Starting chemo February 2020
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"It's interesting how different the side effects can be for the different chemo medications. I have not lost weight, in fact because of the steroids, I have gained about 5 pounds and I have that "moon face" that people on steroids get. Moon face and bald are not very sexy lol"
It is interesting. My friend had AC+T 3 years ago, she lost 35 lbs (and she was thin to begin with). That was one of the first things she warned me about.
I see others talking about getting steroids before, during and after each cycle. I don't get that. I get Steroids on treatment day but, that's it. I wonder if that plays a roll? I'm not even sure I'm still getting Steroids, after the first 3 cycles.
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I only get steroids as part of the pre meds on infusion day. I’ve lost a bunch of weight. I haven’t been this thin since high school. I assume it’ll come back once chemo is over and my appetite comes back
This is Day 14 after #5 and it’s the first time I’ve felt decent. Nausea was the biggie this time. I’m glad I’ve got a week before infusion #6. It’s *almost* enough time to forget about the last two weeks.
I’ve had a persistent, dry cough since late February. First, I treated it as allergies - everything blooms in FL then. Then my onc gave me a prescription strength cough suppressant and nasal spray. That caused more nosebleeds. The cough suppressant works but I cough my head off when it wears off. Oncdoesn’t think it’s chemo related so off to the pulmonary doc I went. He did an u/s which was unremarkable and then a breathing test - no asthma. Pulmonary guy thinks it’s from the chemo. Great. So, which drug? If it’s Taxotere, I’ll be finished in a week. But if it’s the Herceptin or Perjeta, I guess it’s here for the duration. It’s annoying for sure and I’m grateful it’s not a disease process of some sort. Kind of hard during the pandemic to have a dry cough. Luckily, I’m not out in public much.
Finally, my heart hurts for Minneapolis and all the Cities suffering from rioting and looting. My son lives in downtown Minneapolis and my granddaughter and her boyfriend live a few miles from ground zero there. Please stay safe everyone. Protests are good - destroying property seems senseless.
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MNSusan - Could be Herceptin 😔 I looked up the SE for HP the other day. I wanted to see what I could expect for my next treatment.
https://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/targeted_th...
Cough is listed as a SE.
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did y’all swallow the magic mouthwash or just swish and spit it out? I know some people swallow it. I put that on hold because it wasn’t covered by insurance so I’m going to get it covered at the hospital. He prescribed me another mouthwash too that I did get. It’s called nystatin and on the pharmacy pick up page it says In caps to swish then swallow. It just seems so gross to me to swallow a mouthwash. What does everyone else d
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i had the nystatin, and I swallowed it, it doesn't taste bad. Its not like regular mouthwash it's milky. If I remember correctly it tasted like mylanta/malox. That kind of chalky flavor.
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did you just swallow it or did you swish then swallow it?
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I just swished and spit as I didn't want my throat to go numb too and instructions were unspecific. my insurance denied it too, so the nurse called in a prescription for just liquid lydocane, which was covered, and gave me a recipe:
equal parts of 2 tsp each: liquid lydocane, oral liquid benadryl, and maalox/mylanta
and she said to swish (didn't specify whether to spit or swallow) and then wait 40 min before eating or drinking anything.
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"did you just swallow it or did you swish then swallow it?"
I swallowed the nystatin. I did not swallow the magic mouthwash. Magic mouthwash is basically children's benadryl, mylanta and viscous lidocaine. Some also include nystatin. That numbs your throat like novacaine
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Hello ladies, sorry for being MIA but the AC chemo messed me up. I had to see a psychiatrist and was almost suicidal. it is rough. I'm three Taxol chemos away from finishing. My bilateral mastectomy with TE will be sometime in July. Has anyone had TE put in? I was watching a video and the refill them with a big ass needled and I'm really tired of feeling pain. I dont think the cream I use to numb the port area will work to numb the TE area.
