Starting Chemo April 2016
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NJR - I had so many other tests that pointed that my heart is just fine, it wasn't as important. But they are pressing me to get it now. So I'll schedule it.
Bagger - that's a really good point. Sorry you lost it, that's not fun. I have Ativan in pill form but haven't needed it yet. I've heard it's quite a happy drug.
I'm on day 3 and doing well so far. Just got back from a 3 mile walk with the dogs, and I'm about to do some yoga. But it is cumulative so I'm not expecting to feel this good all through out. 0 -
YAY! Bagger!!! Been thinking of you and I'm glad that you are doing well too. Cool you went to the Farmer's market. I will definitely take note about the Herceptin drip and speaking up. I'm on the same regime so your experience and everything you share will help me!!! I think there's one other lady that is on the same protocol too. My insurance denied the Pejeeta so I won't get that until I win the appeal.
Have a lovely day everyone. Today I am meeting my foster grandchild for the first time! New era of "Gramma Annie" begins!
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That's great CJSharma, you are doing so well. I am wondering if day 3 means 3 days after you get the chemo or do they count the chemo day as day 1 ? So tomorrow could be day 3 for you, but then not everyone gets a bad day on day 3 either. You are a great role model so far.
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They count Chemo day as day one, so today is day 3. I'm not fooling myself that this will continue for the rest of treatment, though.
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Hi All - First time posting on the forums, but I've been reading for a couple weeks. As you can see from my signature line, I was diagnosed (less than 2 weeks ago!) with IDC on the right, but my tumor is Her2+ and my nodes are Her2-. I'm young (32) with no family history, so this has been quite a shock for me & my family.
On Monday I'll be starting Taxol (weekly for 12 weeks) and Herceptin & Perjeta every 3 weeks during the 12 weeks, then will do the AC portion every other week for 8 weeks. Right now, I think I'm most anxious about hair loss. (I know cold capping exists, but I don't do well with cold - I'm always freezing at baseline! And I don't know that I'll have consistent support people to help with it). I'm also frustrated with all of the parts of me I'll be losing that are out of my control - hair, a breast (maybe 2 depending on my BRCA testing), possibly fertility, etc.
While I hate that we are all here, it is nice to know there are others going through this, too, and that we can support each other.
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Glad you found us Pedi, sorry you had to. I see you are doing chemo first like I am, but I'm doing AC first followed by Taxol. I'm also HER2-, so that would be why. I'm glad they are moving quickly. They did for me, too. My tumor is 5+cm too. Scared the heck out of me when I found it. That sounds like a tough regime, but you can do it. I've decided to let my hair go, but I'm 51, and it really is different at 51 than 32. You need to do what is right for you. Breast cancer sucks because it takes everything we consider our feminine parts. HUGS! It's truly sucks.
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Welcome Pedi, and best of luck for tomorrow. Sorry you have to go through this. It is a terrible shock being diagnosed first but with time you learn to calm down and get on with the treatment. Hope we can help you through this.
CJSharma, how are you today ?
Uniboob, hope today is a better day for you.
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Thank you all for your concern! Wow this is a nice environment. Today was great. I was out all day with my 3 yr old and his grandmas. Enjoyed this amazing west coast weather we are having. Only side effect today is heartburn. My hubby just scrounged up some pepto but I think I'll hit the pharmacy tomorrow for something else (suggestions?) and a laxative 😳 I'm also not asleep at 12:45 am which is not typical for me. It sounds like a lot of us have been prescribed Ativan or something to help sleep. I should get me some!
I'm not really concerned about hair loss (well not enough to bother with cold caps) I actually cut my just coloured shoulder length hair into a really short bleached do. I thought I'd go ahead and damage it and have some fun before it fell out. I also registered for a class that teaches about make up and wigs . I really want to learn how to draw some eyebrows! Lol! Also they give you about $300 worth of products at the end. Like sunscreen, moisturizers, lip balms etc. It's called Look Good Feel Better. I think it's in US and Canada.
Oh shoot here comes the heartburn again.
Okay I'm loving reading everyone's posts. Goodnight
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That's great Uniboob, thanks for that report. Looks like I am 8 hours ahead of everyone else here in the time zone. I live in Ireland and it is Sunday 9.40 here now.
