Starting chemo Dec 2007

Well I (not so gracefully) joined you gals in the balditude club. I buzzed my hair myself down to 1/2 inch yesterday afternoon. Got about half way through it, then I broke down crying. Cried the rest of the way through it and then crawled into bed in tears for about an hour afterwards. DH finally talked me out of the bedroom and back into the kitchen. LOL, we still had a turkey in the oven and dinner to finish preparing.

My head was stinging still this morning so DH offered to buzz the rest off for me. What a relief, it looks and feels 100% better. Dont know why I got so emotional, I thought I was ready to let it go . Go figure. Now I will attempt to upload a pic. This could be interesting.

hmmmm  not working will have to figure this out later

Hugs Suz

Doing the happy dance for Kate   *dance dance dance* "No cancer" is WONDERFUL news!! And nice that they left the IV in for you. Little blessings.     Kate, I have a brother-in-law who lives up in Fort Kent "way up the'a in yor neck 'ah da woods" as we say. Nice to have another Main'a in the midst. Amy used to live in Maine (if my memory serves me correctly).

Kate-- congrats on having #1 under your belt. Woo hoo!!!

Suz, I can't improve upon what Sharon said... you truly do look beautiful!

Love to you ladies,

Sal 

Suz, all that worry for nothing, you look great!  Happy healthy and beautiful.  I have been thinking, maybe it something different for each of us "that makes it real"?      Is that why the hair becomes such an issue?  I of course would rather have mine back too, but the monent came for me when I sat down at the kitchen table with that bottle of pills WITH MY NAME ON IT and the directions plainly said for me to take two pills the day before chemotheraphy.  ME having chemotheraphy.  My hands shook and I could barely get the pills down.  That is what made it real for me.  No turning back.  Im already in my recliner for the night with my four (yes, I said four) chihuahuas all around plus DH.  Hope everyone has a great night.l Joy                                                                                          

Morning all!  I continue to be amazed at how everyone is looking in their new "hairless" hairdo's!  I really need to get a picture up!  I hate to say it, but I am enjoying the break from the blow dryer and hot air brush!  I had such thick hair though...if I didn't blow dry in the morning it was still wet at the base at 7 or 8 in the evening!  For those still hurting about the hair loss, I understand that also!  That was what bothered me the most at the beginning of this whole thing and I'm glad I was able to work thru it!  Hang in there!  I saw a cute shirt that said "Bald is part of my cure!"  Maybe it would help to think of that!

Suz, My leg hair (along with the arm hair) seems to be hanging on.  I also refuse to shave and it really must be falling or at least not growing or my legs should feel like razors now but the hair that is there feels rather soft.  I hope you are feeling good after #2 and that is easier than #1 and you can do without the period related SE's!

Kate, great news with your further test!  Every bit of good news can make you feel so much better.  I'm hoping for news from today's ultrasound that shows the chemo is kicking my BC's a**!  I hope #1 went well and that your port insertion goes easy as well!

Laura, I hope you are continuing to feel good!  Glad to hear that #2 was better for you!  I can't imagine how it must be without your hubby close by but I know it can't be easy!  Sending prayers your way to help you continue and stay strong!

Amy, Hope you are feeling good and getting some relief from the cold symptoms...OK first real chemo brain moment...Did I spell symptom right?  I doesn't look right but neither did any other way I spelled it!  LOL

WishIWere, I just noticed you are from MI also.  Where abouts?  I'm in northern Oakland County!  Hope you are doing well!

To all my other friends here, I hope you all continue to do well and think of everyone daily!  December is almost gone and we are on our way!  Lori

Hi everyone!

Suz, I'm glad to hear that your treatment has gone well. I hope you continue to breeze right on through! I hope that the Neupogen is better for you this time around. The five injections seemed to work for me. I just got a call from my oncology nurse and she said that my wbc count was normal and that the neutrophil count was great too! I'm so glad they worked. It sure took a few minutes before I could give myself that first one, but each one got a little easier.

Oh, and...MMMMMMMMM Thai food! I dearly love Massamun curry. OK, anyone else's appetite off the charts???!  It seems like every time I read these posts I need to go get a snack!

