Starting Chemo September 2019
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I'm planning on cooking Thanksgiving dinner anyway. My 4th TC is this Friday so I dunno how up to eating it I'll be on Thursday. 🤷♀️
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Hey all, I have second dd of taxol this Thursday, my son is cooking thanksgiving at his house, thank goodness, it will be the start of my good week, always a pleasure watching the kids enjoy food, so that's a plus
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I'm cooking for Thanksgiving.
I'm hoping my taste returns by then, but we'll see 🤣
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Hey everyone!! I hope you all had a good weekend! This was my good week so I've been busy doing house/farm work.
TCHP #4 is Tuesday. I'm looking forward to getting another one behind me.
I'm planning on cooking for Thanksgiving. That's about the time my taste buds start coming back. Hubby may need to taste test for me! We're inviting a good friend who lost his 16 year old son in September. I'm glad he wants to hang out with us.
Have I told you all lately how thankful I am for you?? I pray for you all every night. ❤️
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Day 13 TC # 4
Here's where I am since my final TC
- I'm up 6 pounds since last week, and I can tell it's all fluid retention....My ankles are swollen, my fingers are swollen, my face and eyes are puffy. Hopefully this will resolve soon since this was my last round.
- Neuropathy - weird/numb feeling in fingers and toes. This hasn't gotten worse, hopefully it's temporary
- Eyelashes - my eyelashes are taking a leap.... seriously, this is almost as insulting as losing my hair. I hope they grow back quickly.
- Anaphylaxis - I had an anaphylactic reaction to something (who knows what) over the weekend. It started off with itching and swelling in one hand, then moved to the other hand, then wham I started wheezing and coughing.... luckily I had meds at home and avoided a trip to the ER. But that was no fun.
- Fatigue - a little better day by day, but I still tire way too easily.
- Taste - my taste buds are still on vacation, and they didn't leave their return itinerary.
Other than that, I'm pretty good. Had a 3 month follow up with my surgeon this morning. I have an appt with MO on Wednesday to start anti-hormonals, or at least plan to start them. And I have an appt with PS in 2 weeks to start tissue expander fills. Surgery will be sometime after the first of the year, then hopefully I can start living life with some sense of normalcy again and far fewer visits to all of these doctors.
I hope everyone is doing well, and I hope everyone is able to relax and enjoy the upcoming holiday.
Tracy
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Tracy - Sorry you’ve such a rough time this last go round but I’m loving hearing your next steps!! I hope all the rest is easy peasy compared to chemo.
I still have about 2% of my hair left. I know it will probably go completely but I comb it daily with my old part just to make what’s left feel loved. I have chunks missing out of my eyebrows but I’ve been filling in my eyebrows for ages since I was an 80s teenager who over-plucked. I wondered how weird it felt when the eyelashes finally go. I’ve read some cons about fake lashes while the others grow in.
Someone asked earlier about eating sweets. I’ve really tried to control that but find that I love sugar cookies! The worst! I’m definitely going to have to shut that down as we get more into the holidays. But, when you can taste and when you have an appetite- it’s hard to tell your hard-working body “no”!
I hope everyone’s night is filled with peace and sweet dreams!
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Hey all, I hope everyone is doing well. I am now day 11 past final AC, and 3 days until Taxol number 1. Side effects are pretty minimal at this point. Super tired, appetite wasn't great, constipation issues that I've managed to resolve. I've had a few days were the fatigue was really bad, but didn't last long. Now I get a few days where I feel decent, then onto Taxol number 1 (of 4) on Friday. Love the every 2 week plan. 🙄
For some reason I'm more nervous about the possible side effects for the Taxol on Thursday than I was for AC. Just hoping for the best. I keep reminding myself, I'm halfway done, I can do this.
Mentally I have a long ways to go, but am slowly feeling like I'm moving in the right direction. My oldest daughter lives 3 provinces away and was able to come home for a visit for the past 4 days, so that's been awesome for my mind. Even though we message or snapchat every day, I miss her and love it when shes home and the fam feels complete again.
I hope you are all doing well and working your way through your treatments with little side effects. 😊
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Hello from the chair!! Treatment 4 underway!Everyone have a great day!! ❤️
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Just heard and interesting tidbit in the chemo ward. If you massage your scalp with coconut oil it will generate regrowth!!
