Starting Chemo September 2015; join us!
Comments
-
Annie is that a prescription? I'm right there with flower on the mouth issues. I brought it down some with baking soda rinse but still having issues.
0 -
My first grand baby is waiting to be born right now! She's having a little trouble and it's moving toward c section. We will have a grandson before sundown I think!!!
0 -
Twiggy yes it's prescription. It's really called Magic Mouthwash
0 -
Thanks Annie and congrats on the grandbaby. What a gift to get right now!
0 -
good morning gals!
Last night i didn't wake up at all during the night, I feel so rested.
For thrush when I nursed my kids I always used grapefruit seed extract. I asked my MO if I could use that and oil of oregano if I feel like I'm getting sick and he said they were fine.
I'm a software engineer by education but have been a stay at home mom since the kids were born. Not the initial plan but it's worked out for us.
AnnieB43 congratulations on your grandson, I hope everything goes smoothly! You look way too young to be a grandma.
0 -
Ha ha! Thanks. I feel too young to be a grandma. My son is 21. He is in the Navy stationed in Virginia Beach. Cancer is making me miss it dammit! CANCER BLOWS!
0 -
Gray lymph - you absolutely need to be comfortable with your MO. If they are being negative, that's silly....find someone you click better with. I like my first MO and I still went and got a second opinion yesterday. It helps so much to hear things from another perspective. I was able to ask more questions and hear it explained differently. They did agree on my treatment with made me feel more confident in starting. I'm triple positive and start TCHP chemo today.
I'm actually look no forward to getting it started and over with. Millions of women have gone through this process and survived. We will too!
I work in public relations and am very grateful at how flexible my company is being in support of me. My boss's 10 y.o daughter sewed me a pillow to take to chemo. So sweet!
Thanks everyone for the suggestions of what to bring. I've got a bag packed with laptop, mags, snacks, lots of drinks,meds, thank you notes to write out, blanket and pillow. Let's get it done!
0 -
Hello.
I attended a Look Good Feel Good Seminar this week. The free make up was good quality (department store and drugstore combined). I already wear light make up but I picked up a lot of tips now that I am a chemo patient!
I am 18 days post chemo and I still have my hair. it started to thin on day 14. ( It was shoulder length and I had it a bob cut right before chemo). I think I will hold on to my hair, another week or so maybe
The hair loss is the hardest for me. I'd like to still see my own hair on my head as long as I can (if that makes sense)
I do have a wig(wig store) a halo( tlc.com) and a cap with hair (cancer hospital store) that I all love and will wear a lot.
Oh and on a positive note, I had my first blood work yesterday (from first infusion) and the onco was pleased. The 5 daily leukine shots (given at the treatment center only) were working!
And for my second infusion this coming Monday, my onco reduced my decadron dose to - 2 the night before, and 2 the morning of chemo, WITH meals. My first dose was 5 the night before and 5 morning of andthe heartburn and stomach acidity was unpleasant but immediately relieved by Prilosec.
0 -
my grand baby is struggling. Keep the little guy in your thoughts. Updates when I know. It's so hard to be born!
0 -
Regarding baking soda rinse, my MO said lose the salt. If any sores are starting to form, it's going to make it hurt more. Just baking soda and water.
Lifemath.net- I had read about it on I forget what month's chemo thread. They said it's not very accurate because the database also includes #s going back to the 80s when treatment wasn't as effective as it is nowadays and so things probably look worse here. They need to update the calculator and take out the stats from those olden days. Just what I read. Plus my turmor was 7 cm. I get a message saying "Note: The tumor size and/or number of positive nodes entered exceeds the values against which the calculator has been validated, 50mm and 10 nodes respectively." in red. Just a heads up for bigger tumor people to take this calculator even more with a grain of salt. I guess back then no one they did research had larger sized tumors when they created this thing? Weird.
0 -
twiggyor since you have coconut oil, rub it on your tongue and gums. I never got any mouth sores using that protocol. Also, for dry feet, I also tried Vicks (yes Vicks!) on my feet with socks, and it helped. It was probably just the petroleum jelly keeping my feet hydrated, so Vaseline would probably work too, but the Vicks had the menthol feel in it which was soothing. I still do it post chemo when my feet get dry. I also noticed that sometimes when my feet hurt or tingle, if I feel my toes they are cold. So either the Vicks helps, or the socks do, or the combination of both.
I can't stress enough how much coconut oil helped me, everywhere but my face. And eating two tablespoons of it is an awesome laxative. Great sex aid, rash aid, cuticle softener, etc. there pretty much wasn't a place I didn't use it other than my face. Between coconut oil and magnesium, I never got constipated, took no drugs
0 -
annie, thinking of you and your grandson
Southerncharm - (( hugs))! Glad to hear of your minimal SE's! Where did u get your headband with bangs?
0 -
Hi,
I have been posting in these forums since my wife was diagnosed. I have found the community very helpful in supporting my wife while she fights cancer. My 37yo wife is starting chemo on 9/25. I am hoping to learn how I can best help her through the process. She will be on chemo for 16 weeks. I also have a question right out of the gate. How does one typically feel the very next day after chemo? I am asking because we have tickets to a football game out of town and I was thinking of getting a room so my wife doesn't have 2 long car rides on one day. We are somewhat reluctant because her first dose of chemo is the day before. Does one typically do OK the first day after chemo or is the game a bad idea?
As I usually do when posting on a new thread, I will add a link to my wife's cancer blog in case anyone is interested in the back story. She goes through every detail of what she's been through so far: https://eltigrefightsbreastcancer.wordpress.com/
Good luck to you all!
0 -
About the mouth sores- I was told by my MO office 1 tbsp baking soda only to 8 oz water. No salt.
