Starting chemo July 2014
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Wow Puffin. I know I could figure it out, but how far out are your from your final chemo?
Mags, I think yours was the day before mine. We are matching bowling balls.
Post chemo selfies?
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Puffin, that is actually hair that hasn't fallen out yet at all. I still have a little stubble like that, hasn't grown at all since I had it buzzed, but hasn't fallen out yet either.
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I have a question. How did everyone do with fingernail damage and neuropathy? I went to a lot of bother to ice my fingers during infusions. They have no visible damage yet, but I have heard that it can show up weeks later. The neuropathy is another issue. The tips of my fingers have some sensory loss. Not a lot, but enough to be concerning.
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Coyote, my last chemo was Sep 18. I did not ice fingers and have had no problems with my nails, maybe a SLIGHT sensation change in fingertips but nothing that even bothers my typing.
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Is anyone else experiencing peripheral neuropathy? Mine started about 4 weeks ago and is getting markedly worse, so much so that I can't do anything until a painkiller has kicked in in the morning- my feet hurt too much to want to walk to the kitchen and my hands hurt too much to fill the kettle. Apparently it's normal to get worse before it improves, but man, this is annoying. I have an oncology appointment on Tuesday, and obviously we'll discuss treatments. I need to talk to him about maybe switching up the pain pills, as I think I'm developing a tolerance. Today I finally gave in and took two percoset instead of one and an hour and a half later my hands were still hurting something fierce while I was doing the dishes.
EDIT: Coyote, I just saw your post.
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Coyote, I didn't ice (was cold capping and couldn't stand the thought of being any colder), and haven't had any trouble with my nails. I do have some neuropathy, though. The fingers are not too bad, and don't interfere with anything. My feet are more of a problem - they are numb, yet much more sensitive to cold, and sometimes they feel cold even when they're not. They also get uncomfortable if I walk too fast, which is annoying, since that's my normal walking speed! My MO says it will probably take a while to resolve - I hope it isn't too long!
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And here's my post-chemo selfie, Coyote
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JenKay - You are a really beautiful woman! That is quite a photo.
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Love the photo Jenkay - it is striking!
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JenKay, love the photo!
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Jen, love the picture. Seems so casually taken yet so striking.
I have been icing and wearing the dark polish. So far nails r good. My numbness comes and goes. I did 7 /12 and today I started feeling the numbness. The area under my bra hurts, my knee and sometime fingers.
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JenKay, how beautiful you are.
I have had neuropathy in my feet long before chemo, but it is definitely worse.sometimes keeps me awake. And my hands twitch and shake. I had been on pain meds for several years for arthritis and fibromyalgia, but after my surgery, I stopped and haven't taken them since. But I had to stop taking Celebrex for a week before my biopsy and the pain has been really bad, so I've taken 1/4 tablet a couple of times.
We had light snow all day, so I'm hoping the roads are clear in the morning as I have an early appointment with the LE specialist and then the endocrinologist
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What a great selfie. Strong and Beautiful. I am reading the chemo threads because I have a strong suspicion I will be told I need it after the Oncotype comes in on or before the 20th. Reading your stories and comments helps. Thankyou.
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Bcky, you are more than welcome! I hope your oncotype score is low, but if you need any advice, or have questions, this is still a fairly active thread, and we run the gamut of treatments, not to mention side effects and complications! Add this thread to your favorites and visit when you need to.
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Thanks for the compliments you guys!
I don't have a lot of numbness, and when I do, it's just the tips of my fingers and toes. I do have a lot of pain in my hands and feet though, my expanders hurt pretty much all the time and the area under my arms and under my breasts has been bothering me a lot too (I think my nerves must be regenerating) as well as the pectoral muscle. All that has been getting worse the past few weeks, and the past few days my legs and arms are super stiff, too. It's not like I've been laying in bed all the time, either, except today I crashed out for five hours after taking my elderly neighbor's cat to the vet and going to the farmers' market. It's almost like I'm getting sick but I have no symptoms or temperature.
I think the bone pain may be tapering off though, so there's that.
