Starting chemo February 2018
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Pbello I’m so glad to hear you had a smoother round two, and that the story helped you.You got this!
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Hi ladies, Moth so sorry you are in the hospital, I'm surprised your shots didn't help keep your WBC count up, hope you're outta there soon. I finally felt better these last few days and gearing up for round 2 this Thursday. If I get the dreaded diarrhea again I don't know what I'll do I literally am still so sore I can't use TP at all yet using baby wipes
, never been so raw down there between the diarrhea and UTI, ugh. Hope the rest of you are doing ok, will check back and let you know if I get my 2nd round Thurs. I went out in public in my wig today, it looks OK but boy is it hot. I'm a hairdesigner and had to cut the wig a lot to get it where I like it. Haven't shaved my head yet just cut it real short but it is falling out still by the handfuls so won't be long.
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My wig
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debmisto-love your wig. The style is great. What is the brand?
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debsmisto - the wig looks great on you! I hope you don’t have anymore D issues. Sorry you went through such a rough time last round.
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Debmisto that wig is so cute the way you cut it! Your hairstyle skills are on point. Best of luck round two, may the D stay away!!!
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Thanks girls for the comments on my wig, wearing it to work in my salon today, the other stylists will be brutally honest if it doesn't look good 😊 it is made by Jon Renau the model is Julianne I got it here https://www.wigoutlet.com/collections/jon-renau/products/julianne-lace-front-wig-jon-renau?variant=12124938817
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Rockcity thank you 😉
Going to work out . I’m afraid of neuropathy
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love the wig.. looks very natural! Good luck rockcity today.. I also took Ativan and tylenol.. super cold near my scalp but no nausea, so hopefully that works for you! pbello, good luck on ur round 2 recovery!
I know this might sound wierd but now that I'm recovered from round 1( out of 4), i just wanna get going on the next one and get it over with. I know i should enjoy this week and half break of feeling normal, but the end seems so far away some days!
How is everyone doing nutritionally ? I've gained 7 pounds since my surgery at the beginning of Jan and really want to lose a little instead of gaining, anyone following a specific nutrition plan?
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for Deb: that wig is something Id wear even with hair.
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Jlove immediately after my diagnosis (and during all the scans, biopsies, etc. leading up to it) I ate really badly to deal with the stress (candy, sugar, cookies, bread slathered in butter), and used probably too much wine to keep the fear at bay and to sleep at night. All my friends wanted to see me- go out for dinner, have wine, stop by, have wine, invite me over to talk, have wine. The support was great, but I’m not proud of what I felt I had to do to cope with learning of the cancer. I also lost about 6-8 pounds over the last month and a half from stress.
Since meeting with the onco and getting a treatment plan I have felt better and have turned around my diet. The nutritionists at my center advocate the Mediterranean diet, but I’m following something a little closer to Keto, just not as strict. I think Keto is too limiting with veggies and there are very few fruits allowed- both of which are powerhouses of vitamins and fiber. I have finally been able to cut out sugar and simple carbs, and I know how important this is for our type of disease. I take vitamins b and d with the blessings of the nutritionists at my center. I haven’t asked about other supplements, but have been told to stay away from A, C, E, and no antioxidants (other than what you get from food) during treatment, also they are getting back to me about probiotics. I’m not perfect in sticking to all this, but I feel a lot better- physically and emotionally- taking some control in my diet back. I would advise others to ask their doctors about what is right for them, I think it’s a balance of getting the best information, then figuring out what works for you. I hope this is helpful and I would love hear what others in our group are doing for nutrition.
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deb- I went to the side and found two wigs very quickly. I wasn't planning on wearing a wig but I decided for special occasions it's good to have a couple on hand. Fortunately for me I'm always changing my hair color so I can still have fun with that.
Jlove- I've always been a vegetarian but I've had to make a few adjustments with my diet. With the high propensity for diarrhea with chemo I had to add a few Bland foods to my diet such as cream of rice oatmeal. I also decreased the amount of raw vegetables and fruits I was eating daily. So now I'm steaming my vegetables. and fruit a little longer instead of eating them raw. When I was diagnosed with cancer in December I took a very close look at my vegetarian diet and made the decision to add fish to my diet. So twice a week I'm eating salmon or fresh tuna. I felt with the cancer and the chemo I needed more protein. So, m no longer a vegetarian. So far I've been fortunate. Day 8 of postchemo I had diarrhea for approximately 3 hours. That's when I added Bland foods to my diet and decreased the high fiber. Each of our bodies are so different as far as what we can tolerate.
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Hi Girls, checking in.
Moth, I am glad you are on the upswing. Sorry that Neulasta isn't able to help out your wbc's as well as it should. Thinking about you.
Me? I've got the opposite problem. High wbc but low red. I'm on Day 5 after round 2 TC, The first 3 days were great and day 4 pretty good too but by the evening after my Neulasta shot, I was pretty exhausted. Today, day 5, I can barely do anything without having to sit down because my heart is racing. I think the anemia is getting worse, Darn.
