Cytoxan Taxotere Chemo Ladies- February/March 2013
Comments
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Nocomp-WOW! You have really been going!!...I can tell you when we go to Disney World..Epcot about kills us. I take huge bottle of motrin and walk for 6 months before getting in shape and it still is a lot! How you can do after chemo is beyond me..but GREAT that you can! How nice you could go from this hell to "The Happiest Place on Earth".
Bondsy-It seems I had more issues with food after 1st chemo than any other. I remember going to see my friend in phsical rehab and they were pushing around the hospital cart of food..I thought I would throw up right there...not a good smell anyway...ugghhh! Something, if you like, you could try..Progresso makes a wonderful lentil soup..its very important to get fluid and protein now..their soup is wonderful (didn't look that good..not a big bean lover). Anyway, an idea. I, also, lived on scrambled eggs and grits...not sure what part of the country you are in..but oatmeal is good too...Back in my college days..many eons ago...that was my hangover breakfast..and after my 1st chemo when my stomach was iffy..I craved it..Guess flashback!
I'm glad you port is working..I think you will end up being glad as well.0 -
Nocompromise & ckmoss - I do love soup - it definitely never loses it's appeal, especially plain fresh vegetable soup which I've been making bundles of and freezing. I add chicken or pasta to it when I take it from the freezer, whatever I have on hand. I'll try the Progresso lentil soup. Oatmeal was one of my go-to comfort foods last week, but this week I can't eat it!0 -
Team Kim- I hope your side effects are minimal and manageable
NC- It sounds like a fabulous trip! I hope you can enjoy a little of London. We were there this summer for 2 weeks, and loved it. Hopefully you can do some non-walking things like the London Eye; we did that and a boat trip as part of a package, and it was one of our favorite parts of the trip.
ckmoss- Enjoy the beach! I am so glad that your mammo was all clear. I just got a letter in the mail today from the radiology place telling me it was time for my yearly mammo (mine last fall was completely clear). Obviously it was just a form letter, but you think they would cross reference things. I did put it in our burn pit instead of the recycling bin.
As for me, my event went fabulous yesterday. I am thrilled, albeit tired from a few long days at work. My next project I can do from home, and I am grateful to have things to do while not on full duty. Along those lines, my BS and PS have both cleared me to return to full duty, but I have restricted myself to just ambulance on call shifts and only on days where there are openings and I happen to be feeling good. I love that they give me the flexibility to do that. I love, love, love my job, and co-workers, and am so thankful they are so flexible with me. Back to chemo bar for round 2 tomorrow.0 -
good luck for tmrw KBEE - hope u do as well as last time - so glad your work is so flexible makes life so much easier and good on you for burning the form letter - I received a letter from life insurance people actually stating that 1in8 are diagnosed with BC and did I have income protection etc etc I got it when I came back off holidays in June and it was actually dated the day of my Dx. I was soooo mad !!!
Ck - great news re yr mammo ( do we trust them now???)
Re disney - maybe I should have taken the Motrin first - going to try for Big Ben , buck house, London eye and tower bridge then off to theatre for Matilda- girls can go shopping on final day.
can't believe it is back to AUS on Sunday 
. Least I will be going into summer
Xx0 -
I am feeling generally well after tx #1 this afternoon. The only thing bugging me is double vision at a distance -- watching TV each character has a shadow ghost. Any of you have this problem? Doesn't matter if I wear my glasses or not. Has anyone had this?0 -
TeamKim, did you take Compazine at all (for nausea)? I had some vision issues -- sort of double/blurred or strained I guess -- and it was caused by Compazine, apparently it's a known side effect of that med.0 -
No Compazine, but they did put some nausea meds in my preMeds bag before they hung the Taxotere. Aloxi & Decacron were in that PreMed bag. It probably was one of those, since it seems improved this morning, though not gone completely.0 -
Today I had my last treatment!!!!0 -
formygran-- CONGRATS!!!!! Do the happy dance! Are you DONE done, or is there a rads chapter yet to go? I know you had mX, but sometimes they do rads anyway....0 -
FMG: Congratulations; so happy for you that your last infusion is done. I hope you have minimal side effects and that full recovery comes soon.
