TRIPLE POSITIVE GROUP
Comments
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efc - as you proceed through chemo you may find that your reflux/heartburn gets worse. Chemotherapeutic agents are hard on all soft tissue in the body, and this is cumulative, so you may need to more aggressively treat symptoms as time goes on.
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If I have more trouble, I'll ask the doc for stronger meds to treat it. Pretty good day so far.
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Hi all, I had to skip through the last ten pages to catch up, but it sounds like everyone is doing well. I just got back from my trip to the vaccine study I participate in at Wake Forest. I go back for bloodwork next week in a whirlwind all in one day trip down and back, and then I only go one more time in the fall and I am done. I hope it works, but even if it doesn't I feel like I helped make a difference in potential treatments. AT the very least the immune booster can't hurt.
Had a vaginal ultrasound today and Pap smear exam today. GYN does the ultrasound every six months to check the uterus since I am taking tamoxifen. HOLY COW! While the ultrasound wasn't awful, the following annual exam with the scapula (?-not sure thats what it is called) was PAINFUL! I have never had one be painful before. Apparently vaginal atrophy has caught up with me. Told my husband we will need to get busy more often, lol.
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all
Thank you for sharing. Our party was loud of fun! 30+ people including long lost friends. Very nice! A friend of ours brought homemade lasagna and chicken. Mmmmmmm. Another brought homemade desserts! Another brought a Caesar salad with his famous homemade dressing!! Mmmmmmmm
Well tomorrow morning 8am I'll be having my port inserted. I'm nervous but will get through it. They better knock me out!! Noon is bloodwork then I meet with my MO at 1. Wednesday at noon is infusion #1
Give me strength sisters!!!!!!
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Football nut, I framed a calendar and put a sticker on each treatment date after I was done. I liked seeing the progress. Make sure you have a party after. It is kind of emotional, but wonderful.
I had the port done during my BMX so cant help you there. I will say it was very tender and stung for a few days if I moved much. It actually was more physically painful than my mastectomy, but that was probably because I had a pain pump sloshing around the BMX area. That was pretty wonderful
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fluff - did you have an On-Q?
My PS took mine out today after my exchange and I was so sad to see it go. So far so good, though.
Those things are the bomb!
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football - my port site was tender for a few days, but didn't really hurt that much. I just kind of felt like I'd been punched in the chest for about 3 days. (Not constant - just felt weird when I moved).
Hugs for tomorrow and Wednesday!!
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FBN---Like McKatherine said I just felt the same way--like a punch and that's what my Doc said it would feel like and it was fine. See now u know what's going on really it'll be fine and they make u feel like u r the only person they are taking care of. Thinking of you.
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Hey all,
Glad to see everyone is doing good.
Thinking of you SpecialK and hoping the healing is happening.
Footballnut - you will be fine with the port surgery - same as everyone else says - felt like a punch in my shoulder. I did use a pain pill or two the day after.
Today is my big day - had a weird reaction to the steriod pills yesterday - noise ran like a faucet for about 30 minutes then my lips tingled and went numb like I had Novocaine in them. Mo had me take a benedry 1/2 an hour before the second dose - says he has never heard of those side effects. I am diabetic and my fasting sugar this am is 148 - not good!! I have worked so hard to control this with diet just wish their was something other than the steroids to prep with.
Got my first fill yesterday since surgery due to my healing issues 75 cc - all went very well and had no discomfort last night trying to sleep - which I was not very successful at lol
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good job linda. what are you doing up so late?
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Hey Kathec
Steriods - hardly got any sleep then woke up wide awake at 330 am - ughhh
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linda505 for some folks the steroids suck!
Footballnut when I got my port it was fairly easy. Once I got into the recovery room I was up and ready to go. The nurse helped me get dressed (remember I had a bmx with nodes on both sides 4 weeks prior). My surgeon came to see how I was doing and was not expecting me to be all dressed and sitting on the chair. He was looking for me on the gurney. The anesthesia wore of pretty quickly with me. You're going to be fine.
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thinking of you today linda. i had just woken up myself, fell back assleep reading! im up now, and hope it goes smoothly for you today.
hey there, lago,good morning to you! They told me i could have my port out... dont know if i am ready for that yet! i did get nicked and my lung collapsed, but then i had to have a waterseal tube inserted, and was in the hospital for a few days... i am worried they are gonna pull some of my innards out with it... no really! i am worried about this!
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linda - ask if you can have steroids just in your day of chemo pre-meds. I did my first three TCH with Decadron only the day of chemo. I did not switch to the before/during/after until the last three tx. By then I kind of liked the steroids because I was so stinkin' tired from the chemo, lol!
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kathec Tonlee the gal who started this thread also had her lung collapse during port insertion. From what I remember I don't recollect her mentioning anything about have an issue getting it removed. Also note the longer it's in there the more it might "settle in." I had mine in for 2 years total per my MO recommendation. (Most recurrences happen in the first 2 years). Like you I am thin on top. My surgeon did say it got a little stuck in was of course able to get it out.
All I know is after deportation I was told to take it easy and eat a light meal… bullshit. I hadn't eaten all day because of surgery and it was after 2pm. We went to the Italian joint we like down the street from the hospital and I had the biggest piece of spinach lasagna
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Thanks lago. i want what you had, after!
