August 2015 Chemo Group
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LauraGirl - My MO has me take a Claritin starting on the morning of the Neulasta shot and for four more days after. I've felt just very mild muscle soreness, usually just on day 2 or 3 after the shot. Definitely check with your medical team!
Michelle888 - I have a little bit of stubble too, even after razoring for the second time a couple of weeks ago. I am going to leave it for now and see what happens. I've heard that hair can start growing back on Taxol and that it makes us lose all our body hair, so I am not sure what to expect.
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michelle, I've shaved mine several times and, like VickiRides, am going to see what happens from here on out. I kind of like the duckling look.
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lauragirl, welcome and good luck! You'll do fine.
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Michelle- I could shave my head every week. It doesn't stay smooth. Only the day I shave it it stays that way. I only have 1 treatment left so I am going to quit shaving it. I think Kate and I must almost be on the same schedule.
Kate-yup, hot flashes from Hell...they are fricking terrible.
I must be an alcoholic, cause once I finish all my meds and antibiotics I do have some drinks. Love me some wine....what's it going to do? Kill me? Oh cancer has already tried that. Pretty sure wine is just boosting my chemo, oxidizing those cancer cells. My liver enzymes are good so I figure a bottle or two of red wine is ok. I have read all my chemo drug info sheets and the only time you shouldn't drink is when on the steroids.
Sloan-I dug up my Taxotere sheet and one of the SE can be a hand-foot skin reaction. It says the palms of your hands and soles of feet may tingle, become red, painful or swollen. Skin may become dry and itchy. You can even develop blisters or have severe pain. It suggests using a cream that contains Lanolin to help ease these side effects.
I attended the Look Good Feel Better program today. It was pretty awesome. I wish that there would have been some younger ladies there. They were all at least 10 years older than me. I am pretty good at applying makeup on my own, but learnt how to paint eyebrows on if and when I need too. I still have this hope mine will hang in there and not jump ship.
I am thankful for each and every one of you brave women. It feels so good to share and know we are not facing this alone. It's nice to be able to laugh and cry with all of you,and of course the virtual hugs.
I started a new Netflix Marathon yesterday...started watching Wentworth...kinda like Orange is the new black. I am so sick of daytime TV. Needed something different to watch
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lauragirl - Welcome. Sorry you have to join us. Just jump in with your comments or questions!
Deeratz - Thanks! Did it say lanolin would help with the tingles, too, or just the itching?
I have to tell you ladies that I haven't had any hot flashes or night sweats yet. I'm 50 and perimenopausal, so you'd think I would be the one having those side effects. Chemo is supposed to throw me into permanent menopause. But, no. Not a single hotflash yet. I think that's bad, though, because I'm hormone pos and need the ovaries to shut down.
I need a new Netflix series. I'll check out Wentworth. Did you see How to Get Away with Murder? Yikes. Makes attorneys seem even worse!
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DeeRatz, I like the way you think.
Sloan, I really hope you don't get any hot flashes. I'm not gonna lie: they're some crazy s***. I feel like I'm blushing (I've always been a blusher) really, really deeply, and then it creeps down and through my whole body. It's nuts.
Netflix, o Netflix, how I love thee. We just finished Friday Night Lights (totally worth watching, if you haven't seen it). Maybe Wentworth is next! I'm also hooked on Empire, which is like the biggest guilty-pleasure show I've ever had. It's like Dallas for 2015. . . . I just told one of my colleague/friends today that I have a license to watch as much TV as I want right now. He agreed.
I had my second echo today. Hoping it comes back okay! I find out a week from today. . . on infusion day. After that? 2/3 of the way done. Take that, a-hole cancer.
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KatieB79- Love Friday Night Lights! I am a Netflix junkie. Haven't watched Empire. Just finished The Good Wife on Amazon Prime. I love watching shows without commercials and I can start and stop whenever I choose. I hardly ever watch regular tv anymore. Other Netflix favorites are Grey's Anatomy, Scandel, Medium, Mad Men (lost interest after a while but started off pretty good), The Tudors (again, lost interest after a bit).......I am sure there are more that will come to me!
Night sweats are awful. I wake up drenched several times/night and definitely more often following chemo. But I'm 50 so I was getting these before chemo. They are just more often and more intense.
