November 2019 Chemo Club
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Congratulations Charliebug.. Have 4 more weeks till I ring that bell. Am So ready!!!!
Just left the MO office, he is pleased as punch. I have been truly blessed with the minimal SE that it seems every one else is facing. I have some very powerful prayer warriors behind me.
He asked about nephropathy in my hands and feet, I told him I have been icing them during infusion and have not had that problem. Also I have had no nail bed changes or nail lifting. He is using me as his golden girl example for all of the other women doing this treatment.
I really do think water is the key. I have never been a big water drinker but for the chemo day and the day after I try to push myself to get that 2 Lt of water down. I bought several kinds of water just in-case my taste changed. So far the Sams choice taste the best to me. I just save the small 8oz bottles and fill those from the bigger ones. That way I know I have to get the whole bottle down, and I can do it as its only 1 cup. I keep the empties lined up so I know how many I have done. At the end of the day I wash them out and refill them. Drink wash fill repeat.
I also do an Epsom salt soak on day 3 to help detox. There are some great articles out there about how it can help detox your body during chemo.
Only problem I am having now is I'm anemic. This is a common problem with chemo so now I am going to have to work on building my red blood cells. More research on my part...
Amyhea my hair started to grow on Taxol. It's not very thick but it is getting longer. Still have lots of thin spots and a lot of grey( LOL).
Best of luck to everyone my thoughts and prayers go out to you that we will all be able to beat this.
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Radqueen - same here I’m a bit anemic, very common after chemo.
Just dropped by to say hello 😊
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Round 4 Day 10 Taxol
This last round has knocked the stuffing out of me. Every day I expect that my energy should have returned and it hasn't yet. I know I should be patient. I've been through 8 rounds of chemotherapy for Pete's sake! I am kicking myself for not being as active as I should have been during treatment but no sense crying over spilled milk I suppose. I know everything will return to normal eventually.
I am heading back down to neighbouring city this afternoon for a continuation of the appointment I had on March 3rd with the cancer centre there to prepare me for the radiation treatments. After meeting with the radiation oncologist where she gave me some information and took my weight, height, and performed a manual breast exam, I was sent home early in error and now have to return for a CT scan and discussion about when radiation treatments will commence. Hopefully I still have a couple of weeks before they start so I have more time to get my mojo back. I am also anemic according to my last blood work results. That totally explains my lack of energy!
In the meantime my fingertips are still numb/frozen feeling and I do have nail bed changes as well. I expect these symptoms will clear up over the next weeks. I sure hope so because my nails are so ugly right now lol. I still haven't lost all my hair although my eyebrows and eyelashes are barely hanging on. Not sure if this is the worst of the hair loss yet or not. We shall see!
So all in all, things could be worse but I am really looking forward to the return of my energy and stamina and just feeling like I can make it through a whole day without sleeping it away or wanting to.
Sending all my healing and feel better vibes to you all today. This treatment is not for pussies!
I will update soon with further news on when I can expect to start radiation.
Take care
Charlie
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charliebug hang in there! I feel the same way. Sometimes I feel well and will go out for lunch or make a trip to Target and realize I made a mistake and can't get back on the couch fast enough. I'm actually sitting in the chemo chair as I type this, getting my 6th and LAST! It's exciting, but I know the next few weeks will be hell again! I have an appointment with the radiation doctor next Monday, am getting my port out on the 25th and will start radiation within the next 30 days. I met a lady last week who went through this a year ago and she said she is just starting to feel normal. We will get there!
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Amyhey, Congrats on the last treatment!!!!
Mine was yesterday. Can’t wait for taste buds to return to normal. Everything is so gross right now. My hot flashes have been insane, all day and night. Chemo is putting me into instant menopause. Nurse gave me Effexor for hot flashes. I hate taking antidepressants I’ve had bad side effects but I’m trying it.
Charlie, I’m not sure but I think my friend lost her nails after taxol chemo was over. But overall she recovered pretty fast.
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Congratulations JRNJ!!! Yes to tastebuds returning to normal! We had ice cream to celebrate tonight and it was gross. On to the next hurdle...radiation😫.
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Thanks!! For some reason ice cream is the only thing that tastes good😃. I’m about to go have some, my daughter made homemade decaf coffee. I’m meeting with radiation oncologist next week to determine schedule.
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Congratulations Amyhey and JRNJ! I hope you celebrated somehow (ice cream sounds like a great way lol!)
