February 2012 Chemo
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You are invited to check out my March 2012 chemo thread if you like!
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Tomorrow ....I thought it was taking a while to get here and then suddenly here it will be tomorrow.
I procrastinated on the shopping list and packing a bag, so I read through the board today -- all 22 pages to see what you all are bringing because, DOH,
I didn't take notes as I was reading along initially (which is so NOT like me)!So I have my shopping list and my packing list and will tackle that in just a bit. My husband and son want to take me out to dinner for the 'night before Chemo' and I haven't got a clue -- just know that I do not want to overeat or overindulge in something that will come back to haunt me tomorrow.
You all have given such great information and ideas. How far this community has come since Gritgirl started it in January. WOW!
Had my first Physical Therapy evaluation appointment today. It went really well and I am thrilled with my therapist who runs the lymphedema section of the PT Center.
Saw my sister and gave her several great big giant hugs! She's my little sister, 10 years (less three days) younger (with no one in between).
Walked at the mall this morning like Speedy Gonzalez and it felt soooo good. (There was a little snow and ice outside so I couldn't run there.)
You are all in my thoughts and prayers today!
Jag1110, are you ready? We're doing this together tomorrow!
Hugs everyone!!!
Diana
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Gayle-thank you!
not sure how i am going to feel with the wig either but i appreciate what they are doing!!! and i particularly will like it if i get the job....
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MLB..i've been craving lasagna..and even veggie style lasagna
did NOT realize today was fat tuesday-wish i had bought some paczski's ...durn it!!!
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Lumpy
Is that the same as Pancake/Shrove Tuesday? I never do the pancankes, never liked syrup!
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Dlthnm - I had my chemotherapy class today, a lot of it was what I've already read but started my steroids and claritan today. I'm having hot flashes big time and don't think I'll be sleeping tonight. Got my bag packed for tomorrow and treated myself to mcdonalds, lol, hope I don't regret that! It's gonna be a long day, hope all goes well tomorrow for you and everyone else out there.
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Jag1110
Good luck tomorrow. Try to get some sleep. You can always nap during the treatment too though. Will be thinking about you!
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Did my 2nd round today and it went well, no problems. I'm tired now and will go to bed soon, hopefully the steroids won't bother me tonight. My onc said to try tylenol pm and it seemed to help last night. Lunch (Panera) tasted good today, dinner was a bit off tasting, but my sister in law cooked for us and things always tastes better when I don't have to cook! What a sweetie she is! when I was getting my chemo she came in and did laundry, dishes, and made my bed!
DonnaDS: I hope you are feeling ok. Rest when you can. Are you on a an every 3week sched. too?
Lumpynme: I had painful lower back spasms on day 6 and 7 after my 1st treatment. My onc said it was the Neulasta working through my spine. I took Percoset and heating pad seemed to help. it passed.
On the sore port issue: The chemo nurse today said that I should not be lifting anything heavier than 5lbs with that arm for 6-8 weeks after surgery and I probably tore something that would now take longer to heal. Great! Yesterday I went to the grocery store so I wouldn't have to go the rest of the week and of course I had to pack my own bags extra heavy. Then when I got home, I carried them in as few trips as possible.....I'm my own worst enemy! Oh well, put it on the list of crap I get to deal with. Whine, whine.(If it could only be wine, wine! ha-ha)
Hugs to all of you starting soon!
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JudyP My treatment went very well with all their little changes. All seems to be well at the moment, no nausea, no pain, no hair~, a little tired but had a nice nap. I am on a 3 week schedule too. I am noticing a little tingling on my tongue so I know what is coming there and there's Neulasta tomorrow but I am so happy #2 is done. Rest well too
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tell me again please why we are given steriods, my mind is drawing a very big blank, ty
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jap62 - congrats on the negative SNB!
moonflwr912 - zero effect from herceptin #2 on Monday for me (I think? Hard to tell what is chemo and what might be herceptin). Hoping for the same for you.
mthrdee - glad the humidifier helped. I too feel mildly to moderately panicked thinking about chemo #2...ugh, don't want to talk about it.
lumpynme - good luck with that potential job!
dltnhm and Jag1110 - GOOD LUCK TOMORROW!!! You can do it!!!
Today is day 8 from chemo #1. FIRST DAY OF NORMAL FUNCTIONING. I worked an eight hour day, and then went home and finished an essay I started writing two weeks ago for a scholarship. My energy level is not what I would consider my NORMAL, but I got through the day and didn't feel like death warmed over at the end. SO HAPPY!!! And my stomach is still doing so much better now that I am taking the protonix twice a day instead of once a day.
