Starting Chemo June 2017
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Raising my hand for some of these common SEs. For my dry eyes, I use Thera Tears drops. Now I need to check they are preservative free. I believe they are. I went through the options last year with the eye doctor. He said Visine or "whiteners" actually constrict blood vessels and anyone with high blood pressure should avoid them. TheraTears is just moisture so I switched.
I do notice blurry vision since chemo. I have a mild near sightedness and only wear my glasses when driving or watching TV. I'm wearing them a bit more now. I do have prescription sun glasses.
My taste buds have been ok so far. Some things are off, but I don't notice extra saltiness.
I do feel a bit like a bloodhound. I've got a killer schnoz!
I use Oil of Olay moisturizer on my face. I have started rubbing it over my head. It feels good and softens the bristles a bit. I don't mind the smell, because it is the sensitive skin type.
Sometimes I sleep with a hat but sometimes get too warm. I can't get used to getting g "stuck" on my pillow without a cap, though.
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My family was laughing so hard when after my 1st round they bought pizza for dinner, and after 1 bite I spit it out and asked how could they eat this, it tasted like super salty rubber!!! Yes everything is salty, especially if it's really sweet. The first 2 rounds I cried a lot trying to eat anything. Dr gave me a new prescription and I'm able to eat more but I am no longer upset, I just have to believe this too shall pass. I'm taking gummy probiotics so the thrush isn't terrible this time!
On Tuesday I stopped my steroid, Claritin and the new anti nausea meds so I crashed pretty hard. Felt very fluish and sore. Today I've slept a lot and took Tylenol all day but am feeling better so I know I'm on my way up 😊
I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one with eye issues. I was upset the first round when I found out that I cannot t see w/o my glasses. I used to come home from work and take my glasses off at home but no more once chemo started. I can see with my glasses but they need to be tweaked too and I still have 3 rounds to go with blurry vision. No reason to fix it until I'm done 😔
On tne hair front, my leg hair is still growing REALLY 😩 We also had someone in our town just die from Wrst Nile and my husband is making me be super careful. We only walk outside after 9 pm. The smells kill me, so OFF and anything are not fun.
Those of you who are able to work through this amaze me! Keep sending good vibes 🤗
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Finally got back out to my garden today after dragging my rear end for over a year...pulled some weeds and getting my plots ready for some veggies..also went on the treadmill ..only walked 1/4 mile but every step counts..got to toss the football with my oldest too.getting ready for my weekly taxol/herceptin/ perjeta treatments..I'm ready to kick butt
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I forgot to mention the 'burps' side effect. Seems whenever and whatever I eat I tend to burp or hiccup. It doesn't hurt so it's not like heartburn but as Kim said, it's not very ladylike and I'm constantly excusing myself! A woman at work who is just over 2 years past her diagnosis still does it. I'm afraid it may be the new normal.
Another unwelcome event was getting my period last week. Ugh. I guess I thought ol' Aunt Flo wouldn't be coming around anymore but she showed up. Maybe her last hurrah.
hhuey...I got out in the garden over the weekend. I could not stand looking at the crab grass that invaded my flower beds. I spent all of Sunday afternoon yanking those buggers and it felt great. It's good therapy.
Time to settle down. Want to get a good night's sleep before AC#3 tomorrow.
Sleep well ladies!
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Hey..I can post pics! Sorry for the size. Here's me just after the buzz...
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and the wig..
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Beautiful Peahy Jeanne!
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Peachy Jean you look awesome in both do's. Nice young face.
Hapb , cute kitty. I have a border collie named dexter. He is about 4 now and originally after my first chemo he laid at my feet. But I haven't been letting him much as don't want to get sick so he had left me alone tonight and has for about the last week.
I had chemo # 2 today and now having difficult sleeping. My eyes Re like everyine else's dry and blurry without the glasses. Could see better without them prior to chemo. I too will have to check my fake tear solution for preservatives. What is the deal with the preservatives?
Other SE a bit worse as well headache slight quesiness heartburn and fatigue. I did walk 2 blocks tonight, didn't want to but forced myself. Took it real slow. Hungry but could only tolerate tomato soup with lots of milk and some crackers at supper. Then for late snack had a scoop of vanilla icecream and a buttertart. Tolerated that really well haha.
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I too have been having the dry eye issue with contacts. I wear a daily disposable that is supposed to have more moisture in them, but they still get dry. On the drive down to Arizona they were especially dry because of the constant air conditioning. They were very red.
