February 2012 Chemo
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Gritgirl, how you doing? I don't have a port so it's from the chemo going into my arm. I have asked about anti-anxiety meds but they won't give them because you have to know if the chemo is hurting you or not. So what with that and having the cooling cap it is shit. (for me anyway)
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Ali, that is bs they won't give you meds.,Cripes. Do you have enlarge cream for the arm. Call your regular doc or push this doc. Most of us on here have this stuff
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Hello Ladies;
I am done with Chemo #1.It went pretty good just had some lightheadedness and was tired..My legs got alittle twisty while sitting there.Did ok yesterday with the Fluids..Now today I am alittle tired but trying to stay up and keep busy..
Lisa
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Ali, I think I remember that you're doing FEC like me. After my first tx, my arm hurt so much (it actually still does!) and my vein was burned that I went ahead and got a port. Today was my 2nd tx and the port made it sooooo much easier. I lathered on the lidocaine cream and I didn't feel anything; all went very smoothly.
One funny thibugs appended - whatever bug i caught over the weekend has now turned into a cough. At one point I had a huge coughing fit so the nurses ran over to see if I was OK (they watch me like a hawk after I had the severe allergic reaction to the Taxotere on my first try). I couldn't talk because I was coughing so hard but I managed to make them understand that I was fine - they just shook their heads and called me a troublemaker!
Anyway, I'm really tired now and the nausea has started. Just took a Zofran but I'm not looking forward to the next few days, or the week for that matter.0 -
wow! you have all been Busy!
today, i read The Red Devil:To Hell with Cancer and Back (Katherine Russell Rich) i am not sure that i recommend it to ALL of you but some of you may enjoy it at some point- or relate to some of her thoughts and feelings.... it gave me an opportunity to get some tears to come genuinely and i needed them! also i did some journalling...
yesterday, i got my "halo" from my daughter and a hat from tlc...today, my wig came from Crickett's Answer for Cancer...so i am ready! the hair hurts but has yet to start coming out...today is day 11....
tomorrow i finally get to meet my new PCP and then i am going to a NIA class at the cancer ctr.also, the ACS called to confirm my registration to the Look Good, Feel Better at my center in a few weeks and she shared info with me that i will qualify (due to income or lack of) for a gas card;she's mailing me forms to fill out.
i have, so far, not had the bloody nose issues and i think it is in part due to my sleep apnea-my cpap has a water container attached...
well- i'm working on not eating everything that isn't nailed down! my face looks fatter already and i think it's the eating! the cat and dog helped me a lot today- while i was reading they both settled on me in the chair and i really hate to disrupt them until i absolutely MUST to potty.
sending hugs
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Claritin quesion?
I took a Claritin 24 hours before my Neulasta shot .. which I just injected myself about 30 minutes ago.
Thinking that perhaps my trouble with nausea last night was not just the silly food I ate but also the Claritin. I take Zyrtec-D for allegies (seasonal mainly - so not now) because the loratadine would not touch my allergy symptoms.
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Hi all,! Home with a script for sleeping aid- perhaps I will sleep more than 3 hours running tonight. Herceptin went well, had to send my daughter to buy immodium at the pharm because I forgot to bring it to treatment, and I still had you know what. So far so good today, it seems to have worked. Ate real bland, though DONT want to start puking again. I found muscles I havent felt in years! Not the way I want to find them. I have a rash on my chest, the nurse found when she put in the needle in my port (which went well, even without the emla cream- one quick little stick was all) and she drew the blood because lab didn't want to touch my new port. She didn't know what the rash was, but it doesnt itch, or bother me. She told me to take the Claritn next time when I topld her the knee pain was a 9 or 10. and she said to take more meds if needed. So I will try not to be a martyr next time. I also stayed to empty the saline bag because I didn't want to get dehydrated from all the you know what. I actually had no headache when I was done. Yay
Lumpy- I just got signed up for the class and I will also get a gas card sponsored from Kohls! I was so happy as I have exactly 24$ in my bank account=- where the H is my disability check?????? But the card is happy news. And so is the TLC catalog- I received my stuff in lesss than 4 days! I was happy with the bangs and hats. I ordered some caps from Just in Time- really soft and reversible, If you have to wear a hat, these feel so good, and they beat theTLC ones by a day.
I had to charge a humidifer as mine did not work, and the bloody nose is stopping already. Well worth the 30 bucks.
Ymac, call the doc, they have to give you something else- If I had puked one more time- I was supposed to call the night numbeer for something new. They really don't want you dehydrated.
LisaK- glad you made it through # 1, you are now on your way to finishing! That is great.
