CMF Question
Comments
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Ladies:
I'm starting CMF next week and could use some tips. I work f/t, but can work from home when needed. Is Friday a good day to do it or are Thursdays better? Nurse told me today that the first 24 hours are usually good, but then a dropoff. How much time 'til you return to feeling human?
I'm supposed to do 8 cycles every three weeks. Did anyone do a more truncated schedule, like 8 every two weeks? Would love to complete this in '09, if possible. This year has been pretty rotten and that would be a good way to close it down.
Thanks for any insight.
Kate
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Hello All - I have been gone for a few weeks. Everything here is pretty good. Came back from Vegas last Sat. night. We had a lot of fun and it was great to get away with just me and dh. We left the kids with my sister-in-law which they were not to thrilled about. But I told them I needed a vacation away with just Dad. Also saw the gyn yesterday. He said everything looked good, but will not have the results from the pap for 7 to 10 days. He also wants to see me every 6 mths so he can check my ovaries. Does anyone else have to go for this? It will also be a year for me soon so I am getting anxious about the tests!!!! I am doing the Susan B. Koemen walk in Central Park on the 13th. I put a team together so I am really looking forward to that. Just hoping for good weather.
Kate: I did my CMF treatments - 8 txs. every 10 days. It was a trial. I will be honest it was difficult, but I did make if through and I was finished in 80 days (3 mths.) and did not have to go the whole 6 mths. I guess you can check with your onc. If you need anymore info. let me know. Good Luck with your treatments. And welcome to all the new CMF's. Listen to what Rita, Annie and Carol tell you. That is how I got through my treatments. They would listen when I needed to complain and also gave really great advice.
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Kate, I did the traditional every 3 weeks for 8 tx and it did take 6 months. It seems like forever while your doing it, but all of a sudden it is the last day of your chemo and you're done. Ritajean, Annie, Carol and others on this board gave me lots of good advice. So if you have a question, just post it here and someone will be there in a couple of hours with an answer.
All the best on your CMF journey.
Mandy
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YEA ANNIE! Take another deep breath and get on with your life! Doesn't your heart just drop when these type of things erupt. I'm so glad it was just a nasty fibroid. I'm sure it messed with your nerves but now you can move on.
HUGS AND CHEERS BEING SENT YOUR WAY!
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Hi Kate and welcome to our little corner of the world.
I did 6 CMF infusions, three weeks apart. If I had any bad days, they were either the third day or the fourth day after the treatment. I had my treatments on Thursdays. I was usually tired and sometimes a bit "off" on Friday. Sunday was usually my worst day (if I had one) and I was on the mend by Monday.
The actual treatments are pretty uneventful. They put in an IV and you sit there while the drugs drip in or they push them in through the IV. If you have a port, you don't get the IV. If they don't give you ice chips while doing a treatment, ask for them as they help to ward off the mouth sores. If they give you anti-nausea pills to take home with you, take one as soon as you leave the treatment center. Don't wait until you are sick because the nausea is MUCH EASIER to ward off than to stop. Drink plenty of liquids after the treatment. That helps move the chemicals through the body better.
This is a very doable regiment. Your hair will thin a little, but you shouldn't lose it or need a wig of any kind. Come back often, ask any questions you might have, and we'll help you get through this!
Hugs,
Rita
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Good Thursday Eve Gals,
Sneaking a quick peak tonight .... want to send out a WhoooooHooooooo to Dear Annie ! I'll admit I spend soooooo much more time feeling around ol' lefty than I would have ever done in the past ... good for you to be in tune with your body and addressing any concern head on !!!!
