Starting Chemo May 2019
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SantaBarbarian... I thought I book marked your info on fasting. I need to try it. This round went from nausea to full on emesis, I'm going to give it a shot this next round bc being hungry for a few days is way better than this, Can you post the link again? till then I'll keep digging thru here. Thanks
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Lots of past posts on fasting. "The Fasting Mimicking Diet" Dr Valter Longo, USC.
Fasting protocol is 3 days of water only with chemo the middle day
OR
Fasting mimicking for 5 days with chemo the middle day.
Fasting mimicking is 1100 cals the first day and 800 cals the next 4 days. Clean healthy whole foods, not junk or sugar. Calories should be about half from fats (olive oil, avocado, nuts) and half veggies with a small amount of protein (~10%). It's scant enough that your body gets the fasting message without going to zero food.
800 cals gives about 250-300 cals per meal, so a meal is something like: "half an avocado, one egg, & sauteed vegs." Or "bone broth, mixed green salad, and 3 oz broiled salmon." You can look up the calories and fats and carbs per serving info of any food on google.
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PS when you break the fast eat NUTRIENT DENSE foods. Your "rebuild" is important -- when your system ramps back up when you are eating normally again. Give it good healthy fuel.
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santabarbarian, that's good advice for most of our eating. ;-)
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True! But even moreso when you have been fasting.
That's basically my post cancer rule, only eat nutrient dense food. No sugar, refined carbs, processed food, booze, or deep fat fried anything. And not too much food, and eating only within a 11 hour window of the 24 hour day. I have lost about 20 lbs since diagnosis and am feeling very good. I am sure I was verging into pre-diabetic middle age paunch when I developed cancer. I had aches, which all went away when I started paying attention to supplements and diet. Now I am through with treatment, and I allow myself little treats here and there but do not eat treats at home, only if I go to someone's house or out. I feel very good. I am basically eating a whole foods vegan diet focused on nuts and legumes fr protein, with occasional small amount of egg, dairy, fish, or organic meat.
And I am still doing fasting mimicking!!-- every 90 days as a cellular clean-up and immune system booster.
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santabarbarian, thank you. I already on no carb/no surgar, grassfed meats, lots of fruit and veggies and dark choclate
.. I had gastric bypass in 2014... I just need better protein snacks LOL ... when I do eat, it's always many small meals ... i did fast my first round, to nervous to eat ... but i snacked DURING treatment ... now i have a better plan for #2/6 on Monday. Thank you again.0 -
Just an update. Round #2 of AC went well. Side effects were much less so far. Neulasta onpro went off without any issues. Nat always urinates a ton the night after neulasta?? Like every hour
but otherwise great. She is drinking a ton and we did a 40 min walk. Trying to keep her calorie intake up. We eat very healthy just not a lot. Hoping the WBC/ANC count stays higher this time. Since her ANC went to zero on day 7 we will chill out at home with no visitors or sadly no grandkids for a couple of those days. The oncologist did not seem overly worried because her numbers did come back quickly We sure Hope everyone is doing well. Just wanted to keep everyone in the loop. J0 -
I’m starting my first chemo infusion June 6. I’m scared to death, but I’m strong and can get through this. My onco score is 24. Too close to ignore, and I just want no cells left behind. My MO is totally in support of this decision. (We were shocked at how high the score was, especially since I have such a great prognosis). I have so many questions about the SE of my specific chemo. Also, questions like what deodorant can I use now? When will my hair fall out? On day 4 after chemo will I likely be able to attend and participate in a very important meeting? Do I need gloves and socks with cold packs inserted for my first infusion? I want to do it right and not have regrets. Any help and support is greatly appreciated.
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welcome tennisgirl - I’m very sorry you have to be here but this is a great support group. I’m on a little different chemo TCHP but many on here are on your type AC and will be able to share their experience as well.
You are right - you ARE strong and will get through this. It is not your story, only a chapter.
Deodorant - my MO didn’t care so I just switched to a more natural one. Tom’s is a good brand.
My hair started falling out a little around day 14 then big time around day 21. I cut my hair short before starting then shaved around day 14. It was still traumatic but was better than big clumps coming out.
Day 4 is one of my worst days - lethargic and just feel blah. You may want to try and change your meeting if you can. Remember everyone’s experience is different though and you could be just fine
I haven’t done coldpacks. Others may be able to speak to those.
Hang in there.
