Starting Chemo in JAN 2007

Mizsissy, hope you are feeling better and back to your upbeat self soon. Let us know what happens in the ER.
Amera

Hi Girls: I like reading all the updates. Have had such nausea and stomach problems from AC#2. Any one else having insomnia? Tomorrow I meet with onc. head nurse, last week for 2nd treatment found I was anemic so had shot and will have another one tomorrow. Was buzzed this week. Can't remember who had pics with buzz but you girls look so cute that way. It doesn't bother me going out like that--hatless. Looks cute.

Ireland: I read your comment about being a 19 on onco--me too and I've had the same doubts--after each session. That gray area--is it worth it. Of course, loved ones say absolutely but like you I wonder. The nausea and fatigue just get me down so.

T4T: what a great guy you are, thanks for posting here.

OK,ladies I'm back safe and sound. What a Comedy of Errors!

1:30 PM I call Oncology. Nurse puts me on hold, talks to the doctor, says the reason I'm feeling bad is that I didn't get the neupogen shots doctor ordered, that I was given wrong information about my blood counts being high enough. Told me to go to the emergency room. I said, why can't I just come in now and get my shot? She says because the emergency room needs to evaluate me. But what if they don't have neupogen, I ask. Nurse says they'll give it to me if they need it.
1:35 Am feeling worse so ask nurse if I can get off phone call husband to come get me (35 minutes from work and back again) before I get shakier. She reluctantly hangs up.
1:40 Call husband; he's in a car pool and has to make arrangements for other guys to get home another way so he'll call me back.
1:42 Nurse calls again...something about appointments..by this time I'm getting stressed and ask her to call back
1:45 Husband calls to say he's coming.
2:30 Husband arrives, we go to emergency.
3:15 We arrive at emergency. They put me in a consult waiting room and we're there until 4:30, when someone comes in to get my blood.
5:10 They come and tell me to get undressed and put me in a bedroom. Husband is getting hungry, bored and cranky.
Nurse comes in and tells me my blood count has dropped from 13 to 4.2 which she doesn't think is good. ER doesn't have Nuepogen. Can I give her the number of my onc so she can call them and try to get some?
5:15 ER Doctor comes in and starts to evaluate me.
5:18 Nurse comes in to tell doctor she can't get the neupogen because the onc's office is closed.
5:20 ER Doctor says that we're still waiting for blood test results and I may not need neupogen anyway (what did the nurse just tell me?!!)
7:15 We've been waiting. Doctor comes in and tells me my blood is normal. But I should DEFINITELY go for shot of Neupogen tomorrow morning. So I go home after no treatment whatsoever.

What is going on here?

Well, I feel pretty tired but OK. I guess one trip to the ER is par for the course, but please...NEVER AGAIN!!!!

Mizsissy

Mizsissy - so glad to hear you are back home! What a nightmare. All those hours in the hospital for nothing! I hope tomorrow is much better for you.

Welcome back Mizsissy! What a circus! I hope you're keeping a journal because this will be an award-winning chapter! So glad that your counts were O.K. We were worried about you!

Rita

RitaJean: And that was the minor drama that was going on today...I'm not even going to get into the OTHER one!.....actually the other two, threee...what a day!!!

Hello all, time to check in. Today, it's been exactly one week since my chemo. I feel great - a little tired, I do suddenly have problems with my blood pressure, but I'm being watched like a hawk. I went to the oncologist office, which is in the hospital, for my blood test. My favorite nurse did that, and it sure takes a lot longer than going to the outpatient lab. But it's like visiting friends. "Have you had lunch." "Do you want something to drink?" Great people. I mentioned the side effects that I have experienced (lack of appetite, fatigue and slight nausea) and the nurse said that only having such minor side effects is very rare. I also mentioned that I had no pain whatsoever after the Neulasta shot. That too was possible, but rare. So, I am an oddity.
And then I read about poor Tae, who is experiencing it all. I hope you feel better soon. And Mizsissy, send your emergency room bills to the oncology office. You don't deserve to pay for those... They should pay you for pain and suffering.
One of advantage of going to the doctor during the middle of the day - you get to enjoy the sun. After an arctic freeze of a number of weeks, we suddenly had 57 degrees today. Tomorrow it's back to freezing.

Hello again,

I am so wound up from today I can't sleep and I'm afraid to take anything because it doesn't feel like a good idea..to make yourself feel weaker when your counts are low..

