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CMF Question

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Comments

  • ritajean
    ritajean Member Posts: 4,042
    edited June 2009

    Hey, Lisa, I'm with you!  Parenting is really TOUGH these days.  I'm glad to spoil my grandsons when I get the chance to see them.  We're heading east to Kentucky this weekend for the baby's baptism.  I wanted to bring my oldest grandson home for a few days but all my routine tests (mammos, surgeon visit, etc.) are on Tuesday so that won't work.  I need to go get him this summer while he is out of school and get this done. 

    My mammos are now every 6 months, Mandy.  Since I had the lumpectomy, they do the bad side one time and both sides the next.  My team of doctors have me scheduled so that I do the mammo and surgeon visit and three months later see the onc....then the next mammo 3 months later, followed by the onc three months after that.  It has me going to one or the other every three months.  Tomorrow I see the radiation oncologist, too.  He sees me once a year unless I feel there is a problem.  Although I become a nervous wreck before these appointments, I'm glad they're keeping a close check on things.

    It's suppose to be hot and humid here today.  You won't hear me complaining as I'd rather be hot than cold anyday.

    Hugs to all of you!

    Rita

  • furryquilt
    furryquilt Member Posts: 3
    edited June 2009

    Hey Ladies! Thanks for your thoughts on my non-hairy legs! I have most definitely noticed more thinning of the hair in my head post Tx #4. Fortunately I had very thick hair, so no one would even notice but me...should be pretty funky when it starts to grow back and I have 2 distinct lengths of hair...interesting.

    I am due for tx#5 on Monday and I felt so well this past cycle I think I will not be nearly as nervous as before my other treatments...maybe I can actually enjoy the weekend.I attribute my quick recovery to Emend...the best anti-nausea drug I have received by far!! Ask for it!!

    I am a quilter and a cat lover...hence furryquilt! It's an old username I resurrected on a whim! My real name is Sue!

    Hope you are all feeling well...here in San Diego we will feel better when June Gloom finally loosens it's grip!

  • elisheva
    elisheva Member Posts: 38
    edited June 2009

    Rita and all of you experienced ladies - here is a question: with all of your doctors' visits, how do you keep track of your "routine" medical needs? And do you routinely visit your GP with normal health concerns? I'm new to this thread (and to BC.) Just wondering.

     elisheva.

  • ritajean
    ritajean Member Posts: 4,042
    edited June 2009

    Hey Sue, I am so glad that you've done so well this last cycle.  I didn't have the Emend.  They gave me compazine for nausea and I got along fairly well with it. You just keep whipping through these treatments with no side effects.  You are indeed on the downhill slide now, gal!  As for being a cat lover, I certainly can join you there.  I have a 17 year long-haired black cat that lives in the house.  He always gets the best chair and is indeed the King!  I also feed two stray cats, one of which is feral cat that's stayed around now nearly 3 years.

    elisheva,  I go to my GP for all the normal things:  colds, blood pressure meds, and normal concerns.  My oncologist books me every 6 months.  He does the bloodwork and prescribes the after cancer pill, Arimidex.  I see my surgeon every 6 months.  She coordiates the mammos and does a complete check.  The radiologist sees me just once a year so I find myself bopping from one appointment to another, with a few months of leisure in between.  It eventually gets into an organized routine and except for the dread that they'll find something else, it goes fairly smoothly.

     Are you doing CMF chemo?  Tell me a little more about your diagnosis and your treatment plan and WELCOME to this thread.  There are some awesome women here who will help you get through your journey in style.  Hugs to you!

    Rita

  • elisheva
    elisheva Member Posts: 38
    edited June 2009

    Rita - thanks for your reply. I will start chemo next week. it will be CMF, which I asked for because I know it has milder SEs. I see that we have almost a similar diagnosis but you are ER-. How does it effect your treatment? And you are a veteran! It is amazing how many varieties there are - no two cases are exactly alike.

     I learned a LOT from you all since joining this community, and am very impressed by all of you ladies. I am sure I'll keep coming back.

    elisheva.

  • Harley44
    Harley44 Member Posts: 2,126
    edited June 2009

    elisheva

    Welcome to the CMF group!  The ladies here are SO nice, and knowledgeable.  They'll be able to help you get through any se's you might experience. 

