Starting Chemo July 2019
Comments
-
Fairydragonfly-Prayers that tomorrow goes well with limited fatigue. Don't sweat the genetic test. Remember ,knowledge is power. Nice that your girlfriends will be there for the head shave. So wonderful to have that support. Mine was done alone at the hairdresser. It was not as bad as I had imagined, and not so bad now. Be strong. (((Hugs)))
0 -
Good Evening Ladies! I hope everyone is doing well. I had my port put in today and, so far, it hasn't been bad. The real fun starts tomorrow when I begin Chemotherapy. My oncologist is doing the ACT chemo regimen. I have 4 rounds of the AC part (once every two weeks) and the T part once a week for 12weeks after that. Mastectomy after chemo. If you would kindly send up prayers, thoughts, or good wishes I would be so grateful. Everyone keeps telling me (even my oncologist) that the next 8 weeks will be Hell. That's what scares me the most. I could use any advice you might have also. Thank you so much for reading this.
0 -
hi all! I started TCHP on 7/11 so I’m on day 8. So far it has been bad. I really thought I would be feeling better by now, it seems like symptoms change minute to minute but for the last three days it has been stomach pain. I had a lot of body aches which went away and have now returned today (yay!) I truly thought I would sail through this being in semi good shape and 46 years old.
0 -
Hello again everyone, and welcome to our new groupies.
NGPeach - so glad your port insertion went well. I hope you are lucky and the next 8 weeks are short of hell and manageable.
Rubydream - very sorry you are having such an awful time with SEs. It does seem like the symptoms change day to day.
I had my second tx (Taxol only) on Monday, and mostly I’ve had horrible heartburn, a little neuropathy in the form of hypersensitive skin, and a nagging headache. I was told this week not to take any steroids but the one 10mg dexamethasone they give me before my infusion. I thought that was kind of odd. I would have assumed they would want to reduce the amount of inflammation to which our bodies have to react.
I too like to research everything to the bottom of the rabbit hole. I think it comes from growing up with a reference librarian and an editor for parents
. I’m a little confused about the OncoDX score as no one has mentioned one for me. Now I’ve only had biopsies, not my final surgery yet, so I don’t know if they are waiting for that to happen or what? I will ask the nurse navigator, since I won’t see my MO for two more weeks.0 -
DVH- the oncotype is done on the removed total tumor they take slices of it and do the whole thing - but since you have ER PR negative the oncotype doesn't apply so I don't know that they would do it? It's used for ER/PR positive lymph node negative (or only 1-3 lymph node) situations.
Had my port placement yesterday and my chest freaking hurts. I wound up taking the day off work b/c I wasn't sure I'd be able to maneuver through the day with my good arm now being compromised by the dumb port.
I also had an MRI to follow up on a spot on my bone scan that my MO wanted checked out -I've been a hot mess of scanxiety since that call last week, BUT just got the call from my MO - and the spot is not suspicious. So CT Scan - good, Bone Scan - one spot not cancer- MRI of pelvis more good news. Now I can relax and focus on the chemo- ha! Who says that!
Next week at this time I'll have 1 of 4 A/C's done.
Hugs all I hope everyone has a good SE free day and is able to spend more time NOT thinking about cancer than thinking about it.
xoxo
Victoria
0 -
It’s me again, yesterday I also began experiencing a feeling of heaviness in my chest- especially when I sit or get in and out of the car. It doesn’t really hurt and passes quickly. Has anyone else experienced this following TCHP chemo? I’m on day 8
Yes, I called the nurse and she was concerned, she suggested I go to the ER which I don’t want to do- I really don’t want to be exposed to germs and risk getting sick. I’m hoping it’s just another lovely chemo S
0 -
Rubydream- I hope things get better for you.
I am finally starting chemo tomorrow. I was accepted into the clinical trial, so we'll see how that goes. It seems like I've had to wait forever for everything to fall into place.
Victoria- I had my port put in two weeks ago and my hurt a lot the first 3 or 4 days. Then it itched like crazy the next 4 or so. Ice and ibuprofen helped a lot. I think dvhmouse said hers was traumatic too.
I hope you all have a good weekend.