My skin is also very dry. Tonight I had to put extra moisturizer on my head because my scalp is so dry.
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HapB...cute kitty! I had one similar years ago but she was smoky gray. Her name was Delilah. My dog at the time was Samson. He was a shepherd/golden or lab mix. A big, beautiful red haired darling. He was rescued from roaming the streets in Queens and he, in turn, rescued a little kitty hiding under a bush during one of our walks in the neighborhood. And so we had Samson and Delilah. She used to curl up in between his front legs and he would lick her with his big tongue. She was such an imp and a great source of entertainment.
My wig is human hair. A Jon Renau called Jenny. It is pretty similar to my hair but slightly darker red anda bit more "puffy" or thick. It takes some getting used to. I may take it to get styled a bit to thin it out.
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Peachy, Best wig ever! Honestly, you could go with or without. Beautiful! (I haven't even worn mine. As a strawberry-blonde, too, the one I got is more brown. Makes me feel like it's not me when I put it on! Still waiting on the $400 reimbursement from insurance. It's kind of like a double whammy to me. Lesson learned. I just liked the style but thought the color looked right inside with dim lighting. Ughhhhh. I had driven over an hour to the wig shop, so I guess I wanted to leave with something...dumb of me.)
HapB, Adorable cat! Pet therapy is amazing, even if you have a DH.
Belching, hiccups (passing wind...yep, I said it). I'm definitely giving my DH a run for his money!
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Hap b - A buttertart us a Canadian delicacy. It is a pastry tart with a brown sugar butter vanilla and egg mixture cooked ofcourse. You can also add pecans raisins etc. I'll add a picture. The best ones are slightly runny when you bite into them. Kind of taste like a pecan pie only smaller.
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Ah yes, the indigestion, the hiccups, the burping and the passing gas. Gotta love those side/sound effects!!
There's some interesting articles on the benefits of exercise on the main site here. One of the benefits is that is reduces the risk of breast cancer coming back. Even a little bit every day helps with side effects and your overall health. Here's one link: https://community.breastcancer.org/livegreen/exerc...
My eye specialist recommended Systane Ultra, Hydration. It's good for people with contacts. I also use Systane Balance. All their products are preservative free. It's funny they don't list dry eyes as a side effect of chemo but so many people have it.
The peach fuzz on top of my head is actually growing. My leg and armpit hair have stopped. Yeah, one blessing in all of this.
Kim: I got one horrible looking thing from the Cancer clinic for free that looks like a rats nest on top of my head. I think I'll stick to hats and scarves. It's going to be a long haul without any hair for at least another four months.
On day 13 of chemo #2, days 10 -12 are always the worst for me. Lots of diarrhea, cramps, nausea. I did some research and that's when the Epirubicin side effects take action. Only one more AC left then it's on to docetaxel and a whole new list of side effects.
Is anyone also doing radiation after their chemo?
Peachy: you look gorgeous either way.
HapB: You're so lucky you can have a cat. I used to have cats but was allergic to them. My allergy specialist kept saying I needed to get rid of them but no way, no how was I getting rid of my babies. When they finally passed I got dogs instead.
Here's a picture of me and one of my dogs, Max, at the Airport doing pet therapy for the departures level at Christmas time. All three of my dogs have been trained for pet therapy. We use to go to schools, nursing homes, special events. Had to give it up as it's too risky during chemo. Now, they just cuddle with me.
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Oh that buttertart looks soooo good!! Now I've got to go to the store an get me some.
Hap B: you don't know what you're missing. Can't believe they don't have those in the US. I guess it's a little like having pecan pie only in a smaller version.
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Does anyone else get thrush? I fight it every cycle, my husband makes me some liquid recipe that was in a cancer book, to swish with but I still get it. It's gone after 10 days but it's awful. I've tried probiotics, taking pills everyday too. If I suck on had hard candy to get the bad taste out of my mouth, it seems to make it worse. Anyone have a better solubtion?
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Hap b I'm getting alnd then rads after chemo. If your feeling up to it or have a friend who likes to bake you should try those butter tarts. Lots of good recipes on the web. You could buy tender flake tart shells if you are not good at pastry
Ltwj- try brushing your tongue gently after you eat. Salt water rinses as well. You could get a pen prescription for Nystatin which is an oral antifungal you swish and spit. May e some non alcoholic mouthwash that is still antibacterial. I use Listerine non alchohol
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Buttertart...that looks wonderful and sweet not salty!
