CMF Question
Comments
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Mary, good luck tomorrow and I'm so happy for you that it's the LAST one. I can't wait until I can say that
! Congrats and you'll be in my prayers. 0 -
Mary: YIPPEEEEEEE!!! Last one for you!
Merilee: You give me hope that my SEs will be kind to me this time around, too. So happy you're feelin' good.
Chemo #2 of 8 tomorrow morning (Monday) for me. Here we go again...
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Hey CMFers - back from my post treatment trip to Hawaii - so fun. A wonderful, relaxing fun week that the family and myself really needed - 2009 really was tough!
Sounds like everyone is doing well.
js - I am thinking you have my oncologist? Am I right? I really love her. She is not exactly warm, but really explains every step and why in my particular case certain aspects are important. And, I have to say, she does warm up (or I got used to her!). I have read up on her, and she is very impressive. She loves CMF. I did the weekly infusion and daily cytoxan pill. It went fine.
As Carol said, CMF is a Seattle favorite!
Carol - so good to see you posting! Hope to see you soon!
Mary - congratulations! Tomorrow will be great - so wonderful to be done. Everyone in treatment, you will be done soon!
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Judy, I will be sending Positive light your way. Mary, You must celebrate!
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Judy and Mary, good luck today and Mary congrats again on the last one.
Merilee, happy that your se's are minimum and hoping they stay that way.
aprilgirl1, so happy to hear that you had a wonderful trip. Hawaii is so PRETTY and hope to go back again someday. You're right 2009 was tough but after May for me, it's going to be so much better. Glad your treatments are behind you and all is positive ahead,
Hope everyone else is doing well...........
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Back home from chemo and feeling pretty good....just FREEZING!! Brr...chemo was cold today, but that might have something to do with how cold I've been for days. It's pretty frigid here in NY.
Hey, anyone else experienced this SE right after your infusions are done....if I try to take a deep breath, I get a closeness in my chest and it forces me to cough. It's not comfortable, but not debilitating and only lasts about half an hour after treatment and then I'm back to normal. Just curious if anyone else felt that reaction.
Here's to hoping SEs stay mild the next several days for all of us!
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Judy: I've never had the SE you described. I do find that I cough occasionally for no particular reason.
I had my fnal chemo today—the enf of ACx4 and CMFx4. That was four long months. I'm so glad to be finished. Now on to radiation next.
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Mary: YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!!! You are done with chemo. I found rads to be a piece of cake after chemo and hope you do too!
Judy: I did not have the coughing side effect, but I would be shivering with "chattering" teeth right after the infusion....so maybe your feeling cold is similar to that.
Carol: so glad to see you back posting. Your advice was a gift to me when I went through chemo last year. I hope you have a great result and get back on your feet soon!
To everyone else in treatment, may you have no side effects and feel good every day!
Hugs
Mandy
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Thanks Ladies. I definitely felt the shivering after chemo today. I think the coughing is more a result of the shortness of breath I'm feeling. Might be something worth mentioning to my oncologist in followup next Monday. I wouldn't say I'm having trouble breathing per say, but I WAS curious if it was something anyone else felt. Starting to feel a bit droopy now that the evening is creeping in...
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Big ol whoooooohoooooo to Mary .... now let's just get those darn rads done and over with !!!!!!
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hi everyone
carol - yah, it does seem to be big here in the northwest! i think fred hutch was part of some study about it. and i've noticed that a lot of the oncologists at swedish have done residency's at sccc, so maybe that's it.
aprilgirl - sent you a pm. i'm actually seeing dr. rinn from swedish, and she's wasting no time in having me start. on wednesday actually, my first iv infusion of m&f and i'll get my script for daily cytoxin that day as well. a bit apprehensive about starting - i am about to commit to pumping more chems through my body than i ever have in my entire life. and it makes me sad that i have to put all of my travel plans on hold - lisbon, tokyo in april for the cherry blossoms, paris for a month this summer.
i know i can later...but i'm just sort of resentful that this evil little thing is taking time away from my life, you know? i'm also getting a bone scan and a full body ct this week. i had thought i should have had them, but when i had asked the previous onco he told me "not needed, don't worry about it". i thought that was sort of strange, current onco says they need to have a baseline to know if something develops later, so that they don't end up doing unnecessary procedures trying to figure out if it's old stuff or new.
and i have a consult with a surgeon for a port on thursday. this is not something i am looking forward to, and if there were ANY way i could get around it, i definitely would. has anyone done weekly i.v.'s without a port?