Kate ... I was on the 6 month regimen ... taking my Cytoxan orally for 15 days and had an infusion of "M" and "F" on days 1 and 7 of those 15 days. I know your saying to yourself what ?????? I totally agree with Rita ... I took my anti-nausea drugs each and every morning of those 15 days each month. I (never) had issue with nausea .... although as these dear women would attest to ... I was the constipation queen. So if the plumbing starts to raise havoc .... Miralax seemed to work well. Ended up taking just a very small dose to keep "things" in check. Now I don't recommend this unless you have issues .... there have been a few of us with the opposite problem as I recall. Play it by ear ... and hopefully like so many of us by the time your a few txts into your regime you'll have it all figured out. Although it seems like a long txt period .... it is very doable. I worked full time as well (in a rather physical job), and I agree that day 2 or 3 after infusion day is probably the most difficult. Bottom line .... don't leave your infusion waiting for the "shoe to drop", move on with your day and drink .... drink.... drink..... water, water water !!!!!
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Just a quickie check in and a big THANK YOU to all of you my dears, esp. Carol and Rita, lights o' my life.
You two sound as feisty and rarin' to go as ever...and as always, super kind.
Good advice from these two got me thru all of it, and they did not laugh when I got over to top on things (tend to have a bizarreo sense of humor but a good coping device).
Mandy, hey sweetie, good to see ya!
Are any of you gals finished w txtments for now, getting this new H1N1 vaccine? I am going to ask my onc, but i personally don't think we'll be offered it as we don't fall into a risk group. Now you chemo girls in active txtment, you do.
I' m concerned for my college kid and the petri dishes those dorms are. I should have bought stock in Purell I think.
Love to all, and txmnt gals, this ends!!!! We'll be cheering you on, and waiting at that finish line for you!
xoxox
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Hey Pam and Elisheva.....how's it going? We need an update!!!
Yes, Annie, I think we were indeed lucky to be able to do the CMF chemo instead of the other types. Isn't it amazing what we consider to be "lucky" anymore??? LOL How are you doing now that your daughter is back to college and you have more time for yourself?
I'm off to try a round of golf. I hope my back holds out for it. Hugs to everyone!
Rita
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Hi Rita: I am doing great and only lost a few hairs. I did buy that Nioxin shampoo though just in case I need it. I have my second chemo this Wednesday and as strange as this sounds ..... I'm looking forward to it. The reason is that I have rheumatoid arthritis and the Decadron and the methotrexate do wonders for me. The Decadron is raising my blood sugar so I went to the doc last week and he gave me an insulin pen to treat it if it gets over 180. So for me this has been pretty smooth sailing. Either that or I was so terrified that I have been pleasantly surprised.
Annie: I know what you mean about the college dorms and worried about this H1N1 virus. My youngest son just started college two weeks ago and I made sure he had antibacterial gel and lysol in his room too. When we were moving up those stairs I still remember thinking to remind him to not touch the stair railing. Yuck you can imagine what is on that. I question him every time he comes home and he assures me he is using the gel and the Lysol....i think he is just telling me that to make me happy. Of course he thinks I worry too much.
Kate: Good luck with your first treatment. I went on a walk when I got home after my first one and drank tons of water. I also sucked on ice during the entire hour treatment. Your mouth will probably get a little sore but just keep something cold on hand. I treat myself to a sugar free snowcone from the local snowcone place a couple of times a week. I never got the awful taste in my mouth they said I would but I am obsessed with keeping my mouth clean and brushing 4 or 5 times a day. There is something called Gly-Oxide that my PCP told me about if you get any mouth ulcers.
To the rest of you on this journey good luck and best wishes. To those of you who have already traveled this path...thank you so much for sticking around and telling us what worked for you and offering encouragement. It means a lot.
Take care, Pam
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Hi Rita: I am doing great and only lost a few hairs. I did buy that Nioxin shampoo though just in case I need it. I have my second chemo this Wednesday and as strange as this sounds ..... I'm looking forward to it. The reason is that I have rheumatoid arthritis and the Decadron and the methotrexate do wonders for me. The Decadron is raising my blood sugar so I went to the doc last week and he gave me an insulin pen to treat it if it gets over 180. So for me this has been pretty smooth sailing. Either that or I was so terrified that I have been pleasantly surprised.