Debmisto, love the clip you gave that wig. I'd wear that! I'm going wigless though. I hate having a hot head and I kinda like the bald feeling if not the look. So it's bald around the house and when friends visit and caps, toques and scarves for out and about. Toque: Canadian word for beenie!
DIET talk: hmm I just don't seem to have it in me to do diet changes at the moment. I eat very healthily for the most part and always did but I know I have a need to change some things. For instance, I love sugar, In fact, I was eating the cadbury mini eggs while reading about people's diets on here. I kinda keep giving myself excuses to eat what I want while I'm on chemo and telling myself tomorrow. I hope I'm not kidding myself, I guess time will tell.
Cheers to you all,
indahood
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Ladies, I have a question. I had round 2 of AC this past Friday. My hair has since been falling out quite a bit but I still don't need a wig and have full head of hair just thinner. It's just a lot if hair all over the place that I have to clean. Did you experience the same thing and then your hair started falling out a lot more before you decided to shave it? What is the progression, I'm not sure. I went to work today and it no one noticed anything about my hair. But I know I'm losing tons. Should I expect the hair loss to increase? Thanks and as always, many hugs!
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Hi all - just had my first chemo treatment yesterday (TCHP). I also had my first Paxman scalp cooling experience. All went pretty well - the paxman was pretty cold the first 5-10 minutes, but then I acclimated. It was a long day, but I really felt fine during the chemo, and for the rest of the day. I felt fine this morning when I got up, but started to feel a little queasy at noontime, so took an anti-nausea pill to ward it off. Went for a walk, which I'm going to try to do religiously to help with SE's! We'll see what the rest of the week brings
Hope all others going through their first rounds do well. After this week, I feel like I'll be more comfortable, since I know what to expect.
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ButterflyLilly-I buzzed mine the day after my second AC round. My hair was shedding pretty good but still fairly thick. My main reason was the scalp soreness. Buzzing it down helped immediately with that pain. After I buzzed it I started noticing more and more of the little short bits coming off everywhere, especially in the shower (weird freaky mess because it gets all over your hands and is just icky). I'm now exactly one week since I buzzed it and I'm almost completely bald. I've been using a lint roller a few times a day to collect it off my head. The hairs that are remaining seem to be the strong ones and they seem to be extra poky and I'm ready for them to go too.
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Debsmisto-your wig looks good from here!
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moth-get plenty of rest. Take care of yourself.
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Hello, I'm home now. Still on antibiotics and have to go in for daily blood tests for them to monitor but I can finish recovering at home, away from the germs and noise of the hospital.
My neutrophils are still very very low and a bit lower than they had wanted before discharging me but since I haven't had a fever in days and was feeling otherwise great they felt the risk of being in a hospital outweighed the benefits.
I will have to try to catch up on the thread tomorrow.My hair just started to shed today & now I'm not sure what to do. Originally I'd intended to shave it, poss on Friday. But now I'm supposed to be super careful about avoiding anything that might cause any nick or scratch and I don't know if I should go. Would a short clip with a razor guard at a good barber shop be reasonably safe?
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Moth, glad to hear you are home now! Let's hope your count goes up very soon!
Debs, I love what you did with your wig. You have great talent.
I am embarking on my fasting journey today, 48 hrs before chemo. I am already hungry, i need to keep my brain busy.
May the SE effect stay away from us!
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Debsmisto,
Try using a spray bottle in the bathroom in lieu of something you have to touch your skin with. My son had a really bad rash from flu diarrhea when he was still in diapers, and it was the only thing that didn't make him scream. Try a sports bottle!
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Hello Ladies.
I had my first AC treatment yesterday. I was scheduled for a PICC placement at 10:30 followed by my treatment. Unfortunately, the PICC didn't work out. My vein looked big and plump but upon attempted insertion it "collapsed".... : (
They said I could still do my first treatment though, through a regular iv insertion (which was perfectly fine). Am I the only oddball that would actually prefer the pokes as opposed to the PICC/Port options?! They have me on a list for a port (could be weeks though) and will re-evaluate possibility of trying picc again next week.
I have had no nausea thanks to the anti-nausea meds...maybe a little light headed..hubby and I took our dachshund on an hour long walk last night. It felt good to do some mild exercise.
I am using downstairs bathroom until Friday while rest of the family uses upstairs...and doing double flushing.
Our 11 year old son gave us a good chuckle yesterday. He called me during the treatment on my cell phone to ask how everything was going. I told him it was going fine...he then asked me "Will you be coming home with no hair?". I guess we forgot to tell him about the timeline for hair loss because of the chemo... oops!
I will be tentatively going wig/hat shopping on Saturday and with hubby and the kids (which happens to be my birthday)...a wig as a birthday present it is!
Take care everyone and thank you to the amazing sharing that is done on this forum.
P.S. On Thursday my hubby and I will have to attempt the Filgrastim shot (most likely to be done by hubby!). We had a good chuckle with the nurse when I told her that my husband seems to be enjoying the idea of the but location shot (as shown in the pamphlet)!
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Hello Ladies.
