Starting Chemo April 2016
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Just popping in to wish Zoziana and Goldfinch all the best today. We're all right behind you ladies!
Good luck to Numb with round 2 and to anyone else I've forgotten who have chemo today.
3 days in to my 2nd round of AC and I'm feeling really well so far. This does feel easier than my last one. I hope this continues. Oh and guess what? After a very light bleed yesterday my period has stopped. I wonder if it will come back?
Have a good day everyone.
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Gracietoo: How nice to have your message of good luck for me and Goldfinch when I just woke now! It's 2:40 am California time and I woke after 3 hours of sleep, in quite a bit of pain from my port placement (local numbing drugs have obviously worn off; my placement didn't start until 4 pm yesterday) and can't lie comfortably at all (still have trouble lying down except with a very specific pillow propping strategy due to some pain still, 6 weeks out, from my double BMX ) .
So I gave up trying to sleep and popped on here and so THANK YOU! Really made me feel better. This is all very stressful stuff. I hope to get to Dublin one day to visit-it is my heritage. My son (almost 24 now) recently spent a year studying at Queen's in Belfast , made great friends there, one of whom has stayed with us, and visited Dublin and Ireland quite a lot. He said I would love it "way more" than I love my (to this point) favorite place, Scotland, particularly the isles and coasts. So thank you, Irish sister, for your message, timed just right!
Feeling less pain (really!) just thinking of all that green, the wild coastline, and some cozy pubs....:) I think I have just defined my post-year long of chemo and Herceptin goal: a trip to Ireland. 0 -
Zoziana: good luck today! I ended up sleeping like a baby last night. Probably from the stress of getting the port in... But more likely because I couldn't drink any coffee yesterday!
What do y'all recommend eating before we go in? I'm planning on an egg and toast and some coffee... Though I'm thinking now might be as good a time as ever to start switching to tea, given the potential for heart burn.
I'm so proud of all of you for already facing down this next big step this month and being so generous to share your experiences. Zoziana and I will do you proud, too!
Game on.
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Goldfinch: Best of luck to you, too! We have no choice but to be brave with all these wonderful sister warriors marching alongside! Hope it all goes well! Best of luck. (P.S. Are you on on the East Coast USA or overseas time zone?)
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Z - we are on the same wavelength then - I say the same thing when asked if I'm worried. What's the point of worrying? We can't bargain this away, we have to just do it! (Have you ever seen that video of Bill O'Reilly freaking out and shouting, F if! We'll do it live!) ? Basically, that's my attitude - ha ha!
I'm East coast -- New Jersey.
Godspeed today and I will have my phone with me if you want to drop a line later!
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Day 3 for my mom (she's on AC)
She woke up with a flushed face (red cheeks and nose). She said it feels hot to touch. Her temp has been consistently normal. Has anyone experienced this? My mom is fair skin and I read it can be common.
If it doesn't cool down after her tests we will call the oncology office.
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God bless and good morning everyone!
After several days of lurking I got an email notification of this thread. As you can see, this is my first post.
It's almost 4:00am here in Las Vegas, so a big wave to all of the PST insomniacs.
I just received my first AC treatment yesterday morning. By the great grace of God, I haven't experienced any nausea. I don't know if it's standard practice everywhere, but my treatment center administered 2 intravenous anti-nausea meds concurrently prior to the A push and T drip. The total time commitment was about 3 hours.
(I'm sorry, I forgot to get the names of the anti-nausea meds if anyone is curious.)
Yesterday morning (silly me), I *forgot* to eat, so at the last minute I snarfed down 2 pieces of buttered toast washed down by lemon water.
I actually got hungry and ate pretzels during my treatment! @Nwkgoldfinch, I know everyone is different, but my nurses said there seems to be a strong correlation between experiences of morning sickness during pregnancy and experiencing nausea with A+C. (I only had 1 full-term pregnancy, but again, by the great grace of God, experienced no morning sickness - and I was considered "old" (39.5) by the time I had my son.)