I went for my pre-radiology CT scan and planning session on Wednesday. Everything went fine except I wasn't able to expand my chest enough to reach the 1cm mark. Because the area they are treating is over my heart, the easiest way to prevent the heart from inadvertently receiving radiation is for the patient to fill their lungs enough to push the chest wall out at least 1 cm during treatment. I was able to hold my breath to 25 seconds as they recommend but I just couldn't get fill my lungs enough to push my chest wall out that far. I was assured this is quite common and they have other ways of administering treatment. It was anxiety provoking though. I hate failing tests lol! At any rate, my 3 weeks of radiation will commence March 30th so I have a couple of weeks without appointments (yay!) to relax and recover.
Today I am headed to the grocery store. Our town is sold out of toilet paper because of the Coronavirus scare so good thing I am stocked up in that department. One thing about being off work and home so much is there is zero chance I have contracted anything. My landlords are returning from Puerto Vallarta tonight though and our health minister has recommended that anyone who has traveled outside the country self-quarantine for 14 days (they live upstairs). That includes staying away from pets! I have been dog-sitting for them for the past 2 weeks and as much as I love their sweet Basset hound, I really want my bed back and my floors cleaned! I doubt they will go full self-quarantine though. There are no cases in the town I live in and Mexico hasn't had many cases, none where they were staying so far anyhow. We shall see what happens.
I hope everyone is doing well and you all have lots of TP lol!
Charlie
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Thanks Charliebug! No celebration, my family is kind of oblivious, don't talk to my husband much, and don't want to worry my kids, and my MO's office is oblivious too. No bell or anything. I am feeling pretty crummy today, still in bed, but very happy to know it should get better from here. Sorry you have one more thing to worry about with radiation, mine is on the right side.
Did I mention my husband went to Costa Rica last week fishing and his job is making him stay home to work? Wonderful, stay home with your immune compromised wife, lol. Stores are insane here, luckily I think I have enough TP, lol. And pretty soon the schools will probably make the kids stay home. The neighboring towns have already done it. Just what I need, lol.
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hello ladies! Hope everyone is doing OK. I'm trying to stay safe with this coronavirus epidemic. I am going tomorrow to the hospital for a scan. Waiting for my hair to grow 🙄🙄🙄..... stay safe and stay strong everybody!!!
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I hope everyone is doing well! I made it through all of my chemo treatments without catching anything, and now I have a bad cold with cough. My oncologist sent me to urgent care on Sunday where they tested me for every possible thing, and it is just a cold, even though it is super annoying! The side effects from last weeks chemo haven’t been horrible. No bone pain or extreme nausea, but doing anything other than sitting on the couch is exhausting. I was supposed to have a consultation with my radiation doctor yesterday, but they rescheduled for April 1. With all the germs in the hospital right now, they want me to be a little further out from my last chemo before I come in. I hope my port removal appointment next week isn’t delayed. Hope everyone stays safe and healthy during the pandemic
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Hey everyone. Just dropped by to say hi. Is anyone s hair growing back after chemo ?
Actually I didn’t lose all my hair during chemo so it’s hard to see if I have some fuzz going on in between... 🙄
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Hi Eigna. My hair started growing back a few weeks before my last chemo. It made me worry that the chemo wasn’t working, but my oncologist said it is perfectly normal. She said that sometimes the new hair falls out too. My old hair was brown and the new hair is white...should be interesting! I hope the pandemic doesn’t delay my radiation treatments. The doctor put off my consultation by two weeks already. I read that the government may make hospitals delay treatments for cancer and heart procedures until this is all over.
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amyhey, That is surprising. They should only be delaying elective. My daughter had a procedure due to a cyst in her ear Tuesday and I had radiation mapping yesterday. I start 3/30. He would have started me next week but I have appointment with gyn about ovary removal. I’m afraid they will delay that surgery as elective. And I’m in a hot zone in central jersey. They can’t stop people who have started treatment. Maybe I should start sooner.
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My port removal was delayed for 90 days because it is considered elective. Any one else experiencing anything similar
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Eigna, I didn't lose all my hair on CMF, but about 90% and it is a gray root fuzzy mess. Hard to tell if I've had growth, but I think so. I've been wearing my wig this week. It looks a lot like my old hair and want the kids to see my as normal as possible.
amy, so sorry. This really stinks. I'm so glad I finished chemo 3/10 and I didn't have a port. I've been getting shots for low blood counts, but think I'm done. I start radiation 3/30 and so far not delayed. I have an appointment with gyn on wed about getting my ovaries out. I suspect they will consider that elective and delay it.
