Starting Chemo February 2021
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Thanks, Jennie. I'm feeling pretty bad and "emo" today. I know I should call but I'm dreading them saying I need to go to the ER or something. I just hate this SO MUCH.
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I understand, LW422. I hate it for you, too, and I hate it for everyone in this forum. I went to the doctor's office yesterday and just cried in the waiting room, then cried when I got weighed, etc. I cried at home before we left, too. I'm tired and sick. But there's an end in sight -- just a handful of weeks and chemo will be done. I might cry every day for the next 8 weeks, but I'm good with that because every day -- whether I'm happy or sad -- is a day I finished.
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OMG, I'm glad I'm not the only "weeper"!! I broke down in the MO's office yesterday, twice. Then I cried in the chemo chair out of sheer panic. Now I'm having to argue with Walgreen's/Aetna about coverage for my damn nausea medication and I'm ready to lose it again.
I did call the triage nurse and she's going to speak with my MO about the edema; she said it might be a reaction to the premeds so I'll see what he says. I'm worried about my kidneys since those numbers weren't great in my last blood work.
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LW422...first one in the books....yay.....you got this! Chug the water, and remember you are not alone!!! Glad the hat makes you smile...got smile through....a friend of mine got temporary tattoos and we put them on before each round. My favorite I saved for last. "The only way out is through..."
AB45, how is the thrush, hope it is healing!!
Jennie, I see you had a rash, hope that is improving too!!!
Have a great day friends!!!!
Blessings....Julie
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LW422
Yes I experienced swelling in my hand. To.my understanding it can be a se..I also had lymph nodes removed so that could also be an extra culprit of swelling in my situation as well. When I told my MO she suggested I watch my salt intake. They have now also ordered a sleeve for me...I would def mention it to your Mo.. The steroids will also cause flushed skin...
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Hello everyone. I feel like I'm back from the dead today; yesterday was HELL. I don't think I have ever felt so sick in my life. Thank goodness I'm a bit better today; not as shaky or nauseated, but still queasy and feel "unwell". I'm not sure I can do this AC thing.
AB45--the nurse I spoke with thinks they need to reduce the steroid I'm getting; she thinks that may be the culprit in my swelling. I haven't had my mastectomy yet so no lymphedema, at least for now.
I hope everyone is having a better week than I am!!
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LW422, I am so sorry yesterday was rough!! but I KNOW YOU CAN DO THIS!!!! one day, one hour or even one minute at a time!!! I'll be praying for you!!!!
Julie
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LW422, I am sorry it was rough. Please talk to your care team. I had lots of nausea first round on days 4 and 5 after AC chemo. I called my nurse on day 6th, and they changed my nausea meds. It made lots and lots of difference.
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Thanks, Julie; I need all the prayers I can get.
Aram, which nausea meds did you get? I was extremely shaky yesterday, and unsteady on my feet. I freakin' hate that feeling. At least the swelling went down in my hands and feet today.
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Hey LW422! You can do it. One thing that helped me was to keep a detailed diary: side effects, detailed medication regimen, what worked, what didn't, what I was experiencing. When I was doing AC, I would forget chunks of days, so keeping the diary really helped. AC also changed some each time, so not everything is relevant, but at least I could make sense of what was happening repeatedly and I could respond to it better each time. It helped me feel like I had some control. AC messed with my head more than Taxol and seemed more like a psychological challenge. You can do it -- you're already one down and you're making it, finding the best response to your side effects. Use your care team.
Jennie
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LW422, I took dexamethasone for 3 days after chemo, Emend for 2 days. I was also prescribed prochlorazine for the following days but it didn't help. Then they changed it to Olanzapine, and that one took care of nausea. Olanzapine gave me a weird mental feeling but I still took it because it was more tolerable than nausea.
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Hey Jennie. Thanks for the pep talk; I'm mostly bummed because yesterday I got a taste of what "Cancer Person" is all about and I didn't like it. I cruised through Taxol so the AC was a big ugly surprise. I hope I can get through the rest of this but the wind is out of my sails.