I do have a bunch of mouth sores that developed overnight last night, and my face, still splotchy pink, is now peeling like I have mild sunburn! Can anyone tell me why or what is happening to my skin? The mouth sores are more mildly annoying than problematic; they didn't really bother me unless I ate/drank something really hot or I brushed my teeth.
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judy-it was my day 8 ( i count tx day as day 1???) i am armed with heating pad and percoset for NEXT time!
christina sorry about the mouth sores......my face is peeling as well but i figured it was drying out since my eyes weren't!
MLB: i had not heard about pancake day and had forgotten shrove tuesday-yes -all one and same...i love love maple syrup but cannot have the real stuff anymore due to my surgery-did you know that this month is National Pancake Month in the States? justa lil useless trivia!!!!
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Q for all. How long does it actually take you your system to expel the chemo drugs? Might seem like a dumb question but I'm curious.
Lumpynme
I did not know that about pancake month LOL! Yeah we call it Pancake Tuesday. I never heard of it referred to Fat Tuesday before though. I always found maple syrup sickningly sweet. Even as a kid I would put jam on mine while the rest of them would have their plates swimming in it. Now a hint of the REAL good stuff is OK. Super expensive though.
Dltmhm
I almost missed wishing you the best for tomorrow as well!
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JAG and Dltnhm, good luck tomorrow, you can do it. Gritgirl, you we right, if you overdo it, you puke. I sure did today, I thought I could go to my jewelry class, I made it half way, came home and got thoroughly sick. Still feeling iffy. And of course I got diarrhea too. Sucks. I can't take any meds until tummy is better. Sigh. Sorry
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A special thank you to all who 'listened' to my pity party and offered encouragement. I'm super tired tonight so going to keep it brief.
Hair: I was scheduled to get a short haircut today but since it's been falling out in clumps, I went ahead and buzzed it. I didn't cry at all (did enough of that the past two days). I took my daughter with and we even took lots of pictures, (before, during, after) and we even laughed a little. Tonight I'm trying to get used to the 'feel' of it. The look is bad enough, I knew it would be hard. But I wasn't ready for how it 'feels.' Did we do something wrong? It feels so stubby!. I thought I'd feel smooth, sort of like when we would 'nair' our legs and have silky smooth skin. Maybe I should 'nair' my head.... (just kidding.) lol Anyway, too late now. But do others 'feel' the same way about how it 'feels" ? (sorry, couldn't resist the pun).
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Update:-
This morning I had my heart ultrasound. Then I stopped in at The Cancer Society and picked up a few free turbans. The hospital volunteers make them for the patients, which is really nice.
At midday I watched the 1 year Christchurch earthquake memorial service on TV. While I got through that ordeal reasonably unscathed, I really feel for the people who lost loved ones and are still dealing with broken houses and businesses.
This afternoon DH and I had Japanese for lunch, then he helped me try on some wigs. My natural hair is very dark, in layers to just below my shoulders. My wig will be a black angular pixie hairstyle. (If you're interested, it's kind of like Rihanna's hairstyle at the 2008 BET awards).
Tomorrow I have to be at the hospital at 7.30am for my port operation. It will be done under a general anaesthetic. (I wish they'd done it when I got my mastectomy!) In the afternoon I will see a nurse in Oncology for my education session.
Five sleeps until chemo #1...
jap62:-
Awesome news about your clear lymph nodes. We've gotta take our silver linings where we can!Lumpynme:-
Good luck with the job search. It'd be great if they can work around your treatment schedule. Funny you mentioned needing to shave your legs - that's one thing I'm looking forward to -not- having to do!
Sissydi:-
I start chemo on Monday too. Have been getting myself ready this week. There is a lot to take in! Maybe I should be in the March chemo thread?JudyP:-
Interesting info about your port! I'm getting mine in tomorrow... and will definitely take the excuse to not carry -any- groceries for a while, hehehe.christina0001:-
Sounds like you had a full-on day! Great to hear that you're feeling up to all that activity.FLDREAMER:-
I haven't been through it yet, but I expect your head will feel smoother once the hair follicles have all released the hairs from your head. I plan to shave my head before it starts to fall out, but I expect my head will feel like stubble for a while. Maybe someone else will be able to say.0 -
Good luck tomorrow JAG and Dltnhm I will be sending good thoughts your way.
Gayle
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Chemo #2 for me today and yes, I've been up since 3 p.m, likely due to the steroid pills (thought I did get 4 hours sleep thanks to Xanax earlier). My onco is cutting down on the steroids in my IV as well as the steroid pills days 2 and 3 so hoping that will help.
I've also been drinking lots of water to help with the constipation and the subsequent hemorrhoids (TMI?) and will eat a high fiber breakfast in the morning (thanks Ann/Cool Breeze!). I had trouble with Neulasta pain that nothing but the prescription painkiller could touch so I am going to add Claritin to the mix and since my WBC was so good we are going with 4 mg. Neulasta instead of 6. I am glad that the onc is adjusting things to make me more comfortable based on my reactions the first round!
