Cytoxan Taxotere Chemo Ladies- February/March 2013
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Hi All, I did not have neulasta after treatment one but probably should have, I have only had to have 4 mg after 2 & 3 and probably with the 4th. I had treatment #3 on the 3rd and this has been the easiest one so far, just tired,short of breath and a little light headed. My dr sent my blood out for an iron study since I'm a little anemic. My eyebrows are a little thin but eyelashes are still hanging in. I shaved my head to an inch on day 16 and I'm surprised how much there is, I should say I'm almost bald but have some hair left that I will shave once my hair starts growing. I'm using Nioxin shampoo also and I notice everyday that I have little granules all over the place coming out of the follicles. kindof like their cleaning out and getting ready..... my arm hair hasn't come out nor my mustache hairs. I drink at least 64 oz of water/gatorade a day but would like to drink 80. Cant wait for the last treatment on the 24th only 11 days to go!
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btdemo, I had my eyebrows tatooed with what I think is called a "hairstroke" technique by a gal who has been doing permanent cosmetics here in San Antonio for almost 20 years and has a great reputation, but I had time to do it and heal up before starting chemo. I had upper liner done at the same time. I don't think it's something that would be safe to do during chemo because we're at so much more risk of infection now. My real brow hair hasn't come out yet, but I had also heard that it often doesn't happen until after the last chemo infusion. My 3rd infusion is coming up this Thursday.
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Dear Sweet Friends, I have changed my user name after reading some of the privacy recommendations for the discussions and realizing that our posts are searchable. It seemed best not to use my real first and middle names. I don't think people can see our pictures/avatars unless they have created accounts, so I'll wait a few days before changing that, so those of you who have come to recognize me on this thread will know who I am for a few days of transition.
I'm not so concerned about my own privacy, but I've just learned some very difficult news that I may share with you all from time time and I want to be especially careful about protecting my precious granddaughter's privacy. My sixteen year old granddaughter, has been diagnosed with a very rare type of breast tumor that is even more rare in anyone under forty. She is my oldest daughter's oldest daughter and was my first grandchild. When we first learned about her lump we had every reason to believe it was a fibroadenoma, which is pretty common benign tumor in adolescents. Still I hated the fact that she needed to have core needle biopsy like I did.
As it turns out she has a Phyllodes Tumor, and they are very fast growing and invasive. They can be benign, malignant or borderline. It has to be surgically removed and quickly. The biopsy showed no cancer, but they won't know for sure until it's been removed and a pathology report is done on all the tissue. When they do occur in younger women, they are usually benign, but even then the agressive nature necessitates at least a wide excision lumpectomy. I cannot tell you how devastated I am to know that at her age she is going to have to go through any part of this experience.
She is an exceptionally sweet, modest, mature sixteen year old with a strong faith. My daughter told me that she found the lump when she did because since my diagnosis, she began doing self exams. That is at least some small comfort to me and I'll be trying to help her know what to expect as she goes through any procedures I've already had. I'll be praying her through this, and appreciate all your thoughts and prayers for our sweet girl.
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Dear Sweet Friends, I have changed my user name after reading some of the privacy recommendations for the discussions and realizing that our posts are searchable. It seemed best not to use my real first and middle names. I don't think people can see our pictures/avatars unless they have created accounts, so I'll wait a few days before changing that, so those of you who have come to recognize me on this thread will know who I am for a few days of transition.
I'm not so concerned about my own privacy, but I've just learned some very difficult news that I may share with you all from time time and I want to be especially careful about protecting my precious granddaughter's privacy. My sixteen year old granddaughter, has been diagnosed with a very rare type of breast tumor that is even more rare in anyone under forty. She is my oldest daughter's oldest daughter and was my first grandchild. When we first learned about her lump we had every reason to believe it was a fibroadenoma, which is pretty common benign tumor in adolescents. Still I hated the fact that she needed to have core needle biopsy like I did.
As it turns out she has a Phyllodes Tumor, and they are very fast growing and invasive. They can be benign, malignant or borderline. It has to be surgically removed and quickly. The biopsy showed no cancer, but they won't know for sure until it's been removed and a pathology report is done on all the tissue. When they do occur in younger women, they are usually benign, but even then the agressive nature necessitates at least a wide excision lumpectomy. I cannot tell you how devastated I am to know that at her age she is going to have to go through any part of this experience.
