Starting Chemo September 2015; join us!
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Sailorgirl, for me Taxol was both different and easier, but still not fun. Three days past my last infusion, and I'm wiped out, my legs hurt and nothing has any taste. And the neuropathy is cranking up. The fatigue doesn't last as long as it did with AC and my stomach doesn't bother me. For me, Taxol has been better. And my MO had me on a ton of steroids (20mg the night before, 20mg the morning of, and 10mg of pre meds). No reaction, but there's not way to know if that was because of the steriods of if I just didn't react to Taxol.
Congrats, El Tigre and edwsmom!
Cajun, so sorry about the extra stress. I hope everything gets sorted out quickly.
I'm getting deported on the 21st! Woohoo
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Started taxotere this past Tues and so far, very slight acid reflux from time to time. Yay! Hope you all had a good NY in whatever you did. I just chilled. Here's to a better 2016 for us all!
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Edwsmom - I don't have good advice for you but I think you are wise to ask questions and do your research so that you feel certain if your decisions.
Artista good luck with the taxotere. Are you icing your feet and fingers? I saw many others on Tax doing that at my clinic. Not sure how well it works but a thought...
Shopgal - thanks for the comments. I have only head stubble which I have had throughout the chemo process. Never had a smooth shiny scalp. Did others? I do see patches where it is shiny. I have been taking biotin and B6 for a long time. I am now 15 days pfc so will keep an eye out for new growth. It would be so encouraging.
I had such a vivid dream last night - I woke up (in my dream) with a full head of nicely styled hair and was running around to find someone who new about hair to explain why. Very disappointed when I woke up. 😕.
My taste buds are definitely reawakening. Uh oh says the new jeans I just bought in a smaller size.
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El Tigre Woohoo Super You!!! Love the cape and wig and most of all your victory smile!!!
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Shelly - I had the same "Hair is back!" dream a couple of times - fun while it lasts anyway!
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Shelly yes to tastebuds. I brought fresh strawberries this week. I hadn't had them since before I did chemo. I bit into a berry and almost cried it tasted so sweet and juicy. The first time I could really taste something that tasted like it should. Heavenly.
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Hi everyone. I hope the NY is being kind to you all this far. I am day 6 PFC. I am so happy to be able to say that. PFC, PFC, PFC! If it goes as normal, I still have a few rough days to get thru but then it should be all better from then on. I'm so looking forward to my taste buds getting back to normal. Mine never recovered between each round so it's going to be a while. I also just realized something. I started taking b6 after round 3 due to neuropathy and have been growing peach fuzz since shortly after that. I'm hoping my final chemo doesn't knock it out. I can't prove the b6 is related to the hair growth but it might be. I'm going to add biotin and a b complex soon.
Take care everyone and warrior on!
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Danka Tessu!
Is anyone going on Inhibitors during radiation? My ONC wanted to wait until after rads but I wanted to compare with you gals. She might put me on Tamoxifen for a short time but it does have the side effect of making your skin more sensitive to rads.
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el tigre, they are telling me after rads also. I see Dr. Kemmer.
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Thanks Twiggy, I see Dr. Vuky but she's on 22nd ave. You getting rads on "the hill"?
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I don't know my rads plan yet. I meet with bs next time and plan to ask about rad info at that time. I live on the southern Oregon coast with no options close by so I'm trying to figure out what will be the best option.
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I didn't ice for Taxotere but the nurse did tell me maybe I should from the next round. Kind of hard thinking about icing your hands and feet when it's cold weather out.
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I get my rads plan on Monday. Back in August, the RO thought it would be 25+5 boosts. My MO said we'd start Tamoxifen after rads.
Twiggy, I've also been taking B6 and have peach fuzz. There's no way to know if the fuzz is because of the B6 or if it's just happening, but I'm going to keep taking it. I'm 4 days PFC and neuropathy is hopefully at its peak. Even if the B6 is doing nothing, it can't hurt (per the MO). I'm really curious as to when and how completely the SEs will resolve now that I've had the last transfusion
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I didn't ice my nails om tax and they held up fine. They did offer it but I didnt need the extra stress. Nurse of the day said she didnt think it made a difference. 10 days out from final chemo. No nasty side effects from last round just waiting for taste buds to return. Excited about getting back to gym tomorrow. Rads start on 25th so nice to have a break. Meet with onc end of month to discuss hormone therapy. My hair continues to grow not fast enough though!!
