Starting Chemo September 2015; join us!
Comments
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Oh no. I hope you're feeling better now. When will you be discharged?
I totally understand. I've been to the ER twice now. Both times I took an UberX car there and back (at 4 am). My husband had to stay home with our toddler so going to the ER has to happen on my own - unless it was a dire thing and we'd call a friend to come over. It really sucks.
Sending hugs your way!
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how many of you gals are working while undergoing chemo? Is it really possible? I have been trying.
Thanks
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countyfren
So sorry. What a horrible side effect. Hope you are much much better. I apparently am having the opposite. Went for my third tx and my platelets again were down. MO did not want to give me both the Gemzar and carboplatin, so he just gave me a lower dose of Gemzar This is a whole month and have not really been able to get my right amount of treatments.
It is a little funny because I was terrified to take the chemo and now I can't get it. LOL LOL LOL
Anyone else have this problem
Rosieo
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Hi Countryfren, it really depends...you have to listen to your body. I was fortunate to have been able to work throughout my treatment, only missing infusion days. Working from home the day after.
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I have been working through treatment, though I'm not on AC, so I can't speak to those side effects.
I have my treatments 1x every 3 weeks. I work remotely off and on during my infusion(thursdays). I'm go in to the office the next day because I usually feel ok (today). Then it hits me by Sunday, so I work from home on Monday/Tuesday and sometimes Wednesday. Feeling ok enough to go back in on Thursday/Friday and the rest of the cycle.
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CountryFrenchRose - Sorry to hear about the ER. I hope you feel better soon.
I have been working during chemo. My job allows me to work from home when I feel any SE. I scheduled working from home the mondays after my friday treatments. I do not like working on the anti-nausea meds, just leaves me fuzzy. Also I have permission to go directly home if someone comes in sick, like we know they all do.I have experienced some SE but not as bad as others. Mainly mine is skin pain during the 3-4 days after treatment and some tummy issues.
lately I have caught a small cold that only lasted for a few days, whew.
What does everyone do to reduce stress? I color, I know it sounds weird but yes i'm on board with the coloring books lol. I'm looking for some activities during the fall and winter to help reduce my emotional stress. I find my biggest SE now is mental.
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I have tried to come up with a little action plan to deal with stress.my kids each have a cat who have adopted me so I pet them a lot. I am not much of a cat person but I am enjoying the cat thread over in the relationships forum. Lots of cute pictures I also pet and walk my Australian shepherd when I feel I can. Counselor at the hospital taught me mindful meditation and I try to so this 5 minutes twice a day. I also try to listen to music that cheers me up and watch old movies or sitcoms that make me laugh.
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Wierd new SE. The skin on my lips is just coming right off. It's not like chapped lips. It's in big lip shaped sheets. Creepy!
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EEEEEEEEEEEW! I thought my lips and tongue tingling (neuropathy?) for a day or two was weird. How much water are you drinking, Annie?
Exercise_guru - isn't that the way with cats. They always find the person who least likes cats and pop a squat. I've got to say, the rumble from their purrs seem to calm the heart right down, especially when I'm laying down in front of the TV.
Stress reduction - hiking on non-rainy days, mall walking on rainy days. Cats. Candy crush on my cell phone. Long hot showers or baths to ease pain/tension. A little wine. A little painting. Chasing my son or letting him chase me. Laughing at web episodes of The Daily Show. Personal work projects (no really!) - cleaning out closets and donating to Goodwill (tax deduction! It's like getting paid), composing the family Christmas letter & updating address lists, early Christmas shopping, preparing the house for 2x in-laws visits. Honestly, after tag-teaming the house with our new housekeeper, I was exhausted and felt very relaxed. I even got all the trash out of my car in the process.
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I'm drinking a ton. It's just dead skin. Like I got sunburned. It's gross.
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Thank you for the suggestions! Lately it's been a tad overwhelming. After multiple doc apts, like we all have, we just got rear ended so the car should be fine but more doc apts just to make sure all the parts are still in tact
Gotta love distracted people watching cops give tickets to on coming traffic and smacking into ya.
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I just finished my One A Day vits and was looking for another multi. I got Alive Women's Energy. Looks impressive and only multi I have ever seen that talks about breast health on the label. hmmmm. We'll see if I feel better with this one. Getting desperate and I haven't even started chemo yet. This fatigue from infection and low rbc. Ah!
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There's a reason it feels hard its because it is but we are doing it and the finish line is in sight.