Annie: I know what you mean about the college dorms and worried about this H1N1 virus. My youngest son just started college two weeks ago and I made sure he had antibacterial gel and lysol in his room too. When we were moving up those stairs I still remember thinking to remind him to not touch the stair railing. Yuck you can imagine what is on that. I question him every time he comes home and he assures me he is using the gel and the Lysol....i think he is just telling me that to make me happy. Of course he thinks I worry too much.
Kate: Good luck with your first treatment. I went on a walk when I got home after my first one and drank tons of water. I also sucked on ice during the entire hour treatment. Your mouth will probably get a little sore but just keep something cold on hand. I treat myself to a sugar free snowcone from the local snowcone place a couple of times a week. I never got the awful taste in my mouth they said I would but I am obsessed with keeping my mouth clean and brushing 4 or 5 times a day. There is something called Gly-Oxide that my PCP told me about if you get any mouth ulcers.
To the rest of you on this journey good luck and best wishes. To those of you who have already traveled this path...thank you so much for sticking around and telling us what worked for you and offering encouragement. It means a lot.
Take care, Pam
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Hi Rita: I am doing great and only lost a few hairs. I did buy that Nioxin shampoo though just in case I need it. I have my second chemo this Wednesday and as strange as this sounds ..... I'm looking forward to it. The reason is that I have rheumatoid arthritis and the Decadron and the methotrexate do wonders for me. The Decadron is raising my blood sugar so I went to the doc last week and he gave me an insulin pen to treat it if it gets over 180. So for me this has been pretty smooth sailing. Either that or I was so terrified that I have been pleasantly surprised.
Annie: I know what you mean about the college dorms and worried about this H1N1 virus. My youngest son just started college two weeks ago and I made sure he had antibacterial gel and lysol in his room too. When we were moving up those stairs I still remember thinking to remind him to not touch the stair railing. Yuck you can imagine what is on that. I question him every time he comes home and he assures me he is using the gel and the Lysol....i think he is just telling me that to make me happy. Of course he thinks I worry too much.
Kate: Good luck with your first treatment. I went on a walk when I got home after my first one and drank tons of water. I also sucked on ice during the entire hour treatment. Your mouth will probably get a little sore but just keep something cold on hand. I treat myself to a sugar free snowcone from the local snowcone place a couple of times a week. I never got the awful taste in my mouth they said I would but I am obsessed with keeping my mouth clean and brushing 4 or 5 times a day. There is something called Gly-Oxide that my PCP told me about if you get any mouth ulcers.
To the rest of you on this journey good luck and best wishes. To those of you who have already traveled this path...thank you so much for sticking around and telling us what worked for you and offering encouragement. It means a lot.
Take care, Pam
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Hi Rita: I am doing great and only lost a few hairs. I did buy that Nioxin shampoo though just in case I need it. I have my second chemo this Wednesday and as strange as this sounds ..... I'm looking forward to it. The reason is that I have rheumatoid arthritis and the Decadron and the methotrexate do wonders for me. The Decadron is raising my blood sugar so I went to the doc last week and he gave me an insulin pen to treat it if it gets over 180. So for me this has been pretty smooth sailing. Either that or I was so terrified that I have been pleasantly surprised.
Annie: I know what you mean about the college dorms and worried about this H1N1 virus. My youngest son just started college two weeks ago and I made sure he had antibacterial gel and lysol in his room too. When we were moving up those stairs I still remember thinking to remind him to not touch the stair railing. Yuck you can imagine what is on that. I question him every time he comes home and he assures me he is using the gel and the Lysol....i think he is just telling me that to make me happy. Of course he thinks I worry too much.
Kate: Good luck with your first treatment. I went on a walk when I got home after my first one and drank tons of water. I also sucked on ice during the entire hour treatment. Your mouth will probably get a little sore but just keep something cold on hand. I treat myself to a sugar free snowcone from the local snowcone place a couple of times a week. I never got the awful taste in my mouth they said I would but I am obsessed with keeping my mouth clean and brushing 4 or 5 times a day. There is something called Gly-Oxide that my PCP told me about if you get any mouth ulcers.
To the rest of you on this journey good luck and best wishes. To those of you who have already traveled this path...thank you so much for sticking around and telling us what worked for you and offering encouragement. It means a lot.