I had my first AC treatment yesterday. I was scheduled for a PICC placement at 10:30 followed by my treatment. Unfortunately, the PICC didn't work out. My vein looked big and plump but upon attempted insertion it "collapsed".... : (
They said I could still do my first treatment though, through a regular iv insertion (which was perfectly fine). Am I the only oddball that would actually prefer the pokes as opposed to the PICC/Port options?! They have me on a list for a port (could be weeks though) and will re-evaluate possibility of trying picc again next week.
I have had no nausea thanks to the anti-nausea meds...maybe a little light headed..hubby and I took our dachshund on an hour long walk last night. It felt good to do some mild exercise.
I am using downstairs bathroom until Friday while rest of the family uses upstairs...and doing double flushing.
Our 11 year old son gave us a good chuckle yesterday. He called me during the treatment on my cell phone to ask how everything was going. I told him it was going fine...he then asked me "Will you be coming home with no hair?". I guess we forgot to tell him about the timeline for hair loss because of the chemo... oops!
I will be tentatively going wig/hat shopping on Saturday and with hubby and the kids (which happens to be my birthday)...a wig as a birthday present it is!
Take care everyone and thank you to the amazing sharing that is done on this forum.
P.S. On Thursday my hubby and I will have to attempt the Filgrastim shot (most likely to be done by hubby!). We had a good chuckle with the nurse when I told her that my husband seems to be enjoying the idea of the but location shot (as shown in the pamphlet)! ; )
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Mom of 2that is so sweet that you boy called you while you were receiving your infusion. Your SE seem minor, that is great news!
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moth- glad you are feeling better and are back home. What a relief.
Deb-That's actually a wig? It's georgeous and so natural looking. My natural hair doesn't ever look half as nice. Wanted to wish you good luck for your infusion tomorrow. I hope no more diarrhea for you. When my daughter was born she had such a bad case of thrush it ate away many layers of skin on her bottom and it was a scream to clean her. The doctor recommended cetaphil cleanser. I put it on her bottom and used a makeup remover puff to gently clean her. It never stung her. It was very gentle. I didn’t even need to wash it away with water. Might be another option for you. The spray bottle idea sounds good too.
Indahood- get those red blood cells going girl.
Cathybook and mom of two- glad your infusions went well. Hope you have minimal side effects.
I just had round 2 yesterday. Didn’t puke at the infusion center so that’s a plus. Feel good.. Just got my Neulesta an hour ago. Well see what the rest of the week brings.
Hang in there all
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My tumor is shrinking!!! Had an appointment with my MO today and the biggest of my tumors can actually be seen as it sort of sticks out so she had taken measurements and such of it. Measuring it today it is almost a full cm smaller! Today was also the day that my hair decided to start shedding like crazy. My MO noticed and made sure I knew today was the day that several local barbers come in and will shave heads for free. She says she likes when her patients use them as they are so careful with us ladies because we have very sensitive scalps and can get infections easily
. So I am now shaved. One of the grandkids came over and we put two of my temp tats on it say Nice Hare because it is hard to read.
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Hey ladies! I'm on day 6 and so far I'm doing okay. Battled constipation but now I have dark brown spots on my tongue and dry mouth. I've emailed a pic to my MO and requested options stronger than Biotene (if needed). I'm hoping it's not thrush. I can eat without pain but some foods are starting to lack taste/flavor or just taste different ....oh well. Thank goodness this is just a season.
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amburt- congratulations on the tumor shrinking. It’s got to feel great to know this nasty chemo really works. Your tattoos are hilarious!
Faith walker- food tasted weird or just plain bad for me around week 2. By week 3 everything tasted normal again and boy was I hungry! maybe went a bit overboard with foods I was missing, but it was nice to eat normally if just for the one week before the next round. Hope the spots clear up soon
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AMBurt great news about your tumor! Getting results like this has got to make the chemo easier to bear.
Rockcity I hope round 2 goes well for you. That's awesome that you didn't toss your cookies outside the infusion center. (Little victories, amiright?)
FaithWalker22 hopefully your doc can get you straightened out- they keep saying we shouldn't have to suffer, so let them prescribe us all the meds.
Momof2 I bet a wig is the last thing you ever thought you would be getting for your birthday. Maybe your hubby and kids will make a fun day of it and celebrate you!
Cathybook I hope your SE's for round 1 are still manageable. We were supposed to start the same treatment on the same day, but due to a mixup with testing I started mine today instead (it was uneventful, and everyone was right- the cold capping kept us busy and made time go by quick). You are two days ahead of me which means I now get to stalk your posts looking for clues of what to expect. Playing the waiting for side effects game is up next for me.
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Moth I am so glad that you are getting better.
Deb the wig looks so real and happy to hear you are feeling better as well.
Momoftwo what a sweet little boy it sounds like you have. It must have lifted your heart to hear his voice.
Faith walker someone else can't remember who got dark spots in their mouth also. It was one of those normal for some things but I think they started vitamins for it.
Everyone who has finished round 2 thanks for the updates. Had my labs today and I am clear for round two on Friday, at least we know I don't stop the nausea meds until at least day 10.
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