Starting Chemo in February 2016?
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Praline please don't worry, I had mine through IV into the back of my hand. It was in for about 3 hours and was completely fine and did not hurt or bother me at all, there was just a tiny bit of a bruise afterwards for a few days it has completely gone now. They will monitor you really carefully while you are having the infusion and they will stop immediately if you start to have any reaction at all. You are so right to go for the chemo it is better to be safe and make sure you get rid of it for sure. Massive respect to you for even considering carrying on working with young kids while going through this! I'm glad you are going to try to take it easy instead. Please look after yourself, have lots of nice walks, good food, rest and spend time with friends, that is good medicine too. We'll all be thinking of you and keeping everything crossed that it is a good experience but sure you will be fine. X
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Wow! Just sending out a smile and kudos to all of you fantastic women! It has been a few days since I have been online. It sounds like everyone is settling into their treatments and everything is going as well as can be expected! So proud of each of you brave ladies! You are each a positive light in this journey
Elizabeth
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Kiks1- Thank you for the reassurance about the port. I was not offered a port... I was just told over the phone when the nurse called to schedule appointments that the infusion would be done by IV. It really is not a concern for me one way or another. I was just wondering because it seems most people have a port.
I am more concern with my reactions to most meds.
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Echo what @Eliz said, we rock! Fear is a mindkiller, I won't let it overtake me. So far, not one side effect (except some peeling skin on my heels). Loading up on water. I'm finally adjusted to the port about a 9 days post insertion and can sleep comfortably. This may not be so bad after all :-)
Good night and well wishes all
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Anyone had FEC (5-fluorouracil, epirubicin, cyclophosphamide) six cycles.....please can you share your experience as I was prescribed this one.
Thank you
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Hi All, am new here and had my first chemo this past Monday. Has been a very quick journey to this date. A mammogram which showed small lump, lumpectomy, recovery and diagnosis. I have not yet filled out all my info, need my binder to read it all. Just had a port put in yesterday and and glad I came to read the forum. Hurts more where the needle was put in to freeze and a tad swollen but knowing it is normal helps.
Will come back when I finish my profile. Just wanted to say hi to all
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Hi, joining you all for the party. CT scan and bone scan today, will have a port placed. MO hasn't decided yet on type but said it will take me into next fall, then I will have BMX with recon. Chemo first b/c I need all that surgery and that increases risks of complications, per MO. I will do the chemo Thursday afternoons, so hopefully by Monday I'll be OK for teaching M-TH. I've decided to just let the hair go (got my long hair cut very short yesterday, and donated it to Locks of Love) but I am worried about neuropathy so I'll need more info on preventing that.
What a ride.
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I had a bone scan also and a visit with the cardiologist, starting chemo tomorrow
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How do you ice your finguer nails? I mean, do you take a cooler with ice to chemo? I start with FEC then taxotere, should I do it with both. The nurse recomended Evonail
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HI KarenC1744, We welcome you to the BCO community. We are glad that you reached out. We look forward to hearing more from you. Stay connected. The Mods
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First round of AC-THP: check!
The chest port was exactly what I needed. SO glad I chose to have it installed! My BP tends to be a little low, and sure enough, many of the veins on my arms, hands and wrists have already flattened from all those tests. Sixth day since they installed the port, and I only feel discomfort when I change position (lying down to sitting up, or vice versa). Totally bearable!
As far as side-effects are concerned... I think it may be the Doxorubicin (only because I've heard more about it than the Cytoxan), but Monday's infusions have left me feeling like I have one of those achy, flu-type bugs. I'm still on day three of my steroids, and am a little concerned about how I'll be feeling without them; but it's not worth the bother of worrying now, is it. (Period. Not a real question.) :-)
I say this because I'm just a little jealous of all our classmates undergoing TCHP, sounding like they're ready to enter a dance marathon tonight. Hehehe.
No complaints here either way. I just keep reminding myself that the cancer cells are feeling the worst of it! Right, ladies?! :-D
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06elise don't be jealous... I've got that achy flu bug thing too two days out. I think it's from the neulasta shot... I read about it on the triple positives page as a possible SE. My nose is dry and my belly is now bloated too but yeah im OK with all this jazz knowing the cancer cells that are being zapped!
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06elise I feel so good I'm worried it's not working! How's that for crazy thoughts. But I'm happy to report an ulcer on my tongue so something must be happening. I'm glad your chest port worked out. It's been a week since I had it installed and now I don't feel it at all. I even slept on my belly last night!