Take care, Pam
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Hi Rita: I am doing great and only lost a few hairs. I did buy that Nioxin shampoo though just in case I need it. I have my second chemo this Wednesday and as strange as this sounds ..... I'm looking forward to it. The reason is that I have rheumatoid arthritis and the Decadron and the methotrexate do wonders for me. The Decadron is raising my blood sugar as I have Metabolic syndrome so I went to the doc last week and he gave me an insulin pen to treat it if it gets over 180 just while I am doing chemo. So for me this has been pretty smooth sailing. Either that or I was so terrified that I have been pleasantly surprised.
Annie: I know what you mean about the college dorms and worried about this H1N1 virus. My youngest son just started college two weeks ago and I made sure he had antibacterial gel and lysol in his room too. When we were moving up those stairs I still remember thinking to remind him to not touch the stair railing. Yuck you can imagine what is on that. I question him every time he comes home and he assures me he is using the gel and the Lysol....i think he is just telling me that to make me happy. Of course he thinks I worry too much.
Kate: Good luck with your first treatment. I went on a walk when I got home after my first one and drank tons of water and I think that helped me. I actually had a lot of energy the first couple of days after, the third day I was not really sick just felt kinda strange. After that I was back to normal. I did suck on ice during the entire hour chemo treatment though. Your mouth may get a little sore off and on but just keep something cold on hand. I never got the awful taste in my mouth they said I would but I am obsessed with keeping my mouth clean and brushing 4 or 5 times a day and think that was the reason why. There is something called Gly-Oxide that my PCP told me about if you get any mouth ulcers. Also Biotene toothpaste and mouthwash are really good for the dry mouth. I use Aquaphor on my lips as mine seemed to be really dry even though I made sure I drank at least 2 liters of water a day. Sometime I added Propel lemon packets to my water just to get it down. Good luck and I hope it goes well for you.
To the rest of you on this journey good luck and best wishes. To those of you who have already traveled this path...thank you so much for sticking around and telling us what worked for you and offering encouragement. It means a lot.
Take care, Pam
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Hey Pam, So gald to hear that the chemo is going well for you. It's funny that you mentioned how the treatments help your arthritis. We just commented the other day that I didn't have any of these back problems during my bc journey. It has been 4 years since I've been down in the back. Maybe those nasty chemicals helped me, too and I didn't even know it! LOL
Everyone have a great holiday!
Rita
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Good Labor Day Everyone!
Dropping in again to say hello and see how y'all are doing. Rita - good of you to stay with us and dispense your advice! I had my 4th TX on Friday - half way through! This time, when I came on Thursday, the white blood cell count was almost too low, so they suggested I come back the next day, and it worked - on Friday the count was much better. Had the usual bad day, but this time - as someone here suggested - I took the anti-nausea mediactions BFORE the nausea hit. Took the first one as soon as I got home, and just kept alternating the Zofran and Compazine, and it worked! Did not feel the nausea, although still felt extremely weak and tired. But it was still much better! So that was very good advice. On Sunday had a good day - had a visit from my son and family, with his cute 11 months old baby (he's beautiful, of course!).
As for hair loss, I've always had thin hair, and now it is much worse, but still it's there. Others don't seem to notice how scant it is, so that's OK. ANd I don't have any mouth sores that many complain about. Also not using ice chips during treatment. It is amazing how we all have different reations. They keep telling us what we could expect, and warn us of possible side effects, but, as with any other medication you take, side effects don't necessarily happen. So we need to keep a positive outlook and not expect the worst.
Kate - welcome into our fold. I hope you have an easy time. We are indeed lucky to have this regimen over the other options.
Have a good holiday all. Tomorrow - back to work. I have been absent for 5 days and know, from checking my email, that I have a lot of stuff to take care of. Elisheva.
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Elisheva...so glad that you did well after this last treatment. I think that taking the antinausea meds before you actually get sick did wonders for me. I'm glad it worked for you, too. Hang in there. You are on the downhill slide now, gal!!!
