Starting Chemo June 2014
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ok ladies...there was a change of plans. What else is new in our lives right?
I voiced my concern about all the pain I experienced last time and my worries about throwing Neulasta on top of that. The result was my oncologist lowering my dose to 80 percent. Not only did he feel it would reduce the pain, but he felt it wouldn't beat up on my white blood cells as much so he's letting me skip the Neulasta shot and get blood work next week just to be sure they don't drop too much.
I feel good now! I hope his plan works!
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Sounds good, Radical!
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1 week PFC, been wanting to say that for about 4 months now
Feeling pretty good today, my legs are still very weak and uncomfortable, but I am at the office hoping that Advil will keep the pain waves to a minimum. Hair is still just stubble - it can grow anytime now! That's a bit hard, feeling ready to find my life again but still looking like a cancer patient.
Met with the radiation oncologist yesterday - I will have 33 treatments, one per weekday until Halloweenish. The good thing is that my cancer center is about 5 minutes from my office and the treatments including check in/check out are only about 20 minutes in length. Work has been extremely supportive and I am glad the radiation is going to have minimal impact on my participation in the firm - I am looking forward to getting my professional life back on track. My oncologist was great - fired off about 10 personal non-cancer questions at me in the first five minutes, about my life, work, family, history, support system.
Hope you are all doing great - seems like some of us are wrapping chemo up and some just a bit more to go. I will still post here and on the Fall Rads board - overall I think our group has rocked this chemo thing!
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I sure wish I could say I was at the end (or close to it) of chemo! I'm getting my first of 12 Taxol, Perjeta, Herceptin treatments today. At least I'll be done a week b4 Thanksgiving so I can enjoy the meal!!
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NYCGirl, that could have been quite embarrassing! (the wig falling off thing). I felt like mine was going to slide off too during all the hugging and stuff.
Taxol, Perjeta and Herceptin done! 1/3 of the way done with taxol, 2nd P&H. So far so good, nothing to complain about (yet).
Bow, when do you start radiation? I'm a bit worried about that, so please keep us all posted on how it goes.
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Basia , the preventive Immodium is my usual defense against the big D when I want to get out be cause it can strike at any time with very little warning. My oncologist also gave me Lomotil to take in top of the Immodium. I seem to be able to buy time with the combo. She seemed perplexed that the D never clears up for me, even toward the end of a cycle, but on a recent visit she said I am not the only one of her patients and that the persistent problem may be the Perjeta .
I've also ended up with a blocked tear duct which means tears stream down the right side of my face constantly. My opthamologist tried to open it with a little instrument, but no luck, so I'm going in for an office procedure to possible snip it open somehow. If that doesn't work, it is outpatient surgery. It keeps my vision blurry most of the time. When I was examined, I told her I had BC and was getting chemotherapy. She asked me if Taxotere is involved since it is notorious for blocking tear ducts. Yes, Taxotere is certainly involved!
Radical....I hope your Taxol went more smoothly this time and that there has been no hospital involvement!
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I haven't been posting lately but reading up on all your news. I hope everyone has better days ahead!
Today is 3 of 4 DD taxol. All I can say is I don't want to go. The restless legs are so bad after they inject the benedryl I can't sleep despite being sleepy. I am going to ask my oncologist if he can give me something else or something to prevent this. It lasts into the night as well. I do get the neulasta shot 2 days after. So Saturday morning we will drive the 40min to the cancer center. I work with people all day including some customer contact so feel I need to take it. When I was on AC claritan took care of the pain! But now with the taxol it's 5 or 6 days of taking hydrocodone around the clock. I also take ativan to calm me. I hate the numbness in feet legs and fingers! Oh and my legs swell and feel worse, last Friday I had to go for an ultrasound to be sure it wasn't a blood clot. Thank God it wasn't!!!
After today just one more!!!! I can't wait! I feel overwhelmed most of the time and just want to break down and cry. I don't cuz my DH is emotional and it gets him going! He has been so great taking care of his business, mowing, cooking, cleaning, shopping and taking me to and from work as I am not allowed to drive because if the leg weakness and numbness.
Ok enough complaining!!! I need to begin the extra fluids now and I need to buck up and face this day!!!!!!!
