August 2015 Chemo Group
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Congratulations Suzanne50 ! 0 -
Congrats Suzanne- I am very much looking forward to my last one on Oct 22. You did it girl! You got this! So proud of you. Now rest up and let the poison do its magic.0
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YAY suzanne!
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Suzanne50 Congratulations!!! I like the cookie idea, wished I have the time to bake.
speaking of hair, can someone remind me, I think it was said that the rest of the hair might go bye-bye after the last round? If do, how soon? And... when it grows back, when would it be?
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@KateB, bless you. What a great post. Eloquent of course, and I'm sure you'll raise some funds for Metavivor. Two of the ladies I am in chemo with have brain mets, and when I think of metastatic disease, I think of them. One has had a 40% shrinkage in her brain tumor, and the other has almost gotten rid of hers completely. I sit there with them every week thinking I'm the lucky one, but your statistics say maybe not! My disease was caught at almost the earliest possible stage, and yet I'm well aware I could be in the 30% not-so-lucky category. Then again I could have been hit by a truck at any point in my life up to now, and I wasn't, kenanhora, so there's that.
@Suzanne, congrats! We will all soon be joining you at the chemo-nostalgia table, LOL.
@Superius, the way I think I've read it works, you can start to get new hair growth at any point late in the treatments, or after, but it is apparently all very individual. The one thing I've heard from everyone is that it's very soft and downy when it comes in.
Okay, here's my question of the day. I have been dealing with an intense itch on the backs of my hands for the past couple of days. Hubby thinks it's probably a side effect because it hit both hands at once and rather symmetrically. It's driving me a little batty. It's like a contact dermatitis kind of thing, not much to do except slather on the calamine gel and hope for the best. (Oh and take Benadryl, which is putting me to sleep even as I've been typing! Anything for relief from the itchiness.)
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High five Suzanne50! DeeRatz I'm one day behind you - my last chemo 23rd Oct. We're all getting there.
There's a separate (depressing!) thread on this "30% of early BC progress to stage IV". I posted on it. I don't believe the statistic.
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Actually I'll post it here as well. This was from the 'stage 1 BC' forum, thread called something like "will 30% progress?".
This is a rather negative thread. I can't make everyone's fears disappear (I have them myself), but I'd like to observe that the origin of this "30% of women with early BC will get stage IV" came from a charity that does research into stage IV. The statistic has no sound basis and the charity has a clear conflict of interest: if we think we're going to go on to stage IV we'll raise money for them!!!
As someone in this thread has already said, "28% of women with stage IV BC started with stage 0. I, II or III" is NOT the same as "28% of women with stage 0, I, II or III will get stage IV".
Say there are 100 women with BC, and say 10 of those women eventually get stage IV. Of those 10 women, 3 were diagnosed with stage 0, I, II or III while 7 had stage IV at diagnosis. But 90 women never go beyond the other stages! I made those figures up, but I hope they illustrate the fallacy being perpetrated.
Another observation. In these fora, I have discovered women (misguided in my view) who are taking nothing but herbs, vegan food and positive thinking for their BC. They have rejected chemo, radiotherapy and surgery. If anyone's going to progress from stage 0 to stage IV, I fear it will be those unfortunate women.
UK breast cancer rates are similar to US and Australia/Canada. This website from Cancer Research UK is pretty good:
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professiona...
I know it only gives five-year survival rates but it's a bit more positive than some of the figures being exchanged here.
Hope this helps.
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Thank you for the congrats! It is a big relief....can't wait till all you ladies are done. We should all go out together for a celebratory cup of coffee....wouldn't that be nice.
So I woke up this AM with red blotchy cheeks. Hmmmm....what is that about? Steroid side effect? I haven't done a thing differently. The timing is so perfect since I am getting my class picture and yearbook photo taken today. Ugh. Maybe I will do the retake for individual.
Oh well - it could be worse.
No Idea about those itchy hands....again, maybe steroid side effect? I blame everything on that.
Good day ladies! Hope everyone is feeling decent.
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@Suzanne50 Hi, might be allergic to tocetere, pls check with your onco. I developed hives (allergy) after the second treatment and got it controlled by prednisolone and chlorpheniramine.
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I woke up two days ago with red blotchy skin where I have been putting a little blush on my cheeks, my skin is also ultra dry, and my eyes. (going to try the eye drops whomever that was. I think it's all side effects. I'm also feeling dehydrated because until yesterday I was forcing myself to drink minimal amounts of water. Yesterday my water taste buds came back and I downed about 4 litres. Probably too little too late, but at least I can drink now.
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suzanne, congratulations! How inspiring!
MsBrompton, I hear you and respect what you're saying. I'm just trying to put my money (and time and energy) where my mouth is when it comes to Pinktober and raising awareness.
mom2aboy and molliefish, skin stuff is common on the taxanes. Call your docs!
