Anyone on just Taxotere and Cytoxan?
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Day 5 and the clouds are parting! Thanks for the help, friends. Really got scared there for a minute or two - thought it was just me. Good to know this is not permanent. Laughing very hard about the Peanuts Teacher - it IS just like that! Stopped taking Kitrel (sp?) last night, and that really seems to have made a difference, too. Will be careful about crowds - good advice. Everyone who comes to visit has brought hand sanitizer - which was really smart. I have the stuff everywhere around the house, and folks use it early and often.
Want you all to know about this article - be cautious about restaurants, please! Employees still go to work when they're sick because they need the paycheck. Take care of your sweet selves!
http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/deals/10-Things-Your-Restaurant-Wont-Tell-You-13791/
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Good Morning Everyone, I am wondering if any of you are working (or worked) during your TC?
I just got recalled to teach first grade. I am afraid not to take it, because then I'll be out of a job for the whole school year. I'm afraid to take it because of the potential for getting really sick. I caught a cold from my son and weathered it okay, but did have to go on antibiotics. My wbc count was good after my last chemo - I am automatically given the neulasta shot the day after chemo. I have 3 more tx's left.
Any thoughts/advice would be great. Thanks!
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MAGOB, That is a good way to describe it - "head under the water" feeling. I would say that I definitely had that too, but didn't know how to describe it. My biggest side effect was headache/nechache - whether from the neulasta or chemo, I don't know. I haven't had any real fatigue, but maybe because the demands have not been to much on me during tx. My husband has really stepped up. I'm glad you're feeling better. Do you have 3 more left also?
Shay
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Shay - I have three more left. Next one is on September 9. We can do this - hang in there with me. Yep - have the headache and neckache. Jaw and one ear hurt pretty bad, too. Probably bone pain from neulasta. I didn't even have an option on the shot - my onc gives it on day 2.
You have a tough decision to make. What do you think about going to work? You know, on the good days, it seems we can do just about anything. But the crummy days are a beating. And the exposure to cooties is legit. This sounds like a questiton for your onc, especially considering that flu season is going to be bad this year. Tell us what you decide. XO, Mary0 -
I was just wondering about the Neulasta shot everyone seems to be getting. I am from canada and not sure if it is the same here. After my first treatment my WBC was"in the toilet" as my ONC put it so she wants me to get Neupogen shots. These shots are given daily for 10 days following treatment. If this the same thing you are all getting ? If so what are your recommendations to avoid SE ?
Thanks and hope you are all well this weekend.
Marie
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Hello All -
I am on old timer of TC but keep up with the posts. I worked throughout my TC last winter but I was obsessive about hand washing after using public terminals and being in public buildings(which is part of my job). Just use good judgement and wash before and after exposure - even at home with pets, partners and kids....and then the hospital visits. I never even got a cold and my WBC has always been low. I know I was just fortunate but with vigilance you can protect yourself from infection.
Bobbi
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Marie,
Since my insurance does not cover Neulasta, I had to get 5 Neupogen shots after each treatment. I found that when I remembered to take Claritan (actually store brand ) along with Aleve (again store brand) I did not get the pain in my spine that I did when I tried to do it without the Claritan the first session. For some reason, it does work. My onc recommended Aleve or Ibuprofen for the pain which really was not all that bad but enough to interfere with falling asleep at night.
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Marie, I'm also in Canada and had the Neulasta shot 24 hours after chemo. When I had chemo the first time, 4 years ago, I had Neupogen shots. Neulasta is a newer drug so only one shot is necessary. The cost is the same for both (i.e. 10 x $250 for Neupogen or $2,500 x 1 for Neulasta). I had no side effects from Neupogen but did have bone pain with Neulasta - the Claritin made a big difference though.
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Woke up this morning with a swollen lower lip. Looks like Botox gone wrong.
Anyone experience anything like this? I have no fever so I think I am going hold off on calling the doc until tomorrow morning. I took benadryl to see if it helps.0 -
Hi Ladies,
I have had 5 tx's of TC and will receive final (#6) this coming Tues. I had sewer mouth, bone pain, diarreah, severe fatigue...etc. After tx #3 I had a severe allergic reaction which landed me in the hosptial for 3 days. I now have to get a Nuelasta shot the day after a treatment and take steroids for one week after treatment to ward off another reaction.
Now my thigh muscles in both legs are are killing me. I can barely walk...is this normal? This started one week out of treatment 5 and it has not eased up. I went to the mall yesterday. I thought walking would help get some of the aching, soreness out of my legs. I was wrong....today my legs are worse, numb, tingling and achey. I feel like I have 50 additional pounds on each leg. I so cannot wait to put chemo behind me. I just hope and pray I dont have any lifelong se's from the toxins...
