Chemo in Sept 08
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Thanks for the info. Juli, I am in the caribbean, not the US
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Well, I have survived the weekend! Friday and Sat i was just fatigued, diarrhea with everything I ate. No nausea or vomiting, just not hungry. I have eaten Ramen noodles, crackers, cheese stick and today I made home made chicken noodle soup and that tasted good. I was forced to cook since the electricity went out on the freezer and I needed to cook some things or else throw away. Didn't want to wake up to rotten food, but... I slept alot on Sat, totally fatigued all day. Hope that will get better. At least I will know when to work and when I cannot. I really want to try to work out more and get my strength back. I go in on Wed to have my lab drawn and see if I need a Neulesta shot. I am worried abt them as they seem to give alot of SE. Now time to worry abt hair loss!
D
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Hey Emily,
I wondered about that 'south of the border hair' - if it would be a prerequisite to the head hair falling out. I'm on Day 8 and on the lookout...
Susan
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Priz 47
I was most worried about the Neulesta shot too for SE's. I had mine on Friday afternoon and noticed some low level aches and pains by Saturday. Jumped on them with tylenol and ibuprofen, a brief rest and have been fine since. I know we are all soooooo different, but wanted to give you one more possible response. I also am having minimal SE's from the dose dense AC, just a little tired and have the "don't ask me to do anything I don't want to do" syndrome...
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Emily2008 - Bummer that you got the yeast infection prize too. I figured I would get one, since I used to be prone to them. Does anyone know whether if you get one with the first treatment, it is likely that you will get them with subsequent treatments? If that's the case, I just start pro-actively treating on Day 3.
Today is Day 5 for me. I took some Imodium this morning and it seems to have done the trick! I had a banana, scrambled egg, and a slice of toast with (so far) no problem!
What seemed to be the Neulasta-related headache and bone pain appears to be subsiding. I'm just about 48 hours post-shot. Hope that's the end of that. It wasn't too bad for me, mostly discomfort.
I'm working from home again today. If I can feel stronger (by actually properly digesting food today), maybe I'll go into the office tomorrow.
Hope everyone is hanging in OK.
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Hi All,
I went through chemo okay on first round but second I felt awful. No vomiting but just awful. Next treatment onco gave me an older version of anti-nausea meds and worked fine.
My "south of the border" began falling out about 12 days after 1st treatment and I just raked my fingers through my head hair on day 19. I took it all off...then wore my wig outside. In the house I wore this ugly wool cap that kept my head warm. (It was winter) My daughter hated that hat!! LOL. I kept the wig and threw out the hat! Hopefully I'll never need it again!
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Woke up feeling back to normal! today is Day 5 and I ate breakfast with no problems. hopefully the diarrhea is gone. If it is only a few days after tx, I can handle that. I will just rearrange my schedule as best I can. Should I be proactive as far as the Neulesta shot and take Tylenol and Ibuprofen prior? I would hate to go back wards when I finally got a good night's sleep. Now to try for one without drugs.....
D
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Hi All...The fallout has begun. I am exactly 2 weeks from my first treatment of TC and I am shedding worse than my dogs. Fortunately I have thick hair so it may not be noticeable for a few more days. It is everywhere!! At what point did those of you who started losing it buzz your head?
L
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priz, glad you woke up better this am..i started rough but it has gotten better as the day goes on. YES be proactive with neulasta. Hopefully you won't get a lot of pain but believe me better to stay ahead of it cause once behind you're hurting. I should have seen it coming but i waited a little too long. but today has been the turning point with my tummy troubles too. have a good day
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Lili46,
I am on my 8th week since chemo began (one week of Taxotere/Avastin then switched to weekly Taxol due to SE) my hair started falling out EXACTLY 14 days after tx which was weird, I know it said that it would but on the exact day? I was gonna shave my head but never did. I have a few strand left which I dont shave because I wear a baseball hat alot and I like my little bit of hair in the back. People ask me all the time "when are you going to shave your head?" and I want to say Get your own BC and shave your own damn head and stop asking me! LOL
Marci
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Marci,
I loved your response to "when are you going to shave your head?" Really made me laugh. I'm going to wait it out and see what happens. If it gets really bad I'll get it buzzed but I'm not quite ready to do that yet.