She is an exceptionally sweet, modest, mature sixteen year old with a strong faith. My daughter told me that she found the lump when she did because since my diagnosis, she began doing self exams. That is at least some small comfort to me and I'll be trying to help her know what to expect as she goes through any procedures I've already had. I'll be praying her through this, and appreciate all your thoughts and prayers for our sweet girl.
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Oh you Gals all have such interesting and thought-provoking stories. Well, I am happy to announce the completion of Chemo and Neulasta shot #3 with just one more to go! Labs have been good, nausea a bit of a problem, bone pain and lead legs getting better. I'm planning on resting up for the next few days as my "MAN" is coming to see me from DC and it has been since August that I last saw him. We date by telephone every night but I am literally counting the days until he arrives on the 18th at DFW. We (I) am going to play a game with him to see if he can find me at his baggage claim as I plan to wear my best wig and disguise. That should start things off in a fun manner. Then, it's room service breakfast in bed for a week and some good times here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Peace y'all and a blessed Sunday and minimal side effects to all.
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I am so sorry about your granddaughter! How horrible to go through especially at that age! Prayers are being sent her way!
Rachel
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Have fun cm
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I just read your post about your sweet granddaughter. What a devastating thing for her, you and her family to go through. I cannot express how very sorry I am and how sad this news has made me. Tears are streaming down my face as I write this note. I will make it a special point to pray daily for her, you and the whole family. I will plead with God to not make her go through any of the horrendous treatments we have all managed to endure and I will expect to hear GOOD NEWS ASAP. Please let me know if there is anything you or she needs at any time Sister Warrior. Peace, love and blessings to all,
Carolyn
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Hi Annie, Lots of prayers for your granddaughter it always breaks my heart to hear of these young women dealing with this.
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I start TC on Wednesday. 4-6 rounds depending on how well i do. I went through this almost 2 years ago! Not angry, but disappointed to 'miss' another summer. I'm 41, stay at home mom, daughters age 12 and 9. You can see the deal in my signature. I won't be getting a port this time. After chemo, surgery to remove remaining areola and right axillary node dissection. Then twice per day radiation.
I'm debating doing the fingers and toes icing. I didn't with Taxol and had no nail issues, neuropathy was mild and diminished completely.
I still have my scarves. Maybe I should get rid of them when I'm finished with them this time! I never got a wig and I won't this time either.0 -
AnnieLane: So very sorry to hear about your Grand Daughter. I know that must be truly heart breaking. I'm so glad that she was compelled to do self breast exams. We all wonder why this is happening to us and your diagnosis helped your grand daughter to catch hers early. I wish the very best for her and that you all can have the strength to deal with all that you have been dealt.
Cider8: I am so sorry that you have to do this again. I think everyone on this board has already thought about this happening and how hard it would be to have to do it all over again. I know I have and can't imagine what you must be feeling. Stay strong. We are all here to support you.0 -
Cider8, I am so sorry you are having to go through this again. I've often thought about how much harder it would be to have gone through this when I was raising my children. My heart goes out to you. You are the age of my daughter (well, she's 40) whose 16 yr old daughter, has a rare Phyllodes breast tumor. She also has 14 and 9 yr old daughters. I am 57 (I was a teenage mom myself) and I'd sooner go through this 10 times over than see my daughters or granddaughters go through any of it.
Thank you all for your kind concern for my granddaughter. We have learned that a Phyllodes tumor, even if it's benign, may require a mastectomy. She is a high school junior who is in the process of visiting and applying to universities and has two AP exams scheduled before the end of the school year. She also has plans to go to Africa this summer on a service project with a group from her church. They just got her diagnosis Friday, so her world has been rocked.
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Annie.....I will be sincerely praying for your grandaughter. She sounds like an amazing young woman. And you and family are there! I'm the older one in this room (65) and she's sooo young! Thank you for sharing.
Cider.......I'm thinking about you.....really........all of you. This room allows us to share while we are in the middle of this journey. I thank you all for sharing and listening to me..................
