CMF Question
Comments
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Awww, Rita, you're sweet for asking! I'm feeling good so far after my first treatment. Just a touch of tummy trouble here and there. Sometimes I have trouble sleeping-going to sleep and staying asleep. Not sure what that is about. I just don't feel tired, which is weird.0 -
Hi Macy! It sounds as if things are going pretty well. That edgy feeling might be from one of the anti nausea meds--did you get dexamethasone or anything with cortisone in it? I used to have to taper off from mine..by that I mean if the dose was 3 pills a day, I'd go down to 2 pills, then 1 pill, etc. Otherwise I found that I was edgy. Give your onc a call because he/she may have an idea of how to help it. My tummy was a little odd for most of my chemo--for some reason creamy foods such as mac and cheese helped me as did drinking strong ginger ale (though for others it is different). You will figure out what works for you.
Aw Cherish, sorry you have a strong reaction to the last chemo. But the good news is that is it the last chemo and these side effects will wear off! I think it is quite normal to feel a little depressed when chemo ends --until now you have had a focus and all of your energy went towards it. I had a bronchitis from my last chemo which took over a month to get rid of---you never know what the last reaction will be. But tell your onc about the sinus problem because there probably is something they can do for you. But the good news is that you are finished.
Sending hugs to everyone.
Mandy0 -
thanks, Mandy! I haven't taken any anti-nausea pills in nearly a week. Food still tastes all good to me, for which I am grateful. I just eat small amounts more frequently!
Not sure where the edginess is coming from. I had a follow-up appt with my onc yesterday and my blood pressure was high. My onc wasn't concerned but I've always had great blood pressure readings. So, who knows.0 -
Cherish, your depression is well-warranted and so real at this time in your journey. For months you have been actively doing something to kill this demon and now, all of a sudden, you're not doing it anymore and it's like somebody has stolen your security blanket. Believe it or not, I cried when I left the chemo room for the last time....not because I loved doing chemo and wanted to continue, but because I felt so alone with the results. Five years later I had those same feelings when the onc took me off Arimidex. It just takes some time to come to grips with all the emotions that you've gone through in the past months. You will get there.......Come and vent when you need to and please keep coming back and reporting in or this ol' lady will hunt you up! Hugs, honey!0 -
I'm just bumping up our thread so others can find us. It seems like this is a very busy time of year. Hugs to all of you on this gloomy Illinois day. I need that sunshine to lift my spirits! :-)0 -
Wishing everyone a great weekend!!0 -
Hey Ritajean!
Hope everyone is doing well! I will go for chemo round #2 on Wednesday. Wish me luck! The first go-around wasn't too bad and I'm hoping that will continue.0 -
Hi Macy! I'm sending good vibes your way for an uneventful chemo on Wednesday. At least this time you know what to expect and it probably won't seem so scary to you. If you did good after your first chemo, you'll probably do just fine after this one, too. You get 'em, girl! Let us know how it goes! Hugs!0 -
Macy I'm also sending you good wishes!! Good luck!0 -
I am starting CMF ( all IV) on Friday - most of my docs say that I wont lose enough hair to even notice- but I notice that most people on here say they lose about 60 percent of it. Also will I lose my eyelasjhes and eyebrows as well.
It is so hard to hear the docs say that even though I will lose hair it will be minimal - did anyone on CMTF taken by IV not lose any hair?
thanks much,
jana0 -
Janamarlowe,
My hair thinned only to my knowledge. No one else was aware of it. Initially when I combed or brushed my hair there was tons of strands coming out and I just knew I would lose all of my hair, but honestly the length of it grew. There was no real visible thinning. That's so shocking because I was on pins and needles nervous it would all come out or become so thin I'd need to wear a wig. And about the 2-3rd treatment the strands were shedding. Even on my white coat.. If I'd have to give a percentage I'd say I lost about 20-30%
Macy good luck this morning. Hope all goes well!!!!
Ann0 -
Jana,
I had very minimal hair loss. I even colored my hair during chemo. Everyone is different but I think that the majority don't have major hair issues while on CMF. There will be some shedding.....at which point we all have panicked....but probably you will be the only one who notices. Hugs!0 -
Thank you for all the well wishes. Chemo #2 went well. I've had a few more side effects this time around. But I'm hanging in there. Had the neulasta shot yesterday since my counts were so low. I wasn't expecting that!0 -
Macy,
That shot was worse than the chemo to me. I had the worse back and thigh muscle pains. I read on this board taking Claritin helped. I'm not sure if it really worked that well on me. My doctor ended up only giving me 1/2 of the dosage so I'm not sure if it was the claritin or the fact that the shot prescription was reduced.
2 down!!!0 -
I had the neulasta shots, too and worried about all the terrible side effects and never had a single one! Count me lucky. We all are different, aren't we?
Glad you have 2 down now, Macy!0 -
yes! 2 down! Thank you to all you sweet ladies for your words of encouragement.
I feel a bit better today. I've had virtually no nausea-as long as I have something in my tummy-no mouth sores. The neulasta shot did give me annoying bone pain. Tylenol helped me though.