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Does anyone know what the difference is between CMF and TC? It appears that CMF is not given as much these days but I'm not sure why? Does anyone know if it's still around and are there people on it now? If so, what is the criteria? It appears to have not as many side effects as the TC treatment?
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Cabmom - I sent you a PM. I completed CMF chemo in the end of June. CMF and TC are specific chemo combinations - both are commonly used for breast cancer. It is very popular at the large cancer center I am a patient of - especially for node negative women. as you can see on this thread - lots of us have had or are having CMF!
Annie - great news! Sorry to read about it late, but I am so happy for you.
Pam - sounds like you are faring well - great news!
Elisheva - halfway thru! Great! staying ahead of possible nausea worked well for me too.
Everyone else, hope you are doing well!
A big thank you to Carol for doing the Breast Cancer 3 day walk this weekend!!!!! WOW! She is amazing!
Susan
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Hey CMF gals. I have been off the boards for a few months, recovering from the CMF which I finished in June and enjoying the summer with my family. I felt like it took about two months to get my energy level back to normal, and now just have to deal with the weight gain (30 lbs since diagnosis) that I let happen. I am also taking tamox and continuing to get Zometa infusions as part of the the bisphosphenates study.
I just had my exchange surgery on Wednesday where they swapped out my tissue expanders for gummy bear implants. I'm having some significant pain right now, but am taking the good drugs, and think that the implants already look and feel way better than the expanders.
Good luck to everyone who has done or is doing CMF. You are a great group of women who provide so much support to women going through the cmf process. I'll check in from time to time. Or, send me a pm if you are on facebook. That is my newest online obsession!
Take care and GL everyone!
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SAMIAM!!!! YEA! I'm so glad to hear from you. I have thought about you often and wondered how the last few treatments went for you! Thanks SO much for checking in with us! I love your avatar! You're a cutie! Don't worry too much about that extra weight. It will drop off as you continue to be more active and less stressed about the treatments. I'm so glad that you're done and have NO MO' CHEMO!
Keep in touch every so often! I also do facebook. It's fun!
Rita
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Samiam - I agree with Rita - so great to see your post! I feel the same way about the extra pounds - hoping to lose those while going thru radiation (before I start hormone therapy).
YEA!!!!! No more chemo!!!!!!!
I really need to get on facebook.
Susan
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Had my first round on Friday morning and felt alright that day. Saturday and Sunday felt pretty nauseous; today, too. When can I expect to feel normal? It's been almost 72 hours. Perhaps I was being unrealistic, but I had hoped that I'd feel better already. I'm not debilitated, just feel crummy.
I've taken the compazine PO, which has helped somewhat, but have held off on the compazine suppositories and the Ativan. Was that a mistake?
Kate
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Kate....my worst days were the third and fourth day. Then I began to feel better and usually had two good weeks before I had to return. I found that lemon drops helped ward off the nausea and I took the anti-nausea meds as soon as I left the chemo room. I learned quickly that it was much easier to keep the nausea away than to get rid of it once it appeared. I did not take the Ativan so don't know what to tell you about that.
You should feel better real soon. Be sure to drink plenty of water. That helps to get the chemicals through the body faster. Hugs to you. Keep us informed on how it's going!
Rita
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Hi Kate,
Everyone's experience is so different, but I found compazine to be worthless and Ativan even moreso. (God, I hate that stuff-- I am in the rare minority who has the opposite reaction to it- it makes me anxious and unsettled). You might ask about either Kytril or Emend, which is a fairly new anti nausea drug. The Emend worked especially well for me and I only took half the recommended dose. I've recommended it to a few others and they have found it very helpful as well... I, too, felt pretty crappy for 48-72 hours, but found it lifted considerably after that. Hang in there...
-julie b
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Julie, thank you. I'm going to go right to the heavier duty stuff next time, no mousing around. I guess I just don't know how "good" I could hope to feel, even with meds. It was a full 72 hours before I didn't feel pretty icky, which was discouraging. I'm still not 100%, but much, much better. I think I'll also do it on Thursday rather than Friday, so at least when Monday rolls around I am more back to normal. That was a bummer yesterday; having to go to work and still not feeling right.
