Starting Chemo in November 2017
Comments
-
I think I was posting about the same time and missed a few ladies!
Magari - That’s great round 2 isn’t causing any trouble yet. You just never know what these drugs will do or whether they change the side effects. As I said before, it confuses our bods.
Nanohope - I sort of take a doctors words with a grain of salt. I could end up with bone cancer, because when this is over, I ha e a 10% chance of recurrence. Cancer is like playing Russian Roulette!
Meowmmy65 - You do not have a big head and you are cute in that hat! Great photo!
Hope99 - I hope you are out of the woods with the annoying side effects. It does get better - you’ll do fine!
Rljes - get better quick! I usually try to find the movie stations and go from there - even though I’ve seen them a hundred times.
I need to start drinking more water I suppose - not very good at drinking so much, makes me feel bloated. It’s also a bit boring when you’re not thirsty.
0 -
Chemo #2/ Day 4 (Actual cumulative Day 25)
My hair that was shaved is officially falling out. I was rubbing cream on my head with a white soft cloth and it was covered in bristle hairs. Maybe I won't need to go to the Barber shop after all. I'm really ok with this. You all know how much I want that Baby Butt Head!
0 -
rljes- I actually used shaving cream and my leg razor for my smooth baby butt head. I think any real barber can do it for you if you don’t want to do it yourself.
Netflix suggestions, I’ve been watching The Ranch, season four just came out so I am trying to finish 3. Call the midwife is good if you’re into that.
Tina
0 -
On Netflix, Frankie and Grace is hilarious. My default show is Star Trek. I know the episodes backwards and forwards, so it's easy to put that on while doing other things. The Great British Bake-off and Masterclasses are really good, too.
0 -
Thanks Meow and Tina!
0 -
Last good day if my post infusion follows the same course. Hoping to work until 1, supposed to have a Christmas party at 230, then veg till I go back to work Tuesday. I am down another 4 lbs and I’ve been eating like crazy, I can’t believe that was all water weight. I did do a ton of walking yesterday to finish Christmas shopping. Hope everyone has an amazing day!!!
0 -
Up early on Day 2 post 2nd treatment. Was fine until around dinner time last night my stomach began to cramp for a while. Didn’t have diarrhea, but it went away after I tried to go. I took my last muscle relaxer pill and a Zofran tablet when I went to bed. I was on Netflix looking at the programs and saw one of my favorite English shows called Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries that I watched on our local tv arts station in the past. Rljes- just another suggestion. I love Miss Fisher’s costumes and soft under the tongue humor. Takes place in 1920s. Watched an episode while the neighbors next door that have the star lights blinking through my window, had a group of people in very good spirit singing to oldie goldies very loud under their backyard rotunda, so I couldn’t fall asleep. Eventually they toned down, but I slept maybe an hour and woke up to returning stomach cramps at 1:3. This time I had to go, again part diarrhea, but my cramps kept up. I didn’t want to take Imodium, but instead gobbled a tablespoon of pepto bismo. That worked, but didn’t fall asleep right away. Now I’m up at 6:00 not feeling sleepy, but probably will later.
I was surprised I would have stomach cramps so soon. The weird thing was my back wasn’t bothering me as much after I got home. I can tell, even this morning, that the pain is still there, but no spasms like the last two weeks in bed as I moved. Maybe my OM put something antiflammatory in my cocktail, or a steroid. As far as I know they give me just an injection of anti nausea and then the two chemo drugs. Now that the muscle relaxers are gone I will try ibuprofen 3 times a day.
So, I’m drinking coffee and icing back - Coffee might upset the system, but I plan to eat and drink normally today with extra water. Not planning to go anywhere except possibly a short walk - provided my tummy behaves itself.
Looking forward to hearing your reports - hoping good ones, but I think it helps to add the bad ones so everyone gets an idea what these drugs do to our bodies.
0 -
Day 3 post infusion.At work, very fatigued and a little tummy rumbling but that’s about it. Ate a good protein full lunch and hopefully I will perk up a bit. Doesn’t look like I’m getting the early day. Probably 4 more hours but it’s OT, so it’s all good.
Tina
0 -
Chemo #2/ Day #5
Hi Blair - Yes, that's exactly what I have had the first 4 days - cramping, semi diarrhea, and I too didn't want to take Imodium - I would rather be going than the BIG C. But day #5 and its all settling down. Took Maralax yesterday. I'm going to keep the flow going. Just really-really tired, and hard to take a deep breath. I'll try the Pepto next time I get cramps. Sounds like you have an active community. Sometimes I miss that. I live out in the country. Sometimes I wish I had a big front porch and could watch the world go by. Other times I really enjoy the privacy and watch the deer in my back yard. Thx for the suggestion On Netflix - A lot of good ideas!