    I didn't have CMF, I got Taxotere and Cytoxan, but I thought I was going to have CMF, my onc veto'd it.  But the ladies here are SO NICE, they took me under their wing, and I've been posting here ever since.

    Rita,

    We have TWO cats, and one is a long haired, all black, Norwegian Forest cat!  The other is a black and white tuxedo cat.  But, they get their hair all over everything!!  Spike, the tuxedo, was almost feral.  His mother was hanging out with a feral colony when she was pregnant.  A rescue group found him and we adopted him.  He's so sweet!  Since we moved to NC, he's really come out of his shell, and he's not so scared of new people.

    Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

    Hugs to all,

    Harley

  • mandy1313
    mandy1313 Member Posts: 978
    edited June 2009

    Hi Lisa! I think  parenting a teen at any time has its challenges.  The teens have always been a time to try to assert some level of independence.  I always felt that I was lucky that I had kids who were basically good to begin with so I just had to learn when to look the other way. 

    And to the newbies on the list:  You will get through this chemo.  I had every side effect that they offer (and even some that are considered rare) and I made it!!!! I finished my 8th tx on May 13th and you will make it too.  

    Ciao

    Mandy

  • colleen1960
    colleen1960 Member Posts: 107
    edited June 2009

    Hello All:  I hope everyone had a great weekend.  Everythng here is pretty good.  My daughter has been much better.  She apologized to both me and my husband.  He has lifted her restrictions.  She seems to be a little bit better.  She went to the movies with her friend and then to a street fair, she came home with a gift for me.  It is a bc bracelet which she bought with her own money.  It definitely surprised me, since she does not like to spend her money  So I hope this means that we are having a better relationship.  It is definitely a start in the right direction.  My mom is coming to stay in NY for a couple of weeks and I am really happy about that to.  I hope this finds everyone doing well.  Have a good week

    Colleen

  • ritajean
    ritajean Member Posts: 4,042
    edited June 2009

    Elisheva....Although I am only PR +  and not ER +, I am still taking the Arimidex.  There has been very little research on my specific type, so hopefully I will benefit from the Arimdex, too.  I will be thinking about you as you go for that first chemo this week.  Please let us know how it goes.

    Colleen....aw......how nice of your daughter to get you the bc bracelet.  Don't kids just completely surprise sometimes!  I hope things are turning around for you now!

    Rita

  • ginagina
    ginagina Member Posts: 12
    edited June 2009

    Hi CMFers - just popping in to say "I AM DONE" almost! I had my last CMF treatment on Friday and now just finishing the last couple days of cytoxan. I do more lurking on this thread but really appreciate  reading everyones posts!

  • elisheva
    elisheva Member Posts: 38
    edited June 2009

    Hello all CMF people,

    I'm calling here on your experience.

    I'm going to start on CMF in a couple of days, and would like to know: How do (or did) you spend the time while sitting in that chair?  I'm thinking of how to best occupy myself during those 2(?) hours. Let's start this as an informal survey!

    Thanks, Elisheva.

  • ginagina
    ginagina Member Posts: 12
    edited June 2009

    Hey Elisheva - the 2hrs for CMF really flies by (I started off on TC and that was an all day thing!!!) Bring a magazine or two. Or a good book. If they give you Ativan...you may just end up taking a quick nap. As there are lots of things they are doing through this two hours (IV if you don't have a port), saline drip, steriods, and then they hand push the 5FE and M (well they do at my hospital anyway) over 10-15 min...so with a nurse practically sitting on your lap...you are more likely to have a friendly conversation than to work on something productive. How are you going to do CMF (weekly, bi-weekly?) and for how long? And where? Good luck!!!

  • socallisa
    socallisa Member Posts: 10,184
    edited June 2009

    Hi Elisheva..I had CMF, but with oral cytoxan so I was only in the "chair" for 20 minutes max..

    good luck with your treatment...hugs., Socal

  • aprilgirl1
    aprilgirl1 Member Posts: 806
    edited July 2009

    Elisheva - my experience is like Gina and SocalLisa describe - not that long.  I took the cytoxan orally so had the IV in and the M and F pushed, so usually chatted with my nurse and had a book with me.  I swear I was in the chair for 30 minutes to 45 (depending on how busy they were).