I left work a little early today. I definitely am feeling the blahs....I do think the side effects have gotten worse as I went along. Hate to be the bearer of bad news but that has been my experience. I cut back on the steroid today to 1 pill in the morning which also could be the reason. Yesterday I had two and no sleep once again. Always a trade off.
Just working through it all.....one more day in the work week and then the weekend!
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I have not entered chemopause--I have bled or spotted for 70% of the past 9 weeks. Hoping it slows down. I do get periodic hot flashes--insanely hot. I got them when I was pregnant, felt like I was on fire and burning from the inside out. They are PTSD triggers but not my main ones--nausea and diarrhea are the worst two.
I have shave my head weekly. I can't stand stubble head and hair splinters. I will stop around Thanksgiving just after my last big infusion.
Hubby and I finished season 5 of the Walking Dead. We will probably go back to the Black List now. I have noticed I do better with lighthearted comedies and HGTV type shows that don't require brain power or concentration. My heart just isn't into our normal TV fare.
So today was different. Blood work was good and my MO is happy with my progress. We have switched from Taxotere to weekly Taxol. I sat with another young (28) lady having her first Taxol treatment today as well--she has finished her 4 AC treatments. I had a mild allergic reaction but an extra steroid and short break was all it took to start back up--they had to wait for the spike in my blood pressure to come back down and the invisible dog to get off my chest (pressure and tingling). My new friend was a bit disoriented from the high dose benadryl and the start of the Taxol but she came through pretty well. AC had been hard on her and it made me sad. Apparently I no longer have to do 3 days of oral steroids for my big infusions--I will be getting a high dose each week with the Taxol--heres hoping one day is enough! My MO also lowered my Carboplatin dose for the rest of treatment. Between the two changes he really thinks I'll make it through all six cycles. I think I hope he is right... I am back in unknown territory with the side effect schedule and that's frustrating. Still I feel good that he listened to me and I think the changes are good if I can avoid neuropathy.0 -
My new friend was hoping I had found a local group for young women--I have only heard of the Young Survivors Coalition and they do not have any chapters in Oklahoma. I am just as disappointed as she is. Being under 40 does pose different issues for us--of course I have my children, she isn't married and doesn't have kids yet so I think that is concerning for her.0
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I saw this...it is totally how I feel!
Good luck Musosgirl-I hope you are able to manage your side effects and your PTSD is not triggered.
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Thank you DeeRatz! Everyone knows now that triggering any new suidical thoughts and I am done! My MO is very pleased I came to him asking for changes first instead of outright quitting.0
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Lauragirl I just finished my fourth and final round of AC.... and my last neulasta shot....!!!!! My MO had me take claratin the entire time. She said it wouldn't hurt anything and also with the weather changing it would be a good idea. I had no pain at all while I was taking it. Good luck to you. I hope you have minimal side effects! Now I am on to 12 weeks of taxol.....and the unknown again.
Julie
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@DeeRatz, I love that Liam-Neeson-as-Chemo image. I will think of that tomorrow when I'm getting my treatment!
I found a good temporary fix for the itching on the backs of my hands - tea tree oil! I'm using a 20% tea tree oil solution that's supposed to be "kinder to skin". I just put it on a Q tip and drag that around my hands over the itchy areas, and it helps calm everything down. But not for long - it lasts about 20 minutes. I went out and bought a 1% hydrocortisone cream and a Gold Bond anti-itch medicine that is not the same stuff, and I'm using both of them. I wish tea tree oil were enough but it's not quite. The weirdest thing is that when I'm on my computer my hands start to itch more. I think it's because I'm looking at them right in front of me and I can see how red and inflamed they are so my mind says "Oh yeah, you have a rash! Better start itching!"
About shaving, I think I asked this once before, but has anyone tried sugaring or waxing their head hair off, rather than shaving if off with a razor? I am a big fan of waxing for my legs in the summer time, as it keeps things smooth for weeks. Maybe my head would be happier that way?
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Oh. Netflix. I am currently hooked on the show Rectify, which is a Sundance Channel original. Outstanding writing and the acting is top notch. It's a bit slow to get started but it grabs you after a few episodes.