Thanks, Aram. I got dexamethasone and Emend during the infusion. My prescription meds are Zofran and Compazine. The Compazine makes me sleepy so I appreciated that yesterday; I slept a lot which helped. The MD Anderson pharmacist called me earlier to see how I was doing with the meds which I found quite nice. She told me how to adjust the dosages if I felt they weren't getting the job done.
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LW422
GOSH,I REMEMBER MY FIRST AC in Feb..I feel your post...you only have 3 more, right? Try to remember you are giving it your best shot...if it helps at all, the 2nd for me wasn't quite as bad as the first...the journal which is mentioned above is what I did and reported to my mo with se...I am not sure if you are prone to mouth ulcers but baking soda rinses help with heartburn too...please let me know how you are...did you get the neulasta shot?
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Hey AB. I just feel so sick and down in the dumps, and I'm feeling resentful that until I was diagnosed I felt FINE. The stupid chemo is making me feel like a sick person and I just don't want to do it.
I didn't have Neulasta and my MO said I might not need it being on a 3-week schedule, so hopefully I can skip that "party." I'm going to ask him next week if I can just forget AC and have surgery sooner. Feeling this bad is for the birds.
Thanks for checking on me. How are you feeling these days?
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If I am honest the whole chemo regimen has me tired. Been going since Feb, Ac kicked my butt and you cheered me on...just look at the beginning of this thread...Just remember this will not last forever...hang in there..We have came so far so keep going...all you have to do is show up...💛
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I really need to snap out of it and grow up. I guess feeling this tired and sick all the time just wears me down. When I think about how being DEAD is my alternative maybe I can hang on for a while and do this. I'm just feeling so bad and so tired and so sad. Cancer SUCKS.
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Hello all. Yesterday and today I'm having trouble focusing my eyes; it seems like everything is out of focus. Is anyone else having eye weirdness?
I hope you're all feeling OK and having a relaxing weekend.
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LW422, I want you to know what an encouragement you have been to me an many others on this journey. It is temporary and you can do this! When you have trouble believing in yourself look through our eyes!
Today was the first day of daily radiation and it went well. Yesterday was the simulation day and it did not go so well, they could get me lined up right, finally got me in the spot but my neck and head were in a terrible way for over an hour so I ended up with a pounding headache and had a rough day after. But the sun came up again today. I know God is always good and still in charge and his plan is perfect.
Hang in there friends!!!
Love and blessings to you all!
Julie
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Hey Julie. I'm sorry you had a rough day yesterday but glad your first rad is in the books. I think all of us are feeling tired and sad and beat down by this "journey" (I hate that word.) We have been at it since February and it's been a long hard road.
I wish I could snap out of it but AC is just too much for me. Today is a week since my first treatment and I still feel so weak and sick and shaky and nauseated. I'm going to talk to my doctor about moving ahead with surgery and foregoing anymore chemo. I honestly don't believe I can do this.
Thanks for your encouragement. I wish I could pull myself out of this but I'm sinking.
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LW422
I felt that same way after my first one but the second one was slightly better..My chemo nurse told me give it two tries...you know ur body best but you have three more...please keep us posted..sorry u feel so rough
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Thanks for hanging in there for me, AB45. How are you doing with Taxol these days? I hope that it is going easier for you.
I suppose I thought since Taxol was easy, that AC "couldn't be THAT bad," but I was so wrong. I'm going to have a serious discussion with my MO about what my options are. The problem with IBC is that it's so aggressive that there aren't many routes to take.
I hope all the other February '21 pals are hanging in there and doing well. Let us hear from you.
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Hi all. I'm sorry I haven't contributed often, but I'm keeping with you all, wishing the best and for time to fly.
LW422, this really has been a long time. I keep thinking of how starting with AC is very different than starting with Taxol. I had no expectations for AC other than knowing it would be hard. It was still a shock -- I don't think anything could have prepared me for it. But the second AC was better than the first because the mystery was gone and I knew I could take one even though it was really hard. I feel like if I could do one, I could do another one. So I hope this encourages you, but I understand you have to make the best decision for yourself. I do know you can do it though -- you've done it once, so you can do it. You have done it.