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Had my last CMF yesterday. Woke up lots of times last night with night sweats so slept in again this morning until 10PM. Good thing I'm unemployed at the moment as there's no way I could work 9-5.
When I eventually woke up, the nausea hit him me and I had to run for the sink to throw up. The celebratory fish and chips I had yesterday might not have been such a good idea!
I see the medical oncologist for the first time next week so not sure yet when I will start rads. Hope it's soon. I go back to the onc in three weeks for a follow-up visit and bloodwork and she plans to start me on Tamoxifen then. I was surprised at this as I though that wouldn't start until after radiation.
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Mary, sorry to hear that you're feeling rough and the night sweats are tough. I've been having them since the last two treatments and they have gradually gotten worse with each one.....not sure what this last one will bring. I also felt sick until yesterday and feeling more than ok today. It seems that with each treatment the se's have increased, not unbearable but still increased. Happy that chemo is behind you and hope you're feeling better.......
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Hi all: Had my 2nd out of 8 treatments yesterday. Did ok with it but this morning woke up vomiting and then diarrea...have been totally lethargic and in and out of bed all day. Am taking Reglan for anti-nausea--don't think it's working too well but no more vomiting thankfully.
In the meantime, I got my period between these two treatments and I thought my period would stop--but not sure how long that takes effect? Any input on this area would be helpful.
Seems that my hair is thinning a bit already as when I shower I look down and there's tons of strands at the bottom of my tub---how pretty.
I hope my SE's will lessen because right now I'm feeling truly "sick".
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AL1841: I am so sorry to hear you SEs are beating you up this time around. I had my 2nd of 8 treatments yesterday, too. I did fine yesterday, but this morning I woke up VERY tired and with nausea. The compazine only made me more tired, but fortunately I was able to pass my youngest over to my brother for a bit and take a nap. I've only had to take one dose of the compazine so far...P.S. We were diagnosed on the same day AL1841. My paperwork says 10/27/2009, because that was the day of my biopsy that confirmed it, but I wasn't told until 11/4. That date will be forever "tattooed" in my brain.
I'm curious about everyone's experience with their period, too. I expected to get mine over the weekend, but it's still a no-show. I was on the pill since the age of 17 (except for around pregnancies) and stopped the day I got my diagnosis in early November, but I still got my cycle on a regular schedule in December and January. Chemo started 1/11 and so far...no sign of my period. I'm okay with a reprieve from it, but not looking forward to what temporary menopause (or permanent) might mean with other SEs.
I'm not seeing any real hair loss at this point. I'm constantly "shedding" hair, but I'm not noticing anything more than normal. To those of you that are done or near done...how is your hair holding up?
Hope you start feeling better (and, at the very least, not worse) AL1841. Hope you're hanging in, too, Merilee! And Mary...so happy you're done, but sad that it has to end on a sour note with feeling bad, but you won't have to do this next month, so 3 CHEERS for that!!!
Hope everyone is doing well and hanging in!
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AL1841 and Judy1973, the period thing is a little strange for me too. I just finished #5 and am still having my periods, some a little late but still there. They would prefer them to stop and might suggest taking something to make that happen but my onc didn't push the issue.
As for the hair issue, I do loose strands every time I shampoo and it makes me nervous. My worst so far, was after #4 and I got really scared but it stopped being so much again on #5 so I'm praying the next one won't be so bad either. I can tell that it's thinner but my husband keeps telling me that it's really not noticeable to anyone but ME. I hope both of your thinning will be minimal ......