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scattered, so sorry you went through that. That’s a good question about the tissue expanders id like the answer to that too.The AC is kicking me pretty hard too. Idk if it’s the AC or just being on house lockdown from my oncologist but I feel like everyone in my life is going to forget about me before I finish chemo. The only people that check on me is one friend and she’s awesome, my mom, my sisters and my fiancé. My oncologist told me not to leave my house while on AC except for chemo so I literally haven’t went anywhere since the 21st. It feels so lonely. I’m so ready to be done and get my life back. On a positive note I’m feeling much better today all my symptoms are finally under control. How’s everyone else doing?
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maybe if the cream to numb doesn’t work we can have them do the cold spray and maybe that will help a little
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hray1993, it sucks. I hope you get through it quickly.
I don't know if any of that would work. The needle has to go through your skin and then muscle to get to the TE. And then, they have to do it again to the other breast 😭😭😭
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Dysonsphere - I am right there with you! I lost 10 pounds the first week after each treatment and then I'd go in for fluids and they'd crank that IV full of zofran and all kinds of other stuff and I'd gain 7 pounds on the spot! LOL. I keep joking that I wasn't lucky enough to suffer through chemo while losing weight, too. The oncologist's nurses lectured me on how I needed to gain weight. And I got the moon face and chemo belly too! And pimples.
Hray93 - glad your fever is gone. That must have been scary.
Morgann and Ajminn - so glad you're both through with chemo! Hope you have both turned the corner with the shorter-term side effects.
I had my first mammogram after surgery, radiation, and chemo on Friday. MO said it shouldn't be performed until 6 months after radiation but they went ahead with it. I have quite a bit of scar tissue and cording under my arm and down my side/ribs. I was wearing a N95 mask and the pain was not nice. I thought I was going to pass out. Everything is clear, thankfully but I need to have a MRI as the field the mammogram can reach doesn't capture everything. And now, I feel like a wave of depression has settled over me. I've always considered myself a positive and upbeat person. I've been exercising quite a bit. I keep hoping it's the state of the world that's got me down but something just doesn't seem right. Maybe being trapped in the house for so long and not being among coworkers has impacted me.
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Cricketdog, I'm so sorry. I don't understand after everything we have been through, why would they do a mammogram so soon and then follow up with an MRI? That's why I'm always fighting with them and declining unnecessary shit.
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"My bilateral mastectomy with TE will be sometime in July. Has anyone had TE put in? I was watching a video and the refill them with a big ass needled and I'm really tired of feeling pain. I dont think the cream I use to numb the port area will work to numb the TE area."
Asked my friend who had TEs. She said you're pretty much numb in that area post surgery so you don't feel the needle. Her advice was to take Advil/Tylenol 30 minutes prior to fill. She also said she was a little sore after a fill but, it cleared up in a few days
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morrigan_2575, thank you. I'm so tired of being poked and prodded, of being in pain. Feeling more pain was making me wonder if I wanted breasts at all.
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Dysonsphere - I lost weight the first two cycles but have started to gain now. And I definitely see the moon face and chemo belly. My doctor told me not to worry about putting on a few pounds, I can deal with all of that after chemo and surgery are done. But it's another blow to my fragile self esteem. I just don't even recognize the person I see in the mirror.
Hray93 - Sorry you are feeling so isolated. Going through this is so hard, and having to be isolated really makes it harder. I have my kids and husband, but I'm so tired of just being home and feeling useles.
Morgann and Ajminn - we were all on the same chemo timeline and done together! I'm still really feeling round 6, but I know the finish line is here. It helps to know what each day will generally bring in terms of side effects.
ScatteredEnergy - I'm sorry it's been so rough. This whole experience is just so hard. I feel the emotional rollercoaster big time. I'm not sure when my surgery is, but I've heard the expanders aren't so bad to fill. I have heard they are just generally uncomfortable to have in your body.
CricketDog- I'm surprised they gave you a mammogram, and how frustrating that it was painful and they couldn't use it anyway. My last mammogram before chemo couldn't get the right shots either and it was excruciating. I came out with bruises on my collar bone.
