Chemo starting June 2018
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staylynn....I was planning to try to work through chemo but was discouraged to do so by both my oncologist and general md.....exposure to germs...not enough rest. I'm taking the whole time off. I'll see how I do and maybe go back early but want to give myself this time to heal.
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Staylynn, I guess it depends on the type of chemo you are getting. I am going dose dense AC and T, and my oncologist recommended disability for the duration of the treatment. But I know that some people are working through chemo regimen that’s every 3 weeks, or weekly Taxol infusions. Please keep in mind that working at the hospital you are exposed to infections. Talk to your doctor.
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Two tumors were found in the same breast—one triple-negative and the other HER2. Bilateral mastectomy occurred three weeks ago. Port is in place. Chemotherapy starts June 18. Recovery from the surgery has gone very well. I have appreciated your posts. They make me feel less isolated and aware that I will be able to cope.
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hi all, i'm in the june club and start 6 rounds of TC on the 19th.
i'm a bit of an outlier--a 45-year old male (who eschews capitalization. sorry, life's too short!). but a 19mm grade-3 tumor (ER+/PR+/HER2-) and 1/4 lymph nodes don't lie, along with a full mastectomy two weeks ago.
i'm more afraid of chemo than i was of my diagnosis and surgery put together, but some of the TC threads on this site, as well as the stories on this thread, have helped a lot and my gf and i are prepping ourselves as best as we can.
while not as concerned about hair loss, i am concerned about chemo brain--has anyone any idea whether cold caps also helps with that? i figure it can't hurt, right?
thank you for being brave and helping me be brave (or at least show up) and thanks in advance for acceptance and allowing me to crash your party.
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Washington, tvheaven, welcome and sorry to see you here. Stay strong, stay positive, and we will get through this together
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tvheaven, we're all here for you - and of course everyone else here. Not easy for anyone to go through, but men have an added burden of having to educate people on male breast cancer. We're here to help in any way! Male Breast Cancer
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Dose Dense AC for 4 cycles of 2weeks each and then 12 weeks of weekly Taxol is the plan. I agree with tvheaven. I am more anxious about the chemotherapy than I was about the surgery. Travel plans (I do a lot for work and fun) all had to be cancelled through December. Any suggestions for getting through the next 20 or so weeks
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I have a question about icing your hands and feet during chemo. How exactly do you do it and does the infusion center provide everything or do I? I will be starting dose dense AC next week followed by Taxol. Which one of these is more likely to cause nail problems and neuropathy?
Thanks!!
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I will be starting Dose Dense AC-T on June 22nd. 4x2 AC and 12 weekly T. Possibly Herceptin starting with the T pending FISH testing of HER2 - original IHC testing was equivocal. Hoped to have results this past week, but my MO was on vacation. Calling Monday, want a little time to process information before I start chemo. My MO said I could have started last week. I said No thanks, was only a couple of weeks out from surgery (my path came back fast) and I wanted to feel stronger. It had been a long and very emotional 2 months leading up to surgery. Also my daughter is graduating on June 13th from university and it was on my bucket list from the first time around to see all of my kids gradate from university. What's the point of doing all this treatment if it's not to be there for the important stuff.
I did not do chemo the first time. OncoDx of 18 at age 46. New Primary with different pathology this time in opposite breast at age 53. Feel like I know too much about chemo from other BC friends the first time. But also know nothing about it too. So scared crapless.
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Jumping in from the April group. I am TNBC and started AC dose dense( every 2 weeks) in April. I have graduated to weekly Taxol since. I go for my 3rd Taxol tomorrow.
Going for the chemo does feel like the scariest. Take baby steps, show up at the clinic, get into that chair.
Emla cream patches, its a numbing cream. Please use them. You need to apply it 2 hours before the infusion. Specially the first time. They had to prick me 4 times to get it right as my port site was still inflammed.
Suck on a ginger candy, I do not like the smell when they flush the port.
If you feel that you are getting a headache when they start the drip, mention it to your nurses, you can either take a mild pain killer or they can slow down the drip. They slowed it down for me the first time, by the time the paracetamol kicked in I asked them to put the drip back on regular. I did not want to be in that chair for more time than necessary.
