August 2015 Chemo Group
Comments
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Oh DeeRatz, so sorry to hear this story. But it isn't actually cancer that's doing this, it's chemo! Makes you sick to make you well.
And don't we all know it??? There will be many other Thanksgivings, and that's what the treatment is all about.
Wishing you better!
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Just got back from my MO apt and I am even more anemic than last time. They have been holding off giving me iron infusion due to the penguin caps. Iron stimulates hair growth but in my case (using penguin caps) it would stimulate hair loss. But now that chemo is over, I have two infusions scheduled for next week. I am hoping that helps with my fatigue since I am so damn tired all the time. I did not bounce back from this chemo like I did the earlier ones but my dr. says this is all normal.
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Sloan-Good luck with your rads.
I am finally out of emergency and on the Oncology ward. Feels like Paradise. So peaceful.
Mrs.Brompton I know it is the chemo.... But if cancer hadn't reared its ugly head I wouldn't be laying in this bed. I'd be on a plane right now...
Suzanne- sorry about your anemia. That takes a lot out of you when your Hemoglobin is low. The funny thing for me is, my hemoglobin and platelets are perfect. Just my WBC's that aren't cooperating.
Kate- I think we may have the same sense of humor, not easily offended and likes to laugh? Can find humor in things others may not?
Well I will enjoy my peace and quiet, let my body heal and watch lots of Netflix!
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DeeRatz, that sounds like me. I have an incredibly morbid (and pretty dry) sense of humor, which I find is saving my a$$ as I deal with the crap that cancer treatments (not to mention LEARNING about cancer and its myriad treatments) throws my way. I freak out my doctors and nurses all of the time (not to mention my family and friends), because they can't always tell when I'm kidding. . . .
Glad you're snuggled in, and I send good vibes to you.
Suzanne, I'm anemic, too. It sucks. I blame the carboplatin in my case (and maybe the Cytoxan in yours?). I think I went on a rant a few days back about carboplatin and its evils. . . At any rate, I feel you.
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SoCalGirl - it's better, but I still feel tingling in my fingertips and sometimes my toes. That was the reason I'm done early as my MO and I decided not to do the last one. I feel so relieved.
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Yes to a morbid & dry sense of humor! It's keeping me going.
Finally feeling better a couple of weeks out from my first THP infusion, though I'm dreading going for my next infusion next week (and two more after that). In the meantime, I'm going to try to enjoy the next seven days. I have more energy & can actually taste something other than cardboard/chalk.
Dee, hope you're doing okay. Sorry you had to miss your concert, though.
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If anyone's into black humour try 'John v Cancer'. Blog by a 26 year old man with stage IV lymphoma who lives in the East End of London and (be warned) swears like a trooper. His only hope is a bone marrow transplant but he still keeps laughing. He's going through a punishing schedule of chemo which he describes in abject detail.
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I had a dream last night that I had a full head of hear that had sprouted overnight. But here's the thing: I had straight-but-thick strawberry blonde before (and before it fell out it was turning silver, and then I had a blue mohawk), but the hair in my dream was dark auburn and curly!
I'd be thrilled if that's what actually happens.
msbrompton, I love that blog. Thanks for sharing!
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I had been doing so well. Monday and Tuesday, which typically were my worst days, were actually okay--I felt almost normal yesterday. Then last night it all fell apart. The big D, some nausea, small hot flashes... It's all irritated and not calming down, so I get to control panic on top of it all. Taxol and Herceptin infusion tomorrow... Not ready. DH has a friend coming in town tomorrow to do a small film score over the weekend. At least grandmas are taking the kids for a few hours each day.0
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So many people told me about the hair change (color, texture, amount), & they forgot to tell me about the heavy legs...
But anyway.. my MO is ordering Echocardiogram after the CT result & recommendation of Cardio....
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Kate your hair may come back dark and curly. Maybe it was a premonition.
My DH and daughters were here last night visiting me. The girls and I have the same sense of humor and were laughing. My oldest asks my DH where us girls got our sense of humor. As both my parents and inlaws aren't funny. He looks at us and tells that we aren't funny. We beg to differ. Most people don't know how to take us as well. We can be pretty morbid as well.
I'm needing a few laughs today. Day 3 in hospital and I don't feel like I am getting any better. Feel worse today and my temp was up again. They are pumping so many IV fluids thru me I had to get up 4x last night to pee.
I wonder if Madonna will miss me tonight...... Chemo you are a real fun sucker 😷😢0 -
oh and my supper looked like puke on a plate. They called it Chicken Casserole, I call it dog food. My DH is bringing me a blizzard from Dairy Queen. Drown my sorrows in ice cream
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IZombie on Netflix is a fun little October treasure on Netflix. Just FYl.0
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Deeratz I was in the hospital with low wbc for four days. The third was the worst with a fever spike, then the nupogen kicked in and I went home the next day. I'm hoping you go home tomorrow
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Musogirl and DeeRatz, wishing you better symptoms, better food, good sleep. This will all pass.
