Starting Chemo in November 2017
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Hi Everyone -
Looking for : TimesLikeThese & Trdew :(Since I am same regiment as you two are HER2+/Carboplatin, Taxotere & Herceptin) How are you getting along? I would really like to hear from you both, havn't heard from you two for awhile.
Thanks everyone for posting - reminders and words of courage. Hope you feel better Stage2ire
and thanks for getting back to my questions - Orangedaisy - I have to have a port (Not looking forward to this!) but I have to have infusions every 3 weeks for a Year.Take care !
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I am starting chemo Nov. 14th. I am freaking out about this being the only option for my long term survival! Anyone else having these concerns? No one really can answer all of my questions with exact answers. My 6 babies are my life and I am only 33 and I feel like I am drowning here. Sorry for the downer message just need a vote of confidence this is the right path.
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hi maggieanne, I'm not sure what your diagnoses is but if your MO recommends chemo its because they believe its the best course of action. I have 2 kids (4.5 and 22 months) and I'm terrified of not being here to see them grow up. I've completed my 5th dose of chemo and we've had ups and downs, delays etc along the way. I just keep telling myself that if it comes back I'll know I did as much as I could to keep it at bay. Its not easy, with 6 kids it will be a challenge but you can do this. Do you have good support on hand?
It drives me insane too, the uncertainty, putting myself through this and still having no guarantees. But it can be done, you can do it. And you'll have loads of support and people routing for you here x
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Maggie - how old are your 6 kids? You need good supports while you have chemo and taking care of them. BC sucks and we have to deal with it one day at a time.
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Maggie....I too am starting chemo Nov 14th. I will start with 4 DD A/C. I am super nervous. I had horrible morning sickness and was told if you had morning sickness chemo will cause awful nausea. My doctor won't even prescribe pain meds just incase the A/C or neulasta causes pain. He said they will prescribe something when and if I need it. All I could thing is great I get to deal with horrendous pain while I wait from a returned call and pain script. I am 32(diagnosed 6 days before my 32nd Birthday 8/28) and have 6 little ones who are my life as well. My girls are 10, 9, 6, 5, and 3 and my baby boy is 1(8/20 and I was diagnosed 8/22). I know exactly how you feel. For the first few weeks I couldn't even look at my kids without breaking down in tears, I hate the thought of leaving them without a momma. I am BRCA1 positive and have TNBC Stage 1A. I had my bilateral mastectomy 9/18. I was still nursing up until a week before my mastectomy. It sounds like you and I will be chemo buddies, we will get through this together momma. Hugs. Take a deep breath and get ready to forge ahead
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shaneswife. I had bad morning sickness when I was having my daughter and did get nausea on 1st AC. But loads of fluids, eat before infusion and take the anti nausea meds before you feel sick. I ate what I could, drank any fluid that would ho down including Powerade type drinks and I got through the last 3 doses much better. Kept it to a dull low grade yucky feeling. It was never as bad as my morning sickness as long as I took the meds. I kept telling myself I could get through morning sickness for 4 months while looking after a toddler and with no meds so I could totally take what AC had to throw at me. Oddly it helped.
Are you doing dose dense or weekly Taxol?
I was like you in the early days, every time I looked at my kids my heart broke a little at thought of not being here for them. My heart still hurts when my son asks if I'm better yet.
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Girls, I have a silly question. I read that prior to the infusions, to drink lots of fluids. Well, one 7oz drink makes me have to go in no time. Once the chemo starts, can they stop it long enough to let you pee? Worse yet, do the drugs give you stomach cramps that would make you have to go
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I am definitely trying to take it one day at a time. I keep telling myself if I could get through 6 natural child births I can get through chemo. I am a very mind over matter person so I am hoping that alone will get me through. I will be doing DD Taxol as I just want to get it done and over with. With my anxiety hearing 12 weekly taxol caused me to lose 10 pounds in 3 days. My doctor said it's a must to finish the A/C but if the Taxol becomes to much we can take it down a notch and see how that works. If I still can't do it he said we will stop. I am worried about my babies but also my husband. I overheard him telling his mom that if I go he won't be around for long after me. He never thought he would settle down and when he met me that all changes. He keeps telling his mom I saved him and he wants to be able to save me just the same
This is so hard. I met my hubby when I was 19 and was married at 20(he was 30) I planned to grow old with him and I hope and pray that God will make sure that happens. 0 -
I had naueau that felt just like morning sickness on days 3-5. Day 4 was the worst, I felt like I had the flu, on top of it. Today is day 7 and I fell fine, still tired, but pretty much I am tired most of the time from working, a long commute and two girls ages 10 and 4. My 4 year old is a red head, so I really think she counts as at least 2.5 kids
I forgot who asked about magic mouthwash, but it is a mixture of lantacain (sp? Pain reliever), mylox/mylanta and benadryl. It is used for mouth sores or thrush. My doctor called it in and the pharmacy mixed it for me, the label on the prescription says "magic mouthwash". I have heard that Biotin works, but I have not tried it.