Had radiation mapping on Wed and will start 3/30, I hope they don't delay or cancel on me. NJ is crazy, kids home from school, husband working from home. Overall I'm doing ok and not the type to panic over this type of thing (I panic over other things). I've been grocery shopping and luckily already had a lot of toilet paper, lol. My daughter had minor surgery last week and I had to take her, my husband refused because he had to work. My husband is the panic type and is driving me crazy. Thinks he is just as high risk as me because he smokes. He is 7 years younger than me, 47. I'm sad for the kids and the economy. Sports cancelled, etc... But I am grateful for a lot of things, my kids are old enough to do their work independently, my chemo is finished, I'm already home from work still on leave, and work for the state so have good benefits and won't lose my job. If my kids were in elementary, I would be going crazy. They fight a lot, but seem to be getting along better because they only have each other. I miss being home alone, lol. I know it's weird but at least dr appointments get me out of the house, lol.
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I had my port removed today!!!!!! Getting my port back in November was one of the most difficult parts of this entire journey for me. Today was a very happy day! Hope everyone is healthy and staying at home as much as possible.
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Congrats on your port removal Amyhey
Just a quick update on what's happening over here. I received a call from the cancer centre on the 16th confirming my first radiation appt is on March 30th. As far as I know it's still a go even as more and more services are being shut down every day due to COVID. I am told to come alone and to give myself some extra time as they will be performing quick assessments at check in to ensure I am not having symptoms of the virus. I will be honest, I kind of hoped it would be delayed a bit longer so I could enjoy some more time recovering from chemo. I am disappointed that it's been 2.5 weeks since my last round of chemo and I am not 100% yet. Isn't that silly? Like I thought I could just bounce back that quickly after months of poison running through my veins. I need to give my head a shake sometimes.
In the meantime, Mark and I have decided to postpone our wedding. It was set for September this year but with no idea how long this pandemic will go on, it makes it hard to organize or plan anything. We also didn't want to be the couple who got married the year of the pandemic! We will get hitched next year when hopefully everything has returned to normal and I have a full head of hair. I have not noticed any hair growth yet but I know it's coming. I miss my eyelashes the most, the rest I can deal with.
I hope everyone is following orders re: COVID and not putting yourself or others at risk. It's hard being home all the time but it sure beats being sick when most of us are just starting to feel better again.
Be well everyone
Charlie
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Hey Charliebug- Nice to hear from you. I'm still waiting for that call. I was hopping to start on March 30th too. It sucks to postpone your wedding day but I guess it would be better like this Keep uposted on your rads treatments
Today I woke up with a red eye... great... now with this pandemic going on ... good luck seeing a doctor.
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Hi Eigna, I always have eye issues a couple of weeks after chemo. I use eye drops and a warm compress and it gets better pretty quickly. Hope that works for you.
Fingers crossed we can keep our radiation appointments. Mine is scheduled for April 1.
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Hi Guys just a quick update. I had my last Taxol Monday the 23. Rang the bell so I'm done!!!!! YEA !!!!! ME!!!
Had a over the phone/facetime office visit with my MO yesterday. Since my nodes were Neg. no radiation for me, but he wants me to take a estrogen inhibitor for the next 10 years. The one he prescribed is Letrozole. Will start it on Monday. He doesn't even want to see me for two months. Lets hope I can navigate the SE as well this time. He said I am his Star Patient and uses me as a example to other women who have to go through this. He even made me write down all the things I did and he said he would instruct his other patients to try them.
I have been truly blessed with the whole Chemo experience. I never had any major SE, (except hair loss and its starting to come back) and have only had slight taste changes in the last two weeks.Nail beds had no changes no neuropathy in hands or feet. Over all I aced it. My WBC never dropped below 3 except for when I had a cold at Thanksgiving, but it went back up to 4.5 in 4 days( drank lots of coconut water) ( good for white blood cells) I am now anemic but am working to fix that. Lots of green leafy vegetables, bone broth, and red meat. My friends are hunters so I have lots of deer meat in the freezer. Its higher in iron than beef with less fats. Also eggs, tuna, beans, shrimp ( good thing I live in Louisiana) and dark meat turkey. So will be doing a lot of cooking over the next few months. Hubbie is grinning like a fool right now...LOL he loves my cooking....
My MO does not want me to go anywhere near the ER where I work till this COVID is over. My Hospital is a epicenter and New Orleans is one of the most extreme hot spots in the nation per-capita I feel sorry for all the problems my coworkers are going through, and I wish I could help them. They have supported me through all of this.
So now here I am at home with Hubbie keeping me safe and secure till this virus wears its self out and by the looks of it it's going to be a few months for that to happen.
Be safe everyone, if you have to go out carry hand sanitizer with you, and wear gloves if you need to pump gas or touch anything in public. Wash your hands and be smart, we know what a little cold can do to us so we really don't need this virus.
Blessings to all...
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Amyhey, Yaa!!!!
