Starting Chemo in July 2017
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It was day 6 after my 2nd CT infusion and I had a hard time typing today... I guess that means neuropathy is starting to set in? I had regular manicure with an OPI polish a couple of weeks ago so it was time to change the polish and use the Nail Envy. A few of my nails are turning purple near the cuticle area so I'm glad I got the Nail Envy in Hawaiian Orchid color. It's a light pink shade and it's so pretty! I just hope it's not too late to start the Nail Envy treatment. I don't want my nails to get worse than they are.
Where are you all getting your caps? I have gotten a few off of amazon but they're the beanie (also called snood) type of hats. I don't like the way I look in beanies... I have a couple of pre-tied scarves that I love. I got from the local wig boutique but haven't been able to find a place to purchase them.
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Good morning,
I've been MIA as this past infusion has just kicked my butt. I also received some bad family news from my brother and niece. So a crummy week.
My daughter returns to college a week from Friday and I miss her already. Ugh, I'm always in a funk for a few days after she leaves.
However I'm happy to see her go and get back to a world that's not revolved around someone working through chemo SE.
Since I started chemo I've made my bedroom off limits to my two kitties. They both insist on sleeping on my pillow. One all day long and the other wraps his head around my head most nights. I figured with a low white count at times I should cut that out. So in the mornings when I'm laying here in bed they sit outside trying desperately to get in. Poor babies just a few more weeks.
Monday is AC #4 and although I'm thrilled to get that behind me and move to taxol I'm also afraid of this new drug too. I'll have a 3 week instead of two week break between AC and Taxol because of a scheduling conflict, so we decided to spend it on the Outer Banks at my brothers beach house. It will be so nice to go away and hopefully feel almost normal. I'm hoping that extra week will feel SE free.
Dodgersgirl- how is your husband? I read where he had open heart surgery. You've both been in my prayers. Also I believe your at or near Taxol# 12. I've been following the weekly Taxol thread, congrats.
Sunny - after AC #2 I was dismayed to find 3 nails had darkened areas. I've been using nail envy since before I started treatment. So I've continued and MO said that tee tree oil is something to try if nail beds begin to lift. I'm going to find some today and start now. However she did warn it smelled awful. Ick, I wonder what it smells like. I'll let you know.
Dmjmom, leatherette and Paulette- looks like you have infusions this week, sending prayers and hugs.
Purple - your ponytail halo sounds adorable. I haven't had hair long enough for a ponytail in years, but I love the idea. I'm sorry cold capping didn't work but glad to see you're ok with it. I would have loved to have tried but just never got around to it. So I just let it go. Now I'm glad not to have added it on.
Emily - your right on the dairy, the first two rounds I had more of an issue trying to keep diarrhea at bay, the dietician told me to cut out the dairy and it helped a lot.
Babasmom - I'm so sorry for your awful first infusion and I'm so glad you are following and have decided to post. Hopefully the Lomotil has done the trick for your diarrhea. I can tell you that each infusion is different, some worse and some better, hopefully the migraines either subside or your MO can help you deal with it. Please keep us updated. Prayers and hugs your way.
LoJo - your upbeat post about your decision on the hair and cold capping was such good news. Not that you gave it up, I'm sorry it didn't work, but that your decision took so much stress off of you. When is your next infusion and what will it be and how often. I'm not nosey at all, LOl.
Rebamacfan - love the picture and so encouraging to see hair coming in. I hope I'm as lucky, that would put me at getting some fuzz first of January! Woot!!
She- I'm so glad your feeling great, and I'm relieved to say no problems with the verbal filter. That's a struggle I don't need, good luck with that though. Living with my poor hubby who's trying so hard to do everything he can to alleviate stress around here I'd hate to fly off at him.
Paulette- I use the same wash and lotion I use on my face on my scalp. So far so good. I'll be switching to something heavier like a night cream once I start taxol since it's so drying.
Have a great day ladies, you are always in my prayers for manageable SE and good days.
Theres
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Tess - I haven't seen you for few days I was beginning worry about you. Glad you are fine and almost done with AC. My little princess (dog) slept with me for years once I found out I have cancer I started to train her to sleep in her own bed. Took me couple months to get her trained now she sleeps in the same room but in her own bed.
Yes I'm going to have my third AC in couple days 🙏🙏🙏🙏 hope for the best. All my nails are still fine I am thinking to remove my old coats of OPI envy and start a fresh coats today.
I have been putting almond skin oil on my scalp and I use almond skin oil mixed with body cream at night for my feet and some dry spots on my body. This will be a good day way when I start Taxol .
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Yay! Teese is back! Sorry for the tough times. Missed your comments.
I'm having my infusion now, well just saline at the moment, but the IV is in, which is half the battle!
