Starting Chemo September 2015; join us!
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Southern Charm - I haven't mentioned every SE, but, yup, I've had periodic incontinence. Mine gives no warning (not cough related, so I've been wearing Poise Pads in public. Gives me a very charming gait. Thanks for asking after the cat! She has until Nov 17 until her cone comes off, poor thing. I'm also thinking good thoughts for CarolinaAmy. If her clot protocol is the same as mine was, she is hospitalized on Heparin for seven days. A trial, but also a life-saver.
octogirl and fidget - My round 4 experience yesterday-into-today was by far my easiest A/C round. Hoping for the same for you! Fidget - you get the Worst Circumstance of the Month for having Big D while surrounded by flooding and an unhappy septic system.
tessu - Yeah BACON!! Agree: Always Obey the Crave.
Hazel_nut - I am so sorry for your loss. I was vaguely aware of a young woman (for sure younger than 40) very sympathetically listening to a gentleman over 70 related his (too) long cancer diagnosis at great length. I assumed she was escorting a mom or grandmother who was in a treatment room or consult. She struck me as so kind to listen to him so intently. Half an hour into their convo, she revealed she has been Stage IV for some time and that "they aren't doing anything more." My heart shattered into 1,000 pieces. Cancer sucks.
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Minnesota_L, I'm not accustomed to all this...such madness. I miss my happy-go-lucky days...when ignorance was a bliss.
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Hi guys,
I went in to work today, but probably should have stayed home. I feel terrible. Usually by now I'm starting to feel better, but not this round.
Every time I eat something I have to run to the bathroom. I don't want to eat anything because everything tastes disgusting. I don't want to feel weak so I force myself to eat a few bites here and there. I still feel weak and tired.
Going to the bathroom freaks me out bc of the blood. I figured out that if you scoot all the way to the back of the seat it's a lot less pressure when you're going.
I never really thought things would get this undignified.
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Hi, I am new to this board but grateful for the info and support from you all! I'm a bit hesitant to jump in here so late, I just found this group. I hope that is okay.
I'm halfway through 6 rounds of neo adjuvant chemo. Every three weeks. Infusion 4 is next Wednesday, my last infusion will be right before Christmas.
My main SEs have been horrendous folliculitis all over my face during every one of my nadir weeks, fatigue, appetite/taste loss, and fun alternating diarrhea/constipation but neither have been too awful--except for one sneeze/pants-pooping incident after round 1--I am your sister in mortification, Cinque.
Honestly though, the folliculitis has been the worst thing. It's painful, spreads like crazy, and makes me look super sickly. I've been using topical antibiotics to keep it at bay until my immune system rallies and helps to wipe it out for the third time. I suspect it will happen every cycle. Rinse, repeat. Have any of you experienced this?
Hazel_Nut, I am also sending hugs. I am so sorry.
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*hugs Hazel_Nut* That's a hard one.
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Cyclebreaker,
Welcome! While the September ladies are fantastic and always helpful, there's also an October 2015 Chemo Group and a November 2015 Chemo Group, where you can chat with others currently going through chemo in the same time frame as you.
We hope this helps!
--The Mods
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i have little scabs all over my head. If I scratch my head it's like knocking off cornmeal. It's gross and itchy and I'm so friggin over SE.
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Hugs and prayers hazel nut.
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a little shampoo and some unscented lotion helps with the dry scalp and the itchiness of my head
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Annie I had a few of those. I used cortisone cream on them and they healed up. Works on the forehead pimples too!
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I am so angry! This stupid BC has brought me down to the level of begging a stupid company to pay for something they don't feel is medically necessary. After trying the baking soda and salt swishes over and over again and being in pain when I try to eat and drink and feeling the razors of pain when things come back up from nausea and vomiting, my MOs office gives me a prescription for magic mouthwash. It isn't covered under my insurance! So I talk to their nurse - she sees the need for nutrition in a cancer patient with SEs- why doesn't my insurance company? Do they want me to lose more weight and end up in the ER again with dehydration? I hate going to the ER! Residents who think they know about cancer giving you puppy dog eyes as they try to find yet another blown vein for blood draws and IV fluids. It will probably take another 4 days (business days only) to get it approved, if they do it at all! That brings me to AC#3 without food or liquids not a good idea.
