CMF Question
Comments
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cmz - Thanks so so so much for the encouraging words!!!!! I'm scheduled for Tues and today I'm starting to really think it's going to happen and I'm scared and depressed. I had seen a different oncologist who had prescribed TC and it got put off and put off, then I went for a second opinion and really really really felt great about going with her instead. She's helped me by spending a lot of time thinking about my case, getting the oncotype dx test, looking at all my tumor characteristics which have very high %ages of Er & Pr receptors, now with low oncotype score she says I'll do real well on the CMF. Even so I'm scared so your words are very helpful.
Happy 4th of July to all!
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My scans haven't been scheduled yet; I think my doctor is going to schedule them when I see him again on the 13th.
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Beanius: If you didn't find the Nioxin yet, you won't often find it in a drugstore, but you might find it a store that specializes in hair supplies. There is a chain called Belezza Salon, which is found in a lot of shopping malls and they usually carry the full range of Nioxin. You will also find it in some hair salons.
Just curious, what was your Oncotype score?
Hope everyone is enjoying the 4th. It's horrendously hot here and expected to be 90+ all week.
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mom2acat - I'm hoping all goes well with your scans, please keep us posted.
MaryNY - Thanks for the Nioxin info. I don't actually have my oncotype score yet, at this point my doctor just said it was low, so I find out Tuesday what exactly it was.
HAVE A SAFE AND WONDERFUL 4TH OF JULY!!!
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Mom2acat: wishing you good scans.
Beanius: The nioxin is available through Amazon. If you go to www.amazon.com and plug in the word "nioxin", you will find numerous sources for the shampoo and conditioner. That is how I bought mine.
Hope that everyone had a wonderful 4th.
Cyber hugs,
Mandy
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Thanks Mandy - I got Nioxin ordered - oh boy!!
Next question...How soon after I get infused will I start to feel lousy? Should I take zofran and compazine with me for the drive home? (It's a 3 hour drive) I'm just wondering if I'll have time to get home before anything weird happens and if not, how best to prepare...I have a whole bag full of stuff from Rite Aid to take with me if I need it...that chemo shopping list is really helpful! Thanks for any help and advice!!
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Beanius-I would take all your prescriptions with you and take notes. I was not thinking too clearly at my appointment and would certainly have doubted any instructions my Onc gave me. Having said that, my Onc gave me Kytril for nausea as a pre med at the time of my infusion. I take Zofran for the two days following chemo. It won't hurt for you to have everything in the car for your trip home. I would not skip the meds the day or two after chemo, even if you feel okay, they keep the nausea knocked down. You will probably feel pretty okay right after treatment (especially if you get a few steroids in the infusion). You might even sleep. Make sure you eat your prunes or prune juice tonight. I kid you not! I NEVER had a problem with constipation, but Zofran is notorious for holocaustic constipation. Hydrate a lot. It will be easier finding your veins. You are going to be FINE. You will be in my prayers!
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Beanius; I don't know if Zofran does this to everybody, but it makes me very sleepy; you might want to see if you can get someone to drive you. I only live a few minutes from where I get my treatments, but I still have someone drive me.
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Hi Beanius, Been thinking about you today. Hope everything went fine. I'm still doing pretty well; just a minor sore on my tongue. Sleeping & eating okay. You'll be okay too.
Best,
CMZ
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I had my Zometa today; the nurse asked how my sciatica was doing; I told her it's been about the same, but that I have also been having pain in my lower spine; (same area I had radiation on in Jan/Feb this year). It doesn't feel like a backache, where it's spread over a wide area, it feels like it's just my spine; over the weekend, it would hurt if I rubbed my hand over it, and even laying on my back in bed hurt. That concerned her, so she went and spoke to my doctor. He wants to do a bone scan now. It was too late in the day to schedule it, so they will do it tomorrow and call me with the day and time.
Normally, my bone scans are every 6 months, but I just had my last one in March.
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Beanius......I think you will be fine if you just take your first compazine when you get home from the treatment and then take it as directed.....whether you think you need it or not for three to four days. That seemed to ward off the nausea for me and for most of the others who did the same. It's just important not to let the nausea get a good head start.
Hugs to you.............
