Starting Chemo in February 2024? Gather here for support!
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I finished one full cycle on March 6. Strategically skipped March 13 to go to the beach for a week with my wife and tween daughter and her bestie. Because I’ll be in the thick of this in the summer and I wanted to make some happy memories while I still felt like I could enjoy it. Started losing my hair in giant clumps so I decided to take control of the when and the how and shaved it into a military buzz when we got home from the beach. I start the second cycle this Wednesday and will keep on until the end of May. Then I’ll start AC and Keytruda every 21 days for four cycles. A month to rebuild my WBCs and surgery and recovery will take me to the end of 2024.
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Hello all,
I am officially through 2 rounds of AC, with my third this Monday. My hair started coming out, I was warned, but man - buzzing it was hard. Much harder than I thought it would be.
Glad to hear that treatment was easier with a port, hoping for the same thing! I get my port Thursday, with my next chemo Monday.
Days 5-7 have been the hardest for me. I feel like that’s when the meds start to wear off and I’m hit with digestive issues and bone/joint aches. They have me taking Claritin to help with that, so I can’t imagine what it would feel like without.
I really look forward to hearing how everyone is doing in this forum. While I have a good support system, I am still doing this alone. No one else is losing their hair and having all of these meds in them. It. An be lonely, so I’m glad to have you all.
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Hey @jmfws10
yep my story similar to yours. I’m pretty bald now and comfortable around the house but outside wear a hat or scarf turnabout turban. Day 5-7 was hardest and I’ve just completed number 2 of TC chemo which I’m having every three weeks. Docetaxal and Cyclophosphamide.
it can be lonely so reach out anytime. Yeah the meds wow I’ve never taken so many but happy that they manage a lot of side effects.
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finished round 3 of AC and it hit me hard. Much more nausea this time especially when I walked into the hospital and feeling weak a week later - like my legs may buckle. I stopped trying to exercise so I think I have to try baby steps to get back to walking daily which is when I felt my best. However, glad I only have one more AC to go and then I start Taxol with Perjeta. Really hoping it’s not as bad for me as AC.
good news is I’ve managed to stay out of the hospital - no more infections yet.
hope everything is going well or at least as well as can be expected ladies!1 -
Hi Ladies! Hope you all had a lovely Easter. It has been a bit busy around here with Easter and our daughter's 16 birthday 😊
@purpletiger AC is rough. Honestly the worst chemo. I don't know anything about Perjeta but Taxol is definitely easier than AC. You are almost through the worst of the chemo so hang in there, it does get easier after AC.
@jmfws10 you must be done your 3rd round of AC by now as well. How are you managing? Yes, please do reach out if you want to chat or have any questions, etc.
@kyrexvstuesday I know what you mean about taking the time to make happy memories. But you will get back there again, chemo doesn't last forever 😊.
I'm trying to work with my breast surgeon (BS) and oncologist (MO) on the timing of my surgery post chemo so I can go to Canada to see my family and my best friend for a few weeks first… to make those memories… and quite frankly to take a break to do something fun and relaxing. BS is pushing me to do the surgery (mastectomy with full reconstruction) within 4 weeks of finishing chemo (usual standard of care) but if I go to Canada surgery will be week 8 after chemo. I'm going to talk to my MO today to get his view of the risk of waiting a few extra weeks. Good news is the chemo is working. My BS says it looks like Swiss cheese on the ultrasound. All broken up so they can not see a clear "lump" anymore… yea!
@sheila64_ how are you doing? Are you halfway through chemo yet?
Today is #6 infusion for me… just Paclitaxel today… so I will be halfway through the chemo/immuno part of this journey. I still have a little bit of hair but it is shedding. Hubby says I look like a baby bird as it is all fuzzy 😂. Every morning I have to take one of those sticky lint rollers from IKEA and clean the hair off my pillow😁.
Side effect wise, I am definitely getting more fatigued. Day 3-5 (after the 2 steroid days) are still the worst. I know I should be walking on those days because it will help but honestly I don't really have the energy. I was getting mild annoying nausea on those days as well and the original nausea meds they gave me were not working. They gave me some new ones (ondansetron) which work much better. Just fyi in case any of you are struggling.
Sending big hugs to all of you… we got this!
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@dawn68 yep halfway number 3 cycle coming up 8/4. The fatigue is certainly cumulative some days I have little energy and can only just manage the 2 ks with the dog. Sometimes I question the validity of 4 -6 cycles of chemo particularly when I’m really struggling when I read 3 cycles would do as well or at least they don’t have good evidence either way. Oh well I’m not an Oncologist. My Mental health is a struggle and Oncologist is weighing up number 4 cycle.
So hard to know what to do.1 -
@dawn68 You are right, I’m through my third AC and it hit me hard. I struggled days 5-7. I was actually just telling my husband that although I’m feeling physically better yesterday and today, I’m struggling mentally today. Just feel mentally tired and probably a little depressed. It’s just a lot, a relentless cycle that just keeps going. Just need to keep reminding myself that this isn’t forever, and that it’s working, which is the most important part.
Monday is my fourth and final AC, hoping things get better after that. I’ll still have 4 rounds of Taxol to get through, but hoping it’s easier - even by a little.
So glad you’re all hanging in there, it sucks but we’ve got this.
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checking in… was struggling with nausea in the last AC and just didn’t feel like being online. I’m working thru treatment so all I could do was focus on work.