33triple I think the Neulasta is the worst of it from what I can tell. It's supposed to hit your histamine activators hard so it makes sense that you'd feel it. I'm gonna stay on the Claritan for the week.
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Reflect & Konakona -- I'm in with you both today -- just had a bone scan and a ct scan of my thorax. I had my heart scan and brain scan last week (both are good). I'm all geared for chemo tomorrow morning. Feeling very anxious and trying to stay centered. I too decided to get rid of my hair and had it cut off yesterday -- thought it would be better than seeing it fall out. Konakona -- I will be thinking about you with your chemo tomorrow.
06elise -- Glad to hear that your port is bearable now. I had mine put in 7 days ago and feel somewhat normal now. I still get some twinges of pain -- but figure it's the incision healing. Was able to sleep on my right side and not have any discomfort.
I called my MO's nurse to see whether or not they have icing gloves and booties in the chemo room. She didn't know anything about icing hands and feet. She said she only new about wearing an icing cap for your hair. She told me it was fine if I brought bags of frozen peas for my hands and feet tomorrow. So -- does the icing help with preventing neuropathy in your hands and feet from Taxotere and Carboplatin or does the icing just help prevent your nails from turning color and possibly falling off? I'm a little confused on that point. Any clarification would be great.
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Hello,
First time sharing...
Bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction 12/15. 3+nodes so Chemo for me. Port placed 1/12.
First treatment 1/15/16 TC with Neulasta 1/18. Took Zofran around the clock for 3-4 days after first chemo. Things were not bad until received Neulasta on 1/18. Severe muscle pain and fatigue.
Second treatment 2/5. Neulasta 2/8. Did not take zofran (didnt need it) and felt much better. I believe my symptoms (severe fatigue, bone pain, muscle weakness/ fatigue etc.) from Neulasta.
Had some skin issues too on hands and scalp. My oncologist did not recommend the cool cap as he said "he wants the chemo to go everywhere" and actually had a patient develop mets of the scalp. No thanks... I am surprisingly comfortable bald and actually believe I wear a head covering for other peoples comfort...
Haven't missed work so symptoms are manageable but sucks to not do what you are used to doing. This too shall pass I guess.
Started loosing my hair on day 14 after first treatment which I am sure you have read before. Shaved it off but now the stubble is falling out.
Hope this helps and good luck! I have 2 more treatments left...
Best wishes!
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Kona, you can get use these as posted by tshire: http://www.amazon.com/Elasto-Gel-Chemotherapy-Hypo... and these http://www.amazon.com/Elasto-Hypothermia-slippers-... or if you are short on time, since you are starting tomorrow, you can use bags of frozen peas and carrots. I made ice gel packs my using 2 Cups water, 1 Cup rubbing alcohol in a ziplock bag. Freeze, and they are reusable. I carried them to chemo in a soft ice bag/chest ( the ones my daughter and husband uses at the golf course to keep things cold). Just in case, also bring along a thin cotton pair of gloves and socks to wear while you are using the ice packs. I found it unbearably cold having to ice it for about an hour during taxotere. I read that you should start icing 15 mins before and 15 after the 'taxol' infusion. Also get ice chips to chew during the infusion. So far, I don't have any neuropathy as yet ( fingers crossed) or mouth sores.
Reflect, I read that some drs recommend icing and taking supplements to prevent neuropathy. I am taking 30mg l glutamine and 100mg B6 a day.
One week, still going alright. I did wake up with a terrible headache, in the middle of the night, 2 nights ago. It was much better in the morning and finally gone today ( so about day and a half). I also felt stomach bloating yesterday, I suspect from the steroids, although I only had it in the infusion and did not take any before or after. The bloating caused my middle back to ache. I finally called dr and they suggested 25mg benadryl, who knew! Took care of it in half hour. I have been drinking like a fish still but so far so good. I started running 20 minutes a day and felt that that helped with my bloating today.
Good luck to everyone, we can do it. It will be over before we know it.
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Amydoc-
Welcome to BCO! Thank you for sharing, firsthand experiences are so valuable to our members who're just starting out! Good luck with your last two treatments!
