Starting chemo July 2014
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Coyote -- Hope you are feeling better and if not you call your PCP first thing in the morning to be seen! Hugs to each of you not feeling so well.
After my chemo appt. today, I went downstairs for my ultrasound on my Thyroid, which lit up when I had had my PET Scan back in June. Finally got it done.
I noticed the Tech was marking an area next to the Trachea she showed me what that was on the screen...and then the dark mass. Lovely. She was measuring it out and typed something about my thryroid and then the word "mid". Not sure what that means.
I asked her about it and she said she could not say, of course and then said when I see my ONC tomorrow, ask her to check for the results and discuss them as they should be in by the time I see her and she can explain if anything is there.
You would think this chemo would attach itself to any cancer. My breast lumps went from about 9cm to 6cm....so sheesh louise!
Hard not to worry about such an thing.
And then life goes on as they say... trying to be positive as I have been throughout this journey. *Heavy Sigh*.
Oh a good note my friends here....my hair is sprouting! LOL Looks blond ( I am a Brunette ) and I was born blond then it was sandy brown then darker years later in elementary school. Real odd but heck I had lots of gray before so maybe lighting is making it LOOK blonde and I will end up gray. Well there's a great product out there...Hair coloring! LOL
Once I get enough hair back, This Momma is going to go Burgandy! I had this color when I was in my late 30's and I want THIS hair color again!! Hope the pic shows up!
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I know Pink and I end tomorrow, not sure who else who started on July 16th, as you would have needed to be on an every 3 weeks, for 6 cycles, as Pink and I are. May I say, I'm terrified. After reading Coyote and Mags posts. They aren't even on Herceptin or Perjetta... I'm thrilled to know this is the last one until surgery, but maybe not as thrilled as I'd be if I know this was the LAST one. The idea, if I don't have a Pathological Complete Response, I will need more chemo, is weighing on me. I'm sure I can do it, I have almost made it through this batch, but oh, I do not want to.
Good luck to everyone in the chair tomorrow!!!
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AJ - so scary. Fingers crossed for you. And please keep us updated - we are here for you no matter what.
Coyote - you can buy latisse appx 1/2 price online - it is a prescription, but you just fill out an online questionnaire. If there are any questions based on your response a doctor will call you to discuss.
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AJ -- let us know the results -- yes, scans can be scary! But, I'm sure your MO will explain the results far better than the tech could, so the wait will be worth it. Best wishes for good news!
Pinkninja and kmntwins -- good luck on your last day of chemo! Here's hoping this last cycle is not a bear.
I will also be in the chair today for the Taxol/Perjeta/Herceptin trifecta. Looks like I won't get my surgery until early January -- MO favors surgery 6 weeks after chemo ends (as opposed to 3 weeks). I'm sure I'll also have to have all sorts of scans and the like before any surgical plan is nailed down.
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Mouth sores – not what you'd think they'd be. I have areas in my mouth that are almost raw. Not actual "sores" just raw like they've been burned. I've had this on the tip of my tongue for all of the chemos, but now it's inside the bottom lip, both cheeks, and back where the tongue connects, on both sides. Any food that is acidic, salty, or vinegary lights the fire. My cousin made soup yesterday, on of my favorites, Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana, creamy with sausage and kale, and it tasted so good but my mouth was on fire afterward. I ate a big bowl of vanilla ice cream and that calmed it down a lot, but this morning everything I put in my mouth hurts. Coffee, yogurt.
I think the difference this time was that I didn't get my mouth cold enough during the adriamycin push. My husband's boss brought me a frapuccino from Starbucks and it wasn't really frozen. I was too polite to ask for something else. And it was pretty cold, just not cold enough. Passing the lesson on, since I'm DONE!!
My thoughts are with pinkninja and knmtwins today. ICE ICE ICE!!!
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mags I had horrible mouth burning on my first round of TAC. After I got changed to AC it was better but still always there. I even have it a bit on taxol but it's doable. I hope it eases up for you. By the way the thought of chewing ice now makes me nauseated. Go figure.
I had taxol #3 yesterday. My blood counts are dropping like flies already **sigh**
Good luck toda pinkninja and knmtwins. Thinking of you
Nancy
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Nancy,
Will they postpone a Taxol infusion if your blood counts don't bounce back soon? Or, will they do an transfusion? One of my chemo buddies (not BC, pancreas) had to skip this week because his platelets were low. My platelet numbers are pretty good, but overall, my RBCs are a bit lower than the standard range. I know that they don't medicate for anemia, but is there any food we can eat to keep our RBCs up?