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SantaBarbarian.. thanks so much. My stomach is such a mess I'll try anything, although my nausea is worse when I don't eat anything, I'm guessing I just need to get over that for a cycle to put things back on track. The dry heaving as the meds wear off every day is so awful, that I wonder how I'll ever get thru this. I just want my pre chemo body back. everything feels weird, my skin, my muscles, my taste buds etc..
Tennisgirl.. sorry you're walking this path with us, but yes, you'll get thru it one day at a time. I didn't switch deodorants, on day 4 post chemo I "might" be able to attend an important meeting, if it was short and I just needed to sit thru it (like a few hours), I can get out to visit people or see a movie, but anything longer than 4 hours is too much. Heavy hair shedding for me at day 14 thru currently (day 19 from first treatment), I had a short cut to start chemo, went to a pixie cut at day 16 and shaved it yesterday, I have bald patches but still a lot of hair on my head. Wore a scarf out to the movies and it was fine. To put that in perspective I put a lot of weight on the fact that hair loss is a completely reversible side effect once treatment ends, where as nephropathy and heart damage are not. So my efforts to maintain my health are geared towards preventing those. Not sure about the cold treatments for the TC, I know I'll need that for the Taxol but we are on different regimens so I haven't started them yet. Hope there was something helpful in there. At any rate, just knowing I'm not alone has been the most inspiring for me. Hope you find that true as well.
Hope everyone is having a nice weekend. I got out the movies last night to see Rocketman and enjoyed myself.
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I hope that everyone is enjoying their weekend. I am gearing up for my 3rd EC tomorrow, fingers crossed it will be uneventful and the SEs as manageable as they have been... or even less (hoping, hoping).
Hubby and I went for a lovely walk in our favorite hiking area, it was an easy one but we did reputable 3 hours. The weather was perfect - I’ll try to post a photo.
April, I am sorry that you are having difficult time... have you talked to you MO if they can tweak your anti nausea meds? I also learnt from my experience that nausea is much easier to prevent than to manage. Last time I was hoping it would subside on its own, only to find out that it didn’t ... on a contrary. Ok, this time I am going to pop Zofran the moment I think that I might get nauseous
Tennisgirl, sorry you are joining the ‘club’! As April said, SEs are different for different chemos and we all react differently as well. So far my experience with EC chemo (epirubicin is the European version of A) has been quite OK. I do have to watch out for nausea on day 1 to 3 but an extra Zofran took a good care of it so far. Day 3 is the worst in terms of energy levels for me, but then it is on rebound and I feel very much myself from day 5/6 and onwards. I am able to work the second week of the cycle. I am also trying to stay as physically active as I can - I noticed that it makes a marked difference in my energy levels.
Santabarbarian- I am following your posts. I am a firm believer that nutrition, including nutritional patterns and calorie restriction have a very important role to play. I am doing fasting mimicking this time around too.
Best wishes from across the pond
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Tennisgirl1, I have had 3 dose dense adriamycin and cytoxan treatments. I am given a steroid and two anti nausea meds prior to infusion. I do not take steroids at home. After my first two treatments, I believe that I could have sat through a meeting on day four after chemo. My third treatment has been a little more difficult. After my first two, day two was the worst. I woke up constipated with diarrhea closely after. I began feeling better on day three. This time, constipation lasted longer with no diarrhea. Fatigue wasn't bad at first, but has gotten progressively worse. As soon as my BS told me I would loose my hair, I buzzed it. I actually liked it. Two weeks after I had my first treatment, my hair began shedding a lot. I could not handle it. I shaved my head. I go out in public bare headed. I have a new SE. My thumb nails look bruised near the cuticles. I see signs of it on all of my finger nails. My toe nails look good. I also have tinnitus. Chemo brain? Yes, it's real. Also runny eyes and slightly blurry on occasion.
It's good to hear from everyone.
My lab results were the same as usual. WBC 1, ANC 0.20. Received a shot of Neupogen, which is not generic Neulasta. Neulasta and Neupogen are both manufactured by Amgen. They both do the same thing. Neulasta is longer lasting. Neupogen can be given daily. This was all confirmed by my NP on Friday. Of course, I encourage everyone to do their own research.
Went to get some plants yesterday. Too tired to plant them, but am looking forward to it today.
My attitude is good. Feeling pretty well.
For those of you that are experiencing SE, I'm sorry. Hang in there. It's worth it. I can barely feel my lump now. I certainly won't be referring to it as my angry lump anymore. Goodbye pain. Thank God!
For those of you that feel well, ride that high!
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LaCombattante, thanks for picture. Beautiful!