0 -
Victoria - thanks very much for the OncoDX score info. I've been reading some more journal articles on HER2 positive bc, can't say I'm very confident about non-recurrence after those, even with neoadjuvant treatment. As one of you said earlier, this is so unreal that I have a hard time processing it all. So glad to hear all your pre-testing came back okay. My port placement was extremely uncomfortable and even a week later I'm still hyper-conscious of it. However, the ice and NSAIDS do help, if you can tolerate the ice pack. After a couple of days, heat feels good too.
Divergent - glad to hear you got into a clinical trial. I'll be thinking about you tomorrow - wishing you an easy first week!
0 -
Hi Fellow warriors! I had my port placed today without any problems. Monday I start AC. This site has helped me so much. You all have helped me so much sharing your experiences. I will be taking Nuelasta.
I already take Claritan so should I take Benedryl 1st?
Also what snacks have been your goto after treatment?
I've read you gotta slather on lots of lotion. How many times a day?
0 -
It's the drug that Claratin has in it that helps the bone pain. Benadryl is a different drug so it won't work like the Claritin. It will make you sleepy? LOL So just keep on taking your reg. Claratin. Wed I have my first A/C I'm planning to make a big batch of veggie soup on hand for me for after the A/C so I can get good nutrition that is comfort food.
I guess the lotion is to keep from having breaks /cracks in your skin so as someone who is a fan of lotion- I used it in the AM and the PM and after I shower if I shower at another time of day. Also lotion just on my hands if I am washing my hands frequently.
Drink lots of water to flush out the A/C and eat good protein. Avoid Sun - wear sunscreen everyday b/c your skin will be very sun sensitive.
these are the big tips I've read about
Good luck to us next week!
0 -
thank you so much and hope you are better now. I was feeling nauseous till Tuesday and had horrible muscle aches because of neulasta. But I kept myself going. Now a week after my affected breast and underarm hurts and also my aerola has become more dry and scaly. I also have some brown spots on my neck don’t know if they are my imagination
0 -
NGCPeach "Everyone keeps telling me (even my oncologist) that the next 8 weeks will be Hell. That's what scares me the most."
It really bothers me that people (even your doctor) are telling you such things! What's the point of stressing you out like that? Your experience is yours alone. It's not a cookie cutter type of thing.
For what it's worth, after my first AC I only had nausea on Day 1 and 3. That's it! No bone pain (took Claritin for a week) or other side effects. Next round may well be hellish ... but who knows? I'm not going to spoil my good days by worrying about what might not even happen.
Other news, I still have my hair (I got it cut short a couple weeks ago). I plan on wearing hats/beanies/scarves when I lose the hair, but I got a FABULOUS free wig from the American Cancer Society. Her name is Gigi and she looks like a party girl! We're going to see Earth Wind & Fire in a couple weeks and Gigi will be there!
0 -
Quick update.
I tested positive for a mutation on BRCA1. Still digesting that news.
Head is buzzed and feels great. Strands started coming out yesterday, so timing was perfect.
Oncologist is pleased with my first cycle, proceeding next week with second cycle without any changes.
0 -
Fairy -I’m BRCA 2 - if you want to talk feel free to PM me . Also check out the group FORCE they have peer counseling available and other resources
Hugs
-Victoria
0 -
Britgirls- My MO played down possible chemo se's. First 2 were bad for me, 2nd 2 not too bad. You are right, everyone is different. I kept telling myself that whatever I was experiencing was only temporary, and that I could get through it. I love that you named your wig Gigi. Isn't the Cancer society great? I love the wig they provided to me. Have fun at the Earth, Wind, and Fire concert. They are a terrific timeless band.
Fairydragonfly& 2019whatayear- so sorry to hear about your BRACA result. Will you do mastectomy now? Prayers and hugs going out to you.
Positive vibes to all in getting through your treatments successfully with minimal se's.
0 -
I start TCH in 3 days, first of 6 treatments. Then surgery and then only Herceptin until about this time next year. Sure wish I knew how I was going to feel! I guess the unknown is always worse for me.
0 -
Happy Saturday everyone!
update on the port: the night I had it placed, I did have pretty bad pain that was hard to get away from. I ended up taking a pain pill but now all is well. No problems the day after. I worked from home. No one told me to take the next day off! I didn't think to ask either. Duh!
thank you 2019whatayear for the advice! I will follow all of it! Also thank you for taking the time to respond. We got an Instant Pot when I was recovering from the 2nd surgery. Veggie soup will be easy to whip up with that!