And @lauragirl, welcome! I think you'll find this to be a very supportive group.
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musosgirl, I'm glad your MO is managing things for you! That's good news. I really hope things continue to go well (or at least better) for you. This stuff is no joke, and I can totally see how it could be triggering.
DeeRatz, love it.
Mom2aboy, TEA TREE OIL TO THE RESCUE! I'm a believer. For sure. It's my go-to for everything skin-related. In fact, when I had the unpleasant boil on my rear after the first round, it cured it! Waxing the dome is an interesting idea. If you do it, will you tell us how it goes?
Rectify is one of the best shows on Netflix right now, as is Bloodline (which stars Kyle Chandler from Friday Night Lights). So, so, so good. We really like dark, mysterious things (other than FNL, obviously), and there are three I recommend from the other side of the pond: The Fall (starring Gillian Anderson), Luther (Idris Elba), and Happy Valley--they're all fantastically-done mysteries. If you prefer something a bit lighter-hearted, Last Tango in Halifax is worth a watch.
On the lighter side? If you have a raunchy sense of humor, go for Broad City (Amazon) or Inside Amy Schumer (Hulu). . . . Hilarious, and so thoroughly offensive that all one can do is laugh.
Wow, I guess I watch a lot of streaming shows.
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Yup I'm the poster child for breast cancer. Made the front page of our newspaper. Not the poster child I wanted to be or ever bought I would be
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mama-bear congrats on finishing your AC! I'm done number 4 on wednesday! can't wait.
DeeRatz! You're a cover girl! Great pic!
KateB79 I also stream way too much Netflix and agree with your recs! For something light - I started watching Gilmore Girls. I remember seeing some back in the day but now I find it very enjoyable. Interesting mother/daughter dynamics and whatnot.
For the hair - I'm thinking of leaving it with it's sparse tiny growing hairs. Not sure if it's just growing back? I have one more AC and then Taxol and Herceptin for months and months...
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Is your duck down sparse and thin? I still have some patches of dark stubble, but all over I have these thin whispy white things that are 2-3 times a long as my stubble. Do you think those are the beginnings of new hair making the way out of the follicles. My normal white/grey hair was thick and wiry and grew whichever direction it wanted.
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Hot flashes- yep. Am also getting that dry skin rosey blotches on face and neck for a few days after an infusion. It goes away and aloa oil seems to help.
Another odd thing I noticed, and it took a few infusions to figure this out, is that my drool and tears are "harsh" for a week after. As in, when I fall asleep and drool down my chin, the saliva actually turns the skin red...damages it like a mild burn. Wtf? When I lay down and eyes water, the tears do same thing to the skin on outside corners of eyes. This heals in time for next infusion, but is scary. No french kissing, ey? Uck!
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...and to think just 3 months ago I waxed my brows to get rid of the extra hairs...
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Speaking of eyebrows....I still have mine although a bit thinner. I have eyelashes too. Hoping I keep them but i heard they can fall out up to 7 weeks after last chemo!
Meanwhile - Chemo #4 and final has me feeling lousy. Slept 10 hours last night (broken sleep - hot flashes, etc) t exhausted and nauseous. I think I have one more day of yucky and then Sunday it starts to improve.
Hope everyone is doing well. I am hitting my limit with this round of chemo. I hate feeling sick!!! Ok- enough of that whining.
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DeeRatz great picture! None of us wanted to be poster girl for this but we're all finding new identities. And cutest baby ever!
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DeeRatz, you're a celebrity!
birdysmom, I hear you. It's weird to have your own bodily fluids burning you, isn't it?
suzanne50, hang in there, sister!
The hot flashes at night are making me crazy. One thing I've always been able to count on is good sleep, and BAD sleep leads to emotional unpredictability. I just cried this morning because--of all the things in this world--we're almost out of dog food. What. The. Hell.
I really hope that chemopause goes away when chemo is done (three more rounds. three more rounds. three more rounds.) and that ten years of Tamoxifen is kinder than tax/carbo. . . .
On a lighter note, today is the local Oktoberfest, and it's a perfect fall day here in the Midwest. Really looking forward to going!
