Starting Chemo June 2019

Hi teamortiz, welcome. I'm sorry to see you here, in the club no one wants to join. You will find an amazing amount of information and people to help you move through.

I'm in the May group. You might find it helpful to start by looking in on the May and April groups, as we are mostly "in process" right now. Here is a link to the May group

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topics/871135?page=1

Also, if you know what kind of chemo you'll use, there are some specific threads that can help with that info. There is one on AC

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topics/867853?page=1

and another on TC (I can't find the one I'm thinking of, but maybe someone else will link it.) And Tiffany's Terrific Tips on TC

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topics/839070?page=1

There's also an ongoing one on taxol

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topics/788735?page=1

and some tips for avoiding taxane-related peripheral neuropathy

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topics/871625?page=1

If you have questions, people will be glad to help answer. Best wishes to you and the whole June group.

Hi Tea - I will be in the June group also. The lumpectomy/node removal was on May 17th. Starting in two weeks,I will be getting Taxol and Herceptin weekly for twelve weeks, a break for radiation and then finish out a year with Herceptin every three weeks. I just got my pathology report and the BS got clean margins on the tumor and all eight nodes removed were clean. I am researching how to stave off the neuropathy and other possible SE.

DogMomRunner, there doesn't seem to be much help for neuropathy other than icing. There is some info here

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topics/871625?page=1

Aside from that, I have read that vitamin B-12 deficiency is related to neuropathy, but I don't know if there's any research about using supplements to help prevent it. I haven't seen anything else. If you find some info, please do share.

Here's another resource I don't think I linked before. It's a site called chemocare, and it has really good information about both the drugs and the SE, indexed to find easily. There's also really good stuff under the "More" tab, including stuff you might want to do before starting your chemo tx.

http://www.chemocare.com/default.aspx

You might be interested that the site came out of the experience of champion ice-skater Scott Hamilton, when he was diagnosed with cancer. He wanted good information that was easy to access, and this was built out of that desire. His foundation also helps fund its existence.

Good luck today, teamortiz!

I hope you are doing well Teamortiz!

Well, one round down and three more to go!

Yesterday went well, though it took a bit longer than I thought. Probably because it was the first appt and they had a lot to explain as they went along.

Things started with the NP where she double checked I had all my at-home prescriptions ready. They did lab work by finger prick (which is now the most inconvenient part because they had to try two fingers to get enough blood and now they feel sore like they have a splinter), then did height and weight before taking me over to the treatment room.

The nurses were amazing, they talked me through every step. Got my IV connected, ordered my TC from the pharmacy, and started pushing the other stuff while we waited - steroid, anti-nausea, and pepcid. Once the prescribed treatment arrived, she connected the bag of Taxotere and explained all the potential immediate side effects they would be watching for. Thankfully I did not have any of those issues, and it went by fairly uneventfully. I did chew on a little bit of ice, but that was it for the Taxotere.

Next was the Cytoxan, which would take the longest. She did say it would be easier and they wouldn't have to watch for reactions like they did with the Taxotere. I was warned that it may cause a sinus headache if I was susceptible to that, which I am. It was probably the last 5 minutes of the bag when that happened, and I am still dealing with a killer headache this morning. I was told I could take ibuprofen & claritin-d, which I have and it seems to be helping now. The only other thing was the crazy fast onset of dry mouth, probably about an hour after I was done. So I have been hydrating with lots of water, and I've used biotene mouth spray to help a little bit.

And that's about it for now. I feel a smidge queasy, but not fully nauseas or sick to my stomach, and I've taken my first dose of meds for the day while I eat a light breakfast. Hopefully it will kick in soon. Otherwise, I just feel a bit sleepy and generally "off" from normal but nothing serious or severe at the moment. We will see how the rest of the weekend goes.

I hope you all have a great weekend! xoxo

SIMSA hope your weekend is not too hard and that you can relax. Thanks for sharing your experience on the first day because it’s really helpful. I start on Tuesday and as much as I’ve told everyone I just want this to all start it’s kinda freaking me out that it’s finally here. I had such a long diagnosis and surgery time that it’s taken months to get here. I’m rushing to get stuff done this weekend cause I don't know how I'll feel next weekend. Had a big dinner out last night with friends and getting a pedicure today.

Now my big question is what is everyone doing about their hair? Cutting off after it starts falling out or jumping the gun and doing it early?

