How was your exp. with Chemo treatments?

Reikigemgirl

LoveBabyJesus said:

Thank You
So happy to have you all here helping me go through this. Thank you. I appreciate your time and support.

I met with my Onco today. My chemo is set up for April 1 (April's fool day!). I will meet with her again next week to go though everything I need to know before then. I have so many questions already written for her.

I have heard the second day shot is pretty strong stuff. Does it wear off after some time? Is it easy to give it to yourself? I am harvesting my eggs now and I am able to do the shots myself. Just wondering if it's as easy for the the bone marrow shot.

You all inspire me.

Love

Claritin....
is what I took for the pain that comes with the Neulasta shot and I never had one ounce of pain. I was told about the claritin on this board. Just plain claritin, not claritin D. Take one the day before chemo, the day of and for six days afterwards. It worked wonderful for me.

Get a port if you can, it is so much easier on the veins. I have never heard of anyone giving themselves the Neulasta shot. I always had to go back the next day to my cancer center to get the shot.

Hope the claritin helps you like it did me.

Love and Light,
Vicki

Mothercrone

Reikigemgirl said:

Claritin....
is what I took for the pain that comes with the Neulasta shot and I never had one ounce of pain. I was told about the claritin on this board. Just plain claritin, not claritin D. Take one the day before chemo, the day of and for six days afterwards. It worked wonderful for me.

Get a port if you can, it is so much easier on the veins. I have never heard of anyone giving themselves the Neulasta shot. I always had to go back the next day to my cancer center to get the shot.

Hope the claritin helps you like it did me.

Love and Light,
Vicki

Everyone 's Different
Like you, I was terrified of chemo and it's side effects. Maybe that's a good thing because I can tell you, it's not nearly as bad as you expect.

I am her2 Stage II. My oncology doctor and team of nurses are wonderful. The day before I start my chemo treatment, I take two anti-nausea pills. Then two the day of treatment and two the day after. Never had a moment's nausea, thank goodness.

I also go for the Neulasta shot a day or so after chemo treatment. No biggy. Just remember to warm the needle in your hands for a few minutes before the nurse injects you. When I do have minor aches, I simply take Tylenol.

Here are my side effects and I consider them a blessing, knowing that my treatments are saving my life...

Naturally, lost hair but kept eyebrows. Yay!
Metallic taste in mouth. Not so great.
Tired and out of breath. Lowered white, red, platelet count.
Bloody Nose. Again, lowered hemoglobin count.
Numb, cold and tingly feet and fingers. This is my worst side effect.
Tummy aches
Loss of appetite
Fingernail and Toenails turned black

My side effects such as the runny or bloody nose, or shortness of breath are actually keys to me of my blood count cells. So when my nose runs, I know my white cell count is down. Bloody nose? Platelets down.

Tell your doctor and nurses about every symptom. The nurses are truly chemo angels and will walk you through any and all side effects you experience.

Don't be afraid. I know it's scary and I'm about the biggest baby you ever saw in your life. I never thought I could go through this and now it's just a weekly appointment to save my life.

Incidentally, I had a port installed and I've never been sorry. It makes everything so much eaier. Do it. All your treatments, blood tests or anything else that might pop up will go through that wonderful portal.

You can do this and you will astound yourself with your strength and courage.

bayougirl

islandgirl0304 said:

Your experience
I glad your treatment went well. I just had my head shaved today. It has been 11 days since my first treatment. I had cut my long hair to very short before my first treatment in order to donate what I could. But my hair started falling out by the handfuls and I will not lie I cried. I am a very strong woman but standing in the shower and opening my eyes and seeing that amount of hair in my hand was hard. I had asked my husband to shave it, but after two days of excuses he final told me he was afaird of cutting me. I went to a barber shop because I did not want to cry. I am a retired military woman and I knew I would not cry there. They were great and understanding. I did not want to go to a salon because they do not normal shave heads. Believe my head is not pretty, I have scars from an accident in the military. I wish I could be brave enough to walk outside with my bald head and stand proud. I worry that someone will think why can't she just cover that ugly head up. I hope you have a good experience and stay strong. You are in my thoughts and prayers. The chemo is only one part of this experience. Our hair is some much a part of who we are as woman, I know wigs will help, but they are not our own hair. God bless you.