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Jeanohio: sounds like you're describing myopathy. About 5-7% of women on taxotere experience it. Even though I exercised through chemo, my muscles got weaker and weaker (hate to see what would have happened if I hadn't been exercising). It tends to peak at a few months after chemo ends then get better slowly. Then don't know if it is a muscle or nerve leading to muscle problem, and they don't know if it is the taxotere or steroids we take with the taxotere. Exercising to muscle exhaustion makes it worse. Doing nothing makes it very much worse. Best you can do it exercise as much as you can without going to exhaustion and give it time for things to heal. My sympathies, I found it very frustrating to deal with.
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jeanohip: one more thing. As opposed to the neuropathy (which in some women doesn't completely go away) the myopathy although it takes time seems to go away in everyone
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Hi kmmd -
Thanks for the input. I'll take it easy from now on, I have learned my lesson. I hope it is myopathy and not neuropathy. I'm sorry to hear you to had to deal with this se also, but thankful for the advice. I'll discuss with onc before next treatment.
Thank you -
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Interesting, I had never heard of myopathy but when you describe it I believe that I did have it a little. I found walking a challenge if I walked for more than 5 minutes and it got worse after each tx. I had my 4th and last TC on June 16 and am finding that the strength in my thigh muscles is improving. The neuropathy is also improving but I still feel it in my feet.
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Hi ladies - Good t read what you've been up to. JeanOhio - Go, girl. Last treatment on Tuesday. Will be thinking about you. KMMD - Thanks for the encouraging words. Good to know the SEs go away. HRF - Sooo glad to hear the neuropathy is going away. This one scares me - have it in my foot just after treatament 1. Did you get it that early? Did it get worse each time, or did it level out after a while? Bobcat - Love to hear that hand washing can make a difference, even with a low white blood cell count. Really encouraging. Yasmin - dang. A fat lip???!!! I'm laughing with you. Mind you, I got thrush just a few days after you did. Ugh. In just one week, I have amassed a collection of just about every over the counter and prescription drug there is. A nice soul did some house cleaning for me, and she arranged each box and bottle just so on a pretty tray. All I need is a dainty pair of tongs and a buffet tray. Hang in there - there is light at the end of this tunnel. I hopw to be through around the last week of October? What about you? Here's to hoping we can eat Thanksgiving turkey without furry tongues and fat lips! To all of you wonderful ladies - crank up the power this week and give it all you've got! XO, Mary
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Hi Mary, the neuropathy started with the first tx but it was very mild. It got a little bit worse each with each tx but it never got to a point where I couldn't do up a button or had to watch my feet to make sure I didn't fall. I think it's almost all gone from my fingers now. My left foot feels good but I still feel it on the bottom of my right foot. Onc said it could take 6 - 9 months to be totally gone but with this improvement so far I'm optimistic. ....thanks for the pep talk!!!0
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Hi, Friends - Need some help. Today is day 9 - first treatment was Tuesday the 18th. Finally feel like myself again today in most ways. However, I'm still really foggy mentally. I cannot remember the kinds of things I usually remember. Day three was whopper - if people talked to me, it was so hard to follow what they were saying. I am afraid that I will be one of those who gets chemo brain that does not go away. Perhaps I'm just freaking out. Did any of you feel like you were in a haze? Please be honest - so many do the TX and have none of the side effects I'm talking about.
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MAGOB -- Yes, foggy is standard. I'll put something down then turn right around and wonder where it is. Just dumb stuff like that. Day three is a whopper for me. I don't expect much from myself, fortunately, and keep reminding myself of the schedule for the kids. Don't worry about it -- I think it's emotional, too, we're having to deal with so much, so many worries. it will get better. It's funny you use the word haze because that's what I call it. I just finished T/C x 6 so i'm hoping things improve. Lastly, I relegated myself to gossipy magazines throughout chemo because I just can't digest much beyond that, same with TV!
Take care!
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MAGOB, today is day 14 for me. My first tx was on Aug. 12. I definitely had that foggy feeling for quite a while. I also had a massive headache that slowly got better over about a 1 week period. Even after the headache was gone, I didn't feel like myself. I am finally feeling back to me (clear thinking) as of the last couple of days. I just feel sort of tired at the end of the day. I too am afraid of chemo brain.
Have you tried L-Glutamine for neuropathy? I was prescribed 30 grams (5 tbsp) per day for 5 days starting the day after chemo. A couple of days after the 5 days, I woke up in the middle of the night to intense tingling in my hands/fingers. I got up and took 1 tbsp of L-Glutamine and the feeling was gone by morning. Same the next night. So I've just started taking 1tbsp 2x per day. This has kept it away. I hope I'm not causing some other side effects to happen, but I'm really afraid of neuropathy. You may want to ask your oncologist about L-Glutamine (at least the 5 days following chemo).
