Who is starting chemo in September 2016?
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Yep, starting Friday at 1:30! Holy moly, I'm freaking out now. I thought I had 2 1/2 more weeks to prepare
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Good luck SGD. I am starting tomorrow. Labs at 11 and IV placement. Then chemo class. Then treatment at 2pm.
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Oh my gosh Kechla busy day! Best of luck to you
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Hi Jl...sorry you have to be here also...but on the bright side it's good that you only have 4 treatments every 21 days and no port...but at the same time it would be even more great if you were done with this ordeal..i understand...my anxiety has hit the roof since I have been diagnosed..lol...every time the nurse checks my bp its always high..i hope I don't have to start taking bp meds
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JI< sorry you have to be here, but you have found the right place. I knew I would need chemo after my surgery, I was told there was a 1cm tumor in my sentinel node. That pretty much guarantees chemo. You should find out your cocktail soon. It must be a short round if you arent getting a port placed. That is what I understand anyway. I have to have a port because I am doing AC+T it will 12 weeks every three weeks for the ac and 12 weeks of Taxol weekly. I'd be a pin cushion without the port. Anyway, welcome, we have a great group of ladies here. Gently hugs, blessings and prayers,
xoxoMichelle.....
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SG....wow we both start Friday..i start at 10 am...I would be freaking out too lady...lol...how long is your infusion? mine is for four hours.
K...good luck tmw!!!
hugsss****
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I was told 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Hope so because my husband's coming with me and someone's gotta pick up the little one from daycare! Our family is all in VA while we're in NY.
I still have done zero shopping for after care and my chemo bag - thought I had more time! I guess I can do that tomorrow. I AM BAD at sudden change!
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SG-Mine was closer to 4 hours. All the stuff I had in my chemo bag and I only took out the Gatorade lol.
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Kz, thanks for the info!
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Had my first treatment day, it took a full 7 hours for series of infusions for the TCH-P protocol for HER2+ neoadjuvant treatment, plus two antinausea drugs they pushed and a couple of other things. I didn't try any of the ideas about ice chips etc. Hope I won't regret that. What is the medical purpose for the ice chips if anyone knows? The hospital did suggest a good quality cream to rub on nails at night to counter damage, which I'll give a go.
The center folks could not have been nicer. There were plenty of snacks, beverages offered through the day and they had sandwiches brought in for the patients and also for any accompanying family member/guest. I'd brought in some snacks from home, so I had a mix of both plus the sandwich. I also brought a blanket they had handed me in the orientation, and did use it as the room got chilly a few times.
Once the treatment started they ran it continuously so it moved quickly as much as practical given all the stages. I felt a little woopy from the Benadryl at times but otherwise no reactions so far except feeling a little tired now that i'm home. They told me to expect any worse side effects going into the weekend as the dexamethasone (?) steroid runs out.
I'm thinking to have my stylist cut my hair pretty short next week for until it's ready for it all to come off. The new haircut won't last long obviously but it's a chance to try out a far shorter look than I've had in ages, so will give me some idea what I might be dealing with next year whenever a decent length of hair starts to come back. (with extra benefit that it will probably all come in gray ~yay). I know every treatment is different but it was interesting to me that in the room I was in all of the people around me still had their hair although some of them were clearly well into at least their second or later round of treatment.
I go back to the clinic tomorrow and Monday to check in, and take more iv fluids plus the Neulasta (by injection). The Claritin idea I've read here relates to the Neulasta, I think. What is the Claritin's benefit meant to be? (sorry for questions but I generally never take pills except occasional headache so this is all a big jump up for me in that regard ha.)
One thing I didn't expect is they were encouraging me to keep the port access line connected overnight. I declined that, as the port itself isn't bothering me although I have some torn up skin and still big bruising from the procedure, and in general it feels awkward and has been disrupting my sleep a little. Later it may make sense to keep their line in, but I'd like to feel as normal as possible without extra wires and such taped on me. Next round of treatment will be in 3 weeks, should be shorter as they won't include the longer 'loading doses' for certain of the drugs.
Best wishes to all with the treatment planning, care, and recovery.
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I will start chemo on sept. 1. 4 treatmemts of A+C every 2 weeks and then 4 treatmental of T every two weeks followed up with daily radiation for 7 weeks. Just the thought of all of this makes me tired. I hope to work as much as I can throughout. My daughter is a senior in high school this year and I hope I feel well enough to enjoy this year with her. I hate that she has to have this for a memory of her senior year.