My best to everyone.
Jennie
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Thanks, Jennie. I seriously need to get a grip and get on with it. You'd think I was the only chemo patient on this board the way I'm carrying on lately. I appreciate all the support from all of you. XOXO
I'll tell y'all one thing though... if I go through all this hell and die anyway I'm going to really be pissed.
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Hey guys. I finally got over the chemo sickness yesterday, one week and one day after the infusion. I feel almost normal and I'm so thankful for that. I want to thank each of you who offered me support during that bad time; it really meant a lot. I know that I have to do this, and I also know that the treatment many times is going to be awful. It's so nice to have all of you encouraging me, so thank you again. Have a good holiday weekend, February 2021 Pals.
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Hey guys. I finally got over the chemo sickness yesterday, one week and one day after the infusion. I feel almost normal and I'm so thankful for that. I want to thank each of you who offered me support during that bad time; it really meant a lot. I know that I have to do this, and I also know that the treatment many times is going to be awful. It's so nice to have all of you encouraging me, so thank you again. Have a good holiday weekend, February 2021 Pals.
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LW422: I'm so glad you have some good days!! That was my big hope for you. Being in the middle of the AC bad days is really tough --- but they're temporary. Keeping a list of what helped and what was happening each day could help for the next treatment. It reminded me of how hard it was and what I did about it that helped. That helped me see that it would end, too. I could prepare for days 1-5 and know that on day 6 I have, in the past, begun to feel better. I hope you've checked with your MO about how nauseated you were -- there are so many options for antinausea medication, maybe they can help. I was eventually given ATivan for nausea because I was thinking about treatment and getting nauseated and I was actually nauseated during treatment -- even with all those antinausea meds in the drip and taking Zofran and Phenergan until I was delirious. Turns out that was anxiety about nausea nausea! The Antivan helped so much -- I took it to help me sleep and the morning of treatment so that I wouldn't feel nauseated thinking about treatment. That's just an example.
All others, in terms of my Taxol treatment, I got a bacterial infection that caused vertigo and massive congestion. This is my third day on Cipro, bacterial antibiotic, and I'm feeling so much better. Vertigo almost gone. Today has been a good day. Also went to dermatologist just to get my annual skin check -- all went well. I was needing a good day!! Stopped at starbucks and got a chai tea latte witih almond milk -- it was good! Doing all I can to get my liquid ounce count way up today! I'm scheduled for extra fluids on Sunday. Taxol has been tough to hydrate for.
I hope everyone's having a good day. IF not, I hope a good day is right around the corner!
Jennie
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HI February Chemo Warriors
I would like to know how many more treatments you have left before your regimen ends? Let's start looking forward to the end of this chapter and moving on to the next.....
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Hi AB45!
I really do feel like it's finally a countdown. I am halfway done with Taxol; I have 6 more treatments, one a week. If all goes as scheduled, my last treatment will be July 8. At that point, I'll begin radiation.
I hope everyone's having a good weekend.
Jennie
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JN5000
Yes ...I have my radiation consult 2nd week of June...I am hoping that everyone one of us is coming down to the countdown 🙌
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Hey y'all. AB45, I have three AC's to go and then I'll have 4 weeks "off" before a single mastectomy, probably in August. When that heals, I'll get radiation. I figure pretty much the entire year is my cancer treatment... diagnosed in January and now it looks like I'll be finishing up in time for the holidays if all goes well. What a damn year, huh? I hope you are doing OK.
Jennie--thanks for the support. I hate whining but this crap is SO HARD. I keep thinking if there was a way to keep chemo from messing up our taste buds that at least we'd be able to drink plenty of water and eat nourishing food. I'm glad you were having a good day and I hope that infection is cleared up. Bless you.
Hope everyone else is doing well. Hang in there, peeps.
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