Starting Chemotherapy March 2018
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I got to have my first AC chemo treatment this morning - did not sleep much last night and I was terrified. First you get your vitals and then they took 6 vials of blood. My oncologist hugged me when I get in the room and then again when I left to go to the chemo room. All the nurses in the chemo room were so patient, compassionate and very very nice knowing this was my 1st treatment. The first nurse injected the decatron through my port very slowly, then a little while later she used some numbing spray on my arm before injecting me with the sustol, so the shot wasn't as painful as I was anticipating it would be. Then another nurse actually sat on a stool to deliver the two tubes of Adriamycin through my port and she also did it very slowly. Then they started the Cytoxan with an IV bag through the port. When that was finished they put the Neulasta Delivery Kit on my arm and I was on my way back home. THey will do this every treatment - 4 AC and then 4 Taxol. The nurse told me to take the Compazine (Prochlorper) tonight and then again in the morning and every six hours to ward of nausea (she said don't wait until you fill sick). Then another nurse told me to start taking Claritin in the morning since the Neulasta shot will be administered in the afternoon (this helps with the neulasta induced bone pain). I had a wicked headache in the afternoon and took some Tylenol which really helped.
I taped bright color paper in my office on refrigerator and bathroom mirror IN LARGE BOLD LETTERS stating DRINK LOTS OF WATER (gets the chemo out of your body faster), WASH HANDS, RINSE MOUTH and YOU CAN DO THIS SIGNS. Rinsing mouth: every 3 hours during the day, mix together: # 1 cup warm water, # 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, and # 1/8 teaspoon salt. Take small sips and swish them around in your mouth. Then rinse with plain water! In the bathroom I also taped on the toilet flush with lid down 2-3 times until the pee is no longer pink and/or red.
Wishing everyone the best and sending good juju your way. WE CAN GET THROUGH THIS JOURNEY!!!!!
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BonnieML- Congrats on finishing #1! Thank you for sharing details of your day- theres more of us starting this week that are scared like you were so it really helps to hear your experience. It sounds like you have an awesome team! Sending positive thoughts. Laura
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Hey Ladies,
About 2wks ago I had a biopsy for the mammaprint test. I was sure would come back low risk & would mean only taking tamoxifen. I was told either way treatment would start on the 28th. I would have either tamoxifen or chemo. I got the call Thursday that I was ordered to have 12wks of Taxol and 4wks of Keytruda. Today I found out the mammaprint came back high risk. I'm so stressed out because I still don't have a time for my treatment or when I will get my port. Has anyone gotten their port the same day as treatment?
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Yes thank you for the run down on how your day went. From what I’m reading for most people you don’t feel bad for the first few days? I really appreciate everyone taking the time to post here so we will all kinda know what to expect. I will do the same as my time is coming Wednesday. I’m really worried about the bone pain everyone talks about because I can’t take Claritin. Ill ask them what else I can take for that before they get started. Good luck everyone
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Hi Mlghtn,
I have no idea why it's only 4 rounds. I will ask on Wednesday. I have a slow growing mucinous tumor so, maybe that is why. I was just happy to hear that and didn't think to ask. Or, didn't really know what other protocols there are. I know I will also be receiving radiation and then tamoxifen. I will post after I see my oncologist.
Honestly, I pictured the worst so, other than being sleepy it wasn't bad. I would recommend keeping food in your stomach. I would start to fill a bit nausea's when I got hungry. I took ginger tablets every morning and had the gravol ginger lozenges on me at all times. Zantac at bedtime after I had the first heartburn incident at 2:30am. Claritan and naproxen daily to stay ahead of the Neulasta bone pain. I slept when my body said it had enough. This last weekend (day 8+9) I ate so much and everything tasted great. I also took the melotonia (spelling?) For nausea half hour before food time even if I felt fine. It reminds me of morning sickness and the first couple of months of being pregnant.
Good luck :-)
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Hi ladies,
Hope everyone is doing well. I had my second TC regimen today. My hair did end up falling out and I had my husband shave it down. I still have eyelashes and eyebrows. The oncologist prescribed some heartburn meds for this round. I got lucky and my WBC count was 7K so I only have to do five neulasta shots instead of seven. I am halfway done! I am working with my oncologist to check for clinical trials after I finish radiation. Specifically trials that may prevent recurrence.