    Good luck - keep posting!

    Susan

  • mandy1313
    mandy1313 Member Posts: 978
    edited July 2009

    Hi Elisheva

    I had the CMF IV.  The longest part was waiting for the meds to arrive.  The C took about 45 minutes; and the MF were less than 10 minutes total.  I was very busy sucking ice pops, etc so I did not find the time to be too long.  I think the fear of the first treatment is the worst part.  I was given one important tip before my first treatment....that was to make sure I did not get constipated...sorry to be so graphic but the meds they give for nausea can really bind you.  So take a colace or whatever you would use to make sure that you will be ok afterwards. And to the extent you can, drink lots of fluids when you get home..water, juice, whatever you want...it will help flush the meds out of your system.

    Let us know how it goes.

    Mandy

  • ritajean
    ritajean Member Posts: 4,042
    edited July 2009

    Elisheva,  You're getting good advice from everyone.  Be sure to ask for ice chips or something equally cold to suck on during your treatment to ward off the mouth sores.  I think you will be surprised how fast it goes.  I always took the books and magazines and never had much of a chance to read them.  Usually somebody went with me and we chatted while the drugs were dripping in.  I also took some Thank You cards and wrote a few of them out at each treatment to thank those who took me, brought in dinner just when I needed it, or helped in other ways.

    You will do just fine.  I think you'll be amazed how easy the treatments are!  Hugs to you!

    Rita

  • ritajean
    ritajean Member Posts: 4,042
    edited July 2009

    YEA Gina!  NO MO' CHEMO!  Wonderful!

    Will you be taking one of the 5 year pills now?

  • mandy1313
    mandy1313 Member Posts: 978
    edited July 2009

    Ginagina!

    You've had a long treck but you made it...NO MORE CHEMO!!!! YAY!!!

    Mandy

  • colleen1960
    colleen1960 Member Posts: 107
    edited July 2009

    Ginagina - Congrats!!!! on finishing up with Chemo.  You must be really happy!!!

    Elisheva:  I had CMF 8 treatments every 10 days.  Sometimes were longer then others.  I always had someone with me.  My old friend took me 3 different times and it gave us some time to catch up.  The time usually goes by pretty fast.  Where are you going?  I noticed that you are from NY.  I am also.  I went to Sloan.  I also have the same advice.  Drink plenty of fluids and stay ahead of the nausea.  Sleep when you can.  Don't worry so much you will do fine.  Let us know how it goes. 

    Colleen

  • samiam40
    samiam40 Member Posts: 93
    edited July 2009

    Elisheva: My treatments definitely took at least 2 hours, usually more.  Before they even started with the bag of C, I would get a bag of fluids and then 2 bags of anti-nausea meds, so sometimes I was there for half of a day.  I always brought my laptop (they had wifi), some magazines and my ipod to keep my mind occupied.  Some days I used them; other days I felt like chatting with other ladies. 

    Ginagina:  congratulations!  I am two weeks out from my last treatment--doesn't it feel great to be done!

    Take care everyone!

  • ritajean
    ritajean Member Posts: 4,042
    edited July 2009

    Samiam.........So how are you feeling physically now that you're a few weeks out?  Have they got you on a 5 year pill, too, and if so, which one?

    Congrats again on getting through the rough stuff!

  • elisheva
    elisheva Member Posts: 38
    edited July 2009

    Thank you to everyone who answered my question. You all are correct: had my first chemo today. Taking CMF, once every 3 weeks x 8 times. The whole thing (with the waiting) took about 3 hours, and I really did not have time or the will to DO anything. I am going to a cancer center affilliated with St. Vincet's hospital. They are wonderful there - nice and efficient. It's evening now and I still feel all right. You are right that the whole thing is not a big deal. Congrats to those of you who are finished. I know you are not REALLy finished, but this stage is at least over. Good luck to you all.

    Elisheva.

  • mandy1313
    mandy1313 Member Posts: 978
    edited July 2009

    Hi Elisheva!

    Glad that your first tx went so well.