I've got ointment for the folliculitis now. My MO's office just called and asked if I want an appointment, and I can't decide. Just saw my primary care doc yesterday (she prescribed the ointment), so I kind of feel like seeing the MO right now is overkill. . . . I mean, no fever, no other symptoms other than itchy, red, slightly painful bumps on the back of my head and a corresponding lymph node back there. I figure if the ointment doesn't cure it by the weekend, I'll need an oral antibiotic, but I'm in no rush to get a yeast infection. . . .
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Ugh....day 7 chemo crash. Started feeling crappy yesterday afternoon.. Slept all afternoon.. Ate an amazing supper brought over by my friend then slipped into a food coma. Crawled into bed at 6:30 last night and didn't get up until 7:30 this morning. Was back in bed by 9. Feeling Terribly achy and cold. I almost feel like I have a fever (very low grade) but am fighting this SOB off. Drugs and fluids and Netflix. Hopefully I am feeling better tomorrow for my look good feel better clinic. I am not willing to get sick, hopefully my body listens. 7 sleeps until Madonna..... Must stay healthy
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Suzanne - Congrats!!! Hope those side effects go away asap. So happy for you.
Dee - Hang in there! Hope it turns around soon.
Fourth and final AC for me tomorrow. Then I'll be moving on to the 12 weekly Taxol. I'm banking on Taxol being easier. The MO today indicated that it should be. I'll be meeting with the nurse before that first Taxol. Sounds like I'll be needing pre-meds to take at home before those infusions.
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Suzanne - Congratulations! I hope the SE disappear soon. I was warned that red face can come from the steroids.
DeeRatz - Healthy vibes to you. Madonna is waiting!!
Tam-iam - Did your doctor say what pre-meds you'll be getting? I will start 12 weekly Taxol on 10/22 and I'm really hoping not to get steroids. I had 4 days of steroids starting with my last AC and I am feeling the crash now. Grumpy yesterday and tired today.
4 days until Hawaii ... I can't wait to get away!
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Vicki - No, he didn't mention what the pre-meds would be, just that I would be taking something 12 hours and 5 hours before treatment. He says if I don't take my meds on time, I won't be able to have treatments, so sounds like I'll be setting an alarm for sometime during the middle of the night. I haven't had any at home pre-med or post-med steroids for my AC treatments. They do give me some steroids with my pre-meds during infusion.
Have a wonderful time in Hawaii!!!
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Red face gone! Who knows what that was from. Could have been from taxotere. Not a bad day overall but it gradually gets worse as the week wears on. I can deal.
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Congrats Suzanne!
Kate, love your FB post.
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Congrats Suzanne! Whew!
Mom2Boy - I know that itching is a side effect of Taxol (and Neupogen). You told your doc about it, right? They will want to make sure it's not an allergic reaction where you can't swallow, etc. (Anaphylaxis). I had tingling on the backs of my hands, but not itching, and the NP kept asking me Q's. When the NP realized it wasn't in my throat and I didn't have a shortness of breath at anytime, she dismissed my complaints. (But it was still driving me crazy! I feel your pain!)
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@Sloan15, My doctor advised me to take Claritin. I did, but so far, it hasn't helped. The only thing that has helped was (1) taking a shower this morning, which for some reason calmed things down for a while and (2) taking a benadryl last night, which let me sleep. Interestingly, I discovered today that a side effect of the Singulair I'm taking (on prescription, as advised by my oncologist) can be itching, hives, even oozy scabby rashes. (Hoping my hands don't advance to that stage!) Right now the backs of my hands are on fire. Wondering now if this could actually be a Taxol side effect? My oncologist thought it was unlikely to be a side effect of chemo because I've been on it for 7 weeks already - but I've only been on the Singulair for a couple of weeks so that's apparently more likely.
Totally willing to give up the Singulair and go back to my trusty Zyrtec, but I'd like to have the go-ahead from my doctor to do that! Meanwhile ... itch, itch, itch. At least I've been able to avoid scratching them. It's really driving me nuts.0 -
Hey ladies. Glad to hear some of you have another treatment under your belt / are done / or are soldiering on!
Going to work tomorrow for the first time since June. My boss announced that he is retiring so I want to talk to him and I guess see everyone. One coworker friend said they were about to circulate a card for me and asked if I wanted one. I sort of reluctantly said ok. I mean it was nice of them to bring it up but I wonder what the card will say! I'm guessing everyone knows by now. I had only told maybe 7 people in person and I'm sure the word has spread around.
I haven't gone Facebook public - my close friends and close family know. That's about it. My husband took a totally different approach. He called everybody - like all of his family and even friends that he doesn't talk to regularly and just called to say what was going on. I found that a little bit strange. I guess that's just the way he operates?
I'm also wearing this one hat all the time. I wish I had bought more last year (it was $2!) but oh well. I get a lot of compliments from strangers on the hat - little do they know I"m a fuzzy duckling underneath. Wondering if I should wig it or hat it to work!
I had one day about 10 days after my last treatment where I was dead tired. I had a headache and then went to bed at 7 and woke up at 8am. I found it a bit strange as I had been feeling pretty good the days prior. Maybe my body was just telling me to take a break. Who knows.