My appetite and energy came back (with a vengeance!) after about a week, so I've had a very good run since then. Hoping that what I learned by living through the first round will help with SEs the second.
I am losing my hair in clumps and wearing my wig out in public. I am considering wearing just a hat to chemo as it is more comfortable than the wig. I am shy but hey - if you can't appear in an oncologists office obviously hairless, where can you appear?????
I am going to watch several episodes of Downton Abbey during my chemo today - really looking forward to that!
Wishing all of you minimal SEs, supportive friends and family and an easy time.
Joan
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Good luck Joan, I havnt been sleeping too well, and I just had to take another compazine, not looking forward to my next big chemo, but I have Hercrptin tommorrow. Oh well, I ll get through. Wishing you all much love and small SEs.
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We'll all get through, although this is a bitch. How about this? Chemo's a bitch and then you DON'T die.
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I'll keep that in mind, when I'm not throwing up.
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Anti nausea meds aren't helping with that? Ugh
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Yesterday was a bad day. I contacted the department of motor vehicles to remove myself from the organ donor list (apparently folks with metastisized cancer can't donate organs). That was a hard moment. Then I made the mistake of looking up survival stats for what I have. My doctor even told me not to do that. I should have known from that. Some days I hold on to hope by my fingernails. This sucks.
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Gritgrl -
I am sorry you had a bad day yesterday. So I went and read a few recent entries in your blog - and they were all very hopeful - declining liver levels, love and support surrounding you, a kick ass attitude expressed in your buzz cut. Try to re-read those when you are feeling down. We all haveour bad days - we all deserve them I would say - but I hope you have many more of the hopeful ones as your chemo starts to kick those $&^#ing tumors out of your system - hopeful to stay.
Sending you love, Joan (from New Jersey)
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Anti nausea meds aren't helping with that? Ughjoan, I need a jersey girl like you fighting for me. Thank you so much. Bad days are gonna happen with this stuff. Who would volunteer for this? Oy. Good luck today. May the chemo be kind to you.
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I will volunteer for this (tryng to keep you "up" - and I bet a lot of the girls on here would too!
I have an unusual situation and an unusual perspective on this. I am a two time breast cancer survivor. I was originally diagnosed at age 34, 19 years ago and went all those years without a recurrence or new tumor. In December, 2011 I was diagnosed with a new primary. What a surprise! Yet, strangely, it has been an easier diagnosis to deal with this time, probably because I had so much BC knowledge under my belt. It wasn't like I was landing on a foreign planet.
The other part of my story that is unusual is that I am in graduate school for social work and interning this year at a cancer center. I COUNSEL women everyday with breast cancer, one and one, and conduct support groups, etc. I also see patients with pancreatic cancer (horrible prognosis). Sometimes it's surreal to be talking with these women (usually without disclosing my own personal circumstance - I had a BMX and am undergoing chemo), but it helps me to really tune in to what they are feeling. I learn so much from watching how other women deal with their diagnoses. My supervisor offered me the option of changing assignments so I wouldn't have to work with cancer patients while I am undergoing this, but I love my job so much. It is so meaningful and when I go home at night I truly feel I have made a difference in the world.
So, trite as it may sound, wallow in those bad days, but try to take heart in the good ones. I (and the rest of us) are here for you - always.
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JoanQuilts - May you have smooth sailing with your chemo today. sounds like you did pretty well with the first round, and nice that they can soften the neulasta a little.
Everyone remember, from the day you are diagnosed you are a survivor. Each day, we are survivors. Its not something you have to wait for, it happens every day. That includes each and every one of you. You are not a statistic, you are a survivor. That includes you, gritgirl.
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Good morning all. I've been following this thread as I get chemo #1 today. One bag packed with crossword puzzle book and magazines, other with snacks. I'm prepared for a long day.
Biggest fear? Constipation!! I haven't been "moved" in 2 days!! No change in diet, anxiety maybe?? SO took me wig shopping yesterday and then to a Chinese buffet for my "last supper". Will have oatmeal w/raisins for breakfast with a side of prayer.
My question of the day: When do I take the Claritan?? Today? Or tomorrow before the Neulasta?
Sending you all hugs and wishes for minimal SE's!
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Melly1462 - May your day be smooth, and SE minimal. If stool softeners arent enough, try miralax. It doesnt matter that you havent 'moved' in 2 days, it matters that the stool is not hard.
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gritgirl, don't look at those stats! they are a bunch of numbers and not YOU.
moonflwr - hope your tummy is feeling better today
melly - Good luck with your chemo today! And I hope you "move" today! lol Oatmeal is a good choice.
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