I tried to convince my oncologist to let me work because my WBC count was good but it was a no go. I need to pick up a hobby
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hello everyone,
I found this amazing site. I modified radical mastectomy left breast last month Feb 12,next week April 3 will be my first chemotherapy. It is scary,reading the comments here gives me a lot of knowledge on what to expect.
By the way I'm from the Philippines I hope to hear from someone here.
Thanks to All..
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Seriously-Cali welcome to the 50% TC Club! Still have my eyelashes and eyebrows too, most hair gone at this point. Can't recommend the argan oil enough, ladies - it really helps your scalp feel softer (and it smells nice). I rub it on and then pop on one of my turbans.
Yangsainst, welcome! Does not matter where you are in the world, we are together on this journey. Amazing ladies on this site, please ask questions and we'll all try to help.
Quiltingnut, best of luck tomorrow! I have been fairly consistent on TC for 2 rounds now - day of infusion and then day 2, both pretty good, then 3 and 4 not so much. I was told prior that it could vary (into day 5 or even 6), but in my case it was the same both times. Give your team a call if you can to see what else they could recommend in place of the Claritin, in case it is something you can pick up OTC.
Lots of our group starting this week - best wishes and positive vibes to all!!!
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It was very scary; however, it was not the really bad experience that I was expecting. Wishing everyone the best who is starting chemo this week, I hope you all have nice, empathetic and compassionate nurses like I did.
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Hi Wildcolonialgirl!
My rough days were 3-7 last time. Mostly due to the Neulasta. I do keep Zofran in my system every 8 hours for the first 4 days post chemo and I had very little nausea. I’ve already started the Claritin for this round, I start the shots tomorrow. My onc also prescribed a mild painkiller to take every 6 hours around the clock during the shots. The heartburn and funny taste buds seem to hit at those days too. At least it’s everything at once then i felt pretty good. I do feel like a walking pharmacy the first week and a half but my oncologist is a rock star and she said whatever works.
My biggest concerns are keeping my right arm free from lymphedema and feeling well enough to at least walk everyday. So far so good. I’m looking forward to reconstruction hopefully in January.
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Hi Quiltingnut!
My oncologist said the Claritin doesn’t work for everyone anyway. Ask your team about a painkiller. My oncologist started me on tramodol for the Neulasta shots. It’s a mild painkiller and I took it for my last shot during the first cycle. It made a world of difference. She even said if it didn’t work they can give something stronger. She said the better the shots work to stimulate your bone marrow the more pain you have. It’s a catch 22. This experience reminds me of pregnancy and labor. The heartburn and the back pain but no baby. The good thing is once the shots are done the pain goes away, at least it did for me. I’m 43 and the oncologist said my bone marrow ramped up great because that’s considered young. I carry a weird gene mutation that probably contributed to my cancer.
Good luck!
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Hi everyone, just wanted to check in as my first TC treatment was yesterday. Everything that I was worried about (allergic reactions, etc.) went off without a hitch. Overall it was a pleasant experience, well as pleasant as possible when you're getting chemo! I tried to pretend I was at the spa as the reclining chair I was in offered massage and heat options... they also had a massage therapist going around giving foot massages to all the patients...45 minutes of bliss right there! I was also brought a delicious turkey sandwich for lunch. I was there for 6 hours and the time really flew by. I made sure I was stocked up with plenty of water, snacks, a book, movies on my phone, etc. I didn't think I'd be able to relax enough to read, but once the infusions got going I was able to. I'm sure the Benadryl IV helped with the relaxing to some degree as well... lol
After getting home I was starving and ate a big dinner. That may have been a mistake as I was a touch queasy about 30 minutes after but I immediately took a Zofran and was good to go. Woke up around 3am a bit queasy again and took another. It went away pretty fast. Today I feel good. Still drinking tons of water, but decided to splurge on a bagel and coffee at Dunkin Donuts after dropping the kids off at camp.. the bagel tasted like nothing and the coffee like mud so I think my taste buds are already on their way out! Other than that I have no side effects, but I know I'm still early in the game here and my Neulasta injection is set to go off this evening and from what I've read on here that's when the "real" fun begins. Took Claritin yesterday and will again today and tomorrow... not sure what to expect but dr. recommended it just in case. Will also take everyone's recommendations to start with the salt/baking soda mouth rinses.
