Stage 2 Sisters Club
Comments
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I took the Claritin from treatment 1. Pain was not controlled on first round.
Onc asked me to start 2 days early for next round and take for 10 days and no more pain rest of the cycles.
Worked wonders for me.0 -
Kyliet-
Ok thats interesting as well. And you have a very similar DX as well. What does ECE mean?
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Jeannie-
Thanks for input! Seems it does work for many!
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JDB53 - Claritin works differently than pain relief because it helps control the edema in the bone marrow that is caused by the stimulation from Neulasta. Unfortunately the taxane drugs can also cause bone/joint pain, so with a taxane and Neulasta you have the potential for a double whammy. That being said, I never had any bone/joint pain during treatment. I took Claritin each time and never required more than a warm bath for any discomfort. Not everyone has this particular side effect, but because the Claritin is pretty innocuous, is seemed to me to be a good idea. You can certainly take it in concert with pain relief. Here is the clinical trial if your onc wants it:
http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01311336
In case kyliet does not come back for a while, ECE is extracapsular extension - in reference to a node it means the cancer has broken out of the containment of the node.
nisavilla - yes, my mom's condition did affect the whole family. She gradually became worse because her condition was degenerative, but the real crisis came when my dad was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer because he had been caring for my mom! So my brother and I had to jump in and take care of both of them. My brother lived about an hour north, but worked nearby, I lived on the other side of the country so I had to travel there often - tough as a military spouse with children. My dad lived for a year, and my mom's care became more complicated after that. She survived another four years. The real shocker was losing my brother just a couple of years later to a rare, and always fatal, bile duct cancer. He only had 60 days from diagnosis. I was diagnosed with BC just two years later, so really had to resist dark thoughts as I had lost my entire nuclear family in the space of just seven years. Looking backward from my current vantage point all of it seems surreal, but I feel lucky (and sometimes suffer from survivor's guilt) to still be here.
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SpecialK-
Im amazed at how much you know- Are you a RN? Well sorry to say that Kyliet and my wife are identical in the DX, yeah my wife had all of that, LVI, ECE multifocal. I try to keep in mind that the BS said she took it all out during surgery, makes me feel better anyway! Just spoke to the Mrs. She said she feels lousy today. No bone pain yet but will get the Claritin. Thanks again!
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Specialk- my response was a bit sexist, RN! I should say doctor! Sorry!
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JDB53 - Lol! Not sexist, didn't take it that way - not to worry! My two nephews are RNs! My father-in-law and brother-in-law are physicians, my mother-in-law and two sisters-in-law are nurses, I worked in transfusion services in the lab where cross-matching for blood transfusions is done, but I am not an RN. What I am is someone who feels more comfortable the more I know - so I am a relentless researcher! Also, you can see from my earlier post - my immediate family has been touched by cancer, so sadly - I have a lot of first hand experience.
Very important on the Claritin (regular, not Claritin D), taking it after the fact probably won't help much - have your wife take it at least an hour prior to the injection, then for at least several days at 24 hour intervals. I used the 24 hour Redi-Tabs because they dissolve on the tongue - if I happened to be out somewhere else prior to my Neulasta injection I didn't need any water to take it.
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SpecialK-
Whew, thanks I thought I was in trouble, lol! Good stuff, thank you!
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SpecialK - you are a fount of knowledge. So sorry to hear of how you lost your entire family in such a short interval. I would imagine that your thoughts were very dark when you were diagnosed. Your diagnosis was just a month before mine. Coming up on year three.
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Jdb53 wow very similar stats. I was blindsided having nodes etc as being grade 1 everyone kept telling me before surgery how early they had caught it etc etc. I wish someone had warned me it might have travelled. Like everyone we just have to trust our treatment regime.
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Kyliet, yes very similar! We were also surprised since it was supposed to be nonaggressive. Go figure!
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Evening all...these threads have been such a safe haven for me and so full of resources. I have been coming here for answers and guidance as i waded through all the decisions that had to be made. Thank you for the warm welcomes.