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Mompv, Hope things go as smoothly as possible today and that your Dr. gives you something for your legs....restless legs are no fun. I've been asking for IV Ativan with my Benedryl and the combo has helped me relax and definitely calmed my legs down. Good Luck today!
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He allowed me to take the lortab and ativan before the benedrl. i did get some restlesslegs but not as bad and now gone. i am in the chair now withg 1 hour to go then only 1more treatment!!!!!!!yipee. now just the next few days need to bedealt with. i will just take thelortab andativan round the clock! yep i am loopy from thedrus!!! can you tell? take care all of yiou!!!1
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Mompv, you go girl! Yipee is right.
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Mompv - your post was so funny
Hope you have a good night and relaxing weekend!Bow, - Congrats on moving on to the next step!
Basia and Mommato3 and the rest of us are making progress
Hope all here have a good weekend!
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The combo of lortab and ativan did help, but am up early! Good grief my poist did look funny! drugs! go figure te effects. I am going to try to go to work today. hmmm posting to general journal should be interesting. will tke 2x as long i am thinking! maybe only 1/2 day today. good thing i am on salary! good luck toeveryone today!
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I hope that everyone is having a good Friday!
I am off to a plastic surgeon appt for 'inflation' (always makes me think of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade float!), which I am never looking forward to, but now I also have abdominal sonogram just scheduled for this afternoon, too.
I am nervous, not knowing what they will find. My liver #s are off, I hope due to taxol and not more, although I have had some discomfort in upper right abdomen that I have been attributing to gas. Ugh, never a dull moment. I took 1/2 an ativan to try to calm my nerves. Seems the onc wanted this sonogram done before Monday's treatment, and I have been waiting for insurance authorization, which they now said I didnt even need!
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AnotherNYCG....I hope the sonogram eased your concerns! Waiting is so hard.
Mompv......l have decided that there is nothing heroic or therapeutic in turning down drugs when they are offered during this BC journey! If we can be more comfortable or more relaxed through discomfort or anxiety, all the better!
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nycgirl,
I call them fills, my mom calls them inflationary, my Aunt calls them enhancements....My pas gets irritated with all those terms. They are expansions and expansions only in his book....stuffy little mf if you ask me!
Did my second Taxol at 80 percent dosage Tuesday. In doing so, I avoided the extreme nail pain I had the first time. I do have body pain again but it is nowhere near as bad as it was that first time! I wanted to cut my wrists!
To avoid Nuelasta, I had to schedule an appointment for blood work a week from my infusion. If my counts are ok, I can go Neulasta free.... after landing myself in the hospital last time with low whites and a fever, this is the part I am now most worried about! Another 4 days in the hospital is NOT on my to-do list!
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Mompv I am with Fiona - if the drugs can ease any side effect then go for it. We already are heroes with all we've endured, no sense in being miserable.
NYCGirl, hope your sonogram comes out clean.
Radical, I'm glad you are having less pain this time....stay away from germy places! Canuck mom has tips on getting those counts up....it's back in the thread somewhere. Meat protein is good (if you eat meat)
On germy places, I went to the HS football game last night, I pretty much hibernated during chemo - just going to work/home and the occasional grocery store. Walked around the hood, stayed away from hiking the foothills which is a popular and the gym. Anyway, I'm a pretty private person and have also remained stable emotionally throughout my treatment but today I am teary! It was hard to see people I know that heard through the grapevine that I had cancer. One person in particular asked how I was doing and I knew she knew...she's a lovely person and was genuine in her obvious concern. I felt like a bumbling idiot (with a really bad wig haha) telling her chemo was not bad blah, blah, blah. Ugh, I just want this all behind me. I'm almost 2 weeks PFC and I still feel so tired and weak and now all emotional. I was warned by my nurse navigator that the post-chemo emotional roller coaster was a bitch!
Go Blue, haven't lived in Michigan for 25 years, but it's still in my heart & I am couching it and watching the last M/Notre Dame game today.
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New One-- I have cording? tight cords going down my left arm where they took my lymph nodes out. Its like cords and webbing, it's restriction my motion and feels weird! The doctor said to stretch it out but it feels as though it could snap? anyone else have this happen? I don't think its dangerous just aggravating.
