Starting Chemo October 2018
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Patrice and rabbit - how are you today on day 2? Hoping for little to no SEs.
I’m day 3 post second AC#2. The reduction in steroid helped remove the jitters. The fatigue has definitely set in. I feel like I ran 3 miles. Never had fatigue before so it’s all new to me. Going to rest and hydrate. The hydrating is hard because the thought of water makes me sick. Can’t believe so many of us are already 1/2 done with AC!!! Yes!!!! We can do this! We ARE doing this!
Happy Friday everyone. Hope everyone’s weekend is full of sunshine, mixed with rest and hydration :-)
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Good morning!
April, I feel good today, little tired and a headache as expected, so it's all ok.
So glad you are feeling better, sounds like tweaking the meds helped. And yes, we are 1/2 way thru AC. How fantastic is that?
On another good note, I was speaking to a woman in the treatment room yesterday. She is 1/2 way thru the T part of AC T. She said she feels much better than expected, that the T was far easier than the AC, se wise. Of course, every one of us will respond differently, but her experience gave me a lot of hope.
All right my fellow godesses you know the drill - eat, drink and be rested. And take a walk. The trees around here are full of gorgeous color. Bundle up and go check them out if you've got 'em. Thinking of you all. 💓
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So amazing that so many of you are halfway done with your AC! I’m doing TACx6 so I’m 1/3 of the way done with chemo. Today my SEs from chemo seem to be gone, but have now been replaced with the Neulasta bone pain. If it’s not one thing it’s something else, right? Keep on rocking it girls
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day 2 after AC #3 feeling fine. Taking nausea meds on a schedule, remembering to hydrate and have been nibbling here and there. Go in for neulasta in about an hr. Had my Zoladex shot the other day too for ovarian suppression. Should be hearing back hopefully when getting my shot to see if I can half my take home steroids - the jitters from those drive me insane and feel almost did second time around, they make u feel so awful.
Congrats on how far everyone is getting, flying through chemo, I like it! One more to go for me on November 8th, I am definitely ringing the bell when I get through the AC part. I found ginger drops, ginger ale and keeping hydrated and full belly really helped. We are getting there together! Nice to hear taxol is easier, maybe that will mean less pills, I feel like I have a small pharmacy! Homesickness is still there but my husband is working extra hard to try and bring my come date up a week. I love him so much, I feel blessed to have him, been my bright spot through all this
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Could not agree more. My second AC is Monday. I have my chemo haircut. So not ready for the hair loss. People do not understand what it's like and neither did I. This will make us all better educated with what to say and what not to say. One of the many lessons I am learning through this journey
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Hey ladies! Had to take a reprieve b4 I posted. 2nd AC, BLAH! I will try and keep it short. Day 1...not a fan. Felt dizzy, drowsy, etc. Day 2...woke up and neck totally swollen. Talked to NP and on call onco..both had different opinions. Finally text my dentist a pic. She said abcess and put me in penicillin. Day 3-5 felt like crap! Told my hubby I'm done...straight to surgery for me! Went to dentist for xray... no abcess but still have 2 teeth that need attention. Ugh! MO called me Wednesday and told me to come in to meet Thursday. Ok... I soooooo hate going there! Anyway....he is giving me a week off. Basically for mental health. I guess they used to do the chemo I'm on every 3 weeks so he was fine with that. I also let him know that I will be doing that going forward. Lol I also let him know I'll be opting out of phase 2 (taxol) of chemo. He said well talk about that later. I have to say...I love my doc and that he handles me so well. Next...my heartburn is 90% cuz of chemo...the other cuz of advil/tylenol/penicillin. So, gotta take something other than tagamet. My heart skipping a beat is cuz I'm not eating enough (cuz of heartburn, I lost 4 lbs since friday). So, next was exam...ugh. he said with my high estrogen kind of cancer, he doesnt expect to see the mass shrink much but doesnt grow and is trying to get it out of my lymph nodes. But...my shit has shrunk in half and he cannot feel my lymph nodes at all! He was super excited with the response I'm having , especially only 2 treatments in. I was like, well it better be working cuz I feel like SHIT! LOL Anyway, go me. Oh, and he also wants me to see my surgeon in the next couple weeks. I said awesome, glad to see your on board now with no taxol. He said he didnt say that. Lol Anyway, good news. Gonna try and enjoy the little reprieve I have.