    Mandy

  • ritajean
    ritajean Member Posts: 4,042
    edited July 2009

    Elisheva,

    One down............7 more to go and the countdown is on!  I'm assuming that they gave you anti-nausea pills.  If they did, take them BEFORE the nausea begins.  It is much easier to keep it under control than to play catch up with it.  Even if you're feeling great today, it may catch up with you anytime during the first four or five days.  After that, you will be on "CHEMO HOLIDAY" and you should be good to go until the next treatment.  Also, remember to drink plenty of water.  That helps flush the chemicals through your body faster.

    I'm so glad that you have one "under your belt" and that all is going well.  Keep us informed about your progress.  You're going to see that CMF chemo is VERY doabale!

    Hugs!

  • samiam40
    samiam40 Member Posts: 93
    edited July 2009

    Elisheva, I'm happy that you are done with your first tx and are still feeling good.  I totally understand how you wouldn't feel like doing anything while getting your first infusion.  It's hard to know what to expect the first time--I remember the nurse spent a lot of time explaining what she was doing.  I second what Rita said, water and rest should get you through the next few days.

    Rita, I go back on the 20th of this month to get my next Zometa and probably a prescription for tamox.  The only lingering side effects from the CMF are a bit of fatigue and 20+ lbs of weight gain.  I'm hoping to get my mojo back soon, so I can get back to exercising and lose this extra weight!

    Hope everyone is feeling great and enjoying the holiday weekend.

  • mandy1313
    mandy1313 Member Posts: 978
    edited July 2009

    Hi all!

     Elisheva just wanted to mention one thing. I noticed that both samiam and ritajean suggested drinking alot of water. That is a good suggestion but I was not able to drink water for most of my chemo....it made me nauseous....so I drank other things....real ginger ale (the gingery kind that is called ginger beer) and san pelligrino aranciata (orange) and limonata (lemon)...they are kind of tart rather than sweet sodas.  Sometimes just sparkling water worked; sometimes clear juice worked....so just keep those fluids going because it will help you in every way and if water disagrees try something else.  You live in New York City so you can find everything. 

    Rest up and if you can take a peek at those amazing fireworks they will be having on the Hudson tomorrow!!!  .

    Hope all are having a wonderful holiday weekend.

  • ritajean
    ritajean Member Posts: 4,042
    edited July 2009

    Samiam....I know what you mean about the weight gain.  I have gotten a little off but not nearly as much as I'd like to have off!  All in all, I think you did very good!

  • colleen1960
    colleen1960 Member Posts: 107
    edited July 2009

    Elisheva:  I am glad that your first tx went well.  And I hope you are still feeling well.

    Hope everyone had a nice 4th!!!  We had our annual BBQ and boy am I exhausted.  People started coming around 4 and by 7 or so I was beat.  I just don't have the stamina yet to go the long distance.  The fireworks show ended around 10 and after clean up didn't get to bed until after midnight.  But everyone was great and pitched in.  My mom came Friday AM.  She looks really good and I think she really enjoyed yesterday.  Seeing people she has not seen in a long time.  She will be in NY for the next two wks. And then it is off to Florida.  She wants to stay there, but at this point I don't know what is going to happen.

    Well enjoy this beautiful day,

    Colleen

  • elisheva
    elisheva Member Posts: 38
    edited July 2009

    Hi to all,

    Thanks for all your responses - it's nice to chat with people who had or are having the same experience! I'm glad to report that, (besides the first night which was horrible - I just couldn't fall asleep and didn't want to take Ambien in addition to all the other medications I had in my body), I feel good and had only very slight nausea. That was all. Now it's back to normal and back to work tomorrow. I indeed went to see the great fireworks show and it was all they said it would be. You guys are wonderful! Thanks again for the encouragement.

    Elisheva. 

  • Annabella58
    Annabella58 Member Posts: 916
    edited July 2009

    Hi there ladies!  L;ong time no chat, sorry I've been gone so long....beach vacation and arimidex wipeouts in the water have left me one achey and determined person to get stronger!  I wish I'd known that arimidex makes you weaker before I tried to battle the waves.  Well, more time in the gym for me, that's all.

    However: the weather was gorgeous, water warm for the east coast! 

    Hope everyone here is hanging in there and feeling OK during the OFF and ON cycles. 

    love you all!

    annie

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