Kate
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Hi ladies, sorry I've not been too active, been a bit of a crazy time; hubby sprained his back and as he is hercules, usually, I've been very concerned....but no worries, he is ok and will be fine, he's on steroids and painkillers so is cozy in bed and sleeping!
Oh, this does feel like a dream to me now, doesn't it to you Rita? CMF seems so far away and it's only a year ago this July. Rest assured ladies in txtmnt (we should call you Ladies beating Cancer to a pulp
), this will be you too.I can't speak about the anti nausea drugs as I never took them? I turned out to be so sensitive to the decadron that I stayed up all night after every chemo, crashed the next day by noon and when I woke up I was fine. Well, sort of heartburn-ey and tired of course, but fine. I wish in hindsight, that I had tried to get the schedule to thursdays as well and have the weekend to recoup in, what a great idea! The only time I ever got vaguely nauseous, I was chatting to Carol, who said take them (I had both compazine and another one too) before it, but then it passed. Tip of the hat to Rita, those lemon candies were a boon. I also had a lot of luck with ginger tea, and even crystallized ginger. Heartburn was my worst problem, and the tons of hair shed at #4, of course. Prilosec helped with the heartburn and Nioxxin was wonderful!!!! A very good product is out there, Joan Rivers Beauty, which is a compact with a brush. It has tinted hair powder that works like that spray on hair in a can on TV. You can literally camoflage any and all thinning issues. That and tinted mousse got me thru. Now I have my head of frizzy red hair back again in all its dubious "glory". It took about 4 months after chemo to thicken up again.
Soon you new ladies will be the old ladies of CMF along with all the rest of us. It's a very select and special group of women, and I am honored to have membership. CMF is the best one out there, they use it because it has stood the test of time. It works. And it works long term. I am so glad to have been able to get it, "chemo lite" it really isn't, but you can't beat that chemo vacation! I went to a wedding, on a family vacation, moved my daughter into a dorm, and all on chemo vacation.
See you at that finish line gals!!! And our Carol!!!! Way to go Carol!!!!!!!!!!!
p.s.Julie, what tf is the avatar, girl? I am in favor of it naturally, but what is it?xoxo
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oops: ps to SAMIAM:
You look gorgeous, and NO MO CHEMO WAAAAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
congratulations!!!
also to anyone re: weight: mine FINALLY left me. Not all of it, but most of the 30 I packed on. It took some coaxing and lots of exercise, but it went away and my pants fit again. It is possible to have surgical menopause and arimidex and lose weight. It's just harder
. However, it has also redistributed itself mostly in my tummy now. Lose the ass, gain the belly. Hey ho.*** the dorm and H1N1: My GP said not to get the new shot. She feels it has not been tested nearly enough and won't get it herself. Think I'll be last in line for that one. My kid has a few thousand Purell buckets at school. It is scarey, but my GP assures me, not particularly dangerous. Hope so!
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I took compazine before the injections...but when I did feel nauseous afterwards, the compazine
suppositories worked for me and they did not have to go thru my stomach..
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Annie, you rock! I am on QVC.com right now ordering the Joan Rivers product because my hair is too thin for my taste at the scalp line (predates the CMF, but the CMF probably didn't help), and it drives me NUTS. Thank you so much for sharing this info. I am using Nioxin, but literally had no idea a scalp camoflauge product existed. THANK YOU!
And THANK YOU for reminding all of us that in not too long, this whole chemo, surgery and other BC nightmare will seem far away. Being in the midst of it, it is hard to believe, but it is so comforting to know that there will be a time when it just a memory.
Hugs!
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SIA:
You are welcome! I am the vainest thing, it's a huge fault of mine, and I went nuts trying to figure out how to make the hair look good.
This stuff is AMAZING. It also makes the hair look thicker too
.I think you look absolutely beautiful and so does your hair.
How are you liking those new girls?
xoxo
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