So...how is everyone else??? I've been off the board for a bit so trying to catch up. April...how was 2nd treatment? Patrice...yes...hair hair hair! Finally shaved today and hubby and my 7 year old did as well. My daughter opted out. I told her I totally would too!! Haha
Hope all infusions went well for everyone this week!
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Thought I would share a photo of myself and my husband from last Saturday.
I hope everyone is doinf well this week. I have been more tired this time round, so I've been taking naps as needed. I have also been walking. Not so much the last couple of days. I really need to not miss days.
I really wish I knew how many rounds I am getting. I need to talk with my MO about this at my next appointment with her. Sorry for venting. I really don't mind either way. It can be 4 or 6 rounds. I just want to know so I can plan my holidays.
Have a great weekend, rest, hydrate, exercise, and eat well.
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Hi Everyone,
I’ve been stalking this thread since I joined.
Had my port placed all the way back on October 1st,
followed by PET, MUGA and MRI. Start my 8 rounds of dose dense ACT on the 30th.
Trying to shrink the tumor which has two completely different sizes depending
on if you go by the PET (2.2 cm x 1.5 cm) or MRI (6.8 cm x 4.7 cm) plus 1 lymph
node. Not sure how they can come up with such different numbers but it is what
it is.The waiting to see what SEs I’ll get from chemo and how mild
or intense they will be is slightly maddening. I’ve appreciated reading everyone’s
posts on what’s happened to you and how you’ve dealt with everything.I’m 42 with 2 kids (12 and 14) plus a small dog and cat. Gotta
kick cancers ass so that I can bug my kids for a very long time to come :-) So far the kids are
handling it well. We’ll see what happens
when the chemo starts and the hair comes off.After I told my kids I donated 9 inches and will shave it as
soon as it starts coming out more than usual. Have some caps and will probably go wig
shopping this weekend. And am probably overstocked
on supplies but would always rather have too much than not enough.0 -
hi Trisha sorry u have to be here but welcome! Here are some must have tips I found most helpful
1 do the half and half salt and baking soda mouth rinses religiously and brush with a soft brush as often as u can. I have had no issues with mouth sores as of yet.
2. Dry mouth use biotine alcohol free mouth rinse and ACT mouth losenges very helpful.
3. Drink a lot of fluids, helps rinse u out and really helped me feel better.
4. Short walks even when feeling crappy helped.
5. Eat. Full stomach helps prevent nausea. Take nausea meds on schedule, have had no problems. Flattened ginger ale and ginger drops help too.
6. You can do this! Some days may suck yes, but once you get to the other side you'll feel great! Good luck to u and welcome aboard lots of great ladies here with lots of other tips!
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Casey and not giving up so good to see you post and I must say you are both ROCKIN the bald look. Every lady posting their pic is an absolutely stunning woman.
Casey your posts crack me up and it's sounds like you have a great doc who gets you that's awesome and hell yeah about the shrinking already that's very good news!
Not giving up- so happy about you being able to get naps in, I haven't been able to nap but am sleeping well at night. Thank you for sharing your pic, I see a strong woman there!
Patrice my chemo sister in crime hope your doing good! Your guinea pig is doing okay and actually looking forward to #4. So far so good on day 3 post #3 , hydrating more seems to help. We are kicking butt together lady, woo hoo,
On a happy note for me I no longer have to take more at home steroids anymore for rest of AC treatment . No more jitters no more late nights no more feeling like I want to crawl outta my skin. Yahoo!!
