June 2007 Chemo

Happy Day! #4 AC is done! I am so happy to see the last of that little red bag! Now I just need to deal with SEs this week, and I am good. They keep promising me the Taxol will be better so I hope I am not disappointed. The doc even told me he is not prescribing the Emend for next tx as he doesn't think I will need it.

Terry, I seem to have a stronger sense of smell as well. Weird, huh? I'm glad to hear the doctor eased off on the steriods for you. Mine has only given me the one in the IV at tx so I have not had to deal with the problems you have had. He did tell me today that I have to pretreat with the steriods the night and morning before Taxol to avoid an allergic reaction so I am not looking forward to that.

I'm thinking about you guys having treatments this week and hope all goes well.

Take care, Debbie

Hi Everyone,

It sounds like we are all experiencing so many of the same things. Yes, the smell sensitivity is amazing. I can smell things that no one else can smell. The worst, though, is in the middle of the night when I wake up I realize that my husband is passing gas in his sleep and it is bad! I try to hold the covers down so it doesn't escape so I can get back to sleep!

Debbie, I am with you as I had the last of the red devil, AC #4, today. I am looking forward to starting Taxol, but I got some news that has me confused/worried/reading more posts to learn more. Initially I was told I was HER2 neg. But that test is done by IHS (are those the initials? Maybe it is ISH) and my onc. wanted it to be restested using a FISH test. I am ER- and slightly PR+ so he suspected HER2 positive, and the FISH test is more precise. So he was right. I'm HER2 positive and this changes my treatment from here on out. Now I start 12 weekly Taxol treatments with Herceptin, which prolongs my Taxol treatment for one month. So I won't be done with that until October 15 (originaly my last Taxol was September 16). Then Herceptin for a year. Yikes! Now I'm also concerned because I'm supposed to leave for Italy November 2 to visit my college-age daughter who will be studying over there for four months. I really want to go, but that is only 17 days after treatment my last Taxol. I will be gone 12 days. What do you all think? My doctor says he thinks it will be fine. Some of you have already traveled far. (I think a few of you mixed up me and Debbie K. But I'm sure Debbie recognized the sentiment as she reads all the posts, right, Debbie? Debbie took a cross country trip, but I haven't been anywhere yet, other than four hours in the car.)

Sorry for the long, rambling post. Just when you think you've got a handle on the treatment plan and can see the light at the end of the tunnel, you find out there's more. So if any of you have an opinion on going that far (California to Italy is 11 hours for the flight) and for that long, please let me know your thoughts.

Thanks to all of you for posting. You are all in my thoughts every day!

xoxo
Kathleen

Kathleen, I'm probably one of those who confused you and DebbieK...can I plead chemo brain, please? :-/

My suggestion is this, start a new thread under Help Me Get Through Treatment and/or the Chemo board and seek the opinions of others who've already been through your new regimen. I'm of the mind that if the doctor thinks it's ok, then most probably it is but for your peace of mind, ask others who've been through it already.....they're the *real experts!

I'm glad you mentioned this ER-/PR+ and Her2+ because I'm going to ask my onc about my testing, NOT that I want a change in treatment plans but I do want the best for me. My PR was 50% so it isn't a slight positive and my ER was 5%...not sure about the HER2 or what test they used. They did say it was negative but now you have me wondering....

Good luck with your decision, Italy sounds fabulous!

Hi all. On balance, it seems like everyone is doing pretty well, at least for now. I want to tell Cheryl, like most of you, to focus on yourself and your kids. Also don't be too shy about asking for help from family, friends, church groups.
I'm doing pretty much my normal activities. As I approach nadir I will stay in more. I went to lunch with my cousin yesterday at our favorite place and as we got up to leave the table a lady next to us stopped me. She had a pad and pencil ready and wanted to know the name and phone number of my hairdresser! She was suprised to learn I am a chemo patient wearing a wig. It's nice to know it looks OK.
Linda

Kathleen, I am ER+++ and HER2neu borderline. So they are treating me as if I am HER2 positive and I will get 4AC (had 2 so far), 4 taxol and 1 yr of herceptin. I just traveled across country (Las Vegas to Baltimore) and the travelling was fine but I was soooo sick the first two days in Baltimore. Honestly, it was the first time I considered stopping treatment. I've heard the taxol and herceptin are much easier than the AC so I hope that is the case for me. I would do what Anna suggested and plan to go but get insurance just in case. BC changes your life so much and I wanted to keep as much normalcy as I could. Also, I figured I could feel bad at home or bad at the beach. My onc was supportive. I do wish I'd timed my tx better--I had one the day before I left. That was actually a day earlier than scheduled so I should have started my first earlier. My second week after tx I felt pretty normal (except for the no hair thing).
Linda, I had a similar wig experience. I was in a wig store with my mom and sister and wearing a wig. The salesperson wanted me to try on a wig because it looked so much like my hair. That's because it was the same brand and style of wig I was wearing in another color. She didn't know I already had a wig on! So I bought it in a darker color. Or maybe she was just a great salesperson .
Cyndi

Hi everyone!
I just got back from my 3rd tx of AC..... 1 more red devil for me also!!!! YEAH!!! They gave me the usual steroids and this time, Kytril in my IV. Also managed to snag a few more boxes of the Kytril samples. I have to go for the Neulesta shot tomorrow.
I'm hoping that I will feel somewhat well enough to go to our family cottage in Canada for the weekend. My brother and his wife are going and my husband told me to hitch a ride with them... he knows that I absolutley LOVE it there; been going all my 46 yrs. So as long as I feel good .... I'm going and I couldn't be more excited!!
I hope everyone continues to feel as well as we can.
WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS!!

