CMF Question
Comments
-
Hi everybody. I haven't been here for a while, and hope that you all had a great Christmas.
Mary, sorry to hear you're having such a miserable time. Like Julie says, that's probably because of the lingering effects of the AC. My experience with the CMF was worse after the first treatment than after any of the following. Just give your body time to recover and take it easy.
I am going to start radiation next Moday, the first Monday of 2010. In the meantime I have issues with the eyes: had cataract surgery 10 days ago and my vision did not improve, as it should have. My eye surgeon said the surgery itself healed beautifully, and since he couldn't figure out what's wrong he is sending me to a retina specialist. So more and more doctors' visits. I hope I'll have time left to go to work...
Happy New Year, and may we all be blessed with good health in every respect. Ellisheva.
0 -
Mary....Julle Chicago has given you good advice. I also used the Thera Tears a few times during my treatments. You are really getting hit hard. I just can't imagine doing CMF after 4 AC treatments. No wonder you have that "blah" feeling. Try to take one day at time. I always found that I could do something for one day but if I looked ahead and tried to imagine doing it for a longer period of time, it troubled me too much.
Hugs to you...Hang in there.
Rita
0 -
Julie: I will ask both about lowering the dosage of Cytoxan and running it more slowly. I will use eyedrops more often too. Since I'm having this dose dense (two weeks between treatments), I won't really have the luxury of one good week but I'm hoping at least for a few days.
I called the triage nurse this morning and told her about my high temp, nosebleeds and continuing yuckiness. She told me to come in and be evaluated. They checked my vitals and took urine and blood sample. They took blood samples both from the port and from my arm. Blood from both will be sent off for cultures to see if there is any infection. They also did a CBC. My white cell count was 1.4 K/mcL. The doctor covering for my onc said if it was below 1.0, they would want to admit me to hospital. Not sure what they could do for me there. Also below normal were my platelet count 114 K/mcL [Normal 160-400], haemoglobin 8.7 g/dl [Normal 11.5-16], haematocrit 24.8% [34-46%].
My temp has returned to normal now, so I think I probably don't have an infection. The onc said that the spike in temp is common as the Neulasta kicks in.
0 -
Mary...so glad the temp is down. Hopefully the Neulasta will bring up those counts and then you'll feel so much better. I can't imagine doing the dose dense regiment. You are one tough warrior. At least with the dose dense you will be through much faster. Thinking about you and hoping that you have a comfortable day!
Rita
0 -
Mary, so sorry that you're having such a hard time. The ladies have given you such great advice and I haven't had any problems like this except my eyes feel weird all the time with itching and watering but I hate that you're having so many issues. I'm keeping you in my prayers. Keep us updated and know that everyone here cares and is there for you
! Prayers, Teresa
0 -
Hope everyone is doing well with their treatments...
just checking in, and want to wish everyone a very HAPPY & HEALTHY New Year!!
Oh, and Rita, I STILL haven't started the cleaning... I went to lunch with a friend, and went for a run, and now, here I sit... Better get started....
We are going back to Maryland on Jan 1, to meet with some old friends, and we'll stay for a couple of days. I don't want to go... Now I gotta clean the house, cause my Mother In Law is coming over to watch our cats while we are away...
Harley
0 -
Happy New Year to all the CMF gals on this thread. May 2010 bring you happiness, love, and health!
Harley.............the cleaning always waits for you. In the scheme of things, it's not what's really important. How my opinions have changed over the past few years! LOL
If you're getting out and about tonight, be safe!
Rita
0 -
Thanks, Rita!! I have finished the cleaning, and packed a few things to take with me... In a few minutes, I have to start getting ready. Hubby and I are going out to dinner tonight, to our favorite restaurant, to celebrate New Years Eve, and .... our 24th Wedding Anniversary! It isn't til Jan 4th, but our restaurant closes for the month of January, so we have to try to celebrate tonight.
Wish everyone much Happiness, Great Health, and Lots of Love in 2010!!!!
Hugs
Harley
0 -
Just returned from the Christmas trip to San Francisco. It was so wonderful for the family to be together. And with the new year approaching, I just want to wish you gals a year of health, happiness, and serenity.