I have an echocardiogram next week. Has anyone had one yet? I've had a MUGA but not an ECG. Wondering if you needed the dye or not...
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I had an echo last week. No dye required. Whole process from registration to walking out the door took about an hour. Very interesting procedure. You'll get to see your heart in motion.
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Mom2Boy- The backs of my hands are burning, too! I'm on Taxotere and Cytoxan (and Emend for antinausea). Taxol and Taxotere are related, so we have that in common. The burning started after treatment #3. I am wondering if it is the beginning sign of neuropathy. The NP said the tingling in my fingers will go away, but it was really bad last week with burning on the backs of my hands and on my some on the tops and bottoms of my feet. It's not as bad this week, but it's there.
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there were a few days (a week?) that I was itching alllll over... I thought it was the heat waves, but I also did some digging, one of the white blood cell actually produces histamine. & in my blood work that time, the % was higher, so I wonder if that's what happened...
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It's the halfway point. Today starts cycle 4. Still not sure what the new regimen will be. So nervous. Stupid steroids, and nerves, keeping me awake. Have to be up in 5 hours. Glad some of us are wrapping up. Sorry the rest of us seem to have more SEs.0
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Oh my God, the HOT FLASHES. It took three cycles, but here they are. I guess my ovaries are asleep for now--I wonder, when they come back to life, what that will be like.
I'm trying to figure out why I can go all day with maybe one mild one, and then starting at about 6pm, I get one every couple of hours. . . including in the middle of the night, when I swear they're worse. What the hell? I'm 36 years old! ARGH.
They told me that I'll go through chemopause, get my periods back, and then go through a version of it AGAIN when I start Tamoxifen. Ten years on Tamoxifen means I'll be 47 when it's done, so just in time for "real" menopause. Honestly, I find it halfway hilarious, as I do most things related to this (other than the whole mortality thing, which still isn't funny).
michelle, I'm having my second echo today. No dye required, and it's actually really, really cool to see your ticker ticking in real time! I have my fingers crossed that my LVF is still good, 'cause I'm banking on Herceptin/Perjeta being the miracle drugs they're said to be.
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re: hot flashes: I entered menopause just over 2years ago, and I found the same thing, minimal in the day time, lots at night. The only thing I can think of is it's all systems go while we are up and going through the day, and later in the evening we are starting to, or should be starting to wind down for the day. I think it's about the biological rhythm and hormones that keep us functioning through the day.
I also found that when I stopped drinking any alcohol at all my hot flashes stopped. When I fell off the wagon the other day ( ya me!) I had a damn hot flash that night...
No I'm sure that the alcohol doesn't have anything to do with the flashes, but it does to the natural rhythm of the body. I often had a glass of wine with dinner (later in the day at our house) and then a chaser later at night.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
A curious thing I did encounter with the menopause was I would get adrenaline rushes in the middle of the night. I'd wake up feeling all jittery and I could feel the adrenaline pumping, and my other systems ramping up, but I wasn't dreaming or anything like that... it's totally messed up.
So I'm sure that did nothing to make you feel any better
try to have a great day anyway. Nikki
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molliefish, I hear you. I used to enjoy a bit more booze than I should have (though my MO has reassured me that I didn't give myself BC by drinking beer), and I remember getting hot in the night then, too. I think I'm going with your hypothesis about hormones and nighttime.
That said, I plan to have one (maybe two) beer(s) this weekend. It's Oktoberfest, so a girl has to have some fun, right? Then it's back to the water, tea, and NA for me.
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Hi everyone, I was diagnosed with IDC 4 months ago. Im 25 years old, I just started with my first round of AC last monday. Had some nausea and tiredness after the chemo.
2 days after chemo I took neulasta shot which is causing me severe neck pain and muscle spasm. Its so bad I can't turn my head either. ITs been going on nearly a full week. Still in pain. My next AC cycle will be in 2 weeks, Im feeling nervous that if i take the neulasta again it will cause another bad reaction. Anyone has any experience?
Wish everyone here all the best with their cycles!
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lauragirl, welcome. A lot of ladies here who get Neulasta have said that taking Claritin helps with the pain--you might try that. Good luck!
And, man, I thought I was too young (36) to be dealing with this crap. Sending you a big, big hug.
Will you be doing Herceptin and/or Perjeta, too?
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Welcome LauraGirl! You'll find this is a fantastic place to ask/vent/share/chat! As for Neulasta - I'm on Neupogen (similar but 5 days of injections) and didn't have those side effects. Definitely ask/tell your medical team. They are there to serve YOU!
Question!
Has anyone else had to re-shave their head? I mean razor shave. I think H razored my head a good 4 weeks ago? Now I have little regrowth. It looks and feels really funny. I still haven't achieved full Mr. Clean/Uncle Fester smooth head, naturally yet. Will that even happen?
Also - I'm on AC now, but only one more left til my 4 Paclitaxel (Taxol) cycles. Does Taxol make hair fall out too? Should I just let this wispy hair be or is it eventually all going to go anyway.
Just wondering if I can do something about this velcro head...
Thanks ladies.
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