L
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Tanzie
You can add me to the list. I will be starting TC x 4 every 3 weeks on Sept 29th.
Eileen
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Hi all, please add me to the list.I had my first treatment on 9/4, my second one is this Thursday. The first days were a little rough with loss of appetite and fatigue. My hair started shedding on day 14 right on schedule so I buzzed it yesterday. Thanks for starting this thread0
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Oh I forgot to add in my initial post, I'm on AC x4
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Whew, my first T/C tx on the 11th kicked my behind! The day of was OK, just felt a little fuzzy; the second day if hit me in the afternoon - definite kick. Day three I woke up crying I felt so bad; ditto day four & day five. Went back to work on day six and by the end of the week I was working a full shift. I never vomited, but felt like I was on the edge of doing so. My liver hurt (probably from working over-time to reduce toxins) and my mast incisions felt like they were on fire. Items that I could eat (and actually craved) boiled eggs smashed up with salt and butter, white bread (haven't had a slice of the stuff in years), scrambled egg sandwiches (with mayo), and full-sugared ginger ale. I figure I'll be feeling in tip-top shape in time for my next tx on Oct 2! Yesterday was my Nadir day (10 days from tx when counts are supposed to be at their lowest). Had a CBC today and my absolute neutrophil count was 0.3 (yikes). One of the onc nurses brought a mask to me in the laboratory. I was told not to eat any fresh fruits or vegatables, and to stay out of crowds. My hemoglobin, hematocrit, and platelet counts were great, so that's something to be happy about! I will find out tomorrow if my onc wants to give me neulasta (or other WBC stimulating agent). So far I've still got all of my hair, north & south of the border - but day 14 seems to be the magic day.
One thing that made me happy was getting together with some girlfriends and making some beaded jewelry - we had a blast and I ended up with a pretty great looking set of earings and a necklace.
Hope everyone is hanging in there - love and hugs!
Winkster
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My hair is coming out by the handfuls, but is so thick, not so noticeable. I'm really dreading the bald/wig thing. I'm just so self conscious to wear a wig to work. It's not that I'm so into my looks, but more that I've always just been me.
I don't think I'm going to shave it until it look bad, but it is annoying always walking in a puff of sheading hair.
This chemo didn't go as well, but I think it was more my attitude. I'm also looking for another job at work (we lost our current contract), so that's just a tad bit of added stress....
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Sept ChemoGals!
Sept 01 - FloridaMom TAC (Port placed Aug. 29)
Sept 02 - Jacuelyn32 TC or TAC
Sept 02 - kmg1015 TC x6
Sept 03 - 2z54 (Port and SNB Aug. 28)
Sept 03 - horselover A/C x4 every two weeks T x4 every two weeks (Port placed Aug. 29)
Sept 04 - SingaporeChris FAC
Sept 04 - Emily2008 A/C x4
Sept 04 - paweed TC
Sept 04 - rickster TC
Sept 04 - Rehula A/C x4
Sept 05 - yuyueno TC x6 every three weeks (Port placed Sept. 29)
Sept 05 - BrandonMom A/C every four weeks / T every other week x4
Sept 08 - woorus 6 tx every three weeks
Sept 08 - Lili46 TC x4
Sept 08 - praine TAC
Sept 09 - Tanzie A/C x4 two weeks between (Picc Line inserted same day)
Sept 09 - cjh
Sept 09 - HeatherL FEC x3 / TC x3
Sept 09 - lyn117 EC & F(5FU)
Sept 10 - theprettiestmess FAC & T
Sept 10 - bar62 A/C
Sept 11 - klfh tx x6 three weeks apart
Sept 11 - TheMissingWink (Port placed 9/08)
Sept 11 - oldlady TC x4 every three weeks -- final treatment something else
Sept 15 - Sue508 TC x4 three weeks between
Sept 15 - floridaeyes
Sept 15 - jc135 TCH every three weeks / H weekly
Sept 15 - hopefulLady TC x4 three weeks apart
Sept 15 - softballangel Blind Trial
Sept 17 - Priz47 A/C (Port placed 8 / 28)
Sept 17 - peeps1111 TC x4 every three weeks
Sept 18 - kimy TCH every three weeks
Sept 18 - bettysgirl FEC x3
Sept 19 - Juli50 A/C x4 every three weeks T twelve weeks
Sept 19 - susan13 CAF over nine weeks (port placed 9/16)
Sept 22 - bunnyrabbit TC cocktail of choice
Sept 24 - LisaF A/C x4 every two weeks / T x4 every two weeks
Sept 29 - PEnTE (Pattie) A/C every 3 weeks
Sept 29 - tammyintexas A/C x4 every two weeks / T x4 every two weeks / Rads x33
Sept 29 - ladyleen4 TC x4 three weeks apart
Sept ?? - Curlieqs
Sept ?? - HopefulLady (Port placed 9/11)
Sept ?? - 6cooks T - A/C
Sept ?? - CanItBeTrueNH
Sept ?? - Jane_M (port placed 9/8)
You girls please let me know if I need to add, or if I've forgotten anything!