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I am up charging all my electronics for tmrw..don't want to be seaching for no outlet..lol....bought all my after care products...pack my bag in them morning before i wake up the kids for school in the morning...trying to get mentally ready to be pumped full of toxic...my husband says for me to not think of it like that..he says i need to call the it "going through the healing process"..i told him whatever..lol...but if this is what is going to take to kill this monster...i am for it.
Ware...sorry you had to join us here lady..i am in the same boat with you...far as having a kid that's a senior this year...my oldest son is a senior this year...glad i will be done with chemo by the time he graduates in may..i end chemo in january...i see we are doing the same chemotherapy..but different treatment schedules.
misslil....one down lady...i would have declined keeping the port access connected also..."ain't nobody got time for that"..lol...glad you got through it okay...i start tmrw...my port area is still sore..so a lil nervous about when they connect the toxic to me....i think imma put a whole bunch of lidocream on it and see what happens..the nurse said just put a dab on it...i beg to differ...how much did you use and was you numb the entire infusion?
Hope everyones appts...infusions...port surgies...go good tmrw((hugs))
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Hi ladies! I'm another Sept. 15 warrior chiming in to offer support and make myself available for any questions. Shopgal gave you good info so I will just add my random thoughts:
- Don't over pack for chemo day. I used kindle, ear buds, and charger, small pillow, blanket, and a drink bottle.
- Ask for a prescription of Emla cream to numb the skin over your port before it is accessed each time. It doesn't hurt that bad when they access it but we have enough crap to deal with there is no need have any avoidable pain.
- KEEP A DAILY LOG of what you are feeling and your med schedule. It will help you know what to expect for future cycles.
- Drink, drink, drink lots of fluids.
- I had my TCHP infusions on Mondays. I was able to work at my office job thru Thursday and tried to work from home Friday. The weekend was shot and then I was on a slow upswing until the next infusion. It did get progressively harder with each cycle. My job requires a lot of thinking which was difficult to do but I made it thru it!
- Claritan is supposed to help alleviate bone pain caused by neulasta. I took it day before and a few days after the injection.
- Get the neulasta on-body injector if you can. It works great and keeps you from having to return to the facility the next day for your shot.
- Take the anti nausea meds BEFORE you feel nausea. It's easier to prevent/control nausea before it gets going.
- My hair started shedding on day 12 and I shaved it on day 17.
Good luck to you all! Chemo is no fun but it is doable. I will be lurking here for a while or feel free to message me if you have any questions.
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Hi ladies, I had my first chemo yesterday. Not sure if it's ok to post in the September forum. My first post here and am not very familiar with the website yet. I am scheduled for a weekly chemo of Taxol for 12 weeks followed by AC and then surgery. Anyone else going this route? Yesterday's chemo was not bad. My hand was freezing up and I had to ask for hot packs to rest it on. I was able to go back to a full day of work today- never needed to use the meds for nausea/diarrhea that were prescribed. Don't know if tomorrow will be better/worse/the same. Also I do not have a port. Is it a good idea to get one? The nurse said the port vs no port patients were about 50/50.
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geeyes, several of us who just joined this board and are starting in late August are part of this September group. I just started here a few days ago, everyone has been very welcoming.
nayda985, good luck with your treatment. i did not try the numbing agent for the port access yesterday. When they accessed the port Monday for lab work, for me that was very minor and didn't bother me. It also felt very minor yesterday. If it gets worse from here, will reconsider of course. I'm sure it's easier for the staff not to have to reconnect the port each day, that may be in part why they asked me to leave it overnight in complement to possible benefit for me.
I'm going back today for IV fluids and the Neulasta shot, which seems to be one of the things that can bring some ladies rougher side effects? The guidance I got from my center was to hit any pain from that with acetiminophen, aspirin or ibuprofen.
I may ask the nurses what they think on the Claritin idea, or see if they give me anything when i get the shot today. I've taken Claritin before for allergies but stopped after a weird incident where my heart felt like it was racing. That could have been Claritin-D, not the pure OTC kind; switched to Zyrtec which didn't give me side effects but didn't seem to really hit the allergies either. Lol.