Amy, I really admire you having to go through chemo WEEKLY. Wow! I sure hope that you can kick the "ick" that you've been fighting. Are you taking Neupogen or Neulasta? Sorry...I can't remember JACK anymore. Oh, also...I had a HUGE breakout after day 5 of my first tx. I thought I'd reverted back to my teenage years...all over my face, HEAD, chest and back. UGH! The oncology nurse said that it was most likely an allergic reaction to the taxotere and that I could take benadryl to clear it up. I never did since I was taking so much of everything else.

(((hugs))) to you Laura. I sure wish that you could use the "cancer card" to get immigration to let your husband come home...at LEAST while you're going through this and really need him! Hang in there!

Loriann, I'm enjoying the hair goo and razor vacation myself. I haven't shaved my legs in three weeks and they are smoooooooth as a a baby's butt! I suppose that is one POSITIVE thing about chemo. 

Cindy? Are you out there? Check in when you can. We miss your energy!

To everyone else, I hope you are doing well and are still enjoying the holidays. (((((hugs))))) and prayers to all!

Sharon 

Lori! Great news!!!! Congratulations! BELIEVE that they are smaller and they will be!

I have heard that the fatigue is cumulative too. That is one side effect that I am not looking forward too.

I've been meaning to mention that I've tried a few things that seemed to help with the side effects of Taxotere/Cytoxan. I will tell you that Aleve REALLY made a difference this time. I had horrible body aches with the first treatment and, since I started taking Aleve after the infusion, I really haven't had any. I also had a problem with cracking lips and dry nasal membranes with the first treatment. This time I used Carmex on my lips and Simply Saline (spray) every few hours for the nose. They really seemed to work well. I take a Tylenol PM before bed and have been able to sleep soundly for at least six hours straight. Those steroids really wreak havoc on the sleep patterns. 

Anyway, I hope that this can help someone! 

Have a peaceful evening everyone...

Sharon 

Hey everyone. Bad day today.  Gotten sick twice, and feel like I might again.  Got to get back to bed, but ya all take care and I'll write when I feel better.

kate

Hey, Amy...I'm with you! However, typing is the least of my problems. I can't THINK straight. It's like early-onset alzhiemer's or something. Ugh!

I'm sorry that you are having night sweats. I read somewhere on this site to try a "chillow"...

http://breastcancer.about.com/od/lifeduringtreatment/gr/chillow.htm

I've been having hot flashes with both treatments, but they do subside after about a week. I'm just curious....why are they giving you the Lupron if you are estrogen and progesterone negative? My oncologist told me that could be a possibility (chemical ablation of the ovaries) once I was done with tamoxifen since my cancer is fed by estrogen. I didn't THINK I was close to menopause, but who knows where I'll be in five years once I'm finished with the tamox.

Speaking of...has anyone gone into chemopause? I haven't had a period in two months. I wonder if that's it? I thought I might have at least one more. Sigh. 

Kate...yes, YES...call your oncologist! They will get you something that will work for you. Chemo induced nausea is something that can be controlled with a number of different meds. Just make sure you take what they give you at the prescribed times. 

Sharon 

Hi ladies....just popping in from the Oct. thread to see how my sisters from the "younger" class are doing. lol

Chemopause...I never had my period return after my first chemo. At 44 not sure if it will, and yeah, as much as mine's always been heavy and painful that made me sad for some reason. Odd...I'm def done with having babies, and onto waiting for grandbabies.

Unsettled tummy....I'll repeat anothers sentiments emphatically...

GINGER! Ginger tea, flat ginger ale, ginger snaps, ginger Altoids, candied ginger...any way you can take it. I was very queasy for days after my first tx, have never EVER liked hot tea....well my SIL handed me some peach ginger tea and my tummy settled withing a couple of sips. From then on I ingested ginger in every way shape or form and never had trouble with being sick after that. Fatigued yes...but not sick.

Also...were you discussing the cost of Emend on this thread? It's a fabulous but newer miracle drug, not yet available in generic form, so therefore not covered by most insurance plans. Well...I was off work during chemo (docs orders) and am also a single mom and the drug company actually sent the drug to me free every two weeks before my tx! If anyone is interested go to the Emend website and look up the 'ACT program'. I called at the beginning of the week and they had it overnighted it to me in time for my treatment on a Friday.

You seem like a great bunch. Good luck with the rest of your treatments and here's to a healthy New Year!

Lori

Lori, just have to emote a huge hug for your great news. Wonderful, wonderful news.

Kate, you poor thing... hang in there. Call the onc nurse if you have to (I did). Being sick to your stomach is such an overall-sucky feeling for your body. It will pass though, hang in there buddy.