Sister strong, sadlynew, fritz, js,Annie and all those I missed hope you doing well, we are doing it!!!
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Good Morning ladies I just had my third round of T+H yesterday No reaction again so we are going to try to speed up the rate slightly next week. We are going to try in 15 min increments. It was crazy but I just wanted to eat when I got home I don’t know if it was the steroids or what. I can afford to lose some weight so I hope this isn’t the norm but it’s good I can keep food down My SE are still pretty minimal. A little tired, congestion and an annoying cough and I have been waking up around 3:30 and can’t get back to sleep. I wasn’t planning on icing my feet and hands but the center is recommending I do it. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Im not cold capping since hair is shaved which I’m so glad I did
I hope everyone can have a good week because you all are amazing and deserve it.
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Hi everyone. I am Dawn. I've been on the August. group and wanted to join in this October group since I am currently doing chemo.
I started AC in September and will complete 4/4 treatments this Tuesday. In mid Nov. I will begin 12/12 Taxol once a week.
My worst side effect has been no stamina at all and weakness. I've continued to work through it all, but did have to call in one day off. With my last AC I ended up in bed for 4 days. So I expect that with the next treatment.
Side effects aren't fun but they have been tolerable. Heart burn, acid reflux, hiccups, and slight nausea. I've stayed on top of medications.
I've been focusing on protein enriched foods, like eggs, home grown red meat, liver, nuts, avocado, to build my red cell count back up. I have not had bone pain, but take Claritin day of Neulesta shot and day or two afterwards.
When I first found out I would be doing chemo, I was devastated, especially about the hair loss. I decided to take control and have my hair buzzed day before my first treatment. My stylist came out with another stylist and they buzzed my head and some family members and a friend. It was a fun night with smiles and laughs. I have human hair wigs and my stylist trimmed them to look like my own hair, which really helps. I choose not to wear wigs at home, but wear warm hats. I am thankful not to have to mess with my own hair right now. On days after treatments, I don't have the strength.
I have been keeping up with hydration and drinking water, but some days after treatments are hard. I found that flavored drops in water makes it so much easier. I get the grape drops in the Walmart brand. It has no dye in it.
My face feels drier than usual and I am developing deep wrinkles below mouth and chin. I just got some moisturizer and face serum from Lindi. They are designed specifically for chemo patients.
I had my eyebrows microbladed before I started chemo. It has faded, but when I do loose my eyebrows, I at least have a line to follow to keep them as natural as possible. I need to get them touched up, but can't until after chemo is complete since microblading cuts the skin.
THANK You all for sharing your side effects and tips. Everything is so valuable!!
And hang in there. As horrible as chemo is, it is our HOPE!!
Dawn0 -
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Good evening warriors!
I hope everyone has had a good weekend. I went to a fundraiser last night for an animal rescue. My husband and I had a nice evening.
I am still tired on day 11 after treatment 2. This evening while cooking dinner for my family, the smell of it got to me. I am not happy about that. I tried to eat dinner, but just couldn't. I will try to eat something later. It just took me by surprise that cooking dinner would not sit well with me stomach wise.
Good luck to those having treatment this coming week. For those who just had treatment, hopefully no serious se for you.
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Thanks for the tips Rabbit.
Currently working on the hydration as my first treatment is tomorrow and will add baking soda to my final shopping list. I'm trying to make sure that I have everything that I'll need. While there are people that can go to the store for me if I don't feel like it I want to be the one to make sure everything is ready.
Hi Dawn. Sounds like you had a good party with buzzing your hair. Haven't decided how I'm going to deal with mine yet.
Notgivingup hope you were able to eat something later on.
Good luck to everyone this week. Hope it treats you well.
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Good morning my fellow champions-
Hope the weekend was kind to my ladies, LOVING the pics of you 2 killing the bald look, so great! I'm still holding on to enough hair to be able to put off shaving for a day or two. I would love to know why I can't keep hair on my head but still have razor stubble on my legs.
