Breast Cancer

loreey

Hi everyone I have been diagnosed with breast cancer, and I have decided to do chemotherapy first to shrink the tumor and then have a lumpectomy. I am alittle nervous about chemo and it's effects on your body. Can anyone help me with there experiences with chemotherapy. Thank you

Ellison

Hi loreey,

Do you know what you chemo treatment they are going to give you?

tlmac

Hi loreey. The truth is, even with the exact same drugs in our systems, many of us have had very different experiences. Hair loss is pretty universal. I tossed on a ball cap but many friends got beautiful wigs and no one ever knew. I had great anti-nausea drugs and never threw up. Unless you don't respond to any of a number of drugs available (and I have 1 friend who didn't) you can usually avoid throwing up. My greatest inconvenience was exhaustion. Even with neulasta shots for white blood cells and aranesp shots for red, I still became very run down. Listening to my body, I napped whenever I needed one. Friends of mine worked throughout their chemo butI took those months off. Sometimes taste is affected. I ate anything and everything put in front of me but I know the taste of food changes for some. Try to eat healthy but, if you have to, eat what tastes good and keep your strength up. Drink plenty of water before and after chemo. It flushes the toxins out of your body. Don't be surprised if your urine is tinted a reddish color, it's the drugs and will pass. Avoid the sun as much as possible during those hot hours and cover up with lightweight clothing, hats, sunscreen, etc. if you have to be out. Chemo makes us especially susceptable to burn. I know how scary it all seems but my experience with chemo was so much less terrifying and miserable than I imagined it would be-a great relief. Bald wasn't my best look but I found it very liberating. Don't be surprised if eyelashed, eyebrows and body hair in general thin (no legs or arm pits to shave for the summer). There's a Look Good Feel Better program available in most communities that deals with makeup, hair, etc. It's free. If you're interested, contact your local American Cancer Society. Throw away all face makeup you're currently using. It contains bacteria that you will be very susceptible to during chemo. Look Good Feel Better provides new make-up free along with experts to help you look great but you can purchase your own if you prefer. Remember to laugh with friends, hug family and let them all help when you feel you need a leg up. It's no walk in the park but I remembered to thanked God every day that there was chemotherapy I could take. You will definitely get through this. I'll keep you in my prayers. Best of luck!
terri

llabc

Hi Loreey,
I also had chemotherapy as the first part of my treatments. Terri has put together a very complete and thoughtful response. My experiences were very similar. For me, drinking lots of water was helpful. Also, a good friend made recommendations for foods that I could eat that could help me with fatigue and nausea. I had medication that addressed nausea almost completely. The foods that I ate to help with fatigue were those typically high in beta carotene: baked sweet potatoes, carrots, cantaloupe, papaya, pumpkin (canned). Fresh pineapple can be helpful for some with nausea. As Terri says, if you can eat more fruits and vegetables, that would be great. But the main thing is to eat what tastes good so that you can keep up your strength. My brother in law has been battling CLL (a form of adult leukemia) for 8 years. He told me to feel good about taking naps--he said that rest would help my body heal. And, he was right! Eating protein also aids healing in-general. I was able to eat fish and chicken, eggs and other sources of protein. All of the eating habits helped me very much with energy and overall wellness. One last thing, I tried to exercise during chemo. Nothing really challenging...just walking. It really helped me with fatigue and overall wellness, too.

God bless you!
llabc

24242

I think one of the things I saw through my treatments was that I wasn't sick to stomach but felt crapy all the time and there for eating was a difficult thing to do, who want to eat when feeling sick all the time.
Eating sometimes takes energy we just don't have so drinking ensure can be a really good way to get the nutrition we need. I found it was only the only way I could get something in me and yes I had to work to keep it.
You have found a good place with plenty of experiences to help you face all you must.
Be good to yourself always,
Tara

Ellison

Ellison said:

Hi loreey,

Do you know what you chemo treatment they are going to give you?

Before the infusion, they gave me ice chips to suck on. It helps keep from getting mouth soars. Depending on what your chemo cocktail is, you might have a metalic taste in your mouth. A few hours after the infusion I felt nausa for a couple of days. I was taking medicine for the nausa but was alergic to one of them. My throat wanted to close. I went to the ER and they had me buy some over the counter stuff. Wish I would have known that before I drove 25 miles to the hospital. Drink plenty of water to flush the chemo out. It keeps you hidrated. My taste buds changed. I never used to like mustard and now I like it. I became very sensative to smells. I wore sunglasses because the bright light irritated my eyes. After the first week of treatment I went back to work. (little slower than usual)
I was tired and had to rest more than before. Chemo accumulates in the body I believe, toward the end anyway it seemed. I went to barnes and nobles and got a cook book for cancer patients. Of course I had other books just to gague what I could expect next. I attended a support group for ladies that had bc. That was a great help. I was very careful about germs. I carried wipes in my car. If I went to the store I would get in the car, wipe my hands and the steering wheel. I stayed away form public places like restaurants and fast food places during flu season. You are more prone to infection with the blood counts being down and all. I lost every hair on my body except of course those darn chin hairs I too went to look good feel good class. It was fun and they give you free make-up and show you how you can wear wigs and scarfs.