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AJ - I hope you Onc appt went ok today with good news. Thank you for thinking about me when you have so much on your own list.Pink & knm - I'm wishing you well today as you finish up. And hope #6 doesn't throw you the nasty se curveball. I haven't gone back into old posts on BC.org to see if what Mags & I are dealing with is the norm. I have been using my cell to post since my last infusion because I am pretty well attached to the recliner.
Mags - Wow! Mouth sores!! This is the first time I have had actual mouth sores. It's like I bit the inside of my mouth inside my lips.
There is some improvement. I made it upstairs to bed last night with only two sit downs. DH poached eggs this morning and I could eat them. We'll see how this goes. 9 days post #6.
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In the chair almost done with my last chemo!! I'm so happy! I'll still have to come in every 3 weeks for Herceptin but that will be a piece of cake!
After my last blood transfusion I felt great for 2 weeks. My rbc's went down again so I may need another transfusion next week. At first I was scared to get it but I felt so good after, I wished I gotten it sooner!
Boxofrocks, congrats!!
Mags, coyote and everyone else, I've been praying for all of you
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Elaine I think it's Hemogloblin (hgb) that determines a transfusion. Mine were at 12.4 before #3. I think they do transfusions around 8 if I am not mistaken. My other counts are low though and I am worried. Before #3 my WBC was 3.7, my RBC was 3.44 and my absolute neutrophils were at 2.11 (normal is 1.8-7.7). I am getting close with those neutrophils and think they will be low for #4. Neutrophils are what they look at to determine chemo. It has to be 1.5 or they won't do it unless it's close then they will do it with the neupogen shots. I knew this would happen from the get go. My onc ordered neupogen shots to boost WBC and neutrophils so I might be getting that next time. She doesn't want to delay treatment and tries to keep on track so we shall see.
Nancy
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Thanks for the info., Nancy. Actually, I guess I'm doing OK then. My hemoglobin was 11.8 today, just above 11.7 for the standard range. I am listed as being "anemic" on my health record; my red blood cells are at 3.9, below the standard range. Oh well.
Best of luck to you, Nancy, as you continue your slog throught Taxol.
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Coyote and Mags praying for more strength and healing for you. Stupid chemo...
BoxofRockStar - beautiful baby boy. Reminded me how sweet and good they smell. Congratulations!
I saw my onc for my first official follow up visit. I'll see him every three months for the next three years. They do a tumor marker blood test - the CA 27/29. We'll watch those numbers and pray they never rise! I've got the Triple Neg so my doc is my good buddy the next few years.
Question - my right breast cancer was "weakly positive" 1-5% so I have two choices - Tamoxifen or Armidex/Femara. They are two different classes of drugs. Even though it's such a small positive we're being as aggressive as possible to tackle the cancer. Any of you know much about these two options and their side effects? I can read about them but I'd rather hear from real people.
Also - have a never used, still sealed bottle of L-Glutamine 500 mg I'd be happy to send to anyone who needs it. PM me.
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On 10/16/2014 I had an appointment with my Onc who asked if I noticed and new symptoms etc. I had a week of headaches so my Onc ordered an MRI (which i found out a week later i could not have since i have expanders in). Then on 10/16/2014 I had an appointment with my MO. He did an exam and asked the standard questions. I am scheduled to see my MO every three months due to my TNBC with my next appointment in Jan 2015. However, my Onc appointment isn't until April 2015. My MO was surprised that I wasn't seeing both every three months.Is this normal to see both the MO and Onc?? That's a total of 6 appointments per year with 2 of the appointments in the same month. Also, I've now had 3 CT Scans and no MRI. All were clear of anything resembling cancer.
FYI, if you ever have to go to the ER please let them know you are a cancer patient. You will get right in with no waiting.
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thanks Elaine your bloodwork is holding up better than mine as I believe you've got 6 treatments under your belt while I only have 3. I see neupogen in my future lol. I had neulasta after each A/C and my counts were always good.
Nancy
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WalleGator -- since I'm hormone receptor positive, I'll end up doing hormone therapy as well. But, I have no personal experience YET. Since I'm premenopausal, I will probably end up on Tamoxifen and not have the choice of Armidex/Femara. My biggest fear is not about the hot flashes and physical effects of Tamoxifen, but rather the possibility that it will cause mood swings and/or depression. I have never reacted well to changes in my hormone levels -- have had mood swings prior to menstruation and during my pregnancies (though not so bad as to take antidepressants). I realize that Tamoxifen might help reduce the possibility of recurrence, but I'd rather not feel all funky and depressed while taking it daily for 5 -- 10 years.
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Elaine - I can understand that. My positiveness (I guess that's a word!) is so low that if I get any SE he just wants me to quit taking it. My positive is so weak that the medicine is barely going to do anything. I'm sensitive to hormone changes, too. It's nice to have the option to quit if I need to, but if I were Triple Positive I'd take whatever they recommend for as long as I could stand it. He did say he recommended the Arimidex over the Tamoxifen, but it's my choice.