KMK, I'm chuckling about the night sweats. I've been getting them off-and-on for about a year now. I'm only 38, so never thought a thing about it (early onset menopause?). Now that they are telling me that one of the SE's is hot flashes which includes night sweats, and I'm estrogen and progestron positive, I'm thinking "maybe that was some sort of warning sign that I had cancer??" Who knows. But at least I'm used to them now and we're zappin any left-over loser cells.

Day 17 after my 1st tx, and the hair is definitely heading south for the winter. Yesterday morning I rubbed hand cream in my head and my hands came out covered with little hairs. A bit icky. Simply scratching my head usually loosens a couples strands. I have such an urge to get the cusion attachment of our vacuum cleaner and go to town on my head!! We don't have a hair cutter,and I don't feel like spending more money to go back and get it totally shaved off, so I think I'll just give it a vigorous rubbing in the shower today.  Not sad to see the pubic hair go, and seem to be in the same boat regarding leg and armpit hair... doesn't seem to be falling out but isn't growing either. Funny how none of us seem to go that extra step and shave it off, though, eh?

I was the one who mentioned hearing about the One-A-Day All-Day-Energy tablets. Might be in my mind, but they seemed to give me a boost a couple times last week when my wbc counts were down. From what I understand, the real heavy-duty fatigue hasn't hit yet... as someone else mentioned, that one gets worse as you go along... so not sure if it will continue to work. But I'll try anything, and vitamins seem less harmful than the other crap we're shoving in our bodies.

Really missing Cindy. Hoping she is busy with family things and holiday things, and not having more of her headaches... they sounded so painful. Big hug for you, wherever you are Cindy.

Another crappy weather day for us, so if I get bored I might take a few pics with my wigs... someone asked to see what we're all doing wig-wise. I also got a jazzy little navy blue hat at the hospital... volunteers make them for cancer patients... ask at your oncology dept if you need a hat, and maybe they have some for you too... maybe I'll take a picture of that one too.

Much love and laughter, ladies.

-Sal, the chatty gal

Afternoon All,

Lori, I'm piping in with everyone and sending a huge hug to you for your great test results. Its such a relief  to here something so positive come from everything we are putting ourselves through. Now that you mentioned it, am waiting for your pic to come up soon.

Kate, I hope your stomach has gotten better today, if not make sure you get some help for it. You need to look attack those se's before they they take hold.

KMK, I'm from the wet coast to the north and it's been colder than normal this winter.My lips and skin get really dry and chapped, so I've been using Burt's Bees chap stick, they also have tinted lip gloss thats nice. For skin I'm loving their Milk and Honey body lotion. Estee Lauder also had a gorgeous lip-gloss they put out in October as part of their breast cancer awareness campaign.

Sal, I'll have to check out the one a day energy tablets, I have one more day of steroids then I loose my get up and go, these might be just the thing to work. Please do post some wig & hat pics it sounds like a fun thing to do on a bad weather day. I have accumulated a small collection of wigs, besides the good one I bought (worth every penny for looking natural and so comfortable to wear all day) also have 2 more donated ones from the cancer agency, med length, human hair wigs that I can play around setting with rollers and such.  I dug through my Halloween trunk and came up with about 3 wigs that are a good quality, very wearable (for a few hours) and kinda cute now that I've given them a good wash and dry.  Think dh is starting to like the unexpected as well. I am losing my hair stubble at a slow but steady pace, wish it would just fall out as it shows how grey I really have become.

As for typing I think the only keys I hit naturally are backspace & delete. Am really thankful for the spell-checker (took me a few weeks to even notice it was there) otherwise I would really embarrass myself. I'm also noticing that for a few days after chemo my mouth doesn't seem to work properly. My speech is slightly slurred and I have a bit of a time trying to get certain words out. Think maybe it an accumulation of all the anti nasea pills and whatever else I may be taking at the time.

Time to do a Costco shop. Hope everyone has a great day.

Love Suz

Hi all

Sal-  I like the blue hat.  It's cute.

I am doing better today.  Not like yesterday.  Yesterday was ICK.  Thanks for all the tips.  I didn't think about ginger.  I have some ginger crystals, too.  The doc did order me a different med, but it was a supository so I didn't really want to use it. 

I have some bone and joint pain today from the shot, but nothing to bad.  You all take care!