Keep posting and let us know how you are doing. I was scared and had to prepare myself mentally. I wrote about it and thought of it as an army going in and killing the bad guys. My son-in-law was in Mosul at the time. What ever works... to get thru.

It's going to be ok......

calliemae

Hi Loreey, When I first started my treatments it was over 14 yrs ago, so alot has changed but one thing I found out was that I had to drink everything room temperature, due to I could taste it then, your taste buds will disappear,and I also got to the point I had to eat jr baby food, that was the only thing that I could keep down. Alot has changed and new medication has came out and they have so much more , I just thought that I would give a little help to you also. I washed my hair after the first treatment due to my hair was coming out and I did not want just a little at a time to come out. So my best friend and I washed it and it all came out, I wore scarfs due to the wig my fellow workers bought for me broke me out. I lived in FL at the time very hot. Love ya and take care, Callie

ever1

Hi Loreey, My thoughts are with you. I know how you feel. I had a lumpectomy in December, but they found a hidden tumor so in February I had a mastectomy w/reconstruction. I started chemo in April. I had 4 treatments of Adriamycin/Cytoxan (A/C), and will have 4 treatments of Taxol. With the A/C, I took Emend for naseau plus some other anti-naseau medicine. I agree with the rest of the comments, drink plenty of water, eat as healthy as possible and rest when you need to. My tastes also changed. I used to love coffee. Now, I can just drink about 1/2 cup. I was sensitve to smells also. My sister had cut my hair very, very short and when it started coming out, she came over and shaved it for me. I am wearing hats, scarves; I have a couple of wigs to wear to work. The Taxol has not been as hard for me. I have a few aches/pains that Advil takes care of. I have very little numbness and tingling in my fingers/toes at this point. I have two more treatments to go. I wish you the best of luck & will send you good thoughts. Please keep us posted. Everyone here on this website has always been so helpful and supportive to me. I have learned a lot from their past experiences and feel like I am not in this alone.

AuthorUnknown

Loreey: Being that you have never had chemo before, you will most likely get 4 treatments with adryimicin (which is actually a very strong antibiotic) and cytoxin. I experienced fatigue due to low blood counts, a couple of sinus infections due to the immunosuppresion, and foods just didn't taste right to me. But I was never nauseated. I, too, was careful with infections, I didn't eat anything raw unless it could be washed and peeled (I limited salads to cucumbers, carrots, onions, peeled fresh tomatoes), and drank and drank and drank water - that's improtant, because the chemo is toxic to your bladder, so you want to be peeing a lot!
I lost every hair on my body, and you may not know this but your scalp can get sore (feels like a sunburn) when the hair is falling out, and again when it grows in...the first hair to come back was my chin hair, of course! I had some mouth sores, but my oncologist gave me a prescription to have the pharmacist mix up this stuff called "Clack's Solution", and it took care of the sores within 24 hrs each time - it's a crazy mixture of benadryl, peptobismol, lidocaine, and I think a little bit of a steroid, and it worked wonders for me. The taste isn't great, but you just rinse your mouth and don't have to swallow it or anything. Good luck, it won't be that bad, and the time goes by quickly.

chris1010

First, praise God that you are alive. Now, I was diagnosed almost 5 years ago at the age of 29 and thank God, I am still here to share with you.
MY chemo sessions were not all that bad, well compared to what I had heard they would be like. First, know that no 2 people will react to any medicine the same way and know that you have to know what your chemo medicines are and have the nurse/doctors tell you the effects of the medicines. Now, the nurses told me what to expect and everything they said, with the exception of throwing up and weight loss, I did experience. I went in and basically had my dose of chemo, they would always give me some medicine beforehand (I forgot what it was or why), but it would make me sleepy. I would always have to potty a lot right after and they would have me to just sit for a few minutes after the chemo session to get steady on my feet again (always have someone there with you), I had my present husband there, who I did not know would end up being my husband, but he was there with me through it all and he is 7 years younger than me, anyway. After the chemo, I would go home and be sleepy, so I would rest and for me, I would get a little nauseated, but I never threw up, but I got severely exhausted, tired so much that I could hardly move-thank God for my mom, since I had a 2 year old at the time and was going through a divorce, but my chemo was not all that bad, just a LOT of exhausation and I lost my taste buds, so everything tasted the same, but I actually lost weight, which from what I understood, many breast cancer patients do. So hold your head up, praise God that you are alive and go through it.