I have not iced my feet, hands or suck on ice chips. I did however had a craving for ice lollies on the first two cycles of AC. On AC you will pee red the first couple of times.
SEs on AC, first of all weekly Taxol SEs are different than AC, though mind you I have only done 2 Taxols till now. Taxol effects are cumulative, so we will see more of the SEs as we progress, I believe.
Back to AC SEs, your ears may ring, mine did not, but I was very sensitive to sound. You can use earmuffs. Do not skip on your nausea meds. I was on a two week cycle for AC. The first week was really bad, from day 5, you feel like you are getting better, by Day 8 you are quite normal. Though the taste buds and dry mouth keep on. A lot of you will get neulesta shots on the second day, and there is a lot about taking claritin on following days. My MO did not prescribe it. I did not push for it.
I use a baby toothbrush. Use biotine mouthwas religiously. There is also a Biotene dry mouth gel that you can use on top of the mouthwas. Everything I ate felt bland. Initial days I craved a lot of olives and ice lollies. Now after 2 months, I eat because I have to and have made a list of places I need to visit as soon as my tastebuds are back.
My palms have darkened a few shades and I can see some discoloration on my nailbeds. I use OPI Nail strengthener. Nails are cut really short. My nurse asked to keep nails dry, moisturize them well. I buzzed my hair after the second AC. Then had to buzz again after the 3rd AC cause some of the stragglers had decided to grow. I am in NZ, its winter here. So beanie season, yayyy.
Now Taxol: No nausea. That is the biggest change I see from AC.So far so good. Lots of muscle aches and bone pains from Day 3 onwards. Taste buds are still zapped. Nail beds feel sore just after the infusion then get better by day 5. No tingling or signs of neuropathy yet. MO says to expect it from 5 onwards.
I am not big on gyms. I try to walk when I can. Mostly around 4000 steps. I know its not a lot, but well. I could not manage anything during AC first 5 days. I have a 6 year old so I am thinking cleaning up after her and keeping the house should count for some excercise as well. There are others who have managed with office and gym. I couldn't have. Everybody is different. I hope this helps a bit though I am sure I must have missed out on some things. PM me or ask on the board any questions you might have. We are all in this together and lastly be kind to yourself.
Have a good weekend.
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Any ladies or gentlemen experiencing severe lower back pain after the Neulasta shot? My mom started TCH on Monday, June 4, 2018 and had essentially no side effects the first two days. Then she took the Neulasta shot and it's been causing severe lower back pain. She describes the pain as so intense it feels like her back is separating from her legs. She tried Claritin and it worked the first day or so but it's been largely ineffective.
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hi!
Thursday is my first chemo. Dense dose ac. Could anyone tell me approximately how long this takes? Thanks!
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Hollywood...if you go on starting chemo in April or earlier, you will see lot more information from people that went through before us. Hope that helps.
Daughter...have mom try the i glutamine? 🙏🙏0 -
thank you innaB and frog-on-the-lilypad!
to JoyMRt5, this post, tho specifically for TC chemo, had a lot of helpful tips, including links to icemitts/booties on amazon: "Topic: Tiffany's Twenty Terrific Tips for TC" (sorry, i can't post links).
a lot of those tips are also echoed in frog's post.
hollywood--good luck this thursday! stay strong and please let us know how it goes.
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Hollywood, my first DD AC treatment took about 2.5 hours. But you have to add blood test and doctor’s appt time, which happen before actual infusion. All in all, we came at 3 pm and left at 7.30. The infusion protocol at my facility went like this: after the nurse put in the IV (I don’t have the port), she flushed it a few times, put in some ant-nausea med, then the steroid. Steroid made me feel like I have a UTi for a couple of minutes. Uncomfortable feeling in the lower abdomen, which the nurse told me might happen. Then she manually administered several syringes of A very slowly. Then she started some saline drip and added the C as well. then she left and I watched about 40 min of a show. The nurse kept checking on me every 10 min or so. I felt fine. I sucked on ice shavings throughout the infusion. After the medication and a half of the saline went in, she disconnected the IV and put on the Neulasta patch. The only side effect I started feeling immediately was dry mouth.