I am feeling for you Fairydragonfly! *gentle hugs* you've been through a lot & I hope you are better informed moving forward. My daughter wants to throw a headshaving party. Her & my husband are shaving thier heads in solidarity. It will be nice to rock the bald in this awful heat! 100 degrees in Northern Virginia today. Whew!
Britgirls: I sure hope I have minimal SEs like you did with the 1st round. I am waiting to see how I respond before making plans or committing myself to do things.This is the only unknown left in treatment (in my mind anyhow). I want to know if I can work! I've been stressing about that the most! Also about how I will be able to juggle respsibilities. Best of luck with your next round! I know you'll have a great time at the concert! Concerts are my happy place & I haven't gone to any shows since my DX. Gigi sounds fabulous! My daughter went with me wig shopping & she made it into a fun event but sending pictures to family & friends by taking a poll to see which one I picked out.
UpstateNYer: I'm taking your advice to stay in the mindset that you have going day but day. Sometimes it's so hard!
Flo80: I don't have any advice to give but gentle hugs to you as well! I hope your feeling better soon!
Everyone on this thread: you are all badass & you've got this! I hope you all have an amazing weekend & do something to put smiles on your faces.
0 -
MLSinTX - Sorry you have to be here, but welcome to Breastcancer.org! We hope you're finding support and information from the Community here! We're wishing you good luck with chemo and surgery and further tests. And please, let us know if we can be of any assistance!
Sincerely,
The Mods
0 -
Hi everyone,
Our small group has grown since I’ve been away. Welcome to all the new members of our July chemo group. I’ve tried to keep up with all the posts but honestly had to step away a bit to get my head in the right place. I am of the same thought process as britgirls that going through chemo is a personal journey and no one should try to predict how you will react. Obviously from everyone’s post some are having to deal with harder SE’s than others...and not every round is the same.
I have my port placement on Tuesday and then my 1st chemo on Wednesday. A group of girlfriends gave me a chemo journey bag today. It is a wonderful large tote that included a soft fleece blanket, some sleep caps, lotions, etc. One of the items they included was a personal journal. I have a word document I started with all the facts about my journey,(dates of tests, results of test, notes for Dr. appointments,etc) but I’m going to use this journal for my thoughts and feelings. I’ve never kept a journal of this type before but am looking forward to writing about it. Is anyone elsehere doing this also?
Always remember that cancer does not define you. You are still the same person you were before your diagnosis. Be strong and stay strong. And remember to laugh often....it really is the best medicine.
0 -
britgirl- you have er/pr positive but her2 - tumour but getting act regiment normally given for more aggressive her2 positives . It is because you had recurrence
0 -
Hello ladies!! WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS and I hope this help starts you as much as it’s helped me. Make sure you explore this site because there is power in knowledge. And based off my experience with receiving no information, resources, absolutely nothing this site has helped me sooooo much esp knowing what to prepare with and for. If you have any questions at all or just need to vent please feel free to ask or message me. And read our post starting with day 1.
I have had a great week this week. Did acupuncture Thursday, she wants to see me a couple of days before treatments. This has made my second session. I go Monday 10:30 for my 2nd AC. Started my zofran and Claritin today. Hoping I can get the nausea under better control this go round and hoping for lesser headaches. So I am kinda bummed right now trying not to dwell or cry but I think my hair will be going soon. I have noticed today and TMI but my pubic hairs have been falling out all day today 😩😩😩 So that’s got me down. But Ive hadn’t a fun weekend and just what I needed to get my mind off Monday.
Love to each of you, prayers, and here’s to another treatment down 💕💕
0 -
Hello to everyone and thank you so much for all the good wishes. I'm two days out from my first chemo and I'm doing ok. I'm tired and have no appetite but other than that I'm ok. My port really hurts though. It's buried deeper than the oncology nurses were used to and it took a while to find it. I'm going to ask my surgeon about that in my follow up
britgirls You are right! I hate being told it's going to be Hell. That really gets me down. I love Earth, Wind & Fire and I hope you enjoyed the concert .
Sending everyone a big hug and I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend!!
0 -
Hey, Margun:
In my case, they found cancer in 12 of the 12 nodes removed (right side). So more than likely it's spread out to other nodes, so they wanted to treat me aggressively. And I was like ... yep, I'll do it all!