Bonnie

Kathleen, I was really concerned about germs on the plane and everyone was telling me to wear a mask. I asked my onc if that would help and he said that would just protect everyone from me! And I'm not contagious! He did suggest using a hand santizier as often as possible.
I have the feeling I posted this story already...
Cyndi

Cyndi, thanks for the info on the face masks. My sis has been insistent that when I fly I need to wear one so now I have an answer.

I have faithfully been washing my hands frequently and carrying the little bottle of sanitizer in my purse for when a sink isn't handy. Last week in a meeting a friend of mine showed me his hands and said the excema he has on his palms came of overuse of the hand sanitizer. He said last year he really got carried away with it and his hands broke out with excema. He is still treating it and it is not going away. Another lady sitting there also said she had heard of that happening, so I thought I would pass it on here to all you ladies so you don't have a similar problem come up. I guess it is meant for only occasional use.

Hi girls,

Am so jealous of you who have finished #4 of AC, lol. I had #3 on Monday, am good for this morning, but if it's like the last two, it will hit this afternoon, then I'll be down until day five, then nauseas until day 10, then four good days, and THEN FINALLY the last AC YEAH. I'm actually looking forward to Taxol, as almost everyone has said it's easier than the AC...so we'll see. You probably wont' hear much from me for the next 7 days or so, but I'll keep all of you in my prayers.

Gracie

Anna,
Did your hair start coming back before you started the Taxol/herceptin? And then start coming out again with the Taxol/herceptin? I'm really missing mine right now and I'd rather it stayed away than come back and fall out a second time...I have to say that I can get out the door in record time since I don't have to blow dry my hair anymore! Sometimes I fear this is payback for all the times I said I hate my hair!
Cyndi

Anna,

Thank you for posting your history. I'm so sorry you had this recurrence. I wish you the very best with this next round of treatment. Please keep us posted on how you feel with the Taxol/Herceptin weekly treatments. So great to hear it is better than the AC.

xoxo
Kathleen

Anna - I was dx in 12/05 w/multi-focal DCIS, had mast w/recon in 2/06, found .2cm IDC so went back in 2 weeks later for axillary dissection - clear margins & clear nodes. Started Tamoxifen and did recon surgeries. Fast forward to 3/07 - I found a different feeling lump in my recon breast so my surgeon biopsied it and it came back IDC - had re-excision 4/07 w/3.5cm IDC so now my onc is hitting me w/4 A/C, 12 wkly T/H, 6 1/2 wks rads and continue the H every 3 weeks till next June! My plastic surgeon says we'll have to see how my silicone implant does with radiation and another poster said I'd probably have to have it replaced - UGH. This whole process has gotten really old and I'm not one for being the center of attention.......but that is of course what's happened. I can't imagine going through treatments with little ones or tweens for that matter at home - although I know they bring so much sunshine - some days it's hard just to get up and go to work and worry about doing what I need to do!

Melody - I'm so glad your SO is doing well! I agree with him - take a long vacation!! My DH and I never had a honeymoon when we married - planned to have it this year for our 25th but.................. now I'm thinking next spring in between herceptin infusions! Couple of weeks in Hawaii or someplace sounds really nice! Might have to be summer or fall since my oldest son will graduate from the Art Institute and my youngest son will graduate from high school - both next June!! The party might do me in!! LOL

Grace - hope your se's are better this time!

I've rambled long enough - I'm off to bed.

Goodnight everyone!
Dawn

Cyndi - it was definitely harder hearing it the second time and a big relief when the PET Scan came back clear - although it can only measure cells when they get to a certain size.........I know I've said this somewhere on these boards that since the first dx I had been waiting for the other shoe to drop and since my second dx I haven't had that feeling - praying that is a good omen!!

I have always tried to keep "home" as normal and routine as possible - like the 5 years my oldest son went through ulcerative colitis (removed his colon in '04 and awesome health since) or during '02 when we lost 5 family and friends during Nov/Dec - this was hard for me since 2 of them were my younger brother & my grandfather and my son was having a flare at the same time. Routine was difficult!

Anyway, keeping your families routine as normal as possible and being honest for your son's age level/maturity will help him the most. Are he and your 17 year old step daughter close? If they are, he might open up to her or maybe your husband could start a Saturday morning breakfast "date" with him so they can talk (might be a lunch or dinner date if there is baseball of course!!)

I don't think it's good to shield kids from life events but I do think it's our jobs as parents/aunts/grandmothers etc to guide them as well as we can so they process the information in a healthy way.

I am wishing the past 19 months were over but it looks like I've got another 11 months to go!! UGH.

I think I'm rambling AGAIN!!
Dawn

Cyndi - I'll bet your 9 year old is actually handling this way better than a lot of adults!! Don't worry too much, it really sounds like he's a normal little guy and asking questions means he's not holding it in!!

By the way, you have way more guts than me - I was thinking of just wearing a scarf in the pool or at the beach and just not getting my head wet!! I'm the one that is freaked out with no hair!!

Looks like we've been monopolizing the posts - where is everyone??!?!?!?!! Hopefully, this means they are feeling well and enjoying life................

Dawn