Starting Chemo in September?? where are you ladies

Oopps...I don't know how I did that..sorry about that!

You look adorable Urbie. What a great picture.

Has anyone had any SE from the neulast shot? I am getting one tomorrow.

Marietta

Marietta - I had the shot in my stomach and I only had the bone/joint pain from the waist down.  I don't know if it has anything to do with where you get the shot, but I didn't have any neck or back pain.  I felt the achy hips and knees but took tylenol for it and it wasn't terrible.  It seemed to help to keep my legs active - running or walking made me feel better.  I will do the next ones in my stomach too.  It didn't hurt much at all.  Good luck!

Hi Marietta,

Unfortunately, I am one of the few people that suffers from bone and joint pain from the Neulasta shot -- at times, it has been almost unbearable.  So, I have been told by my oncologist office that taking Claritin (not Claritin D) helps with the bone pain.  Just wanted you to know that.  I had my third tx yesterday and receive Neulasta today.  (My insurance was billed about $5,000 for the one shot, can you believe it?)

Good luck.

Laurie

Hi,

Cheryll, I've had 3 neulasta shots so far, same place in my arm, and had the same great results you have.  I did have some bone pain with the first shot, but was very short-lived and none with the other ones.

Janice and Urbie, you all are so cute!!

Paxton, how are you doing?  I hope you're feeling well. Been making any good moose dishes lately? 

MJ, do you feel good during your workouts?  Do you think they're helping you get thru tx?  I've gained almost 10 lbs and can't stand myself-- gotta do something fast!!  I need to walk every day, but need a big swift kick to get going.

Laurie, my insurance company was billed $6500 for my neulasta shots!  Gee who is getting rich here?  Hope you feel better soon.

Have a great weekend!

Mary Jo 

Paxton- welcome home ! ( and welcome back online.. was wondering where you were ) glad that you are ok a bc survivor told me that hydrating helped to keep their counts up.. so cheers !

Urbie you look extremely chic !

MJ where are you .. I 'll come over and kick your ..tt to go out to walk with me and my pup . - and thanks for your post about the liquibeads .. hehe.. same problem here.

I have started ramping up my walkings to prepare for the breast cancer half marathon in February, today walked 3.3 miles and went to a Kundalini Yoga session. Tomorrow I will go on a bike ride hopefully will be able to slug the 20 miles without having to call a ride, I will be watching the swim to bike transition of the Great Floridian Ironman which was my first IM event, very special day.

My heart rate has been extremely high ( guess the red devil might be  to blame) so am holding myself back with a heart rate monitor.

My theory is that if you do a brisk walk or cardio 40 - 60 minutes  everyday you speed up your metabolism to you can get rid of the chemo toxins quicker.. that and hydration.. dunno whether it is scientific or is it me bs'ing myself lol. 

Until my 3rd tx next Thursday I will be able to lead a life similar to normal. And one of my friends will be  flying in to see me tomorrow yey !!!

Did any of you gals have a single episode of diarrhea like 5-6 days after the chemo ? It happened to me twice now. 

Since I am blabbering  this much you can tell that I am bouncing back from last weeks tx.

Have a stellar weekend !

Hi Ladies - today will be a very busy day for me as my husband and I are hosting our dinner party group tonight. 

On the menu...   spinach balls, fresh salsa and hot crab dib for Apps.

Dinner - My famous BBQ ribs, twice baked potatoes, spinach & artichoke vegtabele casserole and salad with toasted almonds, cranberry's, bacon & blue cheese w/lemon olive oil & black currant vinegar dressing.  And then cherry pie for dessert - pie is in the oven now! 

I have been cooking for two days and today I get to clean the house.  It is a great group of people and we all love to drink red wine.   Trigeek, does that count as hydrating??  I will be very careful how much wine I drink as I cannot go into my chemo on Monday with a hangover...  that would be awful.  

Have a great weekend all!   And Ulla, we have not forgotten you at all.  Our prayers are with you everyday.

Hi Paxton,  I'm glad you're feeling better.  And yes, this is temporary and yep, you are going to be cured!!!  I believe this sincerely-- we are lucky that we caught this early and are getting aggressive tx, as unpleasant as it may be.  I have been pretty queasy and tired this weekend, after hardly any nausea or fatigue at all since the first tx.  Maybe it's all catching up with me, but it's not intolerable by any means.  I know what you mean about missing hunting season.  I have had moments of really deep depression because of it, since this is my absolute favorite time of year.  I'm glad my husband has been able to go quite a bit, though he hasn't seen much activity out there, I really miss being able to go too. Has your bf had any more success since his moose harvest?  I am hoping for a camping trip this weekend, but it seems that is elusive too.  I enjoy just getting out in the woods in the fall, and so far haven't done that.  Just remember, there is next year when we will be all healed and stronger than ever and ready to go!!  Keep your chin up and think positively, ok?  And I am sure the Taxol will be better for you, so hang in there!

Urbie, I hope your dinner party went well-- the menu sounds wonderful, especially the twice-baked potatoes...yum, are there any left over? 

I hope everyone else is doing well and had a good weekend.  Have a good week, all!

