Cytoxan Taxotere Chemo Ladies- February/March 2013
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Has anyone had blood in their urine? At least I think it's where it's coming from. Between my period and the hemorrhoids from the diarrhea, it's hard to tell.
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Toby, I had horrible rash after the last round but my MO said she would still do full dose chemo as rash with a previous cycle does not predict rash again. I really hope so.... I still have eyebrows and eyelashes. Several people mentioned that they came off after chemo is done. As I'm finishing this week, I'm mentally preparing for that. Since my STD/LTD insurance is denied, it's hard to stay positive... Somehow it triggered all the negative emotions.
Try to focus on just one more chemo...Sjacobs, I've never had that issue. You might wanna call you doctor just in case. Hope it's nothing serious.
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I haven't seen any more blood, so I'm thinking that it was the last gasp of my period. I'm sure that the chemo messed up my cycle, it started a week early, but it's dragging on.
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thanks Hockey, sending you ALL the best this week!! So hopeful you will NOT have a reaction !
SJ, thinking of you, glad it is gone.
Kath
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Hockeycat, -- CONGRATS on finishing tomorrow!!! Ring that bell, loud and proud!!! I will be thinking of you.
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Kath! Nomatterwhat, Thank you! I had a busy day at work, pulled a 12-hours work day. Since I'm taking a week off for chemo+recovery, I had to wrap up a lot of things today. I felt tired and lightheaded, but I felt good about getting things done at the end of the day. I'm drinking lots of fluids to prepare for tomorrow. I found that I like cranberry juice now. I didn't like it much before because it's too sweet and tart. But I lost some taste buds so it tastes good. Hope I can start tasting food soon!
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HockeyCat! Hope you're sailing through today. CONGRATS CONGRATS CONGRATS. yippee for you!
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Hockeycat, I hope today goes well. Congratulations on your last infusion! So happy for you!
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Hockeycat- Congrats on the last round of chemo!!!!! Doing the Happy Dance for you!!!!
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wendee, Poppy, Melrose, thanks you! I'm DONE!!! The last infusion went smoothly without any reaction. I'd like to thank everyone on this forum. Without you I had no idea how to get through this harsh treatment with many SEs. I'll continue monitoring this forum and share my experience, so that I can help and support others, like you all did for me. Thank You All!
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congrats hockey!!!!!
Now relax this week....praying for an SE free week! Keep us posted
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Best of luck HockeyCat! You made it!
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yay hockeycat!! Done and DONE!!!! Rosie
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I woke up with high fever (101), ended up in ER this morning. They ran some blood tests, gave me IV. My WBC was very high (19) and they didn't see any infection. After IV they sent me home. Taking Advil to keep the fever down. Gonna see my MO tomorrow. I was so happy to finish chemo but it's not quite over yet...
hope everyone had a nice peaceful weekend. 0 -
Well, heck, HockeyCat, that's awful! I'm glad you got help right away, though. I hope your recovery quickly! Good luck at the MO!
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Hockey, so glad you went! Rest up, lots of fluid. Prayers
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HockeyCat -- So glad you are better. Good luck tomorrow.0 -
I had my third infusion last Tuesday and I've felt horrible the last few days. I am extremely fatigued and my entire body aches. No fever. I barely have the strength to feed myself or walk to the bathroom. Did anyone else feel like this?
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Poppy, sorry to hear you are feeling horrible. I felt the same way after my 4th (last Wednesday). By Friday, I was extremely fatigued, didn't want to move at all. Do you have nausea? I got nauseated and threw up a few times. Drink lots of fluids, eat some. Hope you won't get fever and will feel better soon.
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PoppyK- Welcome to the cumulative side effects of chemo portion of your travels through chemoland. Yes, fatigue at this point in chemo is not unusual. I do recall there were times when all I could do was just sit on the sofa..... too tired to get up ...... too tired to move. I also remember my body joint hurt and ached whenever I got out of bed, got up from sitting down, getting in and out of a car.... yes.... my feet joints hurt. I kept moving though..... the moving helps get those red blood cells to work and reproduce and the movement seemed a little less painful and easier over time. For me, it took 4-6 months post chemo before I didn't have those aches and pains any more. I did begin to feel a little better everyday post chemo. It was like I got up one day and I didn't feel the aches and pains anymore. That is something for you to look forward to as you get closer to finishing chemo.
Hockeycat- Sorry about the nausea. If you think it is from the chemo or your drugs, you may want to call your onco to talk about this side effect. Sorry you are feeling that fatigue. You may want to check on your red blood cell counts to see if you are becoming anemic. It isn't unusual for those red blood cell counts to decrease as you get further along in chemoland.
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Hi all! I have question, I get my first Cytoxan/Taxotere infusion on the 17th, next Monday.. were any of you able to drive yourselves home after treatment. .I live about 20 min away from the treatment center.
