March 2020 Chemo
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Hey Julie- I'm Jess (jelloelloello) from the April group. Since you and I are the original posters for each group, we can edit our original post. I've been doing that to add a "Roll Call" list at the top as a handy reference for the group members. You should also be able to scroll to the top of the page, click "Edit" on your original post, and add any text you want.
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Hey Jess, thanks for the tip. I will try to do it next week. Not having a good week, health wise. Dealing with lots of SE.
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Jks Indy - I’m from the April chemogroup.
Saw you were having a rough time this week. Sending you a virtual hug and kiss ... when the SEs are really getting you down, just put your hand on your cheek and you’ll feel my hug and kiss. You’ll be reminded you’re not alone in this chapter of life none of us want to be going through. Prayers for the side effects to get better soon. 🙏🌈
j
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Julie.....I am so sorry that you are dealing with tough side effects. (((((Hugs))))
Praying for you, that you feel better soon!
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What a beautiful day here in MD, and about time too, got to sit in the garden to have dinner, which was really nice, am now tired though.
My side effects are still uggh, so much so my MO is planning to change my regime again have gone from TCHP to TCH, and next infusion will be THP, what an alphabet soup
Hope you are all hanging in there and staying strong!!
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it seems were a quiet bunch... hows everyone doing?
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Hey Jettie,
I am finally doing better. Had a challenging two weeks with SE and infections. Thank you ByhisGrace and Etna's Girl for the virtual hugs. I really needed them last week!
The antibiotics are finally doing their job. My hematoma on my chest from my double mastectomy has finally calmed down after 3.5 months. Hopefully I had my last aspiration yesterday. I have had to be aspirated several times a week then once a week and now hopefully the last time. It is quite a routine for the aspirations -- I go to the back door of the surgeon's office (so I am not exposed to other patients) and ring in, then go to my "regular" treatment room for ultrasound and aspiration. I asked if there is a secret handshake I should use to get in the back door. I have been there so many times they tease me that I can start taking my own temperature and blood pressure. LOL
I am scheduled for my last treatment of TC next week. I was to have 5 or 6 treatments but my MO thinks I should stop at 4 given my SE and the pandemic. Covid-19 infections and deaths are still climbing here in south Georgia.
It sounds like Jettie has been through an alphabet soup of treatments. I hope the next treatment goes well for you.
I just taught a webinar for work and kept looking at the person talking on Zoom - not recognizing myself with a head covering and half my eyelashes gone.
Who IS that woman talking?! Mother's Day will be really different this year. I will miss being able to see my own Mom and not having my son and DIL here with me to celebrate. For those of you who are mothers or have mothers still living, what are your plans?
I hope everyone is doing well.
Julie
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Morning ladies, hope all is well and chemo is not taking too much off a toll on everyone.
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Its soo sad this thread is quiet
It makes me feel alone in this group, well next week is my 5th infusion, so almost near the end and counting the days down, the anxiety is building on whats next and when, have a pet scan on the 6th and see the BS on the 8th.Is it worth me posting here anymore?
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Hi Jettie-- We're all pretty active in the April 2020 group, so you're welcome to join us there! Actually, I disappeared for almost two weeks, but as proof of how awesome my April friends are, I received private messages from some of them checking up on me! My new "breasties" (breast cancer best friends) are one of the best things that came out of this cancer experience. I feel so connected and supported, and would love you to feel the same.
love, jess0 -
hey Jettie, I tried to start convo on May 6 before Mother’s Day but got no replies from the group. 😢
I had chemo on May 12th and it has been a very challenging two weeks. Lots of no fun side effects. The good news is that it was my last TC treatment and I start HRT in June. My complications from my DMX have finally calmed down....that has been very frustrating as I had to had fluid/blood aspirated several times a week February to early May. I don’t know how many others in this thread are having TC but I was curious if anyone has purple fingernails and finger pain? I am hoping it resolves over time.
Jettie, I understand your anxiety about your PET scan I have a lung nodule that requires a follow up scan in June. I hope your scan goes well. I personally would like to know the results. Please let me know. I will be thinking of you, praying for a good outcome
Uncertainty bothers me more than anything. it makes my life feel so out of control - and the world itself feels out of control to me these days. I feel if I know what I am facing, I can come up with a plan and figure it out. Right now, with my son’s job gone, economic pain all around me, the virus active in my small town and deaths doubling here recently...having uncertainty about health just compounds all those fears.