Many hugs
Mandy
0 -
Mandy,
Happy, Healthy, and peaceful New Year to you, too!! Glad to see you got back home safely...
Harley
0 -
Mandy, I'm so glad that your trip went well and that you've arrived home safely! The holidays are all about family.
May all of you CMF ladies have a wonderful New Year. For many of you, the treatments will be ending and you wil be looking ahead to new routine!
0 -
Thanks Harley and Ritajean. The holidays were wonderful for me but then the high-light was being together with my family. Yesterday was another special one---my 28th wedding anniversary!
I hope all of the gals in treatment right now are doing well and send them a specail hug for the new year.
Mandy.
0 -
Mandy,
Happy 28th Anniversary!! My wedding anniversary is tomorrow... 24th!!! Congratulations!!
Hugs
Harley
0 -
Well congratulations to both of you........Mandy and Harley....on your wedding anniversaries!
We need an update from you gals in treatment. How you doing?
Rita
0 -
Hello ladies....hope everyone had a Happy New Year and I know we'll all be looking forward to a healthy 2010. Happy anniversary to both Harley and Mandy.....that's wonderful.
My #4 will be on the 6th and I'm ready to put it behind me. I have felt really good over the holidays (except for the blood pressure thing and some pains in my legs, don't understand that at all but overall.......really good). Hoping that blood pressure will stay under control for this one
! We had such a wonderful time in NC over the holidays and it was hard to leave family and come back but I knew that I had to get back to finish treatments so the 2nd half of 2010 will be GREAT! I don't think I'll be completely finished until last week in May (boy that seems like a long way away but hopefully it will pass fast.....just taking one day at a time).
Please say a prayer on Wednesday for me.........I always get so nervous and don't really know why since I now know what's going to happen. How is everyone else doing that's on CMF now? Mary, I hope you're doing better......I remember reading that you was having a hard time.
0 -
I have my next treatment tomorrow. This will be #6 overall, but just #2 of CMF. After what happened last time, I'm really not looking forward to this one. After the last one, I finally only started to feel normal on Wednesday (Day 10), so I've only had five good days. I seem to have fewer good days with each successive treatment.
I'm going to ask onc tomorrow if she can reduce the dosage of the Cytoxan portion of the CMF. Also the nurse said they'd probably try Kytril as the anti-emetic this time as the Zofran didn't seem to work.
Cabmon, how many total treatments will you be having? I'll be thinking of you on Wednesday.
0 -
Mary...I had the cytoxan in pill form and M and F, in IV push...have you asked about that regimen?
Oh also when they did the IV push, I had them slow down the push and that helped me...
0 -
Hi fellow CMF girls! I haven't posted on this board much although I did post a number of times on the ACS boards where nobody had ever heard of CMF. Go figure! Anyway, since I'm done with my chemo, I thought I'd go through a review of how I tolerated it in case it might be helpful to anyone who may read it.
I had heard that CMF is "Chemo Lite" but I didn't think so. Then, my darling oncologist (who is one of the sweetest doctors ever) mentioned that the Lite part means that you probably won't be hospitalized with neutropenia or the like but doesn't mean it's a walk in the park. Well, it certainly was no walk in the park but I got through it and am glad I did it because if I get a recurrence, at least I'll know I used every tool available to me to avoid it and will not feel guilty. Ah, breast cancer does suck but everybody gets something horrible some time in their lives so I'm hoping I got my horror over!
I had 8 dose dense (every 2 weeks) CMF treatments. I was given 12 mg of Zofran and 2 benadryl before every treatment. First, I was given M and F via push and then had Cytoxan in a drip that lasted between 30 and 45 minutes. I always had sucking candies with me at chemo and made sure to have one in my mouth during the infusions (after the first tx) because it got rid of the metallic taste I would get during the tx. I also used to drink A TON of water the day before chemo and during the first 4 days of every cycle. Just a good idea in general to try to flush out the toxins and also, CMF can irritate the bladder so if you drink lots of water, the toxins don't hang around in the bladder for too long because you're constantly peeing. Yes, that is a pain in the butt, but I never had any bladder problems so....it worked.