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Vondie so sorry, chick. I will add your tx date 9/25? the next time I update. Welcome to the thread!
Hey girls,
Glad to report that I am feeling so much better than I was the last time I posted. Just in time to do it all over again tomorrow.
It's odd, but I feel as if my first week was actually better than my second.I went today and got my 3rd fill at the PS's office. Are any of ya'll having your expanders filled during chemo?
lol on the South of the Border hair loss. Mine started last night. Clumps. So, I figure that the hair on my head isn't long for this world either. Tomorrow will be day 14 on the dot. I'm scared that I'm going to wake up in the morning with bald spots.
I've got my wig. Just haven't had a chance to take it to get thinned and cut to my face. If worse comes to worst, I guess I'll just wear it a while like it is.It really stinks that on top of all the other SEs that some of ya'll have been baking bread.
As if we don't have enough to worry about like it is!I'm starting to wonder about my cell counts. From what I have read ya'll are having yours checked fairly often? I haven't had mine checked at all since my tx and I'm wondering if I should ask the doc tomorrow about it.
Much love to ya'll!
Tanz
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So glad you're feeling better Tanzie, and thanks for the updates.
Today was day 8 and I had an appointment with my oncologist. Pretty much I told him the side effects I had been having and he gave me prescriptions to take care of them. Except the fatigue. I guess they really didn't want me laying around at home silently suffering after all! It seems odd to be taking so many medications, but I guess they know what they're doing. Food has started tasting again so that's a relief.
Thinking of all of you,
Chris
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Tanzie-
I start chemo on the 29th. AC every other week X 4, then T every other week X 4, one month off, then rads 5 days a weeks X 6, then probably AI for who knows how long. I am probably not a candidate for Tamoxifen because I am PR-.
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Tanzie, I get my counts checked each week. Ask your doc about it.
Tonight my hair (above the border) started coming out more. Just strands, not clumps, but like 8 or 10 each time I run my fingers through my hair. My kids wanted a turn, so I stood over the tub and let them try. Hmmmm, I'm just picturing them lying on a therapist's couch in about 20 years trying to work that one out!
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Hi:
This is day 6 for me. The worst SE was the horrible headache, managed it by alternating Motrin and Vicodin. Had nausea, constipation and metal mouth today. No bone pain after my shot but I took Claritin. I've been walking every day (I told my friend to force me if I said no) and swimming every other day. I went sailing Sat. I was afraid to go in case I got nauseous and was stuck out there but I needed the distraction or else every little twinge sets me on edge. I hope I'll be on the upside soon. I haven't had any fatigue, don't know if it's because of the exercise. I have no appetite whatsoever, have to force myself to eat but I drink, drink, drink lots of water.
Peeps
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Hi Girls, I like the funny stories south of the border, I seem to be on a different cycle to most as I had a gap between chemos, my hair s of b, has started to grow back. as you will all find later, any hair growth is such a joy! but I did have to shave my legs this morning, kept them as long as I could, but they were so long they had to go. Nothing has fallen from my head so far, my oncol says as my AC is split over two weeks I might get away with it. It would be so good to keep it as it is an inch long now, I didn't think I cared, but I DO! As I have lost it all early this year, I don't want to do it again.