Precious poodle, Pink. You'll get back to pet therapy again. What a wonderful thing. (Rat's nest...I had to laugh.) Maybe I could die my wig a closer match to my original color?? Or maybe I will just dye it pink!
And I after next Friday's final AC, I am 12 weeks of Taxol. Then more lymph node surgery then RADS, which probably won't be until January, based on the month in between chemo and more surgery that my BS says she will give me. Has anyone been told they need more node surgery? I really dread it, as she said she will have to put in a drain - much like what I assume is required with MX, though I did not have with my LX. (I am forgetting acronyms and am just making them up now...I think.)
LTWJ, No thrush here. I'm sorry. That's probably as bad as the persistent (worse today than yesterday) salt taste. Nystatin, which is Rx, absolutely gags me. Biotene or the CVS equivalent has a nice minty flavor and is what I use most of the time. I try to do Nystatin the day of chemo and the day after, then I am over it. It's bad...
(Hooray. My wig reimbursement came today. Now, I can store it away deep in my closet and also stick to hats.)
Not that I want to be Negative Nelly as of late, but I am having surges of hot flashes during the day (for sure at night). So much so, I took my temp today to make sure it wasn't a fever coming on. 98.2, so AOK there. My diet has gone to the pits, so bring on those Canadian delicacies!! I fear my glucose levels are going to be scary next week. I had like 6 Oreos today after I ate an entire box of organic mac n cheese for lunch. I have never done that in my life!
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Here are my 3 babies. Bella(age3 yrs)is a yorkie poo, Baby(age 6 years) is a yorkie, then Tubby(age 5 years) is a yorkie!
Love all the pictures!
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pink - I had to laugh at your Oreos and mac n cheese comment. I so worried about weight loss with chemo in that I wouldn't want to eat. Man, I eat like my 12 year old son. I've become the connoisseur of cheese burgers. We got to try Shake Shack this afternoon (not better than In n Out). I've been in the camp of "if it tastes good, eat it." However, when I get home I really need to watch it. Between steroids and my eating habits I've "gained a few pounds" as nurse told me two weeks ago.
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Mmmmm...butter tarts!
Just back from AC#3. Feeling ok. I think I'll sleep well tonight. It is brutally hot and humid here so that may be zapping my energy a bit, too.
I have been sucking on ice chips while the red devil gets pushed. So far I have had no mouth issues. I don't know if it is because of the ice or not but since I started doing it and haven't had sores, I'm sticking with it. I rinse with Biotene every night. I still wake up with a dry mouth but after brushing in the morning it's not bad the rest of the day. I'll rinse again with the Biotene during the day if needed. I try to drink a lot of water. I normally do drink water so it's not new for me. While it never bothered me before, the bland taste is starting to now. I have to put a little splash of iced tea or Gatorade in it to make it more appetizing.
Kim..I'm getting the flashes. Just had a surge as a matter of fact. I'm wondering if my insurance will reimburse my wig expense. Policy is $500 max per year if I use a network provider. I'm not sure I used a network provider. It is a big expense but since I'm going into work, I wanted to have something. Are you going weekly for the 12 Tax treatments? After my last AC, I go for 4 Tax treatments and keep the same schedule of every other week.
I have not had any surgery yet. When this started I thought I was going to have a lumpectomy first, but additional testing revealed a second area of cancer in the same breast and a positive lymph node so the doctors changed to neoadjuvant chemo for a systemic treatment first. The thought is the chemo will shrink the two areas enough to make lumpectomies possible. I'm not sure I will opt for that even if possible. I don't know if I want to leave any breeding ground for a recurrence. While my cancer is in my left breast and nothing in my right, I still wonder if it is just a matter of time before righty turns on me, too, and I should just have a double mastectomy and be done with it. I have some time to think more about it. My surgeon is very keen on leaving as many lymph nodes as possible. I'll cross the surgery bridge when I come to it. Right now, I'm focused on getting through chemo.
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Here is our Maine Coon Moxie on the sailboat a couple of years ago wearing her harness. She got a hairball stuck in her throat last year and nearly died so now he has to have a lion cut and most of her silver color gets cut off leaving just her downy white undercoat except on her head. So I guess neither of us is known by our beautiful hair just at the moment. At least mine will grow back. Hers won't be allowed to. She is still a beautiful creature though and good therapy for sure.
