Starting Chemo May 2019
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Thank you!!!
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aliceneed!!!! U look amazing with the new look!! And look at that smile! Must keep smiling, all of us! Hope ur doing better with that tummy issue. Nothing like feeling full and trying to be comfortable. Is it all the water intake?
Mvp459 , I feel for u girl. I’m on 4 rounds AC then Taxol I’m heading into my 2nd treatment this Thursday. And I must say I feel pretty darn good now, almost normal. The first 7 days from the day I got treatment were freaking hell I almost wanted to quit too. There was no waiting on 3-5 day it was right away for me. My daughter reminds me every time I say I’m scared for the next that I keep adding another year each go around, I have convinced myself this to be true. Hang in there, I promise u it does get better.
Hope everyone had a great mother’s day I know I did.
Stay positive ladies and learn as u go. It’s ok to be scared and it’s ok to be sad. But it’s also ok to be happy. We are all strong and we know that I don’t need to tell anyone that( as we hear it enough) ! Hang in their ladies we are all doing great!
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getting my port on Wednesday anything I should know or ask?
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I all, I am starting my chemo on Wednesday the 15th, almost a week later than anticipated. Had one heck of a week. I switched hospitals, but I feel amazing that i was able to make this decision! Hoping to get my port tomorrow and feel the same VeeBee. Nerves are setting in, but trying to remain positive (is this an oxymoron??)
Best of Luck to all in our newly created group.
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A reminder to anyone hating their SEs that a brief fast or semi-fast is very helpful to reducing SEs. You can look up: "Fasting Mimicking Diet, Dr Valter Longo, USC"... It helped me a lot. Basically chemo day is the middle of the fast. So you have very little in your tummy on chemo day and don't start eating again right away. So while your digestive system is weird, not much if being asked of it. Fasting protects healthy cells and makes cancer more vulnerable (in mice). They are doing human trials now. The "mimicking" diet is 5 days of very low cal (800 cals); a water-only fast is 3 days.
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Welcome JoAnnsLife - sorry you have to be here with us! Best of luck to you this week!
Port placement was a little rougher than what I expected. It hurt but only for about 12 hours - tylenol was my friend. When I came home I thought I'd lay down and sleep for an hour or two but I couldn't get comfortable. Propping up on pillows helped. It was very weird at first but now I don't even really notice it. I've had mine for about a month and a half now.
Thanks santabarbarian for the info on fasting - may have to give that a try.
Good luck today TTROTTER1 - keep us posted!
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heading in for my first session of AC.
My daughters HS graduation was a lovely event, followed by a lot of family and friends gathering at our home for a celebration. Spent Mother's Day hiking in Sedona with visiting family. Slept like a rock last night, went for a 4 mile walk this morning and I"m feeling as ready as I can.
Hope everyone has gotten a handle on their SE and are feeling a little better today.
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Alicesneed, you are beautiful!
Hope everyone feels better today.
My SE aren't too bad, either. Really tired today and thrush again. Just trying to eat a little to regain some energy. My stomach wasn't nearly as upset this time. Two AC down, two to go! Then twelve weekly Taxol, but I'm trying not to think too far ahead.
For those who are getting a port, my first night was awkward. I didn't want to turn my head.
Good luck to those who are having their first treatments.
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Today was a good day. Day 5 and feel almost like my old self. Well my old self with a lump in my boob and a port lol! Thank you to all for the positive thoughts and reassurance! We CAN do this!
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I'm feeling a bit anxious about my appt tomorrow with MO. My first try at TC chemo last Friday was called off, after I reacted to the T (taxotere) twice on infusion. I know there are alternatives or fixes. I'm eager to find out what he has to say about it. Also, I was mentally prepared for the intended schedule, and now whatever else happens, that schedule will change.
I guess the good news is I don't have big family events or trips or other things planned for this summer. Really, it's all about me and my health. (Is that good?)
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Hugs, MountainMia.