My second treatment will be next Thursday, I hope it will go as smoothly as the first one0 -
daughterfriend, so sorry to hear about your mother’s experience! I took Claritin for 10 days starting the day before the treatment and did have some low grade back pain on day 8, but nothing like whatyou describe.
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thank you all for your posts! I learn something each entry I read!
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I just joined and wanted to say hi to all of you that are starting chemo this month. I have my 1st chemo on Friday (6/15) and am pretty anxious not knowing what to expect. Do any of you have any tips on what to bring? I have 6 rounds of TCHP and then just the HP for about a year (total). I'm going to read the post that tvheaven posted above now - thank you. Sending good wishes and strength to everyone.
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Hi. Lulabella. I am on my day 6 of round 1 and so far so good. I am getting TCHP 6 rounds every 3 weeks and then HP for a year as well.
So far I am constipated and pains come and go but nothing unbearable. No nausea for me cuz I took nausea med night before, night of, and day after. Then stopped the med and no nausea.
I got a rash behind back of my neck this morning but I think it’s because I was sweating so bad during the night. I think the chemo is pushing me into menopause....
Take a chewing gum or something sweet to chew on when they start giving you saline and premeds. I think the weird taste in your mouth strats there. Chew on ice chips especially through the taxotere and ice your finger nails and toes. I failed and I am okay but I will try to do it again the next infusion.
I am going for my blood test Thursday. I didn’t get my neulasta shot because my doctor wanted to see how I did without it. I think that causes lots of bone pains and neuropathy.
Drink lots of water during and after your infusion and plenty of rest. Brush your teeth with soft bristle toothbrush and biotin tooth paste and mouth wash. Eat bland food so no heartburn.
Good luck to you and please don’t hesitate to ask any questions.0 -
hey all,
Had port placed today then abdominal/pelvic ct. all went well. Feeling good with almost no discomfort. Have a great day! Bless you al
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Hi timetobebrave70 - thank you so much for the tips. thank you thank you. It's nice to have someone on the same routine and schedule
I'm really glad that you are doing ok so far. I will try to ice my hands and feet as well. Are you just going to bring some ice packs? I'm guessing that patients don't eat lunch or anything like that on treatment days because of the nausea? I wasn't sure if I should pack any snacks. Maybe popsicles? My doctor hasn't advised that I take any nausea medicine but I generally get pretty queasy so it's probably a good idea. What kind did you take? What is the neulasta shot for? Good job on your first round! Only five left )Hi hollywood1968 - We are port twins! I had mine installed today as well, but it is really painful for some reason! I hope you are still feeling good. Did your chemo go ok?
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You all are amazing! I haven't had a ton of time lately to post anything here but have been reading all the comments/posts and it's wonderful to see how supportive you all are of each other. Love and healing prayers to all of you who have just started chemo.
I just got my Oncotype score and am happy to report it came back at 16. My MO who initially didn't even think it was necessary to take the test, was pleasantly surprised and with that, left the decision up to me although he still suggested that I do chemo (however, taking AC+T off the table) - he's suggesting TC now. What's funny is my chemo + tamoxifen vs tamoxifen only recurrence risk was 1% higher with chemo+tamoxifen than just tamoxifenonly. So now, I am waiting for my second opinion this Thursday and will likely go with whatever my second opinion MO says as I will be switching over to her as a patient. I didn't get my mammaprint results yet but hope to by then too. This is such a process!
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Hi, I started chemo last Tues 6/5 biweekly for 16 weeks. A/C for 4 rounds and Taxol for 4 rounds. I’m a week out on my first treatment and have had different SE every day, some more annoying than others, but overall manageable. However, today, Day 7 is the worst day. I’m not sure how after it followed Day 6 which was a great day for me. Main complainta are more nausea that I didn’t have before and overacted bowels. No diarrhea but I’m constantly going to the bathroom. Nothing really stays in me so I’ve very low energy. The rumblings in my stomach is unsettling and I feel as though I’m pregnant with the low grade nausea, sometimes having to breathe through my mouth when I’m outside to avoid gagging from smells, even otherwise pleasant aromas wafting from restaurants.
Had acupuncture today and plan on having it weekly throughout treatment to alleviate any SE. it helped in terms of my fatigue but not so much my nausea. Perhaps the benefits take time to kick in.