The Mods
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Well....tomorrow at 10am....I'm starting my first chemo. Running around today trying to get everything ready. Had to buy TWO coolers for the PCC and got EXTREMELY lucky that a local grocery store sold dry ice! I JUST got my caps this morning so it's been hectic. I'm MOST concerned with the pre-chemo timing and that the nurses won't see the importance of it. That 3rd cap gives me the most anxiety. When the Chemo starts I change our every 30 minutes and then 4 hours after. My happy ass will be walking through the hospital wearin' my bright blue alienhead cap! 😁. Omg. No....I'm borrowing one of my husband's hoodies! Gonna keep my head down...lol. Anyway....I'm wide awake as usual (night owl.....Bad) and I have to get up at 0645 to pack the coolers to be done by 0700.... the requisite time needed to have them frozen by 1000. Crossing my fingers everyone cooperates and it runs as smoothly as the first time can be expected to.😁
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Suzted I start chemo tomorrow too. very anxious...
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hi all, the date has been fixed... Starting chemo on the 15th n I m all so nervous about it. Hoping for a minimum se. Planning to drink 2-3 litres of water starting from today....
Pls advise if I could do anythg else.... Will b on cytoxan n taxotere...
Thanks
ASH
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Hugs and warm thoughts to everyone starting today.
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Ladies keep your heads up high!!! Drink lots of water, take the medications they give you to manage side effect and stay positive!!! I keep reminding myself this is all temporary. We will find ourselves stronger on the other side. It's hard to know what to expect which is so nerve wracking but all we can do is take it one day at a time.
For me yesterday was tough... My side effects weren't so bad aside from body aches, but when I decided to do a little bit of work and realized how difficult it was for me to think straight, it really upset me. This thing called "chemo brain" is no joke. For someone like me who is always writing, organizing, planning, thinking... The thought of not being able to function in that way is so scary. But I'm ok. I know it's temporary. I know this is part of a much bigger plan and I will stay positive. I think I'm gonna start drawing again to feed my soul and keep my mind fresh in a different way that doesn't require analytical thought. Day 3 post chemo here I come!
Nothing lasts forever ladies! We have each other and we got this!!!
Good luck Angels! Let us know how you feel on the flip side ❤️❤️❤️
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Back home from first day of chemo, so far so good, thank good my treatments are on Friday so have the weekend to recover
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Well...I am home. Besides the stress of changing out the pcc's over and over.....it went just fine. The first 3 minutes of the caps were pretty painful but then it just goes away! VERY doable! As most have said....during the Chemo....no side effects. I felt normal. Had to pee a few times....she also put me on a saline drip so that helped with hydration. Still rockin' the caps at home. Doing the required 4 hours AFTER chemo. I have 2 more hours! So all in all.....it went well!😁😁
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well, only 5 hours after my first FEC chemo and nausea like first trimester pregnancy
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chambo.
Now that is the perfect way to spend the weekend before chemo. Enjoy
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I had my first chemo treatment today. Went in, did blood, talked to the MO, signed my life away (lol)...Then later I had my first round of Taxol. Very uneventful.
I had a chemo brain moment before even getting halfway through my first treatment. LOL My friend dropped me off and went off to spend the day with her granddaughter .I was to call her when I was done. Then I realized that I had her home number but not her cell number. I had to call someone else and have her send me the number. We call it chemo brain, A
friend calls it CRS syndrome- Can Remember Shit.0 -
Myraknits - Yes doing 6 rounds of chemo before surgery, then Herceptin after surgery every 3 weeks for a year. When I was diagnosed I was really thinking I could get a double mastectomy and avoid the chemo/radiation route altogether. I didn't know anything about what being HER2+ meant. I did get my port this Monday but ended up getting a fever and severe migraine w/ vomiting all Tues and Wed morning so my MO postponed chemo and gave me IV fluids and Zofran instead. My new start date is next Wed. How did your first round go? Any side effects? I'll have surgery I guess in July and want a dbl mastectomy with immediate DIEP reconstruction if I can. I'm only 42 (which all of a sudden feels very young) and have 3 young children, 12, 6 and 4 years old, so I'm hoping all this chemo does it's job quickly.
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CurlyGirl73, hope your feeling better now! That's not an easy way to start this whole thing. The first infusion went fine but today, 2 days later, was fairly hellish. Lots of SEs... Mainly gastrointestinal. Acid stomach is the worst of it so I've tried every combo of Pepto/Pepcid/Ondansetron/ginger tea I can down. Hoping it subsides by tomorrow. I just keep reminding myself it means it's doing its job. We'll get through this
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