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Yep drugs are our friends! My nails this time are bubbling up a bit more. I hope they stay put. My taste buds are gone again, but 1 more only one more! I just cant wait! Onto rads after that. I am just tired of hurting so bad and not being able to walk steady. I hope everyone has a restful Sunday! We deserve it! Football today! Though our team is not good but its football!
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Thanks Fiona and Bow. No word yet on sono results.
Glad that you are hanging in there, Radical!
I am tentatively scheduled for taxol #3 tomorrow, - dependent on blood work and sono.
Hope all goes smoothly for everyone here!!
Beautiful day here in NYC! Hope the same is where you are!
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Hope you are all doing well.
My sono was ok and i am knocking wood here!
Had 3rd taxol today. Feeling sleepy and "eh".
No neulasta, so same as dose #2.
Nurse asked me if my hair started growing in! It hasn't, but i wasnt expecting it to yet, but i guess it sometimes does on taxol?
Sending BE WELL WISHES to all.
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awesome NYCgirl!
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NYCGirl, so glad that you were able to get treatment, it sucks to go off schedule. I went in and got a bag of fluids because I felt like shit all weekend, it worked and I feel pretty great now. Geez, I drink so much water and I was dehydrated.
Okay, so hair will be the next obsession, it is mine for sure. I'm two weeks PFC tomorrow, and here's my head. Hard to see because it's the white downy weird hair, I am a brunette normally (with some grey which I colored) and I have some dark coming in as well. My legs need to be shaved and apparently I lost most of my eyelashes because new ones are sprouting. I stopped wearing mascara and guess I didn't notice.
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AnotherNYCgirl....so glad to hear your sonogram was good and that you were able to get on with things!
Bow...my head looks about like yours...some whitish fuzz. I had been coloring my gray for years and knew my head was heavily gray, but I'm trying to picture being white haired if that's what I really get.
I have just over a week til my last TCHP chemo ! I want it over more than anything, but dread sliding back down into side effect hell for a week or 10 days. I guess at that point I'll just be so glad I can endure whatever! Then surgery and rads.
Hope everyone has the best week possible!
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bow...love your fuzzy head! Mine has looked like that almost the whole time. I actually keep buzzing the fuzz off.
Do you think that will fall out and new hair will grow like some babies?
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Radical - I think I was totally bald for about 2-3 weeks, and then I had just fuzz. Now the fuzz is growing...I don't know if it falls out or ends up as the tip of new hair growth. I think I read on here somewhere that some people shave it off - not doing that, I'm over the shiny dome look.
Radiation simulation today - deciding where to zap me. I'll let you know how it goes!
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Hey All, I haven't been posting much lately...I'm just getting over my last AC and my first Taxol is this Friday...nervous and annoyed that it's 12 more weeks!
I went to 'Look Good Feel Better' yesterday...got lots of free makeup and some great tips. For those of you growing hair they said to massage your scalp lots with lotion, coconut oil, etc. but the main thing is, massage your scalp lots as it stimulates hair growth!
Congrats to those of you finishing chemo!
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Thank you Islandmama and Bow and Fiona!
Canuck, - congrats on finishing AC! Taxol seems easier to me. Hope the same is for you!
Feel good wishes and hugs to all here!
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I had my first weekly Taxol (Herceptin/Perjeta every 3rd week) last Wednesday. My taste buds were a little off for about 48 hours but that was it! I was expecting joint pain, numbness in hands/feet, and diarrhea but none of that happened. I sure wish it wasn't another 11 weeks though.
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Keep feeling good Mommato3!
Bow, - my hair has been about the same as yours in that photo all along. Yes, will be interesting what color comes in! (At this point, I'll take ANY color!
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help just need to vent. I am so sick 5days after treatment 5. I am throwing up again! I haven't thrown up since treatment 1! My insides feel raw and burnt. I am not going to complain to husband and kids they are all so helpless looking it makes it worse! I can't find anything soothing to drink or eat. Has anyone else had it ramp up significantly at the end?? Standing up takes every ounce of strength I have left
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