I have never had any pain after my booster shots, but always take pain killers before I go. My white blood count is still really low, up from 1.6 to 2. over 5 days. I had to have two more boosters yesterday and today, and feel good. As my 2nd dose of chemo is next week I hope my wbcount is high enough to have it. My oncol says next time he is going to drop the dose and the duration of my chemo pills from 14 days to 12, so I should feel great next time round and not have such a worrying low blood count. I get AF day 1 and day 8 and also take Cyclophosphmide pills for 14 days, this is because I have already had my hard hit, TC and am now just mopping up anything that may be left. If I still have my new hair next week, I will find a way of putting up a photo if anyone is interested in seeing it.
Take Care girls and good luck to the couple of you who still have your first chemo to come and to all of us who are doing it again!
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Morning ladies! Hope you are all okay this am! I actually am working (at least half of a day) Wish me luck and best wishes to all of you.
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Today is the day! Day 14 and it's happening my hair is coming out by the handful. Knowing it would happen and waiting but now that it is here kind of sad. I am here with 2 kids and keep saying mommy's hair is falling out, are you ready? Trying to protect them. Not sure how soon to call my hairdressor for the buzz. I do have thick hair. Guess I will see how much I can tolerate this.
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Wink - hang in there. Hope you are feeling better (and everyone else too, who are still puny). I wondered about the fresh/fruits and veggies.
Tanzie, thanks for the list and good luck w/ your treatment - this is number 2 for you? Re counts - mine won't be checked until my next treatment. I'm not getting the neulasta shot either (think I've mentioned that once or twice LOL).
Chris - remind me of your side effects again. What was your doctor able to prescribe for them? Just wondering.
LOL Emily about your kids and the therapist's couch - we'll probably all need therapy after this stuff is over!
Peeps - sailing sounds fun! Hang in there with the se's.
Singapore - of course we want to see a pic!
misc - still have all my hair, but the hair on my head is like straw - has no body, is just sitting there. Yuck.
update: I'm on Day 9 - only problems I'm having is still a mildly sore mouth and tender hands. Hands probably b/c of all the washing, germ killer, etc.
Questions - what kind of toothpaste are you gals using? I've been using biotene, but it just doensn't foam up like what I'm used to. Anything mild out there that might be safe use? What about gum? Biotene gum is like cardboard. Seems like I had another question. If I think of it, I'll post later.
Have a great Tuesday, ladies. Good luck to those starting treatment this week.
Susan
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Hi Susan,
The side effects that I got prescriptions for were a Tylenol 3 for the cramps and a sleeping pill so that maybe I could sleep through the night, instead of spreading it over 10 or 11 off and on hours. He also told me to go ahead and take my Aleeve cold & sinus pill for the sinus headache that won't seem to go away and immodium for the diarrhea that lasted most of the week. I am doing a little better this week.
I know what you mean about the Biotene. I'm using it, but it sure isn't the same! I would think that you could use sensodine, or anything for sensitive teeth. As for gum, they told me any sugerless gum is fine.
Still have all my hair, but my scalp is kind of itchy. I have quite long hair, so tomorrow I am set up for a short haircut and wig shopping.
Anyone know where I can find tea tree oil? I am using a cuticle moisturizer, but haven't seen the tea tree oil anywhere.
Chris
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hopefulady- Do you have a Whole Foods near you? I know they sell tea tree oil. It's one of my favorites to browse in. I have bn using Tom's toothpast- organic, mild, etc. I started using their deodarant after my mastectomy and SNB as it does not contain magnesium. Works fine for me.
Hair south of the border- I just got mine to grow back! They shaved me for my surgery and that was TOTALLY unexpected! Now I will lose it again??? Feeling 100% today, even ate dinner last night and it tasted good!
Hang in there ladies! We`can do it! Good luck to everyone this week!
D
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hang in there Heather, looks like i will be a week behind you. I know it isn't easy, but we can do this..with the help of everyone here and those closest to us..Curious to know how the FEC has been for you. I go back Thursday for a check of counts..I hope this weather turn doesn't turn me for a loop. I seem to be able to "taste" or smell the meds more now than last week but a lot of the stomach issues are subsiding. I feel stronger but have moments where i truly feel like i am in a fog and then if lifts...
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tks Chris. Good luck at work, Bettysgirl!!
Susan
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