Chemo starting October 2017
Comments
-
Day 8 after round 2 of TC and here's the queasiness. I've been avoiding it thus far. Just boo.
I love seeing all the reports of shrinking tumors! May every cancer cell die!
0 -
Saw my surgeon yesterday. Says my mast looks PERFECT! No need to reexcise. Talked about prophylactic surgery for the other one and he said he would coordinate with my OB and do it at the same time as my hysterectomy.
Went out to Dallas Smith Concert last night. And other than being freezing, I seem to get cold easily now, it was a great night.
I’ll take this good day all the way to the back.
Feel good all,
Sara
0 -
Paulette - Are you the one that did the gloves and socks and posted the link? Or do you just do baggies of ice? I'm trying to decide what will be best for when I start Taxol.
0 -
hi everyone, Ive just been catching up. I was in hospital for 6 days with febrile neutropenia. Day 12 blood test showed neuts of 0 and despite increasing my mouth care and very strict with food one of my mouth ulcers flared up. Fatigue was impressive, would read 2 forum posts and put it down. On discharge I did get to go to part of my youngest sons high school graduation dinner. We sat with a family that I haven't i seen for a while & they had no idea I had a wig on. Chemos delayed a week and not back to work until after next chemo. I'll get neulasta next tmts.
dry, cracked and blood stained nose,I found nozoil : a sesame oil drops better than saline spray
Hikerva, the antinausea drugs cause constipation so my doc advised start coloxyl and senna the day before chemo and next 2 days . Then stop as the diarrhoea can start after that which is caused by chemo and also if immune cells drop right down.
Lisa, re hubbies "you'll be fine" reassurance is fine when you have a cold but it doesn't help when you know that all that happens one cycle can happen again or we just might get a whole new set of issues. Sometimes we just keep our heads above water emotionally because we really hope we'll be fine but there's no guarantees. I get a lot of support just reading everyone's posts and advice. ope everyone has a good ( or good enough) weekend!
0 -
JadeShiva, I'm so sorry for the nausea. Hope it doesn't last long and that you can stay on top of it.
Sara aka Joyseeker, what wonderful news. Hope your weekend continues to be great.
Binniebin, Wow. Neulasta has been a godsend for a lot of us so that we can avoid infections. I'm glad you'll be getting it from now on. Hoping that all your troublesome SEs clear up soon.
I'm heading to our lake house this weekend. The high is supposed to be 35F, so I guess winter has officially reared its head. I look forward to sitting in front of the fire and snuggling with my husband. Wishing everyone a fantastic, SE-free weekend.
0 -
Petey- I use ice sock which I got from amazon, for hands I just use frozen peas. I put a pair think nylon gloves so won burn my hands. I didn’t lose any nails. Touch on wood.
0 -
Well this looks like my weekend. I have a slight cold as of now (cough, runny nose) but my daughter is in full fledge cold mode. Trying to stay away and let husband take care of her as much as possible. Spraying Lysol, washing hands frequently and doing the best I can.
0 -
Jennifer - tough to have a sick daughter, hopefully she gets better fast.
0 -
Hemriods? Ugh. Stool is moving along but my bottom is so sore 😢I’ve never had them before remedied??
Jen, sorry about your sick kiddo. Hang in there
0 -
Joy do you drink enough water? Did you take stool softer?
0 -
Paulette. I started on a stool softener. Bumping up my water intake today. Chemo makes everything so sensitive
0 -
Yes they do, you might need to take Miralax if you are constipated.
0 -
Sara - I've been taking Miralax in the morning and a Senekot in the evening and making sure to drink at least 72 ounces of water, then I have some other liquids like tea. I still have developed one small hemorrhoid. I've haven't resorted to anything yet, but I know you can get Preparation H and sometimes soaking in a tub with epsom salt. good luck!
0 -
Jennifer.. Hope your little one feeling better soon. I've got those surgical masks too. My little girl got chickenpox day of my 3rd infusion....I had to avoid her for 10 days. Week after 4th AC she got a chest infection. Easier than chickenpox, my husband took over night time care. Its so hard when they are sick. Mother instincts vs need to avoid germs. Hope she's feeling better soon
Prune juice or hot water and lemon juice good for constipation. I suffered horribly during pregnancy and suspect I'll have to get some preparation H in again.
0 -
Just got my last AC on thurs and have a bonus week off for Thanksgiving!! This was an awesome surprise. My last chemo was horrible and never really recovered totally by week two. I was so afraid of getting chemo when I felt so weak to start. MO cut the dose down a little and I seem to be doing fine.
After Thanksgiving I start my Taxol. Just wondering about pre meds for nausea, do you still take them for Taxol?
0 -
So sorry that you are sick Jennifer 522. I have been sick all week with a terrible cough and congestion. After about 6 days with my cough getting worse my MO had me go in for a chest X-ray. Everything was fine and they gave me antibiotics. Boy he made me nervous how concerned he was. I'm glad he is looking out for me though!
