Starting Chemo in February 2016?
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hang in there Jill
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Hello all_ I read all the posts I had missed and felt like I read a novel. After my 5th treatment Friday I had a really good day Saturday but Sunday I felt VERY tired and did not feel like eating. I could not sleep either. Last night was the first good night sleep I got since Friday. I have been much more tired than last week. I had no appetite until today. Food does not really taste bad... just does not tempt me.
I have lost half of my hair if not more. I have a wig but have not worn it out yet. I just stick a hat on my head. The sun is already so strong here.
I am just too tired to think. I am off to wash dishes and try to get some sleep.
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LTF - hang in there! Make 'em give you a popsicle!
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Prailine- I hope your sleep schedule and appetite improves.
Jill- you got this, girl
Suzted- let us know how it goes
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Going home now. Blood counts were all good, chest x-ray and urine test was good, probably something viral. Good I went though.
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Jill, feel better! I'm glad you got it all checked out.
Chambo, you are adorable!
Praline, take it easy and just rest
Sending hugs all around.
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Morning
LTF I am glad you went. I couldn't go to sleep until I knew you were home.
Nolagirl et al I too like asher's post about t shirts. We will brainstorm after next cycle? I am up for what you are. pink, white, ribbon, cute sayings, Fabulous February's, February Fighters, Liz Taylor's (hahaha) Thank you for the warm thoughts. Yes, I will be by the phone today and jump at every ring. All so busy yesterday they can't read results until full report submitted and there was one radiologist booked back to back yesterday. Praying for your sister my friend.
Hope all goes well Suzted.
Praline - thinking of you
well, Scotbird, asher, Nola, Myra, LFT, Suzted, HausFrau, hanley, MLP, reflect, Serenity, chambo....EVERYONE I wish you a blessed day.
Happy St. Patrick's Day loves
🍀🇮🇪🎩to be sure to be sure...
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YES! So glad all's well, LTF. Like Piper I wanted to make sure you were okay.
Piper- thinking of your results. Let us know how it goes. I know I'll be checking back to hear.
Maybe it's psychosomatic, but I'm feeling a cold coming on, too 😕 Dh even says my voice sounds rough. Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts.
G night February Friends. Healthy, Happy St. Patty's Day to you! 🍀
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Morning! Its 5am here and Im up eating cereal with blueberries and nervous for today.
Reflect and Nolagirl I am wishing us all an uneventful day and minimal SEs this weekend.
Asher glad your day yesterday was good. I did have a horse voice and small chest cold last round. Hoping yours fades as mine did.
Jill I a happy you are home and checked out the hospital. My 9 year old is my fever checker and every hour in the evening she wants to check my temp. Last round I ran around 100.00 on days 6-7.
Piper Happy St Patrick's Day to you:)
I was taking this pic yesterday at the grocery store and a lady opened my back passenger door and was about to put her bags in the back seat. I was in a good mood and looked at her,laughed, and said "Wrong Car, your car is two rows in front of mine in the same spot". She was an older women and Im happy I was in a good mood and didnt have my pink taser in hand.
Have a good day today ladies.
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imani looking fab! Pink taser haha!
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LTF hope everything is ok. In your pocket
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thanks all! So depressed. This is the second time I've gotten sick right after chemo. My head hurts so much Imtaking Tylenol 3 left over from surgery. It is March break and I'm off work with my kids, I feel so bad that I've been sick. At least my younger one is actually in programs, because it's very hard to keep both of them occupied together they are six years apart, but I feel bad for the older when she had such high hopes for our week together!
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LTF - I get swollen lymph nodes around my neck each round - usually about the time Thrush is threatening and my tongue is losing tastebugs. Hurts like a good sore throat. I've been lucky that I haven't had the fever portion, but I also know there is a bit of a tug of war going on inside my body with a low system. I also get a daily headach and jaw ache - I think that is the Neulasta. They are so much less than my usual migraines that I tend to forget them, but they definitely don't settle down without a couple of ibuprofen.
Taxotere (if that's what you're on now) kind of does the side effect of the day, and until you discover all of them that your body is going to react with. increasing fatigue each time being one of them.
Hope today brings you nothing but rest and resolution to the nastier effects
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Hi Praline. I'm right behind you having my 5th treatment today. Fatigue has hit me hard this week, I just want to sleep when I get home from work. I just wish I didn't have an appetite! LOL, I had gastric bypass in Dec 2014 and I've gained back about 20 just after diagnosis and steroids, ugh. I need to get back on track. Still have my hair, just wondering when/if that will go?
Hope you all have a good week!
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Jill one thing I know about kids is that they are resilient and bounce back from disappointment. My two girls 9 and 15 are spoiled and get their hopes up about every little thing and the disappointment is normally very dramatic but a day or two later we are great again. Luckily the summer is fast approaching and things will improve. Hang in there.
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Happy St. Pattys Day my friends! - LTF - So sorry that you are sick. prayers that you feel better soon. Hang in there my friend Imani - you are looking good!