I have discovered some lumps under my tri-ceps - lymp node side. Size of dimes - hard. I havn't been doing my stretching or massaging, so missed it - last night was massaging and felt like horrible cellulite. Yuck. Anything to be concerned about? Probably just needs to be rubbed out.
Hope everyone has a safe and stress free Christmas and Holidays.
0 -
Hope everyone is feeling somewhat okay and will make it through the next couple of days without difficulty. I'm still feeling great after my Taxol on Thursday. Just hope I can continue with no side effects.
rljes...love the picture...I take it that's "you" on top of the dog house...LOL
Blair...I will check out Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries....I love British TV.
Finished up my last minute shopping this morning. Need to wrap a few more gifts, then on to making appetizers for tomorrow night at my daughter's.
Enjoy the holiday!!
Hope
0 -
Mom4 - your amazing - going to work and fatigue. You Go Girl!
0 -
Rljes- next two days off and I think I’m going to need it. Definitely over did it today. But it had to be done. Christmas shopping and wrapping is done, now just have to grab food but I know I don’t want to deal with crowds tomorrow. I should go at like 5 am.
0 -
hi ladies
checking in. i love reading your posts
infusion went well. dose 7 of 12 DONE! it’s fatigue day for me and busted taste buds and muscle pain and bone pain. BUT! i was able to watch star wars at the cinema yesterday with my brothers. less than 30 people for a cinema that holds maybe 100. and was able to eat so much stuff before my taste buds have taken a vacation this week.
so i will be back to weird food and tons of water today and maybe a little bit tomorrow. but i promised to make food for christmas. i get to boss my brothers around (haha) and hopefully the food won’t taste weird. 😜
In general i watch the following: big bang theory, how i met your mother, friends, gilmore girls, brooklyn nine-nine, shark tank, fresh off the boat. these are tv series where i can just show a random episode and still laugh.
i’ve been told the new show written by Amy Sherman Palladino (gilmore girls and bunheads) is really good. The wonderful Ms. Paisel? So i’m considering subscribing to Amazon Prime Video to watch that because i love how she writes.
I busted out the Little Prince from my bookshelf. it’s a book that as brought me comfort the past 15 years and Jerry Spinelli’s Star Girl. i remember reading that until 4am and crying haha! but also reading other things. Timur Vermes’ Look Who’s Back is funny but needs historical context and a bit of knowledge on what modern day Germany is.
I hope you ladies have a wonderful weekend and a wonderful holiday! hugs and strength to you all!
0 -
Well I’ll chime in the goodnight to all here. My day was pretty normal - no more stomach cramps, but timing all these pills was a bit of a challenge. I ate quite a bit of food today, thinking it’s going to catch up with me and cause more trouble. Compared to the first treatment, then I ate small portions just because I was skeptical of getting nauseated. I don’t think that will be a problem and I’m stretching those every 6 hours.
Rljes- I’d rather live out in a country community because you see the deer and lots of wild animals. My sister and her husband have a country type home where the deer come into their backyard. They purposely kept the grounds natural. They live under a lot of pine trees - so peaceful. Where I live, my backyard faces west. I’m on a hill looking over a baby orange grove, but I have the whole western sky to watch the beautiful FL sunsets. I see the stars and moon changes at each season, the ISS floats overhead many times, so it has some advantages. Because of the grove, I see hawks, owls, sometimes turtles, possums, raccoons and sometimes sand cranes which are neat to listen to their chirps or shrieks. It still isn’t the country though.
Nonahope, Mom4gma3, Mkn86 - you all sound so busy with work, shopping, cooking, movie watching, and wrapping for holidays. I don’t know how you have so much energy when you have these chemo drugs floating inside! I never hardly go anywhere for fear I’ll have to run to a bathroom by surprise! Can’t trust my body I guess. Plus, I’m still trying to get use to being seen in a scarf or wig. I just feel so weird.
Since tomorrow is Christmas Eve, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and hope everyones holidays celebrated have been good despite what we are struggling with. Next year should be better since it will end our chemo hassles eventually. Goodnight
0 -
Good morning...
Happy Christmas Eve! I'm feeling a little achy this morning, but don't know if it's from the Taxol last Thursday or my running around and cooking yesterday. It's not bad and an Advil will be my drug of choice today.
Mom4gma3....Are you out and about this morning? Hope the crowds aren't too bad.
mkn...Bummer that your bad days are on this holiday weekend. Enjoy as much as possible.
Blair...It's not that I have a lot of energy...I just force myself to do things. Fortunately, I haven't had the bathroom issues. I have been drinking a pro-biotic drink every morning...either Tropicana Pro-biotic or Kefir. Maybe, that is keeping things "in control". I know how you feel trying to get used to being seen in a scarf or wig. I'm never seen in a scarf when I'm out and about....I just slap on a wig...easy peasy.