I keep telling myself, this is all temporary...already my surgery seems so long ago. I do get really sad especially thinking about getting through the upcoming holidays.
Good luck everyone, glad we have a place to ask questions and get comfort.
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blair2, if its going in via IV you can just bring the whole lot with you to the toilet. I had my first long infusion on Wed, had to go to the toilet midway and it was grand
Shaneswife. My husband never talks about his fears. I'm 39, he's 32.its very hard. The idea of leaving them breaks my heart. But that's what drives me through the chemo. I'm a bit of a mind over matter person too and I think that's what will get me through it. And you too. It doesn't make it any less crap though does it:(
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I see Stage2ire - I thought maybe one was chained to that lounge chair, but it’s just like in the hospital chained to the IV pole. (I should have thought of that - dah - but I’m high fear of everything right now). My mind is worried over insignificant things.
Shaineswife and Erikag, and anyone else here with children- my heart is with you both having to go through this with such young kids. You could all be my babies as my daughter is 39 (didn’t want children sad to say). Motherhood is a full time job - even with one child. I hope you have nearby relatives that can help you with the kids. Maybe older kids will pitch in helping mommy by keeping their younger brothers and sisters entertained. It will be a challenge, but I hope your bad days are short. Friends with kids could help take care of them on the really tired days too.
The neighborhood I lived in many years ago had a “mother’s day out” deal where you would volunteer play hours, keeping track of balancing the hours between each other. It was nice in that you could have time for yourself with some peace and quiet. With a cancer situation- they should just volunteer some care for you hopefully.
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Erikag I have two little red heads(a 6 year old and 3 year old girl) plus 3 other girls and a boy. The little redheads are definitely 2.5 kids in one lol.
Stage2 I agree the ride over matter definitely doesn't make this any less crappy but I hope it give us a bit of an edge. My bilateral was almost 8 weeks ago. It certainly doesn't feel as if it's been that long.
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Saturday morning after chemo on Wednesday, felt some nausea. Probably because Aloxi from Wednesday IV had cleared my system, and I waited 2 hours to eat breakfast. Took a/n pill and slept/laid in the recliner for 7 hours. Made myself get up and walk 30 minutes outside and called a friend to drive me to pick up a grocery order.
Sunday morning, ate a little when I woke up at 6 am. Went back to bed for about an hour. Got up and ate oatmeal. Climbed into recliner and dozed two more hours. Ready for this morning fatigue to ease up.
May have a little hip/leg bone pain from Neulasta, but it's not unbearable. Maybe the Claratin is helping. Can't decide if I should call the triage line about the bottom of my feet hurting when not in shoes and my slightly clumsy hands. The hands thing started after the bilateral masectomy, but might be slightly worse. Seems to get better as the day goes on. The instructionsthe oncologist gave me says wear shoes
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HI, I just wanted to stop in and lend my support. Last year I was in your same shoes. This year it is all behind me. You will all do great and find that it is just a bump in your path. If you have any specific questions that I could help answer I would be a happy to. Be kind to yourself.
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Good afternoon...
I was on Ibrance/Femara for almost 5 months due to breast cancer mets to bone. A recent bone marrow biopsy, due to erratic blood levels, showed cancer cells...so, I'm off the Ibrance combo and will start chemo -- Taxol, only -- on Thursday. Would appreciate any input from any of you on this treatment. I will have weekly infusions for 3 weeks, then 1 week off. I was told the infusion would be an hour or 1/-12 hours. This will be for approximately 6 months...or, until it stops working. Thanks for any input.
Hope
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nonahope, I'm on dd taxol so get it every two weeks. Just had first infusion. Very little nausea, bone pain and fatigue my main side effects.