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Uniboob - I've been using Pepcid AC and it's been working well. I'll get occasional indigestion, but that is really it, kind of - I'm not really hungry but I can eat. I just want simple comfort food. Soups, especially Broccoli Cheddar soup, is all I really seem to want. I AM taking the anti-nausea meds, too, though, so I'm sure they are helping. Did you get 3 meds? One called compazine? That one seems to help, too. The Ativan doesn't work for me, but neither does Ambien or any of those other drugs that are supposed to help you sleep. I actually do better on my own (I found that out last night - oops). But most people find it works wonders. I'm glad you were able to get out and about with your 3 yo and his grandma's - sounds like a nice day. I hung out with my daughter (she's 23).
Numb - nice to see your lovely face! I'm also on the West Coast of the US - Bay Area. No nausea again today, so it looks like I'll be okay there. I have been eating broccoli cheddar soup daily. That's all I want. :P And I made the mistake of having some red beans and rice with a bit of spice. Oh boy - a word to the wise - avoid the spice for the first 5 days! Yikes. I'm a bit more tired, but I'm not sure that's the chemo or the Ativan.
One hint I do have is drink water. LOTS of water. There is an app I use called "Plant Nanny" that reminds you to drink a cup of water every two hours. I love it. I'm drinking 70 oz a day and I think that's helping things move along (along with the Dulcolax twice a day).
I'm also using MyFitnessPal to make sure I get the calories I need. My doctor and nurses have driving it into my head that I need to make sure I get the calories I need. My typical day is a smoothie with protein powder (I use organic hemp seeds), ginger, fruit, spinach, chia seeds and turmeric powder with a touch of raw honey. Lunch is soup or something light like that. Dinner is something simple. Tonight, stomach willing, it will be chicken and green beans. I was told to eat six small meals, but I prefer it this way.
Would love to hear from others too, especially tips and tricks!
Christine
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Uniboob - glad to hear you're doing so well. You and CJ are on the same regimen I will be and hearing both of your experiences are giving me hope that it's not going to be awful as I imagine! I have shoulder length hair also and am planning on getting a short haircut before starting. (less of a mess when it starts to go!)
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Wow, this is great encouragement, 2 on AC and reporting back with very little discomfort so far. This is taking away my fear bigtime. Good to see so many of us on the same treatment. Must stock up on the soup Christine. You seem to be doing well so I will take some of your tips on board.
Bagger, Once Once and Araven how are you feeling today ? If you are out there would love to hear from you.
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Njr Ya it's going to be messy regardless I think. When my dad lost his hair it was shocking to see how much of a mess it was. And he had half of what I have.
CJ I'll have to check my meds but I've got 3 plus a back up one. So 4. The one that's bugging me is the dexamethasone I think. I got 4 hrs sleep last night. One starts with an E and comes in a cardboard pack of 3. I'll see what the pharmacist recommends but will check on the Pepcid. Coffee tastes like coffee this am. (Even better in bed!)
Numb my bff just got back from Ireland. I might to have to add it to my bucket list after her overwhelmingly positive reviews! I'm in Vancouver Canada.
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My first treatment was Friday morning. I was thankful to have the port as it made everything easier. I have had the port in since early March so the muscles in that area have had time to heal. About half way through the Cytoxan, I could feel slight pressure in my head and sinuses and I felt sort of strange when I left. After treatment I went out to lunch and then went for a brisk walk. I was able to work for the rest of the afternoon. I focused on drinking a lot of water also. Around 5pm, I started feeling a headache come on and it went into a full blown migraine within a couple of hours. This kind of migraine/headache is rare for me so I didn't know what to do. I took Tylenol for it. I couldn't eat because I felt queasy even though I had taken the Compazine as more of a preventative measure. I threw up, and then took a short walk with my family to get some fresh air. That seemed to give me a slight break, but unfortunately, I was not able to stay on top of this migraine and the pain just kept increasing. Tylenol seemed to help for a little while, but by 2 AM I finally called a nurse to ask what else I could do. I wasn't aware that it was OK to take some of the pain medication I had left over from surgery. As soon as I did that I was able to sleep. (I wasn't able to sleep most likely due to the migraine pain and the steroids mixed in with the treatment.)
The next morning I felt better but I was worn out from lack of sleep. I decided to have a "couch day" with my son watching movies and just resting. Plus, the Neulasta "robot" was scheduled to inject mid-afternoon and I had to be still for the 1-hour injection. I was able to eat but only lightly: hard-boiled eggs and fresh veggie juice that I make every morning, along with ginger tea. I rested and slept and then mid-afternoon felt a lot better. I was able to get back to my normal mom duties: grocery shopping, etc. I did notice some sore muscles near my neck, upper arms, upper back and chest later in the evening. Nighttime couldn't come fast enough as I wanted to have a good night's sleep so was in bed early. I slept all night, thankfully.