My finger and toenails are holding up just fine. I've been doing the shellac manicures at a high-end salon, bringing my own tools and not letting her clip my cuticles. I love that it lasts for a couple of weeks. If I can't have my hair or eyebrows at least my nails can look nice!
I didn't ice anything during the course of my chemo treatments.
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JenKay -- that is indeed an awesome photo! I wish I could take decent pix of myself.
I didn't ice anything, and my nails are fine (and growing!). Also, I don't seem to have much numbness or pain in my extremities. At most, I guess my fingertips aren't too agile these days -- wouldn't want to race anyone when it comes to buttoning up a shirt. Likewise, I was fumbling a bit at the airport with the zippers on my bags yesterday. Oh well; I still have some Taxol/Herceptin/Perjeta infusions left -- maybe the worst is yet to come.
Good luck with getting to your appointments, Mags, though it looks like we got more snow down here than you did. I'm in CT for my grandmother's funeral; my poor husband has to look after all three kiddos, home for a snow day today.
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Roads are very icy so I cancelled appointments. Snow day here too.
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Great photo - Good to take a snow day! So, my last TCH-P was on October 29th. Each day it is worse when I get out of bed and in the morning then in the evening. I'd describe it as my muscles are 'sore'. When does this go away. Also, as to neuropathy, finger tips are numb-ish, nails feel odd around the middle of the beds, but look to still be secure. I can see horizontal ridges from when I had a few treatments. I have had to cut them 3 times since July, so haven't grown as fast as normal. Toes are a little too, and I drool a bit when drinking every so often. During one of my cycles, I think it was two, I my bottom lip chin felt like it had Novocain, and I think that is the area I'm drooling from. Also, center of ribs under the bra 'kinda' feels like it is pushing out from the inside against my ribs, very tight, bloated maybe, like when I was pg with twins, oh, and I burp, and every so often when I open my mouth, I squirt out saliva. Had my echo today, and tech said heart is healthy, but that the cardiologist will call me. It had been scheduled for 6 months after starting chemo, but since I'm doing a BMx on 12/2, decided to do it a little early.
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Jenn - loved the photo! Really great - so true to life and pretty!
MaidenTired - sorry you're going through all this. We're thinking about you!
I never iced and didn't get neuropathy or have any nail problems.
While my hair is starting to grow in...grey of course...my eyebrows are having a tougher time. I never lost them all, but they are sparse. Hoping to see some regrowth. Of course I've had to pluck all around them (which I was thrilled with)!!
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It sounds as if we are all pretty much in the same place with the neuropathy. One of the thing my MO asked me when I told her that my fingers were weirding out was "Can you pick up little thing like peas or grains of rice?" I said that I could and she said that I was really doing well. So I guess we are doing great! Yikes!One of my neighbors who did this lost ALL of her nails. (They did come back within a year) Mine look perfectly normal so far.
I'm moving along with the radiation treatments. I have 5 behind me. So far no problems with that but I'm still really tired from the chemo that ended 4 weeks ago.
Mags - I hope you don't have to wait as long to get a new appointment!
Stay warm all.
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Coyote - After 4 TCH infusions - last one over 2 months ago, my fingernails have let go about midway from the cuticle so that the pink part of the nail (where they are still connected) is about 1/2 as long as it was before. If I cut my fingernails back to the new "quick", it would be 1/2 way up the nail bed. I feel like I have to be careful with them to avoid injury. My thumbs and forefingers on both hands are slightly numb.
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Oh and taxo tears... Coyote - my MO asked if I could still put in my pierced earnings. I can, but I find I drop the backs sometimes.
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hi ladies!
Been a while but I have been thinking of you often.
I think I have been fortunate with nails and neuropathy - like KiLin I was cold capping and couldn't face one more freezing thing so didn't ice, but they look normal and continue to grow. No neuropathy that I could readily identify.
I'd love to have a manicure - didn't occur to me to just bring my own tools. I might do that :-)
Eyebrows are growing back but no such luck on lashes. I am starting to worry they won't come back at all :-(
I am also now a few weeks on tamoxifen. Biggest SE is hot flashes and I am struggling to sleep through the night, which is kind of a drag. Ambien and Ativan haven't helped. May have to go back to MO.