Thank you all for your empathy on my trip to ER...I had enough melodrama today to last through the rest of chemo. Yeah, I wish I could send the bill to the onc's office; they wouldn't even give me a decent receipt when I left so I will have to wrestle with the billing office before we can get a reimbursement from our tax-free medical expense account. We overstuffed it this year. It's embarrassing to be such a huge financial liability.

Sounds like we're all losing our hair now. It's kind of like a religious thing; you have to go through this. Maybe we should think of it as some kind of ritual purification.

Melia, what is this about "tumor markers." No one told me what mine was. How can a tumor be *normal*?!

You know, I wish we had some kind of bar chart where we could see where everyone was on their chemo, whose getting which on what days.

Aladora, how are you doing? We are still waiting for an update!!!

Mizsissy

Mizsissy,
I dunno really what a tumor marker is, other than it's a blood test that theoretically tracks tumor activity throughout your body, so if it's normal, it's just a sign that there are no mets. The onc said that lots of drs don't put much faith in it, but he likes to have it just as a benchmark. I was glad it was normal, whatever that is, since I have had enough abnormal to last me a while!

Good luck to all of us doing chemo today. It's one more item to cross off our lists of things to do ....

Melia

Hi Amera,

I didn't get any shots either. However I'm thinking it might be because I'm on a three week schedule. I might have heard somthing like 3 week schedules give your body a chance to rebuild the wbc on it's own. Something like that. I'll be asking my Onc when I see him on Friday. I do know that I'll have blood work before my chemo on Friday though.

Lynn

I will certainly ask tomorrow, but the onc didn't seem to think it was necessary as she said as Lynn did, the 3 weeks apart gives your body a chance to rebuild counts. I think I have done relatively well with stuff. Just the day 5 funk like most of us and the stomach bug that lasted a day or two. The onc said they would only give me the shots if/when I needed them rather than have me suffer with the bone pain. She keeps saying this is because I'm so young. I guess 41 is young in breast cancer land. We shall see.
Amera

Amera - my onc had not planned to give me neulasta unless I needed it. So if I hadn't been hit by the fever I would have avoided it. Otherwise, they would have let my counts recover on their own. However, now that I've had such a problem it looks like I'll get the shots from now on. It amazes me how much our treatments all vary - I guess it's good that these things are customized to our individual circumstances. Good luck tomorrow.

Mizsissy & all - I'd be happy to make an attempt at a chart of who is going for chemo and when. If you all want to PM me with your schedules I'll try to put something together.

Robertin - I'm a little jealous of you I seem to have a talent for having every side effect possible. I'm glad you are getting through it so well!

Lynn & RSheehy - thanks for the scarf sites. I'm still feeling that 'I hate my wig' thing so I ordered some more scarves. Now I just have to wait for the hair to go.

Speaking of hair, for those who have already lost it - - I am hoping my anticipation of this loss is worse than the reality of it. I can't stop thinking about it, but I am hopeful that once it is gone I can deal with and move on?

Viddie - I'm still feeling OK after the neulasta shot. My back hurt last night and this morning, but nothing terrible. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it won't get any worse! Here's hoping this will be a "normal" day and I can get some work done.

Amera, I'm not getting the shots either but I've just had one treatment. I am also having the CMF and not the AC chemo and it is on a "every three week" schedule. I hope I don't have to have them as they don't sound like they are much fun.

Amera, Carolin, and Mer 1957..........good luck tomorrow with your treatments. I hope you experience no (or very few) side affects. Good luck to anyone else who is having a treatment tomorrow.

Terry...I will be thinking about you tomorrow when you have your first treatment. I know it's scary, but the actual treatment is very do-able. We'll keep our fingers crossed that you experience no side affects. Drink lots of water..both today, before, and during your treatment. Then drink a lot more on the days immediately following the treatment. The water helps to wash the chemicals out of your body. You will do fine!

Glad you're feeling better Mizsissy!

Melia and Ilene how are you doing today? Pamper yourself if you need to..... you deserve it!

Take care everyone.
Rita

I am on a three week cycle (TAC) and I am getting the Neulasta shot. My onc didn't even present it as optional. In my case I am sure it was a good idea since I have three small children at home...one of whom is in daycare (you do the math).

Jan-as far as the hair goes, I think the anticipation was the worst part. Mine is just about gone now, and I agonized and agonized while waiting for the bad hair day, and then when it came it was not as horrible as I thought it would be. It was distressing, messy and a bit uncomfortable, but I was much better after a session with my buzzer. Hang in there....you can do it!