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Kimpossible.... you made my day 😊 Mac and Cheese and Oreos. I have my 3rd AC next Wednesday and I have been hungrier than before Chemo. I was sure I was going to be sick and lose weight. I'm not wanting to but just expected too.
My vision was the first thing I noticed changing to the point of actually making me nervous. I wonder if it is permanent?
I was wondering if anyone else had a radical drop in platelets after their first A/C? Mine went from 235 to 125. I asked what I could do or take and they said nothing. They told me they are not concerned unless it goes below 100 which seems very close to me.
This is my girl Amy. 13 years old with liver cancer but she has proven all of the vets wrong and has lived a year lived a year longer than expected so far.
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Kim possible I have to have more lymph nodes out as well. They found one out of two with my Sentinel and now want to take more but will be a month after my chemo so end of Nov early December I think. Then 5 weeks rads and Tamoxifen and probably a AI as I am premenopausal at 51 soon to be menopausal I'm told with the chemo.
Susie really cute pups!
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Loving all the pet pics, everyone.
HapB. She gets shaved twice a year and has to be put under. In between I clip her with a scissors with a comb on it. http://scaredycut.com/cat.html
Kim and TRalph. I had to have more nodes taken out a week after my BMX and sentinel node biopsy (one was positive). Now two months later all feels normal on my side and underarm and luckily they did not find any more positive nodes. I wish the same for you.
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Hi LTWJ,
I had thrush with first round of TCH...I got a prescription for Magic Mouthwash from my MO...I only had to use it 4 times and the thrush went away. I had second round on 7/13 and so far - no thrush or mouth sores. Who knows? I also rinse with Biotene. Not sure if I will get it again.
Love everyone's pictures - all are beautiful - wig or no wig! Love the pets...they are therapy all by themselves.
I had my Herceptin today...feeling good today...awaiting round three on 8/3. With round 3 I will be 50% done with chemo. I am counting the days.
Here is my dog Doxie - (mini Dach) and Gracie my mom's dog (Poodle-Bischon mix)...they make me laugh every single day!
Praying for all,
Sue
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I love every single pet picture. I don't know what I would do without my Ella Belle, my Mini Schnauzer. I got her about 9 months before my first DH was diagnosed with brain cancer. She was so wonderful to him and would just sit for a long time on his lap when he would take naps. She's really never been a lap dog to me, but she will come sit by me and occasionally snuggle up to me. She will be 9 in September. Quite independent. Seems frustrated she can't just come/go as she pleases...lol Thinks she should be eating 24/7. She loves snow, too! Never dreamed when we moved from GA in 2013 she'd like the white stuff, but oh how she gets excited to see it come.
Because I can't pick just one...
This is Ella most of the time.
"We always send a picture to Daddy after I get groomed."
Stopping to smell the roses
"Mommy makes me wear a coat when I go out in the snow."
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lilsuzq,
I can't wait to say I'm half way through.,,, I have 2 more AC and 12 Taxol. I hope the Taxol isn't as bad/ exhausting as the AC. I'm trying to take it one day at a time but it's sometimes overwhelming. I love reading about everyone's positivity and strength it's truly uplifting. I love all of the puppy and cat pics they are adorable and no doubt my Amy (cancer and all) lifts me up and out the door each morning for a walk. Definitely my therapy dog!
Is anyone here using the Dignicap
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Ah, seeing pictures of you guys best furry friends sure make me smile. They are so cute and adorable!
Hi PeachyJeanny, I understand the surgery (lumpectomy versus mastectomy) is a difficult one & has pro/con with each of them. But I can say definitely for myself that compared to chemo, my mastectomy is a "piece of cake".
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I will agree that my lumpectomy and SNB feels like nothing compared to this chemo. I know when my BS realized this was bigger than anticipated and said she could do the LX, and felt confident saying so, it was the right choice for me at that time. I am claiming this will NEVER come our way again. Never. Ever. Period. (I pray, too, that the Taxol is easier.) Today feels like a good day. I am claiming it and believing!
I am going to my PRN job today to take senior residents on a lunch outing. This are independent living residents, and they haven't seen me nor know about my BC. I think this will be better for me than them!
I'm finding if I keep gum in my mouth and chew, chew, chew, it is helping with the salty taste. I think I will find a different flavor than mint. Someone earlier said Bubblemint was good. I may get a variety pack (if they make) to see what really works well.
Tpralph, We may be on that same surgery schedule, as long as I can stay on track with Taxol.
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my bordercollie dexter
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my bordercollie dexter