TRIPLE POSITIVE GROUP
Comments
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Shasha, I have a feeling you'll have trouble finding anyone who is willing to do that for you during an infusion. My own oncologist says no mega-doses of Vitamin C.
I also had someone who encouraged me to try to have Vitamin C infusions during chemotherapy but I don't think there are any medical studies that support it as being beneficial during chemotherapy.
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I've read the recommendation in the non-conventional/alternative books and websites, but I agree with LeeA that your oncologist is probably not going to sign off on it during infusion. You may be able to find an alternative practitioner that will give the IVs separately. I'd be curious to hear if it helps.
Have any of you girls on TCH gotten a rash on your neck? I have small bumps all over my neck that itch like mad. Topical benydryl helps with the itch but it's not going away.
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Hi Shasha10,
MOs will not recommend you do the Vitamin C infusion because research has indicated that taking high doses of antioxidants (Vitamins A, C and E, for example) may weaken the overall effect of the chemo. Why? Some chemos work by oxidizing the cancer cells, so if you take massive amounts of antioxidants such as Vitamins A, E or C, you may end up weakening the full impact of the chemo.
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I have had varying forms of rashes and skin issues since my first tx. First time was very itchy rash on my fingers. The skin got dry and peeled. Since then, not itchy, but red and sensitive, then peels. I think of it as chemical burns from the inside out! Mine hasn't gotten worse, just different, and I hope yours does not get worse. I also had breakouts on my face and scalp the first couple of times, but that stopped, too, thank goodness. Nothing like being newly bald, broken out and having a fever blister at the same time.
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shasha - I think the Vit C will end up being an either or thing - either you do chemo, or you do Vit C. Most oncologists don't want any antioxidants during chemo.
dizzy - tell your oncologist about the rash - may be an allergic reaction to any number of things, pre-meds, steroids or chemo drugs or anti-nausea drugs.
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DiZZyMom If this persists and gets really bad I wouldn't wait too long to call your onc. If not then be sure to mention it to your onc.
Shasha my onc didn't want me to do anything new. She wanted to be sure the SE I was having was from the chemo and not some other stuff I just started. She also didn't want me to stop most of the things I was on for the same reason.
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Dizzy, I have a rash on the back of my neck that has been there since my first (and only) TCH. Mine isn't itchy though, and I was thinking it was from the wig I was wearing.
I agree with Lago, let them know at your chemo center. They can prescribe something that might nip it in the bud.
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Dizzy,
I have permanent light brown patches on my forearms from chemo haven't gone away after all this time..0 -
Thanks everybody, I'll call Monday. My skin is so sensitive, I'm afriad of all of skin SEs I have heard about.
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Dizzy,
After my 4th TCH, I got a very itchy rash across my lower stomach. It started as pale pink, but became dark red spots after several days. My MO noted it in my file but didn't know what caused it. It went away after a week or so. I treated it using cortisone cream.
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Hey everyone, I have my last chemo this coming Monday and I'm trying to deal with the "what if's?". I'm having neoadjuvant chemo. What if I don't have a complete response? My MO and BS are not ordering me an MRI. Should they be? And if it shows that the tumour is still there what does that get me? They won't extend chemo, will they? So far they feel that I have had a complete clinical response and they're fine with just that until they get the pathology report after surgery. I don't really know what I want. If I havethe MRI and it shows a complete response then great but if it doesn't and they won't extend chemo I would feel like I have a lot of stress going into surgery.
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Thx everyone for the vit c info
Everyone wants to help in their own way, so I'm getting a lot of anti ox recommendations to beat this
I wish I could just take the vit c, flax seed and have a few cosmos on the side w guacamole. and forget the chemo.
But that's not the program I signed up for. Oh well0 -
Gee whiz...are you saying you have hot flashes and periods? That would really suck.
Pbrain....I was all smug because my nails stayed nice all through taxol and most of herceptin. They about two months before herceptin finished, they started to break off down below the nail beds also, and thinned out. They were very tender and it felt like I had no nail. They were literally like baby nails.. If they grew a tiny bit, they would peel. I couldn't use them for anything. Onc said chemo residual, but I think it was herceptin, since it happened so late.
Now, they are stronger, but break very easily, and don't seem to grow very well. Wear gloves if you try to garden. Use them As jewels, not tools (that is from my manicurist).
Shasta..good luck with chemo. Ambien didn't work for me on steroids. I just stayed awake all night, but like Lago got lots done. I crashed about mid morning the second day. I am a fan of steroids though!0 -
Had to read all three pages I missed. Whew.
On hot flashes, I got tremendous ones when I was going through menopause. My hair would drip, my face was red, I kept a fan on my desk to dry my hair. They are not as bad on arimedex. I am definetly overweight.
On chemo, I had diarrhea starting on day five that stayed at least til day ten. Taste changes started at day 3, fatigue on same day. Steroids kept most of it away til I was off of those. On eyesight, mind got worse on tx, but are better now. On hair, I now have curly Hobbit hair when it was stick straight before. Cypher, congrats. To all much love.0 -
Foreverchanged, congrats on finishing chemo! I had neoadjuvant chemo, then an MRI which showed a complete response, then surgery. Then got the disappointing news that I did not have a complete response with the pathology. So if I were you, I wouldn't care too much about a per surgery MRI. I don't think it would make a difference in your treatment. It sounds like chemo did its job for you, if your tumor went from 6 cms to unable to be felt. I am fairly sure no matter what the MRI said, they'd want you to get surgery now. I know there are a few women on the boards who had neoadjuvant chemo, then surgery, then more chemo. So that would still be an option. But I think those women had disappointing results from chemo. My doctors all felt I had a very good response even though it wasn't a complete response. And in any case, surgery removes all the cancer, and then you'll still be on herceptin and I assume you'll get radiation too.