Lots of ladies on the august and Oct threads doing weekly taxol so might be able to give you some tips.
A lady I know has recently been diagnosed with mets. She's on the same Taxol regime to you. She said fatigue has been her main side effect, very little nausea as well.
Best of luck, and hoping you see a rapid response and are stable again quickly x
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Stage2...I presume dd stands for double dose? If so, is this by choice? My onco thinks I will have few side effects. He did suggest Claritin to help with pain "if" I have any. Thanks for your support.
Hope
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dd means dose dense. I get my infusion every 2 weeks instead of every 3 as would happen with some regimes.
From what I know I get a higher dose of taxol, but I get it every 2 weeks. To be honest I didn't question going down the weekly route as with 2 young kids I want to complete my chemo course as soon as I can. I've had a significant delay due to wound infection already so really hoping I stay on track from here on
I need to ask my MO about clarityn. Not everyone gets bone pain but I'd like to be ahead of it for next dose. Hoping you have minimal side effects
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Stage2...Well, that shows how much I know. I hope you tolerate the DD Taxol well. I certainly don't blame you for wanting to complete your treatment as soon as possible. I'm fortunate that I live alone and don't have to worry about taking care of little ones. I wish you the best of luck.The info I was given just says weekly Taxol. But, I know I get the 4th week off. My first infusion will be on Thursday, but I can skip Thanksgiving without any problem. I'm happy about that!
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theres so much terminology. Words I couldn't pronounce 5 months ago just roll off my tongue now. An education none of us wanted to receive!
There's some great ladies on different threads here who can hopefully give you more tips.
Hope all goes well for you
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shaneswife, drink as much water as possible between now and your first cycle and sfterwards. I have not been good about drinking water, and that definitely makes me feel more sick. I actually just about passed out on Thursday, due to not drinking enough eater. I know how hard it is to remember to drink lots of water, when you are a busy mom. Maybe set a timer, I need to try that as well
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Erika, I am not much of a water drinker but have been doing the best I can to chug water and 1% milk(I adore milk lol).
I am having a bit of a pity party right now. Hubby and I decided to check out a gym today so w have a bit of time alone and I can excersise while doing chemo(it's cold here so outside activities are at a minimum). They have a therapy pool and Olympic style pool which I love. I came home and decided I would try the bathing suit I just bought in July on(I was diagnosed end of August). It wasn't a good idea to try it on. My new boobs are so very small(maybe a B when I was a natural E) and you can see the dog ear(on the right side in pic but left side in real life) my boobs look 2 different sizes and uneven. Being bald in a gym pool and then lopsided small boobs with a ball of skin(dog ear) just doesn't feel right. I think I will skip the gym and just get some resistance bands.
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by the time you get in the water, no one will notice. You can wear a swim cap, I think a pool in the winter sounds great, also a fantastic idea for you and hubby to spend time together. When do you go to your plastic surgeon? They can fix it for you. I can tell that my expanders have lost their shape in the past few weeks and seem lumpy. I go for my next check up on the 20th.
Sorry you are having such a rough day...hang in there....
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I get another fill(my last fill) of 100cc Tuesday after chemo. My surgery to fix everything won't be till probably around May. I am hoping he will over fill to around 1200cc because 1000cc looks like a large A maybe a small B lol. My husband tells me I am beautiful and no one will notice but it's hard to believe him. There is know denying I miss my large breast. It's a big change to go from an E to these little things lol.
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Thank you all for your support. I am stage 2b with 3/12 positive nodes (auxiliary node dissection on right side) dbl mast. on 9/25/17 and then they had to go back in on left side because of a hematoma. Had immediate expander placement, I am ER+ (90%), PR- and her2-. Genetic test said I was negative for any gene mutations. They want me to do 4 treatments of AC biweekly followed by 12 weekly treatments of Taxol and then 6 weeks of radiation. I have 4 daughters 14, 9, 6, 4 and 2 sons 13 and 1 in Sept. They are definetly my drive for recovery. If not for them I don't think I would do any of this but me being around for prom, tball, rocket football, weddings, and hopefully someday grandbabies is my reason to fight. We are also currently building our new house which we started May of this year and my diagnosis was July. Cancer sucks but we are tougher than it right? I am very glad I found this group and hope to be able to communicate and gain help and offer it as well.