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I just found this board and it looks like I get to join this group too. Likely starting chemo the second week of September. Absolutely SCARED OUT OF MY MIND for what is to come. Side effects and losing my hair. I am not able to cope with that part at all and actually its what I am the most scared of! I already have a port that was put in 2 weeks ago during surgery. Will find out the plan from MO on Monday. I am totally struggling with this and have several meltdowns every day. Pretty much since day 1. I will be taking some time later today to read all these posts, but I hope you don't mind if I join with all of you other ladies going through this.
Best of luck to you all!
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seg24
welcome to the crazy train! The whole idea is scary, I just got my port put in today, and to be honest losing my hair isnt what worries me, it is the other side effects, the fatigue, nausea, etc. The port was a breeze, thank God. I hope you all are well, I will post again later, time for a nap.
xoxoMichelle
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Thanks Michelle! I look forward to getting to know others on this board that are going through the same thing. I have more fears about this whole process than would fit on this page. I do not know anyone personally who has gone through this so I am turning to this site. I too am terrified of the side effects. I had 2 jobs, working a total of 10 hours a day. The doctor told me during the first visit that was too much with what I was going to be going through. I had to resign from one but absolutely have to keep working the other one without missing a beat. Our finances depend on it. Someone told me that "chemo is what you make it", meaning if you think you are going to have side effects you will, if you believe you won't, then you won't. I'm not sure how that is even possible and I have yet to get myself in that mindset. Not even sure how to do it. This person said on a scale of 1-10, the worst she ever felt was a 4. When she started feeling tired or sick she went for a 2 hour uphill bike ride or ran for 5 miles. That absolutely isn't possible for me. I can tell you that right now.
Having the port put in wasn't bad, but I will have to say for me it was the worst part of all the surgery and the thing that took the longest to heal. I never even really had any pain from the other two incisions I have. I'll be interested to see how you feel.
Take care and have a great rest! Talk to you later.
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welcome seg24! Don't be scared, the worst is the anticipation. You and I have the same diagnosis and you will probably be on similar chemo as me. I am about to have my 3rd A/C Wednesday and I have had very little s/e. They give you such good meds now that there should be no nausea. I have 4/14 days I am "slow" but other than that, no real issues. And I am sure I am older than you...67! I do have all of my hair, so that helps immensely in not looking sick. Just went to a funeral and people looked at me like they saw a ghost. They had heard I was sick but looked so good. I lost weight, too! I am doing cold caps and have been very pleased. Expensive, but lucky I do not have to pay anything else out of pocket (thank you Medicare and a good supplement), so I splurged.
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Hi, all. I am from the September 2013 chemo group, where I found a host of wonderful, supportive and now life-long friends. Just chiming in here to wish you all smooth sailing through this process. As others have said, chemo certainly is no fun, but it is doable. Before you know it, you will be sending well-wishes to others that will be starting chemo long after you have finished. I look forward to the day when this website no longer is necessary, but in the meantime, it is an invaluable resource of information and support. Best of luck to you all.
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Thanks Jiffrig. You sound like you are doing great! All I know about my treatment (will find out on Monday) is that it will be 20 weeks, first 8 weeks every other week, and weekly for the next 12 weeks, then 6 weeks of radiation and 5-10 years of hormone therapy. That is an eternity! Ive heard so many varying stories about the cold caps. Besides being expensive, they are cumbersome and uncomfortable and that they could prevent the chemo from reaching all of the cells it is meant to reach. On the other hand I have heard that they really do work. I don't even have any resources to get any info on them. If you have anything you could share I would appreciate it. So you haven't lost any hair at all? That is what I am the MOST scared of! I have several meltdowns a day because of it. Had one in Walmart earlier today. I'm finding myself looking at every woman I see, their hairstyle, if it looks like they're wearing a wig, if they have hair at all, etc. I know, kind of weird of me, but I didn't even realize I was doing it until today. How have your side effects been otherwise? I have heard the side effects can be debilitating as in sick in bed for days. And that you get so tired you just have to sleep for days on end. I just can't do that I have a job and a family and lots of outside responsibilities, as we all do. See why I am so scared? Everyone on this site has been absolutely wonderful. I joined one of the other boards on here too and got lots of good advice and support during the time leading up to my surgery. That seems like a breeze compared to what I am now facing. Thank you so much!!!!! By the way I'm 54.
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Just google, penguin cold caps, for info. They are the best ones ( and most expensive, of course). I really think a positive attitude goes a long way in this.