MNSusan - I hope they get your cough figured out, that must be annoying.
I'm in misery of day 7 post chemo. I am so anxious to meet with the surgeon on Wednesday and to start feeling better from chemo. I know this is it, I'm done with TCHP chemo, but now I'm really nervous that the chemo didn't get the cancer, or it's going to spread. I feel like the doctors are so optimistic when I talk to them, but then I hop on boards and I realize how many people have this spread or recur. I know I just need to stay positive, because I'm doing everything I can, but man, some days it really hits me. Especially days when I'm nauseous and my mouth is disgusting and I just want the day over.
I have to also say that between covid, cancer, and now all the racial tension in the world, I just feel a little sad about it all. Which is normal, I guess I also feel sad for where I was one year ago, healthy, getting ready to take my family to Disney World, relatively carefree. It seems so so far away now.
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"Morgann and Ajminn - we were all on the same chemo timeline and done together! I'm still really feeling round 6, but I know the finish line is here. It helps to know what each day will generally bring in terms of side effects."
Today is day 13 and, I'm feeling better, I actually have an appetite today. I ate a salad which I haven't had in 3 weeks. It was yummy!
I'm not as good as I normally would be at this point. Normally by day 14 I'm feeling great. I have more energy but, I still get tired really easy and for some reason just standing I feel sore in my thighs and lower back.
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I had TEs post bilateral mastectomy for six months before having the implant exchange. There is no feeling at all left in the skin (it may come back but mine hasn’t since 2012). Pain when they’re filled isn’t an issue. As the skin expands, there’s sort of an acheyfeeling but I wouldn’t call it pain. Hope that helps.
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mmorigan - thigh pain is a side effect of taxotere. I had no idea, but mentioned to my oncologist that my legs had been achy, and he right away said "Thighs?" and then told me it was a weird side effect that should go away by July. My legs got achy last round, I'll see if they do this round. I'm glad you had a salad, I've only had a few during chemo, and I'm so happy when I can actually sort of enjoy them. I've been saving so many fresh healthy recipes to make once I get my taste buds and stomach back to normal. I slept great last night, so I'm feeling more hopeful that today i'll be ok, even though I know it won't be great.
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MNSusan, thank you
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thanks fab4mon. It's so weird the little side effects of various Chemo drugs.
Today is Day 14 and I woke up feeling pretty good. I seem to have more energy and not so achy. I definitely have an appetite, hopefully food will start tasting better today. It's slowly coming back some foods taste fine, others taste OK but, slightly off and others still taste awful.
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is anyone getting chemo via veins instead of port? What can you tell me about it?
I have three chemos left and I was sent for a port study because they have been having trouble getting blood return. Well, the requirement for the port study is to get the freaking Invasive Covid-19 test and I refused. My OC put an order that if the lortab stops working or the nurses dont feel comfortable, they can use the vein. I have read in the past that this is not the best.
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Since Scattered Energy mentioned. You need a COVID test before surgery. Mine is scheduled the day before.
As far as the Port, I had a friend whose port got.infected after the first cycle and had to be removed. She did the rest of her chemo with the IV. She was fine with the IV.
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morrigan_25: I'm glad. I was getting scared.
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Do you have trouble getting an IV? I have terrible veins and chemo has only made them worse and they blow every time I have to get an IV so idk if I could, but I guess it all depends on your veins. It’s extremely painful for me to get an IV but I was talking about that with my dad and telling him I’d have to have one for surgeries and He said they can put you under with gas before they give you an IV so that’s my plan for surgery so I don’t have to go through the pain.
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hray1993, nope. No problems with veins. They are actually shocked when they try to take blood from.my finger tips and I tell them I prefer for them to use a vein lol
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So my potassium is low and liver enzymes are high. I was prescribed potassium pills and an ultrasound of the liver. Any idea what it could mean?
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i know Chemo can message with your liver, it's supposed to be temporary.
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morrigan_2575, I hope so
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