Starting Chemo in JAN 2007

I'm curious if anyone been going to a support group? I found a local group with a really fun and upbeat bunch of women that meets once a month. I just had a strong need to hang out with other people that understand (same reason I'm here I guess). It's really a social group with a guest speaker on some topic (last night it was sex during treatment, last time it was acupuncture) which makes it fun. Anyway, just curious if anyone else has found a good group in your area.

I got my period the DAY OF my first chemo. That was a treat. Chemo blech and cramps all at once. I am now feeling PMSy and wonder if I will get another one. I have lost track of time at this point so I need to check the calendar.

My hair is almost totally gone on my head and I haven't had to shave my legs or pits in weeks--it's only grown a bit and has stayed that way. I assume the next time I shave will be the last for a while. I hadn't heard the only 30% lose brows and lashes part. My brows are thinning, I think, but also still growing and I need to pluck. Of course, once they all fall out, I will dream of that unibrow.

RE support groups: I am not currently attending one but I might. I was told by my wig fitter (of all people) to really watch out and make sure it's a good fit (bahahaaa, no pun intended). Many of them apparently, are doom and gloom, filled with women who went through chemo 20 years ago and are anxious to tell horror stories.

The social worker at Dana Farber said you want to find women who are in situations similar to yours. Many do not interview members before signing them up, and you could end up with women whose stories will scare the crap out of you and will not offer much support. Glad you found a good one, Jan.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone. Next year we will all have a full head of hair, no nausea, energy...dare to dream.

Amera

I just did my 2nd chemo this morning. The Onc gave me a script for the Magic Mouthwash, and I go for a MUGA scan on Friday.
He said my white counts did fall at 10 days, but were back up now, and blood work looks good.
Today's chemo was short. Only about an hour.

I'm eating all kinds of stuff today since I know that I'll soon be back to dry mouth, no taste, blah.
But today went well.

Glad you are feeling good RobbinJaye!

As far as shaving your own head...ummmm do it carefully

Seriously though, I cut the long parts off with a scissors first, and then used a buzzer like they have in the hairdressers (I use it on my son, so I had one in the house). I could only use the mirror for the front part, and had to rely on "feel" for the back of my head. The buzzer makes a different sound when it is cutting hair, so listening to it can also help you out. I also used a second mirror to check the back once in a while to be sure I didn't miss any spots. Make sure you put a guard on your buzzer (I started with 1/4 inch). I also put a towel in my sink to catch the mess, and then I folded the towel to dump it afterwards (cuts down on hairballs in the drain).

Good luck tomorrow!

Happy Valentines Day!!!
I went out to lunch today with a person I work with who is a 3 year BC survivor. She has been a tremendous help to me: she is so positive and supportive. It was a very good lunch.

Ilene,
I found that a lint remover has helped take off a lot of the remaining stubbles that has been bothersome and itchy. The wig place gave me a product called "Renew" by Jorgen to put on my hair. I use a cotton ball and rub it in. It mainly consists of witch hazel. It feels very soothing and it also removes tiny hairs. My cotton ball is very hairy after. I still wash my "remaining stubbles" with any shampoo that is in the shower. My shampoo is gone- I guess timed it right. I use my husband's flex.

I also went there to have my hair buzzed. That was a free service they provided. The Renew was also given to me at no cost. My regular hairdresser also told me I could call her at any time of the day and she would buzz it for free for me. You should call your hairdresser. They usually will buzz it for free. I have known quite a few ladies who told me that.

Amera, you were given good advice about picking a support group. I tried a support group last week. I enjoyed it at the beginning, but when everyone told their stories, I heard too many stories of recurrences. After that, I had a terrible day thinking of recurrences. It put me in a bad place. No fault of theirs- very nice group of ladies, but I am not ready hear that information. I need positive forces around me. I decided not to go back. If you go to a support group, and if they have a phone number, I would suggest calling first to find out if it is an early stage BC group. That would be the best type of group to join. Jan & Robbin, I am glad you found good groups.
Brenda, I hope you feel okay. Eating lots of comfort foods got me through the last treatment- and of course those nice little pills. They can be your friends.
Robbin, good luck tomorrow.
Ina & Susan, How are you today?
Skye, I love your red hair wig. It looks so natural.
Rita, the Look Good, Feel Better is great and very worth attending. It is a lot of fun and the free makeup is awesome.