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Thank you to everyone who reached out. The support here is amazing and much needed. I truly appreciate you all.
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Welcome. I'm glad you found us.
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Hi Tennisgirl. I am the only male on this group
. I am the caregiver for my bride of 37 yrs together for 40. She is doing the AC, 4 times every other week, then 12 weeks of the T every week. Surgery will follow. Her SE first round were hardest on day 1 but she did have a lot of other medical procedures leading up to it. On day 3 we went out farmers market etc. She did feel a tad nauseas but ok. The do pump her full of steroids and she takes 4 steroid pills for 3 days after. She does the neulasta onpro. She got a little tired throughout and her ANC did drop to zero but was back up to 3.9 by 2nd treatment. 2nd treatment actually was much easier as she did not have all the other procedures. After the neulasta (27hrs after chemo) she pee's a lot all night long. We are on day 3 after #2 and will go out and do some organic produce shopping. She is really feeling very good. Eyes are a little blurry, takes Metamucil to keep things moving. She has an awesome attitude and always has. We buzzed her hair right before chemo #2 on day 14. She is cute as heck....however she wasn't thrilled about it. We were told that she will definitely do ice on hands and feet during the 12 T chemo treatments. Super important!!! We do keep ice in her mouth on the A portion of the 4 AC treatments to reduce mouth sores, which she has not had any so far. We do walk 40 min a day if possible. Nat is a big work out person so we try and keep a basic workout going. It has seemed to help mentally as well as physically. We have a ton of people praying and this has definitely helped as we have always been big believers. I hope this helps. One day at a time and we will all laugh and celebrate at the end. You've got this. You women inspire me!0 -
HappyAnyway, I am with you - actually, I liked my buzzed look. I am nearly bold now... and I still like it!
Now and then, when I catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror, I sing few lines from 'Nothing compares 2U' .
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I love that song!
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Thank you Jrominger. You gave me a lot of good information to think about. I am very lucky to have my amazing husband to help me through this, as does your wife have you. I know a positive attitude and outlook makes all the difference in the world. Keeping that positivity is the hard part, and falls on the support person to help maintain. I’m just at the beginning of this journey, so I really don’t know what’s in store for me. I’m so grateful to have the support of this community to gain additional support and strength, in an effort to minimize the burden on my family. Thank you.
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G1973, I was thinking about you today. Others may be interested, too. My nurse navigator recommended Brian Joseph's Lash and Brow Conditioning Gel to preserve eyebrows and lashes. I mentioned it to my husband. He bought it for me at a local boutique located in the same building as the breast center. It was $40. I did not research it. I have been using it for a couple of weeks. The navigator said that she has seen success with other patients. I bought some Maybelline Tattoo Studio brow pomade, but haven't used it yet. I'll let you know if I like it.
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Hi Tennisgirl, I spend most of my time on the April 2019 chemo thread but do jump on this one to read as well. Lots of great tips and support and inspiration! Haven’t posted on this one before but wanted to reach out as I am on the same chemo regimen as you. My oncotype score was 25 and like you I wanted to do all that I can to reduce my risk of recurrence
This week I completed my 3rd TC (Wednesday). The day of is pretty uneventful although tiring from the drugs. My worst day is usually the 3rd day after Chemo so it was Saturday. Yesterday I pretty much spent the entire day in bed. Definitely naseous but I take the drugs and have never vomitted, fatigue is an issue. But today I feel good and would definitely be able to sit through a meeting.
My hair fell out on day 14 after my first treatment, not all but most. Picture ostrich head. Lol I didn’t do wigs and am rocking the hat look. It works.
I am working full time through this because I choose to. I love my job and it makes me feel good to get up and go to work each day. Makes me feel somewhat normal. I take a coulple days off around my treatment and then pretty much have a solid 2 weeks at work before we go again.
You can do this!
Laura
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Checking in... I hope everyone is having a good weekend.
I'm feeling almost normal 11 days out from my first TCHP. I've lost 4 lbs. I had a few days when my stomach was just upset all day, after taking Senokot for constipation. Never taking that again (if I can help it). Food tastes blah or off but I eat cause I don't want to lose more weight. I can feel my boob lump has shrunk or softened a bit. I hope this chemo is working on my mets. I can't tell because I didn't have symptoms from my mets when I was dxed Stage 4.
I had some light bleeding which freaked me out but MO thinks it's the chemo messing with my cycle as I already had a period this month. It lasted about as long as a period and it seems to have stopped.