I am so in for a shirt too! - So I am back from another test. Today it was an ultrasound of my gallbladder. Today it is a Hydrascan. My Oncologist has also decided to reduce my Chemo Bags and take out the Perjeta this next round to see if that will relieve the abdominal pain. He says that in his twelve years they have never seen these symptoms. I should not have constant diarrhea an stomach pain all month every time I eat something now. The thing is it is worse the first two week of the treatment and eases up towards week 3, just in time to do it all over again.
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Happy St Pat's Day!
chambo - You look great!
Piper - Alcohol is OK! No chance of bacterial infection and no antioxidants.
Nolagirl - Hope your sister's results are negative.
Suzted7 - No prosthetic for me yet. I'm uniboobing unless I go into the office where I just use the poofy thing in the mastectomy bra they gave me at the hospital. Scarves!
LTF - Glad you're out of the hospital. Feel better soon.
asher, Praline, imani (looking great as always!), reflect, Deaconlady - wishing you minimal side effects
Frances - hope they figure out how to help you
Very frustrated! Got a call that my chemo tomorrow is delayed until Monday due to low neutrophils. They tested me 2 weeks and 1 day after my first chemo treatment. Isn't it supposed to be low at that time? Maybe they tested me too early? Think I'll keep the treatments on Monday to give me enough time to recover.
I've looked up ways that may increase white blood cell counts and try to eat foods that contain these nutrients.
1) Vitamin A, E, C, and folic acid
2) Selenium
3) Green tea (been told 1-2 cups were OK)
4) Probiotics
5) Omega-3
6) Garlic
7) Zinc
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LTF- I know you feel badly about not being able to do things with your kids, but I agree with Imani. They are resilient. Also, you're giving them an excellent example of resilience and courage. Snuggle up in bed and watch chick flicks (if that's their thing)
Chambo- have you tried Claritin for the Neulasta SEs? I heard about it after my first round, but haven't tried it. My onco nurses hooked me up with some this time around. Sorry about the thrush. I had it last time and it sucks. ((hugs))
Serenity- Do you take Neulasta? I had blood drawn one week after my first treatment and they said the WBC count would be low then, they said the following week they should be back up. Thanks for the list of foods!
Deaconlady- Hope the 5th treatment goes well. Wear green
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Done with #2 and my MO said she does not normally give Neulasta on the TC regimen. She said with the third week you should always bounce back in most cases. So for now I am dodging that bullet. Also saw that my MO was voted top Oncologist in Cincinnati for 2015. I trust her even more now.
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Imani- Lookin' like a BOSS😘
LTF- BIG. HUGE. ((HUGS))
Soooo.... Thank you to all of your thoughts on my dilemma. You are all correct! My mo said to stay away but she's concerned that I was exposed when I was at the house this past Monday. Fabulous. And the nurse and my mo cannot, for the life of them, understand why the bride and groomdidn't tell me other than that they really wanted me at the wedding. Just a bit clueless about chemo/cancer patients. She did add two pink roses to her all white bouquet for me so I'll be there in spirit😊
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asher - I don't get Neulasta shots. Maybe need them? We'll see how Monday goes.
MLP3 - glad that's resolved with a doctor's note! You can still toast them from home.
We just received a wedding invitation from my husband's nephew that will be right in the middle of my weekly Taxol treatments. Really don't want to fly from Montreal to El Paso. Maybe I could get a doctor's note so my SIL doesn't get mad?
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Got another thing - a few weeks ago, a former coworker sent me a nice email through LinkedIn to check up on me when she heard of my diagnosis. Now she's sent another email referring me to a friend of hers who is a healer who apparently can heal me by Skype. ??? I don't even know how to respond.
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Serenity - ignore the email...somehow it just went to your SPAM folder and you never saw it ;-)
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MLP3- Yikes! You would've shown symptoms by now, right? That's so sweet of your friend to add pink roses for you.
Serenity- Haha doctor's note. That's a long, germy plane ride. I'm hoping she understands. I agree with Chambo. Email? What email?
Some MOs may not do Neulasta or some insurance may not cover. I don't know how it works in Canada. Jill (LTF) might know
Imani- Beautiful! Glad your treatment went well. That's awesome your doctor is so good.
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my private insurance covered the Neulasta, my understanding is if your insurance doesn't, there is a program called the victory program you can apply to and they will cover it!
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WOW! This latest chemo (AC infusion #3) has been so much harder than #1 & #2, and the worst of it is pretty much all my fault!!
So I slept through most of days 3 & 4 after infusion #1, basically all of days 2-4 after infusion #2, and all of days 2-6 after this past infusion. WIPED! Add to that, this lump in my throat which made it increasingly difficult to swallow... and it turns out, I apparently wasn't drinking my "usual" 3-4 liters of water per day while I was asleep. I somehow managed to dehydrate myself to the point where I was concerned whether my heart wasn't feeling the Evil Effects of the Red Devil (Doxorubicin)!