All of my discomfort so far is due to my port placement done on Monday morning (4/25/16). I think some of my discomfort is due to having to receive an iron IV 24 hours after the port placement, due to being severely anemic. @Zoziana - I know your pain, but I can attest that it will get less and less each day.
As I get more familiar with this site I will give more personal information, but as a total newbie I think I've rambled long enough!
4Hymn
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weRwarriors - It's most likely from the steroids. I've been getting flushed and have night sweats while on them. As long as her temperature is normal that's probably what it is.
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WERWARRIORS - Yes, I got that too, for about 2/3 days after the chemo, it is normal. It is a bit like sunburn.
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Back from my 2nd round, it all took much less time than the last time although the infusion time was the same. In at 7.30 a.m. and out at 10, but the actual infusion only takes 45 mins. I feel okay right now but am going to bed for a rest as I was up at 5 a.m. as I have a 50+ mile journey to get to the hospital. A nurse is coming down to my house tomorrow to give me the Neulasta shot, so that's very convenient. My MO never heard about Claritin making a difference to the aches and pains. Claritin is just an anti allergy med, so how does it relieve pain ? Just wondering!
CJSHARMA - not a peep out of you since you got your 3rd round. Are you okay ?
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4HYMN - Welcome to join us. So glad you are doing well. Yes, we get anti nausea meds in a drip too before the chemo starts and an Emend tablet. I got my 2nd round of AC this morning and while I feel fine I think that when I take a Zofran (anti nausea) at around 4.30 I will feel better. The Zofran works the best for me with the nausea.
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Khagen - welcome to the forums! Sorry you have to be there. Yeah, I found that taking the meds as prescribed helped save me a lot of problems. I just had round 3, so I'm waiting to see what this round brings. Round 1 and 2 were pretty similar.
weRwarriors - I'll PM you about connecting with my daughter. She's afraid she won't be of much help, but I think just talking to someone who is going through something similar helps. Breezing through Chemo means that she's doing well. Chemo is doing it's job. I promise.
Good luck to her on her CT and abdo scans. And the flushing - normal. I've heard hot flashes compared to mini tropical vacations. Mine are more like 5-10 minute visits to the sun. I get so hot!! Then I sweat and get cold. It's an interesting cycle. Kind of reminds me of the weather here in the Bay Area. We have so many micro-climates that the joke is - don't like the weather - drive 5 miles. Zoziana - my infusions center provides blankets, pillows, and a fridge for food. I get hungry during my 3 hour infusions, so I would bring food with me in case. Go comfy. No once cares what you dress like. Good luck!
Annie - glad you got a wig that makes you happy!! Thinking of you!
Gracie - Glad to hear you are feeling well!! AC is supposed to put us into chemopause, but we'll see. So far so good for me.
NWGoldfinch - Good luck to you today. I found I was okay with coffee through Day 5, then I switch to tea. But, switching now is a good idea, and there are so many lovely varieties! Zoziana is about to make me a convert. I love your Bil O'Reilly comment - that's a good attitude to have.
4Hymn - welcome! And sorry you have to be here. My doctor said the same thing about the correlation between pregnancy and chemo for nausea. The port bothered me more than the chemo, honestly. It still feels alien. But I don't notice it much.
Numb - No idea how Claritan helps, but everyone swears by it and I've been good with the shots. I do get some weird joint pain, but it's not bad. Good luck this time!! Nice that the nurse is coming to you for the shot. I have to go in at 4:30 today. Fortunately, it's fast.
Round 3 in da bag, and I'm doing okay so far. Took all my meds. Made sure I took the Ducolax last night as I had a little issue with that last time. I have a half day of work, and then I'm off!! My daughter will be here this afternoon. We're thinking of doing some gardening this weekend.
I think it will be cathartic to watch something I planted to grow and bloom. Of course, I have a black thumb, so it should be interesting. Hmm, looks like this time's craving is going to be burgers and fries. Fortunately I can do oven baked fries and turkey burgers. That will work.