Gotta get ready for work. I am getting sick of the wig, but I do not want to answer questions tonight. There will be over 100 people there tonight and it is easier wearing it than it will be explaining stuff to them.

Viddie (Paula)

Brenda,
So glad your treatment went well. My treatments take about 2 1/2 to 3 hours so that one hour sounded pretty good to me. How long of treatemnts do most of you other gals have? Anyway, Brenda, I hope you have no side affects.
Rita

I'm very interested to hear how your Taxol and Herceptin goes, as that is exactly what's coming next for me after one more AC/cytoxin round in two weeks. I heard it was easier too so I am hoping that is true. Also, thanks for all the insights on the support groups, everyone. I was assuming that you wouldn't start those til after treatment, but I guess if you can find a good one and feel up to going out (which I usually don't) that it would be a good thing according to survival rate statistics. However I'm really finding all the support I need right here for now. I think I'll wait til I'm feeling really better before going to one I have to travel to. Hearing recurrence stories would also be very unpleasant.
Thanks again, everyone for the reassurance on the wig. I have to make a short speech at a conference this weekend and was feeling a little nervous about appearing in it, but if you gals say it looks ok I'll believe you.
Here is another side effect to throw out there in the meantime...neuropathy. Anyone else have problems with numb toes and fingers? At times it interferes with my typing, and I've gotten out of bed and almost fallen forward because of not feeling my toes. Seems to happen most a few days after AC. - Skye

Hello everybody, my turn to check in. Spent the whole day in Ann Arbor at doctor's appts and meeting with some artist friends.

First off, Nandy, yes there is a *happy pill* -- for me it is Darvocet. Very strange, but each cycle I've gone through a long period of feeling "down" and one darvocet seems to change everything. Wierd...huh. It's a narcotic I think and I should be careful that it doesn't get habit forming.

Ihopeg.. I still can't stop wondering which one in the picture is YOU...the brunette or the blond?!!!

On what to what to wash your head with. I read somewhere, I can't remember where that Neutrogena Tar shampoo is the best thing to use. My husband has a huge supply of it, so I've been using his. After going to all the trouble of cutting my hair out and buzzing it, now it won't fall out, and it actually seems to be growing back! I wonder if I should have kept it...too late now!!!

Most of my problems last week were due to not getting Nuelasta OR Nuepogen due to scheduling screw-ups...which were the responsibility of the new nurse. Today I found out that I am really stuck with her. I saw the onc and let him know that I had had an upsetting week, and he seemed completely in the dark as to why. When I explained all the neupogen screw-ups, he told me he wanted me to meet with the new nurse, that they had my schedule all fixed up and there would be no more problems. New Nurse came in with Schedule, and looked at it, realizing immediately there were mistakes and started drawing lines through things. Disappeared, came back with a New Schedule, and this time my husband wanted to see it. He looked horrified.

First, he noticed that she had in me two places 60 miles apart on my chemo day. Then he noticed that I was getting my last chemo only 9 days after my next chemo. Six neupogen shots were scheduled afer the next chemo, but not after the last chemo. New Nurse explained hastily that this was only a *provisional* schedule, and told us we should leave immediately to talk with the scheduling ladies...but again, she forgot that she hadn't given me my Neupogen shot. When is my onc ever going to figure out he has a problem with this nurse? It's not as though scheduling is the only problem; there doesn't seem to be any thinking going on other areas either.

The next thing to check out was the *suspicious new lump* --dh wasn't supposed to know anything about this unless it turned out to be something..but there was a big snow storm in Ann Arbor and we arrived there this AM the snow was so thick driving was very treacherous, so he decided he would personally take me to my appointments. So, I just went ahead and told him. He just got this look like OK, it's time to get ready for the worst. I spent the next hour trying to reassure him that it was probably nothing, even if it wasn't, it was already getting chemoed, and we'd already been through this once and it wasn't so bad. However, the tension was very short lived, because both the oncologist and surgeon felt the lump and they don't think it is glandular and probably not anything to be concerned about. Whew!

So alls well that ends well.

Hope everybody had a nice Valentine's Day! Love to all,

Mizsissy

Thank you Ihopeg, Now I know who's you...

Terry and Tae...we haven't heard from you in while, how is everything going?

What does Renew do?