So sorry to rant.
HazelNut- I am so sorry for your loss. It just isn't fair and we all just try to stay away from the edge of Stage IV. No one wants to be where we are, much less in that group but we are just trying to fight as hard as we can to be one of those who never has to think about BC again. But we will never be able to put it completely out of our radar because we are a part of this wonderful group of women. And we care so much about each other.
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Thanks ladies.
Grey, you nailed it. Just thankful that I have you guys...we get it, we understand, we all all know to much.
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Cyclebreaker - Welcome! This is a great group and we're glad you're here. Sorry about the dermatology SE (never even heard of it).
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my insurance doesn't pay for magic mouthwash either. It's $9.
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Hazel_Nut I am sorry for your loss and your friend.
It rocked my world when I lost my friend. I miss being naive about BC and just being sure that if we all got mamograms then science had things solved. I used to think that They had breast cancer figured out. I wasn't really super scared when I found out I had tiny double breast cancer because I thought that was just a quick pit stop and back to my life. It wasn't until later I found out about the real risks and recurrence and how absolutely sucky I believe Cancer is. Grey said it so well "My heart shattered" I miss the optomistic no nothing about Breast cancer days too. But after I healed a little I found something in me. Hope! I try to find something beueatiful each day somewhere in my life. A flower, a funny joke, a hot air balloon that flew over my house yesterday. Just something to put in my heart to help swallow up this stupid consuming treatment. I picture it as a room that needs to be decorated with goodness. I take pictures with my phone and I try to store positive things. I have tried to become a hoarder of positive little moments. I think about my friend often but I remember all the good in her. I honor that and it helps me feel a little stronger.
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Unfortunately, magic mouthwash costs a lot more than $9 here. It is a month's cost for food. We all have to keep up the hope - I have to work on that myself more. I will fight them in the morning.
Have a good night!
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all it is is compounded benedryl, mallox and lidocain. Mix up your own. I'm sure there is a recipe online. I'll look it up. Brb
Ok here's what you do. Get a prescription for 2% viscous lidocain. Your insurance will totally cover that. The other ingredients are liquid benedryl and mallox. Those are over the counter. Here's the recipe...
Rx: 1 Part viscous lidocaine 2% 1 Part Maalox (do not substitute Kaopectate) 1 Part diphenhydramine 12.5 mg per 5 ml elixir.
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Yeah my mouthwash was $80, $32 was my portion.
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exercise - You are so wise. I admire you growing through this totally stinky experience. Finding one thing to value each day is so very important. Thank you for your example.
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Whatever pharmacy you guys are using totally ripped you off.
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For anyone who has to pay cash for an rx, check out www.goodrx.com. Will tell you the cheapest pharmacy to get it as prices vary. Didn't see magic mouthwash though.
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My first magic mouthwash rx was covered, no copay. When I went to get a refill, they tried to charge me almost $70. I asked why it was covered one week but not the next. The pharmacist was able to look up how it was billed to insurance the first time, make some changes, and get it covered. From what I understand there are many different ways to compound it, mine has nystatin for thrush, but no benedryl.
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I use Target pharmacy.
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Mine was also through Target.
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That's a huge price gouge!
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seriously I paid 9 bucks. If it was high I would have just passed. I'm not sure if lidocain Is otc. It would be worth it to find out.
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Yes all 3 ingredients are otc. 100 ml of 2% lidocain is $ 3.50 and store brand benedryl at walmart is less than 2 bucks and store brand mallox is probably less than 4 bucks.
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Mine is nystatin, lidocaine, and banophen.
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My magic mouthwash was $45 from the cancer center pharmacy including postage. I couldn't get it at a local pharmacy. My insurance would not cover it because at least two of the ingredients are otc.
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I went to the opthomologist today for my fuzzy vision and weepy eyes. The good news is my vision is fine, maybe slipped a little bit to 20/25 but no need to change rx. No glaucoma, pressure good, etc. However, my tear ducts are small and not knowing what they were like before chemo I need to see an eyelid plastic surgeon to see if they need to put stents in before they close up. If they close up they won't open up again and that will be a more serious surgery. Thank you Taxotere. I am really scared of anything near my eyes. I still wear glasses, too scared to ever have laser surgery to make vision better. This sucks.
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