During my first treatment, I wasn't worried since I thought it would be a walk in the park. I got a metallic taste but a friend came to the rescue with sucking candies. Right after the first treatment was over, I didn't have any nausea and felt fine although had a slight buzz (as though I'd had a couple of drinks or smoked some pot). I felt so fine that my friend and I went out to dinner. It was amazing. I was thrilled. The next day, I also felt fine and had lunch at the Shake Shack, a delicious burger joint in my neighborhood. I bragged to a friend that I had just had chemo the day before and felt so well I was hanging at the Shake Shack. Ha. I gave myself a Neulasta shot (which was creepy just because giving myself and injection was kinda spooky). Luckily, I had no reaction from the Neulasta.
The next day (day 3), I had to take my dad to the hospital for a procedure. (He's very ill and I'm his primary caregiver.) Well, I felt REALLY nauseous but there was nothing I could do. I threw up a few times (once in the garbage can of the admin. assts....they were not amused but I had no choice). It was an awful day and as soon as I got home, I called my onc. for some antinausea meds. She sent me compazine. It didn't work for me. I called my onc. the next day (day 4) and told her the compazine was useless so she gave me a prescrip. for zofran (ondansetron) in a pill form that melts immediately on your tongue so if you happen to be throwing up, it will get into your system anyway. It worked in that I didn't puke any more but I still had slight nausea but by day 5, the nausea was gone. Then, for a few days, I didn't feel good but I didn't feel so bad. Just regular crumminess.
For my second tx, my onc continued the zofran and also gave me decadron (gradually weaning doses) for the first 4 days of the remainder of my treatments. This took care of the vomiting (didn't vomit for the rest of my chemo treatments) and almost completely took care of the nausea. Every once in a while I'd be nauseous. (I guess just for old times sake!)
I'll now go through my SEs in general.
1. I had nasty sore throats for the second week of treatment. My onc explained that this was due to the sloughing off of throat cells (since those cells are fast growning they, too, are killed by chemo). It was pretty painful but my onc. gave me some painkiller which worked fine. (I couldn't take ibuprofen or other NSAIDs because I had stomach issues.)
2. I had lots of small mouth sores throughout treatment but they didn't bother me too much. A nice nurse told me that if I would rinse my mouth with water every time I ate anything, it would reduce the amount of bacteria in my mouth since food wasn't hanging around attracting them and it would help to reduce the severity of mouthsores. She was right! So, even though the sores were present, they weren't too much trouble. And, they sound so romantic!
3. I had diarrhea throughout the entire time. Happy happy joy joy! I thought I might lose weight but that was not the case. Darn! The steroids I took made my appetite insatiable and I decided to coddle myself with every food I like and could tolerate. I ate like there was no tomorrow (although no more shake shack....greasy food didn't sit right with me anymore). I gained 25 pounds during the course of treatment. Oh well....I'm working out a lot now so the weight will come off when it's ready.
4. I had terrible heartburn/burping throughout my treatments. My onc. had me try high doses of prevacid and when that didn't work, we tried prilosec but neither drug worked. This was one of my most annoying SEs. Sheesh. I've never really had heartburn before so I didn't know what was happening but eeeeewwwwwwwww!
5. CMF put me in menopause and I ceased to get periods but what I lacked in bleeding, I made up for with hot flashes. Boy oh boy, they are sucky! Luckily, I was usually in places where I could go somewhere and take off my shirt....that helps a lot. Also, once chemo was over and I regained some energy I joined a gym and started working out regularly. If I do, I may get only a couple of flashes a day compared to over 100. Hallelujah...I'm a believer. Also, my onc. put me on effexor and that helps with the flashes (and is effective for depression, too, and let's face it....cancer and chemo are pretty damn depressing!).
6. One of the weirdest side effects I had was hard cuticles. This helped to make me feel like a space alien.
7. I lost some hair but it was not noticeable to anyone but me. I did lose most of my eyelashes for some reason (see space alien reference above).
I came to dread going to chemo for the last couple of treatments but I'm not a quitter, even though I longed to stop treatments. I just figured I could get through it and, VOILA, I did. I was really exhausted for the last couple of treatments and for about 6 weeks after I finished the regimen but luckily, I had the time to sleep a lot and that was good. I think the heartburn lasted the longest of all my symptoms but I finally gave up on the antacids and tried Florastor (a probiotic). It worked like magic! I didn't have heartburn much after that although I still continue to burp just for effect and because it is such an attractive habit!