Well...have a great day, ladies...and enjoy the holiday if you are celebrating.
Hope
0 -
nonahope- went out really early to get the brisket and some fixings for fettuccine Alfredo, so I beat the crowds. May even make some midnight margaritas tonight. I haven’t had alcohol since all this started. Gotta love Christmas in Florida. Relaxing on the patio by the pool watching Christmas movies on Netflix.
So far I am very happy with my new steroid regimen, dropped down to 1/2 pill twice a day today, will do the same tomorrow on Tuesday and that should get me over the hump of feeling fatigued. No big C or D this time around but I’m not sitting around either that may be helping some. I was exhausted by the time I got done last night, fell asleep at 830 but I was up at 4. Food and drinks taste like crap but I know that will disappear in week or so.
Blair2- I have been using scarfs and crocheted caps, I am not bothering with a wig, it would be too hot and uncomfortable, luckily I have a Santa hat too that has come in handy running around this weekend. Lol. I get into my car and take the hat off because it does get hot, love the breeze through my naked head, but I wonder if people look when they don’t know you can see them looking. If I was a tanned up there I might get ballsy and just go naked everywhere. I’m all about the comfort. Maybe get some head decals like the movie ConeHeads!! Lol. I’m not that brave though.
Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!!
Tina.
0 -
Just want to say I'm so impressed by the women out there who are just a few days post infusion and are working, shopping, cooking and preparing for Christmas. I wish I had their energy.
Happy Holidays everyone!
0 -
Glad everyone seems to be doing a little better right now! Taking a probiotic is a good idea. I think I'll do that, too.
I'm also working full time while doing this. I have two classes left for my masters degree in higher education, and am supposed to take one January thru March, and the other March thru May. I can postpone, but I want to get them done. Waiting to decide closer to the semester beginning. Not sure if I will be able to do it all, but I hate the idea of waiting. I'm stubborn. I'm even taking a laptop to my next infusion (Thursday) so that I can work remotely, and not take another day off. Trying to save my days for when I really feel crappy. My first infusion was completely uneventful, so I'm counting on getting through this one without any issues as well. It helps that the cancer center where I am getting my treatment is part of the healthcare system that I work for. I can log right into the system from my chemo bay.
Today, the shedding is so much that I'm wearing a beanie while baking cookies. Gotta keep the hair out of the dough. It's crazy!
About the food tasting weird... anybody having issues with saltiness? I had buttered toast, and the salted butter was too salty. Seriously! I've never even tasted the salt in the butter before. This is absolutely bizarre. I don't trust my taste buds anymore, and am making my daughters taste test everything for the holidays to make sure I get the seasoning right.
Haven't seen the new Star Wars yet. How was it?
Mom4gma3 - If my surgeries had happened on schedule, I would have started chemo in October. I was planning to dress as Professor Quirrell (Harry Potter) for Halloween. Gotta laugh about this, right?
0 -
Chemo #2/ Day #6
mkn - I am a member of Amazon prime and will look for 'The wonderful Ms. Paisel' - I loved Gilmour girls - watched every episode including the 4 seasons on Netflix. 7/12 infusions done for you! CHeck! Over half way there! Yes, Fatigue is overwhelming for me this time around. And I even stretched the steroids a few days longer. Didn't help. Getting a little harder to eat - Being careful of mouthsores. Thankgoodness I still have Magic Mouthwash Left to use if it gets out of control.
I am in control of my bathroom issues. Yeah Me! My brother dropped by this morning, and I wasn't wearing my beanie. SHOCK-u-RU. Maybe he will believe me now. (he kept insisting that my hair wouldn't fall out) I usually worked during Christmas and Thanksgiving, and didn't go home for the holidays - so this is no big deal for me. But I would would work for others who had kids so they could spend the time with their familys.
(My new Washer was delivered today - It sounds like its going to take off like a rocket - must be doing a good job - I shall See!)
Tina I like the Idea of going naked head! Maybe a tasteful Temp tattoo of a pretty baby blue butterfly- or an ornament bracelet around my head. Hummmm. this spring I could really go for it.
Meow- I asked my MO about a Probiotic and he said absolutely NO. Don't know why. So I took it back to CVS. Too Funny Photo! I'm rubbing my head with heavy hand cream with a soft cloth and my bristles are falling out like crazy. Any day I'll be butt baby bald.
I've always had issues with salt. I can taste salt a mile away. So its really bothering me with the baking soda/salt mixture. Chocolate doesn't taste good. Nothing really tastes good. But that doesn't stop me from trying to find something yummy. Had a pizza yesterday and that was disgusting. I used to be addicted to Seltzer water ( no Salt) and now its thick and disgusting as well. Back to water.
Its snowing - Yeah! Okay - My new washer is making silly chiming noises - guess I'll have to breakdown and read the manual to figure out how to put an end to that!