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Sweet, you are beautiful Angie, I go Thursday for 2 taxol, the first one made my joints and muscle hurt bad at first, now just an ache. Hope you se are minimal. God bless
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Hi LMS
CONGRATS 🎉 ON your last chemo and ringing the bell. I hope you are feeling better soon !! behind on reading so this might be a old post.
I have 3 months left starting taxol today.
Prayers for better days.
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Gamb - thank you!!! Hope your 2nd Taxol treats you better!!!
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Angie
I’ve heard that about coconut oil. I’m going to give it a try, it can’t hurt 😊
It’s good to see everyone progressing through treatment!
Hugs all
Tracy
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Getting packed to go home (!!!) from the Mayo Clinic in MN. My MRI shows a positive response but there is still a mass of some type, could be IDC, could be DCIS or scar tissue. No real way of knowing.
Mayo oncologist is going to recommend to my home oncologist that we add Carboplatin to my Taxol as he feels my hormone receptor #s are so low that I’m technically triple negative.
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It’s been a while, but seemed a good time to check in. It’s so great to see so many of you are at or near the end of this part of the journey!
I’m on day 8 of my final AC, and experience suggests my symptoms will improve from here, so I’m feeling positive about that. So happy to but the AC experience behind me!
But my onc recommended that I add Carboplatin to my Taxol for the second phase, which means instead of four rounds of bi-weekly Taxol I’ll be doing twelve weekly infusions of two drugs (and extending treatment by 4 weeks). I’ve gotten used to my 3-4 “good” days at the end of a two week cycle, and am worrying now that I’ll lose even that reprieve. Twelve weeks feels like such a long time, but there’s nothing to do but suck it up and get started.
Meanwhile, I will meet with genetics on Monday, and am worrying about the results of my testing. What they find will have an impact on what surgery is recommended after my chemo, but also potentially my two little girls future health. Just trying to think positive
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Checking in on day 2 post TCHP treatment 4! Two more to go! I am so encouraged by those of you finishing AC. I have seen directly in the chemo room how hard that is and applaud you all!
The Perjeta diarrhea should start tomorrow but I’ve been eating lighter in order to avoid the mass evacuation that lead to me fainting and hitting my head. The good news is my doctor said I can take way more Immodium than I was to counter act the big D! Yippee!!
I met with my surgeon yesterday and have a hard date of February 13th as my surgery day!! Another yippee!! Also, I was given the opportunity to donate my breast tissue to research which I gladly did.
Since I am a worst case scenario person, I checked in with my chemo nurse to get feedback on any SEs from Kadcyla since that is what I would be on if so didn’t get a complete response at surgery. He said fatigue is the #1 complaint but that my hair would not fall out again. So, that made me feel good but I hope I don’t need it! 😬
My taste buds are sliding off to that mystery place they go for a week so I’m working on finding different ways to get nutrition AND taste! Fortunately, the should come back in time for Thanksgiving!
I hope everyone is having a good day and is out enjoying life as much as possible! I think of your all every day and look forward to the better times that we can discuss random stuff rather than chemo and side effects! We will all get there!
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Thinking of all of you daily. I had my 3rd Taxol yesterday. Two in a row successfully!! So I think I’m back on track. No real side effects. Taxol is treating me pretty kindly. Yes, fewer eyelashes. I expect my eyebrows are next. No biggie.
The big thing happening today is that my husband had hernia surgery. The two of us will have to take care of each other for a bit. I’m just praying no snow. We have back up people who we can call for help. But it would be nice if the snow just held off.
No big plans for Thanksgiving. It will just be the two of us this year. It will be a post chemo day for me. Just a quiet day.
Marilyn
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Hey all, That's great Snaffle, I had my dd taxol today within 20 minutes my head was on fire and it felt like my ears were melting, they stop the infusion , everything went away after 15 minutes they restated the infusion and it went good then. This didn't happen the first time, i have 2 more to go before I can ring that bell.
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Snaffle - Thankful they have things figured out for you and its going better. 😊
Gamb - Glad thing resolved themselves quickly.😁
AngieB92 - Great smile and I need to learn how to do eyebrows like you once mine fall out. 🤔 Hoping the Immodiom increase does the trick for you. 🤞🏼
mandamaybe - Congrats on finishing AC! I understand your fears about genetic testing results, as I have 3 daughters - 25, 18, and 16. I hope nothing comes back, but I'm thankful that if it does they have that information to be monitored better.