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Oh dear Kate, wish you better! I'm so old I did the hot flashes years ago (we call them hot flushes in UK!), but it's no fun. It will pass.
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Kate-hot flashes from hell....the feeling of a fire starting in your body and spreading....dislike...I did have a few glasses of wine last night as I was on my Wentworth Marathon. It didn't seem to make a difference in terms of hot flashes, they were the same. But the wine gave me heartburn so I was up taking Zantac in the middle of the night.
I just love when the 17 year old loser across the street decides to have a party. Kids outside at 12:30 yelling and swearing, cars screeching up and down the streets. I finally called to their house and gave them the heads up that the party was now over or I was calling the cops. I don't mind kids out having fun sitting by the fire but when the yelling and every second word is swearing I kinda loose it. I was tempted to walk over there with my bald head in my housecoat and give them crap. They would have thought I was insane, and there is a chance that my daughter was over there and would have been mortified. The crazy cancer lady.....
Michelle-I am just leaving my stubble. I have quit shaving it. It is quite patchy and it drives me crazy. I think this hair regrowth process is not going to be fun. We may be wearing our wigs for longer than we think. My daughter told me last night that she quite liked my bald head, that I should keep it. I'm sure I can rock my bald head next week in Vancouver and nobody will bat an eyelash.
I am looking forward to my last infusion on the 22nd. Ready to be done. I feel for you girls who have a long haul yet.
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Lousy reaction to yesterday's chemo session. Had taxol and Herceptin. Never been this bad before - no energy, nausea, brain fug, aching muscles, can barely drag myself out of bed. I think it's a combination of accumulation of the taxol (this was my 10th of 12 weekly doses), and a big slug of Herceptin when my blood count was also a bit low (so not much reserve).
Anyone know how long this might last? I was fine when I walked into the clinic yesterday!!
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MsBrompton- I finished 10 of 12 taxol and herceptin doseson Thursday and had the same reaction as you. I have never been this tired. It's a busy week with my children's activities and I'm really struggling to make everything. 2 more sounds like a lot right now. My potassium level was a little low this week. Rest-rest-rest.
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Ah interesting, thanks Jenphil86. Somehow it makes it easier knowing it's not in my mind!!!
Hope you feel better soon.
I think the last two will be OK because no Herceptin. And even if they're not, the light at the end of the tunnel is visible now!!
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Hi Kate - I can so relate to the hot flashes at night and the dog food!!! I was down to my last scoop yesterday and had to get food on my way home from work today.
One thing that has made my life a bit easier is joining Amazon Prime. All those stupid odds and ends I can get within two days on Prime and free shipping. It's a bit extravagant but I feel with working full time, chemo. cancer, kids and training for a freaking marathon I deserve it. I just ordered underwear and it was here in 2 days. Can't deal with stores. I bet you they have dog food!!!
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just a quick post to let you all know that the Mystery of the Itchy Hands was quickly resolved when I saw my naturopath on Friday. She asked me about the various things I was taking and how long I'd been taking them, and then she asked me if I'd started taking the milk thistle yet that she prescribed for me. I said I had and she said "that's it"! I guess milk thistle is known to cause that type of itchy rash for some people. I discontinued it immediately and yay, my hands stopped itching! They're still covered with bright red bumps but at least they aren't itchy anymore.
In other news, I bought two skeins of yarn to make myself a colorful hat, and my cute doggie decided to unravel both of them - not just one, but both - and drag them all around the room. This apparently happened while we were out shopping. My son found them and put the pile of yarn on my hubby's desk chair. Too funny.
Re: television & streaming, I'm not really big on the very dark stuff, but I don't find Rectify that dark. Sad, but not dark. I've had Last Tango in Halifax recommended to me before so that's a good reminder ...
I hope everyone has been having a good weekend.
@MsBrompton & @JenPhil, it sounds like I have something to look forward to, not, seeing that I'm on Week 9 now meaning next week will be Week 10. Yoinks.
@Birdysmom I'm shocked about the tears. I haven't experienced that with the tears and saliva, but then each dose I'm getting 1/2 to 1/3 as much medicine as people getting it every three weeks. That sounds awful and you have my sympathy!
@DeeRatz, nice cover
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