Charliebug, I start 3/30 too. I also was hoping to feel better and I finished chemo 3/10 and was really happy about that but am feeling down now too because taste is still horrible and I developed neuropathy in my right hand at night in the last few weeks. Last night was the worst, a lot of pain and didn't sleep much. I need to get up and move around for it to get better. I am also mentally struggling because it is only the cancer arm/side, and I'm afraid it means the cancer is growing, because I had the same symptom before surgery and my chemo is not supposed to cause neuropathy. I do not want radiation delayed, I'm already paranoid it's been too long and it's in my nodes growing. Hope your new wedding date goes smooth. My husbands b-day is 9/11.
Eigna, Hope you don't have an infection!!
Rad Queen, Congratulations!!! Stay home from work! and NJ is the only state in the country that it is illegal to pump your own gas, and I write regulations for gas stations but I didn't write that one, and although I am not afraid to get my hands dirty and have done my own car maintenance in my younger years, I don't mind not pumping gas, lol.
NJ is #2 State in the country with corona cases, 57 in my town, 236 in the neighboring town.
I'm missing soccer, I think more than the kids. Today they both asked me to hang out with friends tomorrow and their friends parents said ok. How do I respond to that? No, because you might kill your mother. I said they can ride bikes only, no hanging out, and stay 6 feet apart.
No signs of canceling radiation, but I had an appointment with a gyn oncologist this week and they delayed me for a month. I had a feeling. I want to get my ovaries out and I think they will consider it elective and delay it. So I'll have to just wait and see. I'm doing radiation til mid April.
Jimmy Fallon at home edition is cracking me up.
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JRNJ I know you don't want to scare your kids but you might want to tell them that if they do bring this thing home it can harm you greatly. Every single death that my friends have told me of have had some type of underlying problem. weather it be diabetes, asthma, transplant pt. or some type of cancer pt. I know you kids miss their friends but all it takes is one to be infected and not know and infect others. We even had our first death under 18 here in Louisiana so kids are not immune.
This Virus is nothing to play with. I am truly worried. Working in the health care field for over 30 years I have never seen anything like this. And yes we had SARS and H1N1 at our hospital even went through the Ebola B.S.
Be safe and stay smart. And ask what would you do to keep your child safe and should they not have the same consideration for you?
Blessings
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radqueen, I know you are right. I did tell them that, I just feel bad because kids just don’t get it. But it’s raining today and no talk of going out. My son is a social recluse and doesn’t get asked much, which is Why he was so upset. And he is 14 and acting like a full blown teenager. And he used to be the easy one lol. My husband is more afraid for himself than me because he smokes and I’ve been doing the food shopping because he is a selfish idiot. so let him tell the kids.
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Hello ladies! I finally got the call today. I’m starting the radiation treatments tomorrow (yikes- short notice). 20 treatments in total. Wish me good luck
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you will do great Eigna.... I Havnt even been really tired. Just a gradual sunburn which is only sore when I rub the ointment/ cream on my nipple. Not horrible. Hope it goes by fast. Seriously it takes longer to undress and dress! I have 7 more after today
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Eigna best of luck with the radiation.
JRNJ that's hard with your son and husband, my grandson is that age and he is driving his mom crazy right now. At least he has little sisters to torment. I am blessed with my husband, he watches over me like a hawk, but he can not shop to save his soul. I have to wright down everything we need or he just doesn't pick it up. Thank goodness for Walmart online. Can place a order the day before and select a time you want to pick up your order. They send you a email to tell you when your order is ready. You drive up park in the numbered spot that they tell you and you just put in the color of your car. They come out with your groceries and put them in your trunk. They even sign the receipt for you. You don't have to touch anything till you get home. My 82 yr old neighbor wanted to run the streets and I had to fuss at her to stay her butt at home. I added her grocery order to mine so she did not have to go out. The only problem with Walmart is that their meat sucks. Lucky the Winn Dixie by my house opens at 7am for Seniors and immune compromised people. It is never crowded and they wipe your basket for you when you go in, I still carry my own wipes, but it's nice because their are so few people there.
I have also gotten in the habit of wiping down every thing I bring home from the grocery. Just can't be too careful right now.
Be safe and hopefully things will get better. Love and Blessings to you and yours...
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First radiation treatment is done. It was a piece of cake. I just laid there like a sack of spuds on the "bed" and scanners went over and around and then there were some buzzing noises and I was done. They played some great music too so I know the length of these treatments is about the length of 3 average songs. I have this Friday off as they are closed for maintenance and then it will also be closed for Easter Friday and Easter Monday so my treatments are more spread out but I'm okay with that.
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Treatment no 1 done ✅ for me too! Woo hoo!
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Hope my next treatments will pass fast.
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