Starting Chemo September 2015; join us!
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Rosio - Thoughts of strength and healing to both you and your husband. My husband had a heart attack several years ago and carries nitro. What a pair, huh? xoxo
Tessu - Congrats on dropping Aloxi. Sleep-deprivation makes anything (much less getting through chemo!) very difficult. Good luck with the neulasta self-injection. As a twice-daily injector here (for the next 3-4 months!), I literally feel your pain. Hoping for no reactions and wishing Finland Happy Birthday!
Grey - To be honest, I've ignored many of the treatment questions on purpose. Maybe that's wrong, but I just don't have the bandwidth to debate anything right now. You really need to find an MO you trust. Have you looked at any alternative treatment centers in your area? Please do - your peace of mind is so important with your multiple health challenges. You need a provider who listens.
My clot was just above my heart (!), so the impact was painful swelling in my right hand and wrist. The swelling started abating as soon as I started Lovenox, but took almost three weeks to go away completely. Trusting you will have quick and pain-free resolution for your leg clot.
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Tessu, praying you have an easy time with neulasta today. I had my on body injection last night. The girls were watching and it was so funny because then they took a sticker and stuck it on their bellies and said,"This is my medicine, tick tick tick."
Holy moly, I am HURTING today. I am praising God for this pain. I had to beg borrow and steal to get back on my treatment schedule and I am so grateful for this pain, that has kept me out of the ER time and time again. No nausea and I don't take anything either in my IV or afterwards. I guess they were right, that was the AC.
Grey, making so many life altering decisions sucks completely. How can I be praying for you?
Ladies with long treatment schedules, "Let us let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1
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Does anyone on Taxol have any hair left? Some of mine is still growing and I have some eyebrows and eyelashes. The nurse said it will probably all go soon.
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Cajun, I had my second DD Taxol Tuesday. I still have straggly head hair, eyebrows, and upper lashes. Nothing has really fallen out since I started Taxol, but I think my eyebrows are getting thinner. Every day is an adventure
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I still have at least half my eyebrows and a few eyelashes. The hair on my head is sorta like peach fuzz and it's never disappeared entirely. Still more or less like it was when I had it all buzzed off on Sept 21. I did try out the lint roller thing but it didn't seem to help any.
I get dose #7 of 12 tomorrow morning. So far the major issue is that I'm tired most of the time and find it hard to get motivated. I am able to keep up with whatever work I have coming in, so at least there's that. Wish there was more work since I need the income! My eyes are still runny and the nails on my thumbs and index fingers are still sore. I don't think that's neuropathy since there's no numbness or tingling.
I do wish I had an appetite for some of the healthy things you all are eating, but I mostly just want cheese and breads and eggs. Turkey leftovers are almost gone but I'm sick of them anyway. My "boyfriend" (he's 66) will have to finish those.
If all goes as planned, I will finish the Taxol on January 11. Then I'm supposed to do rads at some point after that. Not sure how that will work if we have a big snowstorm during those weeks. I live out in the country and have been snowed in during several winters. What happens if I have to skip a week? I can leave my car at the bottom of my very steep driveway, but there are a couple of miles of little country roads between here and the main roads. Maybe it won't snow so much this year...
Best wishes for some relief to those who are suffering!
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Cajun - After 3 weekly low-dose Taxol infusions, I still have the same peach fuzz, although I'm noticing a little additional loss. My eyebrows are almost gone and I still have (half?) of my eyelashes.
I love what you said about being grateful for the pain. I keep reminding myself that, whether the SEs are from the chemo killing cancer cells or from killing healthy cells, the chemo is doing what it's supposed to be doing. I also love your girls' reaction to the neulasta "ticker." And "Yeah" for no nausea - that is priceless.
Luzeelu - Hooray for being done mid-January! We'll hope El Nino does the trick and keeps your roads clear this winter.
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luz, where do you live? I get the motivation thing. I am motivated to hang out with my kids and catch up with you ladies and that's about it. And to watch Quantico tonight. Lol. No energy.
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Cajun, I live in central Virginia, in a small county just east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We usually get a bit of snow each winter, but once in a while we get a LOT! I'm getting treatments in Charlottesville, which is about 35 miles away. Driving there for rads 5 days a week is gonna suck. In my real life, I went to Cville about once a month or so!