Got loading doses of Perjeta, Herceptin and Taxol last week and got a Lapelga shot on Saturday. The bone and muscle pain has been so bad that had to get stronger pain meds yesterday, Claritin and Tylenol weren’t helping. I have 3 more rounds to go so hoping they aren’t as bad as this one. Knees, legs and feet especially hurt. Stayed in bed for 2 days but finally felt I could get up today. The good news is I took L Glutamine and that seemed to help the numbness in my fingers. So glad I kept in touch with the nurses for any side effect to help me get through this.Thanks for being an outlet here that I can post. It helps.
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On the other side, I am loving wigs or “hair crowns”. I don’t think I will ever be happy with my natural hair if it grows back. It’s fun, I get so many compliments on my hair and it’s so fast to get ready. I’m so glad I discovered them. What’s one bright side or fun thing you’ve discovered in this process?
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Hi all. I haven’t felt much like being online either. Struggling through my first of 4 Taxol treatments. The bone and joint pain is intense. Hoping I’m nearing the other side of it in the coming days.
Hope you all are ok.
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How is everyone doing?
Felt it was time for a quick update:
I have my last Taxol tomorrow, then one more Perjecta in June. I'll still be taking Herceptin for a year I believe. I tend to get a lot of aches and pains after getting the shot post infusion to stimulate white blood cell counts so my oncologist prescribed a different one for me (I forgot the name). It means it's given to me in 3 shots over 3 days but it's made the pain much more bearable. @jmfws10 perhaps ask your oncologist if there is a different drug you can take to reduce the pain. It's made a big difference for me.
I switched to a cream rather than lotion to moisturize and the skin peeling stopped.
My wig game is going strong and I'm getting much better at drawing in eyebrows. Still have a few eye lashes hanging on.
I have an MRI on Monday which will hopefully confirm what my oncologist told me - that my tumor has shrunk and responded well to the treatment. Then I have to wait another 4 weeks for the pathology report. The next step I'm told is surgery for breast and lymph nodes. I know we really won't know what's going on in there until surgery anyway so… more wait and see.
However, I feel some hope as I move into the next phase. Most days I feel good and am able to focus on work but some days I have an anxiety attack filled with "what if" thoughts. Thankful for the community here on those days!
Hope everyone is managing ok through this journey we're taking.0 -
Hi everyone, boy we have been a quiet group 😊. My excuse… just life. Two teen girls and a large property to look after. Anyway I have A LOT of time on my hands now for the next few weeks so good time to catch up.
I survived chemo but almost ended up in the hospital when my neutrophils went down to 0.08(!!) and I also had to have 2 red blood transfusions throughout the process.
Last Monday I had a bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. I was terrified but it really wasn't as bad as I thought. The drains were the worst part but once they came out the pain was more manageable. Due to private insurance here I was able to stay in the hospital for 5 days until the drains came out which really helped. The adjustable hospital beds made sleeping a lot easier. My friend in Canada (public system) was sent home 3 hours after her mastectomy!! I can't imagine. I'm now on 2 weeks of just rest & Netflix (surgeon's orders) and then 4 weeks of reduced movement while internal scars heal.
Unfortunately my pathology came back without the pathological complete response (pCR) I had hoped. Tumour only 85% reduced and cancer still in closest lymph node. As a result I have to go back in for another surgery this week to remove more lymph nodes to confirm it hasn't spread. Not the best news but triple negative is aggressive.
My previous understanding from my MO was that if we did not get pCR I would have to start taking an oral chemo but I'll find out more this week. I'd like to get his view on the effectiveness of Keytruda for myself as well as I was surprised the combo of chemo/immuno did not get rid of the cancer in my lymph node as it only lit up very very faintly on the PET.
On a positive note, my hair is growing back 😊
@purpletiger how are you doing? have you had your surgery now as well?
@jmfws10 @sheila64_ @kyrexvstuesday How are you all doing? everyone done chemo now?
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@dawn68 thanks for coming back, and letting everyone know what's going on with you! Sounds like an awful lot! We are very interested in if your MO will suggest another "systemic" treatment like Keytruda. Please do keep us posted!
Warmly, Your Mods0 -
@moderators I was already on Keytruda 3 wk cycle with the chemo & post chemo prior to surgery so will find out if my MO's view is that it is not working, given cancer in my lymph node, or if it is just a case of needing more time as the original plan was to stay on Keytruda for a year post chemo. Xeloda had come up as a next step if we did not get pCR so I've been reading up on it on these boards. Side effects do not sound good but knowing how aggressive TNBC is and our limited treatment options, I'm willing to try anything to prevent further progression.
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@sheila64_ All the best on letrozole and moving on with regular life!😊 Once your hair comes back you'll feel more like yourself again. My hair has always been very fine so it is like a soft fuzz right now 😂
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Hi all! Hi @dawn68
Yes, I finished up with chemo July 1. Starting to get some stamina and strength back. My hair has started to come back, but it’s coming in all white!! Just had my follow up MRI, everything shrunk and my lymph node responded fully per the scan. Up next; bilateral mastectomy and sentinel node biopsy Aug. 6th. Fingers crossed for path results. I am ready to get this shit out of me! Then comes radiation and hormone therapy. The road feels long but progress is being made.
Sending out positive vibes to each of you as you continue your journeys. 🥰
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