AL1841, sorry that you were so sick. I haven't heard of the anti-nausea med that you're on but both zofran and emend are great so maybe they can switch your med's to something else if yours is not working very well but I can only imagine how bad you feel if you've actually been throwing up. Hope you're doing better......
Merilee, hope you're still doing great!
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Thanks to everyone for their support over the last several months and good luck to everyone that is on CMF.........
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had my very first ct ever today - oh my god those shakes they make you drink are super disgusting! ugh, here's hoping to never having to do that again.
met with my natureopath onco today to, and i asked about the big soy debate. she says in her opinion, soy isoflavons and soy added to things or soy milk, no. but eating soy in it's natural state of tofu or edemame, totally okay in her mind. she said you have to look at the new japanese study in the way that the japanese eat soy - and that is not as powders or additives or supplements. good or bad, true or not, i'm actually happy about getting the go ahead. i love adding edemame to soups for added protein & i used to eat tofu twice a week. she said go ahead, just keep it under 15 grams a serving, 2 to 3 times a week. i have to give up almost all of my supplements though, i'm only allowed a multi vitamin, calcium + magnesium, vitamin d3 and omega 3 - which she told me to take 3 times a day. apparently it isn't just for your heart, but it helps in preventing hair thinning. love that!
so tomorrow is my first mf treatment, and i'll pick up my cytoxen script to start. i'm kind of blocking it out of my mind. i'm not sure i'm ready for all of this.
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Good morning Ladies
Just checking in here. I am feeling pretty good. Just a slight headache that is manageable with Naproxen. Sorry to here some of you are not feeling well, dang it. JS I also take omega 3 2x a day and D3 as well. I also take milk thistle that is supposed to help protect my liver. In addition I take tumeric, b12 and Ginko. All got the thumbs up from the nurse at the center that is treating me.
I think the ginko and b12 are really helping but I Will never really know if it is that or I am just Lucky and feel good. I did have dry eyes this morning but visine quickly fixed that. I am careful what I eat, nothing greasy or spicy right now and maybe that is helping as well. I also drink liquids all day long.Orange Juice, some tea, cranberry juice, mint water, etc... just keep sippin...the thought of the chemo setting in my bladder keeps me drinking. I also work out for 10-15 minutes in the morning and they say that helps with fatigue as well. Last night I spoiled my self with some $14 organic hand cream, some patchulli oil and some nag champa incents.
I will get myself some fresh flowers this week too. I thought about what I would do for a friend or daughter if she were going through chemo and then decided to do all those nice things for myself as part of my mental wellness. I think it works for me and spoiling myself has been so much fun so far that I may just continue after treatment LOL
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JS: good luck today. It will be good to get the first treatment over, then you will know what to expect with the others.
Merilee: I'm glad to hear you are feeling well. You seem to have a very good attitude. I love the idea of spoiling yourself with flowers, hand cream, etc. I spoil myself too, but my vehicle is ice-cream. Certainly not as therapeutic as what you do. I have to try and quell my ice-cream urge. It was one of the few foods I could tolerate while on AC and I lost a few pounds, but now on CMF, the pounds piled on again esp. the last three weeks. I had an insatiable appetite for all carbs.
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I have a 1/2 gallon of orgainc vanilla in my freezer
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Did I mention that I bought a $7.50 orgainc lip gloss?
I encourage all of you to spoil yourselves right now. YOU SO DESERVE IT!
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I LOVE your idea of spoiling yourself, Merilee! If I had the money, I'd do that in a second. In a way, I am...taking more time for myself, resting more...all things I normally neglect to do. Today isn't a great day. Had a rough time sleeping last night and when I finally fell asleep, the school called with a 2-hr delay (the phone call is a new thing...parents can sign up for emails, but wasn't expecting the phone call at 5:30 a.m. at all). That woke the house up earlier than excepted. I'm just exhausted today, my throat is sore, and my mouth is dry. I'm drinking water and milk and popping throat lozenges to make things better. Doesn't help that we have forced air. I was almost thinking I might have an actual cold with chills and all that, but I really have no other symptoms (besides the chill, exhaustion, and sore throat) and no fever, so that's good. I'll be happy if this is my bad day this week and I'm back to normal tomorrow. I had my appt. earlier on Monday this time around, so maybe that will move the bad SE day up a bit. Last week, Thursday morning was the worst. Still...I know it could be worse and I'm lucky, because my brother and sister-in-law live right next door and have taken my 3-year-old 2 days for a few hours to play with their little girl. The quiet and rest has been amazing! Again, something else I don't get much of around here.