Red Heeled Women - I see my oncologist every three months now, too, but that's it. Next one is end of Jan. No MO, or anyone else. He did recommend I make sure to see my general doctor once a year for a normal checkup and normal blood work, but that's it.
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Elaine, how come ur MO prefers 6 wks? I will have to wait that much but not by choice. Will discuss this with MO tomorrow.
Excuse my ignorance, but what is the diff between MO and Onc?
Taxol 5 tomorrow!! At least it didn't hurt getting the port needle in today. Usually it really hurts inside my skin despite Emla.not sure why this is happening, nurse doesn't get it cuz needle is in port and not in my skin but maybe port is near nerve or some thing.
I think the the tingles are finally getting my toes.
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dancingdiva -- MO likes to wait for her patients' blood counts and other numbers to recover from chemo before they undergo surgery. She likes them to be in good shape for surgery so as to avoid complications (like infections). So -- on average -- she recommends surgery for six weeks after chemo. In my case, though, she told me that I could request surgery a bit earlier, maybe four weeks out. That's because my numbers have been holding up pretty well during Taxol/Herceptin/Perjeta, and it won't take as long for my numbers to bounce back. Good luck with your Taxol infusion tomorrow!
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Carboplatin/Taxol #5 for me today. For the first 3, I hardly had any nausea, #4 was worse, and tonight I don't go anywhere without my "barf bucket" close by just in case. I feel terrible. I'm home alone with my kiddos this evening and I cannot wait for it to be their bedtime so I can just go to sleep at last.
Wallegator -- I've been on both Tamoxifen and Femara. Tamoxifen was when I still had my ovaries and was either in chemopause or getting the Zoladex shot, so I had a lot of menopause symptoms (hot flashes, etc). Femara was after I had my ovaries out and I hardly had any symptoms from it. If you have any specific questions about either one, feel free to ask me.
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Dancing - Last time, I had to wait for all my labs to be ok before I could get my exchange surgery. It might be different with something as essential as tumor removal.
Kebab - You have my great empathy. I hate nausea. This - day 9 post #6 - is the first day since infusion that I did not take nausea meds. #5 was almost as bad. Be sure to take 'em. Hope you feel better soon.0 -
hi ladies,
Had my first post-chemo follow up with the MO today. Came home with a big bottle of Tamoxifen...curious to see how this goes, given it's a long haul (10 years!!)
Hope all is well - and peaceful wishes to those battling SEs from rounds 5 and 6.
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Haven't read anything since Tuesday night. Yesterday was last chemo, fingers crossed, God willing and the creek don't rise... Here is a picture of 1st day (hair cut short to match short wig) and last day. YEP - TCH-P is a time consuming regiment, closes the place down, my appointment started at 9am, it was around 5 when we left.
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Congrats, kmntwins and Pinkninja (I hope) for finishing chemo! Good for you!
And I hope that everyone else (e.g. kebab) who recently went in the chair are having some gentler side effects these days that don't include barf buckets.
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congratulations knmtwins on finishing chemo. I am jealous lol. I so want to be done too. Hope everyone is doing well and nasty side effects are easing up.
Nancy
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Here's my pics of he first and last one too. Sorry about the gianormous pic, couldn't resize it. I've been struggling with a bad cold and sore throat and I'm coughing. Bleh.
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Elaine there,
After my 4th infusion my hgb went down to 7 something and they gave me a blood transfusion. I was nervous about getting it but within a few days I felt like Wonder Woman again. It was awesome. When I got my labs yesterday before chemo, they dropped again to 8.6 and my rbc was 2.8 and they told me it would drop even more by next week. I'll probably have another transfusion and I'm actually happy about it because it will help me to bounce back quicker after this last one yesterday.
My dr told me that chemo anemia is different than regular anemia and can't be fixed with taking iron or eating iron rich foods, the only thing to fix it is transfusion.
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Congratulations knmtwins and PinkNinja! Glad you are done with chemo.
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Yay knmtwins and pinkninja! So glad you've crossed the finish line! Pinkninja, awesome blog post as well. I read them all. Bless you, and all the July team!
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My last chemo was yesterday. Yay! I was so fed up and bored with the whole thing. I just want to be well and move forward with my life.
I see the medical oncologist in six weeks. If I recall I will be seeing him every three months for two years.
Good luck to all of you still in treat,met. I appreciated this board in the very beginning when I was so frightened and ignorant. It helped me know what was normal and what to be worried about. Thank you all.
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Congratulations, RamblingRose, on finishing chemo!
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