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Zozania and Goldfinch- Good luck with your treatment today. I'm getting 4 meds at each treatment so my first was a good 5 hours. I wore comfy yoga pants and v-neck shirt so they could easily access my port. I also brought a warm chunky cardigan and the center provided blankets. They were nice and warm from the dryer, which was awesome. I downloaded a movie onto my laptop and brought that with me along with a crossword puzzle book. There was wifi so i could also entertain myself on the internet. I had a light breakfast at home (toast) and brought some water and snacks with me (pretzels, yogurt and banana). They also had snacks at the center - mostly baked goods. I would definitely recommend taking the anti-nausea meds preventavely - don't wait to feel bad before taking them. I started taking mine the night after my infusion around 11pm and every 8 hours after that for 3 days. I think it helped because i really had no nausea at all.
Best of luck to you...
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That's interesting PDRCHICK. I was wondering how long should I leave it before I take the Zofran today. I got Emend this morning and whatever they put in the anti nausea drip, but these meds are not as good as Zofran. I feel okay, but there is a slightly underlying nausea present. I want to eliminate that, but I don't want to overload on anti nausea meds either.
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CJSHARMA - delighted that all is going well for you. Good luck with the gardening, it is so therapeutic to watch things growing and blossoming. Hope you have a great weekend.
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Numb - it was funny, my MO said "the nurses are going to tell you to start taking your anti-nausea meds (zofran) tomorrow morning...I'm telling you to start them tonight." I She recommended 11pm, 7am and 3pm so i didn't have to wake up in the middle of the night to take them...although i was in bed well before 11 and still had to set my alarm to take them! Glad you seem to be doing okay so far.
I have round 2 coming up early next week. Hopefully i tolerate it as well as i did the first round. Fingers crossed.
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Hey all - thanks for sharing all your tips. I really like my MO, he's very low key, which is good for me. But he's like, just take everything as needed.... When do you guys take your first anti-nausea meds from when you leave your infusion to "stay ahead" of the nausea? I've got zofran and compozine.
I'm hooked up to my pre-meds now. They just put up the benadryl, so nap time soon, I think, then Go time!
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thanks PDRCHICK - Last time I was feeling nauseous at around 5.00 p.m. having had the infusion at about 10.00 a.m. and I didn't take anything and woke up the next morning feeling a bit nauseous too, so I want to nip that in the bud this time around. I discussed this with my nurse this morning and she said take it about 5.00 p.m. but I always question what people tell me and I am always afraid unless I have concrete proof that it is okay to do this.
Now I am panicking about the Neulasta shot because I googled it and some women were saying it was a nightmare and that they ended up in ER with it. I was going to cancel it so I rang my nurse and she talked me out of it. Could anyone who got this tell me it wasn't that bad for them. My white blood cells were down to .2 at nadir but up to 8.4 today so I thought that was great, but the nurse said that the effects of the chemo will be cumulative on my white blood cells and that I can't afford for them to go lower than .2. Help !!!
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Neulasta can be uncomfortable but most people tolerate it just fine. Remember that people most;y post to express negative experiences. I had Neulasta at every round and it caused some leg bone pain that was well-managed with Claritin.
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numb- I had neulasta after my first round. I did not take Claritin and was totally fine. Have had blood counts tested twice and wbc have been elevated, which is fine since that's the shot is supposed to stimulate it. The only SE I had, which I'm not even sure was related to the Neulasta, was some jaw pain for a day or two...and honestly, I thought it was just stress- grinding my teeth or clenching my jaw...Doc said it could have been either. Regardless, it was tolerable and we'll worth the peace of mind knowing that it did its job. We're all different and thats just my story....Good luck!
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Numb - Im not being given Nuelasta but a similar drug called Lonquex. Like you, the nurse came to my home the day after my first infusion to show me how to inject. Now I do it myself and have had absolutely no trouble. I pick up my shot from the chemist and inject 24 hrs after each chemo. I havent experienced much bone pain at all and was told to take ibuprofen if I did. So far I have just had a dull ache in my hip. Im sorry to read that you have such a long way to go to the hospital. Just makes everything a little more stressful. Hopefully you will feel better this time round. Im finding no 2 alot easier. It may well be to do with the fact that Im not so stressed and nervous this time round but I definitely feel its easier.