Rita
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DesignerMom, mom2acat, cmz, ritajean - thank you all so much. The infusion went very well, and I've felt fine, a little weird, but party stress related, no nausea so far and I keep my pills close at hand! Turns out my oncotype score was low, 6. So I'm getting the low dose. Your help and encouragement have been fantastic. Thanks so very much. mom2acat - so you are getting a bone scan tomorrow, I think they have the results pretty quickly. I am so hoping all is okay and that the pain is relieved. Please let us know how you do.
Hugs to you all and all best best wishes. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
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I don't know yet when the bone scan will be, what I meant was the doctor's office would call the hospital to get it scheduled. They couldnt' call yesterday, because that office in the hospital was closed by that time; they close at 4pm and it was almost 5pm when my doctor decided he wanted the bone scan done. It's almost 4:30pm and I haven't recieved a call yet.
I hope they call tomorrow morning; I need a couple of things from the store but I can't leave before they call and take a chance of missing the call, since I do not have an answering machine. I actually wanted to do my shopping today, but I've stayed home waiting for that call.
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mom2acat- Here is where you need to get in the driver's seat. Unfortunately, medical facilities are way too slow doing what they say they will. Don't inconvenience yourself and change your schedule. My goodness, you are going through enough without hanging around and wondering if they will call. I would callTHEM.. If they don't have your appointment, ask them when they will have it and when you should call back and confirm the time. Be sure to ask the person's name and take notes. That will actually let them know you mean business and maybe they will actually do what they should. Boy these things irritate me. I think everyone working with chemo patients should be required to trade places with us for just one day!
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My bone scan is scheduled for Monday.
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mom2acat- I'm glad you were able to get your scan scheduled. I pray you get good news.
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mom2acat.......I'll be thinking about you tomorrow and hoping beyond hope that the results will be good! Hugs to you!
Rita
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Hello Mom2acat: I hope all goes well for you tomorrow. I'll be thinking about you.
Hi Ritajean: It's always nice to see your smiling face.
Hope everyone else is doing okay.
Best,
cmz
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DesignerMom: "I think everyone working with chemo patients should be required to trade places with us for just one day!" Amen to that!!!!!!!! I couldn't agree more.
Hope everyone is doing well. I am more of a reader than a blogger, but I thought I would share my day.
I am officially half way through my treatments as of today. I have a sense of relief that I may actually get through this. I had a very rough week last week after my treatment. I ended up having to go in 4 days later for IV fluids and meds. I caught a stomach bug somehow, which very much surprised me as I am so cautious with hand washing and keeping the "cooties" under control
I was pretty wiped out for that whole week, but am feeling much better and very thankful for that. I have never appreciated feeling "good" as I do now, especially after last week. I can't wait until I'm finished with CMF to see how really feel again. I will think that I am super woman!Today, my best friend accompanied me to my treatment. After, to celebrate my half way mark, we had lunch and then went shopping. What a turn-around from last week! She said I wore her out
I hope everyone is getting through their treatments with minimal SE.
Take care Ladies
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Bone scan showed no changes, which is good, at least there are no new mets, and the ones there now have not grown larger.
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YEA! That's such good news! You're holding your own, mom2acat! Wonderful!
poohbear..........congrats on begin half-way done! You're on the down hill slide now! Yippee!!
Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying summer. It's hard to believe that it's half over, too!
Rita
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mom2acat- That's such great news. I'm so glad your scan showed no changes. Stay strong.
Does anyone have an opinion on whether it is better to polish or not polish nails? My skin and nails have become very dry and nails seem to have ridges. I've finished 2 rounds of CMF, four more to go. So far, it's definitely doable. The only real SE is terrible constipation for about a week post tx. I think it is due to the Kytril and Zofran, not the chemo. I might ask to try a different anti-nausea, though I hate to mess with things as things are pretty good.
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mom2acat: Good news! Thanks for letting us know. I've been thinking about you.
DesignerMom: Seems to me I've seen some posts saying it's good to use nail polish. I also bought some hair, skin & nails capsules at Whole Foods and I've been taking those. I'm a little behind you; number 2 is a week from tomorrow. After the first tx, I cycled through the full range of stomach problems all in one day but was okay the next day. I developed a sore on my tongue so I'm using the Biotene mouthwash & toothpaste and it went away. Glad things are going okay for you otherwise.