Mary Jo

I wonder if its stopping the steroids that makes me so sick.  The first tx I didnt take any steroids at home and I felt a little crappy the first few days after tx and then felt good the rest of the time. 

The last 2 tx's I took steroids the first week and felt pretty good and then when I stopped the meds, I was sicker than a dog for the next 4 days (not nauseaus sick but extreme fatigue and body poisoned feeling). 

I'd rather feel a little crappy the first few days and then feel good so I think I might not take the steroids at home and see what happens.  Or just take a very small amount. 

Either way I have one AC tx left and then onto taxol.  I'm praying to the taxol gods (lol) that they're easier. 

Mj: totally relate to the depression from not getting to hunt.  It didn't bother me at first because I did a lot of early hunting, but I'm feeling like a pregnant woman; I sit and cry and cry.  But yes there's next year.  My bf didn't get a deer bowhunting but he's had good luck pheasant and duck hunting.  We've been eating good.  OH OH, I might be able to go deer hunting.  I got drawn for a doe permit and its for the weekend right before tx which is when I am the best so I'm hoping hoping!!

Have a good week everybody and take care to those who aren't feeling good (here's to hoping I'm not one for once  )

No big deal but I'm curious, why doesn't my dx, stage, etc. show at the bottom of my reponse? What am I doing wrong?

Cheryll

Had a weird weekend. A friend flew in from CA to be with me YEY !!! Then a little muddy rascal run into my garage and we have been hosting it since. We think we found whose it is but the owner is not calling me even though I left my phone # on their door, I think she does not want the pup back.. isnt that sad ?

I have to find her - Toto -thats what I named her a home before tx#3 this thursday cause she is NOT house trained but I love her. My lab is having  a blast playing with it.

Oh and I found out that sucking on a popsicle gets rid of nausea, at least temporarily..

Hey MJ,

MJ here!  I have to say that #3 has tried to do me in too!  I had to leave work early today and just come home and crawl in bed.  I actually had some nausea today and had to take a Zofran, which I hadn't taken in several days, and I think I injested at least a gallon of water this afternoon.  After that I felt better, and I wonder if I was borderline dehydrated?  Not sure if that would cause nausea.  I had diarrhea earlier today too at work  and was so miserable for a while.  I feel fine now and am getting ready to turn in for a decent night's sleep.  I plan to cut back on my work hours this week-- I think I've been over-doing it.  Has added rest worked for anyone?  Sometimes I sleep and rest but don't feel rested, so I figure I might as well be up doing something.  How long after your tx do you start feeling the fatigue?  I had my third one a week ago today, and it seems I go downhill a bit on the Tuesday before the next one.  My 4th and final A/C is next Mon, the 29th.  Yippee skippee!!  Good night everyone!

Mary Jo

Thanks for writing MaryJo...we are at a safe distance from the actual fires, but the ash in the air here is horrible. We've had health warnings issued about being outside due to the poor air quality. The sidewalks, cars, houses, everything is covered in soot. One of the fires is here in Santa Barbara County,  but on the other side of the mountain (that I can see from my window)...I feel so badly for the people further south of here that have lost their homes...they are only a little over an hour from here.

Mj is the 4th tx your very last one? I am so jealous!! and of course happy for you. I have 3 more to go...You'll be down to herceptin for a year after that though, right?

Hi to everyone! 

Marietta 

Hello Paxton and Marietta and everyone,

MJ, I'm glad you're safe from the fires, but do be careful out there.  I'm sure the soot has to be bad and very hard on the respiratory system.  Paxton, sorry to hear you've been sick and please take care of yourself and rest a lot so you don't get bronchitis.  Sorry if I confused everyone-- my final A/C is the 29th, but I do have 12 weeks of Taxol ahead of me, plus the Herceptin and radiation.  Maybe I'm being glad prematurely, because who knows what the Taxol will do, and I do dread going every single week.  Just the trip wears me out there and back.  But, if it was a shopping or hunting trip, I'm sure I'd be all chipper and all energetic, right?  Cheers to us all getting closer to the end of our tx!

I must say that I am feeling about 200 percent better today than yesterday.  And I do believe that I was close to being dehydrated, because I have really increased my water intake today too and felt fine.  No fatigue or rotten feeling whatsoever.  And I worked a full 9 hours today.  And I have to tell something funny on myself-- this past Sunday, we were visiting my husband's brother and his wife and just out of the blue I said, "I'd love to have a cold beer right now!"  Well, it's funny because I don't drink beer!!!  But something triggered a thought about it and it sounded so appealing.  So, I guess that's another sign I needed more fluids...  I do like wine but stay away from it now.  I'd rather just spend my calories on a hot fudge brownie sundae with vanilla ice cream...

Be safe and stay well, everyone!

hugs from

Mary Jo

Hi Sharon,

I just had my third tx of taxotere and cytoxan.  This is the only regimen that I have done so I don't know how the taxotere compares to the others, but I have found it tolerable.  After my tx, I usually suffer from muscle pain similar to having the flu.  I believe this is the taxotere.  I have had no issues whatsoever with nausea or vomiting -- I do take steroids though starting the day before tx and up to the day after tx.  If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer them.

PS -- I receive my last tx on November 8 --- I am going to have big party after I feel better!

Laurie