TeamKim: I am glad that you are feeling well. I have not had the vision issues. One thing I would suggest is to keep a journal and write down the date, and then all side effects experienced. It was helpful to have that today at the MO, and it also is helpful this time to see what happened last time...kind of like pregnancy...you forget some things pretty quickly. So far, this one seems to be treating me like the last one, with manageable side effects thus far. We'll see what next week holds!!!!0 -
Hi all. I've spent the weekend trying to recover from my first week back at work. Don't know what I was thinking - definitely should have started with a 3 or 4 day week. I was so exhausted by Friday that I could barely put one foot in front of the other! I am off tomorrow for appointments with my MO and RO, then working the rest of the week. It felt so good to be teaching again, I just wish it wasn't so physically demanding. I'll be starting rads soon and who knows how that will go. But with surgery and chemo done, I'm seeing that little flicker at the end of the tunnel.
Thinking of all of you as you work your way through your chemo treatments. It's a journey - each step gets you closer to your goal. Walk on!0 -
Yeah!!! Formy!!!0 -
JeriGrace-
Are you doing rads next?0 -
bikergirl, just got back from my simulation. I'm starting 10/29. My RO said I could start next week but I decided to push it back a week. This way I can make my medical leave last through December. I'm having 30 treatments. The radiation therapists were great but I know I'll be nervous about this until I get started.0 -
JeriGrace - How long after your last chemo did you wait before going back to work? My last chemo is scheduled for Dec. 6th and I'm planning to go back to work January 6th. I'm also a teacher (kindergarten) and just wondering if one month is enough time to recover. I'll also have to start radiation some time in January, but plan to try to work through the radiation. Do you think this is a realistic timeline? Thanks.0 -
Day 5 after 1st chemo, and I seem to be back to the land of the living. Going back to work tomorrow (I am a teacher too, Bondsy, but college students are not quite as physically demanding as Kinders!). My head is itching like crazy -- does this mean the hair will be falling out sooner than 2 weeks? Anything I can do about the itching?0 -
TeamKim - good luck back at work tomorrow. I'm at Day 11 after 1st chemo, and feeling almost totally normal at this point, past the food issues and stomach pains, etc. The only SE right now is dry mouth and dry eyes. A few days ago my 24 year old daughter and I went to our hair salon together. I got my hair cut fairly short in anticipation of it falling out soon. My daughter, on the other hand, decided to have her long, gorgeous hair totally shaved off, and donated it to Locks of Love where they will make a wig out of it for a child with cancer. She did it out of love and empathy for me, and I couldn't be prouder of my brave amazing daughter.0 -
Bondsy - that is so wonderful, what your daughter did!
TeamKim - interesting that day 5 is better for you. That's usually my worst day!
Today is steroid and blood draw day in preparation for infusion #5 tomorrow. I'm so apprehensive now that the SEs are starting to get cumulative, especially the peripheral neuropathy.
I have a workshop next week for work (days 6 to 8) and my BF thinks I'm stubborn for planning on going. I'm always feeling better and a bit restless by then and I've mostly taken day 6 and 7 off work so far. I figure it will be a lot of sitting around though and I hope I can manage. I'm hoping to find someone to carpool with on day 6 at least since it will be about half an hour drive. Day 7, I will meet with the radiation oncologists first thing in the morning to review our plan because I need to get some idea of timing since it could begin week of or after Thanksgiving and end before or after Christmas/New Years and I need to plan some holiday time. I can't keep going on without being able to plan to see all my family up in Canada. I feel like I'm being held hostage in California by my treatment. I'll have to drive myself to the workshop that day for sure, so I hope I'm up for it.
Is it crazy to think I can do this?0 -
day 6 -- made it through my day at work, though my office is in an historic building with no elevator and climbing the stairs all day has been a struggle. Once people see me and see that I don't look like I am at death's door, they seem to expect business as usual. Guess I don't blame them -- I don't look sick.
Worst problems at this point are
1) joint aches -- and I didn't have Neulasta! -- but Motrin helps that, and I double checked with the MO that Motrin is OK for me. Said my platelets are high enough so it is OK.
2) Yeast infection or something giving me lots of itchiness in the "nether region." Onc nurse had me go to my PC dr and get a urine test yesterday to rule out UTI -- it was negative, but couldn't see the dr for exam because he was booked solid through Wed. So onc nurse said get some Vagisil cream -- it gives me a little relief for a short time, but isn't knocking it out. She said it might be itchiness from the hair follicles down under, getting ready to lose that hair. I haven't had a yeast infection in 25 years, but that is sure what this feels like, minus the discharge. Any of you have that issue?