But this isn't real life right now, is it? Sigh.
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I keep hoping it's just a nightmare!
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I am in the same boat Cajun. Not motivated nor do I have the energy. I just am blown away by how exhausted I am. Two more Taxol to go and then hoping for some sense of normal. Question for those who are doing rads after DD taxol - when they say your tired, what do you think they mean? They said you'd feel better on Taxol (not) just a little more tired because it's cumulative. I'm a lot more tired and worried about the holidays! Just so not me!
Hope you all had a good Sunday!
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Other than no nausea, I do NOT feel better. And I look as bad as I feel. When I first started chemo, I had some good days. Although they are not all miserable, I have no more good days. I feel sick, tired, in pain, or some combo all the time. Even when my counts are all good. This is one excruciatingly slow ride to the finish line.
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I'm feeling pretty much like you guys. Most days I sleep (POORLY), eat, and sit on the couch or in my chair at work. I wasn't a high energy person before but now it's really bad. I have a hard time giving a darn about anything. Today we forced ourselves to decorate for Christmas. It was really hard to get in the spirit but once we got going we had fun. I think I had more energy today thanks to my first dose of steroids for round 5 tomorrow.
I too sometimes shake my head in the disbelief that this is happening to me. It seems unreal sometimes. Then I look in the mirror.......
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I am also having a hard time accepting that I have another 2 rounds to go. I have no idea how I am going to get through Christmas with infusion on the 22nd. I just want to be done with chemo.
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Skittle, ugh. That's crappy timing.
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Hi Ladies!
I must admit I have not posted for a while, for someone who works in the technology field one would think i might be better at this :0
I will have my 4th weekly Taxol treatment on Tuesday this week, finishing up Feb. 2 if I stay on schedule. Last week my WBC was just barely enough to make it a "go". Then radiation after Taxol.
Minnesota - I think we are close to the same finish date for Taxol! I'm in Shakopee BTW. And I love what your Mother would have said--sounds like she was one tough bird!
I am doing the cold capping (Penguin) but I still have lost a lot of hair. And probably more to go the way it sounds.
Even though I have been reading without posting, please know I did lift you all up at church the other night when they asked for prayers, "may we all be well enough for treatment, may we all have strength to endure the SE's and may medical guidance and support be clear and plentiful". And an extra "strength" prayer for those of you with such young children or ailing husbands. That is a heavy load!
So thankful for this group! Hope everyone has a great week.
--Here2win (it was a saying on my son's favorite shirt about the time I was diagnosed)
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Revised - I had a decent morning yesterday (thanks, steroids) but it seems the "ups" are very few and far between and the "lows" keep getting lower... and longer. I don't actually "bounce back" any more before the next treatment and yet I pray and pray for no more delays. My throat, ears, teeth and even eye sockets hurt from the Neulasta but without it, I would never get through this.
I JUST WANT AN ENTIRE CAKE!!!!! I'm so tempted, I just want to emotionally eat myself into a sugar coma tonight. Instead, I had kale and Tylenol.
Love to all you ladies!!!!
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hiya, southern! Ok, really.... Who knew a bald head could completely drench a pillow? I wake up freezing! So far, not a fan of menopause!
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Taxol hasn't hit me nearly as hard as AC did. I have two rounds of DD to go, and am trying not to get cocky. In particular, the fatigue and chemo brain haven't been as bad. Joint pain is a lot worse. So far, I'm a lot more functional. Typing is weird when you can't feel your fingers.
I made the kids decorate the tree this weekend while I laid on the couch and watched. They are pleased with themselves. In my wildest dreams, they also undecorate it in a few weeks. I have doubts.
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I have extreme hyperhidrosis, so I'm no stranger to crazy sweat, but this is totally ridiculous.
Does neulasta have cumulative effects too? Or is it possible that the combo of 5 neupogen shots + neulasta 3 days later is doing this? This pain is awful, feels like breaking bones. Can't sleep...
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Cajun, the bone/joint/muscle pain is also a SE of Taxol. I had some of the pain with Neulasta, but Taxol took it to a whole new level. We live in a strange world where pain only manageable by narcotics is an acceptable SE
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Annie and Cajun- what type of juicer do you have? I need to buy one. Not sure which one is good. I too live my organic chips !!