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I'm starting chemo on the 14th as well. Is there anyone here who hasn't had surgery yet? We're going the chemo route first then surgery. I am also stage 3b with a lot of node involvement too and that is scaring the day lights out of me. I'm starting with 12 weeks of Taxol followed by 4 biweekly AC treatments. When I was first diagnosed it was staged at 2 but after the PET/CT and MRI and everything else, the pesky lymph nodes keep lighting up. So, now I'm up to stage 3 and I'm hoping we can squash it here. I just turned 40 and I have a 6 year old. I'm not ready to give up. There's way too much left to do.
How are you ladies talking to your kids about this? We've been pretty open with my daughter and she's taken it well. I've been encouraging her to ask lots of questions and talk about it. I am trying to keep her from being scared but I know that she senses my fear. I also lead her girl scout troop and we just told all of them about it today. It was such an interesting experience. I love the honesty of kids and the simplicity in how they see things. It's refreshing compared to the reactions I get when I tell adults about my cancer.
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Hi ladies, I'm visiting from the Starting Chemo in October thread and wanted to share a little lesson learned for you all going through chemotherapy;...
Many of the chemo meds will make you lose your hair. A lot of us chose to buzz and/or shave our heads at some point. Since a lot of you will also be looking at getting wigs, save some of your hair. It's good to keep a few samples of your hair for color comparison purposes. All you need to do is save around an inch-wide section of your hair. Cut it off at it's longest place, and if your hair is ombre, keep the color section you want matched. Then just tape it onto a blank white piece of paper. Most places that you can order wigs from online have consultants that will help you find the right color if you mail in your hair sample. They look at the wigs you are considering purchasing, and find the right color match to that manufacturer.
I didn't do this myself but read about it on a few wig websites. I wish I knew beforehand as those online color pictures are very hard to tell what they will actually look like, and each manufacturer calls them something different. Anyway, I hope this helps! Best of luck with your chemo!!
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frozentoes....I'm coming up on 40, birthday in Jan. Not quite what I expected for my 40th! I have a 4.5 year old. He was just gone 4 when I was diagnosed in June. We found a book online called "mummy has breast cancer". It was geared to his age and helped a lot. He knows I'm sick, and that my chemo medicine makes me tired and I need to rest. When I start rads we'll read him the book again to remind him about it. He asked me recently wasni better yet. I told him no, but I was working very hard with my doctors to get better. I try not to make promises. When I lost my hair I showed him my head and at home I go bald so he's used to it. He says I'm beautiful anyway.
Its not easy. I know he worries but I try talk to him and if he has a question he asks. I stay at my mums house after my chemo infusions. She's just around the corner and I can rest. He likes to come for sleepovers and I try spend time with him just watching a movie or going for lunch.
My little girl is only 22 months old. She doesn't understand I'm sick. I try have one to one time with her as well. Its been hard as she had chickenpox so I had to avoid her for 10 days then she got a chest infection a week later.
Main thing I find is spending time with them and when I feel good I try act normal, cooking,doing laundry, telling them tidy their toys etc.
Kids are adaptable. I also try think about what I can teach them about how to face adversity. I don't want them to think of me as bowing down and giving in. Whatever it brings I want them to see me and our family as fighters
I don't cry in front of the kids. It would scare my son. I save that for middle of the night wake up sessions like now. (Its 4.30am here). My sleep is a disaster lately!
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Hi everyone, just wanted to introduce myself. I was dx 09/22 and had my dmx 11/02 with tissue expanders. Found out a few days ago that I start chemo on 11/28. I am doing 4 rounds of T+C as right now, that may be upped to 6 depending on the lymph node pathology. I am a bit nervous on how this is going to hot me as I have 3 little ones 7 and under, and of course not sure how I will keep my immune system up with all the colds etc coming into the house from them. I've done the chemo things before almost 20 years ago, had AC, methotrexate and cisplatin and they hit me really hard. Hoping this time it's not as bad. My partner is amazing but I think he s overly optimistic on how I'm going to feel. Happy to have a safe place.
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Stage2ire, your little boy sounds like a sweetheart. And I'm sorry that you had to be apart from your daughter for so long. I am hoping that my daughter stays healthy during this. She's my little shadow and I'd be lost without her. Though, I know we'd do whatever it takes for all of us to stay and get healthy.
It's heartening in a way to know that I'm not the only one having late night crying sessions. I used to wake up in the middle of the night to pee. Now I throw in some tears for good measure.
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