3) Hair on my head itches too, but not too bad. How long did yours itch/hurt before it started falling out? I am wondering if I need to alert my stylist that I may need that buzz sooner than I thought.....0 -
I really need to join this forum and learn from those who have taken this journey before me so I hope you'll have me. I started "preventative" chemo Friday so today is Day 5. I didn't think I'd feel this badly. I'm on TC X 4. I hated the effect of the steroids I got pre-chemo! I've been nauseous , indigestion, constipated, diarrhea, cold, weak and depleted. Today was the first day I could stand long enough to shower and that I drove my car, though not up to long distances yet. Now my mouth and lips are feeling very dry. Can ya'll help? This has been bad enough, I don't want to get mouth sores, too!0 -
TeamKim, my head itched for about a week to 10 days before the fallout started (and once it started I did still have a few days before it came out en masse!)
Jacquie, the best advice I can give is to drink A TON of water, starting 1-2 days before chemo & right through that first week. I never got the mouth sores some mention but I did have a sore mouth/throat, if that makes sense (like, no actual sores, just sore!) Mine seemed to be aggravated by acid reflux so lots of TUMS and Pepcid helped. Also slippery elm lozenges. Did you get pre-meds with your chemo? You should have gotten several different things (I got Pepcid, Aloxi, Benadryl, plus the steroids... and I took a stool softener starting with the first dose of steroids). Are you taking your nausea meds? If your side effects are not well-managed, talk to your onc. Don't suffer needlessly! Your onc can adjust your meds or suggest OTC meds or give you IV hydration which can also help with some of this stuff. No suggestions on how to deal with the steroids though, I also hated how they made me feel!0 -
Hi Guys! Back from the beach and ohhh so tired..but happy tired! I'm 16 days out from last chemo and, although, had some fatigue at the beach when counts went low..was ok..as I was doing nothing but lying on the beach all day! I was right..way better to suffer there than here! Kidding aside..was really great to just get away for 5 days and de-stress. I got my prosthetic a couple of days before we left, so that was great not dealing with the poof. However, one hour after we got back home, as up at hospital getting blood drawn and have AM appt with onc in the morning..back to reality!../ I had my CT scan before I left and he did major labs this time...so I'll know tomorrow if I've licked this thing or more chemo rounds.
FMG-Congrats!! Yeaaaaa! I know you are sooo happy...! You did it!!!!
Bondsy=My last chemo was the end of Sept and I had my onc extend my disability until Oct 25th to make sure I was through with side effects. Through all this, it seems I get over it and then right before next chemo, my counts drop and I can barely function. Plus, I thought would be time to gather strength back. Its weird how each treatment has been different. My 3rd was the worst of all. In the three weeks between, I only had 2 days that I felt good enough to drive..but after the 4th one..I was over main side effects in 6 days. I would give yourself time to make sure. I think a month is good.
Teamkim=Maybe buy the Monastat? When they had me on 2000mg antibiotic for seroma from MX..I started eating yogurt like crazy..twice a day with fruit..because my body does not like antibiotics..and with that high dosage..I never got one..I now have yogurt every single day...By they way..not sure if this would work..but my friend swears that if you apply greek yogurt directly down there instead of eating it solves her..couldn't hurt to try and the cold would probably feel good..lol. Hope that hell is over soon for you!
Jacquie=You and I are exactly alike in ref to steroids. I hated the first 2 days even worse than the chemo. My onc prescribed me ativan and that helped loads! The first two days I would take one every 6 hours and that lessened most of the steroid SE. I also lived on Prilosec, starting 2 days before and about a week after. I didn't drive a lot as steroids and chemo made my head feel zoned. My 2-4 chemo..when chemo hit I had hard time having a conversation. Indenial has excellent advice in prev post.
Well, I hope everyone is doing good and having easy SE.0 -
Jacquie --
Only thing I can add to this excellent advice is Popsicles and icy drinks during the infusion. Start getting your mouth good and cold with these during the steroid/preMeds infusion, so that when the T and C go in your mouth is already cold. I just brought a cooler along with a six-pack of Popsicles inside, and had a lemon/ginger iced tea slushy too. And drink a LOT, pretty much constantly -- helps with many things. Hope it all goes more easily the second time through! (((Hugs)))
--Kim0 -
bondsy, I think your dates sound good. I had to return at 14 days post final chemo because my sub didn't want to do report cards and parent conferences. I needed at least another week and 2 would have been better because the fatigue had really accumulated. So now I will be worn out going into radiation. A kindergarten teacher at my school went through radiation. She had to start taking half days off after a couple of weeks because of the fatigue, so you might want to be prepared just in case.0 -
Chiming in on the yeast infection. I had one first round. I ate yogurt at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and had frozen yogurt for dessert. It went away in a couple days. With my sore throat, it is one of the few foods I can tolerate, so I have been eating several containers per day since then and have been ok.