Today, I felt a little queasy when I woke, but feel better now after having a small breakfast of hard-boiled eggs and fresh veggie/fruit juice. My neck muscles and back are still a bit sore. I haven't taken any more anti-nausea meds but I did take one Claritin since the doctor recommended that to prevent potential side effects from the Neulasta.
Here's what I think, looking back to Friday… I was having side effects mostly from the anti-nausea meds and I have two that I'm supposed to alternate: Compazine and Zoran. The nurses said that these drugs can cause headaches and also I had some anti-nausea medicine in the IV. I wonder if I can get away with not having those drugs next time to avoid the headache. If I didn't have those in my system, I think I would have had a different experience.
I hope that all of you are doing well and thank you for sharing. Good luck to those starting treatment this week.
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Welcome back Araven and thanks for that report. Sorry you had those migraines but if you didn't take the anti nausea meds you might have ended up sicker. I don't know which would be worse. If you get the anti nausea meds and then take the pain meds could you avoid the headaches the next time. I think the sore muscles comes from the Neulasta shot from what I have read. Best to ask your nurse about the anti nausea meds and the headaches. I am sure she will come up with something else for you. At least you can look forward to improving in the coming days.
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Araven - I have had a headache since chemo, too. It's not a migraine but it is annoying. Tylenol doesn't help me much with anything, but I take it because we're not supposed to take Advil or any of the NSAIDs. I wasn't aware it was from the nausea meds. Thanks for that link up. You might want to talk to the nurse about other nausea meds. They have so many things that can work.
I just did a workout so while I'm not working out with my former capacity, I'm still able to keep up. I did Jillian's Body Revolution Workout 1, and followed it with a 1.5 mile dog walk. And yes I'm hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
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Hi Numb, I am done with my chemo now. I had the A/C 4 cycles every other week. I was supposed to have 12 once a week cycles of 140 mg Taxol. I am 66 years old and was only able to withstand 6 cycles of the Taxol. It was very rough treatment. Not sick to my stomach , Did loose all my hair plus body hair. Very weak. Was in the hospital three times. Number one was for a pulmonary embolism.
Cancer I am told causes blood clots. Second time dehydration and hypotension. Third time pneumonia.
I had neoadjuvant chemo because my tumor was so large,.
It worked for me. I was stage 3 triple negative. Second time around 21 years . First time a double negative. had a lumpectomy
The cancer I had recently was different . I am almost 1 week out from having my mastectomey. I got my biopsy report last Friday. The cancer tumor had been reduced by almost 1/2 it's size. Which brought it down to 2.1 cm. The cancer my surgeon removed was self contained. Of all the tissue that was removed from my (once upon a time breast ) was clear of any remaining cancer cells.
I thought I might be very sad about losing a breast . Strange but I am not sad but very happy I did what I did. I am pretty sure I well not even have reconstruction at this point . Almost 10 weeks out from having my last chemo treatment. Hair is growing I think very fast.
Having chemo is not a walk in the park. Take good care of yourself. Get as many good natured friends and family as you can.
I am on facebook and I had so many friends keeping my spirits up and yes they were praying for me too. The power of prayer is great.
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Hi Vicki, welcome to this forum and sharing your story with us . That's good that your chemo worked and your surgery produced clear margins. It must be nice to have it all over with now. I agree with you about the prayer, where would we be without it.
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Welcome to our new member and well done to everyone managing their chemo and symptoms. I agree with Numb, it really is a great fear remover! If you all can do it, I can do it.
I hope everyone had a super weekend. We had beautiful weather and I had fun with my new foster grandchild - we held hands and ran the trails around this gorgeous mountain lake near by. She's 5. Then I got to carry her up the trail...but it is so nice to have sore muscles from something like that!!! Yay!!!
Seriously,
I called this newer woman friend and she exuberantly answered the phone "How's my favorite cancer patient?"
WOZERSSSsss....Really threw me into an upset. People can't imagine what this is like and when I told her that was really wack and that it upset me, no apology or anything.
Between that and her rather strong opinions that I shouldn't take sleep meds or an antidepressant and need to have a plan to get off of them now, I'm thinking I'm not going to take this friendship much farther.
Check on everyone tomorrow!
Annie
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Vicki - Thank you for the reminder that this is not a walk in the park. I tend to think i'm invincible, and when I realize I'm not, I get upset. I just happy that this week has been fairly easy I'm not expecting the next treatments to be the same.