Re Neulasta, the nurse told me it can cause bone and joint pain. I had pain a day for a couple days intermittently; felt bit in chest but mostly in back and pelvis. At its worst, felt like I threw my back out! Took Tylenol and that helped a bit.
What I fear is how I’m going to feel in future rounds. This is only my first week. It gets cumulative so am I going to feel 8x as worse at my last round??
Glad to have this forum and support group.
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Hollywood and lulabella: port triplets, had mine placed yesterday as well. Wasn't painful yesterday but very achy/painfu this morning. Start my A/C chemo Thursday x4doses, followed by T x12 weekly. I gathered all my "chemo supplies" yesterday so hoping I'm ready. Chemo before BMX with reconstruction and ovary removal per recommendation for BRCA 2 positive.
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BrooklynMama, are you taking Claritin? For some reason it helps with the bone and joint pain from the Neulasta. I started taking it a day before my first chemo and continued through day 10 and had no pain.
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Thanks InnaB2018 for the Claritin tip. I will try that next time
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Staylynn and lulabella,
Are you guys going to do the Claritan? My port is also painful today. Did your doctor prescribe pain meds? Mine prescribed Tramadol. Took one pill about 1am today. But gonna try just regular Tylenol at least in the day time. Had complete hysterectomy and ovaries removed in 2016. I am really anxious about how I will feel after first chemo. My husband and sister are both going to first chemo. I have same treatment plan as you Staylynn. I was told may have to do Rads after surgery. Good luck
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So glad to hear everyone is doing well.
DTR, I went for my second opinion yesterday, and dr. agreed with on MO. So, I'm waiting for scheduling to call with date to start chemo. TCx4 with 3 weeks between.each one.
Ask your doctor about the new TailorX study. You may be able to avoid chemo.
Hoping for clarity for you. I know that these decisions are difficult to make with so many options for us!
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libbylou - glad you sought out the second opinion for peace of mind! What did your OncotypeDX score end up being?
I actually did mention the TailorX trial to MO and he laughed and was surprised that I had been keeping myself informed. That is why I think he lowered his suggestion from 4 rounds AC + 4 rounds Taxol to 4 rounds TC (just like you - every 3 wks). I have a good feeling my 2nd opinion MO will likely agree with 4 rounds TC.
Good luck with your first infusion. Looks like more than likely, I'll be right behind you. Are you planning to cold cap?
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Hi lulabella:). Day 7 for me....still doing good. Rash behind back of the neck is the same. My head is itchy so I think I might have some rash there? My face is breaking out with white heads. But i could definitely deal with these SE..
I bought cyromax cold packs from amazon. ( I got the tip from another forum) but it didn’t fit well for me. I didn’t think they were touching my fingernails or toenails enough. So I stopped after few minutes. I think i will try one more time.
My doctor told me to eat regular breakfast before the infusion but I didn’t because I go 9am and I don’t eat breakfast that early. Lol and so I did snack during and I did okay with nausea so I will do the same. (they had popsicles at my center) my doctor told me I didn’t have to take nausea medicine if I didn’t feel nauseous but if I need it, don’t wait too long. Because I have motion sickness so I took an advise of another pink warrior by taking the night before, they give you during your infusion so the night you have chemo and then the day after. (that worked for me)
My doctor prescribed me ondansetron and prochlorazine. I only took 1 ondansetron. Every 8 hours minus during the infusion.
Neulasta shot is to boost your white blood count because the chemo makes it go down making it hard for us to fight infections but it causes severe bone pains and neuropathy. I will know when I go have my blood test Thursday if I need to get it. I think me not having it helped me avoid some pains. But you need to take Claritin (the regular not the D) day before and continue for 10 days and it should help you. I also heard i glutamine supplement helps as well.
Again drink lots of water, plenty of rest, frequent small meals and nothing too hot or spicy. always wear gloves when doing dishes..
Hollywood, When I got my port, my neck was stiff and pressure around the area but it gets better after 48 hours. It shouldn’t hurt too much so if it doesn’t feel better by 48 hours I would call the doctor just in case.
DTR, good luck with your 2nd opinion!0