I always went to chemo with a friend or two and that was very helpful. Luckily, I am blessed with wonderful friends who took care of me during/after surgeries and chemo. They're the best medicine there is!
By now (I had my last tx on 9/16) I feel fine (although my onc says I think I'm fine but I'll be feeling better and better) so that works for me!!! Looking back I guess it wasn't very fun but as everyone says, it IS doable and life is so worth living that I'll do anything to keep on living here on the beautiful and wacky planet earth.
I know this is a long post, but if you've read it up to this point, I hope it shed some light or helped someone in even a small way. Stay strong CMFers! You can do it. Have a snack, have some ginger ale, watch TV....just hang in there.
I wish you all a very happy and healthy new year. Be proud of yourself. You're tough!
-Deb
0 -
Lisa: What I got the last time was M and F in IV push and the Cytoxan by drip. The latter was done over 45 minutes. I'll ask them to slow it to an hour this time as I could definitely sense that nasty stuffy sinusy feeling about half way through.
Thanks Deb for the blow-by-blow account. That was helpful. What was your diagnosis? Did you have rads after chemo?
0 -
Hey Mary:
I was diagnosed on 3/19/09 with IDC Stage 1, Grade 2. ER+.Pr+, Her2-. 0/2 nodes. Oncotype DX score 17. Had BMX on 4/22/09. When I was first diagnosed at the radiologist's office, the results came back with a mixed invasive cancer consisting of ductal and tubulolobular. After pathology report came back after surgery, they discovered it was just IDC. All the women in my family have or died of BC. (my mom and grandma died at 57 yrs.) but we don't carry the BRCA mutations so there is obviously a genetic link, just one that hasn't been discovered yet.
Even though my oncotype score is low recurrence, it is the highest number of the low group. My breast surgeon and oncologist all decided that doing CMF would be a good idea. I had no rads since my surgeon said I would only need rads if I had 4 or more nodes positive. I'll be starting tamoxifen on Tuesday.
My doctors recommended I get prophylactic mastectomies for years but I refused, saying I'll get mastectomies if and when I get breast cancer. So....a deal's a deal.
I wish you well with the CMF. Please don't hesitate to ask anything and I'll help out if I can.
0 -
My first treatment will be Thursday
0 -
Merilee: Keep us posted and don't hesitate to contact me if I might be able to answer any questions for you.
0 -
Will do thank you
0 -
Good luck Merrilee on Thursday.......I will be getting #4 on Wednesday! How many treatments do you have to have and how are they spaced out? Sorry if I missed your post on this already!
0 -
I had my second treatment of CMF today. This time they gave me Kytril instead of Zofran as the anti-emetic. The Kytril was given as a drip. I was also given Decadron orally. I asked them to run the Cytoxan slower, so they ran it over an hour. While it was running, I chewed on hard sweets and ice chips both to distract me and to lessen any taste in my mouth. It's only been a couple of hours since I finished but so far I have no nausea like the last time.
0 -
Hi Mary. Well done! Congrats on being done with the second treatment. I have a feeling you've seen the last of nausea. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Deb
0 -
Whoo Hooo Mary ..... thankfully it looks like your a fast learner. tI seemed to me that I finally got the hang of what worked best by my 6 months when I was ready to say Adios to chemo once and for all !!!!
Good luck ladies with your treatments this week. You can do this ... and before you know it you'll be looking back at this time in your life !!!!!
0 -
Thanks Deb. Hope you're right about the nausea. Nurse mentioned two or three times that the Kytril is very constipating, so I suppose I should hit the prune juice for the evening.
0 -
Cabmom
I will do 6 treatments spaced 3 weeks apart
0 -
Yeah MaryNY.....so happy that you've completed #2 and that you're doing better this time. Hopefully the yucky feeling is behind you and I had the constipation as well and used Sensaka (I think that's the way you spell it) and it worked great! Hope you continue to feel okay....keep us posted
! Merilee, I'm doing the same........we'll make it
! 0