JS37: Hope you're first treatment went well! Hang in there!
AL1841: Hope you got some relief today from your SEs.
Keep on keepin' on everybody! Fight like only girls can do!!
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So, I landed in the urgent care/ER clinic last night with a fever and flushing/rash on my face, upper arms, upper back. Spent several hours---they believe I either had walked into my 2nd chemo with some sort of virus already or I had an allergic reaction to the chemo. They aren't quite sure. What fun. Today spent all day in bed but I have been eating and drinking. Starting to feel better this evening. We aren't sure if they'll keep me on CMF. My 3rd session is on Feb 22nd.
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YIKES AL1841!!!! Now that's a reaction no one wants to get! I'm happy to hear you're feeling better, but that's scary. I wonder why you'd have that reaction to your 2nd treatment and not the first...maybe it was a virus you started out with. I wonder how they'll determine what to do for you next time...to proceed with CMF or not. Hope you continue to feel better and GET REST!
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Al, What a bummer you poor thing. I wish I could give you a big hug. As if this isn't hard enough allready UG!
Sounds like the worst might be over though. I am sending positive light in your direction.
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well, my first mf treatment seemed to go okay. vein was easy to get, and i didn't feel bad. last night i felt like you do right before you know you are about to get the flu. kind of off but only a little bit yucky. today i feel sort of the same, but less than last night. strange thing though, about an hour after i took my cytoxen pill this morning, i felt *super* jittery, as if i'd drank a pot of coffee or something. lasted for a couple of hours, and still feel kind of zippy, but not as bad as it was. and i'm not having any steroids with my treatment, so that's not it. i can't imagine feeling tired or lethargic if the cytoxen makes me feel like this every day.
i also had a consult with a surgeon today about a port. i don't think i'm going to do it, unless for some reason my veins get to the point where it's a must. he kept saying how it would be easier for the nurses, and for me of course. i've noticed, everyone mentions how easy it is for the nurses first - well personally, i don't care if the nurses like the port better. the device he showed me was quite large, and i'm just not down with the idea of something being sewn into my chest muscle wall and a line being threaded down my jugular. just not feeling it. ;p
so my plan is to stay super hydrated (i drink 64oz of water standard every day anyway, and have added another 24oz on top of that, but i'm used to it, i'm always sipping water because i don't drink soda & i hate teas & juices are too sweet for me) especially on treatment day, make sure that i keep drinking lots of water during the iv session, and do a little dance & chant to the universe for cooperative veins. i'm hopeful. the cancer care alliance doesn't use ports for this very same regime, and i just can't imagine doing that to myself unless it's absolutely necessary. the whole thing took less than 45 minutes yesterday, the longest part was the 30 minutes of them dripping in the saline with the zofran, the m&f took less than 5 minutes to push thru the actual iv and didn't bother me at all.
i hope everyone else is doing well and feeling better!
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Js
Glad to hear you are feeling good. Keep drinking that water.
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As for me I am feeling really good. It seems like ( and I hope I don't jinx myself) that the second treatment was easier on me than the first...strange
8 days after treatment #2, massage tonight at 5 and fresh flowers for the weekend. Only working half a day today Yippy!
I have become addicted to Metro Mint (Cherry flavor) water. It only costs $1.39 what a find
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Looks like a few of you are off and running ..... believe me when I say the light at the end of the tunnel will be shining brighter and brighter all the time.
AL1841 , sorry to read that you had a heck of a time with a reaction. Maybe throw out a discussion question on another post and see if you come across anyone else whom may have experienced something similar.
For those on the east coast .... stay safe and warm .... looks like some doozy weather is hitting your neck of the woods.
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