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DeeRatz, I had my mastectomy in July and, when I got to my room, they brought me "Thanksgiving dinner." It looked like something someone had scraped out of a trash can. My good friend got me Panera, and it was the best thing I'd ever eaten in my life. I politely refused whatever the hell was on that other plate.
I mean, c'mon. It's 90 degrees, and you want me to eat brown gravy over some other slop? Nah. No thanks.
Madonna totally misses you!
Musosgirl, hang in there. This will pass.
As for me. . . I'm in the chair right now, getting my infusion. My echo came back even better than the baseline (65% LVF), and my wonderful, kind NP prescribed low-dose Effexor for the ever-worsening hot flashes. It's just 37.5 mg per day, but she says it should start to take effect within a week or so. I so hope it works; I was up almost all night last night again, which makes for a pretty p*ss poor mood.
She also recommended 800IU of vitamin E per day. At this point, I'll do whatever it takes to get some good sleep once in a while.
4/6 breaks down to 2/3. I know I'm going to feel like crap for a few days, but my new motto is "just get through one more," and it seems to be working.
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Good luck today Kate. I hope your side effects are minimal and you recover quickly. I am not sure if I will be well enough to have my last infusion next week or not. If I am not strong enough I would rather they delay my treatment than start low and end up back in the hospital again.
Tell me more about Effexor...I am interested. The night hot flashes are the worst. The only time I sleep good is if I take Ativan. Then I must sleep right thru them.
RavenSally, I haven't taken any meds to boost my white counts. I haven't needed them until my last treatment. My neutrophils are slowly coming up on their own. I think they may discharge me today. Just waiting to see the Dr and for my lab results to come back.
Musogirl- I hope you are feeling ok post infusion as well.
I am so looking forward to being done all this crap. I am tired of being poked and prodded. I feel like a druggie with all the meds I have had to take. I am not a person who took meds before all of this. Now I am a traveling pharmacy.
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DeeRatz, Effexor is an SSRI, but with fewer side effects than most (and compatible with Tamoxifen and AIs, which is important for ER+). The typical dose for hot flashes/night sweats is 37.5 mg, or half of the regular dose. I'm told that, even at the lowest dose, it has the added benefit of being a slight mood booster, which at this point I could use. . .
I read quite a few articles the other day, including one in an oncology journal, that said Effexor works almost as well as HRT. My NP also said today that, for those of us going through chemopause, we're experiencing in a few months what usually happens over 5-10 YEARS, so no wonder we feel hot and cranky!
The only time I sleep through mine is when I take Ativan, too, but I don't want to take Ativan for more than five nights in a row, given that it has a bear of a discontinuation syndrome.
I took Zoloft years ago for situational depression brought on by grief (too many deaths all at once), and it helped with that. So--per usual; I swear I'm ALWAYS typing this--fingers crossed. I'm picking it up from the pharmacy once I get out of this chair!
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Kate- let me know how it works for you. I am also ER+ and will be on Tamoxifen once I am done chemo. I would take my periods back and get rid of the hot flashes. They have been the worst side effect. They will be even more terrible when we have hair on our heads. Now I take my head covering off and can cool down quicker. F....U cancer0
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I was just sent this so I thought I'd share it with you all!
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Kate, glad you are getting something for the hot flashes--I do think my Paxil has limited mine as I have only had a couple severe ones--mostly very mild and tolerable.
DeeRatz, hoping you will be released ASAP.
I still feel blah, but better than yesterday. Infusion today went without a hitch. My MO changed my med again--from Taxol to Abraxane. Technically it is still Taxol but protein encased instead of diluted in camphor, which is what causes the allergic reaction. Even though my reaction was mild he didn't like that it messed with my blood pressure. I had a horrible taste/smell while getting the Abraxane though--blech! So 11 infusions down, 7 to go (not counting Herceptin after surgery). I should feel happy about those numbers...but...chemo sucks.0 -
I am also ER PR positive and going on Tamoxifen after radiation. The night sweats wake me up several times a night drenched in sweat. It is awful.
I had a unilateral mastectomy in July. I still have to make a decision about the other breast. Most of my doctors do not think it is necessary to have another mastectomy (as preventive) but my MO thinks I should.
The tamoxifen should really prevent any more estrogen based cancer from growing. But I do NOT want to go through this ever again. So need to do some soul searching to figure out what to do.
