half way thru a/c chemo

cherdaetwyler

Hi everyone,
very cold and sunny here this Sunday morning.
I go on Tuesday for my third A/C treatment and thought for future newcomers I should record a bit
of my reactions to treatments.
one thing, with me the blood counts the second week after each session so far have been the worst.
everyone led me to expect that on A/C it would be worst the first week and start coming up by the second one.
however contrary to expectations, my total white count and nuetrophils did not go as low with the
second treatment as with the first (neutrophils, 0.3 first, 0.5 second)
the antiemetics they give me before the chemo and prescribe to take after keep nausea to a dull
nagging full sensation, unless i do something stupid like eat mexican or curries or somesuch.

This treatment I refused "preventive" antibiotic to keep me from infections...so far so good.
During the first 3 weeks I was on duricef to counter an infection in my new mediport site (it had
been inserted only the day before chemo, and by the 3rd day after chemo showed signs of infection)

I got two mouth sores on Friday evening after eating a huge salty soft pretzel with a big glass of
lemonade out at the mall ...by the time we got home ( a one hour trip) I had two blisteryy looking
sores. used my usual peroxide-bakingsoda toothpaste, then started sucking lozenges of bovine
colostrum. they really work. I had been on regualr dosages of colostrum since the 4th day after
chemo. by sat evening they were fine.
more later, an interuption.
cher

pamtriggs

See everyone. I said the colostrum works. Wonderful stuff. Cher you seem to be coping so well. I really admire you. I have been on a bit of a downer lately & now I feel ashamed of myself so thanks for your posts. Thinking of you & good luck with the rest of the treatments. Love Pam

cherdaetwyler

pamtriggs said:

See everyone. I said the colostrum works. Wonderful stuff. Cher you seem to be coping so well. I really admire you. I have been on a bit of a downer lately & now I feel ashamed of myself so thanks for your posts. Thinking of you & good luck with the rest of the treatments. Love Pam

hey pam,
try not to elt it all get you down, even though it must be really tough

actually I have been emotionally down lately myself, an uncle died (not C, but developments
from diabetes and heart failure), two of my friends are waiting for results or tests regarding
recurrences. One is my cousin who battled interstitial pneumonia for several years (they gave
her cytoxan to fight the inflamation between the lung cells and it caused a squamous cell cancer
of the bladder, one of those little mentioned side-effects), Now they did scans last week
to see if the pain in her side is caused by kidney malignancies or just gout or kidney stones
or what...she is still waiting to hear.

the other friend has had cervical cancer and BC (dcis) and had a lumpectomy with no extra treatment
cause they said she didn't need it. now has very noticable lump in the other breast. she's
very depressed, scared and having a whole bunch of problems besides.

In addition the battle to save our local indian village site and its burials has disintegrated
into a whole bunch of personal squabbles and the entire project is in danger of blowing up.

I don't have time to be down about my disease with all that happening. Providing a shoulder to
cry on, letting the various parties in the squabbles vent ( ot at least those who talk to me)
...trying to write all the letters of condolence to people whose entire life has been spent condemning
me for being different...whew!

Sweet relief !!! I really needed to get all of that out.

Through the whole first chemo session (3 weeks) i was in such good shape that I was ashamed
to write and tell everyone who was having so much trouble how well i was doing. then I went
to the dr for my second treatment and found out that the white counts were so bad the second
week that they weren't sure if I could have that chemo that day...needless to say I was
devastated because the day after the blood test when my neutrophils were 0.3 I spent the
morning packing groceries for clients at the food bank, and the afternoon sorting clothing
for the thrift store or recycling.

Had no idea I was courting infection or viruses from the people I was with. (I was on antibiotics
for the port insertion site infection, but that wouldn't have done diddly for viruses)
however I got nothing...and by the day of the chemo my total white counts were 4.3
(I never saw a figure on my neutrophils for that test)
so I got the chemo on schedule...then I had my 21 year old navy hospital corpsman home
on leave and his amounts of email left mme with little computer time. plus I hated to
gloat about having my baby home again when people like Norma were losing family members


anyhow I am doing fine. even raring to go to chemo tomorrow. bitching about the eyes
because they really interfere with everything I do...seeing two skillets is very disruptive to
cooking breakfast...I hit the side of the skillet with an egg this morning, half fell on the stove, and
the rest dribbled down the inside of the skillet wall. it was supposed to be over easy.

Whoops.

so as always, life around here resembles a slapstick comedy routine.

have you seen the middle-aged Barbie email that is going the rounds...I feel like every
thing on the list hit me within the past three months, menopause, really wrinkly skin, bad eyes
(although my eyes have always been bad, but my sight had stayed the same for the past 8 years
I have 4 identical sets of glasses except the one pair I have for re-enacting don't have
the bifocal because the lenses are too tiny to get my monster lenses changed over to do
close work, but since I can usually stitch with glasses off, I just push them up on my head or
drop them into a pocket)

sorry for the ramble,
hope you are doing ok today,
luv cher

newton1

pamtriggs said:

See everyone. I said the colostrum works. Wonderful stuff. Cher you seem to be coping so well. I really admire you. I have been on a bit of a downer lately & now I feel ashamed of myself so thanks for your posts. Thinking of you & good luck with the rest of the treatments. Love Pam

I have not checked in on the group for a couple of weeks. Just had a mastectomy a coupel of weeks ago, and am still going a bit slow.... I will start chemo soon, and am interested in the bovine losenges.... Where do you get them ?

Mary Anne in CA

cherdaetwyler

newton1 said:

I have not checked in on the group for a couple of weeks. Just had a mastectomy a coupel of weeks ago, and am still going a bit slow.... I will start chemo soon, and am interested in the bovine losenges.... Where do you get them ?

Mary Anne in CA

Hi mary anne,
I get the bovine colostrum losenges from a health food coop.
the name on the bottle is Prime Colostrum Lactoferrin z7 Pectin Supplement and at the bottom of the front it has ALT-MED trademark. on side panel it says distributed by LactoFerrin Products Co, Hourston texas.
check with your oncologist.
Note: these are strawberry flavored losenges that dissolve in your mouth. I take other capsules of bovine colostrum from 4th day after chemo to 3rd day before. (3 week cycles) I only use these losenges for mouth sores cause I really hate the taste of them. (do not suck on these right after chemo cause I tried it for the chemo burn taste and it really made me sick...I was nauseated beyond belief and the zofran kept me from throwing up but I was MISERABLE>
good luck cher