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Sunnyjay- I am going to order few more hats from
Headcover.com
They got all kind of hats wigs and many things
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dmjmom - good luck with minimum SE 🙏
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teese- hubby was released yesterday from the hospital to a short term rehab center. He is doing well. Thanks for asking
Yes, getting Taxol 12 today. Then will be done with chemo!!
Gods luck with AC 4 and Taxol later
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dmjmom - no kidding I bet that is a relief. Since surgery I have just the left side for use and once in a while it's a chore for them to get a vein. Is this #3? How often are you infused, I forget how your regimen works?
Have an uneventful infusion, hugs
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Tesse...this is #2 for me. Total of four, every three weeks.
Thanks Paulette!!
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Hi all, labs good, getting my herceptin now. I have been using the nail envy and tea tree oil pretty religiously, and my nails look good, but my cuticles are dry. I have to keep trimming them when they stick up so they don't catch on things.
I cannot drink enough water or put enough lotion on to combat the hand and foot dryness. I'm thinking of getting some of those socks and gloves that are infused with lotion/aloe to wear at night. The gloves-socks I have for keeping the lotion intact are all falling apart. Have any of you used those?
Sorry the cold caps didn't work for some of you-it seemed like it was a lot of work to not get the desired effect.
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Teese and Leatherette: thanks for the tip on tea tree oil for nails. I am an essential oil user and have this in my arsenal of oils. Teese, it's also called Melaleuca in case you don't find it as tea tree oil. It does have a strong woody smell, but I kind of like it. I used to use a shampoo with tea tree oil for dandruff so now I'm wondering if this would also help with scalp care.
Leatherette: for my cuticles, I use a Sally Hansen product called Instant Cuticle Remover. I haven't done my own manicure in a while so I forgot I had it. It's a gel you put on the cuticle, push them back and wash it off. I tried it last night and my cuticles aren't dry today and no hangnails!
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Leatherette- have you thought about put some almond oil with your lotion together. That's what I do at night and in the morning. It seems it last longer on your skin.
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Dodgersgirl - I'm glad he's out, as that must mean he's done well. Congrats on last Taxol, it must feel like such an accomplishment and a relief, and couldn't have come at a better time with your hubby's recovery.
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Leatherette- I used OPI's Nail and Cuticle Replenishung Oil on my cuticles twice a day and so far no hang nails thru 20 weeks of chemo.
On my skin, I am using Josie Marian's whipped Argan oil. My skin is not at all dry (it would be without the lotion) and even MO commented today how good my skin and nails look (nails are sore but look great)
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teese- yes, hubby is getting better every day. Still gets really fatigued when doing much of anything. Scar looks really good. Each day will be better.
Just kind of in a bind because once I have surgery I can't drive for at least 2 weeks and he can't drive for at least 8 weeks. Just a new side effect of his surgery to learn to live eith
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Thanks for the tips, everyone! Will try. Done with infusion, feel good, just ate a bowl of stir fried green beans from my garden, because I can feel my sense of taste starting to go!
Glad your husband is recovering, dodgersgirl! Take advantage of rides from friends/family or free rides offered through the American Cancer Society, if you can
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Teese - Great to hear from you! Sorry your last infusion was tough, I hope you're on a good upswing now. Will be sending good thoughts your way!
I just got cleared to re-start chemo on the new cocktail which is Abraxane and another drug that I'm forgetting at the moment. I will be going weekly, to make sure the side effects are as minimal as possible. This means six more infusions, last one on September 21st. So, it basically pushes out the end date of chemo by one week, but the last infusion by two weeks. But, I'll take it if it means no major hives moving forward!
Hives are under control. I'm on the long taper for the prednisone, and down to one a day and the hives are still under control. I'm very thankful for this!
I hope everyone is having a minimal SE week!
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Good morning,
For those who use tee tree oil, how do you apply, my bottle says do not apply directly to skin? Scratching my head over this. Do I need to dilute it with something?
LoJo - your treatments will be over before you know it, the end of Sept and all treatments completed and most SE over with, sounds like heaven. It looks like you restart today? Hugs and prayers your way.
Dodgersgirl- the driving is a challenge, I'm sure you'll have volunteers but I understand the difficulties of relying on others. Will you have rads and will it start after the driving restrictions?
Dmjmom and leatherette hope last night was restful. Strangely the steroids don't give me that burst of energy, I do feel better with them just not the boundless energy. The upside is though it doesn't keep me up at night so I always get a good nights sleep while on them.
Paulette- you were so smart to get your little princess in her own bed. i wish my little rotters were as trainable, ha no such luck, but I love them to pieces.
Have good days today and minimal SE
Theresa
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Teese- surgery the week of Sept 11, then a couple weeks after for rads. DH's cardiac surgeon thinks DH could be driving by rads time. The issue with driving after open heart is concern of air bag deployment in a crash as it would reopen the breast bone. One of our 3 cars is old enough that it doesn't have air bags. Maybe that's our solution?