Ali, I am with gritgirl on this,- get the antianxiety drug. It does not put you to sleep, and if you already had no reaction to the chemo- you probably won't have one anyway- and if you did, its their job to notice! I am glad I got a port though. How many tx do you have left? I have 18 weeks in a row, then the rest of the year every 3 weeks. so I knew Id have a lot of tx.
Gritgirl,and Dltnhm Luv you too! Much love to all and to all small SEs!
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Thank you to those who responded to my post from yesterday. I managed to get the nausea and vomiting under control after a few hours, and then got some good sleep last night, propped up on multiple pillows. My stomach is still not 100% happy, but I have been able to rehydrate with chicken soup and ginger tea.
My port is a few centimetres below my collar bone, on the left side. I have two bandages - one over the port, and one at the base of my neck. The areas hurt a bit, but I think it's just normal post-surgery pain. I'm sure having the port will make chemo infusions a little less stressful.
I have only three sleeps until chemo #1...
mkgutierrez and youngkl - Welcome. I hope you find this group as friendly and helpful as I do.
BelaT - ((((((hugs)))))) Please let us know how you get on.
Thank you to JoanQuilts, DonnaDS, melly1462, dltnhm, etc for telling your treatment stories. It is so helpful to know what might be coming up.
I'm sorry that some of us aren't feeling so good - dltnhm, Moonflwr912, ymac16, christina0001, myleftboob, etc. I hope that the problems pass quickly. Those back spasms don't sound fun. Christina - how are you getting on with the itchy skin?
gritgirl - I agree, the whole situation is a bitch. I haven't even started chemo yet, and I hate it. Nobody would volunteer for any of this.
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moonflowr:
i got my sleep cap ( which i probly will wear tonite!) and one of the tuck's and darts from just in time- i haven't shopped any spring weight hats from them yet- my bank acct is having withdrawal pangs since i have not worked since end of november!
kohl's huh????
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Thought I'd give my 2 pennies worth of experience on the wig thing since I've been wearing mine about a week or so and am more or less used to them. It's a bit annoying when somebody sees you in it or the first time and does that tiny eye flick up to the hair prosthesis and back down again, but then again it would be more than a tiny eye flick if my bristly head were out there in all its glory, so I'll take it.I think, in retrospect, I would not have shaved my head so soon, because it is a little over a week later and there's still plenty of hair up there. (Or there would be if I hadn't shaved it!) I just had no clue how fast it would come out. I sort of expected to be completely hairless in a few days or so, but it doesn't seem to work that way. On the other hand, I was looking forward to several annoying crone hairs on my chin falling out, and naturally, they are grimly hanging in there. Dang!So I have found that both the full wig and the halo come in handy. The halo I have that Underhair thing, which is a bald cap with hair coming down from the crown. It's quite comfortable, and I tend to wear this one when going out for walks and exercise as it is built for hats. It's a good thing most of this wig-wearing is going on in the Winter, as I suspect these things are hot in the summertime. I have had a couple people comment on my hair cut and how much more 'styled' it is now. Note to self: Stop being a slob with the real hair once it returns!Hope all are doing whatever it takes to get you through the night--it's all right....0
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Thanks Hildy! I am 21 days from the first tx. I have been shedding steady and a lot since last Saturday. I wanted to hold out til the weekend so I could get used to it. Right now I'm tired of stressing over it. I'm constantly touching it to see if there is a clump hanging or checking my shoulder to see how many hairs are there - there are always a few dozen. Tomorrow I'm throwing a hat on and counting the hours until it's gone. That is something I never thought I'd say!
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Its only day 8 of tx 1 for me- or do I count the herceptin? LOL? but I expect it to last another week to 2 weeks yet. but who the H knows? It will come out when it wants to. I am going to take my first ambien today - Should I hide the car keys? LOL Good nite to all.
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Oh btw - one of my guy friends that shaves his head told me "I'm going to rock the zero well". Barbers use the 0 setting w the clippers so that's what it's called in barbershops. I like the sound of that better than being bald
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FHL, rock the zero sounds tough, I like that!
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Hi ladies. Just thought I would check in with your board. I finished chemo valentines day 2011. It was my sixth treatment of both the red devil and taxotere. I just looked over the last few posts...my hair hurt so bad after about the 11th day after treatment, I had my aunt the beautician shave it off.
I kept an online journal on caringbridge.org through treatment for family updates (have a huge family it was easier to just post once than call over and over). I'm so glad I did, since details are hard to remember.
The year has gone by fast. When I started treatment - I had chemo first, then surgery, then radiation, I didn't think it would ever end. I learned a few things that I want to share with you all, probably you have heard this before....
My MO told me to keep food in my stomach to hold the nausea down. She gave me the drug EMEND, it was amazing....My stomach would be loose one treatment, and the opposite the next treatment. Find a good book about eating through treatment, I kept mine close.