0 -
Meowmmy love the professor Quirrell, I’m a Harry Potter junkie!! Salt is a major issue for me, I have to have everyone taste what I cook now too because I usually do all the cooking and I can’t trust myself.
New Star Wars was awesome! Still left us hanging again, now two more years to wait for the next one!! Grr!!
Tina.
0 -
No probiotic? That's interesting. I will ask my MO Thursday, before I take any. He gave me a standing order for diflucan to begin the day of infusion each time now, since I had that bad yeast infection. I was hoping a probiotic would help keep things in balance. Oh well. Better check before I try it.
I think it's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Prime - not Paisel. I have Prime, too. Haven't watched it yet, but have heard good things. If you like musicals, my favorite Christmas movie of all time is available free on Prime right now: Scrooge with Albert Finney, made in 1970. It's the best version of Scrooge I've ever seen. Catchy music, too!
Okay - I'm off to get some baking done. Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday - with minimal side effects - and a little extra energy!
0 -
i knew there was alliteration somewhere. it’s Amy Sherman Palladino after all.
Meowmmy is correct. The show’s called The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Taste buds still on holiday. what a way to celebrate christmas huh? oh well!
Happy Holidays everyone!
0 -
mkn86- the taste bud thing really has gotten to be a downer this year. Mostly it’s drinks for me. Only water and coffee tastes good. I really pigged out yesterday, but no midnight margaritas because they just tasted awful. Have to save what’s left for when my taste is back.
Hope everyone is having a great holiday! So far still no SE’s this go around except a little fatigue but it’s really not bad at all. Still regular in the bathroom department so hoping that holds since it’s back to work tomorrow. Last day of my new steroid regimen today so no more tomorrow. We will see if the energy goes with the steroids.
Tina.
0 -
hello ladies, hope you will be fine. this is day #14 after first chemo cycle, I feel too much headache, I'm really worry and that's why I'm written here in this difficult time. may I'll get quick respond related to my question. is that normal? I feel my body is hot also, by using untouchable measurment I found it 38 degrees. no idea what should I do now...
0 -
Hi, hope99. I was told if temperature is above 38 degrees I should go to emergency department in a hospital. I was given a card stating that I was on chemo. By showing this card at ER, I would get attended immediately. Take care.
0 -
Hope99... Please call your doctor. They will have someone on call 24/7. My oncologist stressed calling them with a fever, because we are highly susceptible to infection.
My head started hurting around day 10, but it was more of a soreness, because the hair follicles are inflamed. My hair started falling out on day 14, and it is still very sore. Today is day 18.
0 -
Hope99 I agree with the others; there is nothing wrong with calling your Dr. Oncology practices have medical personnel on staff for just this sort of circumstance. Take care.
0 -
Good evening...
Hope99...By all means, call your doctor or go to the ER. Keep us posted.
Hoping everyone who celebrates had a wonderful Christmas! I am just winding down from yesterday's festivities and today. Got my jammies on and will just relax the rest of the evening.
Curios on the probiotics. I'm not taking pro-biotic tablets...just drinking the juices. The Kefir was recommended by my onco. I know many who take the tablets, per recommendation, but I have no intention of taking those.
Off to the sofa!
Hope
0 -
thanks ladies for responds, my temperature now is around 37.5 degree, but I feel pain in my throat and ear, and pain in one side on tonsils . I've no idea if its acceptable or not. I am afraid this pain will develope high temperature and infection today!
headache almost gone, still a little feeling now.
0 -
Hi Ladies,
I was really out of it yesterday for my Day 4, second treatment. Sunday afternoon I could tell I was getting that fluish feeling, but yesterday was the worst. I couldn't even try and force myself to eat anything, whereas during my first round I could eat small meals. All I did yesterday was sleep off and on. Then, I got tired of taking pills every 4 hours, that last night I gave up both the anti nausea and ibuprofen. Only took my heart drugs. Just too much stuff to take on empty stomach! My back is more flexible since starting the ibuprofen, but the pain is somewhat still evident. Woke up early this morning and I think I'll feel more normal. It must be my age that causes me to have more side effects. Not sure, and I'm on a mild regimen - ???
Anyway, hope everyone had a fun holiday.
Hope99 - as everyone has said, when in doubt of your side effects, especially the temperature, call your OM. I know mine gets all records of my calls through the emergency phone number, or off hours call number. Your OM can keep better track of your problems that way, so don't be afraid to call them even if you think it's nothing to worry about. Better to be safe than sorry.
My hair bristles are poking my head at night. I have to wear a beanie to soften the touch against my pillow. Now I see why you girls prefer the baby butt smoothness!
Oh - I was told I could take probiotics, but I think it depends on the perticular chemodrugs maybe. I haven't done so, but it was a question I asked my OM a while back.
0