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Chemo #2 is in the books, everything went well. I had a very small allergic reaction, which passed in a minute, but still earned me a bag of Benadryl in my next infusion. Ugh, didn't want the forced nap because I snore so badly when I don't have my CPAP. Maybe I'll just drink extra coffee and walk around until it wears off. I also have the Neulasta onpro pod again, probably because of the UTI I got last time. The Claritin didn't keep my from the bone pain last time, so I am taking Aleve ahead of the injection and will continue for a couple of days to see if staying ahead of that pain helps. Even though I didn't have to take the steroids pills, I did have to have some steroid in my premeds during infusion. Only 10mg though. That made a difference because my blood sugar was normal today.
I walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes when I got home from infusion, to add to the hour I did before. It feels like it helps. Maybe it's just provides me with some illusion of control. Whatever, I'll do it as long as I'm able.
Good day everyone!
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dmjmom- sound like a long day for you. After 4 hours infusion how can you find energy to do 30 minutes walks. You Re Wonder Woman.
DodgersGirl- good luck on your surgery. Believe me if you compared surgery to chemo , surgery is a walk in the park.
Teese - I don't use the tree oil because I don't like the smell so do you put them on your nails
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Question:
I wonder anyone of you still wake up middle of the night by hunger? I have been eating crackers middle of the night I feel kind of strange. 🤦🏻♀️
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paulettek- thanks. I sure hope surgery is easier than 20 weeks of chemo!!!
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Paulette. Yes I have to eat crackers the first several nights. Sometimes because I'm hungry and I know if I don't then my tummy gets sick. Other times it's already sickish and they help settle it. I'm sure I'll never enjoy another cracker after this.
I'm supposed to put the tree oil on my nails but I'm not sure how to apply. Says don't apply directly to skin.
Dmjmom - I agree, your Wonder Woman!!!!
Dodgersgirl - that's convenient having a car without airbags.
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Teese: You can apply it directly to fingernails. If you get any skin irritation, you can put a few drops in your lotion, or dilute it with coconut oil. Hope this helps!
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Paulette and Tesse, I'm definitely not Wonder Woman, but thank you! I am just so grateful that I can walk on the treadmill. For a long time I couldn't due to pain from arthritis and some other orthopedic issues. I don't know why, but I've been able to walk for an hour with very little to no pain ever since about two weeks after my breast surgery. I've been trying to figure out why, and I think I have a clue. I read about symptoms of too much iron in your blood (including joint pain) and went back to read the report from an extensive blood test I had in January. My serum ferritin was twice what is should have been. Maybe the bit of blood loss during my surgery, and all the tubes that have been taken since then, have brought my iron level down to a healthier level. But, whatever the reason, I'm just feel so lucky to be able to walk.
I'm feeling good today, tired, but good.
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Teese - I'm sick of crackers already, last night I woke up and went to the kitchen for a hard boiled egg. I have done with tree oil was using a Q tip to dip some water then some tree oil on my skin. So dilute the tree oil won't be too strong.
Dmjmom - glad you got the energy and walking is good for us!
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I get Hollywood beauty tea tree oil, which is already diluted, and put directly on my nails. It's usually in the African-American hair care section of the drug store. That said, I got something else for my cuticles today because the tea tree oil isn't totally doing the trick. I got sally Hansen cuticle gel, but haven't used it yet.
I keep Saltines next to my bed, as I tend to feel nauseous when I first wake up. But that's usually not until morning.
Second infusion yesterday, walked four miles the day before, two miles in the evening yesterday, and about two more today. I have energy from the steroids, but have to watch carefully where I put my feet-a little clumsy! So far only side effects are a little heartburn and watery eyes. My sense of taste just started to dull at lunchtime, but it still tasted good.
My mouth sores are almost totally gone and stopped hurting days ago. I think the steroids help with the healing.
Take care, everyone!
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Leatherette- did you take Ativan before you go to bed? From what I known Ativan helps nauseous. I have the same problem with taste, after chemo my taste buds will change for good 9 to 10 days before it gets better.
Will have my 3rd round tomorrow, wish me luck!
Have a good evening all the ladies
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Interesting I use to wake up feeling very nauseous every night for the first two infusions. When I mentioned it to the MO she gave me a prescription ant-acid called Pantaloc which has worked wonders. Take it once a day in the morning. No more waking up. No more indigestion, nor more burping, hiccups. Still passing gas some days but that's from too much fiber. For the first two infusions I was taking OTC Zantac but I didn't take it consistently. My MO said you need to take it every day and not just when you have the indigestion.
I did buy some Arrowroot cookies. If it works for babies then ...
The other thing I got was some Le Digestif tea from Davids. Not sure if you have it in the US but it has ginger, peppermint and fennel in a green tea. Helps calm things down considerably.
Ah, the things we have to do to make it through!
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