I try to stay focused on being grateful for the chance to fight cancer and find joy in simple things like the love my puppy gives me daily and the birds flitting around and playing In my garden. I have some bossy blue jays but even they fly away when the red headed woodpecker flies in. He is the dominant bird and the big boss....until the puppy runs out.
Hope to hear from others but if not....please let me know how you are doing Jettie.
Julie
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hi jettie and all,
Sometimes threads just go quiet and people wander off to other threads of interest, especially as their treatment changes. I have multiple favorite threads that I follow. Some I participate in and others I just read for interest. One post can start a whole new conversation.
I have just finished my fourth round of paciltaxel, herceptin and perjeta. I having having issues with low white cells so going to scan to see if I have responded with a view to dropping the chemo if all is well.
Julie, I had to be aspirated several times post my BMX. Very uncomfortable and frustrating. The seroma eventually resolved itself. I have know of several others with nail problems and some who have lots the nails altogether. It is another chemo SE. Finger pain sounds like neuropathy. Make sure to discuss with your MO. it is amazing our bodies handle Chemo at all. I had docetaxel as part of my first line of treatment and it made me very ill. I went to hospital for a few days post each transfusion which allowed me to get through the full cycle.
Good luck everyone
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Morning all,
Hi Julie, I read your response on the 6th as a response to my questions on how everyone was doing, so waited for others to respond (I try not to over post, guess thats the brit in me lol) . I am glad your at the end of your chemo and moving on it HRT, have they said which drugs you will be getting? Good luck with your lung scan in June, I will have my fingers crossed for you too. I am hoping mine shows some radical reduction in size of the tumours to make neoadjunctive chemo worth it
Seems like both you and Helen have had issues with post surgery with needing aspirations
I havent got to that part of my journey yet, so dont know whats involved in that as that's still a few months off, i am guessing my surgery will be in August or thereabouts. Cant say i am looking forward to it, but it is what it is.For nails, i have noticed redness in my cuticles, I've been painting them a really dark colour before chemo and that's seemed to help with the actual nails, but i do have neuropathy in my finger tips
While i don't have any blue jays (that i have seen yet) i do have a couple families of plump red cardinals that come by for there evening snacks at the bird feeder. ohh and nesting doves at a bend in my guttering hehehe
Hi Helenlouise, sorry to hear about your issues, I hope they resolve your Chemo side effects for you so you dont need hospital treatment for it, that must be very scary
Are they giving you anything to help with the white blood count? Big Cyber hugs to you both!!!
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yes Jettie, I give myself an injection (24 hours post 2nd round of chemo) of pegfilgrastim. That stimulates the bone marrow to bring the neutrophils back up. Good to hear your managing your nails and keep note of the neuropathy. Whilst it will get better when chemo stops you may not get full feeling back. So don’t let it get bad. I regally didn’t want mastectomy but went ahead and had both breast’s removed in 2018. I am ok with it now. There are worse things to lose than ones breasts.
Take care x
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Hi Jettie!
Sorry that I have been so quiet. Just busy with work and experiencing some down days from treatment. I think about y'all often though, for sure!
I have my last chemo next Thursday!!!! To say that I am excited is an absolute understatement!!! I don't think I've looked forward to anything more in my life, with the exception of my wedding day and the birth of my son, lol! It's definitely in the Top Three!!
My MO told me that Taxol is considered "chemo light" and should be easy to undergo. Good grief, if this is "chemo light", I really do not ever want to experience anything stronger. I've had side effects range from constant nosebleeds, (from both nostrils at the same time.....lovely!), multiple times a day, everyday, to pretty intense stomach issues, lack of sleep, reactions, etc. I am just READY to have this behind me! There will be some serious celebrating, for sure!
Still have Herceptin every 3 weeks for the next 9 months, but that really isn't too bad. I don't think I've much in the way of side effects from that. It's all been the Taxol. Next up in this fun parade is a double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. I meet with my plastic surgeon on Monday and my surgical oncologist Tuesday.