Hope everyone else is doing fine.
Best,
cmz
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mom2acat: Yeah!! I'm so happy that you got a good result from your scan.
DesignerMom: Are you taking anything for constipation? I had lots of problems in the beginning and it's still not perfect, but Miralax seems to work pretty well. I think a lot of ladies here are taking it or have in the past.
My skin is extremely dry, which is not normal for this time of year so I assume it's a se. I get cracks in my thumbs weekly from doing dishes and my job which involves a lot of paper pushing. My feet are also extremely dry now that I'm wearing sandles. My onc hasn't suggested anything in particular, but I use a lot of lotion and foot cream; and bandages and neosporin on my thumbs. It looks funny, but makes them feel so much better.
It's finally summer in Seattle! I hope everyone has a great week!
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Miralax works pretty well for me too, but if I really need something that works a little "faster", good old Milk of Magnesia does the trick.
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Thanks for all the constipation tricks. I have the feeling that the Kytril and two days of Zofran are just a real constipation double whammy. I have already tried Senokot, Colace, Miralax and even Milk of Mag. Luckily I work from home and can stay near a bathroom as I fear any, or all of these remedies kicking in suddenly! I have a friend who takes care of an elderly couple. They have both recently had surgery with anesthesia and it totally bound them up, then caused diarrhea. Their cardiologist son prescribed the following and my friend says they are now "right as rain". She takes those little apple sauce containers. She combines one container of apple sauce, one of prune juice, one of bran flakes in a blender. They eat this porridge every morning and it has cured the problem. I'm going to try it, a few days before and after chemo to see if it might help. Can't hurt!
I'm curious if any of you are on different anti-nausea meds and if they work well. I might ask to switch from Kytril and Zofran???
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DesignerMom: I was really bugged by constipation all the way through chemo too. I'm sorry I can't provide any foolproof remedies but just want to say that I can empathize with you. The nurses repeatedly told me that the best thing was prevention, but I never got it down to a fine art. If you are able to eat, try to bulk up with as much high-fiber food as you can and drink as much water as you can manage. If you find plain water hard to drink, try sparkling water or seltzer. I know prunes can really help, but during chemo, I just found those too sickly sweet to eat. Pears are very high in fiber too and I think there are plenty in the stores now. I used to cut a pear in half, scoop out the center and fill the well with cranberries/raisins, chopped walnuts, little sprinkle of brown sugar and dot of butter. Then I would microwave it for a minute or two. Makes a nice dessert.
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maryny- Thanks for all your tips. That pear thing sound deeeelicccc! You wouldn't believe how much healthy fiber I am eating, papayas, mangoes, whole grains. I keep wondering where on earth it is going if it is not going OUT! Goodness, I feel like an elephant in a zoo, just munching and munching. Like you, I have a feeling I might sort it out.....just in time to finish chemo!0
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Has anyone had a problem with leg cramps while on CMF? I have been having them about once a week or every two weeks, early in the morning, before I get out of bed. I've never really had them happen that often until I was about a month into the CMF. And if it's not the CMF causing them, I'm wondering if it's the Neulasta injection I get after each chemo.
DM; another source of fiber that works for me to "get things moving" is popcorn. I stick to the 100 calorie bags though so I don't eat too much. I find that that size bag is just enough for me.
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Hi everyone! I just wanted to introduce myself -- my name is Dianna (and, yes, I am an Engish teacher at a small college!). I start CMF on August 3 (via IV). It has been so useful to read everyone's comments. My hair is already thin naturally so I am nervous about hair loss. My oncologist told me that 85-90% of women do not lose their hair but comments on this thread (that go back a few years) seem to say that lots of women had trouble with thinning of hair -- if I go any thinner, I may indeed be bald!
Since I will be teaching again FT by mid-August, I am also nervous about fatigue and being tired. But I am pretty active to start with -- still planning on running my 16th marathon in Oct (I hope!).
Would any of you have any suggestions on what I might want to do before the start of CMF? Should I get something for being dizzy? Should I think about a wig? I would appreciate any help! Cheers, Dianna
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