Last time, with stage 0 DCIS (left side), I pushed back and refused radiation. My thinking was why waste radiation on DCIS, because that site can't ever be radiated again? I wanted to save that for if and when it was needed. In all honesty, I would've been fine with just living with the DCIS and having regular mammos and maybe an annual MRI, but no one was happy with that idea.
BTW, got my bloodwork done yesterday (AC chemo #2 is on Tuesday) and all my levels are normal (as of now). No hair falling out yet, but I feel like it's stopped growing. TMI (jjpope started it!), but I'm not plucking out any chin hairs lately. And, believe me, that's usually a daily task!
Okay ... wishing every one of you a wonderful week!
0 -
UpstateNYer - the recommended course of action from the geneticist is double mastectomy, oophorectomy, and screening for pancreatic cancer. I'm waiting for my genetic results to be shared with my surgeon to discuss options.
2019whatayear - Thank you. Sorry to hear you have a BRCA mutation as well.
Starr42 - my hair has started falling out more and I'm relieved that it's just tiny pieces as opposed to long strands. Plus I did have fun with the girls while we did it. I'm trying to find positives when I can. Plus it is great to not have hair in the heat.
Flnana2 - best of luck with everything this coming week. My second cycle is on Friday. My oncologist also delayed my third cycle by one day (from Friday to Monday) so I can attend a friend's wedding. Yay!
Jjpope1 - me too. Apparently those hairs are the first ones to fall out in earnest. Good luck with your second cycle. Big hugs.
MLSinTX - by far the not knowing was SO MUCH worse. I can only speak from my experience, but I blew things so out of portion in my head. I hope your first cycle goes smoothly.
NGCpeach - I think the oncologists mean well. When I saw mine last week she said that she hoped I didn't think she was mean for telling me about the possible side effects (she's not, I adore her). I think they want us to be prepared, but if you are like me (severe anxiety) then your brain takes you to some pretty icky places. I'm sure things will go better than you expect.
Britgirls - I stopped shaving. Figured why bother. It's also how I noticed that my hair wasn't growing. It's been 9 days since I last shaved my legs and all I have is slight stubble.
As for me, I'm still digesting my news. My brazillian is coming along nicely 😆 and my head hair is shedding, though not horribly (or I don't notice it because of the buzz cut). I feel fine and am ready to get number two under my belt this Friday. Plan to do some enjoyable things next week while I am still up for it.
0 -
Fairydragonfly I LOVE YOU your Brazilian totally made me laugh when all I want to do is cry. SO THANK YOU 😂😂😂
0 -
Fairydragonfly, Too funny about the Brazilian. There maybe some discomfort (pain) involved getting it this way but certainly a different type of pain. I knew we had a great group of gals here. 💕.
0 -
I'm trying to find humour and positives where I can. Glad to have brought some smiles to the group.
😘
0 -
Hi Ladies,
Just wanted to give you a word of encouragement. I completed 4 rounds of AC and 12 of Taxol this year, my last chemo was June 19. This will end!!!! Use whatever help is offered to you, and reach out to your helpers around you if there is a need you have. Take it EASY and really listen to your body. I had days where I was a total space cadet and had a high heart rate where I would literally tell me family I am not leaving the couch today. I work part time as a nurse and have been able to keep up with that. Eat good food, rest a lot, and stay hydrated.
The 4 rounds of the AC were definitely the worst of it, by round 2 you will figure out the progression of side effects (day 6 I was a space cadet, day 9 I had rippling bone pain....) and it remains roughly the same for the whole 8 weeks. You can do it!
Prayers to you all for no illnesses and minimal side effects!
0 -
hi Alden,
Will you be needing other treatments beside the chemo. Did you have radiotherap, what the side effects are and one can work while under radiotherapy.
In the picture you are beautiful and very young to be affected by this disease . I was upset and angry that it touched me considering I was healthy and relatively young. But seeing much younger people in this fight I get even angrier that until now the humanity going to space did not irradiate this army disease . Wishing all strength to fight and get your health bac
0 -
Hey everyone,
Finana2-I'm keeping a journal throughout this process. I've included any side effects that I'm experiencing and keeping a food log.
Fairydragonfly- Love your Brazilian joke too.
For those of you getting TCHP, when did you first start noticing that your hair was falling out? I'm on Day 10 now. My oncologist told me I should expect it around the two-week mark.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend with minimal SEs!
0