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enlm20Erica- Probably not a good idea to drive yourself home. Since it is your first round of chemo, there are some things you need to know. You will most likely receive pre-chemo IV meds which may include Benedryl, an ant-nausea med and possibly some anti-anxiety meds (Ativan). The first round of chemo may last longer than the other rounds because you will be learning about the procedures that occur prior to the actual chemo infusions. At the infusion center I received chemo, i was first weighed, had my vitals taken and then a blood draw. The blood draw was for the lab work to make sure my body was in shape to receive the chemo round. Then after my onco reviewed my blood lab work and signed orders for the pre-chemo IV drugs and chemo drugs, I would just sit and wait. Often times, I would wait for at least an hour but I never fretted about the wait. It was chemo day and my day to spend with the infusion staff. The pre-chemo IV drugs would arrive first and I received those along with saline solution. After 20-30 minutes, the chemo infusions would begin. I usually had the Taxotere first which took at least an hour. I iced my fingernails and toe nails 15 minutes before the Taxotere infusion, for on hour during the Taxotere infusion and for 15 minutes after the Taxotere infusion was completed. I drank icy cold water and/or sucked on ice throughout my chemo round.This was to help prevent mouth sores. The Cytoxan infusion took 30-40 minutes. FYI: you can go to the restroom during your infusions. Just ask the nurse to unplug your IV equipment from the wall electrical socket.
I am hoping that you have a good friend/ significant other to accompany you to chemo. It would definitely be a morale booster for you and may help relieve some anxiety. It is always good to have someone there to watch what is happening with you as you receive the chemo and to get food, water, etc for you. Time does go by faster when you have someone to talk to. If you have any more questions, please post. Happy to help you......
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enlm - I had someone drive me for my first infusion. As Melrose says, you don't know what all will be included in the infusions the first time, but Benedryl definitely knocks me out. After that I drove myself - an hour each way - to all of my 9 chemo treatments and additional 12 Hercepetin infusions. It's certainly doable. I slept, listened to music & read and was glad to be by myself in my own little cocoon.
Edited to add - good luck. We look forward to hearing from you.
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Erica - I think you would be happier if you had someone drive you and be with you. It can be a bit overwhelming the first time, plus a friend with you makes the time go faster. The Benydrl - during Chemo - knocked me for a loop - I was in a really "happy place" if you get my drift. Even though you are a strong woman, it is okay to let people help you; I found that it really blesses them, makes them feel good to help you. I learnt a lot about being gracious by saying yes to offers of help. So, be nice to your friends and family - they WANT to help and driving you could be one of those ways. My friend was with me thru surgery drop off/pick up and all Chemo treatments; primarily because the DH was 'working'. But in truth he was a basket case (in my opinion) because he couldn't "fix this"! Keep a positive outlook, relax and rest, drink lots of cold water and take it one day at a time. This is a journey, not an event. Carren
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Carren, minus two, Melrose.. thanks so much guys. I couldn't do this alone if I wanted to, my nerves have been on edge since I got the news that I had to do chemo, so going alone isn't even an option for me lol. The thing is, My chemo will start at 11am my husband is going to work at 8 but he's gonna leave work and meet me there at 11 so we'll be in separate cars. Sorry I didn't mention that in my earlier post. I really hope I can manage the drive.
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enlm20Erica- You may want to consider having someone just drop you off at the infusion center or taking a cab. That way, you won't have to worry about driving home in your car. Since you are heading over there for an 11 am infusion, make sure you have eaten breakfast and perhaps take a sandwich / snacks for lunch. It is better to have already eaten prior to having the pre-chemo IV drugs administered since some of these drugs can cause nausea on their own. Try to hydrate the day before chemo to help your veins be plump and ready to go on infusion day.
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Melrose, thanks I will definitely do that. I have four days before my first chemo and plan on starting my water drinking regiment 2 days before, I hope I'm not over doing it, just trying to be on the safe side.
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Erica, I've been too weak from my last infusion to post, but I've been following the posts on this forum. You've gotten excellent advise from these wonderful women. You most likely will be taking dex the day before your chemo day and a few days after. I found that the dex made me jittery, and effected my ability to concentrate. It seems to effect most people this way. I wouldn't feel comfortable driving while feeling like this. I recommend you find some one to drive you to your appointment, where you will meet up with your DH.
The few days after infusion, nausea hit me hard and without warning. For this reason, my DH insisted I not drive during that time. I don't want to alarm you, just plan on being prepared for anything. We called my MO and my nausea is well managed now. Do not hesitate to call your MO if you have side effects! They work for you and can change the dosage or timing of your meds... or call in a new prescription.
Your first infusion day will be the longest. Plan on being there all day. My DH brought all sorts of things for me to eat and drink. People usually feel pretty good on infusion day. I wish you all the best!
Poppy
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Erica - just reinforcing what everyone else has said - don't drive yourself to the first infusion. You just have no idea what the drugs will do. Managing & driving are two different things.
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Thanks so much ladies, I won't be driving, my sister is making arrangements so she can drive me there. I'm hoping she and DH can stay but I heard there isn't much room for extra people. We'll see. I will keep you all posted. Also PoppyK, what is dex? My MO or nurse hasn't mentioned this.
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