Kate

Hi all - I guess I took the last few days off from everything.  Have barely left my recliner.  Just needed some time alone to reflect.  We had a nice Christmas.  Our daughter and 18 mo. old grand daughter live approximately 100 yards away (they have a golf cart to go back and forth).  It's cute to watch, the two of them and their brittany spaniel all in the seat flying around.  Actually we live across the street from a marina on a lake and we use the golf cart for travel to and from the marina.  So Christmas was dh, and the two girls plus our four dogs and daughter's one  dog.  Most of our family is in Fl. and this wasn't the year for travel.  I have my second tx tomorrow morning, and I really can't wait, although of course dread the se.  Lori, I was thrilled to hear your tumor had shrunk.  I know mine has too,but can't tell much difference in the last few days.  Can't wait to get things going again.                           I had an interesting thing happen.  Last week when I saw onc. he mentioned something like " you have your pills to take before next tx.  Well, I didn't.  He wrote a presc. for me the previous visit for steroids.  When I had it filled, there were four pills in the bottle and the instructions said " take two pills twice a day, the day before chemo".  I called his office this past week and there should have been 48 pills, with instructions reading, "take two pills twice a day before chemo, and two pills twice a day following chemo, and two pills twice a day the next day."  If he hadn't casually mentioned it, I would never have known.  Now I'm reading some one went into shock with taxotere because of not taking the steroids the day before.  So - never thought of not trusting the pharmacy but apparently?                        I still haven't told many people but dh says I have to tell his Mother, so I' going to call her in Fl. this afternoon. Dread it.  My family is all gone, Mother, Dad, brother and sister.  Lost my sister at age 46 to extremely aggressive bone cancer (she only lived 6 wks after diagnosis).  When the Dr. told my brother-in-law the type of cancer she had, he said "if it was my wife, I would pray for a massive heart attack".  I've been thinking of her, and all of us.  This is hard, but we can do it.  Thank God there is a treatment available.       Wish me luck tomorrow.  While I have tx, dh is going shopping to find me a new recliner ( I hate to shop and he loves it).  I bought the one I have on line and it's big enough for three people (I hate it)           Joy 

Afternoon ladies, 

Nothing important to share, I'm just bored. In a bit of a funk today. Don't quite feel like I'm getting a cold, but not quite my perky self... kinda dizzy and a little queasy. Just feeling "off". Still in my jammies and no ambition to do much of anything today.

The hair continues to slowly fall, and is kinda getting me down. No more Pollyanna-eyes... I do look "sick" today... the hair is so patchy and ratty... very pathetic...  but I guess we all have days coming to us when we can feel sorry for ourselves, and today is my day. I know I'll get over it.

Everyone has been wishing me a "better new year" but I want to tell them I consider this past year invaluable since I found the cancer and had it removed... I can't imagine what sort of year I'd be having if I'd never found the tumor. I know what they mean, but I honestly feel this year has been incredible for me. "Glass half-full" girl. Even when I'm in a funk, I can see how lucky and blessed I have been (but that doesn't mean I still can't revel in my occassional down-ness).

-------------------------------------------- 

I echo Laura, it has been such a blessing to have you ladies here for support. My family and friends have been unbelievable and love me so much, but sometimes that just isn't enough to help me get through the rough things. It means so much to me to have other people to "talk" to who know exactly what I'm going through because you're going through it too. Thank you all so much. May we all have a blessed new year and may all our healthiest dreams come true.

 Big hug,  Sal

Happy New Year Everyone. One more down Joy-that is great. I know what you mean Sal about the "better year" comment. I was thinking the same thing .I think there was a lot of great in 2007. The end of year definitely was a shocker but I had some wonderful times. And the cancer was fortunately detected, removed and radiated. The treatment sucks and that makes me feel bad that it takes such a toll on an otherwise healthy person but  I hope it forever changes me and my family-that we wouldn't take things for granted and be thankful for each other and friends. But I am not going to let the bc consume the great moments of 2007. So it was definitely a night of reflection/mixed feelings for me. I am actually anxious for my treatment #2 next Wed.day; I want to get the show on the road so to speak. My scalp is tingling so now I know what you are talking about. I went to a New Year's Day party which was held outside and it was so windy and my scalp was so sensitive and I thought what could I possibly wear in a situation like this when I lose my hair that wouldn't be blown away? Anyways I wish you sisters in this journey a very healthy and wonderful New Year.

KMK