March 2011 chemo-lounge

Hi

I am starting chemo on 3/3...doing A/C to begin with...bought my wig today so i am ready to go!

I do like the catchy name....have to have some fun in all of this!!

I'll be joining you in the lounge!  I will start chemo on 3/10 and am doing AC+T, four rounds each.  I am ready to get moving on this phase of my treatment.  Thanks for starting this thread.

I'm definitely in for cocktails in the lounge.

After a few weeks away from this site/these boards, I now know I'm a March '11 Chemo Sister.

I will start TC 4x on March 3 at the Univ. of Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia. I probably would have started chemo sooner but baseline scans after my bc dx revealed a brain tumor, which threw me off track.

After more very specialized, high-tech scans and consults with Penn's chairmen of both neurology and otolaryngology, it turns out to be completely unrelated to the bc and not cancer at all. Lucky me (sarcasm is my friend ). It's a benign meningioma and I've probably had it for years without knowing, since it causes no symptoms. I'll have to deal with it later, with radiation to stop it's growth, but apparently this is "the best brain tumor you can have" - oooh yay.

Although I've been terrified of chemo from my dx, the brain thing put things in perspective for me - however, now, as 3/3 draws closer, my fear of chemo has returned. 

So glad we March11 gals have a lounge! 

Best to everyone, I hope all feel good today. Let's have one last toast to strength and determination - and having this part over asap!

I forgot to add that yesterday I got a free head wrap in the mail from Gaila Fund. I have no idea how to tie it and make it look ok. I thought my wig would arrive this week at the store where I purchased it but it hasn't yet.  Maybe early next week.  I'm planning on cutting off my long hair this week.

Also, I went and bought some supplies to have at home that I read about on the chemo shopping list thread.  It was a bunch of stuff, but I figured it would be better to have it at home in case I need it rather than DH having to run out and get it.   

Jules59,

Looks like the March group will be fun.  I am in the Jan group and just finished my 3rd of 6 TAC, I also found fewer people with this therapy.  I looked up stats and it may be rougher, but slightly shorted and equally as effective.  Not sure if it is a regional preferance or what, I live in NC.  So far it has been doable and I am 1/2 way done.  If you have any questions, feel free to private message me or post on Jan thread, as I read this every several days.  I also lurked for a while before I decieded who better to share with than others that know just where you are coming from.

Happy Sunday,

christine

Hi!

Just found this thread and had to jump in.  I'm also starting my first chemo treatment on March 7 of Taxotere & Cytoxin (thank God it's only 4 cycles -- each treatment 3 weeks apart).  I had a mastectomy on the L-side on Feb. 7th and outside of being sore and tender, etc., I'm feeling great.  I'm a yoga devotee and have been practicing yoga and doing pilates for a very long time so I'm eager to slowly resume my exercise.  I'll be able to start back with "gentle" yoga soon and have also joined a meditation group which I think will be most helpful.     Like many of you, I'm not looking forward to it, but am anxious to get this started and get it over with.  Where I'm getting my treatment (SF/Bay area) they offer a 2 hr. chemo class which I'll attend w/my daughter and son-in-law which I expect to be very helpful.  Silia, I can identify with you -- I want to read and educate myself as much as possible but at the same time if you read too much, it can definitely start to make you a little crazy and more scared than necessary.

So happy to find all of you -- we'll all "march" through March together.... Read a saying in one of the discussion board postings -- "keep your head where your feet are"...I liked that!  A good reminder to me to not get ahead of myself!   So happy to be able to share with all of you.

Hope you all enjoy a beautiful Sunday~Aloha for now.

EricaH -I'm glad you stopped by...your positive outlook is great for me since I'm just starting this whole thing.  I hope you post with us often!

Hi gals! May I join you with a glass of wine? I started AC on Feb 8, but will be crossing over into March. I started a February 2011 thread, so please stop by to say hello, and check out how the ladies are doing.

I've done remarkably well as far as SEs are concerned, so do keep in mind that things can indeed go very smoothly. At day 20, I am just losing my hair and it's falling out fast! I cut it short 3 weeks ago, but will pop into the salon tomorrow for a "micro-buzz". 

I'm doing chemo first (just 4 rounds of AC so far), then MX of right breast with immediate reconstruction (DIEP flap). Hopefully that will be it. I've taken the winter off from my job as a pastry chef, and hope to return in June. It's incredibly physical work, so I need to leave plenty of time to heal.