Keep your chin up and a smile on your face, it makes the time go by so much faster. Life's stresses will be waiting for you when you are done with treatment, so let them wait.
Wishing each of you the best through treatment. PM if you like. I'm an open book.
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Mooflwr912
HIde the keys? LOL! I hope you get a good nights sleep, it'll make you feel so much better.
Hildy910
I'm going to take your advice about not clipping the hair until I feel it absolutly time to.
Galena
Glad your feeling better. Yes this is a bitch but believe it or not you'll feel better once you get that first treatment under your belt. It takes the mystery out of it and then at least you know what to expect the next time. I echo the sentiment that it was way too soon to be attending anything besides your bed after your port installation.
Lumpy
Nice that you get a gas card and some free stuff. I called the Canadian Cancer Society so see if they offered anything and was referred to the Wig Shop at Princess Margaret Hospital LOL!
Lisak
Glad to hear your first TX went smoothly.
As for my back spasms, they continued on and off all day. This together with my recent acne flaire up tells me to speak to the nurse about the steroids. Mabey they can decrease the dose, hope so. Re the bloody nose thing, I remembered I had a humidifier so I pulled it out, cleaned it really well and realized the filter looked a bit yukky. So I filled the sink up with a bunch of vinigar and scalding water hoping to at least clean it and dry it out so I could use it tomorrow. Went to check on it and um, well its partially made of paper LOL! Big pile of mush in the sink. Add a filter to the shopping list tommorow. The weatherman is calling for a snow storm tomorrow so we'll see.
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Sagina
Thanks for the encouragment. Hooray for you being done with chemo!! I've already marked my last day of TCH on my Blackberry, April 20! The Herceptin alone for a year of course. So far I've been really lucky with not being too nauseaus. Small blandish meals definatly help even if it's some cheese and saltines. My appetite is fine but I know if I overeat I'll pay. My appetite has never been an issue my whole life, hence the extra 20 pounds I'm carrying. So far I haven't gained any weight since mid December (surgery date) so if I can start the yoga classes and take the Wellness Centre up on the 10 weeks personal training and not gain, I'll be happy. I have almost given up red meat, and have been craving fish more now.Rarely ever fry anything and love veggies. After TX Im going to try to cut out the white carbs and research the hell out of estronic foods and organic where it makes sense. Not now though, rice/potatoes/bread and such are too much of a help right now oh yes and of course the anti naus meds. I'm so scared of becoming dehydrated that even a glass of wine kind of scares me. And I love my red wine LOL! Hmm I have to wonder if that fueled my cancer cells, has crossed my mind.
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Did you get a Neulasta shot? if so, take 24 hour claritin for 7 days to stop the back spasms, which are likely caused by Neulastal
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I finished treatment 2 today (TC). Avoided overwhelming nausea (and throwing up) this time by taking a phenergan the night before, 2 Ativans 1 hour before chemo, and starting premeds with Emend rather than steroids. I started having problems with the Taxotere, so the nurse flushed the line and gave me iv Lorizapam and then resumed the Taxotere. With all of these precautions, this infusion was much better than the first with very little nausea this time. I kept my fingers and toes in ice during the chemo portion and ate popsicles and drank cold fluids. I had consumed 50 ozs before chemo and managed another 20 ozs or so during chemo. I also took my claritn at the end of chemo to plan ahead for Neulasta on Friday. I will take Claritin for 7 days.
I also have a port, to which I generously applied EMLA cream at 1 hour, 1/2 hour and 15 minutes before the stick (covered with tegaderm). Nurse said the length of time was the most important, so put the cream on that full hour before. I pasted the cream on very thick! The stick was painless.
Cold caps were much colder this time, so we hope that we have saved my hair despite not having them quite cold enough last time. Cold cap pain was manageable with one oxycodone for the entire day of cold caps. So far, I haven't lost strand of hair, but MO said the hair loss would not begin until after the second treatment, so we will see.
After we finished with the cold caps around 5:30 (at home), I had a grilled cheese sandwich and took a three-hour nap (thank you, Ativan). I am about to top off with another 50 ozs of fluids before bed to start the flushing and will take antinausea meds, Effexor, Miralax, and colace.
I have to work (at home) in the morning, take my claritin, get my Neulasta shot at 1 and exercise and drink plenty of fluids to start detoxing after the shot. So far, due to the improved nausea control, I feel much better than the first round. Now we have to watch for chemo fatigue and Neulasta side effects, but I am working to counteract both with fluids, exercise, rest, and Claritin.