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Thanks HappyAnyway! I too found moving my head around strange/akward at first with the port. My husband kept asking why I was moving my whole body when I wanted to look at something. I said it's just weird thinking about having a tube in your jugular! But now I don't even think about it.
G1973 - glad you are entering the normal phase!!
April0315 - hope all went smoothly today!
MountainMia - definitely all about you! I'm sure you are anxious to get some answers and get going again. I always found the waiting difficult.
Hope everyone else is having a good day.
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About the port, I agree with all of you on turning your neck.
First AC went fine for the first 3 hours after I got home. Then I got nauseated, took a zofran, then I had a little diarrhea, took Imodium, then I got a horrible headache and nausea unresolved. took the other nausea med. I finally just laid down and cried. I felt the worst I have ever felt in my life. My MIL is staying with us (leftover from graduation, she's a retired hospice RN). This is what she said to me that just made me feel batter:
"You just had a lot of toxic chemicals poured into your body and they need to do their job, but your body wants them out. So your body is just trying to get out all of the toxins. Your body is behaving exactly the way it should when it's been poisoned." So, as much as I still felt like garbage I was able to see it's purpose and it wasn't so frightening.
She woke me up at midnight to take another zofran (as it was 8 hours later), I slept well, woke up this morning just feeling mildly queasy and a little foggy. I go in today at 2pm for the Nuelesta and they keep me for a bit to be sure I don't react. After that dose I'll go home with the disc for the rest of the chemo sessions.
Here's to easy gentle days for all of us.
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April, give your MIL a hug from me. xo
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MountainMia... I sure will, I wish she could come out for all my sessions! She made chicken soup last night (very bland) so I can try to eat that today. Being a little spoiled right now is a blessing for sure.
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Hello,
I've been following your threads, it is so reassuring to read how everyone is getting through this. I hope I have the same strength! I see my MO today to get a date to start chemo, which I think will be soon.
I've waited a long time because it was a few weeks getting in with him for the initial visit, and I asked for the oncotype score which was another month wait. I woudn't have done it though if he didn't reassure me that waiting wouldn't be a risk.
Thanks for your inspiration and support!
Julie
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Best of luck snowflake with your MO appointment. I have bilateral breast cancer as well. I hope you feel trust in the MO and find some comfort in the treatment plan.
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My appt with MO went well today. In case you don't remember my story, I went for my first TC infusion last Friday. I reacted after a few minutes of infusion and it was halted. I was given benadryl and waited, and tried again. I reacted again, so the doctor halted the process and had them send me home.
Over the last few days I've had a chance to see what alternatives there are, so I fully expected what he had to say. He wants to (and I agree) try again with the same protocol of TC. He said that the reaction is NOT actually an allergic reaction, not in the same way that a person might be allergic to dogs or shellfish. He said the chances are very good that I won't react again and will be able to use taxotere successfully. I will prep for it by using decadron (steroid) on days -2 and -1, as well as before treatment on day 0. Hopefully this will make it easier for me.
So I am rescheduled for Friday this week. It's a good decision. We can go down another path later if needed.
I'm so very grateful for all the information and help available here at BCO. How would anyone have a clue what to do without a resource like this?
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April0315 so sorry to hear. I try to thin of my infusions more of my warriors going to work. I prayed as they pushed it in. I prayed that it would go straight to the tumor and start beating it down. I made a joke if I needed to lay on my side that way it would all drain that way. I truly feel that chemo is our friend, partner and alli to destroy the cancer.
I know it does not sound appetizing but moving for me really helped. Walking around the block or down the street, it all added up and made me feel much better. Lots of water, it started to taste bad on day 3 but I knew in the long run it would help. I did not take any of the anti nausea pills as it looked like the side effects would make me worse. I drank ginger ale and it did help!
We are all here for you!
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G1973 what a great way to look at things.
My first infusion went well even though I had a horrible headache the night before I start thinking it was the steroids I started Sunday morning for my TC tx.