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!0 -
Helenlouise - I totally agree there are worse things than losing breasts! Jettie, many women go through the DMX with no problems at all. I wish that for you! I have had so many breast surgeries since I was 20 that I really am relieved in one way that they are gone and I don't have to worry. I chose not to do reconstruction and I am fine with that decision as well. I am happy that my hematoma finally resolved and I can just now focus on the chemo SE. My fingernails are not liking the taxotere (docetaxal). I am hoping it resolves and the purple fades away. As a consultant, I need my fingers for typing and as a gardener, I use my fingers in all sorts of ways.
I will start Letrozole (Femara) in June as my HRT.
Helenlouise - I admire anyone who can give themselves a shot. I do hope your neutrophils improve from the shots. I am needle adverse. Comes from being a military brat and getting so many immunizations as a young child so we could live overseas in Japan and Germany in the 60's and 70's.
I was able to get in my office for a few hours today for the first time in over two weeks. Yay! I hope others are doing well and that you have a good weekend. It was hard to distinguish weekends from weekdays when I was so ill.
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Yay Etnasgirl on getting close to a milestone! Keep us posted on how it goes. Wishing for all the best!
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Hey girls!!!
Y'all have been so quiet, I hope that everyone is doing well.
MY CHEMO IS DONE!!!! Praise Jesus!!!!
I had my last infusion last Thursday. I have NEVER been more happy to see the end of something in my life. This week has been a bit rough with side effects, but hopefully once I start feeling better, I should STAY feeling better, as the endless cycle of feeling like crap, then feeling better, then like crap again is OVER.
Still have Herceptin every 3 weeks, but SO thankful the chemo is over!
How are y'all doing??0 -
Hi all!!
Friday is my last chemo. Yes, I can relate, Etnas Grl. Chemo on Friday, feel o.k. Sat., then like crap until Tuesday about noon. Then pretty good until the next Friday. I also will continue with Herceptin every three weeks, although they have said the Taxol is what is giving me the side effects. Hope they are spot on regarding that.
And it may be called "chemo light" but as it is cumulative, it seems more like "chemo heavy" towards the end!
Hope everyone is doing well and continues to do so!
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Hi all,
OMG Gratz Etnasgrl!!!! I am so pleased for you.
Sharlyn25, good luck for Friday
I will be joining you both soon with a big tick next to the chemo box, my last one is 6/22
big hugs to everyone
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Yay! For those of you finished with the taxol. I hope to finish it soon. See MO tomorrow so fingers crossed for good news. It will be interesting to see if the targeted therapies - herceptin and perjeta- cause many side effects on their own. Fingers crossed.
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Hi there everyone! Although I have not posted anything in awhile I have been following along as I work my through chemo. Happy to say I'm Done!
4 x TCH 21 days apart. My first and 3rd were my worse for se. 1st because I didn't know what to expect and 3 rd because as the say cumulative! I developed the heavy, lead legs after the 3rd and still have them now as well as low hemoglobin, RBC.
My last treatment was June 2 and now wondering how long the se last after last treatment. I'm currently having the lead legs, tired, bloated belly...
I will continue Herceptin for a following 13? Treatments as well as radiation in the next month or so, but as I’ve been told the hard part is done just need to get through these side effects and so looking forward to feeling like me!
I want to thank everyone for being open and accepting of any and all questions, advice, shoulders to cry on and ears just to listen!
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Well done Dup!
I am happy to report I am too am done with Taxol. Scans are clear so YAY! Will continue with herceptin and perjeta indefinitely. So back to IV three weekly. It has been a good day.
I too look forward to the side effects diminishing. My main concern is neuropathy in both fingers and toes and I expect over the next while they will recover some.
Good luck too all and stay in touch when you can
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hey everyone it’s been way too long but I’m here now. I finished my last round of 6 TCHP infusions two weeks ago! Hardest thing in my life to date. I have a herceptin infusion this Tuesday and a double mastectomy with reconstruction on 7/27/2020. Super nervous for that! Sending love!
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Well done on completing the chemo and good luck for your op Cassandra,
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Hi all,
My hair finally started coming back in April 2020. Last chemo was end of December 2019. It has come back completely different than my normal. very very curly and white. I'm at point now I really need a stylist haircut but afraid if I do it, I'll go bald again. Anyone else have these feelings? I used to have med length light brown hair with low lights to conceal grey, now I look in mirrow and see and old lady with white curly (like the old fashion tony perm). I need a makeover!!!
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