My mother was in the trials for tamoxifen all those years ago. She was only 35 with 5 children. She survived two local reoccurences and has been looking after me the last six months!!! She had a nasty agressive cancer and her oncologist said she should have died. Not only did she not die....she lives a very full life.
I need to draw on that Im finding the emotional side difficult. Im hoping getting back to the gym will help with that.
Here's to lots of happy days in 2016 and beyond for all of us.
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Five days past chemo, in other words, just starting my white cell collapse, but at least the nausea I've been fighting has finally settled down this afternoon. Cut down on the steroids to shorten the period of anxiety/confusion which provokes nastiness from husband, but ended up with significantly more nausea, but kept it at worst at the back of my throat. I hope he appreciates the sacrifice (but doubt it).
It is just starting to hit me that I DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT AGAIN. Herceptin and AIs yes, but the hours-long multiple drug infusions then bone-crunching Neulasta --- no, at least not for now. Crossing my fingers that I can survive this cycle too without sepsis.
The Little Bird of Hope is maybe starting to rub her eyes and shake out her tiny feathers, and maybe even starting to stretch her wings.....
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Yay, Tessu! That's exactly where I am 5 days PFC: I don't have to do this again! That when my SEs resolve, they won't be back in two weeks! My taste buds are starting to come back, and they won't go away again. The Taxol joint/muscle pain was bad yesterday, but it's done. And soon, crazy things like hair may start to happen.
Now I just have to get through rads.
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Yay Tessu and Scotland. I just passed my 2 week PFC and this weekend, no joint pain, no nothing...taste slowly coming back. Only issue is neuropathy that didn't show up until after the very last infusion. Almost made it without this SE but I'm hopeful it will eventually fade away.
Now...the hair growth watch begins
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so happy for you ladies. Tessu that little bird will get her soft baby duck down hair very soon....
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Yay! So happy for you all. Such a relief. Lindy, I'm the same as you - same treatment, same timetable. My taste buds coming back but no hair so far. Drinking dandelion tea to help clear toxins per Cinese medicine acupuncturist. If you have any neuropathy tips, I'd love to hear what works for you. I sleep with a heating pad at the foot of my bed. Helps relieve the feet discomfort at night.
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Shelly...I have an appointment today to see about starting acupuncture. I have an old problem with a neck/shoulder arm pain thats returned. It may also indicate lymphedema and I need to check that out as its the same side as the lymph node removal. I hadn't had any issues with this arm until about a week ago and had hoped I dodged the lymphoma bullet...we shall see. It's been one thing after another since my last chemo and I'm sick of it.
I haven't even started radiation yet and have those side effects to look forward too as well. I haven't had a pain free night in ages and it makes me cranky.
Good news is that I've got that peach fuzz all over my head along with some sporadic hair growth.
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Cajun thinking of you today, good luck with your retry at taxol or starting abraxane.
Lindy sucks about the neuropathy. Hope you find relief at the acupuncturist.and big yay for peach fuzz and sporadic hair growth. The big fuzzy sprouts are coming...
Tomorrow I go for my rad sim I am nervous about whether they are going to put stickers on me or just do tattoos. I would prefer tattoos I am allergic to adhesive and worry about having a reaction I just pulled off my steri strips from my port removal a few days ago and I still look red. But good news is that even though my last eyelashes fell out last week, I saw tiny baby lashes this morning. The brows hairs are a bit longer and still need to grow on the sides. And yes I still have taxol bone/muscle pain, but it seems worse at nite, when my vitamins wear off. I hope it goes away; my mo said the 6 week mark is when you start feeling better. I will be 4 weeks Wednesday. Last nite I dreamed I woke up with a bad ass short pixie. Here's hoping dreams come true soon; my head is damn cold here on the east coast. Oh well at least no snow, just temps in the 30's.
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Oh goodness. I really have to do a better job of keeping up!!!
Heading to Taxol #7 tomorrow as well as a plastic surgeon consult. I was so overwhelmed and flooded by the first one I saw last month that my BS set me up with one of the others in the office. Hopefully they're not doing their usual running 1.5 hours behind, or I'll be late for chemo.
So while the two hospitalizations slowed me down, I finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. And apparently I am a candidate for DIEP, which I'd been told I wasn't. So the decisions got a little more complex!!
Heading back a few pages to try to get slightly caught up with y'all.
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Amy! So happy to "see" you! Glad you're doing better
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Acupuncture was interesting. Along with Active Release therapy, I am sure to be sore and bruised in the morning. Good news (I guess) is that it all stems from my neck (old news) and not lymphedema. I've got a few treatments to go before getting any real relief and it shouldn't interfere with radiation, whenever that starts, as I'm still waiting for the call with the start date.