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Cider8- So sorry to hear that you have found yourself back here. As for the icing, that is purely a personal choice. I iced for all 6 rounds of chemo and glad that I did. If you have any questions or need some practical help, post your questions. We are all here to help you get through your time in chemoland!!!!
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@ Cider8 - I too am very sorry to learn that you are back here with this group of Warriors. It must be devastating to have to deal with all of these horrendous treatments and side effects again. Please stay strong and know we are all here for you, night and day. Peace, love and blessings to you and yours. Hugs and a great week to all!
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From my current perspective, they should make NUTS that cause horrendous acts like this bombing today in Boston take chemotherapy EVERYDAY! I say this after losing a cherished family friend and dedicated Naval Oficer at the Pentagon on 911.
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Cmbernardi, I hate to wish anything bad on anyone but can you imagine making them have chemo? And double mastectomies! And no meds for pain or nausea!! SOOOOO sad at these senseless acts.
I don't think I've chimed in on this thread yet because I just started and know a lot of you are way ahead, some maybe almost through chemo! I've been reading though, hoping to feel prepared. I had my first infusion last Wednesday and the biggest surprise has been how mild my side effects have been. I'm the kind of person that has reactions to rice lol, so the idea of having all these poisons pumped into me and not having any really bad effects is just amazing to me. I thought I'd be at death's door by now! So I am really happy but afraid to hope they will all go this well. Did you guys find your reactions to each treatment to be overall consistent? I know the effects are cumulative but if I didn't feel too badly with this round, can I expect to feel OK for the next 3 too, or do I need to keep waiting for the other shoe to drop???
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Indenial: first of all, I like your name! If I would have been clever I could have picked that one too and it would have fit. Sometimes I forget I actually had breast cancer. I never forget the treatments and am constantly reminded that I have no hair but forget to put it all together and when it hits me, this startling wave of reality can be overwhelming so I guess I'm still kind of in denial.
I was so scared going In for the first treatment. I had no idea how it would go and have to say, i expected worse. The chemo and side effects for me have been pretty consistent. I've had 3 treatments, I'm officially half way through and the 4th is coming next week. Mainly the fatigue hangs around more than any of the other se's and oh yeah the hair loss was pretty traumatic. I think the Neulasta shot packed a bigger punch than the chemo. The bone pain from it was pretty intense. If you haven't had to have it consider yourself lucky. If you do have to have it, take Claritin for several days to help minimize the pain. I hope you continue to do well with it and its over for you with very little SE's. Stay positive if/when you can that helps.0 -
Thanks LW!! My MO is worried I'll react to the latex in the Neulasta shot so we're hoping to avoid it. I've always had alarmingly high WBC's so maybe that will work in my favor with chemo!
And I wasn't being clever with my user name lol. It's the only thing that came to mind when I was on the sign in page. I'm constantly in denial. I have no breasts (no reconstruction) and I shaved my head before it could fall out and I keep "forgetting" I have cancer. Except it's a weird kind of forgetting because I can never actually forget... if that makes sense. After my BMX I woke up on the cancer floor of the hospital and totally freaked out. I don't know where I expected to wake up, but it wasn't there. That is the one and only time I actually felt like a cancer patient & broke through my denial for a bit. I'm worried it will all hit me one day months or years after I finish treatment!
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Just heard from my daughter that they will be taking my granddaughter to consult with the surgeon tomorrow afternoon. They are about 5 hours away from us. I hate that I can't be there, but I'm too high maintenance to be of much practical help.
Welcome, Indenial - I'm glad your SEs haven't been too bad and hope that will continue to be your experience.
Cider8, my treatment center has frozen gel mitts and booties that I use to ice. I do it especially because neuropathy in my hands could prevent me from working even if I feel good enough otherwise.
Cmbernardi, so glad you're in the home stretch! Hope you feel good enough to enjoy your time with your guy.
I have my third of six infusions coming up Thursday.
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@ AnnieLane - hugs and love to you and that dear, sweet granddaughter. My prayers will always be said for her, you and the whole family. And thanks for your well wishes. Just 3 more days and I get a vacation from all of this mess!
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Thanks for that Melrose. Like everyone else, my hair and when it will come back has been on my mind! More than any of the other side effects.
I noticed something interesting about my finger nails. They have white lines that seem to correspond to each treatment I had. Like rings on a tree. Just glad I didn't lose any.
