging than physically. I have continued working out all through chemo, even the day of and day after. I agree that the first round is the scariest because you don't know what to expect, and I had some side effects that most people don't get but they were temporary and none of them meant death was imminent, lol! I missed one day of work due to nausea - nausea meds work best if you can take them before you start vomiting, once the puking has started it's hard to keep the meds down, just remember that. As I've gone through more rounds I've gotten better at managing the side effects and at this point I feel like I've got it down to a science. I would go so far as to say that the side effects from the medications they gave me to manage the side effects of the chemo were worse than the chemo side effects. I really hate the steroids especially. But my bloodwork has been good the whole way through, I'm living pretty normally, and so far it's been much easier than I thought it would be.

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  • JaBoo
    JaBoo Member Posts: 520
    edited June 2018

    Hi and thanx for this thread! I'm feeling the same right now...

    I, too, am just healing from lumpectomy (had to go under twice due to close margins). I have a meeting with the oncologist sheduled for the July 10th.

    I've been going through the threads in chemotherapy section and even through the shopping lists, although they need a lot of adjusting for me (being in central Europe, pardon my English). It got me worried...

    I've already seen my pathology result, but the surgeon was not very happy about it (odd). Maybe he just didn't want to deal with my possible emotions (haven't show any.. At least not much). I'm pretty sure chemo+targeted therapy+hormonal therapy will be all necessary.

    Right now I'm really worried there may be some further bad news I'm not yet aware of... I don't know what, just worried. Somehow the results keep becoming worse....

    I'm trying to gather some strength for the meeting too...

    GaWarrior, ksusan - I will definitelly join the group of the month (probably July2018) for support, thank you for the tip... I do hope my being from another country will not get in the way...

    (this is my very first post here...)

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  • BarbsB
    BarbsB Member Posts: 4
    edited June 2018

    Hi Dhanno & JaBoo - you will discover you're much tougher than you think! I was anxious to start my chemo because I wanted the cancer GONE. I didn't know what to expect either, and all in all, it wasn't as bad as I expected. Today is the 1 year anniversary of when I started chemo. I finished in October, and just finished Herceptin treatments last week. You'll be done before you know it. I have a head full of thick (curly) hair now, grayer than before, but it's there. I had some bad days after each treatment, but I had plenty of good days and continued to work, exercise, and do normal stuff when I felt like it. Steroids will suppress the side effects so the first few days after each treatment aren't that bad. Losing my hair was not as upsetting as I thought it would be, waiting for it to fall out was the worst part. Once it did and I shaved the rest off, I was fine. It means the chemo is working! I echo what someone else said, keep up with the nausea meds, even if you don't think you need them. I never once vomited, or even felt close. It really will be over before you know it and you'll be giving advice to others. You will feel normal again, it takes several months, but all of a sudden you'll realize, hey, I feel like myself again!

    Take care.

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  • JaBoo
    JaBoo Member Posts: 520
    edited June 2018

    BarbsB there it is, your kind words actually put tears in my eyes...

    I do hope I will be normal again.. Today I was telling to my husband that I feel like I have only these 10 days of normal life+ordinary me left.

    Your words are precious

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited June 2018

    JaBoo,

    Welcome to Breastcancer.org! We're so sorry for the reasons that bring you here, but we're so very glad you've found us. We hope you'll find our Community an invaluable source of information, advice, and support -- we're all here for you! As you can already see!

    We look forward to seeing you around the boards. Make sure you come back often, ask lots of questions, and get the answers and inspiration you need. You've got this! We're just here to help you along the way!

    --The Mods

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  • GAWarrior
    GAWarrior Member Posts: 398
    edited July 2018

    JaBoo, in my April chemo group, we have a member from Greece and one from New Zealand. You will find that some of the chemos are slightly different in Europe and other countries, (example: we generally give AC here for some people, while in Europe, they give FEC). They are similar classes of chemo, so you can still use the same tips and tricks. I think there is an international thread on here, which might be a good resource for you if you need to adjust some of the things on the shopping lists.

    Yes, keep up with the anti-nausea medications. Also, keep a chemo diary - every day during that first infusion, write down how you felt, what medications you took, what the result was. The symptoms don't vary much from infusion to infusion. By having the diary, you'll remember that you felt good except for Day 3 or had nausea on Day 3-4 or will know what you did for constipation (which can be a big side effect of the chemo/anti-nausea medication combo). You think you'll remember when you are going through it, but trust me, you won't and the diary will make the next time easier.

    You are strong - you'll get through this! Best of luck for your July 10 visit and big hugs!

    Congrats, BarbB, on being one year out!

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