Back to counting my hairs....lol
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I should have taken notes on all the things I wanted to comment on:
tessu's husband needs to keep an eye out for a BC Posse coming his way from overseas!cajunqueen, I am so terribly sorry about the other reaction. That had to be terrifying and upsetting.
Please don't get panicked about the delay--my three weeks in the hospital have pushed me back about four weeks from where I'm supposed to be, but my onc assures me that it isn't going to affect the ultimate outcome.I am so thrilled for how many of you have finished chemo! That is exciting and wonderful. Taxol isn't as brutal as AC, but it's no walk in the park. I'm having more issues with nausea and diarrhea than I expected, although my MO doesn't do much in the way of steroids; we only get the stuff in the pre-meds IV bag. I'm never given my labwork results, but I do go home and look them up online after a few days. My white cells and red cells (along with HGB and all the related ones) are ALWAYS very low. Several times they've been flirting with the cutoff point, but no one has ever mentioned it to me.
Strangely, it seemed like hair started growing right around Christmas. It's uneven and patchy, so I may have to shave it back a few times until it starts to come in properly, but there's definite activity. My ten-year-old is thrilled and keeps rubbing my hair, exclaiming last night that she could SEE it now against the light! LOL I'm another one that was never completely 'shiny bald', but there was always this very low-grade stubble. I found that really annoying--if I have to be bald, let me be properly bald without this stubble nonsense!
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CarolinaAmy don't shave those baby colorless hairs yet. Mine came in colorless and patchy at first. The hair areas that shed first came back first. Think sides above ears and back near the neck. The rest filled in pretty quick.
Lindy yay for old neck injuries ( I can relate with herniated neck discs) and no lymphedema
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I've started to feel tightness on my arm (mx side). I don't think it's LE. Probably cording. I was pretty good about doing my arm exercises, then stopped.
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Shopgal, the hair above my ears and lower back of my head is definitely 'fuzzier'. Ugh.
I'm envious of those of you who were out or in twilight sedation for your deportation. Mine got removed while I was in the hospital for half of November, when I kept having fevers of unknown origin. They thought the port might be the problem and pulled it on Day 8. What shocked me was that they did it with local anesthesia even though I then asked if they could use twilight sedation. It was one more small trauma I really didn't need, but it went all right. I did insist on being given Xanax or something similar ahead of time, as I'd already been through enough.
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CarolinaAmy that's a good sign. I started growing baby fuzzies there during taxol too. I took b6 & b12 during taxol for neuropathy and that helped grow the colorless fuzz. It comes back pretty quick after. By 2 weeks the colorless fuzzies covered my head. By 3 weeks the darker hairs started and this past week the fuzz exploded on my head. I have been taking between 1000-3000 mg of biotin since post chemo day 1. The only thing that sucks is the facial hair came back. I have colorless fuzz on my chin. Yuck. Other chemo boards talked about this and said to shave it off, but I just can't. Other posts on those threads said to either pluck them or leave them alone to fall out months later. I guess I just gotta be patient.
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I am back !!!
wow so much has happened. I will need to back read and catch up on how everyone is.
I hope everyone had a Happy new year.
Well here is my little report: I made it through surgery(reconstruction/hysterectomy) I remember just opening my eyes post op and being so relieved and taking a big breath grateful I was alieve. My hysterectomy incision is tugging a bit but it more feels like a bad period than the pain I had in my first surgery. I had a peak under the binder at the shape of my foobs they look pretty nice and perky. Not perfect but if the scars go down a bit then they will look nice in a swimsuit. The nipples look all blue and purple right now so I am reserving judgement until they mellow out and heal for a few weeks. Still not sure if I will ever want to take my shirt off again for DH but its probably ok to just stay calm and heal right now. My whole body is pretty weak from Chemo so having my mom here for a month will be nice. Hopefully my hair will grow a bit and I can start to piece my life back together. Emotionally I am not sure I was ready to handle all of this but so relieved to say goodbye to Chemo. My body image is a total mess right now I am hoping with time I can pull myself together a bit.
This Last month I have craved only one thing: Fresh Salsa. I looked at the containers today and In one month I ate over 22 containers of salsa. There is a sweet little lady who makes this salsa homemade. I am sure she is feeling great joy in her Christmas revenue numbers. Glad I could share the cheer to someone.
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