Thanks for the kind words, ladies

So far things are still going well. Little waves of queasiness and sleepiness off and on, but not much else. My husband joined me for a walk yesterday afternoon. It wiped me out for a little bit, but it felt good to get out of the house and enjoy the beautiful weather. I slept great most of the night, but was awake for about an hour or so around 1am. Don't know what was up with that, but I managed to fall back asleep at some point. And for the last side effect so far, I did wind up taking a dose of miralax this morning to help things move along - they warned me that I might need it, and boy do I...

In regards to hair stuff - I've always had really long, stick straight hair. It's all the way down my back currently. The NP (and some other friends of mine who have unfortunately also been through this) recommended I cut it short, at least shoulder length for starters. I think I will likely do that this week... The NP said that with the dose I'm on, my hair is more likely to thin out over the next few weeks rather than falling out in clumps. I figure once it gets too thin, i will just buzz the rest off and start wearing scarves and/or beanies. I have an Rx for a wig, but I've heard they can get itchy and hot and those are the two things I already dislike about my own hair in summer, so I will skip it and try to keep things simple and cool.

I hope you all have a lovely day! xoxo

Hi tennisgirl and welcome. I'm sorry your find yourself here with us, but hopefully you will find the love and support you need to get through this. I don't know much about fasting, unfortunately. There is another poster on the forum who seems to know quite a bit about it. santabarbarian, i think. I would recommend reaching out to her for help with that. For myself, I'm just listening to my body. I eat when I'm hungry, drink tons of water when I'm not, and just overall trying to be gentle with myself.

Following up on recovery from round one - The weekend went better than I anticipated. Everyone I spoke to on Friday made it sound like the first 48 hours would be the worst. Other than the waves of sleepiness and occasional queasiness, it wasn't that bad. Then Monday came. I think it had to do with the massive dose of steroids wearing off, but I just did not feel well. I wasn't physically ill, just an overall sense of being "off". Everything drove me mad - sounds, tastes, even my clothes touching my skin drove me up a wall. I had been prescribed lorazepam for just this sort of thing, and thank goodness. I think it's the only reason I didn't completely jump out of my skin or bite my poor husband's head off.

Yesterday was worse, physically. The mental irritation had mostly worn off, but my whole body just felt very run down. I had waves of feeling cold and hot, but did not have a fever or anything. So I took it easy and dozed on the couch most of the day. TMI alert -I still have been having some trouble with BMs, but nothing outside of what I was told to expect. I keep eating high fiber foods, taking colace and miralax. I've had some success, thankfully. Just ready to have a good "go" and lose the gassy bloated feeling.

Today I seem to have turned a corner. Still feeling a little run down, like my muscles feel a little stiff here and there, but I'm trying to keep moving in hopes it'll ease up. I need to run a couple errands anyways, so it'll be good to get out for a bit.

Also contemplating getting my first haircut this weekend, just shoulder length for now. I'd like to find some nice scarves and learn to tie them, too. I didn't think the hair loss would bother me too much, but as I look at styles and tutorials for scarves and hair care, the more I start to feel uneasy about it all. I've always been very laid-back and low maintenance, keeping my hair in a ponytail or bun 99% of the time. And now I have to figure out something that is just as easy, yet still looks decent... I'm stressing myself out over it. it is what it is, I guess.

Anyways, thinking of you all as you prepare for tomorrow. You're all strong, amazing women and will make it through! Sending lots of love and warm thoughts to get you through the day! xox

So sorry you all had to find this site, but know that there are amazing people here who will help in anyway they can. I am in the starting Chemo October 2018. I could not have made it without the encouragement of my group. We are still communicating with most of us going through rads. Good luck with the SE's and reach out if you need anything,

Annie

Hi all you June starts. Good luck to every one of you. I have my 2nd of 4 AC tomorrow but had a May start. (Actually I started 3 times, with the first two infusion appts scheduled to do TC. I reacted the the taxotere and couldn't do it, so we switched to AC.)

SE for you all will range from not much to very unpleasant. Some people recommend keeping notes on which days different SE appear for you. Be patient with yourself, assume you will be tired regardless of how bad things are. Try to get a short walk every day, and hydrate as much as you can stand! With the hydrating and tiredness, some of the walking you do may be back and forth to the bathroom! See if you can swing through a few more rooms before sitting or lying down again.

If you're interested in icing to prevent neuropathy, there is a topic that addresses that with tips. Here is the link.

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topics/871625?page=1#