Starting Chemo June 2014
I guess I'll be the one who starts the June Chemo Club. Please share if you will also be having chemo starting June.
I met with my MO today. I wasn't sure if she was going to recommend chemo or not since I only had one positive node. My Mammaprint was low risk and my BS gave me the impression that I may not have to have chemo. I got my hopes up for a few days then after some research I realized there was a good chance it would be recommended. And it was.
I'm a bit dazed.
Doc recommended Taxotere and Cytoxan (I think I got that right) every 3 weeks 4x.
Peace,
Wendy
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Well I thought this would delete the post from the discussion board but I guess it just deletes the text.I deleted it because my chemo was moved up to May and so am no longer in the "starting chemo in June" club.
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Ok then I will start as my first appointment with the oncologist is on May 29th.
I was dx back in March, triple neg stage 2. I had a lumpectomy and SNB on May 12th. Still sore of course but hanging in there.
I have already cut my long hair. I wanted to get used to it short and also for ease of care after surgery. It was definitely a wise move.
I will update when I have my start date. I am nervous about starting but it has to be done so....here we go....
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Hi Mompv,I had my first round of TC and so far so good. I'm only on day 3 though. So far it's pretty uneventful. I'm just feeling a little sick not much and very tolerable. I'll check in here often as my chemo will go through July.
Good Luck.
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I hope you continue to feel well! You should check out the April group they are a very active group and full of great information.
Enjoy the weekend!
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my wife starts TC June 3erd,
She is just about four weeks after bilateral mastectomy and latissimus dorsi flaps with expanders.
She is healing well , but the surgery was quite painful and she begins rehab on Tuesday.
She is due to receive 4 cycles every 3 weeks ,beginning in June.
This disease really sucks for a variety of reasons
It affects young people and the individual and the family are faced with a disease that can be fatal but most the time it's not ...but involve life altering changes, that we all hope are temporary.
But that's life , and the biggest fear is the unknown
It is also a disease that you always have to face it head-on .....get knocked down get back up get knocked down and get back up, over and over again, over a six-month period or longer until hopefully we are all cured, fixed , and "Back to normal".
As she readies herself for chemotherapy we all do the research and try to play the percentages which also stinks.
How much benefit is chemotherapy, how much benefit is radiation, how many cycles, how many drugs, all these playing the percentages to achieve a long and everlasting cure.
Then there are the percentages of using a the cold cap, and how successful that is , or using cold mittens for nails and how successful that is , and it goes on and on and on.
So as we embark on this part of the journey we wish everybody a speedy recovery healthy and happy life and hopefully it won't be too bad.
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Your right. Everything changes. This thing becomes the new normal for a while. My husband is reading "breast cancer husband, how to help your wife (and yourself ) through diagnosis, treatment and beyond" by Marc silver. I has helped him a lot! Our library had it.
Good luck to your wife!
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I read that book and it was very helpful
We are trying our best to maintain our normal routine
I think that's the best way to combat the disease like this
It's not always easy and it's not always possible
Here is totally different stresses physically and mentally between the one who suffers from the disease and her significant other
We went out to Costco yesterday and went to a barbecue
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Ok, I'm joining you! I start chemo June 17th. I am scheduled for 2mos ac every other week then 2mos taxol every other week. I was supposed to start June 10 but pushed it off a week to try to squeeze in some egg harvesting...that I'm still not sure I'll use but like to keep my options open!
I am 36. I am not married. I have no children. I live alone but my parents moved 20 minutes away. My little brother lives 15 minutes away but he has a wife and 1yo with his own set of problems.
I had my bmx in April but can't fill my te's b/c of necrosis so I'm going the summer boobless and bald with no boyfriend...I don't expect I'll be picking one up this year! Lol
Homehelp, you are an amazing husband for being hear on the forums and doing all you can to support your wife. I'm jealous!
My hairdresser (who went through the bc thing 3 years ago) is driving an hour to my house for my short hair-cut. I'm scared to death. My hair has not been shorter than shoulder length since I was 5. It was her idea. She didn't do it before chemo and said the shock almost killed her when her hair fell out. She recommended the short cut and wagering various wigs and halos as well as hats over the short cut so the people I see daily and I can all get used to the new look or looks. My ears stick out terribly (hence always having long hair) so I'm not looking forward to this! I trust her though. I know she's making my life as pain free as possible and will also be a big help when my hair eventually starts grow back!
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hi radical, hard to say welcome to the group but here we are. I am also triple neg. I have my first MO appt. Thursday., so not sure when I am starting. I can say that today is a bad day. Just feeling very blue and weepy. Kept it under control at work but now that I am at home I am free to grieve a bit and be scared.
Maybe a hot fudge sundae would help and watch some Dr. Who.
Well it's worth a shot I need to get out of this slump.
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Mopy,
Ice cream works for me! At least you're working... gets your mind off things for a bit!
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I don't have a date yet, but am one week out from BMX and I see my surgeon next week, then the oncologist wants to see me after that. I already know I'm going to need chemo, just trying to prepare myself as much as it is possible to do.
I'm waiting for the surgeon to call with path results, hopefully sometime today.
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Magdalene51,
I hope you get good path results. Let us know!
How are you healing?
Homehelp,
How is your wife doing?
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Just got off the phone with the surgeon, with the final path report. First off, she says she's glad we went ahead with bilateral instead of just a lumpectomy, as the right breast had "funny looking" cells. "Is that a medical term?" I asked. It means they look probable for turning cancerous. The lump in the left breast was 5.8cm, and 4/8 lymph nodes positive.
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To those of you starting in June, hello! I had my last chemo treatment on May 19th and would like to offer you support as you begin.
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Mag,
Could be better...but could be worse! Sounds like you saved yourself an extra surgery!