Se's were a bit worse this weekend, especially the headache, massive migraine which triggered nausea. Saturday was the worst so far, but now that's over too. Oh, and I forgot to take my Dulcolax until it was too late, so...... I am kinda worried that the se's are cumulative, and harder to fight after each treatment. Good news is that Sunday had me feeling good, going for a walk and craving Mexican food.
Now back to work, back to a bit of normalcy for the week. Take care of yourselves, keep hydrating, keep moving, and keep fighting. We got this. Thinking of you all.
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Mid-chemo blood test and meeting with MO this morning. He said my tumor has reduced by 50% from what he feels! I’m trying not to get too excited, but I’m really hopeful to continue to respond to chemo equally as well over the next 4 treatments. My WBC count is low, which is a little concerning when I have a preschooler and kindergartener bringing home all their germs, but MO didn’t seem overly concerned.
We talked about surgery and reconstruction, and he’s recommending that I delay reconstruction until after radiation which is fine by me. I guess that is a topic that was discussed at a breast cancer conference he attended a few weeks ago and is being recommended to patients getting neoadj chemo. That gives me more time to decide on what I want to do because I have no idea
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day 5 post #3 and hanging in there. Still homesick of course and counting the days. Having no steroids to contend with at home has been great, I really hated the feeling those things gave me.
Not giving up- hope your appetite returns and se are kind to you.
Fritz- so happy for u things are shrinking! That's great news!
Patrice- if we aren’t dealing with one side effect it's another. Have some Mexican for me! Heartburn issues for me aliitle but even with prescription Prilosec and tums, usually works it's way out but alas no spicy for me right now.
Hope all are doing well. Not much further to go for many of us. Marching onward even tho I feel slightly deflated today due to homesickness. 19 days away from home, please fly by!!
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Hello Ladies -
Just wanted to share - I signed up for "Look Good, Feel Better" at my local cancer center. Found the details online thru American Cancer Society. It's a FREE 2 hour class all about dealing with the effects of chemo on hair, nails, and skin. There is a great big goodie bag given out, with makeup, skincare, etc, personalized for each participant according to skin type, color, etc. Signed up for Nov 6th, I'll let you all know the scoop, seemed like it was worth a shot...
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Ooh I wanted to sign up for that class at my cancer resource center! Definitely let us know how it is
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Does anyone know if chemo will make me lose ALL of my hair? I buzzed it 2 weeks after #1, and the majority of it fell out within a few days of doing that. But now I’m left with an even layer of fine hairs that make me look like a baby bird. Will this hair eventually fall out too? I don’t want to shave it and risk infection if I cut myself. But I’m sick of this feeling of little hairs all over. I’d rather be completely bald. Not this weird in between stage.
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Patrice- let us know how it is. They offered it near me but my se at time didn’t let me make it. I hear the goodie bag is excellent!
Fritz- I’ve been wondering that myself as I am in the same boat as u. I guess we just have to wait and see. Not liking the baby bird look myself.
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My first A/C was last Tuesday, the 23rd. It has been a horrible week. Pain, fatigue, nausea, passing out from dehydration, a nightmare trip to my clinic - an hour away - to get more meds and get rehydrated. Neulasta is making me feel like an Sigourney Weaver's alien baby is coming out of my spine. I was ready to give up when I saw a commercial for MBC. I do not want to go there. I can't give up but I so want to.
Today was the first time I've eaten food that stayed where it was suppose to or drank anything that didn't feel like fire going down my esophagus. The new meds are working.
I hesitated to write this. I just never thought it could be this bad.
I wish for us strength, hope and courage. Tonight I am standing in the ashes of who I use to be.
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Annie I totally get where you’re coming from. I was basically out of commission for an entire week. Had chemo last Monday, and just today was able to function semi normally. Before I started chemo, all the nurses were telling me how I may not experience any severe SEs because of how great the drugs are that they give us to offset the chemo. Well that was bullshit because I feel like crap for a week straight!