Zoziana - Im glad my message cheered you on today and hope that all went well. Its all so daunting first time round and I feel this group sharing support and experiences is so helpful. Its nice to know we are not alone. Hope your port settles down. I have a PICC line fitted and it's working like a dream. It's just a part of me now. I forget it's there. It makes chemo and blood tests so much easier. You will fly through all of this Im sure and you will make that trip to Ireland! I'll be delighted to meet you when you do get here and take you round Dublin x
4Hymn - welcome to this group. I will you well on your journey and hope you find all the support you need here.
CJ - Glad to read that round 3 is going well. Youre amazing
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Gracietoo - for what it's worth, my MO suggested acetominophen rather than ibuprofen. She said that ibuprofen can sometimes lower your platelet count and that acetominophen does not. At my last blood test my platelets were just a touch low, nothing to be concerned about, but I thought this was good to know. Just sharing...might be worth asking about!
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Pdrchick. Thanks for the heads up. I will definitely mention that to my doc!
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CJSHARMA: Thank you for your kind reassuring words
and thank you to everyone for letting me know the flushed face is kind of "normal". By 12 pm the flush was gone and her temp has remained normalI was wondering if anyone is on the same med regime as my mom.
Prior to her chemo she is to take Emend and 2 other steroids. Then day 1, 2, 3 and 4 post-chemo she has scheduled Emend and 1 steroid to take in the morning. She has another anti-nausea medication that is PRN (as needed). As I read through the posts... I see people mentioning taking their anti-nausea medications every 4 hours and etc. I have also read others receiving IV anti-nausea medications prior to the chemo infusion. I guess everywhere is different? We live in Ontario, Canada
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weRwarriors - chemo treatments differ country to country, state to state and even doctor to doctor. How often she takes med after chemo depends on the chemo she's on. You may have mentioned it (I'm thinking AC right now for some reason), but I am on day 2 post chemo, so I'm spacey.
I get mine IV, but many take the pills before they get there. I also have to take my anti-nausea pills days 2-5. 0 -
WERWARRIORS - I am AC like your Mom, but my medication is slightly different. I get 125 mg Emend before my infusion at the hospital, I also get anti nausea med in the drip I get before the infusion too, but I don't know what that is. I can take Zofran 8 mg every 12 hours. I don't find the Emend and drip anti nausea quite enough on the first day, so I took Zofran at 6.12 p.m. and while the nausea has diminished a lot I am still not quite right in the head, I think I am slightly hyper on the steroids (Dexmethasone 8 mg) so hope I can go to sleep. I will take half a sleeping tablet if I can't. I have taken Diazepam (Valium) to try and calm down but I never notice any change if I take that, it might calm the body, but not the mind).
I take 80mg Emend for 2 more days. The people who mention anti nausea every 4 hours may be taking a lighter dose each time, but Zofran 8mg for me is every 12 hours.
How did your Mom fare out today on the Neulasta shot or has she had it yet. Also the cardio test ? It is 20.49 here now so our day is nearly over.
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This cracked me up - and yes, the keys in the fridge especially after chemo...
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I'm a little more tired. I think going out the night of Chemo was a mistake. My daughter will be home, and we're going to get my shot then pick up dinner. I'm thinking In and Out Burgers.
Although I typed that and realized when my stomach rolled that I'm an hour late on my Zofran. I guess that tells me the meds are working. 0 -
Numb: she was ok during her CT and abdo ultrasound. She was a little shaken up and sick of all the test and etc. Luckily we were out of the hospital by 9am and we went for breakfast. She seems really ok... I don't really notice much a difference at all.
Anyways, she had her neulasta today. She has been using Claritin since yesterday. I'm hoping it works as everyone has said since reminding her to take another pill has been difficult (she's always more into the natural remedies)
Since I'm a registered nurse the nurse at the clinic said I could give my mom her Neulasta lol...it would save us from running to the clinic...But of course my mom still thinks I'm a kid and is not to fondof that idea right now lol
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CJSHARMA I love that you're still going out and doing normal fun things!!
I wish we had In and out in Canada
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