New here and questions (long)

Sorry that you have to have chemo, sweetolyve. It is a challenging time, and feels very scary at the beginning. I had TAC chemo every three weeks for 6 rounds. For 3 days of each cycle I found that I needed help with the kids...had a lot of fatigue and achiness and just felt like I had no energy. After those days I felt reasonably good again. Taking care of a one year old takes a lot of energy, but there will hopefully be lots of days that you feel quite well. There’s a lot of medications now that help reduce side effects. As far as germs go, it’s hard to know how your system will react to chemo. I stayed quite well even with young children, but did make a point of avoiding sick people and my family’s hand hygeine became exceptional! Good luck to you x

Sorry about the plan for chemo, I've learned everyone is different, but it does go by quickly.  I worked full time through AC+T, traveled for work to Thailand, China, and Europe throughout.  Neulasta was a must for me, I tried one round without and counts dropped, and I carried hand sanitizer with me everywhere.  Definitely had some bad days, and had to pace myself more than usual.  But even got a trip in to Mexico for my mothers 80th birthday party with family and kids, and went cave diving!  I did chemo on Fridays and planned downtime on the weekends.  For me, staying busy and some sort of normal was important, but exercising got lost in the mix.  Good luck, and hang in there!

Icietla's Husband types this for Icietla:

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Welcome, sweetolyve. I am very sorry about your diagnosis and your anxiety about your upcoming Chemotherapy treatments.

I have just this week had my fourth Chemo treatment for a very aggressive metastasized cancer. By the time of my third treatment, I was anemic, and I still am anemic.

As some background, since long before my cancer treatment began, I have had peripheral neuropathy and numerous other permanent neurological complications from a lifelong mystery illness that went undiagnosed and untreated until I had full-blown anemia of one of the more unusual types, and I could hardly walk and had great difficulties in communicating in language. While I have had much (gradual) improvement (from the worst of it) -- except for more weakening over time -- over these I think ten years of intensive treatment for what was finally diagnosed as an autoimmunity, all my abilities are variable but still only quite limited.

My peripheral neuropathy has been steadily advancing with my Chemo treatments. Now I am in need of even more assistance. As for after-effects, each of my successive Chemo treatments has been a bit harder on me, and following each successive Chemo treatment, it has taken me a bit longer (two to three days longer) to get to starting to feeling better after the (longer) time of feeling more unwell from the Chemo after-effects.

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If you are taking any anti-oxidant type supplements, even ordinary multi-vitamin supplements, I suggest you run them by your Oncologist for his express approval or disapproval. If you are using any, you do not need to wait for your next Oncologist appointment to have your questions answered about your use of them. You can leave for your Oncologist's attention a specific list of any supplement products you are using, as well as your request for prompt advice relating thereto by phone, at the Reception Desk of the Oncology Clinic. Also ask for advice as to any particular foods to be avoided. Also ask about berry consumption, in particular.

BCO member ChiSandy seems to be very knowledgeable about this stuff, as well as dietary advice for hormonally-driven breast cancers. You might like to use the Search Feature over on the left side margin to look for ChiSandy's posts relating to anti-oxidants or antioxidants in connection with Chemotherapy and/or Radiation Treatment.

In our Triple Negative Breast Cancer discussion topics section, you may find some leads on dietary practices thought (or speculated) to be more favorable for TNBC patients. I have posted on one dietary theory lead in there, in the TNBC section. I expect you could find it with the Search Feature over there on the left.

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***** For what it is worth, my safety/wellness advice for members in anticipation of Chemotherapy has been rather unpopular on this Board. *****

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If you become ill with any communicable/contagious illness, including but not limited to any respiratory illness at all suspicious for being contagious, your Chemo treatments may not proceed according to the ideal (or optimal) schedule. If you become afflicted with any such illness, you (and/or any other sick person who accompanies you to the Oncology Clinic) can fairly expect to be persona non grata there until you (and/or your sick companion) have full recovery therefrom.

You can fairly expect to be immunocompromised throughout the entire course of your Chemotherapy, and even for months -- perhaps six or even more months -- beyond the conclusion of your Chemotherapy.

I recommend that you post a DO NOT DISTURB sign at your front door.

I recommend that you get a good supply of clinical type protective masks ASAP, as well as clinical type protective gloves, for you and your household members to keep handy and to wear at any (all) times any of you are out and about wherever you may be in contact with (or even in nearish proximity to) any others, as well as for use by you and your household members during any (necessary) visits of guests to your home, who should also take these simple measures for your protection.

Another benefit of your and your household members' always wearing such protective gear in public places -- besides pretty good protection for you and them from contagious disease -- is that many other (thinking) persons out there will keep themselves a bit more distant than they otherwise might, giving you all more "personal space," thus even better safety.