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My dad is a health nut big time. He loves his Vitamix.
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Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. One week of bliss as in 0 SE. Fatigue is gone and I'm feeling myself again until the shit starts all over next Mon with labs/MO then poison shit on Tues. :X Sooooooooooooooooo tempting to quit. 5 more?? Until March?? WHAT??! sigh.
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Neulasta makes taxol SE worse like joint and bone pain. No shin splints yet but a sleepless night of skin pain. Fingers crossed that's it this time around.
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i have a vitamin and a champion juicer some of it depends on what you are juicing am thinking of getting a omega juicer because it is probably the only way I can eat kale. I plan on juicing leafy greens and I have read a slow pressing juicer is best for that. My champion does everything else like carrots and apples beats etc fine
The bone pain sounds terrible mine lasted for 3 days post shot but this sounds way horrible. Also I was drop down fatigued for the last four weeks of treatment and I am still getting energy.
Just remember to be kind to yourself and have low expectations of rrunning and jumping for awhile.
Also I have night sweats and hot sweats often my wig still itches we went to the outdoor festival of trees and I had to take it off I was so hot I wanted to throw it in a tree. I am sure someone would have thought it was a squirrel. I just walked around in the cold bald looking at lights sweating like crazy
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Neuropathy is kicking in, having a hard time clearing it. Joint pain in a single joint (pointer finger) - figured that was just me mouse clicking too much. I can feel the fatigue increasing a little, but my energy is getting better since my hematocrit levels keep going up. Not sure when it'll turn around. We own a vitamix - haven't really been using it. But a great smoothie recipe: 1 orange, 1/2 cup pineapple, 1/4 lemon. Lots of ice. Love it!
The more I think about it, the more I don't want radiation. After all, if I'm going to have a 2nd child, then rip out the ovaries and get the BMX 3-5 years down the line - why bother with the radiation? It's basically a non-invasive mastectomy since there's a 30% chance or less that I'll still be able to breastfeed from that side. If a doctor told me instead of a lobotomy they were just going to stick my head in a microwave, I'd have told them to pound sand a long time ago. Why not with this?
Went to church. The guy in front of me said he would have offered me a cough drop if he had remembered to bring them. I told him, this isn't a cold - my oncologist promised me I'd be cured, IF I can survive the treatment. Drowning in my own mucus. Ugh.
Having a serious #FUcancer moment.
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Here2Win - We two Minnesotans are on an identical weekly Tuesday Taxol plan. If I stay on schedule, Feb 2 will be my last Taxol as well. (And I sure hope we both make that date without any delays!) Thanks for your prayers for all of us - they are deeply appreciated. We are indeed here to win this marathon.
All - The conversation on fatigue was helpful for me. I had a decent-ish day Sunday and made big plans for today, most of which I've scrapped. I too sleep poorly, wake up tired and drag through most days. I merely walk on the treadmill for 1/2 hour and am so exhausted it feels like I'm training for the Olympics. I'm trying to accept that my body is doing very hard work and accept that this is one of the prices of chemo.
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My fatigue isn't as bad as it was, but it's still there. I went for a walk with my husband last night. He's normally a faster walker than I am, and ran his first and second half marathons in the past month. I'm still having some joint pain, and my heart and lungs whine if I walk with any speed at all. He struggles to walk with me. Before diagnosis, I was averaging over 11,000 steps a day and running a couple of times a week. Now, not so much.This is so frustrating, but it will pass.
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twiggyOR Thank you for suggesting they slow down Herceptin.
They didn't want to do it but I just smiled and ask nicely After all it was a slow day and they had room. I am hoping it will help as I just got over a cold and I need to get better sleep. I can't sleep with my nose dripping all night. Also if it is better for my heart they can just do it. I am a low needs patient anyway.They ran it over an hour which was just right to take a nap under a warm blanket. My counts were down again RBC 2.2 and Hemo 8.2. I hope they turn around and go up soon. I have surgery in 3 weeks.
I am going to rest a bit more at home and then maybe try to get some laundry and housework done. My husband has been carrying too much of the load lately. I need to get my rear in gear and get moving.
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My juicer is an Omega J8006. I love it. It juices everything.
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