Hi,
Renew is mainly consists of witch hazel. You rub in your hair and it feels refreshing. It cleans the head as well as helps loosen any loose hairs. I use the lint brush, then I apply renew. Here is a link I found:

http://www.discounthairsystems.com/store/us/itmidx4.htm

Hi Terry,
I am sorry Tae has not been feeling well. Did the Zyrtek help with the bone pain? I read somewhere on this site that B6 helps with the bone pain of the taxol. I am going to ask my onc about it. I hope Tae feels better tomorrow.

Viddie

Hi Terry & Tae,

I am VERY sorry to hear that Tae is having such a bad time with her AC; sounds like I felt, except that I think that AC is a lot harder to deal with than TC; I'm taking TC so I don't know how AC is. Strangely enough, the thing that helped me was getting exercise, even when I felt tired. A walk around the block if that's all I could manage. One day I felt totally done in and decided I'd just take a very short slow walk, but I felt so good once I got going that it turned into a long brisk, 45 minute walk, and by the time I got back I felt like my old self...I don't know what it is but I think it is just getting the blood circulating.

Another wierd thing that worked real well was a Darvocet on about Day 5, then I went back to feeling like my old self. Darvocet is a mild narcotic...but it sure worked for me. And I only need one or two.

The bone pain, from my understanding, is not from the chemo, but from the Neulasta because the hormones are stimulating new blood cell colonies there...so it's a good pain.

I SO much appreciated the kind message you wrote last week when I was feeling so low...I am not sure I would have come back if I hadn't seen it.

You two take care!!!

Mizsissy

That is hilarious (and helpful) Amera! "Doing chemo" indeed. Actually one of my friends, when I told her that my eyebrows were falling out, started to go on about how nice and fresh that skin underneath would be...as if that would somehow compensate! People are so funny.

When I went to my Look Good Feel Better thing, the lady there gave us some instructions on how to fix eyebrows as well, but I have to admit the result was that I looked like two caterpillars died above my eyes. Granted I am not so swift with the makeup, but still. After that, I decided that I would go eyebrow-less if necesary, but maybe I will try Sephora (they have one in my local mall). Perhaps they can give me some tips on being a bit more subtle. I also found a website that has instructions and products for henna eyebrows...

Henna eyebrows

...as well as this (to bring a smile)

Bald is Beautiful

The chemo skin is dreadful...but I found so much relief just switching moisturizers. Since I did it, I have not had a single sore spot next to my eyes.

Ok, off to the college trenches...my adoring public awaits. Feel great today, everyone! Check in later!

Hi Robertin,

We must have been writing at the same time last night, because I didn't see your post 'til this morning. Nice to see you; those avatars do give a feeling that somebody is standing there behind their words, and I must say, you look so good without your hair.

I am glad you noticed what I wrote about the Nurse from Hell. She is a real problem. Having to undergo chemo knowing that is the person who is going to be making day-to-day decisions is very scary. The first nurse I had was wonderful and managed to get my chemo changed from AC to TC a couple of days before treatment, just on the basis of an article on of my BC sisters sent me. My husband and I are both horrified at the thought of what we would have done if New Nurse had arrived a few weeks earlier.

ON Support Groups...Viddie, Ilene, et al. I think we have an exceptional group here. By some luck of the draw we turn out to be very proactive, positive group of healthy active ladies. I've been told over and over Attitude is so important in compating this beast. I am so happy to have made the friends I have made here; you BC sisters pulled me back from the Twilight Zone a few days ago. I'd like to think that we'll stay in touch for years and years; I feel like we've been to war together.

I will have my *LAST* chemo on March 5. We're going to have a party mid-March celebrating DH's birtday and the end of my chemo. I am already beginning to wonder about things like when can I start taking aspirin again? When can you stop using condoms?

Shorti, nice to see you after a hiatus!

Mizsissy

Quote:

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I will have my *LAST* chemo on March 5. We're going to have a party mid-March celebrating DH's birtday and the end of my chemo.

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Mizsissy, you are having your last chemo on the same day as my half-way mark chemo! I will certainly be thinking of you on that day! And it's 5 days before my 35th birthday so even more of a reason to celebrate!

I'm now 3 days post 2nd chemo and I'm starting to feel a bit more normal except my brain feels fuzzy today. I've got to snap out of this soon since I'm taking care of my little guy on my own today. I have a feeling that our day is going to consist of a lot of flaking in front of the tv watching Dora the Explorer.

My hair is almost all gone, just annoying stubble left now. I've got to get something comfy to wear around the house, my head gets so cold now!

Enough whining for now, off to get the kiddo some breakfast!

Hope everyone has a good day today!

Susan