Individually foil- or plastic-wrapped disinfectant towelettes, such as Wet Ones or Kleenex Wet Wipes, are also good to keep handy in your automobiles; pockets of household members; for use of any guests on arrival; and around your household. Keep plenty of facial tissues around and handy, too. As your nostrils lose their hair, your nose may tend to run. Depending on your particular Chemo recipe/s, you may have more nose-running, perhaps with some blood-tinged issue, perhaps even nosebleeds.

I recommend that you strongly discourage or refuse to receive any unnecessary visitors to your home.

Invited persons (of whose health status and their household members' and other contacts' health status you have made yourselves fairly confident -- you should also do your best to find out whether they or any of their household members or other contacts have fairly recently had any live-virus component vaccinations -- those could seriously endanger your health) will know that they are welcome to visit (on the particular occasion/s of their invitation) despite your DO NOT DISTURB sign. On arrival, they should readily mask their faces and clean or glove their hands.

I recommend that you get some diapers before you may need them -- for your present size and also some for the next smaller size available, in case you should get to needing them. Best to have them before your first Chemo treatment. You will learn from your own after-effects cycling/patterns when you are more likely to need them. I strongly recommend that you purchase them only with cash, unless you would not mind a very shortly following steady stream of spam from from diaper suppliers. You will most likely be doing some juggling of sorts among various stool softeners, laxatives, and anti-diarrheal products in efforts to prevent bowel obstruction and otherwise regulate your gut functions.

Would your teenage granddaughters be amenable to finishing out at least the remaining present school year by home schooling and visiting with their friends (and most other contacts) by telephone?

I will not remark or advise on your wishes to continue with your daily babysitting activities. I urge you to seek your Oncologist's advice as to continuing with your babysitting routine.

For the most knowledgeable and expert Medical Advice and practical advice on getting through your planned Chemotherapy course, please consult with your Oncologist and Care Team at your Oncology Clinic.

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We are conscientious and consistent in our practices with all these protective devices/accessories I have recommended for you, your household members, and any (necessary) visitors to your home. Headcoverings can also help to protect you all from spread of contagious disease. These practices have apparently got us some special considerations and accommodations from some Health Care Facilities, Providers, and their other Personnel.

I live with my Husband and our Baby, an indoor-only special needs cat. Since our Baby was a neonate, he has had Veterinary attention around twice a month, on average. Since my more recent cancer diagnosis, unless our Baby clearly requires hospitalization, as for Hospital-only procedures, his Doctors make house calls to see about him and his well-being. They arrive in clean clothing, and on arrival, they readily deposit their cell-phones into a metal enclosure so as not to be disturbed/distracted into handling them -- and those (possibly-to-likely present) pathogens from their cell-phones having been everywhere else with them -- during their house calls here. They also readily mask their faces and disinfect their hands on arrival.

On the day I was having my port installed at a larger Hospital in our region -- the day just prior to my initial Chemo session nearer our home -- a woman doing uncovered coughing passed through the patient waiting room where we were. The Desk Personnel there immediately made an interoffice call to report that there were two obviously immunocompromised persons in that particular waiting room, and requested that the coughing woman be immediately isolated to an (otherwise unoccupied) observation room and directed to mask herself and stay in there until she was to be seen by a Health Care Provider.

We (human) household members make our non-urgent Primary Care appointments for the times likeliest to be slowest in terms of patient traffic. When there are present other patients known or apparently sick (with anything suspicious of being contagious type illness) in the waiting area, or when any such patients arrive there, we are immediately called by the Desk Personnel for removal to an Exam Room to get us out of the presence of any others known or suspected to present risk of contagious illness.

We live in a little country town where there are presently known to be at least three serious epidemic illnesses in circulation, so often spread, as usual, by the usual inconsiderate persons in and around our community.

On the other hand, some people are very kind and thoughtful of others. You will find here on BCO very many kind, caring, thoughtful members. We are truly a Community of Brothers and Sisters who want to support you and your Caregiver/s through your breast cancer experience.

Since my autoimmune illness went so far acute some ten and a half years ago, I was under Medical Advice to generally keep my feet elevated and to keep off them as much as practicable, so as to help limit fluid pressure on nerve bundles in my feet, as well as for personal safety reasons.

Since my more recent cancer diagnosis, though, I have been getting myself up and moving about a good bit more frequently, and always with my mobility appliances well-suited for use with my other disabling conditions. Among other factors, my prospects for any continuing treatment/s (of hoped-for possibly therapeutic type/s rather than supportive care type) depend on my maintaining my mobility (ambulation) and not having any seriously injurious mishaps.

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Keep mindful that having cancer puts one at increased risk for abnormal blood clotting tendency. For some more information on this, use the Search Feature over on the left side. For the best information on how best to manage the increased risk for abnormal blood clotting, consult with your Oncologist.

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If you have not already done so, I also suggest that you take some time to look at some length through our Lymphedema discussion topics section, where you can learn much about reducing your (lifelong) risks for Lymphedema, as well as much about management of Lymphedema.

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(((Hugs)))