Starting Chemo September 2015; join us!
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mom2boo my MO recommended Claritin with Aleeve not Tylnol so you might consider. Keep taking it too
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@Lindy did you try gravol at all? I realized after I posted it here our American friends don't have it. I took the stemitil (they call it something else but it's the break through nausea drug they prescribe at CVH for when you runout of ondansetron.) once after the first round and it made me sooooo sick I never took it again.
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Molliefish. Yes, I've been taking Gravol regularly but it doesn't have the effect it did after the 1st round. I was hoping it would at least knock me out so I'd sleep through it but no such luck. I will have to look into something else as I definitely don't want to suffer like this again.
It's easing up a bit tonight so there is hope for tomorrow.
I meet with the radiation oncologist tomorrow to see what is in the plan for me after chemo..oh yay
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I also had a really long chemo day. My blood test came back with unusually high calcium. MO thinks it's related to the nodule on my thyroid that the PET scan picked up. So he ordered a liter of fluids to go in before the pre-meds. Then after all 4 of that went in we could start the targeted stuff. Since it was my first time the targeted drugs were slow so that took 3 hours. Then the chemo drugs and a 15-minute flush. So I was there from 9-6:20 today. Ugh.
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Welcome ozigran, I will add you to the list as the 30th...we are glad to have you join us
Octogirl
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Hi all: LONG day at work (so far, SEs for me Round Two minimal, it may go without saying since I said that)...so hard to keep up, just a few short thoughts:
I am also taking Claritin and Aleve for neuprogen bone pain and it seems to work.. I was thinking of cutting the steroids since I am not sure I needed them for nausea and they keep me up too...but doc encouraged me to keep the current dosage on the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' theory...and I suspect he was right. Ativan or something similar works for sleep.
I have decided to go against the flow and not buzz...honestly it is all gone on top but still hanging in by the ears, and just in case it stays that way, I like the little bits sticking out from my hats and scarves and beanie caps...and it doesn't bother me anymore. Hurt like hell at first but now is fine. Will buzz if it does start to hurt. The strange thing is, no hair loss in any of the other places mentioned (and a few not...). So, I may not be done yet.
Mom2booandbuzz: what great shrinkage news: yay!
Valerie: I hope you feel better soon!
Skittle: sorry for the long day...
Molliefish and LindyC: It's official. I am a Jays fan for the duration! :-(
Hugs to all!!!! Stay strong!
Octogirl
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so I had my first round of dose dense AC on Monday 9/28. It's Weds night (technically Thurs morning) and other than worrying because I'm not sure if my neulasta thing leaked, I don't feel too bad. Does that mean this is how I will feel after my other AC sessions or will it more likely be cumulative? Any thoughts?
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Well, I'm back! Was admitted to the hospital last Thursday with infection of right "breast" area that didn't clear at all after 10 days Amoxicillin abx pills. IV picc line abx and got home yesterday with IV set up to do it myself for at least another week.. So 9/28 was my birthday spent alone in a cold looking hospital room. Thank God I didn't have a roommate. I'm kind of a loner anyway let alone with a sicky next to me.
Nurses were great though. Very nice and funny like I can be. Glad to be home. Missed my fuzzy girl and my laptop. Had my phone but internet on it is crappy so I didn't post while in hospital.
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Argh, so much to catch up on!!! Ozigran, welcome!! LindyC, I about peed myself laughing at that one!! mom2, I was about brought to tears at the wonderful news. 🙇
And I totally agree with DeeRatz about, "Y'all are just driving yourselves crazy with anxiety about the hair; please go ahead and buzz it". Truly, she's right. It's never fun and it's never easy, but you are driving yourselves crazy. It's coming out no matter what we do. Buzzing eases the physical scalp pain, it truly does.