Headache still going strong despite ibuprofen and some tramadol throughout the day.
Now itching everywhere like crazy, has anyone else had this side effect from the dexamethasone or TC tx?
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MountainMia glad you feel good about your plan.
And thanks for the alternative visual G1973.
I'm still really nauseous. I pushed water and walked 2 miles thru out the day At one point I started to feel ok and maybe I ate a little too varied of a diet, well, I had a piece of cake and a tittle ice-cream. so today I'll do the same as yesterday but stick with super bland food no matter how I feel.
I keep; thinking about the fact that I eventually have to go back to work and it's not a pleasant thought. I am a charge nurse in a very busy department. Either it will keep me so busy I won't notice I feel like crap, or it will be awful and I'll take more time off. That's not till middle of June so I should probably put those worries aside for now.
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This morning I did something I hadn't done before: I ordered from a meal service. There is a local company with very good reputation that builds meals for order. Some of them are pre-cooked and ready to heat up. Others are prepped to cook. They come in different numbers of servings. I ordered 15 2-serving meals, since it's just me and my husband. I can pick up the whole set on Saturday morning and they can go in the freezer. The price is really good, about $5 per serving. That's much higher than if I bought the ingredients and did all the work myself, but WAY LOWER than buying restaurant takeout. AND of course, I DON'T have to do all the work myself, nor does my husband.
Their menus change every month, so I can buy June's menu any time in June. And I can substitute out things on their menu that we won't eat, and double up on things we will.
This seems like a great way to fill in meals when neither of us is up to cooking, or when I don't want to eat, but he still does! I'm pretty excited about trying this.
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Another food thought, since I just came home from the grocery: lots of grocery stores let you order online, either for you to pickup curbside, or for their delivery to your home. Around here the service fee is small enough that it would be worth it to have someone else do the work.
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TTrotter1 - I just got back from the MO and one of the side effects she asked me about was rash or itching. I did not have but it sounds like it might be common.
MountainMia - great idea on the meals! I did the grocery online order and pick up last week for the first time - it worked out well. I was worried about going into the grocery with my low white count - germs everywhere! So that prompted me to do the online/pickup.
I talked to MO today about better managing the side effects. My biggest issues were nausea then bloating/stomach ache/diarrhea that just would not stop. She said I needed to take the nausea medicine from day one - every eight hours - don't wait. Same for the stomach medicine. She also adjusted the steroids so I won't have quite so much around infusion day but carry them out a few more days. So I'm hoping that helps me for this next go-around. (Tuesday 5/21 is my next)
G1973 - way to put a positive light on the drugs! You inspire me!
Hope everyone is doing well.
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Here's interesting thing I realized a few days ago: with beginning the chemo process, I've quit thinking so much about how the cancer might kill me, and begun thinking more about how I can kill the cancer. I think that's healthier thinking.
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I'm with you mountainmia. When put in that context, what we are going through makes perfect sense. Hope you are able to tolerate your infusion tomorrow. Positive thoughts and prayers coming your way.
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Popping my head in to say I'm still feeling awful from first session. Every once in a while I feel OK, but those moments are brief.
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So sorry, April. I hope you get to feeling better throughout the day.
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April0315, I'm sorry that you aren't feeling well.
MountainMia, I hope your treatment goes well today.
Two weeks ago the NP made a big deal about my WBC of 1.3. Today it's .6. At least it only took an hour for my insurance company to approve a Neupogen injection this time. I go back on Monday for labs and possibly another Neupogen shot. I'm disappointed. My eight year old is receiving an award at school on Monday and I really want to go.
Please be well everyone.
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Curses, foiled again! Nope, I reacted to the taxotere again today, so it was stopped. I'll see the MO again on Tuesday. I think the next plan of attack is ACx4, 2 weeks apart, followed by T(taxol)x12, a week apart. I was sure hoping to avoid that. blech...
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