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I spoke too soon, the port makes it hurt when I turn my head and when I swallow. Ugh. Please pray I can sleep tonight
xoxoMichelle
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Michelle, I can tell you from my experience less than 2 weeks ago, the port was more painful than the actual surgery. I found a lot of relief by putting a small ice pack on the area for a while every couple hours or so. I didn't get to where I could sleep on that side until just a couple days ago. I have been sleeping in a small separate bed since surgery to avoid getting husband's elbow right on that spot. I had a lot of bruising in the port area too. Probably more than the two surgery sites. It will get better I promise. I told my surgeon when I was in there the other day that when it is time to get this thing out I will not wait for his office to open. I will be on the doorstep of HIS HOUSE early in the morning on that day! Having the port makes this all too real!
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Hello. Would you all mind if I join your group? My wife of 30+ years starts chemo 7 Sept. English is a second language for her, so I've been doing all the research and a good bit of the communicating for her. I discovered this website shortly after her dx and have found a wealth of information here. I started lurking a couple of weeks ago on the ladies who started their journey in Sept 15 (a couple of them posted above), because I wanted to see what the next year (and beyond) will hold for us. The strength, humor, and perseverance displayed by that group has been absolutely inspiring and has given me much hope for my wife's future. I wish the very best for each of you as we travel this difficult road together.
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Welcome Sam, we are happy to have you here. I am sorry that you are in the position that you are but glad you found us. We will persevere and we will win!!
Seg24. Thanks for the encouragement, I will try the ice pack, that sounds really soothing. My husband is home now so I am going to ice and lay down for a bit.
xoxoMichelle
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Sorry that circumstances bring you here, seg24, but welcome! I went to chemo class yesterday, but haven't started chemo yet. I know this group will be a huge help to you.
I feel compelled to comment on the "chemo is what you make it" advice you've heard. I was very excited to have a total hip replacement in 2007 so I could get back to swimming 2-3 times per week and other activities. I'd done my research & felt confident about both my surgeon and the hospital. My surgery went smoothly (or so I thought), I was pleased with how nice my room was, pain relief was fine and, after ensuring we wouldn't disturb other patients, five dear friends joined me for a celebration in my room. The next morning, the surgeon advised me that an incorrect component had been used & I would require revision surgery. A day or two after that, the medical doctor had to tell me I was in kidney failure, which the kidney specialist attributed to my blood pressure going too low with two surgeries in two days. I ultimately needed a blood transfusion and my hospital stay was doubled. Was I just not positive enough? I wrestled with surgical choices for my breast surgery, ultimately deciding on a lumpectomy because I expected it to be an easy procedure with a quick recovery. I had to have a second surgery to get clean margins, developed two large seromas and got a stubborn infection when one was drained. In my experience, expectations don't drive side effects or complications or my hip replacement would have gone flawlessly.
I share the lengthy personal history because I think the "just think positive thoughts" makes women feel that they've somehow "failed" if they have side effects or can't work full-time during their treatment. I'm thrilled when I hear of people making it through chemo without major issues and hope I'm one of them, but hate the idea of anyone feeling guilty if everything doesn't go smoothly. Please be gentle with yourself. You'll get a lot of great information here and from your medical team that will help reduce problems or minimize them if they occur, but know that there will be support and empathy if you hit a bump in the road. :-)
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Michelle, I hope you get some rest tonight. Will you forgive me that your note has me singing, "Ice, Ice, baby!"?
Sam13, I'm glad that you're here to support your wife during this scary time.
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Jifrig, great to hear that your side effects have been minimal and you've retained your hair so well. Fantastic!
The cold caps sound a bit cumbersome and I'd rejected then outright when the MO said they cost $2,500. I assumed they were deemed cosmetic, but think someone mentioned them being covered by their insurance. I've paid my catastrophic out-of-pocket for the year so perhaps need to explore them again. I'm always hot so I've been consoling myself that being bald would keep me cooler, but keeping my hair is appealing even though I currently have to do the female equivalent of a combover to hide super thin spots.
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I was dx with a recurrence last month. (Original BS mastectomy was in 2014). I'll be starting with chemo in Sept. I'm leaving for M.D. Anderson for a week of appointments. I'll have the chemo done at home but they will determine the protocol. I'll go back to MDA for rads because they have the best proton radiation protocol.
Thanks for sharing..
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