0 -
Hi ALL - Winnie - I just read your post about vacuuming your head - I was walking my dog yesterday, and was thinking since I vacuum my dog, I'll do the same when mine starts falling out - Oh Great Minds Think Alike!
I get my port in Tuesday. No turning back now.0 -
DKK, yes they still give you zofran for premed on taxol, it I found nausea is not a big problem in taxol, joints pain, Neuropathy, dry sinus, mild constipation, fatigue and rashes are the common side effects. Some of swallows feet.
Jennifer so sorry that you have sick kids while you are having chemo. Such a tough life.
0 -
Hi everyone! Lots of SEs here. AC is tough and rough, but we have to huff and puff through it.
rljess- I can see your IDC was ER+/PR+. Then 1/7 nodes, HER2 +. Does it mean your affected node was HER2+?
Binniebin- G'day! Whoa! That was a scary start of your chemo journey. My day ten blood test after AC#1 showed neutrophils at 0.6, then 0.9 before AC#2. My MO prescribed me nuelasta for the next 3 AC. I went through AC without any delay. But my neutrophils stayed very low during taxol, resulting a few delays. My MO finally called it quits after my taxol#7. I wonder if I would be able to hang in there a bit longer had they given me nuelasta with my first AC. Go easy with your work.
PauletTeK- Done with chemo! Hope you feeling better.
0 -
Beauz - AC can be tough, usually my bad days were day 4 to 6 or 7, these days I can pretty much shut down, sometime I just slept on the lazy boy and drunk ensure smoothies. Will try to take small short walks that help out a lot. The first two AC actually not bad, the last two kicked butts.
0 -
Chiming in, hope to help some of you with the hemorrhoid issue. Take a facecloth, lay it flat. Put an ice cube of chunk of ice in the center. Bring up all 4 corners & twist, Ball up the ice cube. Wet the ice cube so it is just damp & sprinkle it with salt. Now lay on your side & jam it against your hemorrhoid. Leave on as long as you can 2-3 times a day. The ice takes down the swelling & numbs the pain while the salt dries up the roid. Gone in no time. Hope this helps. This tip is from my Dr & I have done it many times. So much quicker than prep H. Please try it.
0 -
Thank you! I’ve been Epsom salts soaking and it’s really helping. I will alternate with your treatment and hopefully suffer no more!
0 -
I started chemo end of September. I am excited to be part of group going through the same thing. I have a TN Stage 2A and have finished 4 dense dose AC and starting 4 dense dose Taxol. Does anyone have any advice regarding taxol? I have heard I should put my hands in ice water? This whole thing is very scary and I'm looking forward to connecting with people. Thank you.
0 -
PauletteK, you mentioned that the last two AC treatments were different than the first two. In what way(s)? I have AC#3 tomorrow, and I've been wondering if I should expect the typical two week regimen as it has been going for AC#1 & 2, or if it might be worse?
A4ggy, thanks so much for your post. I'm both glad you're here and sorry you have to be here, if that makes sense. You will find wonderful women here to support you and walk you through your chemo experience. I wanted to ask you how your AC treatments went as you went from 1-4. I, too, am on dose dense AC and have two left to go. Wondering if each group of two weeks is different from the previous.
My first AC treatment was ok; day 3 was super fatigue day where I just wanted to be in bed all day.. taking a bath, holding the phone with my hand, doing normal everyday things - all of that was so super tiring. Then Thursday it wasn't as bad, and then I got better with each day until about Monday of week #2, where I felt somewhat like myself again. I didn't include all the side effects I had, like severe constipation (now I know to use Senekot-S since Colace wasn't helping as much as I wanted it to), headaches, jawaches, hot/cold flashes, nausea, heart beating fast with steroids, insomnia.. man, AC is rough! My second dose dense AC treatment was a little worse in that I did NOT feel like myself mentally on Thursday (confusion, etc.) and it truly scared me. I talked with a nurse who said if I took Lorazepam, it would help me with my mood, since all the chemo and drugs (steroids) are affecting my hormones greatly. I originally didn't want to take Lorazepam because I was so fatigued and didn't feel it wise to take something that would calm me because I thought I would be too drowsy. I have had some anxiety with this, as if you can't tell. I was also taking compazine instead of zofran, and the compazine made me fatigued as well. So Zofran this week (after the 48 hours) for sure. I also go the nurse to allow me to not take steroids on day 4. I wish I didn't have to take them at home at all. I have been with you all on your journey but have not commented much, having had so much anxiety and tears. Oh, I had to go off Lexapro (which I went on when I was diagnosed) because of a bad interaction that Lexapro has with Zofran. It's crazy how much better I feel on Tuesday of week #2 with each treatment. I hope that's still the case with #3 and #4. If not, well, I've been praying a lot lately and God has given me a lot of peace and hope in the midst of this crazy crap we're dealing with.
