Best Of
Re: Starting Chemo May and June 2024 Support Thread
@bythebay My oncologist lowered my chemo dose by 20% for my second treatment because I had such a wicked reaction to the chemo. The lowered dose made a huge difference! They also skipped the neulasta shot because I had horrible bone pain from it. Overall, I had the same side effects after the second round, but they were not as intense and they didn’t last as long.
The day after my first treatment, I could barely lift my head off the pillow, couldn’t eat, and slept the entire day. After the second treatment with the lowered dose, my appetite was fine and I was tired but not exhausted. I lost my taste buds for a little while, but not as bad as the first time.
I was told to take the anti nausea meds BEFORE I feel nauseous, so I take a Phenergan at night (because it makes me sleepy) and I take half a zofran as soon as I wake up and every six hours. I do that for three days after chemo and by the fourth day I stop and see how I feel without it. So far, so good! The zofran causes headaches, so my doctor recommended I just take half a pill since I already get a terrible headache from the chemo. For me, the headache never really goes away completely. It just simmers in the background all the time.
I’m sorry you’re going through this a second time (plus the chemo). Cancer is a scary, nasty disease, but we women are strong and we will fight!! Keep moving forward and take the hits when they come. You will bounce back from the chemo when it’s all done 💪❤️ (I think I just wrote a little poem 😂).
Re: Calling all TNs
Hello everyone,
It's been quite a while since I visited this wonderful page. Checking in say hello to TNBC friends.
Diagnosed in 2017, Stage 2B, double mastectomy without recon (flat), PALB2 mutation, one dose dense round of chemo (Adria & Cytox) (I dropped out of chemo very early).
Wishing you all a peaceful day.
Re: Stage III and Verzenio
kotchaj,
You are so right! If I deviate from the 12 hour routine and take 2 dose too close together, even if it’s just one hour off, I struggle. Thank goodness for cell phone alarms!
Re: My Chemotherapy Journey
Thank you Lord. So far so good. Although I can feel nausea might come back, hopefully not. So it took 5 days for nausea to be under control. Hopefully, for good. I felt so sick the past few days that I contemplated taking my nausea meds. Thankfully cannabis pill to the rescue. I hope to not take any pill today. Or ever. LOL.
I also decided to stop using petroleum jelly inside my nose, while it did made my nose moist, I am afraid it might clog the pores on the inside and painful inside pimple on the nose is not fun.
Once my nasal saline gel is empty I most likely will buy a saline spray to keep my nose moist.
Re: Super scared and depressed
Loveislove,
I am sorry for what you are going through. I just finished surgery for my 2nd breast cancer, IDC stage 1, (1st one was 15 years ago) I sure remember the anxiety. And I also tend to do too much googling and get too far ahead, and too much IN my head. The medical field is so advanced these days and they have so many excellent treatments, you have so far to go before you need to have such big worries. It might be helpful to take some walks, get some exercise and begin a mantra about trusting your providers who have many many tools, much training, and deal with these things all day, every day. You can take it one day, or one hour at a time. Take a deep breath, we will get through it together.