Best wishes for a complete response and an uneventful surgery!0 -
I just posted this on the January chemo thread as well but my intent was to post it here first because of the skin discussion -
An observation about chemo -
For several years I've had these two little bumps on my legs (one on the right - one on the left) that the dermatologist said were the result of a bug bite of some sort. Two dermatologists have told me this over the years. They kind of stick out and I've always been careful when shaving my legs.
Suddenly, with two treatments of chemo behind me, they have flattened - one of them almost completely - the other still has a slight lump beneath the skin. Kind of weird.
Editing to add - echoing what Kay said: congratulations on being so close to the end of chemo!
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Foreverchanged,
I have had Neo chemo first with herceptin with no follow up test afterwards..they say I had a CPR then after surgery due to lymph nodes I had more chemo followed by the rest of my herceptin..now I just have follow up appts with blood work that's it...I go every 4m with Mo and every 4m with BS then every 6M with the RO...0 -
Foreverchanged72612 I wish you complete response but not everyone gets it. With such a large tumor you may get pretty damn close though. It's not unusual not to get complete responce. The sun melts snow but it takes longer to melt 6" of it than it does 2". Surgery & Herceptin will removed the rest.
Breakouts/rashes I was on Zyrtec the entire time during chemo per my oncs orders. I wonder if that's why I never got any skin break outs. I too have sensitive skin. Maybe ask your onc about that.
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Thanks Lago, it's just all so foreign to me taking so many OTC drugs to combat SEs from the pharmaceuticals. Prior to this DX, I was very into natural healing and rarely if ever took any OTC remedies other than vitamins and natural supplements. When this is all over, I think I want to turn my body inside out and hose it all out
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DiZZyMom before diagnosis I took Ibuprofen for menstrual cramps and Exedrin for the occasional headache, biotin and a multivitamin. I think in the 1.5 years of surgeries (BMX, reconstruction) I took more antibiotics than I have in my entire life! But now I'm back to biotin, multivitamin, supplements (D, Calcium etc.) But still have to take the ESD (estrogen sucking drug) and a small amount of diuretic since I retain fluid on it. Not bad. Life does get normal again.
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lago, tell me about it with the antibiotics! I hate taking them anyway, and cringe when a doc writes me a Rx for one (I rarely even fill them), but I've had several rounds of antibiotics since my surgery.
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Foreverchanged, congrats on finishing chemo. Hoping for complete response for you, but if you don't get it, as the other people on this board say, it shouldn't matter. Good luck.
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To all in the grip of NEMO, good luck, stay warm!
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Thank you so much for your comments. I am so indebted to those of you who are already one, two years out. If I could only articulate how much you give me in terms of peace of mind, things to think about, things I never thought about but are so good to know. Little bits of advice, little bits of knowledge. It has been so very, very important to me as I go through chemo. Thank you ladies!! And so I will not question this decision not to have an MRI. I have questioned a lot of things from doctors since my diagnosis but this one I was on the fence. I don't think an MRI will give me anything at this point. The chemo is ending, surgery is up ahead and scheduled. Radiation will follow as will Tamoxifen. I think I'm good knowing that I've got my bases covered.
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Foreverchanged72612 I forgot to mention I got surgery first. My tumor including the invasive part was 6.5cm. I have no idea if chemo worked on me, if it did I what kind of response I got. Also there was a 40% that surgery was good enough and I didn't even need chemo or Anastrozole. All you want after surgery is NED (no evidence of disease) Doesn't matter how you get there (chemo, surgery, rads, etc). ♥
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Dear DizzyMom and others,
I so relate to your feelings of (almost) revulsion regarding having to assault your body with so many chemicals, with toxic effects, in order to kill cancer cells. Lots of irony in the appproach, that is for sure. I, too, since the age of 15, have been a health enthusiast regarding exercise, diet, what I drank (or didn't drink to be more accurate), and yet so many of us healthy gals find ourselves on this thread. As I have written earlier, we can all drive ourselves crazy, trying to obtain an answer to that most normal of questions, "Why me?" however, once you get over the initial shock and the myriad of feelings that may follow-fear, anger, sorrow,frustration--I hope you will recalibrate your mind, soul and body and give THANKS that we live in countries where cancer care and research are so well developed. Hang in there, DizzyMom, you will be able to reclaim the life you once lead. I am in the process of doing so now. We all support you on this thread!!
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My theory is we got breast cancer because we were so healthy there was nothing else we could get.
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LOL, they were arguing over who was the sickliest person at work the other day. So many people get the flu or sore throats or stomach bugs every single year. I don't know when the last time I had one was. My name never even came up in the conversation.
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How true about be super healthy and now this. When the my onco dr told me I needed the flu shot. I told her but I never get sick, what a laugh. I'm getting the shot next week but I always said I was I tuned with my body. That's why I was healthy
Well here's to all of us getting through this and being super healthy again0 -
Shasha I'm way over being done with this. I'm healthy again just need to drop the winter weight. Always my heaviest in February.
I did get a flu shot for the first time at my 2nd TX. Been getting them every year since. I would get the flu once every 8 years but I have to admit it the last 2 times I was dragging for a month. Older now I'm thinking why subject myself to the flu. The goal here is to stay way from getting ill.
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