hair loss
I also lost my hair quickly after first chemo. I was prepared for it so it did not bother me too much. I have four precious wigs but have resorted to wearing hats. My friends gave me a "hat" party pre chemo and I received over 50 adorable hats for all seasons. I love the wigs, but they are just too hot for me to wear in a warm climate. The chemo robbed me of a thermostat so I get hot flushes .....and the wig or hat must come off. Less shocking for the hat to be removed than the wig. I have gotten used to being bald...went to look good, feel better program ...got some helpful pointers there. Love to wear fun earrings with my hats. I hold my head up and smile.........I want others to see proof that cancer cannot destroy my heart and attitude. I spread my outlook wherever I go...I am proud that I am beating this monster. Now, when all is done...I will pay it forward to other cancer patients who face the same journey that I did.

Double Whammy

Mothercrone said:

Everyone 's Different
Like you, I was terrified of chemo and it's side effects. Maybe that's a good thing because I can tell you, it's not nearly as bad as you expect.

I am her2 Stage II. My oncology doctor and team of nurses are wonderful. The day before I start my chemo treatment, I take two anti-nausea pills. Then two the day of treatment and two the day after. Never had a moment's nausea, thank goodness.

I also go for the Neulasta shot a day or so after chemo treatment. No biggy. Just remember to warm the needle in your hands for a few minutes before the nurse injects you. When I do have minor aches, I simply take Tylenol.

Here are my side effects and I consider them a blessing, knowing that my treatments are saving my life...

Naturally, lost hair but kept eyebrows. Yay!
Metallic taste in mouth. Not so great.
Tired and out of breath. Lowered white, red, platelet count.
Bloody Nose. Again, lowered hemoglobin count.
Numb, cold and tingly feet and fingers. This is my worst side effect.
Tummy aches
Loss of appetite
Fingernail and Toenails turned black

My side effects such as the runny or bloody nose, or shortness of breath are actually keys to me of my blood count cells. So when my nose runs, I know my white cell count is down. Bloody nose? Platelets down.

Tell your doctor and nurses about every symptom. The nurses are truly chemo angels and will walk you through any and all side effects you experience.

Don't be afraid. I know it's scary and I'm about the biggest baby you ever saw in your life. I never thought I could go through this and now it's just a weekly appointment to save my life.

Incidentally, I had a port installed and I've never been sorry. It makes everything so much eaier. Do it. All your treatments, blood tests or anything else that might pop up will go through that wonderful portal.

You can do this and you will astound yourself with your strength and courage.

I'm old and did fine
I'm 63. 4 infusions of Taxotere and Cytoxin. No port. First 2 cycles, no Neulasta. Because I developed infections, I had Neulasta the last 2 times. Didn't phase me at all. I still got infections in spite of the doggone shot, tho.

My side effects were many. All of them were tolerable, many of them were expected, many were not and those were frightening to me - not to my oncologist, tho. I allowed myself to rest and recover throughout chemo. A couple of my friends thought I should be out doing things so I wouldn't think about it. I didn't think about it all the time, I was simply perfectly content reading and relaxing (and I didn't like being told what I "should" do). I did go out to movies and meals with friends and things like that. There were many (most?) days that I felt perfectly normal.

Now I think I feel better than I did before cancer. It's been 6 months since my last chemo and 4 months since my last radiation treatment. I've been on Arimidex for over 3 months now and I'm experiencing absolutely no side effects from that. Yes, we're all different and I do believe I'm one of the lucky ones in terms of side effects from all of this, both during treatment and long term.

We'll be here for you through all of your treatments, so don't hesitate to post. Good luck on Friday!

Suzanne