Annie - absolutely! Don't let those who don't fully understand YOUR journey to tell you what to do. My MO was quick to point out that any sleep, even medically induced sleep is better than no sleep at all. Glad you had a good time.
I have a wild hair. I want to do something epic to celebrate my cancer freedom when I hit it (and I will). Friends and I chatted and I think it's going to be taking a group to climb Mount Whitney (the highest mountain in the lower 48). I've climbed it before in 2001. I'll make sure me wilderness first aid is up to date as well as my CPR. I think I'm insane.
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CJ
YES! I love your spirit! I was thinking of signing up for the Lake Padden sprint triathlon in July - THIS July - but my MO and my ND discouraged me...
There's an MO in Seattle that does all kinds of adventure programs for women. Its awesome, I wish I could work with her.
My MO told me that he has patients doing Chemo out riding bikes on trails and occasionally falling - he didn't get it. We do!
AND...you go ahead and expect all your treatments to be the same, even easier. I will too. Its just a cleanse.
Annie
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Best of Luck to PediGG for today. Hope you have an easy time.
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I agree with Annie, Christine, why would you think that the next treatment would be worse. You seem to be doing everything right to ward off side effects and you are reaping the reward. I am hoping for the same success.
Annie, people mean well and sometimes they come out with stuff that doesn't go down well. This woman thought she was giving you a compliment but I understand how you felt, we don't want to be put in a category, we just want to be looked on as the same as everyone else with a treatment to come through. I have had a cousin greet me with "I just heard about your awful news", and my brother said "oh, chemo, that will make you sick with mouth sores and your hair will fall out". So I just replied "yes it will make me sick, but it won't last forever and my hair will grow back". We just need to be ready for such comments. These people are not deliberately being mean, they just don't think. We could do without these comments though.
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Hello Everyone! I had my first TC chemo infusion last Thursday. I had a port installed two days prior so my skin and shoulder were still a bit sore the day of chemo. They put a analgesic cream prior to sticking the needle. I did not feel very much! SO far my side effects have been constipation, sleepness and fatigue. Drunk lots of water the day prior, day of chemo and after. I spent my time pretty much in the bathroom!! I got a Neulasta shot 24 hours after the chemo, but since I was so scare of the pain this could cause I took Claritin the night before and one hour before the shot I took an Aleve 12hr release and have been taking one every day since Friday on a 12 hour schedule. Today, I stop the Aleve and claritin, I will let you know...Otherwise, I have kept active such as walking everyday for an hour and taking naps as my body needs them. Wishing all of you minimal side effects! We will get thru this!
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Hi, April women. Today is my chemoversary--a year ago right now I was getting the pre-meds for my first TC. You'll get through this! I'm sending you healing energy from the other side.
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Positive vibes to PediGG today!
OnceOnce - thanks for checking in! Sounds like you're doing okay! I spent a lot of time in the bathroom, too! I was very well hydrated, and the chemo also had a saline drip, so I was a veritable fountain.
Are you okay nausea-wise? I only took a Claritan and did not have any issues with bone pain. Ksusan - thank you checking in. Happy Chemoversary! I'm happy you are on the flip side! I am looking forward to joining you there soon.
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Great to hear from you Once Once and good to know you are managing well.
Thanks kSusan for the good wishes and congratulations on your chemoversary.
Good for you Christine, still doing well.
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I started to feel as if I would be able to be more adventuresome with food today, and it could be because I'm really tired, but I'm back to craving broccoli and cheddar soup, and turkey burgers. And now coffee tastes like ash - mostly likely because I'm exhausted - I hope so! I honestly don't mind moving to green tea with a bit of honey, but there is something warm and fuzzy about the first cup of the day. I guess I kind of thought I was done with stuff, but I guess not. I'll keep gargling with the baking soda/salt/water. This will be an adventure, won't it?
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hello ladies and friendgwen, i am a newcomer as well. nice to hear the good stories. i am now starting today a CMF
regimen for the first time with a bit of nausea tonight but hoping for the best. i like your attitude and thanks for being here.
i like all the HOT TIPS! lol. i am single and live at home with no family nearby so it helps to have a little group to check in with.
bless you and good luck. i will update my profile to give you the latest.
interesting emoticons on this site! lol. x mary0 -
cheddar burgers and broccoli soup sound delish! hope i feel like eating them tomorrow! i am trying to move on to a matcha blend green tea as well. we'll see how i feel tomorrow. it seems like ginger might be good for nausea. like real ginger soda. ok best of luck CJ!
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