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cider8 - so sorry you are back here . I also had bilateral double mastecomy on 1/24 and surprised to hear you have breast cancer again, so wondering where how you found it and where was first one.
Annielane:- I will sure be thinking about your granddaugher and praying for her. I my youngest is 18 and I know how busy this time can be, college apps, searches, etc. My other two are 22 and 24 and a big help to me.
indenial: welcome to this awesome site. Im a 52 year old and as im writing this Im actually in my 3rd chemo infusion. I can say my SEs have been minimal to none, just occasion mild fleeting queasiness, my eating well, socializing as usual with my friends, and not even too tired (although I have a LOT) of energy. im lucky enough to be off work, ( I work in a hospital so too many germs) I miss my work friends and my SPIN friends, but they stay in constant contact. Hopefully your SEs will be minimal too. A positive outlook helps, a lot!!
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TMM60- My fingernails each had a horizontal dent for every round of chemo I had. Just keep taking good care of the nails!!! Wear those rubber gloves to wash dishes and keep your hands moisturized. I also noticed that as they grew out, that there was some slight discoloration of the nail. For a while there, I thought my fingernails were dirty but they weren't.... just the discoloration. This is one side effect I think we can handle!!!! As for the hair--- you just hang in there. I had my coming out day when I attended a formal black tie charity gala two months after my chemo. I didn't have much hair but decided not to worry about what others thought about my hairdo change. I had waist length hair until first cut it to short bob right before my UMX. The weekend before my second chemo, I gave myself a boy hair cut by making 6-7 little pony tails and snipping those little hair bundles off myself. (Very liberating to say the least!) My husband cleaned up what I had done with his trusty electric clippers and I never buzzed/shaved my head after that. I haven't had any trims since being PFC since my hair has come back very evenly and straight. No matter what, all of the gals here are beautiful.
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another thing I learned from a dermatologist is that as soon as the hair starts to come back you can use Rogaine FOAM FOR MEN. She just said be careful not to get it on your face...lol
Reading about the nioxin shampoo, and will research that.
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Dear Friends, I am relieved and so thankful to tell you that my granddaughter will be a having a lumpectomy next Monday. We have every reason to hope that her whole tumor is benign. Funny, a week ago, I couldn't have imagined saying such a thing, but life can change so fast, can't it? Our amazing girl is happy that she should be able to take all 3 of her AP exams as scheduled (she corrected me, I thought she was taking 2 this year.) Tonight she texted me to ask if I remembered how I felt about six days after my lumpectomy, since she wants to play bass at church the Sunday after hers. How I love that girl! If God can use any part of my experience to help her, then I'm glad to have gone through it.
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Thank you for keeping us updated. Prayers, hugs and love to you and your family today and into the future. Peace, Love and Blessings All. Have a safe and productive week with no side effects!
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AnnieLane- Thanks for the update. You granddaughter is a wonderful young woman. So thankful that she has you and her mom and everyone else supporting her and letting her know that she can get through this with a "tiger" spirit!!! Sending many many hugs and positive healing and calming prayers, thoughts and energy!!!
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I have the indentions across my nails too. They're pretty deep. I'm so hoping I get to keep them all! Positive...no period this go round after my first 21 day marathon period it never came back. Also, no underarm or "other" hair. I had laser hair removal in my bikini area last fall and didnt get to completely finish my last 2 treatments because of the diagnosis but chemo took care of ALL of it even the legs. I save SO much time in the shower now. Still sucks to be bald and have to wear a wig but I am finding positives too.
#4 is next Thursday, can't wait to be over half way!!0 -
So far I have seen no effect on my nails after 2 treatments, but I have iced my hands. Wonder if that has made the difference.
I've heard about the Nioxin shampoo and also heard that using dandruff shampoo with zinc can help the hair follicles recover from chemo. Maybe I'll get both and alternate
Today I messaged my daughter and granddaughter my advice for shopping for comfy post-lumpectomy bras. My poor daughter was down here two months ago to pamper me and hang out the weekend after my lumpectomy and now she's going through this with her 16 year old. She is a trooper, though. I'm so proud of them both. (They live up in your neck of the woods, CMBernardi)
Back to the chemo bar for me tomorrow and then I'll be at the halfway point
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