I was part of a video last month about the stupid-ass recommendations to bump up mammograms to age 50 and then only every other year. All the other women were well past their treatment journey, so when the crew realized I was getting my port the next day to start chemo the day after, they froze for a minute. It turned out well, though. Feel free to share it--the link to tell Congress to shove this recommendation where the sun don't shine is at the end. (I'm the one who says, "It's my boob!"... and that was a total JOKE about whether anyone would do that. And they included it in there. 😣 I'll never live it down.)
https://youtu.be/yT3dbhvTM8E0 -
I had chemo last Friday and since Monday I have had horrible headaches. I NEVER get headaches. I would almost classify it as a migraine. Tylenol and ibuprofen didn't touch it. A couple times I got relief but no idea why. I finally called MO. Apparently it can be a side effect of Aloxi and usually shows up after 3 days when the med wears off. They didn't have much to help me with other than try some Excedrin. They took 3 hours to call me back with that. It has been hard to function to take care of my daughter. On top of that she is now sick. We got a really early Winter storm and power is being knocked out all over. Ours went out 3 times and the last time it has been out for almost 24 hours. We got a hotel for the night. I sure hope my second infusion week is uneventful.
Also tonight I noticed my arm is sore and feels bruised. It has a faint red line going along my vein on my forearm. I don't like that at all. I have major anxiety with local medical providers. For diagnosis and single mastectomy I went to a major cancer hospital. I wish I could be there now. There's so many little things that my local MO's office has done that has bothered me. I would love to call the cancer center and get information from them since I don't feel confident in the support by the local one. Problem is I have to tread carefully. The cancer hospital MO knows the locals personally and felt comfortable with them treating me. They might be an ok doctor but that doesn't mean the office practice is a good fit. I feel like I might need a port and don't even feel confident in the local doing a good job.
I had a single mastectomy with reconstruction(implant). I did skin sparing and hope that doesn't come back to haunt me. I had IDC and DCIS. They had a much larger margin on the IDC and before they found it I was a candidate for lumpectomy. I kept my areola but not my nipple. My surgeon said it isn't that much more skin than I am already keeping so not much more risk. I trust her and happy with the result. I am ready to be done with chemo so I can get the implant. I am still worried about doing too much and messing up the expander where it is attached.
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Oh Annie, where did you buy your wig? It looks great. I still need to find one but so hesitant to buy online and not like it.
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TFOXY anything by Jon Renau is beautiful. I love the site cysterwigs.com, but I got this one at wigs.com because they had a 30% sale. Cysterwigs has the greatest Youtube reviews and everyone has a return policy.
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i started chemo 5 weeks after surgery so it is possible.
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Grey I noticed some nice dark wig colors on all the wig sites. Cysterwigs.com wigs.com and headcovers.com are the sites I've mostly been looking at. I don't know of any specifically for people of color but I'll Google and see what comes up.
Ok edit...Grey divatress.com and wigwarehouse.com seem pretty good with some decent prices and free shipping. You could also ask your local Sally store. I'm sure they might know a local place you can go shop. I couldn't find a shop close by so I ended up ordering online. Just gotta search out the deals.
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Agree about buzzing it off. It's so hard to take the plunge but so much better when its done. I wear just a cap around the house and add the halo if I know company is coming. My best friend came by and raved about my look with the halo so I won't feel so awkward going out today. Nothing like your best girlfriend to give it to you straight! I am fortunate that I can afford a few options so I'm set for the next year while it grows back...see, I'm looking ahead!!
Side effects are so different between 1st and 2nd round. I don't know how to advise anyone here on what to expect..except to be prepared. Wish it weren't that way but it is. Feeling half human today and hoping for a decent off week until I go for 3rd round next week.
And remember todays date. OCTOBER 1...means september is behind us my friends and its one month done and over!!
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I didn't even finish 10 minutes of the taxol on monday before i had that reaction, but yesterday and today no matter what I eat i instantly get cramps and have to crap. This is crazy! I hope I don't crap on myself during port surgery tomorrow; although today it feels like someone should pay for this and that might be sweet revenge! *insert evil laugh here*
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Jabe I had a crazy reaction to Benadryl when I went for my first treatment so now I'm waiting for dr to call me back.
Annie what type of reaction did you have?
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Annie, you've graduated from giggles to belly laughs..
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Aga she hooked up the tax, second infusion, nothing noteworthy. My husband shuffles and deals the cards I start to feel like I might vomit. I pushed the nurse button and by the time she got there I was in anaphylaxis. They turned off the tax, gave me oxygen, more steroids and benedryl and within just a couple minutes I was ok. So now I can't have the tax anymore and will start AC on Monday. It effing blows because now I have to get a port and then get my heart regularly monitored along with having to get my boobs groped and squished every 4 months. I'm just really friggin pissed about this whole bloody thing today!!!