I'm off this week from work (Spring Break at my school) but I am keeping an eye on my "bad days" this cycle so I can (hopefully) plan accordingly for the next 3 cycles. I may be over-optimistic and hopeful that I won't need to take much time off from work, but I will listen to my body and see what happens.
I truly appreciate everyone's posts as it made things a little less scary for me yesterday and though everyone is different, I love having an idea of what to expect so I can prepare just in case.
Good luck to everyone else starting treatment this week, please update on how it went! For everyone else, I feel so blessed to have found all of you here as we go through this journey together. xo
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SeriouslyC- thanks for that info. I already take Hydrocodone for back pain so maybe that will work for the bone pain. I don’t get the one time shot of nulasta, i take five days of the shot Filgrastim. I guess it does the same thing but I wonder if that means I’ll have more days of bone pain or maybe it will be smaller doses and might not be as severe. I guess I’ll find out soon enough lol.
Wildcolonia- thanks for the timeline of your experience and I will ask tomorrow about what I can if needed.
Good luck to you all and hope everyone is as comfortable as they can be. Hugs to all
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Quiltingnut, I’m sure that will work. I think those two bone marrow boosters are are similar. I give myself the Neulasta shots in the stomach for five days. The oncologist said if the next step up for pain would be norco or Percocet. Fortunately the milder pain med seems to work for me. It’s nice because I am able to drive and I don’t feel wonky.
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Good morning everyone!
Well one AC tx down, 3 to go. Everything went welI, no weird reactions during infusions or premeds. However I was extremely tired fell asleep during chemo and couldn't even remember where I was for a few sec when I woke up. Then I slept on and off until 9pm, was up for 11/2 hrs and slept again til 6am!They said the steroids would make me wired but not at all. I did feel a little queasy in-between, took zofran right away and ate light, bland foods. Anyone else here on the nausea protocol that includes Zyprexa? Its a drug that is normally used to treat psychosis (which made me reluctant to take it), but along with the aloxi and the Emmend it is supposed to work really well for chemo nausea---that is the protocol I'm on along with Zofran and steroids. I think the Zyprexa is what totally knocked me out as I didn't take any other anxiety meds or receive benadryl etc. They said it would make me tired (what an understatement) and to try taking 1/2 tab the first time an hour before treatment. Can't imagine taking whole one, I'd probably still be asleep. I feel pretty good now after all that rest, I just didn't like the feeling of not being able to stay awake even if I tried and my legs felt really heavy and weak. Waiting for the steroid energy to start kicking in like they said so I can get some stuff done around the house today.
Tlow990 Thanks for all the tips, I will have to get some of those ginger tabs and lozenges you mentioned since I only have the zofran as a rescue med every 8 hours, I could feel some heartburn starting a few hours after I ate last night but it wasn't bad and I just went back to sleep, will get some Zantac as well. I'm glad I can look forward to some good tasting food again next week--even water and tea seem to taste different!
Congrats to all who got their first treatment done and wishing everyone well this week!
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I start my TCH chemo tomorrow. I’ve calmed down some reading your experiences. I will keep in touch.
Wishing you all well
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How is everyone tonight? Doing well I hope. Personally I’m a nervous wreck for my first one tomorrow. I couldn’t sleep last night so I’m off to bed early tonight. We have to be there at eight and live an hour away so will be getting up to early in the morning. Wishing you all good luck
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I'm super nervous too... Mine is at 830 education... And 9am chemo!
I'm sooo nervous about how the 3 weeks are going to go... Like when will I feel fatigued? When will I start to feel better? I just want to know how my body is going to react.
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Had my second chemo today. Due to history of hospitalization for neutropenic colitis they did lower the dosages and I hope it will go better. I have the Neulasta Onpro placed which will go off tomorrow at 5.30pm and also will return to the Center on Thursday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday for hydration IV.
