July 2020 chemo club

Iamloved, thank you very much for your prayer for infusion #5! The infusion went well from start to finish. One of my cumulative chemo side effects has been smell distortion so I am now drenched in the stench of turpentine which I have been told no one else can smell so that's a relief. I am glad to read that your hemoglobin improved and you did not need a transfusion.

AnnaTheBrave, thank you for your wishes for a good day after infusion #5. I hope you get good results from the MRA test. Did anyone mention the possibility that the tinnitus is caused by the Taxotere or Carboplatin? I have it in my right ear for about a week after my infusions. Sometimes into the second week, too, but it is mild. I hope all goes well for you.

Melbo, good that you were given a cream for the rash and have the appointment scheduled with the surgeon.

Mtspacekace, hoping your cold is better and your infusion goes ahead on Tuesday.

Trynryan and Iamloved, GREAT that you are planning to celebrate the last day of chemo! 🎊🎉🥳🤗

Wishing everyone the best possible week with minimal discomfort.

Iamloved - I finished at the end of September and I wish my fiance would have planned something or got me flowers. I kinda celebrated myself because it was a little emotional knowing I was going to be done with that step. Thinking back, I don't think anyone really texted or called when I was finished. I did get all of the nurses some snacks for my last chemo and got to bang the gong... My symptoms lasted almost 2 weeks each time so it was hard to celebrate right after. I want to have a drink sooooo bad to celebrate being done but I know alcohol is a no no with cancer especially estrogen positive. So I've been holding off. All I know is that I want to take a nice vacation next year when everything is all done. I have two more surgeries to go. I hope you're able to celebrate in a fun way!! 🙂

Well, they postponed my infusion for a week. I am feeling really well. My taste came back sooner this round and I’ve been really trying to eat good food...proteins, lots of squash and spinach. I just have a lingering cough today and a bit of a stuffy nose...so it’s probably best to postpone, that way I can make sure I don’t get an infection or something worse. It’s gotten so cold here, and has been snowing for 3 days. We’ve also gotten a covid surge here, and it’s now community spread, my husbands co worker has it, but luckily he figures he was not exposed as he did not go to work last week because he was sick with this cold. We are going to quarantine at our ranch house for this week, as he can work from home...and see what the numbers do for next week. I guess I’m going to look at the positives...I’m pretty bummed that I’m not finishing this week. But I’ll get an extra week of good food, and I’ll be stronger to fight this last round. Maybe it won’t be too bad since I kind of know how to fight the symptoms.

All you ladies are talking about the celebrations you are planning...I would love to, but with the covid spread, I am just afraid that would be a bad move. I have so many friends and acquaintances that have been exposed or have covid. I just hope it all goes away! We’ve been thinking about booking a house in Belize next year for 2 weeks, that may be how I celebrate!

I have never thought about using peppermint when getting my port flushed. I think it tastes like funny bananas. It’s always weird.

Praying for all of you to have a great week this week! Stay safe and warm and healthy!

Hello - I hope you veterans of chemo can help me. I got my port yesterday and the port is not too bad but the BS also cut me on my neck and I guess threaded a piece of it through. I have this 4 inch "tube" running down the inside of my neck to the port. Is that normal? The port itself looks pretty good.

I’m not sure if I have chemo brain, but I wish I would get it because there’s some evidence that people who experience it have a lower incidence of brain mets, which is one of my fears. So if you’ve got it, consider the bright side that those drugs are getting to your brain and helping in the long run! I lose my train of thought and find problem solving especially draining, but I’m also generally exhausted so I’m not sure what’s what!

Got the results of my MRA, which was looking for the cause of my weird tinnitus. (Carboplatin can cause tinnitus and hearing loss, but I don’t have hearing loss, thankfully, and this is a different kind of tinnitus.) Everything was normal, so 2020 is officially the year I didn’t ALSO have an aneurysm! Woohoo! What a great year! So now they think it’s related to blood pressure. So far it hasn’t kicked in this round, which is fantastic! Also got the results of my echo, to check for heart damage from this regimen, and it was normal.

I’m so bored with cancer. Not that I want it to be more exciting! But ugh. So sick of this!

Yes! Sushi! I miss it so much!!! On another distantly related note...how about wine and chocolate and...sugar in general? Anyone else strongly estrogen positive? Have you cut that out completely?

Yay, Jenny!!! I am excited for you and here's a virtual bell 🔔 to mark the end of your chemo infusions. Celebrating with a visit to the cupcake shop tomorrow is an awesome way to celebrate. Enjoy! 🎊🎉🧁🤗🥳

Congrats to those of you finishing chemo!!! I’d say celebrations are definitely in order!

Susiemommy - I wonder about sweets too. I’m highly estrogen positive. I’m not worrying about it right now but know I’ll probably need to make some adjustments once treatments are done.

Yay, Jenny2318 and everyone else who’s finishing up! 🤩🌟🥳👏

Two questions for the group.

1–to those of you who are experiencing anemia, do you know what hemoglobin threshold your providers suggested for transfusion? My levels have dropped again and I was told to do some research so I know what I’ll want to do if I’m borderline and am offered a transfusion at my next appointment. My current thinking is that I’ll only consent to one if I feel truly miserable or if they tell me that bad things will happen if I don’t!

2–to those of you who have a biopsy-confirmed positive lymph node and are doing neoadjuvant therapy, has your node shrunk since you began chemo? I had a good report from my BS who did an ultrasound after two cycles and found nothing of the original tumor to measure, but this damn lymph is freaking me out.

🔔 🔔 🔔 I rang the bell yesterday! And cried happy tears as I was leaving! What an emotional day! I wish my family could’ve been there with me 😩 Stupid covid!

Best wishes to you all who are finishing up and tapping out!

iamloved that sounds absolutely awful and beyond frustrating. I’m so sorry you’re going through that. Do they know yet when they can continue your infusions? Or is it just all on hold indefinitely until the magnesium situation is resolved

Congrats on finishing BlusteryDay!!! That’s very exciting and I’m jealous.

BlusteryDay, I am excited for you that the chemo has come to an end. 🔔👍🏻🎊🎉🤗 Best wishes to you!