Also, the only supplement they encouraged (in fact they were much against any others) was L-Lysine. (It is an essential amino acid)- 2 500 mg capsules a day. I took it from the first mouth does onward and though i still had taste bud issues, no sores.
And agreed with the tea tree oil and coconut oil for the nails. I had ridges and discoloration but none turned black or fell off.
And agreed also with Italychick on coconut oil for a variety of other SEs as she mentioned.
I was also thrilled with all of the make-up given to me at look good feel better. But when I looked each product up on Ewg's skindeep site (60,000 products evaluated by an independent non profit) 3/4 of what they have me was listed as having carcinogens and I threw mostof it out. Companies like Estée Lauder, Neutrogena, etc. your skin is your largest organ. As the dreaded "Pinktober" approached I have this to say:
0 -
Hi soscaredhubby.It's refreshing to see husbands in the boards and being so much a part of the process you are a blessing to your wife. Hugs to you both.
I'm assuming next day after chemo she has her hydration and WBC booster shots as well?
Personally, day 3 was my hardest since the steroids and nausea drugs started wearing off. When the side effects kick in really,vary individually. I did make an effort to continue doing day to day tasks but resting when I needed to. The more I moved the better I felt.
I would say if it will help distract her and you, attend the game. You can always leave if she starts not to feel well. And just make sure you have all anti-nausea meds, pain killers on hand, all your meds and know where the closest hospitals are,just in case.
Hope this helps.
0 -
I am a scientist. I handle a lot of human samples (plasma, serum, tissues) so we can learn about different diseases and maybe find biomarkers. I will be going on leave shortly after starting chemo since I won't be able to work with those samples with a weakened immune system. And I don't happen to have lab equipment at home.
Chemo is slated to start on 9/23. But I don't think it will. I need two more procedures/tests scheduled and there are hold-ups so they can't get scheduled yet.
0 -
I was good the next day after chemo. It was day 3 that it hit me like a truck.
0 -
A day and a half after port installation, and nothing hurts with no pain meds. It does tug unpleasantly where it's attached to my jugular if I move my head too far. From what I can tell, I'm going to have a very visible doughnut under my thin skin. I can't wait to finish treatment (March) so that I can start looking better every day instead of worse.
I'm making great progress in physical therapy. Although I still have some cording, I'm close to regaining full range of motion on the mastectomy/ALND side. And my arm feels almost normal! I have one more PT appointment before I start chemo on Tuesday. No clue if I'll be able to continue PT after that. My inability to plan is driving me batty both at work and at home.
I'm a contractor for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mostly I'm a writer, but a lot of my work is more that of health scientist. This cancer diagnosis has effectively grounded me. My last two trips were a month each, and it seems that a 26 hour flight followed by weeks in places with poor healthcare doesn't make much sense when you're immune-compromised. Luckily, I'm part time and work from home quite a bit already. Everyone at work has been very supportive.
My last chemo treatment should be December 29 if everything goes as planned. I'm trying to convince myself not to get attached to that date since I haven't even started chemo yet. Nothing ever goes as planned these days!
0 -
Hi lovely ladies,
I'm between echo and port install just laying here under a warm blanket.
Twiggy - my sister had the Canadian protocol for radiation. It was fine and three weeks is doable! I was told I am not a candidate for that or brachytherapy because of lymph node involvement. The radiation part of this seems like overkill - I mean doesn't the chemo (aka poison!) do the job?
Does anyone know how soon after chemo you start radiation? Why I am looking ahead, I have no clue. My last chemo will probably not be until after Christmas which I am sure is the case for many of us.
Hang in there. I'm still mad about this whole cancer thing!
0 -
sailorgirl,
I am far from having anything sure but I was led to believe surgery would be about four weeks after chemo then rad would be about another four weeks later. They have to make sure you have recovered from chemo or healed from surgery before proceeding.
Right now I only have microscopic lymph node involvement but I think they want to take more nodes when they go back in to clean up my tumor. I hope that doesn't change things......
My hair hurts and my scalp is quite red. My naturally curly hair is losing it's oomph. Since they say it comes back curly will mine come back straight? 😉
Heading to the pharmacy in a bit to get my magic mouthwash!
0 -
Happy Birthday to my grandson
Derrek Nathaniel Bacon
8 pounds 2 oz. 19.5 inches
He looks just like my son!
0 -
Congrats Annie, what a blessing!
Enjoy and wish him health and happiness.
0 -
congrats annie!
0 -
congratulations Annie. I'm jealous!
0 -
Thanks everyone! I just wish I could be there. Damn cancer!
0 -
congratulations Annie, he's adorable!
0 -
Congrats Annie! Beautiful baby!
Scotland--have you taken your bandage off your port yet? I'm getting ready to take mine off and hope I don't freak myself out. LOL
0 -
Annie, he is GORGEOUS! Way wonderful news and I'm so happy for you all!0 -
teacherhikermom (I need to add this to my phone or find out your name 😄), don't let this freak you out!! I read some excellent materials that said the meds for HER2 are so effective that it really evens out to being negative. And the fact that you can focus on other receptors gives you a whole arsenal. I'm triple negative and do not have this. Our recurrence rate is in the 40s. You are in did hands and are a sample size of ONE.
soscaredhubby, everyone is different and every regimen has a different pattern. Which one will she be doing? I just had my second today. Last time, my worst day was day 5. I'd strongly recommend getting a room and being prepared to go with the flow (with no emotional consequences) if she'd like to try. But I'd give it a try. 😉
0 -
Fidget, they said I could take the bandage off (and shower!) tomorrow. Since I've already had a mastectomy and ALND, I'm not too worried about seeing the port in all it's glory.
Congrats, Annie! When do you get to see him?
0