Gator,
Very sweet of you! You just finished up the ac/t I'm about to start! Congrats to you...not so good for me. Any advice?
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@Radical2Squared....
I am the lucky one in my family too! My advice in the beginning is to stay in the moment. Take it as it comes. If you're starting in mid-June, I would say try to walk or do whatever physical activity you like to do now, in case you don't feel like doing it later. My sisters went wig/hat shopping with me before I started treatment, so I was ready and that made me feel a lot better. Also, you might want to stock up on things like ginger candy, ginger tea, alkaline water (I found it lighter on my stomach right after treatment). Before I started I kept busy getting my "spring cleaning" done so that I could just chill during treatment and not worry about that stuff. Also, I did a lot of work to get things situated there before treatment started since I took a leave of absence. I didn't have that much time between radiation and chemo..like two weeks I think.
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So, here I am faced with 2 treatment options!
#1 Taxotere and Cytoxan every 3 weeks for 4 treatments (reduces my risk of reaccurence to 20% from 30%)
#2 Taxol, Cytoxan, Adriamycin every 2 weeks for 8 treatments (reduces reaccurence to 17% from 30%)
I also have the option of getting into a trial for Herceptin to see if it will help since I am triple neg.
Good grief, how do you choose... the adriamycin has a 1% chance of developing heart problems.
My MO did tell me the 2nd option was gentler, still side effects of course but not has harsh. Hmmm...
I see gator had the same treatment I am being offered...thoughts???
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Gator,
Sounds like it's a good thing I like ginger!
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Mompy....I did AC for four treatments, a total of eight weeks, then moved to 12 weeks of Taxol. However, after my sixth Taxol, I had to stop because of neuropathy. Everyone's different, but my MO said Taxol was kinder than Taxotere and that is why we tried it first. I did take one dose dense Taxotere treatment and had pretty severe side effects. That was my last treatment. Maybe others will weigh in with their experiences to help you decide. I am excited to read about the Herceptin trial. I didn't know that was possible for triple negative! Keep us posted!
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@Radical...ginger is my new BFF!
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Hi Ladies,
I start my first treatment on June 9th. I will be having 4 rounds of AC once every other week and then 12 weekly doses of Taxol. Along with Taxol I will be getting Herceptin and Perjeta every 3 weeks for 3 years. This is my second time with this damn cancer. I was originally DX in 2010, had BMX and 6 rounds of TCH and a year of Herceptin. About 2 months ago I discovered a lump in my scar tissue. It's been a crazy roller coaster ride, but here I am. I've been thru this before, and if I will gladly share my prior experience and hope this one is better.
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Basia,
Sorry about your 2nd diagnosis! Thank you for offerring your insight as we all begin this next phase if our journey.
I am trying to make the decision on what treatment option to take! Not easy!
Hope everyone is hanging in there!
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mom, what are your options?
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They told me today I would benefit from chemo using adjuevant online? I had a 26% chance of recurrence in 10 years without chemo with it it would bring my chance down to 9%. I also will need to have hormone therapy for 10 years and ovaries and fallopian tubes removed. This is so overwhelming. I would also like to know others opinion on if I should shave my hair before it falls out? I am really scattered and kinda shocked right now.
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I don't know what adjutant online means. You are the only one that can make those choices. It is your life. You have to do what you feel most comfortable with. Nobody except for maybe your family should try to sway you in one direction or the other.
As far as hair goes, the first time I went thru this I cut it in stages. I had really long hair so I cut it to shoulder length, then a pixie and finally shaved it after the first infusion. This time around I am going to probably shave it just before the first infusion so I can donate my hair.
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my options are:
Taxotere and cytoxan every 3 weeks for 4 treatments this option would take my odds down to 20% from 30% of reaccurrence.
2nd option is adriamycin, cytoxan and taxol every 2 weeks for 8 treatments. This option takes it to 17%.
I have been offered the chance to apply for a clinical trial if herceptin to see if it would help triple neg patients.
Cammychris,
I cut my hair to a pixie before my surgery. I figure I should get used to less hair for awhile before it falls out.
I received a free headscarf today from Goodwishes.org they also sent a card signed by several of their volunteers offerring encouragement. I tried it on and thought I was going to cry. It really brought more reality to this.
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not to be a downers, but given the circumstance I find myself in at this moment, I am going to say f$&k the statistics. I had something like a 10% chance of recurrence and I was in that 10%. I did everything "right". Go with your gut instinct and do whatever you can live with if G-d forbid it does come back. I am angry but I can honestly say I do not regret the choices I have made to get me here. I know I made the right choices for me but it just didn't workout as planned.
In my opinion the most important question anyone should be asking themselves is, do I trust my doctors? If the answer is yes, go with their recommendations. They cannot predict the future, but they have seen this more times than you can imagine and they should know what would work better for you.
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mompv, the side effects of herceptin are not much of anything compared to chemo, I would definitely want in on the trial, the medical community is in awe of the good things that have come out of herceptin. BTW, I will be on it for a very long time and it does not frighten me at all.
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Can't- my hairdresser had bc 5 years ago. She almost had a heart attack when I told her I wanted to shave my head. Instead, she cut it really short.
She was out with a friend after shaving to peach fuzz when clumps started falling out. She had no way to hide the bald patches until she got home. I went way short (almost always had it passed my arm pits) so if it happens to me at least I'll have a little hair left to cover the patches until I get home! Lol
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When I went thru this before, I didn't lose my hair in clumps like that. Basically I woke up in the morning to a pillow covered in hair. I started wearing a head scarf as soon as I shaved my head, so I wasn't afraid of bald spots anywhere. Plus my daughters were only 3 years old and I didn't want to freak them out with the hair thing.
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