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Mollie if I can't find ways to laugh at this I'm just going to crawl in a hole
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CarolinaAmy. I watched the youtube video. Well Done!!! Early detection and regular screening is so important. I was screened with mammograms and then followed with ultrasound yearly and the last one in Nov. 2013 they recommended I go to 2 year mammogram. Fortunately, it was 1 1/2 years (June 2015) and we caught it. Had it been 6 months earlier, I believe I may have avoided the one node involvement at the very least. We are also experiencing this new protocol in Canada and it blows. I'm telling everyone to insist to their doctors to get it yearly...cry, threaten, bribe whatever it takes.
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i just took a shower and it feels like my whole face got waxed. All my fuzzy face hair is just gone. Very weird feeling. Still have my brows and most of my lashes.
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Just got back an hour ago from a long day --- Infusion Oncologist visit then chemo. This doc is very informative, very supportive. I told her how so many of you have been put on B vitamins to prevent/heal fingertip neuropathy from Taxotere. The supervising oncologist I met before my first chemo round said don't take it, no firm eveidencem best not to take anything unnecessary. This new doc said take it --- it is becoming standard is the US and parts of Europe, but Finland is lagging behind. She also ordered a "cold glove" for my right hand (left had iv, so couldn't, but I am right handed anyway. Said the numbness I already have from the first dose may or may not worsen or heal, but we can only wait and see. The awful headaches are from Taxotere only, nothing more serious, and I just have to take the pain meds. And the foggy thinking -- she said oh, that's "just Taxotere Brain" (!WTF!) and should gradually go away over several weeks/months after my third and last dose in three weeks.
This time the nurse (different one) got the iv in first shot --- that made the whole day so very much more bearable! Also, when I told her about the vein burning last time, she said which one --- and said it was way too small for Taxotere, put the iv into a larger one -- and made sure the saline carrier bag never ran dry
Life's little pleasures Yes, the Taxotere started that headache --- but I am "adulting" better about it better now.Sorry I'm babbling right now, but I'm sort of high on the high-dose steroids plus the really strong pain med. Just wanted to reassure that the second chemo dose isn't always worse than the first. Don't know yet about side effects, but not worrying tonight.
This time I will try no to overdo during the worst of the side effects.
Welcome to all you newcomers --- and wishing everybody an easier weekend
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Bonus..haven't had to shave underarms in a week, probably won't have to for a long, long time
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feel better tessu. Try and get some rest.
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hi ladies. Happy October. I had AC #3 yesterday and it went much better than the last. I told my mo nurse & doc about the last infusion nurse pushing the adriamycin too fast and how she made me feel bad about being nauseous during. They called down the the infusion floor to let them know. When I got there is still had the long wait to get my blood results which were good thanks to the neulesta. Final I was placed on the smaller (special ) side of the infusion floor and was given 2 great nurses who made me feel better during the adriamycin push. They timed it slower and kept talking to me during. The only think was I didn't use ince chips this time. I had them in my mouth but they made me nauseous. Instead I sipped on Gatorade and ginger ale with ice. I still had my usual nausea approx 5 hrs after and needed the zofran. Now flying on steroids and hope to crash later with 2 hr sleep blocks last nite.
On the subject of wigs my first is a monofilament top with a natural hairline. I had it cut sat to a shoulder length with long side swept bangs like my style before cancer. It is a Racquel Welch. I got it at a salon. Don't know what model or color number. The other I ordered from my hospital's patient service Dept. It is a Jon renu I think. Shannon #a1136. Color is golden wheat , pale golden highlights 14/88a.
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oh and I got my flu shot yesterday at my mo's office. They said it was ok to get it there even before chemo. So far I feel ok. Must be the steroids helping.
Oh yeah and my kitchen sink decided to start leaking from the disposal right after dinner tues nite. Now waiting for the plumber. When it rains it pours. And we are due for a hurricane here on the east coast.
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Sitting here waiting to start Chemo #3. I didn't think much of the unrelenting diarrhea until my nurse said that AC shouldn't cause that. So apparently I have to provide a stool sample today to check for C. diff. I'm behind the quarantine curtain in the infusion center, and they're all gowned up when they come in to deal with me. I feel like Typhoid Mary.
But the video, I believe, may save lives, so I'm going to focus on that today.
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Post the video link again. I missed it.
And I hope you don't have the colitis. Here's to less problems not more!
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Here it is, Annie!
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