I couldn't even DESCEND half a flight of stairs without feeling my heart pounding, gasping for air and leaning against the wall for a couple minutes.
When I arrived at the hospital yesterday, my BP was 102/38. Not a typo. (It's usually around 110/62, which is already a little on the low-ish side of normal.) They measured it again to make sure they weren't experiencing instrument failure: 99/39. Youch!! No wonder I was lightheaded!! And no wonder everyone kept asking whether I had REALLY driven myself there!!
One full liter bag of IV fluids later, and I was nearly back my normal range. Next Monday is my 4th and final AC. (On to THP next month!) They also called to let me know they scheduled an Echocardiogram for day 3.
And yes!! I have arranged rides for both trips, in both directions!!
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06elise - Scary! Can they go ahead and give you the IV fluids right after your 4th AC?
asher, LTF - If I get the Neulasta at the hospital, it's covered 100%. I don't know if my private insurance will cover it outside of the hospital. So far, we've only had to pay the 20% co-pay on prescription drugs (and ridiculous parking fees). If I didn't have private insurance, I believe all prescribed drugs for cancer treatment are covered 100% by the Quebec public plan. Why do I have private insurance???
OK, so I'm ignoring the email about Healing by Skype. It's actually a thing.
On the wedding in El Paso, my husband said he didn't plan on going, chemo or not. Doesn't want to go to El Paso, especially in July. The snow will just have melted in Montreal (exaggeration), but it's a great time to be here. I'll let him tell his sister. I know that my FIL and his wife aren't going either.
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Woah! Elise I just stopped reading to go get water...I was sitting here after #2 AC this afternoon and feeling a bit of palpitations & short of breath...read your post and I'm chugaluggin' that water. Thank you for sharing and I'm glad you are feeling better.
MLP, I'm so relieved that you aren't going to expose yourself to whooping cough. It's important for friends and family to really understand the situation we are in, and the consequences. Sorry there's no Get Out of Jail Free card for these special events.
LTF, Oh, I hope your spirits are picking up. You have done so much and so well! My dd and I go to Mama Mia for chick bonding. Are yours old enough? It's very upbeat. Wishing you the best.
Imani, you are stunning! You are so rocking that scarf & sunglasses look! The wig is awesome too! You're not missing a beat. And you have the boss MO! Glad your tx went well today. I'm feeling good right now, but need to finish my lesson plans for M/T for the sub, while I'm still riding the steroid wave. But not before I check in with my Fab Feb tribe.
Serenity, Planes are disgusting. All that air recirculating and recirculating. Just say no. And, chambo is right, you never got that email. And you are doing fine with your current treatment plan, thanks just the same. And...I'm not getting Neulasta, and I'm on the same tx right now (AC) It was never mentioned.
Frances, I really hope they figure out what's going on with you. They are thinking outside of the "cancer" box right? This is something unrelated perhaps (however damn unfair)? Healing ((hugs)) to you.
Chambo, Two SEs I haven't had are bone ache and jaw ache. Maybe it is the Neulasta? Ooops, you are doing C & T? I'm AC now. So, different. Hope it all subsides soon.
Praline and Deaconlady, watching you like you are my big sisters....so far ahead! I am proud of you. Rest when you need to, it's priority.
Piper, I hope you hear good news soon, thinking positive healthy thoughts.
NOLAgirl, hope it went well today. I'm doing fine. btw I lived in NOLA for 9 glorious months in 1978--worked as a camera girl at Pat O'Brian's and made a pot of money--much of which was spent across the street at Johnny White's haha. Those were heady days indeed. I have never met so many interesting people as I did there!
Scotbird, asher, Myra, Suzted, HausFrau, hanley, and blamoms, ((hugs)) and warm thoughts and hope I haven't missed anyone. I seem to be running out of steam....
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So has anybody found something that gets rid of the gross taste in their mouth? I gargle Biotene like crazy
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Praline- good to hear from you! I was concerned, so sent you a PM. Sorry #5 threw you for a loop. 😔 I am wondering how your white blood cells are doing?
LTF- sooo glad you are home! Take care and hydrate! I know you are battling with headache, and I don't know if you have tummy issues, but I will say that probiotics are my friends. They keep my stomach pains away, and I haven't battled with the big C or big D EXCEPT when I forgot to take them for 2 days. I learned my lesson.
06Elise- ugh...sorry you were miserable...LBP can be misery...my Mother struggles with that.
Piper- still 🙏 For good results! (Had my prayer group meeting this morning)
Reflect- hope you had a good day today!
Deaconlady- I am behind you by 1 week...just finished Taxol #4 this afternoon.
MLP- yes, blame it on your Doc that you can't go! B/c that's the truth! Love the idea of two pink roses in the brides bouquet 💐
Imani- Ok, I think we all need t-shirts AND pink tasers! 💗 It!
All- my Sis had her biopsy. Results probably on Monday. Thank you all for your support for me so I can be strong for her. I am re-living all these fears and worries through her. I thought I was done with that part for now! The waiting is sheer misery...as we all know. 💕
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