Has anyone found out if it's safe to use aromatherapy (like diffusing essential oils) or things like JuicePlus? If you research the use of these things while undergoing chemotherapy, there are mixed opinions/facts. Some studies say they change the efficacy of the chemo treatment and other sites say they help boost survival rates, etc. I plan to ask my oncologist on Monday before my treatment.
0 -
I found AC treatments to be bearable, but I am attributing it to acupuncture. I have been consistently going to acupuncture 2x a week since before I started treatments. I don't know what treatments would be like without it and wouldn't try at this point. A friend had recommended that it helped her so much during treatment that I had to try. So AC 3& 4 went fine! I may have been a little more tired, but overall was still able to be up and doing things for my kids. I even took some walks. I did need to go to bed early, ,so luckily my parents were able to come over and help with the kids. They go to bed later than me now and my husband was traveling this past week.
0 -
A4ggy....I'm on DD taxol. Had first infusion wed. Not as much nausea as AC but I had terrible bone pain yesterday. Apart from that I found first dose easier. The bone pain was rough though, first time since I started treatment I just had to stay in bed!
Seemaryrock.....I had dd AC. I had my first dose in august. Second dose was 5 weeks later as a result of a wound infection. As such I only really had 3 doses of AC on a two weekly basis. I found by my final AC it was taking longer to bounce back. I think its just the cumulative effect of the drug building up on our systems. No new side effects, it just took longer for energy levels to recover.
As for aromatherapy, I think some oils are safe. I know they advise against certain herbs, vitamins in high doses. Eg vit c. I read that high doses of antioxidants can impact on effectiveness of the chemo. There's a good forum on complementary therapies here. I have had some reflexology and would love to try more. Apart from that I haven't used much other than having fresh green juices / smoothies on my good days. Green veg in particular kale, cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts contain folate which helps in WBC production. I try get some in on days leading up to next infusion.
0 -
Hello, ladies. Hope you are having a restful, healing Sunday.
Jennifer - It must be so hard to with your little one not feeling well. PLEASE do your best not to catch a bad cold, though. I ended up with a head cold / cough that lingered and lingered. My MO sent me to Sloan's urgent care center for blood tests and cultures. They told me pneumonia is a concern on chemo. Luckily it was nothing too serious and I was sent home with antibiotics.
BInniebon - I hope that the Neulasta helps. It's horrible you were in the hospital for that long. Glad you made some of the graduation dinner. I bet it meant a lot to him!
Is anyone else having feet issues on AC? After my 3rd AC the soles of my feet are really sore, like I'd been walking on hot sand. I've heard there could be foot problems on Taxol but wasn't expecting it with AC. I got the iced booties that Paulette recommended. I'll use them for my last AC and hope that helps. I hope this isn't a sign it will be bad on Taxol. It's pretty uncomfortable.
0 -
AgathaNYC - I too have notice a nerve pain in the ball of my right foot and the tips of two toes. Kind of a stinging pain that started on round 3 of AC. I have been icing fet and hands also. The pain gradually fades away after a few days but I when I step out of bed in the mourning it is the worst.
70changer thanks for the hemroid tip. This has been another problem for me. I will give it a try. I am trying to find a balance between constipation and the bid D when I take Collace.
Thanks for all the tips and support.
0 -
Hello ladies. I'm checking in on a lazy Sunday evening. I spent the entire weekend being a slug and eating less than ideally. Friends came out to our lake house and we watched football, enjoyed fires, fished and played cards. It was so nice to forget about life for a while. Other than acid reflux and tiredness, I'm doing really well with the SEs of AC (I've completed 3). I do have occasional pains in various body parts, but nothing horrendous. I suffered from a really bad sore throat on Saturday night, and was considering heading to Urgent Care, but it was an hour away. So I tried a bunch of homeopathic remedies (salt water gargle, tea, shot of tequila) before resorting to two forbidden Tylenols. Well, that did it, and I was able to sleep. Today it feels much better. (I'm wondering if the sore throat is an indirect SE because of the continuous nasal drippage I've experienced since a lot of my nose hairs abandoned the mother ship.)
I'll be having my final AC in 3 days. I cannot wait to pee out the last of the Red Devil! However, I'm very grateful to it because I cannot find my tumor anymore! So way to kick ass, Red Devil & your sidekick, Chuck (Norris)!
Tomorrow, back to eating healthy again! And exercising!
0 -
Hi All -
Hi beauz - I was diagnosed HER2+ after the 4th test - (the first 3 came back inconclusive) HER2+ is a gene that prevents chemo treatments from being effective. (that's the way it was explained to me) Therefore I have to take Herceptin to "unlock" the genes to allow my chemo to do its job - Who new Cancer would be so complicated? It was imperative for me to find out if I was neg or pos because if I was neg, I wouldn't have to have a year of Herceptin. The were wanting to have me take Herceptin 'just in case' I was positive, Nuh -UH! During my surgery they tested again, (nothing to do with the nodes - I don't think).LisaRx - your so funny.. and 70charger - I thought you were going to say something else when you got to the part to shove it
for the hemorrhoid cure!0