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Suzzanne50, I'm in the same boat. Got a uni in July as well and soul searching about what to do with the other boob.
Hazel
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Dee, so sorry to read you missed Madonna, but glad you didn't get on a plane with low wbc's. I hope you've been discharged by now.
I also had a unilateral in July, and I'm not having anything done to the other breast. I've already gone through menopause, so I won't be on Tamoxifen, but on one of the newer drugs. I don't want to ever deal with this again, but it just felt right to leave the healthy breast alone. I hope I don't regret it.
My biggest annoyance right now at 9 days after my last treatment is my damn tongue and taste buds. The soreness and lack of sense of taste is driving me nuts. I get so hungry, and food tastes awful. Cruel side effect. I love food!
I saw the PSA today for a fill, and I have 4 more to go before the exchange. He asked if I wanted to lift, reduce or so anything to the other breast, and I said no. Then he asked if I'm a minimalist. Yup, pretty much. I am fine with how my other breast looks, I just want to keep it healthy. He also offered to use some fat cells around the implant because it would look better. I'm glad there are so many options for women who want them, but I think that witha bra I'll be just fine in terms of cosmetics.
Sorry I don't post much. I am following along.0 -
Musosgirl 18!! My worry-wart friend would faint if he heard that! He barely survived my 4 TC!
Suzanne50 & Hazel_Nut My MO didn't say anything about that but she recommended doing the BRCA test, due to my age & no family history - the counselor noted there might be higher change of mutation... I do have a follow-up appt with the surgeon in Dec.
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suzanne50 and Hazel Nut, I'm right there with you.
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Home sweet home, I was paroled from the oncology ward. Feels so good to be back home. My neutrophils took a huge jump from yesterday to today. The Dr said it was best for me to go home before I catch something else in the hospital. There are so many flus and stuff going around. He didn't figure that my stint in the hospital would delay my chemo next week. So as of next Thursday I will be done chemo. I think I should get a bubble suit to wear when I leave the house. I will be sticking pretty close to home for the time being. The hospital wasn't much fun.
Musosgirl-you have come a long way. Doing good, keep your chin up.
I am glad I got a bilateral Mx. When they did my pathology on my left breast they found 7 foci. 1 tumor was >2cms, 2 that were <1 cm and then the others were 5-7mm in size. My right had 2 benign cysts. It is crazy because I had very small but dense breasts. I could only feel one of the lumps. I only wanted to go through this process once. I was adamant when the first biopsy came back positive that I wanted both breasts gone. I feel better having both breasts the same. I think if I had kept my right one, it would have been more of a reminder of what I lost. Now both of my foobs look the same. Soon my chemo will be done, then my surgery to swap out my expanders in Jan. This will all be behind me very soon. Then I just have to decide what to do with my ovaries/uterus. I want everything done before I go back to work.0 -
@Hazel - what do your doctors say? I have had several seconds and they all say that it is not necessary. The only one who feels strongly that I should is my MO. And he is this big wig in the field in my area. I am really on the fence. My breast surgeon who I have a tremendous amount of respect for and has not steered me wrong yet told me it is not necessary. That I have a 13% chance of getting cancer in the other breast while the average woman who has never had cancer has 11%. So do I chop off the boob for an extra 2%??? These are the thoughts that go through my mind....
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Superius, I started with 6 main infusions every 3 weeks with 2 weeks of Herceptin in-between. I sort of didn't count those but now I get Abraxane each week with my Herceptin so I'm counting it all! But every third week is still worse since I get the Carboplatin that week.
How is Worry-Wort? Any declarations of undying love? Have you hit him up side the head or convinced him to go on a long holiday? Scratch that! YOU should go on a long holiday!0 -
Evening Ladies and Gents,
Pre chemo blood work and MO visit today. Had a physical exam today as it is my last round. Doc says I look like I'm doing very well. That's good news. We discussed radiation and I asked to have another consultation with the RO to get some personalized information about my specific situation and then we will decide if I will take it (me and my Honey that is). My MO was very unbiased regarding what he told me about the rads, so he wouldn't say one way or another. The decision is in our hands. He did say that Radiation is, as everyone here has said, to prevent local recurrence for those of us who have had lumpectomy. The benefit is significant if you do not have chemo to prevent local recurrence but there is a 'modest' impact in terms of long term survival. He told me their goal is to ensure I have a long and healthy future, and that he would support me in whatever decision I make. Then we talked about hormones and it's looking like 2 years of tamoxifen and 3 years of something else for a total of 5 years. Let's hope to hell they find a cure long before that. I also got shortlisted for a job interview on day 8 after my last chemo. Here's hoping I feel well enough to study and my bald head doesn't shock the board too much. As far as I know there are not completely bald females in my police service. D'oh.
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