Today I was in the shower and I really missed shampooing my hair. I still have eyebrows and lashes after three rounds of FEC I think you girls call it AC. I start tax next round.
Hows everyone's eyebrow lash situation? Annie your poor lips I wish I could hug you. Ive got friggin haemoroids....I loved pooing so much I will never take it for granted again.
Have the best weekend you can nap time for me hopefully I'll dream about shampooing my hair.
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I've got the hemorrhoids too Cinque. It's just exhausting.
Question...all I keep hearing is treatments to stop or block estrogen. What about progesterone? I can't find anything about it.
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Have been reading along but not enough energy to check in. Have been so strung out over my increasing lymphedema and no local help, that I had been only managing 2-3 hrs sleep. I hate taking narcotics, and hate "needing" chemicals to do something as natural as fall asleep, so I stopped. Mistake. Two nights ago husband insisted I TAKE the pain meds AND sleeping pills again for awhile, and I have to admit he was right. The LE is still a problem, but at least I am no longer a near-irrational zombie in bad pain. Also, two women from the LE threads are now supportive friends (we "met" on Skype!
), and I have some ideas for helping myself.I still have the Taxotere headache off/on and nausea but no vomiting off/on, but the one positive: since I got to use cold gloves on BOTH hands last infusion, my neuropathy doesn't seem to have worsened this round (although that usually doesn't flare until week 2 post dose, next week).
Annie my lips are dry and cracking but not shedding in sheets. I've been slathering on plain white vaseline with a bit of success. All my skin seems so much drier than usual, and applying lotion hurts (skin oversensitive off/on), but allergin-free baby oil doesn't hurt and seems to help the dryness. Also, newborn diaper wipes for my backside have helped that irritation (unfortunately nonflushable,,have to remember to dump the bathroom trash every day!)
Wishing everybody an easy weekend, or at least easier
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tessu - Your husband is right: take your meds! I, too, hate taking anything. We need to get over that for the marathon that is BC treatment.
(This advice is 100% hypocritical: I have yet to open the Oxycodone Rx I was given after port insertion surgery.
)Good for you for reaching out for LE community and getting ideas for self-care! Glad the cold gloves helped your neuropathy. That must be a huge help, even if it's only temporary. I think about you often and am very happy to read your update.
annie - I had cracked and peeling lips earlier during earlier A/C rounds. Lots of plain vaseline has helped. (The past few days I've been struggling with very painful mouth sores and cankers, though. Ack. Goodbye acidic / spicy foods.)
cinque - Despite eating tons of fiber and drinking psyllium daily to avoid epic chemo constipation, I've developed haemeroids too. Like you, I will never take pooping for granted again. : /
In other news, my cat continues to recover from her cancer surgery last Wednesday, although the soft e-cone is driving her insane.
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Putting together a grocery list before 1st infusion of AC on Tues to get on Mon. Anyone care to share items to get that you've generally done well with whether for taste, appetite, or nausea sake? TIA!
fruits
veggies
dairy
meats
other
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Artista: My first 3 sets of chemo only caused mild but very annoying nausea, but this might help also for worse:
Plain white bread, toasted without anything on it, in a bowl by my bed each night, helped when nausea hit in the middle of the wee hours, and before getting out of bed in the morning. And a bottle of water to wash it down. Women here say don't let your stomach be completely empty for too long --- helped me.
I hope they give you enough meds you don't even need that!
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^^^^^ Great idea with the toast bedside. thanks!
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Only foods I wanted / could tolerate after 1st round A/C were commercial chicken noodle soup and peanut butter on saltines. PB on crackers remained a mainstay through round 3 for near-nausea / midnight steroid-fueled hunger. (I keep a ziploc of prepped crackers on the nightstand.) Agree with Tessu's excellent advice: have lots of digestible snacks on-hand to keep something in your stomach.
Beyond the immediate wants, I've been surprised by cravings I couldn't have predicted: Must have tuna salad sandwich! Mashed potatoes! Rotisserie chicken! Obey the Crave.
Drink lots of water and eat plenty of fiber if you can. My round 1 constipation was epic and horrid.
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Artista: Not sure if your chemo center does this, but at mine the infusion rooms are COLD, so bring wool socks, a warm hat/cap, and a sweater with loose sleeves or a shawl etc. The nurses explained the low temperature somewhat helps prevent nausea. Also, if there isn't fresh available there, maybe a thermos of warm caffeine-free tea:) I also have a small stuffed fox toy, my chemo buddy
I'll let you know if I think of anything else. Good luck!0 -
tessu- glad to hear you're feeling better and taking meds to manage some se's. My first round I didn't want to take round the clock Tylenol for bone pain because I didn't like the idea of more meds right ? My nurse said, "you're already on chemo, so quality of life is mportant .." That made some sense! So next rounds I had manageable se's. My onco also checked blood work for my liver so Tylenol was still okay. I didn't always follow the round the clock pain meds and adjusted accordingly.