You all hang in there
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TC chemo #1 done. I couldn’t sleep the night before, only had about 2 hours sleep. Im one day out and I have a little heart burn. Im not sure if my fatigue is due to lack of sleep from night before, but i woke up early today and worked from home. Felt really sluggish around 7pm and heading to bed soon. I use bioten mouth wash after every meal and I took the neulesta and Claritin. Feel like my hair is already thinning at the hair line, I dont know if I’m just being paranoid. I hope the coldcapping works. Good luck to everyone starting tomorrow!
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Right there with you...I was totally stressed earlier. They gave me steroids to take today and I’m not sure I’ll be sleeping much. For stress relief went on a long walk, and just cleaned what I would normally do on the weekend. I’m told day 3,4,5 is when you feel the worst.....I’m so glad you and there are number of others that start tomorrow orstarted last week. So nice to have a forum where people get it. Thank you all. I’m grateful. Good luck all!
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Today's second infusion of Taxol/Carboplatin report (triple negative regimen). Gee, only 10 to go, and then 4 AC. I was fervently hoping it would go as smoothly as it did last week, and it did. It was a non-event sort of, if you ignore the pumping of poisons into a mysterious hole in one's chest and the frozen toes and fingers. I agree so far with what Loki's been told. Day 3, 4 and 5 were definitely the worst last week. Yesterday, I felt almost completely normal. That was a treat. Having solved the extreme blockage problem with wonderful Miralax, my appetite has returned. Today, DH and I even went out to lunch after chemo and I shocked myself by being able to eat everything on the plate. Which was probably rather stupid, but I figured the pre-meds would do their job and they did. Nurse thought I was overdoing it on the Zofran and to try cutting back to just one a day instead of 3. Don't know about that, but will give it a try. How many Zofran tabs is everyone taking per day? I found that 3/day completely prevented nausea.
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I took my first 2 steroids before bed last night.. And Holy crap. I sweat like a mother all night! And now I'm wide awake at 330am.
I sure hope it's just days 3,4, and 5 to feel awful. I think I can handle that.
Did any of you that have been through round 1 or 2...have to miss work? And if so what do you do for work?
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Good luck to everyone starting treatment today, thinking of you girls and hoping all goes smoothly.
sillyoldrabbit I took Zofran 3x/day for 5 days. I wasn't taking any chances that I would start vomiting and for the most part my stomach stayed pretty settled.
Bec-Ky my first infusion was on a Monday and despite my best efforts I ended up taking off almost the whole week and I regret trying to jump back in at Day 3--I will not do that again. The rest of my infusions are scheduled on Thursdays so I'm hoping to only miss 2 or 3 days each round. I am a straight-commission paid sales rep so I don't make any money if I'm not working.
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sillyoldrabbit- my chemo nurse also recommended Zofran 3 times a day every 8 hours for 5 days. Seems like that's the standard for a lot of ladies here so not sure why you'd be asked to cut down. I'm on day 3 right now and so far so good with keeping the queasy feeling under control.
Good luck to you ladies that are starting treatment today! I'm betting you'll have a big sense of relief once it's finally underway! I'm on day 3 of TC and still feeling good, but I feel like I spend half my time waiting for the other shoe to drop.. analyzing every little twinge I feel to see if it turns into a real “side effect". Trying to stay busy and keep distracted with Netflix and reading as I tend to overthink everything andit ends up driving me crazy...
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I work on day 3, 5 and 7......great.
And I put on over 10k steps per shift (CNA in outpatient surgery center in hospital) 5am to 130 pm are my most common shift times.
Then I work day 13, 16, 19,20,21
Hoping the last chuck is doable. Ugh.
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Bec-Ky you can only do what you can do, fingers crossed that you have an easy time with few or no SE's. I tend to feel better in the morning than I do in the afternoon/evening so that early shift may be a blessing. Listen to your body and be extra careful about germs. I felt a whole lot better around Day 9 and almost normal by Day 14.
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Thank you sidalee.... ❤️
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Haha, great picture!
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