I am soooo dreading going back next week for my second tx. I feel kind of like a big baby because so many people seem to handle it very well. All kinds of strange things have been happening to me and I'm not sure if it's the chemo, or ??? I"m 39 years old and have always been so healthy, this is hard to take. We're in this together, hang in there.
Shay
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MAGOB - I also had chemo brain after my first treatment. I couldn't put two and two together. Didn't want to read or watch TV - it was like I couldn't take anything in and process it. And I definitely couldn't conceptualize anything. This made me very irritable as I am usually a very sharp, creative thinker. The chemo brain lasted until about day 8, and then I literally popped back to normal. I remember sitting at the kitchen table and suddenly realizing I was 'back'. Interestingly, while I was fully expecting it, I didn't have chemo brain after treatment #2. In hindsight, I can tell you I was definitely more stressed after my first treatment so maybe that had something to do with it. I share this so you can see chemo brain can come in lots of different patterns. Just because you have it now, doesn't necessarily mean you will always have it. Here's hoping you pop back as well!
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Thanks Madge, Shay, and Karen. You have really helped me. I hope I snap out of it soon. One of my guilty pleasures has always been the daily crossword puzzle - I devour each one with such joy. Well, I can hardly make it through the easy puzzles now. The words just don't come to me. I am having a real sinker over all of this. What if it never comes back? Not remembering people's names and so many more important things. The headhace persists, and so does the ear ache. Do any of you have a little bit of ringing in your ears? Hate to whine - but alas, chemo STINKS! Glad you're in this with me - I believe that prayers can change any and everything - I'm praying for all of us. Much Love, Mary0
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Hi all,
Just an FYI. I've been accepted into a study about "chemobrain" at UCLA. I am scheduled to get studied after I'm finished with chemo. They're not treating me, just studying me. I am glad to participate. I haven't noticed much difference--I am 56, and was becoming fairly forgetful before chemo!
Jo Anne
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Mary, my earache finally went away - only a couple of days ago, but it is still popping - sort of like when you really climb elevation while driving and then go back down. I hope it goes away soon for you!
Shay
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MAGOB....I just finished my fourth TC last week and fog brain has been my partner on and off throughout. My worse days are 4 - 6. Today is day 10 and I am zapped. Each round has been different but this last one really drained my energy. I also have ringing in the ears. I go to an acupuncturist and she said the high pitch ringing is related to the liver....which of course is somewhat compromised with chemo, so that makes sense. My naturopath also suggests a B6 vitamin to be taken along with a B complex for neuropathy. I also take L Glutamine and have not experienced any neuropathy. I also think the Glutamine helps repair gastric cells to prevent the heartburn and stomach problems that the chemo can cause. Good luck with the rest of your txs.
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Milk Thistle is great for liver health and repair, the liquid type is the most effective,
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Thanks, ladies. So glad we're all able to talk this through. Friends and family are so dear and they mean well, but we know that until someone goes through it, there's no way to understand what chemo does to a person. Hope number 4 is easy on you, PAP. And Shay, I am sooo happy to hear that your ear is getting better. We'll make it through this, no doubt.
I worked out for the first time yesterday, and it was good to a) be able to drive somewhere, and b) do something normal again, and c) move my old creaky carcass! There IS a healthy woman deep down that seems to be willing to debut again. Hope she comes out for each of you this weekend. Much Love, Mary
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yasminv1- Just saw your post so this is kinda late and don't know if this will help any. Ihad most of of these same SE. I take 2 malox within 20 minutes of eating anything, helps with upper GI gas. Stay on top of your diarrhea with Imodium. My onc said I could take up to 8 tabs a day. The first round was so bad I ended up getting fluids and being on house arrest for 3 days. The second round was controlled with the malox and imodium. I also had thrush and horrible yeast infection which came back as soon as we stopped the diflucan so I guess I 'm on that for the the duration. I do take the Neulasta so the bone pain with all the rest almost it almost killed me. I have vicodin for the bone pain and that helps too. Hope your second round is better.
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MAGOB - I definitely have "the haze" with treatment. I just had my last treatment on Thurs 8/27 (4 of 4). The chemo brain/haze is worst for me the first 10-14 days post chemo. Then it gets better. I know it is scary, but it will be ok. Your sharp crossword puzzle brain WILL return. Try not to let it get you down!
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Who has had problems with their fingernails? The new growth on mine is grey and is starting to feel weird. I'm wondering if they're going to fall off eventually? The older part of my nails is still pink (I have about 1/2 grey and 1/2 pink at this point - 10 weeks into treatment). Thanks for any info!
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Ippuni, I am 11 days out from my final T/C x6. Around #4 I noticed that my finger and toe nails were sensitive but nothing happened. Now all of the sudden most of them are lifting up off my nailbed. It freaked me out to see that they may start to fall off, so I cut them really short so they don't get caught on anything.
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