The biggest complaint I have and it isn't a complaint because it doesn't make me feel bad: dizziness. Has anyone else experienced this?0 -
I have not been on this thread in a very long time, but wanted to celebrate five years cancer free with some of the people that helped me get through that part of my life. And to let everyone that is going through treatment now that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I hope all are doing well. Stay strong!!0 -
YEA Colleen! Congrats on the 5 years! I am so glad you came back and let us help you celebrate! You are so right....there is light at the end of the tunnel. Stop in more often and keep us updated, gal! Hugs to you as you celebrate a bc milestone!0 -
Thank you for checking in with us and congrats Colleen on your 5 years!!
I love hearing wonderful news. It helps me stay focus and move forward. Sometimes I feel inundated with doom and gloom so this is much welcomed
Ann0 -
yeh colleen. Congrats on your milestone
Thanks for sharing!
Macy, sorry to hear you are having dizziness. I know with CMF I was told to drink PLENTY of water. Which I am sure you are doing already.
Hope it has gone away for you.0 -
Colleen! So glad to hear that you are doing well! You were one of the 2008 gals with me....all good wishes to you and your family.
Hugs, Mandy0 -
Congrats to you, too Mandy on 5 years! YEA!!!! Another success story for a wonderful gal! Thanks also for staying around the thread and offering helpful advice to those who are just getting started on their journeys! Love ya....0 -
Congrats Mandy & Colleen! Macy, my hair thinned but believe me no one could tell (but i have a huge head of hair) Like traii says, drink a lot of water. I didn't have dizziness. But i would tell your onc to be safe. Good luck we are here for you!0 -
Congrats, Colleen! I always love to hear these stories. I hope it will be me one day too. My dizziness has gone away and I feel really good. I have increased my water intake a lot--I don't think I was drinking enough before. My onc is concerned but agreed to my wait and see approach (he wanted to run more tests).I was reading that dizziness was a less common side effect but a side effect none the less of the methotrexate. I hate that stuff! Hair is hanging in there good. I've had more than the usual amount of loose hairs but It still looks/feels good. Thanks ladies!0 -
Thanks Ritajean and Robin. At the time, five years seemed like an eternity but here it is well past.... I try to stop in to let the newcomers know that there is life after chemo and to share my advice. Since I had most of the side effects, I have more advice than many. :-)
Macy: Glad that you are over your dizziness. I had dizziness while I was on CMF. There were times when the room would literally seem to spin. Basically all I could do was rest when I had those instances. I also was very careful and did not drive at all if even slightly dizzy (but I live right downtown in a city so driving is easy to give up). I have lost track--how many more tx do you have to go?
I was away on a wonderful trip to Italy and Norway with a quick stop in London to see friends. I returned Friday evening, and I blinked twice and the holidays are sneaking up...I can't believe it!!!!
Hugs to all.
Mandy0 -
Macy, hang in there! It sounds like you're doing pretty good. Maybe you will be able to work through the dizziness and get through that. I didn't have any dizziness so I can't offer you suggestions. Glad your hair is doing well, too! Hugs to you. Keep in touch and keep us updated. You go, gal!0 -
Mandy, I'm so jealous of your recent trip! That sounds so fun. After I am through with all of this, a special trip is in the plans. No more putting things like that off...I'll figure out how to come up with the money!
Thanks for sharing your experience with the dizziness. I'm glad to know I'm not alone. It's gone now and I'm feeling really good overall. My SEs have been pretty minimal. I mean, they're there at times but they aren't something to complain about. Next week will be tx #3 for me. I still have to find out if I'm doing 6 or 8 tx's. One MO said 8 but my more local MO said 6. I want 8 because I want to kick this thing to the curb.
Thanks, Rita, for the good thoughts!0 -
Macy, I took a wonderful trip after I finished CMF--it gave me something to really look forward to during my treatment. A favorite cousin from England was having a big party for his 95th birthday. My grandmother was from England and there were alot of relatives who were going to be there. So I focused on that trip all through my chemo and did make it over there for 2 weeks. The result was that I am now in contact with many more of my English cousins--and I had a wonderful time too. I finished chemo in mid-May and traveled in mid-July.
About the 6 tx or the 8 tx. In the UK, they routinely do only 6 tx of CMF. I asked my onc about it when I had CMF, and she said that there had not been sufficient studies with only 6 tx so she was more comfortable with 8--but that was 5 years ago so things may have changed since then....I ended up with 8 tx but you might ask our onc what studies are out there now and why they are suggesting 6 (from one) and 8 (from the other). :-)
Sending hugs to all!!!
Mandy0 -
I'm hoping to take a trip with my husband, my sister and brother-in-law in 2015. I will be dealing with treatment and reconstruction at least halfway through 2014 so I'm not sure I will be ready to do such a big trip next year.
I am going to ask my onc the 8tx of CMF. The cancer center where I am going told me 8 but I am under the care of a more local onc who said 6(the big cancer center is 10 hours away) for my treatments--I needed to make it easier for myself through all this. We'll see what my local onc says this week. I get to sit in the big chair on Thursday.
Hope everyone is doing well!0 -
Just stopped by to "bump up our thread." I was diagnosed with bc 7 years ago day. I'll still never forget that doctor's appointment or the look on his face when he told me I had cancer. It has been a roller-coaster ride ever since but life is so good and there is indeed a good life after the treatments. I go in December for my annual mammo and check up with the surgeon. Hopefully things will be good. Hugs to all of you! Together we get through this!0