Hugs to all with treatments this week!0 -
Mom2JJ
I didn't take the Clariton regretfully so. Yes I get the Neulasta shot. I made mention on a previous post that other than here, no one meaning the MO or the nurses talked about Clariton and I thought I was covered with my Oxycodone prescription. I will be taking it for sure for the the TX. What surprised me with the back spasms is I suppose I thought it would have happened prior to day 6 from TX. I've learned my lesson though. What is it about Clariton vs say oral Benadryl I wonder? I'm also wondering if the it is different in Canada vs the States in it's active ingredients. I'll check with the Pharmacist.
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Get the 24 hour claritin. I made the mistake of taking claritin for only 4 days and on the 5th day, I experienced knife sharp crippling back pain. It was terrible. I subsequently learned that others take clatitin for up to 7 days. which I wil do this cycle. Our docs and nurses have no idea why Claritin works but they do endorse its use for Neulasta.
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Mom2JJ
Just added it to the list thanks. Don't want that to happen again!
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Family. Most of my family is fine but thrn there is my father. He has been absentee to say the least. But after dx of stage iv he has been doing the once a week cancer call. Tomorrow he is bringing my half brother and sister up to help, i thought. But then he emails that he won't get here until very late. He is a workaholic and didn't take off work. When i realize that he is expecting me to wait up for him after chemo tomorrow, i start crying. As a friend tells me, an asshole with a daughter with stage iv cancer is still an asshole.
After urging by friends, i tell him to stay in a hotel friday night and my dear friend lisa offered to stay with me tomorrow night. That will be much more relaxing. I was willing to give my father the benefit of the doubt but he is the same man. I really wanted to tell him to just stay home but am proud i told him to stayin a hotel. I am learning to say no when things hurt. I need supportive people around me and this wasn't it. Who asks someone who has just gone through chemo to wait up because they wouldn't take time off work? My dad.
Btw, no offense firstcall, my dad is a doctor. Thanks to him, i will always be demanding with medical folks (my mom was a nurse and i adored her). So i did get good things from him. His bad treatment of me was training ground for the tough perserverance i have today--the love i got from my momadded to that too because i fight to save me. But i don't need more pain on top of this difficult situation.0 -
Eni, powerful, powerful art
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gritgirl - you did the right thing to set limits with your father. I agree he should not have expected you to wait up for him after chemo. Don't worry, it does not offend me that your dad is a doctor. Whether he was a doctor, a plumber or a virtuoso, he should reprioritize his life for you, his daughter. I know where I was when my young adult daughter had cancer treatments. I was at her side. And that meant flying to Kansas, where her husband was attending grad school. I sat at her side 24/7 in the hospital and afterwards.
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Firstcall, that makes you a wonderful father. If my mother and sister were alive, they would be here.
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Day 6- its 330 am, and I have spent the last two hours pacing the floor, looking forward to the day I feel better. I hope everyone is doing well. This is difficult, to be sure.
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Just seen onco and she was pleased with me, she said she would chat with surgeon on Monday about how many more I need. I might go onto the next lot after this one, the one where you take steroids first. Also asked about taking holidays, have a break after chemo and before surgery then again before rads. Then she said have a bloody good time after.
Just waiting now and I have taken two headache tablets and not told them hehe.
I said should I spend all my money now because I think the Cancer will come back in first two years. She laughed and said yes it might but then it might not no one knows. Spend a little now and save the rest because you could live till your old and grey.
I said what would you do? She said everyone asks that and they are not allowed to say. She did say if she got breast Cancer she knew in her dept who she wanted to treat her, I laughed.0 -
Ali, did you ask her who that is? That way you'd have someone to switch to. I talked to a doctor at the National Cancer Institute here in Washington, DC and when we thought it was contained to the breast, he told me I'd be fine, that cure rate is incredibly high on this. Even now he's optimistic - he's not my doctor but a friend of a friend so can say. So I'd say buy yourself something nice but don't spend it all. You're going to be around for a while.
Yesterday was steroid day so I was up, up, up. House is clean though.
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Had my first TX yesterday and it went odd without a hitch. Although when she flushed the port I of course got that nasty taste and got really tired, weird.
I take cymbalta, which is also know for anexiety, your Dr is bsing you,there is no reason to suffer from anything during this time, stress in a big evil, don't take no for an answer.
Well I have to say my hot flashes have intensifed during the night, going to ask for sleep aid when I go get that rocking neulesta shot.
I plan on shaving my head the sunday beforew my next treatment, mine as well put all my wigs,hats and scarves to good use.
I too will not shoo awayt my kitties until I can't hold it any longer, pets are good medicine
my prayers are with all my sisters, my memory of who said and did what, not so much, I suffer from meno[ause brain and soon to be mixed with chemo brain, can't be a good thing, so thankful for my DH, he's my hero
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