And I can’t get away from those MBC advertisements! If it’s not on the tv, it’s in a magazine or online! I don’t need a reminder! I think about it every hour of every day!!
Hope tomorrow you feel human again
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Good morning everyone,
Today is the big day - first round of AC. Have my bag packed and as ready as I can be.
Annie & Fritz sorry to hear your SEs have been so difficult. Hope you both feel better soon.
I went to the Look Good Fell Better class yesterday. Other than the directions to the location not being good, which made everyone late, it was a really good class. There were six of us and one instructor. She went through each step of doing making up and gave instructions and tips on how to do it. As someone who rarely wears make up she made it all easy. The kits are well stocked and for the most part everyone had the same type of makeup but possibly different brands.
She also went over the different types and options with head coverings. Showed us how to make and put on a turban made out of the bottom part of a t-shirt. She also mentioned the local American Cancer Society and what they offered for free from their wig closet. What they have will vary from place to place because they rely on donations. After the class I went there and found a wig that should work for me. Got a bonus because as I was finishing up I mentioned that all I needed now was a blue one and I'd be set. Turns out they've had this black and turquoise wig that no one ever wanted and she let me have it too.
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I’m on TCHP first infusion and feeling the terrible SEs, I’m on day 5 and don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. Have pain from the Neulasta even though I’m taking Claritin, just wasn’t prepared to feel sobad
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annie60 I am feeling the same way as you did you get anything for your Neulasta pain? This is tougher than I thought but together we can get through it
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I saw my doctor today. The OC nurses are the best. They all came and hugged me and told me how much better I looked. I asked my husband how bad was it - I barely remember anything- He said you looked like death.
Today is better. Some nausea this morning but now I have three new meds to control the acid reflux and to help with nausea. My throat and esophagus are healling. I told my dr I really contemplated quitting. He was startled. I am on house arrest as my WBC was terribly low and he is worried about infection.
I hate the Newlasta commercials. They look so happy - not bald and hurting. The dr told me to take Clartin starting the day before chem, ibuprofen or tylenol as soon as I felt pain.
Ladies, thank you. I felt like I was drowning and you have become my life boat.
Newfromny and Fritzmylove I hope your tomorrow is better. I will once again face Hell on Nov. 13.
Annie
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Annie, so glad to hear ur feeling better but so sorry for how rough it’s been for u. I too had low wbc after 1st round of chemo. Could really leave house and had to avoid fresh fruit and veg. My MO told me it’s not unusual for wbc to crash like that 1st round. My counts were much better second time around and tomorrow I find out how my counts are 3rd time around. This whole chemo thing is difficult because it seems like your constantly navigating symptoms and ways to combat the symptoms. I am the biggest baby there ever was when it comes to this kinda stuff (being scared etc) and having to go through treatment 2 and half hours from my husband and church ( roof failed damaged house not safe to have chemo in) while home is being repaired. Staying with other family during treatment.18 days from going home and 8 away from my last AC. Not having my husband physically with me through all this has been the hardest, I envy so much those of u who have your family’s with u during all this. Homesickness is no joke.
Hoping the 13th will be more kind to u se wise. The thing I found is you begin to know what to expect in terms of se. keep being proactive about letting your MO know what’s going on. I request extra hydration chemo days and that helps as well as constantly sipping something at home like water or defizzed ginger ale.
You can do it Annie.
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This morning after my shower, I realized that I haven’t had to shave under my arms in a week! Silver linings!
I hope everyone enjoys their Halloween. Today I’m running around going to my kids’ schools to see them in the costume parades. Then trick or treating and a neighbor’s Halloween party. I’m thankful that my TXs happen to land well before Halloween and Thanksgiving so I don’t have to deal with SE. Though I’m scheduled to get #4 on Christmas Eve. Will definitely be asking if I can delay that one until the day after Christmas so I can enjoy my family Christmas morning.
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