I'm still emotionally a mess and my DH is worse. I feel better today since I physically feel ok. But DH is not in a good place so I hope to find some counseling that can help us.
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melza-- that's very good sign if you can feel the lump shrinking! I had TNBC, so no Herceptin or Perjeta, but I also took Carboplatin and Taxotere-- and I also felt the softening/shrinking. I will never forget the joy I felt when I realized it was shrinking. I would also get a sensation I can only describe as "fizzy" in the area of the tumor. Anyway, I would imagine that if the primary tumor is responding, so will the mets. I had one 3 cm lymph node, which softened and shrank as the tumor did.
I will also add that if you can easily feel you tumor (mine was easy to feel and not deep in) it will not hurt and might help to use heat on it. You can read about "hyperthermia"... if you heat a cancer cell to about 107-109 degrees for 45 mins, it will either be very, very weakened or die. If weakened, it gives off "heat shock protein" which makes it detectable by the immune system so it can't hide.
I did a lot off heat on my tumor (to the point of mild burns- dark magenta pink) for several days before my chemo day, during chemo, and that afternoon/evening. I LOVE a 105 degree hot tub.... so I had a pretty good feel for how hot 107-109 would be, and the mild burns healed with no issue. Used a verrrrry hot hot water bottle and kept refilling it. (I thought to do this because recirculating hot water is exactly how vets shrink animal tumors. So I decided it was good enough for me....)
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Best wishes from the chemo chair
My blood counts are good, so I am all cleared for the 3rd round of EC. Here is to hoping that that it goes uneventful and SEs are not too bothersome ( I am aware that they tend to accumulate).
To all of us on this thread best of luck and minimal SEs!
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Some rough days. A week from tomorrow I get round 3 of 6. Everyone is talking about June and 'how time flies'. Right now time is standing still. I don't want to play this game anymore - I want off this ride. Having trouble with that 'stay positive' crap. WBC was at lowest the last few days (2.9) so didn't feel I should go out in public. Stayed home and pretty much did nothing. A few walks and a bike ride and that was about it. So going a little stir crazy I think.
Talked about going to a work conference this week. Didn't think I'd be able to go but it being week 3 I think I could. Then I stressed and tossed and turned all night last night about seeing these people - or them seeing me rather - so I told DH I don't think I'm strong enough mentally to go. Working from home I can choose who I see and when I see them so I've been pretty low profile since all of this has started.
Feeling pretty low. Gotta figure a way to snap out of it.
Hope you all are doing better. Good luck to all of those who have treatment this week!
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hello ladies...
I am having this weird associative nausea/gagging. So forgive me for not keeping up, just logging on here makes me gag, talking about chemo makes me nauseated. I have a call into the MO nurse line, it feels very psychosomatic and I would like to get an idea on how to tackle it. I even gag trying to swallow my nausea meds.
Much love to you all. Hope to get this under control and back on here more regularly.
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Melza89, feeling the lump shrink is amazing and I'm so happy that it's happening for you!
LaCombattante, three down! One step closer.
April0315, I hope your MO helps you to feel well soon. I'm sorry that you're experiencing nausea. Love to you, too, and everyone on here.
I had a terrible morning. I'm not going to hash it all out, but it was mentally rough. It all happened right before I left for my lab work, which I cried through. The Neupogen did work, though, and my last AC treatment is on Friday. YAY! Can't wait to move on to the next phase.
I talked to the patient advocate and asked for a referral for a therapist. She told me about the Cancer Support Community, which offers free services for cancer patients and their families. My 8 yo and I drove over there. We were given a tour of the facility and I had an impromptu session. My daughter played with Legos and Play doh while I spoke with the therapist in an adjoining room. They offer one on one counseling, group sessions (I told her that I will keep an open mind), summer camp for kids, family cooking lessons, the list goes on. My older two daughters and I are going to take a yoga class. I'm glad that I went and am adding them to my arsenal of tools to get through this. I feel as though a weight has been lifted. I can breathe.
Have as good a day as possible, everyone.
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Swallowing pills tip: put pill/s in your mouth. Then get a large mouthful of liquid in there, then look down (chin to chest) then swallow. Looking down makes all the pills float to the top of your throat so they go down more easily. (I was diagnosed in 7/18 and it took me till about two months ago to learn this trick!!)
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Hello, I had my first treatment of taxol, carboplatin and Tecentriq on May 31. Is it unusual to get a stiff neck. I'm also feeling like I have a sore throat? I'm wondering if it could be related to the port, which was put in the day before my first treatment. Very uncomfortable. Thanks for any assistance
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