kwoodson

Hello Everyone,

It's so nice to be moving on to another topic. Had my first tx this morning. I'm the first patient of the day which is kind of nice. I have to admit I think I'm even less informed about radiation than I was about chemo before I started. I'm covered with sharpie marks and my chest looks like a road map. The only SE's I was told to expect was increasing fatigue after about the 3rd week and topical burning.Should I be prepared for anything else? I was prescribed Biafine for the skin. I just can't imagine anything making me feel as awful as chemo did so I'm going to be optimistic.  Thank goodness the weather has cooled. Because August heat and hot flashes don't work with a wig! Hope everyone tolerates tx well.

 Kathy

A Fecku? I love it! I work in a school library and I think the teachers would get a huge kick out of that one. I think I'll try one;

Chemo bites the big one.

The wig really sucks with hot flashes.

Thank god for good wine.

Now I'm off to try and find the counted cross-stitch pattern I've misplaced. I've been working on this piece for 5 years as a surprise for my girlfriend who is visiting soon. I'm 90% finished and have no freaking idea where I put the pattern. I just want to know what I can blame for my brain farts when this ordeal is over.

Kathy

Hi All,

Had tx 3 yesterday. They gave me Emend for the first time and it was the first time I came home from tx and had to sleep. Then the steroids kicked in and I was up most of the night. The fact that the air conditioning was off probably didn't help. I'm taking the 2 lower doses of Emend today and tomorrow. Will I be as groggy? I hope not because this is usually the day I feel well enough to get things accomplished.

Laura, I have had a very flushed face and breast ( just the one! ) after each tx. I was told it was a SE of the steroids. If it gets itchy I would call your doctor.

Now, on to a menopause question. I'm 49 and having 4 treatments, followed by radiation and then 5 years of whatever they decide to give me. I haven't had a period since I started treatment and was definitely in perimenopause before I started this journey. Has anyone who stopped having periods started having them again? I would be fine if that whole part of my physical life was over because I really don't want to go on Tamoxifen (sp?) when this is all over. I guess I should also post this question on the hormone treatment board. Thanks for any info.

Hope everyone has a SE-free weekend!

Kathy

I know this issue has been covered before, but I'm too lazy to go back and find it. Shaved my head 2 weeks ago and got a fabulous wig. However, now I'm sprouting itchy, red splotches across my bald dome. I don't care how it looks, but trying to scratch through the wig or scarf is frustrating. Can you put hydrocortisone cream on your head? Has anyone found anything soothing with no medicine in it? Thanks for any info.

Kathy

Hi Ladies!

Well, I did about the dumbest thing you could do. I went back for the entire day. Stopped at the grocery store ( had to buy an emergency bottle of pop to deal with the nausea ) and then just came home and collapsed! My husband was none to happy with me. Lorena, I too, am finding the weekend after and the first days of the week awful. Nothing tastes or sounds good to eat and my energy level is crap! I think I learned my lesson and will take it very slow from now on. The only problem is we're being trained the next 4 days for an entire new system. Oh well, my co-workers are just going to have to become my teachers! I have to admit it was great seeing everyone but I've learned my limits. I think that may be one of the hardest things to accept during this journey. Thanks for the encouragement.

Kathy

Hi All,

Had tx 2 yesterday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it goes better than the first one.I went from TC to AC. I get my Neulasta today, so I'm hopeful that will prevent the decrease in blood count. Glad to see so many wine lovers on this thread! My stepmother ( who has successfully battled both breast and endometrieal cancer ) promoted " wine therapy " at the beginning of my diagnosis. I've certainly cut back and actually don't have a taste for it ( or anything else ) for about 1 1/2 weeks after treatment. I think it's also helping with the weight. I find wine to be a great appetitie stimulant. My bio... I'm 49, married almost 25 years to a wonderful guy, 2 kids ( 21 and 18 ) and I'm about to become an empty nester. :(  My son is having such anxiety about leaving and is so disorganized it provides a great distraction for me. Actually, we have 3 children. It's just that the 3rd has 4 legs and is a Pug. I work in a high school library and I dearly love my job. I get to be around 7th-12th graders, help with research and surround myself with books. Nothing could be better. Our favorite vacation involves warm weather, a beach and lots of golf ( for my dh ). Oh, and no cooking dinners for me. I'm already thinking about next summer and planning a special get-a-way. Hope everybody had a stress-free, discomfort-free weekend.

Kathy

O.K. so I'm absolutely a virgin at all this. Only one treatment and my very thick, very course hair was coming out in clumps. Got my wig today and had them shave my head. All I can say is I can understand why men get that whole shaved thing. THAT feels great. The wig feels like shit! It's light and all, but I have the overwhelming sensation that it's slipping off my head. Anyway, I'm finally realizing why some women just go for the ball cap look. I have this sinking feeling it's going to grow back grey. So I'll have to wear the wig until my hair is long enough to color. At some point tonight I just looked at my dog and finally said " you know what, know matter what spin you try to use, this whole situation really sucks ". Fortunately, he's a very understanding pooch and just jumped in my lap and kissed me. God love animals.

Kathy

Good Morning All,

Technically I'm a July Chemo Girl. Had my first tx on the 30th or 31st. Taxotere and Cytoxan. First few days just fatigued. Then diarrhea hit with lots of pain. Ended up in the hospital for 3 days. My hair started falling out on Tuesday and will probably be all gone by the time I get my wig on Tuesday. The itching is driving me mad. I told my neighbor that the scalp tingling reminded me of the 'let-down" reflex when I was breast-feeding 18 years ago! My next tx is on Thursday and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this one will go better. I had a MUGA scan last week that I assume will allow me a new regimen. I'm not sure what I'll be on yet. I have a question about Neulasta and other injections. Does the Neulasta have to be given during a specific time frame. Like between 24 and 48 hours after tx? They were giving me injections in the hospital to improve my blood count but it wasn't Neulasta. And how bad does the bone pain get? Are there other drugs they can give to keep the RBC and WBC levels up? Thnks for any info.

Kathy

Hi priz47,

I could ( and probably did ) write this exact same question about a month ago. I'm also getting 4 tx of chemo. Started with taxotere and cytoxan but will be changing with the next treatment. Initially I was told, small tumor, no nodes, yada, yada, yada, I would just need radiation. When I saw the radiologist she recommended chemo as did the Onc. Kind of an upleasant surprise. This is the information I was able to process....If you haven't gone through menopause ( and I haven't ) the rate of recurrence will go down if you also have chemo. It's not a huge percentage, but as my onc put it, do everything to improve your chances of not getting it again. She said they've advocating this type of tx for about 10 years. Both my radiologist and oncologist said if it was them, they would do it. Now, to put your mind at ease, I would certainly recommend you get a 2nd, 3rd or 4th opinion. If you do decide to go with the tx, just keep in mind it's only 4 tx. Not fun, but managable. Hope that helps.

Kathy

MissNelson- My Onc. also told me to stay away from fresh fruits and vegetables. It's too easy to pick up an infection through them. This is really hard because the one food I've been craving is fresh fruit.  And I was also told specifically that I would not lose weight. I think that's the cruelest joke of all since I could use a 20-25 lb. reduction in my girth. I didn't even lose any after a week of diarrhea and 3 days in the hospital!  I also found the only thing I could drink was cherry kool-aid so I was obviously getting my carbs and calories. As far as avoiding people, it probably can't hurt, and I would definitely do it if your levels are low. I'm supposed to start back at my school job soon but I'm beginning to rethink that plan. It's nearly impossible to not get sick when you work in a school. Best of luck with your treatments.

Kathy