Nissa-tamoxifen took awhile getting adjusted to. The hot flashes are not as often these days. It has been an interesting journey. I am now in a good place and wanted to start giving back to others on BCO.
JDB-It took me awhile to crawl out of my comfort zone before joining....a husbands' thread may be a good resource to have here.
...sending out well wishes to all who are in pain or anxious this evening...0 -
Hi, everyone,
I am new to site. I took Claritin the day before the Neulasta shot and for the next five days and avoided bone pain (although I have had aching in my jaw) after first 3 chemos. I would strongly recommend asking oncology staff. None of us need any more pain or discomfort than we are already going through.
Donna0 -
Wingnut-I agree these threads have helped me and my wife. We felt so alone at first but soon realized we werent and the love and support we get here is amazing!
PinkDamie- welcome and thanks for info. My wife is experiencing a lot of pain last night and this morning, more than with the AC! She said she feels discomfort in her ovaries, like cramps. And this morning she said she has "sparks of pain" all over. I hate this stuff!
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If she can at all, light exercise will help some, even if it is just walking around in the house for 15 minutes.
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Thanks Ruthbru, I sent her your suggestion!
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garden - thank you - yes, it was shocking, and I really had to resist those feelings! My parents had lived long lives, but my brother didn't get that opportunity, and he and I didn't get to spend much time together as adults who were not simultaneously taking care of our parents. I miss having someone who knew me when I was growing up - we had no other relatives in the United States as both parents were naturalized citizens. Doesn't it amaze you that we are nearing three years? Hard to believe, but awesome!
JDB53 - A number of people on the TCH and Triple Pos thread used Aleve with good, long lasting, pain relief, but ask your onc first.
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Good Morning to all,
Well, the first Taxol round hasnt been so bad! She had it Tuesday, some ovary and stomach issues, minor bone pain but by Saturday it was mostly gone! She has lots of energy as opposed to the AC. We were able to go out Saturday and Sunday and enjoyed the nice weather. Yesterday she did a happy dance as she was feeling so good, brought tears to my eyes! I hope this pattern continues. Bless you all and have a wonderful day!
Ps- Ruthbru- we took your advise and walked alot and it helped!
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JDB53 - excellent!
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JDB53 good news.
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SpecialK - it does see unbelievable that it's been three years - sometimes it seems so much longer than that, and sometimes so much less. Time is a funny thing. It seems to expand and contract of its own volition.
JDB53 - good that the taxol is treating your wife kindly. Walking is good!!!
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Thank you ladies. My wife just called me and told me she was going shopping! Oh Oh! LOL! I love it. Makes me happy!
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JDB, so happy for you and your wife! I never had chemo but most people on the boards who did, say it's very "doable."
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Yorkiemom-
When they say everyone reacts differently it is so true. I hate the idea of these drugs in her system but I HATE the idea of a single cancer single getting away! So we do what we need to do. I thank God she is holding up well. Hope you are doing well!
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Thanks JDB53. I am doing well. In a little over a month I will reach my 2 year cancerversary! Hard to believe, but here I am. DH and I hardly ever talk about cancer any more. For the first year it was practically all we talked about.
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Yorkie-
I pray we get there as well, when its not on our minds every moment of the day. I will be thinking of you on Oct 18th. It is my 60th birthday but you will give me an even better reason to celebrate! Bless you!
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Glad I found this thread.... Howdy to all the Stage 2 sisters.... Hope everyone is having a pleasant day
I finished Chemo on 8/12 and now waiting for bmx and te on 10/4 ready to move onto another chapter of this journey my goodness it's like a full time job isn't it ~*~*~ Cathy ~*~*~0 -
Hello Cathy. Glad your done with chemo!
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Joe, your wife just keeps clearing the hurdles and putting more parts of her journey behind.
How wonderful.0 -
Thank you Colt!
Meeting with the RO on Wednesday. We are moving along, one day at a time!
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