I am on day 5 of round 2. So far, this has been almost a duplicate of round 1. Sunday night I felt flu-like for a few hours, other than that, just fatigue, sore throat, and bone/ muscle aches...abdominal pain, back pain, leg pain. Ibuprofen pretty much takes care of it when needed, but until it does...yikes...it feels like I am in labor. I have a temp of 99 tonight. Last round I had the same pain, same places, and had the same temp. I think that my body is just fighting these poisons! Hoping tomorrow brings more energy and less pain.
Mellie, please post how things go in rounds 5 and 6 compared to your previous rounds. I am also scheduled to do 6 rounds, whereas it seems pretty much everyone has 4. I am very concerned about over treating since I have zero node involvement. I am concerned about cumulative effects. I plan to bring this up at my next appointment, which is not until round 3. I want some information on risk/benefit of 4 rounds versus 6. If I continue to have manageable effects, I am ok with 6, but it seems rounds 3 and beyond are so much harder for everyone, so I would love any info you can share aout how things are going for you.0 -
KBeee & CK -- thanks for the tips on the yeasties -- I love frozen yogurt, so will add that and regular yogurt to my diet and see if I can kick this. (Not sure I want to slather on the yogurt, CK, but maybe I will get desperate enough -- haha) I think I will put in a call to my GYN too and see if he will weigh in on this (he is a cancer survivor, and has been super supportive). Many years ago, when I used to get yeast infections in my 20's, my GYN at the time gave me a sample of some cream that was magical. The OTC Vagisil is just not really cutting it. I'll let you all know what I find out -- I know I'm not the only one struggling with this. Great to have this board to get some advice!0 -
TeamKim is it definately a yeast infection. When you described your nether region??
I had a sore itchy peri-anal area about 5 days post chemo 1. The following cycles I used zinc oxide ointment with some miconazole added in which really helped prevent repetition
I am sure the sensitive areas were due to cyclophosphamide in urine burning my skin - just a thought ??? Especially if your culture came back negative.0 -
Kbeee- Saw that you are wondering about rounds 5 and 6. As I recall, I was a little more winded and tired during the last two rounds of 6 rounds of chemo. My side effects were consistent with the other rounds--- taste buds that go on vacation, moving very slow and some joint pain/ache when I went from a sitting/laying down position to standing up. I always took a moment or two before I would actually start walking since I didn't feel steady on my feet. I did all of I could to help myself through out chemo-- icing the nails, eating/sucking on ice during the infusions, drinking lots of fluids, eating 5-6 small meals a day, walking everyday, rinsing my mouth out with the salt/baking soda/ water mixture, eating prunes to help prevent consitpation from the Zofran, etc. It was not an option for me to do only 4 rounds since I am a participant in the Herceptin B-47 clinical trial and 6 rounds of chemo was part of the protocal. You will be finished before you know it and on your way to feeling better. Wishing you the best....
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Hi Friends,
starting this Monday Oct.21/2013 i'll start my 4 round chemo(Cytoxan, Taxotere) I know it is not fun.but whenever I'm desperate,My mom reminds me of kids that have to go through this pain.then I tell my self if they can do it , I can do it.0 -
Hi, I hope everyone is feeling well tonight.
Kbee- I'm not sure why some have 4 or 6, but the crazy thing about all this is..sometimes I think its just per oncologist. I was very concerned that I was NOT having 6 ..as most in my surgery group did get 6..some had the same, or close to it. stats as I. I asked my onc, because I wanted to make sure I was getting enough. If I'm going through this hell, I wanted to make sure its enough to work!..He said that mine was slow growing and he didn't think I needed it. Normally, this would reassure..however..when I was first diagnosed..the words he said.."Oh, I think MX and chemo would be overkill...! You just need a lumpectomy and rads" are still ringing in my ears. You can check my stats on how THAT turned out. Please let me know what your onc says. (just to double check mine!).
I go Friday for results of my CT scan and labs. I was suppose to go today, but have felt so much fatigue today. My trip really took its toll. I put my appt off until then, as I know he is going to come at me with rads treatment and we are going to have one good debate..as I'm not having. I'll need my mind clear.0