Before this diagnosis, I had barely been sick in my life. Only surgery was tonsils at 5. I'm turning 51 this Saturday. I'm solo mom to an 8-year old daughter with multiple disabilities, so I'm fighting BC with whatever they've got to offer! I'm feeling very good about my prognosis.

Hang in there, Lounge Lizzies!

Michelle 

Sorry if this sounds silly, but what are you doing differently in terms of foods, makeups, lotions, etc. since your diagnosis and preparing for chemo?  I checked out several books from the library, have been reading, and find it all overwhelming. My oncologist was not helpful when I asked about changes in diet, makeup products to avoid, or supplements to take.   

Thanks!

Maria - I find myself being jealous that I am not part of the lounge.  Now, THAT is a compliment to you and the rest of the ladies. Since I started my TCH #6 in January, I will simply lurk. 

Best of luck, beautiful, strong ladies. Chemo is DOABLE. Really!!! 

Annie - whose drink of choice would be a nice pinot noir - if only it did not taste like a live firecracker in my mouth these days!!!!

mdg: I, too, was delighted with the cocktail theme! Order me up a gin and tonic!

My doctor won't commit to specific foods during chemo, so I really appreciate the input from those who have already started chemo. Everyone keeps saying "eat anything you want", which is great, but I just hope to have some ideas for good things when I am feeling okay. Protein, that's a new one for me; I'm not a big meat eater, so I'll have to find other options...

I am hoping to continue exercise throughout. It is a huge help for my emotional health, and I think I am going to need it.

Good luck to all who are starting their treatment this week.

Hi Ladies - just popping in from the March 2008 chemo thread - hard to believe it's been 3 years!  I did 6*TAC - a tx every three weeks - starting March 4, 2008 and finishing June 17, 2008.  As you've probably heard, chemo is not a walk in the park, but it is doable. 

I worked full time all through chemo.  My chemo days were Tuesdays.  I'd take my chemo day off, and since I had to go back for a Neulasta shot the next day, I took that off as well.  I'd go to work Thursday and Friday, then pretty much rest most of the weekend, then I was back at work on Monday.  I have a desk job, not a physically-demanding job, so that helped quite a bit.  The effects for me were cumulative, so as treatments went on I had to leave work early on the Thursday and Friday of chemo weeks, and even sometimes on Mondays.  But aside from that I was able to work. Fortunately I have a great workplace and a supportive supervisor.   

As Diane just said, the worst part for me was the fatigue.  I never had nausea thanks to Emend, but I found I wanted only very bland foods, like white rice and mashed potatoes during the week or so after chemo.  I had been extremely physically active before dx, and tried to stay active during chemo, but had to pretty much give up exercise by the end of chemo because it just took too much out of me. 

And yep, my hair came out, starting on Day 14.  Unfortunately, that goes with the territory.  I thought I'd be devastated, but the surprising thing is that once it actually happened, it wasn't as bad as I thought.  I had a very nice-looking wig, but gave it up after a week or so and just wore baseball caps and dangly earrings.  My co-workers and friends gave me all sorts of baseball caps and dangly earrings, so I ended up having a cap to go with just about everything I owned, with earrings to match.  Everyone is different - some wear caps, some wear scarves, some keep their wigs and some are even brave enough to go commando.  You'll find what's comfortable for you.  And just think - no shaving legs/pits for months, it's a snap getting ready for work in the morning when you don't have to blow dry and style, you save a fortune at the beauty salon, and those sneaky little chin hairs - gone!!!   The good news is that your hair grows back eventually, and now for me, being bald is just a funny memory of something that happened a long time ago.  

Pamper yourself, let people help you, and do what you can to have a normal life.  For me, that meant going to Nationals baseball games - because of the fatigue I may not have lasted past the 4th inning most of the time, but I went and had a great time while I was there.  Baseball and working were lifelines out of Chemo World for me - they were normal everyday things to do that helped me take my mind off myself. If you have something love doing, try to keep doing it for as long as you can.  

The biggest thing you need to do is to be strong enough to ask for help.  That's very hard for most of us, but people want to help and it makes them feel good.  Let people help you, whether it's cooking a meal, walking the dog, running errands, taking the kids for the weekend - whatever you need.  

Good luck ladies - I may not check this thread a lot, but I did want to hop over and say hi and give you encouragement. Hang in there and you can get through it.  If you have any questions please feel free to PM me and I'll be glad to answer any questions you may have about my experience then and how I'm doing now.