Has anyone else experienced a cough or weight loss? I got sick a month or so ago and can't seem to fully shake the cough - it's somewhat productive and apprears mostly in the morning and evening. My MO didn't seem too worried after listening to my lungs but it's starting to scare me. I've also lost probably 15lbs since starting treatment. This was not necessarily a bad thing (I was on the border of overweight), but it hasn't stopped - I am still losing a pound or so every 2 weeks. Not sure if this is something I should be worried about or not (I have improved diet and exercise, but still seems kind of fast?)
Oh and JennKay - the expanders are now officially driving me crazy. I am not allowed to schedule exchange till the New Year (PS wants a clear 6 weeks between coming off the antibiotics for last infection, which would put me right at Christmas). Since I have some work stuff in jan, likely to be Feb or even March. Which I am kind of ok with, but they have started to ache, especially under my arms.
Is anyone else looking forward to burning 2014 to the ground??
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Burning 2014 to the ground – yes! We must have a party!
Forgot to say, even though I don't seem to have neuropathy in my hands, my thumbnails are turning purple from the nail beds up, so far about halfway. I have been having my nails done at the same salon since 2011, and they are diligent about sanitizing, so have not had problems. I get the gel treatment. I've noticed that since about the 4th or 5th round of chemo, my nails have been chipping badly, just at the tips, so that I've actually had to clip them between manicures. I get the French manicure, so I can actually see the color change on my thumbnails. I get color on my toes, but last time, we noticed that the big toe nails are turning purple too. Don't know if I'll lose any, so far they are tender but not separating.
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knmtwins: I have the general mouscle soreness too, on top of the pain in my hands and feet. I'm glad I'm not the only one with all this, although I'm bummed anyone else has to put up with this.
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I'm hoping it improves before my BMx on 12/2. Heck, I'd like to get my GI tract back to normal too, and to no longer over produce saliva when I chew, and to be over the burps... But, I'm guessing general anesthesia and pain meds will have me back to a dose of Magnesium Citrate. Does anyone know of a pill that works and doesn't cause horrible cramps. That Mag Citrate works, but YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I had my final appointment with the bs today and my bmx is scheduled for Dec 10. I was really happy when the dr told me the tumor was far enough away that she'll be able to do skin and nipple sparing mx. If nodes are clear, then no radiation but if not, then I'll have to do rads. Praying they'll be clear!
I had my last TCHP Oct 29 and my fingernails have been hurting, especially if I wash dishes or use any type of hot water. One of the nails is starting to lift off and it's gross! My toes hurt too but I still have nail polish on them and I'm afraid to take it off.
So glad to be done with chemo! I had to get another blood transfusion last week because hgb dropped down to 7 again. I felt awful but it's starting to kick in although I am stiil fatigued. I still have muscle pain in my legs too.
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JenKay, you are beautiful!
I'm afraid to post one as I do not resemble myself at all anymore. I think I gained 20lbs.
My nails are very brittle but are hanging on. I get burning feet and hands and feet tingle after chemo. My expanders bug me every day, as does my port. I can't wait to get rid of them. Thank you for the kind words ladies, I feel better heart wise. Unfortunately today I feel crabby and ungrateful. The frigid gray weather isn't helping either. I guess some days are like that. I don't like feeling depressed but I think the holidays make it worse. Always missing my mom. Cancer sucks. None of us deserve to be going through all this. Hugs to my July sisters.
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http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/guidetocancerdrugs/docetaxel
(Don't know how I managed to make the whole post a link!)
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Pinkninja - It amazes me how we all get such different regimens from our docs. I'm about to finish 7 weeks of rads (24 full breast & 12 boosts) after 4 rounds of TCH (he wanted me to do 6 but another doctor pulled tbe plug on doing 6 when my hgb was not nearly as bad as yours). I had all the usual side effects - streaming eyes, burned feet, severe diahrea, nails turning lose....
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