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Linda the steroids fid a number on my blood sugar too. I was as high as 400 after 3 days of steroids. My doctor said just to increase my oral meds on steroid days. But looking back on it I should have gotten insulin for those days. I was afraid to not take them because my first tx I was throwing up. They lowered carbo then my 2nd tx I ended up in the hosp. 3 days for renal failure. I was ac tually dehydrated by diarrhea too. They then lowered my taxotere. I was on a BP med that did not play nicely with the chemo drugs so they had to swap that out. I also couldn't take my anti inflammatory during chemo.
I guess I'm saying watch your Blood sugars ask when to go to ER (they told me 500 but I never got that high). Or if you should take something during tx days. It took me a week to get back to better numbers.
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kathtec - I too had a lung collapse due to port insertion. I had no problems at all with the port removal (and yes, I was worried, too!).
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hello all!
Here I sit with my new friend - the port! The procedure went well. I was told that the port had to be placed on the right side since the cancer was on the left despite not having a muscle on the right side. It seemed that the prep took longer than the actual procedure. The nurses were awesome! The dr explained everything. The procedure was pain free. The meds didn't knock me out but certainly relaxed me. I was in recovery shortly after 9:30. I still feel tired do will probably have a nap soon
I feel a slight pinch or sting but it has subsided quite a bit since this morning. My blood was drawn from the port this morning and it was pain free. The port was left accessible since bloodwork is today and chemo is tomorrow
My MO is of the opinion that there is an 80% chance the cancer will not return and that my SE will not be too bad. He has been awesome
Tomorrow at noon is infusion #1 so I plan to bring lunch. Any suggestions?
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football - yay for an easy port install! I would bring something light and easily digested for lunch, and my center advised to have a breakfast that contained protein. I never brought lunch but did bring trail mix, crackers, and things to drink. I had chemo in a community room so foods that had a strong smell were not a good idea - some of the folks receiving chemo were quite ill and nauseous, so that could be off-putting. Some centers have food, snacks, etc. Mine did not. Maybe PB&J, or a cheese sandwich, or a wrap of some kind - roast beef or chicken salad? I also brought my own ice chips to suck on during the Taxotere infusion, in an insulated tumbler, and bags of frozen peas in a soft cooler to ice my toes and fingers to prevent nail lifting and loss - also during the Taxotere infusion.
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What she said. But i brought a turkey and cheese sandwich. And some fruit like an apple or an orange. My drink of choice was watered down iced tea. Just enough so it wasn't plain water. They had cranberry or Apple juice available as well as soda. Also crackers. Some times they had instant soup and the chicken noodle would taste good but of course it was instant so who knows what's actually in it..... LOL
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FBN, my chemo center had wifi so I brought my iPad and watched streaming Netflix. That really helped. You'll have to bring lots of things because the first chemo is long. Mine was about 7 hours. This is because they run all the solutions very slowly. They want to watch you for a reaction. Oh, and my cancer center had food and water, so they gave me ice to chew on during the taxol infusion. I brought a gigantic bottle of water and a bag of peanut butter-filled pretzels every week. They were my treat. They'll give you a blanket and pillow and usually have a TV with a remote.
Linda, ask your MO if you can bag the oral steroids. I did taxol (every week for 12 weeks) and I didn't take them. I took them with the first treatment I had (TCH) but they were awful for me! I was up at 4:00 a.m. cleaning the freezer the morning before my first chemo. I was wired for sound. My poor cat was just staring at me as I bounded around the house in the wee hours. My nurse navigator, nurse practitioner and MO all told me the same thing--give them up, you are someone who doesn't do well with them. I did have the steroid in my pre-meds, but the benadryl kind of canceled it out. But the pills, nope, didn't take them again after that. They were awful!!
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Home from first chemo - no problems with anything there - My MO said i could reduce the steriods in half but he really wants me to take them - I really don't like them - they make me feel weird. I did ice my hand and feet and sucked on ice chips - I have to bring my own as they do not have any ice there.
Pbrain - my first chemo is dedicated to you!!
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Linda I'll be thinking of you tomorrow when I start my infusion at noon. Glad that things went well and hope that any SEs are minor if at all
I'm starting to get pain where the port was inserted. Like many before me my neck feels stiff and I think I'm getting a bit of a fever. Taking extra strength Tylenol helps. I'm Aldo getting itchy from the tape. I anticipate a "great night" this evening !!
:-(
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pbrain... Awesome work! 10#gone!!! Also I live up the street from you about 2 hrs!!
This cycle#4 large amount edema to ankles and legs. Gone now. But sheesh.
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Linda 505 steroids help reduce the nausea.
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Steroids helped me keep fluid retention down too.
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steroid day, I remember it well! I never took them orally. Mine were in my IV, along with decadron. However, on chemo day, I always did morning infusion, then left, worked out, ran errands all say (in between the big D) got home, was up all night getting stuff done or playing on my iPad sitting in bed. At 6 a.m., my husband would get up, look at my and shake his head. By about 7:30, I had crashed.
McKatherine-yes I had the On-q. Loved it. Except when they told me I could take it out myself. Ummmm, I don't think so. Fortunately the BS had to move my one week appointment to day 5 as she was going out of town. I asked the nurse to take it out. HOLY COW, they tubes were like 18 inches long! So gross! I never would have pulled them that long. Yick.
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Steroids actually made me swell, along with the chemo, MO said sometimes that happens. The timing seemed to coincide with the change from steroids only the day of chemo, to taking them before/during/after.
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Steroids blew me up like a wood tick! Kept me up all night only to crash the next day or so. Only had them in IV as pre-med.
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