I had my first dose dense Taxol and Herceptin today, and aside from it being an 8 hour day, it went well with no issues. I'm not sure what to expect as they tell me Taxol is different than AC when it comes to side effects. Doctor says the main issue is major bone pain for the first 5 days, so I have meds for that. Hoping not to have to use them, but we shall see what the next few days bring. I've also had constipation issues all through the AC, so have a better medication for that as well. Only going to take it if I need it though. They did recommend I take an anti nausea medication because I had problems with vomiting on AC.
I hope you all are doing well and side effects are minimal. 🥰
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I’m so happy that those of you moving on from AC to Taxol are finding Taxol to be kinder on you. I think of all of y’all every day. Next year is going to be better for all off us.
Hugs
Tracy
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Not sure how my prior post got deleted, as I saw it posted. Weird, hope this doesn't make it show up twice.
Snaffle - Thankful they have things figured out for you and its going better. 😊
Gamb - Glad thing resolved themselves quickly.😁
AngieB92 - Great smile and I need to learn how to do eyebrows like you once mine fall out. 🤔 Hoping the Immodiom increase does the trick for you. 🤞🏼
mandamaybe - Congrats on finishing AC! I understand your fears about genetic testing results, as I have 3 daughters - 25, 18, and 16. I hope nothing comes back, but I'm thankful that if it does they have that information to be monitored better.
I had my first dose dense Taxol and Herceptin today, and aside from it being an 8 hour day, it went well with no issues. I'm not sure what to expect as they tell me it's different than AC when it comes to side effects. Doctor says the main issue is major bone pain for the first 5 days, so I have meds for that. Hoping not to have to use them, but we shall see what the next few days bring. I've also had constipation issues all through the AC, so have a better medication for that as well. Only going to take it if I need it though. They did recommend I take an anti nausea medication because I had problems with vomiting on AC.
I hope you are all doing well with minimal side effects. 😊
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Hey all, Ange for me the bone pain from taxol was pretty bad, the worst was the middle days 4 thru 10, but the ache in the bones stayed, and for me nothing help, I have started ibuprofen to help get a head of the worst of it i have pain meds if needed , I think that Neulasta shot caused some bone pain also. My genetic testing revealed Chek2, so increased monitoring for kidney, thyroid bowel and I already had a hysterectomy, but I was already monitoring everything so I really don't know what good that info is other than worry, now if there were something to be done to prevent those cancer before hand then I can see the value. My son's each had to choose to do the test or not, one chose not to the other did.
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Greetings from the chair! 4th and final round!
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Congrats Brilee, onward and upward, God bless you, ring that bell loudly...lol
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Congratulations Bridget!
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Congratulations, Bridget!!!!
Sorry I've been so quiet lately. I've been reading your updates and praying for you all!
All is well here, except that I'm fighting some sort of virus or something. It feels like a head cold. Sinus pressure, sniffles, exhaustion. I saw my doctor yesterday and she's not concerned at this point as my blood work was very good and I have everything I need to fight it off. So, just taking it easy.
My next blood test is in a month. CT scans will be in February and if they are clear I will get my port out then. I wish it was sooner, but my onc is assuming I'm doing radiation. I have a consult in two weeks, but I'm not sure if I'll do it. I've been told it's a "preventative measure". I guess I'm just tired of treatment and want to get on that AI and start healing. We'll see....
Half of my tastebuds are still AWOL. Even if they stay away, I'm going to enjoy Thanksgiving, especially since I'm not cooking this year! It'll be a nice, restful holiday.
I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Sending you healing vibes!!!!!!!!!!!
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Yay Bridget!!!!! Last one!!
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Thanks guys! I tried uploading this but it doesn't seem to be cooperating so here's the url: Ringing the bell!!
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Awww, Bridget, now I'm crying!!!!!! Tears of joy for you. I teared up, too, when I rang the bell. Wasn't expecting to feel that emotional. You did it! We did it! We all are going to get through this!
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Congratulations Bridget! 😊
I teared up watching that, thanks for sharing. The clinic in my town is small and doesn't have a bell, but if it did, I'd ring it proudly once I'm done too.
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