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Arista I fortunately have not had bad nausea. Take all your meds I eat a banana with me cereal in the morning. I try to eat soup always with wholegrain bread. I crave carbs and meat. I eat small amounts regularly not too much for my stomach to process at once. I indulge in small amounts of sweets I want to get as much nutritional value as I can our bodies need to repair. Everytime I eat I rinse my mouth with salt water this round I got complacent with this and I got ulcers lesson learnt. I bought Biotene toothpaste I think this has helped. I bought hyperallergenic skin care. Moisturize every day all over every day immediately after your shower. Rub nail oil into your nails. My nails and skin are holding up well. Super important to drink lots of water I cannot emphasise this enough. Try and get some physical activity on every day.
Sorry I got carried away...it was just food tips you were after. Chemo sucks but there are things you can do to make it better. Best of luck for Tuesday its not going to be as bad as you imagine. Take all your meds.
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Hi all, I've been a little quiet lately but I'm almost one week past chemo #3. Even though I'm tolerating SE's fairly well Right now three more to do feels pretty depressing. Neuropathy and chemo brain are my biggest fears. What is anyone doing to prevent neuropathy?
SouthernCharm, I'm so sorry for your loss. This must be especially difficult for your husband. Our prayers are with you.
Annie, I don't think they have any anti progesterone drugs.
Artista, eat small amounts of whatever is appealing. The one time I felt really nauseous was after I ate a big meal. Won't make that mistake again. TAKE THE ANTI NAUSEA MEDS even if you don't think you need them. I take mine fairly regularly thru day 5 or 6. They make me blah but it's better than nausea. Some foods that settle well for me are cheese and crackers, soups, scrambled eggs. I got a lecture last round about drinking fluids with electrolytes not just water. The nurse was pretty adamant about that. Pedialyte was her preference.
ENT doctor suggested nasal GEL to help keep the sinuses moisturized. I need to go shopping for that.
I went wig shopping for a spare this last trip. I bought a wig I love but it broke the third day I put it on. So no spare at the moment. My husband thought I was crazy wanting a spare. Ha! I expect it well be replaced so I'm not worried about that.
I think of you all daily and wish everyone much strength and comfort thru this process.
#eyesonthefinishline
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my daughter gave me an article on neuropathy prevention
2 xs daily
L-glutamine
B-6
B-complex
Folic acid
I think I got off well from the neuropathy minimal tingle left hand not sure if it is from my port a cath removal procedure they did
They had to dig it out with local anesthesia I had it removed yesterday because I had s neutropenia fever from my first dose of AC.
I really recommend the above regimen. When I missed or was late in taking the vitamins I would start to feel more electric tingles in my hands.
PS Best vitamin advice I ever got before BC and. Chemo was take a multi vitamin at bedtime unbelievable but the sleep is more profound and I wake up more rested.
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although I am a dentist I needed advice from my neighbor for my mouth as follows:
With mouth sores
Quart of wate
Tablespoon of baking soda
Teaspoon of salt
Without mouth sores just nausea and or vomiting or just queasy:
More concentrated solution as above
Glass of water
Tablespoon of baking soda
Teaspoon of salt
Brush teeth as usual right after vomiting
Then rinse with the more concentrated Bsking Soda solution
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Round 3 has been the worst for nausea for me. I am Living on meds. I can't stomach hardly any food. I hope round 4 isn't worse.
First 3 rounds I ate a lot of carbs and milkshakes and did fairly well.
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One thing that I could always taste during chemo was plain white vinegar, so I would make my own olive oil and vinegar salad dressing. Vinegar also has some pretty interesting properties in terms of fungus, it used to be used as a douche back when women did that. It was strong enough for me to taste, that or lemon juice and olive oil dressing
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Taking notes ladies, thanks so much. I'm happy for you guys who are looking at the finish line but too far for me. 24 weeks total is a long way to go. It looks like veggies and fruits are not on a list? I'm not a big fruit eater but apple and banana mixed with cottage cheese is good. Are produce not on the list because it can cause stomach upset?
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Fruits taste too weird for me. Salsa is still good though.
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